Tomorrow is my lesson day, and yesterday we went for a 3 hour trail ride, in the rain. Well in the sprinkle - as it didn't really rain when we rode, or where we rode. It was a great ride and work out, and as we were heading close to home, I was finally starting to get tired and cold. It was unfortunate that we went all the way up, up, up (couple of thousand acres of private land to ride on!!! The luxury of boarding at Bresing Farms!!!) and the point in which we thought, okay the horses are starting to get tired, its time to turn around and go home - this was about 1.5 hours up, and equivelant time back down. But at the turn around point, we hit some of the real pretty landscape, area's canopied by trees, it was warming up, and the path was solid, wide, flat and clear ahead - perfect canter spot! But we had a couple of tired ponies. We've decided we'll haul up there in the summer and start our ride there and spend a few nights on the mountain. On our way back as we headed down, a big healthy, fat coyote came trotting up our path - directly towards us. It wasn't till Sandra started to call out to it - about a hundred feet away from us - did it stop, stare at us and then trot up the hill. Wasn't really that scared. Then as Sandra continued to call and cluck to it, it sat above us on the hill watching us. Not scared or anything, almost as if it was waiting for the wide load to pass so he could continue up the road. It was wonderful!!!
Today is a non riding day, probably much to Ozzy's glory, but I was flipping through Mellissa Carls photographs from Lindsay's last show in the summer. Picking out my favorite from over 200 photos of us. Let me tell you thats not easy! But what I did notice, was a more clear idea and sense of where my position was lacking - thank you Mellissa - I've used these as a great learning tool. For the past week, thanks to fellow boarder - Kendall, I've been reading up on some old - and many of them, Practical Horse magazines. And reading as many of George Morris columns as I can handle. And some of those things that Brianne keeps telling me, things like leg on, leg on, proper release, yanking on his mouth, leg falling back, jumping ahead - when she's telling me them while I'm on the horse, for the most part I understand, but in many occassions - I think, "I AM DOING IT". Like leg on for instance. When I'm riding I feel like my leg is on. But now after reading and looking at the photos I FINALLY have the light bulb moment - ah huh! My leg isn't on, I'm pinching with my knee. Or when I thought my leg was on, it was either pinching with the knee, or just gripping with my thighs, my lower leg being completely off. And the release! NOW I GET IT! Amazingly there are some shots where it looks like I might just have proper release, or at worse enough slack in my rein so I'm not slaughtering his mouth. But not near enough!!!
Frankly I'm not sure I'd have as much patience with me, as Brianne has! So as a coach/trainer - you honestly couldn't ask for better. IF YOU have the opportunity to have a photographer take some shots of you, preferably in sequence this is an incrediable learning tool. And honestly I have to thank Mellissa for this opportunity - wish I could buy up all the photos! The next step will be for someone to video tape me, but the still photos are excellent, just because they give you that stop and look option for you to truly exam your strengths and weaknesses! Definately worth it! When I was taking golf lessons, they did the same thing, a quick speed camera took shots of your swing so you can go over each image with your coach to show exactly where you went right, and the results of it, and when you go wrong, what the end result looks like.
Now for my beef of the day!
Photos - I have had the incrediable fortunate to have a very photogenic horse. And everyone with a camera seems to take amazing shots of him, pro's and ammy's. And I have seen some amazing photos of him. And if I suddenly went senile, and forgot who I was, and what I do, and insanely tried to sell Ozzy - I have so many great shots of him to put on for sale ads. And frankly if I didn't I would pay someone to take some professional shots of him, I mean I'm trying to sell him right???!! I can't tell you how crazy it makes me to see people put up ad's of their horses, where any or (shakes my head) all of the following is happening:
The horse is dirty, hasn't been brushed for days or weeks
Is not set up to stand square
Legs, back end, head has been chopped out of the photo
Its as blurry as pictures of the sasquatch!
You only provide an ass shot - and only an ass shot
The horse has a blanket on it
The photo is of when the horse was a year old, but your selling him as a 12 year old
Blurry photos
Someone riding the horse poorly
The horse is rearing
The horse is standing in a stall that is a foot deep in manure and nasty bedding
A 6'3 man sitting on a yearling
A 2 year old child, with no helmet or saddle sitting on your "stallion"
Frankly any of the above is bad in a free online ad, but I shake my head in amazement when I see these shots in magazines where you have paid GOOD MONEY to place the ad. Seriously people how hard is it to groom your horse, find somewhere on your property that isn't covered in crap, and stand the horse square! At worst its going to take you maybe an hour - thats if you are someone that suddenly relized you had to place an ad for your horse, and you haven't brushed him in a month, and he's laid in every mud spot out there. Then maybe it will take an hour - otherwise what a half hour at best. Do you honestly think someone is going to pay $10k, $5k, hell even $1000 dollars if your horses photo looks like hell. Honestly, how many cars do you think Saturn would sell, if they never washed them, cleaned out the inside, had it smelling nice, had up to date information on the car... um none!!!!
Also spell check, spell check, spell check - I'm not sure how many times I can mention that - probably as many times as I should mention focus the camera, focus the camera, focus the $%*$&( camera!!! It is a bridle - not a bridal (the latter one refers to a white dress, and a big ring!), conformation not confirmation (again change one letter and it means something completely different - I confirm that you have a 5:00 dinner reservation), purebred not pure bread (One has papers the other is what you get at a bakery). I understand that some people have issues with spelling, which is obvious in my own blog, and sometimes these freaking computers don't cooperate and change your word, but when every second word is spelled incorrectly, well you've already lost a sale. People aren't going to take you seriously.
Hmmm my beefs seem to be getting longer then Ozzy's blogs.... I guess I should call it something else, and maybe move it to its own blog area - The manure pile - yep that's the part of my blog when frankly I will be just writing entirely IMO entries.