Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Day 4: Arabian Working Hunter 14.2 and Under, Arabian Sport Horse Under Saddle ATR, and Arabian Hunter Hack ATR

NOTE: I tried to round up media, but I guess it wasn't a good media day that day...
The getting all the words on "paper"...
I apologize if I was too verbose...  THIS is day 4.....

..................................................................................................................

This turned out to be the longest and least fun day at the show...


Of course, for every horse entered in Arabian Working Hunter 14.2 and Under, there were 2 courses, and usually a warm-up round.  I don't know how many horses were in the class, but it went on F O R E V E R!!


I decided the warm-up round wouldn't hurt us any, so I piloted the Fancy Pony around, unjudged, and she nailed every single lead on landing!!  It felt PERFECT!
There was some chaos around announcing and what was actually going on...
In order to keep things running smoothly, I came out after my warm up round to let another competitor get their warm up in.  Then, for the sake of time efficiency for everyone, decided to stay in the ring and ride my first and second judged rounds back-to-back.


I heard the ring attendant convey my information over to the powers that be, and I was told to go ahead and begin!
I picked up my canter circle, established a very steady, confident canter, and headed to my course!  I knew Whisper was going to go over everything without a glance, so I merely focused on landing our leads.  And we blew at least half of them...  I was able to get a couple trot lead changes, but in one corner, she thoroughly blew me off and refused to even consider changing.  Rather than have an ugly argument in the show ring, I decided to just counter-canter to the next line...  Compared to my warm-up round, it was appalling...  What did I do that messed us up??


Well, if you dwell on the line you just rode, you can't focus on the line ahead of you, so I promptly moved on to keeping my focus forward.
I finished my course, and came down to the walk until the judges were ready for my second round.
I was nodded on, and as I cleared the first fence, I heard the announcer tell the world that I was riding my first course.


REALLY?  I totally lost my groove.  Was I being judged as if I was riding my first course?  Because if I was, I was going to be marked on the WRONG course!  What am I supposed to do now?  I can't very well ask the judge as I ride down my line!
I don't know how long it took me to decide the only thing I could do was ride my second round like I owned it and just try to sort it out later, but I'm sure it didn't help my round while I worked through all the nonsense...


I think I landed on ONE correct lead...  It was as if Whisper thought it was a fun game to swap leads over every fence...  I'm really not sure what was going on.  It was probably just the pressure getting to me.  Knowing this one thing that really hurts our performance...  Focusing on it too hard...  Overthinking every move...


We were jogged in as reserve for our first round (that would NOT be reserve champion), and we weren't jogged at all for our second round.


We retacked and headed in for the flat, which I insisted was spectacular!
Well, we didn't make Top Ten...
I was sad, but not really surprised...

..................................................................................................................

We headed over to the main arena for Sport Horse Under Saddle ATR.  For the uninitiated, this is an Arabian breed invented class...  Walk-trot-canter on the rail, perhaps a lengthening each direction.  Shown in dressage or hunter tack.  I'm not sure any of us are actually sure what the judges are looking for...

There were 61 horses entered in the class, so we were riding in a section of 20-ish, and hoping to make the cut!

I went in and gave it everything I had!  I asked the Fancy Pony to be as fancy as she has ever been!

I felt like she was consistent, but she may have dropped behind my leg for all of a stride or 2...

As far as I was concerned it was a beautiful ride!

But, it wasn't my day, and we didn't make the cut.

Later, there was some discussion that 8 horses should have been moved forward from each cut, and only 6 were moved forward.  Regardless, we still wouldn't have made the cut...

THEN, it was going to be another half an hour before they started us up for Hunter Hack ATR.

So, we hoofed it back to the barn for a short rest...

..................................................................................................................

It was already feeling like a long day, and we'd spent most of it just standing around...
We ran another hunter hack class, but the competition was super stiff!
It ran just like the last hunter hack class.. you know - where we won a top ten??
Well, it wasn't in the cards this time, and we didn't make top honors.  I was still proud of all of our rides!  For crying out loud I WAS RIDING AT NATIONALS!!!
All we had to do was survive one more dressage test.......



Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Day 3: Intro Jumper and Arabian Hunter Hack Open

I had to tie up my braids again, since the heinous beast raked some of them out the day before.

See?  Heinous beast...

So, I was up early to get things together.  Then, we waited for our class...

We actually had spectators for the jumper classes!!




The rules weren't very clear, so I chatted with another competitor to confirm the goal of my class...  This wasn't going to be "get around as fast as possible and clean"...
This was "get around clean and as close to optimum time as you can"!


So, I had 70 seconds to eat up around the course without going over.  I had a plan, but I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to play out...


I had planned all of my tiny turns to save time, but what if I was going too fast?


So, I considered where on the course I could look over my shoulder and check the timer...
And off we went!


Over jump 1, then a rollback to jump 2...  No hurry here.  We could have cut it so much tighter if I wanted to...


Around and back to get to 3 and 4... Maintaining a relaxing pace... leave out the shortcut...


Cruise over 5A and B....  quick turn to 6...
Peek at the clock on landing...

Still too fast....

Hop over 7, and take the long way around before jump 8....
Check the clock one last time...


Now, time to show off!
Hop over 8, then take the short route, spinning around the 5B element and diving between the jumps on my way to fence 9.  Not running, but lengthening the stride a little just to keep covering ground...
And we ended on 67.75 seconds!!




I couldn't get a copy of the video, but I encourage you to watch it here on the Rock Solid Arabians Facebook Page:


https://www.facebook.com/Rock-Solid-Arabians-113607098730787/videos/




Friends, we took first!
I still can't believe it!  We won!!


Whisper says she definitely loves the jumpers!!

Champion Intro Jumpers!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We played dress up and got some pictures taken.  I tried to update facebookland.  We must have rested back at the barn for a little bit, but I can't really remember....

Then, we went back for Hunter Hack Open.

The class felt BIG.  I was actually aware this time that my ride was streaming over the internet!

I tried to tune that out and just plain SHOW OFF!

We started with the usual walk/trot/canter around the ring.  You know something is going right when it's boring...  I mean, there really isn't much to say...  Quiet transitions, and get your leads - consistency throughout...

But, it's also the OPEN class.  I'm in the same class as Arabian Sport Horse Legend: ORATION++++//

BTW, those +'s and /'s are indicative of awards won from his show record.  He's kind of a big deal and pretty much wins every class he walks into...

WHAT was I THINKING??

We all lined up to take our turns over the 2 jumps in figure 8 style and hand-gallop to our halt...

My goal: clean, quite jumps and a distinguishable difference in hand-gallop...

The jumps were clean and quiet...  The hand-gallop felt distinguishable!  We halted a tad bit late, but I didn't have to fight for it.

I got back in line to await my fate...

I was busy chatting with my neighbors when they started announcing the Top Ten, so I was self interrupted by my shock when they called my number!!




Happy Birthday to ME!  We took National Top Ten in Hunter Hack Open!!

I followed the direction...

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Day 2: Green Working Hunter

Oh, the fun!




I groaned when the alarm went off...
But the braider I hired had agreed to share her tips and tricks with me, and I was eager to learn how to rock hunter braids.

mornings......

The braid down went as I anticipated.

I learned I've been doing forelocks wrong my entire life!

I also learned that I have the basics for tying up hunter braids, I just need more practice, and to push up from the bottom to get the right bump.

And, then, there is Secret Weapon: QUIK BRAID (more on this later...)

And tails!  I've stressed about braiding Whisper's wispy tail, but now, I know the trick!  A couple anchor braids makes things sooooo much easier!!

So, with lovely braids, we moved on to tacking up, dressing, and warming up for THE first (and our only) class of the day!

In the warm-up, there were lots of horses stopping at the warm up fences, so I figured there must be something intimidating about them...  I never did figure out whatever it was, though, because Fancy Pony hopped right over them!  She really felt great!

We don't have a lead change yet, so I currently rely on landing my leads in order to get through a hunter class...


Well, our first round, we had to go to some simple lead changes....  Despite our warm-up and getting her focused on landing the lead of my choosing, it just doesn't always work out that way...


