Zeke and I have been super into board and card games since we attended Tabletop Day a few weeks ago.
There, one of the games we played was Sheriff of Nottingham. Has anyone played it? It’s a super fun social deduction game with really neat pieces and artwork. I’d love to own a copy and think it would be more fun with a group of friends than it was with the random people at Epic Loot, but it was a Kickstarter game and is now hard to find for sale.
We’ve been attending the weekly board game night at our Friendly Local Game Store and really enjoying it. A few weeks ago we played Euphoria – a great newish game which was also Kickstarted. I started out the game being super air-headed – I kept forgetting rules and making silly mistakes – so I was very happy when I won the game at the end. It’s a really neat game that I like a lot. The artwork and theme are very cool, and Zeke’s special Kickstarted components are really special.
This week we learned how to play Shadowrift, which is a co-op deck builder. Very, very cool game with some neat, unique mechanics. It allows you to trade some of the resources, which made it much more interactive with your teammates. It also had an option where you could persist your cards through hands, which was fun. We’ll be buying that one!
Zeke commanding his troops in Card Wars.
Zeke has been into the Adventure Time card game, Card Wars, lately, to the extent of reading strategies online. I love the artwork and card design, but don’t find the game as fun as the MLP card game (or, of course, MtG).
Zeke commanding his friends in MLP CCG.
I’ve been obsessing about the MLP card game. I think it’s a great game with some interesting new mechanics. For example, instead of fighting each other, opponents compete to solve problems – problems like a runaway cart, a missing bunny, or a sudden surprise party. Unlike Card Wars, where a player earns two actions each turn, MLP’s actions both increase as the game goes on and can be stockpiled between turns. I think this fact gives it a much more interesting pace, since the game really escalates as players gain points.
The newest expansion of MLP cards were released recently and Zeke and I attended a pre-release party. Though we had each only played five or so times, and only with each other, we were wildly successful! We each went 3 wins 1 loss, and Zeke earned enough points for a second place out of twenty! It was quite a nice self-esteem boost, to be honest.
Anyone else playing or reading anything cool or interesting?
I’m way behind on my journal, which was the whole reason I started this blog a couple years ago. I just need to sit down and write it and try not to whine too much!
When I last journaled, I was longeing almost every day and asking for lots of long-and-low in an attempt to build her into a round front end. After a day off with an incredible migraine, I went right back to the longe. After kicking her butt on the longe (it’s really all about kicking butt with me and Rob. I should have named my blog something along those lines. “Kicking Butt: Establishing Dominance Between an Alpha Mare and an Alpha Woman”. I like it), I got on and Julie attempted to enforce forward by longeing us and smacking Rob with the longe whip when necessary. It…didn’t really work. Rob doesn’t respect the longe as a “scary” tool. I know now that incessant, loud, violent kicking works better than abusing her with the whip.
(I sound like a horse killer. Sheesh.)
We got new fishies and the kitties LOVE them.
Saturday we were going to go on a trail ride, but Julie didn’t feel well so I groomed instead. Clipped hairy face and bridle path, trimmed her feathers and tail, considered for the millionth time roaching her mane. All in a day’s work!
Sunday I had a very crappy lesson. Nothing bad happened but…I didn’t come away with any takeaways. The way I see it – I just paid for half an hour of lesson that I could have accomplished myself. I hate wasting money, I hate having unproductive rides, and I hate that I’m upset with Michele for not being able to help us when it is truly not her fault. (I know that she’s frustrated with us too, which is another reason this lesson particularly bothered me.)
For two days I fiddle farted through the cold, not doing any riding. And trying not to think about riding.
Wednesday and Thursday I tried changing the subject by setting up some jumps – I need to start jumping again if I’m going to get over this stupid fear. So I set up what is now a big jump for me – probably around 2′, with cavaletti on each side to make a tiny hogsback. It looked scary – all 2′ by 2′ of it. So we did it once, I was scared but pleased with myself, and I didn’t want to mess it up so I quit there. Sheesh.
Crappy picture of our crappy hogsback.
Thursday I planned to tackle it a million more times, but Robbye managed to break her reins (totally my fault but ugh…worst timing ever. Couldn’t it have happened when I was in a good place, psychologically?) while I was setting up the fences. So instead of one larger fence, I made several small ones (18″, mostly. Baby steps!), put on Robbye’s halter and roping reins, and jumped that way.
The tack of champions, people.
Which ended up being a great confidence booster, because if we can do it without a bridle, of course we can do it with!
That Friday I took another day off, then Saturday I set up a course of poles on the ground and rode them bareback and with just my halter and roping reins. It was fun and pointless.
(This is what happens when I have a pointless ride. I take stupid selfies. The horror!)
