I'm all for neutral media. But I commented on this story, and it isn't making the comments. CONGRESS didn't pass it, the House did. In case anyone failed US Government in school, the House does NOT Equal Congress! This spending is ludicrous, but it has to pass both Branches - House AND Senate.
Comment with me, and tell the author to stop the hysteria until we know more for sure!
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/09/tracking-your-taxes-park-pork/?action=late-new
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
2/2/1- HorseMaster - Ransom's Diet
Ransom had eaten most of Monday night’s supper, and barely any of Tuesday’s breakfast. I called Jen, called the vet, and scoured some feed stores for a few tubes of Probiotics. I stuffed ¾ of a tube in Ransom, and gave him plain old grain (& SmartPak) for supper. He did a good job. When we put him back in a different stall (by a few more horses), he was eating like a champ. I was super happy to see him eating.
Wednesday is a busy day. Taping taping taping! I’m on! And judging by the few I’ve talked to, there’s plenty looking forward to watching me jump.
It’s almost surreal. I’m going to be jumping, on camera, with a super awesome clinician and trainer. And I’m going to have an audience watching me, of folks that can’t wait to watch me jump. Nifty neat!
Wednesday is a busy day. Taping taping taping! I’m on! And judging by the few I’ve talked to, there’s plenty looking forward to watching me jump.
It’s almost surreal. I’m going to be jumping, on camera, with a super awesome clinician and trainer. And I’m going to have an audience watching me, of folks that can’t wait to watch me jump. Nifty neat!
2/2/10 The Ride - & The Audience
I lunged Ransom for about fifteen minutes. Free lunge on the line, let him lookie see all around the facility from the covered arena. He did a great job! He looked, but he also kept doing his job without bugging out at any of the sights & sounds.
Then I hopped on. I had quite the audience. One of the crew members, and a few other cast participants (& their buddies) were watching from the barn. That’s a neat feeling. I asked Ransom to walk out, and he was in his ground-covering, butt-strutting walk. *giggle*
Then we moved onto trot. He was a little stiff, stickie. Only one good way I know to get him loose, and that’s the canter. Tuck my butt, take a deep breath, squeeze. Up he goes! Ransom moved out in a really nice canter, heading right, and my butt was glued to the tack. The brightest feeling I think ever, asking him to canter, knowing I had at least four pairs of eyes watching me (R, crew staff, other participants). I felt on top of the world.
Heading left, trot, stickie, let’s canter. He moved out into it, again, with minimal effort. It was another sit-able canter, with my toosh in the tack. A neat neat feeling! I was giggly and giddy, but trying to do it quietly so I didn’t disrupt the taping set off to the side. *giggle*
We rode for about a half hour, over half of the covered arena, walk, trot, canter, changes in gait & direction. As for “what did I do new this ride”, I had seen on another RFD-TV show, a dressage instructor said something like…
When you can ask the horse to canter, and leave go of the reins, you want a balanced horse. The only way to prove a balanced horse is to let go of the rein pressure, let go of the contact, and the horse should not speed up, nor slow down, or lose carriage. He should do the work himself. Over time, he’ll have more and more strides carrying himself.
In our last canter set, I was letting the reins go loose, both reins, for about six to seven strides a go, and he did it! Ransom carried himself, without speeding up or slowing down, and without changing his forward impulsion or losing his headset. It was phenomenal! I giggled loudly, and R promptly reminded me “SHH! they’re still filming”! Oh well! I really didn’t care. I was so proud of myself, and my Ransom.
I then put his fleece exercise sheet on, and cooled him down at a long & low trot for another five or so minutes. He complied, and stretched long & down, trotting along gently. *giggle* I still had an audience. The crew called for their lunch break, and we were walking it out as they all crawled up the hillside to the barn.
A new place, and here I was, cantering out, on a loose rein, in my dressage seat, stuck in the tack like glue. Nifty neat-o!
