Wednesday, July 5, 2017

End of June Analysis; July Goals; Midway Year Goals



Like most people I know - probably everybody - I can't believe half a year has flown by already. It seems like it's going extra fast this year, and I've been going nonstop crazy busy for the entirety of it! I've had so little time to blog all year and lately I've really been missing it. Which is a good thing, really.... when you miss something you make an effort to come back to it. 

This year for the first time I'm also going to check in with my yearly goals, and see where we are on the checklist. Some of these goals will be altered, some added, some deleted, and some of them are of course already completed! So far the year has been really successful, albeit entirely too busy. 

One more thing I'd like to do this next month - interact more with other bloggers. I read a lot of blogs, and do a lot of "oh damn I meant to catch up on this person's stuff", but I rarely comment. I'd like to make that effort, because as a whole bloggers have always been a really supportive, really fun and really interesting group of people. It's good to stay in better touch with the community. Admittedly I'm terrible in real life about keeping up with people I know too, so maybe it's just a general problem that I have. I'm stupidly busy and it leaves me little time for socializing. 





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O-Ren June:
1) Continue being a good momma horse!
Success! She is a great momma horse. The best one I've had.

2) Try and successfully get bred, finally... we are almost out of time for this year. 
Well, we weren't successful here. I should have cultured her at the start of breeding season and for some reason I didn't, probably because of how easy it was to get her to catch last year with no culture needed. As a result, she had a minor uterine infection that needed to be cleared up. She's been back to the vet twice for treatments now, and should be in the clear - but now it's too late to breed. Texas is too hot and it's too hard on both neonates and broodies to have them late in the year. If they're not on the ground by early May, it's just too late in my opinion, unless you have a barn with stalls and a million fans (I do not). But, we'll put her back to work this year, toodle around and maybe do some shows, and then breed again in the spring. With a culture ahead of time, of course.



Cregga June:
1) Continue learning about leading, brushing, feet handling, bathing, and clipping!
Success! She's a great little babe. Kind of obnoxious with her mouth and not very fond of water, but she stands reasonably well for trimming, grooming, and flyspray. She also has had her mane clipped and did great, leads super well, and has been trailered several times now with mom to the vet. She still is weird about loading with the ramp - she always creeps to the side and jumps onto the trailer instead of walking up the ramp, I have no idea why though as she is happy to walk off the ramp! - but she gets on and rides well.

2) Send in registration papers
Success! She was also microchipped this month by the vet (which she was a pill about, but only for the tiny little needle with the local block). She no longer fits into the foal stocks at the vet (!!), so now she gets to go in the adult stocks. But anyway, the papers have been sent in and the microchip papers have been sent back - now we are just waiting for DNA paperwork to get here so we can pluck a few hairs. I also have to send some pictures of her to them, and maybe harass them some more about the DNA stuff which isn't here yet.



Dylan June:
1) More lessons! Both dressage and WE!
Success! The weather has been ridiculously uncooperative this month, with rain literally every weekend (in June... in Texas... wtf), but I was able to get in two lessons with Louisa and one with Tarrin. I'd like to take a lesson every other week with Louisa, and always am happy to get in with Tarrin ANY time she comes up this way, so this was a great month for me.

2) Continue working on pirouettes and 4-tempis - working towards 4th level!
We're getting there! Quarter pirouettes are no problem but I'm still learning about how to perfect the halves. 4-1 does not have any pirouettes in it, so if I don't get there quite yet that's not a big deal. 4-2 has quarter pirouettes, and 4-3 has half ones - it's actually a really cool progression in the tests. I'm confident in doing 5's, and sometimes I can bang out a couple 4's, but I'm really not solid in these yet because I get scrambled in my counting. Dylan also tends to get to the third change and wants to get fast and flat - not sure if this is him or me. I'm pretty confident I could go out and do 4-1 right now and not make a total embarrassment of myself. K reminded me a few days ago that he isn't nominated for All Breed Awards but he SHOULD be, and all I need is one more score at 3-3 to get nominated. The cut off date is Aug 1, but if you pay a late fee you can submit scores through the end of Aug (and Sept, but for even more $$). So, probably what I will do is do another dressage show at the end of Aug and do 3-3 and try 4-1!

3) Compete in the Decatur WE show!
Well we would have, and we were ready to go - but it was cancelled due to weather! Oh well. It was rescheduled for November so we'll just go then!



Pangea/Frank June:
1) Pony some babies - maybe! 
Frank ponied Pax once this month - and it went great. If the weather stays nice he'll keep dragging babies! Not P though... she's looking pretty rough this summer. We'll see what happens with her.

2) Frank especially - head out for more trails! If it's not too hot!
It's too hot! 



