Creatures of Brazil: Phase 6

A trip to Brazil isn’t complete without the awe of seeing so many cool critters. We did see the larger capybara at the airport in Sao Paulo, but no photos sadly as we were whizzing by on a bus too fast to capture it!

Meet Mr. Agouti!

Otherwise you will have to feast your eyes on these little guys: the agouti.

Much smaller than the capybara, the agouti- also referred to as the ‘common agouti’- sidenote does anyone find it strange they refer to these cool and unique animals as ‘common’? Like the ‘common’ marmoset I posted about earlier?

They look like weird guinea pigs and are actually related to them but have longer legs and can pick things up with their front paws and sit on haunches, much like squirrels. In a large park in the middle of Rio, there were about a thousand of them. I’m not kidding. The park was absolutely crawling with agouti…homeless people…about a 100 cats…Ibis…and geese? They are apparently very fast and pretty good swimmers. They are also regarded as one of the only animals that can open Brazil nuts! Funny eh?

Like squirrels at a feeding station.

It was a very strange and unusual experience for us.

Look carefully at the top of the trees.

They all existed more or less in harmony? There was food put out for the animals in food stations, so I guess the city or whoever is okay with this little animal kingdom happening. In Costa Rica, the agouti are incredibly shy and I never saw one in the two times I visited. Go to the middle of a huge city and there they are! All over!

There they are! Ibis on a mating display.

 

Still hope for the quiet heart

Had a casual hack on Oats yesterday, to stretch our legs and see how things are after our dressage lesson. I’m taking today’s jumping lesson off due to a work event at night, so an easier week for Oats.

Oats looking cute in Feb.

We warmed up pretty nicely, and cruised over some poles. I wanted to work on getting the canter (it was an ok canter) on the spooky side. We did drop it a few times when I forgot what I was doing…But he picked it up, and was fairly chillaxed and amenable to the pole work. I then trotted over an insultingly small x-rail to a pole (I think it was normally five strides, but the trot-in approach ended up with six) and he seemingly picked up the wrong lead on the landing EVERY time. Hargumph.

Official beginning of summer: Nemo makes a reappearance!

Also, he decided that because the x-rail was so small, he could stumble over it instead of jumping it. Sighhh…

But, overall a laid-back and casual ride. Maybe I’m starting to feel more like myself again? My legs were BURNING though. I actually pulled Oats to a stop after a canter because I literally couldn’t support myself in the saddle! I can’t remember the last time my legs hurt that much, just so so tired and aching and sore. It was crazy!

My legs were just so ridiculously tired. I felt like my bones were full of sand.

I kind of felt like I was trudging to work today- not sure why my legs are so full-on tired this week, ugh, but I hope they snap out of it by next week. C’mon body, work with me!

The dude. Photo courtesy of Natasha K.

I’ve been sharing a lot with the other riders at my barn about my equine wellness approach, and it makes me think: Is it possible to change my mindset about jumping and showing? Can I change? It feels impossible to me, I’ve held this way of being for so long. Feeling something else seems like it will never happen.

I’ve also been thinking- maybe taking the showing down a BIG step is helpful to me. Now I have like, 2 shows this summer instead of 10. Baby steps?

Throwback Thursday: Thanksgiving 2013

Yes, because I’m in a strange mood today and am throwing back only a few years to Thanksgiving!

I love you this much!

Also- I had an interesting ride on Oats yesterday. It was good (working on practicing with a neckstrap) and bad (losing my temper at some brief lateral work, Oats contemplating being a shit at the gate). It taught me that when things are going well, don’t push it so hard! Jesus! Haha, well I have been getting much better with ‘letting it go’ and yesterday was just a reminder of what happens when I forget, and start pushing him too hard…

Cutie Oats

Anyways, some photos of Oats and I- circa 2013~

Throwback Thursday: Riding up North

So I know I’ve mentioned before, but I did a stint up in Whitehorse for a few years. Riding in the Yukon was a pretty different experience, let me tell you! (Or better yet, here are some photos to show you instead!)

