I am having vehicle drama.
1. Hop in my car, pull out of the drive, and the check engine light starts to flash. Bollocks. I just got an oil change - what could be wrong? And why flashing? In the past when I've had engine problems, the light just goes on. Open up my manual to learn that a flashing check engine light means that the catalytic converter is going - a potentially very expensive repair.
Ruh-roh.
I make it to the shop, the engine losing power and making the car shake with increasing gravity as I go. Tell Fix It Man my tale of drama and woe, and possibly include the a) windshield that has been cracked since last October (when a big walnut tree fruit fell on it - seriously, scared the crap out of me), and b) the driver side window that won't roll all the way down because a deer RAN INTO MY CAR. While in motion. Some girls have all the luck.
My car is a 2000 VW Beetle. It's got 138,000 miles on it. It's been rode hard and put away wet. And I'm fearing the worst.
2. I need something to drive, so I unhook my beautiful 4-horse trailer from the truck, unhook the safety chains, take off the emergency brake line, roll up the gooseneck, put down my tailgate, and drive off.
With the electric line still attached.
I am a dope.
3. Speaking of trailers, I've been half-heartedly searching for a 2+1 gooseneck. My 4-horse is FABULOUS but ginormous, and I have a little weenie 2-horse bumper pull that's great, but Cleo BARELY fits unless I make it a box stall, and there's no room for hay or shavings or whatever. So when I see this ad for a local trailer dealership hosting a bank liquidation sale on brand new Kiefer trailers. The prices are better than new, but still awfully high, so I give them a call. Hey, maybe if I offer cash up front, pick-it-up-today, they'll wheel and deal with me. I am very polite, very dumb and innocent sounding.
Ohmygod BITCHY - the sales rep was a total, unmitigated ASS. No, we don't negotiate. No, we don't care if you don't need financing. No, there's no point in calling the bank. No. No. Absolutely not. No.
I drop the niceness. "Well, the bank must not be interested in selling them then."
Her Bitchiness: "Well, for your information, they are FLYING off the lot."
Well. Bully for you. Schmuck.
4. Fix-It-Man reports that the engine damage was a quick fix - a simple coil that was keeping one engine cylinder from firing. Hoorah! But the windshield and the door and the several lights that are on their way out (bulbs, fuses, who knows) all need to be dealt with before the car will pass inspection, which it'll be up for in July. Boo!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Performance Standards
A while back, there was this Epic Drama about performance standards, USEF's interest in requiring that riders prove proficiency at a level before moving up to the next. There was a lot of name-calling and silliness amid the very good points - how the program, as it was written, was "beatable" by riders who picked their shows more wisely than others, how it favored quality horse over quality riding, how the number of scores required put riders in less dressage-heavy parts of the country at a disadvantage, etc. The plan was defeated, and there was talk of replacing it with a "rider test," judged not like a USEF dressage test but like the Young Horse tests, with a series of collective scores at the end, and that was sort-of the last we heard of it.
I have another idea.
First, USEF's tests need to go the way of the FEI, and make the coefficient for the Gaits score a 1. There's a great article in this month's Dressage Today about the FEI's test rewrites, and the weight of the collective marks at different FEI levels, but which is interesting, but the crux of the article for me was a line about upper-level dressage needing to reward the quality of the TRAINING, and how it improves the horse, not the god-given quality of the horse.
Then, we address the "Rider" coefficient. USEF recently changed that coefficient to a 3. In my system, nothing would change at Training, First or Second Levels. At Third Level, that Rider coefficient would go up to a 4, and a Fourth Level, a 5. 8s on Rider at those levels would easily put talented riders on not-so-talented horses back in the ballgame, "cancelling out" 5s on medium and extended gaits; 5s on Rider would set back those counting on the quality of their horses to get them through.
Now, we all now that the PSG is basically easier than 4th level, so there's need to be some "performance standard-esque" requirement for moving up to PSG - X 4th level scores of Y%, or whatever. But this would be MUCH cheaper and easier to maintain than the previously suggested program, a major complaint. More importantly, in my mind, it puts the focus back where it should be - on the quality of riding.
I have another idea.
First, USEF's tests need to go the way of the FEI, and make the coefficient for the Gaits score a 1. There's a great article in this month's Dressage Today about the FEI's test rewrites, and the weight of the collective marks at different FEI levels, but which is interesting, but the crux of the article for me was a line about upper-level dressage needing to reward the quality of the TRAINING, and how it improves the horse, not the god-given quality of the horse.
Then, we address the "Rider" coefficient. USEF recently changed that coefficient to a 3. In my system, nothing would change at Training, First or Second Levels. At Third Level, that Rider coefficient would go up to a 4, and a Fourth Level, a 5. 8s on Rider at those levels would easily put talented riders on not-so-talented horses back in the ballgame, "cancelling out" 5s on medium and extended gaits; 5s on Rider would set back those counting on the quality of their horses to get them through.
