Unexpected Things

 

So it has been a while since I have written but so much has happened. Last week I rode Freedom one day but it was for a short ride and it was bareback. He did really well. The rest of the week was either rainy or I was busy with family stuff. My sister Rose Mary is leaving for volunteer work at Mountain View Nursing Home and we are taking her this coming Saturday so I have been sticking close to home and spending time with her. Also with Lucy’s having puppies, that has kept me a bit busy.

Well then this past weekend, Tyler was around. He came on Thursday and surprised me by coming on my birthday instead of waiting to come on Friday like I knew he had planned ;) It was a wonderful birthday surprise. Friday, Tyler and Rose Mary invited my four cousins who are like siblings to me over for a surprise birthday party. So many memories and great fun!!!! Saturday we had a wedding and since it was a dreary day we didn’t do much.

Sunday we did our family Christmas because Rose Mary won’t be able to be back for Christmas due to arriving 10 days before Christmas at Mountain View. Tyler and I went to the horses around 3. We finished the chores and then talked about riding or something. I thought maybe a cart ride would be nicer since I hadn’t ridden either horse that week. So we decided on driving Freedom.

We hitched up and left around 3:30, with a little over an hour of daylight left. We had a wonderful drive until we were almost back. We could see the driveway and were a couple feet away from turning in. We heard a car coming up behind us so we knew we would wait to look back to see if traffic was coming before making the turn in the driveway, till the car passed so we didn’t turn to look back. Good thing we didn’t or we would have tensed up most likely. The car hit us on the left side, the side Tyler was on since I was on the right. The car caught the tire and then by bending the tire, lowered the cart closer to the ground which caused the car to catch the seat. Thankfully Freedom only got a bit scared and jumped forward a little but I was able to stop him. After stopping him, he did jump again but I got him calmed down a bit. After making sure Tyler was ok and I was ok, we unhooked Freedom and then walked him down to the barn. Someone had stopped by and helped them move the cart off the road.

I should say that the reason she hit us is because it was around 4:15 or so and there was plenty of light, it was just the fact that the sun was setting and she couldn’t see us because of the sun being right at that spot. Earlier in our drive, I had ducked down so I was in Freedom’s shadow so I could see because the sun was right in my eyes, therefore I totally could understand why the lady hit us.

Well we all walked down to the barn and I checked Freedom over. He had a scrape on his neck from the shaft on the right side, a scrape on his lower right hind leg, and some of the frog on his left hind hoof was sliced but not totally cut off. It wasn’t very deep but I knew that it would need to be covered so it doesn’t get infection in it. Tyler was limping from a bruise on his calf muscle and sore other places and I didn’t feel sore then. Now my one leg has a bruise on it and my neck and back are quite sore.

I got Freedom all bandaged up and then we came home. Tonight I bandaged his hoof up again (will have to do that for a bit…we shall see how it all progresses) and he is on stall rest for a bit. He was given bute last night, this morning and tonight and he definitely is more himself than he was last night or even this morning. He is still sore and probably will be for a bit. So, so very thankful that though things could have ended differently, the worst of the damage is a lost cart, some injuries but everyone came out of it alive! I will say, I have never in my life been as scared as I was in that moment. It is still something I will need to work through and I have a feeling there will be things I need to work with Freedom through once I can ride him. For now I don’t have a cart but someday I want to get another one. I am so very thankful to God for his protecting hand on us at that very moment and for the safety that He provided!! :) He is so good and I want to praise Him for His continual protection and care!

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
-Psalm 93:1-2

Riding in the Dark

I had planned to ride yesterday but I have been having issues with my shoulder since I fell off Freedom on Monday. Since my shoulder was so sore, I decided against riding. This evening I rode Freedom. Rose Mary had gone along with me to ride Daisy. I was really happy with how Freedom did with having another horse along and being in the lead. Daisy was being a bit of a mess and not wanting to nicely walk behind Freedom (she likes to always be in the front) but other than that we had a good ride. It was short because Rose Mary and I needed to get back home again but I was pleased with how Freedom did. And I didn’t fall off which was definitely a plus! :)

Riding and Some Tumbles

I was able to ride Freedom on Friday and Saturday. Friday evening we mostly walked and worked on stopping, starting and turning. Saturday morning I took him to the front meadow and we did a lot of trotting along with some upward and downward transitions from the walk to the trot then from the trot to a walk to a stop. He did really well. A few things bothered him that he shied from but we worked through those things. I felt like we really got somewhere on slowing down and stopping with the seat cue and whoa. Toward the end of the ride he really shied at something. I had regained my seating from his shying but then he quickly jerked another way and put his head down. I went sailing over his head and landed on the ground. I did have to laugh at his face because he looked at me, wondering what I was doing on the ground. I hopped on and off we went again for a bit.

After I rode him a bit more, I untacked him and got Daisy. We went for a short ride down the road. It really felt good to ride her again. Our ride was mostly uneventful because Daisy behaved like a good girl and she enjoyed getting out again.

