It's 2015 I better get back to Super T blogging

The last post was November 2014, yeah I am way behind, but at least my real life is now caught up and I can actually dedicate an hour or two to blogging each week now... progress I would say? Well a lot has happened since my last post so much that I really can't compare or recap everything. So I'll start of with saying... I got extremely lucky and feel beyond blessed to have ended up with Tiegan A.K.A. "Super T!" I'll explain further that her clip job... is the reason she is "Super T"
This mare has stepped up to the plate faster and further than I ever expected her to in the last five months and 21 days that I have had her. Where did the time go???? We have learned to tie quietly for the most part as long as I am standing around, when I leave the arena or out of sight, Tiegan gets a bit antsy but I guess thats the bonding part right? Ground manners for the most part are better than some to say the least, and when she hits the end of her lead tied up, she walks forward NOT FLYING BACKWARDS! HUGE Accomplishment on her part, now knock on wood it continues.  Tiegan continues to be in work from 4 to 5 days a week which is plenty for the little red head, she needs her days of rest, preferably in two's I have come to find out. Basically we have jumped a lot since the last blog, and introduced her to dressage, boy oh boy!  thats going to be a long never ending road. We will get it down at some point, its good for the first 15 minutes after the 20 minutes of lounging and 5 minutes of settling down once I get on. At least our lounging is routinely smooth almost everyday! extremely proud mom over here, going right is no big deal anymore!
The Biggest accomplishments of the "Super T":
- Grids are handled extremely well
- She's starting to look for the jumps and once she understands its like BAM MOM HOLD ON, I'VE GOT IT!
- Roundness is becoming consistent for almost a whole circle now!
- Voice commands, are like been there done that
- Biggest accomplishment yet... We jumped 3ft in a grid, and boy oh boy did my "Super T" look good! me not so much... Her Rock Star Status!

As for the overall progress, there have been some extremely frustrating days, which are to be expected. Some rides its just better to hop off and lounge in order for her to figure it out herself. I am a strong believer in that, even though some days I would rather just try to muscle her into it, in reality it never works out, so we've resorted back to our lounging which is paying off huge! Each day is a new day, with the fact that we get to start over clean from the last ride, good or bad, it's fresh! Tiegan is a horse who goes back to her pen and thinks about her rides, lounging, experiences etc... Who then comes out the next day and is fabulous and understanding.
At the end of the day of good or bad days, I am still getting used to having my mare attitude again, lets remember its been like 5 years since I have had a mare, Louie verse a Mare equals a bit of an attitude change on the ground at least. Tiegan is only 4 and 1/2 and each day is one step closer to understanding her new job.
Horses are a blessing and I am lucky enough to have two of them! I throw myself in to any work possible to keep them going, and striving to make Tiegan and I the best team that hopefully one day we will be!  Individually they each continue to teach me new lessons everyday. Reminders of nickers and whiny's that "I love you ma" or "Where have you been in the last 24 hours I am about 3 carrots behind..."
I am blessed and lucky beyond words to have my two horses and wouldn't change my world for anything.

24 Days into 3 Months 5 days behind

That blogger motivation is still here but being a high school senior trying to graduate earlyyy just hasn't allowed my time of blogging... Everything for the most part is written in my calendar or text messages of her progress! I also keep mental tabs on every day so I know where I am but my recent blogging has been a fail...  Today marks Three Months and five days that Tiegan has been in my care! I am truly blessed everyday with her presence, she has made my goals rewarding and for that I am so thankful. My plan of getting on for the first time on my birthday was the most rewarding birthday present that I could have asked for... Tiegan had been backed before due to jockeys, and Lindsey getting on her a few times! At this time though Tiegan had been coming from pasture for about a year and half or so... So I just started completely over because to our partnership was completely fresh! After A month and 14 days of just lounging about 3-4 times a week for about 15-30 minute sessions, Tiegan and I had built up a foundation that we each understood that together we were going to take each step together frustrating or not we would get through it... 

Simple things as:

- Leading from the right side

- Backing up along with some poles some days

- Getting tacked up from the right side

- Learning to go right

- Learning voice commands

- Working out of the round pen to be able to lounge in any arena

- Simply standing after being worked

- Being worked at all hours of the day, no longer early mornings

The list goes on and on...

