Indiana HT-Trouble's 1st recognized HT!

We had a fantastic and hot weekend at Hoosier Horse Park June 3-5. We left Thursday afternoon and got there with time to sneak in a quick ride. Trouble was looking around a bit but he settled in well and did some nice flatwork. The next day I gave him a canter school in his jump tack in a big grass field by the SJ arena. He was a little worried for a while but then cantered like a champ. My original plan was to ride him twice on Friday since we didn't do dressage until Saturday, but it was hot and he was well behaved for our morning ride so we skipped the 2nd one. I have to say I'm glad I chose to skip the extra ride, because it was even hotter on Saturday and he was quite lazy in our warmup for the test. I felt like he was relaxed, forward and listening, but didn't have that extra spark. He went into the ring and did an obedient, forward test and I was happy with his canter transitions in the harder test since they are in a weird spot and it was our first time doing test B. His free walk was the best one he's done, and the trot work felt really steady. We ended up with a 29.5, in 9th out of 25 starters. I was disappointed with the score because he felt much worse in our test 2 weeks prior and it scored a 25.5! There was a 4 way tie for 5th on a 28.6, and the leader had a 22 and looked like a dressage horse, so that was a little consolation :) When I got the test back, the judge (Vicki Rauwolf) nailed us on most movements for "not enough bend", which I thought was strange because we've never had that comment on a test before...different strokes for different folks I suppose. He still got several 8's, including gaits, but I was really dismayed to see 3 or 4 6's....I think he's gotten two 6's EVER! Oh well, we know better for next time!

We walked the SJ course, which was substantial and a bit scary with lots of turns. I was concerned that it was the hardest course so far this year, but I pushed those thoughts aside and thought it would look better if I walked a few more times. Cathy emphasized "chasing him short", meaning keeping his canter coming forward to a connection in the rein instead of letting his stride get long and out of control. This made a lot of sense to me, especially since he jumps well from the base and I don't have to worry about him being clumsy with his legs.

There were quite a few panels, gates, planks, etc, as well as lots of bending lines, a rollback turn, and a 2-stride. He warmed up nicely and we only jumped a few fences since it was about 100 degrees at 3pm. He had to wait around a bit before going in the ring so he was antsy, but he perked up when we went in and jumped the first curiously but didn't offer to back off. He barely tapped the 2nd (an oxer on a bending line from the 1st) and it unfortunately came down. The third fence was a bright white gate/oxer off a tight left turn which I expected him to look at. He came through the turn and I kicked him up to the fence and he leaped over it in spectacular fashion. I had to get him back quickly because the 4th fence was on a right bending line and it was an airy vertical. He stepped over it well and I got organized afterward. Approaching the 5th off the rail on a turn, I didn't quite get him turned as quickly as I should have an I underestimated him drifting out to the right towards the barn so we didn't get lined up correctly and ran out of time to get straight :( We circled back around and jumped it fine, so I don't think it was the jump that caused the drift, just a green mistake and me not thinking ahead! The 6th fence was on another bending line, and it was a BIG triangular panel oxer that I was sure he'd suck back at. He came through the line in a good rhythm and jumped the fence with no problem, going into the rollback turn nicely to line up for 7. He jumped the oxer at 7 and American flag panels after a long canter to 8, then we came around to the 2 stride. I felt him perk up, but he let me keep him in a smaller canter and he jumped both verticals neatly. Finally we came around to the last fence, a purple and green oxer, which he jumped great! I was mad at myself for letting the turn get away from us at 5, but I was really proud of how mature he felt to the fences. Cathy was happy that I was able to hold him together and not let things fall apart when we started to have problems. The ring felt really small and I thought he did a great job handling the atmosphere, jumps, activity and a hard course! We picked up the 8 jump faults as well as 6 time for the circle, but I still think it was the best SJ round we've had so far!

The XC course walked pretty tough, with a lot to do for a BN course. I thought it would either go really well or I wouldn't be able to get him over the first fence :)

Thank goodness it was cooler on Sunday, and a storm was starting to roll in so they let us go a little ahead of our scheduled time. He warmed up pretty excited, and I was SO relieved to see XC fences in the warmup as practice fences. He jumped the 2'6ish table looking but forward the first time, and we jumped it 5 or 6 more times just to make him bored of it.

Into the box we went, and he took a few trot steps then cantered straight out. I felt him wiggle some going to the first like he wasn't sure what to do, but I just put my leg on firmly and straighened him and over he went. It was a really inviting log on a long straightaway from the start box, the 2nd was a rolltop with a gap underneath that Cathy thought they would look at. I steadied him up early before the 2nd and rode a great rhythm right down to the base. The 3rd was a ramped vertical with straw underneath and feed bags beside it. It turns out that the most stops happened here, it was riding quite spooky. Trouble didn't seem to mind it and jumped bravely. The 4th was a rolltop right after the 3rd which he took in stride, and the 5th was a bigger vertical log off a right handed turn. About 5 or 6 strides after 5 was a small up bank going into the woods, which was surrounded by Novice & Training fences. It was a lot to look at, and afterward you had to avoid a Prelim fence and find the path out of the woods. I slowed him down and set up in the turn, riding forward to the 5th, and he jumped it neatly but hesitated coming to the bank. I gave him a small tap on his shoulder and clucked and he trotted right up. He was a little cautious in the woods and spooked at the P jump and an opening in the trees, but I let him trot out onto the packed sand by the pavilion so he could check it out while going slowly. We trotted up strongly to the revetted ditch, and he popped over it no problem. Next was the log right before the water (about 3 strides!), and he was curious coming through the turn where you could see the whole complex but didn't back off-he jumped the log boldly and then kept a small canter stride down the lip into the water. He looked at the edge but his feet were already in and he wasn't worried. In the middle of the trot through, he had a sudden moment of not knowing what was next, but I kicked him on and we found the out. He locked on to the fence right after the water and jumped it great. I felt like he was really having fun now! Over the little hill we went and back into the woods to jump #12, the sunrise ramp that catches a lot of horses out. He added and jumped it neatly, cantering quietly away. A green house with shingles was next, and right before, it occurred to me that we were only a few fences from home. He jumped it well, and I let him come to a trot coming out of the woods so he would see the path. I glanced at my watch and saw that we had a little over a minute left, so we needed to step on it a little. He didn't feel tired, and he enjoyed being able to go a bit! He balanced up great to the 3 stride of rolltops, and there were jump judges/photographers in the trees next to it that I thought he might worry about. He was textbook through the combination, and I let him gallop on after to the bench. I should have set him up a little more to the bench because he got close and tapped it, but landed fine and we were on to the last. I glanced at my watch again and saw that we would be right on the optimum time, so I just steadied him a little and let him jump the rolltop out of stride. I cannot describe how happy and proud I was to cross the finish line and feel like he really understood what he was supposed to do out there and that he had fun doing it! There is nothing more rewarding. Even though we finished out of the ribbons, I left the event feeling like I have a real event horse now and things will only improve from here. I am so lucky to have Trouble and I can't wait for our next event at FRVPC on June 24-26!

