Sophie

Just had to post some super cute photos that Kate Laue took of Sophie and Jackson in the 2'6" hunter derby they participated in over the summer. Sophie has officially outgrown Jackson and is riding Bella now (Lauren got a new horse earlier this year - adorable baby Mona), so this was kind of their last hurrah. Sophie has ridden Jackson for the past two years and they have done very well together. I will miss watching them rock the house, but I'm excited for Sophie to move onto a horse. She is still learning Bella's quirks but those two ladies are destined to be a FORCE come next year!

Movin' on up!

Yesterday's lesson was a good one. I never think "all RIGHT!" when I walk into the arena and see a gymnastic set up, but it was actually very good for us. In the beginning, we trotted into the gymnastic and cantered out, which Keenan was less than enthusiastic about (why trot jumps when you can canter them?), but once we started adding a course onto the end of the exercise, he got a lot more cheerful. Rachel even got sneaky and raised the last jump in the gymnastic to 3' without me knowing. Good thing she did, too - my hang-up with jumping 3' is all psychological and if I don't *know* it's 3', I won't look twice at it. Still working on not rushing the jump and throwing my upper body ahead, but I'm getting more comfortable waiting every time I ride. Adult Amateurs here I come!

Saturday lessons are the best!

My mom was down visiting us over the weekend and since the weather wasn't too dreadful (yet), she and Henri joined me at Triple Rise for a Saturday lesson! Henri napped most of the time which meant he missed seeing his mama rock the house, but at least he was rested enough to visit the horses before we left (Paris was very interested!).

The lesson itself was better than the previous one (Thursday) but still not quite as good as a couple of weeks ago. I'm still working on not jumping ahead and staying patient to the jumps. I feel like I'm getting better - I know in my head what I'm supposed to do, it's just a matter of learning how to make my body do it properly. Jessie seems to think that Adult Amateurs (3' for ages 18 and up) will be no problem and that I'm ready to get back in the show ring right this instant. God bless her, haha. I do hope to be showing at the three foot level next year, but I would be just fine if I had to do Modified Child/Adult (2'9") - or, hey, even a little Pre-Adult. I just can't wait to put on a hunt coat again! Spring Hunter Jumper (or Mother's Day) is so far away!

This is what I do when I'm stressed...

I should not be allowed to look at Dover's website when I'm tired and somewhat high-strung. Yes, it's soothing, but I get the "gimmee's" - and before you know it, I end up looking at Dubarry boots and wondering how many kidneys I'd have to sell to buy a pair...and if I could get one of their sweaters to go with. *Droooooooooooool*

PS: good lesson tonight. Not as good as last week, but Rachel is upping the ante and tossing really tough courses at me. Keep 'em coming!

That's what I'm talking about!

What a great evening at the barn! We got to ride outside and enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and I finally, for the first time since I had Henri, felt truly "back in the saddle." And then some, really, because I actually made some progress on Project: Don't Jump Ahead. I found that happy medium between chasing Keenan down to a jump and taking my leg off and letting him back up to it. And because I wasn't throwing myself at the jump ahead of his motion, I was able to keep my reins more organized and Keenan more adjustable. It felt fantastic! It's like this light bulb went on over my head. Oh! That's what it feels like when you do it right! In a way, I have pregnancy and motherhood to thank. True, I've spent a couple of years working on this and have done a lot of reading and studying of my Practical Horseman magazines, but on an emotional/psychological level, I have greater confidence in myself and my body because I've learned how strong and capable I am. Might sound hokey but it's true! Now that I have applied that knowledge to riding I feel somehow complete. Rachel told me she really wants to see me show next year and I can't help but wholeheartedly agree. Bring it on!

"Let's try this again."

"Let's try this again."

"I need to get reorganized."

"He's never done that before!"

"I thought I had this figured out..."

I feel like I'm living oddly parallel lives these days. By day, I'm a new mom with an incredibly particular diva of a son. By night (and by that I mean Thursday evenings), I'm still a horse-crazy teenager locked in an almost-27-year-old's body. Thing is, I find myself comparing these two lives and coming away with the notion that the are more similar that they might seem on paper.

My little boy is a moving target. He likes to throw me a curve ball just when I think I'm starting to get things figured out. Optimists would say "ah, it keeps you on your toes!" Well, I don't *want* to be on my toes. My body is too worn out from holding, bouncing and rocking the little bear!

Keenan threw me a curve ball himself just last week (is there some sort of chat room these two go to? www.howtomesswithmom.com??). After almost two years of being a professional butt-saver, the little stinker threw me under the bus. It's like all of a sudden he decided that the best way for me to figure stuff out was to cease being the world's most generous horse. Of course, he was right. I had to ride him like I've never done before - very forward and determined, with gritted teeth and a steely resolve that we WOULD do the line in three strides. We WOULD get our lead change as soon as possible. I went from riding in a very reserved, conservative way (the way I *had* to ride when there was a baby in my tummy) to having my guns blazing, with a "Seize the Day!" mentality. And darn if there wasn't a knowing look in that horse's eye when I put him back in his stall an hour later. He and Henri sure are smart.

Baby Henri meets some very special friends

These photos were taken in Henri's first week of life, but I'm just now getting around to posting them *sheepish grin*. This was his first real outing - of course, he slept the whole time, which was a-okay with me. The horses took varying degrees of interest in him - Keenan was a little on the ambivalent side (he did not understand how me holding the baby was better than the baby being in my tummy), Henry seemed afraid that the baby might eat him, Rapper was enthusiastic to the point of dangerous (isn't he always) and Reno...well, Reno fell head over heels, as I'm sure you can see. If Old Man Reno is still with us in a few years, I have every intention of him being Henri's first ride. Not that I'm anxious to pigeonhole our child, but if he wants to be the next Michael Matz, Jon French or David O'Connor, far be it for me to hold him back :)