robbing peter to pay paul

In the spirit of membership renewal season, I want to talk about something that's been buggin me this past year: Is the eventing horse show and membership association model.... actually broken?

Covid was a game changer across the board, for people in every single walk of life. Confronting the realities of a global pandemic exposed some pretty stark vulnerabilities across how our society functions (or, uh, doesn't).

In the case of eventing, it completely upended what now appears to be a very fragile and tenuous structure. We always hear that volunteers make events possible.... But, this proved a little too true - at the expense of possibly unacceptable risk.

pics today are a random stroll down memory lane from past events -- recognized and unrecognized

So. Story Time:

A friend jump judged at a recognized event last year, where they were so short on volunteers that a single individual handled xc warm up, start box, timer, and fence 1 judging. At a RECOGNIZED event. 

That’s.... too much, even for an experienced volunteer. I don't know this person's experience (frankly it doesn't even matter). But the result was that a Novice horse was accidentally sent out on xc while Training was still running.

 

Some background:

Most Area II events are one day formats with show jumping and xc run back to back. Riders can pause after SJ if they need to change boots, put on a vest, whatever, but most proceed directly from one phase to the next. SJ courses usually run in ~2min, then riders can jump xc warm up fences before spending roughly 4-6min per horse once on course, with riders sent out every 2-3min. So a level will typically conclude in show jumping while there’s still horses left to run xc.

It works best when the show jumping ring waits to start the next level until the previous level finishes xc. This allows smoother flow from phase to phase, and avoids having riders piling up at the xc start while jump judges relocate to the new level's track, pee, do their radio checks etc. Naturally, tho, this requires coordination between stewards in each phase. 

just in case y'all forgot: charlie is f*ing magnificent  

So idk what happened at this show above, whether they did or didn't follow that scheduling practice, or whether they communicated between rings and stewards or whatever. I do know the rider in question had multiple horses and was likely trying to squeeze in as early as possible with one horse to save time for the next. Ultimately, tho, it’s the rider's responsibility to not do anything dangerous, and she was unfortunately eliminated after being stopped on course.

If I were her, tho, I would have been pissed. Bc the people in charge of stewardship failed to realize what was happening. Usually there is a series of people with orders of go, who aren’t so frazzled that they wouldn't see this rider was in the next division. But obvi when one volunteer has to cover 4+ distinct jobs, things get missed.

So. This Novice pair was released from the xc start box while Training level was still in progress. 

 

Why was that so dangerous, anyway? A couple reasons: First, each level follows different tracks. Jump judges were positioned for the Training track, and so possibly obstructing or dangerously close to N jumps. There were also ropes in the way unbeknownst to the galloping rider. 

More importantly tho - jump judges serve a critical but often underappreciated role in that they're the collective set of eyes on the rider in the event of an accident - esp at key moments like jumps. They are the first responders, armed with radios. A rider on a path not under observation by jump judges is at an increased risk that an accident wouldn't be immediately known.

For a sport so deeply invested in rider and horse safety, it's unacceptable that the weakest link in the event of a critical accident could be that there simply wasn't anybody to see it happen.

 

Another example from the past year- this time at an unrecognized (and therefore unregulated) event. I signed up to steward but ended up being the starter (no timer since unrec isn’t timed), warm up steward, jump 1 judge, AND volunteer coordinator. Meaning, I had to give the jump judge orientation training and then position volunteers across the course. Ooh but I didn’t have maps or know the courses. 

Not only was I not expecting or prepared for this level of responsibility - but I had grossly insufficient resources to get it done. And also, there were only something like 5 volunteers in the early morning for our first division - Modified (3'5 / 1.05m for the unfamiliar).

Now sure we only had a single entrant in that division, an experienced rider who was based at the farm. But dammit. No. That’s fucking unacceptable to send a rider out on a full Modified course without guaranteed eyes on her the whole way around. I don’t give a fuck about whether they know how to report on penalties. I want to know if she falls, and I want to know immediately. THAT is the ultimate role of these volunteer positions.

