Phew, ok guys - let's talk about yesterday's season opener at Loch Moy! Charlie's and my first horse trial of 2018. And our first return to competition since Fair Hill last September before Charlie did his splint. Also our third run at beginner novice.
so happy with this sweet gelding
So lots of fun boxes to check off on this particular day. And Charlie rose to the occasion, good boy! Obviously I'll have lots of detail to share over the next couple of days, with a complete play-by-play of each phase.
Included in this will be some thinking about environmental implications from the weather and ground conditions and whatnot (like how the footing was actually still frozen solid during our early morning dressage warm up and test, and how there was still snow in places on xc....).
charlie revels in the attention of everyone helping get him dressed for the running and jomping!
Mostly tho, from a high level, I've got a couple initial thoughts:
- Charlie was quiet, consistent and obedient in dressage, fully holding up his end of the bargain and accounting for an easy baseline of straight 6s.
- However it's my responsibility to ask him for more. I consciously chose not to on this particular day, and for reasons. Next time tho I'll do it differently.
he also revels in the party afterwards haha
- Stadium was Charlie's stand-out phase during this competition, just like at Tranquility last summer.
- It keeps surprising me when this test proves to be his strength, bc it's definitely not my strong suit. Go figure.
- It helped that this course was almost identical to the course we schooled in our lesson the day before haha. Details on that coming soon too.
i love this pic bc it captures the whole team: groom crew and photographers extraordinaire watching from the sidelines, plus you can just see Brita's pretty blue coat through the fence as she warms up for dressage
- Cross country was..... Hm. How to describe? It was sliiiiiightly out of control. Bordering on uncomfortable in places as Charlie rushed the fences and climbed all over them.
- My worries about running out of horse were unfounded. Lol.
- The jumps were definitely not a problem, and may have actually been too small in places.
- BN is almost too easy for Charlie and he has no respect for the fences. But we'll need a lot more finesse and schooling for us to be safe over bigger fences.
happy horses relaxing between rides, obvi with both charlie and bella fixated on whatever brita's reaching for in the truck lol
Biggest takeaway tho? Gosh I freakin love this horse haha.
I fully expected to break down into an emotional blubbering mess upon crossing the xc finish line too lol. But..... Well. It kinda took me a while to get the horse stopped, and my lungs were burning, and my arms felt two inches longer, and damn I was tired. So yea, no waterworks haha. Mostly just some heavy panting and slight profanity instead lol.
i swear charlie and bella love each other too, even if charlie lowkey drives bella girl crazy with his occasional invasions of personal space lol
But we were clear. No jumping penalties in either phase - a first for Charlie at BN (recall, we were eliminated at the water in our first BN and had a rail in our second). I knew our dressage score likely wouldn't be competitive (it wasn't) but the jumping phases proved influential enough to allow us to move up into the top 3. Yay!
Mostly bc it was (obvi) an early season outing and everyone was knocking the rust off. So there were lots of issues in the jumping. Plus a lot of people simply opted to withdraw from xc out of concerns about ground conditions. Obviously I would prefer to place well on the merits of our own scores vs doing well bc other people dropped off.... But I'll take what I can get haha.
oh charlie. you're kinda a big deal, buddy!
And ultimately the best aspect of this show was getting to hang out with friends while we were at it. Brita and Bella had a fantastic day too - also with clean and clear jumping phases that really highlighted just how much this partnership has grown over the past year.
Plus we had Rachael and Austen helping out too, which was very much appreciated and I'm immensely grateful to be able to call these ladies friends and be able to share these fun show days with them!
So yea. A very happy day. And I'm very tired today haha, and a little sore. My body may or may not be a palace of pain at the moment as it recovers from wrestling with Charlie on cross country lol. But I'm happy. And eager to keep chipping away. And excited to share all the nitty gritty details (and MEDIA!) with you over the next couple days. So stay tuned!! Hope you all had a good weekend too!
Phew, happy weekend everyone! This weekend I'm shifting into full blown excitement mode. We're going horse showing, yayayay!!!! Gosh I just love horse shows <3
we've made a habit of hacking out after every school. loved that we went with brita and her pup riley recently too!