Horse show lineup in Whitehorse

Also some sad news, my grandfather passed away yesterday. I’m sad that he went so quickly, but I am glad that he is no longer suffering.

The Yukon had 1 horse show when I rode up there- the annual Whitehorse horse show. It was held by the Yukon Horse & Rider Association. They held everything from dressage, to western, to games, to hunter/jumper. Sometimes I was really impressed by the skill, mostly others I was horrified for people’s lives. Particularly the jumping…Yikes. The lack of practice really showed, and took a toll on some of the horse/rider combinations. Mine too actually! There aren’t that many trainers up North, and the ones that were up there could be a little…rustic.

Josie in the Whitehorse horse show

I rode two horses- Yukon (or Cool, can’t remember) a tough little Fjord cross, and Josie, a tough big appy. Fun horses, and I had a fun time at the show! I recall we even placed in a few of our classes…seconds and thirds, I believe? They had a great swag bag of stuff, and I won a gift certificate of $25 in the draw for the local feed shop.

Jumping ‘Cool’ at the Whitehorse horse show

Whitehorse at the time didn’t have a tack shop, just the feed store and the pet food store that also stocked select horse items. The cashier at the feed store tried to sell me on ‘Muck Boots’ as okay for riding…Yeah have you seen how big the footbed is? I don’t think so!!

Pairs class: Whitehorse horse show

Ah well, good memories!

Third place pairs class: Whitehorse horse show

Cool Rummings- Lesson update, and weekend plans!

So, Tuesday was our regularly scheduled lesson with Karen Brain. I was ready. Or so I thought…I’m usually ready to get my ass kicked around the ring by her, but I was feeling pretty tired by the time the lesson came around and my resolve started wilting…

But no matter! We did a lot of ‘controlled’ work, ie- controlling Oats’ every body movement, including bend and pace around a circle and over trot poles. Interestingly, once we were through the poles, Oats wants desperately to lift his head, and TANK off.

“Bend? How about FORWARD!” He said to me. “Wrong answer, but nice try. More bend, pretzel up, bend, curve, slower,” is what I said.

So, it was challenging. He looked like a giraffe. My arms felt so tired!

Oats protests bending at the canter

After each trot circle over the poles, we worked harder at maintaining more of a ‘shoulder-in’ bend. And we took the show on the road too- large around the whole ring. GOD that was tough- it was like left-right-left-right fall in-fall out, ARGH.

He was being kind of jerky about it, because it was challenging. That’s ok. I told Karen I felt like we didn’t have any real ‘good’ steps, and she said actually we did- but that this stuff is HARD for Oats. And did I feel tired? My arms ache? That means I was mentally present during the whole ride, and that is also a small ‘win’ for us. Building mental stamina and ‘staying present’ instead of drifting is something we really struggle with.

More cooperative over the poles

So, even if it feels ugly, hell, looks ugly, something good is happening.

Oh and my weekend update? Surfing in Tofino and quite possibly attending the Otalith music festival! Hells yeah! I leave tomorrow morning and won’t be back until Sunday. Looking forward to a fun weekend with friends, a mini University reunion of sorts. Love those guys.

Superhumanoids

Because I was obsessed with this band from awhile ago…And this guy does incredible music videos.

Enjoy! 

Customer: “Are you being smart with me here?!” Me: “Someone in this conversation has to be.”

And here’s Gidget going for a bike ride! Don’t worry, she was secured in the bike basket via a tether, so while she wasn’t too happy about it, she wasn’t going anywhere!

They cruised up and down the path from the campsite, and she was none too pleased…Haha.

Fun times camping this past weekend! As you can see, it was not too warm out either. Oh well, summer on the West Coast.

Throwback Thursday: The rhino can jump~

Yep, back in good ol’ Whitehorse here.

Myself jumping Cool at the Whitehorse horse show. We were doing the x-rails class and it was pretty hilarious. He would literally THUNDER down the lines to the jumps. EEK! We were not very graceful. I think we placed third out of three in these classes, hahahah.

Here is us landing off a small fence. Hilarious! I believe Cool was a Fjord-cross, and definitely more than a bit overweight…