March 11th - 6:51pm

There are some things that take you by suprise even when they shouldn't. The sunset over Rancho Pampa. The beauty of Virtuoso and the other horses hanging their heads out the windows. The crispness in the air after a warm day that tells of fall at last. The early hour of said sunset confirming that.
I always wondered how I would spend my final days here at the end of April. What plans would I make, who would I see and the like. Today would have started the real countdown. Today would be 49 days until my return stateside. Bound to be an emotional time but sure to be filled with memories. The auction, Picaro, Camilla, Rodrigo, Martin, Rachel and everything that has come to make up Rancho Pampa. Plus the new memories that were set up to be made. New horses arriving, Emma, tango dancing. For reasons I cannot begin to fathom I no longer have to decide how to spend my last week here. It has already passed me by. And perhaps that is best. Tomorrow night I will board the final plane to take me home. Hopefully it will be possible to do without tears as I am about done with those after today. Leaving it two months earlier than expected is hard. Leaving this country without being able to say a real goodbye to the people that have befriended, helped and influenced me is tougher. Knowing the last horses I will ride for many months were the three I sat on last Monday is painful. Incredibly painful. I have come to this country become so attached to this country and these people due to these horses. They have been my lifeblood for so long that the thought of going any length of time without swinging a leg over is terrifying. But I'll do it. Because not fixing this means forever carrying it as a weakness and shortening my future as a rider. It's got to be done and I'm finding that knowledge makes it easier to walk away. Or rather gimp away as that's about all I am doing now days.
Regardless of this outcome, however, I would do this whole adventure again. It has been an incredible learning experience with an amazing group of horses and people. Cannot ask for anymore than that. The experiences I have had here will shape my riding for years to come. I suspect one could find Martin's influences in my riding, teaching and horse management for the rest of my time with horses. And that is certainly not a bad thing. Not a bad thing in the least. He's opened my eyes to a lot. Held my hand when I needed it and kicked my ass when I needed that to. Thanks Martin (and yes, I'm sorry and it is all my fault). Don't even remember when that joke started but it still makes me laugh every time. It's the little things like that that have made this experience great. The horses, the reason behind it all, get featured almost every day on this blog. They're a huge part. But it's those little things. Those little stupid things that make it or break it. And here, they certainly made it.

March 11th - 9:00am

Not the result I wanted or prayed for but it's the result I expected and recieved. Have torn two ligaments in my right knee and they will require surgery to heal. I will be headed home in the next week to take on this new challenge. Devestated at the moment but will find the silver living soon. My time at Rancho Pampa has been cut short but it has been an incredible, incredible experience. Nothing can change that.

March 8th - 10:03pm

Spent Tuesday in the house with pretty limited mobility. Wednesday and Thursday propped up painting jump standards. Have a knee brace with metal inserts that allow me to get around pretty decently which is nice. Can't stay upright for long though. Would kill to be on a horse but I'm off for awhile longer.
Mono came on Wednesday and apparently all of the horses jumped well with him. Kir Royal, Invasor, Picaro, Virtuoso, Geologo. I missed jumping Puccini and Picaro but know Martin can do a far better job than me. The auction horses were filmed that afternoon as well. Thursday was an easy flatwork with turn out day. Today the auction horses just went to the walker while Martin took the crew he jumped with Mono to Equus.Apparently Picaro was pretty happy for his first outing out in awhile but put out good work. The others did great as well. Sad I missed it but that's life.
The open house is tomorrow and I will not be riding in it. Hoping it goes well and I can help out in some way. Pretty heartbroken about it but nothing to be done. Just going to hope for the best news possible from the doc on Monday. We'll take the MRI results and see him to get the final on what is wrong. I'm praying for an easy "quit being a baby, you're fine, go ride." Not ready to give this up yet. Not ready to give any of it up. Hardest week at the farm by far this past year. Fingers crossed. 

March 4th - 9:20pm

Needing some prayers, snaps, good juju and thoughts at the moment. Took a mild tumble off my third horse of the day and seems I may have reinjured my knee. Afternoon trip to the clinic got orders for x-rays and an MRI. X-rays looked good and getting an MRI scheduled to see what is up. Praying it is nothing major and a day of rest will solve any problems. One can hope...

