Random horsey-ness

[ht_murray]

Hmm, so a couple people mentioned a certain J's girlfriend watched golf for him. GOLF! And I was like, yeah. That's sweet. Which reminded me that my hubby watches Dressage for me. I get on these kicks where I watch dressage vids all day long sometimes, and he never tells me to turn them off. He even tries to comment. Though, after 12 years he still doesn't know a piaffe from a passage, which is too cute.

Anyway, this is dressage. And this is the good stuff. Now tell me, if you were not a horse person, would you sit through this for hours on end?

*hums* "The Things We Do For Love."

Comments

[mokibobolink.livejournal.com]

Aw that is pretty nice of him. I mean I used to ride and TEACH Dressage and I still have a hard time sitting through it.

I'm pretty picky though. My trainer had a very strong musical background (she sang and danced) so I learned to get quite an ear for what music works and what doesn't. Now I'm so spoiled that I find it almost painful to watch any ride where the rhythm of the music doesn't match the gait being ridden. *cough*likeinthisvid*cough*

We even hired people to do music for our Quadrille team and we won our State Championships with that ride. So I guess it must've worked.

Still, gotta say, you have quite a good guy there. Anyone willing to sit through that MUST love ya. :o)

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL. I grew up racing barrels and pole bending. All the dressage I know, I learned in college and from watching vids, but it's always enthralled me. Though, I gotta say, the first few times I watched it, I was like... huh, what just happened there? That thing he did with his feet... Ohhhhhhh. LOL. I can't even imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't even get that a canter has leads.

He really is a winner that one. Except when he's pissing me off. But no one's perfect.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of musical freestyle, but I'll sit and watch tests all day long. Of course, I'm a wannabe Dressage rider, so I have some idea of what I'm looking at. I don't know too many people who would watch this without knowing what they were seeing.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Fellow wannabes unite! I can sit and watch tests all day long, but go to a clinic and listen to all the technical stuff for hours on end, I cannot do. I imagine it must be the same for someone who has absolutely no horse knowledge to watch a test. I always think of that movie Sylvester with Melissa Gilbert when then one dude asked what dressage was, and the other said, "It's kinda like watching paint dry."

I love that icon! I need some horsey icons, but alas, I hardly ever make horsey posts since most of my friends are really not interested.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

The horsey in my icon is my 16.3HH TB pony named TJ. (Same for this one too) He's the man... Fabulous horse to learn Dressage on.

I actually love to watch clinics. I used to work for a trainer in CA, so I usually get the lingo - though sometimes the clinician makes no sense whatsoever.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I can't find any pics of my Winchester. He's around 17 h.h., but I don't know. That's just what my friend told me when she sold him to me. I just know he's way bigger than my two fourteen hand Arabians. I know I had pics of my horses in my journal somewhere, but all I could find was this one link to a vid I took last fall.

http://tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com/118522.html#cutid1

And I could probably ride a clinic, but not watch. I get so antsy, especially when they spend half an hour just doing shoulder-in in preparation for the half-pass and then don't ever actually do half-pass. I guess I'm more of a hands-on girl. LOL.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

That's the thing about Dressage, it requires so much patience. I went to a clinic in AZ to watch Walter Zettl and this gal was trying to do flying lead changes and her horse kept bucking. He told her to stop with the changes because the horse wasn't ready - she was pushing him too hard too fast. Dressage requires so much patience - I swear I've had more days than not where I was happy to get a good, solid ride even when I made no progress at all. Just maintaining can be difficult sometimes - of course TJ's tough to ride because he's long backed and truck loads of suspension. He can bounce you right out of the saddle at the working trot. On the other hand, he's light as a feather and can practically bend in half, so at least I'm not riding a heavy horse.

Winchester is cute - nice neck.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I totally get that. Most days I'm happy just getting on and cantering around the pasture, willy nilly. Every horse I had growing up was a speed demon that you just basically held on to for dear life. (Well, obviously that was NOT how to do it, but when you're ten and you just want to ride...) And now that I train my own horses, I love just being able to put them on a loose rein and not have to worry about flying like a kite.

Patience is one thing when you're on the horse, but when you're just watching, you always get the feeling like you could have done it better, ya know? LOL. Totally untrue, but it feels that way. Which is why I like videos.

And Winchester is a giant dork. He was supposely a second level dressage horse. I basically just spent the last year or so feeding him since he was almost skeletal when I got him. And now my work schedule has been all rearrange. But he's definitely got some energy to burn. If only I hadn't sold all my good saddles. *is a dork*

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

I usually have some empathy for the student at a clinic because it's been a long road for me to learn, and I can usually find away to learn something for myself - so I don't mind. I spent an entire hour trying to do shoulder in, once. Seriously. So friggin hard. Dressage is the hardest thing I've ever done on a horse - of course, short of balance, I'm not the most naturally inclined to do this either.

