Broke the Bubba Monster out this morning, with the goal of making sure he retained that speed control lesson from Wednesday. And, surprisingly, aside from boogering at the dogs on the other side of the fence (you know. The same ones that have been there every time we ride. Those dogs.) and generally being spooky, he worked very well. Loped two sets of very pretty collected circles. He's still getting a bit strung out behind at the trot but
But the HUMIDITY. O my goodness gracious. It rained all day yesterday and most of last night so it is a hot, sticky, muggy mess outside. We rode for maybe 30 minutes and quit because we were both sweating like hogs. Phew!
Now I've just got to finish packing and hit the road.
You can tell where my priorities are. All of Bubba's stuff is already packed and loaded.
As for my stuff... I started a pile of clothes on the couch and I brought the coolers inside. LOL!
Off to pack! I will update Sunday or Monday with lots of pictures, video and a new take on how to be the best that I can be.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Vacations Over Bubba
Bubba went back to work today. He had a week and a half off and it's time to get back to work.
The ride went ok today. My saddle was rolling like a champ. I think all that hair he's shedding out is collecting under my pad and making it really slippery. I took the curry comb to it when I got home so hopefully it'll stick a little better tomorrow.
My riding was not great, partially due to the rolling saddle. I did shorten my reins a tisch and it seemed to help.
And, I must say, even Florida horses get Spring Fever. Bubba was amped today. We had to relearn how to lope a perfect circle without constantly speeding up. It was not pretty.
But, really, now that I think about it, aside from the saddle problem, it was a pretty typical ride for Bubba being off for so long (a week and a half is long for him. Lay him off two weeks and you will pay for it. Buck by buck by buck.) He was very heavy on the bit at first, dropping his shoulder and generally really attentive to everything but me. Once we long trotted out some of his extra energy and relearned speed control, he was much better.
I'm planning on riding again tomorrow after I get home from work. Will probably ride again Friday morning before we head out for Ed!
Have I mentioned I'm super super stoked for Ed??!! Can't wait.
And, thanks to Cowgirl Trends, we got some pretty bling to show off in Alabama. I'm not usually a real bling person but this is just enough to satisfy the girliness in me. And I love the way the rawhide turns down the bling a notch. Love it!
Pardon Bubba's elated expression. He's too much of a boy to care about his new pretties. Freak.
The ride went ok today. My saddle was rolling like a champ. I think all that hair he's shedding out is collecting under my pad and making it really slippery. I took the curry comb to it when I got home so hopefully it'll stick a little better tomorrow.
My riding was not great, partially due to the rolling saddle. I did shorten my reins a tisch and it seemed to help.
And, I must say, even Florida horses get Spring Fever. Bubba was amped today. We had to relearn how to lope a perfect circle without constantly speeding up. It was not pretty.
But, really, now that I think about it, aside from the saddle problem, it was a pretty typical ride for Bubba being off for so long (a week and a half is long for him. Lay him off two weeks and you will pay for it. Buck by buck by buck.) He was very heavy on the bit at first, dropping his shoulder and generally really attentive to everything but me. Once we long trotted out some of his extra energy and relearned speed control, he was much better.
I'm planning on riding again tomorrow after I get home from work. Will probably ride again Friday morning before we head out for Ed!
Have I mentioned I'm super super stoked for Ed??!! Can't wait.
And, thanks to Cowgirl Trends, we got some pretty bling to show off in Alabama. I'm not usually a real bling person but this is just enough to satisfy the girliness in me. And I love the way the rawhide turns down the bling a notch. Love it!
Pardon Bubba's elated expression. He's too much of a boy to care about his new pretties. Freak.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I Need a Sugar Daddy
Made it back from the vet yesterday about 5. I swear going to the vet is as much a social experience as it is a medical one. There were 2 ladies I run with there, one I knew and one I didn’t, getting their horses fixed up too and we chit chatted while Doc worked. Poor Doc kept saying he felt left out.
Once it was Bubba’s turn, we trotted him on the asphalt driveway behind the clinic. He didn’t show sore in the back end though his feet were a little ouchy on the asphalt. Then we headed to the grass, lunged him and flex tested him there. He showed very slight difference on the right after the flex. It was almost imperceptible but I watched his hip movement and saw it there.
Then it was x-ray time. Initially, Doc told me we could just inject his hocks and see if that made a difference (Love Doc. He was trying to save me some money.) but I opted to x-ray the right anyway. The relatively short time between injections made me question if it could be something else. So we x-rayed. I swear every time that x-ray machine beeped I heard Cha-Ching! LOL!
