UPDATE

Indra and Erin have a lesson tomorrow with Tango and Allegro with Eve!!! They will update in the next week or so

Updates

I

So a lot has happened sense I last blogged. School has started, Allegro and I have been jumping more, Coach is staying kind of idle and my days are full of school and riding lessons. A couple weeks ago Erin and I had a lesson with Eve and we did a lot of jumper courses to prepare for our upcoming jumper show. On Saturday I had a horse show at Stoneleigh and rode my favorite pony there, Monty. Over all it was a really fun day, I smiled and almost laughed my way through my whole jumping course I was having so much fun and didn’t have as much fun in my flat test and in my flat class but overall it was actually a really great time. Yesterday Carly, Molly, Kaylee, Erin, and I went for a long trail ride in the state forest followed by a little jumping on the x-country course followed by Molly, Carly, Erin, and I clearing an old trail and building a bunch of new jumps on it. Today I had no school so I lugged a couple more maple syrup buckets and poles into the field and made up a five jump course with a bending line a two stride line and a one stride line. I did a bunch of flatting to start out with and Allegro had A TON of energy so I went on to jumping. She ended up having too much energy to even jump so I took her out on the road and we galloped for about 4 miles straight and she was still jigging when I got home. I cooled her out and went onto playing the seven games with Coach. I had a weekend full of horses and that’s the way I like it. This coming weekend I have an IEA horse show at Biscuit Hill Farm followed by a jumper show on Sunday at Mount Holyoke. I am crossing my fingers that Allegro will find a way to burn off a lot of energy this week so she isn’t as crazy as she was today at the show but we’ll see. It will be a learning experience. I will post pictures and the results in the next couple of weeks.

Tango and Goose at OneTrueMedia.com

Goose and Tango learning to jump, and getting pretty good at it too!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New Stuff

Erin

Yesterday I went to the Cowboy Race on Maybelle. It was a blast, and Maybelle did every obstacle better than I ever imagined she would. We opened (and closed!) every gate, herded and successfully "branded" and trailered the cows, and even side passed over a 6 foot log. She galloped as soon as I picked up the reins, but would halt and stand while I leaned over to grab something, or to open a gate. We roped the "steer" on our first try, and crossed successfully through the snake pit. But most importantly, we conquered all 25 obstacles, and had a lot of fun!

Next week is the hunter pace and I am so excited to bring Maybelle! My family will be in Colorado, so I will be going with Heritage Farm. I am super excited, as it will be my first hunter pace ever!

A different pony

Indra

This summer has been a big horse summer for me, filled with lessons, camp, trail rides, my "sisters", gymkhanas, and hopefully a couple horse shows.

In my last lesson I was riding with a trainer i have ridden with two times before, but never with Allegro. I had the most amazing ride on my pony ever! I got her bending around the turns, picking up the canter from a slow trot, and not running full blast over the jumps. By the end of a three hour lesson I could already feel the difference in me and my pony.

Yesterday Erin and I went to the Heritage Farm auction to look at the horses. My family went in not really thinking about getting a horse and we came out without a horse, but there were a few instances where we were seriously thinking about it. There is one mare who didn't end up getting sold named Mary who I have ridden a couple times and have loved. She is about 13.1 or 13.2 hands and is like a bog Allegro. She is gorgeous. I am seriously thinking about her. Maybe I'll ride her a couple more times and maybe by the end of the summer I'll have a new mare named Mary.

I have big goals for the upcoming show season. I hope to bring Allegro to a couple shows, and compete in the jumper ring with her. I am also hoping that by next summer she and I will be ready to compete in the Northampton Hunter/Jumper show in the jumper ring, and maybe we'll get up to the Big E. All of these goals come with practice. So I guess I have a year of hard work in front of me.

Tango

Erin

Lately Tango has changed a lot. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. The way she moves, carries herself, and acts has all changed. She is like a matured, more experienced, less green horse, and it has been really rewarding for me. I feel like all the time I have spent going slow and gentle with her is paying off, and now I can actually go more places and do more things.

I think the thing that has surprised me the most is that she jumps, nicely. Last month I had never imagined jumping her the way I do now. She is so graceful over the jumps, she makes it seem so easy. Her timing isn't always the best, but she puts a lot of effort in, and that's what matters the most. I am really proud of her, and I can't wait to take her to a hunter pace!

Crazy crazy crazy!

Erin and Kaylee

Last Friday we had a very exciting, crazy adventure. We were on our way to Heritage Farm for a cattle clinic when the craziness started. Everything was like normal as we sat in the truck, talking to pass the time. Then we pulled up to an intersection in Northampton, and the truck stalled. We all froze, our eyes wide as Roberta tried to get it running again. Cars behind us began honking just as the truck started up again. We all sighed and relaxed as the truck started moving again, but that was not the end of our problems. "It's still not running right," Roberta said. Then the truck completely broke down, and we were stuck on the side of Rt. 10, 4 miles away from the farm. Jamie was picking up parts in Pittsfield, and he didn't have a cell phone on him, so we either had to continue on to the farm without the truck and trailer, call a towing company, or wait for Jamie to get home.