 The first ride was awesome! we just walked, my first thought was is she learning to walk in heals or with plates on her feet... It was a tipsy feeling! haha oh did I mention that I some how pick out the narrow horses? 

If I recapped each of my lessons that I have had since I have ridden her well its only like 6 but an hour lesson on a four year old equals a book of lessons and reminders learned and relearned.

 If I could put them all together in a short sequel of events this is about how it goes..

Each Lesson except for one Tiegan gets lounged in her usual bungee gear which is a triangle from the D ring on my saddle looped through her bit--> under her leg--> up to the saddle pad (hooked on the girth loops) She seems to go well in this, and it allows her to warm up on her own with out me having to fight any tension.

Poles have been in our lessons. We have jumped Three times total lets start out with I wasn't sure if she was going to take to it, well we figured out me not jumping for over a year didn't help much, and this last lesson was a total success! We are making progress! Granite I swear that the jumping off a lounge line with a bungee on (sounds restrictive but I swear she learned to jump over her back and they had lots of give) was a total bonus! I have come to find out that her left side is stiffer than a board and it's going to take some serious patience and lots of work... Now that right side... I am going to have to set timers on how long I can ride it because SHE'S FABULOUS! 

Basically we are just taking things slow and in her stride depending on the Chestnut Mare attitude that is being thrown that day... So far its slowly coming out when frustration strikes! We are getting through it!

Biggest accomplishments would include:

- Flying Lead Change right --> to Left lead (I thought she was trying to dump me when she did it and did a trot transition right after :( but we have potential with them yay!)

- Tiegan picks up the correct leads always going left and 3 out 5 times going right!

- I can sit light on the right lead, not the left yet! We can canter with me on her back! yay!

- Jumped a big X and cantered out!

- Building muscle and gaining weight!

Every day is a blessing and I am so thankful for this amazing mare! Louie is great and all snuggled into his blanket and thick winter coat! Extra hay at night for both ponies everyone is good!

Did I mention they both have matching Rambo Duos?(BTW I highly recommend them!)

Pretty cute hu Ma?

 :) Can't wait to get them together again and take some matchy pictures! :)

Here are my senior pictures that I was lucky enough to have my horses together for the first time ever, and they loved each other! I am so blessed to have my 2 best buds in my life! A new partnership coming along, and the other one that will never needs words... 

Take a moment and look around... Be thankful for what you have.. I know I am because  These horses truly are my life line.. Cheers! 

One day turning into 24 Days

My Goal of my posts is to not make them to long, but to also recap on the success's, failures, with summaries of lessons if I can! 

     If anyone else is like me getting a new horse bottom line is exciting, but getting a new horse after not having one that is sound for almost a year is similar to Christmas or your Birthday being made for the next few years. I guess I'll count mine as my birthday because its in like 21 days exactly... The arranging, planning, excitement, nervousness, and all the above that comes with these beautiful animals beforehand is almost more work than the animal itself at times! Lets just say the 15 days or so that I had put into figuring out if Tiegan was going to be worth bringing up for a trial was filled with so much excitement that the last 10 days of waiting was one of the hardest things, that I have done in a long time! The last three hours of her travel were the longest! My Point that I am attempting to get at it, is that that Monday it was day one, now I am on day 24 with her it's all flown by! Yesterday (9/2/14) I had a lounging lesson with the baby girl. My trainer hadn't seen her in about a week due my work schedule so we missed last week, so the new set of eyes on her felt extremely rewarding when we got about one and half canter circles done to right side, and almost 3 done to the left! The fact that we couldn't get her to canter the first week while she was under trial, just two weeks of round pen, lounging, bungees and a little side rein work has paid of so much! And I mean I always believed in Trot Sets, oh those lovely things (They kill when your along for the ride)! But wow do I really appreciate how much just trotting has done for Tiegan! Since I haven't gotten on her yet all my work with her has been from the ground! The last 5 or 6 lessons with her I have my trainer or I lounge her, usually me unless its to see something new we are doing, My Trainer walks me through different things to do and all the little things we can do off the ground! Recap on yesterday:
- I really started to focus on the exact neck muscles we were working on her
- Her hind end muscles and balance
- Evaluating Tiegan's Rhythm and Tempo in side reins and Bungees verse her when she is off of contact
- Tiegan's actual work out including her type of warm up, work out, and cool down
- We made a plan of home work to do for next Monday which includes:
      - Using our new Triangle Method with the bungee which is allowing her to learn how to soften especially to the right side at her poll and Jaw with out any fighting.
      - Using the Round Pen for 15 minutes of right side work and then moving into the big arena with out one side as a safety net.
      - Different things I can start having her jump over such as, barrels, flower boxes, etc...
As we recapped on my lesson though the best part was Wow look at where you have gotten her
just what three weeks?! I know that the work is paying off and each day is at step forward in some parts, a step back in others. But yesterday was really gratifying to the fact of, I am in love with this Filly and I am so extremely lucky to have her in my life.
We ended the day with a full body bath, and extra attention to her tail and legs! I see some potential for a tail coming on so we are gonna treat it like a queen! haha and those white legs well they get washed every other day and rinsed just about everyday! After a long walk down the road to check out the hacking areas, Tieg got about four hours of grass since I try to do at least an hour or more a day because she was out on pasture and its great for her brain! Lets just say this is how my 4 year old stands in the Wash Rack:

