grids - finally!

As previously mentioned, I was expecting to go to a jumpers show saturday instead of our weekly lesson. But things worked out differently, so off to our lesson we went. 

It's probably for the best, since Isabel hadn't done anything in nearly a week (frozen arena footing... boo) and had just started a two week course of gastrogard. 

She was pretty good for the ride, all things considered. But also not particularly motivated. Not sassy, tho - she said yes to everything I asked and was very workman-like. But it kinda felt like she was just going through the motions - phoning it in, if you will. That's fine tho. 

It provided the perfect opportunity for us to cross off another long-standing goal: GRIDS!!

One fence at a time, P built up a three-fence grid on the outside rail - with the rail on our left side (perfect for our left drift issue!). The fences were 18' apart - a short one stride for us. 

3 fences set 18' apart

The whole objective here was for me to set Isabel up going into the grid so that she could adjust as necessary while I focused on other things - like keeping my legs under me. The short distance had me wanting to mess with our in jump (predictably resulting in chips) or pace through the grid. But when I'd quit trying to micromanage Isabel and just mind my own Ps and Qs, things went quite swimmingly. 

Second exercise was three fences set 30' apart - so 2 strides. Still short-ish, but allowing for a little more forward. 

looking at jumps 1 and 2, before the far green/purple fence was moved into line

Our first time through the two stride combo was a little stilted - had a slightly too-sharp corner and a wonky in jump. Izzy still took care of business, but it wasn't very smooth. 

video of first trip

We went through again and got a pretty heinous in jump (totes 100% my fault) so I actually just circled right out of the line to try it again. P said I should have kept going and done 3 strides... but idk... I wanted to reorganize.  

Third time was the charm, I guess. We rounded our corner off a little more (you can hear P in the video calling out 'now turn!' lol) and that helped our in jump arrive a little nicer. 

video of second, better trip

I think it was a good lesson for Isabel bc it wasn't particularly challenging - just straight lines over short distances. And I mostly just had a loop in my reins as we went around. The real benefit was for me - I tried to stay very very conscious of my lower legs, and envisioned keeping the soles of my shoes facing the jumps. 

P suggested thinking of moving my feet towards my elbows... but that's currently a little beyond my coordination skills, considering my arms aren't in the right place either yet, and there's NO WAY I can focus on two separate body parts simultaneously lol.

still plenty of, uh, 'fun' eq moments tho lol

sunday snapshot

There was a slight change of plans yesterday when my barn mate backed out of the show last minute with a lame horse - oops. So, uh, yea... we just did our normal saturday lesson. Recap and media to follow later.

spoiler alert - we jumped over some stuff with varying degrees of success

Today's agenda holds the last lesson with our bio-mechanics trainer until next spring... At least I'm slated for a full hour and the weather should be cooperative. 

In fact - the temperatures are supposed to hit the low 70s by Monday, and stay fairly mild through the week (hopefully with limited precipitation). So fingers crossed we'll get more saddle time! Yay!!

'don't look at me like that, i'm not messin with anything!'

'oh, THAT sponge? well, it was in my way. nbd'

Also just realized that Friday was my 100th post. I'm still kinda surprised that I have a blog (don't have facebook, twitter, instagram, or any other social media varietal beyond linkedin for profesh purposes)... but I'm really enjoying it! 

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: this horsey blogging community has been hugely inspiring to me on so many levels. And I am so grateful for all the folks who take time to read and comment. Thank you!!

show day - no prep required

So I decided to show today, despite not riding since a trail ride last Sunday... Super preparatory, like we do. 

Thanks everyone for chiming in yesterday - definitely gave me a lot to think about! My plan is to give Izzy a small breakfast before we leave (she usually only eats dinner) and keep her nose buried in hay at all times to keep her tummy happy. ALSO - the gastrogard finally arrived yesterday afternoon - so Iz started her 2wk course with last night's dinner!!! phew :)

We did all our clean up and packing last night too, so she won't have to stand around and risk getting all worked up before leaving. She'll just come in - eat - then off we go!