Ups and Downs

Well it's been a little while since I've posted an update, and quite a bit has happened in the meantime! Trouble had started to be more and more spooky and sensitive to external things, from the tractor starting, to people patting their horses' necks, to horses cantering in the arena at the same time as him! Needless to say, this was unnerving because his reaction included getting inverted and scooting/spooking away. It kept getting worse, to the point that I couldn't ride him in the indoor by himself, as he would constantly be looking for something to spook at. We had one of our worst lessons with Cathy ever, and we could barely canter 1 circle without him taking off with me. I finally said enough is enough and did some research. I kept thinking, what have we changed with him? He is obviously more fit now than when I got him, and I also remembered that we got new hay about a week after the Wayne Derby, which is when he started to go downhill with his behavior. The hay is very rich and green, and in my research I found that when horses' magnesium:calcium ratio gets out of balance, it can make them overly reactive and spooky. I picked up Quiessence (a magnesium/chromium supplement), as well as some earplugs to see if that would help him from getting so distracted. Within a few days of being on the supplement, I felt like he was getting back to his old self more and was much quieter. The earplugs seemed to help also. This hasn't been foolproof, as he still has days where everything is scary, but I think that's a lot about being a young horse. In that situation, I find it's best to longe him quietly and not be reactive when he spooks. He does best on a longer rein so he doesn't feel claustrophobic, since he just goes faster when I pull :)

Most recently we did the FRVPC mini event at BN...with mixed results. It was a one-day event, so we got there late on Saturday, and I was able to ride him earlier in the day with good results also. After I set up the stall and unloaded, I promptly lunged him and started riding. We had the earplugs in, and I worked him for a good hour until he was settled down and we actually did some really good work. The biggest thing I noticed is that he will stay round even if he's "up", but he has a hard time listening to my leg when I ask him to move away from it or bend. Overall I was proud of him for settling down and working. I got him braided and called it a night. The next morning, our ride time was 8:15, so I quickly cleaned him up and tucked up the braids. No time to lunge, so I hopped on at 7:30 and hoped for the best! He was looking around a bit more since there were a lot more horses warming up than the night before, but his walk and trot work was pretty good. The canter on the other hand, not so much. He felt like he wanted to lose his balance and run a bit, so I tried to keep him on a smaller circle. Then as we went closer to the woods he started spooking/scooting a bit, so I just played it cool and let him have the reins so he didn't feel boxed in. Finally it was our turn to do the test, and he actually settled down a lot once we were in the arena. I definitely don't feel like he was as rideable as he was in our last test, but we managed to get all the movements done in the right spots, and his free walk and halt were MUCH better than the prior test. I was thinking we'd score about a 35, but when I went to the scoreboard, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we got a 25.5, good for 1st! It's nice to know that he looked better than he felt :)

The SJ and XC courses were not ideal, with lots of hills and turn on the grass in the SJ and strange course design for XC...that's unrecognized events for you! He warmed up pretty wild for SJ, and in hindsight I should have put the snaffle rein on the elevator to help stabilize him. He kept drifting left and wanting to canter sideways towards the barn on the approach to the oxer. He jumped well but was just generally distracted. We did a strong trot, breaking into canter approacing the first fence, which was a biggish oxer with a plank and no groundline going towards the crowd. I felt like he was locked on and going to jump, however he decided to slam on the brakes at the last second and squarely stop. I circled back around in trot quietly and re-presented, and he jumped big but went. After that I felt like he was forward, yet really sticky and holding to every fence...not a very smooth round but we made it happen, minus a rail at the 3rd fence. I went straight back to my stall and put the other rein on the bit, went to XC warmup and gave him a few good smacks behind my leg on the way to the oxer. It surprised him and he jumped huge, so I cantered the oxer a few more times until he settled but felt keen to jump. The first XC fence was coming off of a turn out of the start box, and jumping into the woods/shadows with the jump judges sitting off to the side on the front side of the jump. Not the best first fence for a BN horse, but we gave it a shot...he trotted strongly up to it, but was staring hard and came to a stop. I smacked him hard behind my leg again, circled back quietly, and he jumped it well. He hesitated for a split second at the 2nd fence, but i just closed my leg and he went well. Same thing at the 3rd and 4th, which I thought were the scariest jumps on course. He really felt like he was locking onto the jumps after that and just looking for the next one. It was a great feeling! I was able to slow him down and trot in a few places, so I didn't feel like we were out of control.

I have to say that I'm happy with the outcome, although I'm not happy that we had a couple refusals. I have always been very paranoid about horses learning that they can stop at shows, so this weekend was trying, but I feel like he learned a lot about XC and he understood that I wasn't kidding around about him going.

I think we will have to figure out a balance of having him in front of my leg without running, and maybe bigger spurs are in order as well. I feel like using my whip behind my leg was effective, but I need to learn when to use it and when not to as I get to know him better.

On to Indiana in 2 weeks, our first recognized BN together :)

An update

Just a quick update on Trouble's progress...we have had and keep having quite a bit of rain here so turnout has been sporadic at best. We had a few days where I felt like he wanted to lose it, so I got off and lunged and he proceeded to buck and canter as fast as he could! I think he is feeling more like a TB now that he's gained some fitness :)

We rode with Robin Walker last weekend and he was different from anyone I've ever ridden with! He is very no nonsense and emphasizes the rider making the correct decisions for the horse. He had some good bending lines and exercises set up, and he told me to be a bit firmer about making Trouble stop/slow down after the fences if I don't like the canter he's in. He stressed that it is "my canter" and the horse is not allowed to take it away. This helped us a ton and I felt a lot more confident and in control through the exercises after I got my point across to Trouble a few times. We jumped through some lines, including a liverpool, and he was great. I should mention that I've been jumping him in a 2-ring Duo with 2 reins and I really like it. He respects the bit without hiding from it, and the only thing I may add is a running martingale for the times he resists.

The next day we went for Trouble's first XC school at the Barrington Riding Center with Jenna & Grace. I rode him around the facility and had him hop over the ditch in the main jumping field, which he did quietly. It was very windy, so that was a bit distracting, but overall I was very happy with how he behaved. I think he wasn't quite sure what the XC jumps were at first, and he had a few rookie stops to start with until he gained confidence. After that, he was unstoppable and jumped everything on the small course in the front, including the house, rolltop, stone wall, red barn, and bench. I felt like he started to get the hang of things but still has a little bit of suspicion about scary fences so I need to work on getting him in front of my leg without rushing. He did the best at the down banks, softly stepping off and landing quietly. He went through the water, trotting and cantering in and out, and he jumped several bank combinations well. I think his confidence will only continue to grow with the more types of fences he sees but it was a great start for a horse who's never done XC before! I am hoping we can get out to school at least once more before the mini event on May 22.

