Sunshine and Roses and LAUNCHING INTO ORBIT

don't overthink it

You know when something sounds like a good idea, but you sort of just know it isn't but then you do it anyways because you don't trust yourself and then it turns out to be a really bad idea after all?

Maybe it's just me.

Anyways. Last Thursday, I hopped on Courage in the jump tack. I was planning to just do a little two point and trot over some poles, but a fellow boarder left a couple of jumps up and even though I was alone, Courage has been fantastic, right?

It's a crossrail. What could go wrong?

Ha! Funny you should ask. We started by trotting over a few poles. Courage was a little up (aka "thought about cantering after the poles), so we just kept trotting them until he held a consistent rhythm on a loopy rein.

it's bigger than you'd think

Then we trotted to the little crossrail.

Courage LEAPED over it and landed running.

Sigh. That's what I get for not jumping much, right?

I took him back down to trot poles until he could do them nicely, then re-approached the crossrail.

This time he got to about one stride out and just flung his head up and RAN AT IT. And launched. And landed running. I could walk you through the whole cluster, but let's just say that there was lots and lots of flatwork and poles and jump changing and stopping to think and cantering in place and getting stuck and racing and leaping and we finally were able to trot over a crossrail without racing or leaping, but it was a solid 90 minutes of hard work to get there.

i'll take any excuse to look at this pic

The good news is that Courage is neither difficult nor scary to ride. At any point, I could stop and drop the reins on his neck and he'd go to sleep.

So on that fantastic note, we were all set for our first jump lesson of the year.

We were finally able to sync back up with S who did so much for us last year. Courage definitely showed all sides of what we've been working on lately.

Warning: video below is kind of boring. (jumping starts at 45 seconds).

the return of the possessed right hand

Basically, any time we cantered towards the gate or around a corner, he wanted to RUN LIKE HELL which I would then exacerbate with super creative BRACING. S called us out on it and we made some fixes, and then Courage was like "eff you right turns".

So the first part of the video is sorting that out and the second part is just going through our little exercise. It's all crossrails. There's no leaping or flailing, but that's where we're at right now.

that's better

It was so good to have some eyes on the ground. I haven't ridden in the jump tack much lately and I was making some pretty basic mistakes that certainly weren't helping us. Plus S was able to help us curtail the naughtiness while giving me strategies to enhance the good things.

I did change my stirrup leathers a while back and it looks to me like they need to be a hole shorter--my position is usually pretty kick ass and well, it's not.

Regardless. Jump lesson #1 of 2015 is now in the books.

Teach Me Tuesday: Tail Taming

TAIL FLIP

Here we go again. Tails are a strangely controversial subject. People do all manner of strange things with them, from docking them off completely to braiding in extensions and literally everything in between.

I have a very strict tail care routine. I leave it loose, spray in show sheen about once a week, and brush it 2-3 times weekly.

pretty hair

I know lots of people put tails up to protect them, but for me, seeing the beautiful tail every day is a part of loving my horse and tail bags/wraps/etc detract from my equine enjoyment.

So that's me. What do y'all do to take care of your horse's tail?

Show Attire Con't

Cuna had the right idea. As usual.

I posted last month about my intense hatred of white breeches (and show coats. COATS.). I maintain that white is a holdover from a bygone era that makes no sense to continue for practical, financial, or aesthetic reasons.

And the primary kickback I got from readers was that they liked participating in the pomp and circumstance and tradition (bear with me) of the Victorian evening wear that is currently foisted upon us. It's "elegant" or something.

So here's my response: basketball players, alpine skiers, and even golfers get that same sense of belonging by dressing in their sport-appropriate garb. That idea of becoming part of something bigger than oneself is commendable and important, certainly. My argument isn't against that sort of uniformity, but rather redirecting the uniformity into something that makes more sense.

As illustration, here's the one and only Charlotte Dujadin riding a phenomenal young horse in a demonstration.


Charlotte is obviously an amazing rider and the horse is to die for, even if I can never sit his trot.

But that's not the point. I LOVE Charlotte's attire here. It's classy. It's comfortable. It blends the rider to the horse and keeps the focus on the performance. Isn't that the whole entire point of a sporting uniform? It's not about how much you spend or how perfect your body is--it's all about how that particular equipment allows you to perform your best in your given sport.

I was talking to a western pleasure rider some years back and she dropped this interesting comment: "All the riders used to wear black, but then they realized you can't tell 20k black from $20 black." So western pleasure moved away from black because it was too affordable and easy to emulate more expensive looks while spending less...

HELLO. THANK YOU.

because my horse is cute

Horses are a prohibitively expensive sport. Here's an area where we could literally slash costs for all participants without detracting from the quality of sport at all. It would maintain the level of camaraderie that riders are looking for, certainly not detract (and possibly improve) the quality of sport presented, and eliminate completely the useless relic that is a show coat.

