Alpine Preview - Ammy Days

Saturday finally saw the start of my rides with Winds for this show. 

JK, pro ride in the derby - not me.

I really didn't miss my Eq division in terms of extra trips - but it's a little weird to not actually ride my horse until Saturday of a show.  I felt like I had been on vacation and was playing catch up in class.

The upside of me not riding on Friday was that Winds was that much more schooled, and that much more relaxed about my division.

I added a Low round (for my warm up, not his) and looked forward to two rounds over fences for my division.

The weekend was a really good learning one, so let's just dive into that, shall we?

(also I will be posting a bevy of videos, ignore at will).

So for the Low - it was REALLY obvious that Winds was still in Derby mode. He looks uber chill on the video, but he was quite a bit more... forward thinking... than I'm used to and I didn't adjust to it as effectively as I could have. 

Good thing about Derby mode is that his balance stays super up and back without much effort, bad things about Derby mode include a much more open step and slightly weaker brakes when I'm trying to fit one more step in.

Moving up to a bigger distance was cake (see the last line), but we were tight getting out every time and even when I could read the distance it was hard for me to ask Windsy to wait. 

Only major bummer was a missed change in our closing circle - from right to left - our nemesis.  I know I'm tipping in, even though my entire body feels like I'm stepping out and trying to lighten the front end.  ARGH.  very frustrating.



I got assertive and cleaned up my act for the first round of the division, and it totally worked out.  To date this was one of my bet rounds on Winds at a show.  My main complaint is that in "being more assertive" I got a tad tight with my hands and started opening up too early on my fences (hard to break that old XC habit).  BUT  we moved up nicely in each line, and never got tight out.  I rode the crap out of the single oxer and landed our left lead twice - thereby eliminating that pesky change issue...

We won this one, and I felt like we deserved it.



But theeeeen  I got a little cocky.

Or, maybe cocky is the wrong word, I just thought if I sat there, the same thing would happen again.

It didn't.

I came out of the ring really frustrated and feeling like I didn't deserve to ride. It was a bummer of a way to end the day.  And in fact it was such a disappointing trip that I avoided the back gate and seeing/hearing about how the class pinned for like four hours. 

Then I watched the video and realized it wasn't actually that tragic (well, most of it anyway) and got over myself.

In point of fact, there were only two major bobbles.  One, I swam into the outside line and thought maybe we were going to crash. On video it just looks like I justcouldn't pick a distance. 

Then, I checked him hard into the judge's line and Winds pulled a rail to let me know that's a no-no.  He played a little, but we got out just fine and the round was done.

9 horses rode the round.  Ribbons to 8th, and uh.... obviously we we're 9th.  Whoopsie, sorry Windsor.



Sunday I came back with a clear head (full heart, can't lose?) ready to not ride like a nitwit.

But then warm up was a struggle and I was just killing myself on my leads.  Winds was a bit sulky in the turns and despite my attempt at positive thinking I was getting frustrated. 

It's one thing to have a hard, tricky horse (Prair) that most people have a hard time riding (Prair) not warm up perfectly - But when your horse is scoring 90's with the Pro and winning big classes, it's harder to place the blame anywhere other than your uneven hands and slouchy twisted hips.

Finally my trainer told me to just twist my hips hard to the outside when I was rebalancing in the corner or asking for a change - and the clouds parted and angels sang. 

I have been trying (aggressively) to control Winds' butt with my outside leg, which often results in my heel getting comedically far back on his side (move over move over move OVER), without actually being that effective.

When I turn my hips/shoulders out, and drive my outside seat bone back and down, the inside hind magically goes where I want it to.  All without weighting the forehand.

Ta-Da

I made a snide comment about why she didn't just tell me to do this sooner, but really I was grinning from ear to ear and couldn't stop playing with my new trick.

The first round for the day (Round 3) rode really well.  Much like the Derby, the course designer managed to get as creative as one can in the Hunters and I enjoyed having some interesting tracks and single fences to ride.

You'll notice me engage that outside seat bone in every corner as I straighten onto my track.

And you'll notice that it's brilliantly easy to step up and onto a nice distance.  And you'll also notice that our terrible-no-good-very-bad left changes are prompt and balanced.

I did get a tad tight into the outside line, but everything else rode smoothly and felt like a bit of redemption from where we left things on Saturday.



Our final round for the division (first for the Classic) was awesome.  I don't have a lot to say, because it felt like everything clicked.  Nice rhythm, nice balance, no crazy distances... We certainly had our best ride through a two-stride to date - and other than opening up and cutting off his jump a bit - it was great.  We were given an 84 and took first place in the round.



