Night before a show

The night before the show is always important.  I'm not sure if a good school or a bad school sets the standard for the day of the show.  I've had really good schools the night before and then when my horse is alone, or I'm in a new arena it all goes down the drain.  If I have a bad school at least I know what I'm headed for and I'm not going to be disappointed with my scores. 

Tonight was phenomenal.  We had to wait out a big storm that moved through so we had time to braid the girls before we got on so we looked extra fancy.  There were plenty of Dressage people around and they seem to love wearing white polos, side reins, lunge whips, and taking up half the arena so we decided to go hack around outside.  It turned out to be a great idea, we got to warm the horses up by taking some laps around a big grassy field and both horses were wonderful.  It has been raining a ton and the grass was squishy so all we did was walk but it was peaceful. 

After the Dressage people were done lunging we were able to go into the very busy indoor arena.  Annie started out slow but tense, lots of horses, some of them pronging like antelopes.  After we got to work she was all business.  She was consistently on the bit even during the changes of direction and her transitions.  She took both canter leads quietly and at a reasonable rate of speed and had a fantastic downward transition.  She moved on into Dressage territory with a walk canter transition, some leg yielding, and some shoulder/haunches in.  I felt fancy.

After we finished up with a short school in the outdoor arena. 

I'm hoping she performs just as well tomorrow when we have to be in the outdoor alone but I'm really over the moon tonight. 

In the swing of things

I had a great day at Rolex but sadly I don't have a big list of things I bought.  I didn't really NEED much and the few things I needed I did not find.  I was looking for a girth in a 42 not sheepskin with elastic on both sides and a budget friendly show halter. 

I found a halter so nice I could have used it as a pillow at http://www.albrighthalters.com/  but it was WAY out of my price range.  http://www.centralkentuckytackandleather.com/ had nice turnout halters but without a throat snap.  Every single halter in the barn has a throat snap, makes it so much easier to take halters on and off and I'll never buy one without it.  Just like I'll never buy a leadrope with a bullsnap. 

I tried on the new Tipperary vests which were comfortable (in a youth medium!) but I already have a vest so I put this as a future purchase when they've been out for awhile and I can find one used. 

My Pentosan finally arrived and Annie is on her third shot.  I hope it's not the sudden change to warm temps that is producing the attitidue shift but Annie is going FANTASTIC!  She's not grumpy, she's not bucking, and she has so much flex in her hocks that I find myself being pushed ahead of the motion when I post.  I have also been riding in my jumping saddle as part of me thinks that my dressage saddle doesn't fit and I feel more secure riding out the bucks in it.  I really hate changing several things at once as you can't really tell what is the thing that's working.  I'm going back to the dressage saddle next week so we'll see if she continues to improve.

My next show is next week at http://comeagainfarm.com/ so I'm working hard on getting a better score in dressage, I'd like more consistent contact and better upward canter transitions.  I find that the first show of the season I'm in "as long as I stay on" mode but by the second show I'm in "I can do better!" mode.  I had hoped to get a lesson in with LAZ but with Rolex and then Penny Oaks Horse Trials she has been out of town. 

I've been focusing on dressage but I did plop over a few jumps on Friday, literally.  I'm going to suck it up and raise the fences at home a bit and see if I can get Annie more interested in putting some effort in.  Looking forward to a slightly warmer show! 

Heartland Wrap Up

Annie had to hitch a ride to this show, I was a bit worried that she wouldn't load onto the strange new trailer but she got right on.  She was also ok with the open sides, which she isn't used to.  She even backed out well since she usually turns around in the slant.

Saturday morning I woke up to a temp of 29 degrees and snow on my car, and topped it off by getting  a speeding ticket on my way to the show!  My first ticket ever, I'm not sure if I should feel proud or upset.  Not like I didn't deserve it, I was indeed speeding. 

Here is Annie's opinion of doing dressage when it's 29 degrees

At first I wasn't going to braid Annie for dressage, I didn't see anyone else braided and anything that makes me less spazzy is good.  However, I caved and put in a nice 4 strand french braid.  I stepped away to put my gloves and coat on and I hear this commotion coming from her stall.  I look in the stall and she's down on her knees rubbing her mane on her bucket, then shaking like a dog.  Well, F*%$#.  I guess she's going unbraided.

