A crappy finger and complete lack of energy.

Isn't it fun being sick at Christmas? I know I love it. Especially since Christmas is meant to be fun.
Anways, on the riding front, I haven't ridden for ages. Almost 2 WHOLE WEEKS... It's crap. And since Crocodile chomped on my finger, I don't know whether I'd be able to ride some of the horses I usually do.
Good news then. Tess is back... can't remember if I said this last time or not, but she and Kands have come back, and Smartie and Nev have gone. Kandee is as happy to be back than ever. Tess seems to be... strangely affectionate. It's weird.
I also can't remember if I wrote about Olympia or not. It was pretty awesome this year. I've never seen the Kur before. Two favourites... I don't know their names... I don't exactly stalk dressage riders... but... the beautiful little liver chestnut American horse who went to the P!nk mix, and the Friesian/Some kind of spanish flicky horse who had the James Bond Soundtrack. Total blackout ^^
The shopping wasn't as good as last year, but I still found a million ways to spend my measly £10. Commemerative rosette and Body brush for tess. One with her face on it XDDDDDDD
Although it wasn't a comission, it still looked really stunning and like her. The artists who paint those horses are geniuses.

Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. Have a good one.

Education Fees Going Up?

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha from the Cover of the Naruto:Shippuuden Soundtrack. Done on Sketchfu ^^ Loving these two right now X3

It's all over the news right now. 21 to 2 majority for a rise in university fees to a maximum of 9k a year. And everyone thinks that the Liberal Democrats have betrayed them and are rioting and chucking stuff at people and buildings... well, not everyone, but the coverage on the TV ain't great. And sure, as someone who wants to go to university in order to become my chosen career, the rise pisses me off. But there is NOTHING that I can do about it.
What use is breaking windows and cussing at MPs? Doesn't exactly endear you to them, does it?
Where are all the normal kids, seriously?

GAHHHH. *sigh*

So anyhoo. Today, after school, I went to see my friend's new pony. She's only 5"3, so she bought this gorgeous little 14.1 bay connemara mare called Magic. She's totally gorgeous!! She jumps really well too. My friend offered me a ride, but I reckon I would have squashed the poor thing. I've decided that I will take up running again in the New Year. I am NOT going to get any heavier. NO way.
*notanorexicXD*
I just eat a whole load of crap, and I need to work it off instead of sitting on my bed watching and drawing anime. I also need to fix my hair!!

This is turning into a big old rant and rave blog, so I'm signing off now. Just wanted to write a bit about Magic. Didn't write that much, actually :3

LYA xx

Time for an Update.

Last Dressage. 1st place on Special K.

Bad, BAD blogger! I have been so horribly horribly busy for the past month, and this blog has been my biggest neglection. Ok, so some of you might know that I was studying for my Stage One exams in November. Good news is, I passed! It feels good to have some kind of reassurance that I can ride at at least a minimal level. And also that I won't accidentally kill a horse when grooming him, or something.
Secondly, the besties are back! Hols and Ada are back and (almost) in work again. Tess and Kandee have gone out for the winter, so now I'm back riding Hollie every lesson.
And ain't that just lovely.
I feel like I have lost a lot of technique since November. Through going away right before my exams, then mocks, then riding horses that don't move, my riding has suffered. I've become an avid member of Youtube recently (praise to the youtube lords) and watching loads of the riding videos on there makes me insanely jealous.
In time for the new year, resolutions must be made. Resolutions that WILL be kept, no matter how many important exams are approaching. Firstly, I will improve my position, in all aspects. Heels, elbows, posture, thighs, shoulders, eyeline, grip; it all needs to altered sooner or later, and the longer I stick with the bad habits, the more stuck I become. Secondly, I am going to take my Riding and Road Safety. Mainly so I can then complete Stage 2, but being witness to a very nasty accident involving my best friend and her horse on the roads a fortnight ago, I've been shocked into realising how important complete control of your horse is on the roads. A broken collarbone is no joke, especially with GCSEs approaching. Get well soon, Fi.

Thirdly, and in some ways this may be the most important one, I am going to ride a greater variety of horses. I am now nearly 5"8, and riding 14.1 highlands is not really doing any favours to me or the ponies. This will of course mean branching out into different yards, but BF will still be my base ^^
I also really want to make sure that I am able to share a horse this summer. Due to the complete and utter shambles of this summer's attempt, planning will have to start Easter at the latest. If the majority of people continue to have this total disregard for other people's feelings that last summer's batch seemed to have, it will take me ages to find someone who'll let me share.

Riding is slowly turning into my biggest ambition. I want to do it all; ride everything, do all aspects of equitation, work with horses all my life, and, of course, fulfill the dream.
To own my own horse, to buy my own yard, to, one day, set up my own business. For now, this will have to wait, but maybe, just maybe, ownership might be possible. After all, two years and I'm out of school. Who knows what could happen then. Maybe, in two years, I'll finally be able to tick my preliminary dream of my list.