And that's where I should have stopped.  That whole "quit while you're ahead" thing is so hard to do.  But I knew I had that top score going back in for the second Classic Round and that was probably the wrong fact to be thinking about.

I also noticed was that this might be the first time (ever) that I felt tired during a round.  I've never been on course and thought "hmm, maybe I'll turn early and save myself a couple strides.. we might get done faster" but that was definitely running through my mind with about 3 fences left to go.

I think I might have to up my cardio game, or commit to three lessons a week as opposed to the cushy two I've been enjoying.  Anyway, it's not the best excuse, but I do think it contributed to me perching a bit more and losing my nice light-seat connection.

Realistically the only major issue was a totally botched change where I got Winds so bottled up we nearly halted in the process.  But the entire round just wasn't as flowing as the first two of the day.  I am proud of my last two singles as I don't get a lot of opportunity to ride tracks like that in the show ring.

We scored a 68 (oops) and that slid us into 5th for the classic, which was higher up in the pack than I thought we would end up, but certainly didn't win any Voltaire swag like we did the first week. (who needs an extra girth anyway... sob).



We came back for the hack about an hour later, and I felt like I got a pretty stellar ride out of him.  I was able to keep a slightly bigger trot (and canter) even with a decently full ring with 10 horses.  I was disappointed to place 6th (behind two pretty lame horses?) - but that's the Hunters and realistically I know this judge prefers the traditional, long, TB type over a tighter, bouncy little warmblood.  I thought we'd be 3rd-ish as there were definitely a couple lovely movers who I mentally pinned 1st and 2nd.

I actually have footage because The Boy was feeling magnanimous and temporarily lifted his ban on filming flat classes.  I feel like I haven't posted a clip of Winds' gaits in a while, so it's going up for posterity.



Ultimately, a 2nd and 1st from our last two rounds were enough to snag Champion since the pinnings were very all over the place for almost everyone.

Winds is restocking the ribbon wall like a boss.

Swiftwater Invitational - Monster Post

The first week of our June shows is officially in the books - and it was a great one.  I am struggling with horse show hangover, so here's a massive dump of videos, pics and anything else I can remember...

super stoked.

It's been three years since I last showed at Swiftwater (two years since I was running around preggo watching Prair go around..) so it was great to be back at the Washington State Horse Park enjoying some fun showing (relatively) close to home.

This venue isn't super developed, (mostly tents, open rings, etc) and it has a very homey, fun, hospitable vibe.   It almost feels like summer camp - which makes me a very happy horse-show-er.

Winds' week stated on Wednesday with the 3'3" Pre Greens.  For being a sold out show, I was a little sad to see only three entered in the division, but since the other two were from a really lovely barn, it was still pretty stiff competition.

Winds had one warm up round, which went decently, but he was a tad playful so it was a wise entry.

His first PG round was beautiful and focused:



I didn't tape his second one - but it was also lovely.  Cause he's lovely. 

He also hacked for the division on Wednesday and managed a Blue is all three classes. 

Thursday he came out for two final rounds of the PG.  Also pretty good.  I think this video is his 3rd round of the division... but I can't remember because unlike Prair, Winds mostly just does his job without a lot of antics.  So there aero fewer.... um... punctuation marks to differentiate the different trips with.



He was 2nd and 1st, which made for his first (official) Champion ribbon and, dummmm da dummm - COOLER.

so feigning cute.

The entire barn finished the day pretty early - so we took advantage of the best part of this venue - the trails, and headed out for a ride. 

This was my first real trail ride with Windsor, and he was predictably easy.  He definitely wants to lead and/or go faster.  But zero spook, zero anxiety, zero problems.  Shocking I know, but I was really pleased.  It's awesome to be able to take your fancy show pony out into the woods and feel like they can still be a good, normal horse.

There was some discussion as to what to do Friday.  Winds was showing well at the venue (some horses find it a tad spooky), and I tossed out the idea of him doing the Derby Friday evening.  All I had on the books was my 2'9" Eq division (two rounds and a flat), but that's still a lot of trips (assuming he would make it back for the Handy). 

Ultimately we decided to scratch my rounds over fences, and try the Derby (with my trainer in the irons, not me, lol). 

Prair did a few smaller non-sanctioned derbies, but never quite made it to the actual big (medium?) leagues.   So I was really excited to see one of my very own ponies (especially one who could take all the high options) go around a longer track.

The show had a nice hosted party for the class, so we all grabbed dinner, some spots on the side of the ring where we could see as much as possible, and got ready to watch some lovely rounds.

Winds drew 9th in the order (out of 21) and one of our juniors drew 18th.  Winds headed down to the ring early for the walk (it cracks me up that the horses get to walk the course).  Winds was unconcerned, but did try to eat most of the jumps he investigated. 

