Spring... Where are You?

   

Spring, where are you?   We were teased this weekend with sunny skies and nearly 60 degree temps.  I rode in a tshirt and actually was sweaty.  I loved it!

Attempting to find the road

But it was just a tease.  As we were riding on Sunday afternoon, the clouds suddenly rolled in and the trees started swaying in the wind.   Then the wind felt as if someone has opened a refrigerator door.   The air was still warm around us but it felt as if there were cool streams of air tunneling holes into the warmth.  

And then the rain started.  A chunky rain -- filled with bits of ice.  I live about a mile from the barn where I keep my horses and had driven the tractor over to rake the arena.   So of course I had to drive the tractor back home and hadn't even thought of a rain coat so I used the ever so fashionable discarded sawdust bag over my head.  I turned a few heads as I drove down the road!

During the night, we were the lucky recipients of a freezing rain and then snow.  By the time I started the trek to the barn, the truck was completely covered in snow.   As I was driving slow in a four wheel drive, the slick road conditions weren't too much of an issue but because the snow was so deep and I was the first to drive on it I wasn't sure where the road was.  I made some good guesses and seemed to be on solid ground luckily.    

The horses had been in all night so I decided to put them out for the day despite the snow so snuggled them up in their blankets and sent them out to enjoy some hay.  

Despite the beauty of the snow I am SO ready for spring and this March snow just seems a cruel joke after our gorgeous weekend.  I am ready to ride and enjoy longer days and sun on my shoulders. 

Stay consistently on the triangle

As dressage riders we talk a lot about staying evenly on the "triangle" of the two pelvic bones and single pubic bone.   When we are balanced and deep in the saddle, all three should have equal pressure.   Of course, there are times when one of the bones will have more pressure.  For example, one of the pelvic bones will drop to get more bend on the side we drop.   Or both pelvic bones will have a deeper feeling when we are going for a driving seat.

At my last lesson I realized that I have developed a bad habit of dropping weight into my pelvic bones each time I use my whip.  I have recently discovered that Golly goes much better when I have either equal weight or lighter weight in my pelvic bones -- keeping an open seat rather than a driving one -- so this is  the exact opposite feeling I should be giving when I am asking for more forward motion with the whip.  

I think this is a bad habit that developed back when Golly still had a bit of buck in him.   When I put the whip on him he would frequently throw a buck and I started sitting back some as a defensive move to stay in the saddle.  Not a bad thing when that was happening but since he has matured and is no longer bucking, its time to drop the habit.

What is amazing is that I had no idea I was doing it until my instructor pointed it out and then I realized I do it EVERY time.   Just one more reason why its so important to have someone on the ground that can give you honest feedback on your riding.   One more thing to keep in the back of my head during schooling.

Rolex Kentucky 3 Day -- What it Is and Why I Love It!

Its coming.... nope ... not just Spring .... but ROLEX!!!   Most people in my family and even some of my horse friends don't quite get why I am so excited to attend the Rolex Kentucky 3 Day Event so I thought it would be good to give a primer about what makes Rolex so special.

Rolex is huge.  Not just in size but in the horses and riders who compete there.   Its like attending the Olympics without the need for a passport, long travel and fight for substandard accommodations.   Its historically a qualifier for the Olympic games and thus many horse and riders who compete at Rolex consequently compete at the Olympics.  Horse and riders come from all over the world.  Last year pairs came from Great Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Ecuador and of course the United States.

The first time I went to Rolex in 2005 (which is when I took these pictures) I didn't even know what a 3 Day Event was.  My friend dragged me along on the trip promising it would be fun.   I got a great education on eventing but a little spoiled as the first "event" I attended was the pinnacle of the sport.

3 Day Eventing is a three part sport that requires the same horse and rider pair to compete in dressage, cross country jumping and show jumping over a three day span.  Between each phase, the horse is checked by veterinarians to ensure that they are sound and able to compete in the next phase.  It takes an incredible amount of fitness, agility and well I want to say bravery... but honestly I wonder if its more insanity, to compete in this sport.

I'll hit the other phases in a future blog but for this one I'm going to start with the most exciting phase -- cross country!

The horse and rider gallop over four miles with obstacles scattered throughout.  There is an optimum time they have to complete it and if they go over they receive "time faults".  They also get faults -- otherwise known as points off their score -- for refusing to jump a fence.   If the rider falls off their horse they are eliminated from the competition.  Each year the course changes slightly.  Last years course had 28 jumping situations and had to be completed in 11 minutes 42 seconds to score without a time penalty.

The jumps are BIG!!   You would think galloping on rolling terrain between the jumps would make it hard enough but the jumps are also solid, large fixed objects and sometimes of a shape that would terrify most horses.  Take a look at this jump from the 2005 Rolex course - I know if I asked my horse to jump this he would tell me I was nuttier than this squirrel's meal and I would end up smack in the middle of the bushy tail.

