making xc a regular thing

The last year brought a LOT of changes my way. Obviously the new horse, and then the big barn move after being in one place for so long. Since moving this summer, tho, all these other unexpected shifts have also bubbled up in my consciousness. 

sweet critter <3

I have a not-so-secret habit of really overthinking things, and of getting deeply micro in worrying about each and every step stage and phase of a given plan. Often to the detriment of my mental state re: calm vs anxious. 

excited critter!!

None of that was anybody's fault but my own -- don't misunderstand. But... Changing my environment, and particularly, stripping out some of the routines and dependences I'd cultivated (consciously or otherwise) over the years really really cleared the air. Cleared my head space.

what can i say but that i like the profile and dimension of this jump for warm up?
doozy don't care that it's narrow!

In particular, my ride planning has become simpler and a LOT more intentional. I already wrote last summer about how, if I didn't want to be the 'eccentric (and possibly over-horsed) new boarder who couldn't reliably trot a circle... well, maybe it was time to fix that!' Nothing quite like a little exposure to snap us back to reality, right?

new to us roll tops! next time we'll do the bigger options <3

Similarly, at the new place -- I pass the outdoor ring on my way into the barn, making it a breeze to pause and set ground poles or jump heights (or grids! spoiler!). I was notoriously lazy about setting jumps intentionally at the last place, where the ring was farther afield and we typically arrived already mounted. 

This might sound like the most "Duh" statement ever... but... it turns out, I ride more deliberately when I have a deliberate plan LOL. And maybe it's just me, but... I don't seem to hold myself to the same account when just casually popping over whatever was set up in the jump ring, as I do when I'm working over exercises I set up myself. Ymmv. 

lol i was brave and jumped a tiny log going slightly down hill, yay me

A related thread, and more in line with today's post, relates to xc schooling. We had an extremely functional and complete xc course at the last place, but it often wasn't mowed, or horses were turned out, or there were so many gates.... Or whatever million excuses for not going out as often as you'd expect.

we did the little roller coaster again too!

But now, scheduling xc schooling practice is a more formal item on the checklist -- and it's resulting in this new normal routine that is just doing wonders for my confidence! 

Bc again... It turns out, when we intentionally ship out and pay a fee to use an actual proper schooling facility... I apparently put in a little more thoughtfulness and effort lol...

MUCH GALLOPE!!!!

Getting out to Tranquillity is such a breeze --- esp bc I'm generally often traveling alone now. Another weird change with unexpected benefits. Not that I don't love and miss my former regular riding buddies (especially Amy), but ...perhaps I'd grown to be, er, overly inclusive with my anxieties and worries?? 

was probably too conservative to this little line but they're small jumps and doozy was fine!

Bc apparently when I'm hyper focusing on every little detail of every little plan, anything and everything that's a part of that microcosm gets swept up into my constellation of concentration. 

But now that it's just me and my own horse most of the time? It's really simplified the details and logistics, go figure. And, weirdly, it feels like less pressure. Nobody** cares if I show up 30min earlier or later than expected, there aren't other schedules to juggle, no expectations beyond my own wants and whims! It's nice!

(**Again --- all these feelings were pure constructions inside my own brain and not AT ALL a reflection of my riding buddies whom I LOVE. And Charlie absolutely always STRONGLY PREFERRED traveling in company, whereas Doozy... eh, she's wayyyyyy less neurotic LOL!)

they took out all the weird brush so now the out jump was just a glorified cavaletti 

And it's clear that both Doozy and I are benefiting from more routinized (and less mentally anguished) activity. No joke -- I literally could't believe how well I slept the night before Loch Moy. Like, sure, melatonin was absolutely involved LOL... But still!! No existential dread, OMG!

barbie dream horse <3

So.... Knowing that we're hoping to squeak in one last horse trial of the season, I woke up this past Saturday morning, looked outside and thought, "Wow, today is the day to get back to Tranquillity again!" And Lo! My friend Katie was available and happy to come act as Designated Scraper** too!! Woot woot, let's GO!