March 3rd - 9:15pm

Slept in and enjoyed every second of it this morning. From the lack of noise during the night I make the assumption I was the only person in that little second of rooms. Or everyone else was freakisly quiet! Either way, it was greatly appreciated.
Got breakfast at the hostel before heading out to meet Camilla. It was a bit chilly and breezy at first but warmed up to a perfect temperature. We went to the Buenos Aires where I met Skipper and some of the ponies try use for lessons. We sat and drank mate watching instructors teach young students and talking nonsense. I work 6 days a week in a barn, live in a barn and yet on Sundays can be found in the barn. Sitting on a tack truck, feeding apples bought for cheap and enjoying friends. Did have the bizare moment of being recognized though. Camilla introduced me to a friend and she immediately knew who I was from the auction videos. Very strange feeling!
After we headed up toward china town where I bought more peanut butter and wondered with Camilla over all the random stuff for sale. Things I never even knew exhisted were there. Definitely some place to check out more! Ended up parting ways at the grocery store Disco since she had to get home for lunch and I had to grab a few things for the kitchen here. Headed home early since it looked like a storm was on the horizon but thankfully it stayed away. A good day in capital though. Realizing more and more how much I am going to miss the freedom I have here to just come and go. Plus going to miss all the incredible people I have met and spent time with. 7 weeks left and intending to make the absolute most of them!
A new one was posted today of me on Puccini as well. I've watched it more times than I can count and hit up several friends for critique. I've gotten better but I still have so much left to learn!

March 2nd - 10:30pm

The rain arrived during the night and dashed any plans of doing an open house at the farm. The ring returned to its state as "Lake Rancho Pampa" and we spent the day doing inside jobs. All the horses went to the walker, got their noses trimmed and were cleaned up. Manes were braided over, bridles changed around, tails were rebraided and stall doors relabled to round off the newest change up of stalls. Maybe I'll figure out where everyone lives by the time I leave. Maybe. And that was just the morning.
The afternoon was more cleaning, organizing and painting. In 10 days a new family will be moving into my house which means the loft must be finished within nine days. In 11 days the new working student will be here so the loft has to be set up as well. Lots of painting, cleaning and fixing has gone into that project and I'm hoping it wraps up nicely this next week.
After work I took got my stuff togethe and headed for another night in town. Waited for the bus to Palermo for an hour before giving up and getting on the bus to Once. Had no idea where I was going but told the driver I just needed to be near 9 de Julio. Ended up in a huge plaza where two subway lines meet. Too bad the blue line going directly to 9 de Julio was closed. So ended up taking the yellow line toward Cordoba and switching to the red line to the Obelisco. Figuring out the public transportation in this city is always a bit of an adventure but I'm figuring it out pretty well.
Once at the Obelisco I headed to the hostel to put my stuff down and got the pleasant suprise of a free upgrade. Last time I split a 4 person room with two other girls. Small and with bunk beds. This time I ended up in a private room with a double bed. Awesome because it's a private room with a double bed. Not so awesome because its easier to get to know people that you're staying with. Even if it is just for a night. Ran into one of the girls I stayed with last time and we ended up gathering some of her friends together and walking down to Flordia to check out Fusion. Fusion is a small club/bar that is available to people staying at one of the three hostels only. So lots of people there hanging out and meeting new people. Talked to some great people from all over the world before headed back with Cris and friends to the hostel. Definitely going to have to check that place out in more detail in the future! Also got the names of four places to try tango dancing in the city! All are more open to novices and three are very close to the hostel. Super excited to head to one those soon!

March 1st - 10:27pm

How the heck is it already March!?
Cannot believe I have been living in Argentina for 10 months now. March 3rd will start the beginning of month 11. Which I am sure will be one of the most action packed so far. A new working student, the auction, the possibility of new babies. The list goes on. But even while so much has changed, much has stayed the same.
Started off the day on Cor Lit, Picaro and Justinian like I have so many times before. Just quiet hacks to finish off the week. Then brought out Kir Royal for Martin before switching over to longing. Normally the auction horses get Fridays off but since we're expecting some heavy rain tonight and tomorrow, the open house has been tentatively cancelled. So the auction horses went out for a bit before starting their two day weekend. All of the were quite good having fallen into the rhythm of our work. Holandesa left today as well so we are down one more. For the first time in a very long time there are empty stalls at Rancho Pampa. Hard to imagine that after this auction we will loose even more. The next group is already being put together but I will miss several from the current one. We have some incredible horses here. Extremely grateful for the opportunity to ride and work with each and every one of them.

