Meeting Norman

Hi everyone!

Today, I have a special news flash! :)

So, I have started leasing a beautiful off track thoroughbred by the name of Norman! He's a real cutie, and super affectionate. I'd been looking around for a lease for a while now, so I was pretty happy when one popped up so close to my home! So this big boy is now going to be a big part of my life, I am happy to report!

Norman is a 16.3 hands high thoroughbred, and is 18 years old. That being said, he doesn't act very much like an 18 year old-- he's pretty energetic. He's broke, yes, definitely broke, but hasn't been ridden to the ground. He still has a lot of life in him!

I took him out for a hack around Southlands today, as you can probably tell from the numerous photos. It wasn't raining outside, so I decided to embrace the good weather and go out for a nice hack!

I think that Norman and I could really grow together. He's very sweet and reliable, and he does have a lot of youth in him left, so I could ultimately grow and learn with him. I think it's a great learning experience, and I'm very glad to have been able to find such a great horse!

He has a bit of a rusty canter, especially going one direction, but all horses seem to prefer one canter direction to the other. Other than that, he has a great trot, and jumps over poles no problem~. I'm really looking forwards to getting to know him better and spending more time with him!

Until next time!

Jisoo

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- The Future Close and Far: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

Click for Part Three

Click for Part Four

Study study study study study study...

Well now that we're all caught up with my present, I guess we could move on towards the future. What am I thinking of in my riding future other than getting broke? That's a good question... I guess a part of me wants to at least get to the level that I could become a horseback riding coach, although my final destination would to become a vet. That being said having another option open is never a bad idea, and I do really love riding, so I decided to start taking the English Rider tests. There goes another $80 or so... *sigh* That's just too bad. When horseback riding, money has always been the problem for me. Money and time... However... If you, dear readers, take pity on me, there is a way for you to help me out. How? Hmmm....

You see, my blog is hooked up to Google Ads. That being said, I get money every time someone clicks on an ad. Therefore, even if you just take the time to give an ad a click, I may get up to a dollar! And I mean it, every cent counts. However, the biggest present of all is that someone actually takes the time to read about my life... Thank you everyone!

Back to horseback riding.... This month, I will be attempting to take my Rider 1 and my Rider 2 exam. :3 The riding part will hardly be any difficultly, I don't think, but the written part will have it's own problems for me. Including cramps. According to Jen, the test is written in essay format, not multiple choice. I will have to walk in completely prepared for the test. In order to pass, I need to get at least 70%. Better than a driver's test, but in another way, worse....

I am hoping to continue horseback riding at least once a month after summer comes and goes, as I really do wish to get better. However, I seem to be in need of a laptop as well. I need your help-- should I get a MackBook Air, or a package of 10 riding lessons? Please, make sure to vote on the poll above, if you wish to share your opinion with me! 

All I have to say about my riding now, is that... I'll keep trying, and thank you, parents, for letting me ride and driving me to my stables every week. I really really appreciate it. It's a sport that I'm not going to give up on any time soon, and I promised myself to never abandon. I personally think it's a great way to exercise, as well as make new friends! Some people believe that dogs are man's best friends, but to me, Teddy is much closer than any dog I've ever met. All the horses and people that I have spent my time with during the time I've been riding have made their way straight into my heart. Love them all: Teddy, Crystal, Gretchen, Charm, Sebastian, Chester, Julia, Izzy, and last but not least, Jen. Dear Jen with the heart of a horse, and yet still managed to scare me every now and then.... Heh... She's determined, strict, understanding, and compassionate, and has got me totally head over heels about riding.

There are times, undoubtedly, where I ran into setbacks, whether that be not having enough money to ride, or having to master a hard gait (ahem sitting trot, I'm talking to you...), but I've pushed past them, with only a few falls. And in the future, I look forward to spending even more time with all the horses and people that made my own dream of riding possible, and keep fueling it now! Time and time again, I remind myself...

"No one ever drowned in their own sweat."

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right? So far, I don't seem to have died yet. Not to mention that I am insanely in debt to my parents for feeding my riding urge for until now, piling on hay loads of money towards a sport that I really thought would end at 'recreational...' Again, I thought my dancing would end at recreational as well... Not to mention driving me, buying me my apparel, and just being there for me!

Last but not least! Thank you, reader, for taking the time of your busy day to read about... Me? It's really much much appreciated, and if any of you are interested in riding..... How should I phrase this...

Go get 'em, tiger!

Ciao for now!

Love,

Ivy

Rest in peace dear Sierra. You were an extremely sweet horse with a gentle, kind, compassionate character. You will be very missed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Five*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( For now. ;) )

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- In Another Life: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

Click Here for Part Three

Pretty good picture, don't you agree?

Isn't my stables absolutely beautiful in the summer? I think so too. Chester's the one with the fly mask on, and Crystal the one in the paddock next to him. I can never really get over how astoundingly.... large my stable is. Nowadays, this place is my life on Sundays. Horses, the prickly feel of hay, and the hot sun beating down on my back are what makes me me. Summer months are always so hot, but this summer, I don't mind it so much. Sure, the mosquitoes bug me, and my whole shorts and tees outfit doesn't do me good when I try to work with hay, but at least it means I can spend more time with horses.... I think my recount on horseback riding lessons is nearly over-- you are all pretty caught up to the present day rider in me.

