So this whole bad economy thing is really throwing a huge damper on the amount of horsey fun I can have. Well…Ok – that might be a bit dramatic. It’s not really THAT true (although it IS a liiiittle). Honestly, it’s just making me dig into the deep crevices of my creativeness and come up with fun stuff to do, - and perhaps also make a few more sacrifices than I’d really like.
Yes, with the state of things, we are ALL making sacrifices. And honestly, most of us REAL horse people have no problem when it comes to sacrificing some of our extraneous needs for those of our beloved ponies. After all – they deserve it right? Right?...Well maybe… Ok so they might not ALWAYS deserve it (and some of them are even a bit on the ungrateful end if we are really honest with ourselves). But we love to pamper them anyway! So maybe there IS something behind all those people that call us crazy!
So in my low-funds-dilemma, I opted to go WATCH a dressage clinic this past weekend – in lieu of actually riding in it. The clinic was being held at Elite-Equines on Wadmalaw Island, SC. While I was bummed that I couldn’t work on specific issues with my pony, it was a great experience (and a fun trip with a friend). Funny enough, it was with the same woman, Amy McElroy, that judged the horse trail at Paradise! She also is the trainer for MY trainer there – Laurens Bissell.
I’m definitely glad I went as I garnered a couple tidbits to help with my forthcoming dressage tests/competitions. I have rolled them into some other thoughts I’ve had, and I’m going to put them all in an article of sorts that I”ll post later. And aren’t you lucky that I’ll share them with you??? And for FREE! :-D You just don’t get any more monetarily conservative than that! :-D
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The One with Us in Paradise
Aaaah! Welcome to the first day of Fall – my absolute FAVORITE time of year. It’s a break from serious showing, and the awning of glorious trail rides, brisk hunter paces, and invigorating cross country schooling. The horses are frisky, and I finally have a legit reason for bundling up in sweaters and scarves.
Unfortunately - *yawn!!!* <-- This is about all I have been able to accomplish since we came back from the Paradise Horse Trials.
Heading into the weekend, the forecast was filled with Rain, Rain – and oh yeah – more rain!! In fact, our neighboring states of Georgia and Tennessee are flooding from all the rain. I was probably more than a little worried about it.
I took Friday off from work so that Tammy, Hailey, Caley, and I could make sure we headed up to Aiken early on in the day. We needed to exercise the horses some before we walked the XC course. And what do you know? Beautiful blue skies garnished our entire trip!
For this event, we were not stabling on the grounds, but at Buckleigh Farms – a Polo facility about a mile down the road from Paradise. After stopping for a quick lunch break for Chinese in Bamburg, we finally made it to Buckleigh around 2 PM.
The farm was exactly what one might imagine a race facility to look like. Large fields, and tall, dark barns. The grounds actually were pretty lovely. There was a beautiful polo field with a track around the circumference, a covered dressage arena, a regular dressage arena, and a jumping arena. The barn, however, was very dark, and not well ventilated. I have to say our guys were really not fans of it, and they were a bit nervous about the whole situation.
After getting the stalls set up we exercised the horses for a bit. All three were a bit “up”, and I was somewhat concerned as I’ve really never noticed this much anxiety coming from Sudi before at an event. Bunny was even more talkative than normal.
I was however excited that Sudi’s dressage was coming along so nicely. His canter transitions were really getting lovely – although his increased sensitivity to my aids made him a little anxious. After our rides, we packed the ponies in their stalls, fed them dinner, and then headed over to Paradise for our check in and XC walk.
Laurens Bissell, our trainer and help for show day, met us on the course for our walks. Wow! Talk about not being used to hills!! My rather rolling course was filled with beautiful logs, small coops, and mini-tiger traps. All inviting. And all decorated with horse eating flowers. *sigh* I knew the flowers would be an issue, but Laurens really helped me work through a lot of it mentally. Eventually we left, and I was at least semi-confidant. :-)
That evening we all met up at O’Charley’s for dinner and probably too much laughing. J Amazingly enough, we all managed to wrap up dinner, take showers and be in bed by 10:30! I think we’re actually starting to get the hang of this showing stuff.
Saturday morning we all got up at 5:45, hit breakfast and then headed over to Buckleigh to feed the ponies and haul over to Paradise. Sadly it did not seem like they slept nearly as well as we did. I could tell Sudi had not laid down – which is very rare for him. He usually always manages to get comfy and secure enough to sleep at night. Halara was also off her food, and having a MAJOR pity part. It was pretty sad actually watching the big black mare act so beside herself!
We managed to pretty quickly muck out our stalls, pack up, and leave. Paradise was only a mile down the road, so we got there within moments. The grounds were bubbly and brimming with excitement. The energy at shows is amazing to me – I love it! And the best part? There wasn’t a cloud in the sky! We were in for a lovely, albeit rather warm, day.
Braiding was a bit of an adventure with Sudi, but somehow (with Tammy’s help!) I managed to squeeze in just over 30 braids. He was such a good sport for being tied to the trailer for the greater part of the day.
Once I started riding, my day went into high gear, and it’s really mostly a blur now. Our dressage warm up started rocky, with Sudi screaming his head off to Halara and Bunny. Eventually he gathered himself, realizing that I wasn’t going to quit pestering him until he did, and then our warm up really got fabulous. Laurens helped me get him into a really nice frame where he was very uphill and had beautiful transitions. I loved it!
Unfortunately, once we got into the dressage arena, we found the scary horse eating flowered pots. All of a sudden, my fabulous horse reminded me that he is YES – an Arabian. We made it through the test, where he blew off my half halts and decided spooking at the flowers was a better idea. *sigh* Despite our spooks and early transitions, we managed to scrape out with a 40 – placing us in 4th. Not too bad for our first dressage test with Canter work!
We moved on to Stadium – which much to my dismay – had NO cross rails!! Laurens was VERY confidant in us though, and helped us through a beautiful warm up. I made it onto the course and headed for the first jump. I could feel him sucking back, so I tapped him with my crop, sat back and clucked to the jump. He jumped HUGE, but somehow he didn’t completely unseat me. I aimed him for the second jump but didn’t have enough time to gather my wits to ride him as effectively, and he stopped. I whapped him hard with the crop, and he rocketed over it. After that, I was able to really ride him forward for the rest of the course without ANY stops!! I was SO proud of him. I have to admit – Stadium took a LOT of energy out of me. I am such a wimp!
We eventually made it over to XC where I feel like I rode completely ineffectively. I was out of energy and unable to ride Sudi as forwardly as he needed. So we had LOTS of stops before jumps, and then ridiculous hops. (The pictures are really ridiculous! Hehe) Sudi seemed to love the galloping part, but I could really tell that he was tired as he was leaning pretty heavily on my hands going down the hills. I literally had to stand up and lean back in my stirrups to help balance us. But we made it.
The jump judges were a bit brutal – handing us 60 points for refusals (not sure where we got them all actually as I only noticed one REAL refusal from him) and only a few time penalties. We ended up last due to the refusal points, but I was still thrilled to have made it through the event without being eliminated! :-D Sudi came away from XC feeling proud of himself too – exactly what I wanted. I, however, came away from XC feeling like I wanted to collapse. Not exactly what I wanted – so I’ll have to work on that some more!
Tammy and Hailey also had great rides, although neither of them placed either. However we were all elated to have ridden well and completed the event. All in all – it was definitely a positive experience!
Now that we’re back home, Sudi and the girls are enjoying their week off from riding with lots of pampering and treats. As for our future plans, I’m planning on taking some jumping lessons with Laurens, going to another CT at Jasmine, and attending Mullet Hall’s Harvest Fest again.
Lots of fabulous fall plans! Like I said - this is really the BEST time of year!
Unfortunately - *yawn!!!* <-- This is about all I have been able to accomplish since we came back from the Paradise Horse Trials.
Heading into the weekend, the forecast was filled with Rain, Rain – and oh yeah – more rain!! In fact, our neighboring states of Georgia and Tennessee are flooding from all the rain. I was probably more than a little worried about it.
I took Friday off from work so that Tammy, Hailey, Caley, and I could make sure we headed up to Aiken early on in the day. We needed to exercise the horses some before we walked the XC course. And what do you know? Beautiful blue skies garnished our entire trip!
For this event, we were not stabling on the grounds, but at Buckleigh Farms – a Polo facility about a mile down the road from Paradise. After stopping for a quick lunch break for Chinese in Bamburg, we finally made it to Buckleigh around 2 PM.
The farm was exactly what one might imagine a race facility to look like. Large fields, and tall, dark barns. The grounds actually were pretty lovely. There was a beautiful polo field with a track around the circumference, a covered dressage arena, a regular dressage arena, and a jumping arena. The barn, however, was very dark, and not well ventilated. I have to say our guys were really not fans of it, and they were a bit nervous about the whole situation.
After getting the stalls set up we exercised the horses for a bit. All three were a bit “up”, and I was somewhat concerned as I’ve really never noticed this much anxiety coming from Sudi before at an event. Bunny was even more talkative than normal.
I was however excited that Sudi’s dressage was coming along so nicely. His canter transitions were really getting lovely – although his increased sensitivity to my aids made him a little anxious. After our rides, we packed the ponies in their stalls, fed them dinner, and then headed over to Paradise for our check in and XC walk.