I checked in with my trainer anyway, tho, and she encouraged us to go. She says that the host farm is always a lot of fun, and the show should be very informal and low key. I'm doing the puddle jumpers 2' division, so hopefully we'll be ok after a week off. 

We've never done pure jumpers before, and I'm actually kind of excited, if a bit nervous - esp about the twisty turns and confusing courses. 

hopefully we don't look like this!!

Also, going to try to avoid earning yet another badge of dishonor:

available through cafrepress

Wish us luck!

decisions decisions ... (aka boo winter!)

So this week has kinda been a bust, riding wise. It's no big secret that the freezing temps have descended on most of the country in a big way. We haven't seen real snow yet (knock on wood), but the arena is frozen for the first time this season. 

Our arena's location prevents direct sunlight until the afternoon, and it's also blocked by trees to the west. Combined with poor drainage, the few hours of direct sunlight just aren't enough to counteract overnight lows in the 20s. 

Three days off (mon, tues, wed) isn't really a huge deal for the Princess right now. It's not ideal, but them's the breaks. 

love those ears <3

We expected the ring to thaw in time for a lesson with C last night... but that didn't happen. In fact, this particular freeze is likely to last through the weekend. 

Which means that riding tonight is also unlikely. So I have a dilemma. 

A barn mate and I planned to go to a fun Jumpers show tomorrow - $50 for three classes in the puddle jumpers 2' division: power & speed, power, and jump off. Sounds like a blast, right??

But given our week off (plus the fact that the gastrogard for treating Isabel's suspected ulcers *still* hasn't arrived....), I'm wondering if the money is better spent on our regular lesson - which is at the same time as the show. 

On the other hand, Isabel is fit enough and sane enough to go out there after a week off without too much issue (again, knocking on wood lol). We've never done a jumpers show before, and this one sounds like a perfect first outing... and it's always fun to show with friends (esp since I usually do my stuff alone). 

But I don't know, I guess I'm trying to assess value here... What would you do? 

the barn cats recommend a double dose of sunshine

Also - in the unlikely event that you don't already follow T Myers at A Filly's Best Friend - make sure to check the awesome contest, facebook silent auction, and other fundraising efforts she and her team are doing to fund their trip to the Midsouth Three Day Challenge. 

You can contribute directly on their Go Fund Me page HERE.

Best of luck to the Weenie Eventers Event Team!! 

november's 10 questions

Another set of questions from the prolific and ever diligent L. Williams at Viva Carlos: 

1. Have you ever owned a horse?
Not yet. But a girl can dream!!


2. What is your favorite aspect of your discipline?
I'm new to eventing. I was drawn to this sport bc it requires horses and riders to be well rounded and versatile, but doesn't get bogged down in style over function. 

fan-girling on Phillip Dutton while jump judging the prelim course at the MCTA Horse Trials at Shawan Downs this summer

3. What pet peeves do you have concerning your discipline?
Again, I'm a too new to have a lot of baggage. I hear frustration from riders in the lower levels who are ready to jump higher, but don't have solid enough dressage to actually move up a level. This isn't something that affects me personally.

At the upper levels, I hear concerns about the safety of horse and rider. That the format of the sport has changed over time so that competing horses aren't actually as fit as they used to need to be. Then combined with incredibly challenging xc courses, the danger becomes very real.


4. Do you do barn chores?
I do the Saturday morning chores (stalls, water, hay, sweeping) and Sunday morning feeding and chores at Isabel's barn. I've always liked working at barns, and find it both mentally and physically rewarding. Plus I like that it creates more interaction and socializing with other barn mates and horses that I might not know otherwise.

'hello, yes, we are hungry. plz feed us.'