The course was also rather interesting!  There wasn't a single related distance. The course designer tried to establish a course that allowed us to show our hunters the their best advantage, whether they were 13 hh or 17hh!




We went back in for our second course, and we landed every single lead!!!  It felt like a really pretty ride!




Then, of course, we pulled saddles for the trot...
And we waited... and waited... and waited...




Whisper started shaking her head and neck.  Each time, she shook it harder and harder.  We figured she was sweating and it was itching, so we tried to help her out by scratching along her crest.  And she would lean in as hard as we would let her!  There was some serious itchiness!!




Finally, we trotted, re-tacked, then headed in for the flat portion of our division.
It was a pretty uneventful ride where the Fancy Pony just felt dreamy to ride!
Then, we stood in the line up and waited.......  you know the drill...   and waited...

And after what is always an agonizing time, they started to announce the Top Ten....

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Top Ten Arabian Green Working Hunter

And we joined the ranks of Nation Honors with a Top Ten in Arabian Green Working Hunter!!

So... remember those braids I paid for?

As SOON as the bridle was off, that mare brought her hoof to her neck and raked out the entire middle section of her braids!!

I don't think I even got a decent picture of those beautiful, perfect braids....

I had hopes they would last for 2 or 3 days...

And I get one class out of them....

*le sigh*

It turns out, the sensitive chestnut mare is really sensitive to QUIK BRAID!

Who knew??

Interruption...

It's not always rainbows and sunshine and unicorns and kittens...

...it should always be kittens...

I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but I can't find an appropriate place to spill it.

I just got home from the highest week of my life!

...And, somehow, I feel like a failure...

I will continue to recap the adventure of a lifetime, but only after I put down this counterintuitive state of being...

Little things keep nagging me until they have consumed me...

Like the fact that the Fancy Pony remains lean... I wish I could make her plump.  But she takes 3 days to eat a meal...




The phrase "work on consistent connection" continues to plague my dressage tests.  Making me feel like a failure as a rider...  Why is this so hard for me to accomplish?

While I was out of town, our own dog (a chocolate lab of advancing years) suddenly killed 4 of our chickens in the space of an hour.  Has she gone senile?  In the fading light, did she suddenly think they were interlopers that didn't belong in the yard?  I'll never have those answers...

I had made plans to hunt the Fancy Pony this season!  It's going to be grand!!
So, why can't I make an actual hunt until November?  How did these other things get on my calendar??  Why can't I seem to keep these things prioritized?

My house feels like it has been turned upside down.  I can't seem to keep my stuff organized.  Horse stuff... Sewing stuff... What in the world is going on with my laundry??

Is this just a reaction to being gone for over a week?


My husband says for moments of intense happiness that I experience, it is only a matter of time before I succumb to moments of equally intense despair.  Is that all this is?  Just a figment of my mind that has nothing to do with reality?




There was a discussion about the Intro Jumper class that I had entered.

What I thought I was entering (the way it was set up at the time I entered online) was Novice Jumper (running at 2'9"ish?) and was a recognized class.

It turns out that a decision was made to run the class instead as Intro Jumper and at 2'3"ish.  Instead of fasted time, it was run at optimum time (which actually might be harder!).  It was not recognized for anything.  Many opinions that I read on the discussion (which, of course, took place in a Facebook group) seemed to think very little of this class.  It's merely a training height and should be used as such.  It shouldn't count for anything.  Does that mean any accomplishment in this class should be discounted?  Why do I care, either way?

I didn't feel ready to enter a speed jumper class at 3'3", so this was my next best thing.  It turns out the heights were all  lowered in the rest of the jumping classes, too.  Should I have adjusted my entry accordingly?  Why didn't I get the email referenced that explained this change?  Why didn't I find the discussion until it was all over?  Why do I feel betrayed?

Basically, I'm just a jumbled mess of emotion right now, and there doesn't seem to be any logical reasoning behind it.

To top it all off, I had a crappy Monday morning which is going to cost me money I really didn't want to spend on something that I thought was already taken care of.  More feelings of failure...  Ugh!

