The struggle of falling out of practice

I walked into this new barn...

...for my first lesson with a new trainer...

... I haven’t ridden with any manner of consistency since February...

... that was 5 months ago...

...I haven’t **cantered** with any consistency for, well......

Ok. So when was the last time that I jumped??

I pondered this for quite a while. It must have been 2016. So, 3 years?

NOPE! It’s 2020. It has been 4 years since I’ve jumped. 

Surely, she’s not going to have me jumping my first lesson. I mean, she’s going to have to get to know me and whip me into shape and get me riding like she wants me to...

So, I arrive in plenty of time to watch the previous lesson wrap up. Young girls are hopping adorable Welsh ponies and the occasional Thoroughbred over classic hunter-style fences. There is a gymnastics exercise, an outside line, and a slightly bending diagonal line. 

She’s tough on these girls. By that, I mean that she asks for exactly the exercise she laid out, and she expects the girls to to do the work to gain their mounts’ cooperation. 

She is also fair and compassionate. She sets them up for success with a less-complex exercise before sending them on to a more-complex exercise. 

I’m introduced to “Cherokee”. She’s a cute little chestnut Quarter Horse mare with a kind eye. She’s already tacked up and waiting for me. All I have to do is get on and start warming up. 

Cherokee has a REALLY P-O-K-E-Y walk. I feel like I have to actually *kick* every other stride to keep her walking. Holy cow... How is she going to coach any kind of riding for me if I can’t even keep this horse walking??

We start trotting, and I’m DEFINITELY kicking to keep her trotting... Well, there’s no pony stick at hand, but we’ve got some spurs! Let’s see if that makes a difference!

Sure enough, when I have to nag just to maintain the trot, I applied a little spur. Cherokee was unimpressed and continued to require nagging. So, took my spurs, lifted her rib cage, and said, “Look mare, I mean it! I refuse to work HARDER than you just to trot around the ring!”

In response, Cherokee said “Oh! No problem!! I just wanted to make sure that’s what you REALLY wanted to be doing!”

And I didn’t need a spur after that!

We spent time finding suppleness and stretch, we spent time finding balance, then we did a little bit of cantering. I tried to find the right combination of cues to get a nice transition. I used my inside leg to lift the shoulders, I used my outside leg to maintain the bend and strike off, and I used a touch of rein to help her balance... but I was still missing some ingredient for a smooth depart...

Coach said “Try scooping your outside seat bone!”

Oh, holy wow, the difference that made!!

And it was indispensable on our circles!!

My core was already crying a little as I tried to maintain good balance and position, follow my horse’s annually broad back, and incorporate details like “scooping my outside seat bone”...

Then, Coach sent me to the fences!

We started by trotting into the gymnastic line, and she said something that spun my world around: “Ride the back get to the fence...”

She said it as if she were talking to herself, like it was something she would think to herself as she were riding the same approach...

It never occurred to me which end of the horse I was riding to the fence! I think I was inadvertently riding the FRONT end of my horse to the fence!

Over the next several fences, that single statement made such a difference, I had to tell her about it. She said, “That’s fantastic! Another one I say a lot is ‘wiggle your toes’. It really seems to make a big impact.”

Well, now, I had to ride to the next fence and try to wiggle my toes!!

Oh, what a feeling!!!

We continued on over who-knows-how-many jumps and combinations. Coach was gushing about how fancy Cherokee was looking over the fences. At one point, she expresses, “You have beautiful hands, and Cherokee just loves the space you’re giving her to work in.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather. It came to me as the greatest compliment I have ever received. It was exactly the confidence boost I needed that day. 

I had walked in with doubts about my fitness (proven to be lacking), doubts about my abilities (unfounded), and doubts about what my new coach would think of my abilities (unfounded).  

Moral of the story:

Don’t let your doubts stop you!! Charge on ahead and tackle the challenges as they come!

Man, it felt great to be jumping again.....

