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.