Let’s get this party started!
It has certainly been too long since I have posted a new message. I guess for awhile I didn’t really feel like writing anything – what would I write about? Everything revolved around Moli before, she was my inspiration to learn new things, dig deeper into the material I had already been through, and to keep cataloging what I had already done so I wouldn’t be going in circles.
It seems I was happy to finish out 2010 with an attitude of relaxation when it came to my horse related adventures. Not only was I mentally recovering from losing Moli, I was also physically recovering from my wreck with Dee – she had reared up and fallen over backwards while I was riding in June. She landed on my left calf, which was dutifully crushed – and I landed on my left hip, causing bursitis, which took almost six months to diagnose. Needless to say I wasn’t trying to find extra time to play.
One little window of encouragement and inspiration came in the form of a visit from Jinita Hays of Jinita Hays Horsemanship. Jinita is a great friend and coach of all things horsey. She comes through the area a couple times per year and I count myself blessed that she will stop off in Deming for some one-on-one time with me and Dee. I was unable to ride during her visit in November, so I chose to have her help me with trailer loading. I had developed a VERY healthy fear of the trailer somewhere and I was causing all sorts of issues with Dee, the worst of which was her twirling around in the trailer and flying out at the speed of light. The session with Jinita was awesome (as usual) and both Dee and I came out the other end more confident and able to load and unload without all the drama. I worked on on that in December and managed to get to the point where I could load her and close the door, leaving her standing in the trailer for about 30 minutes by the end of January. (I only had the weekends due to early darkness and my work schedule).
Something happened mid January – I got an email advertising the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) and I was immediately interested. There it was, my favorite pass time is trail riding, but I have a hard time finding people to go with and don’t want to go out alone into uncharted territory. So the ACTHA seemed a perfect fit. First, it was just the membership, not too expensive and I figured there weren’t many rides in the area anyway so I would have time to prepare Dee. Then I started looking at rides and there was one only a few hours away in April. Lot’s of time, I thought – as long as I go ahead and start doing something just about every day. About a week after I joined, I received another email, the ACTHA was going to have a contest “America’s Favorite Trail Horse”. Contestants would go through an audition, then if they were chosen, would go to Austin TX for the finals – which would be taped and aired as a reality show where America would vote on their favorite trail horse. During the week of the finals, contestants would get time with “celebrity” clinicians and lots of time to bond and work with their horses. What fun! One minute I was telling myself that there was no way Dee and I could be ready (the auditions are in April and the finals in May) and the next I was signing up to audition and sending in my registration fee!
There is also a ride scheduled in March that is very close by – I’m signed up to attend and it will be our first attempt at Competitive Trail riding.
So….I think I’ve found a bit of motivation to get out there and play! For more information on the ACTHA and America’s Favorite Trail Horse check out their website at http://www.actha.us/
It seems I was happy to finish out 2010 with an attitude of relaxation when it came to my horse related adventures. Not only was I mentally recovering from losing Moli, I was also physically recovering from my wreck with Dee – she had reared up and fallen over backwards while I was riding in June. She landed on my left calf, which was dutifully crushed – and I landed on my left hip, causing bursitis, which took almost six months to diagnose. Needless to say I wasn’t trying to find extra time to play.
One little window of encouragement and inspiration came in the form of a visit from Jinita Hays of Jinita Hays Horsemanship. Jinita is a great friend and coach of all things horsey. She comes through the area a couple times per year and I count myself blessed that she will stop off in Deming for some one-on-one time with me and Dee. I was unable to ride during her visit in November, so I chose to have her help me with trailer loading. I had developed a VERY healthy fear of the trailer somewhere and I was causing all sorts of issues with Dee, the worst of which was her twirling around in the trailer and flying out at the speed of light. The session with Jinita was awesome (as usual) and both Dee and I came out the other end more confident and able to load and unload without all the drama. I worked on on that in December and managed to get to the point where I could load her and close the door, leaving her standing in the trailer for about 30 minutes by the end of January. (I only had the weekends due to early darkness and my work schedule).
Something happened mid January – I got an email advertising the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) and I was immediately interested. There it was, my favorite pass time is trail riding, but I have a hard time finding people to go with and don’t want to go out alone into uncharted territory. So the ACTHA seemed a perfect fit. First, it was just the membership, not too expensive and I figured there weren’t many rides in the area anyway so I would have time to prepare Dee. Then I started looking at rides and there was one only a few hours away in April. Lot’s of time, I thought – as long as I go ahead and start doing something just about every day. About a week after I joined, I received another email, the ACTHA was going to have a contest “America’s Favorite Trail Horse”. Contestants would go through an audition, then if they were chosen, would go to Austin TX for the finals – which would be taped and aired as a reality show where America would vote on their favorite trail horse. During the week of the finals, contestants would get time with “celebrity” clinicians and lots of time to bond and work with their horses. What fun! One minute I was telling myself that there was no way Dee and I could be ready (the auditions are in April and the finals in May) and the next I was signing up to audition and sending in my registration fee!
There is also a ride scheduled in March that is very close by – I’m signed up to attend and it will be our first attempt at Competitive Trail riding.
So….I think I’ve found a bit of motivation to get out there and play! For more information on the ACTHA and America’s Favorite Trail Horse check out their website at http://www.actha.us/
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