Tuesday, July 23, 2013

DQ moment? Yes thank you!

I totally had a DQ melt down moment recently! Gasp!

No really though, I had a like a full out, I'm quitting mid lesson break down. To be fair it was raining and windy enough to make the chicken coop sound like it was going to blow over and I just couldn't seem to get it together even though pony man was awesome.

The Dorothy in me new we were not in Kansas anymore, but THAT wasn't why I wanted to quit and quit hard. I was riding without a SINGLE ounce of ability. It was like I couldn't just do basic things, like I dunno canter. Anyway I gave up, which isn't like me, but maybe this is a good sign... Rather than blaming the horse and snatch kick snatching at the reins, I just said nevermind baby pony boy, lets go back to the barn... Pookie. Yes I AM turning into THAT rider LOL

Lucky for me NO proof of that in photos cause these are a totally different day :D

But here they are!















Sunday, June 23, 2013

Frizz aka Rockaloosa does 1st level !!!!

Forgive my terrible seat... Sitting trot work and lengthenings wore me out! I started to literally just pray the lesson would be over cause I was flapping like a chicken lol

BUT wanted to share Frizzy progress cause he is so cool and always a willing boy!


Big canter
Regular canter



Stretching canter and trot

 Lengthen trot



Collected trot



 Lengthen canter

 Leg yeilds


Take off point in lengthening!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

What? Spots! Yep!



Meet Lincoln!!!!!!

This is Soldier's (Frizzy Man) half brother Lincoln! Fabulous boy, big boned, quiet but energetic. Very green and very sweet :) The trainerin is riding him already at this show coming up in some intro as his canter is still a bit of a gallop!

What is super awesome is he goes like a friggin jumper! His back leg comes so high at the canter, boing, boing, boing! These are some diamonds in the rough for sure ;)

Pics!

Warning: Big giant mover ahead!




Monday, May 6, 2013

Show time for the Frizz man! Round two :D




We were super late to the show and it was a different venue adding all up to a bit of a tense horse and me making mistakes on the two new tests that maybe just maybe I could have practiced a bit more before we went :D

TL 2 61% out of the ribbons
TL 3 62% with Sally Oconnor and 4th place :D

This field was super nice, lots of lovely rides, and I got to watch them all after rushing to run through my two tests that were super sloppy by standards, but we get to do it all again next month!

Still Frizz hasnt dropped below a 60 in any training level testings and he's now done them all :D

No jumping to 1st level like I wanted to next round, but ats okay!





Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Staying motivated! Staying motiva...ZZZZzzzz Stayin-Zzzzzz




Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

No pictures tonight....
 
Bah it’s been a long road from the show back onto motivation boulevard. I turned right then left but seemed to be taking detours, some baths, bareback riding, some small amount of tears over my horse rubbing half his tail out once the heat came and made him itchy….

Had a terrible lesson not to long after the show like I couldn’t seem to ride anymore. Like the show was TADA I’m done so now I can just trail ride or something.

Did some pony groom therapy, and then bought some more supplements to help with the itches, coat, a cough he got, then some fattening junk food cause his weight had dropped… Ugh does it ever end?

 

It’s like pony does this and I do that and pony does this and I do that, it’s like an oversized toddler who somehow has to learn algebra, stay clean while doing it, and look somewhat happy about it all!

 

So how TO stay motivated? Well I think for me its recognizing that some times I just WON’T be! I will probably want to take some breaks, with yet another greenie project, teaching the SAME thing in a different new way somehow wont always be fun, and glamorous, but I tell myself that merrygoround may only have ONE purple unicorn on it and though it leaves it comes back around…  IT DOES At some point!

 

So I ride, stay diligent, maybe take a short break, and then back on the horse folks! That unicorn sure makes its rounds pretty quick and YEAH when it does :D

 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Super behind on updates! Hunchy and frizzy man take the stage!



So we took Soldier to his first show 59% in intro with some tiny hops up in front and 63% much better second round if not conservative to try and keep all fours on the ground.

2nd place at his first outing and with only 90 days of training :D

Terrible seat issues at the show I WAS hunchy the bear on frizzy the horze....