Obviously this second example falls well outside the purview of the USEA in that it was unrecognized and not subject to rules and regulations (beyond what is required by insurance). But, in this area, we have an enormous density of events recognized and unrecognized each weekend -- and they're all vying for the same limited volunteer pool.

 

So, this all begs the question, how on earth did we get to this place where this burden of responsibility falls on a volunteer base that may or may not have much experience or really understand the implications of their role?

And, more importantly how THE FUCK is it possible for a regulated recognized licensed event to run with such limited oversight that dangerous mistakes like sending a horse of the wrong level out on xc become possible?

In that instance, the rider paid the penalty bc ultimately we as riders must be responsible for following the rules and regulations. But it shouldn’t have happened. And arguably wouldn’t have happened if there had been sufficient warm bodies to conduct the necessary checks.

 

Again, tho, is it acceptable that all these tasks fall to volunteers? That we are expected to do this work as a labor of love for the sport we're passionate about? 

It’s not like there’s tons of cash just overflowing - every venue I know is on a shoestring budget precariously balanced over needing to maintain and upgrade facilities (a conservative estimate for buying a new xc fence is damn near $500-$1K, with pricing increasing fast up the levels just due to materials), meet all the necessary regulations, officials and rules etc, and still be reasonably affordable for competitors - plus maybe have cool prizes. 

And let's be real. Most barn owners are already spread thin with the whole "managing a horse farm" situation to also be doing extensive event sponsorship cultivation.

 

It should be noted - I’m just talking about run of the mill national horse trials, here. None of this even gets close to what it takes to run an FEI event - for which there are entirely separate components, not least of which is spectators and the related revenue stream.

So.... how did we get here? This past year, Covid created an acute volunteer shortage. Many would-be volunteers reasonably felt it wasn't worth the risk even with safety precautions, and ya know... an entire other segment stopped volunteering in retaliation against mask mandates. Whatever the underlying reasons, tho, the result was the same: Too few volunteers made it suddenly clear that many events operate in an unsustainable fashion. But why?

As a member of USEA, competing in events sanctioned by USEA, is it unreasonable to think USEA bears responsibility in creating sustainable operating requirements that aren't so heavily dependent on an unpaid untrained work force? Doesn't this fall under the governing body's responsibility to ensure event quality and safety standards?

Or, alternatively, should there be mandatory volunteer quotas for competitors and/or members? 

 

Individual venues fill some gaps by offering volunteer incentives and rewards. Here’s the thing, tho - high value rewards systems are costly and vulnerable to abuse. Plus, that's just one more thing to manage for venues already tasked with so much. 

Local and area membership associations also offer incentive and rewards programs. For instance the MCTA has a volunteer quota to be eligible for year end awards, and a minimum number of those hours must be earned at MCTA-run events. But again. This is a small association, and they're incentivized toward cultivating volunteers for their own events -- not necessarily the broader community. 

It seems like the USEA should have a role here. And, to their credit, they have invested in resources. The volunteer dashboard and portal created a universal system for posting volunteer positions at events nationally -- recognized or unrecognized, other disciplines are also welcomed. It also connects venues with volunteers who might not otherwise have any relationship. 

 

There's also the national volunteer incentive program, where hours earned from recognized events are counted toward yearly and lifetime recognition awards. Tho, like I've said before, the actual thresholds for recognition are laughably unattainable for the average volunteer haha. 

So.... Clearly there's more the USEA could do here. Either by improving the incentives or creating a mandate for competitors. But... It's not clear that it's a priority. The USEA is maybe kinda pulled in too many other directions with too many competing priorities. The young riders pipeline. The young horses pipeline. The high performing teams aimed to compete at the highest levels and represent us internationally.