Laurens Bissell, our trainer and help for show day, met us on the course for our walks. Wow! Talk about not being used to hills!! My rather rolling course was filled with beautiful logs, small coops, and mini-tiger traps. All inviting. And all decorated with horse eating flowers. *sigh* I knew the flowers would be an issue, but Laurens really helped me work through a lot of it mentally. Eventually we left, and I was at least semi-confidant. :-)
That evening we all met up at O’Charley’s for dinner and probably too much laughing. J Amazingly enough, we all managed to wrap up dinner, take showers and be in bed by 10:30! I think we’re actually starting to get the hang of this showing stuff.
Saturday morning we all got up at 5:45, hit breakfast and then headed over to Buckleigh to feed the ponies and haul over to Paradise. Sadly it did not seem like they slept nearly as well as we did. I could tell Sudi had not laid down – which is very rare for him. He usually always manages to get comfy and secure enough to sleep at night. Halara was also off her food, and having a MAJOR pity part. It was pretty sad actually watching the big black mare act so beside herself!
We managed to pretty quickly muck out our stalls, pack up, and leave. Paradise was only a mile down the road, so we got there within moments. The grounds were bubbly and brimming with excitement. The energy at shows is amazing to me – I love it! And the best part? There wasn’t a cloud in the sky! We were in for a lovely, albeit rather warm, day.
Braiding was a bit of an adventure with Sudi, but somehow (with Tammy’s help!) I managed to squeeze in just over 30 braids. He was such a good sport for being tied to the trailer for the greater part of the day.
Once I started riding, my day went into high gear, and it’s really mostly a blur now. Our dressage warm up started rocky, with Sudi screaming his head off to Halara and Bunny. Eventually he gathered himself, realizing that I wasn’t going to quit pestering him until he did, and then our warm up really got fabulous. Laurens helped me get him into a really nice frame where he was very uphill and had beautiful transitions. I loved it!
Unfortunately, once we got into the dressage arena, we found the scary horse eating flowered pots. All of a sudden, my fabulous horse reminded me that he is YES – an Arabian. We made it through the test, where he blew off my half halts and decided spooking at the flowers was a better idea. *sigh* Despite our spooks and early transitions, we managed to scrape out with a 40 – placing us in 4th. Not too bad for our first dressage test with Canter work!
We moved on to Stadium – which much to my dismay – had NO cross rails!! Laurens was VERY confidant in us though, and helped us through a beautiful warm up. I made it onto the course and headed for the first jump. I could feel him sucking back, so I tapped him with my crop, sat back and clucked to the jump. He jumped HUGE, but somehow he didn’t completely unseat me. I aimed him for the second jump but didn’t have enough time to gather my wits to ride him as effectively, and he stopped. I whapped him hard with the crop, and he rocketed over it. After that, I was able to really ride him forward for the rest of the course without ANY stops!! I was SO proud of him. I have to admit – Stadium took a LOT of energy out of me. I am such a wimp!
We eventually made it over to XC where I feel like I rode completely ineffectively. I was out of energy and unable to ride Sudi as forwardly as he needed. So we had LOTS of stops before jumps, and then ridiculous hops. (The pictures are really ridiculous! Hehe) Sudi seemed to love the galloping part, but I could really tell that he was tired as he was leaning pretty heavily on my hands going down the hills. I literally had to stand up and lean back in my stirrups to help balance us. But we made it.
The jump judges were a bit brutal – handing us 60 points for refusals (not sure where we got them all actually as I only noticed one REAL refusal from him) and only a few time penalties. We ended up last due to the refusal points, but I was still thrilled to have made it through the event without being eliminated! :-D Sudi came away from XC feeling proud of himself too – exactly what I wanted. I, however, came away from XC feeling like I wanted to collapse. Not exactly what I wanted – so I’ll have to work on that some more!
Tammy and Hailey also had great rides, although neither of them placed either. However we were all elated to have ridden well and completed the event. All in all – it was definitely a positive experience!
Now that we’re back home, Sudi and the girls are enjoying their week off from riding with lots of pampering and treats. As for our future plans, I’m planning on taking some jumping lessons with Laurens, going to another CT at Jasmine, and attending Mullet Hall’s Harvest Fest again.
Lots of fabulous fall plans! Like I said - this is really the BEST time of year!
Monday, September 14, 2009
The One where I Reboot and Restart
The horse world. It’s crazy really. I simply can’t think of a sport that can go from exhilarating to heart wrenching and back again so quickly! So many amazing aspects; so many gut wrenching disappointments. But perhaps that’s not only the horse world. Perhaps that’s just life?
Again – I’ve been remiss in my blogging. So much has happened – both good and bad. But, our barn has come to be SUCH a team lately. We’ve all had our up’s and down’s, but we’ve also GROWN so much! Obviously not all relationships are faultless, but what I LOVE about us lately is the way we are learning to work through our difficulties and not give up. That’s what makes a place/family great.
So to start - we’ve had some amazing successes lately!:
1. Most recently, Traveler’s Crossing hosted a fantastic ride-a-test dressage clinic with clinician Susan Selvey. I have to say that Tammy and I worked really diligently (and sometimes painstakingly) hard at pulling this off, and I think we made a FANTASTIC team. I managed to pull together all of the administrative aspects, and she fixed up the grounds beautifully. We had perfect weather, and all of us put in great rides. Susan even commented that the place looked and ran like a rated event – I don’t think we could have had a higher compliment!!
2. Since my last blog where Sudi finally learned how to GO, I have taken Sudi to two shows (one a horse trial, and another a CT), and Sudi’s dressage scores have just sky rocketed (Upper 60’s for you dressage folk, or lower 30’s for you eventers). I’m thrilled beyond words (not quite a good thing for a blog!) He is so amazingly consistent now, and he really, really tries SO hard for me. After every test I’m so overwhelmed, I just can’t not hug him.
One of the things I’ve discovered about Sudi is that he really dislikes not understanding a concept. And I think part of that is because he wants to please me so much. He wants to do the right thing, and when he doesn’t get it – he “acts out.” And - now that he is starting to understand the dressage work, he is SUCH a show off. What a pony. :-D
3. Sudi is figuring out how to jump!! Aha! Finally! I doubted this day would ever come honestly. However, as I mentioned above, when my faith was faltering, my friends were right there to help and encourage me. (That’s what they’re for, right?)
It was an inevitable conclusion. I eventually got to the point where I said: I am not a good enough rider to get Sudi through this. And I wasn’t being too hard on myself. -- It was the truth, and it was hard to admit. That is NOT to say, however, that I am not a RESOURCEFUL and DETERMINED rider. Because THAT, I am. Giving up on this wasn’t an option for me.
So, I took Tammy up on her offer to ride Sudi for me and see what they could accomplish. And they were wonderful! She was able to provide Sudi what I was not: encouragement (faith in him) without punishment. And he was forward, and he went over the jumps – as if there was not an option not to. And he was so proud of himself!!
While this was a great development for Sudi – it was also hard not be disappointed in the fact that I couldn’t get him there myself. I am working through it however, and with Tammy’s encouragement (and that of some other fabulous trainers), I am getting there. I am a work in progress, but it’s good – because Sudi and I are getting there together. We both still manage to do things that wreck our trust in each other, but we’re learning how to work through them.
Our last XC schooling together was such a breakthrough for us. Laurens Bissel was our coach up there at Paradise Farms in Aiken, and she connected with me so well – understanding my fears, and working me through them. It was amazing, and I was able to finally give Sudi the confidant ride he needed.
On one of our trips up to Southern Pines, we stopped at a tack shop, and I broke down and bought a much needed black belt – which I use for both riding and life in general. As we got back into the truck to leave, I pulled the belt out of the bag to look at it, and I noticed an inscription on the inside. It’s now my theme with Sudi: “Courage is trusting your horse to get you there.” It was a perfect fit.
~
These past few blog-less months have given me quite of bit of time to marinate. And one of the conclusions I’ve come to is a bit like that Miley Cyrus song (trying not to gag here that I’m writing this!): “The Climb.”
It’s great to reach your goals, and achievements are wonderful (especially when there are pretty ribbons involved!). But all those reached goals, trophies and ribbons are empty and meaningless if you don’t remember the road you’ve taken to get there.
I’ve often wondered at the almost sense of “loss” I feel when I’ve reached my goal. Like something has ended. I should be elated that I reached this point for which I’ve been working so hard. But at the same time, I’m also saying “goodbye” to those experiences and memories I’ve cultivated along the way. Those memories – the good and the bad – are what make the moment of achievement. Without them, those achievements would seem lifeless.
It’s a good reminder of why I used to blog, and why I need to do it more. Because I don’t want to ever forget the things that matter and those moments that changed and shaped me as a rider and person.
Until I blog again - Happy riding!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The One with Go
I had a very close friend in college for whom English was something along the lines of her fourth or fifth learned language. I was a bit envious on that note as other languages have ALWAYS been a struggle for me. However, every once in a while, we would stumble upon a concept that she simply did not understand until I went through a thorough explanation – hopefully full of words she understood. At that point in time, her eyes would light up with realization, and we would both laugh knowing that we were finally sharing the same thoughts.
Every once in a while a rider will have the delightful, and most likely unexpected, experience of a break through. Another bridge of communication has been constructed, and you and your horse are speaking your developing language more clearly.
I love these moments. They are what I ride for!
In an effort to control my expenses, I’ve cut back on my lessons even more. And with work picking up some, and getting over a body wrenching cold, I’ve slacked off in continuing the literary side of my education as well. I would love to tell you this has had NO affect on my riding whatsoever, but sadly, as we all know, this is definitely NOT the case. I know I needed to save some pennies and get help again.
