Wrapping Up 2010

Well the end of the season has come and gone. It's bittersweet because I have more time, but it's a tough time of year to stay motivated. I've been so busy at work and I know I need to keep moving forward with Hobbs and Legacy, but I kind of just want to rest. They both had off enough time this summer that they don't need down time, but I do :). It's also tough because I want to keep riding while the weather is somewhat decent...ugh, I HATE winter.

I had a lesson with Danny yesterday on Hobbs and Legacy and it helped to motivate me a bit. Legacy was really good. We worked on getting him to jump better and teaching him to stand off the jump and use his shoulders. He's never been very good because he doesn't have to try very hard at Training level. Now that I have him honest again, it's time to work on the details of jumping. Danny said there's basically 2 things a rider could do with a horse like Legacy....1) completely throw the reins away into the jumps to let him wear a few so he learns to stand off or 2) hold him tight on the way to the jump and just let him pat the ground...aka WAIT! So I've been helping and holding him for so many years, I'm not ready as a rider to just throw the reins away. So we worked on a single vertical on a circle. I want to focus on a longer more powerful stride since that's where he tends to jump flat. So I would get that canter and then out of the turn I would bump him up and balance him and then I would hold against him, sit up straight and wait for the jump. I could really feel the difference when I did it right. It basically boils down to I need to do less and let Legacy learn a few things on his own. I can't give him a reason to quit and blame me. I rode the same exercise again today and it went really well. I just have to make sure that when I hold against him, he doesn't get stronger and it doesn't spiral out of control. I'm going to ride like this for the next month and then hopefully I can back off and let go a bit and he will learn to stand off the jumps on his own.

Then we went to Hobbs. I told him about the Rubicon Rodeo and we decided the best thing was for us to work in the roundpen. It was a great decision. I know Hobbs can jump, so the main problem is to fix his mental meltdowns. Seth and I had been working him in the roundpen doing Dave Webber's exercises, but Danny had some slight variations that make more sense for Hobbs. Danny's main focus was desensitizing him and clarifying the type of energy being used (which was really an aha moment for me). He put him on the halter and lead and just tried to rub and flick the whip all over him...Hobbs was really nervous at first, but then working through it he started to settle. He worked on that for awhile and we realized that he was much worsed on the left side for some reason. Then I got on and was just bumping him with my legs and almost petting him all over...meanwhile getting him to stand still. He is a very nervous horse and I think if we can get him desensitized I will have a plan for when he meltsdown. Danny was saying if I get a routine I can just do that at a show as soon as I get him off the truck so that I completely desensitize him and he's mentally stronger. My plan is to work him in the roundpen for the next month and see where he's at. I worked him today and he was much better than yesterday...of course I think being in a new environment also adds stress, so perhaps we'll have to find another venue to test him mid-December.

It was a solid end to the season. Danny is headed off to Texas for the winter, so we won't have any lessons until the end of January unless a dressage lesson comes up. I've got to power through and keep next season in mind. It's hard to get excited after what happened last year and I think that's playing into my mood. Even though I have a new horse that is completely different and honest, I'm still weary of having plans of grandeur. As Seth would say, my pessimism is showing through :).

Last Show of the Season

This post is a little late, but I do have an interesting tale about my last show of the season on Hobbs. We were down at Rubicon last weekend and it was a brisk fall day. Anyone that knows horses knows there is a period of about two weeks in the fall where they all go berserk for no reason and act like crazy madmen. Well lucky for me this show caught that period of Hobbs' fall season. We warmed up for dressage and I could tell he was definitely more nervous than at Radnor. There was this one particular HUGE gray horse...it had to be 18 hands that really freaked him out. So my test was not very good...very tense and I had switched to a metal snaffle and I should've stuck with the Happy Mouth b/c he was also sensitive to the bit which made him even more tense...so we left the ring with a 43.6...yuck!

Next onto Stadium...my times were close together so not much downtime in between. It was awesome because both my brothers came to watch and they really have never seen me ride at this level, so it was exciting. Well I start trying to warm up Hobbs and he flips out. He becomes ultra sensitive to any of my aids and he periodically decides to jump in the air, twist, buck, rear, etc. He didn't want to be in the warm up area at all. Once again the gray monster horse was there galloping around sounding like a jet engine/earthquake. So I basically cannot do anything with him and I'm just trying to stay in the saddle...I'm now distracting everyone and my time has come and passed and I'm just trying to decide if I should scratch....lovely since my brothers were there and all they got to see was dressage. Well my wonderful Seth comes up with the idea for me to go over to cross country warm up and see if he gets better. One important piece of info was that the stadium warm up was right next to all the trailers and the XC warm up was across the facility. So we go over to the other warmup and he's completely fine. So I decide to go for it...the round was a bit crazy and he was a maniac in between jumping, but I felt much more comfortable on him at this show. I feel like it's flowing a lot better and we are more in sync. We had one rail, but he was being a bit cocky, so I was glad for it :). After all of this I decide that I'm not even going to worry about time and I gave Seth my watch...I just wanted to be in control on course. So we finally get out on course and he feels great...all of the combos rode great...I feel like he gets more attentive when there is something to think about. I do think that he's bored with Training and he doesn't respect the jumps. He was hitting a lot of them and will focus on people on course instead of me if I let him. There was one moment where we came into the field next to the trailer and had to turn away and jump a max table...we didn't come close to making the turn and we almost took out a group of folks walking the course...oops. Nonetheless we went clean, but had some time faults...which shocked me b/c I thought we were moving good. Anyway, without those time faults we would've been in 3rd or 4th...but we finished in 12th. I was really proud of the outcome of the day though. I felt like I had overcome a huge obstacle with the way he was acting throughout the jumping warm up and I don't know if many riders would've been able to keep their focus and ride through all of that. I definitely think that XC is his forte and hopefully when we run XC before stadium he will be more rideable in the stadium ring. There's definitely still a lot to learn from each other, but I definitely got to see another side of Hobbs!!

Don't Call it a Comeback

Well Legacy reappeared this weekend. We ran Training and the Plantation Starter Trials and he smoked the competition. We pulled at 25.9 in dressage and were leading by 8 points. We didn't add a point to our score and ended on that to win the division. The dressage was good as usual, although we were on a crappy grass ring...I think the scoring was a bit generous but I'll take it. We had one of the lowest dressage scores of the day!! The stadium was straightforward and smaller than we've seen and he was fine. I didn't ride it terribly well...just didn't prepare for each jump and didn't map out my turns well when I walked the course. But we got through it without even a rub, so he didn't fault me for my less than stellar riding. Cross country was somewhat sticky, but nothing like he was a few months ago. He galloped at the fences with a purpose which was great to feel. I basically had to have him jump a log into the foundation from a standstill at fence #3 and then we had a really awkward approach to #4 thanks to the course designer. I'd say it was somewhat spooky b/c he didn't see the house he was to jump until about 2 strides out b/c it was around a corner, but at both of those questions, he hesitated but then went forward when I applied leg. We had 2 other sticky spots, one at a dead log on course, which for some reason he seems to balk at since he does the same thing at the log at Bucks County...must be something with his vision, and the other stickiness was at the water. We had to jump a small log into the water, about 6 strides out he sort of backed off, but I just clucked, squeezed and put my hands forward and he responded. So it was by no means a breeze on XC, but definitely a HUGE step in the right direction. I've never been so nervous...before stadium Seth was standing next to me and he could see my whole body was shaking. It was just that so much was riding on this performance. I had decided if he shut down like he did at Rubicon, Surefire, MD or NJ I was going to hang it up with him. Luckily, he acted nothing like that. We just need to build confidence and I've been there before with him, so I feel so relieved. No matter what happens, I'll always have a special connection with him b/c of all we've been through and how much I've learned from him. I don't know if he'll be the best horse I'll ever ride, but he's certainly given me a lot of great memories. So that's the end of the season for Legacy and I, it was a great way to end it all. The plan next year is just to have a solid year at Training and just play it by ear. We've got one more weekend with Hobbs at Rubicon and then winter break!

No Need for a "Good Eye"

It's been a busy week for me...Seth was away last week at a wedding in El Paso, TX and I was riding all 3 of our boys (trying to anyway)....finally they are all sound!! Not to mention we also had a monsoon which created a muddy mess at the barn, our bay window started leaking and my car died. Lots of fun... But over the weekend I had some great rides on all three of them. On Sunday I had Legacy jumping two verticals on a circle and he was fantastic. I only rode him for about 15 min and then we just walked around. He's been very good lately at not changing his pace on the way to the jump and I'm not having to hold him in my hands to achieve that. I think riding Hobbs is helping me feel the way Legacy needs to be. His flatwork has continued to be strong. I feel ready for the CT this weekend at Bucks...although I've been dealing with some bad weather this week, so hopefully I can get a few more good rides in before Sunday.