Jenn Fritz massaged him this week because I thought he could use some bodywork with all the hard work he's been doing since I got him. Her comments were that his muscling is very even, and he was a bit tight in his neck but worked out of it well. She said that his back was tight on the right side along his spine at the thoracic lumbar junction but it also worked out well. She found a large "crunchy" knot behind his right scapula/shoulder and said it has probably been there for a while from ill fitting saddles. She tried my saddle on him and said it fit well but to be careful about right side/point of tree since he's a little asymmetrical right now. She said I can work on massaging the knot and that the Back on Track blanket should help. I feel a lot better knowing that his back isn't too bad and I will be very careful in the future about his scapulas! I'm sure this wasn't addressed in the past since he is hard to fit a saddle on, but I'm relieved that both of mine fit him well now and we can move forward. I will probably have her work on him again before the mini or Indiana just to see where he's at physically.

Trouble wins at Wayne Eventing Derby!

We had a fantastic weekend at the Wayne Eventing Derby April 15-17 (minus the freezing temps, wind/sleet/snow of course). Cathy, Erin and I brought the horses over to Lamplight on Thursday afternoon and they all settled in well. We took a short ride around, and the wind was really blowing so there were lots of scary things happening. Trouble felt a little "up" at first, but he settled quickly and got to hack around in the dressage arenas without issue.

On Friday we got to school in the jumping arena, and he was very well behaved, jumping all the scary fences with many other horses whizzing by. He was a little strong on the backside again, so I need to keep working on keeping my upper body tall and stretching away from him to slow down. We had our dressage ride a test later in the day in front of Cindy DePorter, and he warmed up really nice and relaxed. In hindsight I probably did a bit too much canter as he felt a little tired in the actual test. We had a scary moment when the judge blew the whistle as we started our first trot circle, but we were the first ride a test of the new division, so she hadn't switched tests yet! I was relieved that I did in fact learn the right test, and we proceeded without incident. I should also mention that it was freezing and raining at this point, so less than ideal conditions for Trouble's very first dressage test! At the end of the test, Cindy said that she really liked him and to continue working in the direction we are going. She said to be careful in the 2nd half of the test since he got heavier as we went, and I said that I thought it was a strength issue but would definitely work on it. I didn't get a chance to go get the test before we left for the night, but when I went back the next morning I was pleased to see that we got a 28.5!! There were several 8's and the comments were very positive.

On Saturday it was even colder than the prior 2 days, and we were scheduled to jump our first round at 2:18 and do dressage at 4:30. It promptly started to "precipitate" around noon, and by the time I had to get on it was full out snowing/sleeting!! Trouble handled it well, we did a quick warmup and trotted right straight into the big arena to jump the course. At this point there was no one around but the officials and jump crew, but Trouble stayed in a great canter rhythm and jumped around like a star. I could barely see through the snow, but we managed to find our way and I was very proud of him for handling it so well! I think the weather actually held him from the fences so he wasn't as eager to scoot away as he has been lately. Dressage was up next, and we did a quick warmup again as he felt a little lazy. He was really light in my hand and willing to bend, so I was excited to ride a steady, balanced test and improve on our score from the day before. We did just that, he was quite rideable and I was really conscious of watching his balance in the 2nd half of the test. If I could change anything, it would have been the free walk - I didn't ask for enough stretch and I know he's capable of more. The attention to detail paid off....when I looked at the scoreboard the next day, I saw the amazing score of 22.0 next to our names!!! We had gotten the lowest score out of all the divisions! I am still a little shocked that this actually happened, but I am just thrilled to continue with Trouble's training and see how far we can go. The test had four 7's, and the rest were 8's and even one 9 on the left lead canter depart! It's definitely one to keep on the fridge for a while :)

On Sunday they ran the divisions lowest to highest, so we were lucky to go early. I think we did a bit too much warmup and ended up having to wait at the in-gate which he was not a fan of. I was probably the least happy with our final ride...I felt like I had to really ride up to the first fence, and after we jumped it, he took off and I never quite regained control. He was running through my hands, but I felt like I was doing my best to settle back and use both reins to stop him. We managed to make it around after having one silly rail, but the control was just not there. I am disappointed that everyone had to see us that way, but now we have a definite goal to work towards. I also think that he was quick because he had been in the ring previously and thought he knew what he was doing without my help. Cathy was disappointed in my position and that I had to be in his face, so we will definitely be working on that in our future lessons. The rail was not enough to knock us out of the top spot, so Trouble got to lead his very first victory gallop after taking a picture by the fish jump. All in all it was a great weekend and I am very proud of him, just have a few things to work out with the jumping before our next show in a month. I would love to try him in a Duo with some leverage for jumping since he likes the plain Duo for dressage so much....

An update

A little update on Trouble...he did the TopLine Spring Schooling show yesterday and was just great! We did some Eq. classes with harder turns, as well as some Hunter classes with plain lines, and he handled everything really well. There were a lot of people around, and the jumps were brick walls, boxes, panels, gates, etc which he looked at but still felt relaxed and listening. He also jumped the barrels in our lesson and he has been getting better and better about his canter balance. I have been riding him on the flat in a Sprenger Duo D-ring bit, which is a flexible rubber mullen mouth with a space for his tongue to fit underneath. The roof of his mouth is quite low so there isn't a lot of room for a bit in there. For jumping we've been using a Myler dee with hooks, and just attaching the cheekpieces and not the reins to the hooks. He fussed a little at first but now seems to like it. It gives a little leverage but not very much and the mouthpiece is a thinner curved snaffle so it's comfortable for him. We still need some work on slowing down after jumps, but he is very adjustable before the fence now. I'd love to work on his flying changes this week because the simple changes are pretty ugly at times between trying to slow down enough to trot and get the new lead in time to go to the next fence. Granted we've only jumped in the indoor so far, but it's a goal I'd like to accomplish nonetheless. His flatwork has been very steady and he is comfortable staying in a nice frame now. Even when he loses his balance and gets on the forehand in the canter, he stays round and doesn't flip his head! I would like to work on getting a little more bend and getting his balance better in the downward transitions. We have the Wayne Eventing Derby this weekend, so it will be a great schooling experience to get him out and let him see his first dressage arena and XC jumps!! More soon!

Progression....

Well Mr. Trouble continues to impress me....he has become a lot more settled and every ride seems better than the last. I have played around with bits and found that he goes well in a french link boucher for now. He still chomps it more than I'd like but he also listens and doesn't brace against it so we will keep it for the time being. I must say that he has been really good about retaining what I've been asking him for from ride to ride. He has become a lot more supple and accepting of the bit, and his transitions are getting smoother and less hurried. He does root the rein a little if I'm not paying attention and keeping the outside rein steady enough, so this has made me be really conscious of keeping my reins tidy!

I got to audit/volunteer at the Leslie Law clinic over the weekend and I was super impressed with him. He was very systematic with each pair and emphasized staying "with" the horse instead of against it. He also sat on just about every horse and was able to demonstrate what he was talking about. The man can certainly ride anything and make it fantastic! I loved how he sat around the horse yet kept the angle in his elbow to soft effective hands. He stressed that the quality of the canter is the most important thing and that the horses must take responsibility for the jump if you set up the correct canter. He also said that we should strive to keep the same speed that we plan to jump the fence at through the corner as well as the approach to the fence (i.e. don't change the canter after the turn). I loved the exercise that had 3 canter rails 9 feet apart to a vertical with a rolled out groundline. It made all the horses find the correct canter without the rider fussing at them before the fence. The repitition of this exercise helped most of the horses jump better.