The only question mark I had in my mind was surrounding the hay bale jumps.  Not because Winds doesn't normally jump hay bales, but because they had been stacked all week at the divider between the two hunter rings.  The Derby takes up both rings, and you jump the hay bales to cross in and out of the second ring for a few fences.  I knew the jump wouldn't be spooky, but I thought it would be possible that Winds would be backed off since all week the bales had been a "fence" that you don't jump and now they were fences 6 and 9 in a course...

Anyway, we watched the first few horses go, with no major issues, and when we left to go warm up over fences the high score was an 80.

Winds warmed up great, forward, perky and attentive.  We set a few big oxers and then headed to the gate.




I was thrilled with a 82 + 4. 

Winds was a stud.  Nice forward stride, solid jumping efforts and zero concern over the "tricky" parts of the course.  He just might be a Derby Boy after all...

The score held the top spot until the last horse went and posted a 86 + 4 with a really LOVELY round. 

There was a quick reset for the Handy and we had the luxury of watching (almost) everyone else go.  It wasn't the handiest track, and options for slick inside turns were limited. 

After watching the first few trips where riders opted for some flashy tracks - it seemed like the judges weren't hugely rewarding the risk.  Lots of nice horses with nice trips wee scoring in the 70's even with risky options.  So we debated how hard to push for the handy options if it wasn't going to bring down a huge score. 

Ultimately I told N to do what she felt was best for Winds.  I wasn't expecting him to win, so if she wanted a solid, conservative experience - then fine.  On the other hand, if he felt like he could pull off the tighter turns, I told her to go for it and if he botched it - I wouldn't really care....



So, she took the high options, and some tighter turns, but not anything crazy handy....

And an EIGHTY SIX. + 4... for a 90 in the second round.  The horse ahead of us was returning with a 90, so we needed them to score an 85 or lower in order to leapfrog them..

I trotted down to the back gate to watch the final ride go and congratulate my trainer on such a well ridden first Derby with Winds.  She really does do such a lovely job with him - it's a pleasure to watch.

Anyway, the final ride looked smooth, with no major mistakes, but I couldn't see the far end of the course from the back gate.  They took 3 of the high options and received a base score of 82 for a total of 85, which gave Winds the win by one point.

I squealed, and fueled by a couple glasses of wine proceeded to run around like a slightly crazy person videoing the victory gallop, trying to find my husband, and doing god knows what else.

apparently dragging my child into pictures

I think the whole thing was so exciting because I truly had no expectations of his performance.  I thought we'd get some good experience, maybe have a couple bobbles and feel good about trying... so what a great surprise.

Anyway, there were some celebratory toasts and merriment, but the week wasn't over.

Saturday I rode a warm up 2'9" round, and two of my 2'9" low adult rounds. 

It had POURED overnight and the ring was a giant puddle.  In an attempt to make thing better, the ring crew had raked the footing right in front of the jumps, which essentially created a perfectly even rectangular puddle, which Winds was 99% sure was a Liverpool.

So the first round was... interesting as we jumped everything, including the 4' puddles in front of each fence.  I didn't blame him, but I was a tad thrown off and got pretty tight trying to negotiate putting Windsor's feet in the puddles instead of just in front of them...

The following round was better - with a couple late changes, but no puddle jumping.  The third round was GREAT, except as we were moving up on the long gallop to an oxer, I felt his right hind slip in the mud and I pulled out. 

Apparently the judge later told the steward "I don't know why that girl pulled the Derby Horse out of his jump, but her makeup was impeccable."

So, uh... points for that I guess.

There were eight riding in my division, so our 4th, 3rd and 6th ribbons were solid indications of how tough of a time other horses were having with the puddles as well...

Sunday, the rings were even soggier, and a ton of people scratched the day.  I waited it out and since things started to dry out, I decided to try it - totally ready to retire if Winds didn't feel great in the footing.

When I was still deciding if it was worth it to ride or not - one of the ladies in the barn said that she always uses the saying "I'd rather look back and say I wish I had, than I wish I hadn't."

I'm sure that's a well known adage, but I hadn't heard it before and it struck a cord with me.

Anyway, the first round went pretty well, and the footing held up much better than I thought it would.  We had some late changes again, maybe a chip to the first fence... second round was similar and we pulled a 3rd and 4th. 

Finally we rode our Classic (which thankfully did not include our last division round) and pulled it all together.  We stayed balanced and forward and nailed our changes for an 86.  Which is hands down the best score I've ever gotten in the irons.

It was good enough for 1st, and if we were only going to win one round I'm so excited it was the Classic, because it happened to be sponsored by Voltaire and came with a really pretty platter and a NEW HUNTER GIRTH.