I’d finally gotten to the point with Sudi where our dressage was getting better, and he was actively seeking the bridle and contact. However, he was still NOT nearly responsive enough to my seat nor could I seem to get him off his forehand. I felt like we were elephants tromping around our circles, hoof beats reverberating throughout the back acreage of the farm. Needless to say this was also clearly affecting our canter departs, and I was finding myself contorting my body is all manners of ways just to get him to go. Again – not effective!!
I knew when I got to my lesson Monday that I had clear goals. We were GOING to get him to GO! when I asked nicely. We were also going to get off the forehand. We were also going to canter when I asked (correctly!) and we were also going to get the correct lead. I ALSO knew it was all the same problem (80% of which stemmed from me!)
Susan, who is always so nice about it, picked up our problem immediately. I was accepting too little of him. My expectations have to be MUCH higher (Is this a problem with ALL mothers??? – we want to love our children for who they are…but maybe we should have been pushing them just a bit harder? Asking them to live up to slightly higher expectations? Hmm). Since I had allowed Sudi to get away with such non-responsiveness, we had to work on re-sensitizing him.
Poor Sudi didn’t know what him. Litterally. There he was, just standing there (one of his favorites). I asked him to move, and he was slowly deliberating as to if this was even a good idea when… WHAM! Susan had taken the dressage whip harshly to his butt. He jumped up in attention, but still wasn’t moving quickly enough for us. WHAM! WHAM! That got him going. I allowed him to pick up a canter since that was at least forward, and we circled and came back to her to try again. (I now understand why Tammy’s mare Bunny, the head mare at the farm, gets so frustrated with Sudi! She basically has to beat him up to get him to move!) Unfortunately the second time he was AGAIN non responsive. We repeated the exercise twice more until it actually seemed to compute. (Is this a red-head thing??!) The good news though, is that eventually all I had to do was rock my seat forward, and OFF he went into a trot!
The exercise, painful as it was to watch, did end up working. Even more amazingly, this new found impulsion got him off his forehand! I couldn’t have been happier. I actually had a trot I could do a half-halt with! The improvement in his gait alone was phenomenal. I could not have been happier. I felt like I finally had a horse I could DO dressage with. Our canter work was even amazing – he felt like a horse!
My hope now is that this “Forward Thinking” will continue on through our rides this week. The cynic in me wants to think he is going to need some work, but the new “mom” in me KNOWS that he’s going to get it! (At least he better! Haha) Onward and upward and definitely more forward…
Every once in a while a rider will have the delightful, and most likely unexpected, experience of a break through. Another bridge of communication has been constructed, and you and your horse are speaking your developing language more clearly.
I love these moments. They are what I ride for!
In an effort to control my expenses, I’ve cut back on my lessons even more. And with work picking up some, and getting over a body wrenching cold, I’ve slacked off in continuing the literary side of my education as well. I would love to tell you this has had NO affect on my riding whatsoever, but sadly, as we all know, this is definitely NOT the case. I know I needed to save some pennies and get help again.
I’d finally gotten to the point with Sudi where our dressage was getting better, and he was actively seeking the bridle and contact. However, he was still NOT nearly responsive enough to my seat nor could I seem to get him off his forehand. I felt like we were elephants tromping around our circles, hoof beats reverberating throughout the back acreage of the farm. Needless to say this was also clearly affecting our canter departs, and I was finding myself contorting my body is all manners of ways just to get him to go. Again – not effective!!
I knew when I got to my lesson Monday that I had clear goals. We were GOING to get him to GO! when I asked nicely. We were also going to get off the forehand. We were also going to canter when I asked (correctly!) and we were also going to get the correct lead. I ALSO knew it was all the same problem (80% of which stemmed from me!)
Susan, who is always so nice about it, picked up our problem immediately. I was accepting too little of him. My expectations have to be MUCH higher (Is this a problem with ALL mothers??? – we want to love our children for who they are…but maybe we should have been pushing them just a bit harder? Asking them to live up to slightly higher expectations? Hmm). Since I had allowed Sudi to get away with such non-responsiveness, we had to work on re-sensitizing him.
Poor Sudi didn’t know what him. Litterally. There he was, just standing there (one of his favorites). I asked him to move, and he was slowly deliberating as to if this was even a good idea when… WHAM! Susan had taken the dressage whip harshly to his butt. He jumped up in attention, but still wasn’t moving quickly enough for us. WHAM! WHAM! That got him going. I allowed him to pick up a canter since that was at least forward, and we circled and came back to her to try again. (I now understand why Tammy’s mare Bunny, the head mare at the farm, gets so frustrated with Sudi! She basically has to beat him up to get him to move!) Unfortunately the second time he was AGAIN non responsive. We repeated the exercise twice more until it actually seemed to compute. (Is this a red-head thing??!) The good news though, is that eventually all I had to do was rock my seat forward, and OFF he went into a trot!
The exercise, painful as it was to watch, did end up working. Even more amazingly, this new found impulsion got him off his forehand! I couldn’t have been happier. I actually had a trot I could do a half-halt with! The improvement in his gait alone was phenomenal. I could not have been happier. I felt like I finally had a horse I could DO dressage with. Our canter work was even amazing – he felt like a horse!
My hope now is that this “Forward Thinking” will continue on through our rides this week. The cynic in me wants to think he is going to need some work, but the new “mom” in me KNOWS that he’s going to get it! (At least he better! Haha) Onward and upward and definitely more forward…
Monday, May 11, 2009
The One with the Much Remorse
It’s funny really. The longer you procrastinate on something, the harder it is to actually get it done.
I go throughout my days and many various activities with interesting blog topics popping into my head; none of which I would be lacking for filler. But it always pops up. That big elephant just standing there - blinking at me from the middle of the room. He’s a powerful elephant – able to zap all my blogging energy with a single blink.
So, let’s face it. These past weeks have been fairly difficult. There’s only so much emotional turmoil you can deal with really before it starts affecting you in some way or another. Unfortunately, the only outlet I could really let ANY of this affect me is here on my blog. It is thought that writing can cleanse the soul. Once your thoughts are down on paper (or in this case, cyberspace), they are free – no longer captivated to your mind. And so, that here is my goal, in what I can only imagine to be a fairly lengthy blog.
Let me start though at about exactly one month ago, when into this world came Ontario vom Rappenhoff!!! After many, many excruciating hours of waiting and watching, Bunny went into labor on April 10, 2009. Her labor lasted most of the day, but her water just wouldn’t break. Later on that evening, the vet decided to come out and induce her. This ended up being a really good thing. As it turns out, Ontario was facing the right direction, however he was upside down! Dr. Miller labored away for about thirty minutes and we soon saw the darling little striped face of Ontario.
This was my VERY first birth that I’ve seen, and it was a little bit traumatic. However, mother and baby are doing fantastically!! From day one he has been just precocious! Bunny is very protective about him, but each day he just grows by LEAPS and bounds! He is very balanced already, and we have some GREAT plans of taking him along to Devon as he matures and becomes the outstanding dressage stud I know he will be!
Halara’s pregnancy did unfortunately not turn out so well. After Ontario was born, we expected Harper to just pop right out. Another week went by with nothing. She was not even producing milk. As she passed her year mark, we all sighed with worry and waited for the vets to make some sort of call as to which direction we should go.
Looking back, it’s hard to say where everything started going wrong. There are so many answers that I’m not sure any of us want to even look for yet. The short of the story though is that the vets decided to induce Halara, but the baby was just not quite ready to be born (despite his large size!). The birth was very traumatic, and the following days even more so as everyone at Traveler’s Crossing (and even a past boarder Laura!) rallied together to help this baby make it. Despite Tammy’s best efforts though, he did not, and we miss him horribly! Halara is also no longer able to be bred as the pregnancy/birth did not treat her very kindly. She is recovering well though – physically and emotionally – and will be back to work shortly.
And just when all of us started to take a breath and move on, Lila, Tammy and David’s little Papillion was hit and killed on their farm (very much by accident!) The evening Lila died I rather felt my life spinning. I searched for the pain in my heart that I knew would start pounding again, but it was gone. It was like I was already numb from the current pain. It’s a scary place to be. Surrounded by so much loss. Even now, I wish I could somehow go back and find some other words to say, but my mind still goes blank. Just searching. I know it’s my body way of going into survival mode and protecting me against the horrendous pain I first experienced many years back. I have this memory of being a child, hopping on my bed sobbing, and just praying that God would hold me and tell me everything would be OK. And He never failed. Everything did always end up being OK. Getting to that point again though can be hard, but if I’ve learned ANYTHING through my life, it’s that God is faithful. All the time.
After the death of Harper, Jazzie and her family ended up leaving Traveler’s Crossing. I’m sure this is probably for the best – even though we miss them!! I think that it can be good for all of us to leave the place of such hard memories sometimes. It gives us a chance to heal. I think we all need that chance for a bit.
Things around the farm are slowly returning to normal. Willa has also gone back to Erinne on Wadmalaw Island as her time with Tammy is up. I wish them both the best of luck as well in their futures! Willa is definitely a special little mare!
