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.

Week II... (facepalm)

Logic says that if the mare was settling in last week and improving each day on the last - that this week should have been a triumphant step forward in our quest to go around the Hunter Ring like old pros.

Sadly, this was not to be.

Prairie decided that not only does the show schedule reset with a new week, but so does her brain and our early trips have felt more like we just walked off the trailer... not like we've been cantering around the same arena for ten days already.

Prair was a bit tense Wednesday for her one round, but not horrid.  Thursday she was good for N but still a tad reactive, so when I opted to add a round for myself, I had a fairly edgy mare who was completely and totally offended by the world.  traffic cones that hadn't moved all week were not to be trusted, other horses were... not to be trusted... and the arena was definitely not to be trusted. 

Her distracted brain and wandering eyeball lulled me into taking my leg off and I never established a good, stomping rhythm and it really showed.  The lack of impulsion made it hard to see a distance (any distance) so we were weak into our first two lines. 

Then I didn't realize a single oxer was set so inside (this is becoming a theme) so I overshot the turn and ended up overbent on the long gallop.  Losing our outside shoulder and the weak (but tense) canter meant I picked the mare to a stop.   A move that I actually groaned out load for and rolled my eyeballs like an exasperated teenager. 

I was mad enough about the mistake that I finally got a decent canter and we got over the oxer and finished our last line respectfully. 

Not a disaster, but not our finest work... or the best set up for our Eq today.

Eq today.  N took Prair in the warm up round and said she was still a tad distracted but not as tense as yesterday (they won). 

I resolved to NOT BE UNDERPOWERED during my trips today, so I kicked hard and actually got a decent pace.  Our first round had a couple tight-ish distances, but our changes were all pretty good (for us) and Prair felt a million times more on task than she had on Thursday.

Second course had higher highs (some lovely move ups into our lines) but lower lows (a few tense moments in the corner).  I took solace in the fact that I was riding more proactively and Prair stayed more uphill the entire time.  I don't mind bobbles when I feel like I am actively making choices and riding as opposed to sitting like a potato and just hoping for the best...

We managed a 2nd and a 3rd in a slightly larger and definitely more competitive division than last week.

The flat was frustrating.  Prairie decided that her ear plugs were totally horrid and started flipping and shaking her head whenever we trotted by the judge. 

No joke. 

She was totally fine everywhere else in the ring, but if we went by the judge we had to make it as obvious as possible how displeased we were about the plugs. 

The silver lining there was that all of her energy was being spent on trying to free her ears and none of it was available to be upset about the other horses or traffic.  (small blessings I guess). 

I honestly have no idea how - but we managed a 2nd place and that got us a Reserve.  I was actually a little sad that the judged never called for a Sitting Trot, since I think that's actually one of my strong suits (at least at the 2'6" level..) but really I was so sick of miss-head-shaker that I was pleased just to be done.

Tomorrow I'm *trying* to sneak in the start of my Hunter Division, but I have some meetings during the day that may foil my plans...

Regardless we'll be back Sunday for a couple rounds and a medal!

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!

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.