I may have done a Thing... a while ago.....

So, I bred my first horse....

You may remember the adventures of the Perfect Pink Pony (aka - Whisper)...

After much deliberation and some happy circumstance, I embraced the opportunity to breed her for my very own foal!!

I had hit the road to start a new job, so riding and competing went on hold for a while. We didn’t have a purebred stud picked out for Whisper, so I bred for my half-Arabian in 2017. 

It was all I could do to keep up with the pregnancy while continuing to learn the finer points (frustrations) of the new job and gallivanting all about the countryside. Next thing I knew, we were only a few months away from impending birth, and I didn’t have even one name on the list of possibilities!!

🤦‍♀️

So, I made a list of possible traits that we could expect:

- colt or filly

- chestnut or bay

- solid or spotted 

So, that would mean one of 8 combinations:

- solid chestnut colt

- solid chestnut filly

- solid bay colt

- solid bay filly

- spotted chestnut colt

- spotted chestnut filly

- spotted bay colt

- spotted bay filly

Does that mean my list of possible names should have at least 8 on it??

🤔

There’s a funny story told by the group that I work with. The punchline is: Whenever someone asks about our system, the answer is always “bad barcode”.  Now, you wouldn’t believe how many times we run into bad barcodes in my line of work.... I got to thinking that no matter how the spots lined up, my scanner would never be able to read it.  So, if I got my spotted bay filly, I should call her “Bad Barcode”!

...then, I got to thinking about the other extreme... what if I got a solid chestnut colt???

...Bad Barcode... 🤷‍♀️

In the end, it turned out that only one name was going to be on list of possibilities for this particular foal.....

And on March 28, 2018, we welcomed into the world the first horse I ever bred:

Arabian Breeder’s Sweepstakes nominated

Half-Arabian solid bay colt

SEP Bad Barcode

Reboot.....

I’m sitting in the truck. I’m not driving. I’m in the passenger seat. 

I have insulated muck boots on. I’m wearing my down coat. It must be winter. 

My vest is... on the floor? It looks kind of dirty. I must have fallen off of a horse. 

The display in the truck is showing a name that I recognize. Dad?

I can hear his voice over the speaker. Oh, good. The people that matter are being notified. I’m going to be OK. 

(Why did he buck you off?)

“Because he’s an asshole.”

(Really??)

“Yes. I surround myself with assholes.”

(Hey, wait!! Are you calling me an asshole??)

“Well, yes. Yes, you are.”

I take a deep breath and lean back into the seat...

.....REBOOT.....

I’m sitting on a bed of some sort. The tiny “room” didn’t even have a door, but the curtain is pushed all the way open.  

I’m wearing insulated muck boots. I’m wearing breeches. I must have been riding. 

I’m not wearing my vest... I’m not wearing my coat... I’m cold...

There’s a collar around my neck........

Crap. 

I must have fallen off of a horse...

I want to lay down. Can I lay down?

(Yes, but don’t go to sleep.)

I cover up with my coat. That’s better. I’m not so cold now...

Something is poking me in the back of the head!

(It’s probably the collar)

Can you take my bun out?

(I guess so. How’s that?)

Oh, MUCH better! Thank you!!!

.....REBOOT.....

Why do I have to sit up?

(These nice ladies are going to take you for a scan.)

Oh. Ok. 

Did they put me in a wheel chair?

Oh, lay down on this table? Ok. 

Don’t move. I’ll try.....

I keep rebooting, you know.....

I don’t mean to be uncooperative...

Oh, look! That’s the scanner machine! I guess it’s not an MRI because I’m still wearing my watch.... I wonder what that thing is moving in the slot there.....

Oh, we’re done? Great!

How many times did you have to restart the scan because I forgot to keep still?

Oh. I must have done really well. I wish I could remember....

.....REBOOT.....

I’m in the cubby again. This feels familiar. The curtain is open. 

“How many times have I rebooted?”