I like to mix things up - Dressage work one day, trail the next, playing ground games another. All Dressage all the time is no good for the horse - they'll learn to hate the work. That's why riding more than one horse is good - you can do Dressage everyday without the horse having to do the same. I'm not in that position anymore, sadly.

[willow-fae-20.livejournal.com]

I made it through about 4 and 1/2 minutes before I switched to another tab. Probably it would be better if I knew what was going on (like the names of the 'steps' the horse was doing). But I totally get the whole 'Things we do...' thing. I sit and listen to The Hubby go on and on about computer stuff, and he'll sometimes read (the non-Porny bits of) stories over my shoulder. Hell, he practically co-wrote a fic with me once (I kept asking him grammatical/characterisation questions).

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess it goes both ways. I mean, I used only to watch Nascar because he wanted to, and now I totally have my faves, (and I kick his ass in any racing game we own). And he totally knows when he says stuff like, "Oh no! I got rear-ended and slammed up against a wall," that I'm going to imply slashy goodness.

I still don't know if I could watch golf, though. *shakes head*

[redheadforever.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd watch it. Gladly.

No, I have no idea what's going on in a technical sense, and being a Noo Yawk Sitty native to whom a waterbug was an exotic creature, horses are just freakin' alien magical!

It's like ice skating -- except instead of him sticking his hand in her crotch to lift her up, she's sittin' on his back and telling him what to do next as he dances around with no blades on his little footies and no fear of runaway Zambonis.

Those two kinda looked like they'd be doin' their routine Russian-style, with the athleticism and synchronization overlaid on a balletic foundation. He looked like he was smiling so many times, I think he must have a very fine sense of horse humor.

But the music still sucks. I watched the vid with my speaker off.

Red
who actually enjoyed it very much!

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Haha, you just reminded me. Hubby and I watch ice skating and gymnastics together, too. But we both liked that from before we knew each other. Apparently he ex-stepdaughter was a gymnast...

LOL at runaway Zambonis. *cracks up*

It really is a fascinating sport. Unlike a lot of other horse disciplines where the horse usually starts under saddle at 2 or 3 years of age and hits his prime in the show ring by seven or so, these horses take years to get to the highest level and longer to get winning marks. It's a lifelong commitment. Almost like marrying a horse. LOL.

But I'm glad you liked it. The first time I ever saw a dressage test I was smitten, but I have always been a horse girl. To me it's everything about horses that I love.

*happy sigh*

[sams1ra.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but nope.
You have a great husband. Go give him cookies!

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Haha. He's usually a winner. But no cookies for him. He can't eat gluten, LOL.

[sams1ra.livejournal.com]

0_o

Chocolate then? *shrugs*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL, nice try.

[chocca2.livejournal.com]

Well that had me for the 6.43 mins. I think I could watch more *nods* Horsies sure are pretty =)

Aww, hubby sounds sweet lol

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Awww, you're sweet. Most people would be bored stiff. *snuggles*

[fufaraw]

I always regretted we never got to Vienna when H was stationed in Germany. But my co-workers pooled to buy me tickets to the traveling Lipizzaners, and H went with me. He couldn't tell what the horses were doing, but he knew they were doing something difficult.

I can't get him to watch televised dressage exhibitions or competitions, though. I only have book-knowledge of horses, never had a chance at hands (or ass)-on. But I love them, and seeing them work. I still have no relatable physical idea how flying lead changes even *work* (I sort of attempt the movements required of the animals so I can get an idea of what they're doing. I never claimed I was rational).

I have a serious hate-on for competitive point-to-point, though.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL, I used to run around doing my own flying changes and things, too. We actually had an instructor in college who used to use her own body to demonstrate complex movements. It was fun to watch even if it didn't QUITE translate under saddle.

I don't really understand the judging system at all. I know how to diagram an arena and breakdown a test by movement but how they're scored, I have no clue. In most cases, though, the winner is usually hands above the rest, anyway, so it's not that hard to figure out what they're looking for.

[tigremere.livejournal.com]

I could watch horses all day. Do anything. My husband on the other hand not so much...He will call me to the TV if he is flipping channels and sees a horse.
Give your husband a hug. Then give Winchester a hug for me. I am glad to hear that you still have your yard ornaments. I am getting closer and closer to getting one myself.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Aww, Winchester is getting lots of hugs. He's getting all shiny and fat now that most of his coat is shed out.

I hope you get your own soon! I want pictures!