Cody seems to really be progressing as well. I think he's finally given in to the fact that he has to go round and use his big butt! He's also been jumping really, really well. Seth had a lesson last night and it was the best I've ever seen them look. It was the most consistent frame I've ever seen Seth have with him. Seth's position is also getting steadier and more comfortable which has helped Cody find his own balance. As long as Seth uses his leg to push Cody through to the contact at all times (especially during transitions) then they should improve their dressage score. Seth is targeted a schooling show at Tranquility Farm next weekend.

Now for the "natural", Hobbs. He's really been fun to ride. I had a lesson last night and Danny got on him for a few minutes and I got to see a little bit of his true ability...some crazy lead changes unintentionally :). He seems to be used to having resistance and seems like he was pushed into the bridle. I'm glad Danny sat on him b/c he confirmed a lot of what I was feeling. He needs to work on unlocking his jaw and come over his back into the bridle. I need to spend the next month getting him to stretch out and down and then we can slowly bring his poll back up. I need to work on my position a lot. I need to learn that my seat keeps the rhythm in the canter and my leg is a backup and a way to direct him where to go. He's very, very good at listening to your seat and as soon as my rhythm is off he breaks to the trot....so he's a good teacher. I also need to work on keeping my outside shoulder (especially left) back to get a more balanced and upright canter. When asking for a canter depart I need to STOP rounding my back and keep my torso straight and strong. Lots of homework for me. We jumped a little and the main concept I need to learn is that the distance is set by whatever canter stride I'm on. If I shorten his stride 15 strides out, then I'm asking for him to add a stride and I can't try and move up to the fence at the last minute. If I'm on a normal stride or a gallop stride I need to either do nothing and let the stride come or I need to move up when I see the distance...I can't try and add at the last minute. I worked on this at Danny's and again last night and when I just let things happen the distance was perfect nearly every time. Using this philosophy makes the necessity for having a "good eye" obsolete.

I'm excited and nervous for this weekend. I'm just hoping for a solid day in all three phases. I don't want to feel out of whack and I just want everything to go smoothly. My ride times are fantastic for Saturday so that's the first positive note...hopefully that luck will carry through the tail end of the season :).

1st Paper Chase

We took Cody & Legacy to a paper chase today in Unionville. It was soooo much fun!! It did rain a little, but it was actually pretty nice weather. Legacy took the lead and it was a good test to see how he was feeling...there was absolutely no hesitation or pinning of his ears when we were galloping, so that was really positive. He was kind of backed off into the jumps, but they were all tiny so I could push him over them without a problem. He did everything I asked of him though. Cody was good too and Seth is still working on finding his balance over the jumps....he's been using the yoke to balance instead of using Cody's mouth. He's also been working on letting go of Cody a few strides out to try and get him to take a bigger stride...Cody jumps so much better when he does that so it was good for them too. It was also a great conditioning workout for them both...lots of fairly steep hills for trotting....they will both get the day off tomorrow :). And for the first time all 3 horses were sound today. Hobbs' cut looks a lot better and he's sound so he got a good dressage workout today too. Hopefully Beaventing is on the right track...

Nothing is easy...

Well last night was supposed to be the first real lesson on Hobbs with Danny. So I get on him and he's three legged lame from where Legacy or Cody kicked him 10 days ago. He got kicked right at the same time as the abscess, but it wasn't deep and he was never lame, but he must've picked up an infection. It was swollen, hot and a little pussy. So he went on antibiotics and bute and this morning things seem to be on the right track. I'm still a little nervous of course because of the leasing situation and then Danny was telling us to get an X-ray to make sure....but we are going to wait considering I XC schooled on it and he was fine. Of course this all happened on the day I tried to figure out my show schedule, so of course I'm thinking it's fate that I shouldn't be trying to show this fall....ugh....it's never easy. Just as I think things are on the right track something happens. I'm just ready for a break....instead I keep having breakdowns!!

Anyway, last night I hopped on Legacy instead and Danny taught me a neat trick I think for any horse, but especially for Legacy. He always gets a little hot when we have horsey visitors and he gets VERY distracted. So Danny taught me how to control his shoulders with my reins. I was essentially neck reining his shoulders in and out on a circle while keeping the same bend. Legacy tends to bulge his right shoulder while going to the left, so this was really helping me to keep him on the track I wanted to go. It also helped to make him light in the bridle, which has been our focus forever. Danny also gave me an insight on how to work on lead changes...I need to get him to do the hind end first. The small amount of work I've done with Legacy on changes has resulted in only his front end changing. So Danny told me if I'm on a circle to the right and I have a right bend I just need to bring my right leg back and get his hind end to move out of the circle, while maintaining the bend, until he changes his hind. So that's what we are going to start working on as well as the neck reining of the shoulders. A few nice exercises to work on with both of the boys this fall. I am planning on entering Radnor on October 9 with Hobbs, so hopefully the infection clears up and he'll be good to go...fingers crossed.

Fresh Start

Seth and I took Cody and Hobbs XC schooling yesterday at Fairhill. It was Beaventing's first outing since July. Cody did awesome and provided some entertainment for the group...at every down bank he essentially sat down and slid down the bank...he was so scared to jump off, but Seth got him through everything...even the Training house and downbank into the water!! Seth just needs to work on being more balanced after the jumps...Danny had him holding onto the breastplate so he would use that to balance instead of Cody's mouth. When Seth lands hard and yanks on Cody's mouth he hops and bucks and has a little temper tantrum...so that's Seth's homework from the school.

Hobbs was a bit nervous at the start....as was I. He definitely did not want to stand still and was really not wanting to get soft in my hand on the walk out. I didn't pick too much of a fight about it for the day. I already know I need to get him to have a better "give" response based on everything we learned from Dave Webber. I quickly found out that Hobbs is extremely honest and very adjustable. I'm not used to being able to ride forward, so it was a different ride for me. I think for once I could be in control instead of fighting for control. I just need to make a decision on how to ride each fence and then stick with that decision...I can't change my mind at the last minute if I don't like my spot. If I want a collected showjump canter then I need to stick with that, or else I need to lengthen the stride and ride a fly fence. I just have to commit sooner. He seemed to enjoy himself, but definitely needs some confidence. He took the downbank into the water a few times, but lept into it. So we slowed it down and just tried to get him to jiggy jog and he put on the brakes...he definitely was doing it out of honesty not courage, so we will need to work on that. Besides that he was great...I just need to get more comfortable and confident riding him. Hopefully we can get to a few Trainings this fall and work hard over the winter and come out strong next year.

It was tough coming home to Legacy. I felt really bad about it and didn't expect to feel that way. I just felt like I was betraying him. I'm still having trouble committing to riding Hobbs like I was committed to Legacy. Legacy has been going so much better lately and I still think he can be great. I took him for a gallop on Saturday and he definitely wanted to run...I didn't feel any of the hesitation that was there last month. Seth and I are going to try and take Legacy and Cody to a paper chase this weekend and see how that goes before I decide what to do with Legacy this fall.

Beaventing Family Update

Well a lot has happened since my last post...all good stuff considering the year we've had. I think it may be safe to say Beaventing is on it's way back...but don't call it comeback yet ;). First, Legacy has been on the Gastrogard for a month now and he is a totally different horse. I'm now wondering how long he's been dealing with pain in his tummy. He's so much sweeter around the barn and just seems like he's all around a happier horse. It really is good to see, although I feel terrible for how long we were potentially been letting him suffer...I guess better late than never. It's just amazing to see what a difference it has made. Of course he's much better when riding, I haven't had any hesitation from him about going forward at all for over a week. I think there were so many little things that also seem to have gone away...he's not as cinchy when I tighten the girth, he's much better to work around when grooming, etc. he doesn't even pin his ears when you try and pet him anymore!! So hopefully this is all positive reinforcement that will allow us to continue our career. I'm not sure what the plan is for the fall...I'd like to find a paper chase for Seth and I to go to in the next few weeks just to get him out there...only time will tell. There's definitely no rush for this season.

