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Zephyrra — Baby, It's Cold Outside
Published: 2011-12-25 16:56:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 1017; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 0
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Description
3RD PLACE!OH MY GOOSENESS. Last. Entry.
I'm finally done with this show!
Plus this is the first fully shaded picture I've done of Avery!Horse: MegaStyle
Rider: Aubrie Collins
Class: Western Pleasure (shown at the jog)
Show: =crazykate1 's Winter Wonderland Western Show [link]
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Comments: 391
That's not a problem.. :3
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Beautiful horse! I love the slightly varnished feel to his appie blanket and the way his spotting is still chestnut while he's greyed
Do you use a brush for your snow? That's what makes me completely adore this picture - I have a soft spot for well done winter wonderlands
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Thank you so much! I absolutely love this horse, I have a huge soft spot for classic champagne horses.
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Welcome
Champagne! That's what he is - It just clicked XD. I do think they look amazing, I'm just not a fan of light eyes in horses. Even so - he's gorgeous.
And thank you! I'll go check out those brushes 
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That is like me, actually. I had a loan horse with both eyes brilliant blue. Strangely, he was cute, not creepy, but in general, that makes me twitchy XD
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Same here! I guess it just depends. I love hazel eyes though, Cigar has one brown eye and one hazel eye and it looks gorgeous on him, for example.
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I haven't seen many horses with hazel eyes...I'll have to find me some pictures 
Have you heard of...I think they're called 'Tiger eyes' which are almost a golden colour? They only crop up on select breeds and aren't common, but on a photograph I saw, they looked really amazing.
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Oh, they're pretty gorgeous sometimes. Sometimes they look funky, but generally they're gorgeous.
Oooh, no! They sound gorgeous, I'll have to look it up!
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Save you looking it up 
They were posted by someone else on a jounal here on DA that I found. You can find the journal here, if you want: [link]
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Oooh, they're gorgeous! Thanks!
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Sure thing. They can look quite nice, I think
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Oh, they really are beautiful. It's such a unique color!
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Oooh, I'll have to check that out...
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Yes, definitely do 
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So far Timekins are my only exception, but there may another in the future. For now, I just want to fill my stable with Arabians
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That's kind of where I'm going. I've got a few horses I like so now I just want to focus on drawing them than adding to them.
As far as Pintabians go, I'm quite picky. Some look stunning but others I'm just not fond of. (Though I can be fairly picky with all horses, so maybe that's not saying much XD).
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Yeah, I agree. Not to mention I've been getting really into art that has absolutely nothing to do with horses, so it might just be a little sporadic.
Oh, I know. I've always loved the black ones, with neat little white stockings and no blazes or bald faces.
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I do that now and then; I'll draw nothing but horses and then, for no reason at all, anything but XD. Summer 2011 I spent literally weeks drawing the same two human characters of mine over and over, along with dogs, cats, trees 
And I adore true non-fading blacks, but solid ones without any markings best. I shy from the bald/apron faces. I've never actually had a favourite colour, though. There's a few that are high on my list, but not one that stands out.
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Oh, I'm the same way. I love all sorts of colors, but honestly I can't pick just one.
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It makes a change, I s'pose. In school horses were all I drew and the teacher got annoyed XD. That's partly why I dropped the subject.
Yeah, again coz of the light eyes thing, the only colours I don't like are double dilution creams (cremello, perlino and smokey) I have a huge soft spot for birdcatcher spots
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Yeah, I can see that. I used to ONLY draw horses but I've been really trying to challenge myself lately.
I completely agree! I LOVE duns too, that and single cream dilutes. And fleabitten grays...
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Challenge is good. I sort of got into it the first time I drew something - out of free will
I do like duns - leg barring is adorable - and palomino horses can look so stunning. And omigod! XD I love fleabitten greys! One of the ones high on my favourite list. Especially if they have bloody shoulder. Rose greys I think look incredible, too.
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Oh, I totally agree. I'm doing gridding and self-portraiture in charcoal in Drawing and Painting class right now, and it's REALLY helped as far as HARPG art goes.
OH, I know! I love grays SO much. My sister's gelding is fleabitten, and he was rose gray as a youngster, and my trainer said he was one of the prettiest shades of rose gray she's ever seen.
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I've never really tried charcoal. I think it can add great feeling to work, though. I've tried watercolours and that didn't end so well most times
And wow! Rose and fleabitten in one horse 
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Oh, it's SO fun. It's so much softer than graphite, and I love how it feels on paper.
