Old Times, New Times

I woke up this morning refreshed after an ok nights sleep. I am not thrilled staying alone in a large house in the country, in the tail end of winter when the South wind blows like a son-of-a- ... making everything seem creepy.

I always get up early. When I don't I get down, and a little cranky. By early I get up around 5:30-6:00 in the morning, even if I have absolutely nothing major planned for the day. Anytime past 6:30 is "sleeping in" to me. I pulled out of here by 7:00 for my 7:30 Lesson in Union. I enjoy lessons most days. Sometimes I find it hard to get motivated to leave the comfort of a warm house (or cool house in the summers) but overall I enjoy them. Today I wasn't feeling excited or unhappy about having to go to work. It was more of a comfortable, time to make my living, but not hate my job either, kind of morning.

In the past 5 years I have been pretty "lost" with my horses. Not how to train, ride, work with etc..., just more of a lack of a job to do with them. I didn't have many if any riding buddies back here in East Oregon anymore since most left or got out of horses after graduation, and missed how often I did get to ride back in Corvallis at school. However, even there I wasn't always "happy" being able to ride. I still felt like I was missing something. I quit showing after graduation, got burned out, so did my show horse, so I just turned to trail riding her instead. Keep in mind I do own 5 horses. She was my only show horse left out of the bunch. The rest were young, or lesson horses, or one that was off-on again lame. Trails were fun, but got boring, and my horses didn't need training to be trail horses, they were already to or past that point, so was finding no motivation in making my skills or my horses skills better.

Then in January, my parents attended a dinner at a friends house, and one of their friends sons, girlfriend, got to talking to them about horses. Mom of course told her all about my horses and me and gave her my number to call to go riding. Best thing ever. Now, she is leasing my moms mare, lucky for me and the mare because she actually is getting saddle time and not wasting in a paddock, and for me because I now get to enjoy my own saddle time on my horses, with a buddy. Win-Win.

I also realized after boarding for 2 years back at school, I missed the social part of the barn (but do NOT miss the drama). So we called a local barn under new management to find out their rates, low and behold its pure Self-Care, perfect! And cheap, even more perfect! And the manager and boarders are all low-key and most have their own property and only board for the arena's (indoor and outdoor). It's not perfect, it's a fixer upper, but we have our own decent sized sand pen for 2 horses, plus an approx. 14/16 by 24/30??? indoor pen that these two can easily share in bad weather. It's clean and we are not in the main barn, meaning PRIVACY!!! We also have our own, very well lit, tack room, HUGE, all to ourselves, lock and all. We are right next to the outdoor (at least we think that's what it is, it's what people use it for at least, and it's got decent sand footing), but a ways from the indoor (fine by us). All to our lonesome :) Nobody to cramp our style so to speak.

I am a little elated. I have a buddy, I may have a part time job above lessons to help me move out into my own rental house (already in motion), and now can ride every day, weather be damned. I am not in heaven but I do feel like things are going ok right now. Not perfect, but not too shabby either. I can live with this.

We are planning some low-key shows, sortings and reining competitions, plus one or two ACTHA rides, so I actually have some goals with my horses.

Note to anyone interested, I will be selling my coming 4y/o BLM Mustang mare this year. She has about 15 hours of saddle time right now, but will be gaining much much more this spring. Working her on the ground right now due to wet footing and she is coming along nicely. Nice and soft, and relaxed. Enjoys being worked with, comes to you in the paddock, very low maintenance and easy keeper. No vet bills besides vaccinations, easy to worm, trim, vaccinate. Loads, ties, clips, bathes etc... I will want around $2000 for her by June. Comment if you want photos or videos. She is only around 14.1hh but is built like a tank. Will make a great trail horse, 4-H horse combo. Should go english and western once finished, has gorgeous movement for both at the Open, Schooling and 4-H levels. Registered with the BLM.

Anyways, long boring post for most, but felt I had to share.

On to my Next Venture...

Now that my Equine & Canine Massage schooling/certification is finished, I am now on to the next line on my to-do-list.

I am officially enrolled in Equine, Equipment and Livestock Appraisal. I have taken about 60 hours worth of Appraisal work while at OSU and although Real Estate Appraisal (Farm and Ranch to be more specific) isn't my forte, I feel that Personal Property Appraisal is. Someday I may expand into Farm and Ranch Appraisal, but that would be a ways down the road.

I have no clue what exact date I will be official, but definitely before May.