So during this past month, we were looking at another horse for me. Danny ended up finding this 10 yr. old TB that had done a few Intermediates a few years ago. We had never considered looking at something with experience...a) I always wanted to make the horse myself and b) there's no way we ever thought we could afford something that's been around the block. Well enter Sempre Fino. He bounced around a bit the past 2 years and had colic surgery last November. His current owner was moving and had to sell him quick. Danny forced me to go look at him after I had been totally frustrated looking at young horses that I thought were overpriced. Well I head down to Courtney Cooper's and sit on this horse. First of all, he's only 16.1 and made like a tiny, little thoroughbred...not my type. BUT the horse is a freak of a jumper. I started jumping him and Courtney kept raising this oxer until it was Intermediate height. So after 15 minutes on this little guy I had jumped bigger and wider than I ever had. And he was really forgiving with me b/c to say the least, my eye was not perfect :). So after thinking about it, Mom, Seth and I decide that this is a fantastic opportunity and he was at a really decent price. So we go for it. Well some issues came up with his right front foot in the vetting and we ended up coming to an agreement that we are going to lease him for 5 months and use a really good farrier to see if we can solve the foot problems. So we've had him a week now and he's settled in. Cody and Legacy are ruling the roost and he's a bit of a pushover, but he's doing really well. I said it looks like Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear in the pasture...they are all the same color bay. He needs some muscle and weight, but we have him on our normal program and we think he already looks better. I've only jumped him once, but he's really neat to ride. He's very light in your hands and very dainty and light on his feet. He's really quick too and knows where to put his feet. I already feel like riding him makes me be able to feel things on Legacy and will make me be able to train him better. I think my muscles are getting a workout too since he's so much skinnier. Seth rode him tonight for the first time and he said, "It's like riding a 2x4". So far it seems like a really good decision we made and it does seem like this route makes sense...instead of me and the horse trying to move up through the levels, hopefully he will teach me how to ride at a higher level and it will make it easier for next time.

Just a quick note about his name. He came with the barn name Sam, but we thought that was boring, so we've spent the past week thinking of names...Mom and Dave spent 3 hours on Friday night talking about it and even got a bartender involved!! So on Saturday they came down and mentioned the name "Hobbs". Well Seth and I had discussed that name for a dog in the past because of the movie, "The Natural". So I really liked it and I was leaning towards that name. Well when I looked at his coat that night, there is a scar on his side that looks like the lightning bolt that Roy Hobbs put on his bat, Wonderboy, so once I saw that it was a done deal...his barn name is Hobbs.

I'm hopefully that the 2011 season will be strong for Beaventing...but we have a long way to go!!

Rebuilding

Well it's taken a while to drum up the courage to tell the story of the last few weeks. So Jersey Horse Park 2 weekends ago was a mess. Dressage was awesome again and we were in 1st on a 31. Warming up for stadium was a joke...first of all they decided to drag and water the ring in the middle of the warmup and jammed everything up. Then there was some of the worst riding I've ever seen. There were poles and standards flying all over the ring...horses stopping everywhere. Then there was this one horse that was totally not ready to be going Training...waaay too green of a horse AND rider...she was basically riding in the fetal position....Seth said he was afraid to even be in the ring. Legacy seemed unphased by it and we had an ok warmup. Well we head into the ring and he just was jumping awful and took down the first 2 rails...hard. Then we came around the corner to jump 3 and I gun him for the long stride, he puts in another one, I end up halfway up his neck, he stops...I keep going forward and land on my head...also taking his bridle off with me. So that ended our day. More good news...

So on Monday down to the vet he went to get scoped for ulcers, which was my latest theory. We get there and Chuck is scoping him and all of a sudden he starts chewing on something...after about a minute they pull the scope out and somehow it had gotten in his mouth and he had almost chewed through it...and his nose is bloody from when they pulled out this mangled wire. So no answers and he had been fasting for a day. So they call and get me into New Bolton. We get there and it takes about 15 minutes to scope him and get pictures and everything goes really smooth. The vet was terribly impersonal and really didn't say much. He said he saw slight ulceration, but usually doesn't diagnose ulcers. Ok still no answers and now I'm thinking that the horses last excuse for being an idiot is not valid. So finally on Wednesday I catch up with Chuck and he tells me he completely disagrees with the vet at New Bolton and sees severe ulceration and some sort of chronic buildup of kerotin which is causing his stomach to be a yellowish color. So he gives me the treatment plan for Gastrogard for the next 3 months, which thank goodness the insurance will be paying for. So I was really, really relieved that something is wrong with Legacy and perhaps we can work back up...I just wish I could get the last 2 months back. So I finally got the medicine yesterday and he's had 2 days of it. I rode tonight for the first time since the show and he seemed a lot less grouchy. He had been getting really cinchy with the girth and he wasn't as bad about that tonight. He also was having hissy fits when I'd try and canter to the left and he was better tonight as well...I didn't do too much, but when I did ask for a canter there was a slight flick of his ears but nowhere near as vindictive as he was. Maybe it's me trying to be positive because I don't want to lose my horse, but I'm hoping this works.

So not sure what the plan is here for the fall. I was supposed to run at Waredaca this weekend, but it's not worth risking another bad experience when I've just started the medicine. Unfortunately the organizer won't respond to me about a potential refund or using the $ for the October event, so I think I'm out the money, but it's much better than trying to force something. I need to now rebuild our trust in each other and I can't rush that. He's good enough that if this was the problem we'll be right back where we were in no time. I'm hoping I can do some schooling stuff at the beginning of September and get some confidence back and end at a few recognized in October. My only goal is having positive experiences for the next few months.

We've also been casually looking for another horse just as a backup plan. We are taking our time after the Elmer incident, but I figure it can't hurt to have another young project and it's not a bad thing if things work out with Legacy and I start another one in the pipeline. Seth could use the experience riding a more athletic horse too, so it won't go to waste.

I guess good news, but still a tough time until I get a final verdict. It certainly is a difficult sport when you're dealing with an animal that can't tell you what's wrong or if he's hurting. I know with Legacy's personality anytime anything is wrong with him it will come through in his attitude. It's a good thing in the sense we should know something's wrong, but it's very easy to just write it off as a crappy attitude and he's lost his will. I really hope that's not the case, but this is the last try for me and him. I can't keep going through the disappointment time after time. I still have my own goals and as much as I'd love for them to happen with Legacy, I still have to keep MY dream in check and not sacrifice it to try and make a horse that doesn't want to do it. I'm still not convinced Legacy doesn't want to do it though...he was so awesome at Fairhill Prelim and he really seemed to attack the challenge...so only time will tell if we can get back there.

Week of Reflection

Well after a week of ups and downs emotionally (mostly downs), I believe I have figured out a plan for the future of Legacy and I. Many thoughts have run through my head on how to handle this situation...from giving up to completely ignoring it...and I think I've done both throughout the last 2 months. Moving forward I am going to try and enjoy all of the good things about Legacy and about my life. I need to see the positives without being oblivious to the negative...I believe the word is realistic. Eventing is a difficult sport and many pros think there is no place for amateurs at the top. I say that is an opinion and I'm not going to even entertain other's opinions....they are insignificant in my quest. This has been a rough patch, but it's not the end. I am still learning with Legacy and even if Prelim isn't in our near competition future, I am not going to be wasting my time. The thing is, Prelim is in our future for training so I am still learning to ride at that level, maybe just not compete right now. Back to the plan, I'm going to try and enjoy being around Legacy and not pick fights all the time...he still is a pretty amazing horse and I can't forget what he's taught us or what success he brought me last season. We need to get along and rebuild our relationship. I am going to try and make his workouts more fun and have more variety in case some of these issues were due to being burned out. I have some ideas, but I'm mainly trying to just stick with my gut right now and do what I think is right. My family has been super supportive, but only I know what I need to do to get through this, so it rests on my shoulders and I've accepted it now and I'm ready to move on, whether it be forward or backward.

