Don't Harpoon Me!

Warning!!  This is a post with 3 different colored writing.  Basically each piece is a different storey.  Start with one color or it will not make any sense...  ( :

Let me begin this post with notes...fun, fun, fun!  It was pretty hard for me to post these pictures.  I knew by the way my jeans weren't fitting that I had gained some weight.  But that is life.  Then I had Chad take these pictures for my blog, and Oh-My-God.  I had no idea how out of hand my "shape" had gotten.  Yikes...

Entering the round pen for an attempt and lunging or moving out on the lead line.  It was a complete failure.  She was pretty respectful of my space entering the pen.  Pretty happy with her up to this point!

I gave my baby Fiona a couple of days to get back into the herd before I felt out her training.  30 days isn't a lot of time for a young horse to get going in my opinion.  But its what I can afford and I really just wanted someone else to get on her for the first few times.  Call it self preservation of sorts.  BUT I was sure that Fiona, who is mild mannered yet very opinionated and a little bossy would go in like a kitten and then once Mario got the saddle on and tried to step in the stirrup; she'd break in half.  She is pretty handy out in the pasture enjoying herself and playing so I could only imagine what she would do if she decided that weight on her back was in appropriate and wanted to rid herself of it!

I am 5 foot 8 inches tall, so I am not short by any means...this sadly means that I must really be packing on the pounds, because I would say that my butt and thigh size vs weight makes me look like I am 5 foot 3...  Ugh.

Trying to get her moving away from me.  That sad little give you can see there, is all I got.  Not good, not good at all.  Rotten little nag!  I will get this fixed...I will get this fixed...I will get this fixed!!

Much to my shock, Mario reported that she walked off under saddle like she'd done it before.  I assured him that she had in fact never even had a saddle pad on her...sooo, maybe I was wrong about her.  Mindy was also kind of shocked that Fi didn't do her best impression of an NFR saddle bronc.  I am absolutely aware that she may still buck, but am optimistic that its just not something she will be doing.

It's almost unbearable for me to look at myself in the saddle.  I feel like I look like an ice cream cone melting onto it.  I am truly embarrassed of the way I look.

Tari helping us, not sure if we were going forward or backing.  This is the kind of help I really didn't expect from anyone.  She does have one ear on me, and I am happy about that!!

I made sure Chad was home when I got on my baby for the first time, just in case.  I also rolled the thought around in my head that maybe I should steel the Land Lords helmet for our first ride.  But, I decided that I would feel out the situation and if I felt like it was going south, I'd go and get it then. 

I have always been big boned and carrying muscle, so what I actually weigh, has never really mattered to me.  100lbs is something I weighed in the 6th grade and will never see again if I'm healthy.  I have never been a couch potato and love being outside....so how did I gain 25 pounds from October to June?  The truth?   I am miserable at the farm.  I hide from the Land Lord and his friends. (Not because they are mean, nasty, or rude... I am just done dealing with them...) If they are outside, I go inside and stay there until they are all gone....some days it keeps me inside the entire afternoon, once I am home from work.

I know we are backing here.  She is nice and flexed at the pole for this and seems pretty good at it and understanding it!  I love a horse that looks nice when backing up.  Don't know why...

She was calm and relaxed and it was easy to boot and saddle her up.  I took her to the round pen to do some ground work and bet her thinking before I got on her.  Little Miss Fiona looked at me like she had NO idea what I was asking her.  She kept squaring up and looking at me like huh?  I don't speak this language.  Lovely!  I messed with her some more and try to get her to give to pressure, which I did get from her.  But no round pen work to speak of.  She remained relaxed, so I got in the saddle.  Still she remained relaxed.

I am not necessarily eating while I'm hiding inside...I am just not doing anything...and I have hit the 35 year old metabolism slump.  Each year after 30 our metabolism slows down X% per year and we have to work harder to keep it moving.  I am failing at keeping it moving.  I have tried to evaluate my "mental" status...and I don't think I'm depressed overall...I just need my own home....which we are still working on...definitely for another blog...