Now, we all now that the PSG is basically easier than 4th level, so there's need to be some "performance standard-esque" requirement for moving up to PSG - X 4th level scores of Y%, or whatever. But this would be MUCH cheaper and easier to maintain than the previously suggested program, a major complaint. More importantly, in my mind, it puts the focus back where it should be - on the quality of riding.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Liniminty Fresh
After the capsacin drama at the Olympics, I was at the office of Dr. Kent Allen, team vet for the eventers, head dude of the USEF Drugs & Meds comittee, and all-around swell guy. He noticed the Equilite Sore No More sticker on my trailer, and asked me if I knew if there was capsacin in Sore No More. No, I said, just herbs and witch hazel. It works a treat, and is totally legal.
He said that another vet (in some important, official capacity; I can't exactly recall) had told him that it was illegal. Eventually, we got to the root of the problem: Equilite's Sore No More contains no capsacin, but there is another company out there who makes a people product under the same name that does.
USEF did some homework, and just recently released this: Sore No More is USEF competition legal, as opposed to these guys. So there's the scoop, recognized competitors! I keep Sore No More liniment in my tack box at every show, and I LIVE for their poultice.
He said that another vet (in some important, official capacity; I can't exactly recall) had told him that it was illegal. Eventually, we got to the root of the problem: Equilite's Sore No More contains no capsacin, but there is another company out there who makes a people product under the same name that does.
USEF did some homework, and just recently released this: Sore No More is USEF competition legal, as opposed to these guys. So there's the scoop, recognized competitors! I keep Sore No More liniment in my tack box at every show, and I LIVE for their poultice.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Seriously.
Travelers everywhere: airport security is not the freaking bar exam.
Having been on airplanes three times in the last four days (VA-IL, IL-FL, FL-VA), I'm amazed at how many people struggle with this. Shoes, coat, laptop, liquids in a bag, belt. Stick 'em in the little box. Then MOVE. Afterwards, get your crap together and KEEP MOVING. Don't wear flip flops. Don't forget socks. Don't bury the laptop at the bottom of the suitcase. Don't wear the Crown Jewels. Doesn't require a PhD.
Don't even get me STARTED on those who can't figure out Southwest's boarding procedure. NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
Oy vey.
My monthly Chicagoland clinic was great, as usual. It was nice to finally see the farm - it was 55 and sunny for this trip, the first time it hasn't been cold, foul or both.
Florida was, of course, hot and lovely. I took a client horse shopping, and we're keeping our fingers crossed.
And I missed all the craptacular weather here at home, so I can ride everyone outside tomorrow in the sunshine. Hoorah!
Entries are confirmed for the first show... T minus 3 weeks! YIKES!
Having been on airplanes three times in the last four days (VA-IL, IL-FL, FL-VA), I'm amazed at how many people struggle with this. Shoes, coat, laptop, liquids in a bag, belt. Stick 'em in the little box. Then MOVE. Afterwards, get your crap together and KEEP MOVING. Don't wear flip flops. Don't forget socks. Don't bury the laptop at the bottom of the suitcase. Don't wear the Crown Jewels. Doesn't require a PhD.
Don't even get me STARTED on those who can't figure out Southwest's boarding procedure. NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
Oy vey.
My monthly Chicagoland clinic was great, as usual. It was nice to finally see the farm - it was 55 and sunny for this trip, the first time it hasn't been cold, foul or both.
Florida was, of course, hot and lovely. I took a client horse shopping, and we're keeping our fingers crossed.
And I missed all the craptacular weather here at home, so I can ride everyone outside tomorrow in the sunshine. Hoorah!
Entries are confirmed for the first show... T minus 3 weeks! YIKES!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It's Horse Show Season!
Woohoo! Horse show season is upon us. I've spent the last two days filling out entries for the first two shows of the year (without an OMNIBUS, thanks Region 1...), but the freaking out over which tests to show which horses at has been a several week-long process. But the biggest issue has not been what to show the horses, but when, and how much, for purely financial reasons. I've always done ok enough to show pretty much whatever and whenever I wanted to, obviously not doing crazy stuff like showing every weekend or driving all over kingdom come. This year, with the future looking so bleak, I'm trying to keep costs down, which means showing smart, and some very frustrating decisions.
Cleo is obvious - I need to do three, and really should do four, Brentina Cup qualifiers, so that takes care of that. If my scores are really good I won't make the trip down to Raleigh, NC, as I can do three up here at nearby Morven Park.