More show pics...




 
 
Some at home training pics also some bad seat in canter ugh lol
 


 

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mark Todd Clinic! Gotta love eventers!

This was a very laid back kinda meandering lemmings type of clinic. I think at first Mark was setting up jumps and unfortunately I didn’t even realize who he was so I didn’t offer him a hand while I was busy snapping shots of a pro-rider from texas who was warming up in a gallop on a gorgeous pony J He wasn’t too shabby himself ;)

Finally things progressed into warm-up but at first no sound system so half of the auditors stood in the arena. I was there with my trainer who is still healing from surgery so we stayed in the bleachers. We missed a few huddles but honestly I did not expect a grand speech and am glad I did not because Mark is a man of few words it seems and so did not attempt to entertain us all (fine by me). He wasn’t at all interested in the auditors or most of their stories and I thought that was quite funny. There obviously was more reason to train the people he was there to actually train more in a lesson type feel which was also fine with me since I see more and glean more from riders actually riding, corrections, and then the trainers jumping aboard to show me rather than a book worth of words. No words can replace seeing a good hand and leg feeling some frisky critters rib cage up until it melts into the pot of gold its owner always hoped it would be ;)

Oh and by the way it was freezing of course. Warm every day but that one. Ugh.

Anywho, the barn owner came bringing a microphone and Mark grudgingly put it on. He was very pleasant until he had to do the clinician type stuff and then he looked incredibly irritable LOL I actually think he felt if you were not there to ride you could leave altogether… But then someone kept bringing him some coffee. After that he started to be a bit chattier, olympic medals and human after all.

Onto the notes I did not take.

Flat

Giant square with poles on two sides with quarter pirouettes in the corners. Collection for the turn and then forward then back to collection. (he also demonstrated this himself from extended to collection and back again with seamlessness)

Get a good reaction from the leg and then a good reaction to half halts for the collection.

Find a rhythm first before you start adjusting the horse

Turn from the outside and then in a circle open the inside a bit more and differentiate between your sit and turn L and your circle work with more bend.

Small corrections, small corrections.

No secrets here this was all about the canter work and it was all about basics.

I wont lie to you it was very front to back riding but I did not expect a grand dressage lesson to be had and felt that everyone there was incredible with their hands so the horses still maintained a suppleness.

Jumping

Crossrail figure 8’s with lead changes over it

Gymnstics: let the horse make the mistake and correct after with halt and rein back (nothing drastic just a small correction).

Wait wait wait wait wait no gunning in between fences

Poles everywhere in between fences

Jump oxers front and back

S figures with lead changes between jumps keep it fresh. He was very strict about getting every single lead change correct and over the fence landing on the lead you ask

Every rider shut up and rode. None of them felt like dialogue would make that oxer any easier so they took their instruction and applied it quickly and professionally. Gotta love the serious business that is eventing. Every correction by Mark showed quick success and we all could see it unfold clearly.

NOTHING was new but everything was well done by the tactful sticky riders that attended. We only stayed for the advanced­-inter-prelim and for the most part people were pushing the boundaries of their own level instead of being new and were showing off some serious skill. Mark’s job was made easy by only needing maybe a few corrections before a “good” run.

One rider’s horse did swim a jump in the gymnastic of 4 fences and she jumped the second on her pommel the third she fell completely sideways hanging and recovered by the fourth fence taking it as if nothing had happened all with only a stride or two between each to recover. We all clapped including Mr. Todd, it was quite a show of horsemanship.

We mingled a bit and learned about so many of the pro’s/ammy’s there at the large facility and we got to hear the entire farm history from the barn owner of Holly Hill over coffee while my trainer and I explained over and over when asked “Did you bring a horse?” “No we actually ride dressage.” “OOOO_OOO really?!” like mythological creatures we were quickly introduced to everyone :) 

It was a great clinic and for the people who actually rode it was surely life changing, and for me I remembered lots of things that could be useful in my riding or even just ingraining good horsemanship into my brain again refreshed my want to strengthen my back and half seat myself through a good gallop once in a while J

It was a pleasure Sir Knight Todd~!