The previous blog I said I might of jumped 3 ft I found out that it was 3'3 ! I had NO idea ! Amigo makes it soooo easy ! I didn't get any photo's of him today but he is doing well and enjoyed a little ride in the heat. It was his birthday yesterday ! He turned 8 !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMIGO !

I'll upload a photography just for him.

What a day it was on Sunday. I got a horse over a jump that was being stubborn and jumped Amigo 3 ft ! Headed towards the 3 ft jump for the first time I had him going into it too fast so of course he refused. The second time he went over it and the third time he did really well for my standards so I called it a day. 3 ft is a huge goal for me to get better with. But if I make one lousy mistake I lose all confidence and have to start back at 2'6. It's annoying but ... hopefully in the future it won't be that way. Here are some pictures of me going over 2'6 but didn't get any of my 3 ft jumps. Photo credit to Laura !

If you look really close at his side on the previous picture below. You can tell Amigo has been lying down in the hay or on some tough ground. Also if you haven't noticed already that white stuff around his head is a cushion for his crib collar. He is a major cribber.. it's sad to see him wearing it outside but until a strip of electric fence is lined on top he needs to wear it..

If

Just Amigo

This is Amigo enjoying some grass to himself. 

Amigo and Maggie.

Here is one of Amigo's pasture friends, Maggie. Photo taken yesterday.

Good Morning Readers !

I haven't seen Amigo yet today so I have nothing to update you on. But I have events I can talk about on what happened yesterday. Yesterday I walked from my school to the barn and snapped some photo's of the horses and Amigo. At 5:00 I had my first riding lesson since last year. I have a lot of little things I have to work on. In my lesson we did lots of trotting without stirrups, serpentines, circles... and cantering. I would much rather canter then trot. Flat work is not Amigo's favourite subject but he excels greatly in it. After the flat there was a jumping gymnastic we had to do.. Those aren't my favourite. I've fallen off too many times doing them. They are hard mentally and physically. Usually I develop a headache after words.. but it's a necessity for the horses physical movement. It gets them more round and fit to go over more extreme jumps.

The results ended good ! Much better results then those of last years. I wasn't able to get any photo's of my lesson. But here are a few from when I first arrived at the barn before my lesson.

Here are a few more..

Amigo and Me

I am rewinding quite a bit here but I have a photo to share with you. During march break we left GHRC to go to Alissa's for three days. One day for him to get the chance to settle in, the next day we had a photo shoot with Danique Fisher, and the final day it was a vet check up. I will share a photo with you during the second day. A professional photographer came up and photographed Amigo and me together. Here it it ! 

May 3rd Being back home.

From the winter of 2009 to the spring of 2010, Amigo has spent his time living at a place called GHRC. At first I was kind of weary bringing him there because I was very comfortable with where he was living. It was needed for us to trailer him over to a different barn for the winter to be able to ride. GHRC has an indoor riding ring. The barn we keep him does not. With Amigo. if he has so many days off he is a nightmare to start riding in the spring. I was excited to bring him over to his new home for awhile after I realized that it is a good place and all the other horses enjoy it there. As the months went on I grew to like the place and the people around I  met awesome friends that I will never forget. Amigo did too. May 2nd he was brought back to the barn where he's lived for a year and a half now. He was to stay in the pasture with all of the yearling and 3 years and up warmbloods. What do you know ! they are all female. He found his place after awhile. Yesterday I went to check up on him and he had settled in a made friends with this yearling who will in the future will be a grand prix jumper ! He was brought out of his pasture to be brushed and fed. As soon as he was put back he sniffed around then stood up tall and let out this loud call that filled the barn. He let out two more calls before the herd of horses in that pasture came galloping towards him. He started galloping to them as well calling and prancing all the way. Until they met up ! They circled around each other and neighed all the while frolicing. I was amazing to watch. It reminded me of that horse movie spirit with the mustang and his herd. It almost got me choked up. I will miss being at GHRC but I am very happy he's with a herd again and not in a straight single pasture by himself. He belongs in one and is enjoying it. I believe it is healthy for him. 

Valley Reiners May 1st and 2nd 2010

For this horse show I felt like I was going into it completely  prepared. All riding standards were set I knew which days I wanted to clean tack which days I was going to bathe and braid. None of this worked out... I felt very disorganized but was saved from a lot of help from a certain someone. She gave me a white show pad a fleece pad to sit on top. A beautiful $500 show jacket to use for the show. I had to leave the grounds and come back and when I did my horse horse was braided very nicely. I thanked these people but I really don't think they know how much I am thankful.... They went way out of there way to help me ! May 1st I entered two classes English Equitation and English pleasure. English Equitation I felt very disorganized because last minute I found out we were doing a pattern instead of just being on the rail. I thought that class was went horrible but I placed a 6th. Out of 8 or 9 riders. Second class was English Pleasure. The class went better, my horse was bending well but was a little fast and wouldn't slow down to a walk when I needed him too. So we placed 6th in that class too. Not too bad for the first show of the season.

May 2nd was starting off not as well. The first flat class I entered, Amigo was just a speed demon he wouldn't listen to my aids at all. It didn't help that I was sore from the day before. So we didn't place in that class. I felt that I needed to enter another flat before I went on to the Hunter Hack. The fun jumping class. 

I dismounted got somebody to hold my horse and ran to pay for another class. I believe it was called open show hack. Amigo was still fairly fast but I placed 5th and the judge gave me some tips. She said she loved my horse he moves well and she would want to ride him it was just the whole half halting issue I needed to take care of which I was doing. 

So then came the hunter hack I was riding against two people I knew and the other I was just getting to know from being at the show for two days. I was given a tip before I started as a reminder for Amigo to pick up his right lead after the jump. It really did help. We went over the cross rail he picked up the right lead we did this jumper turn I don't know why then we headed to the vertical. After the jumping we went around the ring Amigo was super well behaved.  Maybe it's just he hates flat work I don't know. Ha ha. That was our last class for the two day show and we placed the red ribbon. I was very proud. So today he has the day off. When I brought him home he was going to be pastured with a bunch of girlies. He acted like a stud even though he's been gelded for the past 6 years. He got the girls all excited and they ran around for a good half hour.  The first show of the season was a very successful one. Good job my boy you've done me proud !