A Little Push

Sometimes, no matter how convinced your heart is that you'd like to do something, your brain stops you. And all you need is a little push.
I saw my boy for the first time in a week yesterday. I walked out to his pasture determined not to let the fact that I have both a Calculus and Physics test tomorrow get in the way of enjoying my favorite horse. Luckily, Blue agreed, as all I had to do was call "BOYS!" to have him, Tex, and Sequel all gallop up to greet me. Fortunately they're pretty gentlemanly - they each stopped clear of me and didn't threaten to run me over like some others I know would.
I have decided to try coconut oil on his mane and tail - he's part Appaloosa and has the hair to prove it, and he likes to rub his tail anyway, so what did I have to lose? Coconut oil is a natural oil that is unique in its ability to moisturize and nourish hair from the inside out - yes, it permeates into the hair. I bought a 1 lb-tub at Wal-Mart for $10, and the less you use the better, so I consider it a worthwhile investment, especially since it's only applied once a week. I wiped the excess on his hooves...apparently people report it's a great conditioner. Unfortunately I forgot the fact that coconut oil congeals below 76 degrees...and today was one of those 69 degree September days. >:-(
After an uneventful warm-up, we began the lesson with lots of lateral movements. That means shoulder-in, shoulder-out, haunches-in, and haunches-out. This gets Blue to really listen to leg cues, and of course really makes him collect and use his back if he is to do the movement properly. The result of this is that he was very willing to round up at the trot and canter and move freely forward. His trot today was pure ecstasy...I like the feeling, and it's happening more and more!
And, as it often does, this transferred to our over-fences work, as well. Though, annoyingly, he did canter the trot jump, as he tends to do when he thinks we're not jumping fast enough, he picked up a nice pace and we hit a nice pace to the warm-up oxer.
When we jumped our 2'6" course, we were very consistent and got all of the distances I aimed to get! He was very responsive, and I have had none of the hesitation or crankiness that I had last week that contributed to my stress. Of course, the footing was much better today, too, so that could have contributed. Hey, I'm just happy to have the horse I know and love back, and not that cranky bronco!
Then, probably the real subject of my entry today, three of the jumps were raised to 3'. I have jumped single 3' fences but never more than one in a lesson, and since I was just thrilled to have the horse I had lost briefly back, I was a bit nervous. Six inches is kinda a big difference! My heart rate rose, and I told my trainer I felt uncomfortable. Yet, at the same time, I knew if I didn't try, I would be mad at myself. Trainer told me, "Please, just try and if you have trouble we'll lower them." After hemming and hawing, I finally just decided the worst that would happen is that he'd refuse and I'd fall and we'd jump the lower jumps.
I think we only got tight to one jump...the rest were pretty good and consistent! We did have to hustle a bit to make the distances, but, hey, the horse was responsive, so why not? We still drift a bit to the left down the line, but that's fixable. I'm mainly proud at my horse for supporting me and myself for just sucking it up and trying.
Best part is, my trainer is going away for a week in October, so although I won't have a lesson, I'll be staying in the house at the farm all week, meaning tons of time to ride and generally be with the horses! Yay!

Sorry for Not Posting!

Yeah, I know, I only have one follower, but I still need to apologize.

Part of the reason is that inclement weather has prevented me from riding. The other reason is that when I have been riding, all the stresses surrounding me (college, school, friends being dumb, parents) have been getting to me, and I haven't been very fair to Blue. There's no reason I should make him have to deal with me and the weight of my worries.

So I'm going to take a deep breath, forget all of it, and come back fresh with a post on how Tuesday's lesson goes.

RIP Ladybug "Bugsy"