(**In other words, the conscious human capable of dialing 911 in case of emergency)

casually steppin up!
you'll have to watch the helmet cam for this whole series tho bc there's two more jumps in quick succession <3

We'd had so much fun on my last trip to Tranquillity that I planned to basically just repeat almost that exact ride, with just a few little differences. We jumped a few more jumps than last time, and strung more stuff together. 

lol pretty casual about the fake ditch too... ma'am!

In particular, we put a whole really cool line together from the Barbie Dream House up the hill to the banks, quick turn (literally like 5 strides) to the starter table, then turn again to the little coop. A proper little mini course! 

I also wanted to jump the fake ditch again since Waredaca sometimes has those on their baby courses. It was obvi nbd for Doozy lol.

polite down the line

Mostly, tho, we kept it simple and familiar and obscenely fun and positive! Doozy was GAME, great to ride -- understood the assignment -- happy to jump.  

finished over something still small but with a bit more spread <3 <3

And I felt great too! Felt confident in the plan, felt like we were both benefiting from easy low key reps inside our comfort zone. And I'm especially excited about the observable changes in Doozy's way of going and rideability even in just these last 3 trips to Tranquillity.

link to side view video!!

Honestly.... I'm kinda hoping to keep these little outings going on a roughly monthly basis for the foreseeable future. There are so many options that we're unlikely to outgrow the place for some time - and the low key frequent and intentional repetition seems to be really working for Doozy. Plus, these rides are so fun, why not, right? 

link to helmet cam video!

Mostly tho... I'm just grateful for where we are right now. Change is hard for me... And it's been a year of big changes. But we did it! And here we are now, nearing the end of our first full season together, with this mare out there rocking around an easy peasy cross country school like it's her most favorite thing in the world!

What more really is there to want???

ww: make a plan!

 

Have you?

Doozy does... BN @ Thornridge!

Happy almost halloween, folks!! Doozy and I went to the final Thornridge CT of the year this weekend and had a blast! Brace yo'self for unapologetic photo spam from the day lol...

my pretty mare has metamorphosed <3 <3

We had a nice little group going too, with some friends from Charlie's barn competing (and even more just showing up for support and cheering and media capture -- thanks Amy and Dave!).

nobody remembers that she broke loose and tore around the property at her first Thornridge!
also peep our psychedelic hippy friends in the background!

Tho -- just on the off chance you happened to already find the show jumping video online, and were like, "Uh what the fuck happened at the end, tho?" -- well. The day didn't end totally great for all of our group. My friend had a pretty scary accident in the warm up (which you can hear at the end of my round). Fortunately everybody is ok, but it's a good reminder to make safe choices and take falls seriously!! 

our other friend was a very pretty princess (until he wasn't, sigh). pc RiskHappy

Anyway, tho, I promise to not be too wordy lol.... It's just a single dressage test and one jump round -- how much can there be to say anyway??? (rhetorical questions, people, it’s rhetorical....)

as always, not every moment looks like this --- but omg we are getting these moments!! <3

Ahem. So. Regular readers will recall that Doozy has had what might be considered a metamorphosis recently (see what I did there?). She went around the jumping at Loch Moy like a trained horse, like maybe somebody else has been riding while I'm asleep or something LOL! And before that, she had a lightbulb moment about longitudinal balance. 

charlie's bff Dave from Risk Happy Photography shot some incredible photos omg

So I figured -- Thornridge is a safe space. It's the definition of low key, chill vibes, friendly organizers, inviting rules... Let's take this opportunity to give the mare a little more of a challenge by entering the Beginner Novice class!

we're just 'boring' not good at dressage now, instead of "way too exciting" bad at dressage LOL
pc RiskHappy

And Doozy was so good! Totally chill about getting ready at the trailer and warming up in the indoor, which is obvi pretty familiar to her by now. And was happy to hang out grazing while we watched one of my friends ride her test before our turn. 

holy mother of dog, y'all -- test comments include the word "relaxed" (for this free walk) while the words "tense/tension" are nowhere to be found!! #progress

And once in the ring? Doozy just.... Went around. Guys. She's getting LAZY. It's amazing, omg, I love it! She's like, "Oh. This again." OMG. 

so pleased with this critter <3
pc RiskHappy

Like it's still not what you would consider a "good" dressage test. And now, more than ever, it sure kinda looks like maybe the rider should consider... riding better. 

click to embiggen!

