More on Koffee

Coffee has been doing great! He is now being used more frequently in our practices even though it is towards the end of the year. Oh, it is so sad that it is the end of the year and that we are losing seven amazing girls, but I wish them luck with their futures. You guys will accomplish everything.

Back to Koffee. Since he is now being ridden more, we are doing more to make sure he stays sound. That means we are putting him on the Theraplate at the barn before or after every ride. We place Koffee on the Theraplate for 10 minutes to help with his navicular in his hind legs. The Theraplate helps increase circulation, decreases lameness, pain relief and also improves joint health and function. If you are interested in a Theraplate for your horse(s), click here.

Koffee doesn't mind the Theraplate as long as he can eat something, something means hay.

This guy is so photogenic, I love it. All these photos are taken on my phone through the camera or my SnapChat. 

We mainly worked on trotting, getting his neck to stretch and we worked on a little canter work. He enjoys being able to stretch his neck down and out, this resulted in a smooth trot. He seemed good cantering to the left, but to the right he was a bit stiff and kept throwing his head to he outside. During that, I had to consistently half halt his head to the inside, which resulted in the canter becoming a bit smoother. He likes go to the left as opposed to the right. We all have our preferred direction/hand.

He was so happy to be working more though. I enjoy riding him because of his love for work. He is a great boy and sometimes I wish he was an actual guy. He would be the golden boyfriend. Koffee is tall, handsome, a sweetie and a ladies man. But he loves to work and he works hard. Maybe that's why we girls love horses so much? We call them our boyfriend.

Film Review: Woman in Gold

This was a fabulous film. I recognized a few of the actors and actresses that I have seen in the tabloid and in tv shows like Game of Thrones. 

I have been a huge fan of Helen Mirren since I saw her in The Queen and Red, she is a timeless and extraordinary actress. Paired with Ryan Reynolds, the lead roles were very strong and they had great chemistry. Ryan Reynolds is one of my favorite actors, loved him in The Proposal.

I enjoyed the film because it was very similar to Monuments Men. Ever since I took that art history class during fall quarter, I developed a huge love for the history and culture behind a timeless piece of art. Woman in Gold is truly timeless and breath taking and it tells the story of when the Nazis came in and took all the valuable pieces of art from the homes of the Jewish people in Austria. I'm a big history geek and the Holocaust is one of my favorite times in history because it was apart of World War II and it is a time that is simply unforgettable. 

If you love history and art, this is a film for you! 

A Pet Owner's Nightmare

I was out walking MudLynn since I came home for Memorial Day Weekend, and I encountered a woman who in fact had a very rude tone about how my dog was pooping in her front yard.

Now, I have done some research about the dangers of dog feces, but this woman didn't have to take that tone with me. Trust me, I clean up after my dog all the time. I don't want to be the cause of someone's stinky and icky shoe. However, a dog's feces could contain parasites such as whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms, which can (if left unattended) cause contaminate the water, soil, and can even cause infection in both pets and humans (especially children). 

Also, it can contaminate water ways such as creaks and rivers when combined with the run off, and it can eventually pollute our drinking water.

So please, when you're out walking; pick up after your pet and help preserve our earth.

The Week Ahead

Outside my window… The weather is cool but windy.

I am thinking… about my summer job and moving into the apartment and summer.

I am thankful… That I have an awesome trainer and awesome parents.

From the dining hall/kitchen… I am having some hot chocolate.

I am hearing… The clicking of keys as my fingers type on my Macbook and Netflix.

I am watching/listening… Grey's Anatomy.

Always one of my favorite things… is watching Netflix and riding.

I am reading… Nothing.

I am making… Nothing.

I am writing… This blog post!

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week… Today - I have class and barn duties. Tuesday - I have no classes, meetings with my lab teacher, finance teacher and one with my advisor; I also had a riding lesson today. Wednesday - I have Personal Finance and my Biology class, French is cancelled. Thursday - all I have that day is my Biology lab and I am going to hit the gym that day in the morning. Friday - I have barn duties in the morning then French and Biology. After Biology, I am going home for Memorial Day weekend, so that means I am off Sunday and Monday - thanks to my trainer. She is the best.

MudLynn Update… I can't wait to see MudLynn on Friday! I am lacking her cuddles right now.

College Update… I am so jealous of the semester kids because they are out of school and I have a few more weeks left.

Riding Update… Riding is going really well. We are slowly gaining one of our horses back into training (team practices really). Koffee has his vet check Wednesday!

Why Community College is Sometimes a Good Start-Off

I just recently read this article on Pop Sugar about a girl who went to community college and saw it as something positive than negative and I completely agreed with her.

I went to community college for a few reasons. Although I did achieve good grades in high school, graduated with honors, and got accepted into the university I wanted to go to; the university wasn't a good fit for me.

Now, I didn't get my AA or AS, I only went for two semesters but it was enough for me to do in order to get into the university I am at right now.

1. It was a way to be closer to home. While some young adults want to go away to college far from home, it didn't work for me. I like being near my mom and dad, it was my comfort area. I wasn't hundreds to thousands of miles away from them when I went to community college. I was living at home, eating home cooked food and going to school.

2. It made me get up because I had to drive to class rather than walking. I might as well add that I had my parents as an additional alarm clock, but I did use my phone a lot. But, it made me get ready to drive to class.

3. It made me use the library during my breaks. Since I had short breaks in between classes, I stayed on the campus and went to the library to do homework. I am actually going to do this again next fall when I have a break in-between two classes. That way I don't waste time. I would go home after classes and have no homework because I would have had it all done.

Community college is great for those who don't know what they want to do because they can get all of their prerequisites done early before they decide what they want to be in life. It definitely helped me figure out what I wanted to do and also what college I wanted to transfer to. I now go to Western Washington University, majoring in Therapeutic Recreation, minoring in Journalism and riding/competing with the WWU IHSA Riding Team.

Riding Koffee

Friday's for me are stall cleaning days, but today my trainer said I could ride Koffee. If you didn't know, Koffee was one of our team practice horses up until I believe winter quarter when he got lame.  Now, he has gotten better and my trainer is letting me help get him back into shape and soundness. He was a little off when I rode him yesterday so I just worked him at the walk doing leg yields, shoulder in, haunches out, and getting his poll down below his withers.

Today, we were able to do some trotting in addition to our walk exercises. Going to the left, he was good, but to the right he was still a bit stiff/off. However, once we did more laps of trotting to the right, he was moving with ease. He worked really well at getting and keeping his poll below his withers and I am so proud of him. Koffee just loves to work. 

It was a good morning and I hope I have more of these before the quarter ends. I look forward to next fall even more. 

Summer and Fall are Fast Approaching

Gosh, it is crazy that I only have about 30 days left in school (plus weekends). I start fall registration next Tuesday, which is even crazier because I have been making so many types of schedules to make them do-able for when MudLynn lives with me. Did I mention that she will be living with me up here in Bellingham next year? Well, she well be! I can't wait to get on a daily routine when she is with me. I am also changing my major from Journalism to Therapeutic Recreation.

Oh! And I also now have a roommate in the apartment! Her name is Hannah, and she is a friend of my friend Courtney who lives on campus. She got to meet MudLynn at the beginning of the month and they were great. I think MudLynn approves of the roommate choice. ;)

From when she came to college earlier this month!

To end this post, I have finally found a summer job. It took weeks of applying and interviews and I finally found the one where they appreciate and value my skills. I will be working close to home at a Girl Scout camp as a wrangler in the riding program. I am super excited! The riding director said that I could bring my English tack and ride on my off days. She was so nice when we talked on the phone.