Here are a couple shots of Boomer & I, the couple times i've had a chance to ride this winter. My jumping position is terrible, and will be under great scruntiny once i have a chance to ride for more than an hour every couple months. He on the other hand is in great shape! :-)

Ah, the guilt sets in.

So, Boom has been leased by two girls while I've been away at my first year of university. One of the girls I have been close with her and her family for years, and it just worked perfectly that she was ready to move up onto a new horse when i left. She was okay stopping the lease when i got home because her sister leaves for Uni in September and she's going to have to take over riding him. Her sister's horse is a TB, much more fiery than Boomer and quite alot more to handle. We had a lesson together and he took off on her because she was squeezing with her legs- this type of squeezing Boomer wouldn't even feel! So because of this they have decided she needs to ride a horse with a little more "spunk" and whatnot over the summer to prepare her for riding her sister's TB when September come. I was disappointed because i planned on leasing to one girl and she seemed like the perfect person.

The other girl who leased him I had never met before. This made me quite nervous. She entered a show and a clinic without asking my permission which pissed me off. Since I bought Boomer there isn't a single thing that has happened to him which i didn't know about. I was homesick, missing my boy, missing riding (The dressage placed i tried out up here was intense, rewarding but in the end not worth continuing with.) and having someone come in and start doing things wihtout even sending me an e-mail really messed me up. While i was home for Christmas a couple things happened that also really rubbed me the wrong way. She didn't seem to care for me, my need to ride because i was only home for a short period of time, or really have alot of respect in general. The other day my best friend was riding Boomer (as she does every thursday morning, it's his only technical ride that he's getting right now, i love her for it.) This girl came out expecting to ride and when she found that hailey was on him she stayed in her car while her mom came and expressed their serious concern about the fact that they did not know someone else was riding Boomer. Well this has been happening since September so I didn't feel too sorry about it. This was the girl that my coach wanted me to lease to over the summer. With all the extra expenses of University and paying for my place up here, while i'm living at home for the summer... it made sense to have a bit of an extra income.

I decided i just couldn't do it. The girl was supposed to be moving in June but when i learned she was not moving until the end of the summer i decided she could find another horse that would suit her just find, and if she wants to show she would have alot more luck on someone else as i won't let her show B. I have finally e-mailed everyone. My coach was unimpressed, it was not our original plan. She e-mailed back to my several-long-paragraph e-mail with one sentance saying if they're still interested in riding i will find them another horse to lease. We have endless amounts of school horses to be leased at our barn so that will not be an issue. I'm not sure why she's pissed. The girl who was already planning on changing horses should react fairly reasonably, but as for the other girl im quite concerned. I was as nice as possible, saying she could ride over the summer on random days if she wants and that i hope she finds a horse she likes. I gave them both til the end of April to find another horse which is exactly 6 weeks. That's more than anyone gave me when i got kicked off lease horses back in the day!

I shared Boom with 2 other girls for one year. It was awful because he was getting overworked and we were all competing over him. When his owner said she was picking one of us to show and the others would have to stop leasing my parents put in an offer and we bought him. Buying a horse is the only way you're guarenteed to get to do what you want. I learned this after years of leasing. I deserve to have him to myself, i have missed him and riding every single day i've been gone. It's killed me. I don't know how I will finish school if it means being away from my baby. I hope these girls can understand that i hate that i might hurt them. I know they've worked very hard over the past 8 months, they've put in alot of effort with him and taken excellent care of him. He's been in good hands. I don't want to stop them from riding, but to complete Boomer and I's training we need to ride full time. We need to put in the utmost effort. We need to have training sessions with my coach weekly, he'll need extra time off, he'll need consistancy. He thrives off consistancy.

Anyways, enough. I'm worried about the response i'll get. I feel a bit guilty. More than anything i just want to go home and ride!

xo, J.

Our Tack List

Our tack list includes things we want, things we need, things we have... my ramblings on tack and supplies! Everything i NEED to buy is bolded, everyting i have is not.

