Continuing with the theme of it being brutally hot out, basically every choice I made about our stadium round had more to do with horse/rider heat mgmt than anything else.
I had left Charlie hangin out with fellow big bay Birdie on Rachael's trailer while we all hit the courses to watch Brita's jumping rounds. Which were, again, can't stress this enough, incredible. I'm just so freakin proud of her and what she's been able to do with Bella.
looking ready as we'll ever be for show jumping. pc Austen Gage
Like, for those of you who have been around for a while, you might remember how wonderfully Brita's last lease horse Wick blossomed with her in the irons. It was crushing and demoralizing when she lost the lease on him, and she had to make a lot of hard choices about how to move forward with riding and eventing amid the fallout.
Then new lease horse Bella entered the picture - a small, young, sensitive and opinionated spitfire mare who couldn't possibly be any more different from Wick's classy, easy going, war horse OTTB nature.
they've got such a great rhythm on course! via GIPHY
And like, self doubt is real, ya know? I think any rider can relate to the feeling of wondering whether we just "got lucky" with any past successes, and worrying that maybe we wouldn't actually be able to reproduce them again under different circumstances.
But Brita is nothing if not a hard worker. She's brave and bold, and shows up to work every day ready to do what needs done. The amount of care and thoughtfulness she's poured into literally every aspect of Bella's life - from their never ending searches for the perfect bits, to optimizing Bella's supplements and nutrition, to building the trust necessary for Bella to develop into one of the best jumping horses on the farm.... It's just been incredible to watch. And so so so inspiring.
making this giant log into water (shared with M) look easy. hint: it ain't easy! via GIPHY
So even despite the blazing heat (true story - I actually carried an umbrella to protect me from the sun ahead of my 1pm ride times....) it meant the world for me to dart around the xc course catching snippets of Brita's T course. So so so worth it!
These past few months of riding alongside Brita as she's been preparing for T have had another unexpected benefit: It's made my own N move up look extremely doable in comparison. It helps that I've ridden at this level in the past too. And that Charlie's so casual about height.
as i got positioned here for video, i watched a rider slam into the trakehner and fall into the ditch, where she landed immediately crying out for help. it was scary and a stark reminder that.... these jumps take respect. luckily that rider was ok enough to climb out of the ditch and get into a gator for additional care. but it's safe to say my heart was in my throat as brita galloped down to it! they were fine tho <3 via GIPHY
Mostly tho, seeing a peer handily navigate a level that had always looked so daunting to me was reassuring. I knew Charlie and I would be fine for our rides.
And spoiler: we totally were.
warming up with rachael and birdie was nice! pc Austen Gage
So after Brita's rides (wherein we made a team effort to get Bella's tack pulled so she could be hosed and scraped immediately - she was very very very hot), Rachael and I got our horses pulled off the trailer and began preparing for our rides.
warm up oxer before heading down to the ring. pc Austen Gage
Heat management was going to be a big part of this. The horses got sponged and scraped right away, then Austen helped me out by holding Charlie under the shade of some trees to dry off while I got my stuff ready to tack up.
charlie knew what was up immediately! i like it! pc Austen Gage
Then we made a pit stop at one of the multiple hoses available onsite (thanks Loch Moy!) after I mounted to spray Charlie and Birdie down again.
some deeper distances but he was clever and clean after my mistake at jump 2. pc Austen Gage
Then off to warm up! The steward said she was taking riders as they were ready, so I wasted no time in getting down to business. With the heat I was basically 100% of the mindset that the quicker we could get through things, the better.
knowing we had to get out of this line in 5 helped me get charlie pushed up. pc GRC
So I immediately jogged Charlie a lap in each direction on a floppy rein, cantered half a lap, then trotted him at the cross rail. Cantered around to one vertical, changed directions and cantered the other larger (I suspect above N height) vertical. Charlie knocked that one pretty hard - which would usually be my preferred feeling for him to have going into the ring. But it seemed prudent to take a pass over the warm up oxer first. So we did that, then trotted over to the steward who ushered us down to the ring.