Sudi and Kehbir have had a bit of a break with all the turmoil going on. I’ve focused a lot on helping Sudi heal his body some. Amelia has come out several times helping to alleviate some of the tension and tight spots he develops (sometimes from his conformation or from falling out in the field etc...silly Arab!), and he seems to be feeling so much better. When I ride, he is much more supple and able to come through and use his back (finally!). We are planning on moving up to actually riding some Training level dressage tests!!! I’m thrilled.
Kehbir and my mom are doing well. They had a great lesson this past weekend, and we have more over Memorial Day weekend hopefully. It's really neat to see them progressing!
So there it is. My hard month in just a few paragraphs. Having written it out, I don’t feel like I’ve done it enough justice, but so be it. I’m closing the door and moving on.
Before I end, I want to add one more disheartening anecdote. This past weekend up at Jersey Fresh we lost another great horse. Phillip Dutton and his horse Bailey Wick had a horrible accident going XC, and Bailey Wick did not make it. My condolences go out to Phillip and the owners of that GREAT horse. My heart cries out for this sport. I pray we can find a way to change it for the better and soon! We simply cannot accept these losses…They are just too great!
Promising to be diligent and back to our regularly scheduled happy posting!
I go throughout my days and many various activities with interesting blog topics popping into my head; none of which I would be lacking for filler. But it always pops up. That big elephant just standing there - blinking at me from the middle of the room. He’s a powerful elephant – able to zap all my blogging energy with a single blink.
So, let’s face it. These past weeks have been fairly difficult. There’s only so much emotional turmoil you can deal with really before it starts affecting you in some way or another. Unfortunately, the only outlet I could really let ANY of this affect me is here on my blog. It is thought that writing can cleanse the soul. Once your thoughts are down on paper (or in this case, cyberspace), they are free – no longer captivated to your mind. And so, that here is my goal, in what I can only imagine to be a fairly lengthy blog.
Let me start though at about exactly one month ago, when into this world came Ontario vom Rappenhoff!!! After many, many excruciating hours of waiting and watching, Bunny went into labor on April 10, 2009. Her labor lasted most of the day, but her water just wouldn’t break. Later on that evening, the vet decided to come out and induce her. This ended up being a really good thing. As it turns out, Ontario was facing the right direction, however he was upside down! Dr. Miller labored away for about thirty minutes and we soon saw the darling little striped face of Ontario.
This was my VERY first birth that I’ve seen, and it was a little bit traumatic. However, mother and baby are doing fantastically!! From day one he has been just precocious! Bunny is very protective about him, but each day he just grows by LEAPS and bounds! He is very balanced already, and we have some GREAT plans of taking him along to Devon as he matures and becomes the outstanding dressage stud I know he will be!
Halara’s pregnancy did unfortunately not turn out so well. After Ontario was born, we expected Harper to just pop right out. Another week went by with nothing. She was not even producing milk. As she passed her year mark, we all sighed with worry and waited for the vets to make some sort of call as to which direction we should go.
Looking back, it’s hard to say where everything started going wrong. There are so many answers that I’m not sure any of us want to even look for yet. The short of the story though is that the vets decided to induce Halara, but the baby was just not quite ready to be born (despite his large size!). The birth was very traumatic, and the following days even more so as everyone at Traveler’s Crossing (and even a past boarder Laura!) rallied together to help this baby make it. Despite Tammy’s best efforts though, he did not, and we miss him horribly! Halara is also no longer able to be bred as the pregnancy/birth did not treat her very kindly. She is recovering well though – physically and emotionally – and will be back to work shortly.
And just when all of us started to take a breath and move on, Lila, Tammy and David’s little Papillion was hit and killed on their farm (very much by accident!) The evening Lila died I rather felt my life spinning. I searched for the pain in my heart that I knew would start pounding again, but it was gone. It was like I was already numb from the current pain. It’s a scary place to be. Surrounded by so much loss. Even now, I wish I could somehow go back and find some other words to say, but my mind still goes blank. Just searching. I know it’s my body way of going into survival mode and protecting me against the horrendous pain I first experienced many years back. I have this memory of being a child, hopping on my bed sobbing, and just praying that God would hold me and tell me everything would be OK. And He never failed. Everything did always end up being OK. Getting to that point again though can be hard, but if I’ve learned ANYTHING through my life, it’s that God is faithful. All the time.
After the death of Harper, Jazzie and her family ended up leaving Traveler’s Crossing. I’m sure this is probably for the best – even though we miss them!! I think that it can be good for all of us to leave the place of such hard memories sometimes. It gives us a chance to heal. I think we all need that chance for a bit.
Things around the farm are slowly returning to normal. Willa has also gone back to Erinne on Wadmalaw Island as her time with Tammy is up. I wish them both the best of luck as well in their futures! Willa is definitely a special little mare!
Sudi and Kehbir have had a bit of a break with all the turmoil going on. I’ve focused a lot on helping Sudi heal his body some. Amelia has come out several times helping to alleviate some of the tension and tight spots he develops (sometimes from his conformation or from falling out in the field etc...silly Arab!), and he seems to be feeling so much better. When I ride, he is much more supple and able to come through and use his back (finally!). We are planning on moving up to actually riding some Training level dressage tests!!! I’m thrilled.
Kehbir and my mom are doing well. They had a great lesson this past weekend, and we have more over Memorial Day weekend hopefully. It's really neat to see them progressing!
So there it is. My hard month in just a few paragraphs. Having written it out, I don’t feel like I’ve done it enough justice, but so be it. I’m closing the door and moving on.
Before I end, I want to add one more disheartening anecdote. This past weekend up at Jersey Fresh we lost another great horse. Phillip Dutton and his horse Bailey Wick had a horrible accident going XC, and Bailey Wick did not make it. My condolences go out to Phillip and the owners of that GREAT horse. My heart cries out for this sport. I pray we can find a way to change it for the better and soon! We simply cannot accept these losses…They are just too great!
Promising to be diligent and back to our regularly scheduled happy posting!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The One with Ketchup...er...The One Where I Catch UP
So…I believe I am completely past due in keeping my blog up to date.
At any rate LOTS has happened lately!
1.) Kehbir goes to his first Big Boy Dressage Show. What an amazing time! SCDCTA hosts a USDF show twice a year at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center out on Johns Island. The venue is so nice and peaceful – it’s perfect for dressage. My ride times were both somewhat late in the day, so we really had no rush getting there. Although I do have to say, getting a stall is completely worth the $100.00! We opted out of a stall, and it was a bit tiring for both Kehbir and us. Kehbir was a complete champ at the show though. It was like he knew he was there for a job, and I feel like ALL my long hours of work completely paid off. Even Susan (who was gracious enough to coach us at the show) couldn’t believe how good he was. She worked with us several times, and our warm up was completely spectacular. It was as if Kehbs finally was understanding how I was asking him to carry himself. Unfortunately, this didn’t completely transfer over to the dressage ring. It was quite scary with BRIGHT RED flowers all around the arena, and he was SURE they were going to get him. Despite the flowers that were vying for his attention, Kehbs was actually able to put in a pretty decent test! He scored 60% on Intro A, and we got 3rd!! By the time his second test came around, Kehbs’ warm up was even better, and his last test even worse. *sigh* I think there’s only so much work a four year old Arabian can take in an intense atmosphere! I could tell he’d pretty much reached his limit though. All in all though, I was very pleased with his behavior/performance at the show, and feel like he has a lot of potential!
2.) Sudi, although missing the dressage show, got to take a Jumping lesson with Susan, and we had a blast! She took her time building us up to a rather challenging grid, and I felt confidant and so did Sudi. Susan worked a lot on my position and helped me build a stronger foundation. Sudi didn’t take a misstep. Even though we didn’t do anything terribly complicated, I feel like the boost my confidence took was enormous – and WELL needed. The following weekend I took Sudi on a Hunter Pace with some friends out at Huspah, and we had a blast. Got to cross a ditch (which I’m VERY glad I dismounted for!), went swimming (also not really planned – we found a VERY deep spot!), and got to play with some Horse-Eating-Cows (that took lots of convincing to get Sudi past!). All in all though, we had a good time, and we ended up winning the division! :-D Sudi got a feed bucket (donated to Tammy’s feeding lot) and lots of carrots and apples.
3.) The weekend of the 4th, my mom and I are taking the boys over to Middleton for their hunter pace, and then the following weekend I’m planning on attending Full Gallop’s CT event. All in all, should be fun!
We also have babies due at the barn ANY Day now!! I’ll do my best to document that fantastic occasion as well! Till then – Happy trails!
At any rate LOTS has happened lately!
1.) Kehbir goes to his first Big Boy Dressage Show. What an amazing time! SCDCTA hosts a USDF show twice a year at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center out on Johns Island. The venue is so nice and peaceful – it’s perfect for dressage. My ride times were both somewhat late in the day, so we really had no rush getting there. Although I do have to say, getting a stall is completely worth the $100.00! We opted out of a stall, and it was a bit tiring for both Kehbir and us. Kehbir was a complete champ at the show though. It was like he knew he was there for a job, and I feel like ALL my long hours of work completely paid off. Even Susan (who was gracious enough to coach us at the show) couldn’t believe how good he was. She worked with us several times, and our warm up was completely spectacular. It was as if Kehbs finally was understanding how I was asking him to carry himself. Unfortunately, this didn’t completely transfer over to the dressage ring. It was quite scary with BRIGHT RED flowers all around the arena, and he was SURE they were going to get him. Despite the flowers that were vying for his attention, Kehbs was actually able to put in a pretty decent test! He scored 60% on Intro A, and we got 3rd!! By the time his second test came around, Kehbs’ warm up was even better, and his last test even worse. *sigh* I think there’s only so much work a four year old Arabian can take in an intense atmosphere! I could tell he’d pretty much reached his limit though. All in all though, I was very pleased with his behavior/performance at the show, and feel like he has a lot of potential!
