Monday, June 15, 2009
Moving Around
Hi all! Just a quick note that my blog at the Chronicle of the Horse is live, and located here. Thanks for tuning in!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Photos, And A Big Move
First, the good stuff:
Das Auto
Boots! But you can't see how blue they are so...
... well, this makes it look a little too blue.
They're really, really cool, and they hurt a lot less today than they did yesterday, but it was a good thing I rode Midge in them, because it's really better I don't put my leg on him anyway, and I couldn't have if I'd wanted to.
Das Auto
Boots! But you can't see how blue they are so...
... well, this makes it look a little too blue.
They're really, really cool, and they hurt a lot less today than they did yesterday, but it was a good thing I rode Midge in them, because it's really better I don't put my leg on him anyway, and I couldn't have if I'd wanted to.
But here's the big news: starting tomorrow, this blog will be no more. I know, I know, I just got this blog started, but in the course of the same one week period I got two amazing offers I couldn't refuse.
The first is that starting tomorrow, I'll be blogging for the Chronicle of the Horse. I'll be starting out telling the story of my trip to Gladstone, but they're gearing up for a big web redesign, and they've asked me to play a part.
After Gladstone, I'll also be one of the international riders blogging for the UK-based website HorseHero.com. I'll be joining the ranks of top European riders like Laura Bechtolsheimer, which is a heckova big honor!
Stay tuned to the exact links of my new blogs, and I hope to see you all there!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Somethings New And Blue
Oh man oh man oh man - the blue boots have arrived.
First: it's really not terribly fair to call them blue, because they're really, really, really dark dark dark navy. Like so dark that I hyperventillated a little when I pulled them out of the box because I thought they were black. So I don't think I'll be as much of a trendsetter as I'd originally thought/feared, which is probably a good thing.
I'm guessing they will not make their debut at Gladstone - they hurt like a MOTHER, and while I could probably get them broken in in time, I'm worried about what that would do to my legs, as I really need those to be in perfect working order. You know, national championships at all. But we'll see.
And oh man oh man oh man, part deux: my new car is sitting in the garage downstairs!
I haggled and hemmed and hawwed, and eventually weaseled my way into a very shiny new (!) Honda Fit. It is a very pretty light silvery blue, and it was WAY fun to drive home yesterday. And it holds all this stuff! It has a proper back seat! Amazing.
So I raise my glass (at this hour in the morning, it's orange juice) to my faithful Volkswagen, with its 140k miles and slowly rotting engine, seats, air conditioning, etc: "Lucky," you were a really great car. See you in Car Heaven. Just hopefully not anytime soon.
Now, it's off to stomp around my apartment in my new boots, hopefully just to the point where my knees are thinking of bleeding, but not PAST it.
(and yes, I will take pictures as soon as I can mooch a camera - mine bit the dust last week!)
First: it's really not terribly fair to call them blue, because they're really, really, really dark dark dark navy. Like so dark that I hyperventillated a little when I pulled them out of the box because I thought they were black. So I don't think I'll be as much of a trendsetter as I'd originally thought/feared, which is probably a good thing.
I'm guessing they will not make their debut at Gladstone - they hurt like a MOTHER, and while I could probably get them broken in in time, I'm worried about what that would do to my legs, as I really need those to be in perfect working order. You know, national championships at all. But we'll see.
And oh man oh man oh man, part deux: my new car is sitting in the garage downstairs!
I haggled and hemmed and hawwed, and eventually weaseled my way into a very shiny new (!) Honda Fit. It is a very pretty light silvery blue, and it was WAY fun to drive home yesterday. And it holds all this stuff! It has a proper back seat! Amazing.
So I raise my glass (at this hour in the morning, it's orange juice) to my faithful Volkswagen, with its 140k miles and slowly rotting engine, seats, air conditioning, etc: "Lucky," you were a really great car. See you in Car Heaven. Just hopefully not anytime soon.
Now, it's off to stomp around my apartment in my new boots, hopefully just to the point where my knees are thinking of bleeding, but not PAST it.
(and yes, I will take pictures as soon as I can mooch a camera - mine bit the dust last week!)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It Takes A Village
Competing at the upper levels truly does take a village. Yeah, yeah, the cliche to end all cliches, but I'm in continuous awe of my good fortune in amassing such a fabulous team.
This weekend I hosted one of our tri-annually-or-so saddle fitting events with my sponsors and dear friends at Advanced Saddle Fit. Colleen, her mighty assistant Janet, and a krebillion saddles come down to visit us from their home base in New Hampshire for a few days, fitting my clients and other interested parties with new saddles, and keeping an eye on my horses' equipment. As a professional, of course I can ride in just about anything and make it works, but on my own horses I certainly have my preferences for how I'd like a saddle to feel. Balancing that with the even-more-important element of fitting my horses brilliantly is no small task, and Colleen has such a gift for walking that line. As they've developed, all my horses have changed shape - some mildly, some dramatically - and Colleen has been a part of every stage, making sure that my tack is always reliable, always appropriate, and always in good repair.