To add to the complexity, the horses are seeing the course for the first time as they approach the jump. The riders do what is called a "course walk" earlier in the day to plan out their approaches but the horse has to have the talent and trust in their rider to complete the jump.

If each jump was the same, seeing it for the first time would not be a big deal but most of these jumps have "questions" -- items that make the jump more complex than it appears on the surface.  For example, a jump may be situated in the shadow of a tree so the horse has to adjust its vision as it enters the shadow spot.   In the jump below a ditch runs under the jump at an angle so the rider needs to decide do they take off towards the right side where the ditch smaller on the takeoff side or to the left where the ditch is larger on the takeoff side but gives the horse the added chance of landing on solid ground on the landing side?

One of my favorite jumps in the "Sunken Road".    When I first saw this jump I didn't believe my friend that a horse could really jump it.  It had to be just a decorative feature.

Its a multi part jump -- first the horse jumps over the white fence you see on the right side of this picture.  They land in in the small piece of grass between the "sunken road" and the fence.    The landing area is so small that the front legs need to be lifting to jump into the pit as the back legs are landing so it takes a huge amount of trust and dexterity on the part of both horse and rider.  They jump into the pit and have one stride before they lift out and repeat the same sequence on the other side.  

Horse and rider entering the sunken road

And after clearing the pit, they continue on to the white fence

And this blog would not be complete without mentioning the "dog watching".   Spectators love their dogs and are allowed to bring them.  There is a doggy day care and people pushing strollers with their pampered pooches inside are not uncommon.

I hope this gives you a quick glimpse into what makes Rolex so awesome.   I'll fill you in on the details of dressage and show jumping next and can't wait to share my 2014 experience with you!

Signs of Spring

As February is coming to a close after our frigid winter, many of us are looking for the first sign of spring.   Daffodils peaking out from the last remnants of snow.   Robins pulling tender worms from the warming soil.   The days getting longer.  Geese returning from their winter grounds.   But the standbye for me and the one that is a sure indicator in my book..... is when Golly starts to shed!

I was so excited to see the first hairs loosening today.   I hate the massive amounts of hair that get on  my

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clothes, coat his saddle pad, and enter every crevice of my body but because it heralds spring.... I love it!

Today was one of those uncharacteristic warm days.  I was able to ride in just a t-shirt and was not in a rush at all to finish my ride.  Definitely a sign of things to come.  The park where I ride was full of other optimistic riders.   It was like a happy three ring circus with a group getting a young horse out for lunging, a fantastic couple who brought all types of trail obstacles including hula hoops and a large horse sized soccer ball, a young rider on her athletic Arabian and families out with their kids just enjoying the sunshine.

I've been wanting to try horse soccer with Golly so I was happy to see the soccer ball and asked if I could try him out with it.   She agreed and quickly used her lovely Icelandic horse to push the ball into the ring.   Golly was having none of that and rapidly pranced away from the scary orb.

She left it in the middle of the ring and we circled it, slowly bringing the circle in closer.  He was afraid but you could tell he was intrigued by it and wanted to go closer.  It didn't take long and he was nosing it across the arena.  Now I want one too!

I can't wait for Spring to really be here.

Replace Bad Behavior with Good

"Stop hitting your brother!"   As the words came out of my mouth for the fifth time and the eraser came down once again on the brother's head while they both giggled, even I realized that it wasn't working.  

My fellow soccer coach had brought his youngest children to practice and they were supposed to be sitting quietly on the sidelines while their sister played soccer.  As two very active boys, it wasn't meant to be and I thought I was helping by getting them to stop hitting one another at least.   But this was fun for them and the fact that I wanted them to quit made them want to do it even more.

I had to change tactics.

So at first I ignored them and after they lost their captive audience, they stopped.  I knew I had seconds before they came up with some new antics so I started asking them questions about themselves.  Eventually we moved on to "I Spy" and "guess which animal I am thinking".  THIS worked much better than asking them to stop hitting one another.

Kids and horses are not all that different.

When your horse is marching through the bit and insisting on his own tempo, you could pull back and fight him but a more effective approach would be to replace the bad behavior with good.  For example, bringing him into a nice bending circle or asking for an increase in tempo beyond what he wanted.

A few years ago I was working on getting Golly comfortable trail riding on his own.  He was great with groups but got fidgety and started jigging when out on the trail on his own.    It being difficult to make circles on the narrow trails and realizing that simply asking him to slow down was not going to work, I took a different approach.   Each time he started jigging I asked for a trot.  After a bit of trot we went back to walk and tried again.  Jigging again?  Trot again.  Trotting without me asking?   A few strides of canter was the answer.   Each time coming back to the slower gait to give him another chance after a few strides.   He is essentially a lazy horse so this approach worked great with him.  Eventually he determined that it was easier to just walk at a lazy pace.

Of course this wouldn't work with a hot horse -- you'd be galloping home eventually completely out of control!  Each horse is going to have their own version of "good behavior" to replace the bad.   You know your horse and will know what will work for them.

