Ups and Downs
Apr. 20th, 2006 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorseThe delivery&acceptance fairy has landed! Truncated, and not all of what's coming, but enough to pay the April bills. Hallelujah, she said wearily. It's been a long, bone-dry spell, and not just in terms of the weather.
Still must work like mad over the next few months and get paid promptly for subsequent projects, but this has the feel of a dam breaking. Or a drought. Take your pick.
I've been in a state of exhaustion the past couple of days--too much social excitement all squished together. Yesterday I wrote a little and vegged a lot. Badly needed the day off. Today was lessons so I have that coma to deal with, and very few working brain cells, and stressing over too many things. But one major stressor just let up. And that is good.
Horse Camp for May is not happening. No signups at all. Which is just as well; I have a great deal going on and could use the time for other projects. I'm not sure if this is worth proposing again in view of all the "verbal tipping" but the signal lack of money where mouth is. I'll ponder it and keep the website up but so far it's looking like a certain segment of my career: great reviews, no sales.
However, I am in a down cycle as far as the moods go, so will defer any commitments one way or the other until the cycle heads upward again. I really am too tired right now to think straight.
So, for the time being, must focus on short-term goals. Finishing book for Tor. Finishing other book for Tor. Preparing horses for Dallas in July (which will be a very, very expensive proposition, but we have ideas for reducing said expense--again to be pondered and acted on when the exhaustion passes).
Meanwhile, this morning's lessons were all about muscle knots. Pandora was doing rather well in walk despite a tendency to push her spine into my right seatbone, but the trot transition became very resistant. We moved the saddle back to no effect, then discovered a knot right behind her shoulder. Massage got a very good response; she was kicked yesterday and probably kinked herself in the process. I'll massage the knot tomorrow and longe her Saturday and see how she is on Sunday. Camilla also had knots, particularly in her atlas on the right; probably from the same incident. She got flexions and in-hand work that went very well; we're really connecting when she gets eeky, and she's very cooperative about massage and flexions. It was good work, though I didn't ride. Good for trust, good for seeing how we interact under stress. And also good for building a relationship as partners.
Teacher supplied notes as usual.
Pandora
4-20-06
"Atta Girls"--props and kudos :)
-you're keeping Pandora straighter on the shapes and figures in the walk
-your hand carriage in general is better [and that's a beeYOTCH to do]
-you're becoming more aware of loss of focus and better at bringing yourself back into focus and centeredness [glad she thinks so, I feel as if I have a combination of jumpy-eye syndrome and ADD]
-riding is your meditation
-the barrel swing and seatbones your "Ohmmmm"
Review
***Keep ears in low periphery as view finders always
When horse's head-neck-shoulders pointing left while you're "pointing" right with your head and trunk--you've become two separate entities again--you and horse must remain a unit--the horse is an appendage belonging to you. (cute graphic to illustrate this) [plus notes that neighbor's lesson just before mine featured riding with whip aligned with navel and not allowing horse's head and neck to deviate from line of whip at all--if turning, had to turn the whole unit. Also note about "Amadeus" and dwarfs with horse puppets and how the puppets moved with the actors.] Keep horse in constant +, not lopsided.
-harmonize with the horse's spine first then bring spine with you to line of travel
-effect of wrong aids: too much right rein to fix crookedness will send horse over left shoulder
needs more left leg--correct left hind leg to push shoulders more to right
The driving left leg is NOT trying to physically move horse over to right, but rather developing more left hind activity/energy so horse will move own shoulders to the right
Of course as it turned out, she had a knot behind the left shoulder so was avoiding by kinking to the right, but this was just an exacerbation of her normal tendency. We'll un-kink her and be lots straighter. She is sound and was completely even behind, so it was just an owie in a particular spot; felt like a bruise or muscle spasm. Massage left her in a great state of mind and very happy to go in and have a long drink and think things over.
We continue to discuss prepping for the big clinic. Pandora needs a lot of conditioning and a lot of exposure, walkies, etc. And we have to get da Pook online as the backup pony. Curt the Wonder Shoer agrees with the boa-boots option, so in a couple of weeks when he comes to do a trim, we'll measure and order same. We also are going to order the 6.25 eggbutt French from NZ--Teacher needs two more for her Friesian clients (BEEG mares) so we'll share the shipping.