Especially in the geometry -- I let a few of the circles (particularly our first canter circle) get away from me. And Doozy was weirdly casual about the ring corners LOL, almost like, "I could keep going?" Establishing more consistent inside bend will help with all these things!

link to video here

Honestly, tho, the test was fine! And we scored a somewhat generous, but not altogether crazy 36%!! AND omg! We were out in front for our class of three! Tho, my two division mates rode the B test for some reason (these shows are entirely "pick your test / pick your height" so this happens sometimes), which is technically a harder test. 

But still. It's been a LONG TIME since I've ridden to the front on the strength of our dressage, so I choose to enjoy it <3

jump decorations on point! look at the bats on the pole stripe omg!!

Anyway. One of our group was focusing on dressage for the day, so we hung out longer than usual around the court to watch her ride her tests. Then just popped back to the trailer for the quick addition of jumping boots and martingale, then sauntered on down to show jump.

warmed up like my doozy does!

I walked Doozy around the field for probably longer than necessary. She was ready to go, and pretty clear that, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm a *professional,* you don't need to baby me!"

So ya know. Fine! We got on with warming up, cantering now as is Doozy's firm preference. I think we jumped each available fence (X, small vert, larger vert) twice each, and called it good.

then straight onto the course! 

This mare. I swear, she's just full of surprises. We have uncovered how she likes to be ridden to fences: strong inseam contact (hip to heel!), connected reins, hands down. 

not sure these fences measure a full 2'7, but they're certainly the biggest she's seen in a show!

But even so, the feeling keeps shifting almost imperceptibly for me! She's learning so quickly, becoming comfortable so quickly, that suddenly I'm having to make adjustments for how to ride when she's not making a bid for it.

some of the turns were tricky with the terrain, but we figured it out more or less. pc RiskHappy

The hyper-connected feeling definitely helps, but we still had a few moments where I probably needed to generate a bit more forward along the way -- lest I run the risk of constantly putting her at a slightly-too-close distance at every fence. 

"whoops whoops whoops, my bad!" -- emma, 100%

But ya know. That's the beauty of Thornridge! We get to figure these things out -- with the added complexity of mildly tricky terrain and decidedly weird course design LOL, paired with inviting and friendly jumps.

no harm, no foul! mare can cope with a mistake and move on!

This course was a little weird, too. One turn (jump 3 to 4) was just beyond what Doozy can realistically do at this moment, so after realizing it was impossible, I just rerouted to circle around. We still had a somewhat big oopsie at 5, again just figuring out the balance between forward enough and connected enough. My mistake 100%.

these #RiskHappy photographs tho, ugh i love them! there may be more coming soon too!

The mare recovered well, tho, doesn't hold a grudge. So we made it around to our last pleasant little loop around the ring just fine. Which... Unfortunately, just as we were approaching the final fence my friend had her accident.

link to video here

again, apologies if you find the frantic emergency hullabaloo triggering,

please know that everybody is totally fine!

I could hear the gasps and instant shouts for "Medic!" as we approached the last fence... Conventional wisdom says that, in the course of an emergency, continue on the smoothest path to halt + dismount. In other words, don't make any sudden (and potentially reckless) movements that could put your own self at risk. And *definitely* don't fling yourself off the horse in motion and twist an ankle in the process.

we didn't stay long enough for final scoring, but i figured with my two rails and a circle we'd drop from the top. all good tho! amazing just to be out in front for once on the strength of our dressage!

So we proceeded to our jump, jumped it fine, then praised, slowed, and dismounted. We were lucky to be in close company (as in, within our own group and my friend's actual family) of first responder and health professionals. So Amy and I basically busied ourselves with retrieving and caring for the wayward horse (and Doozy, obvi!), and let the fallen rider get what she needed from those most capable of helping her. 

happy <3
pc RiskHappy

And again -- everyone is ok! Whew! The rider had no obvious injuries or impediments (other than, ya know, being slightly smooshed), but transported anyway to be safe. Good choices, y'all. 

Knowing that she was ok was a big relief, and allowed our group to kinda take a deep breath and appreciate our good rides. 