Midge is pretty clear, too. I'm going to take him at 3rd-2 the first horse show - 3rd-3 has a little crisper canter tour, something that's hard for him - but I'm trying to get him out as much as possible, to shows with the most, ahem, "optimistic" judging outlook. :)
Ella's been my toughie. I've gone back and forth and back and forth over what to show her at: we've made it through the entire PSG twice now, but it's really killed her physically. She's just not strong enough yet to do the test the way I want to - it's good enough for a 63-65%, but she's far too special to be screwing around with those scores. The debate is this: take her through the Developing Horse qualifiers, running the risk of either not qualifying or qualifying, going and being an also-ran; or wait a few months and show her in the open PSGs, kick some ass and take some names, but only on a local scale?
I don't really have an answer yet, so I'm putting it off by showing her at Fourth Level and doing a Developing Horse test at a non-qualifying horse show. Closing date for the next qualifier after that show is BEFORE that show, so I'll have to make another big choice in a few weeks, but ultimately, I just want her to do as brilliantly as I know she can, at whatever level she's physically ready for. She gives me 110% every day, and is improving leaps and bounds, and I just want her to have nothing but good showring experiences.
(didn't stop us from a line of super 2s today! eeee!)
The grass is finally starting to turn green, my outdoor is finally rideable, birds are back in the trees, and it's finally above 50*. Spring is on the verge!
Cleo is obvious - I need to do three, and really should do four, Brentina Cup qualifiers, so that takes care of that. If my scores are really good I won't make the trip down to Raleigh, NC, as I can do three up here at nearby Morven Park.
Midge is pretty clear, too. I'm going to take him at 3rd-2 the first horse show - 3rd-3 has a little crisper canter tour, something that's hard for him - but I'm trying to get him out as much as possible, to shows with the most, ahem, "optimistic" judging outlook. :)
Ella's been my toughie. I've gone back and forth and back and forth over what to show her at: we've made it through the entire PSG twice now, but it's really killed her physically. She's just not strong enough yet to do the test the way I want to - it's good enough for a 63-65%, but she's far too special to be screwing around with those scores. The debate is this: take her through the Developing Horse qualifiers, running the risk of either not qualifying or qualifying, going and being an also-ran; or wait a few months and show her in the open PSGs, kick some ass and take some names, but only on a local scale?
I don't really have an answer yet, so I'm putting it off by showing her at Fourth Level and doing a Developing Horse test at a non-qualifying horse show. Closing date for the next qualifier after that show is BEFORE that show, so I'll have to make another big choice in a few weeks, but ultimately, I just want her to do as brilliantly as I know she can, at whatever level she's physically ready for. She gives me 110% every day, and is improving leaps and bounds, and I just want her to have nothing but good showring experiences.
(didn't stop us from a line of super 2s today! eeee!)
The grass is finally starting to turn green, my outdoor is finally rideable, birds are back in the trees, and it's finally above 50*. Spring is on the verge!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Things That Only Happen In Virginia
Today, at my chiropractor and accupuncturists' office, I ran into: Paul Cronin, former director of riding at Sweet Briar College, introduced to me by Lendon Gray who holds him in the highest regard (and if Lendon holds you in that high a regard, you're a damn fine horseman); Daphne Alcock, top class show jumping rider and wife of Graham, dentist to the equine stars; and Daphne's mother Nancy Dillon, who has taught bajillions of Northern Virginia children how to ride at her famous school of equitation.
Things like this did not happen to me in Illinois.
Things like this did not happen to me in Illinois.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
ProLite, How I Love Thee
I first came upon the ProLite saddle pads when I got a sale horse in with landshark withers. I had a saddle that was just a little bit big everywhere, and erred on the side of too close to the wither. Colleen suggested a ProLite pad to basically add bulk to this horse's back, rather than have the owner buy a new saddle. The horse went swimmingly, the saddle fit a treat, and everyone was happy.
Shortly after that, Billy's body started changing with age. Even though he's in TOP shape, he's slowly getting "curvier" in the back, and his saddle was starting to get a little uphill look. Enter a ProLite pad with pockets in the back, into which I can insert shims, pieces of ProLite material, to "build" him a back, filling in what he's lost with age. Not only did his saddle sit more evenly, but little tweaky Billy started to really improve, moving better through the back, something he's never been terribly skilled at.
I put one on Ella, another tweaky, sensitive thing. Hot damn, she was a whole new horse, supple and swingy.
I put one on several other client horses, all sensitive souls. They all improved. And I came to worship at the altar of ProLite.
On a whim, I put one on Cleo, who is distinctly NOT sensitive. She went worse, like her back was wearing earmuffs, muffling the sound of my seat aids. I only rode her in it once, and vowed to not put ProLite on thick, strong horses again.
