meet the blogger: paint edition

Ok so this is more than a little silly... but it's a dreary dark weekend here and I don't presently have anything else for ya. So.

Last week the SprinklerBandit reintroduced herself and Courage via hilarious MS Paint artwork. Yea it was kinda awesome, and totally something I can get behind!

Without further ado, meet Isabel!!

Notable Features:

• long flowing mane that refuses to be tamed
• majestically flagged tail that refuses to be tamed
• legs rapidly going in all directions at all times
• adorably dished face and teeny tiny nose
• big ol' booty
• nose always ALWAYS poked out ahead of the vertical
• indignant facial expression ... unless there might be food involved

And meet me too!

Notable Features:

• frizzy red hair that refuses to be tamed (hairnets are a must!)
• purple pants. duh
• t-rex arms, with hands permanently affixed to my lap
• hopeless optimism despite a crippling lack of confidence
• toes that will *always* point out regardless of my intention

So... yea. That's us!!! Anyone else want to give it a whirl too?

TOABH - Sugar Momma

Beka's latest hop is definitely near and dear to my heart lol. 

Sugar Momma.

Let's continue pretending that horse poop magically transforms into money instead of the other way.  So money doesn't matter.  If you could buy anything for your horse, what would you buy? 

First up: a saddle!!!!! please?? saddle shopping gods, are you reading this??? I'd really really REALLY like one plz! 

oh hai. want to be my friend?

Next - we'd build a totally fantabulous, drool-worthy indoor arena at Isabel's barn, and rip up the existing craptacular outdoor (it's pretty but that's about it) and replace it with something less hole-y and more drain-y. Oh, and install a dressage court and full xc course through more levels than I am ever likely to reach. Bc why not?

yea, less ice would be great thanks

The improved facilities (and our unlimited cash supply via magical horse poop) would attract the very finest trainers, who would then transform me into a rider who doesn't constantly drive my poor, long suffering mare crazy. 

  or, ya know, the trainer would just stare at me in exasperation lol

Then obviously Ms Princess would need regular access to chiro, acupuncture, massage, etc etc - not to mention training rides by the bio-mechanics clinician, who would unlock her inner balanced being...

Then we'd improve the farm's other amenities - like nice wash racks with warm water please! - and knock down neighboring developments to increase our acreage for pastures. Then horses can rotate through the fields - always ending up somewhere new and exciting and full of lush delicious grass...

perhaps somewhat mitigating Isabel's unhappiness at wearing the muzzle

These all seem like kinda straight forward, boring, expected answers... I mean, we'd all love fancy tack and happy healthy ponies and places to actually, ya know, RIDE the horses... 

But that's pretty much my current list! (it may or may not be heavily influenced by the things I want right now but cannot have lol)

schooling elsewhere (again)

After our successful outing to ST, B and I were super pumped to try out other locations too. There's another farm FV pretty close by that does a lot of arena rentals for a very reasonable price, and pics of the indoor looked promising. So I knocked out of work early and off we went!

First tho - I wanted to give a shout-out to B who gave me this AWESOME C4 belt as a thanks for getting Wick ready for hauling out on all these adventures!! 

the purple is PERFECT!

Anyways, it was kind of funny - Isabel's field is right next to the parking lot so presumably she saw me pull out the trailer.  

spot the pony?

there she is!!

Silly girl - who could miss your adorable face hiding behind that tree?

The road to FV is one of those old, twisty, narrow deals that I didn't love towing the trailer on, but it's not too bad. There's plenty of parking at the farm tho - so no problems there! The weather was a little better than for our ST outing (ie, no wind), and the horses stood well at the trailer to get ready. 

Once inside, we were very happily pleased with the arena. It's very spacious, and the footing has these weird little rubber chunks mixed in, giving it a nice cushy feel. It seemed a little uneven in some places - but not deep. Definitely workable. 

Plus there were already lots of little jumps set up! Everything from little 12" panels and boxes to 2'-2'3"ish gates. Plus flowers and all different colors and shapes. Good experience for the horses! 

Isabel flatted really well - tho I honestly didn't ask for too much. Mostly I just wanted her feeling relaxed and moving forward nicely, but didn't demand much in terms of contact. I rode in the Bates again (which I'll continue to do while I have it on trial) and decided that I definitely don't hate it - it IS better for both Isabel and me... but nope, still not love either... le sigh. 

Then I started popping Isabel over some of the fences. We started with a tiny 12"-18" panel, then proceeded to do the full outside line from a flowery X to the panels. Next we did all the little boxes (tiny but also narrow). Isabel was jumping everything really well - continuing to find great distances and land on her leads and get the striding done fairly well for not knowing the measurements ahead of time.

There were also two gates set up - one red, one white - that were higher, maybe 2'-2'3"ish. And here's where I get in trouble. This is why I made a rule for myself over the summer that I'm not allowed to jump anything below 2' bc it makes 2' look big again to me. Ugh...

So even tho these gates are at a height that Isabel and I have competed at quite successfully, I wasn't really feeling like jumping them. Thank god for B tho - she pretty much told me to put on my big girl pants and just jump the damn things. So we did. Repeatedly, actually, and very very nicely. Some things needed fixing - like getting the right striding down the line from red gate to X (above), and she rubbed the red gate pretty hard once... but these issues were easily fixed. Good mare!! 

