Boot Camp Day 1

Well, the ponies and I started boot camp today! First, the farrier came out. I am so lucky to have found such a great farrier. He's really wonderful. Both of my horses are barefoot, but Image may need shoes if I don't see improvement this time....

She was a little sore, so I let her have the day off, but Johnny did get worked. I think I got more of a workout than he did. He was a wild man. We did a twenty-five minute flatwork session. We *attempted* to work on staying in a nice frame, but he really was so wound up that it took way more effort of my end. (Johnny is the type of horse that needs to be ridden 6 times a week...he still lets out a playful buck several times throughout a workout)

^^^Johnny before his workout-yay for pretty feet!^^^

^^^Johnny after workout-worn out!^^^

^^^Me after riding Johnny-worn out!^^^
After I rode, I went for a run. I am doing CouchTo5K, but I am doing it in a shorter time period. I am trying to build up my stamina, because Mister Johnny takes a lot out of me!
Anyways, today was day one. I am going again in the morning for day two. It wasn't too hard, and I would recommend it to those of you wanting to get in shape. :)
I am going to weigh at the end of the week. Eeeek!
Did I mention it was 98 degrees today?! It was quite a scorcher-with no breeze. Finally, now that it is getting dark, it is starting to cool off. I need to do a rain dance.
Tomorrow, work begins for the diva mare, and Johnny gets his butt worked in draw reins.

A little introduction :)

Thanks to many posters on COTH, I have decided to blog about the happenings of my horses and myself. To start off, I figure I should say a few things about me. 

My name is Julia Platt. I am 22 years old, and I am a senior (ready to graduate!) at Mississippi State, but I take online classes. I am doing my student teaching at a local elementary school, and I am more than ready to be done with it. Already. (It is very hard to show a lot when you are on such a limited budget!)

I am an Adult Amateur jumper, but I have been riding since I was a toddler. I showed all kinds of events growing up, but spent most of my teenage years training and running barrel horses or showing hunters. When the opportunity came up for me to get Johnny, whom you will be introduced to shortly, in the early fall of 2011, I jumped at the chance. I never thought I would be able to own such a nice horse. Then, when I saw a horse on the Giveaways forum on COTH, I knew, after talking to her owner, that I had to have her. I went and got Image in the fall of 2011.  Armed with my two horses, I decided to take on my passion for showing English once again.

I own my own farm,called Cedar Creek Farm, and I am self trained, though I grew up riding with some amazing instructors. I stopped jumping and showing when I was 12 or 13 to focus on barrel racing and rodeo. We see how that worked out.

I also enjoy music and singing, running, reading, and dancing. I like all music, but Eric Church is probably my favorite. The last book I read was Fifty Shades of Grey, but we won't get started on that.

I am extremely outgoing and loud. Very loud. I am generally always happy. I am brutally honest-I get that from my northern-born mother. I was born in Memphis, TN, and I love that I was able to grow up around the area, due to the number of barns they have (I can assure you I have been to the majority of them!).

 ^^^That would be me^^^

Now, onto the horses. They are way more interesting :)

Johnny Bravo, or Johnny, is a 16 year old Hungarian Warmblood gelding. He is 16.2 hands, which is way bigger than the stocky Quarter Horses I was running barrels on. It was literally love at first sight. Now, you should know that when I went to pick him up, I had not jumped in literally eight years. Johnny was quite the handful, but I knew he was perfect for me. 

^^^This is about two weeks after I got him-he's so handsome^^^

After I got him in shape, I decided to take him to a local show at Hunter's Edge Stables. Not knowing much about entering by myself, you should have seen me trying to learn all the rules of the hunter-world. It was hectic. At our first show, I showed Johnny in the hunters, as it was all I had ever done. Now, Johnny was a Preliminary event horse. You can only imagine how he came to life in the arena-it was like a different horse! I entered the Pre-Adult and Modified Adult hunters, and we pinned really well in the over-fences-just not so much in the under saddle. (Johnny is about the choppiest trotting horse you will ever see!) Then, I entered the Hopeful Jumpers for the heck of it. After messing up in my first class, when I included the jump-off with my first round (see? total novice mistake!), we took first in the Power and Speed round. I knew what our calling was! Johnny was a total pro at the jumpers, and I was hooked. A blue ribbon at our first show? I was tickled. 