(Quite a few)

“I’m tracking time, now.”

(Oh, really.... What time is it?)

“... I don’t know...”

(What day is it?)

“... I don’t know...”

I have to pee. 

“I have to pee...”

(Let me get the nurse)

“Yes, I think I can pee in the cup. Can you help me? I just need an extra hand...”

“Can you just hand me the cup after I’m situated? Ugh! I forgot about this collar!”

(You have pee all over the cup - and your hands!!)

... I want to cry...

“I’m sorry.... I forgot about the collar!! I can’t actually see what I’m doing!!”

(It’s ok. I’m here. Let me help you with the toilet paper...)

I’m sitting on a bed. I want to lay down. 

Yes, I can lay down. 

Oh, look. There’s mud on the bed! I must have laid down here before. *sigh*

Where is my vest? I’m cold!

I’m covering up with my coat.... That’s better...

.....REBOOT.....

They are taking the collar off. There’s no bleeding on my brain. 

Oh, good!

Can we put the collar back on??? It feels better when it’s on... my neck doesn’t hurt as bad, then.......

There’s no blood in my urine. They can send me home now. 

Thank goodness!!!!

Does that mean it’s ok to sleep now?

(Yes)

Oh, thank goodness!! I’m exhausted!!

I can walk. 

We walk out of the ER, and I manage to climb into the truck with plenty of assistance. 

(You need to take a shower)

Ok. Am I capable of that?

(Why don’t you give it a shot and find out?”

Ok!

My neck hurts. 

My left shoulder hurts. 

My left arm hurts. 

I peel my shirt off and it’s COVERED in dirt down the RIGHT side... so why does the LEFT side hurt????

Somehow, I managed to get clean...

We picked up dinner on the way home. 

I *DEVOURED* dinner....

... I guess I was hungry...

So, tell me what happened again?

(You were riding Cupid. He bucked your ass into the dirt. You swore you were ok and got back on the horse. We finally talked you into getting off. You put the horse away. And I took you to the ER.)

I’ll never remember that part.....

It’s been 21 years since my last concussion. At least I was wearing a helmet!

....I’ll be replacing that ASAP....

"How are you not sore?"

 

“How are you not sore after falling off??” MK asks me incredulously…

 

This was the actual question posed to me.

Yes, I fell off.  At the horse show.  In my class.  And I was disqualified.

Round 1 - Fence 3

 

My flippant answer to “How are you not sore?” was, “I work out.”

While it was initially spoken in jest, I think there’s some truth in there.

 

I put in a gajillion braids...

Because I’m following a complete workout program, my core is regularly and thoroughly worked and challenged.  Therefore, when the Fancy Pony slammed on the brakes, my core was available to hold me in the middle (for an extra second, anyway).  That extra second allowed me to slow my forward trajectory to better match my pony’s lack of trajectory so that I sort of fell onto her neck and just rolled on around until I landed in the dirt.  I wasn’t grabbing with out-of-shape muscles to stay on, so they were fully available to do the job.  It’s not like you use those muscles when riding is going well…  Thanks to my integrated cardio-weights workouts, they were available just how I needed them!

 

The story gets better though!

I like this one!

 

While I was eliminated from my first round, I still had a second round to ride.

We made it a little further this time…

I sat all my refusals without falling off.

I had a few nice jumping efforts.

I had a few not-so-pretty jumping efforts…

You would think we hadn't practiced at home...

 

I had this incredible save!!

Stay in the middle...

 

Just call me Karen?

Now, what you may find difficult so see here, is that I’m hanging off of the left side of my horse by my right knee and elbow…  Somehow, I was able to channel my inner Karen O’Connor and sit right back up!

…And re-approach the offending jump…

 

I’m pretty sure I just straight up choked in my first 3’ hunter class, but I learned.  I learned more than I imagined I could in those few short minutes.  And, now, I’m back home to implement the lessons learned while pushing just a little further out of my comfort zone.

after my second refusal...

