I love my boys

It's MARCH?! Since when?

Okay, call me crazy, but I swear it was just Christmas! Okay, it was at least just Valentine's Day...where on earth does the time go? I have the feeling that time is going to keep flying by - until I'm three weeks from delivery, that is, THEN it's going to slow to a crawl so as to maximize my inevitable discomfort. It will then start a peculiar pattern of zipping by again during the wonderful moments of new-Momhood and all but stop during the sleepless nights, dirty diapers and teething months. Oh well, I guess, such is life.
I haven't written anything here for a couple months now. Obviously. I guess I don't want this blog to turn into a blog about babies and my pregnancy. Maybe I'll start a different blog for that, or write notes on my Facebook page, but this is supposed to be about my growth and development as a horsewoman; my goals, accomplishments, struggles and successes. I suppose I thought that since I'm entering the final phase of my pregnancy and haven't ridden in a month and a half, I didn't have anything to write about on the horse front. I know I'm still a horse-crazy gal, but I thought "what kind of things can I possibly be learning when I'm not even riding?" Much, as it turns out.
There have been times during my riding "career" (ha) that I have become too focused on winning and my accomplishments and haven't given enough thought to the amazing blessing it is just to be around horses at all. I am sure realizing this blessing now! Aside from a handful of very casual and abbreviated rides on Mr. Rapper, I have been "grounded" since early February. It can be very discouraging at times to watch my friends ride, train and grow without me, but I have come to appreciate the little things I do with my horses. Or, at least, I used to think they were little things. Now I understand that the groomings, the treats, the walks up the driveway are not "little" at all, but the very foundation of my horse-and-rider relationships. Rapper is reaping many of the benefits of my riding hiatus. After all, he enjoys grooming while Keenan frets and fidgets; he relishes long slow walks up the drive whereas Keenan tries to drag me facedown alongside him. Rapper turned 17 on March 8 and I can honestly say, I have never seen him so happy. I am very grateful for this time I am able to spend with him - it has made him so much calmer and responsive, I feel like I can do anything with him.
Keenan is definitely getting some of the perks. Rachel is schooling and hacking him nearly every day and I must say, I cannot WAIT to get back on such a fit and well-schooled animal. Rachel told me that she always wanted to ride Keenan (she spent her younger days watching him in the show ring) and she has been doing great things with him. I can tell Keenan is starting to wonder what the heck is going on with me, though - he's started to get a little edgy with me, like he's annoyed that we haven't gone for a ride in a long time. As much as it would pain me to say good-bye to my hunter boy for a few months, a part of me hopes I can find someone to lease him for the show season. He's such a phenomenal horse and really deserves to have a great show season with an Adult, Child - or Pre Adult or Child - rider in the saddle.
Well, we are on our way out the door for family dinner, but I hope to make more time to write soon. After all, I may be a Mom-to-be, but I am ALWAYS a horse girl, no matter what!

remembering a wonderful season

Two new bags for equitation reserve championships.

Look who wandered in! ;)

Mom and I, looking glam!

Sarah and I.

Rachel, Kate, Sarah, Kristine and Jessie.

Brady helps me show off our winning duds.

Mike, Mollie and I.

Sarah, Kristine, Holly, Lauren and Mike.

Rachel, Sarah and Kristine.

Sophie, Jessie and Anna.

Me, Kate and our new trainer Rachel.

The whole Triple Rise group!

Nathan, (baby) and I, all dressed up!

Banquet was great! Great food, great company, heels from hell...haha. It sure was a great evening! Made my heart ache just a little to think that I won't be much a part of that world next year, but with any luck, I'll be cheering my friends on with an adorable baby boy in a front pack! Bring on the outdoor shows!

Award Time again!

On January 8th, OHJA is having its awards banquet and I thought I'd just make note of some of our accomplishments ("our" meaning Triple Rise) from this year.