Then I hopped on. I had quite the audience. One of the crew members, and a few other cast participants (& their buddies) were watching from the barn. That’s a neat feeling. I asked Ransom to walk out, and he was in his ground-covering, butt-strutting walk. *giggle*
Then we moved onto trot. He was a little stiff, stickie. Only one good way I know to get him loose, and that’s the canter. Tuck my butt, take a deep breath, squeeze. Up he goes! Ransom moved out in a really nice canter, heading right, and my butt was glued to the tack. The brightest feeling I think ever, asking him to canter, knowing I had at least four pairs of eyes watching me (R, crew staff, other participants). I felt on top of the world.
Heading left, trot, stickie, let’s canter. He moved out into it, again, with minimal effort. It was another sit-able canter, with my toosh in the tack. A neat neat feeling! I was giggly and giddy, but trying to do it quietly so I didn’t disrupt the taping set off to the side. *giggle*
We rode for about a half hour, over half of the covered arena, walk, trot, canter, changes in gait & direction. As for “what did I do new this ride”, I had seen on another RFD-TV show, a dressage instructor said something like…
When you can ask the horse to canter, and leave go of the reins, you want a balanced horse. The only way to prove a balanced horse is to let go of the rein pressure, let go of the contact, and the horse should not speed up, nor slow down, or lose carriage. He should do the work himself. Over time, he’ll have more and more strides carrying himself.
In our last canter set, I was letting the reins go loose, both reins, for about six to seven strides a go, and he did it! Ransom carried himself, without speeding up or slowing down, and without changing his forward impulsion or losing his headset. It was phenomenal! I giggled loudly, and R promptly reminded me “SHH! they’re still filming”! Oh well! I really didn’t care. I was so proud of myself, and my Ransom.
I then put his fleece exercise sheet on, and cooled him down at a long & low trot for another five or so minutes. He complied, and stretched long & down, trotting along gently. *giggle* I still had an audience. The crew called for their lunch break, and we were walking it out as they all crawled up the hillside to the barn.
A new place, and here I was, cantering out, on a loose rein, in my dressage seat, stuck in the tack like glue. Nifty neat-o!
2/2/10 HorseMaster - Up & At It
We got to the barn around 7:20. Found Ransom hadn’t been given breakfast or hay. That’s fixable. We met the barn manager, who was a gracious host. She explained there was no reason we should feed him, or muck his stall. I explained the confusing information from the night before. She clarified that she would be feeding, if we’d set it out obvious, and have the stall mucked for us. R and I checked in with the staff, who informed us they were “Flexible” about the schedule due to the weather. All well & fine. If they wanted me, that’s what my phone # was on the schedule for.
Back to the room to grab my show clothes, and then off to breakfast. Yummy. Then we went back to the barn to check back in. The rain had subsided, so they were working with the first horse/rider pair. Instead of working on water crossing, they were working on side passing. Neat to watch. I focused on how the crew worked the cameras & filming, and concentrated on how they interacted. While they were filming, Julie worked with the horse. But more importantly, while they weren’t filming, and they were fussing with the cameras and microphones, and all the pieces and parts, Julie was still working with the horse. Neat! By the time we wandered off, they were still filming in bits, but the horse was sidepassing from the ground with minimal effort.
I got my clothes reviewed and picked through by one of the crew staff. With shirts & breeches picked, I checked my phone. I had asked one of the assistant trainers if it would be okay to ride during the day. Turns out, that was a good time to do it.
R and I hurried about to get Ransom, get him undressed, and saddled. I got changed, got my chaps & helmet on, and offs we went.
Back to the room to grab my show clothes, and then off to breakfast. Yummy. Then we went back to the barn to check back in. The rain had subsided, so they were working with the first horse/rider pair. Instead of working on water crossing, they were working on side passing. Neat to watch. I focused on how the crew worked the cameras & filming, and concentrated on how they interacted. While they were filming, Julie worked with the horse. But more importantly, while they weren’t filming, and they were fussing with the cameras and microphones, and all the pieces and parts, Julie was still working with the horse. Neat! By the time we wandered off, they were still filming in bits, but the horse was sidepassing from the ground with minimal effort.