February 28th - 10:14pm

We have internet even if the connection is somewhat inconsistent. A bit frustrating but definitely could be worse. And it certainly didn't stop me from staying up too late talking to friends and family. Which included sending entirely to many photos of Picaro to various family members. Rode him today and he was a rock star. Also hacked Cor Lit, Puccini and Holandesa. Did a brief jump school on Justinian as well. Free jumped the auction horses in prep for Saturday's open house and spent the afternoon doing more prep. Tomorrow should be a light riding day as well with all the auction horses having the day off. Busy afternoon braiding manes over, cleaning up horses and doing that type stuff. Plus keeping fingers crossed the rain that is expected for Saturday holds off. We've been lucky so far with sunny skys and beautiful weather. Just a few more weekends please! Hard to believe we're narrowing in on the last bit before this auction. Time is flying by!

February 27th - 8:52pm

I got to jump Picaro in a lesson with Mono!
I though my life was complete when I rode Nacar in a lesson with Mono a few months ago. Then downright awesome when I got to school Puccini with him last week. But today topped all. Picaro was happy to get out and Rodrigo was laughing at me as I tried to get the two of us going to same direction at the same time. I think Martin was significantly less pleased but we got it together. First a low vertical. Then a bigger one. Add in an oxer a few times and finally through the in and out. Nothing big just 3'-3'3" or so but still had a blast. I adore jumping that horse. Really though I just flat out adore that horse. Currently taking donations if anyone would like to see him come stateside with me? Dreaming big without a doubt but might as well.
Jumped Piccini with Mono as well but it wasn't as good as last week. A little slow and I struggled to get him really infront of my leg. Ended better but I should not have allowed it to start off weak. Besides those two, I hacked Virtuoso, Cor Lit, Justinian, Karin, Kanti, Quarz, Quantum, Bellini and Holandesa. It was my first time on Kanti and she was quite good. Straight forward and nice to ride. Quantum was a total rockstar like usual. He and Picaro remind me a bit of each other actually. Super nice horses. Really and truely, they were all fantastic. Ended up schooling Holandesa without stirrups since my knees were bothering me and I haven't done it in awhile. There is some dedication right there. School 10 horses then ride the 11th stirrupless for kicks. She didn't mind though and it was good for me. That mare is coming along really nicely as well. Working on cleaning up her downward transitions and they're not only improving but she's easier to ride in each gait as well. Super fun stuff. Tired, sore and lacking in internet but still a good day. And the weather is still incredible.

February 26th - 10:55pm

I am in love with the weather at the moment. Nice and cool in the morning then waeming up into the 70s during the day. Did learn a valuable lesson today though. Just because it is cool does not mean it is not sunny. Some what sunburned. Ok, very sunburned. Great day hacking horses. Started off tge morning on the "big" stallions. Picaro, Geologo, Kir Royal and Virtuoso. All of them, especially Picaro, were rock stars. Followed them up by taking Justinian, Karin, Orly, Ojiva, Quantum and Casia out to work. Nothing terrible exciting. Little bit of longing then lots of transitions and some lateral work. Typical day. Hard to believe that riding 10 horses has now become a totally typical day. Not sure if I'll be relieved or sad when Emma gets here and the ride list gets cut down. Thoroughly enjoying spending all day in the saddle even if I'm crawling into bed at ridiculously early because I'm done being active for the day. Staying up entirely too late again though talking to friends and family. Miss them but not painfully so. I hate being homesick. Hate it. I just feel miserable and then start feeling worse because I know I can't do anything to change it. Feeling good now though. Enjoying the busy schedule, the amazing weather and my last two months in Argentina.

February 25th - 9:15pm

Barely crawled out of bed this morning. Love getting out on the weekends but hate waking up like I haven't actually slept. Thankfully a light day of riding though. Hacked Cor Lit, Picaro, Virtuoso, Invasor, Kir Royal, Justinian and Holandesa. Not sure when riding seven became a light day but somehow it has and for that I am appreciative. The weather was significantly cooler than it has been the last few weeks which was incredibly nice as well. Love the cooler temperatures.
Spent the afternoon grooming horses, helping the vet out and the usual afternoon stuff. Quiet, easy day. Exactly what I needed.
As of today, however, we are down to less than a month until the auction. Cannot believe it. Feels like it was not long ago we were remarking that there was less than 100 days and that was crazy soon! 