I can't even begin to portray how excited I am about this opportunity. I grew up keeping tabs on horse prices and values, even when I wasn't selling or buying. Even now, I still do. This is just one minor step in the process of Appraisal, but I am thoroughly in my element.

This does not mean I am not going to pursue developing my Massage Business, but it means that I can do it at a smaller scale, and enjoy it without getting burned out.

I am on the schedule at the 2011 Idaho Horse Expo for around 9 demonstrations for Equine Massage. I will also have a Non-Profit Vendor Booth, to answer any questions you may have on the benefits or concerns you may have about your horses muscular health. I will be at station #114. The Expo is April 15-17th.

I will also be giving a Canine Massage Seminar on March 2, here in La Grande. Free food and refreshments and maybe even some coupons for attendee's. I will be giving a short presentation and then answering questions as I demonstrate a massage on an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix.

Weekend Blunder

So this weekend the weather in our little nook of Oregon finally broke from the single digits, and made it into the 40's and 50's. Unusual for January, but it was an unusually freezing December so guess this is our reward for surviving the flash freeze that came and never left.

On that note, I was able to resume my lesson schedules for horses. Saturday was my Monday. Left the house early to take care of a family friends dogs, then drove all the way out to Union to the arena for the lesson. Horses were so muddy that I just helped them groom for an hour before doing anything. Didn't mind as I didn't have any lesson but theirs. It was a group lesson with two pre-teen girls. They did very well once we got going but the new horse found me not paying 100% attention and nailed me right in the knee with his steel shoe. Hurt but so used to them trying in the beginning of training so was already correcting him by the time I realized he had actually got me.

I got over it, it's part of my job description and I wear the bruise with pride for my job. It started to swell a little that night so I did the Deswelling Technique I use on horses with swelling (my massage training) and by the next morning it wasn't hardly a bruised, and there was NO heat and swelling. Score for the DT!

But same thing Sunday morning. Ran into La Grande to feed dogs, then back out to the house to grab my trailer, pack a lunch and get ready to leave for my long day. Second lesson texted me with the flu! Break for me! So I shoved my first lesson to the second slot and gave myself more time to get ready. Caught the two horses I needed at the gate, so didn't have to trudge through mud and muck to get them, but the third horse, my mothers, who was going to be ridden by a friend to put some miles on her, wouldn't be caught for her LIFE!!! I wanted to shoot her. I was covered in mud, soaked from the rain, and was so worked up I was crying. Keep in mind this horse is going to be my death. Her and I DON'T get along and she screws with 'my' horses pecking order. She is a waste of food in my opinion. Ok reality, she's not a bad horse, just needs someone who's petite and can ride a young, inexperienced horse, confidently, and get miles under her feet. Still hated her. Met up with my friend late, with no horse, so let her ride my reining horse for a bit before my first lesson arrived. First lesson went off without a hitch, luckily. Second lesson was with a new student, would have gone off fine, she did great, but two boarders showed up with their unruly mares and set my mare off that I had tied up near the gate. They were letting them roll within yards of a tied up horse. She was asleep until they got there. So she started pawing and getting nervous and popping up on her front feet. She DID NOT pull back even once, just was really fidgety. Made the barn owner cranky that she was being cranky, because the ladies complained that she was "in their way." So he smacked her on the butt with his hat to "move her" without ANY warning to her. I always give my horses a chance to do what I ask them to do, before smacking them. He was worried she would kick him or them so his remedy was standing directly behind her and whacking her on the ass with his hat. Intelligent eh? Luckily she jumped sideways and didn't kick. She knows better than to kick but you never know when they are surprised like that. Then about 10 seconds later he unties her WITHOUT ASKING ME and she stood very quiet and still while he did this, and then he proceeded to WHACK HER on the tip of her nose as hard as he could. I couldn't hold it in after that. In the middle of my lesson I yelled HEY and stomped over to grab her from him. He was leading her away somewhere and was jerking on her halter. Not sure why as she was following him like a puppy without him having to drag her or her drag him so I was pissed off. You do not treat my horses with that little respect when they are giving you their utmost respect. The only time I jerk, whack, discipline, move their feet with major hustle etc... is if they are not behaving, being rude, disrespectful or are lacking attention I am demanding. I was BOILING. She is a very nice mare who 99% of the time is near perfect behavior.

