Making it Official

Finally bit the bullet on Quiz' USEF, which was mostly delayed due to total name paralysis.  You guys had AWESOME suggestions, (and Quartermaster made the top 3, as did the Qrown ___" suggestions).

But the ultimate winner is QUOTABLE. 

I'm actually glad that I got to spend a little time with Quiz before locking in a show name.  While he is big and elegant, he has a quietness to him that made some of the bigger, bolder names seem like a poor fit.  So, Quotable it is.  There are only a couple registered with USEF making it one of the more unique options we considered, and I like the simplicity.  Also, much like Heir Apparent - I like that it hints at quality as opposed to declaring it.

Aside from the name, the first week of work has been a great one, and Quiz is exceeding expectations.

The sweetest

After a few days off to relax and get acclimated, Quiz got to work. 

He is admittedly significantly more green than I was expecting.  He lacks the strength to hold his balance for more than a few steps and his go to is to lock his poll and shove his head up into the sky, or curl waaaaaay too low. 

But, he is also significantly smarter than I was expecting, and in the short span of a week he is already steadier in the bridle, more responsive to the aids and totally willing to work.  I have to also give him credit that he appears to be totally Ammy-Proof.  He hasn't spooked once, no offered any tension in his work.  He's quiet and kind and follows you around like a puppy on the ground and tries desperately to understand under saddle.

I always thought that Windsor would be the most tolerant horse I ever had.  And while Winds is kind, he is also totally willing to let you make a mistake and act like he couldn't possibly have known better and helped you out.

Quiz seems to really want to make it perfect for you, he can't always, but his heart seems really, really impossibly good.

On the flat it's been about getting him straight and soft.  We're making progress.  He has a hard time staying organized in the trot (there is a LOT of movement), but his canter seems to be pre-made, and omg you could ride it allllll daaaaay loooong.  Love.




Tuesday he popped over a couple cross rails quite casually.  He peeked at the flower box exactly once, then jumped it with a total lack of interest every time after. 

Thursday I had my first real ride on him, and while I was exhausted from all the extra leg that he takes (Winds has made me soft), he was such a good egg.  I ended by jumping a few cross rails, and OMG he's fun.  His hind leg comes SO FAR under that you feel his stomp perfectly and the fences just show up.   My main problem seems to be that I don't have a good sense of his gas and brake pedals, so my adjustments weren't always what I was going for - but silver lining- He doesn't care! I parked him a couple times and he just lumped over the fence and looped away. 




I know our hopes and dreams change as we get older, so while I might not lust after a wild black stallion anymore, a tolerant gelding who doesn't care about mistakes makes my heart pitter patter.

We ended the weeks with another great hack and Quiz already feeling more responsive and consistent in the bridle.  He is a GOOD BOY. 

I'm' hoping to take him up to Thunderbird next week for a field trip.  Not sure if he'll show, but I'm curious to see if he brings his same laissez-faire attitude to a big, busy facility like Thunderbird.

Milner - The Ammy Rides

I know the Derby round was the most exciting news to come out of Milner, and no one is ever very interested in small, slow ammy rounds.  But for me, the headline at this show was "HOLY SHIT I LOVED EVERY ROUND."

Which, may seem like a close cousin to "OMG I love my horse."  But it's not.  I loved Pia - but she tried to murder me a lot.  I hated a lot of those rides - even though I "loved my horse." 

I got closer with Prair, because - well, Prair.  But really, even at our most relaxed, it always felt like our success was tenuous at best, and I was always ready for all the proverbial shoes to drop.

I guess I could say that I thought I had already loved every round on Windsy.  But that's probably like saying I thought I loved my high school boyfriend.  True statement at the time, but possibly worth some revision in hindsight...

But back to Windsy. 

I warmed up on Thursday for my first round, with the option to have a Low round before my division started.  Our warmup was lovely.  Not brilliant, but not argumentative. I found my pace and the jumps were coming up fairly easily. 

As we walked down to the back gate I just had this feeling that the Low round was going to be a waste of jumps.  So, we scratched it, and I headed in for my first round at 2'9" cold. 

I was a little nervous about the first fence.  It wasn't your normal Hunter-quarterline-single, which was enough to have me over thinking it.  But Winds lifted his balance and showed me the slightly forward spot out of stride. 

MAGIC.

Then he came back to me, we stayed out of the bit of muck at the end of the ring and I tried hard to keep our step through the turn.  We did.  And stepped right up to the rolltop into the judges line. 

MAGIC.

Then it was single oxer time.  Again, winds sat back, I kept him straight, and BAM, jump. 

Up the outside line, and home in the two stride.  (we swapped into the two stride, but I so didn't care).  At every fence I literally thought "oh, there it is, let's go get it" and added some gas pedal. 

Winds jumped open and round and super duper soft.  The lines were set long, which was also great since I'm used to choking him back - it was so fluid and fun to land and continue and jump out with some push instead of pull...

When we landed after the two stride, my smile was HUGE.  I have never, ever, ever had that much fun on course.  (well, maybe on XC with the old wonder pony, but I was 12, that doesn't count).

Winds was forward, I stayed soft, everything was small adjustments and just flowed. 




Thank god I scratched the warm up, because if I had wasted that round on a Low, I probably would have tensed up and butchered the second round when it counted....

The next day was the Derby, so all I had to do was stretch Winds' legs in the morning.  But Saturday we were back at it.

I was a bit tentative getting on - mostly just nervous that I would feel some crippling soreness or stiffness that I would be able to attribute to the bigger jumps in the Derby - but nothing.  Winds felt loose and lovely.

He was a bit slow at the canter so I picked up a crop (I prefer a shoulder tap and rubber ball spurs over a sharper spur..) and he was perfect.

As we walked into the ring I realized both the crop, and spurs were probably unnecessary.

He was looking at EVERYTHING.  Flowers. Grass. Jumps. Fence posts! OMG.  I had a brief PTSD flashback of Prairie's eyeballs popping out of her head and certain death - but I shoved those thoughts aside and tried to believe that Winds would be good.

Turns out he was perfect

We had the same weird first fence, and Winds was so fluffed up it was all I could do to not grab at his face and start a tug o' war.  But gentleman that he is, he sat back, waited for the fence and there was zero drama. 