Open System
Lauren and Bella - 2nd 3' Pre Green Working Hunter
2nd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)
2nd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
3rd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Julie and Henry - 4th Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)
3rd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
4th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Debbie and Houdini - 3rd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (41 +)
7th Large Working Hunter
6th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Regional System
Kate and Titan - 1st 3'3" Pre Green Working Hunter
2nd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)

Anna and Patches - 8th Children's Working Hunter (13 & under)
2nd Modified Child/Adult Hunter
2nd Pre Child Hunter
4th Small Working Hunter
7th Pre Child Equitation, flat
7th Pre Child Equitation, over fences

Kristine and Q - 5th Children's Working Hunter (14-17)
1st Modified Junior/Amateur Hunter
2nd Open Working Hunter
1st Children's Equitation, over fences (14-17)
5th 0.95-1.00 Meter Jumper
4th Low Child/Adult Jumper

Sophie and Jackson - 3rd Children's Working Hunter Pony
3rd Pre Child Hunter
5th Pre Child Equitation, flat
3rd Pre Child Equitation, over fences

Jessie and Honey - 4th Pony Working Hunter

Missy and Keenan - 1st Large Working Hunter
1st Pre Adult Hunter
2nd Pre Adult Equitation, flat
2nd Pre Adult Equitation, over fences

Holly and Lucky - 2nd Long Stirrup Hunter
1st Long Stirrup Equitation, flat
2nd Long Stirrup Equitation, over fences

Alison and Bijou - 4th Short Stirrup Hunter
4th Short Stirrup Equitation, over fences

Tamara, Jakob and Cloudy - 5th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
3rd 0.85-0.90 Meter Jumper
5th Low Child/Adult Jumper 3'

Jessie and Houdini - 6th Children's Equitation, over fences (13 & under)


We pretty much rock :)

changes

Wow, has it really been almost a month since I posted? With all this spare time on my hands, you'd think I'd find something to talk about every day!

Honestly, I'd be kidding myself if I wondered why. Not only have I not been able to ride as much (thank you morning, afternoon AND evening sickness!) but I am not thinking about it the same as I used to. I'm not working towards the same goals as I was before I got pregnant. In August/September, I was eagerly anticipating moving up to Adult Amateur classes for next year's show season - now, I'll be lucky to be back in time for Pre Adult classes at Northwest Spectacular. I mean, that's probably the best case scenario. It doesn't bother me, it just changes the way I look at my favorite activity. Now when I ride, I mainly focus on what I'm doing that day, that moment, and thanking the Lord I had the energy to climb into the saddle. I also want to be able to give Keenan as much exercise as I personally can for as long as I can so that he doesn't have to be a burden for anyone else just yet.

That brings up another transition that is taking place at Triple Rise right now. Sarah is leaving us next week. She'll be graduating from U of O this spring and really wants to buckle down and ace her last two terms - I think having a full course load on top of her job was really stressful for her this term and she doesn't need that when she's staring down the barrel of the graduation gun. After graduating, she wants to move on and work at other places around the country. When I talked to her, she mentioned some job offers in California.

We all found out about this last week and although I am MAJORLY bummed - I cried, I'll admit it - I know that Sarah absolutely needs to do what is right for her. She is 23 years old and has been in Eugene for a very long time. And, as much as I love Oregon and adore my barn, Eugene is not exactly the hunter jumper capitol of the world. Sarah has so much talent and SO much potential - look what she managed to do with me in two years! - and she really owes it to herself to get out there and aim for the big time. I think she wants to ride for some big name clients - some very fancy horses with rich owners - to make a name for herself, and then eventually would come back to Oregon to start her own barn.

