Alberta Equest

When I left off in my last post , I decided to end my Week 2 update early as Sierra was heading to a show with CA on Friday and I wanted to devote an entire post to the first outing of the year. On Friday afternoon CA loaded up her trailer along with two other horses and headed to the show. We had booked a schooling slot on Friday so Sierra could get accustomed with the rings and get settled in her stall for the night.  CA's plan for their ride on Friday was to keep things relaxed and 'easy', and her brief report following her ride indicated that it went very well.  She said Sierra was excellent, relaxed and settled into her stall happily, though she was wary of the water. CA was very optimistic about the following day, and said Sierra seemed to be on her absolute best behavior. The update was bitter sweet. I was wholeheartedly prepared to be told that there is nothing wrong with my horse at shows and that I am the problem.  On one hand, at least we had an answer - b

I'm really happy that CA sends me daily updates while Sierra is in her care. I miss her more than I ever thought I would, and the daily updates, even on days off, has been really reassuring for me. As previously mentioned, I know CA as a coach but not necessarily as a trainer, so this is an entirely new venture for our relationship and I wasn't totally sure what to expect. So far, i'm really happy with how things are going.  We had what felt like a few [very, very minor] growing pains, but regardless I am still so excited to be working with her. This past week was her first week on Sierra. She rode her once in the November clinic for a short period of time, but upon Sierra arriving at her barn the temperatures were far too cold to ride, even in the heated indoor.  Given the loss of time due to weather and the upcoming show on January 25, she really had to buckle down and put some quality time on her in order to feel like we prepped her as well as we could have given th

Enjoy this collection of memes that sum up my life recently, followed by a cute picture of Sierra courtesy of CA.

As mentioned in my last post , my trainer CA picked up Sierra on Monday morning and took her down to her barn for an undetermined amount of time to get to know her and give her a little tune-up.  When I last left off, Sierra was on the road and I was a nervous wreck as she zoomed down the highway in subzero temperatures that hovered around -40 C (same in F, apparently).  Luckily her route was a busy divided highway and CA managed to secure a second horse from a nearby barn to take for training as well, so Sierra had a buddy in the trailer to not only keep her company but also add to some extra body heat.  CA came well prepared in the event of a roadside emergency and naturally, folded neatly in my two giant pink totes was an arsenal of medications, feeds, blankets and so on.  I was sure they would make the 5.5 hour journey without issue, but I also recognized that if something went wrong, it was literally the worst possible weather for it to happen in short of a snow storm on top of t

I've mentioned several times now that Sierra is going down to my trainers, Carol Ann's (often referred to as "CA" because #lazy), and I thought it fitting to make a post solely related to my decision and the process I took to find her.  I have never used a trainer before and it's been several years since I had the pleasure of having a regular coach (IE: a clinician who came here 6x a year), and it wasn't a decision I made lightly.  Perhaps I feel the need to explain myself and work through my decision to clarify things in my own brain, or perhaps I thought my situation may help others who find their way to my blog. Either way, as I write this future-scheduled post, Sierra is currently on the road and I am a total nervous-nelly about the entire situation. Trying on Liners to prepare to pack Late last summer, I was driving 'round and 'round dragging a square baler for hours on end while I contemplated all life's biggest questions.  As I f

2019 was the first year that I had my poop in enough of a group to participate in the Blogger Secret Santa, graciously organized by The Printable Pony.  Every year since I began blogging I managed to forget, then remember by the time it was too late! This year I was anxiously waiting for the call to be made, and I was so excited to be apart of things! My 2019 Blogger Secret Santa was The Cob Jockey, and I didn't follow her previously so in addition to the incredible gifts she sent, I got to find a new blog to follow!   When I recieved the package, I instantly felt a ping of guilt when I saw that it was coming from the US - I imagine shipping (coordination, cost, etc) wasn't ideal so I am so grateful to my Santa!  Naturally, I was eagerly and not with disappointment expecting a small gift like a packet of cookies due to the shipping costs.  Regardless, I was just excited to be apart of things! Much to my surprise, the box was full to the brim with incredible gifts! M

As the holidays pushed onward, the beans slowly began to dribble out of the bag and word spread among close friends and family that we have a new short stirrup rider on the way and expected to arrive later this summer.  As days pass, the dreaded morning sickness and extreme exhaustion that has plagued me has lessened, albeit not totally disappeared.  However, between the sickness and the various holiday engagements, I haven't found myself with a ton of time to spend at the barn.  While I had grand plans of spending hours and hours and hours of my glorious 3 week Holiday Break at the barn, life has had another plans. As each day dwindles passed, I find myself astonished the clock reads a late hour and I yet again, was unable to make it to the barn however as the sickness subsides and the inevitable get-togethers are reduced to nothing, I look forward to getting back to a regular routine as I head back to work next week.  That being said, despite not being able to ride as much a