2.) Sudi, although missing the dressage show, got to take a Jumping lesson with Susan, and we had a blast! She took her time building us up to a rather challenging grid, and I felt confidant and so did Sudi. Susan worked a lot on my position and helped me build a stronger foundation. Sudi didn’t take a misstep. Even though we didn’t do anything terribly complicated, I feel like the boost my confidence took was enormous – and WELL needed. The following weekend I took Sudi on a Hunter Pace with some friends out at Huspah, and we had a blast. Got to cross a ditch (which I’m VERY glad I dismounted for!), went swimming (also not really planned – we found a VERY deep spot!), and got to play with some Horse-Eating-Cows (that took lots of convincing to get Sudi past!). All in all though, we had a good time, and we ended up winning the division! :-D Sudi got a feed bucket (donated to Tammy’s feeding lot) and lots of carrots and apples.
3.) The weekend of the 4th, my mom and I are taking the boys over to Middleton for their hunter pace, and then the following weekend I’m planning on attending Full Gallop’s CT event. All in all, should be fun!
We also have babies due at the barn ANY Day now!! I’ll do my best to document that fantastic occasion as well! Till then – Happy trails!
Monday, March 2, 2009
The One with Mysterious Ways
Every now and then I get this pinge of guilt. After all, this world is in complete chaos as the economy plummets further and further away from anything resembling respectable. So, often times I will feel guilty about the fact that I’m able to enjoy my two horses when others are, say, barely make it by the day to day.
However, as God matures me as a human and Christian, one of the things He seems to be teaching me is that it’s OK to enjoy what He’s so very graciously given to me. I shouldn’t NOT enjoy what he gives me since it is HIS will – even though other people are struggling! I would be INGRATEFUL not to enjoy and be thankful for His Providence. Gosh – WHAT a hard concept, and one that I’m sure I will struggle with for a while!
At any rate, as you may have noted in my last blog, my dressage saddle was sadly on it’s way out. As much as I really liked it (and I think the BOYS liked it), it was really working very hard AGAINST me. I searched high and low online and was without much luck in finding an affordable replacement. Granted, I found plenty of NEW ones that I’m sure I could love to get to know and own, but that simply was not in my budget (I’m not even getting much back from my taxes!).
So, you can imagine my surprise when I found the most unlikely saddle at the most unlikely time at my local tack shop: Black Bottom Stables.
The saddle was in PRISTINE condition, a 38 cm tree (!!! Wow !!!) and a size 18 seat (although it ends up being more like a 17.5). I sat in it on one of the mannequin horse things, and I loved it. The saddle is a Duett Encore Dressage saddle, and while I had never heard of Duett, the saddle definitely seemed to be nice. AND – it was SOMEHOW in my price range!! (Esp if I sold my Wintec!). I spoke with Jeanette (the NICEST lady in the world, by the way) about trying out the saddle, and she so very generously said “Of course dear! I know where you and your ponies are!” Hehe.
Of COURSE the saddle miraculously fits both Sudi and Kehbir, and they both seem to love it!!
So, I called Black Bottom back about the price of the saddle to see if it was negotiable at all, and they gave me the owner’s number. When I spoke with her, she very nicely said that the price was firm, but she’s interested in my Wintec!!! I couldn’t believe it.
It’s at times like these that I believe God is really working to affirm that I’m going down the right path. I just don’t see how something like this could work out any other way! (I sure know I’M not that lucky haha!)
At any rate, I have a new saddle!! This is what it looks like:
I’ll even get to use it at Kehbir’s USDF show on Saturday! I feel so very fortunate!
Now…if only Kehbir can get on board and have a nice performance! (He’s proven to me at home that he can, so let’s hope the Little Bugger can get his act together!
However, as God matures me as a human and Christian, one of the things He seems to be teaching me is that it’s OK to enjoy what He’s so very graciously given to me. I shouldn’t NOT enjoy what he gives me since it is HIS will – even though other people are struggling! I would be INGRATEFUL not to enjoy and be thankful for His Providence. Gosh – WHAT a hard concept, and one that I’m sure I will struggle with for a while!
At any rate, as you may have noted in my last blog, my dressage saddle was sadly on it’s way out. As much as I really liked it (and I think the BOYS liked it), it was really working very hard AGAINST me. I searched high and low online and was without much luck in finding an affordable replacement. Granted, I found plenty of NEW ones that I’m sure I could love to get to know and own, but that simply was not in my budget (I’m not even getting much back from my taxes!).
So, you can imagine my surprise when I found the most unlikely saddle at the most unlikely time at my local tack shop: Black Bottom Stables.
The saddle was in PRISTINE condition, a 38 cm tree (!!! Wow !!!) and a size 18 seat (although it ends up being more like a 17.5). I sat in it on one of the mannequin horse things, and I loved it. The saddle is a Duett Encore Dressage saddle, and while I had never heard of Duett, the saddle definitely seemed to be nice. AND – it was SOMEHOW in my price range!! (Esp if I sold my Wintec!). I spoke with Jeanette (the NICEST lady in the world, by the way) about trying out the saddle, and she so very generously said “Of course dear! I know where you and your ponies are!” Hehe.
Of COURSE the saddle miraculously fits both Sudi and Kehbir, and they both seem to love it!!
So, I called Black Bottom back about the price of the saddle to see if it was negotiable at all, and they gave me the owner’s number. When I spoke with her, she very nicely said that the price was firm, but she’s interested in my Wintec!!! I couldn’t believe it.
It’s at times like these that I believe God is really working to affirm that I’m going down the right path. I just don’t see how something like this could work out any other way! (I sure know I’M not that lucky haha!)
At any rate, I have a new saddle!! This is what it looks like:
I’ll even get to use it at Kehbir’s USDF show on Saturday! I feel so very fortunate!
Now…if only Kehbir can get on board and have a nice performance! (He’s proven to me at home that he can, so let’s hope the Little Bugger can get his act together!
Monday, February 16, 2009
The One with Jasmine's Valentine's Day Show
Yes it rained! Every time I got up on Sudi, the rain would come. Thankfully, it was never a very heavy rain though, and we did indeed get some respite at times.
To back up for a moment, I must say that on Friday afternoon my chances of going to the show looked very dismal. My poor father’s truck has died and needs a new motor. Tammy, however, was VERY generous, saving the day by allowing me to borrow her Forerunner and trailer.
Friday morning was VERY early and DARK at 4am, but we were able to pull out of the barn by 5:45 (Sudi wasn’t even awake yet! Hehe). I’m SO very thankful that the rain didn’t start until at least dawn – which made the travel so much better.
Sudi was a great traveler – and while I was a bit nervous as this was his first show all by himself, he really was a trooper! He was a bit nervous being tacked up, but once I was able to hop on him and get him moving, he was just fine.
Jasmine Farm had a LOT of scary props and decorations everywhere – which was GREAT education for him. The beginning of the warm up had its ups and downs as I worked on getting his attention and keeping it! But eventually he came around. He had some stellar moments – lots of energy and suspension! I was very pleased with his first dressage test though. Despite the neighboring horses galloping about in the field next to the dressage arena, Sudi was able to retain a bit of focus, and he came out with a 32! I was thrilled.
The jumping section was a bit intense for him (and ME!) as it had 11 VERY scary efforts. The warm up was a bit stressful too, as he was really flinging himself over the fences to begin with. Eventually he settled down though, and I felt a bit better as our time approached, although the rain had indeed picked up. I forgot my floaties!!
We ended up having a fun time though, despite one refusal (he was actually spooking at some scary rolltops though) which added 4 faults to our score. We topped out at a 36 though – winning the Amoeba class!! I was so very excited for him. We even won a fun mug.
We had a two hour break before Sudi’s last dressage test in which all of us got a short break and some lunch. Sudi, however, was a bit stressed and tired and didn’t have a spectacular test. Again, he had some lovely movement and energy although he wasn’t relaxed through his top line. We ended up with a 59%, which put us 3rd (the horses next door were really causing some issues and scores were dropping) out of 8.
To back up for a moment, I must say that on Friday afternoon my chances of going to the show looked very dismal. My poor father’s truck has died and needs a new motor. Tammy, however, was VERY generous, saving the day by allowing me to borrow her Forerunner and trailer.
Friday morning was VERY early and DARK at 4am, but we were able to pull out of the barn by 5:45 (Sudi wasn’t even awake yet! Hehe). I’m SO very thankful that the rain didn’t start until at least dawn – which made the travel so much better.
Sudi was a great traveler – and while I was a bit nervous as this was his first show all by himself, he really was a trooper! He was a bit nervous being tacked up, but once I was able to hop on him and get him moving, he was just fine.
Jasmine Farm had a LOT of scary props and decorations everywhere – which was GREAT education for him. The beginning of the warm up had its ups and downs as I worked on getting his attention and keeping it! But eventually he came around. He had some stellar moments – lots of energy and suspension! I was very pleased with his first dressage test though. Despite the neighboring horses galloping about in the field next to the dressage arena, Sudi was able to retain a bit of focus, and he came out with a 32! I was thrilled.