I was back at my stables this summer, much to my delight. I paid half the amount to fund for my riding package of 10 with the money I managed to save up from tutoring and such. Making money is unfortunately very hard... I do love riding, it's just like it's an extremely expensive sport, and I don't have an abundance of time to use on making money. To be honest, it's a big hassle trying to manage dancing, sword fighting, and studying in the first place. So what in the seven heavens is keeping me from throwing my hands up and calling it quits? I. Have. No. Clue. I love riding, love horses, and just cannot seem to tear myself away from me. It's like a drug, in all honesty. So I save up, buy a package, and treasure my lessons, and savor them. And for the rest of the time that I'm not in a lesson? I'm just helping out around the stable, whether that be grazing horses, grooming horses, or just sitting in a lesson with Jen. Anything to be around horses. Am I useful around the place? Ha... I frankly have no clue... It's mostly for my own enjoyment, but if it helps out others, I'd be more than happy to comply.

During this batch of ten lessons, I was put into a group with a boy named Joe. I'm sure that it'll end up mixing at the back of my brain as 'that package that I did with Joe', but for now, I'm just working on enjoying it. I have some very exciting news, though! Remember Izzy? Yes, Izzy from all the way back then? Well, it seems that I may be able to ride with her again!!! *squeals in delight* I'm really looking forward to getting back with the very first person I ever horseback rode with!!! I'd really love riding with her again. I also see Julia pretty much every week. I'm in touch with everyone for the most part, which is nice.

For now, I'm just soaking in the time I can spend with horses, whether that be when I'm feeding them or riding them, but I honestly fell in love with these graceful creatures super fast. I'm looking forward to both the close and far future!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Four*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- The Long Waits: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Click Here for Part Two

And that image, I think, basically sums up what I did during my months off horseback riding lessons.... Unfortunately due to my busy school schedule, I was unable to ride every week, and I would have a cooling off period every time my package of 10 lessons ended.

Then, one magical day, I would be right back at the stables, excitement boiling over, and itching to get back on a horse. And get back on a horse I did. I'd eagerly clamber back onto the saddle, ready for a another lesson. Reflecting on it now, I don't even really clearly remember the past lessons. I'm sure I enjoyed every single one of them thoroughly (although the amount of enjoyment I got from doing sitting trot is slightly debatable...) it's just that all of them kind of... mush together. I don't remember precisely down what on each day. In my mind, it's become organized into packages. The package of 10 I did in the summer with Izzy, the package of 10 I did with Julia, and the package of 10 I'm riding right now with Joe. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I did cantering, sitting trot, poles, jumps, grids, and all that. 

The one lesson I can remember clear as day is the day I fell of my horse. Three times. Well, the last time was more of an accidental dismount more than a fall so... I praise the stars that I had been riding Charm that day, rather than Teddy. Charm is a very sweet old mare that is much much much smaller than Teddy, and much slower than Teddy at that... Teddy has a real gas pedal when it comes to when he actually gets going, while Charm.... Not so much. I ended up not having enough pace with her, got a refusal from a fence, and fell off. Only to get back on, and fall off. Again. Welp. That's embarrassing. Thanks to my slightly scary enthusiastic riding teacher though, I managed to get back on, and by the end of the lesson, I had gotten the jumping course done. It was a necessary lesson though. Thanks to that lesson, I got the whole 'putting your heel down is a good thing in riding' lesson through my head..

Looking back at my riding lessons just a few months before, I note that I actually did get better. Slowly, without me really noticing it, I got to be better rider. I could jump higher, getting a smoother gallop, trot for longer, and my overall look on the horse got better. And with each lesson, each second, each tick tock of the clock, I fell more in love with horses. Yep, I know. Digging my own grave.

As I said before, horseback riding is a magical sport that allows you to form bonds that you would never have thought you could make, and opens you to a world that you would never have thought you could get to experience. Thrilling, exciting and exhausting all at once, it's a sport like no other. Honestly, what other sport can get you working with such empathetic creatures as horses? In fact to me, it was like a new style of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Three*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click Here for Part Four
Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- My Stable: My Horseback Riding Tales

Click Here for Part One

Alright then.... Where did I leave off... Right. My first riding lesson!

My very first horseback riding lesson was on a big chestnut stallion by the name of Chester. He was well-groomed, fit, and every time he moved, you could see his muscles ripple under his skin. He was perfection in a horse. As a school horse, he knew his job, and he carried it out well. He was a confidence-booster, and the ideal horse to start out with-- dependable, sturdy and steady. Big, with a heart to match his size. His beautiful brown eyes stared straight into your soul, and he stretched out towards anyone with an open heart. He had a comfortable seat, and a great foundation to start off my riding.

