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In praise of quiet, boring rides

Amanda2 Comments

Last night, I arrived at the barn just before the storm broke, with the intention of seeing where Tristan’s dressage was. We’ve just committed to another show on August 7 and since our last show we’ve been doing a lot more wandering around fields than schooling.

So I got on, and (I admit it) turned on Pokemon Go to log my steps because I have eggs to hatch, and committed to a long, slow exploration kind of ride.

It was kind of boring. But it was also kind of magical. The rain was coming down hard, and the beautiful white noise of water on a barn roof blanketed everything. I concentrated hard on my position – sitting up, opening my hips, keeping my hands steady and my elbows loose and following. I focused on setting simple directives for Tristan and quietly but firmly holding him to them.

Conclusion: it’s all in there, but he’s lost some condition. I think that’s the hardest part of everyday Cushings management for me. He’s never been an easy horse to keep in condition, but as soon as he’s out of work, muscle just melts off him. It’s demoralizing.

He was responding, seeing the bit, stretching, coming into the bridle – but he was heavy, and getting him lighter was more of a fight than I wanted to pick last night. So I didn’t. I let him tell me what ride he needed, and after 25 minutes we had a lovely energized trot on the bit, our canter transitions were straight and prompt, and I called it quits.

Here’s a current conformation so you can see what I mean by muscle vanishing. This is after 2 weeks off + lighter schedule for 2 more weeks. His back makes me sad.

meme

10 Questions for July

Amanda3 Comments

Hi! I’m still alive. Tristan is still alive. I’ve just been reading, riding, working in the garden, baking in what passes for a heat wave in Vermont (mid-80s, you guys!), and like the rest of the known world, playing Pokemon Go. But it’s time for me to pick up the blogging reins again, and how better to do that than to meme?

1. Do you actually always pick the horse’s feet? Always? Really?

No, I don’t. Most of the time I do. When I ride in the indoor, I pick his feet on the way out. But if I am having the kind of day where simply putting one foot in front of the other is a major achievement, I give myself permission to skip things. Picking feet and grooming is on that list. I grab a bridle and saddle, I throw them on, I’m out the door in less than 5 minutes.

Caveat: the barn staff picks feet when horses come in from the field, so his feet are getting picked regularly. But sometimes it’s the compromise I make, to get saddle time.

2. What is the biggest obstacle/reason preventing you from becoming a professional or competing full time with ease?


Desire. I have never for a moment had the desire to do horses full time. I am happiest when they are a very involved hobby. I get anxious, exhausted, cranky, and then miserable when I approach anything like a full time horse schedule – when working at the barn or riding more than a few horses. I am ambitious and competitive about many, MANY things in my life, but horses are not really one of them.

3. Do you think it will ever not be about the money?


It’s not really about the money right now. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like an asshole. If I wanted to, I could divert portions of my income and train and compete quite heavily. If I could talk my husband into it, we could swing a second horse. I could’ve pushed harder to find land and have a farm when we were house shopping. 
I’m simply choosing other priorities – once Tristan gets what he needs (and let’s be clear, his board + expenses are substantially more than my mortgage payment, so it’s not like he’s not eating up large chunks of money) I have chosen financial stability instead of chasing horse goals.
Honestly, it’s more about the time than anything. 

4. Was there ever a horse that you loved and really wanted to have a connection with, but it just never panned out? Details.


Not really. I’ve admired some horses from afar but I tend to have a pretty clear-eyed view of their flaws and problems. I adored my first lease horse, and we did have a great connection, but I guess you could say it didn’t pan out because he went irreversibly lame. I can’t say that I’ve ever failed to develop a connection on at least some level with horses that I’ve liked, whether I’m riding them or simply handling them.

5. What is one weakness in your riding that even your trainer doesn’t pick up on, only you?


I have nothing like a natural feel for the horse. No trainer I’ve ridden with has called that out. I guess I fake it pretty well, or have worked hard enough over the years to try to develop one that I’ve effectively compensated.

6. What is the biggest doubt/insecurity you ask or tell yourself in your head?


Laziness and lack of commitment. On paper, I work ridiculously hard, but learning the importance of taking time off, and committing to self-care instead of running myself into the ground – that’s really, really difficult for me. I am pretty much constantly comparing myself to others and berating myself for not getting more done.

7. There is a barn fire. You are the first person to discover it and see that the roof is collapsing in slowly, and you can tell that it’s going to come down any time. Do you call people first, or head in straight to save the horses?


I…have actually been in a somewhat similar situation. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. By the time I got there help had already been called, the horse was gone, and the best I could do was take the kids away and watch them for a few hours to try and help them.
Anyway: I am pretty good at keeping a level head in emergencies. I’d call 911, and I’d assess before running in. I err toward foolhardy with my own physical safety, so there’s a very good chance I would try to go in at some point, but I’d also make sure help was on the way and that I had scoped out a realistic way in and out.