Dressage warm up we pinged around like, well, pin balls in a pinball machine.  She was fast, stiff jawed, and she would only turn in one direction.   When I finally cantered she took off like a rocket and I did a transition to the trot because I couldn't get her to turn!  We didn't even bother with our right lead.  Things got better when I picked up my new mantra.

"I know how to ride"  "I know how to ride"  I stopped letting her dash around and started asking her to focus on me. 

Annie's head got higher and higher on our way to our ring, she is still convinced that judge's booths eat horses, and during the wind on Saturday the papers on the clipboard kept rustling around, plus people were talking from inside it. So in typical Annie fashion she ground to a halt to determine if it was safe to proceed. I gently put leg on. She stood firm. I tapped her with the whip, she stood firm. I booted her like a kid on a pony AND whacked her and she squirted past the booth so fast I almost left the saddle over the cantle. While travelling past the booth at a rather fast rate I yelled out my number, as is customary. FOUR!!!!!!!!!! It really wasn't funny until much later but now I can't stop giggling.

Despite snorting through her entire test she was really a very good horse.  She actually settled down once we got into the ring and became more turnable.  She had prompt non bucking correct leaded canter departs YAYY!!!! And reasonable downward transitions!  Double YAYYY!!!  I didn't get as nice of a freewalk as I do at home, but she actually walked and stretched out a bit. 

It wasn't one of our best tests, but seeing some of the other rides I was a bit upset that it only earned us a 5th out of 7.  I have this secret suspicion that snorty arabs earn lower points then snorty TBs but it's not like I deserved 8s.  I did get several 7s though.  However, we were not as we traditionally have been, dead last.

Stadium warm up Annie was ON IT.  I was once again stuck without anyone to calm my butterflies so I had to chant to myself.

Straight and forward to the fences WeanieEventer.  HANDS ON THE NECK WeanieEventer.  Canter STRAIGHT away WeanieEventer.

I think that Annie still needs a lot of miles in strange arenas, she was obedient to a point but she was very looky and once again we snorted through the entire thing.  She ground to a halt staring at the judge's cart (damn judges), and almost ground to a halt in front of fence 4 looking at a bush which I made her jump from a walk so there.  None of the fences were an issue, just all that EVERYTHING else.  We made it around clean.  I still look like a moron jumping, I was working really hard at staying back and riding forward to the base to get her over the fence so I would then make up for it by jumping ahead SIGH. 

We ended up with a pretty pink ribbon for 5th place.  Not as good as I would have liked, but much better then last year! 

Ooopsie photo

Yesterday we had another jumping lesson with LAZ.  More course work, including the scary panels which were not so scary at all this time around and Annie jumped them with a bit of a "meh" attitude which is fine by me!  We also got to do a tiny bit of XC, not a lot as the footing was still pretty wet but just enough to wet my whistle and have me wishing for more.

We got to jump a fence and then trot out into the "wilds." There must be some sort of psychological difference for horses between jumping in a sand arena (even without a fence) and then leaving the sand to head out onto grass.  Annie was on high alert and I had to be really aware of my wall of aids to keep her moving forward on track and not looking at EVERYTHING around us. 

This plank fence was the first fence back in the ring and I think that Annie was so happy to be back on "solid" ground that she didn't even SEE the fence until the last second.  It's also a very light colored fence and LAZ said that she thinks it blends into the sand making it hard to see.  I did manage to stay on and Annie felt really bad about her blooper. 

The next time around we jumped it fine.

Although I did stay back to make sure she went over it and got a little left behind

We also had to jump back into the ring which Annie found a bit spooky and really made me once again pay attention to my wall of aids to keep her moving smartly forward and straight over the fence

I am finding that when there is nothing to worry about the fence I can really feel my leg staying by my girth and my body folds but when the going gets tough and I have to drive I go back to my habit of standing in my stirrups and then my leg slides back.  So much to work on!

Today was the first lesson that I found myself a little disappointed that we didn't jump MORE and BIGGER.  Can you believe that?  Cause I can hardly believe it myself! 