So back to Trouble...I felt like the 32cm Prestige of Cathy's was a little too narrow for him as it was sliding a bit in our lesson last week, so I tried Nora's Kieffer again with a fleeceworks pad and it fit well. I rode him in it and he was a lot looser and happy to go forward. I really liked the feeling of riding him in dressage tack because I could get more of my leg on him and he listened a lot better to my half halts. Once he is supple and forward he just floats and is so easy to ride! Hopefully I am not jinxing us by writing this, but I think he's going to be pretty competitive on the flat if we keep progressing in this fashion. I had a lightbulb moment in the canter when I thought of "sitting on his back feet" to help him sit and lighten his front end - it worked wonders for his balance! He could only hold it for a few strides, but the understanding was definitely there!

We had our 2nd jumping lesson on Tuesday, and it was MUCH better than the first one. I rode him in Kari's Pessoa that she is loaning me, and it seemed to fit him well with the fleeceworks and I was comfortable riding in it. We started out with flatwork again, and Cathy commented that he looked a lot better and was smart about listening to my aids. We worked on a few spiral circles at the trot and he did them well. Then we came across the diagonal and I asked him to move his hind feet towards the wall. This helped him understand that he can move his hind feet independently from his front feet. His canter transitions were a lot better and we worked on collecting him for a few strides and then letting him lengthen and drop his neck a bit. Cathy emphasized that we don't want him to think that we will always make him collect, but that he is allowed to go forward in a balance when I say so. Next we worked through a little grid, starting with a placing pole to an X with a pole on the backside. I kept his trot balanced and slow on the approach and he jumped it really well. We would circle afterwards and he picked up the wrong lead the first 2 times, but the 3rd time through I was able to open my left rein and he landed correctly. Next we added a vertical one stride away, keeping the placing pole in the middle of the 2 fences. He looked a little but I softly closed my leg and he jumped quietly but with his knees to his eyeballs! We did this a few times, and the balance of his circles on the backside improved. Then Cathy made it an oxer and he jumped it well. I felt like I was in a good balance with him and kept my shoulder slow and my lower leg supportive. I need to remember to sit in the back of the saddle after we land to bring his canter back to a good balance, he sometimes pulls me forward and then gets on the forehand. Lastly we came off a right lead canter to an X with flowers on both sides, he jumped it big the first time but not stupidly, the next time around he jumped it right out of stride. He felt a little tired at this point so the canter balance was a little bit of a struggle, but I think once he is stronger it will be a piece of cake.

My ride the following day his canter already felt more balanced, like he remembered our lesson! I let him canter through some poles and he did it well. I am thinking that I'll alternate dressage days with jumping tack/pole exercises so he can continue to think about his balance in relation to poles even if we aren't jumping.

More soon!!

1st lesson

Last night Trouble and I had our first lesson with Cathy. I was excited and nervous at the same time since I have still been getting to know him and haven't really pushed him outside his comfort zone yet. Wellll, we did a little bit of pushing last night and I think he is going to be a *really* cool horse. He has been here for a week and I just feel like each ride gets better and better and he understands what I want from him. He is accepting the contact better and not being as rude about sticking his nose out "hunter style". He bends around my leg and is softer in the transitions than he was at first.

We started out walking for a few minutes and trying to shorten his steps a bit for a few strides and then softly pushing him out and making his neck longer. We did the same thing at the trot, really concentrating on keeping the outside rein steady and bending him with my inside leg, but also slowing the steps a bit and then pushing him out again. This will help create the "gears" in his gaits, which is the key to adjustability and rideability. I felt like he wanted to get a little quick since I have been letting him go pretty forward trying to stretch his neck down. I need to work on making him sit a little in the trot so he learns to come off his forehand and trot in a better balance. He was also trying to root a bit, so I need to be a little stronger on the outside rein when he does that. We did a little bit of spiraling in and out onto a 10 meter circle and his balance seemed to get better-he felt like he understood where his hind legs were and how to use them independently. Then we did a 4-5 loop serpentine through the whole arena. I felt like the quality of his trot was better and he was really through, but he actually bent better when we were going right than to the left, so that's something else to work on during our daily rides. Next, we cantered on a circle, working on keeping a steady rhythm and using a diamond shape with 4 points to focus on in the circle. I felt like I was losing him to the outside a little and he didn't want to bend and step under, so we spiraled in a little and he was better. He is less comfortable when I'm sitting than when I'm out of the tack, again probably a remnant of being a hunter. Cathy said that my leg is getting a little too far back at times (which is the opposite problem I was having with Roxy...ironic!), so I need to think about letting it hang by the girth and keeping my toe out a little more.

We moved on to jumping a little X with a placing pole, he was forward and happy to jump but landed a bit quick and didn't want to come back right away. We worked on approaching in a slower trot, keeping my shoulder slow at the base and letting him jump up to me. We incorporated a rail on a circle after the X, and he struggled with coming through the turn to the rail, he wanted to drift out off the circle. I think this had a lot to do with his balance and not wanting to sit in the canter and turn correctly. We did this several times, trying to change the turn a little and come off the rail to make a sharper turn and he got better eventually. This is definitely an exercise to practice on my own-he needs to be MUCH sharper off my outside aids so he turns better. Next we cantered to a little vertical, sitting in the tack to keep the canter short. He got quite bold and quick to this...I'm not sure if it was just the fact that he hadn't jumped in a few weeks or since I was sitting and not letting him be on the forehand at the canter. I felt like we were fighting each other a bit on the way to the fence, and then he didn't want to turn quickly afterward. Cathy pointed out that I need to be a lot stronger with my position so he doesn't pull me forward and canter on the forehand. I need to practice sitting the canter and making him wait and collect and turn politely off the outside aids. I was happy that he was forward and wanting to jump, but we also need to come to an understanding about how to approach the jump politely and go away from it quietly :) Cathy and I talked about different bits to try, she is going to find me a jointed happy mouth and I will look through Randi's bits today as well. She was happy with his progress on the flat and said she thinks he is really smart and will figure it all out quickly. I was proud of him for working so hard after having a light week of work!

Time for Trouble!

Well, he made it! After 2 long weeks of waiting, Trouble arrived this morning at 8:30. I am boarding him at Topline Equestrian Center, which is convenient because it's less than 15 minutes from work and Cathy is based there so I won't have to haul out for lessons!

When I got to the barn, Trouble was in his new stall happily munching hay and he looked no worse for the wear. His legs were tight and he seemed happy, so I am one relieved mom right now! I unloaded some of my stuff from my over-packed car and made sure his new blankies fit. I also fed him way more carrots than I should have, but he's gotta learn who his new mom is, and quickly since he is about to go into hardcore bootcamp! I will head back out there after work today to hand walk him a bit, and then hopefully be able to go for a hack tomorrow afternoon :)

Trouble!