I rode today, and I'll post about it tomorrow, but I'd like to dedicate today's post to one spunky little pony mare.
Yesterday, my instructor's pony Bugsy was put down. She didn't suffer from any acute ailment or injury, but she did suffer a high bowed tendon that, at age 23, was not healing as it should and rendered her pasture sound only. Most riding instructors with 5 other horses and a business to look after don't have the time or money to dedicate to an old, unsound, retired school pony, and it would not have been fair to sell her or even give her away as a companion horse, as Bugsy was very closely bonded with a mare, Lisa, at our barn and would've been devastated to have to leave her. There are retirement barns around, but most are quite expensive and the one with the best reputation, Ryerss Home for Retired Equines, has a 5-year waiting list and a $5,000 fee. It was decided that the most responsible thing to do would be to put Bugsy to rest while she was still happy and comfortable.
I should note that, in addition, Bugsy's eyesight was beginning to go, making her even more spooky and reliant on Lisa for communicating danger. Putting her into a totally different situation would have been unfairly stressful on her.
I write this because Bugsy was one of those ponies that taught me what I needed to know to get to where I am today. She was a toughie, and if you weren't totally committed to getting her over a fence or keeping her pace up, she would simply plant her feet until you managed to figure out what you were doing. I had my fair share of falls from her, but I think she also taught me some of the most important lessons in my riding career, including the importance of using both leg and a supporting contact before a fence. When I did win blue ribbons with her, it was sweet - when she stopped at the first fence three times, it strengthened my convictions and showed me the importance of riding each stride. Everyone at my barn has a Bugsy story to share...I have more than one. :)
So here's to Bugsy - maybe not the easiest or my favorite horse to ride, but definitely one of my best teachers. She will live forever in my heart and memory, and also those of the people who loved her more than I did. It still hasn't truly sunk in yet; I suppose I wrote this post in hopes that it would help me realize this fact. I know she is no longer with us, yet I will not stop expecting to see her grazing side-by-side with Lisa, whinnying to any horse that would care to answer.

Rest in peace, Ladybug. 1985 - 2008

Now That Life Has Settled...

...I can get back to blogging again! Yay!

Since last episode, I was in Big County Fair Show (did not go so well...Blue was having a bad day and I chalked it up to experience) and Local Schooling Show (went very well...Blue was stellar except for those pesky lead changes, and we ended up coming home with two Grand Champion ribbons, one in Equitation for me and one in Low Children's Hunter for him). I had a couple of less-than-good lessons in a row, and I rode Tex again (that went fairly well, though I was a bit out of my comfort zone). I'm finally beginning to fall into a regular schedule again, and I'm planning on clipping the big hairy beast after our last planned schooling show in October. There's a new, younger girl leasing Blue. Her name is Maddie and she's very sweet - I think she'll learn a lot from my goof.

Sorry for the short catch-up post. I just am too tired and don't feel like going into a ton of detail. Rest assured that Blue and I continue to try and hear the other, even if we do get a little pissed off by each other at times.

In other news, I discovered three of his scratchy spots. His withers and chest are good places, and he likes his belly button scratched if I get my fingertips in there. After so much battling with him to clean his sheath (his owner was very lax about it and let it go too long, and Blue formed quite the sour opinion about the process in general), he's finally starting to twitch his lips for that, too. I always try to "make friends" with him by getting those spots (well, except the sheath) each time I ride, it's so much more gratifying to bring a little happiness to my horse without the pushiness that results from treats.

Zen in Horsemanship

Tension has always been a big problem for me, with my work with horses and elsewhere. I don't like new experiences, and my heart always races when I think about it.
I was reading Many Misadventures' post on her talk at leadership camp, and it really got me thinking. If I let my unrelated tension seep into my riding, Blue will respond by getting tense himself. This, in turn, makes me more tense, and there we go in a vicious cycle!
So I've been working on ways to try and release that tension so that Blue and I can work together productively. I'd like to share them with you.
*There is nothing like barn drama. Unfortunately, when you take lessons with someone you are on the outs with, it makes your lesson more than a bit awkward. I have a habit of watching my friends ride (which is hard because almost all my best friends ride in my lessons!), so I've been stopping that and I try to focus on myself. I do let myself watch their courses, since when we're jumping we're going one at a time and Blue's on a loose rein anyway. I've also stopped worrying about what the people behind me are doing. I can only control the space in front of me.
*Grooming is a great stress-reliever. Do a thorough grooming of your horse before you hop on (though make sure to give yourself plenty of time, so you don't stress out more). Curry your daily worries away!
*Don't feel the need to ride in the ring all the time. A good hack out does wonders for both you and your horse's mental clarity. Take the time to see the sights. If you can't afford to leave your schooling for the day, then take some work to the trail! There are plenty of exercises you can use on the trail (shoulder-in, leg yields, circling when you're in fields) and your horse will love you forever if you get up off of his back when going uphill!
*At shows, don't sweat the small stuff. There's always the possibility that the judge didn't see your mistake! I try to ride with a never-look-back philosophy - when I'm in the saddle, I'm only concerned with the here and now. Detailed analysis, I save for the blog!
*Pick a song with a soothing rhythm to hum to yourself or sing in your head. It helps you get your mind off of things, if you're like me and you try too hard. I like to switch songs each ride, and I like to pick a song that will match the beats of the walk, trot, canter, and hand-gallop.