Naturally there's still plenty trepidation, bc obviously. Like the fact that Maryland got a fair bit of snow and ice earlier this week. Luckily the day time temperatures have been quite pleasant and sunny, so much of this ice is already gone by now. The ground is a bit soggy, sure, but Loch Moy tends to be pretty thoughtful in how they choose ground for xc courses.
riley esp loved the snow lol
Plus, I had originally requested to go in a later BN split (there are five splits for 50+ adult BN competitors {not even including the juniors!} in this event with ~300 total registrants) so that Brita and I wouldn't have too early a morning or too long a wait between my rides and her N rides. Alas, they put me in the first split anyway....
Silver lining is that the ground shouldn't be very torn up for my run, at least. So I'll just take that as a good omen. Plus we'll end up having loads and loads and LOADS of time to relax and hang out after we're finished and before Brita needs to hustle for her own ride prep.
such a happy goofy dog
All that to say: it should be good. I'm excited. While I still wish we had more saddle time in the weeks leading up to this point, I'm satisfied with where Charlie is. He's a good boy and is putting a reasonable effort into the work I ask of him.
It's not perfect. He's not as sharp to my aids as I like, nor as strong in his push from behind as he was by our final test last year. But the picture is pretty consistently OK. My biggest goals for the dressage test revolve around my own riding: improving on my position and the clarity of my aids.
we should all be so lucky to be that happy!
All that's really left to do now is finish the clean up. Naturally Charlie took the opportunity of the recent wet cold weather combined with heavy blankets for a few days in a row to blossom into a gorgeously textured spring garden of fungus. Ew.
So he's been basically slicked with MTG this past week, in the hopes of reducing any appearances of moth-eaten speckles and bumps. I'm not holding my breath for that tho, alas. As much as I would like him to be this big beefy shiny beautiful "After" picture compared to his "Before" from last spring (bony, gaunt, dull.... definitely still crashing post track), I'll survive if he still looks a little rough around the edges.
lol charlie was mostly just bemused by the whole spectacle
Except for his mane and tail, tho. I at least want that part of him to look polished. Superficial, yes. But dammit, pictures last forever! Haha... The mane is as trimmed and thinned as it's gonna get for now tho, but the tail is basically on life support.
his favorite part is always hacking back to the barn
I had to give it a quick bang weeks ago bc it was picking up so much mud, but it needs redoing plus a serious bath and thorough brushing. It's such a pretty tail tho haha, it deserves to be seen!
The nice thing about early morning shows this time of year is that the horses are out during the day and in over night (compared to their opposite schedule during the warm grazing seasons). Meaning: I'll get Charlie all tidied up tonight and will have him on the trailer tomorrow before he can get into any more mud.
amazing tho what a difference a few days can make in the visual landscape! snow, be gone!!
Most of my leather stuffs is ready to go already too, tho I admit the dressage saddle is harder to get really cleaned up than I expected. It has buffalo leather on the skirt and while that stuff is gorgeous, it's surprisingly difficult to scrub dust out from all the little wrinkles.
And of course there's still a little more detail work to be done on all the little nooks and crannies in our bridles. Mostly tho, everything is in pretty good shape. Ready to go.
mud be gone too!! you better believe this gorgeous luxurious tail is getting a TON of tlc before tomorrow!
All that's left to do is go forth and do the things!!! Soon soon!
No matter what happens this weekend, I still just have a really really good feeling about this year. I feel like this is the year I've been waiting for. This marks my fourth time entering a fresh spring season as an eventer, but possibly the first time I feel really, really good about where we are.
but first tho, more hacking. always more hacking :)
2015 was my first full season and I had really no idea what to expect. BN was still pretty scary to me, and the sport as a whole was still a relative unknown for me and Isabel. 2016 found us with a lot (LOT) more experience under our belts, sure. But we were beginning to be quite shaky and uneven in our schooling, and it was difficult to look very far forward. Reasonably so, since we ended up not making it much past the spring season before throwing in the towel.
Then obviously 2017 was Charlie's first season and I was relying on his extreme greenness as a crutch to take the time I needed to rehabilitate my own confidence.
there's something charming (sorta) about the snowy xc course. still tho, soon it'll be dry again!
But now? Now is like a whole new world to me. I feel good. Charlie feels good. And what's more, he feels capable. Likewise, I feel comfortable with our plans for unfolding the spring season, and excited about the possibilities that could come with summer and fall. It's all ahead of us.
Wish us luck!! And hope you're all having a wonderful weekend too!!