That’s all well and good for the sport, but it doesn’t mean much for me as a rider if I pay to enter a competition that’s so severely under-resourced that my Novice horse and I get eliminated after leaving the start box while Training is still running. Like. Where is the advocacy for the little guys making up the lion's share of membership?

shockingly difficult to photograph a mirrored and engraved picture frame -- but this was my 2020 Volunteer of the Year prize from the MCTA <3 featuring pictures from Sara's volunteer challenge prize a couple years back

And how does this tie into the swirling controversy about "To Run or Not To Run" Kentucky? All this conversation about how much it costs, and how pro riders face a ticking clock with top level horses before it’s too late for the qualifications and selection opportunities... Those are important topics too, of course. But whether or not certain horses get in front of the right selectors at the right moments within the right time frame really has no bearing on my corner of this sport. 

It’s almost like comparing the Super Bowl to high school football games. And it makes me wonder why the same governing bodies are administering BOTH of these categories of sport -- that are not even close to being in the same league. 

Tho ya know. We can probably answer that question ourselves: memberships and fees from the base support the top. But.... maybe I’d rather my money go farther in my own area to ensure the events I myself ride in are safely administered.

pc Austen Gage

I honestly don't know the solution to this issue on event sustainability and the burden on volunteers. And maybe some would argue that I don't understand enough of the inner workings of the USEA or other area associations to even pass judgment here. As a member, rider, and frequent volunteer, tho, it all makes me wonder -- I'm curious. 

Do you think the USEA should play a bigger role in local horse trial administration, especially as it relates to the reliance on volunteers? Should shows be allowed to run if they don't have sufficient job coverage, volunteer or otherwise? Would you support volunteer quotas for competitors? 

Or, maybe you think I'm reading too much into a couple limited experiences, and maybe there isn't really a problem at all? Do concerns like this make you more or less likely to renew your USEA membership? 

Obvi I'm focused heavily on eventing in this post, since this sport is unique in the sheer volume of people needed to run a show. But are there parallels in other disciplines? Are you, personally, likely to sign up for volunteer roles this year? What would incentivize you to do so?

Flashback Friday: Day 1 Chuck

Happy Friday, everyone! What a week... Well. What few months lately... and, uh, what a year, and I'm not even mentioning the past four years. Sheesh. 

So. How's about something light hearted today, yes?

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a hoarder. Naturally, this obsessive tendency toward accumulation extends to my digital content lol --- like pictures on my cell phone. 

I was trying to clear out space on my clogged and cluttered 64Gb iphone, tho, and came across the day I met Charlie at After the Races back in September 2016. And... What the hell, let's remember that day <3 Some of these pictures have been published before, but not all of them. 

 

I'd been communicating with Bonnie at ATR for months leading up to this fateful visit --- including very serious communications about horses that were snatched up before I could make the trip. So. When the day finally came, I had a list of horses. Charlie, however, was not on the list. He wasn't even on the website yet. 

But Bonnie knew what she had with him, and showed him to me first. The above is the very first picture I ever took of him --- when he, oh-so-typically, struck a majestic pose on the way into the round pen. 

 

Inside the round pen, Charlie showed himself to be a fairly average creature. He's almost exactly 4 weeks off from his final race in these pictures, and you can tell. He was also notably hoof- and body- sore.

link to his round pen video here

Charlie had only been at ATR for about a week. Combined with his soreness, this meant nobody on staff had ridden the horse yet, so I would also not be allowed to ride. 

That was fine by me, tho. Mostly I was just watching how Charlie absorbed this world around him.

 

And ya know. It was intriguing. Charlie was observant and sensitive to the world around him -- he noticed everything. But he also wasn't overly reactive and seemed to sort of think through every moment. 

 

Really, tho, in terms of movement and expression, there wasn't anything at all particularly remarkable about Charlie's round pen session. 

 

Instead, things got interesting when I got to observe the volunteers bathing him afterward. 

 

I'm sure these volunteers have a lot of experience in this regard -- but I'm also pretty sure this was their first time handling Charlie, and his first time inside this wash stall. 