As I see it, there are only upsides. Those of you who like spending lots of money can still do so. Those of us who think dressing like Victorian gentlemen (handraise) is an asinine way to spend a weekend if you're not at a steampunk conference will be happier. We look like athletes. We aren't in white spandex.

What exactly is the drawback here?

Riding Warehouse: The Rumors are True

LOOK AT MY HORSE MY HORSE IS SO CUTE

Truth be told, I almost never buy things new from retailers these days (we'll exclude PS of Sweden from this discussion). I mean, I price check on websites, yeah, but beyond that? Not really my thing. I'm all about bargain hunting, back-door deals, and buying used.

So when bloggers started reviewing Riding Warehouse like it was the latest, greatest thing, I was like "meh" and didn't really look in to it.

But you all know I've been on a hunt for novelty stirrups. What you don't know is that despite my Ho status, I am a confirmed tightwad and the idea of paying more than $125 shipped for lil platforms to put my feet on was giving me absolute stitches.

And then for some random reason, I ran over to Riding Warehouse's website on a whim. (Never do this, apparently.)

They had composite flex Royal Riders (NOT the knock offs) on clearance for $125. And free shipping over $50. And I had a 15% coupon code THAT THEY LET ME STACK ON TOP OF THE CLEARANCE PRICE.

my pretties

Um can I get a HELLZ YEAH?

Thank you. That was late Monday afternoon. I snagged the last set of clearance stirrups, a pair of white bell boots I'd been wanting (for like 50% off), and hit order. The whole shebang shipped (FREE!) to me and arrived on my porch by Thursday afternoon.

To reiterate: I just got $180 stirrups and $30 bell boots with two day shipping via UPS for $122. BRAND SPANKING NEW.

I will definitely be a repeat customer.

PS: I was going to use my sweet Canadian bell boots in our clinic last weekend, but when it's 28f while I'm tacking up, I am NOT taking pull ons off.

Conflicted Equestrian

I have a problem that only other horse people understand.

I was in a dressage clinic this past weekend. When I ride dressage, all I want to do is dressage. I'm fascinated by the logical progression and training. I love seeing the pieces fall into place and I'm addicted to the feeling of connection with the horse. I feel like all I want to do is ride up the levels like some sort of tail-coated centaur and do complex, intricate movements while reveling in all the grace and power of a horse.

jumps!

And then I jump.

And when I'm jumping, all I want to do is jump. I love that the horse is responsible for himself and I love the kind of team that makes us. I love the strength and balance and precision it takes to ride a course well. I love the feeling of the horse jumping under me and I'm addicted to the feeling of freedom from the laws of gravity. I feel like all I want to do is chase better rounds and bigger jumps like the fearless jockey I become during a good ride.

TACK ASPLOSION

It's not a bad problem. It's just that when I'm standing in the tack room deciding what to do on any given day, I get stuck. Do I jump? I loooooove my jump tack. Do I dressage? I love that stuff too.

I think I need to make a schedule.

Dressage, Part Deux

but switched bridles because we can

Courage gets a non-negotiable day off after every major weekend event and most lessons. It's partially to let him physically rest. It works out in my favor that Courage is also a thinking horse who tends to train himself, so some downtime actually makes everyone's life easier.

So we did the clinic Saturday+Sunday, he had Monday off, and I made it back in the saddle late Tuesday afternoon.

YOU GUYS.

IT WAS AMAZING.

from the weekend, but i love it

We kept it short and sweet because I never want to drill Courage and make him sour, plus he's due for a cross training day, but OMG.

We started with stretching at the walk now, which is like NBD.

Then we stretched at the trot. Also a non-issue.

Then I asked him to stretch and go softly into the canter to the left. BA BAM.

He was so proud of his right canter that we had to repeat it a couple of times so he could do it without leaping, but even then, I had the softest and most rideable canter I've felt on him.

We finished up with hands down the best trot I have ever ridden on him. It was slow and cadenced, with a long, powerful stride that came from an engaged back end and correct stretch into the contact.

If he wasn't so sweet and distinctly gorgeous, I'd say someone switched my horse for one that did dressage. (We'll pretend that I look like I know what I'm doing in a dressage saddle, haha.)

Regardless.

GUYS.

WHY IS THIS SO FUN?

Teach Me Tuesday: Who Wore it Better?

still love this

Teach Me Tuesday is a series I started to learn about things in the horse world I just don't understand. I've certainly had a lot of fun with it, and I love coming up with topics each week. So this week, I'm curious: how many horse bloggers are better dressed than their horses?

I know Courage has only the best of everything and I put a lot of time and effort into running down bargains for him, whether it's that perfect blanket or the world's most magical half pad.