gosh i think he's the cutest tho! pc Austen Gage
The warm up was fine enough for a horse like Charlie who knows his job and is pretty reliable. But the focus on being quick about the warm up vs being very effective meant that I didn't really spend any time trying to put the horse together and get him very connected in the bridle.
a little tight out of the bending line but nbd. pc Austen Gage
Which meant that we kinda met the first few fences on a little bit of a half stride - clobbering jump 2 after a totally whiffed lead change (lol whoops). The line from jumps 3-4 went a little better bc I knew it had to be 5 strides and actually pushed the horse up to it. Again we found somewhat deep distances to the bending line, but it was nbd.
made easy work of the outside line in 6. pc GRC
The next outside line rode pretty well for us in an easy 6, and then Charlie cruised right on around to finish through the 2 stride in and out like the easiest thing in the world. Then poof! we were done!!
felt great going into the in and out. pc Austen Gage
It wasn't our prettiest round to date, tho at least it was relatively smooth. The height was a non factor, Charlie felt comfortable and like he knew what he was doing. And it honestly just felt like if I had worked a little harder as a rider - spent more time putting him together and getting him connected, the jumps would have been better.
what can i say but that the horse loves grids?? pc Austen Gage
Like, missing that lead change between 1 and 2.... Even as I tried for the flying change I *knew* that we should be doing a simple change instead. But.... whatevskis, right? The only thing in my head was "Onward!" and so onward we went, even tho it cost us a rail.
esp bc grids help him carry his own balance. pc Austen Gage
It was an avoidable error that cost us in the final placings, but also one I'd probably make again under similar circumstances lol. #noregrets! And at least Charlie learned something from it haha, considering he nailed his autochange coming out of the next line lol...
So we left the arena and stuck around to watch Rachael and Birdie come right after us in their own clean and clear round before Austen took advantage of another onsite hose to spray down both horses again before heading out to cross country warm up. That was much appreciated by the ponies whose initial confusion about being hosed while under saddle was quickly replaced by relief lol.
so proud that this horse can basically just go on and do the thing even when i'm not 100% there <3 pc GRC
Seriously tho - Austen was a life saving groom (thank you!!) in that respect and I felt much better about heading out to an almost all-uphill course knowing that Charlie would hopefully be a little more comfortable for the hosing.
In a lot of ways, it feels like Brita and I swapped horses in our new equestrian partners.
Brita's former lease horse, Wick, was a stakes winning war horse who came to her with very little training post-track. He was very good natured, but uneducated to the point of actually seeming dull, especially with respect to contact.
Meanwhile, my former lease horse, Isabel, had solid training in the most fundamental of ways, but was unfinished with very limited mileage. She was sensitive and hot to the touch, but loaded with talent, athleticism and oomph, if you could just figure out how to channel it.
oomph, charlie. give me your OOMPH.
So now Brita has Bella, and I have Charlie. And the cycle continues. In many ways tho, we've been able to reassure each other through each of our respective new mounts' phases. (Who remembers Wick learning how to jump?!? Brita has been quick to reassure and remind me as Charlie learns now haha)
Most recently, we discussed Charlie's dressage test on the way home from Loch Moy. I expressed how working on submission and acceptance of the contact would be Charlie's next big hurdle. We've made significant progress already - he's not nearly as heavy on my hands as he started. There's a much steadier softness.
But.... He's still very much *on* my hands, rather than *in* my hands, if that makes sense. And let's be real - he's a racehorse. As far as he knows, he's supposed to lean in on the bit.
myler something or other
Brita therefore encouraged me to try a bit she used with Wick during the early days. Not a permanent solution, but rather a tool for breaking through that barrier, breaking through the cycle of leaning and pulling, to change the conversation so Wick started actually thinking more deeply about what, exactly, was in his mouth, and why.
at least the cheek pieces make us fit in a little better in hunterlandia, even if the beaded browband is a dead giveaway that we're impostors haha
Personally I tend to be resistant to this type of experimentation, and border on change-averse unless the idea comes directly from the mouth of one of my chosen, paid trainers. I've stuck with the same tried-n-true Sprenger KK snaffles for years now. Charlie actually goes in exactly the same bit as Isabel on his jump bridle, tho I replaced his dressage bit with a big fat heavy silver eggbutt snaffle at the recommendation of a favorite clinician.