I'm glad we did it too, bc I just KNOW I would regret it later if we didn't... ugh this confidence game requires constant vigilance!!

Isabel is a midget next to Wick lol

We also got to play with loading the horses up at dusk for the ride home - a first for us. They were obviously fine... so that was a relief too. In any case, we're hoping to make our outings to FV a weekly thing - probably through March when the ground and weather are better and the clocks change. 

field trip!

Yesterday I wrote that we managed to finally ride!! Yay!! And observant readers may have noticed that we were in a different indoor! One of my 2015 Q1 goals was to explore alternative arenas for schooling while our facilities at home are unusable. 

So B and I brought the horses over to the hunter barn ST for a little schooling session. The facilities at ST are really VERY nice - and the footing is all kinds of technical with these cushy little fibers mixed in. The indoor isn't huge - but after riding in OF's 20x40m indoor for the past few weeks if felt downright luxurious lol. 

 she located the feed room immediately haha

This barn's arena fee is a little higher than some other nearby farms, so we will probably check those out too... but it was nice to get out and get some fresh exposure for the ponies. 

Wick wants to know where we've taken him this time 

Isabel was predictably a rock star - behaving herself well while getting tacked at the trailer, even with the wind blowing like crazy. The conditions actually reminded me a bit of the super windy hunter trials we did last november - and my philosophy re: weather is that 'if you'd show in it you should school in it too', so it was definitely good practice. 

Isabel settled in to the new arena pretty well - nothing was particularly offensive, tho the fake boulders piled up in one corner earned some strange looks lol.

the outdoor arena looks downright idyllic right now...

We were testing out the Bates too - and Isabel seemed to go very well in it. I think she definitely appreciates a saddle that isn't constantly moving around on her back (shocking, I know) and she flatted very nicely. Not perfect, but surprisingly good (in both directions!) given her lackluster performance over the weekend. 

I kept it pretty simple - lots and lots of trotting and circles. And she actually had some very nice moments during our right lead canter - making me think our last lesson was just a blip rather than a full on regression. Honestly, I don't think she really likes the indoor at OF. It's small-ish and there's always so much going on in there. Oh well princess - winter sucks... 

getting ready to jumpy jump

There was an interesting course set up in the arena - kind of forming a circle in the center. I decided to give one of the lines a whirl - two skinny green boxes along the diagonal. We trotted the second element first just to make sure Izzy was cool with the astro turf (she was cool with it). Then we trotted in to the line and got a forward four strides. So cantering in gave us a forward three - except when we got a tighter distance and balanced for four instead...

quick video of last time through for saddle fit assessment

Izzy was spot on and just felt fantastic. She moved up to the fences really well and did a great job finding good distances. She's also been landing on all her leads lately, which I definitely appreciate! I think that's actually a function of riding in the small indoor - she knows that turn is coming up fast and takes care of the leads over the fence. Whereas in the outdoor we've got all the space in the world and leads matter less (in her mind anyway). 

I think the distance/pace thing might be improved due to all the many gymnastics we've worked on in lessons. In fact, even the exercises I set up at home (when we could still ride there...) included lots of placing poles and focus on footwork. So lately we're jumping right out of stride more often than not, and even our more questionable distances are pretty ok. I like it!!! (tho we'll see if it lasts when the jumps go up...)

Anyways, it was definitely a fun and productive outing and the horses were very well behaved. Part of me dislikes the idea of paying an arena fee every time we want to school... but mostly I just want to ride my horse. So hopefully this will become a common occurrence! 

saddle showdown via gifs

I managed to get in an actual ride with the trial saddle!! For context, it's a Bates X-Country close contact 17" saddle with an adjustable tree (the yellow narrow size is in it now). The Cair panels were replaced with wool flocking, tho the saddle would need to be reflocked if I decide to buy it. 

ask and ye shall receive :)

I'll hopefully get another couple rides in before the trial period expires (and I plan to extend the trial too) - but at least now I have a little more insight on the saddle. First up: it is by FAR a better fit for Isabel than the Wintec. It's not exactly perfect, but reflocking would help. 

The fit for me is good too - tho the leather is slick. Obviously after riding in a Wintec for so long, anything else might feel more slippery... but really, the leather needs some work.

Our motivation for saddle shopping is: 1) get a better fit for Ms Princess; and 2) get a better fit for me. This saddle checks off #1, but what about #2? Below are gif comparisons of me jumping in the Bates and the Wintec. I know it's kind of fast and hard to see bc of the darkness, but maybe this helps to draw some conclusions? 

Bates

plz ignore the questionable elements of my eq that are not related to saddle fit lol

My thoughts? My lower leg swings a little bit, but really for the most part it's staying relatively stable underneath me. 

Wintec 

Granted this is perhaps an unfair comparison bc we hit this oxer at a less-than-ideal distance and it's a bit larger than the green box above... but it's a good example of what I dislike about the Wintec. Like the fact that my knee is practically in front of the knee roll on take-off, and my lower leg swings from Isabel's elbow to quite a few inches behind the girth.

