Riding School Seminar @ MPC

this month's entry will all be about the progress in my riding. it's going to be a busy month :o)

on saturday, we spent the entire day at the makati polo club from 9am to 5pm. remember the syllabus i have to study? well, we had the lecture to go over what we needed to know about the fundamentals of horsmanship and equestrianism. i was really expecting to be the oldest person there...and yes, i was. no surprise there. i think we were a total of 8 but only 3 of us were above 12 years. the other girl in the above 12 years old was 30 so at least i didn't feel THAT old amongst the other participants. i always feel happy when there's someone just like me...pursuing an interest or dream despite the age.

i'm not sure where the others rode but me, and the kids from pook ligaya had this sense of pride representing our stable. plus, we all came in our beige/tan breeches and white shirt with collar attire as the others came in jeans, black breeches and a t-shirt. i think someone even forgot to bring their syllabus. good on you, v, for ensuring we were prepared :o)

so, first part was the lecture. oh my! the others really studied for it, especially identifying the parts of the bridle and the different colors of the horse. couldn't they just stick to black, white, brown and black? the different types of white or "grey" was tricky! we had to take out the bridle apart and assemble it again. during the actual exam, please remind me to cut my nails. those leather straps were thick and hard! when i saw the syllabus of the 30 year old girl, man, she had notes and even highlighted lines in her syllabus. she's really been studying. i pray i make up for my scores in brushing the horse instead and putting up poles instead...hehehe!

teaching us how to saddle a horse

the under 12 years old learning the same thing

putting on a bridle

getting on "woody" to learn the proper way of adjusting the stirrups and girth on a horse

studying to giddy up

studying was something i've never enjoyed. so when i graduated from college...good bye school! well, not exactly. i did take up my mba but couldn't get myself to complete my thesis.

what a shock to find out that i need to study and take an exam to be certified, if i wanted to compete in horse riding. PANIC, i tell ya!

with csat & quality awareness week, re-certification, financials and budget season....oh, and obr...how will i do this? where do i find the time? i am a super mommy, right?

good thing, everything in the syllabus was something i enjoyed reading. i was very interested so it made the "studying" much easier. numerous "A HA" moments for me. super informative and i learned a lot of important stuff. however, i am really bad with memorization. oh lord! how will i ever remember all the different parts of a horse? so, this is what i did...



here's my elevated work area with my name plate photo edited so yo don't get to see my full name ;o)

behind my name plate, i've posted pictures from the syllabus



TADAH! here's a closer look (the family picture is old, i know)


so every time i'm free or i can't seem to understand what i'm doing anymore, i can always change focus and look at the pictures. i'm sure i'll be able to remember something :o)

Cheval et Mode

Horse & Fashion...love it!

* Courtesy of Charles & Keith

beautiful friendship

seeing the best gals in my life, just recently, got me to realize how fortunate i am to have really good friends. so, being busy should NEVER be a reason not to make time for them. i need to remember that and make a conscious effort.

here are the ladies that have been with me at my best and worst. we've known each other for the longest time. so here's how we've aged "gracefully", like our friendship, throughout the years.

i think this was in 2002 already

crissy, keng & beng 2001

jen & jen 2003 in jacksonville

my beautiful ladies 2005

:o)

Fast forward....

jen's wedding 2010

ok...so we look a bit "puffy" from before (june 2011)

july 2011

i'm still waiting for two more weddings...Crissy and Keng's!

....to more years of beautiful friendship...

i love you, ladies!





A kalesa

believe it or not, i have never riden or been on a kalesa in my entire life. ironic, right?

these were pictures i took for violet...

My Curious Readers...

hello readers.
no, i haven't neglected this blog. been sickly lately and mostly trips to medical city for the shots. anyway, i'd like to say thank you for visiting and reading my shallow musings, despite my absence. i checked my stats for the week and surprised to see a number of visitors from all over!

please feel free to follow my blog so i can get to know my readers, too. it's right underneath MY SUPERFRIENDS :o).

also, the most viewed posts are of my riding. makes me so happy to know that there are others that share the same interest. i promise to write more about it, horses, horse stuff...etc.i will also try to upload videos but have been having a hard time.

thank you for making my day!