In addition to our marvelous routine care veterinarian, Dr. Lynn Johnson, we are visited regularly by Dr. Tim Casey, a DVM who "grew up" on the track, and whose practice now specializes in accupuncture and chiropractic care. I am, of course, a big believer in Modern Western Medicine, and what I love about Dr. Casey is that he is not a new age nutter - when the horse needs his hocks done, we do his hocks, but the chiro and accupuncture treatments have done tons for my horses and clients. Dr. Casey believes in prevention of problems, which is aces with me! He's caught a couple of Major Problems in client horses almost before I knew they were there, and he's stellar with helping my young and developing horses from the wear and tear that getting strong and fit inevitably causes. Plus, as a track vet, if it's gone wrong, he's seen it!
My farrier, Don Maley, basically speaks horse, and is a whip for a wonderful Rappahannock County hunt. He breeds ponies, and his precocious little monster of a daughter is a heckofa good little rider. Since Donny started doing my horses, I've lost exactly 0 shoes, and he's come up with some very creative solutions to some client horses' foot issues. I'm so blessed as to have good footed horses, but they're universally better now. Plus, Don's a stitch - we love Farrier Days!
I've been feeding Purina Mills feeds forever, and just when I think things can't get better, they whip out something new to impress me. And I just love my friends at Uckele Nutrition, whose supplements are reasonably priced, palatable, and - most importantly - EFFECTIVE!
And of course it goes without saying that I'd be a Lost Soul Indeed without the regular help I get from Scott Hassler, Pam Goodrich and (hopefully regularly!) Lendon Gray. While they are, of course, brilliant teachers and clinicians, all three are incredibly patient with my hyperventillating phone calls (like, for example, when I think I may have left Cleo's right canter half-halt up at Lendon's, and ohmygod I need it back!) and hypothetical questions over the phone ("So, in the half-steps, do I want to encourage Midge to stay on the spot but allow him to be all weird and Dutch and out behind, or send him forward to try and get the hind legs but blur the line between trot and piffle?" "How about neither?" "Ok!")
I'm so lucky to have such a great team!
This weekend I hosted one of our tri-annually-or-so saddle fitting events with my sponsors and dear friends at Advanced Saddle Fit. Colleen, her mighty assistant Janet, and a krebillion saddles come down to visit us from their home base in New Hampshire for a few days, fitting my clients and other interested parties with new saddles, and keeping an eye on my horses' equipment. As a professional, of course I can ride in just about anything and make it works, but on my own horses I certainly have my preferences for how I'd like a saddle to feel. Balancing that with the even-more-important element of fitting my horses brilliantly is no small task, and Colleen has such a gift for walking that line. As they've developed, all my horses have changed shape - some mildly, some dramatically - and Colleen has been a part of every stage, making sure that my tack is always reliable, always appropriate, and always in good repair.
In addition to our marvelous routine care veterinarian, Dr. Lynn Johnson, we are visited regularly by Dr. Tim Casey, a DVM who "grew up" on the track, and whose practice now specializes in accupuncture and chiropractic care. I am, of course, a big believer in Modern Western Medicine, and what I love about Dr. Casey is that he is not a new age nutter - when the horse needs his hocks done, we do his hocks, but the chiro and accupuncture treatments have done tons for my horses and clients. Dr. Casey believes in prevention of problems, which is aces with me! He's caught a couple of Major Problems in client horses almost before I knew they were there, and he's stellar with helping my young and developing horses from the wear and tear that getting strong and fit inevitably causes. Plus, as a track vet, if it's gone wrong, he's seen it!
My farrier, Don Maley, basically speaks horse, and is a whip for a wonderful Rappahannock County hunt. He breeds ponies, and his precocious little monster of a daughter is a heckofa good little rider. Since Donny started doing my horses, I've lost exactly 0 shoes, and he's come up with some very creative solutions to some client horses' foot issues. I'm so blessed as to have good footed horses, but they're universally better now. Plus, Don's a stitch - we love Farrier Days!
I've been feeding Purina Mills feeds forever, and just when I think things can't get better, they whip out something new to impress me. And I just love my friends at Uckele Nutrition, whose supplements are reasonably priced, palatable, and - most importantly - EFFECTIVE!
And of course it goes without saying that I'd be a Lost Soul Indeed without the regular help I get from Scott Hassler, Pam Goodrich and (hopefully regularly!) Lendon Gray. While they are, of course, brilliant teachers and clinicians, all three are incredibly patient with my hyperventillating phone calls (like, for example, when I think I may have left Cleo's right canter half-halt up at Lendon's, and ohmygod I need it back!) and hypothetical questions over the phone ("So, in the half-steps, do I want to encourage Midge to stay on the spot but allow him to be all weird and Dutch and out behind, or send him forward to try and get the hind legs but blur the line between trot and piffle?" "How about neither?" "Ok!")
I'm so lucky to have such a great team!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Vroooom!
