Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls...

Yesterday evening Presbytera and Chaplain to the World were going to the Lipizzaner Stallion Show and thought of me. Sooo they were very nice and took me along. We got front row seats.
It was two hours long and through out the show the narrator gave us some history of the horses and whatnot and then the riders would do fancy stuff that I've always wished I could do. I took a total of 1072 pictures. The lighting was a pain to try and work with but I did get some good pictures. The show was pretty amazing, and if you ever get the chance to go, I say go because you'll never see anything like it...

I *think* according to some comments I saw on YouTube that there are two groups. One is from Florida, which is the one I think we saw, and the other one is from Austria. The Austrians have higher standards and only allow men in their riding school. (i *think*) The Florida group just recently started because it takes so long to train the horses.

For those of you who don't know, Lipizzaner horses are from Austria originally. Most of them are white, and they were specially bred as battle horses. They were taught moves to aid their rider in times of peril and as time wore on these maneuvers became more of an art form than for battle. They're beautiful horses, majestic and absolutely amazing. The moves they perform are from the discipline Dressage, which is like dancing with a horse. Its graceful and smooth and makes the horse and rider appear to be moving as one, with apparently little or no effort on the rider's part. The Lipizzaners are special because they can do things no other horses can do. At least not that I know of, other than their Spanish ancestors, the Andalusians. Some of these things involve standing on their hind feet and kicking their forefeet in the air, or leaping up ward and kicking out their back hooves. It's pretty spectacular.

The lead rider of the evening was Victor. (Viktor? I dont know how to spell it and I forgot his last name. Darn it.) Victor is my hero. x3 This is Victor. He changed like five different times and did different routines, it was pretty awesome.



Here are some moves the Lipizzaners do.



Thats the courbette




thats the capriole, and thats actually Victor, lol. I just looked up "capriole" on youtube and there he was! The capriole is definitely my favorite.



Thats the Levade

So yeah, I havent sorted through my 1072 pictures but i'll be posting more later... it was really slowing down my computer so i'll have to sort through them.
and if they get lost i'll cry.
so there.

Lucky 13

Today was the Science test. There were a couple I had to guess on and a couple I was unsure about but other than that it went okay. After the test we went to Lake Farm Park to see the lambs.

Tuesday we watched a ewe give birth... it was kind of gross but such is life right? :P It was also kind of fascinating. Obviously, what isn't fascinating about bringing new life into the world? One of the ladies who worked there had to help out, the lamb's shoulder was caught against the pelvis or something like that so she pulled on the tiny hooves and out came this little lamb. Today when we went to visit we found out that the ewe had another lamb after we had gone.



Both times we've visited the farm park there have been a group of retarded people there. I guess its like a class or something... but groups of retarded people make me sad. Mostly probably because I feel bad for them. One of the retarded guys blew me a kiss as he passed me in the hallway. I smiled at him. Lol, when I'm feeling down I just have to remember the retarded guy things I'm pretty :P Thats a real moral booster.

Anyways, moving on.

They had the two Clydesdales out in the arena today. The arena is right next to where the sheep pens are. So after I was done looking at the lambs I went over and hung out with them for a while. Clydesdales are amazing. Bigger horses are usually calmer and nicer in general I guess but I've always loved the clydesdales and shires especially. Then Sarah wasnt feeling well so we went home.


Lambs are so fun to take pictures of, I wish the lighting had been better inside...

100%

I can hear my heavy boots thudding and crunching against the gravel. I can’t seem to get inside the building fast enough. As I step inside I can feel a sense of welcome rushing over me as I take in the scent of the horses, the hay, and the feed. I’m in the barn, and this is where I belong. My boots thud against the dirt floor and I stop and pet the silky noses of the horses. My mind is just blissfully blank as I enjoy the company of the animals. Horses are so powerful and majestic; and I am completely in love with them.

The lighting is dim inside but bright enough thanks to the sunlight streaming in through the cloudy windows and the doorway at the far end of the aisle way. I feel really happy here, strangely motivated. I can’t stop working, because this is the kind of work I enjoy. My chores at home and my school work have never seen such precision and dedication. I’m at a place I love, around animals I love, and people I like, the outside world just melts away and all I know is the horses and the horse people.