February 24th - 4:00pm

4:00 in Uruguay at least. But considering that's where I am now, it works. Had a fantastic night at the hostel. Briefly met the girls staying in the room with me which was nice but definitely wish I could have hung out with them a bit. Woke up before my alarm clock like usual and headed out right on time. The walk to Buquebus was short but wet due to rain. Definitely a different crowd on the streets than normal at that time of morning. Had to be at Buquebus at 7:30 so left the hostel at 7:00. Plenty of time to walk the 10 blocks but wanted to be on the safe side. Only had a little bit of trouble with a guy on the street wanting to check out how closed up my backpack was but he bolted the second I turned around on him. Hate, hate, hate people like that. I was steeming for quite awhile after that. But besides that, easy peasy.
Getting checked in, through immigration and onto the ferry was also quite easy. They stamp your passport to exit Argentina and enter Uruguay at the same time so it is a pretty quick, painless process. The ferry ride was incredibly quick as well considering the wind, rain and river were at odds. The boats are huge but they can flat out move. Ended up talking to a couple different people in straight spanish. Definitely come a long, long way since I arrived. Very happy about that.
Once I arrived in Colonia de Sacramento I picked up a small map, picked a direction and started walking. Went up the hill through the newer part of the town before cutting left toward the river. Then followed that to the old neighborhood that is the huge tourist draw. The nasty morning weather morphed into stunning afternoon weather. Saw some gorgeous cobblestone streets, went through at least five small museums, walked down on the beach, climbed to the top of the light house and took more photos than I know what to do with. Ended up having a quiet lunch in a side street shop which was lovely as well. Was up walking almost the entire time I was in the city. Easily walked several miles. If it looked pretty or interesting, I went and checked it out. Spoke to a decent amount of people, translated at one point for some Americans and generally had a great day.
Made my way back to Buquebus right on time and sitting on the ferry now. On a different ferry than the one I came over on so going to check this one out. Getting a few things from the duty free store as well. My own back pack for one! Staying at the hostel was way, way to easy not to do again. A tango show/lessons as well as a night out with the other people in the hostel are definitely in order! Now just to get back home before I fall asleep. Been a crazy couple days!

February 23rd - 11:55pm

What. A. Day.
We got started off right away with the horses that are not in the auction. I was on Picaro, Virtuoso, Invasor, Kir Royal, Geologo and Justinian. Then Puccini and Cor Lit for quick hacks just to get out. Picaro was feeling good today and was super fun to take over the little cavalettis. He was jumping them like they were 2'6" or so. I miss jumping that horse. He just feels so great. When I jumped Quantum a few weeks ago he showed me what power can feel like. I had no idea how to even ride it though. None. When I jump Picaro I can feel how big of a jump he has but it doesn't throw me at all. Easy to seee a distance, easy to stay with and rideable. We terrorize each other some times but in the end, I reallyreally enjoy him. Such a nice horse.
Once the morning horses were finished I jumped in to help Camilla (yay Camilla is here!! And she brought diet coke!!) and the guys get finished. Everyone was working hard so there really was not a huge amount left. A few horses to clean up, some organizational stuff, sweeping and then lunch!
Just after two the first clients pulled in and over the next hour, at least 20-25 arrived. Unlike last weekend, none of them wanted to see any horses in particular so we pulled them all out. A bit of an under taking but hey, thats the job. Everyone jumped well in the free jump when we started with the whole bringing horses to the ring process moving a lot quicker. The under saddle portion went just as smoothly. I ended up riding a decent amount of them plus Karin for the first time! Once again, something I probably would have freaked a bit about when I first arrived. Riding a green horse I've never been on before infront of clients? Today though, no big deal. Rode Puccini over fences as well and made an active attempt at keeping my weight in my heel and leg under me. I feel like it was better than last week and hopefully the photos will show the improvement. Love photos.
After Martin, Rachel, Federico, Camilla, Martins dad and I hung out for a bit just chatting. I may not be able to add much to the conversation in spanish but I do a lot better at following than I use to. Martins dad was kind enough to offer Camilla and I a ride into town. Thank goodness we were able to go with him. About halfway to capital we saw the 57 bus broken down on the side of the rode. Awesome. But we got to Palermo in no time at all. Then just a quick ride on the subway to 9 de Julio and the hostel! There was a guy on the subway who played the violin and was just fantastic as well. Normally I try to ignore the people asking for money but this guy could play. Figured if he could make me smile I could afford a few dollars. And since I didn't have any small bills in pesos I actually did end up giving him a few dollars. Got a bit of a funny look but he cracked a smile as well. Finding those little things.
Once off the subway, I found the hostel again no problem, got my keys, checked out the room and promptly headed back outside to walk. One thing I can say about big cities is those night light are just gorgeous. Didn't go anywhere in particular. Just wandered checking out the sights Ive come to know so well in a different light. Trying not to stay up too late in the main room at the hostel but honestly, its tough. So fun to just be out. Love it. But have an early morning tomorrow with a trip to Uruguay!!