A meager 82* was the high for today, which was reached at the farm by 10 am. Nice. It made Midgey delightful - I could put my leg on! I decided to work Cleo today, which may or may not have been a good idea, but she was a little tough in spite of the heat; typical day-after-a-day-off behavior. She'll be a star tomorrow. And Ella is in one of those annoying developmental plateaus where she can do everything I ask as long as I don't ask for the carriage and/or engagement and/or power from the hind leg that I want, or she can give me the carriage/engagement/power that I want as long as we just canter or trot around. She's been a good sport about it all.
Speaking of high performance vehicles, my beloved Volkswagen is contemplating giving up the ghost. It's a 2000 Beetle with 140k miles on it, and while it still runs easily, it's had a Series of Small Problems, $500 fixes. At some point I'm going to get past the value of my poor little Bug, so on Monday I had one of my first Grown Up Experiences: car shopping.
I test drove a few things, and I've narrowed it down to the Honda Fit (my favorite), the Nissan Versa (the cheapest), and the Hyundai Elantra Touring (the priciest, but barely, and feels like a luxury car). I didn't even bother trying the Toyota Yaris - the controls are in the center of the dashboard! What's up with that? - and I hated the Scion xD. And I had a MISERABLE experience at a Kia dealership, with a sleazeball agent.
So I made my test drives, and I'm doing my research, finding used options, looking for the best deals on new ones, looking at warranties, and figuring it all out. Want some fun? Google "buy a new car" and try and make sense of it all. Yuck! Give me horses any day.
Speaking of high performance vehicles, my beloved Volkswagen is contemplating giving up the ghost. It's a 2000 Beetle with 140k miles on it, and while it still runs easily, it's had a Series of Small Problems, $500 fixes. At some point I'm going to get past the value of my poor little Bug, so on Monday I had one of my first Grown Up Experiences: car shopping.
I test drove a few things, and I've narrowed it down to the Honda Fit (my favorite), the Nissan Versa (the cheapest), and the Hyundai Elantra Touring (the priciest, but barely, and feels like a luxury car). I didn't even bother trying the Toyota Yaris - the controls are in the center of the dashboard! What's up with that? - and I hated the Scion xD. And I had a MISERABLE experience at a Kia dealership, with a sleazeball agent.
So I made my test drives, and I'm doing my research, finding used options, looking for the best deals on new ones, looking at warranties, and figuring it all out. Want some fun? Google "buy a new car" and try and make sense of it all. Yuck! Give me horses any day.
A Few Universal Truths
1. If you keep the horses in overnight because there is a forecast of possible thunderstorms, it won't rain.
2. If you leave the indoor arena windows overnight, it will rain.
So the fact that it didn't storm last night, having kept horses in BUT windows open, means...?
I am happy to be home for a few weekends in a row. I'm a bit of a mess anyway, but my apartment looks like a bomb went off. I'm wicked behind in my officework. Ella and Midge are all like, um, hello? Don't we count? And I haven't seen a couple of my clients in weeks. So yay for some home time!
Of course, it's 90* and thunderstorming (or, you know, not), but it's good to be here anyway. Cleo and I had a very intense session of playing in the pond yesterday, and we're going to have another day or two of goofing off before we start gearing up for Gladstone. Midge was such a star at the piaffe last week that I think I'm going to leave it alone until Scott is here on the 9th. And I just entered Ella in her first real Prix St. Georges (she did the Developing Test in May, which I think is a way harder test) at a show in July, so I need to start playing with all of those things.
Today will be a fun day because I'm going to start comitting to dates for breeding Cleo. Yay! We will be doing the ET work at a facility only about 40 minutes by trailer from the farm, which is AWESOME, and they've been incredibly helpful in answering all my stupid first-timer questions. We'll get cracking around July 1. Huzzah!
2. If you leave the indoor arena windows overnight, it will rain.
So the fact that it didn't storm last night, having kept horses in BUT windows open, means...?
I am happy to be home for a few weekends in a row. I'm a bit of a mess anyway, but my apartment looks like a bomb went off. I'm wicked behind in my officework. Ella and Midge are all like, um, hello? Don't we count? And I haven't seen a couple of my clients in weeks. So yay for some home time!
Of course, it's 90* and thunderstorming (or, you know, not), but it's good to be here anyway. Cleo and I had a very intense session of playing in the pond yesterday, and we're going to have another day or two of goofing off before we start gearing up for Gladstone. Midge was such a star at the piaffe last week that I think I'm going to leave it alone until Scott is here on the 9th. And I just entered Ella in her first real Prix St. Georges (she did the Developing Test in May, which I think is a way harder test) at a show in July, so I need to start playing with all of those things.
Today will be a fun day because I'm going to start comitting to dates for breeding Cleo. Yay! We will be doing the ET work at a facility only about 40 minutes by trailer from the farm, which is AWESOME, and they've been incredibly helpful in answering all my stupid first-timer questions. We'll get cracking around July 1. Huzzah!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Video Interlude
I'm about to head out on the town with my buddy Liz Austin (read: danger, Will Robinson!), but a few videos for your amusement:
Ella, schooling canter (she was DOG tired when we made these two, so pardon the missed changes at the end)
Ella, schooling trot, pi-pa and walk
And my personal favorite, Midge making baby piaffe!