Then I cut off the end of the ring (to stay out of mud) and had to be somewhat thoughtful about my track into a bending line on the outside.  Winds was light, and straight and we stepped right up to it.  Loved that line, and it was set long so we got to continue nicely and move up to the out. 

Didn't love my ride into the diagonal, I lost the hind end and ended up adding in.  Knowing the lines were long, I gunned Winds on the landing and he popped off his lead but we got up there ok.  In hindsight I think I could have been less panicked about making it up the line  and not lost my lead by finessing it a bit more, but lesson learned.

Then it was a single oxer set on the outside.  I had built up this fence as my boogie fence because without a real arena fence, lots of horses were bulging, never getting straight and then really messing up the distance.  Winds was still pretty keen at this point which made my track easier and straight wasn't an issue - so we made it through ok.  (I also realized I had been holding my breath and finally started breathing again on the landing, WHOOPS).

Finally, a smooth seven stride home and we were done (with a new favorite round in the books). 




Even with the swap, somehow we won the class, which was reinforced by a win on the flat (maybe the first time that's happened?).  It was a good Saturday.

Sunday we came out for one final round, and I decided to let Winds keep his hair down, so it was a bit of a casual day ;)

fluffy hair

Warm up was our trickiest.  He was dull again, and again I picked up my crop.  I remembered to put it down before we went in the ring, but I didn't have the same, lofty, eager beast under me. 

I was reminded by a barnmate that Windsor is almost always a bit more charged and looky the day after a Derby, but quickly returns to his casually bored self after a round or two. 

I think Winds was for sure bored, but also tired, and potentially a bit sore from jumping significantly more than he had been at home.  He didn't feel stiff per se, just lacked the lifted energy that was so magical for my first two rounds. 

This round felt rough by comparison.  I didn't feel that fluid connection and it sort of felt like I was grinding the gears in the corner.  My adjustments felt clunky and jarring, and while Winds didn't seem to mind, I never got a great rhythm that I could groove into

The video looks less awkward than it felt (thankfully), but still not our finest.  Mostly what I see now is that I didn't trust my canter, so I was fussing in the corner, then pushing him just past the distance even when it was right there.  Most of the time it was fine, but I forced him over his shoulder a bit.

This was fine.

this was a little tight.

All in all, not a bad ride at all, just not quite as magic as the others, but I am proud that I still mostly made good decisions and stayed with him, instead of totally panicking and getting in a fight. 




It was a fabulous show, I adore getting to gallop around the big grass field and we definitely came away with a confidence building outing!

Oh, and a championship, and a cooler.  That's always nice too.  I love this horse show and wish we got to be here more often.

Now it's a few weeks at home getting to know the new kid and gearing up for Thunderbird!

MIlner Downs - The start of the week

Last week we ventured to Milner Downs to return to what was one of my favorite shows last year.  It's hard to beat a big, gorgeous, grass field to gallop around in all week, but on top of that the staff is crazy friendly, the hospitality is great and it ends up feeling more like a fun summer camp than a frenzied horse show.

Our plan was to step Windsor up a bit from his extra (extra) light duty at Tbird last month and see how he felt.

Tuesday he hacked out well, so I was excited to see him go Wednesday. 

Windsor, was also excited to go Wednesday (though not excited about selfies) - and the single warm up round at 2'9" turned into three, as Mister Man lacked a bit of focus and manners during his first (two) trips around.

Loose hair, don't care!

Here's the first round - not bad by any means, but if you know Winds, you can see that he's powering off the ground and tight in his back, both signs that he wants to paaaarrrrrrrty.



By the third round he was a bit less excited to be out in the big world:




It was a bit to be expected, we haven't been lunging him at all (which I like) - and even last year when Milner was our 6th week of showing, he perked up quite a bit when he got out in the big field. 

We ended the day on a good note, and opted to hack the Under Saddle just to let him explore the ring a bit more.  With all the extra classes he ended up with a very unplanned Reserve Champion in the Schooling 2'9" Hunter division.

Definitely didn't mean to take him around the ring three times, but height doesn't seem to affect his freshness (much), so I'm glad we kept it low at 2'9" and let him work out his wiggles without too much effort. 

Looking at the schedule for the rest of the week, my 2'9" Modified AA's was stretched out over Thursday, Saturday and Sunday - leaving a nice gap on Friday for Winds to maybe contest the Derby. 

Since he hadn't popped over anything over 2'9" since last November (gulp), we added one round at 3' on Thursday to see if he felt loose, or if the added height brought out any old symptoms of discomfort. 

(looks like a different beast when he is braided)

He jumped the 3' better than the 2'9" so we finalized our plan to have him do the (one round Canadian style) derby Friday, and just cart me around one round at a time the rest of the week.

Stay tuned for the DERBY, and also my triumphant (low) return to my beloved 2'9".

Windsy's Big Trip (aka, first show back)

Belated, but happy, show round up!

Have you missed us? BECUASE I HAVE.

Almost two weeks ago, Winds got loaded up and made his way back to Thunderbird for our first (!!) show of 2017.  The plan was mostly to get him out to stretch his legs (literally) and keep me from going stir crazy at home in the indoor (also, literally) - and I think we accomplished both.

Winds was reportedly quite fresh for schooling day, and in lieu of spinning on the lunge line he had two a day hacks with a decent canter set to help get the wiggles out.

I was there for the first day of showing, which saw Windsy entered in a Hi/Low 2'9" round.  His warm up looked honestly a bit stiff, but in the ring he looked loose and a bit more forward thinking than I am used to the Gray Prince being.  (you can tell because his ears are pinned forward and he's using his shoulders well... otherwise it only *feels* like a powder keg and looks like a lazy Hunter).



Canada now does red/blue rankings for their Low classes, so they don't get traditionally pinned, but a ribbon gets assigned based on how good your score is.  (Winds got a Red, which is first in Canada). I like this system as a way to handle the huge Low classes, but it sorta sucks they all show up as. "DNP" on the USEF record...