 

And guys, it should not be forgotten this is a very large thoroughbred still fairly race fit.  

 

And he was very very busy in the wash stall haha. Scrolling up and down through this photo series shows pretty clearly that.... he was sorta constantly moving the volunteers around in there. 

 

He never tried to leave tho --- didn't try to get away from them or resist the bath. 

 

He accepted them as quickly as he accepted the wash stall itself. But, more so than just that --- he was immediately very interactive with his environment. 

 

Charlie looked at everything. Nudged everything. Poked and prodded in the same gentle way at his handlers, shampoo bottles, the window, random buckets... Anything and everything around him haha. 

 

Again -- none of this to discount the volunteer's ability to control a horse haha. They were very good about staying on top of his behavior while also not cornering him into a claustrophobic moment (something that can be very common in ottbs).

 

All the same, tho, Charlie is incorrigible. He gets into everything haha. At one point he got that bucket STUCK on his FACE. And it took a moment for anybody to actually notice, lol, bc he was just straight chillin, like, "Oooh yas - I gotta bucket!!"

 

And... Ya know.... You just can't train that haha. 

Obviously there were a lot of unknowns with Charlie -- his soundness, his ability, his interest... Not even mentioning that he's objectively too big for me. But... Eh, I'd been through the ottb restarting process a few times already and felt strongly that his disposition suited my ability. 

And the rest, they say, is history haha.  

state of the arts

We're kinda in an interesting place with jumping lessons right now. On one hand I feel a little like the prodigal son daughter returning to our Saturday afternoon group.... But, honestly, I'm really enjoying it. 

dusk lighting means blurry pics. think of it as 'artistic' lol

It's tricky to write about, tho, bc.... each week is sorta the same thing. Like, "Ok so we jumped around some interesting exercises set at relatively low heights, and Charlie was super!"

There's only so many ways to twist and contort that sentiment into new and interesting combinations of words lol. 

trying to make the jump look impressive lol

It's where we are, right now, tho. And, more importantly, my lesson mate's mom has been coming to hang out, help reset fences (for which she is an actual literal saint), AND -- she's become shockingly adept at capturing video of literally everybody in the group!! 

So. Obviously. When one has excesses of media fodder, one must certainly blog, lol.

it's easy to strike a pose when you're crawling along on the add stride haha

Really, tho, there's some backstory. These lessons are a huge part of how I've developed as a rider, and obvi how Charlie developed into the jumping horse he is today --- since trainer P guided us from the very beginning. 

I got to a point last year tho where I felt like we needed something a little more dialed in and calibrated to my particular (and very needy) needs if we were going to be able to successfully move up to training. So I shifted into a more individualized private lesson program. 

massively sloppy footing conditions explain the conservative pace

That program had slightly different views on how Charlie should go --- specifically as it relates to length of stride in canter. So it didn't feel like the sort of thing where I could keep riding with both trainers -- I sorta had to choose in order to avoid confusing Charlie. 

But ya know. For a lot of different reasons (many of which are very specific to me as an individual and rider), we still really weren't successful in moving up. And I still really didn't feel like I was getting the level of mentorship I seriously crave. 

this line stretched out a little this week, to i think around 21'

Plus I began to wonder if the big focus on stride length was really as important for our own particular training success as it was made out to be. Considering Charlie managed to cover a 72' distance in four fucking strides in our disaster of a show jumping attempt last summer*.... Haha... Yea I just am not convinced that's where our issues lie. 

(*For reference -- every line in the video below in which we get FIVE strides is 60'.)

much more room for bronto chuck

But ya know, the thing with coaching and training and mentorship is that, in my mind, if I'm in for a penny, I'm in for a pound. The whole reason I invest in the advice and guidance of professionals is because I don't know the answers myself -- and I don't feel particularly inclined to have to reinvent every single wheel haha, if that makes sense. 