February 22nd - 9:21pm

One of those days where I'm not entirely sure who all I rode. Just flat out lost track. The ring was still pretty wet when we started so the first four were just walking. Schooled halts, transitions in the walk, some lateral things and walked over cavaletti. Nacar, Orly, Quarial and Uxmal were all good for that. By then the end of those three the ring had dried up enough for some trotting so took Montana, Picaro and Cor Lit out. Same type ride for them but with some trotting on the dry parts thrown in. Kir Royal wrapped up my morning rides and by the time I got on him it was decently dry. Was able to do some big figure eights and the like while avoiding the larger wet spots. He, like everyone else in the morning, was very good. It's been a rather inconsistent week of work for a group of horses that are use to going out just about every single day. They all are staying just like normal though.
After lunch Martin had me take Cardona out for a trot. It was my first time riding her and she was great. Settled right in to working despite the building going on in the ring and who knows what going on on the other side of the fence. Not a care in the world. Super nice to ride as well. Forward but not hot and pretty well balanced for such a large young horse. Getting on her brings the list of horses still to ride at Rancho Pampa down to three. Not bad considering most of the horses here weren't even broke 6 months ago. Some (like Cardona) have barely been broke two months! Thus far I'm really enjoying the young ones. Prior to this job I had not worked with them much but learning a ton and I like them. Sometimes they can be silly but these guys are all pretty solid and improve every single day.
After Cardona I took Justinian and Holandesa out a bit. Walk, trot, canter and all that jazz. Suprisingly, Justinian was the most rambuncious of the day! Both he and Holandesa finished well though. Once the riding was finished there was still about a hundred things left to do for tomorrows open house. Got most of it finished but at least there will be a bit of time tomorrow to wrap it up. And Camilla's coming!! Can't wait to see here, show off the horses in the open house and head out for my first night in Capital! Busy day!

February 21st - 9:22pm

More rain last night so a quiet day today. Cleaned up Invasor for photos, day two of the dewormer and a hundred other little things. Really would rather be riding but that's life. The ring still looked really flooded this afternoon so just keeping my fingers crossed that it will good to ride on tomorrow. We have an open house Saturday to prep for!
No internet at the moment since it was unplugged today for a bit. Debated on walking to Petrobras but with the roads as nasty as they are decided not to so a quiet night at home to cap off a quiet day. A bit grumpy and homesick at the moment but pretty sure it's just restlessness. Just need to get in the saddle and work tomorrow. Hoping I can! Then just praying for a clear day Saturday and Sunday for the open house and Uruguay!