Yay!
Ella, schooling canter (she was DOG tired when we made these two, so pardon the missed changes at the end)
Ella, schooling trot, pi-pa and walk
And my personal favorite, Midge making baby piaffe!
Yay!
Weekend at Lendon's
Greetings from Bedford, NY! Cleo and I are having a weekend here to work with Lendon Gray, one of the great American greats in the sport; if I have to explain to you all who she is, climb out from beneath the rock you've been living under. This is an exciting time for Lendon, as she's stepping back from the full-training business (you should see the yard sale they're having at the farm this weekend; holy moley), to pursue her other interests. She will still be teaching and giving clinics (like ours in December, yay!), but she's taking a big life step, and I think it will be a good thing for her.
Cleo shipped like a champ, and we had our usual First Day In A New Place ride - no hind legs anywhere to be found. They'll show up today. After spooking all over the place like a dumb four year old, she did settle and we did a Grand Tour of all the work in the tests. She gave me a neat exercise for the transitions for piaffe to passage, something I'm a little uncoordinated at, and she was a big fan of my pirouettes and extended gaits. Today I'm hoping for some better half-halts at the canter - strike that, ANY half halts at canter - and to do some tests. I have "test brain": I have a plan, but when (inevitably) things don't go according to plan, my brain does the equivalent of "uh..... uh...........," by which time I'm halfway through the test.
So I want to be in CHARGE of the brain today, think a little faster. And try and remember where I packed Cleo's hind legs! They have to be around here somewhere...
Cleo shipped like a champ, and we had our usual First Day In A New Place ride - no hind legs anywhere to be found. They'll show up today. After spooking all over the place like a dumb four year old, she did settle and we did a Grand Tour of all the work in the tests. She gave me a neat exercise for the transitions for piaffe to passage, something I'm a little uncoordinated at, and she was a big fan of my pirouettes and extended gaits. Today I'm hoping for some better half-halts at the canter - strike that, ANY half halts at canter - and to do some tests. I have "test brain": I have a plan, but when (inevitably) things don't go according to plan, my brain does the equivalent of "uh..... uh...........," by which time I'm halfway through the test.
So I want to be in CHARGE of the brain today, think a little faster. And try and remember where I packed Cleo's hind legs! They have to be around here somewhere...
Monday, May 25, 2009
I Barely Passed High School Math, And It Shows
STOP THE PRESSES! I'm a math-challenged idiot. I'm QUALIFIED FOR GLADSTONE by the teensiest tiniest of margins! YAY! HOORAH!
(thank goodness!)
So: Cleo will get some well-deserved time hacking this week, then it's up to Lendon's for three days of "Lauren, could you PLEASE stop flopping like a trout, sit up and RIDE the poor creature?!"
Hoorah!
(thank goodness!)
So: Cleo will get some well-deserved time hacking this week, then it's up to Lendon's for three days of "Lauren, could you PLEASE stop flopping like a trout, sit up and RIDE the poor creature?!"
Hoorah!
Nature of the Business
I'm frustrated.
Cleo was a very good girl in New Jersey, trailed up by herself with no drama, warmed up well Saturday, warmed up even better Sunday. The test was good, not amazing. Piaffe-passage still lackluster, but I was a little braver about putting my leg on and going for it. She snuck an early change in my canter zig-zag, I over-prepared for the second canter pirouette and got one lurchy step. But no disasters, no drama.
The scores were more than 6% apart between the two judges, and the resulting average pulls me off the list for Gladstone by tenths of a percent.
So now I'm begging and pleading with show organizers (who are being very, very kind), and I have to haul her down to Raleigh next weekend - her third weekend in a row, by the way - for absolutely no good reason. I'm frustrated that one person can cause all this chaos. I'm frustrated that Cleo, who didn't put a toe out of line, has to suffer as a result. And I'm frustrated that my plans of letting her have a little down time, of trailering up to work with Lendon and focusing on training instead of showing, and of trying to save a little capital is all going to pot.
The good news: Cleo is fit fit fit, wasn't even breathing hard at the end of the test, so I know she'll take it all in stride. I just don't want her to have to.
Cleo was a very good girl in New Jersey, trailed up by herself with no drama, warmed up well Saturday, warmed up even better Sunday. The test was good, not amazing. Piaffe-passage still lackluster, but I was a little braver about putting my leg on and going for it. She snuck an early change in my canter zig-zag, I over-prepared for the second canter pirouette and got one lurchy step. But no disasters, no drama.
The scores were more than 6% apart between the two judges, and the resulting average pulls me off the list for Gladstone by tenths of a percent.
So now I'm begging and pleading with show organizers (who are being very, very kind), and I have to haul her down to Raleigh next weekend - her third weekend in a row, by the way - for absolutely no good reason. I'm frustrated that one person can cause all this chaos. I'm frustrated that Cleo, who didn't put a toe out of line, has to suffer as a result. And I'm frustrated that my plans of letting her have a little down time, of trailering up to work with Lendon and focusing on training instead of showing, and of trying to save a little capital is all going to pot.