This sport is hard. They are horses. They are big, they have big feelings. It can get complicated. 

I'm proud of my little mare for her performance on this day. She stepped up. She coped, She relaxed. And we are figuring it out! 

500 Hours Later

US Eventing launched the Volunteer Incentive Program in 2017 to make volunteering at events easier for both volunteers and organizers -- in addition to recognizing the contributions of time and energy that make our sport possible.

how it started @ Shawan Downs back in 2015, pre-dating the volunteer portal and medal recognition program

The VIP Medal program was developed from this framework and recognizes volunteers for their cumulative lifetime hours (since 2017).  

that's a lot of time spent at horse shows

This weekend at the Maryland 5*, I finally hit that first threshold for recognition in the Medal Program -- reaching 500hrs of volunteering at recognized events for the Bronze Medal award. Woot woot!

show jump steward @ Loch Moy

In the grand scheme of things, it's maybe an arbitrary and sorta silly "accomplishment," except that I really really enjoy the time I spend at horse shows. 

xc jump judging @ Loch Moy

Especially during the last few years with Charlie being lame more often than sound, and with feeling a little fragile about competing... Volunteering really helped fill that void in my horsey experience.

so many great local venues!

There's just something special about that horse show atmosphere, ya know? 

FEI dressage steward @ Fair Hill

I was completely new to eventing when volunteering for the first time in 2014 -- just months before my own first ever entry in a three phase starter trial (almost exactly 10 years ago, wow). 

event prep @ MCTA Shawan

But since then, the Volunteer Portal has helped me explore all sorts of new venues and the various volunteer roles that are critical to the organization and administration of our sport. 

stewarding is my favorite!

It's no secret that volunteers are the backbone of eventing, but it's been eye opening to see just how many warm bodies are needed in all phases of show execution. 

Like preparing for the event -- painting fences, decorating the course, setting flags.... However long you think it takes to flag tracks for the event, double it. And the roping.... so much roping!

vet box @ Loch Moy's FEI

And then on show day -- every single xc jump needs to be observable by a set of eyeballs attached to a radio. And not just for fairness in scoring penalties -- but by the basic necessities of safety in the event of an accident.

There are also the documentary tasks like scribing and scoring -- easily overlooked but, again, critical to smooth operations. And key traffic control jobs like in/out gate coverage, jump crew, and crossing guards. 

event prep @ Fair Hill

My personal favorite positions, however, involve interacting directly with the riders. Warm up rings always have such cool electric vibes -- riders who are excited, nervous, tense, all the feelings! 

I love all that atmosphere -- esp when *I'm* not the rider. Like, just normalizing all that excitement and energy has helped me come to grips with some of my own psychological responses to the stimuli of competition.

i've prioritized recognized events in recent years, but can never entirely neglect the starters!

In the post-covid years, I averaged about 100 qualifying hours annually, and was usually in the Top 25 Area II volunteers, and Top 100 nationally. There's no special recognition for any of that, obvi, but I liked it anyway. 

event cleanup @ Great Meadow (for the Tokyo Olympic Team's mandatory practice!)

This year, tho, well... Things are a bit different now with Doozy in the picture! I obvi want to prioritize my weekends for riding and showing myself -- what a concept lol! 

dressage scribe @ Loch Moy

So I made a plan early in the year to figure out just how many days / commitments it would likely take to hit that 500hr mark, and substituted advance sign-ups for my favorite jobs with more last-minute sign-ups for whatever was still needed -- often xc jump judging. 

i like to mix it up between normal national classes and the big internationals

And in this way, just in time to close out the year, I hit the mark. Whew! 

I'm sure I'll continue to volunteer in the coming years -- maybe even somewhat close to monthly during the competition season. I love my favorite venues and am more than happy to contribute my time in exchange for schooling passes or entry credits too! But there are definitely no plans for trying to aim for the Silver Medal threshold (1,000hrs, yeesh!). 

YEH scribe @ Loch Moy

It's been a fun, rewarding, educational and fulfilling 500hrs for sure. But it's also pretty exciting to get back to keeping the main thing, the main thing. 

So here's to putting that time back into the saddle in the years to come!! 

just a suggestion!