February 20th - 9:42pm

Great day at Rancho Pampa today. Started off the morning hacking Picaro then all the auction horses did a jump exercise. Vertical,three stride, vertical, two stride, vertical, two stride vertical. If the first time through was good then the last three jumps became oxers. Every single one of those horses that I saw went through without batting an eye. Just went. First time they've ever seen that many jumps in a row and not a care in the world. Martin let me take Nacar and Uxmal through. Just took each of them through twice since both were great but took the time to work on my position over fences a bit with Martin. Leg under me not infront and weight balanced in my heels. Staying light with the horse infront of me without tipping my shoulders to get behind or ahead. Both horses were super good though. Also warmed up Ojiva, Orly and a few others for Martin to jump through the line.
After Mono came for us to school some of the older horses with. I ended up getting to do a lesson on Puccini! Very exciting stuff. Mono had me work on staying closer to the saddle before and after the fence with my hands a bit higher up. Both things worked really well to improve my ride on Puccini. Did a bit of course work at 1.10-1.15m or so and I felt like it went pretty decently. Got thumbs up from Mono as well so hopefully he thought it was good too. Puccini isn't always my favorite to ride but that horse can jump. Everything felt a fair amount bigger than it actually was which was cool. Don't think we had any rails either even with an interesting distance here or there. All in all, he was really a good boy.
After I hopped on Cor Lit, Justinian and Montana for the rides I usually do right off in the morning. All three of them were good as was Cardona who I longed afterward. Then treatments, wrapping, dewormer and all the normal afternoon stuff. Dinner with Martin and Rachel finished off the day. A busy day for sure but a good one! It's raining at the moment and looks like it is going to keep on most of the night and tomorrow which is a shame. Hate being stuck inside!

February 19th - 10:08pm

The rain that has been on the radar since Saturday finally made its debute today. Rained on and off most of the morning. Thankfully so we should be able to ride tomorrow. Had a productive day inside though. All the auction horses cleaned up for Saturday (ears, noses, legs, ect). They've all gotten pretty good about the clippers with all the trimming we've been doing. Certainly makes life easier. Besides that, lots of grooming, tack cleaning, boot scrubbing and the like. Fingers crossed we're back in the saddle tomorrow though!

Photo of Kanti playing in the water running off the roof. Super cute.

February 18th - 9:59pm

<p>Never thought there would be a day when an "easy day" consists of only doing flat rides on 8 horses. Was on Cor Lit, Picaro, Justinian, Montana, Puccini, Invasor, Kir Royal and Holandesa. Everyone was good with though really it wasn't much more than the usual w/t/c/transitions work. Nothing over difficult for Monday morning.
It was a beautiful morning though. The forcast has been saying rain for awhile now but so far just cooler and cooler weather. So nice. I feel like I could ride for hours when the weather is cool. Hours and hours. Love it. Brought more pasteries this morning too. Lost track of how many times I have fallen off but I've brought a dozen pasteries 4 times now so getting there. Or at least starting too!
Tomorrow will be a busier day for sure. Fingers crossed that the weather stays nice and the horses are great!

February 17th - 11:48pm

Up too late once again writing blog posts and talking to friends but oh well. Had a great day today. Slept in as late as I could (9:00) then took my time waking up, getting my stuff together and finally getting to the bus stop to head to town. It looked like rain was on the horizon so was keeping my fingers crossed not to get poured on but due to the incoming rain, the weather was fantastic so had to get out. Actually got a seat on the bus into town this time too! My goal for the afternoon was check out Buquebus about the ferry to Uruguay and to check out some local hostels. I have been wanting to go to Uruguay for awhile now (beyond needing to get my visa renewed) and finally figured out a way to do it. To get to the closest city in Uruguay (Colonia) you have to take a one hour ferry ride there. The best place to get the ferry is Buquebus which is at the end of Puerto Madero. Getting to Puerto Madero is about 2 hour adventure from the farm. More time if the bus system is not working like it should. Less if you catch some luck and everything moves quickly. So I've been debating the ways of how to get from the farm to Buequbus for the ferry (have to arrive an hour early for that), take the ferry, see the town then repeate to get back. While staying in day light hours. Was thinking I would take a remis but that's a bit pricey so was looking into other options. A mix of my ideas, reddit and random wandering in that area brought me to the idea of staying in a hostel in the city Saturday night. So googled it and came up with two that were quite close with fairly high ratings. If I stayed in one I would be able to take the earliest ferry to Colonia, not have to stress about the bus that early, not have to hire a remis and potentially meet some cool people. Plus trying something new which I'm always up for nowdays. So I had the address for on on Corrientes Ave and one on Flordia Ave along with the one for Buquesbus and a plan. Always a good thing.
So bus to town, subway to 9 de Julio and quick walk to Corrientes. The hostel there looked great and the people in reception were very nice as they answered all my questions. Also learned that Buquebus was only 10 blocks or so from there which was much closer than I thought. Grabbed a taxi to Buquebus anyway since I was a bit worried about the rain and wanted someone who knew how to get there to take me the first time. Literally took about three minues to get there. Badgered the poor information lady and ticket people in bad Spanish for a bit before buying a ticket to go to Uruguay next Sunday!
Walked from Buquebus to Puerto Madero then up Corrientes toward the hostel. Some gorgeous buildings, views and places in that area. Once I got to the hostel, I booked a room for Saturday night! Opted to split a room in the girls dorm just to see what it's like. I figure it can't be much different than splitting the house here and it's only for a night. So as of right now I have everything set for next weekend! Incredibly excited though wishing Megg, Alice or Camilla could be there with me. Part of the fun of an adventure is sharing it with someone but either way, I am incredibly excited! Saturday is going to be a long day with another open house but still looking forward to it. One more thing to cross off my list!

