Little this, little that

Growing up, my dad could take the most boring and unrelated ingredients and produce a ridiculously good “whatever”.  A soup, a casserole, pasta sauce, whatever.  I would ask him what he put in it, and every time his answer would be “Oh, little this little that”.

This entry is a blog casserole: little this little that.

The weather:

Good God the snowpocalypse. Snow, ice, wind, subzero temps, and long johns for crying out loud! I know the entire region shared in the suffering so I won’t go into too much ‘woe is me’. Suffice to say I have had it up to HERE with Winter.

The foot:

Obviously something is askew in this picture. I mean, I’m no foot doctor but it just doesn’t look right to me. Everything else is healing great; the tendon grafts are doing well, the cuboid is all fixed up, the little bones with names I don’t recall are where they all belong, but that danged toe. There was a pin in it for 4 weeks, somehow I still had a non-union. Did a digit block and a closed reduction in the office and it’s back in a splint.

For the long term it’ll be fine. It’s slowly healing and someday I’ll be able to wear cute shoes again. For the short term it means I’m still out of the saddle. I can get on and walk around, but, no stirrups, no posting, no jumping, no fair.

The horses:

I’m very fortunate to have great people around me. My bestie Kris is also my most amazing dressage trainer. She has 30+ years of working with everything from rank babies to grand prix superstars. She’s worked for the likes of Robert Dover, Michael Poulin, and a host of others (though she rarely talks about it).  I also have a great barn helper/student who is helping with the riding and lunging, and my friend and fantastic rider/jump teacher Andrew is getting on for the occasional (and much needed) jump schools.

Wish You Were Here (Otie) 8 yr Hano x Tb– He’s doing fantastic since the Lucinda clinic footage. His brain grew up a lot in the last 6 months and he’s turned into quite the worker bee. He is an absolute joy to be around and I CAN NOT WAIT to get back on! He’s making his 2^nd level debut next weekend and schooling the changes. We’ll start some in hand half steps soon (like, this week). He’s also jumping really well and Andrew really helped him figure out that he can’t just rely on natural talent; there also needs to be a little snap to those knees!

Cottonpickinwabbit (Cotton) 5 yr. OTTB - After arriving right around New Year’s, he enjoyed a solid month of living in his own big paddock and stretching his legs. Since I couldn’t ride I devoted a lot of time to basic in hand work. He is really a special horse (I decided the moment he stepped off the trailer he would probably not be a sale project). When I realized I wouldn’t be back in the saddle for even longer and with him clearly itching for something purposeful to do, Kris said “bring him over!” and she has started him. I’m sad that it wasn’t me, but you can’t ask for any better than her.  She’s also right across the street so I get to be a part of the action.

Every horse she starts gets the benefit of decades of experience (And I know, she is an intermittent helmet wearer. I can’t change that so when you watch the video, please, no “helpful suggestions”. Trust me, I’ve tried). He graduated from the roundpen in a week and is WTC like a superstar. His gaits are so uphill and balanced and she said he is very comfortable. I did take him for a hand walk around the XC field and stepped over some logs and baby coops. He thought it was very entertaining and when he noticed the ditch he walked right up to and looked at me like “Can I do this one too?” I thought, what the heck, so I stepped over it and he hopped it right next to me then walked away like big man on campus.  He is going to be FUN!

Popic (Poppi, Poptart, Little Miss Diva . . . ) 5 yr OTTB sale horse. She’s become such a great little working girl. She’s 96% sweet, quiet, go about her work like a little lady, and 4% little OTTB diva with a touch of sass! I love that about her. She jumps everything you point her at and learned very quickly how to go quietly to the base of each jump. The canter for her was the hardest to learn, she really struggled with keeping her balance and not just running. It did not make sense to her. But, time, patience, and strengthening are our best friends and she is a wonderful, well restarted horse now. She goes off on trial this week, so fingers crossed it’s a good match.

Jasper, 14 yr Arabian – My DD’s wonder pony. Well, not really a pony, he’s 15h. While she’s off at school he’s been my bareback buddy to help me get my sea legs back. That horse is fuzzy, fat, and doesn’t know how misbehave.

Well, I guess that’s pretty much all the ingredients I have for this soup.  Hope it tasted okay. Knowing me, it probably needs salt . . .

To Coby

Albert Einstein once said the only source of knowledge is experience.

Smart guy.

Coby gave me the experience of a lifetime. He did more than just show me the ropes over the big stuff; he taught me about life, about patience, about finding another answer instead of staring at the obvious.

He gave me roots and then he gave me wings. 

First he taught me to take a joke then he allowed me to give one.  I’m not sure who did more laughing, though. I think he probably got the better of me more often than not; a head butt here, an “accidental” stomp on the foot there. But at the end of the day there was still that look that said:  “you’re okay, kid”.

He gave me confidence but somehow kept me grounded. Anytime he saw a little chip popping up on my shoulder he would quickly remind me that the saddle is no place for ego. After dusting myself off I’d get back on and smash that chip right back where it came from.

He often brought a fight to the party, and he’d take off with you faster than you could blink an eye. After one especially difficult day I said to him “Coby, I hate you. I love you more than I hate you, but I hate you.” He just shrugged his shoulders and said “Whatever. I’ll probably do it again tomorrow.”