But I opted to give it a try anyway. Shits and giggles and such. And I don't call Brita my life coach for nothin!
"no pictures. just feelings. so many feelings."
So I figured I'd write a little rundown of what this bit did that was different in our first ride:
The bit took Charlie entirely off my hands. No leaning at all.
Charlie put his head down, tho sometimes this involved curling behind the bit.
His trot was quite good. Not the best it's ever been, but quiiiite good.
Canter was GREAT.
Transitions were spot on. Up and down, walk trot canter, lovely lovely lovely. We practiced the 20m circle of transitioning up into, then back down out of canter from Intro C (something I've long felt would be a challenge for Charlie) and he was excellent.
Steering was a little worse, esp that damn right turn.
Gate sourness was amplified, increasingly so as the ride wore on.
The horse was a bit stuck behind my leg.
Charlie was stressed the fuck out.
I did not feel like I could push him up into the bit at all, lest I risk an explosion (and not a dinosaur-stuck-in-tar-pit tantrum, but an actual honest to god "HELP I'M TRAPPED" explosion).
Similarly, I was not able to 'push the contact forward' - he was very much behind my hand, not at all "in the bridle."
relieved it's over
Honestly? It was fascinating.
I tried very hard to be tactful and thoughtful with how I asked him to handle the bit. Tried to be simultaneously very steady but sympathetic and forgiving with my hands. Not the easiest thing for me, but I tried.
Mostly I wanted to give the horse time to sort it out and process what was going on, including through walk breaks and occasional application of peppermints to get him licking and chewing on the bit.
From the perspective of getting Charlie to recognize the bit as an actual piece of equipment that is intended to improve our communication? I'm intrigued to see what difference this bit could make. However, with Charlie in particular, I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of spending any serious time schooling when he's behind my leg like that, especially if I can't push him forward into the bit. That is a recipe for disaster with this horse (actually, maybe most horses?).
so handsome tho <3
It also felt like we were rapidly reaching his maximum brain capacity. For a quiet horse, he really is very sensitive and can become tense or overwhelmed by pressure (it just happens to be quite easy to miss if you're not paying attention). He gave me a very good, obedient ride, but I still cut it short bc I could feel the quarter running out.
So my very tentative plan is to switch immediately back to the snaffle for the next few rides. Paying close attention to whether I can access some of the 'give' he had with the myler. And then potentially trying the myler again for another one-off ride.
The idea is: Charlie showed improvements in some areas while actively wearing this bit. I will want to test to see if those improvements hold when we switch back to our normal bit. If that's the case, then we may choose to intermittently school with this bit to continue developing those improvements. However if there is no difference shown without using this bit, or, god forbid, if things get worse, then we'll ditch it altogether.
We'll see, I guess. It was honestly an incredible difference, esp compared to the difference Charlie showed in switching into the fat eggbutt (read: no difference shown). It definitely makes me feel more thoughtful about some of the stronger bits out there, and the importance of bitting with care for each individual horse's needs.
Of course I know a TON of you have had to experiment with bits, whether from picky horses or for training reasons. Have you had any extreme experiences with bit experimentation? Or any lessons learned? Or are you similarly change-averse like me, sticking with your one or two favorites no matter the horse?
Or should I call this another Friday Foto Finish? Whatever. Same subject, alternative alliteration.
ANYWHO.
Here's a raft of random photographic happenings from the last month or so that have not managed to make it into a post of their own (despite my best intentions). Each fragment is meaningful to me tho so I want to document them here for posterity and reflection!!
Like that time I went to Plantation with Alli and Megan K!! I can't believe I still haven't edited the media to do this post... ugh. I made a video tho - it's below if you're interested! Who knows, maybe one rainy cold day I'll get around to posting all the awesomely bad ass pictures from this day. Maybe in mid winter when we're all wishing to get back outside again? For now tho, enjoy the video :) (and my weak promises to do a better job about Fair Hill this weekend!!!!)