Yeah, he grayed out from chestnut and then got his fleabitten spots as he aged. Here he is, he's a purebred Arab but his conformation makes him look sort of like a Quarab or something, not to mention he's 27 in March: [link]
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Wow; you've tried a lot of stuff!
I'm with you on watercolours. Not enough control for me XD.
And I love that horse! Dandy? Is that right? Love that plait in his forelock
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Hahaa, yeah, the benefits of a majorly art-based schedule...
Right? I can't stand how much they move around, I'm much more into things like acrylics that you ca get into the little details with.
Haha, thanks! Yep, that's Dandy, he's ancient but in awesome shape. He's done so much, he's a great horse for my sister.
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Art does conform nicely to a hectic life, doesn't it?
Yup - I'm gonna have to have a go with oils and acryllics soon - after my exams, maybe - I just dread having no Photoshop layers
And Dandy does look like a 'done it all and still going' type schoolmaster
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Oh, that it does!
Oh, they're so fun. I just love painting, it's really difficult when you first start and it's hard to figure out how to blend but once you get the hang of it, it gets SO much easier.
Yeah, he kind of is. He's well-trained but stubborn, so he can be a bit bipolar. But we're very much the same skill level, just different lengths of time riding and whatnot, but she's a very different rider and he's great for her style.
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I'll take your word for it about the painting
'Well trained but stubborn' sounds good. A bit of fun but doesn't ride like a plank of wood XD. It must be nice to be on a fairly even skill level, though - people I ride with are all over the grid so its difficult to find something we all want to do, can do and will find challenging.
I'm a really laid back rider, generally speaking. I'm usually told off for letting my reins go too loose and I'm glad I found the Arabian gelding I did, coz he seemed to like the light contact. I'm glad your sister found a horse great for her
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Yeah, exactly!
That's how I like 'em!
I'm pretty laid back as well, but I'm the opposite with my reins. My gelding tends to trip a lot and he gets on his forehand way too much, so I have to pick him up with my hands and keep him forward with my legs and seat. I'm pretty picky about frame.
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Yeah, I don't click too well with mentally slow horses. Ones that you can see thinking for themselves and really working with you are the best. I rode a stuffy welshie a while back that fixed so badly on the right rein that he practically just turned in circles. He didn't listen to aids, or soften in any way and just tanked and I was going spare trying to get him to connect and think things through for himself.
And my college instructor sounds like your trainer. There's only five of us in the class, but there's two really good riders, one pretty 'basic'/pony club level one then me and one other girl who are between them. Our instructor loves the two at the top and is always chatting with them. The rest of us, she just treats like we're idiots. I just got annoyed with trying to change it, so I just deliberately act like I know nothing half the time
It sounds like you ride your gelding a lot like I end up riding if I'm on a horse that does go onto the forehand. If I'm on a horse that is quite green or honestly has no idea what 'frame' means, I'm not picky and I just get them forward (there's a lot like that at college because careless riders ruin them) but if I get on a horse that I *know* is capable, then I do get after them about it.
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Yeah, I can't stand that. I like independent minds, that way communicating is much easier.
Ugh I HATE that. My trainer is really show-oriented, and she treats my friend like freaking Jesus just because she goes to the barn more. I actually don't have time to be at the barn every stinking day, thank you very much, so just because I have a life means I get the short end of the stick. I'm stuck riding just Mo and barely getting by with no training since my mom can't afford lessons right now, and this other girl gets to ride all these amazing horses and breaks three-year-olds, and gets free lessons. Just because she does stalls. She gets paid on top of it, too. Not to mention I placed at least 6 places ahead of her in almost every class this show season...
Yeah, that's exactly how I am. We tend to be pretty strict with who rides what horse, so they don't get too bipolar. My trainer has her horses that only she rides, then we have the leased-out horses, and the boarded horses. Then there's Flabaskaa the lesson pony, who's the horse every little kid rides for lessons at one point or another.
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Definitely agree there. The Arabian I nearly owned was independent enough XD...even if independent meant we didn't walk on the side of the school that had slivers of sunlight showing through the kickboards. He was convinced they were out to get him, but at least I knew he was paying attention
And It sounds like you know what I mean. You have my sympathies. We seem to be in the same boat as far as trainers are concerned. I just feel like I can't win with mine; if I do something, she'll ask why I did it and that I didn't need to/shouldn't have. Next time, I won't do it and she'll look at me like I've announced my car is made out of spoons and ask why I haven't and that I should have known to. Argh!
Rant over...
