Wednesday, May 18, 2016

creative thinking

Oops, it's been a couple days, huh. Sorry! I somewhat unexpectedly ended up in Seattle this week. Not nearly the worst thing that can happen to a person (I <3 the PNW) - but it threw my schedule sliiiiiiightly out of whack. 

Which is maybe possibly a blessing in disguise. Or a deus ex machina intervention. For... reasons. 

that winning feeling?
Being somewhat purposefully vague here, things are not going well with the jumping. And I need to do some serious assessment. And reassessment. Evaluation. Etc. Those words. Lots of it. 

Part of this revolves around the non-refundable entry that's already committed to Jenny Camp this weekend. And part of it revolves around sending in any other entries. While I was busy waffling about the final HT of Loch Moy's spring series in two weeks, the show filled up and entries closed. In a way, I'm relieved. That decision (likely the correct one anyway) was made for me. 

majestic mare is majestically lit
For Jenny Camp... ugh, I think we will go. The show is local and held by my favorite organization the MCTA, trainer P will be there (for those curious, she's participating in this decision process and will tailor our lesson the day prior specifically to our needs), and worse comes to worst, I can just scratch at the last minute. The money is gone anyway, ya know? 

Oh, and they pin dressage separately, so there's still a chance for some satin... (ridiculous tho that may be)

Other areas of assessment include the saddle situation. I'm pretty much donezo with the K&M. Even tho our rides haven't necessarily improved with the Bates, I feel WORLDS better in the saddle. 

such majesty
In fact - I'll take it a step further: at least at the 2'6" level (and honestly, pretty much at 2'9" and 3'), my confidence is recovering in a big way. 

It's weird tho - the recovery isn't bc I'm remembering that it's nbd and that it's all easy peasy and I had nothing to worry about in the first place... No. Um. Worries are valid right now (ask me how I know...). Rather, it's recovering by necessity. I *NEED* to be committed to the fences and to the ride bc Isabel needs literally every single ounce of support I can offer her. 

Anyway, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about the Bates. Isabel was much less sore after switching the gullet plate out to a medium wide last fall and padding it up, so fingers crossed I can keep her comfortable here. 

trying to keep this partnership on the rails
Also, turns out her Lyme levels are elevated again this year so she's on Doxy again (for the... 3rd or 4th time at this point). Is it possible that the Lyme was responsible for some of the soreness we had been seeing? Maybe yes. But it's not quite time yet to call that case closed. 

There are a couple other areas under consideration too that are more frustrating, bc they get into the areas that are beyond my jurisdiction, so to speak, as the horse's leaser and not owner. 

So yea. We are in a creative thinking phase right now. Sorry this is so vague - I do actually have more details (and at least one hilarious photo) to share from recent rides. I just want to be thoughtful about writing it up, and that takes some time. Patience, y'all!

57 comments:

  1. Here for you, friend! <3 If nothing else, riding teaches us perseverance, determination, creativity, and strengthens our character. I'm confident in your abilities to find a solution in conjunction with your awesome support team!

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    1. Thanks :) my dream team has their work cut out with us lol

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  2. That all just sounds so stressful. Ugh!

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  3. Ugh. I hope things get better. You know where to find me if you want/need to vent. I told S that I want to do the ground poles CT at one of our shows...I am going to get my butt kicked by the 4 year olds on the ponies. :)

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    1. Ha nah you guys will be great - I can feel it!!

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  4. Oh man, I am so sorry you are going through this :/ If anyone can commiserate on sore backs and medical mysteries, its me! I hope you and Izzy get your groove back soon. You are such a great team and I always enjoy reading about your adventures. You could say I live vicariously. ;)

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    1. Yea you have certainly had your share is mystery issues with Boca... Thanks tho. I am hopeful we will sort this out!

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  5. I hope that things turn around for you soon! I hate when everything seems to pile up at once :\ Thinking good and positive thoughts for you and Izzy!

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    1. It does feel a little bit like a pile. Thanks tho!

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  6. Blegh. I'm sorry things aren't going to well right now. Things will work out. Hopefully the adjusted Bates does the trick for Izzy.

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    1. Thank you! Sadly I'm pretty confident this isn't a saddle fit issue (well, it was a fit for me issue, but that's not what's up with the horse right now) but we are exploring all reasonable options anyway

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  7. Crossing my fingers for a quick answer!

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  8. uf i hate sorting out nebulous stuff like that. its easier when its straightforward.

    like breaking your pinky. or foot ;)

    saddle stuff is so hard... i am all about making sure the saddle doesnt hurt the horse but normally my #1 feeling is if im okay in it. bc ifi m not then it doesnt matter what its doing to the horse bc the rest is going to be f'ed up

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    1. Yea... Didn't mean to give the impression above that the problem with our jumping is a saddle fit issue. Bc I'm pretty sure it is not. It's just one of the things I've assessed recently....