These x-rays were so much better than the ones we took in 07. They have gone digital and the detail is amazing! The arthritis and small bone spurs have grown some since 07, gotten a little “messier” on the x-ray. Doc said that he’s not surprised they’ve changed but they aren’t changing at an alarming rate. He IS 11 and has spent his entire life in Florida as a barrel horse. It would be weird if he wasn’t experiencing some hock pain. He said we can reevaluate in a year to a year and a half and see how it’s changed again.
So Bubba got injected, both sides on both hocks with the Good Stuff (HA). He’s off for a few days then he’ll get rode Wednesday and Thursday and it’s off to Ed on Friday.
The bill was a whole lot of money. 90% of my first ever tax return (I had to pay in the past few years) is going to that bill. Which really sucks because that money was going to pay off my last credit card. =( O well. I’ll just keep throwing money at it. One day it’ll be gone. If you really want to depress me, add up how much money I drop on my horse and then calculate how long it would take me to pay off my credit card debt with my horse money. Then I’ll go crawl under my desk and cry.
But, like I told Doc, peace of mind is worth my money.
Just remind me of that when I’m eating 0.89 pot pies for dinner every night.
Once it was Bubba’s turn, we trotted him on the asphalt driveway behind the clinic. He didn’t show sore in the back end though his feet were a little ouchy on the asphalt. Then we headed to the grass, lunged him and flex tested him there. He showed very slight difference on the right after the flex. It was almost imperceptible but I watched his hip movement and saw it there.
Then it was x-ray time. Initially, Doc told me we could just inject his hocks and see if that made a difference (Love Doc. He was trying to save me some money.) but I opted to x-ray the right anyway. The relatively short time between injections made me question if it could be something else. So we x-rayed. I swear every time that x-ray machine beeped I heard Cha-Ching! LOL!
These x-rays were so much better than the ones we took in 07. They have gone digital and the detail is amazing! The arthritis and small bone spurs have grown some since 07, gotten a little “messier” on the x-ray. Doc said that he’s not surprised they’ve changed but they aren’t changing at an alarming rate. He IS 11 and has spent his entire life in Florida as a barrel horse. It would be weird if he wasn’t experiencing some hock pain. He said we can reevaluate in a year to a year and a half and see how it’s changed again.
So Bubba got injected, both sides on both hocks with the Good Stuff (HA). He’s off for a few days then he’ll get rode Wednesday and Thursday and it’s off to Ed on Friday.
The bill was a whole lot of money. 90% of my first ever tax return (I had to pay in the past few years) is going to that bill. Which really sucks because that money was going to pay off my last credit card. =( O well. I’ll just keep throwing money at it. One day it’ll be gone. If you really want to depress me, add up how much money I drop on my horse and then calculate how long it would take me to pay off my credit card debt with my horse money. Then I’ll go crawl under my desk and cry.
But, like I told Doc, peace of mind is worth my money.
Just remind me of that when I’m eating 0.89 pot pies for dinner every night.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sad but Happy but Sad
I have the best vet in the world. I emailed him the link to my YouTube video from Friday (see below) and he got back to me wicked fast.
Remember how I was saying Bubba looked a little ouchy in the back, especially on the right? I hate it when I'm right.
From Doc...
"Looks like he is weak behind-especially RH-may be lame. I think we definitely need to see him."
So, Bubba has a hot date with Doc... again.... on Friday at 2:30. I hate it when I'm right sometimes.
In a way, this may be a good thing. I'm hoping it's something a little injection needle and some Lubrisyn/Adequan/something else will keep under control. I'm not sure what to expect and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for this mess but I'll figure something out. Cross your fingers and your toes.
I wouldn't be so worried if he hadn't just been injected in October. He went an entire year before and didn't seem to really need it when his year anniversary rolled around.
I don't know.
I also wonder if riding him on Harry's pasture has something to do with it. At home, I rode in the sand pit arena. It kept him really fit and was also probably easier on his joints. I'll have to ask Doc if he thinks that's a factor.
Blah. This sucks.
I haven't even gotten to ride at all this week yet. Yesterday was rainy and nasty and today the truck is in the shop so I can't haul over to Harry's. Hopefully tomorrow and Thursday will go well and I'll get to ride.
I'm going to go eat chocolate.
Remember how I was saying Bubba looked a little ouchy in the back, especially on the right? I hate it when I'm right.
From Doc...
"Looks like he is weak behind-especially RH-may be lame. I think we definitely need to see him."