So I basically follow directions. Usually it works out. But it doesn't always. And obviously there's so much more to training relationships than just expertise. 

lookin good, sir!

So.... Given the times, circumstances, and mental health considerations in a goddamn global pandemic... It made sense to get back into a tried and true formula. Riding with my buddies on Saturday afternoons, with a trainer who always has fun stuff set up and is heavily focused on developing positive experiences and well rounded horses. 

lololololol and then he just goes and steps over the next one
*neither this rail nor any other rails were knocked in this lesson

I don't really feel like I'm learning very much in these lessons right now. But.... Maybe I'm coming to understand that's not always the point. Rather, routine repetition and practice are valuable ends in and of themselves. Being able to jump around a variety of different styles of exercises is critical for staying sharp and relaxed in the work, ya know? 

It also serves as something of a proving ground, right? Like, if on one hand I'm sitting here saying "that exercise is not challenging for us," then... on the other hand, I better do it abso-fucking-lutely perfectly, right? Put up or shut up, ya know? And.... haha, it turns out, we don't always do it perfectly. So there's that lol.

second time was better tho!

But with that sort of mentality bumping around in my head, I've been trying hard to refine all the same stuff we've been chipping away at forever. Particularly with hand position over the fences, and committing to a forward feeling body position no matter what the horse is doing. 

I've also been working on straightness -- trying to jump the center of fences rather than always drifting left. And, obviously, keeping my legs longer and heel down -- rather than letting the leg get curled up in my patented death grip haha. 

pictured: a very add-stride canter

And Charlie, for his part, is responding beautifully. This is a horse who enjoys jumping -- no matter what. He's fun to jump and it's gratifying to feel how educated he's become. Sure, we both still make mistakes, but generally speaking we can kinda just lope around and step over everything. 

I probably still need to work a little harder at getting my canter better. Like if we're working on exercises set at shortened distances I still need to make sure he's up and in front of my leg, not just making the distance work by slugging around. 

makin it work tho!

This was a particular challenge this past week mostly bc of the disgusting footing... Which actually makes the helmet camera shots pretty interesting bc you can definitely see when he's being snarky and sucking back behind my leg in the helmet camera view wayyyyyy more easily than from the standard iphone view (hint: look for the raised head and pinned ears). 

link to youtube video here!!

(sorry mobile users, the blogger upgrade broke embedding functionality on mobile views, ugh)

Mostly, tho, to be perfectly honest... We're just having fun. I feel like this is sorta like the "boy scouts approach" to training. We may not be going crazy with anything right now --- but we're prepared for whenever that moment might strike lol. 

These lessons are keeping us sharp and honestly we're lucky to have such mild conditions to do even this much. So I'll take it, haha! 

ponies and stuff

Happy Monday, folks! For those of you in the US, hopefully you're enjoying today's federal holiday celebrating and honoring MLK Jr's birthday. 

This is actually the first year my firm is recognizing the holiday --- just another example of the many many small and nearly imperceptible shifts that have been made this past year. 

it was nice while it lasted, but that luscious grass in charlie's winter turnout finally died back for the season

It's been a pretty quiet week around these parts, to be honest. Charlie got a couple days off after the gymnastics clinic -- which I believe was very welcome haha. He came out feeling reasonably well for our first ride back tho, mid week. 

round bale season is now upon us. look at those sweet starry faces tho <3

And I gotta be honest about something. I've been talking about having sorta "given up" on dressage this past year... Which is sort of true and untrue. 

Basically, I've kinda come to the conclusion that some parts of my approach to riding Charlie on the flat (and particularly with how I tried to manage the contact) were directly contributing to him using himself worse instead of better. Which... Wow is absolutely opposite of my intentions haha. 

the mud isn't too deep yet, at least!