UPDATE!!! :3

Oh God, I am a baaaaaaad blogger. Ok, here I am to update you on horsey antics.
So what has happened in my life? Well, the share horse has been a disaster. So frankly, I am not even bothering anymore, if all it brings is despair and frustration. Loan horse may be a better option... if I can EVER convince my parents that I will not get E's and D's in my GCSEs if I have a horse to look after. It's not like I do that much studying anyway... ssh...
I also did summer dressage! Eh! I got amazingly amazing horses - Tess for walk and trot and Kands for the prelim. I was really happy because I was the only one with Tess for walk and trot... and then G got her too, and after me, so of course, Tessie was all ready to go and on an outline and sticking into her corners. So I cam 2nd, and Georgie first but at least it was better than unplaced as I was last time. Then I muttered to Kandee that she would get a whole pack of polos if we came first or second, and she must have understood! We only broke canter once, and it was just before where we were meant to trot. Since I only ever ride her on hacks, it was a surprise to sya the least. I love that horse, because even though she's goddamn stubborn and a total mare, (and fairly nervy) she is so easy to sort out once you think about it. Just leg on, don't smack when she's too near to other horses, ride extremely positively and give her positive feedback for any tiny thing that she does right. The only bad thing I can say about the mare's paces is her irregular walk footfall. Rachel pointed it out to me on a hack last wednesday, and it has been bugging me ever since. Instead of 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 it goes 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 like a western beat..... and however much I push her on into extension or collect her up, I can never fix it. Any suggestions?

I've still been riding Hollie a lot. :3 I still get a bit annoyed when I see Angela:Hollie on the list every time I ride, but in the Friday Flyers, with Smartie and Kandee, C said that I controlled my horse better than the other two. ! How weird... I feel so untidy when I'm riding Hollie... she bucks whenever I give her a smack when she lags, but thankfully, that's the catalyst to a forward movement. I guess just sit up and leg on (ferociously) until she moves her arse onwards. On one particular Friday Flyers lesson, I had been swapped off Ada (heartheartheart) and onto Hollie (:3) and I was feeling really tired and had no interest in kicking Hols around the arena when she chased after the other horses all lesson. Hollie is a mindreader! She was totally forward and even cantered when she wasn't meant too.... It was a hollie fast day.

Hollie has either fast or slow paces. 80% of the time, she is in snail mode, but if you really work with her, she can become the stampeding elephant (good thing). The other 20% of the time, Hols perks up and decides to be a super zippy tiny pony. I love that horse!

Argh, cannot type anymore. Need to draw. Go check out my drawings at sketchfu.com and search kokorohorse. latest pic below :)

Welcome to Hell.

Yep that's it. The end of my summer both officially and un. Willow's owner bailed one day before the try out (through email...) and Savannah is not available. Horses at Barnfield are very very not likely to be out of bounds as far as sharing is concerned, nobody has got back to me, even stables I went to see, and I am forced to come to the conclusion that everyone I don't know who owns a horse is either evil or has no brain capacity to allow for memory.
I am therefore left with a huge pile of nothing to do over the upcoming month, seeing as the BHS Stage one exams are all conveniently when I am back at school until next year. Score two to the devil, I am now no longer studying for my Stage Two. That was the one thing I could make sure of during the summer, but now that has also gone down the drain.
This blows.
But at least I still have my long, long, long days at B.field to attend. Today I rode Tessie (heartheartheart) and Kandee. Tess was better than I remembered, and we had some slightly Wild West canter and lovely trot work and nice 10 metre circles. See, this is why I failed at the last dressage! I need my baby back! Without her, I flounder on large, immovable objects formerly known as horses, and fail as an unplaced loser. Hmmph.
Kandee's lesson was really good. We did jumping, and she was really peppy and responsive when I stopped banging her with my heels.
I really must exercise my calves more :)





Oh God. I am so in need of a horse. Arrrrrrgh! Damn you frustratingly annoying, selfish, uncaring people.

Bye!

More New Prospects!!!

We have more New Prospects!!!!!

Well, one to be accurate. A 15.2hh cob mare called Willow.
Ah, Willow.

So now, if Savannah is noy available, at least I know that Willow is available, as her owner has already said she will organise a viewing in the next week or so. The only downside is that there is no school, but apparently there is a sectioned off area of field that is great for riding in like an arena.
I know that if I am given the choice of both, I will never be able to decide. Savannah will probably be better schooled and flashier, but Willow is closer and just far more colloquial. And that's a great thing! If I felt like I was riding a show horse, I'd be super careful and might not ever trust myself.
But then again, I might not.

Anyways, today was another Sunday without my 11 am lesson or the boys. Ehh!
But I got a special half hour Hollifying lesson Stage One extravanganza doodah first thing, probably because of my Stage One talk to Jacquie this week, which is cool!! We warmed up schooling style for about 10 mins, with the walk halt rein back walk and walk halt reinback nudge furiously trot transitions, occasionally accompanied with half circles and turns on the forehand. After about fifteen, the difference in Hollie is really noticeable. The reinback not only supples her, but makes her more eager to go forward since it is so unatural a movement for her to make. Keeping her interested and making her try and second guess me makes her peppy and eager to move forward, which is a GOOD THING. By the time Wiola started teaching, Hollie was pepped up and raring to go, but then as soon as I started working on my position and aids more than keeping her interested and waking her up. So the lunge whip appeared, my stirrups vanished and a nice couple of bucks ensued, resulting in me half out of the saddle and Hollie running away from Wiola down to C, where she cowered.

I totally heart this horse!!

Oh, I forgot...

BTW, when I become Queen of all that is true, watching all episodes of Ouran High School Host Club will be made compulsory. On punishment of being pelted with fish.
So there, parents.

Seriously, anime is the best art form TV show commericalised media thing ever! It's like, 23rd century kinda stuff. Sign online petitions for Ouran season 2!! On penalty of being eaten by cats! Yaaaaaaaay!