The jumping section was a bit intense for him (and ME!) as it had 11 VERY scary efforts. The warm up was a bit stressful too, as he was really flinging himself over the fences to begin with. Eventually he settled down though, and I felt a bit better as our time approached, although the rain had indeed picked up. I forgot my floaties!!
We ended up having a fun time though, despite one refusal (he was actually spooking at some scary rolltops though) which added 4 faults to our score. We topped out at a 36 though – winning the Amoeba class!! I was so very excited for him. We even won a fun mug.
We had a two hour break before Sudi’s last dressage test in which all of us got a short break and some lunch. Sudi, however, was a bit stressed and tired and didn’t have a spectacular test. Again, he had some lovely movement and energy although he wasn’t relaxed through his top line. We ended up with a 59%, which put us 3rd (the horses next door were really causing some issues and scores were dropping) out of 8.
(Note on video: I can see that my saddle isn't fitting me properly - It was putting me in a "chair" positional all day. *sigh* Hopefully we'll be able to look at a new one by the end of the year!)
Overall, I was really pleased with the day. I felt like it was incredibly educational for Sudi – which was indeed one of my goals! Special thanks to my mom for toughing out the weekend in the rain and being SO MUCH help!! Couldn't do it without her!!
We’re now looking forward to a jumping lesson with Susan and Kehbir’s show the first weekend in March. More to come – and Happy Valentine’s and President’s Day!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The One Where It's Time for an Update!
So – WOW. The weather this week has been absolutely NOTHING short of amazing. 70’s ALL week!! I bet you can’t guess what’s projected for Saturday? Oh wait – you can?? You mean you know I have the worst luck with weather EVER?? ;-) j/k But you’re right – RAIN. All day. I guess I need to learn how to tough it out, but seriously – after this week, RAIN this weekend just seems entirely ALL too unfair.
So – Sudi is scheduled for his first CT this season at Jasmine Farm. Should be a busy day! We have dressage first thing at 8:40 and then his jumping round at 9:40. Then he gets a lunch, I get a nap, and we’re back on for dressage at noon. Yep – long day!
I’m trying not to put any pressure on us for this show as I’m using it basically as a warm up for this season, and to just keep him in the show atmosphere. I’m glad it will be a somewhat busy show since that’s good for him. My goals are to hopefully have him stretching through his dressage test, make it over all our fences (and me stay on!), and to have a great time – even if we ARE getting rained on! Eventers are tough right?! (I feel like I need a big, tough guy beside me grunting in encouragement - hehe).
Kehbir had a FANTASTIC ride this past weekend. We had a lesson with Susan, and although he started off as a COMPLETE spaz, he calmed and ended actually VERY nicely. He’s a very smart horse, and always tries to figure out what I’m trying to ask before I ask it. This makes him a bit nervous – once he settles down though and learns to wait on me, I think we’ll start doing much better.
Susan made a BIG emphasis on the fact that he really wants me to be his “head mare” and take over. He’s a big wimp and doesn’t want to handle the scary white box by himself. Once I get his attention and get him focused on his job, he forgets all the scary places in the world. He’s not one of those horses that can be allowed to go check everything out first to calm down. He HAS to be ok because I’m on him – he HAS to know that’s his safe place. I think that was a big a break-through “AHA!” moment for me – understanding him just a bit better. The more I understand him, the more I feel I can ride him correctly. We’ve come a good ways in the few weeks I’ve been schooling him, so I’m excited to see where he’ll be at the end of this month!
Ok, and to wrap up – our future goals:
Sudi will be taking some jumping lessons with Susan. My goal is to have him ready for a Sr. Maiden HT up in Southern Pines by the end of May. I feel this is reasonable. I also have the free schooling pass for Full Gallop from when I was jump judging, so I need to take him up there by himself to do a practice run in April-ish I think. If the ht in May goes well, he’ll move up to the next level – Pre novice. If I feel we need another run, we’ll hold off on the Pre Novice (really BN) and run the Maiden again. I really just want him (and ME!) to get the feel of cantering/galloping to the fences and taking them in stride. I want him to feel confidant at the end of full of himself!
Kehbir has his upcoming (REAL USDF SHOW!!!) dressage show in March here at John’s Island. If all goes well with his training, I plan on having him up to training level by the end of the year. I have some tentative dressage shows planned out – although I really want to get him into some kind of clinic this year as well. We’re also doing some cross bars at home – he seems very confidant about them, and doesn’t seem to be real worried. I don’t plan on any CT’s/HT’s with him until the spring of next year though. I just want to take it slow with him – he comes along so much better that way.
Ok – well enjoy the weather! I’ll be jealous that I’m stuck behind my desk…*sigh* one day!!
So – Sudi is scheduled for his first CT this season at Jasmine Farm. Should be a busy day! We have dressage first thing at 8:40 and then his jumping round at 9:40. Then he gets a lunch, I get a nap, and we’re back on for dressage at noon. Yep – long day!
I’m trying not to put any pressure on us for this show as I’m using it basically as a warm up for this season, and to just keep him in the show atmosphere. I’m glad it will be a somewhat busy show since that’s good for him. My goals are to hopefully have him stretching through his dressage test, make it over all our fences (and me stay on!), and to have a great time – even if we ARE getting rained on! Eventers are tough right?! (I feel like I need a big, tough guy beside me grunting in encouragement - hehe).
Kehbir had a FANTASTIC ride this past weekend. We had a lesson with Susan, and although he started off as a COMPLETE spaz, he calmed and ended actually VERY nicely. He’s a very smart horse, and always tries to figure out what I’m trying to ask before I ask it. This makes him a bit nervous – once he settles down though and learns to wait on me, I think we’ll start doing much better.
Susan made a BIG emphasis on the fact that he really wants me to be his “head mare” and take over. He’s a big wimp and doesn’t want to handle the scary white box by himself. Once I get his attention and get him focused on his job, he forgets all the scary places in the world. He’s not one of those horses that can be allowed to go check everything out first to calm down. He HAS to be ok because I’m on him – he HAS to know that’s his safe place. I think that was a big a break-through “AHA!” moment for me – understanding him just a bit better. The more I understand him, the more I feel I can ride him correctly. We’ve come a good ways in the few weeks I’ve been schooling him, so I’m excited to see where he’ll be at the end of this month!
Ok, and to wrap up – our future goals:
Sudi will be taking some jumping lessons with Susan. My goal is to have him ready for a Sr. Maiden HT up in Southern Pines by the end of May. I feel this is reasonable. I also have the free schooling pass for Full Gallop from when I was jump judging, so I need to take him up there by himself to do a practice run in April-ish I think. If the ht in May goes well, he’ll move up to the next level – Pre novice. If I feel we need another run, we’ll hold off on the Pre Novice (really BN) and run the Maiden again. I really just want him (and ME!) to get the feel of cantering/galloping to the fences and taking them in stride. I want him to feel confidant at the end of full of himself!
Kehbir has his upcoming (REAL USDF SHOW!!!) dressage show in March here at John’s Island. If all goes well with his training, I plan on having him up to training level by the end of the year. I have some tentative dressage shows planned out – although I really want to get him into some kind of clinic this year as well. We’re also doing some cross bars at home – he seems very confidant about them, and doesn’t seem to be real worried. I don’t plan on any CT’s/HT’s with him until the spring of next year though. I just want to take it slow with him – he comes along so much better that way.
Ok – well enjoy the weather! I’ll be jealous that I’m stuck behind my desk…*sigh* one day!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
The One with the Start of 2009
So show season is finally making its way to a head: February 14th (Jasmine Farm CT) and March 7-8 (The Low Country Classic – Dressage). These dates are coming more quickly than I’m perhaps mentally ready, but alas, it comes anyway!
Lately I’ve been really pushing myself to ride both boys on a regular basis. Kehbir is really starting to impress me. To be honest, our first few rides were a bit of a battle. Him against me. And believe me, neither of us were winning. However, now that he’s figured out that I can be quite nice when he behaves, he’s opted for that route. We’ve gotten RHYTHM! Woohoo. Now we’re working on the long and low frame – although for Kehbir, it’s not quite the same long and low frame Sudi gets in. At any rate, we were so comfortable that we were able to do some basic grid work! (See fun video - ignore my bad hands though!)
Sudi has been able to work on some grid work and muscle building, and the best part is that he’s really starting to enjoy it! While some of his jumps are still a bit extravagant (see video), I am immensely enjoying his training. He is stretching my riding ability and teaching me what it means to be a rider and not simply a passenger. While I still feel like this is outside my comfort zone, my dedication is reaching new limits!
On a sad note, we didn’t win the Championship for the GSEA Green Horse Intro division. While all of the points that I calculate say that he did, somewhere something has gone amiss as I’m told we came in third. Needless to say, I’m extremely proud of my boy as he came away with great 2008 achievements from those shows (and many blue ribbons!).
So now we are on to 2009 and hoping for a fun and SAFE filled competition year. Best of luck to everyone!
Lately I’ve been really pushing myself to ride both boys on a regular basis. Kehbir is really starting to impress me. To be honest, our first few rides were a bit of a battle. Him against me. And believe me, neither of us were winning. However, now that he’s figured out that I can be quite nice when he behaves, he’s opted for that route. We’ve gotten RHYTHM! Woohoo. Now we’re working on the long and low frame – although for Kehbir, it’s not quite the same long and low frame Sudi gets in. At any rate, we were so comfortable that we were able to do some basic grid work! (See fun video - ignore my bad hands though!)
