All Packed (I think..)

Had one final confidence-boosting lesson this morning, where maybe it wasn't our most brilliant (in terms of impulsion, sensitivity, etc) work, but it was steady and dare I say... hunter-esque.  Prair was grinding her teeth a tad more than normal which I don't love (I always wonder what she's deciding to object to and why...) but she was calm and focused and we had some of our best canter-pole on a circle work EVER.

How boring does that sound?  Somewhere my teenager, eventer-self just rolled her adolescent eyes and died a little.

But whatever, I'm old(er) now and when we can canter a pole in stride and in balance without having to work too hard - well that is cause for celebration these days.

After the victorious canter-pole-ing, we jumped a small course and managed to do quite well.  I was supposed to being adding a stride in the line, which we did most of the time.. so it wasn't without bobbles...

But even when there were bobbles, Prair stayed tuned in and we were able to recover quickly and move on to our next fence.

All in all, it left me feeling pretty good about attacking the 2' Ring in Thermal.

Then I packed.  Much like last year my goal is always to pack as much crap into my trunk as possible so I have less crap to carry on the plane with me.  I am a carryon only type girl, which is hard enough when you are schlepping a helmet and garment bag and boots, but I think that would be damn near impossible with a baby and all the baby gear in tow as well. 

So the trunk has all my tack, all my show clothes, a few of baby's toys, all my toiletries that won't pass TSA's absurd 3oz BS and a big jar of treats for the mare to munch on while we are there. 

Oh, and the gastrogard, and the perfect prep and the earplugs.  Don't. Forget. The. Earplugs.

Prair wouldn't mind if I forgot the earplugs, she's more concerned about me forgetting her treats.

This is the "More Treats" face.

So we're mostly ready to go.  Wraps are rolled, shipping halter is ready, show halter is polished, and Brookledge (bless them) showed up a day early with their rig so we could load equipment and maximize space.  If all goes according to plan there should be four box stalls available and hopefully Prair will qualify for one of those based on size.

reason #567 I like Brookledge - they show up EARLY

Horses set off after breakfast tomorrow, which means I spent the next 6 days organizing myself and baby before we get to go play in the sunshine together.  With sunscreen.  Lots and lots of sunscreen.

Go Team.

Schooling Day (from the ground)

After a few (rather productive) hours at work, I zipped up to the show grounds to pet Miss Prair and watch her school.  I will say that schooling day isn't quite as... energizing when someone else is doing the riding and also you have grooms.  I am not complaining, but I do sort of miss the cathartic process of sorting through equipment, organizing tack stalls and getting situated for the week.  Since the horses were already happily settled and Prair was getting fluffed and buffed by her guys (I think there were four of them buzzing around her at some point, so she's definitely closer to the Beyonce life than I'll ever be...) there was just a lot of me opening and closing my trunk feeling like I was supposed to be doing something.

I ended up parking my (expanding) butt on a comfy chair in the sunshine and watching all the pretty horses walk to and from the rings.  Not all that bad of a pastime, but I can tell that this "spectator only" thing is going to take some mental adjustment on my end.

When it was Prair's turn to take a spin, she walked out pretty calm. No lunging, no perfect prep, just some earplugs and the pelham as defense against this crazy new world.  N started in the outside ring (what runs as the second Hunter Ring) and while I could tell that Prair was a bit interested in life around her, she looked great by Prairie standards.  Her ears were fairly pricked and I could see her eyeball a few things but her stride stayed forward and loose and N was able to almost always keep at least one rein totally soft.

Last October I tried to warm up in that same ring and it produced a full scale meltdown that ended with us crab walking (cantering?) sideways across the arena and slipping out the gate before anything worse happened)....  Anyway, lots of serpentines, lots of long and low, lots of changes of direction.  When she did start jumping (fences were probably 2'3"/2'6"?) Prair looked calm and only got worried a couple times from longer spots.

Then we headed into the big echo-y indoor to school at 3'.  Prair walked around once to see the sights, but honestly, didn't seem very put off.  If anything the relative quiet seemed relaxing for her.  N didn't waste too much time moving her up to the canter and putting courses together.  Prair looked like she was listening well - rocking back, slower off the ground, landing balanced etc... but she still looked a little loose to me in terms of her form.

I don't know how else to describe it.  She's definitely holding her shape over the fences better than she used to, but we've got a long ways to go to get to a tidy, tight Hunter bascule.

Afterwards Prair walked (calmly) back to the barn on a nice loose rein and waited for the dispensing of cookies.

(I opened my trunk and looked for cookies)

Um.  Where are the cookies

Mare's cute cookie face slowly morphs into a stink eye.

Holy Crap, my trunk has more storage space than a minivan and I don't have any cookies!???

Mare's stink eye sharpens and she bites the bars in warning

I don't have any cookies

I tried to make amends by giving her a nice long wither scratch and rubbing her ears, but make no mistake, the mare knows she didn't get cookies and I don't think she'll be forgetting that faux pas anytime soon

The "no-cookies-I'm-so-disappointed-in-you-face"

Cookies will be acquired on the way up to the show today... 4 rounds over fences (2 Large, 2 Pre-Green) and both flat classes today... woo!