I have about a million thoughts rattling around in my brain right now. Possibly the result of getting through my actual work a little too quickly this week, while simultaneously needing to lie low bc of the latest snow storm. Too much free time for an idle mind!
Typically, in the past I'd take advantage of this little blog platform to spew forth all those random ideas and thoughts and plans and wishes and what not. Lately, tho, I'm finding myself more hesitant and reluctant to commit words to paper blog.
this is goose
I'm not a superstitious person by nature tho. Maybe a titch cynical in the grand scheme of things, but still pretty hopelessly optimistic in my horsey endeavors. Which makes it a little odd that I'm nervous about even whispering about our show this weekend.
Because.... Oh yea, we're entered in a show this weekend. If you were paying attention to my Events Page you'd know that, bc I keep that page pretty updated to help my friends and me stay organized. But I haven't written much else about it.
goose is a big boi lol. and he loves him some sunshine
The entry was sent in a while back, along with some of those other cross derby entries. Back when I had every reason to believe Charlie would be sound again in plenty of time. Luckily, as of my last time checking him (fingers crossed, touching wood) he is, in fact, sound. The "plenty of time" bit wasn't quite what I'd hoped for but.... well. It is what it is.
he's sweet and clever too, tho i definitely feel better about being in close proximity since he got his tusks off haha
The reality is that Charlie's been in very regular work throughout the winter, and has been doing fantastically. Obviously February and early March were a bit of a wash bc of that whole nail business.... But we still managed quite a bit of hacking in between abscesses. And the horse gets pretty extensive daily turnout so.... Ya know. He's probably fine.
one of my favorite views <3
We're entered in the BN at Loch Moy, one of my favorite all time venues. Charlie's been there a number of times already, and competed thru their full spring series last year as he made his eventing debut. Notably, however, we still haven't technically gotten to do BN there before.
wandering around the farm, per usual
Our competitions last year were all at intro/elementary, which hold stadium and cross country in separate areas so those divisions can run concurrently with BN. By summertime I was looking longingly across the fields to the main xc course, eager for our chance to get out there.
Alas, tho, as you already know our fall season had barely begun before it ended early for Charlie's splint extravaganza and resulting surgery.
saying hi to some of the ponies
Finally, it's looking like we'll get our opportunity this weekend. Tho, haha.... I guess anything is possible between now and then. Not least of my concerns is the snow storm Maryland just got, tho the venue is confident the grounds will be ready to go in time.
The weekend's forecast looks mostly promising, but with just enough sketchiness to keep us obsessively checking every few hours lol.
this farm is literally crawling with shetlands
And naturally I worry about our general readiness, as might be imagined. Literally zero aspects of our riding or fitness right now are where I wanted to be. I think it's ok tho. I think it'll be fine.
Obviously there are zero expectations in the dressage ring, beyond hoping that Charlie will be more or less the same horse he is at home. And he's usually a pretty reliable guy. I'll be pleased if we end up with a middle-of-the-pack performance, but unsurprised if we are bringing up the rear instead.
honestly i'm not sure anybody even knows exactly how many there are. but it's a lot haha. they're very sweet tho!
The jumping parts I also feel pretty realistic about in terms of expectations. Charlie did something like 8 million grids this winter (only a slight exaggeration). While he's had some unexpected time off since then, the two times I've jumped him since The Nail made me believe he remembers those grid sessions. His muscle memory is developing.
Sure, I'm still 100% fully capable of missing a distance to spectacular result lol, and won't be surprised if we have one / a few rails. But the idea of 2'6 stadium round with Charlie feels pretty comfortable right now. Ditto the xc course, most of which Charlie schooled in the arena in January.
charlie for his part seems pretty cool with all the other critters
And, per usual at these schooling shows, nothing is timed. So if Charlie needs to trot or walk on course, or pause for a sip at the water.... That's all totally kosher. As is bowing out should he feel like he doesn't have it in him, tho again I expect him to be fine.
So ya know. Yea. I think the riding parts should probably be fine. Honestly the only thing I'm really nervous about is.... being disappointed again. Something happening to ruin the day, whether that's a weather-related cancellation or a soundness problem with Charlie, or something else I haven't even dreamed up as a possibility yet.
he keeps an ear on goose tho, just in case lol
Bc otherwise I'm pretty freakin excited. For all of it.