So, Bubba has a hot date with Doc... again.... on Friday at 2:30. I hate it when I'm right sometimes.
In a way, this may be a good thing. I'm hoping it's something a little injection needle and some Lubrisyn/Adequan/something else will keep under control. I'm not sure what to expect and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for this mess but I'll figure something out. Cross your fingers and your toes.
I wouldn't be so worried if he hadn't just been injected in October. He went an entire year before and didn't seem to really need it when his year anniversary rolled around.
I don't know.
I also wonder if riding him on Harry's pasture has something to do with it. At home, I rode in the sand pit arena. It kept him really fit and was also probably easier on his joints. I'll have to ask Doc if he thinks that's a factor.
Blah. This sucks.
I haven't even gotten to ride at all this week yet. Yesterday was rainy and nasty and today the truck is in the shop so I can't haul over to Harry's. Hopefully tomorrow and Thursday will go well and I'll get to ride.
I'm going to go eat chocolate.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's the Little Things
Got in from Branford last night at about midnight.
Our run was actually not THAT bad. We did improve some. I'm happy with our approach to the first barrel. That's our big improvement for the night. We did hit the third. I sat too soon.
I'm curious to get some BHW feedback on my video. I think Mr StudMuffin Bubba Face needs a hot date with Doc's injection needle. He was just done in October but, watching the video, he looks ouchy somewhere, especially around the first barrel when he kind of jumps out a stride. What do ya'll think?
Speaking of video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fSStTD6z08 (It was still being processed at the time of this post so no guarantees on availability.)
My reins are way way too long and our run was slower than I wanted. Against the usual competition, it would have been a solid 4D run. The NBHA that was run there in January was won with a 14.6 and we would have been a 16.5. We lost a ton of time between the first and second and around the second. BUT WE DIDN'T OVERRUN THE FIRST BARREL! Not even a little bit! (For the record, I tried something that I watched in an Ed video on YouTube.) That part excites me to no end. Once I can get him finishing his turns, I'll encourage a little more speed I think. ;)
YAY Progress!!
It's amazing the advantages of video! I left the arena feeling really horrible. I thought we had blown out of the first a lot farther than we actually did and I thought our turns were much much stiffer than they actually were. (I did know we weren't moving all that fast.) But when I watched the video (love you Brion), I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a big confidence builder that I don't suck as much as I thought.
For non-YouTube using people... the quality isn't as good. I'll try to fix it when I get home.
Our run was actually not THAT bad. We did improve some. I'm happy with our approach to the first barrel. That's our big improvement for the night. We did hit the third. I sat too soon.
I'm curious to get some BHW feedback on my video. I think Mr StudMuffin Bubba Face needs a hot date with Doc's injection needle. He was just done in October but, watching the video, he looks ouchy somewhere, especially around the first barrel when he kind of jumps out a stride. What do ya'll think?
Speaking of video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fSStTD6z08 (It was still being processed at the time of this post so no guarantees on availability.)
My reins are way way too long and our run was slower than I wanted. Against the usual competition, it would have been a solid 4D run. The NBHA that was run there in January was won with a 14.6 and we would have been a 16.5. We lost a ton of time between the first and second and around the second. BUT WE DIDN'T OVERRUN THE FIRST BARREL! Not even a little bit! (For the record, I tried something that I watched in an Ed video on YouTube.) That part excites me to no end. Once I can get him finishing his turns, I'll encourage a little more speed I think. ;)
YAY Progress!!
It's amazing the advantages of video! I left the arena feeling really horrible. I thought we had blown out of the first a lot farther than we actually did and I thought our turns were much much stiffer than they actually were. (I did know we weren't moving all that fast.) But when I watched the video (love you Brion), I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a big confidence builder that I don't suck as much as I thought.
For non-YouTube using people... the quality isn't as good. I'll try to fix it when I get home.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Southbound 129
Leaving work today at 4:30 so I can get home, pick up Brion and Bubba and head for Branford.
It's just a little jackpot put on by the local riding club but I am really starting to get nervous. I don't usually get nervous until the drag before mine but this time is different.
I've really been trying to be a more cerebral rider lately, to actively engage my brain and see exactly what I'm doing and how it's affecting my horse. I've noticed some bad hand habits and some bad feet habits that I've been really working on correcting. I guess I'm just nervous because I don't know if I CAN correct myself at a run. Slow work I'm pretty confident in my abilities. For some reason, all the "skills" that I have at walk, trot, lope stay at the gate.