Further discussions involved our end-of-May clinic with UK Torture Lady. Looks as if that's going to be plenty of fun, if anybody wants to come and kibitz or even ride--email for details (yes, there's stabling available). I'll be using it as a warmup for the Dallas extravaganza. We talked about my goals for that. It's a lot of expense and a lot of trouble to haul two horses to Dallas in July of all times of year (but we'll be riding early in the morning and putting horses in fan-cooled stalls all day; our transport wants to haul at night, which will be a good thing), but I feel I need this to kick me out of the rut and make me get serious about training these horses. It's already paying off with Pandora and is making me focus on Camilla as Future Clinic Star (and she will be Good At It).
And so, while I'm flat exhausted now, it's been a useful day.
Still must work like mad over the next few months and get paid promptly for subsequent projects, but this has the feel of a dam breaking. Or a drought. Take your pick.
I've been in a state of exhaustion the past couple of days--too much social excitement all squished together. Yesterday I wrote a little and vegged a lot. Badly needed the day off. Today was lessons so I have that coma to deal with, and very few working brain cells, and stressing over too many things. But one major stressor just let up. And that is good.
Horse Camp for May is not happening. No signups at all. Which is just as well; I have a great deal going on and could use the time for other projects. I'm not sure if this is worth proposing again in view of all the "verbal tipping" but the signal lack of money where mouth is. I'll ponder it and keep the website up but so far it's looking like a certain segment of my career: great reviews, no sales.
However, I am in a down cycle as far as the moods go, so will defer any commitments one way or the other until the cycle heads upward again. I really am too tired right now to think straight.
So, for the time being, must focus on short-term goals. Finishing book for Tor. Finishing other book for Tor. Preparing horses for Dallas in July (which will be a very, very expensive proposition, but we have ideas for reducing said expense--again to be pondered and acted on when the exhaustion passes).
Meanwhile, this morning's lessons were all about muscle knots. Pandora was doing rather well in walk despite a tendency to push her spine into my right seatbone, but the trot transition became very resistant. We moved the saddle back to no effect, then discovered a knot right behind her shoulder. Massage got a very good response; she was kicked yesterday and probably kinked herself in the process. I'll massage the knot tomorrow and longe her Saturday and see how she is on Sunday. Camilla also had knots, particularly in her atlas on the right; probably from the same incident. She got flexions and in-hand work that went very well; we're really connecting when she gets eeky, and she's very cooperative about massage and flexions. It was good work, though I didn't ride. Good for trust, good for seeing how we interact under stress. And also good for building a relationship as partners.
Teacher supplied notes as usual.
Pandora
4-20-06
"Atta Girls"--props and kudos :)
-you're keeping Pandora straighter on the shapes and figures in the walk
-your hand carriage in general is better [and that's a beeYOTCH to do]
-you're becoming more aware of loss of focus and better at bringing yourself back into focus and centeredness [glad she thinks so, I feel as if I have a combination of jumpy-eye syndrome and ADD]
-riding is your meditation
-the barrel swing and seatbones your "Ohmmmm"
Review
***Keep ears in low periphery as view finders always
When horse's head-neck-shoulders pointing left while you're "pointing" right with your head and trunk--you've become two separate entities again--you and horse must remain a unit--the horse is an appendage belonging to you. (cute graphic to illustrate this) [plus notes that neighbor's lesson just before mine featured riding with whip aligned with navel and not allowing horse's head and neck to deviate from line of whip at all--if turning, had to turn the whole unit. Also note about "Amadeus" and dwarfs with horse puppets and how the puppets moved with the actors.] Keep horse in constant +, not lopsided.
-harmonize with the horse's spine first then bring spine with you to line of travel
-effect of wrong aids: too much right rein to fix crookedness will send horse over left shoulder
needs more left leg--correct left hind leg to push shoulders more to right
The driving left leg is NOT trying to physically move horse over to right, but rather developing more left hind activity/energy so horse will move own shoulders to the right
Of course as it turned out, she had a knot behind the left shoulder so was avoiding by kinking to the right, but this was just an exacerbation of her normal tendency. We'll un-kink her and be lots straighter. She is sound and was completely even behind, so it was just an owie in a particular spot; felt like a bruise or muscle spasm. Massage left her in a great state of mind and very happy to go in and have a long drink and think things over.
We continue to discuss prepping for the big clinic. Pandora needs a lot of conditioning and a lot of exposure, walkies, etc. And we have to get da Pook online as the backup pony. Curt the Wonder Shoer agrees with the boa-boots option, so in a couple of weeks when he comes to do a trim, we'll measure and order same. We also are going to order the 6.25 eggbutt French from NZ--Teacher needs two more for her Friesian clients (BEEG mares) so we'll share the shipping.