Legacy the Brat

Well the problem has certainly been identified after this weekend's show at Loch Moy Farm....Legacy is a huge brat!! I'm not sure what caused his mental breakdown over the past month and a half, but something has definitely got him buggered. Here's the story...we ran Training this weekend and I was just worried that he would shut down regardless of the size of the fences. We started out with a 33.2 in dressage...not our best, but solid...we were in 4th. Then we had a 4 hour break in the sweltering heat until we jumped. In stadium warmup he didn't want to go forward, but after a few swift kicks he was fine and we were going. He was fine in the ring and the round was smooth...we pulled the last rail, which was a planked vertical, but I think it was my fault for not making enough of an adjustment after I got a long spot to the oxer that was 5 strides out from the vertical...ok fine. So then we go to XC warmup. Well all the jumps were facing the trailers and such, so he's fine to the jumps, but when I turn to gallop away, he pins his ears and doesn't want to move forward. So the first jump is on a bend away from the trailers and then the next 3 jumps are directly away from everything...so my gut tells me I'm going to have a problem. By the way, it was different walking the Training course, all the jumps looked tiny, which helped me as you'll see once I finish my story. So we get over the 1st jump and heading to the 2nd, he's really sticky, swapping leads and not going forward. I get him over that one and really try and kick him forward where he proceeds to have a bit of a fit and starts hopping and is barely going forward...we are in the middle of the field. After his 1st temper tantrum I get him over #3 which was a house into the woods. Then he was great over the next few...I was worried about #5 and 6 which was a rolltop with an awful approach to a downbank. Well I never got straight and I rode it terrible, but he was a champ and did it himself. If there was a place I thought he would be a jerk it would've been there. Then through the first water he's great. Then I had to make a right turn, again away from the trailers and other horses, and now he really has a tantrum. The next fence was a big brush with a ditch...about 4 strides out he stops swings his butt around and is just being an idiot. So this time I DID NOT go for my whip, but instead just squeezed. He trotted forward and took the brush basically with very little moment (the loser certainly is talented...ugh, frustrating). Well then we had a little talk on our gallop to the next fence (that did include the whip). He was great the rest of the course...it was too easy. Once I got him going I decided I wasn't really going to slow him down, so we came in 30 seconds under the Optimum time...with the heat and everything I feel confident he's in good shape. He still had a lot left at the end of the course. I wasn't sure if the jump judges were going to give me a stop and 20 penalties for our little fight, even though it had nothing to do with the jump, but they didn't and we ended up in 3rd.

So now I know what the problem is. I still don't know if he was hurting at Rubicon and it contributed to the stops, but that course was going directly away from everything as well and was close to the trailering area. So now we are thinking that we need to get him to places where XC is farther away...i.e. Morven and Fairhill were all far away from earlier in the season. I'm also thinking that maybe he'd be better over a few days to try and mitigate his laziness and make him be able to mentally get through all phases over a few days instead of crammed into one day. It's tough because the costs go up considerably for multiple days because of stabling. So I accomplished what I needed to this weekend...we didn't get eliminated and I got him around XC. We also identified the problem and hopefully we can find a way to fix it. It's difficult because this isn't a training issue that I could work on, so we just have to drag him to shows and see if we can work this out of him.

Positive Reinforcement

We took the boys to Bucks County Horse Park this morning for some XC fun. We met Matt, Tracy and Jen there...unfortunately 3 out of 5 of the pairs were lame in some fashion...2 horses and 1 person thanks to Seth's circular saw incident. So Tracy and I got to run around and get all sweaty. After Jen's horse Gully decided to stop flipping out because he could only walk, we got down to business. Legacy was a maniac...in a good way. I barely had to use any leg and was having more trouble stopping him than anything. It was good to feel that again....I felt like I could've pointed him at anything and he would've been fine. There's not too much scary stuff there, so we just hopped around some tables and such and everything was really easy for him. Tracy had a breakthrough when she got Skyy over the Trakehner...her last horse had a ditch problem, but Skyy couldn't care less...no hesitation at all. He was certainly proud of himself as he should be!! There really was only one combo for us to work on...a double up bank left bend to a table. It was so smooth...I felt like I had so much time after the banks to get to the table which is a good feeling....I think it's 3 or 4 strides, and we've been working on bending lines. We had a jump workout at home last night with bending lines. Satan's S-curve exercise was set up and then I set up our skinny chevron bending line to a corner using a barrel and 2 standards. I had the jumps pretty low 2'9" or so, so he was having no trouble with anything and I'd say rushing more than anything. So I guess we're back on the seesaw...going from rushing to stopping. I just never know what horse I'm going to have on any given day. This was a good step for us and a straightforward, positive schooling which will hopefully carry through to next weekend.

Back to Work

Well after a week off getting ready for the Kelset Farm BBQ, we were back to work. We had a mini workout on Saturday since Seth's buddy from college came down and took some photos of us riding. I cannot wait to see them...he's awesome and is really talented, so hopefully I wasn't concentrating too hard in the pics!! But last night we rode under the lights since it's miserably hot out and he was really full of himself. Very active movement considering it was 100°. Then this morning I decided to try and beat the heat and take him for a trot. Well it wasn't as hot, but the bugs were terrible. Luckily the back field was mowed, so it was better, but we both came home with welts on us from bites.

It's been tough... I'm not feeling that confident right now about him and I'm focusing only on all his issues. Every time we fight and it's a struggle to get him to respond to one of my aids, I feel like giving up. I'm just dreading the next show and don't know what to do about it. I think I need miles and training just to get confidence and I think a little bit I feel like I'm trying to move too quickly after the disasters. I'm hoping I'm just stressed out and annoyed at the hot weather and I will get re-motivated. We are going to go to Bucks this weekend and hopefully I'll have a strong ride to boost my confidence. Unfortunately I lost my riding partner since Seth tried to cut off his finger with a circular saw and had to have surgery. He won't be riding seriously for over a month, so Legacy and I will have some alone time any time we want to go off the property. So we are trying to get through this, but it's a lot tougher this time because I had higher hopes and more plans for us this year. Things went so smooth last year I didn't put limitations on our success. Now that I'm faced with a potential limit, I'm struggling to accept it and decide what to do about it. Plus I jump ten steps ahead instead of dealing with the immediate problem. I pretend to be a pessimist so I never have to be disappointed, but with this I was hopeful and I'm getting burned. So now I'm compensating by being over-pessimistic and incredibly negative about everything, but it's killing my motivation and confidence. More updates to come...blogging sure is therapeutic :).

~Kelly

More Disappointment

Well yesterday didn't go as well as planned. Dressage was ok, we got a 37, but who cares about dressage at this point. Stadium was unbelievable...he was jumping really, really well and my eye was there and it was just a smooth, beautiful round...one of the best ever. I didn't have much time to walk the XC course and the whole day was fairly rushed. I knew the water was going to be tough...there was a rolltop a few strides to a little log jump into the water...but the water complex was dark and in the woods, and we've had trouble with that before. Well he started off a little sticky on XC...at fence three I reached back and gave him a tap and then we were good. The next four fences were a breeze...again, he was jumping amazing and I could just sit and balance. Well then we get to the water...he jumps the rolltop in and slams on the brakes at the little log. There was a slight moment where I thought he was going to go, but I missed it. So I whipped him, which ticked him off and then I couldn't get him in. So we didn't make it around...again :(. I don't know if I would've just let him look and push him if he wouldn't have jumped in...or if I would've just turned him around and trotted him at it...he just gets so mad when I hit him and he shuts his brain down. I could have just taken him into the water to get his feet wet to try and help him, but I didn't think of that...lesson learned I guess. So, I'd say it was better than Rubicon because I think he was hurting, but whatever happened has gotten into our heads....and now he's stopping again. He's just not the same horse as last year all of a sudden...last year I could've pointed him at anything and there was no hesitation. Now he's so unsure of me and the trust and confidence are lacking on both our parts. So, we're going back to Training. Sometimes I feel like I'm making excuses, but he's so talented and we just keep having these ups and downs. Right now I'm just dreading that this is going to permeate into Training Level and then I don't know what we do. I know I need to have confidence and believe in him, but it's hard when I've invested my heart and it keeps getting broken. He's so talented that he could do any level, but it's a matter of his head and heart and mine too. Right now I just feel a bit defeated and hope we can bounce back. I tend to get more motivated when there are problems, but there are days where I certainly want to give up (yesterday and today are some of those days). I just have to work through it. I have to believe that I'm not wasting my time with him and know that I'm a better rider because of all of this and it will help me for my next horse whenever that is. I also need to know that I don't need to rush through the levels and I need to take my time and really build my confidence. I had the confidence up until Rubicon, but I wasn't ready to back down in case it was just a physical problem. We'll be checking the schedule today and determining our next moves. Hopefully schooling in the next few weeks and get some positive experiences. I guess the good news is that I have some more vacation now because all of the shows that I was going to travel to are off the books, so I guess that's some silver lining. Hopefully my next post won't be so depressing....

