Thou Shalt Not Jump the Oxer Backwards

At least, that's what I've always been told. Izzy, on the other hand, is learning to jump and loving every minute, so when I turned her loose in the arena and there were jumps set up, she promptly jumped the oxer backwards. Silly mare.

She warmed up nicely on the flat, and then we got to do a jump school. We had an oxer, about 2' wide, 18" in the front and about 2'3" in the back (with a plank and a striped rail) and a vertical, about 2' with a plastic jump standard underneath it. Our only problem was me--I ride really defensively because I anticipate a stop. That means that I'm leery of riding really forward because, of course, the more momentum we have, the harder it is to stop.

This is ridiculous. I learned to ride that way when I was riding the ancient schoolmaster, years ago, because he'd throw in the occasional stop if he didn't like how I was riding. Cassie, Izzy's mother, is one of the most willing jumpers I've ever been around, and I NEVER had to ride her like that. So. To fix me screwing up my horse, I'm going to spend some time visualizing riding forward in to jumps and I'm going to try to get on Cassie more often to up my confidence. The old girl never lets me down. ;-)

Back to today. I rode Izzy in to the vertical. She was crooked and she took a look at it, but she went for it. Then we headed for the oxer, the right way. I knew she wasn't scared of it because I'd already seen her jump it. Still, I just puttered in to it and didn't really keep her forward at all. She came to almost a complete halt, then LAUNCHED herself over it. I grabbed mane and managed a decent landing without hitting her in the mouth. We landed at the halt. Just then, Cathy walked up. "Nice save," she told me, "but the approach left something to be desired." Haha, yes, yes it did.

After that, we worked on developing more impulsion on the approach as well as me sitting still and not getting left behind. We had one really nice jump, in which I actually stayed with her impressive leap and folded nicely at the hips so we probably looked ok. Then we were done. I'm not sure when we'll get to jump next, since we're supposed to move the horses to the new property this weekend... Here's hoping it will be soon.

Also, my cross country vest shipped today. We're that much closer to being actual eventers.

Indoors. Again.

Due to the weather being awful, we were back in the Bubble today. Yay. I'm very grateful to have a place to ride in crappy weather, but I just wish we weren't having crappy weather. Seriously. It's almost May. It should be like 80 f and sunny all day long, not 50 and overcast and raining and gusting winds. Grrr. What ever happened to global warming? That was my favorite concept ever.

So anyways. We had a dressage lesson. Izzy was in a mood and was very inconsistent. We still got some nice work and she was pretty relaxed despite being in the Bubble, but... you know.

This is a training journal, so instead of just whining, I'll record some of what we worked on. Ahem.

I need to keep Izzy really marching forward in all three gaits, but especially the walk. What I consider a good walk right now is fairly mediocre to bad.

In our lengthen/shortens in the trot, I need to focus on asking for more. When we shorten, I need to think short, quicker(ish) strides and then longer, slower strides in the lengthen. Right now, we only lengthen for 5-6 strides and then bring Izzy back before she loses her balance, to develop strength to do more later.

Ack. My brain is fried and I can hardly type. That is all for now.

A Day Without Jumping

It's windy and gloomy outside, but it hasn't rained yet. :-) Izzy and I did a dressage ride this morning. She was wonderful. The past two days she's just been so quiet and calm and willing that I think she might be drugged. Who knows? We had some really lovely moments. We're working on Izzy resting into a steady contact. She's still wiggly. She had her moments.

When she's good, though, she's really good. Wow.

In other news, there was a dressage schooling show this past weekend. I didn't sign up, which was good because I ended up spending the whole weekend in the hospital with my grandma. On hearing comments from people who did go, though, I'm really glad I didn't. The universal comment is that the judge was really cranky and irritable. She was rude in person and she scored according to her mood.

I suppose this is a faucet of showing and not every judge can be a good judge, but I find it troubling. Showing is expensive. I am on a very strict budget, so when I show, I want the absolute best experience possible. I cannot control variables like weather and Izzy deciding to be a nut, but I can control things like venue and cost. There is a cheap jumper show coming up that I'm not going to because I went last year and it was a miserable experience. There's another jumper show coming up that I'm dying to go to, but I don't have a trailer and no one else from the barn is going.