Octoberfest, Success!

I am suffering deeply from a horse show hangover this am so I don't have all my video/pics ready to go, but I did manage to extract a couple iphone pics that will suffice for now.

The show was great.  It was a lot to cram into two days (three full divisions, a Classic and some warm ups..) but Prair actually handled it pretty well, S handled it great, and I managed to hang in there.

We were the only horse from our barn who went, and S (somehow) still managed to ride/teach seven horses in addition to putting in long show days which meant that The Boy was critical in keeping everyone clean, fed, and mostly functional.  :)  It was actually kind of fun to run everyone out of one stall.  My massive trunk was perfect for the task and I totally enjoyed keeping everything all organized and neat and (mostly) tidy.  Felt a bit like an old PC Rally...

However, the biggest good news is that Prair was a stud and managed to secure not one, but two coolers (2!!).  Related to that thrill was the lovely discovery that the coolers were green and white instead of black and orange.  I would have had a small fit if when we finally managed a cooler it made her look like a Halloween decoration.

omg.

The dreaded black and orange ribbons were still in full force, but for some reason certain divisions were also being run as the USHJA Zone 9 Stirrup Cup Finals - which meant they were also handing out Big, Pretty, Normal Ribbons.  I was nearly as excited about the tassels on the tri-colors as I was about the coolers. 

(Why I get so excited about this stuff I will never know. but I think it might have something to do with growing up totally ribbon-starved Eventing.  There are not enough ribbons given to eventers. Period)

Prair and her loot. 

More important than the ribbons or the coolers though was how well Prair handled some really heavy class loads.  Both days she was at her wits end (finishing with the Classic on Sat, and then my Eq on Sun) but both days she was significantly better than she has been for the first two days of competition at any other show.

The 3'3" Pre-Green division was canceled, so Prair ended up going in the 3' and was Champion with 36 points, (along with double ribbons for the Zone Finals).

My 2'9" Divisions ended up decently large (8 people I think?) which was a nice surprise and gave us some good competition!  Prair was a stud and ended up with a perfect 40 to win the Modified 2'9" Hunter Division. That gave us the Zone win and a pretty ribbon to boot!

We finished as Reserve Champ for our 2'9" Eq which was gracious to say the least.  We placed 2nd and 3rd over fences, and 3rd on the flat because when they called for "lengthen the stride at the trot" I (and almost everyone else) assumed that meant we could post.  Apparently we could not.  Also I looked like a hunched over crow, but that's a separate issue.  Also I nearly threw my reins over Prairie's head at one point but I don't think the judge saw that...

Finally, S coaxed an admirable performance out of the mare for the Classic on Saturday afternoon.  They scored an 80 in their first round which put them in second, but slipped to third with a 77 in the second round.  Out of a very competitive field of 13 I was super proud.  It was obvious that Prairie was pretty fried and I don't actually know how S got as relaxed a performance as she did out of her.. Also, there was a victory gallop.  I love those.  Prair does not.

To sum up - Great show.  Lots of wins, lots of fun and lots of COOLERS!!!

I think she was proud too

As always, lots to still work on (specifically for me), but that will come with some of the videos... When I finally get them up.

Trunk Lid Progress...

I should have known that if I spent time (longer than I'd like to admit) painfully making Paint diagrams to show the "plan" for the Trunk lid that Dad would have just banged it all together 8 hours later.

Sigh.

I popped my head into the workshop to see if any progress had been made and saw this:

(squee!)

He even already dug out some old whiteboard and mirror from the basement stash for the lid-flap.  The basement usually yields most widgets and pieces for projects but I thought for sure the whiteboard/mirror would require a trip to the store.  Not so.  The whiteboard and mirror will eventually be attached to the other side of the lid, so they are vertical when the lid flap is closed.

Anyway.  All that's left is to add the little "lips" on the front of the cubbies to help keep items secured and we'll be ready for the show this weekend.  I'm going to hold off on staining and varnishing until we decide what the final arrangement is..

Matching Hardware & Trunk Organizational Theory

Trunk update!

I got my totally cool, really amazing monogram in the mail yesterday which meant that Dad and I compulsively had to affix it as soon as possible.  I wasn't 100% confident that a 14" diameter monogram was the right size but as soon as it hit the front of the trunk, I loved it.  Love love.

who's trunk is this?

 In real life the Monogram was a bit more copper than I had anticipated (I could have guessed from the "copper finish" I selected, but I didn't).  I really liked the color itself (and it compliments the wood nicely), but I didn't like the idea of the other hardware being mismatched in either stainless or brass for the hasp, handles, etc.  Both options seemed to clash or at the very least look a little back-yard-ian.

(hasp not attached yet..)