I haven't bitten the bullet on a good leather girth for Windsor, so it was an incredibly useful prize, as well as a much nicer one than I would have gotten for myself, so whee!

Winds wanted treats on that platter...

I don't have any footage from my rides since, although I dragged the husband out to watch, he was mostly busy doing this the entire time:

The kiddo was exceptionally cute at the show this time, she really wanted to meet all the horses, sit on them and play around... Dare I try leadline next week?!?

insisting on holding the "leash"

my helmet looks oddly appropriate on her, huge head much?

So even though some of my rides were lackluster, Windsor certainly wasn't and he more than earned his keep!

A few days off, then we wash, rinse and repeat for the second week!

2015 - Start to Finish

I will be the first to admit that we are finishing 2015 significantly differently than I would have ever imagined.  2015 saw a lot of changes on the horse front, so let's dive right back in:

January:

January saw Prair's return to working over fences.  We cantered some (very) small lines, set our sights back on Thermal and slowly continued our rehab.  I went on the Great Girth Hunt of 2015 and ended up buying like four when I really only needed one.  (shocking).  I fell in love with my new Konig boots, and sent our beloved Gus off to his new home.

Bye Gus! Don't Forget to write!

February:

Pair's ultrasound confirmed that she was "totally healed" so we finalized plans for Thermal, and off we went.  Showing with a baby in tow is... harder.  Though The Boy was a CHAMP and made it all work out ok. 

She's totally ok here while I go for my Under Saddle, right?

I hated that somehow my show clothes were tighter 7 months post baby than they had been the previous year at Thermal when I was TWENTY FOUR (ish) weeks pregnant.  wtf.

But, Pair and I got off to a great start and it was so much fun to be into he ring again, even if we were still jumping the tiniest fences imaginable.

I love her neck.

March:

We finished up Thermal with another Circuit Championship and a couple second half awards as well.  I really can't emphasize how much I love showing for weeks on end in the sunshine.  You get to fix mistakes right away and there are so many gorgeous horses to watch and so much crappy show food to eat.  It's amazing. 

When we got home Pair was a tad sore, but it ended up not being anything scary, and after a few days off she was back to herself and cleared for full turnout - even though she just hid in her loafing shed like Chicken Little.

Inside Horses stay inside.

April:

We started (and ended) our local show season with two weeks at the Fairgrounds.  We discovered that apparently warming up is for losers and Pair walked straight from her stall to the ring with very encouraging results.  We were both Champion and Reserve in our Hunter and Eq (switching which one was better each week) and won our 2'6" medal both weeks as well. 

I was impressed (the baby was not)

I started feeling like maybe, just maybe we could start calling ourselves real hunters, but then I had the Vet out and we found out that Pair was actually extremely sore on her Left Hind.

Staring at the second soft tissue injury in a year, I drowned my sorrows in wine and started expressing myself in only Emojis. 

Who needs words.

Of course, I managed to pull the trigger on a new show coat right before the vet ended our season.  So that was neat.  (for the record that coat still has tags on it).

May:

Things got boring fast.  Prair got all the shockwave and PRP and wraps and cookies.  I spent lots of time in her stall (again) grooming (again).

So fat. So boring.

I started taking lessons on a goofy gelding with some significant quirks, and for the first time since Prair showed up I started seriously perusing the online horsey ads again... I mean... no harm in just seeing what's out there, right?

June:

Still bored I started to get creative with my horsey time.  I went shopping (duh), called a pet psychic (wha?) and got all warm and fuzzy seeing Gus in his new home. 

This is what a happy horse looks like

Prair had a discouraging ultrasound, but we did manage to solve the issue of her perpetual poo, so at least that counted as a small victory. 

July:

Literally nothing happens.  I don't even take a picture of my horse on stall rest, because nothing is different.  I come to terms with the idea that I don't want Prair to jump ever again, and The Boy takes me on vacations so I don't notice (as much) that I'm not off enjoying a fun Summer Show Season.

August:

The mare was still locked up in her stall, so I pontificated on the issue of Drugs in the Hunter Ring and watched the baby MOOOO at the Mini Paint on the farm. 

Not a Paint, so this one was "woofed" at

September:

The horse shopping begins in earnest.  I'm so excited I revert to using emojis again

I fall in love with a darling little Casall stallion and even go so far as to take some preliminary x-rays.  Ultimately he is not the one, but I lay awake at night watching his videos on repeat.