First thing i want to do is build a nice big tack trunk. I have a spacious locker at the barn but for traveling it would be super nice to have everything in one place- so that's the first detail. It must be portable and as light weight as possible! I want to get a new tack box (for carrying around the barn, brushes ect.) that is enclosed and with a handle. Right now i have one of those open ones and things are always falling out and flying everywhere! I'd also like to get a similar container for my vet supplies so they're portable and contained. The container they have now has a lid which won't stay put.

For the Cross Country Phase my list goes as follows; close contact saddle, girth with a stud guard belly plate, an over girth, an elastic breastplate, figure eight bridle, fulmer bit, woof boots front and back, cross country vest.

For Dressage; I'm borrowing a friend's dressage saddle, black bridle (gotta mach the saddle!), he's going bootless which is easy, a white dressage pad, and my show jack and attire!

For Stadium; Close contact saddle, figure 8 OR cavesson bridle, loose ring or D ring bit, new leather jumper boots (so pretty<3) style="font-style: italic;">in the trailer; hay, water (and all the other basic care essentials), electrolytes, blue lotion, linament, a fleecey blankie, his summer sheet, his shipping boots, poll guard, full sized first aid kit, and i'm sure there are many others!

Todays thoughts: Bits!

Boomer uses a rubber D ring. He was trained in this bit. My first concern is that it may be a tad too small, not enough to cause discomfort but i would like to check it out when i get home. I am considering switching him over to a happy-mouth loose ring. Some research i did reccently said " loose rings or sliding mouth peices give more mobility to the bit. These are good for a horse that is fixed in it's jaw."Boomer is 90% of the time very giving and accepting in the mouth, but there are moments where he fixes his jaw and stiffens up. The fixed bit, like a D is said to "have less mobility and are good for horses with an anxious mouth." This doesn't suit him at all. I'm also considering getting a fulmer for cross country. Benefits being that the fulmer can't be pulled through his mouth thanks to the full cheek peices. It is loose ring so it doesn't create a fixed mouth peice. My only concern is that it is more likley to get caught on something in cross country because of the shafts. If anyone has an expertise/advice i'd love to hear it!




Thats all for todays post.
xo

Julia

March 9th 2009

At this point I just really want to get back home and start riding. As an intro- i've been at University for 8 months and I'm coming home to ride my horse full time & show him in a pre-entry/entry event circuit. We had an unsuccessful cross country experience last year and one very bad loading experience that convinced me to take things slow last summer and avoid any more showing/trailering for the time being.

Boomer and I have been a team since 2005. He was five when i first starting riding him as a leaser. I rode him twice a week for almost two years. He came up for sale once, didn't sell so i continued leasing. I had a boyfriend and school and work and didn't think i could afford to ride full time. A long-coming and painful break up, too much focus on academics and the death of a close family member left me in a bit of a mess. It was a dark time in my life and I hadn't had much hope for a long time. (Winter 2007.) Boomer's owner, Judy, told me that she was most likley going to be leasing Boomer full time to someone else and if i did get to ride him i would get last choice for shows and ride times. Someone else had shown a more serious interest in him.

My parents and I went to look at a new barn, and at some new horses I could possibley take to that barn and lease. On the drive home my dad turned to me and said, there were no Boomer's... were there? Within 24 hours they'd called and put an offer in on him. Buying that horse for me is the single most important thing that my parents ever did for me. The focus and passion I have had for riding ever since that day he was mine- it's insdescribable. That summer I started having 2 private lessons a week and riding the other four. I moved to a new barn, Springfield in the fall to be with my best friend and her new horse Ivy. Things didn't work out, the barn got sold, Boomer had a twisted back and displaced ribs which were treated over 6 long months by a chiropractor. We soon made it back to our home, DCF. Compared to the long, drawn out settling-in proccess Boom went through at Springfield he literally let out a sigh of releif when I let him out into his paddock with his old buddies.