Because if we don’t push something, we won’t grow.

Let's keep in touch!

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Wordless Wednesday

This actually happened...

How Working Out Impacts My Riding

(cross-posted to http://dynamicwithjacq.blogspot.com/)

As you work your way up the levels of your chosen riding discipline, you may find the your body becomes less and less cooperative...  The parts just don't seem to do what you told them to do...  Or what you *thought* you told them to...

Do you follow a workout program, or do you just stick to one thing all the time?

(such as running, biking, walking, whatever)

I've been following my programs that:

 - change up the muscle groups that get worked each day

 - include cardio components

 - schedule in stretching and flexibility

 - establish core strength and stability

You wouldn't think that any of that really affects my riding one way or another...

But, when it comes down to upping the ante, I'm realizing it *is* my own solid foundation!

Working out increases my confidence!

Now, I don't fully understand why breaking a sweat each day should make any difference in my confidence, but I still notice a difference.  I think body language has much to do with it.

Check out this TED Talks Life Hack by Amy Cuddy!  If you get a chance to watch the video, I highly recommend it!

I think exercise puts me in power poses (and for more than 2 minutes at a time) and contributes to my increased confidence.  I don't have any other science to back this up.  It's just a hunch.

confidence to stick with my horse when she puts in an extra push!

Working out heightens my body awareness at all levels!

Are my heels down?  Are my hips even?  Am I sitting up straight or collapsing forward?

These questions get easier to answer by feel when I'm working out.  Out of the saddle, I'm finding all of these tiny muscles between the big muscles and slowly becoming aware of all my body parts in relation to the rest of me.

In triangle pose, I feel squished between 2 panes of glass, but when I look up, my right shoulder is a bit forward.  So, I figure out how to bring it back in line.  That translates to square shoulders in the saddle.  Because I work on it every day.  At home.  Out of the saddle.

awareness of my position so that I stay centered and out of the way when we take off from a bad spot!
(I can't see that expression without cracking up!!  LOLOL)

Working out improves my posture!

Whether I'm lifting weights or stretching into a yoga pose, I must put my body into alignment.  The actions themselves slowly install a muscle memory of balanced body parts.  Squats, especially with weights, push my weight into my heels, helping them stay DOWN when I'm in the saddle.

Resistance training teaches me to keep my chest and chin UP.

Yoga and Pilates help me keep my spine and pelvis aligned.

Because I'm training every day.

Bonus - it improves my posture OUT of the saddle, as well!

Working out solidifies my balance!

Oh, the crazy things I do at home! Yoga balance poses.  One-legged squats.  Side plank.  Chair pose!!

The better my balance is, the easier it gets to stay out of my horse's way when we work.  And when I can get out of her way, she truly becomes brilliant!

As the muscles get fatigued, my ability to balance declines.  By pushing my limits out of the saddle, my muscles gain endurance.  If I fall out of a pose at home, it's not going to impact my horse.  I can push harder and harder - all the way to my limits!  Then, I can push those limits farther!

When I get back in the saddle, I have more to offer my horse.  More stability.  More balance.  More quiet allowance.  More partnership.

I'm putting as much effort into our performance as my horse is!

Working out manages my pain.

I am a rider with a chronic back injury.  Bulged discs never completely heal.  By maintaining my core strength and flexibility on a daily basis, acute flare-ups are shorter and less painful.  It helps me build what I call "coping muscles".

Recently, my back was so tied up, I couldn't sit the canter.  I had a performance to give. Since I couldn't sit the canter, I cantered in half-seat.  I had the strength to do that much, at least.  The flexibility comes and goes, but I continue to train it anyway.  I learn how to work in a way that protects my injury while still being effective.  The hurt goes away faster.  The muscles remain more pliable.  I remain functional!!