His jump was dreamy though

October:

This month was a pure hell of waiting.  Tickets for Germany were bought, but the trip was still an eternally long six weeks away (I hate waiting).  I started thinking about things for a new horse like insurance, and saddles, and all the fun trimmings long before we know if I'd even find one.  Prair moved to a new home for her extended rehab and I find a cool shop on Etsy and have some of Prair's favorite photos posterized.

November:

The real fun stared right away with the champagne on a plane.

Because, Yes.

There were SO MANY gorgeous horses I wondered how many I could take with me.  Ultimately I found and fell in love with Windsor, then spent most of the month figuring out how to vet him and get him home.

Then actually we got him home and it was the best Thanksgiving Day Miracle ever. 

December:

Windsor got to eat about 42 flakes of hay a day, learned that Hunters do a lot of flatwork and I don't always nail my distances....

But most importantly, it's clear we made the right choice with him.  He is a huge, goofy, patient boy and even though he isn't a pro at his job yet, it feels like just what I need right now. 

Cheers to a turbulent, but educational 2015, and here's looking forward to more learning and adventures (and maybe some derbies) in the New Year!!

Happiest New Year from all the gang at Pisa's Parade...

Start Em Young

The day after Christmas, somehow I managed to get the whole family down to visit Windsor, and then up to visit Prair.  Not only was it a homerun in terms of me seeing both beasts, but the fact that both The Boy and kiddo played along (nicely) was something of a belated Christmas Miracle.

First, we packed up and headed south to see Windsor and give him a hack.  The barn was extremely quiet, and save for one other boarder, we had the place to ourselves - which made it much easier to let Cayla run amok. 

She is currently obsessed with sweeping, so she went straight for the broom and proceeded to "sweep" the aisle for about an hour.

we forgot her gloves, so Dad's had to do..

I enjoyed some quiet horse time and an easy hack (with some pole work) before demanding that we put the kid on the horse and get at least one good picture.  Apparently my definition of "good" now includes poorly focused and blurry, but evidence has been had. 

Windsor saw unsupervised pockets to pick...

Cayla seemed pretty entertained by it and giggled when we walked Windsor forward a few steps, so I my confidence in having her ready for lead line this summer is growing. :)

After that, we headed home again, and worked on projects until we got back in the car for another drive, but this time headed North.

We got to Pair after the sun went down, so picture quality is really epically bad, but she looks great.  She's fat and happy and as furry as I've ever seen her. 

I forget how sweet that mare really is.  She just rested her nose on my shoulder and slowly wuffed soft breaths into my ear and let me love on her.  She was fascinated by the baby and there were several super adorable "kisses" where Prair was reaching down over her stall and Cayla was reaching up to kiss her nose.  God damn my old phone for not capturing that.   But I'll just have to stage it again at some other point.

Not only a badly lit picture, somehow its a bad angle for everyone...

We shared a nice post-holiday meal with my friend and caught up a bit before heading home for the night.  I am so grateful that Prair is getting such good care and in a place where I don't worry about her at all.  My plan is to be up there after the New Year to attempt to flex her and see if she's made any progress in the last few months.

So that's the Holiday update.  Cute gray horse, cute black horse and an adorable barn baby (and husband!)

Hope everyone else enjoyed theirs!

Christmas Courtesy of Prair...

There are lots of ways that kiddos interrupt your otherwise perfectly scheduled (lol) life, but trying to turn your environment into something that won't pose imminent harm is one of those new challenges. 

To be fair, the extent of our "baby proofing" has been pretty much limited to taking a few sharp objects off of low shelves and instilling a firm concept of "HOT" with regard to the fireplace. 

But the notion of my big, beautiful glittery Christmas Tree festooned with all my cherished (and breakable) ornaments made even me, Queen of don't-accommodate-the-baby-too-much, pause and think.

Instead of scrapping the tree all together, or leaving it bare at the bottom where curious hands can grab, I attacked the ribbon walls in the garage and decked our halls with Prair's lovingly collected tri-colors.

By rolling up the streamers and paperclipping them to the back, I turned the rosettes into pretty, varied ornaments.  It was actually kind of fun to read the back of each one and reminisce on certain shows or rounds or especially treasured championships. 

It was one of the first times I've been truly grateful for my OCD note taking on my ribbons.  It's fun to chuckle at "FIRST PLACE!!! (judge missed our blown lead change.. tee hee)" before crimping the ribbon onto a branch.

The Baby got in on the action and loved climbing the step stool with a ribbon in hand and tossing it at the tree. 

Initially I was going to do a traditionally "red and green" tree, but Prair hasn't gotten enough 6th place ribbons to trim out a tree yet.   She can claim far more Blues... so we stuck to a Blue, Red, Yellow theme and called it good.

