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.