There's some horses on the yard that the staff are strict about but most of them are just used by anyone. Simple truth, it's a student yard, all the horses on it have to be used by students (its in the policy) and they want to get the allowed hours a week out of each horse. So many go lame or get foul to handle because of people who aren't appropriate.
We do have a resident superstar, though. Bob the cob. Everyone gets on him from the top riders for jumping and cross country to the disabled riders for a slow plod around the indoor school. He's an angel for anyone - absolutely worth his weight in gold. Just not as much fun as some of the brats
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Hahaa, I know the feeling! We have SO many like that...
Yeah, I hate that. My trainer seems to be really bipolar with her students, she's such an amazing teacher and she literally taught me everything I know about riding (aka not the science part) but she's really rude sometimes and she can be sarcastic, and you don't know what's supposed to be serious and what's not. She plays favorites big time too, that's why I hate having group lessons because I hardly get anything for my money, and she'll just concentrate on the better rider, which is usually my one friend. I haven't had a lesson in months though, and it's really coming back to bite me in the butt.
Awhh, that's gotta be difficult. Although that horse sounds like a pure genius of an animal, don't we all wish we had one like that!
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I'm so jealous of all your Arabians, lol. But yes; we worked in 3/4 of a school quite frequently. Don't even start on running through dressage tests 
Still my favourite horse I've ever ridden. I don't think any other horse will change that in a hurry. He honestly left a mark -- It was over 3 years ago and I remember the exact moment I first saw him, and the time I was told he was for sale...
My teacher isn't sarcastic, but the rest sounds familiar. But she's an accredited BSJA coach so she thinks she's fantastic. The morbidly hilarious part, is that even though she gets involved with the better riders in our group, they've both said they don't think she's a good teacher, either. So it's not like her favouritism is paying off!
I pay for riding lessons away from college but I don't have a lot of opportunity to just ride and experiment now. I wish I did because I think lessons are vital - as you're apparently working out - but it's also necessary to have the time to yourself without interference so you can see what works for you and what doesn't. If that makes sense?
Yeah; kinda awkward. One of my favourite horses (nothing tops the Arabian gelding but this guy comes close) was there for a few weeks and he's already on box rest. I knew him when he was a baby and he's only recently returned. If staff actually allocated horses better, they wouldn't keep pulling up lame, is my guess.
And Bob is just wonderful. I don't know who bred him, or how they got such a wonderful result, but the yard wouldn't be the same without him. I'm sure a lot of yards have an equivalent; it's just because we have an onside Disabled riding group that a few horses with that dispostion are necessary.
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Hahaa, that does not sound fun... luckily my barn is a small one so our teensy arena is usually empty, which makes it easy to close the doors and use the room to your advantage.
That's exactly how Mo is for me. He's my world, I have no idea what I'm going to do once he's gone. But he really is something special. I knew him even before anyone bucked up enough to get on him, and I was the first one to show him since his dressage years. I pretty much retrained him for hunters.
Hahaa, how ironic... 
Yeah, that makes complete sense. That's why I tend to quiet down on lessons during the winter so I can have that time to bond with my horse. I take a lot of lessons during show season when I need it most.
Wow, that sucks... We had a horse like that, you couldn't ride him more than twice a week or he'd have to be on stall rest for a month because his feet were just so bad.
Yeah, he sounds fantastic. Horses like that are really something special, I love them to death.
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Our doors close fine - the building's just shoddy so light gets in through the walls XD. Better than the outdoor school, though - it's very windy and you get smacked in the face with branches as you ride past.
And it's great you and your sister both found horses you really click with and learn from. You and Mo must have a unique understanding if you re-schooled him, too. The horse I nearly bought was called Simon (who looked like a girl - something not helped by his abundance of lilac rugs
(If you were interested - old pictures of him: [link] (excuse the girly curls, he'd just been unplaited) and [link] (Yes, that's me nearly 4 years ago 
And I've never actually seen my teacher ride, so she could be amazing. Either way, her coaching skills need work (she clearly doesn't think so). And unfortunately, that seems to be the nature of the equine world. People can be incredibly nice, but there's a lot that are ruthless, backstabbing, petty and even bitchy. It's kind of why I want a break. I'll own an Arabian one day, but I just don't want to be working on a yard anymore like I have at college for 4 years.
And I like your lesson plan - stocking up on lessons before show season. I like the idea of quiet, peaceful winters at your own pace
I'm sorry about the horse you had with bad feet. Must've been interesting, if not tough. The one I was talking about is usually fine though - clearly something just tipped him over the edge this time.