Now the Hee Haws are helping us.  Pretty much everyone did...  I know that I have my Macate knot wrong in these pictures.  I had taken it apart to use the bit on something else and when I had to put it back together again for Fi, I had a brain fart.  So I just made it work.  I have since got on line and made sure that I have it tied correctly.  Gotta love the net!!  ( :

We walked in the small round pen both directions.  Stopped, backed up, flexed both directions and even with the peanut gallery staring at us and acting like they had never seen another horse being ridden.  She did stop to look at the other horses, but she was able to focus on me most of the time.  I tried to trot her in the same manner I had walked her, but she would jog three or four steps and then stop.  Its such a nice little jog she has and I really would have liked to ride it longer, maybe later.  After reflecting on this, I realized that she was fine until I started posting.  If I sat the trot, she would continue...but as soon as I started posting she would break down to a walk.  We will work on this!  ( :  Posting is very necessary!!

So here I am in none of my glory, and ready to join The Housewife and start running.  I have run at different times in my life, and have a love hate relationship with it.  It works and you don't need to spend lots of money on memberships and equipment.  All I need to do is make time to get it done...I will work on that next.  The first step is admitting I have a problem, right?

Look we are out in the big pen!  Well sort of the big pen...in front of the barn anyways!!  My hands may be a little high and wide.  Its been a while since I really saw myself ride and the position of my aides...  Sure am glad I am going to a clinic in July!!  I can brush up on some things...and learn some new things!!

After we worked easily around the small round pen, we walked around the barn yard.  It all went well.  I was happy.  I think she was happy.  Chad was happy.  The other horses enjoyed the baby of the group doing a little work...it was a good day!!  ( :  I did notice she did a little bit of pussy footing on the larger rocks, so I called Jim the Farrier and made an appointment for the following Saturday.  (That would be the Saturday we just had...and she was perfect as long as Jim would let her sniff his head.  She kept her lips closed and just sniffed...and didn't pull away or act like a dink!!  I was sooo proud, and I am sure that Jim was thankful! )

So I am grateful that I have fairly large boned horses to go with my large butt...  At the very least no one can criticize me for being too heavy for my horses.  ( :

Sooo, tell me.  How do you like my Aunt Jamima Hat?  ( :  That's what my friend Julie calls it!  My Grandmother is from Arkansas and every time we were over at their house and she was "setting" her hair or doing any kind of house/garden work she always had a "snot rag" (says my dad) tied like this on her head...  I like it personally...  ( :

I will take some more pictures of Fi this next week so I can show you all the amount of room she has left to grow in her knees.  Its amazing!  Seems like its an awful lot for a three year old, but I am no expert!  I think she really will be 16hh.  I need to buy myself a stick and get the real storey I guess!  Yet anther reason for me loose weight...I don't want to carry any extra pounds up that far when mounting up!

I just think this filly is so smart looking!  I have to admit though, she has way too much mane!  I may have to start braiding it before I ride to keep it from getting in my way.  Its so thick that its almost a double mane.  Funny though her tail isn't thick at all.

I don't think my extra pounds are prohibiting me from being able to ride, but its sure stopping me from looking OK in the saddle!!

Looking at the peanut gallery looking at her!  She was pretty proud of herself I think!

My barrel saddle has a smaller seat on it than this one, so you will definitely not be seeing me in it on this...oh shit.  Guess you may as I am attending the Charmayne James clinic in about two weeks...Yikes!  Well if I can find someone to take pictures.  Mindy and I will be riding, and I am not sure if anyone we know will be there to audit...  That could save us all a lot of misery....  But I am still pretty excited about the clinic, no matter how I fill up or out my saddle!!

Using my pants as her snot rag.  I know its not ideal to let your horse rub on you...actually its terrible, but here I am caught doing it!  She really was slobbering up a storm and needing a place to wipe it!  She is my baby you know!