5. What is your least favorite barn chore?
If I have slave labor lesson kids helping, I usually foist off the water chores and sweeping first. Dragging around muddy hoses and coiling them up is definitely not my favorite! Tho this is a little cruel to make the kids do in the winter... (plus they're sloppy and splash water everywhere, leading to ice in freezing temps)

ughhhhh. too soon.

6. What do you consider the worst vice in a horse?
Horses that risk bodily injury to themselves in an attempt to evade the rider. Rearing comes to mind here. I also get frustrated with horses that have perfected the art of dumping their rider. Some of them have surgical precision!


7. What saddle brand is your favorite?
My knowledge here is limited. I've had favorites at previous barns, but never knew what they were (almost guaranteed that none were very fancy). Had an HDR of my own for a while and liked it well enough, but sold it since it didn't fit Izzy and was just gathering dust in my trunk. 


8. Do you ride with a quarter sheet in the winter
Nope. Never felt the need (esp bc once the arena freezes we pretty much can't ride anyway). 


9. Does your horse wear boots? What kind?
Isabel wears velcro-on bell boots for the trailer. Under saddle, she has neoprene splint boots up front, and hard shell fetlock boots behind (and has been known to interfere behind when she's due for the farrier). I'm not really satisfied with the current boots, tho, and will hopefully be upgrading this situation before next season! 

boots visible here

10. Full seat or knee patch breeches?
Either or. My show pants are knee patch, but could just as easily be full seat. I'm loving my full seat pipers for this cooler weather, tho I'll eventually switch to my knee patch fleece lined Kerrits for full winter.

ww - pics from october's schooling show

Finally got my hands on the actual pictures from the fun schooling show in October. I figured it might be nice to get some actual quality photos on here, instead of the video stills we've all come to know and love (or not, your mileage may vary...). Enjoy!

All photographs are credited to Patti Fenwick. 

drop those stirrups!!

optimum balance

One reason I constantly beg innocent bystanders to please take video of my rides: I love grabbing zillions of video stills to over-analyze my position. You, uh, may have noticed this already lol. 

There was one photo from this weekend's lesson (below) that provided a perfect side view of our jumping effort. This is pretty much my standard current position. The blue dots are on my shoulder and ankle (the red line is vertical, for reference).

I am always slightly ahead of the horse. My upper body tips too far forward (with the help of some mane grabbing action), and my knees are pinched - causing my lower to leg slip back (with toe pointing straight out). If you removed the horse from this picture, would I still be standing or would I fall on my face??

This also means that I have no balance or support on the landing side of the fence and can't maintain my position long enough. 

C caught onto this in our lesson a few weeks back, and had me watch *her* on our approach to the jump instead of the actual jump. This way I couldn't anticipate and get ahead of Isabel. It helped, but has proven difficult to recreate on my own.  

William Fox Pitt & Cool Mountain

original photo by Beth Harpham / Equidigital.com (found here)

Now I obviously don't expect to reach William Fox Pitt levels of awesomeness, but he serves as a model for how I would like my position to be. 

(And yes - it is possible to find plenty of pics where WFP is ahead or behind too... this is just an example. And no - I don't think body type or any physical differences between men and women should make a difference. My focus here is whether the upper body is balanced over the lower leg.)

But I definitely have room for improvement. A few simple sounding things need to happen:

• stabilize lower leg at the girth
• close hip angles

If I can solidify my lower leg, it'll be easier to keep my upper body in balance. It isn't necessarily required that the shoulder be directly over the ankle, so long as that lower leg is doing it's job. Seems easy enough, right?

Dom Schramm from Evention recommended in one of their videos (can't remember which one) that riders think of facing the bottoms of their feet *at* the fence. It's been a useful mental image for me, and helps keep that heel down and my weight in the lower leg rather than the knee. I've also heard other riders suggest thinking of sticking your butt out.

But it's difficult to remember these things when I'm barreling towards big scary jumps and apparently not breathing lol.  

So I'm curious - what are the mental images or tips / tricks that you use to help keep your position in order while you're actually riding the course?