Further discussions involved our end-of-May clinic with UK Torture Lady. Looks as if that's going to be plenty of fun, if anybody wants to come and kibitz or even ride--email for details (yes, there's stabling available). I'll be using it as a warmup for the Dallas extravaganza. We talked about my goals for that. It's a lot of expense and a lot of trouble to haul two horses to Dallas in July of all times of year (but we'll be riding early in the morning and putting horses in fan-cooled stalls all day; our transport wants to haul at night, which will be a good thing), but I feel I need this to kick me out of the rut and make me get serious about training these horses. It's already paying off with Pandora and is making me focus on Camilla as Future Clinic Star (and she will be Good At It).
And so, while I'm flat exhausted now, it's been a useful day.
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no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 03:50 pm (UTC)Also, ran across a second big eggbutt when digging through the tacktrunk for shoes to reset today, so iffn a single link does you any good....
And feel crappy about verbal tipping no follow through -- have thoughts, but gotta run to take Mom to acupuncture.
Later!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 05:01 pm (UTC)It was really good of you to find the bits. If I hear of anybody who needs a single link in that size, I'll holler.
Hugs appreciated, too. I'm just really tired and overstressed. Things should improve now the payment logjam has started to break.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 05:35 pm (UTC)I would -love- to come down there and do horse camp... I have been in love with Lipizzans since I discovered them when I was really little and it has been a dream of mine to actually get to.... even just touch one.
But, I'm in college and I work 20 hours a week at $7.65 an hour, and I have bills. I -am- saving a little bit of money every pay check towards a Horse Camp fund, but I keep having to raid it to pay for vet bills and meds for my cat. :(
Give people time, some folks like me probably really want to do it, but can't afford it right now.. and they're saving, so it'll take awhile to get enough to pay for the camp, and the airfare/gas to get down there.
Don't get disheartened yet!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 05:44 pm (UTC)I know there is interest but the problem is, nobody has money. I can relate! Question: how to format and present it and how to schedule it so that those who want to come can come. I get the feeling there are people hoping for a year from now, but right now isn't happening for them.
Any suggestions?
Meanwhile I'm just as glad not to have a session in May, though I really had hoped for one to help pay for the Dallas clinic. Life's a little crazy right now.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 06:34 pm (UTC)(I'm already giving up some travel plans, in light of rising costs and slow-paying publishers, not to mention ye olde car repair bill)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 07:42 pm (UTC)That might give people an incentive to maybe... get a small group of friends, if they can, and come as a group. Or you'll get the one-on-one (as long as doing it for just one person isn't a big imposition on you) situation, which could be fun!
And yes, a year from now. People need time to plan vacation time off work, save up money... get reservations for flights, or train tickets... or the oil change on their car so they can drive.
This is just a thought that may or may not be popular with everyone else... But. You could do something like; If you are an individual who wants to do it on any weekend, it will cost this much. If you can come up with another person to come with, or two more people to come with, it will cost this much less per person. And people could theoretically network through your website, or I could look at someone who's commented on an entry here in your livejournal and say, "Oh! She wants to go too, maybe we can find a weekend that works for both of us and schedule.."
'cause... Random idly-marketing thought. If you have one person who comes for say $185 on a weekend of their choosing, you make $185. If you have two people who come on a weekend of their choosing for $150 each, which is $35 more doable for them.. you make $300. The price per person is less, but you may end up with more people able to afford it. (And if you thought about that already, forgive me!)
I'll think about it a little more if you want, this is coming off the top of my head and it may or may not be helpful. If it is, let me know! If it isn't, I'll shush. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 05:11 am (UTC)The horses sound wonderful - I always love reading your in-depth discussion on them. Hits home to me how much work keeping horses is, though of course your training them hard. Whats it take to be a capital-letters Clinic Star? And is it clinic as in teaching others to ride?
no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 10:44 am (UTC)Clinic is a concentrated session (usually a weekend) with a master instructor. It's a lot of work for horse and rider. The SRS clnics are five days long, and you ride for 30-45 minutes (45 in our case), then observe other sessions all day. Very intense. The horse and rider both need to be fit mentally and physically, and able to handle serious upping of ante on their training. The boys from Vienna are particularly demanding and particularly challenging. They're operating at a whole different level than the rest of us.
It's daunting but I need it. I feel as if I'm in a rut. This will boot me out.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 10:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-22 04:26 pm (UTC)Keep your chin up :)
- Sean