Well hello there, it's been a while! I have spent the winter keeping Roxy tuned up and teaching a few lessons here and there. I have been working every weekend at a new bar, Moe's Cantina, and came to the realization that I was saving up quite a bit more money that I thought would be possible. This led me to the decision to start horse shopping (finally!!). I went to Arizona to try a chestnut Old/TB mare, but she was a little more green and hot than what I wanted....I tried a horse of a local trainer's that I really liked, but he had some strength issues since he was a rescue and I wasn't sure if it would be a good long term investment. Then I got a phone call from Cathy that she was going to try a horse that could work for me and she would keep me posted. She called me the next day and said I better buy a plane ticket! I did, and I was in love with Trouble from the moment I sat on him.

Trouble is a 2005 grey TB gelding. He stands about 15.3-16hh, I will need to stick him to be sure. He is very responsive to the leg, is very balanced, and has a fantastic overtrack at the walk. He raced twice as a 3 year old and was not very fast, finishing 2nd to last and dead last in his starts and winning a whopping $300! He was then purchased by Betsy Johnpeter Anderson, who is a local hunter trainer in the area. Betsy is expecting her 2nd child this summer, so she sent Trouble to HITS with her trainer to be sold. Betsy called Cathy to let her know he was for sale and in Ocala, so I definitely got lucky when Cathy thought of him for me! When I rode him I noticed how comfortable he was to sit on, I never lost my balance and he keeps a lovely steady rhythm for a young horse. He was very game about everything we jumped, and we rode him in the top jumping field away from the barn without issue. Cathy was really impressed with how he uses himself and snaps his knees up without jumping hard-he just seemed to have a knack for it! We took him to Dr. Craig Roberts the next day for a pre purchase exam, and all went well so he is mine!! I came back to Illinois the following day and he stayed in Ocala with Cathy. She will be returning on March 7th with all the horses, and I am just so impatient for him to get here so we can get to work! Since he was used to going in a standing martingale, he needs to build up a topline and gain more strength over his back...dressage bootcamp, here we come!

Fun at Maui Jim :)

Just a quick report on the 1st Annual Maui Jim Eventing Derby that took place last weekend at Lamplight. I have nothing but good things to say about it! Everything was extremely well run, organized and put on. The courses were just lovely, and included 4 solid XC type fences that were adjustable by level. The courses also included a "berm", where you jumped a fence going out of the arena and went up a small hill to another fence, then back into the main arena. I had a nice school on Thursday evening in and around the dressage arenas, so that was great practice for us!

Friday morning we got to school in the actual arena with Cathy, and Rox jumped everything quite well. The XC fences were set at Training height and she jumped them very enthusiastically, but never backed off. Cathy commented that she really likes the new bit and I felt like I could soften the rein a lot more and just let her jump without micromanaging.

Our ride-a-test went well, the bugs were really eating her alive so I don't feel like she was as focused as she could have been. For some reason she was stiff on the RH and didn't want to step under in the canter, so I lost her haunches on the downward. Other than that, I thought it was a good steady test but not as sharp as it could have been. Judge Cindy DePorter's comments were that Rox and I are a good match for each other and we seem to get along well. She encouraged me to post the trot instead of sit to cover more ground and send her more forward (just like our last test's comments...). She also said that we had great connection compared to a lot of Novice rides she sees, and to work on getting her to relax her back and step forward with swing. She gave us a 35.0, which included mostly 6's and 7's with 2 5's and 2 8's. I was not happy to see the 5's because we have managed to avoid those so far...

Our actual jump round on Friday felt like a million bucks! I was just thrilled with how Rox jumped; she was really taking me to the fences in a rhythm and just attacking them! I have never felt her looking for the next fence and staying quiet at the same time like she was for that round. Cathy's only comment was to stay a bit taller after the fences to slow her down instead of staying bent over. We ended up having our first clear round together, although we picked up 3 time penalties (1 per second) since the course was wheeled a bit tighter than we expected and we spent a little too much time in the turns getting organized.

The dressage test on Saturday went OK, although Rox felt a bit dull and cranky in the warmup. I think she was tired from being ridden 3 times the day before...I didn't warm up with Cathy but as we were walking to the ring she commented that Rox looked really nice. I posted the trot for the test per Cindy's suggestion, and felt like I could get her more in front of my leg although not as much as I would have liked. Rox definitely lit up more once we were in the ring and felt a little touchy so I didn't push as much as I would have liked to for fear of her having a temper tantrum. I was not happy with her free walk because I couldn't get her to stretch down as much as she usually will, it was just kind of dull. The left canter went well but I felt like I had to push quite a bit, which made me worried for what the right would be like. I was correct, because the right was a little resistant and she almost threw in a buck towards the end of the circle, I had to open my outside rein and carefully push her to the rail for the downward. She lost her haunches again, so I knew we'd get another 5 for that. She ended the test well with a nice turn up centerline and an almost square halt. I didn't know what to make of the test afterward since she was crankier than I've felt her in the past. Cindy appreciated the changes we made, giving us a 33.5, good for 2nd behind Jenna Brown on a 20 something. We just ended up with the one 5, but three 8's this time and gaits and rider scores changed to 7's, which I was thrilled with.

The 2nd jump course on Sunday was somewhat longer than the first, and this time when we walked it we made sure to notice where to save time in corners, etc. We did not have a rail in hand to stay in 2nd, so I knew we would have to be really careful. Rox warmed up really "on" and felt great. She felt pretty good in the ring, but not as good as the first round. We had an awkward distance to the 1st one and I was sure it would come down but somehow she got her legs out of the way. Everything else rode pretty well besides getting a little quick to the one stride and having an awkward jump into the bending line 3 stride. Every fence was set off a turn, except for the grey stone wall vertical which we did not jump on Friday. It had a long straight approach and was the 2nd to last fence on the course. She was just a little disorganized from the bending line before it and I didn't bring her canter back enough so she jumped it flat and brought the rail down. We didn't have any time penalties this time, but I was pretty disappointed about the rail since it was mostly my mistake for not thinking about the straight approach more and doing something about it. Live and learn! We ended up in 3rd place overall, which was good for $50 and a nice show saddle pad.

Plans from here are to do the August derby (goals: 2 clean rounds, staying taller with my body, and getting better than 33.5 in dressage) and then Novice at Silverwood the first weekend of September (goals: sub 30 dressage, clean and organized XC, clean SJ).

Lots to work on :)

better late than never!

Time has gotten away from me and I have not updated this blog to include our 2 most recent shows! Roxy and I completed her first Novice at FRVPC HT the third weekend of June. It was very hot and humid, making conditions less than ideal, but we managed to get through it. I thought she put in a nice steady test, but judge Cheryl Holekamp begged to differ, giving us a 36.1 which put us in a 3 way tie for 9th. The division was pretty large, but there were lots of fancy big moving warmbloods scoring in the 20's. The main comments on the test were to move more forward to cover more ground in the trot. We got all 6's and 7's, but many more 6's than the last test...I was not entirely pleased because I felt like it was a nice test.