Annoyed at Farmers

So we tried to go for a trot tonight after some light flatwork and the field behind us still hasn't been cut and hayed. We get back there and I try and trot Legacy through it and it's past his shoulders and there are biting flies everywhere and then there are deer beds all throughout which are spooking him, so I said forget it and we turned around and came back. Now that the corn is coming in my shortcuts to be able to trot from our house back to the field are closed and there are more roads, so more walking. It was really frustrating. Then we tried to just trot back the farm lane, but there are huge rocks everywhere and the ground is extremely hard. I couldn't win tonight, so Cody and Legacy got somewhat of a light conditioning, but I definitely need to step up the workouts again. I guess we'll have to start taking them to Marsh Creek...we would've tonight if we weren't trying to remodel the outside of our house in 2 weeks...

Our flatwork this week just needs to be focused on getting him to respond to my leg, both laterally and forward/back. He got fairly sensitive to it tonight, but I laid into him pretty good. I'm trying to remember not to give him any slack with responses at all and making sure he is doing what I'm asking. Sometimes he goes into my leg instead of away from it and that's when he needs a hard lesson because he can't do that.....CAN NOT!! So we'll be working on that this week. Hopefully it will help our leg yields next weekend!!

XC School - Go forward!!!

Last night we had a flat lesson with Danny. Lesson learned there was to make sure Legacy is off my leg. I need to be quicker in getting the response off my leg. I need to start my workouts with leg yielding and forward and downward transitions...if I don't get the response I'm looking for (left, right, forward, back) then I need to spur him immediately until I get what I want. I can't give him an inch. Then we worked on getting him to give his right jaw. He's tricky because he appears that he's soft, but he locks his right poll and jaw against my hand...and I lock my hand against him. When going to the right I need to continually ask him to give and watch his jaw muscle to see if it is tense. He has also started to open his mouth and will stick his tongue out when he's mad. I rode without a flash noseband so that I can really identify whether he's soft or not. When on a circle I need him to give his jaw left and right and still remain on a straight line.

So today was the big xc school at Unicorn. He started off really sticky into a few jumps. Then Danny kicked our butts on the big hill bank complex. He brought a skinny chevron and we started by jumping up a bank, go over the hill and jumping the chevron at the bottom of the hill. And we started with a stop...then he started to drill into my head that I just need to make sure he goes forward...wherever he goes it needs to be forward. So we came around and I got after him a bit more and he took the chevron and almost popped me out of the tack!! Then he moved the chevron to the top of the hill and we jumped it both directions...again started with a stop...I continued to get ahead of his motion instead of staying behind him and driving him forward. We got through that as well and started to get into the swing of things. Then we tried to go over the big hill on the bank and drop off the bank...Legacy had a fit...and I let him for a while. I realized I don't know how to use my whip and I need to learn to bridge my reins so I can let go and hit him. I had a bit of trouble getting him to drop off this bank...then Danny had me send him across the field galloping....it seemed like that turned a switch. We got over the hill bank, 2 strides to the chevron a few times and he really started to get in a groove. I realized that I think I was trying to ride too perfectly and worry about getting a perfect stride to every jump, but I can't do that b/c sometimes it's going to be midstride and I still have to get him to move forward. We went through the sunken road and he was great!! It felt like my old horse...he took me right to the jump. I think I got too complacement and didn't ride him at all at Rubicon. I thought the course was going to be relatively easy until we got to the water, but I need to realize that I need to focus and ride aggressive from the warmup on now. Training level was easy for us and I was just a passenger...I need to relearn how to ride him and trust him and myself to make the decisions.

Moving On?

Well it didn't go quite as planned, but it felt a lot better today. Dressage and stadium were really smooth. I rode him without the curb chain when jumping today...although I don't think that had anything to do with the incident last weekend. Anyway, the jumps seemed really, really easy for him and he wasn't too challenged at all. He was somewhat back to himself on XC...he wasn't attacking the fences, but I want to believe that that's because he didn't really have to try. But he was galloping straight, not pinning his ears, and not wobbling, so I think it was good. So we didn't get to finish XC though because he wouldn't go over a fairly nasty, dark ditch all by itself. I'm not sure if it was the ditch, or the half of a manequin sitting in one corner of the ditch. I think he caught a glimpse of that and spooked and stopped. Then I rushed the reapproach twice for two more stops and then I trotted him at it and he took it fine. When he does stop if I whip him and try and chase him he just gets mad and refuses to go forward. I need to learn a lesson from that and just be gentle with him...it's tough because I really don't have too much reinforcement if he's not going since the whip has the opposite effect on him in that he fights it by backing off more. So we didn't get to school the water, but he definitely was more like himself. We will be XC schooling this week before Danny heads to Mass. and then deciding what the show plan is for the next month or so...

Dressage Lesson

We had a great lesson today with Kathy Adams. Today was our first real ride since the incident ;). He seemed a little sore going to the left, so I'm just going to run him on a bute so that if there is any residual soreness he won't associate it with jumping. Anyway, we worked on a bit of shoulder-in and ronvers to make sure that I had control of his shoulders.

Again, the right shoulder is hard for me to control and he is against my right leg and rein. I need to remember not to hang on the right rein and create the same problem I've created on the left. So with my trot work the most helpful esxercise right now is to put him on a 15m cirlce to the left and have a feeling of leg yield in off the right leg while continuing to support his bend with my left calf. I basically have the same sort of ride at the canter....we did some work with leg yielding at the canter to make sure he was listening to my leg...that still needs work. We also worked on counter canter and the lesson learned for the day was that during my right lead counter canter I need to make SURE that I am on my RIGHT seat bone and using my right leg. I am still having issues on getting thrown to the left because he falls out on his right shoulder...but I think it's getting better.

We also talked a little about the free walk since it's become more important with an exponent in the dressage test. Kathy was basically saying to collect his medium walk a bit in order to be able to show more overstep in the free walk. At first at the medium walk, Legacy was overstepping by about a full step and then a step and a half at the free walk. Kathy was saying I would score better if I have him just tracking up at the medium walk and then let him go a step and a half at the free walk...a little helpful insight to what judges look for since she judges quite a bit. She also said she likes to have the withers and poll at about the same height...I feel like most eventing judges want the poll lower, but perhaps as I move up in levels the judges get better and have a similar perspective. Sometimes I think I score better when I throw him away at the free walk, but he typically goes on his forehand....

We ended with a little bit of medium canter and trot work. The main thing I need to remember is to keep the connection and keep the frame and to lengthen within his frame. Kathy said she typically half halts just before the medium. With the trot movement, I would half halt just before the turn and then again once I'm straight on the diagonal before I ask for the lengthen. I just have to remember not to let him get quicker and on his forehand. And at the medium canter he has to be STRAIGHT...

Another really good lesson with Kathy. I really like the way she explains things and her style of teaching. She is constantly talking and it forces me to not override because I just listen to her and let my body take care of the action. Hopefully this is good momentum for our starter trial tomorrow. We are back at Training, but I just want him to attack the jumps and I want my horse back...fingers crossed...

Moving On

Well I had a few days off to clear my head thanks to a work trip to Boston. It was definitely a good idea to get away from everything and ignore it. Luckily, my wonderful husband took Legacy to Dr. Anderson to get him checked out. I guess the good news is that he was really sore and needed injections in his hocks and back. The soreness was worse than usual and his back hasn't needed any injections up until now. So we are hoping that he was sore and didnt' feel well last weekend. I'm going to run him at a small schooling show this weekend at Training to see if he feels better and acts more like himself. From here on out, we are also going to take him to Dr. Anderson the week of a big show and have her check over him to see if there are any sore spots. He had accupuncture the week of Fair Hill and he was obviously feeling good and jumping well, so we just have to adjust our routine. We had also been getting his hocks injected every spring and we skipped it this year, so perhaps we just need to get on a better schedule. I think especially with the tougher workouts with galloping and conditioning he is bound to tweak muscles more and more so I just have to keep on top of it.

I rode very light tonight...good ol' long and low. He was a bit lazy, surprisingly since he's had the last 4 days off, but who knows if they were carrying on in the heat today. Tomorrow I'll get on him and work him a bit harder and then Saturday we've got a dressage clinic and Sunday the schooling show. I'm just hoping we can build on the awesome dressage test last weekend and that's what I'm trying to focus on and chalk up the jumping to him not feeling well...