Anyway,  that was it for Wednesday.  Thursday I got early to hack Winds around the rings and loosen him up.  He felt great, and it was so, so, so, so nice to be on a horse, in a warm summer breeze taking in the bustle of a show before classes got underway.  SO nice. 

A couple hours later Winds had another Low 2'9" round.  This warm up looked a bit smoother, he was stepping under more, and using his back a bit better.  I breathed a small sigh of relief that his body seemed to feel good and watched him head for the ring.




The course looked a lot like the day before.  Totally chill and quiet from my perspective, powder keg on hooves according to the trainer.  So.... another early hack was scheduled for Friday before my magnificent return to the equitation (cough, 2'6", cough) ring. 

Friday, I had two rounds and a flat.  And it was hot.  That actually worked in my favor since Winds decided to blow a furry coat out in mid June and was a bit... well... wilted in the sunshine.

Our warm up was blissfully short as I somehow found all my fences decently so we parked at the back gate and watched a couple rounds.

I will say that for having not been in the show ring for 8 months, I feel really (really, really) good about this ride.  There are some, uh, misses.  But, overall, I like my hip angle more, I like Windsor's balance more, and in general it feels more thoughtful that our previous courses together.

I feel like it's weird to post a video of an Eq round and say "just watch the part between the fences" but that's what I'm doing, so just focus on the ride between the fences.

He looks sexy.  (I, on the other hand am in the only hunt coat that currently fits,  WHOOPS).



I actually felt ok about most of the fences, including the first one (YAY!).  But, I was particularly bummed about the single oxer - couldn't make a decision, then when Winds made one for me, I thought that not staying with him would somehow be a good idea (it wasn't). 

Then the rest worked out ok, I kept his balance up and that saved most of it until I chipped the crap out of the bending line at the end.  Lost his mouth, fought for a change, then got out ok.

I got 5th.  And that ribbon is going ON THE WALL, because we made it to a show, made it around and all is right with the world again.

Anyway, second round.  Started with the bending line I ended with before and threw in a rollback (what is this, medal finals??? I'm old and hot and tired...). 

sorry for blurry stills, pro photos on order!

Winds was amping up a bit, but we fixed a few mistakes - namely the bending line.  Then I got tight into the diagonal, but recovered.  Into the Judge's line Winds locked on HARD and started dragging me, so I choked him back and got a little weak.  I almost couldn't pull him out of the line (whoops), but I finally got him to let go of the oxer out and pay attention to the rollback.  I actually really liked how I finished the rollback, given how we started.... 

Then, Winds was thinking this must be a jumper course and he tried to switch gears.  I over compensated and we crawled to the last line, but finished ok.

Oh, also, the video is sideways.  I have no idea how it got sideways, and even less of an idea of how to get it un-sideways, so...sorry



We got 2nd.  In a nice division of 12.  So I was pretty stoked. (plus, 2nd is blue, so... that's always a plus).

The flat was toasty and a bit brutal.  Winds was good, but apparently I looked a bit droopy (sidenote: I am a bit droopy these days).  My sitting trot is not where it should be, but all else was fine.  Winds couldn't care less about traffic and that's a great feeling when you are nose to tail and fighting for space down the quarterlines.

Somehow our 3rd place on the flat was enough for Reserve, so Winds and I managed to maintain our weird streak of getting Reserve in every division we enter at Tbird.  (it's great for the ribbon wall).

His neck is somehow 2" long in this pic.. but RIBBON

I stuck around to watch the Juniors do their thing, but then I hit the road to join the family for the 4th.  Winds enjoyed some down days and turnout (I LOVE the turnouts at Tbird. #grass).

So now we are home and gearing up for Milner Downs, which you may recall is where I got all my lovely pictures of Windsor galloping across a big grass field.  They also have a really fun Derby.  I'm not sure we'll be ready for it, but I'm not-so-secretly hoping we can enter. 

He's been feeling great at home, and I'm really hoping we hold the trend.  This horse is so incredibly fun to ride and learn on, I just want to ride him forever. 

Showtime. (finally)

Trunk Packed.

Trailer Packed.

Horse is on a trailer!

snugglepuppy

My actual Windsor updates have been a bit sparse the last few months (well, all of my updates have been a bit sparse I guess), but things have been plugging along quite nicely. 

Aside from being perhaps a tad too chubby, Winds looks great.  He's feeling strong, supple and eager to work.  We've been slowly building up fitness and increasing his jump load, typically bouncing around ten to twelve 2'6" jumps a few times a week. 

His changes are light, he's loading his hind end beautifully at the base, and it feels like he's landing and carrying through better than has.  Mind you, the jumps are tiny, so all this should be easier - but still...

It all means that I can finally justify a field trip to get off the farm a bit - So we are headed to Tbird (for one week only) to see how Winds' brain is off the property and see how he does opening up on a bigger stride and jumping around a tad. 

Expectations are... non-existent, and I don't even know what exactly we'll be entering.  Probably something at 2'6" or maaaaybe 2'9" but I'm not certain.  the idea is to do a course (possibly two) for a couple days, then he'll just hack out easily over the weekend without any classes.

I think we're both ready for a change of scenery though, and I'm eager to see if he looks as good as he feels!

The slow winter and spring have been great for our skills though, and while I know at this point we'll take the rest of the season relatively easy - everything just feels a bit more polished and put together than it did this time last year. 

Finally - I uh.... have been shopping a little and there may or may not be a few new possible "Brads."

Things are cooking, and I'm hoping to share some pics/deets soon!

The Hunters (a brief intro for those on the other side)

I was reminiscing over old blog posts and reliving last year's show season, when I noticed a trend of comments saying "great job! can you explain the hunters so I know what it means" or "cool! I think.... because I don't really understand what you guys do.."

And I remembered that I have always intended to do a "Hunters for Dummies" post, but never gotten around to it. 

Ideally you get to wear a shadbelly while jumping.  #goals.

So we're getting around to it.  I'll do my best to explain the sport, but please bear in mind that this pony-clubbing-former-eventer is by no means a sanctioned ambassador of the Hunter Ring. 

Hopefully my (reasonably) fresh eyes will be more helpful than my currently eroding vocabulary.