As much as it pains me to lose a trainer who had become such a dear, dear friend and mentor, I am actually really proud of her for taking a good look at her life and making a tough decision that will likely turn out to be the best one she'll ever make. Again, I love Mike and Mollie and everyone at my barn. But I know how ambitious Sarah is - heck, the girl was like 21 when she decided to go pro - and I know how talented she is. She deserves a chance at the top. She will be missed, but we've all met our new trainer Rachel and she seems totally lovely. She even paid me/Keenan a huge compliment tonight when she referred to him as "one of those horses I always hoped I'd get a chance to ride and now I finally have" (she is from this area so she watched Becka compete him in the Children's classes several years ago).

SO...yeah, lots of things are changing. But, you know, change can be good. Keenan still doesn't like to be curried, Rapper still nickers at me when he hears me walking up to his stall, Sophie is still hilarious and Mike still jokes around with me. Life moves on and it's my responsibility to roll with the punches.

long time, no post

Okay, so I didn't post the entire month of October. I am a slacker. But I have my reasons, honest. Well, really just one reason. Turns out (drum roll please...) I'm pregnant! And even though I know NO ONE reads this thing, I didn't want to write about it until I'd told my close friends and extended family. They all know now, so I'll just blog away!

So this pretty much came as a huge surprise. Nathan and I were not planning on starting a family for another couple of years, but turns out, there were other plans in place! Even though we will be making some adjustments, we are very excited to be parents!

I've been given the okay from my doctor to continue riding and even jumping for the time being, provided that I listen to my horse and my body and don't do anything reckless or overly risky. He told me that since I am an experienced rider and that I'm in good shape to be doing this, that there's no reason I can't continue for a little while - as long as my pregnancy remains low-risk.

At first I was shocked. It sounds selfish to say, I know, but my first thought was: well, there's next show season down the tubes. It was really hard for me to take at first, especially since Sarah had Keenan and I working up to 3' and making plans for the Adult Amateurs next year. But then, of course, common sense kicked in and I realized that there will be plenty of people to help me keep Keenan in shape and maybe even show him a little next year. Then there's the fact that he's not a young guy who needs a lot of show experience to keep him seasoned. He's been around and a light year is not going to hurt him. Finally, I am due May 30 so there's even a chance I could be back in the saddle for Northwest Spectacular at the end of August. Maybe wishful thinking, but right now, I'm optimistic.

Everyone at the barn has been so supportive. Some days I feel great - I could ride all day long - and some days it's all I can do to brush my guys and collapse onto a tack trunk in exhaustion. But being there never fails to bring a smile to my face, even if I'm just watching from the sidelines.

*sigh*

Sometimes I still can't believe it...everything is going to change now. Sometimes I don't feel ready, other days I think "bring it on." One thing's for sure, there will be no shortage of horses and ponies in this little one's life!

beach details and what's coming up

Don't have pictures of the beach, yet - Kate took them and she's a super-busy architecture student, so I understand the delay. I just can't wait to share! We had such a great day at the coast!

I'd been really nervous to take Keenan, because, unlike many of the other horses, no one seemed remember a time when Keenan had gone to the beach. And after my falling experience this summer after his several weeks off, I'm more aware of what Keenan is capable of when he's not 100% on board with something. I had visions of him bucking me off and taking off down the beach, never to be seen again. But Sarah assured me that everything would be okay, and the younger girls finally talked me into it. So I put a stronger bit on his bridle and prayed for the best! And it worked! Granted, he was definitely frisky, and not entirely convinced that going in the water was a good idea, but he seemed to really enjoy himself. We trotted, we cantered, we even made it into the ocean up to our knees! We chased sea gulls and stepped over driftwood - all the fun stuff that comes along with a trip to the coast, haha. And when it was time to leave, Keenan just stared wistfully out at the dunes - like he was saying "Why don't we just live here?" Can't wait for next year's trip!

But in the meantime, it's back to work...

We have a lot coming up this fall - schooling shows in early October and late November, a vet clinic with Lisa, Halloween Fun Day, the list goes on and on. Sarah is going to have me jump 3' at the November schooling show so that when Spring Hunter/Jumper rolls around next year, the height is not so scary. So needless to say, I have a lot to work on in the off-season!