It didn't take long for us to decide, and soon my mom had Tango and Willy tacked up and unloaded. We got on the horses and headed off down the road, riding in the breakdown lane. Roberta and Jason walked behind us, leading Flash (Jason's lab puppy). After about a mile, Roberta and Jason couldn't keep up, so we continued on without them. Every time we reached a grassy stretch, we would trot, but when we were on pavement we would walk. Both horses were being great, not even twitching as big rigs, buses, and motorcycles whizzed by. Many people stared at us as they drove by, but we just smiled, waved, and kept going.

45 minutes later we turned onto Florence Rd, and the farm was right there. We were hot and sweaty, but the horses weren't tired at all, so we brought them over to the ring to prepare for the clinic. Roberta and Jason showed up soon afterwards, having hitched a ride. Erin and Jason then participated in the clinic and did great, and then Jamie came to fix the truck, and was able to get it to Heritage so he had the whole parking lot to fix it in. By that point it was already 8pm, so we put the horses in stalls and went out to dinner. The truck still needed a lot of work, so we let the horses stay in stalls for the night while we went home. The next morning Jamie went back and fixed the truck, and trailered the horses home.

Anyways, that concludes our exciting, scary, and crazy adventure. :)

A New Beginning

Kaylee

We gave Dixie (the bay mare) back to Josh. She had compressed heels and it was going to take her awhile to recover. So now we are going to look into getting an Arab cross. He is 29 but he acts like a young horse. Erin is going to take him to her house first and after we see if he is good or not he will come to my house. I am very excited to give another horse a chance but will miss Dixie dearly.

First Day of Summer

Erin

Hey everyone!! It's the first day of summer and I figured our blog needed a new template.

I have some very exciting news. We have been granted permission to use the barn apartments at the farm I work at down the street. This means we will be able to watch movies while eating popcorn and drinking cold soda, and having a nice porch to sit on at night to watch the stars and listen to the sound of horses eating their dinner. The apartments are nice and cozy, with two beds in one room and two more in the other. We are aloud to move around mattresses and beds as we like, so we can all be in the same room. Now all we need is a sleepover party!!!

Also, I wanted to write about how nice it is to go for a fun gallop through the fields on my favorite pony, just like in years before. The only thing that has changed is I am taller, and Maybelle has stayed the same size. I am dreading the day when I truly outgrow her, but hopefully that wont be for a while. It's so fun and exhilarating to run into the paddock, through a bridle on your pony's head, and jump on, barefoot and bareback. Then all I need to do is jump the stone wall, and we're off, whizzing around the edge of the fields. There's this one spot where I used to race my friend (she rode her four wheeler) and every time we hit it Maybelle picks up even more speed and we fly up the hill with me whooping and putting my arms out like a bird. There's nothing like going for a run on your pony. :)

Some disappointing news

Indra writes about Coach again

Today our vet came out to do Coach's teeth and I also had her look at his inflamed ankle that was particularly large and swollen today. She had me trot him up and down the driveway and then checked out his ankle. It turned out to be a fused joint. Not good. At all. She tried to flex it but couldn't and then had be trot him up and down again. The lameness was even worse! He was hobbling down the driveway like his ankle was throbbing. It probably was. Amy concluded that I couldn't do any more jumping and had to ride him at least four times a week six or seven would be better. I can only do light work with him meaning walk trot. A ten minute walk more up followed my five to ten minute walk and trot session. Bad news comes with the good. He has been an angel and I am so happy that this isn't worse.

Same but Different

Indra writes about Coach

I have been working with Coach for a little while now. I started with groundwork and have moved up to riding him. A few days ago I had a pretty good ride consisting of walk trot and jump in both directions. He wouldn't canter. I was still very pleased with the way he had changed. Over the winter he turned into the grouchy old man, but is now breaking out of that and is the super fun pre-teen.

Today I decided to ride him again and had the same sort of ride but even better! We started out walking and then worked up to a trot. Unlike his companion Allegro Coach has one of the smoothest trots I have ever ridden. After trotting in both directions I cantered to the left. Like his trot his canter is also wonderful. I cantered to the left and to the right before jumping. We did some jumping over the 12" vertical cantering over it to the right and trotting it to the left. After about 20 minutes my mom came out and started to film some of my ride. The black flies started to get really bad and he wasn't fly sprayed so he was pretty agitated(that included bucking and head shaking, not to get me off but to get the bugs off.) After about another 10 minutes I headed in and realized how happy I was that I didn't give up on him. He is amazing. Maybe he will come to some shows or gymkhanas this summer. I don't know. It depends on what happens. We may end up being champions.

Kaylee

I am getting a horse again. She is a quarter horse/ bay mare. She almost looks like Spirit (the movie) and she does not have a name. Erin and I went and saw her and took her for a ride she is very sweet. It was super funny we were riding her and we came around the corner and there was Gracie (Erin and my friend) it was super funny! Please help think of names!!!!!

Summer fun has just begun!