(Again, if you're interested, this is Foxy: [link] (taken 3 years ago, he was 3) [link] (and he's nearly 6 in this - though still baby-faced 
Lastly - wow! you got to do a reining spin?!
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Hahaa, oooh, never fun. Our indoor is nicely built, but it's small, so we're constantly cramped in there unless you ride alone. Our outdoor is nice and big, but we have terrible footing so I can't ride Mo out there unless he's shod for the show season, or the footing is a little wet.
Yeah, we're really close. He once stood over me while I sat in his stall for 2 hours at our county fair when the show got rained out. He's GORGEOUS though, I'm sorry you had to let him go.
Yeesh, that's awkward.
Haha, yeah, pleasure riding and winter trail rides are always fun.
Yeah, he just has really bad feet, we don't know why. We just sold him though, because we were hardly using him and he was getting out of shape. He was a nice horse, if only his feet were better.
Oooh, he's SO cute! I usually don't love ponies in general either, but he is adorable.
Hahaa, yup! She was a neck-reiner too, so one hand on the reins, other hand on the mane, I was fine! Not to mention her big ol' Quarter Horse back made it easy to stay on. She had a cute jog too, but there was another mare there whose jog was just like floating on air. I loved her, she was such a sweetie!
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What sorta surface does your outdoor have?
And our indoor is a standard 40x20 dressage arena size, but that can get manic with more than 7 people - especially if some of them don't know the rules for passing etc.
He stood over you?
Thanks, too. Sai really was a gorgeous horse and one of my teachers who was responsible for him and selling him even thought I was good for him, but my parents aren't all that horsey, and he failed a vetting. That meant insurance problems so my dad said no.
I'd love to watch her ride and find out XD. Then she'd get annoyed if we saw her do anything wrong and called her on it. She's just one of these people that likes things done, done now, done fast and done her way.
And Show Moms would be a hit! 
A barn with less stress is always nice. With the college yard, the least stress is early summer, just before the end of the academic year. All the horses practically live out, so there's fewer chores and students are happier working when it's sunny. Winter is their rough time; everyone's cold and fed up and bogged down with work because modules change over. All the horses are in, so the yard's frantic, too. But that is a college yard - most places are different; especially show barns.
Could your horse have taken well to corrective shoeing? Or was it a genetic thing?
And thanks again - Yeah, I'm generally not fond of Welshies or cobby types but because I helped back him and really got to know him, I just fell in love with him. So cheeky but he just tries so hard to please people.
And a neck reiner to boot! 
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It's dirt, but it's really hard, dusty, and rocky. It's almost like sand and dust mixed together, with a bunch of rocks. We can't afford actual footing but it works just fine for what we do.
Yeah, I hate that. That's why I hate riding when some little kids have a lesson and stuff. Ours is actually a little smaller than that, I think... it can only hold about 3 or 4 horses comfortably, then it gets crazy.
Yep, hahaa! It was cute, he just abandoned his hay to chill with me. And it's especially sweet because horses do that in the wild to herd mates who are sick, sleeping, etc. to protect them.
Awhh, that's never fun. I know personally I could never own a horse until I'm out of college because my parents just won't have it.
Hahaa, I'd watch it! It's crazy, some people I know are just so nice, and I could trust them with anything, but some are just crazy insane and selfish to no end.
I totally agree, that's why I try to go on Sundays when nobody's there. Or Thursday, that's my trainer's day off. I can picture that though, that's usually the most stressful for us because it's the beginning of show season and everybody's scrambling to catch up on training.
I'm pretty sure we tried that, I think he was worst before I actually knew something about equine science so I don't know off the top of my head.
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Yeah, unfortunately, school surface ain't cheap. We had horrible dusty stuff in our indoor the first year I was there - but that was the opposite. You sank into it so it just dragged on the horses and made everything feel lethargic.
I love it when people understand and appreciate herd instinct like that
And Show Moms could prove interesting; one of my teachers is really into her showing and I think she's a really nice person and good at what she does. A couple of my friends, though, really hate her and think she's testy and biased etc. I guess that just shows that different people see things differently. I personally would trust her, but I have met some really over the top people and especially when they're pushing their kids, I just really want to knock some sense into them
Just the huge difference of a college yard and a working barn, I guess. Everything closes up with us for the summer holidays and that's when you go nuts
At least your horse went to a place where he'll get some kind of one-on-one, or at least some more variety in his life. I find that I think about horses I knew a long time ago and wince about how little I knew XD. I look back and can think of all the things I could've done different. At least it shows you're learning
I was saying to someone else not long ago - bratty ponies are the best
And you didn't ride Mo before you leased him? Did you just look at him and know he was the right one? A horse I rode a few years ago was quite slender and had so much wither I was amazed the saddle didn't get sawed in half. In our lesson, we had to do a sitting trot with no stirrups.