^^^Johnny being a hunter :) ^^^

Our next show was the West Tennessee Pony Club at the Germantown Charity fairgrounds-I didn't bother to enter the hunters again. LOL. I entered Johnny in the Level .5 Jumpers, Level 1 Jumpers, and Level 2 jumpers. He was so awesome! We ended up coming home with two firsts and a second. We would have had another ribbon, but since his rider forgot the order, he had to settle for three. 

^^^My best friend Brennen came out to see Johnny and I compete^^^

Next, we went to an Alderwood show, which was again at Germantown. This time, we showed once in the Hopefuls, and showed in Level 1, 2, and 3 jumpers one time. Johnny, of course, was a rockstar. I, on the other hand, rode horrendously. In one of my classes, I ended up losing my stirrups and did the whole course without them. Johnny, of course, did not even care. I ended up winning first or second in all four rounds. 

That show was in October, and it ended up being our last show of the year, because the next one canceled the jumper classes (my luck). 

 ^^^I love this boy!^^^

So, at the year-end banquet, Johnny and I ended up winning the Level 1 Jumpers, were 2nd in the Level 2 Jumpers, and 2nd in the Level 3 jumpers, after only two shows. He ended up winning the High Point Jumper award as well. Yes, my boy takes such good care of me!

 ^^^Johnny's Year-End Awards^^^

Johnny and I took it easy for the rest of the year, and in January we went to an eventing barn and did some work there, where I got to ride a lot of different horses and ponies. It helped my riding a lot, but school got in the way and it made plans change. In the winter, Johnny got the smallest something stuck in his shoulder at the event barn, and had a little operation to find it. My boy had to have some time off, but when we moved back home, he was ready to go back to work. 

In May of 2012, we went to our first rated show: Memphis in May II at Germantown, again.I entered the .85m jumpers as a warm up, and again, lost my stirrups. We finished second to a well known rider. Then I entered the .95m jumpers, and due to my stupidity, we had a rail to place third. Lastly, I entered the 1.0m jumpers, and Johnny did famously, however, I messed up the approach to the same jump and we placed second. Still, it wasn't bad for a last minute-decision show, and we hadn't shown in quite a long time. 

^^^Our stirrupless ride^^^

^^^go Johnny go!^^^

^^^My mom always comes to support me! She's wonderful. ^^^

Johnny and I took the summer off, due to finances (of the joys of being a student!). However, we have a full schedule planned, and I look forward to doing the 1.10m jumpers with him regularly this season.

My goals for next season include taking him to way more rated shows so that we can actually win some money :) He's really just fabulous and has made all of my dreams come true. I am a lucky girl!

Nordic Image, or Image, is my heart horse. She is a 14 year old Holsteiner mare. This girl means the world to me. I have been so fortunate to get her. She is so talented, and I am just beginning to tap into it. 

I got Image off the giveaway board on COTH. She was not sweating in her Florida home, and her owner just loved her so much and wanted the best for her. So, she and I got to talking, and I fell in love with Image before I even saw her. 

When I went to get her, Image was a plump, sassy mare who had been turned out in Kentucky. I brought her home and introduced her to Johnny, who fell in love (it's really quite pathetic, actually...)

^^^When I first unloaded Image off the trailer^^^

Image is quite ornery and mareish, but I know she has so much to teach me. Since she had been off for some time, I took a lot of time just bonding with her and getting her used to being ridden. After a few months, I took Image to an Alderwood show, just to see how she would do. I entered her in a two-foot hunter class, as I was trying to focus more on getting her mentally prepared to go back to the ring. 

She was such a rockstar! She ended up pinning well in the over fences-though they were quite babyish-and did okay in the under saddle (that is definitely NOT her strong suit!). 

^^^Warming up^^^

^^^She's so spiffy^^^

^^^I think she was laughing the whole time.^^^

^^^She's fabulous.^^^

Image handled herself very well-much better than Johnny did when she wasn't with him. We took some time off just to ride and bond some more.

I love my girl so much, and I am so grateful that she is in my life. For this season, I plan on building both of our trusts up. I think she is going to do some  low hunter classes, and maybe up to the .95m jumpers, depending on which way she wants to go. :) Eventually, I would like her to be my Low Adult jumper or local hunter horse. I just want her to be happy :)

^^^My love.^^^

Well, that's it for now. The ponies get their feet done in the morning, and we have boot camp starting-for me, too! That means building my stamina up, and getting them all toned up and pretty looking. Luckily, it doesn't take them near as long as it does me! :)