I Wish You Enough

I've seen this poem and some version of a corresponding story multiple times on Facebook but cannot find where it originated.... In any case, I think the poem has a lot to offer.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye"

I like the sentiment of "enough".  Not more than you need, not more than your neighbor, not more than is humanely possible to achieve.

I am frequently asked how I am involved in so many things and still "keep it together".  How I manage running a business, attend my three kids' events, volunteer on multiple boards, write this blog and still have a bit of time to ride my horse.

The truth is I don't keep it together.  Most of the time I feel like I am on the edge of a cliff with one foot over the edge, hoping the other holds on.  And I have compromised on what I used to feel were important things to get done.

For example, right now my sink is full of dishes but instead of worrying about it I am writing.   I am fairly certain they aren't going anywhere.  

A few years ago my husband came up with ingenious idea to stop folding clothes.  Instead each person in our family has a large bin in my walk in closet.   I go straight from the dryer to the bins and throw the clothes in there -- no folding required.  Its up to each person to take their bin to their room to put away their clothes.  And if they don't?  Well, they are putting wrinkled clothes on straight from the bin.

I can cook.  I cook pretty well actually.   But our family eats way too much fast food during sports seasons.   Sometimes three or four days go by without me cracking open my oven.   My entire house is rarely clean.   A room or two yes... but never the whole thing.

Last week I had a fancy party to attend and when I went to get dressed, I realized the dress I was planning on wearing was on top of the dirty laundry pile.   After a two second hesitation, I threw the dress in the dryer with two dyer sheets and a sprinkle of water.   That isn't much different than dry cleaning, right?

The point is that I am far from "having it together".   And I don't think that I am that different from most of my friends.  I hear from so many of them the disappointment they have in themselves. 

Just today I watched a friend's lesson and it was fabulous.   Her horse has come so far and its completely under her direction.  When she bought the horse, she was a gangly under-muscled horse with little training.  She has brought the horse to a beautiful, well-muscled horse who does a haunches in like its butter.  She is schooling third level and today they were such a fluid pair I couldn't tell where the aids were occurring.   But five minutes after the lesson she commented that she wasn't totally pleased with the medium trot.   Why can't we celebrate our success?   Why do we always want more from ourselves and our horses?

I recently attended a clinic with Steffen Peters and this was a theme of his clinic -- good enough.  When you have tested the movement, its time to move on.  There is no reason to school it over and over again ... or even necessarily complete the movement.

I've been thinking of this for a bit now in regards to Golly.   I had wanted so much to "get" the canter confirmed this year and in the process I realized that I need to celebrate what he CAN give me.  It doesn't mean that I can't continue to achieve and try and strive for more.   But I need to also celebrate what we have achieved and what he can offer.   He is sane.  He is loving.  He has a steady tempo and good trot.  He gets fabulous scores on halts which sounds like it should be easy but lots of people DON'T get good scores on halt!   I can't say I will be perfect on this resolution but I intend to do my best to celebrate him for what he is while we strive for more.

As my life became more busy I came up with a justification for why my house was not perfect.  While I used to freak out if my baseboards weren't clean for guests, now it became okay if toys were strewn everywhere, dishes were in the sink and crumbs on the table left over from last nights dinner.  My justification was that I was doing a service to my friends.  Rather than leaving my house feeling less about themselves because their house wasn't up to par, they could leave with the thought that they weren't all that bad...   their house wasn't all that different from mine.... maybe even better.  And I hope that my friends feel comfortable in my house -- free to put their feet up on the coffee table and relax with a cup of tea.

So as we enter a new year and think about New Year's resolutions, I challenge you to lower your expectations for yourself.   Celebrate your achievements and the achievements of your horse.  I wish you enough.  Anything  beyond is gravy.

Sharing the Joy of Golly

Golly may not be the most athletic horse, especially when it comes to dressage, but he does have a multitude of talents.   One of the best is his brain and his ability to bring joy to others.  Its not every horse that you can share with others - safely and without reservation.

 

Yesterday I had the daughters of a coworker out to visit Golly.  They had grown up taking hunt seat lessons at a local barn but it had been almost a decade since they had regular lessons.  As young adults, they missed horses and all the joy they bring so I thought they may enjoy some time with Golly. 

 



I started off riding him so he could complete his required "homework" and so I could talk them through what I do when I first start my rides.  After a half hour, I invited them to hop on.    Although it had been some time since they had ridden I could tell they had very strong basic skills and their bodies remembered the mechanics.  Their hands were steady and gentle which was my primary concern.  They had a giving and forward seat that encouraged him to go forward.   All good things for him.  I don't care if someone hops on Golly for some fun as long as they don't mess up what he and I are working on during our sessions.

 

They both were able to walk trot and canter him and he seemed to have a good time and they certainly loved getting back in the saddle.   They would like to come back out to ride him again and I think it will be good for him to have some extra rides, especially ones under a young person who wants to go forward and have fun.  Go Golly!





Golly enjoying some loving from his new friends