Today I rode both horses this morning. First I rode Freedom. In some ways he did even better than Saturday and in one way he learned something from Saturday which was very unhelpful to me! He had a few things that he was still wary about up in the front meadow (where I rode him again) and though he shied we worked through those things again. The one time after he had shied he put his head down but I pulled his head up again because I didn’t want to fly over his head again. Well then after we had worked through that again, he shied again and again put his head down (not sure what he does but he does something that throws me off balance and makes me fly over his head) and over his head I went. I got on him again and we went back to that particular spot where he was having trouble with and worked through it. I was ready for him when he put his head down to send me over his head and he didn’t get the chance to throw me. After that we didn’t really have any issues. I was really happy with how well he stopped and started today. Also he did really well with consistently trotting and not trying to break into a canter. Over all I was happy with his progress. I am hoping to work with him later this week in the meadow again and we shall see how he does and if he tries to send me over his head again.

After untacking him and putting him away, I got Daisy and rode her. She again did really well. Tomorrow evening my cousin is coming over and we are going for a ride and we shall see how Freedom does riding with another horse!

Another Ride and Groundwork

Monday evening I rode Freedom after having Sunday off. We mostly worked on stopping, starting, and staying at the gait I asked for. We had a time or two that he decided to shy from something but we worked through those times and after that, had no problem. Overall we had a very good time of riding and I felt that it went really well.

Tonight I didn’t ride but we did some groundwork. I got him to back up, move his forequarters, and hindquarters. I am hoping that tomorrow evening I can ride him again but it was good to brush up a bit on groundwork.

Also tonight Rose Mary and I got the barn prepared for Lucy, my dog who is due to have puppies November 18th. So since we had all those things to prepare for, I didn’t go to church but I am calling in so I still can listen to the message. :)

Another Road Ride with Freedom

Saturday I rode Freedom again, this time for something a bit different, we went down the road a ways. He only was startled once about something in the distance but he just jumped and didn’t shy. I am beginning to think his shying (at least some of it) was an act because with him being both curious and quite smart, he has a way of doing things like that when he gets bored because I am not keeping things interesting enough. Which was the reason for going down the road a ways for a ride. I didn’t go too far because I was going away in the evening but I knew I wanted to get riding him in. I didn’t ride Daisy because I had helped my mom in the morning with the cleaning and it had been drizzling on and off through out the day. I am hoping to ride her tomorrow but we shall see how things all go this week between having revivals and trying to ride Freedom as much as I can. :)

I didn’t ride today because I was gone for a good part of the day in Philadelphia for church this morning. Also it was quite windy and cold this afternoon and evening. We shall see how the rest of the week goes!

Shying and Some Trotting

Last evening I was able to ride Freedom. I had decided that Thursday evening and Friday evening I would just work him around the barn there on stopping, starting, changing paces and the like. He did really well, even with my tumble. The one time the Rivera’s left their dog out the front door, startling Freedom since the dog noisily went running. He shied and though I almost stayed on, at the last minute I fell off. So I hopped on again and off we went. He shied at a few other things but I stayed on :D Other than shying, he did excellent! I had wanted to ride Daisy as well but I was staying the night with my aunt (some of the nieces are staying with her since she has always taken care of my grandparents, she isn’t used to being alone).

This evening I rode Freedom again. This evening went much better, even with the shying. Tonight I did notice that there are some things, he likes to shy at just for the fun of it although some things he is truly shying at. It is easy to tell the difference because of the way he goes about shying. I don’t know how to explain it but it is funny to watch. Tonight we did some trot work along with some stopping and backing. He is pretty confident under saddle of which I am thankful, even with the shying. Not totally sure what that is all about since he isn’t usually one to shy, but I am leaning toward the fact that he hasn’t been used much in the last two weeks due to my schedule (which has cleared up a bit now). I did work him through the different things he shied at and he accepted them after we worked through it. Tomorrow I am hoping to work on a few new things and we shall see how that goes! I didn’t ride Daisy this evening but tomorrow I do plan to ride her!! At the moment my attention is focused on Freedom because I want try to keep him on a regular riding schedule.

Lots of Catching Up

So it has been a little while since I last posted. Two weeks ago we had come home from Boston and my week was pretty full because I was going to be in VA for the weekend to be with Tyler and for my friend Elana’s farewell at Mountain View. Rose Mary and I went down Friday (17th) and arrived around 11:30 at the place we were sleeping. When we were about an hour from arriving at our destination Friday evening, our mom called and told us that her mom had died and the viewing would be Sunday and the funeral Monday. She told us we should continue with our weekend as planned and be home for the funeral. Saturday morning we got up around 5 because Tyler and I were helping his mom out at an orchard where she was selling baked goods and Rose Mary was going to head to Mountain View first thing and we would meet her there later. I had a good day spending time with Tyler and his family there at the orchard. Around 2:30 we left and headed for Mountain View for the farewell. Tyler and I discussed if we should leave Sunday morning and be there for the entire viewing or just leave later in the afternoon and just be there Monday and ended up deciding to leave early Sunday and getting there in time for the first viewing. Elana’s farewell was really nice and I was really glad that I could be there for her! :) It is wonderful watching God work in the lives of my friends.

