Summer in Cliffnotes and Photos

I can't seem to keep myself on the blogging train. Which is really sad, because I love being able to go back and see what we did (and how far we've come). I'm going to make a solid effort to rejoin the blogging community. While I haven't been posting I have been following and I've loved reading about everyone's journey whether it be full of shows, achievements and lessons or some of the most eloquent, heartbreaking thought on life and marriage.

I last left you in the midst of a clinic and then Blogger ate my scheduled posts and I had no motivation to continue. It's been a hell of a summer and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Cliffnotes version:

June:
Becky Lee clinic in June ended with us schooling a bunch of Training courses

Went to a local jumper show.  Kicked butt!

We like winning!

Cochrane HT (at Entry) Finished on our dressage score (which turned out to be our best of the whole season)

Dee felt the need to smile for the camera

July:
James Alliston clinic.  Fell off (pilot error, miscommunication), schooled almost all the Training fences, made new friends but didn't really feel like I learned anything

Zoom

Had my first therapy session with a Sports Psychologist. Fabulous idea. I haven't had a single crippling panic attack since. She reminded me that everyone has baggage, its just how we pack it away that is different. I still have fear, but I feel like I can manage it much better.

Thompson Country HT - finished on our dressage score again. Found Entry to be boring and felt completely ready to move up at Rebecca Farm

Hauled down to Kalispell early to spend a week at Herron Park with Sandra Donnelly. Had some fabulous jump schools, climbed a mountain, ate way too much pizza and enjoyed having no cell phone. Sandra told us when we get our dressage better we will be ready for Training no problem. Made a ton of new friends. Discovered my horse cannot have a day off while living in a stall, she becomes a wild beast!

I'm spoiled to be showing with Isabel

Herron Park is just gorgeous

Ditch that actually had a creek running through it

Completed Rebecca Farm Novice, on our dressage score. My FB blew up when we were featured on Eventing Nation's "Who Jumped it Best?" (It sure wasn't us, apparently I felt the need to check to make sure the ground was still underneath us). Took 14th individually but my team placed 4th. The best friend and the boy both came down to support me.  I couldn't ask for better people in my life. Dee got a boot rub from her XC boots that managed to get irritated and ended up with full blown cellulitis. (NEVER ask how you haul the lame horses home from an event a full day away)

Rebecca Farm is no slouch either

Spent 10 days being wrapped and medicated, bounced back super quick.

August:
Alhambra HT- Pre-Training, toughest PT course I've ever seen. Had a great dressage test, scores did not reflect but I was super happy. The weather was horrid and the footing was slick.  Picked up a 20 on XC when we slipped right in front of a jump and I pulled her off it (rather than risk near death). Still finished with time allowed. Pilot error in stadium gave us 4 faults but I was still really happy with my horse. (No media because everyone missed my stadium and dressage rides and the weather was too bad for XC)

Babysat a couple of baby Standardbreds in their first XC foray. Could have done without the 5 minute deluge and the flat tire but it was still fun.

The fabulous Jose Jalapeno and Shimmer-E

Had pro photos taken of the pony and dog, The Boy tagged along.  Dee thinks putting her ears forward is for fools

Favourite picture ever! Thanks to SMTT for the inspiration and how-to

I love them all. I'm glad the feeling is mutual

One of very few with pretty ears

The Boy and I look at a bunch of acreages

September:
South Peace HT-Pre-Training. Rode my dressage saddle aside (only having ridden her sidesaddle twice before). My nerves got the better of me and I kept forgetting my test, which is a first for me. But them's the breaks. Had a fabulous clear stadium round and proceeded to kick XC butt (including our first buffalo jump) to finish on our dressage score once again.

Sullivan finally got branded

Skipped Championships to attend a small local jumper show that offers prize money.  It worked for us! I could only attend on Saturday so we did the highest divisions they offered (.75m and .85m). Took one second, two firsts and pulled one rail. We came home with over $600 and 3 coolers (I won two for classes, and won one in the door prize draw). Perfect end to our season!

See, we really like winning!