Laurie owns this little piece of heaven. She’s a little taller than I am and she has short, sandy hair and an almost intimidating air about her at first, but you have to get to know her. She’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. She shares the barn with her two friends, Cindy and Meredith. Both of them are also nice and they’re all very helpful and kind.

The atmosphere is peaceful here. I’m happy no matter what, unless I’m leaving, which I dread. But there’s no time to think about leaving now, I still have several hours. I wish I could live like this… because this makes me happy. I have friends here, I want to do the work I am assigned, and even the work I’m not told to do. Here I am not lazy, I don’t put things off.

I can appreciate a long day’s work. When the sun has set I can stand and listen to the peaceful sound of the horses munching on their feed. My muscles will ache tomorrow, and I am tired but I feel at peace; with the world and with myself. Today I probably learned so many things that I don’t know about and some day in the future I’ll look back and be grateful. I always learn new things here, whether it’s from the people, from the horses or from myself.

It’s like I’m a different person here. I’m always happy, always willing to be working. But as the day draws to a close, it’s time to leave. My boots thud slower on the ground. I linger behind to pat one more horse and my heart is heavy. I don’t want to leave; the city is not for me. This is the place I belong but I still have to go home at the end of the day. The excitement and happiness from before is dwindling away as I walk back out the door with one last wistful look over my shoulder.

One day I hope to enjoy to this kind of life all the time, when we move away from the city. One day I’ll have some horses of my own to take care of and I can enjoy a thrilling gallop through the fields or a relaxing trail ride… The possibilities could be endless for me. And now I just have to wait for that life to be permanently mine.

Yep, I got 100% on this which is cool. I'm happy because if you couldn't tell I sort of put a lot of thought into this. :P
Unfortunately the barn in my essay was sold and Laurie and the ladies are no longer in the horse business...

I'm still undecided but if I can't have a life with horses I would like to have a life where I can travel and see new places. Which is one of the perks of being a band photographer. ;D


But yeah, I thought I would share since I haven't posted anything in a while.
I still need to finish up my Las Vegas story, write about my friend's birthday party and write about the party i went to yesterday.

Autobiographical Narrative

I have to do this for English class and I thought I might as well post it here too. (:

One day in early February, just before my twelfth birthday, I went to the barn where my aunt worked. The owner of the barn said that if my aunt was willing, she could give me lessons for free. That day though, she didn’t have time to give me a lesson and I was bored. So she asked me if I would like to ride bareback. I immediately gave an enthusiastic yes.

I got out Moe, the old chestnut gelding that I rode sometimes. After putting on his bridle my aunt helped me get on him and I was allowed to walk with him down the side of the drive way and through a small unused paddock. We had to walk on the side of the drive way because it was icy and with his horse shoes he would slip so it was safer in the grass.

On the way down the drive way we approached an apple tree that had long since lost its leaves. I ducked my head under one branch and then noticed another so I ducked again. I didn’t notice the thicker branch right below it until all of a sudden it was in my face. What happened next was a blur. My head was hit backwards and I felt pain in my face and for a moment I couldn’t see anything except a foggy blur. I was too concentrated on trying to figure out what had just happened! My mind was racing and I could barely register what was happening. Finally I tried to get my horse to stop but Moe kept ambling along.

I could hear my cousin freaking out as she stepped out of the barn. “Emily’s bleeding!!” she cried and got my aunt.

Meanwhile I was angry at my horse because he would not stop. I yanked on the reigns and tried to hit his flank. I realize now how lucky I was that he was calm and old. Any other horse might’ve taken off with me and I was still a beginner rider back then. He took me to my aunt and then stopped. My aunt took me off the horse and took me in the barn. I got a paper towel to put on my chin which was bleeding and realized one of my teeth was sticking straight out! It was pushed back into place, by who I’m not sure.

Then my aunt and her boyfriend were trying to figure out what to do. They called my parents and wrapped me up in a saddle blanket and we loaded into her jeep. The whole way back home – which was a bit of a drive – I was listening to them talk about what they were going to do while I dabbed at my chin with the paper towel. Her boyfriend was worrying my dad would sue the owner of the barn or my aunt but my aunt was worried about other things.

I got home and my parents got the story from me and my aunt. Then my dad took me to the emergency room. I was really nervous because I didn’t want stitches – I’d had them before and they were really painful. The nurse told me that they were going to basically use super glue since that wouldn’t leave a mark whereas stitches would leave tiny circular holes.