Anyways. I like dressage. I really do. I cannot afford to compete much, and this example makes me question the point of it. My goal for next year is to qualify for regionals in dressage. This was already going to be hard, because USEF considers me a professional for being too poor to afford board without mucking stalls to help out. (Professionals need a higher score to qualify.) Already, I was looking at having to put most of my eggs in one basket, since I can't afford many qualifying shows. And to go to a show and not qualify all because some judge has her panties in a twist? That irks me.

I'll probably be revamping my major goals for next year. I need them to be reasonable and measurable. I'll put more thought into it. In the mean time, I have zero desire to go to a dressage show in any capacity other than as a groom.

Quick Update

I made it out this morning for a ride. Izzy was LOVELY. She came out quiet and happy. I didn't ride yesterday, so I turned her loose in the arena. The silly mare trotted around looking at stuff that had changed. (The barn is in the middle of moving, so stuff changes every day.) Something caught her interest at the other end of the arena, so she trotted over there. A nice little oxer I'd set was in her way, and she just hopped over it. On her own. With no encouragement from me.

Nice! I was impressed.

She was very, very good on the flat. She jumped the oxer like she'd been doing it all her life. I set the plank jump a little higher than we've jumped before, so she took it down the first time because she didn't expect it. She cleared it after that, though.

Izzy is just so much fun to jump. She's not rushy or worried or nervous. She is so ridiculously athletic that nothing we've done so far even begins to challenge her. When I watched her jump the oxer, she wasn't impressed by it. Instead of picking her legs up, she just let them dangle and jumped higher to make up for it. As long as I keep bringing her along steadily and don't scare her, this girl is going to be amazing.

Thanks for your kind words about my grandma. She is now back at home for hospice care.

Good News in Small Pieces

I'm trying to focus on the small positives right now. My grandma is in the hospital not doing well, so I apologize for the more somber attitude of late.

I did ride yesterday morning. It's finally dry enough to jump, so I set the scary plank jump and a little vertical with a striped pole and (get this) a teeny crossrail in front. That's right folks. Our first ever oxer. Izzy warmed up really nicely. I did a bunch of work with her in figure eights, focusing and on staying balanced through turns and changing bend. We even did canter circles with just a couple trot strides to change leads. (Jumper flying changes, here we come).

After popping over the vertical both directions a few times, I sent Izzy to the oxer. Every other time I've sent her to a new and scary looking jump, she's needed to stop and have a look. I know this, so I confess I gave her a crappy ride to it. I didn't even really have my leg on. I was thinking "be supportive" but I wasn't riding it.

Izzy came up, hesitated, then sort of stepped through it. I felt so bad! She totally would have jumped it on the first try if I'd given her a chance. Bad Sprinkler! I hopped off to reset it and then we trotted over it a couple times. She was pretty proud of herself, and I was too.

I didn't have time to ride today. It's just as well. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow should be better, I hope. At least I'll be able to sneak a ride in during the morning before heading back to the hospital.

I hope all is well with you guys. I'm a bit behind on everyone's blogs.

Some Good News

Because some is better than none.

I hit a fabulous tack sale with Irie's mom today. I'm on a pretty careful budget, so I only brought cash with me. That way, I was forced to stay within the confines of the money available. As we browsed, the lady running the sale mentioned that she'd bought out the entire boot selection of several tack shops that went out of business. She's sold all her normal sizes, so she's down to the slims and extra wides. SCORE! I need an extra wide apparently. She had one pair in my size with an extra wide calf. It was marked $80. I swallowed hard and contemplated trying it on. I only had $100 total, so this would eat most of my budget and I was really there for breeches.

She pulled them out and said, "I can give you a better price on that." I looked at her. "Oh, let's say $50." Yes! Now they had to fit. I grabbed the boot pulls and sat down. I haven't worn tall boots since last summer when I wore a borrowed pair a couple times. Before that, it's been years, but I used to live in them when I was in highschool. These must fit. There's no way I can afford new boots right now. I put on one boot, then the other.