In other news, next Sunday I'm riding Blue in the annual horse show/county fair! I like to think that the main attraction is the horse show - otherwise it's a pretty lame fair. We've got riders showing each day. I may try to catch Saturday's show (a lot of my friends and some younger riders I've "taken under my wing" are showing that day) but I'm definitely going Monday to groom for my mentor (other than my instructor), who's taking the cross-training post to heart and trying her hand at Hopeful Jumpers on her 17hh TB gelding! I'm riding in Novice Hunter - I think Blue would pin better (or maybe even at all!) in Pleasure Horse but it's the last class of the day and none of the three rings have lights. :'( The nice thing is that we've begun to get a more forward, what my trainer calls a "hunt field canter" going and I've gotten to be more bold at riding to the fences. I no longer fear the long five - I embrace it as a challenge! I'm not sure how much the show ring will "jazz him up", so I'm taking my spurs just in case. I do actually kind of hope he needs them - I like to know that he's not fazed by all the people and other horses! They also really sharpen his responses. We've also been working on a very strong, forward hunter trot, complete with a frame that isn't induced by hand, but by leg pushing into a slightly resistant hand! Oh, these moments of ecstasy - I'm enlightened and feeling very Zen tonight.
That would be a great title for this post.
I'll update you tomorrow - I'm hacking with a close friend and her fat mare to see if we can't get some hillwork and conditioning in before the big show day! Time to get myself psyched up for 5 AM baths and braiding and that oh-so-stylish light blue Sportsmanship armband!

Jumper Show Review

I had a lesson on Thursday, but was...gulp..."too busy to blog". But I'd like to quickly recount today's jumper show.
I didn't school, as I had to supervise the tacking, prep, and schooling of four thirteen-year-olds and their stoic mounts. Wasn't really that nervous, as Blue has been in the "point me at it and I'll jump it" mode and the jumps weren't that big.
My goals for this show were:
1. Plan ahead. Memorize your courses AND their jump-offs. Plan every stride of your ride, but be willing to change that plan if necessary. Make sure both you and the horse know which jump is next.
2. Be bold. Jumpers is about forward, and nothing sucks the fun out of it like a horse who sucks back. Jump-offs are won by daring rides, tight turns and plans that may or may not go accordingly.
3. Have fun! You have to do the big hunter show in two weeks - consider this your vacation!
Happy to report that I achieved all three goals! I did learn a couple of things, though:
1. You shouldn't expect yourself to be able to top the girls who do this EVERY weekend.
2. Straightaways where you need to go fast are great for two-point. For turns, however, you want as much weight as possible on the horse's hindquarters.
3. You can't let one mistake ruin the whole course. Accept it, and let it go and FOCUS ON THE NEXT JUMP!
4. If your trainer gives you a plan for your course but it becomes evident that the plan needs to change, be willing to be flexible. If your horse is settling in and getting the bigger distances, don't hold him unnecessarily.
5. Ride the horse you have at the moment. Just because your horse is lazy at home doesn't mean he needs a ton of encouragement at a show. This means you have to be able to read your horse, and experiment to see what he needs.
Out of 16 riders, we got a 5th and a 6th. Due to a rail in the first course (on the first jump!) I didn't pin. I'm still very proud of myself, for really stepping up to the plate, and Blue for being such a trooper!

Showing - Yay or Neigh?

I've been having a great debate of sorts with some of my friends.

Me: Pro-Showing

I believe showing is a measure of progress - how well you and your horse are improving, and learning; how you and horse are progressing in training; how well you two can band together during stressful situations.
I view my riding career as a journey - the destination, I guess, being the best rider I can possibly be. That means different things for different people. Horse shows are kind of like rest stops for me, where I can check the map and make sure I'm headed in the direction I want to be going, and then analyze the journey so far and try to make improvements. Where a lot of people get messed up is when they make showing the destination.
Plus, for me, showing is fun! Sure, sometimes I get wrapped up in the drama of it all - frustration, disappointment, politics - but mostly I savor the competition! I may be anthropomorphizing too much, but Blue seems to enjoy it, too. He really steps up to the occasion and appears to be more well-behaved at shows than he is at home!

Friend: Anti-Showing

Horse shows are a nice concept, but really not worth it. If you have any serious showing aspirations, you must have a certain type of horse, and you have to shell out some serious money to do so. Judges will refuse to place you for minutiae, and take one daring step and you become the scorn of your peers. You have no life, and you're much better off sticking to pleasure riding.

I can see an argument for either side. What do you think?