I can't say that looking back on it, my first riding lesson was exceptionally memorable, other than that I learned how to post (which made trotting much more comfortable), as well as a grooming lesson. The first lesson I had was a private lesson with my teacher, so she could sort out my level of riding (which was zero...) and also get me to start tacking up my horse by myself in future lessons. It consisted of an hour lesson-- half an hour was dedicated to grooming and learning horse tack, and the other half was dedicated to actually riding. I loved the feeling of being so high off the ground and the whole viewpoint of being on a horse's back. For half an hour, the world took on a totally different perspective for me. No doubt it was hard work-- no, horseback riding does not mean you just sit on the horse and the horse powers through the course, but the rider actually has to work as well. By the end of my lesson when I got off my horse, I had wobbly legs, the biggest smile on Earth, and extremely high spirits.

I decided that I would not give up on this sport. Sure enough, the next week, I was right back. However, this time, I was introduced to a new horse: Teddy. Teddy was the horse. A gorgeous dark bay thoroughbred stallion by the show name of Air Time, he was even bigger than Chester. He had a sleek coat with innocent looking black almond-shaped eyes, and a compassionate air. Compared to Chester, he was much leaner, his muscles proving to be rather slim than bulky. He had a much more model-like figure, standing like a show horse all the time. Teddy's hair was silky and soft to the touch, his ears broad and always perked. He quickly stole my hear, and by the first lesson I had with him, it became evident that it would be hard to pull me off of him.

By the time I had my first lesson on Teddy, I was put into a group lesson, with a really nice girl that was one year older than me. Izzy was sweet, and really nice. She rode Chester when I rode Teddy, which was always interesting as they are like... best friends. When we would ride around the ring, they would always end up side by side, plodding alongside each other. Honestly, cutest thing ever, and the best thing about it? Our teacher didn't mind. We mostly did trotting-- trotting poles, walking, changing gait, etc. My 10 lessons flew by like a blur, and every day after riding I would fret over my remaining lessons. During the 45 minutes each week, I would be in paradise, just letting the familiar and soothing presence of Teddy wash over me. However, immediately after, I would count away in my head. ..5....4...3...2...1.... Too soon, my package of 10 riding lessons were over....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part Two*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click Here for Part Three

Click Here for Part Four

Click Here for Part Five

A Series of Fortunate Rides-- A Beginning: My Horseback Riding Tales

The joys of loving an extremely pricey sport.... You may or may not know that I am... fatally in love with horses. Ever since I started riding, I have been totally caught up with the sport, unable to let it go, even when it takes so much money out of my pocket. There's something about my heart and horses that just... clicks, I guess. For the longest time, my mother and my father have been trying to get me to stop being obsessed with horses. And to no avail. Believe me, I've tried. Once horse crazy, always horse crazy.

I guess I decided I owed all of you, dear readers, an explanation on how my whole horse thing started. Anyways, I was also kind of feeling like I was getting unoriginal with my book reviews. So.... Here it is: my history of horseback riding.

I wasn't born on a horse. Actually, quite the opposite-- I didn't know that I could horseback ride until the age of... I don't know.... A few years ago. During my younger years, I had absolutely no clue how horses would put as big an impact on me as they do now. Little did I know how much I would get to love these beautiful, faithful, and hardworking creatures.

It all started one day in Korea. I was on Vacation to Jeju Island ( bonus points to anyone who knows where that is! :D ) and my parents brought me to a ranch. Of course, I was like 'Huh? What am I doing here?'  But I went in, following my parents, and interested to see what I would do at a place with.... horses?! That was the very first time that I got on a real live horse, and for an hour, and I was absolutely in love. Already. I begged my mother to let me ride one more time in Vancouver. She agreed, and promised.

If it's one thing about my mom, it's that she keeps her promises. It was the summer after that I got to have my very first riding lesson at a stable in Langley. However, that place teaches in Korean, which got a bit difficult to understand at times. Anyhow, the horse I rode (I still remember her name) was an Arabian mare by the name of Matilda. She was absolutely adorable, and even though I only rode her once for an hour, I got pretty attached to her. Apparently I had a huge Totoro smile on my face during the whole riding lesson, and my mother looked kindly on me. After a few days of begging, I managed to convince my mother to let me ride again. However, due to the distance from Langley to my home, we decided that we would have to find somewhere else to ride.

For a while, I went around just testing out places to ride, from here and there. My weekends were pretty much devoted to trying to find a good stable where a.) the accommodations were good for the horses and b.) the teachers seemed very devoted. For a month, that dragged on. Finally, jackpot! I found my new riding stable.

Mind you , it was still a bit of a drive away from my home, but I really didn't care at that point-- it was perfect. The horses were gorgeous, the teacher strict but very enthusiastic and friendly, and there were lots of kids my age. I was so excited. My very first lesson was with a chestnut horse, Chester. He's the sweetest thing ever, I swear. He's the perfect school horse, calm, okay in pretty much everything, and gentle. He rarely complains, and he's a true sweetheart. After my private lesson, I decided that that was it. I was going to stay at this stable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*End of Part One*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click For Part Two
Click for Part Three
Click For Part Four
Click For Part Five