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)