That doesn't mean I never have bad pain days...  I still have occasions where some outside force that I have yet to identify lays me low and all I can do is take NSAIDS and lay on the couch and wait for the spasms and ache to pass.  But it's no longer taking DAYS to pass.  It seems to only take 24 hours or less.  Then, I can step right back into my routine.

It doesn't mean we're perfect, but it does mean we are both doing our best!!

Shameless Plug

I'm not at my ideal weight, yet.  I don't have a 6-pack.  I modify and work around chronic injury and pain.  I like bread and chocolate and ice cream...

Despite all of that, I am succeeding at a pace that works for me.  I am sustaining small, consistent improvements.  And I am helping others do the same thing!!

Learn more about what I do at http://dynamicwithjacq.blogspot.com/p/services.html

KYB Dressage Presentation

I was able to sit in on 3 of the KYB Dressage presentations at Equifest Kansas! Yvonne Barteau has a quiet, confident teaching style.  Life goals: lesson with Yvonne Barteau!!

For her Friday presentation, she recruited me to help! I headed into the arena with 2 strings of twine for a short talk about contact. I held the one end while Yvonne held the other and talked about different kinds of contact. She had me play a distracted horse, and demonstrated how she reestablishes a connection. I should have been wearing my go pro to take note on later!!

I am the kind of girl who shows up to these things with notebook and pen, so as soon as my time holding the twine was done, I scrambled to the bleachers to take notes!

First and foremost:

Establish a connection you can call "home base".

Yvonne explained that the connection will vary from horse to horse, but before anything can be addressed, that connection must be established and agreed upon.  Obviously, I'm paraphrasing...

connection and the half-halt

Then, we moved on to Flexing.  This is stabling the bend through the entire body (not just the neck).  Hind legs track the fronts on the circle and corners.

Try a radial turn:

Flex the horse left, then move both hands a little to the right - the shoulders will move right.

I felt like this exercise, without saying as much, was the cornerstone to capturing the shoulders and keeping them in line.  It seems like it gets pretty easy for the shoulders to pop out and you're left with a straight spine and a bent neck.  They riders played with this concept a bit.

Add leg to turn a radial turn into a leg yield!

How easy it sounds!  I can feel it in my body, and I'm not even on my horse!!

Change flexion to turn your leg yield into a half pass.

Really?  Is it really that straightforward?  I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but you know I'm going to!!

Do it in trot and canter, too!

Pirouette and move the shoulders out.

She went into great depth with the demonstration horse about the mechanics of the pirouette.  She explained how they will step into the pirouette with great balance and power, then will start to fall in with the shoulders in the second half.

So, do 2 steps into pirouette, then head straight out of it.  By moving the shoulders out, the horse is less inclined to fall in.

I'll admit I was completely engrossed in the tiny details unfolding before me to take any more detailed notes...  I'm sure pirouette is going to be a little while for us, anyway.

transitions within the trot

Half-Halt:

My notes are brief, but I broke it down to the essence: Give to the bit - go to the bit

The half-halt only lasts one second!  DO NOT hold the half-halt!

Initially, ask for the half-halt with the body.

If it doesn't go through, ask again with the body and reins.

Ask again if necessary.

DO NOT hold the half-halt!

Give to the bit - go to the bit

flying changes

Dressage through the levels:

I forgot my paper and pen, so I took notes on my phone!!

'Sit in the bend!'she said.

OK.  Wrote that down.  Pondered it.  Watched...

Discussing haunches in:

Always sit in the bend, however awkward!

Noted!

Ride the trot to the halt.  Don't stop riding the gait just because you have another gait coming!

"You cannot change the subject by changing the gait." Said to the horse who would rather extend the trot than collect the canter.

Change the gait, fine - but the lesson of collection is the same.  That's the subject of conversation.

Shoulder in - oh, you want to canter?  OK, but continue to do it in shoulder in!

You get the idea.

I've been saying this to myself every ride since!!

On lead changes:

Collect, then change the lead.

Ask for the change, then ask again - ask if the lead is, in fact, correct.