Excited to condition all my tack and boots. To wash Charlie's tail and groom him to sparkling. To pack the trailer and set out my clothes the night before. To pull up the venue's long driveway and feel the butterflies begin fluttering. To walk my courses and finally swing into the saddle for our rides. And most of all? I'm so so so excited to cross a finish line with Charlie again.
Charlie is everything I dreamed of in an eventing partner, and feels poised for a big 2018. Anything is possible, sure, but cross your fingers for me that this weekend gives us the chance to get back out there and enjoy kicking off the season!!
And in the meantime I'll be going through all my little pre-show rituals and routines. Checking my list and cleaning things up. What are some of your favorite things to do in preparation for a show? Especially if it's been a while? Have you even dusted your stuff off for the season yet or will it still be a little while before your own opening event?
So I know it's been a bit of a roller coaster around these parts for the last six-ish weeks. As exhausting as it can feel trying to keep up with the highs and lows, I promise it's a thousand times more exhausting to keep living through them.
don't mind him, just trotting all cute up to his lil log <3
A wiser, more rational person might suggest that I diversify my emotional investments a little more. So that one single facet of my lifestyle doesn't have such power to send me spiraling when things go wrong.
i never promised cute trot jump pics tho haha
But..... Well. What else can I say? I'm too addicted to the highs. Even tho the good moments with Charlie have come hand in hand with many sad or upsetting or disappointing lows, I still just live for these moments where everything *clicks.*
looking gung ho over the little raised log!
They are the fuel that keeps me going. Keeps me coming back for more. And makes me push myself to be better so that I can seize on whatever opportunities Charlie presents to me, even if it makes me a little nervous.
and off across the field to the brown ramp! and yea... sorry not sorry, photo quality is what it is today.
And that latest opportunity was a gorgeous day in the high 50s. Excellent ground conditions. And a horse who had been hacking around the hills for the past week and a half, waiting to come fully sound.
charlie says it's too sma
Charlie was finally back to 100% on that hoof at the end of last week, and we were able to immediately get back to conditioning work. Plus I rode him in a lesson over the weekend for trainer P to assess. She put us over a very few jumps and Charlie was just.... so so so good, like he never missed a day, let alone six weeks since his last jumps <3
the handsomest
So with the forecast this week calling for a wintry return, with a few inches of snow, plus sleet and icy rain spread over the week.... Well. I just knew that this was my chance to just get out there and knock the rust off. Aim Charlie at a couple carefully chosen fences and just... let 'em go!
And Charlie did not disappoint! Brita kindly agreed to wait around so she could ride with me (and take video, thanks so much girl!) and we set off for an easy long slow walk warm up through the fields.
ok you caught me, i'm obsessed.
Then there was nothing more to do but move on to trot and canter, and then start jumping things! Considering Charlie's current level of fitness and the day's warmth, I wanted to be very picky about what we jumped. Very few repetitions, but make each effort count.
In all, we jumped exactly 9 times, plus two trips up and two trips down a bank. I didn't bother with the ditches on this particular day bc Charlie's been playing with them somewhat regularly lately, including doing a bunch of them the day prior while we were out doing trot sets.
the juxtaposition of the house jump and the actual house in the background here makes me giggle a little
I also opted to keep the jumps we worked over at BN. Didn't really want to spend time or effort on smaller jumps (aside from our first warm up logs), but also didn't really feel like this was the day for working over new heights. BN height is stupidly easy for Charlie, but we've still got lessons to learn in polishing up the whole picture. So I'm cool with it.
large horse being freakin adorable imo
Honestly each jump rode pretty freakin well for us. It felt like we had one of those airport tarmac guys out there for us, ya know the guys who wave around the neon orange wands? Helping the planes navigate around the busy terminals? Well that's what it felt like cantering down to all the jumps, like one of those guys was signaling out our proximity to the fences, like "1 - 2 - 3 - Jump!"
also occasionally looks (and goes) like a race horse too lol... esp headed back toward the barn!