It was Tracy from the long-dormant Fly On Over blog who first told me the phrase, "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." And I've never forgotten the wisdom of that mindset!

this mare knows more than the rest of us and isn't afraid to say it

Now more than ever -- it's proving yet again to be a fruitful approach to green horses. I've spent the better part of a year whinging about how slowwww progress has been with Doozy... 

And then suddenly, mare is downright lackadaisical about 2'7 and it turns out *I'm* making riding mistakes instead of her making.... rideability mistakes. How things change!

in retrospect, perhaps my distances were a bit aspirational

A former barn mate planned to ship over to Doozy's farm for a fun jump night, complete with grids!, and my longtime show buddy Amy was coming too to hang out and jump crew and snag media. Unfortunately the other horse ended up being a little sore, so the friend didn't ship, but Amy still came! So we kept to the plan of an intentional array of fences and a little grid!

i love the enthusiasm, Dooz, but it's only 18'

I think in concept my grid idea was good, but in execution the distances weren't quite right. Charlie cut his teeth on awesome 18' distance grids... But Doozy has this sorta amazing ability to just kinda skitter and skate over all the various poles and obstacles in her path such that my intentional distances and measurements were no more than a mere suggestion to her LOL.

sometimes she made it work tho!

It didn't help that I was possibly a little too passive in accomplishing a compressed bouncy ball canter going in... But like. Wow. What a feeling to be like, "Emma, ride better and the mare will answer!"

well. lol. she *always* made it work HAHA, just... sometimes more *creatively* than i'd intended!

As it was, mare is the knower of everything, queen of the jompies, and she sorted things out just fine according to her own view of the world. 

the singles were easy peasy tho <3 <3
watch the video to see her awesome easy auto change after this jump!

It's been a little warm around here, so my plan was to be relatively economical. Warm up to the extent that was needed, catch a couple of the smaller singles I'd set to get her in a jumping mind, then work through the grid a couple times (with Amy making adjustments as needed after each trip), and then finish by coursing around the rest of the at-height-ish singles. 

somehow... too easy. this is why we need grids, kids!

And I'm proud of myself for setting fences intentionally. I brought a measuring stick and everything! Doozy is apparently ready for more of a challenge -- a little bit faster than I am, as always seems to be the way.... So I built up all the fences a bit -- lots of flowers, panels, ground lines etc.

game face activated <3

I did give myself an array of heights too. A single cross rail for warm up, then obvi the crosses for the grid (I wanted to keep that inviting since Doozy doesn't have a lot of experience with grids yet). Then everything else was set from 2'3 to 2'7. No oxers, but the flower boxes and astroturf boxes gave some jumps more feeling of spread.

we're in a phase where the takeoff pics aren't very impressive

And guys... Doozy just clocked right on around. 

This mare, ugh, she is turning into exactly my ride <3

i love the casual feeling tho!

Like obviously it's not perfect. It's pretty easy to see in her technique why I want to do more grid work, and why I continue to like setting up big X's for the horse. She's got a somewhat casual style and doesn't mind clobbering the rails.

ok ok you caught me, i also just love the fall foliage backdrop <3

But she gives me a really good feeling. Like the feeling approaching the jumps and at takeoff is just... Idk how to describe it, she feels very connected. It's not that I've suddenly resolved my "pearl clutching" habit.... it's just that, idk, she just has a good feeling.

proud of myself for setting a full arrangement of appropriate fences -- and then jumping them all!

And she's gotten so steady too!! Like her rhythm is so much more consistent! I went back and watched videos of us jumping around last spring and you can see the natural rhythm... But I'm here to say that the feeling now is completely different -- esp in what it takes from me as a rider.

link to video here <3 <3 <3

if for no other reason, watch for the gorgeous evening glow + foliage!

I dunno. Maybe that's a whole lot of gushing about a fairly vanilla school. But, eh, for me? This is the stuff. It's been a long road with Doozy, and a lot of feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Not to mention the last few years of trying to nurse Charlie along as a riding horse. 

It takes me a long time to decide to make a change. And then, I guess, a long time to settle into that change. So hopefully you'll excuse me for occasionally indulging in appreciation when everything finally just feels.... good  <3 <3 <3