The good news: Cleo is fit fit fit, wasn't even breathing hard at the end of the test, so I know she'll take it all in stride. I just don't want her to have to.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tooling About Town
After going to see sale horses at Leslie and Lesley Laws (very, very nice people and horsemen, by the by), I went into Middleburg to join some friends for a drink. When I pulled up to their office, there was a two-horse carriage standing out front. I went to go pet their horses, while they went rummaging through the office for ice; they then offered us a ride around town.
Someday, I want a two-horse carriage.
It was really, REALLY fun! Two big Canadian mares, who were very good girls who loved their jobs, took us on a little ride through downtown M-Burg (which is a legimate town, for those who've never been - traffic, motorcycles, people mulling around, especially since it was such a stunning day yesterday). We toured the cemetary, went through some residential areas, and saw parts of town I'd never been to before. It was beautiful, and VERY fun, and... yeah, I want a carriage. :)
Ponies are great. I vow to not work Cleo in an arena until we go to the show this weekend; we need a little mental vacation, and yesterday we ran through the Brentina Cup test's trot-passage-piaffe tour in the field, on a hillside, and she was fun and fresh. Ella's still physically recuperating from the show, so we're just tooling around, though she made some nice twos yesterday.
And then there's Midge! Now that we've got a big break between shows, I'm getting back on the piaffe bandwagon, and he made such a nice effort on Tuesday I couldn't even believe it. He was so sensible I almost called the vet!
Someday, I want a two-horse carriage.
It was really, REALLY fun! Two big Canadian mares, who were very good girls who loved their jobs, took us on a little ride through downtown M-Burg (which is a legimate town, for those who've never been - traffic, motorcycles, people mulling around, especially since it was such a stunning day yesterday). We toured the cemetary, went through some residential areas, and saw parts of town I'd never been to before. It was beautiful, and VERY fun, and... yeah, I want a carriage. :)
Ponies are great. I vow to not work Cleo in an arena until we go to the show this weekend; we need a little mental vacation, and yesterday we ran through the Brentina Cup test's trot-passage-piaffe tour in the field, on a hillside, and she was fun and fresh. Ella's still physically recuperating from the show, so we're just tooling around, though she made some nice twos yesterday.
And then there's Midge! Now that we've got a big break between shows, I'm getting back on the piaffe bandwagon, and he made such a nice effort on Tuesday I couldn't even believe it. He was so sensible I almost called the vet!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Head & Shoulders Above
I remember watching a rider school in the rain before the Prix St. Georges at a Morven Park show last year, a light, athletic bay horse and a handsome rider making beautiful changes across the diagonal. He turned the changes into a half-pirouette, and it was then that I realized that he was missing half a leg.
The rider was James Dwyer, an Irish citizen who's training in the US and pursuing a berth at the Paraquestrian events at the WEG. This weekend, he swept his division at the Lamplight CDI. In the brief conversations I've had with him, I've learned he's a quiet, modest guy who deeply, deeply loves his horse. I've also learned that he could ride circles around my ass, all with what some would consider a disadvantage. He's turned his "disability" into an advantage; he can't grip a horse with his calves, bury his spurs. He has to make his horse more honest, more attentive, more crisp to smaller aids, and is the better rider for it.
Congrats, James, you've earned it!
The rider was James Dwyer, an Irish citizen who's training in the US and pursuing a berth at the Paraquestrian events at the WEG. This weekend, he swept his division at the Lamplight CDI. In the brief conversations I've had with him, I've learned he's a quiet, modest guy who deeply, deeply loves his horse. I've also learned that he could ride circles around my ass, all with what some would consider a disadvantage. He's turned his "disability" into an advantage; he can't grip a horse with his calves, bury his spurs. He has to make his horse more honest, more attentive, more crisp to smaller aids, and is the better rider for it.
Congrats, James, you've earned it!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Rising Above
Cleo, after trying very hard to KILL Jess and I in the wash stall, being a total cow to braid, peeing all over her stall door, flirting with anything in sight, nearly biting my leg off, being an ass to tack up and get on, and having the adjustability of a freight train in the warmup, went around the arena for her Brentina Cup test. And when the judge rang the bell, she bolted. I took hold, came to a stop, and took one. deep. breath.
And then Cleo gave me a beautiful test.
It wasn't an oh-my-God test. My piaffe-passage was marginal, but infinitely better than yesterday. My ones were early. My pirouettes were a little big. But man, she was uphill and balanced and organized. She was with me 110% of every minute of that test.
And we got a whopper 62%.
(I don't get it. Whatev!)
Here's what makes me happy:
1. My lovely new navy top hat, in which I look smashing, thankyouverymuch.
2. All the details I worked on this week - centerlines, passage-walk transitions, collected-extended walk transitions - went great and got super scores.
3. That neat-o filly who ran her big bay heart out yesterday.
4. All the Smirinoff and cupcakes (don't knock it 'til you've tried it) I consumed yesterday, surrounded by great friends.