Walking XC for the first time, I was surprised at the size of the first 4 fences as they were quite substantial and had tricky approaches for a Novice horse. Compared to the courses Rox has done in the past, it was definitely a bit harder than anything she had ever seen. The first fence was a max ramp going into the woods away from warmup, #2 was a max brush fence off a tight left hand turn going further into the woods, and #3 was a pretty vertical coop off another tight left hand turn. She jumped them all much better than I expected after being a big hot and naughty in the warmup. She jumped #4 well, a table with a downhill landing and then proceeded to take off down the hill to 5, the barrels that we jumped at the mini. She was going a bit quick by now and I wanted her to be in an organized canter because she tends to run past the distance and jump awkwardly. That happened here, and then we had to turn off the path out into the open by the water jump to #6. She was definitely looking around and not sure where we were heading as we turned to approach 6, a big ramped red barn jump. Her eye was on the big tent and spectators at the water jump after the fence, so she propped hard on the approach and I reacted too late to get her going again. We circled back and jumped it fine, making a circle afterward to get organized before going to the water. I was disappointed because I didn't think she would look and prop so hard so I didn't take enough time to prepare her. She jumped the rest of the course well, but felt un-rateable and disorganized in the pelham, like she was fighting it. We had some time penalties from the stop and circle, but I was happy that she jumped the first part of the course since it was a little outside our comfort zone. I was not happy that she was fighting and pulling on me during the entire course and I could not rate her at all...

The SJ walked nicely, it wasn't huge and I liked the flow for the most part. The one stride walked long, so Cathy advised marching down to it with authority, which we did and she jumped through it well. We lost a bit of focus on the line after it, a vertical to oxer heading towards the gate, and had the front rail on the oxer. She jumped the vertical quietly but landed strong and I didn't make a decision soon enough to balance her canter so she just tapped the rail. Otherwise I was very happy with how rideable she felt, especially compared to how she was at the mini in SJ.

Goals for the next HT are to ride a bigger trot in the dressage, have a good plan for XC if there are places that could back her off (spectators, etc), and react more quickly in the SJ to help her balance the canter.

I just had to write a quick post about the dressage lesson Rox and I had yesterday with Barry! It went really well and I am pumped to ride a really forward, accurate, sharp test on Friday! He thought she could easily score into the 20's with the work we were able to do during the lesson, so that is really encouraging. He also complimented my riding and said I've done a nice job with her and I am getting a better understanding of the correct way to ride dressage :) It was nice to hear him say that for sure!!

I started out warming her up a bit before he got there because the last time I took a lesson with him I didn't feel like she was on my aids as well as she usually is when I warm her up my way. It was very humid so I didn't do a ton. He looked at my test from the mini last month and was pretty impressed, but definitely saw the areas we need to work on to get rid of the 6's and turn the 7's into 8's.

We began by doing working on the turn onto centerline quite a bit, and then rode through the whole test several times. He really wanted me to push her body outward with my inside leg and open my inside rein a little to help guide her through the turn. Think of the bend as the same as a 10m circle and ride forward through it. Keep my inside shoulder turned in to help her bend and give a little on the outside rein so her neck can come around. These got really good by the end of the lesson because I feel like we did about 20 of them!! I also need to think about starting to create the bend as we approach C so she knows which way we are going and the turn gets set up correctly.

I like the feeling of shoulder fore I was able to get on the longside before the 20 m trot circles, it helped create the bend to carry onto the circle. I need to remember to keep my outside ready super steady and a little firm on the circle to keep her shoulder from falling out and her feet tracking correctly on the circle. I can release the inside rein a little so she will stretch to the rein, but I also need to keep my inside leg pretty strong to keep the lateral bend that we lacked on the first test.

The walk transitions she did went well, she didn't get poll low and she just quietly stepped into the walk. I feel like I can half halt and bend her in the corner before A to set up the downward transition better. She could march a little more forward, so think about squeezing my calf instead of kicking. The free walk needs more stretch, think the same squeezing of the calf to get her neck lower.

I need to prepare early for the upward transition coming out of the corner so she is focused and through, especially on the outside rein. Then I can ride her forward and into the shoulder fore position again on the longside. I need to keep her up and active before the canter trans on the half circle, and think about pushing my hip at her and staying on the outside rein to keep her straight. Think about releasing the inside rein but staying steady on the outside to create more forward energy and jump in the canter instead of holding her together too much and micromanaging. Big half halts and shorter steps approaching the rail to get a steady downward, then ride forward right away and through the corners to the diagonal.

Keep her tempo and rhythm the same on the diagonal and start to change the bend early so she is prepared for the turn onto centerline. Don't let her rush and get flat up centerline, but keep pulsing forward and bring my legs back a little in the last few steps before the halt. Stronger left leg and steady right rein to help her step under with the LH.

I think we are capable of getting the quality we had in the lesson at the event, but I really have to ride her strongly with my leg and allow her to flow forward instead of taking too much on the rein. I also need to focus on keeping my elbows quiet and in and my leg underneath me. I was on her for around an hour and she was still doing good work at the end, so I'll probably shoot for 40-45 mins of warmup on Friday.

Adjustments

Well Rox finally decided to stop feeling sore on her left front last weekend and we have had a few good schools since then. Barry rode her on Wednesday since I had to work Tues and Weds and didn't want her to just sit. Randi said that she fought him quite a bit, but they ended well. She also said that he liked her downward transitions, but not the upward ones, which I feel the opposite about. She is usually pretty prompt and round in the upward ones for me, and tends to get poll low and on the forehand for the downward ones to walk....I will have to see what she feels like on the flat today.

We went over to Topline for a jump lesson with Cathy yesterday. It was supposed to happen last week, but she was still off so we had to reschedule. Now I am wishing we were able two lessons in because we have quite a bit to work on! I don't even know where to start with the lesson :) Let's just say that I am seriously out of shape for jumping and need to make quite a few adjustments to keep in mind to ride Rox correctly to the fences.

We started out with Cathy watching us warm up on the flat, and within 5 minutes she had everything pegged. My leg gets too far out in front of me, and I drive too much with my seat at the canter. Rox falls in at her haunches in the canter and doesnt want to weight her inside hind. I have been sitting the canter most of the time with her because it makes me feel more secure and like I have control, but Cathy noticed that it was making her a little too forward and I was not able to slow her down without pulling too much. Instead she had me pull my lower leg back underneath me more, and stay out of the saddle in more of a 3-point position. It was very difficult for me to hold this position for a long time because my muscle memory is used to sitting and having my leg more forward. I was definitely able to control her canter better and use my whole body to slow her down. We cantered over some rails on the ground, trying to get very quiet, small strides to the base of them. It took Rox a little while to figure out what I wanted, but she got it after a while. I felt like we cantered for 20 minutes straight!! Cathy made the important point that 2/3 of the work event horses do at shows is in the canter, so we need to school it more and become stronger in it.

Then we trotted a rail bending to a small gate and the other direction to a stone wall jump. She jumped the first fence in a very uncoordinated way and shot off on the landing. Cathy reminded me to keep my leg underneath and be ready for anything by keeping my upper body moving with her. This helped the next few times because I felt like I didn't have to do much on the approach, in the air, and landing. The jumps were pretty small, so I am interested to see how it feels to raise them a little and keep that position. Cathy really emphasized bending her after the fence and having the feeling of leg yielding out to get control back.