Disappointment

So the weekend didn't turn out so great...it started fantastic when we got a 29.6 on our dressage test...he got an 8 on one of his counter canters!! I felt really good about it after we finished, so I'm glad the score reflected how I thought it went. Then in stadium we pulled 2 rails...it was a smooth round, but he was backed off and didn't seem to want to jump at all. I was pushing him to everything, but didn't feel like I was begging him. So we got through that and then it was off to XC. I was really excited about the course...there were tons of questions, but I really liked the bank and water complexes. The water had a jump going in and a jump through it which was going to be new for us. The banks was an a,b,c combination in a straight line, which is much better for us. I was most nervous for the corner to a HUGE table on a left bending line. Well turns out I didn't get to ride any of those combos because I fell off at 4b. After we jumped #2 and were galloping down to #3, he just started to stall out. He didn't want to go at all..we crawled over #3 a big brush and then he put on the brakes about 5 strides out from 4a. I got him over 4a and then he launched over a little stream and slammed on the brakes late at 4b...I ended up on his neck, he spun around, I almost stayed on, but then just gave up and rolled off right into the mud puddle (must've been somewhat comical to watch). Danny saw it coming and said he was never going and that it wasn't my riding. I'd almost prefer that it was my riding so that I know for sure I can fix it. We are having Dr. Anderson look at him today to see if it's his hocks again. It sort of had the same feeling to me, but I don't know. It's just unlike him to be so backed off on XC...especially considering he was awesome 3 weeks ago at Fair Hill. So we'll see...just praying it's not mental for him and that we can run a starter course this weekend just to get some confidence back and salvage the season. It's been a tough few days for me...of course I'm running through all the most negative scenarios and just being really sad about everything. It's really hard b/c he's so competitive in dressage and I have no interest in just going training with him. He can obviously compete in Prelim considering we were in 1st this weekend. Hopefully we will know more today after the vet...tough break yet again.

Flatwork - Counter Canter

So first of all, I would've put money on the fact that I would be riding Prelim Test A...thank goodness for some reason I printed the omnibus listing and saw that it is actually Prelim Test B which I haven't even looked at. But easy enough I looked at it and learned it tonight. It's mostly canter work with trot leg yields...no circles, but I think it's a good test for us. It will tell us a lot about our canter, which I know we need to work on. We had a decent workout...this is the first flat workout since Danny had him and he was definitely tuned up. His lengthenings were awesome!! I definitely need to continue focusing on the counter canter and keep him moving forward through the counter canter. He was a little sluggish tonight considering it's 85° out and it's June 3!! It's going to be a hot summer I think. I'm starting to get nervous/excited again...at least I made it part way through the week this time...and no weird dreams yet :). Off to finish packing for the weekend...we are headed down to walk the course tomorrow afternoon and then early rides on Saturday morning...I'll be glad to get another one under our belt!!

S-L-O-W D-O-W-N my brain

So we had a really good lesson tonight with Danny....I guess I should say I learned a lesson about my thinking (a lesson that's not new to me, but I need to be reminded often). First of all, the mini-boot camp worked...his canter felt awesome. And as long as I keep him straight using my right leg and right rein (both directions) he goes straight and stays soft. I need to learn to get him off my right leg and not let him bulge against me...I just can't tolerate it and have to realize when it's happening. Well all that prep work was supposed to set us up for XC...as soon as I saw the combos that were set up, my mind and heart started racing and of course it transferred right to him. I couldn't get him to walk...we tried to just calmly go up and down our small bank and it was like the devil was chasing him...then he had a slight hopping fit...and then I got my ass kicked. I need to slow down in my mind and not make such a big deal of new exercises. After we had the runout at Fairhill off the bank to the corner, now in my head corners are terrible and I try and micro manage...ugh. At this point I'm thinking we aren't even going to get to the exercise since we can't even calmly go through the small banks. At this point I'm pissed that I've lost my mind and I'm causing the problem...I'm overthinking and just need to reset my brain. So we go to the exercise. We start by coming up the ramp of the bank, turning right, dropping off the bank, one stride to the skinny coop. We get through it and then we move onto dropping off the 3' bank, right bending line, 3 strides to the corner. The first time we drop off the bank and he hops to the right and we never even get close to the corner....second time, same thing. So the next time, Danny says, "Just open your right rein and go to the corner", well what do you know when I got out of his way he soars over the corner, no hesitation, no problem. I need to trust him...he likes his job and he wants it to be his decision...he doesn't want to be forced. So turns out I was micromanaging and trying too hard to yank on the right rein and right it to perfect instead of just letting in happen....sometimes I need to stop thinking and use a bit of instinct. I need it to be more routine and not be a big deal. It started to feel not so rushed...the first few times we did it it felt like it was a bounce instead of 3 strides, it started to get less and less hectic in my mind and I started to feel like I had time in between. I need to school that enough that it becomes second nature and I don't have to think. It was definitely a good lesson that was needed.

Boot Camp

Well Seth and I decided to join my parents for a mini-vacation in Aruba. While we're gone, Legacy and Cody spent a few days with Danny and Keli. Legacy is in a mini-boot camp, so we'll see how it goes. Last time he spent a week with Danny it was a fantastic result, but I don't think Legacy thought it was a vacation...he know is excited to get on the trailer any time we are at their farm :). I'm hoping there are less problems this time for him to fix...there will be an update once we return on Monday...

No Trespassers

Legacy is somewhat of a watchdog...he hates when new people get near our property. Today when I went out to get him, they were doing work across the street in the tree farm...he DID NOT like that. So he proceeded to sprint around the pasture, snorting and stomping with his tail straight up in the air. With the help of a peppermint, I grab his fly mask and begin bringing him in. Somehow he doesn't bolt from me and we get in the barn where he proceeds to run me over to get into his stall...ugh, it was going to be a long ride. At this point, I realize that I should have left him in the pasture for a few more hours and try again later...but, I'm as stubborn as he is and I can't let him win. So I yell for Seth to come help because I know this is not a one person job. Seth grabs all my tack and I lead the raging maniac to the ring with the lunge line...I knew I couldn't even try and get him ready in the barn. Well, it takes about 20 minutes of him tearing around in a circle around me, while I'm trying to switch directions and get his attention. This is one of his moods, it's kind of weird to watch because it seems like something is chasing him around the circle and he can't be controlled. And then when he turns in towards me and trots right up to me, I always think to myself, you could just keep going and run me over (luckily he hasn't done that yet). With some leading exercises alternating with lungeing, I got him settled and tacked up. He settles right in when I get on and we had a nice workout, nothing great, but no major mishaps. We were just continuing to work on getting soft after jumping and me controlling my body as to not lean at him too much. I'm starting to see my spots better if I don't lean at him, so it's a matter of repetition now. Off to dinner with my wonderful hubby now...a mini date night :).

Canter Work

We had a great lesson with Danny tonight. Worked on a looooot of canter. I was happy that Legacy came back from the weekend perfectly sound and with energy...he's ready to go. So we worked quite a bit on counter canter. Doing a 20m true canter circle and then a 20m counter canter circle. First of all, I need to learn to play with my fingers and the reins to keep him soft and not lock against him, because then we just get tenseness. I always need to be working on getting him rounder and more supple at every gait all the time. In the counter canter I need to keep him straight and get him balanced. We really started to get the feel of it and it got a lot better when I would push him with my hips and not hold him up with my hands. After doing the counter canter, his true canter gets so much more balanced, so that will need to become part of my daily workouts.

Next we worked on the medium canter (of which we don't have one yet). Legacy just falls in when I ask him to lengthen his stride. So we worked on getting him up and using my hips to control the length of the stride. The exercise I need to work on is lengthening for a few strides and then bringing him back with my seat and then lengthen again....and then I need to really push him down a long side to get him to really stretch his stride. When doing the medium on a circle I need to allow him to stretch over his back as much as he wants as long as he doesn't fall in. In order to keep him from falling in, I have to keep my outside shoulder back and use my outside leg and rein to keep him straight. Also, when going to the left, I have to ride with my inside leg back and my outside leg at the girth, but keep my hips going with his motion. I need to continually be asking him to move his hind end under him. I need to start pulling everything together and use all my legs independently. It seems that often times the key is straightness...so that's our focus.

~Kelly

We did it!!!

Legacy and I finished our first Prelim today...it was incredible. Dressage went really well...we scored a 35.5 (my secret goal was to break 40)...lower is better in eventing (like golf). Most of the comments were related to him needing more energy and moving forward...that will come once I get the hang of the sitting trot. I felt really confident with dressage and really just felt proud to be riding him. I'll tell you what, warming up with the likes of Boyd Martin and Buck Davidson and knowing they are in your division and they have these incredibly fancy horses is a bit intimidating, but we held our own for our first showing.