Let's start simple.  People often refer to Hunters and Jumpers together.  But once you set foot in H/J land, you realize that the Hunter ring and Jumper ring are very different places (usually on literal opposite sides of the show park).  For the purposes of this post, I'm focusing just on the Hunters. 

For anyone who lives really, really far away from H/J land - Jumpers are objective - make the time allowed, don't knock stuff down.  Hunters are subjective - jump the (easier) course assigned, get judged for how you look doing it. (think: ice skating).

What the Hunters mean for me, is that a ride that would have left me cheering in my youth (yay! No stops no rails!), is now something that I can beat myself up about (my canter sucked, we had a late change, and we left a stride out of the line...). 

Why I chose to do this to myself I don't know.  Maybe it's the perfectionist DQ lurking in me..and since I like jumping, but am too chicken to do XC anymore - the Hunters are where I belong....

The Goal:

When presenting a horse in the Hunters, the goal is to basically show that your horse is athletic, polite and safe.  All things that would make a lovely fox hunter out in the field. (though the number of show Hunters who have ever been fox hunting is a very, very tiny number that is very, very close to zero).

What that has come to mean is that successful Hunters complete their task in a relaxed, easy going manner, while showing brilliant (scopey, even, careful) jumping style, and covering the ground in an even, balanced rhythm. 

Exhibit A: Windsy

To translate further:  A competitive Hunter a) is pretty, b) moves well, c) has a big stride and slow step d) explodes into the air with a round jump, knees square (ideally touching it's nose) and ears forward e) looks EASY to ride f) shows no sign of irritation or anxiety.

So let's say you read that and say "hey! I have that horse (fyi, if you do you're sitting on a gold mine), how do I get one of those fancy Champion ribbons at a show?"

You enter a Division.  Divisions are comprised of 3 or 4 separate classes over fences at a given height and one flat class called the Under Saddle.

Your classes over fences will be a straight forward course of 8-10 jumps. Typically you figure eight around the ring (line, diagonal, line diagonal...) alternating related distances with single fences.  for some of the bigger divisions, the last class over fences with be a designated a "Handy" round which means you're supposed to show off how agile and adjustable your horse is.  Typically you see fewer related distances, options for inside turns, sometimes a hand gallop or trot fence gets thrown in. (it's as close to a jump off as the Hunters ever get..)

Traditional Hunter courses are not that technical, and the jumps tend to look similar enough that you expect the leaderboard to be decided by the subjective performance, rather than major faults like refusals or rails. 

USEF defines a Hunter "performance" as "an even hunting pace, manners, jumping style together with faults and way of moving over the course. Manners to be emphasized in Ladies and Amateur classes; brilliance in Corinthian and Formal Hunting Attire classes."

Not exactly a lot to go on.  But don't worry, the list of stuff you aren't supposed to do is nice and long:

1. The following faults are scored according to the judges opinion and depending on severity or division, may be considered minor or major faults.

a. Rubbing the jump

b. Swapping leads in a line or in front of a jump

c. Late lead changes

d. Spooking

e. Kicking up or out

f. Jumping out of form

g. Jumping off the center line of jump

h. Bucking and/or playing

i. Adding a stride in a line with a related distance

j. Eliminating a stride in a line with a related distance

k. Striking off on a wrong lead on the courtesy circle. (May be corrected with either a simple or flying change of lead)

2. The following are considered major faults.

a. Knockdown

b. Refusal

c. Refusal or stopping while on course

d. Crossing the track. A track is established once a horse has landed from a fence or completes a required test and follows the horse until the consecutive fence is jumped or the next test is executed. Upon completion of each consecutive fence or performance of the next test, the track is erased. Crossing a track between obstacles and/ or required tests shall constitute a disobedience and will be penalized by the judge(s). Exceptions 1.  A course diagram that requires a rider to cross his track. 2.  Snake or multiple panel jumps that are jumped consecutively.

e. Dangerous jumping

f. Addressing a jump - coming to a stop in front of a jump in order to show the jump to the horse.

g. Completely missing a lead change

h. Adding or eliminating a stride in an in and out.

i. Breaking stride, or Trotting while on course. (Exceptions-Where posted on the course diagram i.e. trot jumps, steep banks, etc, and also as outlined above in HU137.1k. Striking off on a wrong lead on the courtesy circle.)

So, you know -just don't do any of that stuff.

(we did almost all of that stuff)

Anyway, so you and everyone else in your division jump your rounds, and each class is pinned separately, so you collect a different ribbon for each. (or if you're me you collect a ribbon, then chipped/pulled/crosscantered your second course, so you don't collect another one...)

The final component of a full division is the Under Saddle class, which is a traditional rail class.  Everyone is in the ring at the same time, and asked to walk, trot and canter both directions.  It's basically a beauty pageant and horses are judged on their way of going and general impression.  Hunter judges like to see a big sweeping trot with daisy cutter movement (aka - a flat knee).  Again, horses should look relaxed and obedient (but Prairie taught me that you can look like a lunatic and still win with a big trot in front of the right judge....).

Tension with a side of nice trot.

When it's all said and done, a Champion and Reserve Champion are awarded extra ribbons (and sometimes a cooler!).  That designation is made by tallying up the results of all the results in each class of the division.  First place gets you 10 points, Second gets you 6 points, Third gets 4, Fourth gets 2, Fifth gets 1 and Sixth gets 1/2 a point. 

That point spread means that blue ribbons are worth their weight in GOLD.  If you can win a couple classes and blow the other ones, you're still doing better than the horse that is consistently third and fourth... (I think this is weird, and the point spread in Canada rewards consistency a bit more which I like).

So that's your basic "how to" on getting a cooler.

Like any discipline there is a ride range of levels and weird restrictions. 

The "Open" divisions tend to be mostly pro's and start with the Green and Young Hunters.  Young Hunters is a new thing, and restricts the divisions by age.  Horses 5 years and younger show at 3', 6 years and younger at 3'3" and 7 years and younger show 3'6". 

It's new, we'll see if it sticks, I hope it does.

Green Hunters just got a revamp, but similar to the Young Hunter divisions, it offers a place to show developing horses away from the big veterans on the circuit.  USEF has worked hard to elevate the Green Program and at a lot of the shows they are some of the most competitive classes in terms of numbers and quality of horses.