Things to remember tonight...
Weight in stirrups, no fetal crouch
Hands up, drop outside rein, don't pull back
Be prepared for the turn because he might just actually turn.
Sit down! If you think you've sat down, do it again.
I hope I can remember to do some of these things or I am really going to be upset with myself.
Cross your fingers and your toes!
I remembered to charge the batteries in the camera so hopefully I'll come home with a video. =)
It's just a little jackpot put on by the local riding club but I am really starting to get nervous. I don't usually get nervous until the drag before mine but this time is different.
I've really been trying to be a more cerebral rider lately, to actively engage my brain and see exactly what I'm doing and how it's affecting my horse. I've noticed some bad hand habits and some bad feet habits that I've been really working on correcting. I guess I'm just nervous because I don't know if I CAN correct myself at a run. Slow work I'm pretty confident in my abilities. For some reason, all the "skills" that I have at walk, trot, lope stay at the gate.
Things to remember tonight...
Weight in stirrups, no fetal crouch
Hands up, drop outside rein, don't pull back
Be prepared for the turn because he might just actually turn.
Sit down! If you think you've sat down, do it again.
I hope I can remember to do some of these things or I am really going to be upset with myself.
Cross your fingers and your toes!
I remembered to charge the batteries in the camera so hopefully I'll come home with a video. =)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Now I Remember
Let's just say.... if we run at Branford like we loped today, I will be one happy girl.
Hey! I have a follower!! Hi Chelsea!
Hey! I have a follower!! Hi Chelsea!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Doin' the Walk Around
I just got back in from riding Bubba-horse. My lower back is very sore and tight so the plan for today was just to walk around and be calm, work on reverse arcs and always always giving his face and lifting his rib cage.
At first, he was too distracted to pay much attention. Everything was more interesting than me. Once I got his attention, he was much better. A little more amped than I like but he still listened. Occasionally, he'd start jigging sideways and that HURT my poor back. He really needed a good hard long trot to get some of that extra energy out but my back said no.
I did go back to his bit today and he was back to normal. Didn't hide his nose at all.
The whoa! work from Wednesday (before my flying lesson) paid off, at least at the walk. The first time I asked him to stop from the walk, his back feet tripped all over themselves trying to stop. LOL Good job Bubba-horse.
I ordered a "regulation" bonnet tie-down from L&W on Friday. I like the one that I made but it is a bear to adjust. They haven't charged my card yet but I'm hoping it comes in the mail soon. If Brion's parents weren't coming this weekend, I could go pick it up in person at Shamrock but... o well. I can't wait to give it a try.
I did lunge him in Harry's round pen to get him some kind of cardiovascular exercise. I'm hoping my back will be happy with me tomorrow and I'll try to get in a "real ride" on Tuesday after work. YAY Daylight Savings Time!
At first, he was too distracted to pay much attention. Everything was more interesting than me. Once I got his attention, he was much better. A little more amped than I like but he still listened. Occasionally, he'd start jigging sideways and that HURT my poor back. He really needed a good hard long trot to get some of that extra energy out but my back said no.
I did go back to his bit today and he was back to normal. Didn't hide his nose at all.
The whoa! work from Wednesday (before my flying lesson) paid off, at least at the walk. The first time I asked him to stop from the walk, his back feet tripped all over themselves trying to stop. LOL Good job Bubba-horse.
I ordered a "regulation" bonnet tie-down from L&W on Friday. I like the one that I made but it is a bear to adjust. They haven't charged my card yet but I'm hoping it comes in the mail soon. If Brion's parents weren't coming this weekend, I could go pick it up in person at Shamrock but... o well. I can't wait to give it a try.
I did lunge him in Harry's round pen to get him some kind of cardiovascular exercise. I'm hoping my back will be happy with me tomorrow and I'll try to get in a "real ride" on Tuesday after work. YAY Daylight Savings Time!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
My Butt Hurts
Well, it had to happen. I guess I was due.
My butt and the ground had a meeting yesterday. And it was not pretty.
But at least I know my horse will turn! With or without me! I was working on WHOA yesterday and we were loping down the line. I just flat didn't see the barrel that has sat in that exact same spot for 6 months. I sat down and said "whoa" which he interpreted as "set and turn." So he did. Good job Bubba. Too bad he went left and I went right.
I'm sore sore today and my right hip is really swollen. The more I move, the better I feel. Hopefully I'll be ready to go next week so I can ride on Monday.