She stood ground tied during the remainder of the lesson while I walked around her and away from her. She returned to her snooze. I felt terrible for the student who was NOT getting my undivided attention that they pay for. Then near the end of her lesson 3 more people/horses showed up. I was very unhappy, considering I was the only one who called ahead to "reserve" the arena, like the rules state. It should have been mine free and clear of any other people until 3pm.

My last lesson was terrible. The poor just turned 6 year old had a terrible time focusing on her lesson with now 6 other horses around. I was always in someones way at that point and getting glared at. I couldn't lose my cool in front of a kid (always a role model! Keep that in mind folks). Luckily she still felt she learned something, the mom didn't mind, and I charged them for 15 minutes less than I gave for the trouble.

Then, happy as hell to be leaving, I load the horses up and walk around the trailer to find I have a flat tire. Not just low, FLAT. I about broke down again at this point. My day had been one long nightmare that was not ending. Had to ask the barn owner for a tire iron that would fit my trailer as my 4 point one got removed from my truck somehow and only had one to fit the truck in there. Changed my spare on (note to everyone, when you change your tires from road to stud or back again, or just fill them up with air, ALWAYS FILL YOUR SPARE!) Luckily I live by this rule so my spare was all blown up and ready to go. Got it on and got the hell out of dodge. But, my day was far from over.

Dropped the horses/trailer off at home, then back out to Cove for a meeting at the local NARHA riding facility being started. I am donating some massage services to their service horses on an "as needed" basis. The only male, and owner of the property, seemed skeptical of me. Probably thought I wanted a bunch of money out of the deal. He warmed up a little after I told them donation/volunteer. The 4 women were wonderful. However I was put on the spot the entire meeting with tons of questions about what I do, what it can help etc... They were just curious but wanted my services anyways. They were all really nice. They also had lots of questions about my lessons. I tried to be polite the entire hour as I love discussing massage and lessons, but my bones were shivering. The room wasn't cold (not warm either) but after standing in the wind all day and weather I was chilled to the bone. It was hard to speak without my voice shaking from my spine shivering. I had to explain I wasn't actually "cold" right then, it was just sunk all the way through.

Got home and collapsed. I was so tired. I took a long hot shower and warmed up and ate a hot dinner and watched a good movie with the family. Luckily it ended well! Didn't have to feed the munchkin dogs as their family got home. Just happy I didn't have to drive back to town again. I live central to Cove, La Grande and Union so every time I go to any of them it's a drive, especially going from one of them to another one of them!

New Years!

So I thought I'd write a bit about my 2010 resolution and what I did to actually achieve that resolution.

On December 31, 2009 I lost my grandpa to cancer. It wasn't sudden but was rapid, and every time I visited home from college, he seemed quite a bit sicker. I think I was sheltered from a lot of it because I lived 5 1/2 hours from home at college. During this same time my long time roommate and I had a major falling out. I moved out into my own apartment right before leaving for home for Winter break. Summer 2009 I had to have surgery on my spine and therefore was stressed financially from the lack of summer work, and my most valuable horse, and one of the sweetest, broke her coffin bone and was down for the count for 10-12 months. All of this happened within a 6 month period of time. This is the watered down version to say the least. By the time we rang in the new year, my grandpa had been gone for several hours and we ignored the fact any holiday was taking place. I had to drive myself back to school early New Years morning, back into a world I wasn't ready to face. I had a long drive by myself to think about the past 6 months and how wrong my life felt. I know that in most cases you can change your frame of mind and turn a frown, upside down, so to speak. Over the next 10 weeks (Winter term) I dealt with my fear of running into my old roommate, and having to deal with the rush of emotion from the "bad break up" and realized that my major was in the right department, but the wrong Office. I waltzed into my 8am monday morning class by 7:30am as always (hate being late) and sat there sipping my tumbler. The class was one taught by an Irish-Bostonian with the accent to prove it, and words that hit to the core every time he spoke. That day happened to be a discussion on Passion (it was a teachers ed class). I walked across the street after the class dismissed and into the "correct" office and changed my major. Period. I didn't dwell or overthink it, just did it. I couldn't have known then, how good that decision really was for me. It meant I got out of school and Corvallis over 1 year sooner. As in June 2010. I still am doing a few finishing courses online but still not THERE. I then decided that I wasn't going to let my negativity rule my life. Things HAD to change. There was no doubt in my mind that something HAD to give or this downhill rollercoaster I called a life was just going to keep gaining speed.