The Green program allows horses so spend two years showing at 3' and 3'3" before having to either move up to Green 3'6" or compete against the other more experienced 3'3" horses.  Horses also have one year to show in the Green 3'6" and another year to show in the Green 3'9" if they can.

Good form, nice expression, super polite.

Windsor showed last year in the Pre-Green 3'3".  The name Pre-Green has been replaced, and this year he could choose to spend a second year at Green 3'3", or move up to the Green 3'6". But basically, last year he was always showing against horses who were also in their first or second year at 3'3". 

If you're horse isn't eligible Green or Young, you get kicked into the general open divisions.  These start at 3' (split into Small and Large Hunter for under/over 16h), then move into the Performance Hunters which are offered at multiple heights and not restricted by age or experience.

If you have a real looker (with no popped splints or windpuffs) you can also enter the Conformation Hunters which places a higher emphasis on conformation (duh) and way of going.  Conformation divisions also have an in-hand class added to your over fences classes and Under Saddle.

Still with me?

Ammy's and Kids have their own divisions that start at 2'3" and go up to 3'6".  We also ride 4 courses over fences and parade around in an Under Saddle. 

Typically you see the open(/pro) divisions run on Wednesdays and Thursdays so that us ammy's can show on the weekend and kids don't have to miss too much school. 

You can start to see how if you have a horse who shows with a pro, then goes around with an ammy or kid on the weekend - it's pretty easy  to rack up a packed schedule - and we haven't talked about Derbies, Classics or if your horse also takes you in the Equitation ring...

One of the things that's been tough for my former Dressage/eventer brain to comprehend is the nature of numerical scores in the Hunter Ring.  Judges take notes during every round, and at the end of each course, they assign an overall score (0-100).  However, scores are not always announced (though they are for WCHR classes, derbies and medals), and you never get to go pick up your scorecard like you do after a dressage test.  While most judges will score the same round within a point or two, there seems to be less consistency than there is in Dressage for how you score a particular moment, which makes it hard to even compare your own personal scores from day to day. 

When I was riding Dressage, the first time I would score 70% on any given test always felt like an achievement, and like it was a pretty consistent benchmark of my ability.  Last summer I can distinctly remember Windsy getting a 92 for a lovely round up at Thunderbird, but knew in my head it was probably closer to an 88 from a majority of other judges, which sort of cheapened the score.

There is also the oddity of a judge not being able to assign the same score to more than one horse/rider pair in any class.  So, let's take Windsy's 92.  He could have gotten a 92 because the judge got excited by an earlier trip and threw out an exuberant 91 to someone else.  Then Windsy comes along and he thinks to himself, hmmm I like this a bit more than the horse we gave a 91 to... so I'll go 92 which still leaves some room for a 91.5 (or even a 91.25) if another horse splits the difference.

In that way, the scores lose a bit of their independent meaning as judge's focus on making sure the performances are ranked correctly more than the true independent legitimacy of any one score.

A little odd right? it's taken me some time to get used to, but I think I've acclimated enough that I'm no longer shocked by the process...

At it's heart, I really do like the core of what Show Hunters do. 

Be athletic.  Be polite.  And look lovely doing it. 

However, like any sport - there is a dark underbelly to achieving the most extreme interpretation of that goal.

The Hunter Ring has been berated for rewarding relaxation so much that it has encouraged a dead-head, sedated look where the horses are cantering soooooo sloooowly that whether or not they've actually been drugged, it's the look that wins.  The courses have also been dumbed down over the last couple of decades, and I've seen more than one hissy fit at shows if the course designer tried to shake things up a bit.

However, I think the pendulum is swinging the other way.   Judges are being encouraged to reward brilliance and forgive the horse for acting like a reasonable horse, if it say... shakes it's head after a fabulous jumping effort. 

I specifically recall that during one of Winds' derbies last summer, a (very competitive) horse on the circuit laid down a lovely, albeit SLOW trip where it barely centered up to each fence before heaving itself over (stylishly) and loping off on the other side.  I was sitting there thinking to myself that we were screwed if the judge threw a high score at that round. 

Much to my surprise it got a shockingly low score and the judges consistently rewarded horses showing more pace, brilliance and general expression.  (I will say this shift is most obvious in the derby ring where brilliance is specifically called for, but still.... things seem to be trending in a good direction).

So there's my basic, rambling Hunters 101.  What did I forget? And for those who have been doing this waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy longer than I have, what do you add when describing Hunter Land to people?

FBF: Windsor's trip to Worlds...

As we approach my first anniversary with Windsor, it seems only fitting to look back on what he was doing this time last year

(hint, it wasn't the 2'9" Low Adults... lol).

Instead, he was just getting home from his first (and only) trip to the Wold Championships to compete as one of the top 7 year olds in the world. 

While Winds did qualify on his own merits, by the time entries were sent, it had been decided that he probably didn't have the speed to be a top show jumper, but perhaps his style and scope would transition well to the US Hunter market...

So for this show he was under Andreas Kreutzer  - who aside from being rather charming and a lovely rider - had recently gone out of his own and was busy making a name for himself on the LGCT.  Since it was becoming clear Winds wasn't going to be a top 1.50m horse, this was his first time out deliberately asking him to go more as a hunter....

So here's a video of a 1.40m round at the championships. 

Winds looks like Winds.  Possibly a bit darker and a bit quicker than we are used to seeing him these days, but unmistakably him.



A month later, we showed up, fell in love and flipped his little gray world upside down.

Windsor Wednesday (belated)

I've been making a habit of watching Windsor get worked by my trainer on Wednesdays, and it's been really helpful - not only to see him go, but also to hear her narrate her ride. 

This week wasn't a huge school by any means, but it was still a good one.  I know last week I was saying that our #1 goal is getting him to land and move up.  That is still a good goal, and important, but we are noticing that there are two considerations with that -

1) the harder you ride him the more he braces and almost backs off... which is... not helpful

2) The harder you ride, the more likely he is to swap off his lead.