And he did.

He’d see a window of opportunity and jump on it. One time he found a loophole in my bridle-off-halter-on transition and got loose at the Pinehurst Harness track during a USDF show. Three rings of elegant riders and horses and one loose Thoroughbred creating a wake of mayhem.

I’ve never seen a horse so eager and so dangerous to the start box. Nanci warned me and she was right. He’d bash your head in waiting for the countdown to finish and take off like his tail was on fire. What a handful:

In his own way I know he’s grateful to me for springing him from retirement for a while, he hated the silver sneakers aerobics class, and I’m grateful to him for every bump, every bruise, and every smile.  We became partners that horse and I, I got him and he got me. He may have hung up his shoes and folded his pinney, but when he closes his eyes at night I’m quite certain he’s still galloping from the start.

It was a good run, old friend.  Enjoy retirement and show those young whippersnappers who’s boss.

Experience:  that most brutal of teachers.  But you learn, my God do you learn.

C.S. Lewis

Stall Rest - It's not just for horses anymore . . .

 Noun: A state of existence in the confines of an enclosure relatively proportionate to the body mass of the confined for the alleged purpose of physical rehabilitation but more commonly known as a form of mental torment secondary to stagnation induced brain clouds.

Being stuck inside feels like this:

Today is post-op day 5. Feels like post-op day eleventy one. But, at least now I can start the getting better and put the great crash of 2012 behind me (maybe?).

All ready

Getting a nerve block, great for postop pain

Finished!

The 1st dressing change. GRROOSSSSS!

Hopefully my stall rest will be upgraded to “hand-walking” soon, and maybe even “limited turnout” in a couple of weeks. I’ve put in a request for supervised visitation with the horses but so far the judge won’t even give me the time of day, sheesh. Something about court backlogs and weather contingencies and blah blah blah.

I thought about sneaking out with a bag of carrots tied to my crutches, but someone must’ve snitched and now I’ve got guards outside my door with 2 way radios. They’re dressed like giant ninja warrior Easter Bunnies, except they have an elephant nose and are riding tricycles. One of them is juggling giant candy cane shaped jello molds, probably to distract me.  I don’t remember where this was going . . .

I have learned a couple of important lessons. #1 – ALWAYS take a stool softener with pain pills (really wish I’d remembered that about 5 days ago) #2 – 7 hours straight is the most you can watch Netflix on an ipad before you get retinal disfigurement from the screen (cured with pain pills and stool softeners) #3 – white wine is best paired with Vicodin, beer is okay and margaritas are a Class 2b violation.

If only I could learn to relax like this:

Merry Christmas everyone.  Hug your children. Pet your horses. Beware a juggling ninja bunny warrior bearing a jello mold . . . 

Lucinda Green Clinic

What do you get when you combine equal parts grit, experience, entertainment, knowledge and a fantastic accent? A smashing good eventing clinic with Lucinda Green, that’s what. I’ve been craving a Hungry-Man meal of learning and this was a delicious dish.

Add a heaping scoop of fabulous North Carolina weather, perfect footing,  good company, and you’ve got yourself a complete meal. Of course, I like a little wasabi with my appetizer so I spiced up my rides with a dash of naughty horse and an unplanned dismount (you’re welcome, spectators).

Day one incorporated stadium jumps to recreate the skills necessary for effective cross-country riding. Lucinda dotted the field in a seemingly random arrangement of skinnies (like, Jenny Craig skinny), barrels (of the horse eating variety) and standard stadium oxers.

Well, the genius of that “random” pattern soon emerged like the plot of a really good book. We were flipping pages like the library was closing in 5 minutes and we still hadn’t found out who killed Colonel Mustard (btw, it was Mrs. Plum . . . in the library . . . with the candlestick). Not only were holes in the horse’s education exposed, but rider weaknesses as well.

She was very quick to praise a well-ridden line, and equally quick to point out what needed help. I loved her style – blunt but kind.  Otie did a lot of growing up, as did I. He is a fantastic horse, “lovely” according to Lucinda. But he has had me a bit backed off of reinforcing some basic boundaries. She instantly pointed out that he has a very powerful hind end and I’ve got to learn how to ride it if we’re to be successful. His “stop” button was conspicuously absent, and when pressed for a prompt response to the aid he chose to change the subject. She did say she thought he would benefit from going over some really big jumps once in a while so he has a chance to use that power and feel like Superman. She thinks he could really be a top horse in the Jumpers or up to the 3* level in Eventing (“might be too heavy to make time at the 4*”. Darn, and I was just filling out my Rolex entry, too).

This video should have music:

This video is raw footage with Lucinda's voice heard:

Coby, on the other hand, was my serious fun factor for the weekend. He is constantly teaching me something new, even if it’s how to get off the ground with a smile and ride the line again. He is entering his retirement years and this was our last hoorah together. After teaching me so much he has finally said he’s ready to drink martinis and watch the ladies go by. Enjoy it Coby, well deserved (as the tears plop down my cheeks). I will be putting together a video tribute of our time together very soon. My unplanned dismount was a direct result of worrying about the skinny and under riding the oxer.

Next year I hope to be able to really show Lucinda how far Otie and I have come. Maybe I’ll even have another one getting started . . .