It was a quick turnaround for jumping. We got out to the show jump area and I quickly walked the course with Danny. The jumps didn't look bad at all, so I wasn't feeling like stadium was going to get me. So he warmed up really well...I was overriding and I knew it, but I couldn't help it. I was too amped up with emotions. Seth said I looked like I was going to pass out before I jumped... The course rode well and he was so much better...we had a good rhythm and he was jumping really well. We still need to work on the softness in his jaw between the jumps...he still locks against me. I messed up one of the combinations trying to leave out a stride for some reason, but Legacy was super honest and we came out with 2 rails (8 penalty points). Overall, I was really happy...most of the stadium mistakes were me overthinking and trying to do too much instead of just letting it happen. But what was good is that we recovered by the next fence for all of our errors. That's what was much different about the course...if you miss your striding, it affects quite a few fences and there isn't much flexibility in the course. It was a different ride.

Then on to XC...let me tell you, I was overwhelmed with the jumps when I walked it. I tried to pretend like I didn't think they were too big, but I was nervous. I had the same feelings when I moved up to Training, but when the jumps start to get so wide...it's intimidating when you are on foot. So I tried to ignore it, but fences #3, 4, 5, 6 were all pretty big and I was just hoping I would see the distance and not screw up too bad to cause something to happen. So we start out and he takes #1 easy and then doesn't want to turn to go to the House at #2. He tends to bow out a lot when we are galloping which is now going to cost us time faults, so we have to fix that. Anyway, he jumps #1 and 2 right in stride and I'm feeling good and thinking I overanalyzed on my course walk. We come into #3, the Skinny Table, and he just lauches over it...it was incredible. We then gallop down to the big brush and he was a little looky at the ditch in front so I ask for a long spot and again, he just skies over it (he needs to learn he doesn't have to jump the brush). So he jumped awesome and for the first time I actually felt hang time over the jumps...it was like we were flying. I need to continue to work on my eye with the larger, wider, fences, but any mistakes I made, he was able to fix it, so it worked. The bending tables, water, and coffin all were smooth....not as easy as our combos were at Training, but not terrible. Just a few extra strides here and there, but he's athletic enough to be able to adjust to that. So we finally get to the bank to the corner (my nemesis). He jumped in over the log perfect, dropped quietly off the bank and then we just never got our line to the corner. You had to have a line, or it wasn't going to happen. So we had a runout to the right...but I circled around and took him back at the corner and jumped it on a slight angle to close the right side and he jumped it perfect. I was so happy that it didn't escalate to a big fat E. Then it was on to the last 2 and home. I've never been so happy for a runout...haha. I truly was just happy to finish and felt that everything was positive. The runout shows what we need to work on, again just having the connection quicker after obstacles is going to become so perfect. I'm not going to be able to go on a loose rein at a corner. It was a fabulous day...I had a lot of support from family and friends and it was so amazing to have so many people in your corner rooting for you. I finished 2nd to last, because Boyd Martin fell off, but I don't even care. This picture is the perfect representation of this day...this was over #3 the Skinny Table. We set out to go Prelim and we proved we belong...on to Rubicon!!!

12 Hours Til' Go Time

So...the nerves are up and down. I think I was more nervous at the beginning of the week...I had some fantastic rides and was sort of calm until I gave Legacy a bath tonight. I had a minor melt down when he decided to take off through the pasture (he hates the cold water). We are bumping up the priority of installing a small water heater in the barn. Anyway, Seth and I went down to Fair Hill today and walked the course....twice. It's tough but a good test for us...here is what we have to contend with...

#1 - Log

#2 - House

#3 - Skinny Table

#4 - Brush

#5 - Oxer

#6 - Trakehner

# 7 - Chevron

#8 - House #9 a, b - Tables

#10 - Half Rolltop

#11 a, b, c - Red House ->Water -> Up Bank -> Red House

# 12 - Brush Rolltop

#13 a, b, c - Coffin

#14 - Red Table

#15 a, b - Bank to Rolltop on Hill

#16 - Bench

#17 a, b, c - Log, Down Bank, Corner

#18 - Roll top

#19 - Flower Stand

Satan's S-Curve Revisited

So we attempted Satan's exercise again tonight....and we conquered it...well maybe not quite conquered, but improved it for sure!! He was very comfortable and soft tonight. I still need to learn not to jerk back on his mouth after landing and to lift the rein up when asking him to be soft, when I consciously think about that and correct myself he gets softer quicker (imagine that, if I don't yank on his face after the jump he stays balanced and soft...I'm a genius!!!). So even with my nerves building and me being just a bit nutty tonight we had a really good workout. None of my tenseness translated to him and we were able to make progress. My mind has been racing since yesterday (I had some really strange dreams about weird stadium obstacles that were more like fun house rides...I'm not even gonna go there). We ended with just a few cross country jumps and we did the good ol' Beaver corner. Typically my nerves are terrible until the show, so my plan is for show day to be even more relaxed than any of my workouts this week since I will be a bit on edge...maybe I should look at some medicine for this...hehe.

~Kelly

May?????

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!! It can't be May...the weather is terrible today. Thank goodness Seth's show was yesterday because it would've been miserable today...45° and very windy...blah. We had a nice mother's day brunch today and then I napped (that is the first in a long time). I finally got motivated to ride and I was going to jump, but the wind seriously would've blown down the standards...that would've been an interesting twist. Anyway, I did some flat work and he was great. His canter work was really good...I find that if I work counter canter for a few circles each direction and really get him soft and supple, his canter gets so much more balanced. He's also getting so much better with transitions within the gaits. His lengthened canter still isn't where it needs to be because he's still not using his hind end enough, but I'm able to get him more collected on the downward transition which is a step in the right direction. I worked a bit on the sitting trot again, it's getting there...I'm starting to feel it and allowing him to move forward. Making him go a little lower and deeper really helps to get him to lift his back and make the trot more comfortable. I just have to keep training him that anytime he gets tense that no matter what cue I give him, leg, hands, seat, he lowers his head and rounds his back. It was definitely a positive ride considering the conditions and I'm feeling confident. I need a few jump schools this week and we should be good to go...I was telling Seth today that I'm nervous, but I don't know what else I could do to be more prepared...I have to keep telling myself that all week ;). Tonight when we came in the cutest cat in the world, Legend, had made an igloo from our comforter. She's just like her Mommy, cold all the time...I'm definitely not one of those people that pretend it's summer when it's 45° out. I saw someone in shorts today...umm, I rode in a winter coat and hat...and I wasn't hot. Seth thinks I should just keep my summer clothes in the basement...whatever he's just jealous because he wants more closet space :).

~Kelly

Mr. Cody Joe Step 2010 Debut

Well today was the first show of the year for me and Cody. And it seems fitting that it is a good time for my first blog.

Anyhow, over the past couple weeks, Cody and I have had a rough go of it with our dressage work. Danny and Kelly have worked with me to quiet my hands and stop my constant leg-kicking, so overall, my dressage has been improving. But as things improve, more seems to be asked and we are now trying to raise his poll and improve his trot. Since we started working on this, Cody sensitivity has emerged (along with my lack-there-of). That combination has resulted in some rough rides (and 1 fall which I'll call a dismount).

So with the rough dressage riding, I wasn't sure how today would go. As it turned out, we had a really good warmup and I was feeling confident as our test started. He was doing rather well but then he broke at the trot into a canter! I was able to recover from this mishap and still finish with a fairly solid test. Even with the break, I thought my score would have been better, but the judge put me on a 45 and in 6th place.

Stadium and cross-country were amazing. I enjoy the cross county so much with Cody. And he seems to really enjoy jumping and has been jumping better and better. I hope, at some point to be able to do novice on him, but his dressage needs to continue to improve before we make that move.

Everyone else in my division seemed to struggle with the jumping and even though I had some time faults on stadium, I was able to move up and finished in 2nd. Overall, we had a real good first outing. Now on to the next show...just not sure when and where...