Jumpy Jumpy

Since last I wrote I've taken two lessons with LAZ and have a third one set up for this weekend, that's a lot of jumping!

Last lesson was after the March show which was outdoors and sunny but when we showed up on Sunday there were three inches of snow on the ground so we were stuck indoors.  The gymnastic set up was a bounce over a placing pole to a one stride.  The emphasis was on forward and straightness, both of which I was lacking so the fences stayed small.  We also worked an exercise where I had to weave over and between all the poles at a trot concentrating on looking where I was going before I was going, which is much harder then it sounds!

Annie is extra bendy to the left so coming off the left rein I had a tendency to pull her too much to the left and get in crooked which made the gymnastic more difficult.  LAZ put up guide poles that I had to get in between then I could stop steering with my  hands and steer with my legs.  I actually found myself grabbing mane and trying to flatten my back voluntarily which is a first for me!

Last Saturday the weather was beautiful when we hauled out for another lesson so I knew I would be outside, I was happy to be outside and a bit nervous.  Annie hadn't been outside all winter, would she be fresh?  Would she run away over fences or on the flat?  Turns out she was just fine.  I also had a group lesson so I had to mind where other people were going, wait patiently while they were jumping, and then get going again once they stopped. 

We ended up doing courses in pieces, putting together a whole course by the end.  Apparently I'm done warming up over crossrails as there wasn't one in sight!  LAZ worked hard at getting me to press my hands into the neck with my wrists straight at least a stride before the fence, a concept that was very difficult for me to grasp and even harder to actually do.  The idea of giving up control of my reins a stride away from the fence was something my brain screamed NO NO NO NO! over.  LAZ said that Annie is honest, knows where she is going, and I can steer with my legs.  Imagine that. 

We did have a few stops at the plank fence when it was raised and the first panel.  These were unfamiliar fences to Annie and I must confess that I sat like a lump to them.  I want to sit like a lump and let her slow down and stop if she wants because if I made her go forward then she'd stop faster and I'd fall off.  Why yes, that makes little to no logical sense.  When I actually supported Annie by putting my leg on and riding forward she jumped them just fine, without even overjumping.

Now LAZ swears that the panels are only 2 feet high, which is totally not true, but Annie felt good over them.  Not overjumping, not leaving long, not panicking.  A big part of what gives me confidence is that Annie doesn't act stupid over new and scary things, and even if she gives it some room she's a flat jumper by nature so she doesn't jump me loose like Nikki used to do all the time. 

We ended up cantering our entire course, including the scary panels which were actually quite boring panels in the end.  It was a fantastic lesson and everyone around kept saying how much I improved in the lesson and how much I've improved since I've started riding with LAZ.

Which is all true, although LAZ still terrifies me.  Which she seems to be aware of.  The thought of being pushed beyond what I'm capable of and giving me a complex well, it gives me a complex!  However, I WANT to get better and I get better at the end of every lesson with LAZ so there you go.   I arrive terrified and leave confident which is as it should be. 

I can feel a difference in my leg, it feels like it stays by the girth more consistently and doesn't swing as much, and concentrating on pressing my hands into her neck and not just flinging at her mane seems to help.  I'd still like to fold a bit more over her as I think it will kill the rest of the leg swinging, but much better besides that. 

Here's an awesome video of us jumping the course.

On Loss and Riding

I had a fantastic lesson with LAZ last Sunday and another one coming this Sunday but for a moment I want to talk about the subject of loss and riding.

On the 16th of March my younger and only brother died.  It was certainly not unexpected but was still a shock, my brother had struggled with drugs for several years and it was his inability to acknowledge his need for help that was his own undoing.  The way that a single addict can effect everyone around them is astounding.  Last week was filled with speaking to the police, making memorial plans, contacting friends and relatives and trying to cope as a family that wasn't always as close as other families. 

I tend to be an emotional person but in emergency situations I can be relied on to be the level headed thinker who does what needs to be done and I focused on being there for my family and doing what needed to be done.   I mostly saved my tears for in private on my way home from my mom's house.  Last week was filled with making memorial plans, contacting friends and relatives and trying to cope as a family that wasn't always as close as other families.

