July, Whin and work
Work has pretty much had control over my life this month. Every job has turned into the job from hell for reasons beyond anyone's control. One job was supposed to be a day or day and a half at most and it ended up being 2, 15 hour days. And we finished by the skin of our teeth. Our boreholes kept sloughing in before we could install the casing for our wells so we would have to clean it out or redrill again which would all take time. It was slow and painful process for sure.
I went out to a spill near Niton Junction on Friday night and didn't get home until 11:30...that's pretty much how my week went.
This last week I was in Red Earth for an industrial water well install. I went with our senior hydrogeologist who hardly speaks, doesn't talk back when you speak to him and then will randomly look at you and say something like "10 gallons. Do you think?"...I also had very poor cell service so could not access social media AND we had 1-2 radio stations at best. One day, we had none. We get onto site and the lease was filled with silt which meant everyone SUNK. So a day and a half were lost just dicking around with winch trucks and rig mats etc. So frustrating. I was looking so forward to a weekend at home with Tyson and it was ripped from me-we had plans to go for breakfast Sunday, then to the horse auction in Tofield (for funsies) and then the Tea Party at K-days. I got home at 7:30 so none of that happened. I'm ok with it. It's my job and I enjoy it but two weeks of 14 hour days gets to me. Plus, when I am home, I HAVE to ride. Which means that I'm still not home at all. The frustrating part about it was that none of the last two weeks was supposed to be nearly as long or time consuming as they were.
I am going to Fort. St. John next week for the week as well. Knowing my luck, it will be foggy/miserable and I'll be stuck up there because the chopper wont be able to take us to site.
I also worked out that from today forward, I have 6 rides on Whin left before Alhambra. SIX!!!! I'm gonna die!
On that note, I rode Whin last night in a jumping lesson with Steph on Reign and Margo on Kat. Whin has only jumped twice stadium but that didn't bother her. We ATTACKED the jumps. She's hilarious. We did a small grid of cross rails including a bounce that she had to really reach for to make the striding (but did figure it out which got less awkward). She was great through the grid but then we did a left hand turn, came around and then up a bit of hill and there was a picket gate there and I was concerned she may look at it funny as she's not overly experienced but she saw it and took off! Toward it! Nothing slowed her down, as soon as she saw the fence, we were GOING. She's great fun though I need to figure out how to ride her between the fences as she has a short neck and she sorta balls up and then goes fast instead of coming into the contact and stretching down (which she does at trot once we are done jumping). We are going cross country schooling on Monday as well which will be a lot of fun now that Whin knows stuff.
Becky's rides she put on Whin last week were really helpful as well. I noticed an improvement for sure. We will do pre-entry at South Peace! Dressage is our weak point and there isnt' a difference between starter and pre-entry and Whin has clearly proven that she can handle cantering a 2'6 course like it was nothing. We will be there for the week for the clinic as well so it will be a great place to upgrade. Depending on how things go, I may do the Alhambra fall event and then maybe aim to upgrade to Entry the next year. Believe it or not, I haven't ever shown above pre-entry!! I've been eventing for 8 years and never been above pre-entry. So many babies!
Russell is going well though he's still ribby and lean. He's so quiet though and very different from Whin. Where Whin is short, compact, quick footed and minded and reactive to aids, Russell is loooong and tall and slow and steady and calm about everything. Very different personalities as well whcih makes them fun to ride.
BVJ this weekend!! I'm so excited to hang out and drink and bask in the sun and good music! We are going with Maddy and Adam and staying in a trailer so it should be a good time. And the weather appears to want to cooperate as well!
I went out to a spill near Niton Junction on Friday night and didn't get home until 11:30...that's pretty much how my week went.
This last week I was in Red Earth for an industrial water well install. I went with our senior hydrogeologist who hardly speaks, doesn't talk back when you speak to him and then will randomly look at you and say something like "10 gallons. Do you think?"...I also had very poor cell service so could not access social media AND we had 1-2 radio stations at best. One day, we had none. We get onto site and the lease was filled with silt which meant everyone SUNK. So a day and a half were lost just dicking around with winch trucks and rig mats etc. So frustrating. I was looking so forward to a weekend at home with Tyson and it was ripped from me-we had plans to go for breakfast Sunday, then to the horse auction in Tofield (for funsies) and then the Tea Party at K-days. I got home at 7:30 so none of that happened. I'm ok with it. It's my job and I enjoy it but two weeks of 14 hour days gets to me. Plus, when I am home, I HAVE to ride. Which means that I'm still not home at all. The frustrating part about it was that none of the last two weeks was supposed to be nearly as long or time consuming as they were.
I am going to Fort. St. John next week for the week as well. Knowing my luck, it will be foggy/miserable and I'll be stuck up there because the chopper wont be able to take us to site.
I also worked out that from today forward, I have 6 rides on Whin left before Alhambra. SIX!!!! I'm gonna die!
On that note, I rode Whin last night in a jumping lesson with Steph on Reign and Margo on Kat. Whin has only jumped twice stadium but that didn't bother her. We ATTACKED the jumps. She's hilarious. We did a small grid of cross rails including a bounce that she had to really reach for to make the striding (but did figure it out which got less awkward). She was great through the grid but then we did a left hand turn, came around and then up a bit of hill and there was a picket gate there and I was concerned she may look at it funny as she's not overly experienced but she saw it and took off! Toward it! Nothing slowed her down, as soon as she saw the fence, we were GOING. She's great fun though I need to figure out how to ride her between the fences as she has a short neck and she sorta balls up and then goes fast instead of coming into the contact and stretching down (which she does at trot once we are done jumping). We are going cross country schooling on Monday as well which will be a lot of fun now that Whin knows stuff.
Becky's rides she put on Whin last week were really helpful as well. I noticed an improvement for sure. We will do pre-entry at South Peace! Dressage is our weak point and there isnt' a difference between starter and pre-entry and Whin has clearly proven that she can handle cantering a 2'6 course like it was nothing. We will be there for the week for the clinic as well so it will be a great place to upgrade. Depending on how things go, I may do the Alhambra fall event and then maybe aim to upgrade to Entry the next year. Believe it or not, I haven't ever shown above pre-entry!! I've been eventing for 8 years and never been above pre-entry. So many babies!
Russell is going well though he's still ribby and lean. He's so quiet though and very different from Whin. Where Whin is short, compact, quick footed and minded and reactive to aids, Russell is loooong and tall and slow and steady and calm about everything. Very different personalities as well whcih makes them fun to ride.
BVJ this weekend!! I'm so excited to hang out and drink and bask in the sun and good music! We are going with Maddy and Adam and staying in a trailer so it should be a good time. And the weather appears to want to cooperate as well!