Over the course of the last 8 months, Midge has started to change shape quite dramatically. He's coming 7 this year, and he gave one last good growth spurt to shoot up to 16.3ish, mostly in the wither. He's grown out of his "baby fat" stage and started to pack on muscle over the topline, changing the shape of his ribcage - like most horses, he no longer looks like a square, and instead looks more like a triangle, the musculature of his back causing his ribs and spine to "pop" up. He got especially stronger on the right side, and the result was that my saddle was rocking and rolling. When Colleen came down, she encouraged me to use a ProLite with the shims both in front and in back - the "saddle fitter" pad, not listed on either of the aforementioned websites, but available from ASF if you ask - to help me until I could develop the muscles on his weaker side.
I balked. Midge is a TANK. It took me a year of cantering with his head up because I couldn't keep his hind legs out of his front end's way with my back alone, and I can stop pretty much anything short of a freight train with my back. I feared the lack of sensitivity that I'd felt with Cleo, but I trust Colleen with my life, and gave it a whirl.
It took me a day or two to get the right combination of shims, but day 3 he came into the arena on fire - supple, swingy, powerful but controlable. What a moron I am!, I thought. My saddle was stable, which meant I was stable, which meant I could kick on on getting that left side to match the right.
About a week later, I felt something I'd never felt before - my saddle slipping the OTHER way. Great, I've screwed something else up, I thought. When I went to get him ready the next day, I had a look at his back.
In one week with the ProLite, Midge's back was perfectly symmetrical.
Holy. Crap.
The ProLite gave his muscles the room they needed to grow correctly, instead of being squeezed on one side or the other by an unlevel saddle. I'm still riding him in a ProLite, but one that is flat all the way around.
All horses grow and change as they work, especially youngsters. All horses are "handed," just like people; they build muscle and coordination easier on one side than the other. I am so, So, SO grateful for the discovery of a pad that is going to help me help my horses through their life and body transitions, through their growth spurts, and through their transitions between one-sided and bilaterally organized. And it helps me do more with less - I can get clever with padding now instead of having to arm myself with a hundred different saddles for each horse through their growth and training.
Hoorah for equipment that helps me do my job better!
Shortly after that, Billy's body started changing with age. Even though he's in TOP shape, he's slowly getting "curvier" in the back, and his saddle was starting to get a little uphill look. Enter a ProLite pad with pockets in the back, into which I can insert shims, pieces of ProLite material, to "build" him a back, filling in what he's lost with age. Not only did his saddle sit more evenly, but little tweaky Billy started to really improve, moving better through the back, something he's never been terribly skilled at.
I put one on Ella, another tweaky, sensitive thing. Hot damn, she was a whole new horse, supple and swingy.
I put one on several other client horses, all sensitive souls. They all improved. And I came to worship at the altar of ProLite.
On a whim, I put one on Cleo, who is distinctly NOT sensitive. She went worse, like her back was wearing earmuffs, muffling the sound of my seat aids. I only rode her in it once, and vowed to not put ProLite on thick, strong horses again.
Over the course of the last 8 months, Midge has started to change shape quite dramatically. He's coming 7 this year, and he gave one last good growth spurt to shoot up to 16.3ish, mostly in the wither. He's grown out of his "baby fat" stage and started to pack on muscle over the topline, changing the shape of his ribcage - like most horses, he no longer looks like a square, and instead looks more like a triangle, the musculature of his back causing his ribs and spine to "pop" up. He got especially stronger on the right side, and the result was that my saddle was rocking and rolling. When Colleen came down, she encouraged me to use a ProLite with the shims both in front and in back - the "saddle fitter" pad, not listed on either of the aforementioned websites, but available from ASF if you ask - to help me until I could develop the muscles on his weaker side.
I balked. Midge is a TANK. It took me a year of cantering with his head up because I couldn't keep his hind legs out of his front end's way with my back alone, and I can stop pretty much anything short of a freight train with my back. I feared the lack of sensitivity that I'd felt with Cleo, but I trust Colleen with my life, and gave it a whirl.
It took me a day or two to get the right combination of shims, but day 3 he came into the arena on fire - supple, swingy, powerful but controlable. What a moron I am!, I thought. My saddle was stable, which meant I was stable, which meant I could kick on on getting that left side to match the right.
About a week later, I felt something I'd never felt before - my saddle slipping the OTHER way. Great, I've screwed something else up, I thought. When I went to get him ready the next day, I had a look at his back.
In one week with the ProLite, Midge's back was perfectly symmetrical.
Holy. Crap.
The ProLite gave his muscles the room they needed to grow correctly, instead of being squeezed on one side or the other by an unlevel saddle. I'm still riding him in a ProLite, but one that is flat all the way around.
All horses grow and change as they work, especially youngsters. All horses are "handed," just like people; they build muscle and coordination easier on one side than the other. I am so, So, SO grateful for the discovery of a pad that is going to help me help my horses through their life and body transitions, through their growth spurts, and through their transitions between one-sided and bilaterally organized. And it helps me do more with less - I can get clever with padding now instead of having to arm myself with a hundred different saddles for each horse through their growth and training.
Hoorah for equipment that helps me do my job better!
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