One week until the Olympics!
The Olympics start in one week! I'm looking forward to seeing what else China can do to flub up their Games, as well as all the obscure sports that I never see on TV any other time. Come on - rowing, kayaking, air rifle - only shown on TV once every four years!
To all my MMC friends. I am continuing on my proud tradition of spreading the hate for my most detested 'teers. I can't help it. TJ makes it so easy for people to hate on him. I was viewing an MMC topic on a forum I frequent, and people were all like "awww, TJ is so sweet. He wants to be famous so badly and he's said such nice things about Britney after her meltdown." Phsssh. TJ's a desperate sack of crap and I thought he's always come off as insanely patronizing and bitter in his post-MMC interviews (Sucks knowing that you're the only one of that 6th season group with no talent, TJ!). So I made my views known and after that, everyone was laughing at TJ. Ah, my good deed has been done for the day.
Well, I haven't made a post about horsies for awhile because there really wasn't anything to write about - until yesterday. ;) I've had two lessons in between time - I rode Cosmos once, which was not good since I still can't master his high bouncy trot and I flop around like a bag of jelly during the sit-trot. The other lesson was with Japayla, which was a very nice lesson since she has such a lovely smooth trot, and I aced both the sit-trot and posting without stirrups. :D Well, I rode lovely little Japayla again yesterday, and for the first time, Ann took me out to the outside arena. Something was really odd in the air yesterday at the stables. Japayla was a lot friskier than she usually is. I'd ask for a trot and Japayla would shy off and veer five steps sideways. It's partly my fault in that I had my reins too long and my feet too far back (which I quickly corrected), but she's never done that to me before. Anyways, there were three incidents - nothing THAT major - that made me sit up and scratch my head a little, thus contributing to the "something's weird in the air here" comment earlier.
1) The first incident belonged to a girl who was trying to jump the inner combination of four jumps. Her horse refused twice in a row, then finally jumped all four - but probably not correctly, as when she was done, all the teachers turned wide eyed to each other and said "That horse was giving off please-save-me vibes."
2) I unfortuantely own the second incident. I was trying to ask Japayla for a trot around the side of the ring that is right next to the road. Just then, a motorcycle came by and gunned his engine right when he was by Japayla and me (so Ann says, I didn't see it at all.) Japayla spooked, spun partway, and I could feel her lifting up her front legs to break into at least a canter. It probably wasn't that bad, but since I was relatively inexperienced and not expecting it at all, I yanked her reins back as hard as I could and let out this really loud "EEEEEKWHOOOOA" sound that had everyone staring at me. I was probably more scared that when she spun, she was facing the jumps, getting ready to gain some speed, and I'm definitely not experienced enough to stay on if she went bulleting over. ;)
3) Third belong to yet another girl practicing her jumps. All of a sudden, I hear everyone go "OOOOOOH" and see this girl coming off a jump - while plastered to the neck of her horse, with her left hand clutching the mane and her right hand waving franctically in the air for the reins. Luckily, she managed to save it and grab the reins, then pull up her horse right before they smashed into the fence. Ann later told me " ... and that's why you're not cantering yet. If you saw the other girl, she lost her balance because she wasn't gripping hard enough with her legs, so when she went over, she slid straight forward." Yes, I have no leg strength. :( Or arm strength. Or actually, not really any kind of strength at all.
I still love Japayla. What a lovely little mare, with such smooth gaits. :D I'll just keep a sharper eye out for motorcycles.
To all my MMC friends. I am continuing on my proud tradition of spreading the hate for my most detested 'teers. I can't help it. TJ makes it so easy for people to hate on him. I was viewing an MMC topic on a forum I frequent, and people were all like "awww, TJ is so sweet. He wants to be famous so badly and he's said such nice things about Britney after her meltdown." Phsssh. TJ's a desperate sack of crap and I thought he's always come off as insanely patronizing and bitter in his post-MMC interviews (Sucks knowing that you're the only one of that 6th season group with no talent, TJ!). So I made my views known and after that, everyone was laughing at TJ. Ah, my good deed has been done for the day.
Well, I haven't made a post about horsies for awhile because there really wasn't anything to write about - until yesterday. ;) I've had two lessons in between time - I rode Cosmos once, which was not good since I still can't master his high bouncy trot and I flop around like a bag of jelly during the sit-trot. The other lesson was with Japayla, which was a very nice lesson since she has such a lovely smooth trot, and I aced both the sit-trot and posting without stirrups. :D Well, I rode lovely little Japayla again yesterday, and for the first time, Ann took me out to the outside arena. Something was really odd in the air yesterday at the stables. Japayla was a lot friskier than she usually is. I'd ask for a trot and Japayla would shy off and veer five steps sideways. It's partly my fault in that I had my reins too long and my feet too far back (which I quickly corrected), but she's never done that to me before. Anyways, there were three incidents - nothing THAT major - that made me sit up and scratch my head a little, thus contributing to the "something's weird in the air here" comment earlier.
1) The first incident belonged to a girl who was trying to jump the inner combination of four jumps. Her horse refused twice in a row, then finally jumped all four - but probably not correctly, as when she was done, all the teachers turned wide eyed to each other and said "That horse was giving off please-save-me vibes."
2) I unfortuantely own the second incident. I was trying to ask Japayla for a trot around the side of the ring that is right next to the road. Just then, a motorcycle came by and gunned his engine right when he was by Japayla and me (so Ann says, I didn't see it at all.) Japayla spooked, spun partway, and I could feel her lifting up her front legs to break into at least a canter. It probably wasn't that bad, but since I was relatively inexperienced and not expecting it at all, I yanked her reins back as hard as I could and let out this really loud "EEEEEKWHOOOOA" sound that had everyone staring at me. I was probably more scared that when she spun, she was facing the jumps, getting ready to gain some speed, and I'm definitely not experienced enough to stay on if she went bulleting over. ;)
3) Third belong to yet another girl practicing her jumps. All of a sudden, I hear everyone go "OOOOOOH" and see this girl coming off a jump - while plastered to the neck of her horse, with her left hand clutching the mane and her right hand waving franctically in the air for the reins. Luckily, she managed to save it and grab the reins, then pull up her horse right before they smashed into the fence. Ann later told me " ... and that's why you're not cantering yet. If you saw the other girl, she lost her balance because she wasn't gripping hard enough with her legs, so when she went over, she slid straight forward." Yes, I have no leg strength. :( Or arm strength. Or actually, not really any kind of strength at all.
I still love Japayla. What a lovely little mare, with such smooth gaits. :D I'll just keep a sharper eye out for motorcycles.