I wasn't totally expecting to love how the tree turned out, but now that I've stared at it for a couple days, it's festive and bright and nothing will shatter if the kiddo gets a little grabby-grabby. 

I imagine that *when* we have a big beautiful barn of our own, I would put up a Ribbon Tree in the tack room every year....  

Bad light, but fully festive!

The only downside to this whole plan is that my usually cheerful ribbon wall is slightly less uplifting when I pull into the garage now.... it's a tad sparse and a little sad looking, but worth the sacrifice I think.

Visited by a Ribbon Thief

Funny enough, The Boy was the one running to and from the garage to gather ribbons as needed, and I'm sort of curious as to his selection process... he definitely cherry picked the ribbons (especially the tri-colors) but I haven't figured out what the theory was... Ahh the mysteries of marriage. 

I'm just grateful he let me make a RIBBON TREE, so I am unlikely to criticize his contributions...

But the big thanks go to Prair, for gathering such a lovely collection for our Christmas Tree.

Spring National Inagural - Sunday Wrap Up

Easter Sunday fell on that last day (of the first week) of the show.  And true to crazy-horse-lady culture instead of fewer entries because people were at church... or with family.. or at least making brunch, everyone was out at the show, enjoying the sunshine and an excuse for a few extra candies. 

The Easter Bunny even found Prair, leaving a chocolate bunny on her trunk, and a cute Easter egg charm in her braids. 

Bundled.

 We adjusted our warm up plan slightly and scratched the 2'3" Low, having N ride the Low at 2'6" and leaving me two rounds for my Hunter Division and one more round for a fun 2'6" Medal.

The Boy and the baby joined me for the day, which made for lots of entertainment before/between/and after my rides. Cayla is proving to be quite the horse show baby and happily snoozed and cooed in her stroller where normally she's crawling out and trying to toddle off to explore/eat something inappropriate.
 

Anyway, Prair had a lovely Low round with N, and true to her predictable form, she was soft and quiet and needed a tad more leg to create some impulsion and stomp than earlier in the weekend. 

I pretty much hopped right on to start my rounds, and made The Boy attempt to wrangle both baby and phone to record a video.



I'm still very proud that this is the ride we get without me warming up at all (though it's becoming more obvious that I need the warm up more than Prair).

I didn't realize the outside four stride was set closer to the quarterline than the fence, so I sort of overshot the turn and that killed my distance, but we worked it out ok.  Our single oxer felt great, and the two diagonals were decent too.  Mostly I'm proud of Prair's mostly quiet lead changes (!!) and willingness to move up without getting stressed. 

I am loosening my shoulders and elbow more, but that hasn't translated to a better release.. so that I need to work on, and also not opening my hip angle too much on landing...

We got a 4th (out of 5, lol) for this round.

Our second round I fixed the turn and distance to the four stride, but everything else felt worse.  I guess it wasn't, since N thought we looked smoother and the Judge put us First.  The Boy started a video of this round, but it turned sideways and stopped about 20 seconds in when the baby decided to be difficult I guess (if I could only teach this kid to video rounds I'd be onto something...)

The 1st and 4th were enough to clinch a Reserve for the division, behind a really nice pair that consistently bested us down at Thermal.  One thing I have to say about the low level Ammys in our area is that (for the most part) everyone is so nice to each other.  Lots of "nice rounds" and "good lucks" exchanged at the gate and commiseration in the hilarity that is often bumbling along in these not so prestigious ranks.  I really appreciate that, and it definitely makes the whole process that much more enjoyable and worthwhile.

Two tricolors and a Bunny Baby (also, look at the mare's NECK)

Finally, I went right back in to put down the first trip for the little 2'6" Medal class.  I don't mind being first, but I didn't really have a plan for the two places where there were options for inside turns.  The extent of my planning was "if she feels good we'll do it, if she doesn't, we'll go the long way 'round..."  Not exactly precision planning, but meh, it's 2'6". 

The course started with a rollback, which we landed the wrong lead so I opted for a longer route.  worried about our balance and turn, I picked at her canter a tad and we didn't chip out - but I really wish I had moved up and shown a bigger, bolder canter and distance. 

That weeny canter and tight distance followed us around the rest of the course (through a 5 stride, the four stride, and another rollback). 

The course finished with a single, then a halt and a sit trot out.  By far the best part of our course was our TOTALLY still halt (the transition to it wasn't great though), our lovely turn on the forehand (not called for, just looking polished) and our sitting trot to the gate. 

There were about 15 (I think?) juniors and ammys in the class so I was honestly just hoping for a ribbon, but when they finally pinned the class an hour later, we won it! 