We moved back to DCF and started our 2 privates a week once again. Our focus was first, trot then canter, then getting my confidence back over jumps. We focused mainly on flat and dressage, getting him working in a beautiful frame and carrying himself while on the bit over the summer. The main goal was building up his muscle and topline, getting my confidence up and making him look beautiful on the flat. My coach insisted on jumping regularly to keep us both in shape but it has never been my forte with him.

Heading off to University was heartbreaking, especially after the monumental summer we'd had. He is leased to two very nice young girls who have kept him in perfect shape while i've been away. My best friend rides him once a week and has kept tabs on his health, blankets, tack and everything i couldn't watch out for .Being away from him really has worked out perfectly, despite how painful it has been. I am truly grateful and fortunate that my parents have continued paying for his board, vet and farrier. The cheques from the leasers have been a big help, rationalizing how we can keep a horse while i go to university over 5 hours from home.

A little bit about Boomer: Boomer is 1/4 percheron and 3/4 thoroughbred. He was born in 2000, and is turning 9 this May. His father was a Race Horse named Baby Albert. His show name is Celtic Legend, although i've never been satisfied with it i cannot think of a more appropriate name. I want to include Baby in it to honor his father, and Baby Boomer does make sense but I dont love it. Boom is steel grey which has slowly become dapple grey. His sister, Lily, of one year older is pure white. Boomer's past owner gave him papricha and stay-black when he was 3 years old to keep his coat black and it seems to have some effect, but in generally he is slowly changing colours.

Our Goals for 2009: We are showing the event circuit so it's important for us to get back into groove with each other. Boom does really well with one rider who rides consistantly 6 days a week and reinforces him in the same way everytime. Having three different riders on him must have been hard for him to adjust to when i left, and i hope he accepts me coming back as the main rider easily in the spring.
-Boomers manners, i've noticed while i've been home for xmas, reading week and other weekends... has REALLY deteriorated. I'm not sure if it's the younger riders, the lack of consistancy or his stubborn streak coming out. Boomer is a very gentle horse but the second he becomes aware of a chance to get away with something, he will absolutley try! We're going to have to do some serious ground work and reminding.
-Trailering is a huge problem. I dont have a trailer so it's hard to get one to practice with on a regular basis. There is a very nice lady at the barn who has offered to use her expertise in natural horsemanship and her trailer to teach Boomer. She beleives in letting them get on themselves, no matter how many tries it takes. Since i have April and May with no shows i'm going to take this opportunity to practice with her and the trailer. I will offer to pay her and hope she accepts because it will be a big time commitment.
-Jumping in the feild is Boomers favourite, he loves being out in the open, and lets out big happy bucks which often send me flying because they're MID jump. He broke my coaches hand and tossed his owner at the event they took him to back in 2005. He was a star for my Pony Club D2 testing in 2006, and bucked me off twice at Pony Club C Rally in the field in 2008. This is all the experience he has off property doing cross country so we're going to trailer to my old coach's new place and have a couple lessons with her in the feild, basically schooling off property. She's AMAZING and will hopefully really help balance his excitment and joy with my position and nervousness.
-I am extemley out of shape. I gained the freshman 15 and then some. Living in residence has really affected by style of living, limiting my ability to go exericise, my food choices and everything about what i love to do. I can't even find a decent Yoga class to attend which as cut that compleltey out of my life. My plan for the rest of my time here (march-april 16th) is to go to the gym regularly. I'm going to get a personal trainer for 2 months when i get home in April and really push myself. My mom said she will pay for my showing in 2009 if i get myself in shape, which is a fair trade in my eyes!
-Mainly i just want to get back on his back and start earning the recoginition and success we both deserve. He is a phenominal horse, gentle, calm with tons of heart and bravery. His percheron shines out everyday in his personality but the Thoroghbred really gives him the agility and speed to get around a course just as quickly, balanced and prettily as the next horse. I want to really get him in his element, i've been holding him back by not jumping him to his potential (he loves anything over 3') We're hoping to have a great summer and hopefully my position and balance and experience will increase tons.

I'll be back with my training ideas and thoughts and tack lists and everything soon. <3

JH.