For a while we thought this swapping was mostly a preference to be on his right lead.  But some thinking has shown that he basically just wants to be on the counter lead, in between lines regardless of direction.  (so, going left he swaps right, going right he swaps, or lands, left). 

I sorta prefer that since it suggests is more of a balance issue than a lameness or weakness... but it's still a bit confusing.

It's possible that there wasn't much attention paid to his leads (or balance) in his previous job so he's just invented his own way of going that's easiest for him.  Those might be somewhat difficult habits to break.. but we are working on it. 

I'm tempted to try setting some lines across the diagonal and see if he's as likely to swap without the "support" of the walls to guide his leads... we'll see.

Anyway, here's your Windsor spam.  Quick clips of trot and canter- then work over fences.  I tried to include the swapping clips for future evidence :)

Oh yeah, and we added some flowers to a fence thinking he'd wig out. 

Did. Not. Notice.  (good boy).



It's nice to be able to take my observations from watching and apply them to my own lessons.  Makes everything just a *touch* more tangible.

Yesterday's ride was lovely - I worked on doing less and just "supporting" more, which was a good mindset for me to be in, and we reaped the rewards in terms of only having one horrendous jump, instead of like.... six. ;)

Happy Weekends!

Windsor Over Fences

no good excuse or exciting explaination for lack of blogging.  Just.... lack of blogging. :)

Windsor continues to be a saint.  I've dropped one of my lessons so that he can get a few more pro rides, and whadda ya know - all the sudden my rides are better too.  Funny how that whole Pro>ammy thing works out...

But really, If we are 5 weeks from his "hunter debut," he can use the training rides.  Rocking back at the base is still confusing to him, as is giving and lifting his inside shoulder. 

In keeping with my goals for the year - I went down to watch my trainer ride last week and I was surprised how much of a difference I could *see* in Windsor's work.  I've certainly felt it in my own rides, but since we lack regular photo evidence - my mental picture was still what I saw two months ago when I watched him get his first ride in the states.  (#beenawhile).

Basically, there was a boring flat warm up - (by boring I mean productive and steady), followed by jumping a small fence on a circle.  Followed by some course work, and finally putting a couple of the fences up to 3'3"/3'6".

There has been a big emphasis on getting him to open up his step and move up from the corners (and in between lines).  If you recall in Germany one thing we noted was that even though he was jumping beautifully over 3'6"/4' - he was on a TINY stride.  Putting 5 into a line that would walk as 4 in a 2'6" division....  He will move up if you really ask - but right now it isn't his MO. - and we'd like it to be. 

After this ride I did notice that during my own lesson he was moving up a lot easier and even starting to show me the fences a bit (especially as you start to raise them up a bit). 

It really is confusing how much better this horse is over bigger jumps.  He stays balances, perky and forward.  Anything under 3' just isn't very exciting and he just mobs around a tad tuned out.  I don't like the notion that I should skip the small stuff since the big stuff is easier - because I know he needs to learn the discipline over smaller fences, but MAN it is a tad frustrating.

Some clips over fences...

First, work on a circle -



And some finishing course work -


I love how he's working, his butt is under him and that top line is really starting to fill in!

Next we really need to get some flowers so this thing gets used to some fill!

Spring National - Final Day

Yesterday was a great finish to our two weeks of Spring showing.  I was feeling a tad tentative in the morning.. mostly I was just thinking that Saturday was so lovely that I should quit while I was ahead and in love with the mare, but that quickly gave way to my desire to (potentially) have a few more lovely rounds with her. 

chill.

I tanked up on a breakfast burrito (horse show breakfast of the gods) and watched ponies go round (and round... and round really fast) before N did Prair's warm up. 

Again, she did the 2'3" and 2'6" Low and won both.  This is not a very impressive fact when you notice that after two weeks of showing, pretty much no one is adding the extra courses to work the wiggles out.  There's not a lot of glory (and maybe a little guilt) in stealing blue ribbons from hard working Long Stirrup riders who are actually trying to improve. 

(not enough guilt to actually surrender the ribbon however, let's not be crazy..)

The weather was good, but apparently it dumped overnight, so the ring was pretty full of puddles and lakes.  I had to giggle a little bit, as they had set a big Open Water element for the USET class held in our ring the day before, and the ring crew was carefully trying to drain and remove the thing before us baby-ammys got to showing. 

On one hand, thanks for taking out the big scary puddle... on the other - the entire ring was "Open Water" and I'm not sure anyone would have notice one more pool of standing water... but I digress.

I videoed the 2'3" round which was the slightly less good round of the two, but it's still a miraculous improvement over what N had in Thermal with the mare, so there's that.  Prair's moving out nicely and I think more comfortable and less sore than she was down in Cali, which is always nice to see.


N suggested I strap on some spurs (for the first time at this show), as Prair was bogging down in the muck a tad - and when I don't feel like I can get the mare to move up, I tend to lock down my hands and add... which doesn't to any good for anyone.  So spurs it was. (small, round plastic ones, but still... time for a nudge).

When I hopped on I could tell that Prair was totally unimpressed with the day.  She was loose, snoozy and totally uninterested in any of the usual horse show commotion (whistling trainers... scampering children... loose ponies... planes landing overhead... you know) so that was rad.  I love it when she feels that relaxed, it makes me relaxed - and that makes for good trips.

Our first round (third round of the division) was our best.  We got a good forward pace, splashed through the puddles and had light, balanced changes. 

(bless my friend for getting good pics at this height)

The second round was also pretty good, but I wasn't as consistent with my pace, and overrode the corners to some weaker distances.  We were still pretty straight, pretty relaxed and pretty good by our standards though.  Also, not ONCE at this show did we cross canter through the turn.  Prair has been aces on her changes, so she gets to be crowned "queen mare of the world" for that not-so-small victory.

Finally, we rode our little 2'6" medal, which wasn't too tricky (... it's 2'6"...) but did ask some different questions of us.  First fence was a trot fence on the end, fairly tight curlicue to the first fence of a diagonal line, rollback to single oxer on the outside, line, line, and single to finish.