Plus.... We'd kinda fallen into this predictable pattern in our weeknight evening rides in the wintry darkness. Rides would start out well enough but... Well, Charlie's gate sourness is definitely amplified in the darkness. And as the rides progressed, he'd get more and more rushy and tense. 

actually, it's been pretty mild. meaning lots of folks out and about hacking around

As often as not, we'd end the ride feeling frazzled and frustrated, with Charlie straight up relieved to be released from the this special brand of hell.  

oooh our barnyard has new residents too!!

This obviously did not do much for me, either. Like, I love this horse. Spending time with him is often the highlight of my day. He is lovely to ride and has proven over the years to be a fantastic equestrian partner. 

these bebe shetlands are officially weanlings now!

So.... This obviously begs the question: Why on earth are we spending so much time on these rides that neither of us enjoy????

omg i love them

And, of course, there's an equally obvious answer: There is no good reason for that, and therefore we should cease and desist on that flavor of activity immediately. Which, we have haha. 

is there anything in life better than bebe pony noses???

So. I kinda went back to the drawing board. Why is dressage important? For riding in general, and jumping in particular? 

There are naturally a few reasons: the fundamentals of dressage are all about rhythm, balance, impulsion, and adjustability, right? 

so friendly too!

There's more to it, than that, sure. Especially if you're trying to earn some nice scores in front of a judge. But.... we're not doing that right now so.... the keep-it-simple-stupid approach is totally sufficient for us haha. 

definitely enjoying seeing these guys first thing after the long drive

Most of the flaws in my riding style have to do with trying to ride the horse front to back. Which... Eh, doesn't really work on any horse but especially not a horse like Chuck. 

Too much hand and he will get mired down behind your leg. So then you need to kick and flap and nag and nudge and all that to get him moving up... Which just makes him tense and stiff over his topline. In the right circumstances, this is actually the perfect recipe for showing the judge a rein-lame horse. Ahem, cough cough. 

and they're right next to the big daddies too!! two of the farm's three shetland stallions live right next door!

So my solution has been to ditch our typical snaffle bridle entirely. Virtually all of our flat rides are in the hackamore now. The benefits here are twofold: 1) obviously the hackamore removes my ability to micromanage the contact; and 2) the hackamore provides excellent no-muss, no-fuss brakes in the event of Charlie getting rushy about the gate.

TT is my favorite bc he makes the absolute best little whuffling noises <3

The secondary benefit to this will, I know, shock you. But... It turns out when you stop constantly shutting down the front end, you don't need to keep kicking up the hind end too. Suddenly, this habit of nagging with my heels that's plagued me for literally years has.... all but disappeared. 

Rip is obviously pretty special too, considering he's basically the Black Stallion reincarnated

Charlie is given all the literal free rein he needs to carry his own self forward -- and meanwhile I'm able to sorta sit back and ride him a bit like a school horse, working on my own position instead of his. Specifically, working on some of those bio-mechanical fundamentals identified in the equiformance lessons we did with Molly. Hand position, leg position, etc. 

just look at all that hair omg

Basically, these have turned into low key fitness rides. I keep an interval timer app running in my pocket that dings every 2 minutes. At which point maybe we will change direction, or gait, or exercise, or whatever. I practice jump position, double posting, holding my arms up or out to the side.... Seriously all the standard school kid stuff haha. 

We practice basic figures or leg yields* (*ish) or transitions or spirals or whatever, just using that 2min interval timer to kinda keep us moving symmetrically through the gears. 

And ya know, there's been a fascinating outcome haha. Charlie will ALWAYS be a barn- and gate-sour horse. It's a very deeply rooted pressure response. But.... the behavior is far less evident lately. And he no longer feels like he's breathing a sigh of relief when we leave the ring. Instead, we finish our rides feeling relaxed in the warm flush of a good workout. 

Obviously at some point we'll have to fix my issues with trying to ride this horse on the bit in dressage tests haha. But that's a future-Emma problem. For now I'm just enjoying the ride. And I honestly believe Charlie is too -- considering how beautifully he's been jumping lately. 

Anyone else had to kinda go back to the drawing board in your riding lately? Or change things up to get a better outcome?