WIN!!

That's right folks. I got a pair of lightly-used leather tall field boots for $50. I am quite happy with that. With my remaining budget, I found a pair of breeches that fit that I can wear at a show and a loose ring, double-jointed, copper mouthed bit for Izzy's other bridle. Then, when we got back I tried it on. This was another hold-my-breath moment because Izzy notoriously likes only the most expensive options and the bit was a steal for $20. I didn't tell her the price, and she didn't complain. She didn't really even seem to notice a difference. Yes! I was afraid we were stuck with Herm Sprenger bits for the rest of my life. I mean, they're nice, but so so pricey.

We did spin by the tack store on our way home and I have a confession to make. I felt up the breeches there. Yes. I did. I'm having a thing with Kerrits breeches right now and I'm in love with their cut and sizing and fabric and everything. Well, everything except the price. They're not bad, but until I'm working steadily, I definitely can't buy any. For now, all I do is touch and drool.

A More Serious Topic

A friend of mine sold a horse last year. She'd owned the horse for a while, but they never really connected and she had others, so this one just went on occasional trail rides. He was alright. They had a chiropractor work on him once, which did him good, but he was a horse that seemed to lack much personality. He was quiet. Nothing much bothered him and nothing much interested him. He was a quarter horse, so maybe it was breed related. I don't know.

Anyways, last year she sells him to a couple that's retiring to another state and in need of a good, solid trail horse. My friend didn't conduct the actual sale; she sent him to someone who sold horses more often and who had more time to advertise and show him. So far, so good.

Yesterday, my friend gets a call. The horse started bucking about a month ago. No one really checked into why, as far as she knows. Yesterday on a trail ride, the horse bucked his new owner off while going through a gate. The man was wearing a helmet, but it didn't help. The man died on the spot.

We don't know any more details. My friend doesn't know the owner(s). She feels awful and would have disclosed any such issues if she knew they existed, but the horse never exhibited any problem behaviors while she had him.

So I guess here's where I'm going with this. As a horse owner, how much responsibility do you take on for horses you've sold? Does it matter how long they've been gone?

Pity Party

Guess what happened last night at about 6.30 pm? Yep, it started pouring rain. I wasn't worried at first. I mean, this is Idaho. It NEVER rains here, and if it does, it's dry within a couple hours.

Think again. Sheets of rain poured down. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. More rain. It was a lovely storm, really, but it's results on the outdoor arena were devastating. Yep, it's a puddle. That's what happens when it pours rain for 6+ hours, I guess. Grrr.

Which means that we were condemned to the Bubble of Doom (and a dressage lesson). Don't get me wrong, I like dressage. I like what it does for Izzy. I just really, really, really wanted to jump today, especially since I was so good yesterday. But no. That means, we had a good dressage lesson and there are no jumping pictures for you. My apologies, but it can't be helped. Maybe next time... if the arena ever dries out. It's supposed to rain all week I guess.

Anyways. Izzy came into the Bubble nicely, but then had a near-meltdown on the lunge line. I didn't have high hopes for our ride, but I got on, and Cathy got us going well. We did a lot of spiral in/spiral out both directions and some figure eights to get Izzy balanced and responsive. We moved from there to doing little leg yields, which was fun. I hadn't really done those in a while. Then, we did shoulder-fore both directions. It's definitely not Izzy's best move, but we had some nice moments. Izzy really settled in nicely and was ever resting ever-so-slightly into the contact.

I'm quite proud of her.

(Oh, and Nicku: the clinician's name is Kristin Aggers. At least, that's how it's pronounced. I guess I've never tried to spell it before.)

Dressage Day

Izzy and I are continuing on our schedule, despite me really, really wanting to jump today. I mean, the jumps were set up and everything.

To encourage myself to do dressage, we pulled out the lovely dressage bridle. It looked adorable on her with the fly bonnet. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures. If it makes you feel better, I have enlisted someone to take pictures of us jumping tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. My camera isn't the fastest or the highest quality. If you want to see gorgeous pictures every day, check out Kate and Lucy's blog. Her pictures make me swoon a little sometimes.

