HOW DID YOU CHALLENGE YOURSELF THIS WEEK? ENTER THE ECOGOLD CHALLENGE! WEEK #4

[Barnmice Team]

How did you challenge yourself this week? We want to know! Did you enter a horse show? Overcome a fear? Learn something new? Improve you position?

Tell us about your challenges and qualify to win a beautiful ECOGOLD half pad!

ECOGOLD is picking a new winner every week throughout July and August - another reason to challenge yourself every day!!

[Vanessa R]

Well I had a couple goals this week. I haven't jumped in close to 6 years so I had planned to do a couple of trotting poles to a cross rail and work on my 2-point and modified 3-point position. Unfortunately, when I got to the barn I found my horse had lost a shoe. Of course that is a lesson in itself. Unexpected problems and setbacks are well...inevitable.

I tacked him up for a ride regardless but being the flat footed horse he is we only were able to do some walking exercises and modified my goal for the week. I was still able to work on my 2-point and modified 3-point positions at the walk with no support from the neck or mane—which turned out to be harder than at any other gate.

I also took the time this week to do some short term and long term goal setting for the horse and I. It involved seeing what I want for the future and identifying the tools I need to get there. I also set up a blog (it is still in the works as I’m trying to figure out the best way to organize it) to track progress and short term goals in order to keep on track for the long term achievements.

So, while I couldn't ride, I achieved my goals in a modified way :)

[Painted Horse]

I took 4 of my horses and 3 novice riders and went to Yellowstone Park. We rode into some remote areas of the park away from the crowds. I don't know what was the most challenging, the novice riders or the obsticles I had to get my horses through.

We crossed several rivers, Often deep enough to come to the horses belly with pretty strong currents. These were often preceeded by mud and boggy areas around the rivers. We cross several foot bridges, many blown down trees and had to deal with wild animals like Buffalo, and rode through a thunder storm with lightning and lloud claps of thunder followed by several hours of rain. The horses were also pestered by mosquitos and deer flies after the rain washed off the fly spray. We walked, trotted and cantered. In two days we covered about 45 miles of mountain trails. We only saw a couple of hikers along the trails. So we had the area pretty much to ourselves.

Buffalo along trail

A bridge we did not cross but waded through the mud to the right instead.

I
One of my novice riders fell off while crossing one of the rivers.

We camped with the horses.

Some very tired riders taking a nap at lunch

[IrishRider]

You know how people always tell you that you never truly appreciate your horse until you ride someone elses? I have decided to test that theory.

My horse came up lame on Thursday. Poor girl will be ok but has to have a few weeks off, so I can't ride her. Instead of taking the time off with her, which as I discussed in another post only makes me weak and unpolished, I decided to ask around and see if anyone needs their horse to be ridden. I have always had this "thing" about strange horses. Maybe it's because of the bad experiences that I have had with other people's horses, but I usually stick to my own because I know her. It's a security thing. But if I was going to stay in some sort of decent shape for the upcoming shows, I knew I needed to step out of that zone a bit.

So I rode one of the boarders large ponies over the weekend. Boy, I thought my horse was lazy! This guy required even more leg than my horse. And he is about 14.3 (my mare is 16.2) so it was an odd feeling being that close to the ground. We had a good ride though, even if my legs felt like jello after. :)

Then I rode my friends 15.2 TB the other day. She was the exact opposite of the pony, who was still a thick boy. Every thing about her is delicate and small, also opposite of my larger Warmblood. She required very little leg and I could have trotted her around all day. She was very comfortable and it made for a nice easy ride.

I already have plans to ride another horse this weekend and since my mare will still be off next week, we'll have to see who else I can test out next week! I feel like the more horses I ride and learn from the better of a rider I will be for my horse. I can certainly appreciate why these guys love their horses, and it has also made me appreciate my horse even more as well. Now that I have gotten over my "fear" of riding other horses, I can't wait to ride the next one.

[Georgia Smith]

well i had i few goals this week, i have been sick so it has been hard, well first of all this week i jumped 95 cm and i was sick so that was cool and i felt good about myself and my horse Ricky was behaving him self and wasn't rushing and finished on a good note which is a goal.

my second not really a goal it was more of a challenge!, i was at pony club and i was about to canter on the left leg(easy) so i canted, i was only meant to canter for a quarter of the circle but ricky had to canter the hole time! and i was cantering and cantering and i couldn't stop because i was weak(i was sick), he kept going disunited and going on the wrong leg!, but finally i pulled him in to a a very small circle for the first time and he stopped! AND I WAS THINKING FINALY!

my third goal was at pony club and i was doing novelties and doing the barrel race and i got 21 seconds!! the quickest time in the hole day!!!! i was sooo excited! the problem now that he is impossible to stop like the one above lol and this is a photo of my trouble maker pony! cheek out his forelock lol

[Jennifer Lamm]

I walked my horse at liberty around my property... that was a wonderful feeling for me to have my horse walking with me with no attachment.... he never left my side.... :) It was a challenge for me because there were no fences. :)

[Michelle Synnot]

My goal this week was pretty basic..