My Etsy Master had shared the paint finish he used for the monogram, and since it was a simple can of Rust-oleum (in Hammered Copper) my Dad just picked up a bottle (spray paint, so simple) and gave the rest of the hardware (and screws!) a nice coating to match. The result is lovely.  The paint finished remarkably evenly, and the tone is just perfect.  I also really like how it looked classy and understated, but just a little left of normal. Plus I like that if something ever chips or needs to be replaced I can just touch it up with spray paint!

sprayed to match handles

After plenty of Oooooooh-ing and Aaaahhhhhhhh-ing we got to work designing the cubbies for the lid.  While my "paint skills" leave something to be desired, my drawing skills are even worse so here we go..

Since the lid is so deep, there's lots of space for legit storage.  The primary question is how do you keep all the stuff in the lid still in the lid when it gets shut. Solution for that is a flap that fastens either up on the lid, or lets down like a secretary desk and can be used as a table of sorts.

Brown thing hinges up or down

Make sense? 

So if the secretary-desk-flap-lid seals the lid, we still wanted some smaller cubbies so that stuff wasn't just rolling around in the big lid and then tumbling out when you open the flap.

Because the flap either blocks the main trunk, or the lid I tried to think of things "you need at the same time" to keep in the lid.  Ideally, "things that go on last" or what have you. 

So, this became things like my tall boots, bridle, helmet/hairnet/gloves, shiny coat spray, and horsey boots. 

Our current division of space looks like this:

Lid is 38"w by 22"t and approx 8"d

Turns out my tall boots just barely fit in the 22" height of the lid, but they do fit nicely.  22" is a bit short to hang a bridle, so we ended up laying the bridle down and giving a long 9"x18" space for that.  Above my bridle space is a 10" x 13" cubbie for my helmet/gloves/hairnet stuff which leaves a larger space in the middle that is tall enough for spray bottles or perhaps horse boots.  Not sure.  all of these cubbies will have a front "lip" which will help keep things from tumbling out when the lid is up and open. 

Dad is putting the shelves in such that they are easy to adjust and change if we decide this layout is difficult or I really want something else in the lid. Some of this is hard to guess until I use it a few times.

Then just as a kicker, we plan to put a whiteboard and mirror on the secretary-lid-flap so that when it is up and fastened there is a mirror for hairnetting (or assisting horse slime removal) and a whiteboard for notes/courses/etc. 

Pretty bad ass, right?

Hopefully it will make it's big (literally, this thing is a monster) debut this weekend.

Trunk Monogram

The Trunk isn't making much progress this week due to semi-retirement taking the official-trunk-maker on a ski trip instead of keeping him locked in his trunk-making-shop, but I am pushing forward myself.

In a search for a nifty big monogram thing I turned to Etsy (savior for all things fabulous and surprisingly affordable) and found ENC Creations. After a few messages back and forth with the shop owner to see if they could try to match the "K" style of monograms from Dover (which is what I always select for my few monogrammed pieces) I recieved 4 different mock ups to choose from and then we went into production.

The end result is rad.  It's a 14" diameter, cut steel piece that has been finished with a copper tint.  I even remembered to mention I wanted to mount it on said trunk so it will arrive with pre-drilled mounting holes. 

For $50 it is more unique and much larger than anything else I could find.  I think it'll be a beautiful main ornament for trunk.

The shopping/design/feedback process was all speedy and efficient.  If I decide I need more giant metal monograms (for more trunks, duh) I would absolutely return to ENC.  And I'd wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone else..

bam!

Trunk Updates

Well the trunk is coming along nicely.

It is trimmed and stained.

The hinge is on (with catch chains until the gas shocks show up).

Casters have been firmly attached to the bottom.

And Dad finally figured out how to make a decent saddle rack that's "removable" when I don't want to be taking up half the trunk with a saddle.

The color came out dark than anticipated, but I like it.  The photos make it a bit green/gray but it's really more of a dark brown.  Not your "traditional" coloring by any means but really close to the dark stain that I love in my parents home.  Not too surprising that I like it on the trunk then..

The trim is beautiful.  but apparently the trim strips available at the lumber shop were not quite what Dad was thinking... so he machined the trim out of larger planks and then beveled the edges beautifully.  He also put a trim piece in where the hasp will eventually be mounted.

  Then, in a fit of inspiration he mounted a "saddle rack" which I think is just brilliant.  Originally we were thinking of making a saddle-rack-shaped-box, so that you could store things in it, then set your saddle on top.  But instead this is what Dad came up with:

The brackets are mounted into the trunk, but then the dowels just nest into slots.  This means that either the dowels are held in place by the weight of the saddle, or can be easily lifted and removed to open up the space entirely. 

SO CLEVER.  I love it.  Even when a saddle is being held in the rack, there is plenty of space below for blankets, boots, whatever.  Brilliant and simple.

Next steps are acquiring hardware (hasp, handles etc), installing the gas shocks to support the lid and continuing to brainstorm on internal organization.

I think the trunk will be "operational" enough by our next show to give it a test run and then have notes for any changes that need to be made...

woo!