Also the DIY customized fringe bonnet train has kept on rolling - with some old dusty stained navy monstrosity that turned into something passable after a trip to my local crafts shop. Charlie now has his very own sparkle hat!! And just look at all those bead options - really the possibilities are endless!
And. Um. Just sticking this in here bc there's really no rhyme or reason to it, but I shared my morning metro commute with a butterfly last week and it somehow felt oddly special. So. Butterflies. You're welcome.
Moving on to other special, tho decidedly sad, happenings.... I'm not the only one among my group of friends who has experienced major upheavals in horsey life. Being purposefully vague (lest my rage and heartbreak boil over), Brita lost the lease on Wick. They had an incredibly special and inspiring journey together, and Wick is a much better and more valuable horse for the time he spent in Brita's care.
No rest for the weary tho - I don't call Brita my 'life coach' for nothing. She's already undertaken a new journey with another promising yet green horse. So you haven't seen the last of her yet! Once Charlie and I have this whole 'trailer' thing figured out, we'll be right back on the weekly riding lesson routine with these guys!! In the meantime tho we're getting our fix with beers 'n puppies and occasionally jump judging together at events. #winning
Speaking of events and horse shows, Charlie's home barn has hosted a couple shows in the past few weekends. It's proved to be a good opportunity to expose him to heightened atmosphere (including the PA system and noisy air compressors and generators). He's proven to be a little spooky about some of it, so I'm grateful to have these opportunities for practice while we're at home!
Because we all know how much I love horse shows! Competing in horse shows, spectating at horse shows, and supporting friends at horse shows - I love it all! Especially like this past weekend, when Amelia from Dark Jewel Designs (remember her guest post from earlier this summer?) made her way down to Loch Moy!! So obviously I had to get out there to meet her and her lovely gelding, Duke!!
Plus it was just a gorgeous (albeit VERY windy) day - perfect for taking in all the sights and getting in some cross country course walking (a favorite activity of mine, even tho I haven't had a course of my own to walk since May....), and observing legends like Bruce Davidson Sr casually pilot his lovely gray through the training courses. And notice - that's the same horse from when we watched him do the puissance at Plantation?!?
Anyway tho, getting out there to watch Amy and Duke KILL IT in stadium and cross country was so cool - thanks so much for inviting me!!! Even tho I had already ridden that morning before going out (that was the day Charlie tackled his first actual jump under saddle!), I was totally inspired to go home and ride again. lol. Luckily for Charlie man, I satisfied myself with beers and football instead. #priorities....
Of course another benefit of seeing Amy at Loch Moy was strategizing about refitting the many beautiful customized bead strands she's made me into Charlie-size browbands. I can't wait - he's going to look soooooo good!!!! :D
And, bc let's be real, no post is complete without at least one adorable Charlie pic - here he is trying on his winter clothes. What can I say, but that homeboy looks good in navy!!
Happy Friday, y'all - here's to having a great weekend!!
Back by popular demand - it's moar ponehs!!! Same babies, different day.
But now complete with 100% moar Wicked too!!!
Ah man it just makes my cold dark little heart go pitter patter to see these tiny little yearling shetlands and big ol' warhorse Wick be all friendly and stuff.
And about Wick - seriously, what is not to love about this guy?
I always get eighteen kinds of paranoid about a horse striking out or spinning and kicking, esp around smalls and babies.... idk why. It kinda seems like that's a thing tho? And Isabel was definitely a striker.
But damn, Wick is such a diplomat. Seriously tho - doesn't he basically look like some politician on a state trip, going down the line and shaking hands? Putting this out there right now: Wick for President 2016!!!!
Obvi tho we can't leave all the fun to Wick - I had to spend my own time with the babies too. I esp loved that little horse sized orphan foal. What a sweetie! As soon as I'd scratch his back, he would start mutually scratching one of the yearlings' backs too.
And those yearlings were mighty sweet. Still ponies tho... So obvi still closer to hell haha. Super cute tho!
Happy Sunday everyone - hope your weekend is full of soft fluffy sweet ponies too!