Also picked up some post cards of my favorite places in BA while at Buquebus!

February 16th - 11:59pm

What. A. Day.
It's a late night with Martin's birthday party (his birthday was Friday and friends/family were invited to stay after the open house) but wanted to take some time to write a post about my crazy day.
Started off the morning like usual on the horses that aren't in the auction. Justinian and Picaro. Then Cor Lit, Montana and Puccini for a light hack to stretch their legs. Then it was onto the finishing touches before clients were to arrive for the first open house! Making sure the barn was clean, horses spotless and everything organized. Which, weirdly enough, is one of my favorite things to do. I love the final half crazed moments when everything finally comes together. As long as it comes together. If it doesn't, I hate it as much as anyone. But today, it did!
Quick lunch then onto bringing out horses for clients. The way it is set up, anyone can come to the farm at 2:00 and request to see a horse. Or horses. We'll pull them out and show them in hand to whoever is interested. Once we finish with that, then those horses are shown briefly in the free jump and finally brought out to go undersaddle. At that point either Martin can show them over fences or a client can get on and jump them a bit. Today they wanted to see Nacar, Puccini, Uxmal, Orly, Quantum, Quarz, Quarial and Casia. Everyone jumped incredibly in the free jump. Easy to handle, did their jobs and were just fantastic. After they came back out and continued to bring it by being rock stars under saddle.
But, the craziest part for me was that I actually shows Nacar and Puccini over fences for everyone. I was warming horses up for Martin so I was riding them till the horse before was finished them then switching. We do that quite often with lessons, schooling, shows, whatever so not unusual. But when I went to get off Nacar Martin was like "Do you want to jump him?" Im not sure what my face looked like but he was like that is a yes or no question, do you want to jump him. I made the snap decision to just do it. And it actually went really well! Not perfect but considering how I was a year ago about showing horses to people, it was incredible. We just did one jump that the guys kept building up so not a bunch still the fact I was able to do it was super exciting! Finished at 3'-3'3" or so. Got off and was on cloud 9 for pulling it off. A few horses later I was on Puccini and got the same question. Now Puccini is not Nacar. I've been riding Nacar for about a month shorter than he's actually been broke. I know him about as well as I know a horse I personally own. At this point I think I've been on him as much if not more than Martin. So jumping him, while stressful due outside circumstances, is not overly nerve wracking because I just know him. Puccini is one that I had been on inconsistently until recently and one I have not jumped a ton. Poles a lot, little stuff sometimes but definitely not like Nacar. I could barely ride him when I got here. Just had no idea how. But with the confidence boost off Nacar I again decided to just go for it. Since Puccini is an older horse he needed to be shown around a real course at a decent height. Not the simple, inviting jump on the diagional. The whole thing is a bit of a blur but jumped the course once. Did a 7 in the 6 from over woahing but made it out of the two stride after. Then the jumps were put up to 3'-3'3" (don't think anything hit 3'6" but maybe). Did the course again, fixed the striding and got it done! Photos after showed my position left a bit to be desired but honestly, I'll take it! Just have to keep in mind that when I'm nervous I tend to let my leg get infront of me. Have to work on keeping it back under me more.
When I got off Puccini I was literally shaking from the rush. When I say I could not have done that a year ago I am not joking in the slightest. Horse shows, clients and all that would reduce me to a nervous (probably crying) wreck. I would just freak. Totally loose it. But today, I didn't. After when I brought out the last of the horses some of the clients I know (Mono and some others) were super complimentry and kind. I know it wasn't perfect and there was a lot I would have changed but sometimes, it's just nice to take the compliment, smile and know it's all paying off.

Photo of me on Baral Nacar. And Camilla somehow found peanut butter and brought me some! Yay!