5. Midge and Ella's GREAT efforts in their tests today (to the tune of 66% and 65%, respectively).
6. The 2 8s and a 9 I got on walk pirouettes today (booyah).
7. Midge's very nice tri-color for being Third Level High Point champion (yay!), and my new handsome matching glassware set, shiny matching plates, and VERY useful new white polos (PVDA does give out top-class prizes).
And most importantly:
8. That I get to get up every day and do what I love, and call it WORK!
And then Cleo gave me a beautiful test.
It wasn't an oh-my-God test. My piaffe-passage was marginal, but infinitely better than yesterday. My ones were early. My pirouettes were a little big. But man, she was uphill and balanced and organized. She was with me 110% of every minute of that test.
And we got a whopper 62%.
(I don't get it. Whatev!)
Here's what makes me happy:
1. My lovely new navy top hat, in which I look smashing, thankyouverymuch.
2. All the details I worked on this week - centerlines, passage-walk transitions, collected-extended walk transitions - went great and got super scores.
3. That neat-o filly who ran her big bay heart out yesterday.
4. All the Smirinoff and cupcakes (don't knock it 'til you've tried it) I consumed yesterday, surrounded by great friends.
5. Midge and Ella's GREAT efforts in their tests today (to the tune of 66% and 65%, respectively).
6. The 2 8s and a 9 I got on walk pirouettes today (booyah).
7. Midge's very nice tri-color for being Third Level High Point champion (yay!), and my new handsome matching glassware set, shiny matching plates, and VERY useful new white polos (PVDA does give out top-class prizes).
And most importantly:
8. That I get to get up every day and do what I love, and call it WORK!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
PVDA's Mixed Bag
Here we are at PVDA at Morven Park, where it is (shocker!) raining. First thing's first: photos! Courtesy of my student and right hand gal Jessica.
I rode Cleo in our first Young Rider Grand Prix test, which I did just for giggles. It is a YUCKY, YUCKY TEST, and I didn't ride it terribly well today. Nearly all the passage work is on turns, and I just never got the rhythm in any of the passage, anywhere. The canter work was quite nice, but not nice enough to save the score: 62%. But I've got a better plan for my warmup for tomorrow, and I've done more work on the Brentina test, so tomorrow's gonna be great!
Poor Ella couldn't cut a break either: she had a BEAUTIFUL 4-3, save a few little bobbles, all of which conveniently fell in coefficient movements. And then I got my test sheet back, and the judge hammered me for the quality of her walk (which wasn't great, but not dreadful) and her canter (which actually was pretty good). Weird.
I was pretty skeeved, and was considering scratching Midge, because his weaknesses are, of course, his walk and canter. But the sun was out in spite of everyone's predictions, so I figured what the heck. He was a VERY good boy, a little scary in the medium and extended canters per usual, but better than normal in the medium and extended trots, and my work in the changes has really helped. I smiled and went back to the barn (just missing the ensuing rain) and didn't give much thought when I went to get my score.
Which was a 69.7%. With an 8 on gaits. To win the class, and to be the highest score at Third Level today by more than 2%. I am now the proud owner of a very nice shiny plate.
Wowza!
So: tomorrow is another day for Ella and Cleo, and Midge... more of the same from you, kid. You're a rockstar.
More fun on the rockstar front: student Julie got a 7ty freaking5% at Training Level today on a horse who, six months ago, was quite tricky, and a year ago was pretty dangerous. I'm so proud of how far she's come!
I rode Cleo in our first Young Rider Grand Prix test, which I did just for giggles. It is a YUCKY, YUCKY TEST, and I didn't ride it terribly well today. Nearly all the passage work is on turns, and I just never got the rhythm in any of the passage, anywhere. The canter work was quite nice, but not nice enough to save the score: 62%. But I've got a better plan for my warmup for tomorrow, and I've done more work on the Brentina test, so tomorrow's gonna be great!
Poor Ella couldn't cut a break either: she had a BEAUTIFUL 4-3, save a few little bobbles, all of which conveniently fell in coefficient movements. And then I got my test sheet back, and the judge hammered me for the quality of her walk (which wasn't great, but not dreadful) and her canter (which actually was pretty good). Weird.
I was pretty skeeved, and was considering scratching Midge, because his weaknesses are, of course, his walk and canter. But the sun was out in spite of everyone's predictions, so I figured what the heck. He was a VERY good boy, a little scary in the medium and extended canters per usual, but better than normal in the medium and extended trots, and my work in the changes has really helped. I smiled and went back to the barn (just missing the ensuing rain) and didn't give much thought when I went to get my score.
Which was a 69.7%. With an 8 on gaits. To win the class, and to be the highest score at Third Level today by more than 2%. I am now the proud owner of a very nice shiny plate.
Wowza!
So: tomorrow is another day for Ella and Cleo, and Midge... more of the same from you, kid. You're a rockstar.
