Update

I got into it and then i forgot about my blog again! But i am back for the moment.
                       School started on August 25th so I have been pretty busy. Just to let my readers know, this is my first year at a public school. I absolutely LOVE it. I am still trying to figure out where I belong. But that's normal i suppose.
                       I have been riding every Wednesday afternoon. 4 weeks ago i had a bareback lesson and I attempted to canter. It did not work. My instructor told me that Magic is very picky about when he canters. The rider MUST have it perfect before he will canter. It didn't help that i was scared out of my wits about cantering bareback. Before long I am sure that I will try to canter again,but with a saddle this time.
                       Today was a good lesson. I will probably be sore tomorrow since we worked so hard. Magic really worked up a sweat. I did too quite honestly. Okay so I am going to change topics real quick. Well sorta. Now I know that there are people that say that horse riding is not a sport. Anyone who rides horses, or knows anything about riding horses, knows that riding is harder than most people think. They say that we "just sit on the horse." We don't. We really don't. There is SO much more that goes into it than that. We have to remember a million things at one time! Such as keeping our heels down, keeping our thumbs on top, keeping our hands tight around the reins, keeping our legs back, and SO much more! Riding isn't just sitting on a horse. Like any other sport, It's about teamwork. If you and your horse don't "click" or if your horse doesn't listen to you, you aren't acting like a team. If you aren't acting as a team, you don't accomplish anything! Anyhow, my usual instructor's mom did part of my lesson. Boy is she strict! I used to be irritated by it, but it is absolutely necessary for me to learn to do things the right way. She really helped me learn and discover the things that I have been doing wrong all this time and never noticed. It was a really good lesson.
                      I miss working at the barn on Wednesday mornings. My Wednesdays are just school and from now on, Advisory or homeroom. Well it is almost time for me to get my shower. Can't go to school smelling like Magic. ;D

Another Milestone

 Hi again! So today was the first day of my "riding series" . It was great! There is no better feeling than accomplishing something that you never thought you would do.
            As most people know, about 4 years ago I lost my confidence in riding and was afraid to even be on the back of the horse. Not having confidence made it really difficult to ride. I couldn't keep control. I couldn't concentrate. Then i came to this barn and met M&M and my instructors. Now i am a very confident rider. Most of the time.
                                        Today was jumping day. I had only ever "jumped" 3 times. 2 of them the horse i was riding just stepped over it and the 3rd was an accident. I was riding Magic today. My instructor set up a jumping course and 4 other girls went ahead of me. One of them had a higher course. The younger 3 were 5,4 and a half, and 7. The older girl,Nicole, rode a Morgan named Encore. Encore is about the same size as Magic. Encore jumped the jumps and he looked great doing it. So then after a while it was my turn. Magic was being a slowpoke again.as usual. It was hard to keep him going. So on my first course he just stepped over the jumps. Then the 2nd course came and he was moving a little quicker. Before i go on, I am going to show a picture of the typical riding arena setup.

                                                  So on our second time, I was coming up on the crossrail at C and I got into jumping position.
                                          
                              The picture above is jumping position, or two point, at the trot. Magic trotted up to it and he jumped it! It is a GREAT feeling. It almost feels like flying. Another great thing is when you jump a good jump, you feel connected with your horse and I think that Magic and I really connected today. I felt like that would be a difficult thing since I had such a strong bond with Robin. I think that today really helped us connect and bond.
                                    I love Magic to pieces and he helped me to accomplish another milestone. I will forever love him for that.

"You must share everything. The bad and the good."

 So hi guys! It has been awhile again. Sorry about that. Lots has been happening lately.    
      Angel had her foal. There were 2 pregnant mares. Sandy and Angel. Angel's foal wasn't nursing right away so he had to go away for a few days. I saw him and he is absolutely adorable. His name is Gabriel. I got to play with him for a little while last week. It was fun. He is already really big. I am 5 feet tall and he is almost taller than me! He is very curious like most young foals. He is a beautiful bay color. I absolutely adore him. Sadly,Sandy's foal didn't make it. Her umbilical cord broke before she was born. My instructor said that she was a beautiful buckskin. She named her Liberty. She said,"She was in the world she deserves a name." her name came from the fact that she was born on the 4th of July.
           So I don't think i mentioned this in my last post,but Robin was for sale. I was really sad because i loved her to bits. Then a few weeks ago i came to the barn and she wasn't there. I will tell you though,that she has a great home in West Virginia.
               Since Robin is sold,I am riding a new horse. I have ridden him once before. But it was a REALLY long time ago. His name is Magic and he is a 15.3 hand Morgan gelding. He is the biggest horse i have ever ridden alone. I absolutely love him.