Pax/Uma June:
1) Grooming/trimming every 2 weeks 
Success! But that's a pretty easy goal to meet!



Zu June:
1) Go off property with Dylan for lessons
He hasn't been yet, but only because I pulled the divider out of my trailer due to having to take O and Cregga back and forth to the vet so many times. Dylan has been riding in the trailer without the divider and does fine, but I can't really take anyone with him until I put it back in. I'll make Future Hubs help me with that since it's a heavy and super annoying task.

2) Lunging with harness
Success! Mostly he's been going with a surcingle, but it's fine, because he lunges fine with either.

3) Wearing bridle
Success! Everybody likes that little thin mullen mouth I have. He still needs to wear it more until he's *really* used to it but he's doing super well.

4) Start back with long lining, small amounts, if lunging is going well
Haven't done this yet but honestly I think I need a handler to help me really connect the dots in his head, and unless I can talk Future Hubs into it, it may not happen just yet. 



Sriracha June:
1) Lunging - walk and trot
Success! And we did a bit of free jumping with her and Zoodle too, sort of.

2) Wearing bridle
Success! She too likes the little mullen mouth more than anything else.

3) Wearing harness
She's been wearing a surcingle but not a harness - because my mini harness is a moldy old partly broken piece of crap. 



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O-Ren July:
1) Continue being a good momma horse!
2) Get back to work.... start riding again! And driving again? Depending on the tiny brat child and how unhelpful she is... I don't need the kid climbing into my carriage. 


Cregga July:
1) Continue learning about leading, brushing, feet handling, bathing, and clipping!
2) Finalize registration papers - if the stuff ever gets here...
3) Learn a bit more about walking/trotting in hand and standing still, like she would need to do for a show


Dylan July:
1) Regular lessons and clinics! Both dressage and WE!
2) Continue working on pirouettes and 4-tempis as usual
3) Compete in the Haras summer show... as a prep for the actual Haras Cup!! 
4) Ride in a clinic with Tiago Ernesto!


Frank July:
1) Pony some babies - maybe! Trails if it's not too hot!


Pangea/Pax/Uma July:
1) Grooming/trimming every 2 weeks 


Zu July:
1) Go off property with Dylan for lessons
2) Lunging with harness
3) Wearing bridle


Sriracha July:
1) Lunging - walk and trot
2) Wearing bridle
3) Wearing harness



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~ 2017 Goals! Midway Year Review ~

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Dylan 2017 Goals:

1) Compete 3rd/4th level on Dylan (USDF)
- So far - have competed at 3rd and have qualified for SW Championships and Regionals as well as secured Bronze scores at 3rd!

2) Compete at Intermediate level in Working Equitation
- Intermediate B to be more precise - and have been very successful so far!

3) Compete at the Haras Cup
- This is in October and we're planning to be there!

4) MAYBE - IALHA Nationals
- Probably not, since Regional are literally wrapping up the day before Nationals starts... but I MAY take Cregga to Nationals instead!

5) MAYBE - Andalusian World Cup
- This one is going to be a definite no. With a brand new truck to pay for as well as alllll this other stuff going on.... too far and too expensive. Maybe next year! Or maybe in the future with Cregga.



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Compete 3rd/4th level (USDF)
2) Compete at Intermediate B level in Working Equitation
3) Compete at the Haras Cup
4) Attend Southwest Dressage Championships, and Region 9 Regionals
5) Compete in and complete 4 of the 5 Heart of Texas WE Series Shows


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O-Ren 2017 Goals:

1) Have a happy, healthy, bouncing baby!
- A huge success! What a nice baby too.

2) Consider whether or not we are breeding her back for a second time
- Well, we tried but did not succeed.... but we will plan on breeding her back next year.



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Have a happy, healthy, bouncing baby!
2) Put her back to work! Under saddle and in harness
3) Maybe show in a Games Day show? Or play around with some WE?


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Pax 2017 Goals:
1) Continue baby school - wearing a bridle, being ponied on the trails, etc.
- Pax is doing great, right where I want her to be for her age. She is ponying better than she ever has, which means come winter she'll be more than ready to go off property for ponies. She wears a bridle and has worn a saddle too.

2) Show in the FEH at Meadowcreek (and maybe some other small in-hand shows for fun?)
- Success! She also showed in the Texas Rose FEH and was 2nd (out of two... but whatever.) She was dead last at Meadowcreek but I knew she would be... she's not exactly Rolex quality. What was more important was getting her off property by herself and having to do something. It did really make a difference for her!

3) Keep growing up and being a horse! 
- Success! And she'll keep on doing just that until next year.