The Trot Fence to start was interesting.  We opted to canter in down the long side, and trot after we turned to face the fence.  It seemed like most people opted for that with varying degrees of success.  Prair NEARLY picked up the wrong lead, but we were still in the shadow of the judge's booth so I don't think she saw me restart the transition.   Trot fence went well, we didn't land our lead, so we had a quick swap.. then again didn't land our lead for the rollback (ARGH) but got a quick change, and unlike last week I kept my pace and moved up nicely to the oxer.  The lines were decent, Prair stayed really nice and straight, and our last fence finished nicely. 

Rollback on task!

Again, like last week I felt like we were efficient and effective, but not super polished, but again - the judge really liked us and put us first.  (whee!)

Last week I thought our placing was because we went significantly before any other trips and maybe the time spent waiting worked in our favor... but this week I was almost the last trip in a tight back gate so maybe we actually deserved it! 

Our Hunter rounds pinned 2nd and 5th which (barely) held on to the Championship for the week - and I am reminded that the mare rarely ends the week like she starts it, and I need to be patient (and creative) in order to allow her to settle and stay calm.

I am very appreciative  that N is willing to think outside the box and explore options that allow Prair (and me for that matter) to succeed and have as positive an experience as possible.  Bonus points for getting a calm, focused mare without running her legs off on the lunge or galloping in the warm up until she doesn't have the energy to fight.  Anything that allows us to be relaxed going into the ring and conserves miles on her legs is a huge (huge) win. 

Overall it was a great show for the barn - one of the juniors won the (insane) Eq class, and one of our geldings won the Under Saddle challenge (which ran like the Eq terror but was an US).  Lots of tricolors in both rings, ponies that qualified for Finals, and a general good time had by all.  Fabulous start to the local show season!

The Focus Returns

Today was a great day for the mare.  As much as I expect any horse to have good and bad days, with mares it's just expected for the highs to be high(er) and the lows to be low(er).

Today Prair was just on it.  She won both low classes with N (2'3" and 2'6") and I should have videoed them, but I didn't want to jinx things.  The big progression for Prair is that she's really reaching with her neck more (in a good way not a lurchy way..) and balancing up and back more.

Or at least she's doing those things with N.

With me? maybe not so consistent yet.

Prair's contribution to the ribbon pile today

But the two Low rounds were stunning.  Prair looked soft but forward and like she was reaching out to sniff a flower at every fence.  loved it.

With me, she was also good.  My first round was our best in the show ring yet.

N told me to think about establishing a hand gallop as our pace, and the idea of being more forward than necessary meant that I was pretty much barely forward enough...

The ring was pretty flooded, so the mud puddles were trying to suck out our pace at every turn - making a big forward pace and lots of leg all the more important. 

The plan worked great for us, and in thinking that I needed to keep creating pace, I also ended up really straightening the mare from my leg more than usual. 

My biggest success was moving up to a nice Hunter Gap going into each line.  It just flowed and maintained momentum in a way that we don't often accomplish.

The second round was also good, but not quite as brilliant as the first. I had a couple weak distances, so we weren't as even throughout our course, but there were no major bobbles. 

our division combined with the kids, (which always terrifies me a bit) but we snagged a first and fourth over fences.

As I was debriefing with N, I noticed a drug tester hovering and knew we had been drawn.  My theory is always be nice and helpful to the vet and testers, so we chatted a bit and she was very polite about not interrupting us while we waited for our flat. 

The hack went well - a tad crazy between the traffic and the puddles, but I was able to float my rein almost the entire time.  I could have pushed the mare a tad more with my leg for a bigger, loftier gait, but with a few misbehaving horses in the class, I was just a tad apprehensive about really moving her out without a lot of contact.

We snagged the blue for a really nice end to the day.

Prair complied nicely with the tester and (as promised) peed nearly instantly after being returned to her stall. 

Getting pulled for testing feels a bit like being stopped by the cops - even when you know you haven't done anything wrong, it still feels like they might pin something on you?  Very irrational, but very primitive response.

Anyway, 4 blues, 1 white, a big cup of mare pee and some blood and we were done with the day.

Tomorrow we have two more rounds over fences and our fun little medal, then show is DONEZO and the mare gets a nice break from the show ring until June. 

Preach.

Ammy Time

Friday dawned with less rain than expected which is always a nice start to a show day when you're stuck in the baby outdoor ring :)

The plan was to carry our "no warm up" plan forward since it seemed to work for us on Thursday.  Prair got hacked in the am to stretch her legs, then didn't come out until a Low 2'3" round with N mid morning. 

Stall to Ring.  And it looked great.

Prair took a short siesta while they reset for my 2'6" Eq and we did the same:

Stall to Ring. 

I added a Low round to work out any kinks, but we didn't really need it.  Prar was soft, and lovely the entire way. 

Our first Eq course was also pretty decent, I got out of my tack a bit more and loosened my shoulder which allowed for some pretty lovely distances and a steady rhythm.  The course itself was a boring line-diagonal-line-diagonal game, so not much to equitate, but riding Prair when she's calm and happy is fun regardless of what's going on. 

Our second round start to build a bit more and that in turn makes me want to brace and stiffen the mare.  We worked it all out but didn't quite have the same loose flow our first two rounds did.  Also a dove flew out of the hedge in our closing circle and that was apparently unacceptable according to Prair.  Birds are to stay put according to her I guess.

I was a tad worried that her building stress would backfire on us in the flat, but she held it together.  I did feel that our "no warm up" plan showed itself most in our flat class as Prair was fully in her "big mare don't care" mode since I usually let her trot around however she wants for 10 minutes when we start our rides at home.  We've learned that instead of really asking for a frame or stretch when we first start letting the mare bobble around on a loose rein and find her own balance works really well and keeps her calm. 

However, it's not necessarily the cutest look in the ring. 

We had a good day though and managed to win all three classes for our division. 

And it's always nice to kick off a weekend of showing with a big tassel-y tricolor (love a good tassel on a ribbon) and a cooler to go with.  Takes some of the pressure off :)

Annnnd, it didn't rain!

Then we had a nice long break to watch the juniors do all their fancy medals and whatnot before a terrifying Equitation Challenge thingy. 