Erin

I know it's not summer yet, but it feels like summer! The weather has been so nice that I have been able to ride in shorts, tanktops, and barefoot. I have been hosing the horses down after rides, and I am tempted to go swimming in the river! Most of all, this spring and summer has brought a huge change to Tango. She feels like a new horse! A new, less spooky, faster, willing to please, easy going pony. She has been great cantering through the fields, fenomenol galloping up the hills, and awesome winding through the skinny trails. She hasn't bucked in AGES, and just today she carried a girl who had never rode a horse before. She gave the girl a taste of what it's like to ride a REAL horse, and not just a robotic lesson horse. Tango taught her how to post at the trot, and how to sit deep in the canter. She walked calmly through the mud, and stepped over the logs. I felt so proud watching her take good care of her rider, and I think she will be a piece of cake this summer. Wait, rephrase: I hope she'll be a piece of cake this summer, though I know that no horse is perfect. She will continue to have great days and awful days, but she has definately become an easier horse to ride.

New ring!

So I decided to delete my way too long last post and write this instead. I have been making plans with my dad for a while now about putting up a ring. Just yesterday my mom started bugging me about starting to ride my TB Coach. It's been quite a while since I actually have done some serious riding with him. I worked with him for a little while on the ground, and then deciding that he was ready for me to get on i put on his bridle and hopped up. Immediately started to do little crow hopes and headed towards the barn with a small rear. After he crossed the mud pit of a stream I threw myself off of the saddle, grabbed a lead rope, tied him up and headed into the house to ask my dad if he would set up the ring we had been talking about for ages! In about 20 minutes we had a new ring/round pen up. I had a very successful ride with him w/t/c. Hopefully by the end of the summer he will be able to join the HSS gang.

Togetherness

Erin
I just wanted to write that I really can't wait for the four of us to go on our first ride as a group. Together we make a complex, beautiful puzzle, each piece as unique and special as the others. But then, our horses get weaved into that puzzle, and it becomes ten times as beautiful. We are really a special group, and though we may go trough some hard times together, and have some dramatic scenes, I know that we will all make it through. We will have the greatest adventures together, helping each other to bravely face the woods... and the trails. I just CAN'T wait for the adventures to begin, and here is where they will be written, for all to see. Our stories are going to be incredible, I know that. Anyways... I love my Saddle Sisters, and together we will rule the Hilltowns!!! He he he :-)

You need legs to ride!

Indra

On January 18 2010 I got kicked by my horse Coach, and immediately breaking my leg. It was a long two and a half months before I was officially allowed to ride again. Now fully healed I am enjoying my time fully as a Saddle Sister. Two weekends ago Erin, Kaylee, and I decided to ride to my house for a sleepover. One way the ride was about 8 miles, and it was all rode riding, much to our disadvantage. Erin and I had gone for a long ride in the State Forest the day before. Me on Willy and Erin on Maybelle. As our rides usually go when the three of us are riding together when we don't have my pony Allegro, I rode Maybelle, Erin rode Tango, and Kaylee rode Willy. We headed out hoping to make it from Plainfield to Worthington in about two or so hours. Tango was kind of right brain introverted for the first part of the ride so Erin decided to walk the first mile or so. After about two hours we were nearing my house, still about 3 or 4 miles away though. We arrived at my house about an hour after we hoped. It was about 3:00. My TB Coach and my Hackney pony Allegro were already happily grazing in their 9 acre pasture. After about 2 or 3 hours the horses were pretty much settled and recovered from our ride. We ended up jumping on my homemade cross country course then we decided to sleep in the cabin. We had enjoyed our time thoroughly. 3 out of the 4 Saddle Sisters enjoying riding thoroughly. Coming up we are thinking about going on a mothers day ride, possibly as mother/daughter.A lot has happened sine that weekend, but I decided that it would be a good way to start off.

Amazing Tango

Erin
Hey everyone! I just wanted to write about my amazing ride with Tango. She hasn't been out in a while, but when Indra and I ran out of milk, I jumped on and headed for the Farm Stand. We wanted to get the milk as fast as we could, so we (Indra and I) decided to have the ponies keep up a fast trot. We quickly approached the small store, cantering on the shoulder whenever we could. Our trip was done in no time at all, and after giving the horses a bath, we hung out for the rest of the night.

Then, this morning, we needed to get baking powder at the Creamery. And so, jumping on the same ponies as yesterday, we once again completed our trip suscessfully. What I was most amaze about though, was that Tango continually offered me a faster trot, and a nice lope. She was in the lead for a lottle bit of each trip, and she was very confident. I didn't have to get off and walk her at all, and I think that's a first. Well anyway, that's about it! Nothing super special, but an important part of Tango's switch from being a green horse, to a safe horse.

The Start of Our Stories

Here is where it all starts... Our friendship, stories, experiences, and adventures... Whether they are big or small, they will all be here. Everytime we go riding, have a fun time together, or just spend time with our ponies, we will keep track of it here. And so, we would now like to announce the grand opening of our blog. The blog of the Hilltown Saddle Sisters.