My Rock,NotSoSwiftly

Blatant Computer Idiocy
Oh, well. AlwayS make sure your blue light is on. I have BlueTooth. No, it isn't contagious, NCC. For some reason, BlueTooth needs to be turned ON:) I turned it off, inadvertently, trying to charge the stoopid lap-top battery. Duh. Oh, and we had a huge thunderstorm on Saturday night, just as I was gearing up to do some "art" work. I wish I was an artist. My eyes don't "see" that way. I can't draw to save any lives. I am not an artist. Did I say that already?
:)

My Rock, not my hard place.
I thought it was time you finally met my rock. Isn't she pretty? I think art is in rocks, too. The artist didn't sign her work, except for two initials. "SV". This rock came from Prince Edward Island, via my Mom and big sister, on vacation.
SV in PEI? You are a rock art genius.
She's a little brown striped tabby cat, curled up like a pebble. She's only about 4 inches wide.

My professional job is highly detailed. I edit until my eyes pop out a bit..
(ooops, ellipsising inadequately, again)I can type anything, accurately. But make perspective? Nope. Not there.
I can see movement and stuff, that other people seem to find amazing. I can spot wildlife/birds from miles away, or camouflaged. Not so handy for making signs and "art". It's just industrial art, but man, it's still ART.
(shivers)

What can you DO??
Anyway, I'm back under my rock for a bit, the horse news is just shudderifying. Horriblizing. How can people do this?
I can't get my head around the divide that's still growing. Oh, horses. Brutalized by cruel, idiotic people, and their clients, who just want a ribbon. I think we need new big name trainers.
How long, how long must we sing this song, Bono? Wish Bono was female. Maybe then, our "Prime" Minister would listen. Thanks to Viagara, and oh, OKAY, women can be cruel too. blech.

Not So Swift...........
I've decided Sally Swift can only be easier to read than I am. So I will henceforth be GoLightly-Not-So-Swift, or GLNSS, for short. Except it's longer. Oh, well!

Here's a quote from Sally herself, shamelessly pilfered elsewhere. Thanks SWA:)
"I believe it is very important for a rider to learn awareness of one's own body...understanding how the body functions, paying attention to yourself and the mechanics of how your body is functioning on the horse. Harmony between horse and rider is very important. The greatest equine partnerships are built upon unspoken communication. This communication will come about if you think about what you are going to do before you do it, think about how it's going to feel before you do it. When you feel in your body what you want it to feel like on your horse, your horse understands that."

Backing Up, WTF??
Okay, and I will rant about this here, where I'm relatively safe. Please, you western folk, don't shoot me. You know I don't mean you.
New Question, besides the why is their head so low? I have that one figured out, mostly. Sort of... (hah......)
Why do they (reining etc.) have to back up so frickin' fast? Why is that so important? Right, they might need to if a cow is about to kill them. But wouldn't you trust your horse enough to let him do the right thing? So, again, why do they back these horses up, over and over, and so quickly? "Train" it into them?? Hello?
Makes zero sense. Really. Why is it normal to some?

Hard as hell on the horse, isn'ta??? I don't blame these poor creatures for rearing.
WHY IS BACKING UP SO IMPORTANT???
It Is NOT. Not for any horse I've ever known, anyway. I've never seen a river flowing backwards, have you?

See, that's when my rock starts to look really good. But (gasp) I have a new lurker, known as my BFF from Calgary. Quick, hide the silverware:) Everybody, make sure I've said only glowing things about her:)
Her e-mail said, wow, you write a LOT.
Yeah, no kidding. Sorta like you talk. I LOVE you, my Pat.
On, and on, and ON. Bloody annoying. Me, I mean, not you, Pat.

The Killer Schoolie, Amber
Okay, I'll share my Amber, the killer schoolie story, I hope, not again. Pretty sure I've blogged it in some other poor unsuspecting blogger's comments, but it may have been awhile. Just ignore if it's familiar.

Amber destroyed my back. Deliberately, I swear!

Amber was a 15.1 hand red chestnut school mare, with very smooth gaits. She was kinda disconnected, front to back. Amber was (badly) built to trail her hind end way out behind her. Next to impossible to collect. Amber was very popular with two older sisters I taught. They continued taking lessons after they bought their first horse, and always on Amber. Silky smooth trot and canter. I rode their horse for them, for a while. Funny, he had a super long back, too. WAY better angles in his hind legs though. Amber was canted out like I've never seen before, or since.

ANYway, I'm teaching a lesson one afternoon, beginners. Amber is being a saint, but her rider decides to pitch a little hissy fit, and demanded to stop. I was making her work, how COULD I?? The kid was just being a brat. I hopped on Amber, as we were working on sitting up tall and heavier, when asking for a slow down. See, I was teaching it wrong. Amber pointed this out to me. Hard. Very hard.

Don't misunderstand, the sit heavy was pretty common, and as long as it's quick, it can work. Any cue can be taught to your horse, as long as it's consistent and non-threatening. But "sit heavy" sure is hard on their back. 'specially, of course, Amber's back. Tooo long, and with hind legs out behind her, permanently..

So, I trot up the long side of the arena, wall on my right, stirrup-less, and show the kids what I mean by straighten up and sit a "little" heavy. I exaggerate, for clarity. Amber promptly starts to collapse behind, feigning falling onto her left side. I throw my left leg up, ready for her to crash onto her left side. I stay in the middle of the tack, like an idiot. Jump off, next time, you twit!

Amber SomehoW flips up and back, ends up cast against the wall, her right side against the wall, legs stuck, (so facing the other way), with my right leg pinned underneath her. Amber lay there calmly, as the entire lesson including parents starts shrieking. I lay there for a minute, thinking. So did Amber. She knew I was fecked. I ended up leaving my boot, thank god I had tall boots on that day, and heaving my leg out from under her. Felt a little woozy, but fine. Amber woke up, and got up just fine, having rid herself of someone she disliked. The feeling had been mutual. Yeah, GREAT harmony. I was breaking in my first pair of tall show boots. I was Master Riding Instructor.
Not:)

I rode Witchy Woman the next day, and a week later my back said, hah, that's really FUNNY. Talk about crooked, wow. I was lucky I'd always been fairly strong on both sides, my weird repetitive motion habits of my youth ambidexterized me. It still just takes a bad step. I watch my steps pretty carefully, I just take extra ones, to stay fit:)

I hold no ill will towards Amber. I hurt her, she fell down. Now, she did try to squish me, or maybe she wanted to really BREAK in my boots. I'll never know. Amber ended up owned by the sisters, and lived a long, happy safe life, with no stoopid MRI's to threaten her conformation, again.
And that's how I got crooked.
And why it was so cool, to be straightened by a SchoolMaster.

To Amber and GoLightly.
Both teachers, both with something to offer.
Don't sit heavy.
Sit Lightly.

GoLightly.
oh, horses....

Here's a re-scanned pic of LeoBear. Just for you to smile at.





Here's a picture of me in BoDerek braids, are those called dreadlocks? My nephew thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.
Pre-rhinoplasty. Take notes, there's a quiz...
Ellipsing wantonly, and out..