she can do the twist

Obviously the “she” in this post’s title refers to “me,” as in… Good lord will I ever learn to sit up straight??? Ahem…

we’re at peak colors right now and the weather is GLORIOUS

I’m not gonna lie — things got a little cuckoo with scheduling this week. It suddenly got quite a bit busier than I intended or would generally prefer, and actually we aren’t quite done yet either..

she is the sweetest nosiest cutest busybody biscuit ever, you can almost hear her asking, “hey why are you hacking out without me!?” lol

And naturally I have almost nothing to show for it all in terms of media. Which is annoying, but that’s how it goes sometimes, ya know? Basically, I already told you about the sorta last-minute clinic coordination for getting a ride in with Matt Brown over the weekend… 

being sweet and cute at yet another destination lesson too, good girl

And then something similar happened just days later, when I followed up on a lead for getting back onto the clinic rotation schedule with another 5* eventer, Dom Schramm. And the organizer no joke was like, “Actually, yea, will tomorrow at 4 work?”

riding in another lesson with Dom, you might remember we did a couple lessons during the summer of 2024 too

Somewhat serendipitously, it DID work, and so we went ahead and did it! Was Doozy annoyed at getting right back on the trailer again? Nah lol, she’s a total pro about all things traveling for lessons at this point, good girl.

doozy was extremely preoccupied by all the doggos

Tho she was a bit, er, *amped up* at the lesson, esp bc there was a ton of activity in the paddocks and pastures surrounding the ring as horses were freshly turned out and frolicking. All that to say, we didn’t really present our best selves in the lesson, necessarily. But we did accurately represent ourselves, which… at the end of the day is probably more useful.

anyway. back to the twisting. y’all already know how we do. this pic from a few days earlier in the last clinic with Matt, wherein i demonstrate my habit of hanging off the inside of the horse as she skitters wildly around the corner

Dom picked up basically exactly where Matt had left off with us, albeit with slightly more level-appropriate jumps haha. He worked us through a couple repetitions of basic courses — single jumps on each diagonal (one a vertical, the other an oxer), an outside line in what I’m going to guess was 60’ (we did it in an easy 5, trotting in), and a grid of 3 X’s set at one stride distances up the other outside line.

what is there to say other than i kinda just love to hang off the inside of the horse lol. pic from Doozy’s first competition BN round two full years ago, back in 10/2024

But the focus wasn’t really about the jumps. Like. We know Doozy can jump a jump. It’s the before and after that’s the main issue, right? Dom echoed everything Matt had said about low hands and trying to just stay exactly the same right up to, and especially right after each fence.

proof i can lean just as easily i dressage tack!

He took it a step further tho by really hammering on my tendency to tip and lean off to one side, especially when Doozy gets bolt-y and wild — as she frequently did in this lesson bc #dogs etc. 

one last representative photo bc why not lol, at least the mare’s cute!!

In a weird way, he almost seemed apologetic or like he had to explain why it was so important for me to be better about holding my posture… but like, dude no, pls, lay it on me. Lay it on thick. I **know** I’m doing all sorts of weird crazy things up there. And I’d really rather not, thanks. 

anyway. enough flashback action shots. here’s more peak fall foliage from hacking this week!

But it’s like I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. My muscle memory is so strong, so deeply engrained. And when Doozy is spinning her wheels like a lunatic thrashing around the corners etc bc Nobody Said There Would Be Dogs!!!!!, ahem, sometimes my focus kinda narrows down to just the essentials of that moment, like, “slow down” and “don’t crash into anything.”

the goodest girl <3

In addition to putting posture first in my mind in those moments, tho, Dom also wanted me to either get my leg back on right away, or, better yet — never take it off in the first place. Especially my right leg.

trees are getting pretty bare tho!

And go figure, the more he reminded me these things, and the more I did them bc of the active reminding, the better Doozy got. Bc guys she really REALLY DOES actually want to listen and do the right thing. And at this point, she truly does know what the right thing is most of the time.

trying to soak up every last drop before the clocks change

It’s just that I have to tell her what I want, and be a whole heckuva lot quicker to do it. So much of Doozy’s explosiveness is just her filling a void, making poor choices in the absence of clear direction.

seriously gorgeous tho, right?

And at this point I’m so habituated to the explosiveness that it’s like I take for granted that it has to be this way. When… it really really doesn’t. Well. Ok. Doozy IS who she is, she’s always going to be hot and reactive. 

there are certainly worse ways to spend our time!

But she’s also super smart and seems to genuinely enjoy the game when she knows the rules and knows what to expect. Doozy is a high achiever, she’s happiest when she thinks she’s doing the right thing. She wants to color inside the lines, ya know? And do so with gusto and an unceasing forward drive LOL.

So ya know. I keep working on it haha. The lessons help, tho! Hopefully they will continue to be forthcoming into the off season as well!