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Day 1: Training Level Dressage

Whisper arrived at the show grounds with a huge lump of knotted muscles on both sides of her neck...
Ugh!!
Can we do a long haul to a show without **something**?


A friend offered some reiki (sp?) and massage, which seemed to help!


Monday was a "settle in" day where we unloaded everything from the trailer and moved into the tack and dressing room stalls.  Those stalls would remain organized chaos for the remainder of the week...  In spite of our best intentions...


Reality hadn't sunk in, yet...

Tuesday, we rode our first dressage test, first thing in the morning, then had all day to school the jumps in the jumper ring.  It was looking like madness in that area, so I decided to wait until everyone was headed into their Sport Horse Under Saddle classes to school at the last minute.  It turned out to be a great plan for me.  We didn't need much schooling.  The Fancy Pony didn't look at anything except this big, airy oxer (which must have been set at something like 3'3" based on what we jumped the rest of the week), but once she got a good look at it, she happily hopped on over it without any more hesitation!

Note to self: start walking around and sizing up the jumps before mounting up - your eye has changed and the bigger jumps don't look huge anymore...

Poor pony...

I thought we'd had a really nice dressage test, but when we finally got our tests (the next morning) it was obvious the judges were not impressed with our performance.

I'm finally putting my finger on the block in my dressage. When Whisper *offers* to come through, I feel like we can do amazing things!  We have established "submission", but I'm still struggling with this consistent contact.  I don't have a way to get her to 'give me her back' if she isn't offering it.

On one test, the judge kept saying she was above the bit, then, on my stretchy trot circle, wrote "this is where you should be for the rest of your test."  YIKES!

I'm sure the knotted neck muscles didn't help...

We tried to make is an early night so that we could meet the braider at stupid-dark-thirty...  For the first time in my life, I was paying for braids, and I wanted to glean any and all tricks that I could!!

Another Episode Of: Jacq Is Completely Losing It!

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals.
It's real for me.
It's becoming more real every day!




I vacillate between giddy and nauseous...




I have never attended a competition of this caliber...


(I apologize for the lack of media - I can't seem to get the photos inserted today - blame it on the work computer...)










The list of things that need done seems to be getting longer as time gets shorter...


Whisper needs trimmed...
I need to pick up hay...
I need to purchase grain and pick up mats...
Trailer still needs packed...
Groceries need purchased and food prepared...




At times, I'm completely paralyzed by the list of things that need my attention!
What am I going to forget?
What if it's something I *really* need?


How can I possibly be leaving for the East Coast in 2 DAYS?????

Tally Ho!

What do you do when preparing for the biggest competition of your life to date?
Throw everything out the window and go for a hunting lesson!

The Fort Leavenworth Hunt Club offers “8 Easy Lessons” as an introduction to foxhunting.  I have dreamed of riding with the hunt since I read the book “Cinnabar the One o’ Clock Fox” in my youth.  I don’t know how many times I’ve read the book, but my copy was well worn before I lost track of it…

My first lesson started out feeling much like a drill team practice.  It was all about proper spacing.  I need to see the hocks of the horse in front of me between my horse’s ears.  This is not as easy as it sounds.  What they didn’t say is “If you can see the horse’s heels in front of you, you are getting left behind!”
The second part of the lesson was “TROT all the things!”  Always trot.  Long trot, short trot, middle trot…  Trot!  Trotting will conserve your horse over the course of a day of hunting.  We practiced trotting in line.  We practiced trotting over jumps in a line.  We practiced trotting around trees in a line.

OK, everyone else practiced it at the trot…  Whisper decided, “This is just dumb!” and proceeded to play the game at the world’s slowest canter! Rather than get left behind, I finally just let her canter.  I figure, on the hunt, she’ll figure out how to trot when she gets tired….  *IF* she gets tired…

Because, if I learned nothing else, I learned that the most important thing on the hunt is not to get left behind!!

We did the tree exercises 2x2...  then 3x3...  Oh, how fun!!
Tandem jumping was involved, as well!  The Fancy Pony didn't think that was anything new...

All in all, it was a great time, and I can't wait to go back!  Hunting sounds like it will be a BLAST!