Sudi has been able to work on some grid work and muscle building, and the best part is that he’s really starting to enjoy it! While some of his jumps are still a bit extravagant (see video), I am immensely enjoying his training. He is stretching my riding ability and teaching me what it means to be a rider and not simply a passenger. While I still feel like this is outside my comfort zone, my dedication is reaching new limits!
On a sad note, we didn’t win the Championship for the GSEA Green Horse Intro division. While all of the points that I calculate say that he did, somewhere something has gone amiss as I’m told we came in third. Needless to say, I’m extremely proud of my boy as he came away with great 2008 achievements from those shows (and many blue ribbons!).
So now we are on to 2009 and hoping for a fun and SAFE filled competition year. Best of luck to everyone!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The One with the Little Arabian
“Heeeere Leeetle ARRRaabian. COME BACK leeeeetle Arrraaabeaaann!”
I had to rub my jaw and yawn for a minute, meanwhile wiping the ground implant away. My nose needed a little straightening as well. I was at least able to do my best Bewitched impression.
“Heeeeere Leeeetle Arraabian. Cooome baaaaaaaaaaaack!” Will’s voice echoed again.
Darn it. I owe that man a bottle of wine/liquor/whatever I stumble across first.
The pesky little Arabian was still running. The funniest part was that my saddle was flapping around on his back like little wings. He looked like a Pegasus. At least it was staying put – I could at least say that for my tacking-up skills.
Up and down hills he flew. Along the fence line. Down through the woods. Back up the hill. Down the other side of the hill. Back in a circle around us. And off he went again.
I let out a big sigh.
“Come baaaack, Leeeettle Arrrrrrrrabian!”
Will Faudree was calling my horse for me. How embarrassing.
“Oh he’s done now – his tail has deflated!” Tammy laughed over her shoulder. She and Jazzy formed a wall with their horses, and Sudi came up to a halt in front of them.
I grabbed my reins and walked him over to a semi-flat surface that was good for remounting. I had re-mount therapy coming my way in about thirty seconds.
“Ok – go canter over that log over there and come back. We need a TALK.”
I was fine really. Well almost. My confidence in my “sticking to the darn Arab” skills were greatly shaken. Foundation gone. I did need a talking to.
Well what happened? We were approaching a two stride log combination. Granted, these logs were semi-novice level, and the combination certainly nowhere near Beginner Novice level. Shoot – we’d barely made it through the cross bar combination three weeks ago. And I’m supposed to make it over two LOGS? Sure. Uhuh. You got it, Pete.
Well at any rate, I’d been doing a really good job of keeping Sudi forward to all of our jumps so far, and he hadn’t refused a ONE. I was thrilled. Up we came to this log, I blocked his drifting, and we took the log in stride. I however, was so elated, I let him skip out to the side and not go over the second log.
Will, of course says, “SO why didn’t you go over the second log?”
I really wanted to answer “BECAUSE – I didn’t want to.” I didn’t though. I told him something about how I didn’t make Sudi do it. Truth be told though, I REALLY didn’t think I’d stay on through it. I just thought I’d fall at the second log. Not the first.
Well, upon my second approach, I lost my stirrup. I got it back. Sudi drifted. I drifted trying to fix him. He slowed down, and I kept him going. Well all of a sudden he literally ROCKETS over the jump, and I go flying up on his neck. I’m really not used to that power jump he gets. I knew I was going to fall as I was grappling his neck. My feet hit the ground, but I couldn’t keep up with his momentum. Down I went…face first. And OFF Sudi went. For about ten minutes.
Even though I fell, Will was able to help us work through the combination, and help me figure out how to crouch down to stay a bit more stable through my legs. It worked. After we worked out the combination, we worked a ditch and also worked up a bank and down to a log on a hill. Good stuff, and well worth the day.
I, however, am VERY sore. It didn’t hit me during the day of, BUT I learned that I could pull a ton of muscles in my neck and right arm that I didn’t even know could be pulled.
All in all though, Sudi was a real champ. We had fewer refusals than ever before, and I think he actually really had a good time. I think I have an eventer on my hands. Now…if only I could get MY act together.
The best part? We got inducted to our first EVENTING TEAM!!
See fondly picture below:
I had to rub my jaw and yawn for a minute, meanwhile wiping the ground implant away. My nose needed a little straightening as well. I was at least able to do my best Bewitched impression.
“Heeeeere Leeeetle Arraabian. Cooome baaaaaaaaaaaack!” Will’s voice echoed again.
Darn it. I owe that man a bottle of wine/liquor/whatever I stumble across first.
The pesky little Arabian was still running. The funniest part was that my saddle was flapping around on his back like little wings. He looked like a Pegasus. At least it was staying put – I could at least say that for my tacking-up skills.
Up and down hills he flew. Along the fence line. Down through the woods. Back up the hill. Down the other side of the hill. Back in a circle around us. And off he went again.
I let out a big sigh.
“Come baaaack, Leeeettle Arrrrrrrrabian!”
Will Faudree was calling my horse for me. How embarrassing.
“Oh he’s done now – his tail has deflated!” Tammy laughed over her shoulder. She and Jazzy formed a wall with their horses, and Sudi came up to a halt in front of them.
I grabbed my reins and walked him over to a semi-flat surface that was good for remounting. I had re-mount therapy coming my way in about thirty seconds.
“Ok – go canter over that log over there and come back. We need a TALK.”
I was fine really. Well almost. My confidence in my “sticking to the darn Arab” skills were greatly shaken. Foundation gone. I did need a talking to.
Well what happened? We were approaching a two stride log combination. Granted, these logs were semi-novice level, and the combination certainly nowhere near Beginner Novice level. Shoot – we’d barely made it through the cross bar combination three weeks ago. And I’m supposed to make it over two LOGS? Sure. Uhuh. You got it, Pete.
Well at any rate, I’d been doing a really good job of keeping Sudi forward to all of our jumps so far, and he hadn’t refused a ONE. I was thrilled. Up we came to this log, I blocked his drifting, and we took the log in stride. I however, was so elated, I let him skip out to the side and not go over the second log.
Will, of course says, “SO why didn’t you go over the second log?”
I really wanted to answer “BECAUSE – I didn’t want to.” I didn’t though. I told him something about how I didn’t make Sudi do it. Truth be told though, I REALLY didn’t think I’d stay on through it. I just thought I’d fall at the second log. Not the first.
Well, upon my second approach, I lost my stirrup. I got it back. Sudi drifted. I drifted trying to fix him. He slowed down, and I kept him going. Well all of a sudden he literally ROCKETS over the jump, and I go flying up on his neck. I’m really not used to that power jump he gets. I knew I was going to fall as I was grappling his neck. My feet hit the ground, but I couldn’t keep up with his momentum. Down I went…face first. And OFF Sudi went. For about ten minutes.
Even though I fell, Will was able to help us work through the combination, and help me figure out how to crouch down to stay a bit more stable through my legs. It worked. After we worked out the combination, we worked a ditch and also worked up a bank and down to a log on a hill. Good stuff, and well worth the day.
I, however, am VERY sore. It didn’t hit me during the day of, BUT I learned that I could pull a ton of muscles in my neck and right arm that I didn’t even know could be pulled.
All in all though, Sudi was a real champ. We had fewer refusals than ever before, and I think he actually really had a good time. I think I have an eventer on my hands. Now…if only I could get MY act together.
The best part? We got inducted to our first EVENTING TEAM!!
See fondly picture below:
The Will Faudree Tadpole Team!
(Left to right: Hailey and Zebbra; Jazzy and Indy; Tammy and Willa; Me and Sudi! - and of course Will Faudree in the middle!)
Friday, January 16, 2009
The One with all the Winter
As the years go by, I have come to the conclusion that if the weather had a gender, it would definitely be a woman.
First – She is always there for us. Always. In all her glory – even if that glory isn’t QUITE so glorious.
Second – She is very fickle and impossibly unpredictable. And even when we THINK we have her figured out, she changes just to be difficult.
Third – She acts hormonal: Cold one minute, breezy the next, boiling hot after that…you get my drift.
And Fourth – She is always beautiful no matter what she does.
The weather this winter has been all of the above. Just when I settled down with the idea that I could handle the cold, it turned to spring like weather. And of course, just when I got used to spring, back came winter – and with a vengeance.
You see, I have this trail ride on Saturday and then a trip up to Southern Pines for some XC schooling with Will Faudree on Monday, and it’s going to be FREEZING!
Sudi and I have been prepping a bit with some nightly rides during the week, and for the most part they go pretty well. In fact, two nights ago, I was THRILLED with his work. Last night, however, is probably one of those times that I should have hopped off early on and called it a night. The moon was NOT out due to clouds, the lighting around the place seemed dismal, and Sudi thought everything was out to eat him. Trying to keep a three-four year old Arabian focused and relaxed in that environment was pretty much asinine. He got frustrated, I got frustrated, and we eventually just had to come back and walk to feel like we were getting anywhere positive.
I guess we all have bad days, but some just seem to really discourage you. I’m sure having to ride in the dark all during the week is part of my “issue,” but I should at least be thankful I’m able to ride, right? I mean some people can’t even ride due to much nastier weather conditions!!
So at any rate, many deep breaths have been taken, and we’re hoping for a fresh start on Saturday. I think the boys will like the trail riding for a bit of refreshment, and then back to work! So grab some warm (and hopefully flavored) coffee and kick on! The winter will be over before we know it!!