In watching the round back on video it doesn't look at underpowered or jagged as it felt.  So bless Prair for covering some of my mistakes.  I definitely braced my hands quite a bit in this round and really cut her off over fences with my non-release.  Other than that though, she felt adjustable, polite and lovely. 



All in all a great way to end the week!

 

My Girls.

Today the mare is off, tomorrow she's hacked, then because she finished so nicely, we decided to scratch her pro division on wed/thurs and just put her in one round a day to school. instead  I think saving the jumps is prudent right now, and as much as I want ribbons, I'm currently out of ribbon hanging space, so until more strings are hung, I guess I can stop hoarding like a maniac for a moment.   

more fun to come!

Thermal VII - the home stretch

The final weekend was a total whirlwind, and I'm definitely in the midst of a horse show hangover.  I'm sitting in a pile of dirty horse laundry, dirty baby laundry and one very passive aggressive cat who dislikes his routine being disrupted for such an extended family absence....

But I just remember (what I can) of week VII before it all disappears from my laundry-addled brain.

We left off with Prair's wild success in the Open 2'6 division, marked by her win in a big class over fences. 

When I took over the ride on Friday, the mare felt awesome.  a tad more of a push ride than I expected, but I suppose that's reasonable after two long weeks on hard ground. 

What felt great was the mare's balance and her changes.  She was much more responsive to my seat and much easier to balance for the change than when I finished up the previous weekend.  After a quick and soft warm-up we headed for the ring and knocked out of first division.

About all I remember is that we had four pretty nice rounds.  A couple late changes, but overall better and better, slower jumps.  The Boy returned to the show with a head cold which kept him home with baby - so I am lacking any videos or images to jog my memory of any remotely interesting details.

I do know the divisions were a tad smaller this week, I think there were maybe 16? We got stuck in a rotation with the cutest horse ever who has been kicking our butt all circuit.  He's small, but looks like an overgrown pony with a nice trot and just adorable jump - even over 2'.   By comparison, Prair's patented-2'-lurch look a tad less.... stylish. 

Anyway, going back to back with him wasn't ideal in terms of judging, but we still came away with a 2nd, 5th, 6th and 1st over fences.  Added to a win on the flat and we snagged Reserve behind Mr-Cute-Pony-Pants.

Saturday started with a fun 2'6" medal, which I hadn't been participating in the earlier weeks.  The course looked fun but all of our rollbacks and bending lines were on our right lead (doh) so I was perhaps a bit nervous about that.  Prair and I were first in the order (ugh) which didn't help my nerves. 

Amazingly, we landed all our leads and were having a flawless round until the final rollback which was pretty tight and to the right.  I sliced the first fence slightly to get a better angle, landed balanced and on our right lead... then braced a tad and lost the stomp in Prair's hind foot and she didn't see the next fence so we sorta.... stopped. 

Not a refusal per se (much like our stop last week in the wind), but more of a "what the hell, where are we going lady... oh... a jump..... yeeah, no." 

I don't love that Prair is backing off and downshifting when she's confused, but I suppose it might be a step forward from blind panic and bolting.  Who knows.. I'm trying to tell myself it's a step forward and not that I'm actually turning my mare into a stopper.

Anyway, I was so, so so so so so so so sad.  The rest of the course was easy and pretty and I was really upset with myself for not getting a better line in that rollback. 

I tried to console myself with reminders that we haven't even schooled a rollback since the same medal last year, but still. 

it's 2'6" and Prair was on point. 

So sad. 

I got even more frustrated when I watched everyone else have at least one medium bobble so I'm pretty sure if I could have erased the stop - we would at least have been called back to test.  Argh.

Right after the medal we rode our three rounds for our 2'3" Hunter.  I recall great rounds with maybe one late change, but the judge didn't use us much.  There were about 20 of us and we missed the ribbons when we had a late change but eeked out an 8th and 7th in our last two rounds.  We came back a few hours later to win the hack and boost our confidence a bit.

Saturday afternoon I had entered the 2' Eq again.  When the temps hit 88 I was seriously questioning why I thought three more rounds were a good idea and when I pulled the mare out of her stall for a third time, her expression echoed that sentiment. 

But we ambled back to the rings and wilted in the sun while the course was reset (ahem- lowered) for our division. 

Let me correct that - I mean "division" in the loosest sense.  Apparently only two other ammys were delirious enough to think that bumbling around 3 rounds in the height of the afternoon heat sounded like a good idea. 

What we lacked in competition was made up for by a mercifully brief outing.  Seemed everyone was eager to be done, so warm ups were brief, everyone pre-loaded into the ring and I think the whole thing (including flat) was done in 40 minutes. 

My only challenge was that this was our first time showing in Ring 3, which is substantially larger than our normal rings, and it has a weird berm at the end (where they sometimes place a jump) and an irregular zigzag fence line by the judge's booth. 