...
...
I have no idea how I stayed on for 45 minutes
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Yeah, I hate that kind of footing. The footing in the outdoor at our county fairgrounds absorbs water so badly, there would be huge puddles after just a teeny shower. And our indoor arena at my barn has the dustiest footing, it's a thin layer but it has to be watered literally at least four times a day.
UGH, I know... I saw some lady at a show once who yelled at her daughter for unloading her horse from the trailer because apparently the horse hadn't had its stall filled with shavings yet. It was ridiculous!
Hahaa, yeah, I can see that. It's so funny how different it is!
Yeah, he's going to a great home, so hopefully they'll take good care of him there. LOL, but I remember the day when my sister's horse got a tiny cut on his fetlock, and I freaked out, took all his vitals, and pressed snow on it for 10 minutes... oh, how trivial I was.
I looove bratty horses, what fun are push-button horses? They're fun for maybe the first ride or so, but you learn nothing from them.
Well, I knew hm for a year before I ever rode him. It's actually kind of an interesting story, looking back on it. When he came to the barn he was so wild, nobody could get on him without being thrown off. His stall was on of the only ones with an open front, so before every lesson, every Friday afternoon, I'd spend a little while petting him and giving him treats, just because I thought he was pretty and I liked his spunk. After a while we got pretty close, and finally one day in the summer I had to ride him because my normal lesson horse was lame. As soon as I got on I knew he was the one for me. A week later my mom surprised me with a half-lease as a late birthday present, and we've been inseparable ever since. 
*phew* Rant over.
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Whew, sorry it's taken ages to answer - my night has been hectic!
Anyway...
Its so amazing that his old owner was so invested in him that he cried because you love him so much. And the fact that you take notice and do things he likes probably helps your relationship a lot
Yeah, I've seen several people yelled at by mothers (or fathers) for the most idiotic things. Worse than that, though, is to hear parent's telling their children where they went wrong if they rode a dressage test, or did a clear round jump course...I just want to smack them and say 'they did good, they tried, and you should be encouraging them, not tearing them down!'
Good that he'll get some TLC at his new home
There was a bit of a horror story up at the yard a couple of years back. A huge horse - warmblood type - called Patrick was found in the field having broken his hind leg. It was a compound fracture; the bone cleanly snapped and it was an open wound. His leg was - apparently, still attached just by skin and a few muscle fibres/tendons. A friend of mine was there and actually found him. Within minutes she was essentially running the yard and managing the students because all the yard staff were down in the field. They found him within 3 hours of doing it; somewhere I've been told that for the first 3 hours, shock covers up the pain. After that, the pain comes through and they die of that before blood loss. Either way, Patrick was out of it and they had to put him down on the spot. It was a horrible accident and I just think that If I have doubts with what I'm doing if a horse comes in with an open cut on their leg, I'd be a wreck If I ever had to deal with a compound fracture!
Push button ponies can be fun now and then - especially for nervous riders who need some confidence before they start to branch out, but in general, I agree. You need a challenge in order to learn something.
I love your story of how you found Mo! I didn't know he was almost a lost case when you met him; do you know why he was so reluctant to be ridden? I just think it's amazing all you had to do was get on him and know. I'd love to find that one day
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Oh, I know, he was such a nice guy and you could really tell he loved that horse. He was blind too, so he told me about how they would go on trail rides every day and Mo would just lead him around, and then take him back home when he asked him to. It was so great to meet him, it really made me realize I had one heck of a horse.
UGH, I know, it's ridiculous! I've seen both ends of it too, one mother I knew was so obsessive that she once spent 10 minutes taking pictures of her son and his horse after a class, and he got dead last and almost fell off. Either be encouraging, or don't, but stop trying to make of it what it isn't!
That's just terrible! 
Hahaa, I know, right? Sometimes to need that to tell you what you should be aiming for. But for the most part, a challenge is always a learning experience.
Hahaa, I know, right? It's kind of cute, looking back on it. I think it was just that he hadn't been ridden in so long, and he was scared to be going to a new place. Like I said, his old owner loved him to death but just couldn't take care of him anymore, so sold him to our barn. He must've been a bit scarred from that, too. (
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