I have some ideas for implementation on this idea, but I haven't had the chance to incorporate them into our work yet.

ENJOY!!

Go Pro footage over the table!

Enjoy riding along over nothing but skinnies at Equifest Kansas!

Equifest Kansas

So, this happened!

Fancy Pony and I proudly represented the Arabian Breed at Equifest Kansas!

Seriously.  Can a weekend go any better?

(Don't be too hard on my mom...  She can't help it if she feels like the pony's feet are RIGHT NEXT to her head!) 

OMG - A contest!!

Have I mentioned how much I love Noble Outfitters products??
So, how can I resist entering this fabulous contest put on by A Gift Horse?


Check out her review and contest details HERE: https://agifthorse.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/noble-outfitters-review-and-giveaway/


It's the littlest things, isn't it?

Concurrent Goals - Something's Gotta Give

If you've been following me for any amount of time, you are likely aware that I have several goals to pursue at any given time - and they may not all be horse related!!




I've been a little slow about getting my blogs posted since Arabian Sport Horse Nationals, and I've been feeling a bit guilty about that.  It leaves me feeling...  maybe... a little bit... like a failure?




Look.  I know I'm not a failure.
Just in case you didn't already know that about me. :D

NOT a failure!

We all have 24 hours in a day.

168 hours in a week.

And I have not been spending as much of it on this blog as I had been...

And that is because I have been focusing on my business.

That's right - I have a business!

You can explore my business blog at Dynamic with JacQ

You'll find some pony adventures over there, too.






NEVER FEAR! I will continue this blog, as well!
It just might be a tad longer between posts than you may have grown accustomed to.


When you are pursuing concurrent goals that are not directly related, it's going to take a little longer to reach them than if you focused ALL of your time on just one of them.


I'm still seeking that time balance that lets me work, ride, and write, but I look forward to having you along on the journey!

Dressage Clinic with Natalie Hinnemann

When we trailer more than a couple hours, the Fancy Pony gets stiff in the neck.  In fact, you can feel how the lower neck muscles get hard and knotted...

It took a while for this to make itself clear to me.

And, finally, I understood another piece of the puzzle that was missing...

How do you work through that sort of knotted mess once you get to the show?

So, I trailered 6 hours away to attend a clinic...
Fancy Pony wasn't the only Arabian there, but I'm pretty sure she was THE smallest mount...
And, of course, everyone cooed over her innate adorableness!

As expected, the Fancy Pony arrived tight and stiff in the neck and she was not her usual, soft self.  The head tossing reappeared.  The shoulder throwing was back.  And I had coaching to teach me how to work through it!

It was a beautiful day in South Dakota!

I warmed up and then walked the perimeter of the ring as I listened to Natalie Hinnemann finish up with the rider before me.

I liked her coaching style immediately.  It was focused, but her voice was soft and soothing - as if she was actually doing the riding rather than just coaching from the middle of the ring...


Whisper cooperated by producing all of the inconsistencies that I wanted to address.  All of those inconsistencies boiled down to connection and "thoroughness".  I had figured that part out, but I couldn't seem to work through it on our less spectacular days...


Natalie started by just watching us ride, then brought us onto a 20 meter circle.
The lesson was pretty basic, but the concepts were so vital!
It felt like we were riding our 20 meter circle with 10 meter bend.  Natalie constantly reminded me to bring Whisper's shoulders inside the circle.  Basically, we were riding circle in shoulder-in.  Then we would carry on to the corner and do the same in a 10 meter circle.
We would work the circle until Whisper softened into the contact and filled my outside rein, then we would ride to the next corner in shoulder-in, then ride the circle again.  We lived in shoulder-in.
Then, we would carry on down the straight line and add a touch of brilliance!  And I could FEEL how fancy the princess is!

Natalie poses with us for a picture during a walk break!

We moved on a little.  We continued to live in shoulder-in, but we added leg yield to the mix.  By living in shoulder-in, I was gaining more control over all 4 quadrants of Whisper's body.