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Continue baby school - wearing a bridle, being ponied on the trails, etc.
2) Show in the FEH at Meadowcreek (and maybe some other small in-hand shows for fun?)
3) Keep growing up and being a horse! 

Pax has met all of her yearly goals!


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P 2017 Goals:

1) Go on some trail rides! 
- She's been on two and that's the end of that. She's sort of dwindling towards the afterlife at the moment so I don't expect I'll be back on her ever again, save for maybe one more ride before she leaves the planet, whenever that is. She's not doing so great as we come to the midway point of the year... so we'll just see.

2) Continue being the resident baby-dragger
- Frank is the resident baby-dragger now!



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Hang in there until she's not ready to hang in there any more.


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Lendri 2017 Goals:

1) Continue trying to make her a driving moole!
- Even though I hitched Lendri a few times, I had that bad gut feeling that it was not a good idea and that I shouldn't do it any more. So... I stopped. And in March Lendri went to a client's house to keep her foundered horse company! It was a great thing - she and the horse love each other, and the people love her, and I get to see her every 3 weeks and keep an eye on her. It couldn't have been a better arrangement. They renamed her Clementina and they're in love with her.



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Zoodle 2017 Goals:

1) Continue to solidify lunging
- Goal in progress. He continues to get better and better at this!

2) Teach long lining and long line all over the place!
- Haven't done this yet... but I need to!

3) Take him off property for lots of exposure and despooking!
- Still haven't done this yet... but again, I need to!

4) Later in the year - learn about drag shafts and dragging small objects
- Need to get goals 2-3 better accomplished first!



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Continue to solidify lunging
2) Teach long lining and long line all over the place!
3) Take him off property for lots of exposure and despooking!
4) Later in the year - learn about drag shafts and dragging small objects


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Sriracha 2017 Goals:

1) Continue regular handling as usual
- Success - but she always needs more. The more time I put into her the better she is.

2) Continue learning to lunge
- Success! And she is still learning!

3) Teach to long line
- Not yet.., and I think she will be a little while before she ever does. Lunging to her sometimes still means "running away from the person in the middle, in a circle."

4) Maybe later in the year - learn about drag shafts and dragging small objects
- We will see how far we get with this one! She's a tough little booger and she lives up to her name for sure!



REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Continue regular handling as usual
2) Continue learning to lunge
3) Teach to long line
4) Maybe later in the year - learn about drag shafts and dragging small objects


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Uma 2017 Goals:
1) Continue growing up and being a moole!
- Uma is Pax's age so she has a lot of growing up left to do before we decide if she's big enough to drive or not!

2) Continue regular handling - and later in the year, start introducing simple concepts of lunging and wearing harness
- Haven't done this yet but I think she will handle it pretty well! She does wear boots and that's just fine.


REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Continue growing up and being a moole!
2) Continue regular handling - and later in the year, start introducing simple concepts of lunging and wearing harness


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Big Frank 2017 Goals:

1) Go on some trail rides!
- Haven't trailered him anywhere but he's been ridden all over the neighborhood and is great! He doesn't love being ridden alone but he's happy to go with a baby in tow.

2) Teach him to pony? 
- Now he ponies like a champ! He's great at it because he's so big he can just plod along and drag them as he needs to.


REVISED MIDYEAR GOALS:
1) Go on some off property trail rides! With babies in tow!


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What I wrote in January at the end of the post:

"I think it's going to be a good one. My biggest focus this year is going to of course be Dylan, but I also want to prep and show Pax in the FEH (and maybe some schooling shows in hand?), and I want to make sure Zoodle gets the exposure he needs. I have a lot of hopes for show season, we're getting married this year (finally after being engaged for like four years), I hope to buy a new truck this year, and of course O's foal is coming. There are other things too which are just as exciting but less relevant to the blog. I'm not quite sure which direction our country is heading in at the moment, but I fully intend on making the best of it either way."


This has largely held up to all be true. Dylan has been and continues to be my main focus - the mules have gotten less work than I expected because I've been too busy focusing on Dylan, but that's all right. Pax has competed in two FEH classes and not killed anybody. Zoodle should be starting to travel off property within short order. The wedding planning is well underway but of course not anywhere near done!! I did buy a new truck and I love it, although the truck payment sucks and it did take a big dent out of my show fund. O's foal is of course here and every bit at awesome as I had hoped.




So far, a pretty successful and awesome year, I'd say. Here's to the next 6 months! This is when it's going to get REEEEEALLY crazy!




3 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have had such a wonderful year already :)

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  2. Sorry to hear about Pangea, but at least she gave you several good years together and also Pax!

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  3. It sounds like you have accomplished a TON already this year! (:

    ReplyDelete