Sunday morning Rose Mary, Tyler and I headed out. Since I was going to be having Tyler’s one car (I had driven my cousin Sarah’s down because Tyler was going to be doing some stuff on it for her), he drove that and Rose Mary drove his one other car. I rode half the way up with Rose Mary and then the rest of the way with Tyler ;) We arrived in time for the first viewing. Monday then was the funeral.

Last week I didn’t get a chance to work with the horses at all due to just the funeral and then doing odds and ends. This past weekend (26-27th) I was in VA again to help with the school sale at Tyler’s church. My cousins, Sarah, Josh and Chris along with Rose Mary and I all went down. We spent Saturday morning and some of the afternoon helping out with the sale and then after the sale we went to the shop to change the back tires on Tyler’s car due to the one back tire blowing when we were almost down early Saturday morning. We had gotten a late start Friday night after work and arrived in VA around 2:45 Saturday morning. After changing the tires Saturday evening, we went up to Liberty Snow Flex, about half an hour away. On the way we stopped at Sweet Frog. Josh and Chris went snowboarding on the slope while Rose Mary and Sarah talked and Tyler and I talked. We headed back to Tyler’s place for some pizza and had a great time of talking and laughter.

Sunday morning some of us went for a walk and Tyler and I got some more pictures together :) My cousins left right after church and then Rose Mary and I left later around 4. It was an amazing weekend with memories not soon forgotten!!

This evening I didn’t ride (although if we don’t get rain, I hope to tomorrow) but I put new posts around the corral the horses are in and had poop duty that needed taken care of. Now there are a few other things that need to get done that have been neglected but that should get done as the week goes on. It definitely makes it more interesting when it gets dark earlier. I am looking forward to working with both horses this week and seeing what things need worked on since I haven’t had much chance to ride the last two weeks.

A Trip to Boston and Riding Both Horses

My family and I spent this past weekend in Boston, MA. We headed up Friday morning and that afternoon dropped some parts off at a customer/friend’s place. We ate supper with him and then found a place to sleep for the night. Saturday morning we drove the remaining two hours to Boston. After we arrived in Boston, we spent some time driving around. We eventually parked in a parking garage and rode a trolley for the afternoon. By riding the trolley we got to see parts of Boston we otherwise wouldn’t have seen.

That evening we ate at the No Name Restaurant on the Fish Pier in Boston. They served some amazing seafood :) That evening we drove a half an hour outside of Boston to spend the night. We were planning to stay till today but Rose Mary’s mouth started acting up again (she had her wisdom teeth taken out a few weeks ago). So today she is getting her mouth checked out. Sunday we then drove home. It felt great to be at home again after being gone for the weekend.

This morning we spent time looking for a car. The ones we looked at weren’t worth buying so we came home without a car. Thankfully I have the rental till Wednesday and after that we will work things out as far as a car. Hopefully I will soon have a car but we shall keep looking.

After lunch, I went to the horses. I rode Daisy first and it was great just spending time riding her. Today I have owned her for four years and I definitely have learned a lot in those four years about myself as well as about horses. After Daisy and I got back from our trail ride, I rode Freedom. I put the saddle on him and we worked on our turning as well as stopping and starting. I feel like we did better with what we worked on today than we did last week. We also worked a bit on his trusting me in situations he is unsure about. I really enjoy riding him and it has been quite fun teaching him all the things he needs for his future!

Working on Straightness and Cues

Today I rode Freedom. We worked mostly on fine tuning cues and his paying attention to me. We rode in the front meadow to work a bit more on him going straight and staying in the gait I set him in. The reason I was working in the front meadow because then I could use the fence as a guideline to stay straight. I have been using my legs when I tell him to turn and he picked up on that and started responding to my leg cues. I am pleased with how fast he picks up on cues. Overall I was pleased with how good he did! I am not sure if I will get to work with the horses more days this week or not because my family might do something this weekend.

Crisp Fall Air

Tonight I took Daisy for a ride. It truly is a beautiful time of year to ride because the air is cool enough for a jacket, Daisy’s coat is soft and getting thick, and the leaves are beginning to turn. Since it was going to be dark till we got back, I put reflectors on Daisy and wore a reflective vest. I needed some time to think and just be by myself so riding was a perfect activity to do! Daisy really enjoyed getting out and we got the chance to canter a bit. Depending on how the rest of my week goes, I am hoping to bring her down to the fields one day this week and ride her. I didn’t work with Freedom but I am hoping that tomorrow evening I will get the chance to work with both horses but we shall see!