So ultimately, the jury is still out on the Bates. My impression is that it is a definite improvement on the Wintec - but I don't love the saddle's condition (and definitely NOT for its price tag!).

Trainer P says not to settle bc there are so many saddles out there, and I respect that. But I'm considering putting in a low-ball offer that would leave me wiggle room to get something better later...? 

the great indoors

Saturday's lesson went ok-ish... it was the second solidly 'meh' lesson in a row, which I guess shouldn't come as much of a surprise since these were Isabel's ONLY rides in two weeks. This once-a-week schedule really doesn't work for us!

Right off the bat I was unsure of how things would go, as Izzy pooped six times just getting groomed before heading out. She was standing well tho, and didn't seem outwardly stressed -- but just kept on pooping... But she got on the trailer pretty happily, almost as if she was glad to see Wick in there. 

one stride line down the long side

Plus there were donuts and cupcakes in the lesson barn (I guess someone else fell off last week? lol) and she shared a cupcake with me. Whatever makes the mare happy, right?

same one stride line

I spent a loonnngg time just walking around trying to loosen Isabel up before the lesson got started - really working on the lateral flexions our biomechanics trainer taught us. Everything was nice and soft and low to the left, but kind of a cluster to the right. Unfortunately this theme would continue through the ride...

two jumps on the diagonals, with Wick posing in the middle

(poor Wick actually came up lame with a suspected abscess, so he spent the lesson just chilling and absorbing the atmosphere)

I thought we had fixed our old issues between tracking right and tracking left... but this ride proved me wrong. Maybe it's because we're not working enough... but going to the right (esp at canter) was awful. I just put Isabel on a small-ish circle (maybe 18m?) to try and work through it at P's recommendation. Bc I apparently forgot the lesson of letting the circle to do the work for us, even tho Dan drills it into me every time I ride with him... 

Anyways, Isabel couldn't quite decide between being wild and being totally done with the whole thing. But she steadied a bit when we started jumping - luckily she really does enjoy jumping. 

'um i prefer not to be touched. k thx bai' - isabel, if she were a cat

We started off well by nailing a single on the diagonal a few times in a row. Coming down the other diagonal (the blue one behind Wick above) we kept getting tight-ish distances... but that's what I was seeing, and Isabel just did what I asked. So that's all on me. 

'as if anything could ever be my fault' - isabel

We strung the whole thing together by adding in a one stride on the long side, and the first time through Isabel wiggled a bit like she wasn't quite committed to that second element, but a little leg was plenty reinforcement. And much to my relief, we finished the ride with a really solid course. 

my genius self parked in the *only* shady spot in the field.. oops!

Our appointment with the saddle fitter was scheduled for after the lesson, so we took the opportunity to set the horses up at the trailer like we'll do at shows. They did really well together, and Wick only got a few sassy sneers from Ms. Thing (since he really felt like her hay was MUCH better than his own, even tho he has alfalfa... silly guy). 

So despite the kinda meh lesson for both of us (esp B since she couldn't even ride!) and the bitterly cold weather, it was actually kind of nice to watch our horses chilling at the trailer and pretend that we were relaxing during the break between dressage and stadium/xc at an event lol. Hopefully those days aren't as far off as they feel right now :)

my unicorn

Our appointment with the saddle fitter this weekend didn't really go exactly to plan. It turned into more of a 'consultation,' with plans to regroup again later when we have saddles that might actually work... 

Wick came up lame in the lesson earlier too, so riding him to test out saddles wasn't really an option. Plus, it was pretty cold out, and I somehow parked my trailer in the ONLY shady area in the field. Not really sure how I managed that one... 

So instead, the fitter mostly just gave us a crash course in how to find the points of the saddle, and make sure that they're placed in the correct location on the horse's back. Then she showed us how to test if the tree is too wide or if there will be movement. She then demonstrated this with the county... le sigh, such a pretty saddle too... 

Only one of the saddles we brought had a narrow tree - and this was the one she liked the most. It's the wool-flocked Bates saddle that wasn't particularly inspiring to sit in at the tack shop, but that we brought along anyway for unknown reasons (since neither of us really liked it haha). 

But it actually fit Isabel pretty well. There were some imbalances still that the fitter felt could be worked out by reflocking. And I test rode in it to get a feel for how Isabel went, and whether it was comfortable. It definitely fits better than the wintec! 

The saddle is quite over-priced for its condition, tho, and I'm honestly not really in love with it. So I don't think I'll make an offer on it.... But I'll probably ride a few more times in it (if I can find a place to actually ride) before the trial period is up

our arena is covered in a sheet of ice... boo

So the fitter gave me this description of what to look for: 

• 28 cm tree
• 17" seat (Isabel's back is too short for anything bigger)
• minimal gusseting (maybe 1 inch)
• wool flocking

And she also recommended that I get an anatomical girth (probably a 46" for Isabel). 

The plan is to do a little more digging around for saddles now that we have a better idea of what the horses need, then we'll regroup. So, uh, if any of you happen to have a saddle matching the above description, hit me up!