Snacks on our walk! White Legs!!!!!

What eva? I am Standing semi still...

Louie got his grass time too, and this was sadly my last day of summer, but I wouldn't have spent it any other way than with my two "kids, teammates" Tiegan is exactly who I needed at this point in my life, allowing me to grow as a person across the board and with my new goals. I am so thankful for her!Knock on wood it continues smoothly with the bumps that happen! Louie will always be my boy and my Love just no longer my teammate for Eventing! <3

Joining the OTTB Inspiration of Blogging

Soo I guess I'll start with introducing myself, Hey I am Payton! I have a photography blog and website which every week I vow to keep up with, but life happens and its usually work and horses! So I figured if I can try to write about my horses since I am keeping a Journal of my new horse, I can translate it on to the internet, and then hopefully over to my photography which I love almost as much as my horses! Summer is coming to an end and my biggest goal since last November has been made perfectly on time, I welcomed my first project OTTB into my life meaning papers were signed and check was sent August 25, 2014. After my horse Louie was put out to turn out last november right before I got my tonsils out, I started looking beyond the fact that I felt as if I had just lost my biggest part of my daily sanity of walking out to get my boy, and enjoying one of our daily rides, I set a goal of getting a new horse by the first of the Year, check I had a new chestnut mare in my life Aria who I was so excited to get as a lease option. Yes I still have Louie, the most spoiled retired horse! LOVE MY BOY FOREVER AND ALWAYS.... back to my blog... After about 2 months of trial we decided that she wasn't the best option for me, and that I had to much going on. I am still extremely grateful for her coming into my life as she showed me that I would be more than willing to go back to getting a mare, even a chestnut mare at that rate! My coach and I kinda loosely talked about maybe more of a project since my summer of showing was now out unless a miracle happened, yes they do for sure, I am not saying that I don't believe in them but lets just say I have more of a realistic thinking of lets just enjoy the summer and whatever happens happens! After my Trainer Sarah so graciously allowed me to rider her mare Macy in 10 or so lessons through out the months of not having a horse, I decided I really would be okay with having another mare! I told Sarah that by August I wanted to start looking with the goal of mid August I wanted to have a new horse or something in the works! After a summer of hard work and saving, I finally got to make the phone call of LETS DO THIS! I had gotten a well known trainers number from Aimee another woman who has inspired this crazy blogging! I contacted him as soon as I got the OK from my trainer! First thing he says is "Yeah I have another one too, Chestnut Filly about 16 Hands, 4 years old, never raced, not papered, Facebook request my wife Lindsey!" Two seconds later I was on it, messaging her, needless to say,"Trudy" now "Tiegan" has found her home with me. I am so beyond thankful for her falling into my lap, because I am so extremely thankful, she is exactly what I have needed for the past year! Her and I are still breaking through that Mare shell, but everyday is such a progress... She was attached as soon as she came off the trailer but that shell is still there for both of us... That was the long on going background story of how this Blonde found her Red Head... So extremely thankful... Stay Tuned for the Blonde and Red Head adventures because boy oh boy here we go! 1.2.1.2 (Trot rhythm we are working on)