So legitimately I think this needs to be a real thing. Seriously. That feeling (all you bloggers must certainly know it) of knowing you should probably get a post out... but not being all that sure what the hell to even write about. So you start swiping through your recent photos like, wtf have I even done recently?
And so. Dear readers, friends, fellow horse ppl who maybe just kinda have lots of random pictures on your phones: may I present a Friday photo dump of lots of little things that will be forced into one single horse-shaped post.
For starters - let's see a show of hands here, who streamed the Olympic games while at work? All of you, I'd wager, at some point or another haha. Alas, I ran into the struggle of not having actual cable (bc of course I don't, I live under a rock, remember?) so Austen was kind enough to provide her mother's cable login credentials so I could watch. Um, thanks mama G!
We also made another trip back to Olde Hope Farms for Brita and lesson director R's horse show. I mostly just played spectator and pretend groom (meaning: person who hands you cold water and beer), and not very sadly at that seeing as it was super hot out. Still tho - what a fun day. All horses and riders performed very well, with Brita and Wick even locking down their first dressage score in the 20s at novice!
Our show set up was aaaaalmost on point. Almost. So close. Except. Well. My canopy (the blue one) died a sudden and tragic death at its first outing at Plantation earlier this summer (Allison was there to witness lol). It still.... kinda? does the job? But... not really. Idk. It stood up for the whole day tho so I'm gonna call it a win - we needed that shade!
Especially bc Brita got a puppy!!!!! And this little puppy needed it's shade for naps!!
Seriously tho, how sweet is she?
And then we found an EVEN SMALLER PUPPY OMG!
On a slightly less cute note, my ensuing week kicked off with a flight out to Memphis for quite the work-related roadtrip through the South - a region that I hadn't previously gotten to know. But we certainly got to see a lot of it on this trip, with plenty of stops along the way! (Tho, in all honestly, we didn't actually stop in Greenville or Greenwood, but they were notable landmarks along the way all the same).
My colleague roadtripping with me has actually lived in the Delta before, and knew all the history and all the landmarks and had very personal connections to everything. Including needing to make a quick pit stop at Miss State for a picture to send his daughter.
I gotta say - all that insider info definitely gave the trip a better shape than had I just gone through it all by my lonesome yankee self haha (nvm that Maryland is technically south of the Mason-Dixon line - we like to say that Baltimore has all of the Northern charm and Southern efficiency haha).
Once back in Baltimore, things continued on their hot August summery ways. Including the hatching of all our cicadas. Such crazy weird bugs. Kinda creepy actually, watching them emerge from their armored shells. But cool. If you're into that kind of thing... (which obvi I am lol)
Mostly tho it's always nice to come back home bc of the kitties. They haven't gotten too mad at all my absences bc it's been balanced out by working remotely for the first time ever. So even tho I am technically out of town and away more than ever before, they are actually still seeing more of me bc of working from home. So I guess the cats are the real winners in my life choices haha.
I'm trying to fix that balance tho. #needsmoarhorses, ya know? I'm working on it. An intro lesson at a new barn with this elder statesman Remmy went a long way towards remedying that. Not an awful lot to share yet - but I'm feeling optimistic about getting back into a regular riding routine with actual full-sized horses who probably aren't neglected problem children lol.
Like this poor problem child. Oh Krimpet, sweet thing. She was SO TIRED OMG before this ride. It's camp season and she's workin' her little butt off apparently. Which isn't the worst thing... except for some reason they decided to free jump her for camp - having her go pretty high for a pony (tho as you have seen she's actually quite a nice jumper).
Which. Well. She jumped that 3'6 fence no problem, and proceeded to jump right on out of the arena. Bc guys. This pony aint stupid haha. I'm not totally sure why they chose to take a sour baby horse with a poor work ethic and run it through a scope test... Especially when it resulted in teaching an already-naughty pony a new trick... But whatever. Nobody asked me and it's sure as hell not my horse, so I don't call the shots.
So whatever. Greener grass beckons. In the meantime, my cats are kinda judging me for even considering life outside the walls. Well. OG is maybe still curious, but Martini knows. Ohh he knows. He's got it figured out all right haha.
What about you - what story would the recent photos in your phone tell?