More fun on the rockstar front: student Julie got a 7ty freaking5% at Training Level today on a horse who, six months ago, was quite tricky, and a year ago was pretty dangerous. I'm so proud of how far she's come!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Food For Thought
Purina made a big to-do about having reformulated several of their feeds, including Omolene, which I started feeding a few months ago. I didn't think anything of it; my horses were doing well on old Omolene, new Omolene costs the same as old Omolene... boogie down.
I was looking at Midge today, one of the horses eating Omolene. Midgey is STUNNING. His coat is dark and rich and glisteny. He's never, EVER looked like this before.
Yesterday, the owner of the other horse in the barn eating the stuff remarked to me how beautiful HER horse looked, how HIS coat has never looked so good.
Both are easy keepers, and they're maintaining a good, light weight both on the old and new formulas; they're benefitting from both formulas low sugar/starch. But I'm a believer!
I was looking at Midge today, one of the horses eating Omolene. Midgey is STUNNING. His coat is dark and rich and glisteny. He's never, EVER looked like this before.
Yesterday, the owner of the other horse in the barn eating the stuff remarked to me how beautiful HER horse looked, how HIS coat has never looked so good.
Both are easy keepers, and they're maintaining a good, light weight both on the old and new formulas; they're benefitting from both formulas low sugar/starch. But I'm a believer!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Gearing Up
I had the ride of my LIFE on Midge on Saturday. He went TO the bridle. He stepped under instead of up-and-down. And he actually took a half-halt, about 50% of the time. Un. Be. Lievable.
It goes without saying that THAT will never happen again! :)
I actually had a lot of good horse days last week. Cleo and I are dissecting the tests, working on a few pieces at a time, and gearing up for my trial run of the Young Rider Grand Prix test this weekend which, if you haven't read it, is a foul, foul mother. It's as hard, if not harder, than the actual Grand Prix, which is fine, just that the Brentina test really isn't that hard in comparison. Yikes!
Poor Ella gets to suffer through 4-3 this weekend, twice, so we gave it a run and it actually wasn't that dreadful. It's a busy beast of a test too, but she's getting fitter and quicker in the rebalancing, particularly at canter, so I'm cautiously optimistic.
My mom is out of town again, so I'm torturing her poor pony by making him really work - pirouettes that aren't floaty, flying changes that aren't floaty, proper canter collection that isn't floaty... basically, no floaty work! He's getting WAY stronger, and the trot is getting really quite fun; I even made some passage-piaffe-passage transitions that didn't suck, and I got 5 one tempis twice on Saturday. Yay!
Yesterday was so pretty I hacked everyone around instead of doing any proper work, though Cleo did have to make one passage-piaffe-passage transition downhill (with no spurs! yay), and Ella did have to stretch through the WHOLE body, and not just her neck, at canter. Midge had to do quality control on our hayfields, a job he takes very seriously. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
My task is to try and stay on top of all my paperwork and life stuff, because I'm showing all three this weekend at Morven, then going with Cleo to the NJ Horse Park next weekend, and then up to Lendon Gray's for the weekend after that. And then it's Scott Hassler at home, saddle guru Colleen the weekend after that, one weekend to breathe, and GLADSTONE!
Zoinks! Better do some laundry.
It goes without saying that THAT will never happen again! :)
I actually had a lot of good horse days last week. Cleo and I are dissecting the tests, working on a few pieces at a time, and gearing up for my trial run of the Young Rider Grand Prix test this weekend which, if you haven't read it, is a foul, foul mother. It's as hard, if not harder, than the actual Grand Prix, which is fine, just that the Brentina test really isn't that hard in comparison. Yikes!
Poor Ella gets to suffer through 4-3 this weekend, twice, so we gave it a run and it actually wasn't that dreadful. It's a busy beast of a test too, but she's getting fitter and quicker in the rebalancing, particularly at canter, so I'm cautiously optimistic.
My mom is out of town again, so I'm torturing her poor pony by making him really work - pirouettes that aren't floaty, flying changes that aren't floaty, proper canter collection that isn't floaty... basically, no floaty work! He's getting WAY stronger, and the trot is getting really quite fun; I even made some passage-piaffe-passage transitions that didn't suck, and I got 5 one tempis twice on Saturday. Yay!
Yesterday was so pretty I hacked everyone around instead of doing any proper work, though Cleo did have to make one passage-piaffe-passage transition downhill (with no spurs! yay), and Ella did have to stretch through the WHOLE body, and not just her neck, at canter. Midge had to do quality control on our hayfields, a job he takes very seriously. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
My task is to try and stay on top of all my paperwork and life stuff, because I'm showing all three this weekend at Morven, then going with Cleo to the NJ Horse Park next weekend, and then up to Lendon Gray's for the weekend after that. And then it's Scott Hassler at home, saddle guru Colleen the weekend after that, one weekend to breathe, and GLADSTONE!
Zoinks! Better do some laundry.
Friday, May 8, 2009
My Students Are Kind Of Awesome
Issy has been riding with me since last Spring. She's a heck of a rider, and a heck of a nice young woman. She plays polo, jumps, events, hunts, and I'm getting her at least somewhat converted to dressage.