I got my clothes reviewed and picked through by one of the crew staff. With shirts & breeches picked, I checked my phone. I had asked one of the assistant trainers if it would be okay to ride during the day. Turns out, that was a good time to do it.
R and I hurried about to get Ransom, get him undressed, and saddled. I got changed, got my chaps & helmet on, and offs we went.
2/1/1- HorseMaster - Post Meeting
Arrived at the barn to find Ransom standing outside, still, in the drizzle, no supper. HM staff informed us we were responsible for feeding, and stall maintenance. This was a bit different from what I was told by the barn management staff in an email. I quickly scurried around to find Ransom’s supper, and a stall. R was assigning us a stall, and getting water buckets ready when someone else put their horse in the stall we had picked out. Um, okay, so we found another one. No big deal. We left Ransom with his supper & water bucket.
The meeting was, um, informative? Yeah, sort of. I got all of the liability release paperwork signed off, no big deal. Also got to meet the recording crew and a few other participants. It was interesting. I felt like I had the “senior ride” moment of the night. One girl wanted to work on her horse’s cinchy fussy behavior. Another wanted to learn to cross water going through rather than jumping over. And here I am, I want to learn how to jump. JuMP! I’m nuts!
R and I had a fabulous breakfast for supper late, and settled into bed later than I would’ve hoped. My brain had its fill of busy, and while I slept a few hours, unfortunately, I stared at the ceiling a few hours.
The meeting was, um, informative? Yeah, sort of. I got all of the liability release paperwork signed off, no big deal. Also got to meet the recording crew and a few other participants. It was interesting. I felt like I had the “senior ride” moment of the night. One girl wanted to work on her horse’s cinchy fussy behavior. Another wanted to learn to cross water going through rather than jumping over. And here I am, I want to learn how to jump. JuMP! I’m nuts!
R and I had a fabulous breakfast for supper late, and settled into bed later than I would’ve hoped. My brain had its fill of busy, and while I slept a few hours, unfortunately, I stared at the ceiling a few hours.
2/1/10 Horse Master Day #1 The Arrival
Safe in our turnouts & hotel room (turnout for the pony, hotel for the humans), we’re resting before the 7pm cast & crew meeting.
We left home successfully just a few minutes before 11:00 with everything packed. Traffic was only chaotic crazy in one spot of Houston. It was a nice “hiney puckering hold your breath ohmygosh I donwannadietoday” kind of moments. Otherwise, it was a smooth 3.65hour trip here, with two stops. One for bathroom, one a decent lunch break.
I was greeted at the combination gate, and led straight in. Of course, I had coggins in hand, all my things together, ready for whatever they’d ask. The girl who helped us in, Jennifer (also), was super friendly. She led Ransom to his turnout (! Exactly what I’d asked for !), and gave him some hay (!). He walked around a bit, met the two mares that border his fence line, and then dove into the hay. He’s got about a third of an acre in his little turnout. It’s at the bottom of a quaint little hillside.
We unloaded all of my things (well, everything I could think of needing at that moment) into the tack room area assigned to us. Very nice. I’ve got the saddles on the racks, bridles hung neatly, pads, and blankets, and grooming stuff, all in one spot, and right outside the door are some sweet crossties. Everything will be super easy here for getting ready and un-ready.
After disconnecting & parking the trailer, R and I walked around a while. I wanted to put my feets in the arenas, indoor and out. I will be much more comforted having polo wraps on all four legs, especially indoors.
From the barn, we came to our hotel room, and unpacked clothes, snacks, and anything else that needed organizing. Now, it’s about two hours to kill before wandering back to the barn. No, now that I think about it, about an hour before we split. I need to put Ransom’s heavier blanket turnout back on, find out what’s up for his supper & breakfast, and make sure we’re there for start. I don’t need to be late to *anything*.