So anyway, we rode yesterday. Everything went pretty decently. I think I'm going to try working on "whoa" from the lope with my headsetter tie down on. He got a little light in the front end by the end and I think that'll keep him reminded to stay down. I'm hoping it works well so I can use it running home at the barrel race. He keeps his head down fairly low turning but it gets way way up there when I'm trying to get him stopped. That's my other project. STOPPING coming out the gate. Sometimes it's like trying to stop a freight train without any brakes. At this point I'll try just about anything. The Pretzel works pretty well but he hates it so much warming up. Hmm. Dilemma.
God I can't wait to go to Ed. Direction! Direction! My kingdom for some direction!
Also, I might try loping him on a loose rein and see if he'll eventually settle down and just lope without constantly speeding up. He naturally carries his head a little lower than it feels like he does under saddle. I wonder if that's a product of my hands. Hmm... something to study.
In health news...
Bubba got his teeth floated today. My appointment for yesterday got postponed due to a colic emergency. So Bubba got to go on a field trip to another farm and spent the day there. He was VERY sharp in the back (I told you Spencer!!) but Doc knocked them down. Hopefully my dentist can come up sometime soon and check it for me.
We didn't do any lameness stuff after he worked so good Monday and Wednesday. I'm hoping the "offness" on Saturday was due to the and those sharp teeth instead of anything more serious. I might try the Lubrisyn that everybody is raving about on BHW and see if that helps at all. It's a little more pricey than I like to spend every month but if it works, it's worth it.
Also got our "we're legal to cross the border" paperwork today from Doc. All we need now for Ed is to pack our junk up and hit the road! Can't wait!
My butt and the ground had a meeting yesterday. And it was not pretty.
But at least I know my horse will turn! With or without me! I was working on WHOA yesterday and we were loping down the line. I just flat didn't see the barrel that has sat in that exact same spot for 6 months. I sat down and said "whoa" which he interpreted as "set and turn." So he did. Good job Bubba. Too bad he went left and I went right.
I'm sore sore today and my right hip is really swollen. The more I move, the better I feel. Hopefully I'll be ready to go next week so I can ride on Monday.
So anyway, we rode yesterday. Everything went pretty decently. I think I'm going to try working on "whoa" from the lope with my headsetter tie down on. He got a little light in the front end by the end and I think that'll keep him reminded to stay down. I'm hoping it works well so I can use it running home at the barrel race. He keeps his head down fairly low turning but it gets way way up there when I'm trying to get him stopped. That's my other project. STOPPING coming out the gate. Sometimes it's like trying to stop a freight train without any brakes. At this point I'll try just about anything. The Pretzel works pretty well but he hates it so much warming up. Hmm. Dilemma.
God I can't wait to go to Ed. Direction! Direction! My kingdom for some direction!
Also, I might try loping him on a loose rein and see if he'll eventually settle down and just lope without constantly speeding up. He naturally carries his head a little lower than it feels like he does under saddle. I wonder if that's a product of my hands. Hmm... something to study.
In health news...
Bubba got his teeth floated today. My appointment for yesterday got postponed due to a colic emergency. So Bubba got to go on a field trip to another farm and spent the day there. He was VERY sharp in the back (I told you Spencer!!) but Doc knocked them down. Hopefully my dentist can come up sometime soon and check it for me.
We didn't do any lameness stuff after he worked so good Monday and Wednesday. I'm hoping the "offness" on Saturday was due to the and those sharp teeth instead of anything more serious. I might try the Lubrisyn that everybody is raving about on BHW and see if that helps at all. It's a little more pricey than I like to spend every month but if it works, it's worth it.
Also got our "we're legal to cross the border" paperwork today from Doc. All we need now for Ed is to pack our junk up and hit the road! Can't wait!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
It's All Chelsea's Fault
I've been thinking. Scary thought I know. I was reading one of my favorite blogs Knottynuff Stock Farm and I've been inspired.
The past few days (granted I have the attention span of a particularly slow cow) I've been thinking about Bubba and barrel racing. We had a spectacularly horrible run on Saturday. Overshot the first barrel 2 strides and did roll backs around two barrels before hitting the third one. Bubba turned one stride too soon and shouldered the third. And that got to me to thinking. I was in a horrible mood after that. I thought we had moved beyond this mess. I thought our barrel hitting days were behind us and 2D/3D checks were headed our way! And our run on Saturday was a great big smack in the face.