So, I decided that with my newly found freedom I could give a flying F in this world about where my old roomy happened to be or how she was doing and started living my life like I used to. For ME. I went out with friends more often, in situations out of my comfort zone (such as clubbing til all hours of the night). That doesn't mean I drank my guts out either, I still hold that ideal of 1 drink for every 1 1/2 hours and NO mixing alcohols for me. But I still went with them. I had a VERY memorable last 6 months of college (on campus). I also decided that anything I really REALLY wanted to do, I WOULD DO. I would find a way. I live by "If there's a will, there's a way!" I went to 2 concerts I really wanted to go to, ended up standing 10 feet from Dierks Bentley for hours at his concert. Flew to Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky and attended the Reining portion of the World Equestrian Games. Then I almost let my last opportunity slide before remembering my resolution. So in December I found a way to get to Virginia and attended Equine Sports Massage and Canine Massage School!

So, I made my goals in 2010. My goal still stands for 2011, but my new goal is to continue on my personal strength path and get in better shape. This isn't your typical "lose weight" resolution. I have "lost weight" and I have tons more pounds to go but my goal is to get stronger and in better SHAPE. I know when I am failing at this because my back will start to hurt from my spine. When I am using the right muscles and toning the right muscles throughout my body, my back feels as strong as ever. So I want to be able to fit into jeans 2 sizes smaller by next new years, easy goal, and find my will to do whatever I REALLY want to again this year. It is very empowering not letting others or moods control your lifestyle.

My other goal was to ride at an ACTHA ride this year and also show at a low key Reining show on Odessa (Dess). I am already signed up and registered for an ACTHA ride in June, and am looking at the dates for a couple Reining shows in Nampa, Idaho area this summer. I just have to finish her a little bit more before signing up for them.

And another makes ??? I lost count...

I have many blogs now, some were temporary for Mustang Challenges etc... Some are my horse training blogs, but this new blog is for my Business. It is to keep people updated on events I attend and where I will be so people can catch me when I am near them.


http://vaequinemassage.blogspot.com/

Take a look at it, give me your opinions, and if you feel like it, follow it!

Hot Totties!

My Christmas this year was back to normal for the most part. All of us kids were here for Christmas at my parents house and we celebrated it like normal, morning coffee and presents, then a hot breakfast after putting the Prime rib in the oven to cook, while getting ready to go to my Dad's moms house for the afternoon and evening for dinner and a gift exchange with family.

I got to spend time with my 4 week old cousin, Brynn, and her older sister Taylor, who is 2. They are my second cousins, but who really counts. My Dad's brother Doug and his wife Dee were there, my Aunt Debbie was there, and so was the girls' parents my cousin Nathan and his wife Laura, as well as my Grandma, and the five of us. It was nice to catch up with everyone.

Yesterday was filled with an NCIS marathon and card games such as Nertz, Gin Rummy and Kings in the Corner. It was just a nice, relaxing day. I was also able to get my mom on my lesson gelding and go for a short ride around the farm as the wind had died down to about 20-30 instead of 57mph like it has been for days. I rode my 6 year old, Dess, and she did quite well. I always forget that she is nearly done in her training now. You get used to riding colts, and forget that you've already taught this one how to do this or that.

Hope everyone elses holidays were filled with good memories, Hot Totties, and relaxation.

Another Journey in the making

So today I bit the big one, so to speak, and finally joined ACTHA (or the American Competitive Trail Horse Competition). The only reason I hadn't before was because of how far away ANY ride was from me... always. However, now there are some between 1 hour and 7 hours from me and it is worth my while to join.

Ten minutes into my members I joined my first ride. It is in Milton-Freewater, Oregon so about 56 minutes from me. Taking my mare Aspen, and my friend Chelbie is going to be visiting at the time and she will be using my gelding Hickory. It will be a fun weekend for sure!

I am really excited to have a goal again. I am massaging Aspen every few days to continue her path of healing. She was extremely ouchy on her left side, TONS of knots throughout. Her right side was fairly normal compared to other horses, except small areas such as her girth area and her pecks. She is also sore in her abdomen and when I lightly stroked her Bicep Femoris her entire body jolted like an accordian and she had a million knots up on line. Good grief the poor babe was so tight in her butt cheek it's no wonder she's a spaz to ride! I did this certification mainly for her and my other horses, and because I enjoy helping them so much, I choose to make it my business. First and foremost it is about helping.