In hindsight, I shouldn't have entered, but our entire barn always shows it and the entry fee goes to the scholarship fund so it's all for a good cause...  But I know Prair rarely does well coming back out after a long break, and the class was being held in the enormously spooky indoor, which we hadn't schooled in at all during the week.  Two rather large strikes against us.

She's shown in the scary indoor before, and she's even done relatively well in there before - but every time it takes a day or two before she is able to relax and not freak out.

The format of the class was also a tad odd.  There were three sections (14&U, 15-17, 18&O) with the top four from each section returning for a final class.  I assumed the first three classes would run like a normal Eq on the flat (WTC each way, maybe sit the trot and lengthen, maybe not) then pin. 

Turns out no.  They started each section (about 20 peeps) on the rail and picked people off one by one as soon as they screwed up.  So some people didn't even get around the ring once before they were called to the middle of the ring.  The class continued (with increasing difficulty) until there was only one horse and rider left standing.  They did this three times, then repeated the process for the final.

The whole notion of being picked off one by one was terrifying to me.  I've had bad flat classes but I always assume that once I've embarrassed myself or the judge has dismissed me from their ribbon list, they stop looking at you and move on to everyone else.  Also, when I'm watching a class run I'm always trying to pick the winner and rarely spend time looking at the person who's having a mediocre or poor time in the ring.  But I take solace in the fact that I can just melt into the crowd and not have my mistakes OBVIOUSLY pointed out to everyone in the stands.  Also, I usually hope that a 95% good ride might make up for an early bobble.

No such opportunity in this class.  Start on the wrong diagonal and BAM, "#27 to the middle of the ring please."

Horse looks a tad stiff in the counter canter? "#45 to the middle please"

Ugly downward transition? "To the middle please"

Small spook at a kid running alongside the rail "TO THE MIDDLE"

Needless to say I was totally freaked before we even entered the ring.  Prair was a tad overwhelmed and got veeeeerrrrryyyyy light on her front end. I tried to make use our of entry to loosen her up, but the class called to order immediately and I just never got to let her out. 

We survived the first walk, trot and canter.  Then we sat the trot, reversed and called for the second canter.  Priar was a firecracker and definitely moving more up and down than forward in her first three strides and that got us called in.  We finished in the middle of the pack but missed the cutoff for the final (which was fine by me at that point...).  I took solace in the fact that Prair was at least willing to stand quietly in the center while the rest of the class finished their torture.

Tbe bright spot in an otherwise miserable experience was that a junior from our barn won the whole thing.  The final ride-off was long, hard and fairly difficult.  She and her gelding laid down a gorgeous ride to take home a tricolor neck ribbon (SWOON) and lots of goodies including a bridle and big gift card. 

The stress of the class left a sour taste in my mouth on the day, but the more I reflect back, the more I recall how much fun I had with Prair in the morning and how proud I am of both of us for our performance with this whole no warm-up thing. 

Saturday we only had half our Hunter Division to worry about.

We did the same warm up as Friday - a Low 2'3" for N, then a Low 2'6" as my warm up before two division classes and our Under Saddle. 

The system seems to work, and Prair was a star. 

Like Friday, we seemed to build up some steam (nothing compared to what we used to do) and our last course was our worst.  I stood up a bit too much and took tad more than necessary with my hand, but the good outweighed the bad and mostly things were fabulous by our own relative standards.  I stayed straighter, Prair's changes were soft and prompt, and we looked mostly Hunter-y. 

For the division we snagged a 2nd and 3rd over fences, and 1st under saddle.  Out of 5 pretty solid 2'6" ammys with nice horses, I was proud of how we did. 

Usually I would have stayed to watch the Derby, but the sun was shining, which made the idea of wine on my deck sound more appealing that shivering in the freezing cold indoor.  Plus, The Boy is a saint of a husband and doesn't complain about having the baby all weekend, but I try not to abuse that graciousness... so home I went, and wine I had.

Horseshowing at its finest

Sunday we finished our division, and enjoyed some Easter festivities at the show.  I had both the baby and The Boy in tow so there's actually photographic evidence (and video!) of our last couple rounds. 

Thermal VII - Final Pro Day

Well, the footing was much better today, not perfect, as you'll see - but much improved so we kept the mare entered. 

The morning started with the Under Saddle with a impressive 23 opting to hack.  The ring was crowded, But N gave Prair an excellent ride and they snagged a 2nd in some really nice company.  Apparently Prairie had been calling, and calling.... and calling on her walk up from the barn, so she was.... distracted to say the least, and quite tense in her second direction.

Frankly she was tense enough that I would have been happy with any ribbon, so 2nd was a nice surprise.



After that we opted to send her back to the barn for a bit to chill the __ out, so the baby and I hung out and watched the other horses go.  Not being a veteran horse show mom I foolishly forgot to pack enough things for the kiddo to chew on, so I slung Prair's martingale around my neck and let baby go to town.  The kid got a little dirty but I assume that meant my tack got..... cleaner?

Girl knows good leather when she sees it

Anyway, when it was time for our rounds, Prair looked much more sane.  She had a very quick warm-up with a couple great jumps, two lead changes to the right, and then in they went.

The first round was gorgeous, until the far outside line (the only spot in the ring with footing that was still slick).  Prair landed a bit off balance going in, then squirreled around in the soup and pulled a rail going out.  All things considered, she handled it really well, and didn't escalate, but the rail was an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise lovely round. 

The second round was BANANAS (in the good, Gwen Stefani sort of way) and I actually videoed it without jinxing the whole thing.  Mare stayed soft, got her changes easily, and actually rounded a bit more over the fences. 

The judge must have agreed because he pinned her first out of THIRTY EIGHT HORSES.  (no split). 

How fancy is that!? I'm so proud of the mare, and exceptionally grateful for how tactful of a ride N is able to give her. 

That's a blue ribbon worth putting on the wall. 
(not that I don't put every ribbon on the wall.  SprinklerBandit can confirm that they are all. on. the wall.). 

Afterward Prair got a nice massage and some acupuncture and cold laser (I shudder to think what that cost me at this horse show..). So she should be feeling as loose as possible headed into the weekend.

Tomorrow we start back with our 2' Hunter division and hopefully the mare's good mood carries over!