The courses themselves were normal hunter lines, so I really only focused on keeping Prair's attention and holding her straight when the jump lines didn't mirror the arena fences... I was pleasantly surprised by Prair's focus and total lack of concern for the new ring.  Our only tense moment was when a horse in the ring next door went down their outside line as we went down ours and Prair maybe thought they were racing. 

Out of a whopping three we placed 2nd, 1st, 1st, then won the flat for another championship, though it didn't feel like a big "win." 

Don't get me wrong, I still snapped up my ribbon and cooler, but it's not like we beat out a huge crowd or were tested over difficult courses for the honor..

Sunday our last division of the circuit was our 2'6" Modified Hunter.  Again, smaller numbers.. maybe only 20, but holy smokes, there were all beautiful.  I enjoyed watching a few rounds before we started our warm-up, but Prair didn't feel great.  She was stiff, heavy and really (really) reluctant to move off my leg. 

We switched to a warm up ring with better footing, but still, the mare was slooooooow.  It was hard to get her going for a few warm up fences, but after talking with N we decided to head for the ring and see how she was.  N felt like all the horses were getting a bit foot sore and reluctant, but that Prair didn't look (or feel) off on one side or the other.

Our first fence in, I just couldn't get a pace and we pulled up.  After that we got rolling, we finished ok.  N and I talked, and thought maybe we should scratch but didn't want our last round to have a stop.  So we went back in, got a nice clean round (with great changes) and called it a show.  Prair was listening, focused and trying, but I could feel her backing off at the fences and that she was jumping flatter than she had been.. I didn't like it and neither did N. 

In hindsight we probably didn't need any jumps on Sunday, but the previous two weeks Prair hadn't felt so worn out at the end of the weekend... so finishing with our "normal" 2'6" division seemed like a fun idea.

I've never felt Prair so tired/sore/cranky about moving off my leg, so I'm hoping all is well.  Hopefully some time off, some previcox and a one over by our vet will have her back to feeling fresh.

Thermal 2015 is in the books.  I'll keep digesting our trip and post some thoughts and observations, (along with an update on Prair's leg when the vet sees her Wednesday..) but for now, those are the basic details.

Go team go. 

We've Arrived! (all four of us)

Everyone has officially made it to the Desert.  Prair's been enjoying the sun for almost a full week, but The Boy, the Baby and I finally joined her today. 

Dad's trunk ready for another season!

It is already abundantly clear to me that baby + horse show is going to make for a very different experience than anything we've done before. 

After a (relatively) uneventful flight and a (relatively) uneventful drive to the show grounds, We drove around like morons for 30 minutes trying to find the barn which was much easier to find when I finally stopped looking for it where we were last year.  In my defense I clearly remember a conversation (not sure with who or when) that we were stabled in the same spot.  Not true.  We are literally the farthest stalls from the Hunter rings. 

Farthest. 

I might lose weight jogging back and forth, but probably not since today I just drove us around the show grounds from spot to spot in the car with the AC on.  Ambitious, right?

Anyway.

Prairie. 

let the show selfies begin.

Supposedly she was ACES the first few days schooling.  Calm, totally settled, unflappable, in N's words a "total pro."  But yesterday she flipped a switch and decided she couldn't deal with anything.  So, instead of having N show her in an open division Yesterday and Today, she just put in some schooling rounds and called it good.

I was expecting a repeat performance of yesterdays tantrum when N took Prair out to school, but apparently the calm, happy mare showed back up.  She looked great.  Which you'll have to take my word for because true to form I have no evidence.  I'd say I was "busy taking care of the baby" but that's a lie, because The Boy had the kiddo, and was off procuring hamburgers for us while I watched Prair. 

She did well in the warm up area, and pretty well in the ticketed schooling ring.  There were a few other horses which either could have made her more stressed, or made her happier since she wasn't alone.  Who knows.  But she did look great, and N said she felt more relaxed than she ever has at a show.

So.  Tomorrow.  N will do two warmup rounds and then in theory I'll show a 2' division (WOO!) right after. 

Time to knock that rust off!

There's definitely a photo bomb happening in this pic - just not sure who's doing it

Also, as a footnote, one of the great benefits of showing at Thermal is that there are actually lots of really good restaurants around.  You aren't relegated to Applebees and Outback for dinners after the show.  BUT, I was so paranoid about an overtired, just flew on a plane and drove in a car and hasn't really napped baby - that we chickened out and went to Red Robin for dinner. 

Underwhelming salad, but proudly we didn't have the worst behaved kid there.  So that's a blue ribbon for the babe right there!

Go team!