Izzy was lovely in her dressage tack (and I'm talking about performance now). She was nice, forward, and balanced. We had some wonderful moments in trot and pretty decent canter work. Izzy did ask to gallop again in the canter, but I didn't let her. I figure that it's a bad thing if she gets really excited about galloping every time we canter, so on principle I can't let her do it.

PS On Sunday, a fancy dressage clinician came out and was doing lessons. I didn't ride with her because my wallet would have imploded, but I was watching a couple other people while I got some work done. The clinician is based out of California and has lots of clients who seem to be looking for horses, so she asks about any horses that catch her eye. Guess what? She asked about Izzy! I was proud of my silly mare. Needless to say, she's not available (and the clinician isn't pushy about it; she's just curious). Still, pretty cool.

Brave, Brave Pony

Sunday Izzy and I put on the fancy dressage tack and had a decent ride. I've been focusing on thinking about what I'm doing with her and why in order to make my training as effective as possible. (Effective: clear and understandable to allow her progress at the best possible speed for her body and personality).

I lunged her Sunday. I did so because she looks adorable in dressage tack and I wanted pictures and she will never stand still for me to take them. See? I had a reason. Plus, the practice never hurts.

Today was interesting. I decided that since Izzy had been ridden and then out in the pasture all day, she probably wouldn't need lunging. Plus, it wasn't picture day. ;-) I have decided to attempt a more regular rotation of training for her, so we'll jump Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and do dressage Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. Theoretically, we'll continue to go trail riding on Friday with Irie and his mom. That is of course contingent on her schedule, so we'll see how it goes.

Which leads us to today. According to my schedule, it's supposed to be a jumping day. I dragged out the breast collar, open fronts, and jumping saddle and tacked Izzy up. I hopped on thinking she didn't need lunging and off we went.

Wow. She was a trainwreck. She'd shove her shoulder to the outside of the circle. I'd counterbend to get it back, and she shove her other shoulder out. Then, before I could react, she'd hollow and drop behind my leg. I'd ask her to move forward to get her reaching forward and ahead of my leg, and she grab the bit and charge. Grrr. Cathy commented on how cute Izzy looked in her fly bonnet (yes, we had to break the princess hat out again), and I was so glad I put it on. At least it distracted other people from what we were (or weren't) doing.

I tried all the usual stuff. I did trot/walk/trot transitions to ask her to listen to my seat and work off her hind end. Nothing. I did walk/halt transitions for the same reason. Nothing. If anything, it got worse. We did halt/back/halt/walk to try to get her to think about carrying herself and stretching down. Still nothing.

I was about to throw the schedule out the window. Or at least over the arena fence, since we were outdoors. I don't think a horse needs a dressage frame to jump necessarily, but it certainly shouldn't be acting like that. She was just plain inconsistent and there was no sense trying to jump with that.

Then I had a novel idea; if what we were doing wasn't working, why didn't we try something else? I asked her to canter and off we went. She asked politely if she could gallop. Fortunately, Cathy was the only other person riding and she's pretty good at steering. We kicked it up a notch and galloped around the arena. I had to keep reminding myself that Izzy is pretty balanced and wasn't going to fall on me. I wish we had a galloping track to work on, but oh well. After a good long gallop, Izzy came back to me slowly. It was amazing. All of a sudden, she could go forward into the contact consistently. She was balanced. She wasn't throwing a fit. We could jump!

And jump we did after a little work on the flat. We jumped our first ever striped pole, set as about a 18" vertical. She didn't even blink. We jumped the scary plank, set as a 2' vertical. And then, we aimed for the mind-boggling broom jump. I should have taken a picture... it's hard to describe. Anyways. We trotted in. I reminded myself to stay soft and just support her. About a stride away, I felt her start veering right to escape the scary jump, so I just halted her in front of the jump and patted her. Then we turned left, circled around, and came in again. Izzy jumped it (about a 2'3" vertical) and was so proud of herself that she galloped through the short side and shook her head. We did it a couple more times after that and she was fabulous.

I <3 my pony.