Seth

Two Peas in a Pod

So I got up at 5:30 this morning to ride Legacy, but he was having nothing of it. He was a complete idiot. It all started on the cross ties where he didn't stop moving and/or going to the bathroom (#2). I should've known then. But I tried to keep going...he tried to rear when I got on him...then I spent about 5 minutes on his back and decided to pack it in. His mind just wasn't there...then I rode a few hours later and it was absolutely fine, actually had somewhat of a decent ride. Still trying to feel the sitting trot, but it's getting better. Making him go a bit rounder and deeper helps a lot!! I was proud of myself for getting off of him this morning and not letting it escalate. It's just bad news if I keep going down that road...I guess Legacy and I are just too much alike. Be both have tempers, are stubborn and always want our way!! Somehow we click though when it matters...

Off to Seth's first show of the season at Plantation!! Go BEAVENTING!!

~Kelly

Fitness

So another night of trotting. It was quite nice for my 25 minute jog tonight...Legacy was a tad lethargic, but he was a trooper. All of a sudden I feel like he looks like this amazing creature. I'm not sure if it's the supplements or the new workout regimen, but he looks amazing. It's been a tougher schedule....I'm pretty much riding every night, which puts a strain on my body and my mind, but when I see these results...it's worth it.

Danny Lesson - T minus 12 days until Prelim debut

So Legacy and I had a great lesson tonight. Did some work on my sitting trot, which Danny explained to me will take the next year to feel comfortable, so I just need to get used to being uncomfortable. At this stage in the game, my dressage scores will have to suffer because I need to teach Legacy to engage his back, and to do that I have to make him go deeper and rounder and perhaps behind the vertical (oh no, all dressage people are cursing me). Magically, when Danny got on Legacy and showed me how to do it, it got much easier to sit. So after I get Legacy relaxed and using his back, (and learn some rhythm), we will be ready to kick some butt!! Then we jumped a bit...I feel like a lightbulb went off when Danny told me to get taller and keep my shoulders away from the jump as we are approaching instead of throwing myself over the fence. When I did that on the third jump we did tonight, it was a drastic difference...I mean it was like a different horse. I actually got out of Legacy's way and he was able to use his hind and and had a beautiful round jump...I felt like we could jump the moon. I definitely try to do too much and help him out, but I'm slowly learning he doesn't need my help...he knows what he's doing. He doesn't need me to carry him around the ring, or throw my body forward over a jump so he can make it...he's got it all on his own. So I think the less I do, the better. I need to guide him instead of force him to the jumps...I'm not doing the work, he is, so I need to let him. It's been a process to get to this point and it's so interesting to see the progression. First, he rushed through all the fences, so I had to pull and hang on to try and slow him down...then I had to teach him how to go round in his head and neck no matter what cue I gave him....now, I'm pulling it all together and making him smooth and relaxed. If I can get him round and have more of an up and down canter while jumping, it's so easy. So, hopefully I can use all of this momentum and knowledge and have a positive experience next weekend. We are ready for Prelim!!!

~Kelly

Conditioning

Conditioning tonight...30 minutes of trotting through the fields of Elverson. Legacy and I were both tired...we may have to switch our conditioning workouts to the mornings. First we're going to have to find somewhere to gallop...Elverson works for trots, but too much hard ground for galloping. Only noteworthy moment was when we almost got sprayed by a skunk...they are disgusting animals...

Rideability - Satan's Exercise

So there are a few holes that I need to fix to continue progressing through the levels. You see, since Legacy is kinda talented, I got away with some things up until this point. So last week in my lesson with Danny we focused a lot on this bending line exercise...let's call it's Satan's S-Curve Exercise. Let's just say that it was a mess and I will be spending the next few months of my life perfecting this. The intent is to jump in quietly, soften the horse's jaw and take a bending line to the next fence (see the black s-line in the diagram). Now, you won't see this detailed exercise in a stadium course at my level, but I WILL have to drop off a 3' bank and bend to a skinny solid fence on cross-country. Up until now, I've been able to "cheat" and take the straight line (blue line). Those days are now over and I need to fix this... Anyway, last week I just kept rushing and thinking I had to do so much to get him to bend and I would end up hanging on his mouth and fighting with him and we wouldn't get to the next fence. There were run-outs and just ugly, ugly fences. I basically have an intermediate exercise where after each fence I do a 10 meter circle to recompose myself and then proceed to the next jump. So...tonight it was time to attempt it again. So I started with my silly circle exercise so I didn't freak out and rush to the next fence. That went pretty well, so I decided to go for the bending line....it actually went really well!! I still had trouble getting to the 3rd fence quietly, but it was a huge improvement from last week. We also struggle going from a left bend to a right bend since that is more difficult for him to change leads...that's a whole other workout :). Then I had the pleasure of riding Cody. Let me tell you, riding that horse is the ultimate upper body workout. My body aches from my bellybutton up. He is such a massive tank of a horse...I swear he has extra muscles. It's like one of those cows that are fed too many hormones...that's Cody>>>
So needless to say it's tough to ride him and I always feel bad for Seth because he is a beginner dealing with a beginner horse who doesn't make it easy, but at least he has nice arms from it :). So we're working with Cody to try and make him rounder...well I think he has too many muscles in his body to carry his fat head in a nice round frame. He does try though and hopefully it will click. There are moments where he is ok, but his dressage will never be strong. Considering he wouldn't even pick up the right lead when we bought him, he's come a long way. And he and Seth have a blast when jumping, so that's all that matters. Ok...time for a glass of wine and American Idol...

~Kelly

Rainy Sunday

Ok so what did I do today...no riding since it was a rainy Sunday and we've had a rough couple of days. Well I spent too many hours making this blog and watching online videos of Rolex cross-country on Eventing Nation or on NBC...sometimes it's tough to watch the falls, but it's part of it.
It's amazing when you see a great ride like Boyd and Neville or Phillip and The Foreman....it looks so easy...and I've been there for the past 2 years...does this look easy?

Sometimes it makes me wonder if being a professional in the sport sometimes affects your decision making skills. Are certain horses running to attempt to win an award for the rider or because the owners want them to even though they may not be ready? When it's your livelihood the monetary aspects obviously are much more important. You see, I have no idea about this because in my riding career the money only goes one direction...OUT. I did win some prize money at AEC's, but that barely covered the entry fee and stabling..haha. People often ask me how much I win and I feel a bit like a moron when I say, "maybe a ribbon and a Cosequin bucket." Anyway, I would give anything to have my career revolve around horses in some way, but I would hate for riding to be like a "job" and to have to treat the horses like a business. It's a very fine line, but I think when the horses become "assets" you lose that connection that every horse and rider team needs. Anyway, luckily all horse and rider combos were fine at Rolex...after a lot of scrutiny in the sport that is somewhat positive. Interestingly enough, a new technology called a frangible pin that is supposed to let the jumps collapse when a horse hits a fence failed to work at fences where some pretty nasty falls happened...the Hollow and the Coffin. Hopefully that technology is reviewed and can be implemented properly or else let's figure something else out.

So after hours of staring at the computer screen, we did some landscaping. It was an odd choice with the weather, but it had to be done. When we get a day with no shows or events, we have to take advantage. So most of you may think landscaping is planting some tulips or lillies...no we moved a large bush...and as pictured we had to tie it to the trailer so it wouldn't fall over...who thinks this will actually hold and not die?? My grandma told Seth and I there was no way it would live. We celebrated her 84th birthday today...what an amazing woman with an incredible life. She's been an inspiration to women in sports...she played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and started several of Reading High School's womens sports team throughout her teaching career. I hope I get even a sliver of her charisma...


~Kelly

Lessons Learned

I am a bit crazy, which I guess is why I'm drawn to three day eventing. Luckily, my laid back husband balances me out and keeps me sane (sort of). I am approaching my first Prelim event in 3 weeks and I'm already nervous, actually I've been nervous since February when we set up my show schedule. I evented through Traning in high school, but it was so different, it's a whole new world now. Legacy and I are more than ready, which Seth has to tell me every time I have a melt-down after a crappy ride. I've had 2 wakeup calls this week...1) conditioning for upper levels is going to be intensive and 2) I have no idea how to ride a collected canter, my hips just don't work yet. 1) I went for a trot workout on Friday with Danny Warrington and his Prelim and Intermediate horses. Legacy was fine and kept up, but it's time to step up our workouts and it's going to be a time commitment since we will have to trailer to get to some hills since it's flat around our house. Luckily Seth has some flexible hours with his job (which I do not) and he can condition at least once a week for me. 2) After our trot workout I rode one of Danny's horses...let me just say that Legacy and I have a lot of work to do with our canter. It was really good for me to feel how a horse should respond to your seat and hands. I think I may have to start to do pilates or something to open up my hips and try and get more flexible.

~Kelly