Next we did an exercise with the rails again, this time cantering 3 rails on a big circle, and trying to keep her soft and bending in the canter over all 3 of them. She did this well and really used her hind end to carry her weight. Then we added a fence instead of the third rail, and she jumped it quietly and well. Then we came off the right and cantered out of a turn to the same vertical and she did that pretty well. She felt like a hunter!

At this point I was feeling like I would keel over, both from all the cantering without a break and the hot sun pounding down. I was embarrassed that I am out of shape and Cathy suggested jogging...haha. She said I must have forgotten about "Camp Cathy", and I completely agreed. I am surprised at how well Rox handled all the cantering, as I definitely thought she would feel as tired as I did! We ended by doing the 2 rails to the vertical, and then went all the way around the ring to a long straightaway at an oxer, and she jumped it well and out of an excellent rhythm.

We talked about being able to go with a less strong bit eventually, and it reminded me of Hagen and how he was able to go in a corkscrew eventually after he became strong enough to hold the correct canter. I am a little concerned about being able to school enough fences before the HT next weekend, but I think we will be OK. I just want to reiterate to Rox that we have a "new" way of cantering and jumping and be able to get it at the HT. I asked for Cathy's help with the jumping phases so that makes me feel better that she will help get us ready to go.

I have the week planned out and need to focus and polish everything up again!!

bumps in the road...

Since I last updated, a few things have gone awry....I seriously damaged my big toe on a "trip" (haha) to Las Vegas, and Rox came in from the pasture lame. My toe is feeling better, and it has been about 5 days since it happened, so I don't think it's broken anymore. It is turning lovely shades of purple and green now. Rox on the other hand I am not 100% sure about. The inside of her left front leg was stocked up and hot from just underneath her chestnut (above her knee) down to her pastern. It was the hottest initially on the inside of her knee, and we poked and prodded her quite a bit so I don't think it's tendon related. It's also very strange that it's only the inside of her leg that is big, not the whole leg. This happened on Monday, and she looked much better yesterday after some bute, cold hosing, and walking. I think she will be just fine and it was just a bang in the pasture, but the closing date for the FRVPC HT where she will be doing her first Novice with me was yesterday. Crossing my fingers like mad that she really is fine so I don't have to scratch and lose the entry fees. We were also supposed to have a jump lesson with Cathy Jones this Friday, so that's out now too. She got a chiro adjustment yesterday and Randi said she loved it and he was able to do a lot with her. The chiro said he thinks the leg shouldn't be a big issue and worked on it a bit, which Randi said reduced the swelling some too.

The good news in all of this is that she has been schooling fabulously, both on the flat and jumping. I am feeling like I can really push her on the flat now and get a much bigger, fancier trot that she was able to do a few weeks ago. Her muscling looks great and I really notice development in her topline as well as her hind end. She actually did a few legitmate trot lengthenings where I could feel her really let go of her shoulder and push from behind. It's exciting when you work hard with a horse who used to fight so much and now she is getting to be so steady and willing to do what I ask.

We had a great jump school a few weeks ago in the short shank Pelham bit with 2 reins. I don't love riding with 2 reins, but the bit seemed to really help her lift her shoulder and we didn't have to have any disagreements about balancing and slowing down. She was jumping in more of an arc and out of stride, so I was really pleased. We even jumped a vertical that was at least 3'3 and she did it well and landed in balance.

I will most likely get on her today to tack walk and see how she feels...more updates later!

FRVPC Mini Event

Well the good news is that we ended up 3rd. The not so good news is that I felt like I had zero control in the jumping phases.



She started out well for our school on fri evening, minus a huge spook at the dressage chain racks that were sitting at the edge of the woods. She felt pretty rideable on the grass, and we got to go around the rings which was nice. I still felt like I had more control of her body if I stayed sitting at the trot. so I decided I would probably ride the whole test sitting if she felt the same way the next morning. Walked XC and was surprised at the difficulty for it being (a) a mini event, and (b) so early in the season. The first fence was small, but on a turn and downhill approach, 2nd fence was off a weird turn going away from the barn and twice as big as the first fence. It was nice to see some normal sized Novice fences on the course, but not when the max height is advertised at 2'9".



She warmed up well on Sat AM, despite warmup being a zoo of oblivious riders and almost getting crashed into a few times. She was light in the hind end for the canter transitions, so we did about 15 of them until she settled. Had plenty of time to go around the ring and judge's car when it was our turn. She was very rideable during the test, but I just wish I was able to get that sharpness I have been feeling with her lately. She was obedient, but just a bit dull without that extra spark that can score a point better on each movement. I had a good feeling about the score since she was pretty consistent in her frame and tempo and I was able to ride deep into the corners. If I could change anything it would have been more bend on the circles and riding her into a more uphill trot with more push from behind. She also ignored my half halts a bit and was heavy in my hand on the downward transitions, resulting in me having to pull a bit harder than I should have. Scoring took forever so I had no idea how we did before I went out for XC.



She warmed up excellent for XC, jumping out of stride and bold/forward, but rateable. She came out of the box well, but looking at the first fence from the beginning, trying to back off a bit. I gave her a few kicks and taps with the stick and stayed way back and she popped over the first. Since it was a downhill landing and weird left turn away from the warmup and barns to get to 2, she landed and got much quicker than I expected, and wanted to fall out hard back to the right after she realized we were not jumping the BN fence #1 that was in the way. We avoided a near temper tantrum when I opened my left rein and she saw our fence #2, rode nicely up to it and launched over. She was peeking at #3, but I gave her a few taps again and accelerated towards it and she jumped it fine and landed way fast. I let her keep a quicker pace to #4 since it was so close to 3, and she got close but felt less looky. She was hesitant about going on the path into the woods so I slowed down and let her trot through. The cordwood was next coming out of the woods, and I felt her look so I sat back and accelerated up to it, and she jumped it well but landed going much faster than the takeoff speed. I let her keep the quicker pace to the barrels and she jumped them fine, but I slowed way down for the turn to the slatted ramp going downhill. She got close to it but popped over. At this point my arms were screaming because I was having to haul on her mouth on the backside of most jumps. I made her trot through the turn to #8, then picked up a slow canter and she jumped it nicely out of stride, except the backside when she took off again towards home. I was able to slow down before the turn to #9, but not by much. She jumped 9 well and back into the woods we went, less tentatively this time. Let her canter slowly through the woods and stretch her neck down until we got to #10. She was less looky than I expected, but I was worried about turning after it since #11 was close. I opened my rein and was able to get her to 11, but quicker than I would have liked. Big whoa after 11 and set up nicely to 12 and 13, which she jumped quietly and out of stride. Slowed down again after 13 and jumped 14 quietly as well. Overall I am happy with how she jumped, but unhappy with how she listened to me. She needs to be more rideable and listen better if things are going to be more complicated. I should not have to haul on her mouth after fences to get her organized and in a good rhythm. I can see now why Randi has had some stopping issues if she was coming up to scarier fences at that fast of a canter.



Waited a long time to SJ, walked the course before XC and even got a free massage in the meantime. Found out that we had scored a 32.6 in dressage and were sitting in 2nd behind Jenna Brown! I was happy with this as our division had 22 horses and I did not expect to beat a few of the other people on the flat.