To write a thesis (since that is my current academic distraction), you have to be organized. Collect data and compare patterns and sources. And, as big as my brain is (har har), if I want to improve my riding, I have to be organized. I would like to use this blog (and I really don't like that word. How about web-based rambling?) to record my rides and my observations, hoping it will prompt me to make more of them. I'm not the most observant. I can't go at this any longer in this disorganized, distracted fashion if I want to improve. I don't want to win futurities or go to the NFR or ammy rodeo successfully. My goals are simple. I want to draw a check. I want to qualify for World again. I want to run in and know we're going to turn the first barrel. And Bubba, bless his evil soul, is not the problem, as much as I would like to blame him. It's me. I have to ride better and I have to be an active participant.
Once I got home and unloaded Saturday, I went out to the Aucilla River and watched a storm roll in. And did some thinking. That run was almost letter perfect to the runs we made BA (that's Before the Ammerman). And he ran that way because he was sore. So what made him sore Saturday? I thought about it for a while (again, slow cow) and, like a lightbulb, it came to me yesterday when I was riding.... in my Jim Warner hackamore. My equine dentist was supposed to make a trip up to the hinterland (read: North Florida panhandle) and float Bubba's teeth. He's been doing them for years and I'm loathe to trust someone else to handle his teeth. However, that trip has been postponed more times than I care to think about. Saturday, I ran him in a bit when I should have run him in the hackamore and prayed we stopped coming out the gate. In my bad-run induced funk, I made Bubba an appointment with the vet for a lameness exam (because he also hasn't been wanting to pick up the right lead) and now, a teeth float. It might not be as thorough as my dentist but it will at least take the points down until my dentist can make it up here.
We're headed to Branford in two weeks. I'll ride in a bit after Wednesday and make my headgear decision then. Branford is a closed alley so I'm not too worried about running through the crowd. I might run in my hackamore and see how it goes.
This is another one of those times when I wish Ed was this weekend. I have so many ideas for "gear changes" that I don't even know if I need. German? Tie down? Just ride right?
Lord only knows. One day I'll get it together.
The past few days (granted I have the attention span of a particularly slow cow) I've been thinking about Bubba and barrel racing. We had a spectacularly horrible run on Saturday. Overshot the first barrel 2 strides and did roll backs around two barrels before hitting the third one. Bubba turned one stride too soon and shouldered the third. And that got to me to thinking. I was in a horrible mood after that. I thought we had moved beyond this mess. I thought our barrel hitting days were behind us and 2D/3D checks were headed our way! And our run on Saturday was a great big smack in the face.
To write a thesis (since that is my current academic distraction), you have to be organized. Collect data and compare patterns and sources. And, as big as my brain is (har har), if I want to improve my riding, I have to be organized. I would like to use this blog (and I really don't like that word. How about web-based rambling?) to record my rides and my observations, hoping it will prompt me to make more of them. I'm not the most observant. I can't go at this any longer in this disorganized, distracted fashion if I want to improve. I don't want to win futurities or go to the NFR or ammy rodeo successfully. My goals are simple. I want to draw a check. I want to qualify for World again. I want to run in and know we're going to turn the first barrel. And Bubba, bless his evil soul, is not the problem, as much as I would like to blame him. It's me. I have to ride better and I have to be an active participant.
Once I got home and unloaded Saturday, I went out to the Aucilla River and watched a storm roll in. And did some thinking. That run was almost letter perfect to the runs we made BA (that's Before the Ammerman). And he ran that way because he was sore. So what made him sore Saturday? I thought about it for a while (again, slow cow) and, like a lightbulb, it came to me yesterday when I was riding.... in my Jim Warner hackamore. My equine dentist was supposed to make a trip up to the hinterland (read: North Florida panhandle) and float Bubba's teeth. He's been doing them for years and I'm loathe to trust someone else to handle his teeth. However, that trip has been postponed more times than I care to think about. Saturday, I ran him in a bit when I should have run him in the hackamore and prayed we stopped coming out the gate. In my bad-run induced funk, I made Bubba an appointment with the vet for a lameness exam (because he also hasn't been wanting to pick up the right lead) and now, a teeth float. It might not be as thorough as my dentist but it will at least take the points down until my dentist can make it up here.
We're headed to Branford in two weeks. I'll ride in a bit after Wednesday and make my headgear decision then. Branford is a closed alley so I'm not too worried about running through the crowd. I might run in my hackamore and see how it goes.
This is another one of those times when I wish Ed was this weekend. I have so many ideas for "gear changes" that I don't even know if I need. German? Tie down? Just ride right?
Lord only knows. One day I'll get it together.
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