 

These pictures are of Magic and I.

 

I think that is all for now. I will have more in the next few days. I get to ride 3 days in a row!

~Ellie

      

Been Awhile!

Hey everyone! I'm back! We have had a pretty harsh winter this year. So i had 8 weeks off. I recently started riding again and this month i started working again. I don't ride Fred anymore unfortunately,but Robin has been getting more of my attention.
                                          So the first week i was back i rode Robin and it went pretty well. Then a few weeks later, Robin was bit by Maggie,the other horse in her paddock, on her back and it was pretty uncomfortable so I didn't ride her that day. I rode M&M instead. It was so much fun! I rode him bareback and the last time i did that was last summer. I was REALLY sore the next day! So skipping ahead 2 weeks to today- I got to the barn at 9:00 AM to start my work. The farrier was there and my instructor told me to go get M&M from his paddock. I started walking down and when he saw me he nickered to me. That is like my favorite sound in the whole entire world! It is a very friendly sound. So i brought him up to the barn and brushed him. He is still shedding pretty bad.
                                                 Then we went down to the other barn and we cleaned out some of the paddocks. One of the dogs,Bentley,tried to climb under the fence and shocked himself. Then i brushed one of the mares. She is about 8 months pregnant. She will have her foal this July. Her name is Angel. She liked being brushed very much.  When i was done down there, we came back up and I tacked up Robin. We went on an awesome trail ride. She was kinda fresh,but she was REALLY happy to be out of the arena. That makes 2 of us. :D
 That's all for now! Bye! :)

Trail Ride

 So yesterday we went on a trail ride. I love trail rides. Which is really good because the reason why I am at Evonly is because of an accident that happened on a trail ride. Fred absolutely loves trail rides. Well really,what horse wouldn't? It's a little more space than in an arena.  So last week I went on a trail ride with Fred and my instructor Devon and her horse Magic. As i've said before,I've been learning to canter. Well there is one spot on a particular trail that we go on that we trot on it. It is alot of fun. Last week instead of trotting,Fred immediately started cantering. I had never cantered on my own before so i was doing everything all wrong. We jumped too,but it was all accidental. So even though it was a good ride,it wasn't. Because i didn't have control.
                                   Well this week we had another trail ride. It went alot better. The cantering happened again but it was more to my control. So it ended up being a much better ride. I can always depend on Fred. What i have learned about the horses that i have ridden there is that horses usually don't intend to hurt you. Sometimes they just get a little carried away. Now he didn't hurt me,but what i'm trying to say is that horses WILL protect their rider.
                                   ~Ellie~

Pictures!

                              Hiya guys! So i figured that i'd show you some more pictures i've got of the ponies. :) 

These pictures are of Hi Hopes Manchester Moon. A.K.A. M&M.

They are really old pictures.

This is a newer one

Here is Fred. He is a sweetheart.

He's one of my most favorite horses to ride.

And last but certainly not least,Robin. She is very fun to ride because she has a really quick gait,unlike Fred. Well,except for when he is cantering or is on a trail. :P 

These are also old pictures. The very first one of her isn't. Well I am going to try to get more pictures of these guys when i get a camera that works. 

~~~Ellie and the ponies~

Robin

              So today i rode Robin. She is a sweetheart. Today it was cooler than usual. So she was VERY fresh. I haven't ridden her in about 6 weeks. She doesn't like having her girth tightened,which i knew. But i thought that she was over it. Well i figured out that i was wrong. She threw her head around and bit me! It didn't pierce through any skin thankfully. So i scolded her. At our barn we do NOT smack our horses unless they do something truly bad. Or that is not tolerated. For example,M&M has used me as a rubbing post. That is ok. As long as he doesn't get too rough. So he just gets scolded. Biting is one of those things that deserves a smack. Ok well i've got to go! More from today tomorrow!
~Ellie