Day 6

10/8/10


Tuesday



Second day in the office, sorted through a truck load of students auditions and assessment tapes/cd’s/dvd’s, and found a lot of photo’s had been sent in. Shame to throw them away, so working on a photo montage. Some had even printed photo’s onto the disc itself, thought they’d make a nice frame. Apparently this stuff normally get’s thrown out after it’s been assessed, thought we should reward the ‘try’ and hang it up in the lodge.



Wrote several pages of notes regarding procedures in the office and lots of questions. Looking forward to going into the Parelli Headquarters corporate office…



Took a photo of my ‘loo with a view’…the woods behind is where that bear lives. Perhaps the cows will keep it away?

Day 5

9/8/10

Monday

First day of work placement was good, organised the filing into a logical system. Colour coded main categories and sub categories, added labels etc. Hours are 8am-5pm with an hour break for lunch. Will maybe look at changing my business placement to one week instead of 2 and see if I can get more time with Lauren. She’s happy for me to spend as much time as I can with her. After 5pm is an option. About to go up and watch her give a lesson on one of her horses. The lesson was more of a preparation coaching session for a course demonstration they are giving tomorrow.

I took a photo of my cabin for you...it's the one with the ramp...dah!

The story so far...

5/8/10

Thursday

First day at Parelli Ranch. Only 5 hours sleep since travel. not quite ‘with’ it. Met Lauren Barwick, the paralympic gold and silver medalist at Bejing Olympics. Very exciting, she’s going to let me ride her horses. She is going to a show in Denver in a couple of weeks and she asked if I’d like to come as a part of my performance horse placement…LOVE TO! She took me into town to get some food and stuff, cos my luggage hasn’t turned up yet. Early nite.

PS They brought me up my own portaloo! It’s position about 50m across the car park from my cabin and there’s no light, and now the tell me they had to put it far enough away from the bear which lives nearby!


6/8/10
Friday

Luggage turned up today, yay!! Same clothes for the last 4 days- getting a bit stinky. Lauren participating in demos today, got some pics of her saddle, keen to ride in it- she has it set up so she doesn’t need the seatbelt. Hoping to get to ride her back-up horse “Peanut” this afternoon. Her medal horse “Maile” has hurt her hock and is getting it iced every hour to try and help her recover enough for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky next month. She also has stringhalt…yet still won a gold medal!


Talked to Neil Pye this morning, he mentioned doing an interview…eeek! Better write down some thoughts…


Got to ride Peanut! So cool, she feels a bit like Ebony. Just walked and trotted which was enough for now in Lauren’s saddle with no seatbelt, just leg straps. Lauren is going to be coached fo a week by Mary Longdon, interesting…



7/8/10
Saturday

Not whole lot happening today. This morning was a ‘savvy games play day’ and savvy ‘spotlight’ practice. In the afternoon it was pretty quite. Went out for dinner for Lee’s 30th birthday. Tomorrow is check in day for a 2 week Confidence course.!

I thought they were pulling my leg about the bear, but the girls next door said the bear kept getting into their ‘trash can‘, so they had to put up an electric fence to try and keep it out…I really don’t want to run into a bear in the middle of the night :o/



8/8/10
Sunday

I slept in this morning, didn’t get to sleep til about 2am cos I’m trying to go without sleeping pills and thought my body clock had adjusted…it hasn’t. Woke up to lots of trucks driving back and forth as the new course people checked in and brought their trailers up here to park. My cabin is in the middle of the trailer car park…does that make me trailer trash?


Went down the hill and saw Lauren playing with her new horse that she got the day before. Took a photo cos he’s a bit boney and I reckon after a few weeks with her feeding him up and working him, he’ll look like a different horse. Will post the pic when I figure out how.

Other than that, went in to town with Jodie who is from Yacandanda (Albury/Wodonga) and Vicki who’s from England. Got some deep fried zucchini for lunch and did some shopping- a bowl to wash hands and do teeth etc, a gallon of water for same purpose (also for drinking), tissues, band-aids, torch, munchies…Red Vines, Peanut Butter M&M’s, Hershey’s Dark chocolate…need energy!

Now I’m going to try and write up some detailed Personal Learning Objectives so I have a bit of direction tomorrow when I actually start my work placement.