8. What is one event in your riding career/horse/anything that you’re still not over, even though you might tell others you are?


Tristan’s first colic. My first and only complete nervous breakdown. Though I don’t know that I’ve ever pretended to be over that.

9. If you could tell off one person you just don’t like, what would you say?


I honestly don’t think there’s anyone at the barn I dislike? Previous barns I guess there are people that I liked but thought made very, very bad choices. So I’d be clear about those shitty choices and their own flaily reasoning for why the haaaaaad to do x, y, or z.

10. Have you ever seen questionable riding or training practices, but let it go/ignored it? How do you feel about it in hindsight?


Oh, sure. Who hasn’t? I can’t think of anything truly dangerous or awful that I didn’t speak up about in the moment, but there were times in my life when I wish I would’ve at least tried to show the person another way. The worst examples of that were all at one barn, and frankly I feel mostly relieved to have escaped. Somewhat regretful that there are a lot of kids who got some really bad exposure.
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still alive!

Amanda3 Comments

I am still here, still alive, and after three weeks of work basically 24/7 – tonight I am going to ride my horse!

Like, so much work that after the show I hauled everything out of my car and dumped it on my dining room table and it literally has not moved an inch since then. None of it. The ONLY thing I did was oil my saddle what with the hurricane during the show and all.

Decisions coming up: I need to commit to one of two schooling shows in July & August because I said I would ride on a team with my barn and I need to go three total shows to do that. Two barn shows + one off property show. So. Hm. Which one?

I’d love – LOVE – to do both, but the shipping is way out of my budget.

Anyway: nothing of real substance here. Just to let you know that I’m still alive. I assume Tristan is too or someone would’ve told me.

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Fantasy Horses

Amanda7 Comments

I’m deep into my busiest work period of a two year cycle, and so I’ve given Tristan this week, and probably next week, off. He worked his ass off for me for the three weeks previous to the show, and in a hundred little ways I could tell that he is no longer as tolerant of that kind of ramping up of work as he used to be. So he gets some well-deserved time to be a horse. Because two Training tests at a schooling show is basically his equivalent of a long format four star.

In the meantime, I’m taking care of loads of little domestic things and indulging in comfort activities. Eating brownies and taking the intern out for margaritas are among my less productive of those.

More productive is comfort reading. And when I need comfort reading, I turn to one author: Mercedes Lackey.

Now, I’m not going to claim Lackey is an especially gifted author. She has a knack for worldbuilding, a couple of clever ideas, and her writing output is frankly inhuman. That’s…kind of it. Which means that every time I am in need of comfort reading there are a half dozen new books of hers to indulge in. I think of her as my literary equivalent to boxed mac’n’cheese. Not really good for you, not tolerable as a consistent diet, but when I am need of an hour of sheer indulgence, I will eat an entire box.

Lackey’s main world is Valdemar, in which there are these divine beings called Companions, who take the form of pure white horses with blue eyes. Companions choose special people to be Heralds, and then form a quasi-military, quasi-judicial corps that serves the crown.

So: magical telepathic white horses who choose the very best, most worthy people and then bond with them for life?

CHECK AND CHECK.

Which brings me to my Friday question. Are you drawn to fantasy horses? Horses are a feature of almost every single book or movie with an even slightly magical or out of the ordinary bent. Sometimes they’re the core driving force behind the plot, as they are in Valdemar. Sometimes they’re just ancillary characters.

Are there any that stick out to you? Any of your favorites? Or do fantasy horses that fly, talk, perform magic, or otherwise exceed the capacity of normal horses not interest you?

2016 show season · champlain dressage schooling series · dressage

Longer Show Recap

Amanda14 Comments

Can I just say, I envy all of you who can do blow-by-blow accounts of your tests? Like, you remember pieces of them? I dunno. Maybe my head is stuffed too full of everything else, but I can only retain some basic pieces.

First: holy fuck, the weather was miserable. It wasn’t so much the rain or the wind as it was the rain, and the wind, and the cold, all together, constantly. Watch Emilie’s video to get a sense of the day.

My last prep ride on Friday, after our epic, come-to-Jesus ride on Thursday, was…sluggish. He was tiiiiiiired. We did a thoroughly uninspired run-through of both tests in the dressage ring, in the snaffle, and then he got a long bath. Which he hated, but desperately needed.

Saturday night I didn’t sleep terribly well; I drilled and re-drilled the tests, but they would not stay in my head. Not only that, but I discovered that the long diagonal free walk in Training 1 that I had memorized and schooled was, well, not a long diagonal after all, but a short one. *facepalm*

Sunday morning: bang on schedule for everything, but maybe a smidge short on warmup time. I was in not-fucking-around mode, Which was both good and bad. It meant that I was disciplined and strategic about what I chose to do with him, spotted trouble spots, and tried to work through them. It also meant that I was tense, iron-fisted, and railroaded him through everything.

setting off. nope, didn’t braid. zero regrets.

