On our way to Florida - we will be stopping and laying over in GA and our horses will stay at Chattahoochee Hills Eventing Farm !! We will get the chance to school on the CX course there on
Tuesday (:

http://www.chatthillseventing.com/index.html

Florida Bond !

Jennifer, Me and 7 horses are set to leave for Florida Monday morning. We will be there until the first week of February. We will be doing all sorts of exciting things, like riding on the beach, taking lessons from top trainers, and lots of other fun things. There will be many post to come when I get back from Florida!! I am very excited!! Hard work really does pay off (:

I hope everyone reading has a very Merry Christmas !! (:

so much to say ..

I have now completed two months at Jennifer's barn and have learned more things that I could ever imagine. I got to take three lesson with international dressage trainer Toine Hoefs and in the clinic I was riding an Arab stallion named Wajure, which I love to death and take many lessons on! I ride Wajure everyday and he is one of my favorite horses at the farm.  He has taught me how important it is to have quiet hands and legs. Jennifer says each day I ride him I become an even better rider.

With Wajure, we have started to school pirouetts - cooliest thing ever what horses can do!! It leaves me speechless everytime we get it right (:



As you can see in the picture, it is very important that your shoulders are back far enough so that the horse can lift its front legs enough to move in a very small circle!!

This is just a couple of the things that I have been doing . There will be more to come (:

Thanks for reading !!

The wonderful world of dressage !!

dres·sage

   /drəˈsɑʒ; Fr. drɛˈsaʒ/ Show Spelled[druh-sahzh; Fr. dre-sazh] Show IPA

noun

2. the artor method of training a horse in obedience and in precision of movement.

Well I have started yet another working student postion, and i've been there for about 3 weeks now and I love it. I'm a working student for dressage trainer Jennifer Conour. 12 hour days 5 days a week, her favorite saying is "move your feet" and that is what we do all day long. Everyone there works really hard all day long. The upside of being a working student for her is the faster I get the barn cleaned in the morning the soon and or more horses I will get to ride that day. I ride anywhere from 3-6 horses a day, 3 or 4 of those in a lesson.

I have learned more in 3 week then I have learned in years of riding. The advantage I get of being her working student is getting to ride all kinds of horses at all different ages with all sorts of problems. the most improtant thing i have learned is get in there get the job done and then give!! I have had many lung line lesssons where i just get to work on  my seat, my leg, and my body postion. it has been great.  i have also learned neat stuff like standing up bareback on a horses back (: I love my lessons !!

There will be many more storys and picture to come !! i have been super busy and soo sorry that it took me this long to write !! (:

Enjoy !!

A Peaceful Happy Ending

October 6, 2011 was the day that my lovely Hennessy was put to rest.

The day before, was the day that I was to say goodbye. My parents did not want me to be there the day they put him down because of the terrible things that could happen.

I had the best last memories with my Henny that I could ever ask for. I let him just chill and eat as much grass as he wanted. Then I gave him his last bath and then let him enjoy more grass for about an hour. Then I brought him inside and my dad pulled his shoes because I wanted to keep them. I then put him back in his stall and cryed as I hugged and kissed him goodbye. Just as I was about to walk out of his stall for the last time I pulled myself together and smiled for him as I told him I loved him. I wanted his last memory of me to be smiling. As I walked out of the barn to leave it hit me like a bag rocks.  I broke down and cried all the way home.

The next, My dad went out to the barn to be there with Henny. I was at home and my mom was at work. The vet came around 11am to put Hennessy down. She told my dad we are doing the right thing and that his leg is worse then it was a month ago. She explained to my dad all the things that could happen when she gives him the shot. When Dr. B gave Henny the shot he just layed down never tried to get up. It took about 15min until his heart stopped beating. My good ol' boy knew it was time and knew how much pain he was in.

It been a hard week without him.  The day after he was put down, I went out to see where he was buried. It's hard everytime I walk in the barn to see that Henny is not there to greet me. I know he is in a better place where he is eating the best grass in the world.

Thank you soo much to everyone for their support and prayers. I have the best friends, family and horse family a 17 year old girl could ask for !

I love you and miss you Henny! And so does everyone that has been in your life!
Rest in Peace little man !!

Henny says," I dont want a kiss mom"

Henny and His bubby Cheers (:

ohh i love my job (:

I'm currently working for a local dressage trainer at her farm. I will refer to her as J.C. My job includes many different jobs. I'm responsible for cleaning stalls, feeding horses, setting up grain, laundry, hand walking injured horses, picking fields, riding horses, tacking up horses, cleaning tack, and many other things. I really enjoy everyone at the barn and there are some pretty cool horses there!

Here are just a few of the wonderful horses I get to play with (: 

Wow .. what can happen in a year...

My very very very bestfriend, a year ago today, had to make the sudden decision to let the love of her life be put to rest. She had a beautiful black appendix Thoroughbred named Razz. He was 9 years old when he was put down. I have known her and Razz for a long time. And I treated Razz like he was my own horse.

His Story:
Somehow when Razz was out in the pasture that day, he got his leg caught in the fencing and panicked and pulled and pulled until he was free. I few hours later is when someone finally realized he was hurt. They rushed him to Purdue, being that they were only a couple miles away. Razz could bearly move his leg to get on the trailer. When they got there, it was only bad news from there. He had totally ripped in half 3 tendons in his back lower leg.

She was told that they could put him back together, but he would never be sound again.... Razz was a very amazing barrel racer going on dressage horse ( believe it or not).  He would never be happy standing around in a pasture. She had to make a very quick choice and chose to put Razzel to rest.

To My Bestfriend:
I love you both with all my heart. I feel for you now more then ever, having to go through some of the same things. Thank you so much for being here for me, just like I was there for you (: You are an amazing person

Love,
Little lex <3