My dad and I waited for a long time, watching My Best Friend’s Wedding on TV, or parts of it anyways. Finally the doctor came and asked about my tooth. He poked my tooth on the opposite side of my mouth and my dad tried to explain which one it was. Finally the guy found the loose one and looked quite startled. He moved it back and said to just go to the dentist. Then he cleaned the cut on my chin and glued it so it would heal.

Later that week I went to the dentist and they said that there wasn’t much they could do. My tooth that had been knocked loose was an adult tooth. If it healed, it healed, if not, oh well. Luckily it did heal and it’s perfectly fine.

That year all my birthday pictures of me showed off a colorful band-aid on my chin. But eventually the glue peeled off and my cut healed. To this day though, I have an almost perfectly vertical scar on my chin to remind me of my first time riding bare back.

Looking back I realize I was lucky to have stayed on. I had never ridden bare back before but somehow I managed to stick to that horse while he tried to scrape me off on a tree. I was also lucky that Moe was patient and calm with me while I got mad at him and he took me safely to my aunt.

Often, accidents on horse back, like this one, scare people away from riding. Not me! I love it even more because horses are truly amazing animals. While I haven’t had the chance to ride bareback again I’ve had many adventures since that episode all those years ago in February and I plan to keep having adventures on horseback as long as I’m able to.

New Dreams

Remember way back when I said I wanted to be in the Equine Olympics?
Well recently I've gotten new ideas of what I want to do "when I grow up".
The Olympics don't have the same appeal to me anymore.

I've become taken with the idea of being a photographer for a band... Traveling, going to shows, doing what I love. Or maybe just shows that I can drive to and get a special pass or something. OR doing photo shoots for albums and promotional paraphernalia.

And I believe not too long ago I said I wanted to be in a band myself. I love singing and being in a band just seems like it would be so much fun. I might not have the stamina to do it professionally but... And who knows. It might just be that teenager thing kicking in.

I'm a little torn though. Because I still want horses to be in my life at some point. I want to have my own horses and share the special bond between horse and master. That's a lot of responsibility and work though...

So I'm a little confused right now, I know I have time to figure it out.
Oh and then there's college. Bleh.

Weekend Stuff Part 2: Saturday

Saturday was Horsefest.
It wasn't as great as I expected. That or we missed some things I wanted to see, not sure.

The first thing I saw was the budweiser clydesdales' semi trucks.

So we ate lunch and went to see the Clydesdales first. They were in these weird cage things...
One lady beside us was talking to a horse and he was scratching the shavings with his (HUGE) hoof and she was baby talking him, asking him if he was counting. And she went on for about 5 minutes. I wanted to say "No, he's about to charge, you might want to move" :P


After that we went to see the "fox hunting"




Next was the Tommie Turvey thing. He's an equine extremist and does tricks with his horses. It was too dark inside to get good pictures but it was pretty cool. And he has very awesome horses...
He was doing things like having his horse bow or sit and rear and throw him, it was cool...

In the same room they were raffling off a gypsy vanner.......
Why do they have to do that to me?
Anyways...

I believe after that we went to wait for the Clydesdales and took a break, going to see the other animals.



They had saddles strapped to barrels and Joshua was thrilled when he finally got his turn.
Of course there were a lot of pushy little annoying kids and Joshy didn't get as much time up on the saddles as he would've liked.

The Clydesdales took FOREVER.
Which is why I missed the show jumping I wanted to see.
I dont know which part was so time consuming, they were just standing there for like 15 minutes...
then When they finally came, annoying people kept trying to push in front of my and i didnt get any good pictures the first time around.





So I tried to follow where they were oging and get ahead of them so I could get some more shots.
They had to stop every couple minutes because of the "several thousand dollar equipment" it was drizzling and the horses were slobbering so they had to stop and clean everything off.

But I FINALLY got at least one good picture.




and that was about it....

Horsefest!

Horsefest is this weekend!! I've been waiting for a couple months and it's finally here!! Or going to be here anyways.

Anyways, its at the lake farm park and the Budweiser Clydestales are gonna be there! I keep joking I'm gonna get an autograph ;) I will at least get a picture :P or 200.
They're going to have different breeds and activities and stuff and the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend according to the radio so...