Sunday Julie and I took a trip to The Tack Trunk, my childhood tack store, which it closing/moving at the end of this month. Very bittersweet for me – but I managed to spend a gift certificate and some more money besides, so that was fun. We also visited our local Dover store, which we had never seen before. It was nice, but no Tack Trunk.
(Bye forever, Tack Trunk…)
After that trip, I didn’t feel like going out to the barn. And I didn’t feel like riding the next day…or the next. I ended up taking an entire week of from riding, which is very unlike me. I cleaned my stall, I handed out cookies, and I didn’t do anything else. Maybe Robbye needed the break and maybe she didn’t, but I know that I did.
Take a week off of riding and get a whole lot of ponies cleaned. Aww, happy plastic ponies :3
Saturday, I was ready to get back to work. We were hosting a clinic at our farm (!!!!) on desensitization on the ground, which I’m still working on documenting. I was planning on riding before the clinic (I was just auditing/photographing), but when I got to the barn there was…a lot of mayhem. I wanted to back out, but I ended up riding and am proud that I did. It felt a lot like a show atmosphere in a familiar environment, and I was forced to work through my nervousness. Good lesson for me.
Sunday I rode with draw reins and Rob put in a great effort.
Monday I had my first official Zero Day, but the Zero part of it ended up being a bust because Robbye was FORWARD. So I basically sat in two point, with no saddle or bridle, while she galloped around. MY MUSCLES.
Last night I worked on what we had learned at our lesson. Overall, I am very pleased. I got a few great upward, butt clench transitions – I would have taken even one, so to get three or four was a great accomplishment. Her downwards are not immediate, but I can feel her immediately trying. I know that it takes muscles and effort to stop correctly, so I’m happy just for her to immediately react, even if that doesn’t result in an immediate cessation of motion.
So that’s the past three weeks of horsie for me. I think that my small psychological downfall was inevitable considering how stressed out I’ve been about her progress. But the break and especially the lesson have brought me back up to hopeful and excited.
As a sidenote: if you haven’t yet read SprinklerBandits’ Ammy Manifesto, please go do it. It’s inspiring and uplifting. I know I really needed to read it!
my creativity: worked on my pony room, wrote lots of blog posts, got out my big camera and took clinic photos, started a blog for work
We had a lazy week last week – including on the journaling front. Story about the show last Saturday will come…eventually…hopefully before I forget the details.
Monday I longed Rob in sidereins. She didn’t think it was horrible, but she didn’t figure out the head down and in > relieves pressure thing either.
Tuesday we rode in the outdoor. We worked on lead changes over fences, which was fun. It took a lot of work from me, which I didn’t expect. Also – I wore spurs! Her canter transitions were immediate and she really understood which lead I was asking for, which was a great surprise to me. We also worked on picking up the “outside” (incorrect) leads on the long side, which was fun.
Wednesday Julie, Kathy, Kathy’s friend Quizzy and I went on an adventure to Yellow Springs, where we got to play with baby sheep, baby chickens, and a huge frickin bunny.
Thursday the outdoor was wet, so I rode in the indoor. We worked on canter leads again, with simple changes across the diagonal.
Friday was a great ride. It was our bareback ride, and I didn’t wear spurs…but it still felt like I had them on! Woo! First I worked on my position – leaning back, legs underneath me, toes in, thumbs up. Then we worked on trot -> halt and halt -> trot transitions, which are fun to do, and which Rob seems to really get. Next we worked on walk -> canter transitions, which Rob nailed! We had a bit of trouble communicating about it at first, going her good way, but she eventually realized what I was asking for. Once she had it down that way, I reversed and told her that once we got one good transition to the right we would quit for the night. I think she understood me, because she completely nailed the transition our first try!! It was awesome.
Saturday I spent the day in Indianapolis, at the US My Little Pony Fair and Convention. Ya. 🙂
Sunday we did a jump school – over a corner jump! It was fun. I started out with the “wide” ends on the ground, to encourage her to jump the middle of the fence. I’m not sure it was entirely necessary, but hey, we move slowly and learn the right way. I did end up putting the end up, and she didn’t care at all. Just something else to jump, mom! I’m hoping there’s a corner at Twin Towers that we can do next time we’re there.
One weird thing – when I brought Rob in from the pasture, her chestnut was hanging off! It was gross, and looked very painful. I ripped it off, and she didn’t react. I poked at it, and she didn’t react. I pressed hard and she didn’t react – so I guess even though it was bleeding, she wasn’t in pain. Whew! I wrapped it in vet-rap just to keep it clean, but I’m going to keep a normal schedule otherwise, since it doesn’t hurt. I hope it grows back!
So that was our lazy week. Maybe I’ll get the energy to write about our CT one of these days 🙂
An Amish Warmblood 