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    2. oh its a saddle fit issue all right - but its a saddle fit with YOU not the horse :P

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    3. i mean, yea the saddle didn't fit me and that was not fun for me. but the issues with isabel right now are slightly different and perhaps only loosely related. whatever saddle i'm sitting in does not appear to make a difference either. again, i know i'm being vague - but there are specific issues that i will write more about later that predate the k&m completely, and have only escalated regardless of saddle choice.

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  9. Um. No. No patience allowed. I needz moar. #isabel4lyfe

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  10. :( I hope that there are resolutions on your horizons in every front and specifically in a way that benefits you and Isabel as a team because I am invested in you guys.

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  11. I hope there is a resolution soon :( Im glad there are at least some answers and she is getting treatment...Saddle fitting is such a pain. Trying to find a saddle that fits both you and the horse is just so much harder than I ever thought!

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    1. Yea it really isn't a saddle issue. The k&m fit her well enough. Just didn't fit me, so riding in the bates again is giving me the security I need to give Isabel more of the support she needs.

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    2. Thats my point!! trying to find one that fits both just is hard!! Glad to hear the bates is working though :)

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  12. You are such a busy bee, I am surprised that you get as much accomplished as you do! Even if it might not be what you were hoping for. And damn that Lyme. It is the worst.

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    1. in a way this new level of busy-ness is forcing me to be more mindful about the decisions i make for the horse. which, probably, can only be a good thing for her. but yea. lyme. ugh. the worst. you know all about it.

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  13. Sorry you're struggling. Horses just suck sometimes. Cocktails help!

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  14. Are you still in Seattle? I'll be there tomorrow! If so- shoot me an email to meet up (emilyjwaggoner@gmail.com)!

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  15. Vagueness aside, I do understand what you're saying. Do your best, make educated decisions, don't get discouraged, set yourself up for success whenever possible. These are my equally vague pieces of advice. :)

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    1. Vague but effective. Setting ourselves up for success is something I definitely strive for. It's a little hard right now determining what success actually looks like but we are trying!

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  16. With as good as she was at the last show, I didn't realize there were issues beyond saddle fit. Hope you can get things resolved and recovered in fast order, there are lots of ribbons that need your name on them :)

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    1. Well the saddle fit issue was only related to me and my position. The horse's issue is in jumping the jumps. We crashed thru a jump at our last show. That's.... Not good. I almost fell off at the show before that. Also not great.

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  17. Sending you big hugs - just remember that this too shall pass. And in the grand scheme of things, it is disappointing but it isn't necessarily the "worst" that could happen!

    Thinking about you and hope things improve!

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  18. I hope things get better for you soon.

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  19. I recall her owner is riding her more now? Is it that you've lost the defacto full lease? I know I started giving one lesson a week on Kat and was like what the heck is this crap where'd my horse go hahaha

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    1. The owner had made moves that made me think she would be riding again, but (like in times past) it never ended up happening. Owner is absent completely, it's just me.

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  20. FUN is what we will get back to!!! Blah! These crazy horses!! You and izzy are an awesome team! If it was easy and perfect all the time, then everyone would do it! It's going to be a great weekend! Can't wait!

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  21. Fingers crossed things resolve relatively easily for you and mare face.

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  22. You will conquer. I have faith.

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    1. thanks Liz - whatever is in my power i will do!!!

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  23. I feel for you. I went through similar issues with jumping last spring. It's tough. But it will click again. I hope you can get everything sorted out without to much stress.

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    1. thanks. it's easy to get sucked into a rough patch and feel like it's bottomless... hopefully you're right tho!

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  24. aaGH! Not good at the vaguenesses! I know you and Izzy can certainly work through all the things--but you have me worried. :( Best of luck with what ever is going on.

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    1. honestly i'm a little worried too, but we will see one way or another. isabel has a lot of folks who believe in her and are rooting for her!

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  25. Is that snow....? Sorry off topic

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    1. ha - i wondered if anybody would notice that! yes it is snow, but it's also a reposted pic - these are all old pics bc i just wanted to see her pretty face ;)

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  26. Hopefully everything gets worked out. I loved how my K&M fit my horse, but hated how it fit me. Maybe if they made an 18.5 it would have been better, but I always felt like I was "in the back seat" when riding in that saddle. Good luck at your show!

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    1. thanks! yea somehow the seat and the flap did not work together for how my own body is put together... i just can't stay forward with the horse!

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