The course was strange because they couldn't use the whole area like they usually do since there was a lot of rain and the ground was too soft. This resulted in all the jumps being clustered together with strange turns to get to each question. She warmed up ok but felt dull and a little tired. She kept wanting to jump across the warmup jumps to aim towards the barn. She didn't touch anything in warmup and felt like she was jumping well, however all of that went out the window once we got into the ring to jump our round. She locked onto the back of the stone wall jump before we went into the turn towards #1, so I felt like she was not paying attention from the get-go. The downhill approach and unbalanced canter to #1 resulted in her having it down with her front legs. She landed ok considering that and did an even 5 strides to the oxer out. I had a big whoa and slowed her to a trot going to #3 since it had been coming down all day and I wanted her to pay attention. I thought we had a nice canter coming to it, but then she started to back off so I had to tap with the stick and she accelerated and jumped it, but knocked the rail off as well. I was frustrated that she was not listening and also standing off the fences so much at this point, so I rode hard to #4, which was a bigger plank oxer going towards home. She jumped it well, but silly me turned left after instead of right and was barely able to slow down enough to correct the turn and get going the right way to #5. We got to 5 ok, but she added and popped over it, so I sent her forward down the line to the big panel that I figured she would back off at. She backed off but jumped it ok, tapping the rail but it stayed up. She landed like a banshee and grabbed the bit going to the stone wall jump, which she got over awkwardly but clean. The turn going to #8 was probably my favorite, because she was actually balanced and listening, although it was a bouncy, looky canter. She jumped it well, but then took off afterward and I had to do some major pulling to slow down enough so we could turn to the double. She added and jumped awkwardly at the first, but i kicked forward and still got the 2 strides to the oxer out. I was unhappy overall with the lack of control I had during the round. She is usually good about coming back after fences at home, but this is obviously something we need to address before the next show. I am thinking a different bit is definitely in order. I was also surprised at how much she was looking at the fences. I felt like I had to ride hard to get her over them, but the result of that was being out of control on the landing side. I was pretty disappointed after the round, but a lot of people had issues so we only moved down one spot to 3rd.



All in all it was a good learning experience, although I've definitely got my work cut out for me before the horse trials in June! Will experiment with bits and update with how that's going. Need to schedule a lesson with Cathy so we can go school some different SJ exercises/try bits out over a course. Planning to keep dressage work going in the same direction, working on more lateral flexion and riding the trot uphill so she puts more weight on her hind end. Our test had some nice comments and even two 8's for centerlines. 7 on submission and rider, which I was happy about. I think it will be easy to pick up points next time for showing more bend on the circles and getting better downward transitions.

Calm before the storm

Well, here we are the day before I get to kick of what will hopefully be a fantastic season of showing Ms. Roxy. I was thinking back about the last good show I had, and it was in the summer of 2008 with Ransom. I can't believe it's been 2 years! The show was only successful because he had not yet gone back into brain-completely-fried-mode about XC yet. He had a slight freakout on XC but I managed to get him pointed at the next fence and off we went. He also did not want to set foot in the SJ ring, but luckily Erin Diserio was there to give us some help getting in the ring. We were 2nd in the Novice. Here's hoping for 3 well ridden, fun phases tomorrow!

Rox was good last night, I jumped her through a gymnastic of trot poles, bounce to one stride. She was quick with her front end and only tapped a fence once. I think doing more of this type of thing will help her learn to think for herself about how to jump correctly and keep her front end snappy. At the end of the ride, Randi took down the beginning of the exercise and I jumped the vertical to vertical coming the other way off a tight turn. The first 2 times through I had her too compressed and rode 3 short strides out of the turn and she got really deep and had to pop up in the air. She was smart with her front end though and didn't touch the plank. I need to be more careful with setting her up well so I can soften the rein in the last few strides before the fence. The last time through I finally rode her up to the 2 strides out of the turn with a nice opening rein and lots of outside leg and she lengthened her stride nicely and jumped in a better arc. This put us too close to the second fence, but she was catty and got over it without touching it. Good way to end a last minute before the show jump school!

On the Rox

So I have decided to use this blog for my riding notes in addition to the random musings. For some background info, I have been given the ride on my good friend Randi's mare Roxy or "On the Rox". I have ridden her on and off for the past few years and I have taught Randi semi-regularly and helped her at shows as well. Roxy is a 9 year old liver chestnut Appendix QH mare, around 15.3hh. Randi has competed BN on her the past few years, and was going to move up to Novice last fall but Roxy had an abscess at the last minute so they had to scratch. I will be taking her Novice at the FRVPC mini event this weekend, and hopefully to some recognized events at Novice this season as well.

Rox is not a difficult type of mare, she can be opinionated, but she mostly wants to be good. She is not an extravagant mover and struggles with stiffness in her body, so the flatwork is a challenge but it is coming along nicely. She moves off the leg well laterally, but could be more responsive to the forward aids. She likes to be "one-dimensional" with her body and not relaxed and bent through her neck and ribcage. She sometimes travels with haunches in at the canter, and the upward canter transitions are a major work in progress as she gets stiff and hollow if she is not asked exactly correct.

She is very willing over fences although her style needs some improvement as well as the ability to lengthen and collect her stride. In short, she needs to become more rideable between fences. She has the tendency to flatten out and become very choppy as the fences get bigger, so we are working to make her more supple and responsive so her style gets better. She is comfortable in a small collected canter, but she does not jump well from it. Learning to jump out of a bigger stride will make her jump much better. She can be looky on XC, so a firm ride is necessary. The balance and adjustability will help her XC as well because she tends to get in one gear and not come out of it for the whole trip. I think the boldness will come with experience, and she must know that she does not have the option to run out or look hard at something, she must go no matter what or she will be punished.

We recently had a dressage lesson with Barry Fript, who I have lessoned with on and off the past few years. We ran through the test we will ride this weekend (Novice A), and it went quite well, although I don't feel as though she was as sharp as she has been schooling for me lately. We did a shorter warmup without any lateral work, so I think this may have been part of the problem. Some of the key things I took away from the lesson:

-sit back more in the sitting trot and let her forehand lift up toward my hand
-push for more suspension at the same time, but not a faster tempo
-keep giving the inside rein every 5 strides or so to make her relax through her neck
-give the inside rein in upward transitions so she can't hang on the rein
-more bend in the 20 m circles, use my body position to keep her on the circle
-give the rein in front of the judge so they can she her stretching to the end of the rein
-push more with my hip in the free walk so she tracks up and is more forward
-use outside rein away from her neck in the corners so she fills up the space
-use both legs slightly behind girth in an upward motion to help collect her and engage hind legs more

gotta start somewhere

So after much procrastinating, I have decided that I REALLY need to start writing/typing my thoughts and musings out. I know it makes me feel better. I know I have a lot to say and express. So why not do it online since typing is much faster than writing? It's the end of the work day, and I have had a somewhat dreary day, but am hoping I can snap out of it and be more positive tomorrow. The only way to go is up!