Issy's had quite a month.
First, Issy went to the Loudon Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials, where she finished 3rd, on her 34.7 dressage score, at Beginner Novice. This is exciting, but what makes it totally ridiculously awesome is that she ran cross country with one stirrup. It just dun fell off around fence 3. Unbelievable.
And then Issy got invited to go play polo in Miami, which was also a big freaking deal. (she's the star of photo #6.)
And THEN they liked her so much that they named her MVP. And invited her to play all over the world.
She credits? Her dressage training.*
*among other things, I'm sure. But I'm running with it!
So, basically, as much stuff as I ever win, this is the stuff that really rocks my socks.
Issy's had quite a month.
First, Issy went to the Loudon Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials, where she finished 3rd, on her 34.7 dressage score, at Beginner Novice. This is exciting, but what makes it totally ridiculously awesome is that she ran cross country with one stirrup. It just dun fell off around fence 3. Unbelievable.
And then Issy got invited to go play polo in Miami, which was also a big freaking deal. (she's the star of photo #6.)
And THEN they liked her so much that they named her MVP. And invited her to play all over the world.
She credits? Her dressage training.*
*among other things, I'm sure. But I'm running with it!
So, basically, as much stuff as I ever win, this is the stuff that really rocks my socks.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Photos from Morven Park
Monday, May 4, 2009
COTH Article Now Online
Quick note - with gracious and lovely and kind permission of the fabulous Chronicle of the Horse, here's the article on Cleo and her awesomeness.
GREAT Weekend!
Hoo-rah, yesterday was a great damn day!
Midge was about the same, maybe a little tighter, in DREADFUL weather. This judge gave us better scores for the movements and hit him in the collectives for a tight neck, which I appreciated. He won his class again with a 65%.
Ella was a ROCKSTAR!!! She was VERY tired, and didn't make anything in the test as well as she can do it, but she made everything well, went forward, tried her little red heart out, and made NO mistakes. So we won our first FEI test (well, technically a USEF test, but I was wearing a shadbelly; that makes it count) with an absurd 74%, which includes, as Scott said, "a little love" from a certain very... ahem, optimistic judge. When you do what we affectionately call "The Chopra Math," (take your score, subtract 6-8%, get what you really deserved), it comes down to somewhere in the 67% range, which thrills me to death.
I'm still going to pass on trying to qualify her for the Developing Championships - it's expensive and far to travel, and she's still a few months away from really being brilliant at that level, and I don't want to show her against those caliber horses until I can make her brilliant. So it's 4th level and maybe a PSG at the next-next show (entries are already in for the next one, in about 2 weeks), Regional Championships, and get ready for the big time Small Tour next year.
Kelly did a SUPER job under yucky conditions to win her class with a 74%, after which there was a lot of happy yelling and jumping up and down. Student Wendy won both her 2nd level classes with 68%s, and I got word that Lisa, one of my clients in Chicago, went to her first show of the season and was Reserve High Point Champion at 3rd level.
Wowza!
So I ate a big chunk of pizza all by myself yesterday, and I've stepped on the scale this morning, and pushed myself firmly back into reality. Not to mention the HUGE pile of wet, dirty horse-show laundry waiting for me downstairs. Ugh.
But I can still feel that afterglow to bask in, just a little longer!
Midge was about the same, maybe a little tighter, in DREADFUL weather. This judge gave us better scores for the movements and hit him in the collectives for a tight neck, which I appreciated. He won his class again with a 65%.
Ella was a ROCKSTAR!!! She was VERY tired, and didn't make anything in the test as well as she can do it, but she made everything well, went forward, tried her little red heart out, and made NO mistakes. So we won our first FEI test (well, technically a USEF test, but I was wearing a shadbelly; that makes it count) with an absurd 74%, which includes, as Scott said, "a little love" from a certain very... ahem, optimistic judge. When you do what we affectionately call "The Chopra Math," (take your score, subtract 6-8%, get what you really deserved), it comes down to somewhere in the 67% range, which thrills me to death.
I'm still going to pass on trying to qualify her for the Developing Championships - it's expensive and far to travel, and she's still a few months away from really being brilliant at that level, and I don't want to show her against those caliber horses until I can make her brilliant. So it's 4th level and maybe a PSG at the next-next show (entries are already in for the next one, in about 2 weeks), Regional Championships, and get ready for the big time Small Tour next year.
Kelly did a SUPER job under yucky conditions to win her class with a 74%, after which there was a lot of happy yelling and jumping up and down. Student Wendy won both her 2nd level classes with 68%s, and I got word that Lisa, one of my clients in Chicago, went to her first show of the season and was Reserve High Point Champion at 3rd level.
Wowza!
So I ate a big chunk of pizza all by myself yesterday, and I've stepped on the scale this morning, and pushed myself firmly back into reality. Not to mention the HUGE pile of wet, dirty horse-show laundry waiting for me downstairs. Ugh.
But I can still feel that afterglow to bask in, just a little longer!
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