The moments in between jumps were...... Haha, a little more feisty. Charlie has always been a very barn sour horse, he always knows which way is home. And this was his first time truly schooling in these fields since really settling in to the farm as "home." Plus we have literally been hacking the fields daily for.... a couple weeks now. So he knows which way is which for sure.
new jump for us! nicely substantial (for bn) log table thingy
Meaning.... He had a very strong draw towards the barn. Not rude or naughty or scary.... But very strong. And occasionally pretty fast too. He never looks fast in video, but he sure as shit does in person. And definitely feels fast. So you'll just have to take my word for it ;)
no scope no hope
It was good tho. He was so good. I just freakin love him <3
We jumped some really simple stuff: a couple logs to start, then the brown BN ramp that he's done once before. Then into the next field where we practiced a nice three stride line that he's also done before (tho that time it had a different, slightly bigger out jump).
this jump is mentally tough for me, with a drop on landing to a steep-ish descent.
We moved on directly from that to a log table thingy that was added to the course (with N and T versions too!) after Charlie did his splint and had surgery. It's a good sized table for BN, but nothing we can't handle. It was definitely high on my to-do list tho, esp as a "new" jump for us.
charlie was freakin perfect tho <3 (except for that whole running down hill back to the barn afterward thing.... lol)
Then I was just going to do another little house he's seen before, and a simple triple bar that's a style he's seen before even if he hadn't jumped this exact one. Except then I saw the above log drop fence and realized that was probably the better bet for us.
It's a bit of a frightening jump for me - not insubstantial in size but also with a pretty decent drop and downhill landing. I jumped it before with Izzy but it had all the check boxes for a "scary" jump with Charlie, esp bc it was going downhill straight toward the barn. Definitely more interesting than the other little house lol.
that feeling when you try to use your body as a sail to slow the horse down lol
Charlie was great tho. For all of it. Again, I can't stress this enough -- the jumps themselves were perfect. Exactly what I needed. The space between the jumps was fast and furious, but never out of control. Charlie always eventually came around, it was just slow to develop.
splish splash!!
Which I'm cool with. I legitimately trust this horse implicitly. I have so much confidence in him, even when I don't have it in myself. I know he's going to be a good boy, and I know he's safe. Plus he really showed how much he's matured over the last 18 months this ride - esp with respect to his education over fences.
simple triple bar
We had some long spots and some deep spots, but nothing actually ugly. Nothing that he wasn't able to adjust for and handle well, and that I wasn't also able to anticipate and stay with him. I'm cool with it lol.
then more trot bc cute
Possibly will need to experiment more with bits at a later date tho.... For instance I picked up a waterford pelham ages ago but haven't tried it yet. I'm also curious about jumping him seriously in the hackamore, since he schooled the ditches/banks/water so well in it a couple weeks ago.
We'll see tho. The reality is that so much of his "pull" comes from his homing instincts, aka the barn sourness. Take him away from home and to a show venue, and those issues disappear.
easy up!
Anyway tho, after accomplishing each of the jumps we set out to do, there was nothing left but to splash through the water and play up and down the banks!
then even more cute trot bc obvi
We've practiced this a fair bit since the ground has dried up and Charlie's definitely got this particular water complex figured out. Let's just say he's come a LONG way since that first time I tried to drop him down a bank into water..... (and you should totally click through the link just for that epic helmet cam gif haha).
to an easy down!
I still haven't cantered him off a bank yet. And the little bank peninsula thingy up the hill that jumps onto a slope still kinda freaks me out (as opposed to the bank into water that is by definition a more flat ground). In time, tho. In time.
and also a more exuberant down!!!
All of Charlie's time off since late last summer has had me second guessing myself, and my choices. Feeling like maybe I haven't capitalized on opportunities when I should have, for no reason other than being nervous or whatever.
Deep down in my heart, tho, I know the choices I've made for Charlie have been fine. He doesn't mind that we're not "there" yet.... bc, as I must constantly remind myself, there is no "there." Rather it's the process of getting there that is so fun and exciting to me.
this is a picture of happiness <3 such a good boy!
And it's hard to argue with the choices we've made when Charlie can come off a long winter filled with layups and rehab and then even more silly time off, and yet come out to play like a better schooled horse than he's ever been before.
He's caught on to the game, he likes it so far, and it's easy for him.
Meanwhile, taking it slow has had advantages for me as a rider too. I trust this horse so much. And it's finally helping me trust myself too. Trust that I can get us out schooling and make good choices. Tho obvi it helps having a solid base of support in Brita there too haha!
So for now, I'm riding this high. And loving every moment of it. All my grandiose plans fell apart for getting out and about for a winter series of derbies. And who knows what the season ahead will hold for us. But right now? Oh man, this horse is FUN.