And that's our summer in a nutshell.  Dee just had her shoes pulled and is enjoying a week off before we spend the rest of this year focusing on dressage.

Weekend Recap, Part 1

I love my horse!  We had a fabulous weekend that included Dee's first ever foray into sidesaddle and a XC clinic that saw us schooling mostly training. 

The weekend started with me having Friday off (I actually don't work a Friday until August) and hauling out to a friends place to see if her spare sidesaddle would fit Dee. With a little adjustment and the girths on all the last holes it was actually a decent fit. Dee took to it like a duck to water. WTC was no biggie, so Jacky set up a few small cross rails.  When that went well she changed them to small(ish) verticals. Never has a 2'3" jump been quite so intimidating, but we never had any dicey moments. My equitation left a whole lot to be desired but it was a ton of fun. 

Dee looks less than impressed here

Sidesaddle really requires you to have impeccable posture.  You must sit up tall and sit straight in the saddle, no twisting. I have trouble keeping my right side back even astride, so aside is even more challenging. I feel so elegant and ladylike when I get it right. I'm looking forward to the sidesaddle clinic in August, I could really use some help to improve my position.

BEST PONY EVER!

Since I was having so much fun and my core muscles weren't screaming, Jacky and I even hacked out aside. All in all I rode for the better part of 2 hours and I was hardly sore.  All the gym time is starting to pay off.

Sadly, my Annie's breeches wore right through (after less than a dozen wears) and I was mooning everyone after the sidesaddle jaunt

We then headed back to the barn for a quick bath and EM and I loaded all our gear and horse and hit the road for Cochrane. We had a fairly uneventful drive down, until we hit the big hill down into Cochrane.  This hill is fairly intense (remembering it's in the foothills of the Rockies, we're used to hills) at just over 2 miles with an elevation change of just over 400ft. Turns out my trailer brake controller completely gave up the ghost. By the time we got the the bottom of the hill you could smell my brakes.  Thankfully, they are relatively new brakes and other than some excessive wear seem to be fine. My new trailer brake controller should be here this week.

Dee's now a BoT model: mesh sheet, no bows and bell boots

The rest of the evening passed quickly with no surprises as we got the ponies settled in and then we headed to a friends house for the night.  I managed to drink half a bottle of wine and consume basically my body weight in pretzels before we managed to get off to bed.

Spider striking his model pose

Next up? XC!!

Where The Red Mare and I Part Ways, In More Than One Way

So my last post about the mare saw me falling off when she reared and went down.  After that the mare and I hauled down to Alborak to clinic with Sandra Donnelly.  I hoped that all would go well but I also really hoped that the mare would show her obstinate side so that I could get some help.

Well horses being horses, the mare was a complete rockstar.  The only run-out we had was more pilot error than anything.  On the morning of the second day I also showed the mare in an Extreme Cowboy event, mostly because my mom was doing it and the mare's done it before so why not.  She warmed up well and we were the first ride of the day.  When I went in and asked her to pick up a canter she started bucking.  And I mean bucking, not just hopping around.  My rein snapped and I bailed off.  Turns out, in Extreme Cowboy, you have 60 seconds to catch and remount if you want to continue.  I got back on the mare and managed to complete the course without an issue.  I've never seen her buck before or since so I'm not sure what happened but I quickly loaded up and was off to have a great second day to my clinic.

The mare got a mini vacation at my moms horse before we did the Cochrane HT.  We had a great weekend.  We had two XC refusals but we jumped the ditch and finished on a number!  Things were really looking up.

It's the last fence.  Can you tell I was pleased with her?

The next weekend was the Sidesaddle Clinic at the BarU (which is a whole post on it's own).  The mare was a delight the whole weekend, even jumping aside!

So much fun!!!

And then there was Thompson Country HT.  What a weekend.  I thought dressage on Friday went pretty well but I felt I was tense and our corners definitely lacked polish.  Turns out the judge disagreed.  We were sitting in 1st out of a very competitive division of 30+!!!!