First – She is always there for us. Always. In all her glory – even if that glory isn’t QUITE so glorious.
Second – She is very fickle and impossibly unpredictable. And even when we THINK we have her figured out, she changes just to be difficult.
Third – She acts hormonal: Cold one minute, breezy the next, boiling hot after that…you get my drift.
And Fourth – She is always beautiful no matter what she does.
The weather this winter has been all of the above. Just when I settled down with the idea that I could handle the cold, it turned to spring like weather. And of course, just when I got used to spring, back came winter – and with a vengeance.
You see, I have this trail ride on Saturday and then a trip up to Southern Pines for some XC schooling with Will Faudree on Monday, and it’s going to be FREEZING!
Sudi and I have been prepping a bit with some nightly rides during the week, and for the most part they go pretty well. In fact, two nights ago, I was THRILLED with his work. Last night, however, is probably one of those times that I should have hopped off early on and called it a night. The moon was NOT out due to clouds, the lighting around the place seemed dismal, and Sudi thought everything was out to eat him. Trying to keep a three-four year old Arabian focused and relaxed in that environment was pretty much asinine. He got frustrated, I got frustrated, and we eventually just had to come back and walk to feel like we were getting anywhere positive.
I guess we all have bad days, but some just seem to really discourage you. I’m sure having to ride in the dark all during the week is part of my “issue,” but I should at least be thankful I’m able to ride, right? I mean some people can’t even ride due to much nastier weather conditions!!
So at any rate, many deep breaths have been taken, and we’re hoping for a fresh start on Saturday. I think the boys will like the trail riding for a bit of refreshment, and then back to work! So grab some warm (and hopefully flavored) coffee and kick on! The winter will be over before we know it!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
The One Where We Make it Cross Country!
I’m hooked on XC! Completely. Sudi and I made it through a REAL XC school at Full Gallop Farm. Yes, we actually made it over OFFICIAL XC jumps!!!
Now, this took a little bit of convincing on my part as Sudi thought a bunch of these logs looked quite scary in the beginning. He was a trooper though, and we made it over many logs, a mini tiger trap, a mini coop, up and down banks, in and out of the water complex, and over a REAL ditch!!!
I think Sudi was really eating up the course too as after most of the jumps he would take off in a very forward canter/hand gallop and the occasional victorious head shake. And the boy has a really nice lengthy stride too!! We both had fun (and I didn’t get thrown into the water!), and that was the best part!
While I’m not quite ready to enter us in a true USEA event yet, we’re definitely on our way. Wish I had pics from the day (my squats paid off really BIG time too so my position was WORLDS better!), but alas we were all riding and had no ground person.
My next trip up to Full Gallop is February 4th – Tammy and I are going to watch and cheer on Will Faudree and then jump judge in the afternoon! Hopefully I’ll get some great pics from that as well. Lots of fun!
Well wrapping up, this weekend, my mom and I are taking Sudi and Kehbs to Mullet Hall to meet up with some friends for some good ‘ole trail riding fun. Yay for early spring!
Now, this took a little bit of convincing on my part as Sudi thought a bunch of these logs looked quite scary in the beginning. He was a trooper though, and we made it over many logs, a mini tiger trap, a mini coop, up and down banks, in and out of the water complex, and over a REAL ditch!!!
I think Sudi was really eating up the course too as after most of the jumps he would take off in a very forward canter/hand gallop and the occasional victorious head shake. And the boy has a really nice lengthy stride too!! We both had fun (and I didn’t get thrown into the water!), and that was the best part!
While I’m not quite ready to enter us in a true USEA event yet, we’re definitely on our way. Wish I had pics from the day (my squats paid off really BIG time too so my position was WORLDS better!), but alas we were all riding and had no ground person.
My next trip up to Full Gallop is February 4th – Tammy and I are going to watch and cheer on Will Faudree and then jump judge in the afternoon! Hopefully I’ll get some great pics from that as well. Lots of fun!
Well wrapping up, this weekend, my mom and I are taking Sudi and Kehbs to Mullet Hall to meet up with some friends for some good ‘ole trail riding fun. Yay for early spring!
Friday, January 9, 2009
The One with the Wooly Bears that Do Dressage
Kehbir and Sudi are WOOLY. For Kehbir this is nothing to even turn your head about, but for Sudi, it’s a pretty significant feat. I’m mostly afraid that it means that we’re about to have a really cold spell approaching us, but so far, we still have mildly winterish days with splashes in the 60 - 70’s every now and then. The down pour of rain that we’ve received recently is starting to clear and the wind has popped up to dry out the land some; A VERY welcome relief!!
Last weekend Sudi and Kehbir each had a dressage lesson with our local dressage guru Susan Selvey. I, unfortunately, missed most of my mom’s and Kehbir’s lesson due to the fact that the farm was absolutely BUZZING with nutty activity. Horses were galloping around madly in their fields, riders were throwing temper-tantrums, children were running around crazily, and Sudi was by NO means happy to be stuck in the trailer waiting for his lesson. He very adamantly let me know that he was, by no uncertain terms, VERY upset that he could not see that everything was ok with Kehbir.
I really went back and forth on how to handle this. I didn’t want to “give in” to his Arab-y behavior by taking him out, but at the same time, his rampant pawing and head banging were giving me a bit to worry about. I finally thought I had calmed him, but when I made it back to the dressage ring to watch my mom, one of the riders (who was now down on the ground from her bucking horse) was lunging her now bucking bronco and shouting profanities. Well this got Sudi completely riled up again. So, I took him out.
Once out of the trailer he was perfectly well behaved despite the raucous, although he left behind a rather long trail of nervous diarrhea from the trailer.
As I watched the end of Kehb’s and my mom’s lesson, I noticed that they were starting to get some really nice consistency (strangely this has always been a forte of Sudi’s so never a big issue for us), and the beginning of bend. Kehb’s looked happy to have begun figuring out his job, and my mom’s position looked super great as well!! I was also really amazed at how composed the two of them stayed during all the farm activities.
Sudi’s lesson was fantastic! In our warm up – he was for the first time REALLY stretching over his back and beginning to lower his head. I was thrilled!! Susan advised that I need to ALWAYS have his attention – ears flicking at ALL times. Also – we’ve been assigned lots of walk/trot trot/walk transitions to develop his sensitivity to my leg. Our biggest achievement was that we got to do leg yields! (yay! – the baby’s learning!!!). In two-three weeks, he’s really started to understand what my legs are asking – it’s wonderful – like a lightbulb!! Unfortunately, Susan waited until the end of the lesson when Sudi was mentally and physically exhausted (mostly from the trailer I think), to ask for our canter work. This was particularly frustrating as I feel his canter has really come a long way. But since the rest of his lesson was particularly wonderful, I wasn’t too upset with him. Hopefully we’ll do better next time.
Well this weekend Sudi and I are going up to Full Gallop Farm to school some cross country with Tammy/Will and Jazzy/Indy. Hopefully we won’t go swimming this time! (but more to come!)
Happy New Year!!
Last weekend Sudi and Kehbir each had a dressage lesson with our local dressage guru Susan Selvey. I, unfortunately, missed most of my mom’s and Kehbir’s lesson due to the fact that the farm was absolutely BUZZING with nutty activity. Horses were galloping around madly in their fields, riders were throwing temper-tantrums, children were running around crazily, and Sudi was by NO means happy to be stuck in the trailer waiting for his lesson. He very adamantly let me know that he was, by no uncertain terms, VERY upset that he could not see that everything was ok with Kehbir.
I really went back and forth on how to handle this. I didn’t want to “give in” to his Arab-y behavior by taking him out, but at the same time, his rampant pawing and head banging were giving me a bit to worry about. I finally thought I had calmed him, but when I made it back to the dressage ring to watch my mom, one of the riders (who was now down on the ground from her bucking horse) was lunging her now bucking bronco and shouting profanities. Well this got Sudi completely riled up again. So, I took him out.
Once out of the trailer he was perfectly well behaved despite the raucous, although he left behind a rather long trail of nervous diarrhea from the trailer.
As I watched the end of Kehb’s and my mom’s lesson, I noticed that they were starting to get some really nice consistency (strangely this has always been a forte of Sudi’s so never a big issue for us), and the beginning of bend. Kehb’s looked happy to have begun figuring out his job, and my mom’s position looked super great as well!! I was also really amazed at how composed the two of them stayed during all the farm activities.
Sudi’s lesson was fantastic! In our warm up – he was for the first time REALLY stretching over his back and beginning to lower his head. I was thrilled!! Susan advised that I need to ALWAYS have his attention – ears flicking at ALL times. Also – we’ve been assigned lots of walk/trot trot/walk transitions to develop his sensitivity to my leg. Our biggest achievement was that we got to do leg yields! (yay! – the baby’s learning!!!). In two-three weeks, he’s really started to understand what my legs are asking – it’s wonderful – like a lightbulb!! Unfortunately, Susan waited until the end of the lesson when Sudi was mentally and physically exhausted (mostly from the trailer I think), to ask for our canter work. This was particularly frustrating as I feel his canter has really come a long way. But since the rest of his lesson was particularly wonderful, I wasn’t too upset with him. Hopefully we’ll do better next time.
Well this weekend Sudi and I are going up to Full Gallop Farm to school some cross country with Tammy/Will and Jazzy/Indy. Hopefully we won’t go swimming this time! (but more to come!)
Happy New Year!!
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