We maintained shoulder-in through transitions. And, wouldn't you know, by focusing on maintain the positioning through the transition, I found us making those transitions in slow motion!

With lots of help, we started working through our biggest block, and I'm excited to move forward to the next one!

I had a dream a while back that I was riding Whisper down the long side in shoulder-in, then easy as pie, stepped into half-pass to the centerline.  I feel that reality is closer than ever!

You KNOW I'll be back to clinic with Natalie again!!

we schooled cross-country back in October...

And old demons were cake!
And new demons arose!  And it was all because of my own sucky riding!
cold snap, back pain, and lack of looseness in the rider...


Some of my favorite moments while schooling....




HEADED TO THE DOWN BANK
me:  Hey, we're cantering to the down bank!  Yay!
her:  I love cantering!  I love down banks!  I love cross country!
me:  Maybe we should trot before we get to that down bank.
her:  I love cantering!  I love down banks!  I love cross country!
me:  I insist we trot before that down bank.
her:  I love cantering!  I love down banks!  I love cross country!
me:  Hey, lady!  I said we're trotting!
her:  Nope.  We're going to canter that sucker!  I've got this! You just sit there and hang on!!
me:  Are you kidding me??
her:  Nope.  I've got this!
(arrive AT the down bank)
me:  *just riding through it*
her:  maybe I should have trotted? (inserts tiny stutter step) - Nope, never mind!  (landing) I've got this at the canter, too!




TAKING ON THE SCARIEST BENCH EVER (schooled BN last year, it was a fight to get over every single time)
me:  OK, here we go!  Own this bench!
her:  Oh, yeah!  I'm owning this!
(did she even bother to look at it?)
(coming around to take on the Novice version)
me:  *just riding any other jump*
her:  Bring it on!  I'm the baddest pony there ever was!  Look at me own this thing!




A HOUSE WE NEVER SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATED
me:  Yup, I know you've got this, because you find this sort of thing inviting.  Just riding!
her:  CHOMP-CHOMP-CHOMP! GIVE ME THE HOUSE!
me:  Ho there, lady!  Can you half halt a little?
her:  CHOMP-CHOMP! MINE!!
me:  Um - HELLO!  Running through my hands like this is completely unaccepta-----
her:  *runs through hands and charges over the house*
me:  .....well, I guess on the upside, we jumped it...  Now, about that rudeness!!




There was much larking over many other obstacles that just weren't a big deal.
There was a "flower box" that was OK at BN, but the Novice level just wasn't happening.
The water was, of course, a grand adventure, as always!  Snorkeling continues to happen.  I just think of it as stretching her back...


Yes. Snorkeling.
She shoves her face under the water up to her noseband and trots like that, dragging her face in the water!!
...I should really get pictures some day...

Arabian Sport Horse Nationals 2015 - Day 5: Training Level Dressage

The test itself was not the exciting part of this game...  It was, honestly, mediocre.  Not bad.  Just not spectacular.


Some local friends had come to cheer me on, and they were right there at the ring when I exited.
Another friend competing, went RIGHT after me, so I stayed to watch her test!
(That test is another story, and not mine to tell)




So, after all the excitement was done, we headed back to the barn.  And the volunteer stopped me on my way out to check my bit and any whip or spurs (which I didn't have).  It never occurred to me that she might be waiting...  She told me, "I was wondering when you were finally going to come over.  I watched to make sure you weren't wiping any blood off or anything!"  OOPS!




Of course, she totally understood me wanting to watch my friend's ride, and it wasn't like I had actually done anything wrong... But I felt like such a jerk!
I guess at Nationals, it's not random - EVERYONE gets checked!






*note*
I tried to upload some pictures, but technology hasn't been cooperating, so this one is going up media-free because I'm so tired of waiting to get it sorted out!!


More stories in the queue, plenty more opportunities for media...

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...

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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!

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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!!