We left home successfully just a few minutes before 11:00 with everything packed. Traffic was only chaotic crazy in one spot of Houston. It was a nice “hiney puckering hold your breath ohmygosh I donwannadietoday” kind of moments. Otherwise, it was a smooth 3.65hour trip here, with two stops. One for bathroom, one a decent lunch break.
I was greeted at the combination gate, and led straight in. Of course, I had coggins in hand, all my things together, ready for whatever they’d ask. The girl who helped us in, Jennifer (also), was super friendly. She led Ransom to his turnout (! Exactly what I’d asked for !), and gave him some hay (!). He walked around a bit, met the two mares that border his fence line, and then dove into the hay. He’s got about a third of an acre in his little turnout. It’s at the bottom of a quaint little hillside.
We unloaded all of my things (well, everything I could think of needing at that moment) into the tack room area assigned to us. Very nice. I’ve got the saddles on the racks, bridles hung neatly, pads, and blankets, and grooming stuff, all in one spot, and right outside the door are some sweet crossties. Everything will be super easy here for getting ready and un-ready.
After disconnecting & parking the trailer, R and I walked around a while. I wanted to put my feets in the arenas, indoor and out. I will be much more comforted having polo wraps on all four legs, especially indoors.
From the barn, we came to our hotel room, and unpacked clothes, snacks, and anything else that needed organizing. Now, it’s about two hours to kill before wandering back to the barn. No, now that I think about it, about an hour before we split. I need to put Ransom’s heavier blanket turnout back on, find out what’s up for his supper & breakfast, and make sure we’re there for start. I don’t need to be late to *anything*.
Monday, February 8, 2010
We're Back! The Summaries Begin
Oh Yeah. I've got enough typing to rattle my fingers off. I couldn't get my PC and the wireless at the hotel to agree. Of course not! So Monday night and Tuesday evening I typed up in Word what happened for those days. They'll get blogged just as soon as I remember to copy & paste.
There's plenty to say.
The Barn staff at Banshee was AMAZING! Everyone in the barn took super good care of Ransom, and of me.
The JG Crew was a organized machine, most of the time.
The rest of the cast - pretty cool bunch of ladies.
We learned a TON! I have a bit to try (if 'tis legal in the show ring), I have plenty of exercises to work on, and I won't be bored in my hunt saddle anytime soon.
We did jump, Julie rode him Wednesday AND Thursday, and except for a little speedie n-v-t-s moments, Ransom did great!
I absolutely can't wait to see what it looks like on film. At times, it felt magical, like everything clicked. At other times, I felt like Ransom was leaning on me hanging on his gas pedal, absolutely ignoring anything I tried to do. But we trotted over some poles, we jumped a couple crossrails, and I have three new body positions to practice. I found what "release" means, and I've got a seriously better idea how to reach forward. I almost could touch Ransom's ears in my rides. Neat-O!
more to come... so stay tuned!
There's plenty to say.
The Barn staff at Banshee was AMAZING! Everyone in the barn took super good care of Ransom, and of me.
The JG Crew was a organized machine, most of the time.
The rest of the cast - pretty cool bunch of ladies.
We learned a TON! I have a bit to try (if 'tis legal in the show ring), I have plenty of exercises to work on, and I won't be bored in my hunt saddle anytime soon.
We did jump, Julie rode him Wednesday AND Thursday, and except for a little speedie n-v-t-s moments, Ransom did great!
I absolutely can't wait to see what it looks like on film. At times, it felt magical, like everything clicked. At other times, I felt like Ransom was leaning on me hanging on his gas pedal, absolutely ignoring anything I tried to do. But we trotted over some poles, we jumped a couple crossrails, and I have three new body positions to practice. I found what "release" means, and I've got a seriously better idea how to reach forward. I almost could touch Ransom's ears in my rides. Neat-O!
more to come... so stay tuned!
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