On Saturday we were having a good warm up for XC but it was excessively hot and they were running behind so we just chilled out for a bit.  When we were only a few riders out my coach had me school the vertical and then come to the oxer.  The vertical rode perfectly but the mare stalled out in front of the oxer and then tried to pop over it but just crashed through it.  I popped off, mostly landing on my feet.  After getting cleared by the paramedic I got back on, schooled the vertical a few times and re-approached the oxer.  The mare slid to a stop and spun out left (witness' said it was a very dirty stop) and, you guessed it, I came off again. I landed on my feet again though.  So the ground jury eliminated me after getting cleared by the paramedic.  I didn't even know you could be eliminated in warmup :(


To say I was disappointing would be an understatement.  I had reached the end of my rope.  Between the rearing, the bucking and the stopping I was getting scared and discouraged.  I'm a good rider but I also have a physical limitation with my weak ankle that also compromises my balance.  After the rearing incident I had contacted a trainer friend of mine to inquire about putting some training on the mare.  We had decided that she would head down in August since the trainer would be gone for 10 days to go to Rebecca Farm.  She was at the event and offered to take the mare a few weeks early as she had room on her trailer.  So I loaded the mare into her trailer and wished her luck.

When she is good, she is so good!

June Goals

I've always been a big believer in goals.  I firmly believe that writing you goal down is one of the best ways to achieve it.  I've got life goals, 5 year goals, 1 year goals and now I'm delving into monthly goals.  I want them to be achievable, measurable and I want to be accountable for them so I am going to track them here.

June Goals

-Ride sidesaddle at least twice a week
-No stirrup work (or bareback) for at least 45 min a week
-At least one no pressure ride
-Complete an event with a number, even if it's K2 high (I've got two chances for this one)
-A jumping lesson (or show) without a single run-out or stop
-DON'T FALL OFF
-Make a concentrated effort to get fitter (so I don't run out of steam before the end of my course)

So there you have it, nothing earth shattering but important nonetheless.

One Goal Achieved, Another Failed

So I have set a goal for myself to ride sidesaddle at least a couple times a week from now until the July long weekend when I am off the Bar U for an intense 3 day sidesaddle clinic.  I want to make sure that I am in good enough shape to do it.  And sidesaddle uses muscles I didn't even know I had!

Today the sidesaddle made the trek out to the barn, where it will live for the foreseeable future and the mare and I warmed up for our lesson in it.  She was fabulous considering this was her third time in it.  We had lovely WTC with leg yield both ways!

Next up was our jumping lesson.  Just the day before I was commenting that I wanted to go a whole month without falling off.  Apparently I jinxed myself because I came off during the lesson (Friday would have been the month mark).

The lesson actually went really well.  The course had lots of tight corners to encourage me to use inside leg to outside rein and a super tight lower leg.  It was only myself and Hannah (who's horse it significantly greener than mine) so we started out with 2'3" fences.  Eventually Erin moved them up for me because she feels the mare needs some bigger fences to get her attention.  We were doing about 3' and there was even an oxer! 

On what was supposed to be our last go it kinda fell apart.  It was going well until the 2 stride where she got a little flat and pulled a rail (she hates touching fences).  It's a little blurry but we came aroun the corner to the oxer and I think I chased her to it and then she just didnt' get enough to get over it.  We crashed through it in spectacular fashion.  Rails and standards flying everywhere.  I just tossed forward onto her neck and accidetally grabbed her with my spurs.  The mare bolted towards the arena fence (apparently everyone thought she was going to jump it) and at the last minute ducked to the left.  That duck was the end of me.  I came off and broke my fall with my face :(  Thankfully I mostly rolled under the fence, only clipping my arm on the rail and grazing my helmet off the post.  But I did have a bloody nose and a wicked sore face.  

Her tail bag whacked me in the back of the head over this jump once

I got myself mostly cleaned up, hopped back on and did the whole course again.  We had one run-out coming into the 2 stride but it was completely my fault.  I was shaken up and basically looking for a way out and she obliged me.  We represented and the rest of the course went very well, including a giant effort over the oxer.  It was a good lesson despite the bobble which resulted in my first ever bloody nose.  Only sad thing was The Boy (hence why I have actual proof I ride my horse) was there and I think I terrified him.