From a certain point of view, that was the ride he needed. And it worked: we had not a hint of the bolting, bucking, uncooperative little shit that he had been for the previous three weeks. When I told him to jump, he asked how high. He was so docile that halfway through my warmup I went down to the barn and got a whip, and that added in the last bit of sharpness that I needed, but he still remained controllable.

note clenched fists.

But I’m not going to pretend that was a ride that was going to score well in a dressage ring!

I rode Training 2 first, and succumbed at the last second to an offer to have the test read. That was a first for me! I’ve read many tests, seen many read, but have never had one of my own read. It kind of underlined my theme of the weekend: do what you can, and let the rest go.

sit up. SIIIIIT UP.
Anyway, Training 2: I was pleased with the way we rode into corners, the promptness of transitions, and while he was braced AF, we at least had lines of communication. I softened when I felt like I could, which was probably way less often than I actually could have, but having gained the upper hand finally there was no way I was letting it go.
f’rexample
I was less than pleased with the, of all things, the lack of interest in my inside leg, particularly to the left, that meant that we were miiiiiiiiiiiiles away from the fence, particularly on circles and particularly in the canter.
does that circle look like it’s going to end up anywhere NEAR E?
On the other hand: free walk! YEAH! One of my very few claims to fame is that I do a damn good free walk. Just a few seconds after the picture below was taken he stretched out even more. You can get a sense of how windy it was by his mane & tail.

So, Training 2: I felt pretty good about having nailed the thing, if not done it well, and then we hung out by the ring in the rain waiting for Training 1. I felt like Training 1 would be my chance to actually do well.

Mostly I was right in that. I was much more present in the test, having the assurance that he was going to behave. I identified moments to ask for more, and moments to soften. He responded well to both. So while it was a more uneven test than the first one I’d ridden – which had consistency going for it, even if it was consistently tense – I was more pleased with it.

Well, except for a few dumbass moments. First! I kicked over A on my way in. And laughed my ass off down the entire center line. The judge was clearly grinning pretty hard too when I did my salute, and Tristan didn’t care, but man, that was embarrassing.

you can see it on its side in the background here.
Second: I put the right canter circle in the wrong place. It’s in the end of the ring, and I put it in the center. Which is a shame as it was actually turning into a really nice circle when I heard the bell. Damn it. -2.
And THEN when we went to do it again, I was so determined to put him on the rail so he could go deep into the corner so we could get the canter transition on a bend so we could be ready to get a good 20m circle…I put him too close to the rail. And he did a little tap dance and I heard his hoof hit the board and I said “DON’T YOU DARE” right at C, and of course lost all of that prep for the canter. (The judge either didn’t hear me – which I find hard to believe – or took pity on me and did not mark this as an error, but I totally deserved one.)
I was overall happier with this test, with his rideability and my decision-making, though it was still tense.
what do you mean, straight and upright on a canter circle?
In my partial defense, by the time I entered the ring for my second test it was raining so hard I could barely see through my glasses. A few people actually commented on it afterwards.
CRUSHED the free walk again!
Both tests ended up right around 58%, which is less than ideal, but was good enough for second place in the class, which tells me two things: a) hooray, schooling shows! and b) the judge scored really tough, which I like. Down with the 6’s and 7’s for every movement!
We scored lowest on our canter circles and any moment when we needed to display bend. We pulled in 7’s on both free walks, and the centerlines & halts. Centerline + halt requires little to no actual skill and it’s one of the few things I pride myself on consistently nailing.
my own feelings on appropriate salutes are a matter of public record
I put Tris back in the barn, toweled off my tack pending a cleaning later that day, and praised him to the skies. He really did so well. Far better than I expected. It was not fancy or anything, but for our first time in the ring in 4 years, amid disastrous weather and a less than ideal prep in the last two weeks, plus the totally scrambled state of my brain – I’m pleased.
spent several minutes trying to get him to put his ears forward, no joy
Which is not to say the competitive nature of my brain now wants to SHOW ALL THE SHOWS, NOW. It does. We’ve got probably three more schooling shows lined up for the summer, pending rides, and we can definitely do better.
kinda wish I’d gotten a picture later in the day when all the branches on that tree started swaying

I spent the rest of the day being a general helper around the show grounds. Frankly, I was as miserable, cold, and wet as I’ve ever been at a horse show. The company was exemplary, but wow. At a certain point after about noon most of us hit the wall, reached the other side, and the rain almost didn’t even matter anymore. Wet and cold was a constant state of being.

I helped clean up as much as I could but I admit I bolted as soon as the show was over. I went home, took a loooooooooong hot shower, and sat down on the couch for a cup of hot tea, a few minutes of relaxation…and fell sound asleep for about 2.5 hours. Whoops.

So, that’s the story of the show! Overall good. Plenty of room for improvement.