One of my favorite television shows on air right now is Justified, Timothy Olphant plays U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens with that "this isn't acting" ease that makes it a fixture in my que.  A few episodes back he lost his father, and while their relationship was a difficult one to say the least the loss obviously effected him.  There is a moment, shortly after learning of his father's death while at the same time coolly handling his job, that he gets up to leave.  On his way to the elevator he becomes frozen in time for a moment, slightly bent over with one hand involuntarily moving up toward his face.  It's in that moment that he actually thinks about IT, and it's a moment I find myself mimicking. 

I've been able to find some peace and a welcome distraction at the barn.  On another blog, cob jockey speaks about how she handles bad days and anger, she finds herself hitting the gym so she can pound out her anger and frustration on a set of weights.  I find myself with the opposite opinion, riding works for me because I CAN'T pound it out.  I have to let go of everything that is troubling me, everything that makes me want to scream as loud as possible or hit a wall and focus on being a rider.  Am I posting too fast or too high?  Is my horse bent in the right direction?  Is she moving smartly off my leg?  How is her contact at the canter?  Annie helped me out last week by being fresh and spooky, hard to think about your week when you're hanging on for dear life!  While riding all I have time to think about is riding, because that's what is fair to my horse. 

I was able to go to a difficult but good jumping lesson with LAZ the Sunday after the memorial which not only served to take my mind off things but also helped me sleep well that night!  I'll be sure to post video and comments about my lesson in another blog post but for now I wanted to talk about how I deal with loss and riding.

Thanks for listening.!

Brrrriest March on record

I seem to remember last March being in the 60s - 80s, maybe that's why I was stoked for a March show coming up this weekend.  I ended up deciding not to go due to my lack of riding and lack of lessons, mostly due to the sucky weather and being unable to get lessons scheduled in.  With temps this weekend in the teens, only one lesson before the show, and a death in my family I think it was a wise decision.

Annie has been waving back and forth between being a good horse and being a spooky balky squirty horse, often in the same ride.  I do kind of like that Annie is feeling comfortable enough with me to show me her true feelings, but I did kind of like blah pokey Annie from last year who was too depressed and worried under saddle to think about being bad.

On Thursday I was able to get a jumping lesson in with Rachel.  I noticed right off the bad that pokey pony was not anywhere in sight, and the issues I've been having again with our right lead canter making it around the scary door seemed to be non existent with Aunty Rachel setting up fences while we flatted. We decided to do course work and after we warmed up Rachel added "scary" things under the fences.  We had a liverpool made out of a green indoor/outdoor carpet that also serves as a rolltop, a bucket under part of a one stride, and the mounting block under the out of the one stride.  One of the things Rachel mentioned was to "flat" in between the fences.  Ask her for more of a connection and contact, and make sure that she's bent in the right direction. 

We also had a swedish oxer thing.  Sometimes Annie gets quick and flat and leaves from further away then she should so at the end of the lesson we set up an exercise for Annie.  Since it was our Swedish oxer now not only bigger but also WIDE and with two canter poles leading up to it this was also a Sabrina exercise, not that Rachel mentioned it! 

Annie ended up doing really well and after I started grabbing chunks of mane I did well too!  Annie was certainly having some fun over the oxer finally putting in a little bit of effort. You can't see it in the picture, but the oxer is 2 feet wide which might be nothing to some people but was something to me.

I also let Rachel know that I am comfortable with her raising the fences behind my back after I've warmed up over them!  We also discussed my goals. 

Entering Leg Up at Starter in July would be fantastic, that will be my "big" show for the season.   I initially wanted to do Dan Hobyn at BN in May because I could always bypass anything out of my element but sadly Dan Hobyn (who changed their name to School of horse Engineering after a management change) is not doing any shows.  They've been a fixture in the community for decades and are a great friendly place to show at so I hope they come back in the future. 

I'd love to make the HT's at Come Again Farms but I think that Cathy is out of town for both of them so that's a bummer. 
I would like to be jumping BN on Annie by summer, and I'd really love to do Novice.  Definitely not Novice XC this year but I think I can handle Novice stadium. 

Maybe I can enter Leg Up at BN but I'd probably have a stroke if I did so we'll see!