To just get out and ride. period. I've been dealing with a nasty spilt up w my ex, and have been running around like a chicken w my head cut off trying to find a place to move to. Its funny how stress wise, the times you need to just get out and ride the most are the times when you just can't seem to drag your behind out of the house.

I got out yesterday (2nd time this week...terrible since Im usually out six days-thank goodness for full board) I was so disappointed.. the topline that I had been working so hard to achieve has gone down the drain and I felt like a pretty sad sack until my gelding licked me in the face and I started killing myself laughing.

I took a deep breath and remembered, it is I that have ambitions not my horse LOL. His ambition is to eat hay, get treats, have a good curry and a nice ride every now and again. HE doesn't care what his topline looks like, lol, he doesn't even know he has one. I decided that I'm not going to show anymore this summer and instead wait til the fall when life settles down a bit, the boys can have summer vacation and I can just enjoy time spent with them, without worrying about a training schedule.

[Margaret H. Ostrowski]

Well, I have been very scared to ride due to my horse coming up with a girthing problem (long story short - he's better). He is better; I continue to have fears at my age of 55 and with past history of a bad fall. Well today I had a major success which may not be much to anyone out there but this is a huge leap in the right direction for me: I was able to saddle him myself and lunge him myself -- it was a blessing that he stood still until I tightened the girth -- then he only took one large leap forward and calmed down! My trainer is the only one who has been able to get the saddle on him and get him to calm down after much panicked trotting and cantering on the lunge line --- she's very good and calms him right down ---- I have watched her and in trepidation knew the day was coming when I would have to saddle him on my own --- sooo today WAS A HUGE SUCCESS FOR BOTH OF US!! We're on our way back towards and into the Dressage Show Ring hopefully for the Fall! One of those wonderful ECOGOLD SADDLE PADS WOULD LOOK GREAT ON HIM IN THE DRESSAGE RING AT A SHOW!! I'm now HOPEFUL that we can continue even at our ages (he's 16 - TH-G). Margaret

[Ferrous]

I challenged myself by taking the plunge and buying the first horse that I have owned as an adult.

It also means taking on the challenge of working with my first youngster (a two year old)... with help from experienced trainers of course.

As evidence that "challenges" often come in threes, I am also entering my little lad in my first ever line classes at a horse show (thus forcing me to deal with a fear of showing... well, a fear of doing anything in front of a crowd of other people).

Yikes! What have I gotten myself into?!

[Ferrous]

This week seems to be one filled with firsts!

I had my first "lesson" in how to present a horse in a halter class. I was nervous when it came time to try trotting with my new horse... "will he run away from me, will he run away with me, will he run over me, will he run at all...".

Despite the chatter in my head, it was time to trot. Deep breath... and away we go...

...and he was amazing! It took a minute for him to realise what I was asking, and then he trotted smoothly, right next to me, on a loose lead. We have to "refine" our turns a little, but it was exhilarating to feel so "in sync" with my new partner. He is teaching me how fun it is to work with a youngster. I am loving the groundwork and the careful, patient training required to teach him new things and build his confidence... and he is returning the favour by also teaching me and building my confidence. :)

[Sharon Berard]

My thoroughbred mare is now retired, so I jumped at the chance a few weeks ago to start horse sitting a little Canadian/QH cross mare for a girl who is now working full time, then heading off to University. We have had a few lessons together, and taken some time lunge and do flat work to get better acquainted. Thursday I had the chance to take her over the modified cross country course. I don't think that she had ever done it before. She is very forward at the best of times (much like my girl used to be) and was very excited. We managed to jump everything including the scary canoe jump. This was my first time taking a green horse around the course and I was both pleased with her willingness, and my ability to remain calm and in control when she did have lapses of confidence. Today I took my mature, confident horse for a nice easy canter along the track (no jumps for her) A pleasant ride for us both.

[Patricia at ECOGOLD]

Vanessa R is the lucky winner of this week's ECOGOLD Weekly Challenge! Congratulations.

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