But when I need clothes, it's pants from the feed store (not kidding Wranglers <3) and shirts for my local sports team.

And that's about it.

So in your relationship, who's better dressed: you or your horse?

Dressage Fun

told ya. banging.

Courage and I participated in our first-ever (together) dressage clinic this weekend. As per the usual, I was proud of my little man and thought that all my friends would be deeply interested in what I was doing, so I talked Alyssa into coming both days to take pictures.

She may have ended up regretting that choice.

Saturday was our first ride. Our outfit was completely banging, which I was proud of. The clinician was less interested in that and more interested in the fact that while I've gotten Courage to give up the base of his neck some, his solution was to then shorten his stride and release his neck while still holding his back tight.

ASS

Naturally, the quick fix is to ride MORE FORWARD, but funny thing, when you push Courage forward, he gets more tight and his stride quickens. So instead of all the cool and fancy dressage things (that we can't do anyways yet), 85% of our lesson was at the walk.

Courage learns by slowing down and taking the pressure off, not jamming forward and hoping he figures things out along the way.

The ride focused on teaching Courage to stretch all the way down to the ground, first at the halt, then at the walk. Once he figured out what I wanted, I had to ask him to go slightly more forward.

best day 1 shot

If he stretches down and slows down, he's still holding his back tight. It was when he'd stretch down and walk forward and especially on a turn that he'd really lift his back and stretch his topline.

At the end of the lesson, we incorporated it into the trot a little, but it was hard work for Courage, both mentally and physically.

nailed it.

DAY TWO

Because I am poor/a tightwad/motivated (you pick), I didn't want to take the same lesson twice. I warmed Courage up on Sunday using the principles from the lesson Saturday and had it down. Our clinician was impressed.

That lasted like .02 seconds and then we were back to work. Since Courage understood the concepts, it was time to start applying them.

but so fancy

We immediately added in walk/trot transitions. Courage was doing famously and then the clinician said "canter".

We were going right. I wanted to say "LULZ WOMAN U CRAY CRAY", but I hate people who don't believe in themselves and talk back to the instructor.

So I did what she asked--I kept Courage active and loose. I sat up like a dressage rider instead of perching like a happy jump rider. I brought Courage back every time he braced.

ERMEGERD RIGHT LEAD CANTER

I still didn't really think he could do it, recent bodywork or no, but then....

HOT DAMN LADIES MY HORSE CAN CANTER RIGHT

This was where I really loved the clinician--we attempted to canter a couple of times and each time Courage braced and tried to run.

So the clinician had me bring him back to walk and do the same thing in w/t transitions a few times, then ask for the canter once he was comfortable.

It made SO MUCH SENSE to a Courage brain.

i love his mane in this one

We have some really great exercises to work on. The clinician was very positive about us--she said I have great feel and she was very pleased with Courage.

In fact, she said that when she comes back in a month or two, she thinks I'll be able to have him correctly and consistently on the bit at all three gaits.

:-D Nothing like a little confidence.

Ammy Hour: Meet Lauren!

biggest problem: too many good pictures

I always love meeting new bloggers, but there's something fun about profiling established bloggers as well. You probably know Lauren from She Moved To Texas already (who doesn't?!), but here's the rundown on how she balances life and horses and that satin addiction.

1) You’re at dinner with work colleagues. How do you introduce yourself?
I am the worst at introductions, and I also only go to work dinner with colleagues who already know me.  In that situation, I typically say something like... "So is anybody else going to order a glass of wine?"

too cute

2) But what you really meant to say was this:  "No, really... who's getting wine?  Should we do a bottle?"

3) Tell us about your horse and how you met him.
Simon is 2006 OTTB, but more importantly the thing I am most proud of in my life.  When I met him he was pretty skinny with few marketable skills and a sketchy history of lameness.  Now he's less skinny with more skills and a less sketchy history of lameness ;)  I ended up with him because he wasn't the world's best school horse, but luckily I can't think of a better horse for me right now.  Simon reaffirmed my faith that everything in life happens for a reason!

this pic=so much win

4) What do you do with your horse?
We show hunter/jumpers and generally try to enjoy life together.  Right now that means a lot of miles and confidence building in the baby jumper ring, but we toss in the occasional hunter derby and bridleless riding session for funsies.  I also haven't abandoned my idea of showing him low level dressage, but the stars haven't aligned for that quite yet.

5) Where are you going together?
I don't really know.  I have this high lofty goal of eventually showing in the Take 2 Thoroughbred jumper division, which is realistic but definitely a struggle.  It's more important to me that we both remain happy and healthy together.  Simon has a lifelong home with me, and I learned long ago not to spend too much time planning out every little detail with horses.  Once you make a plan, they will show you how to change that plan!

Simon has goals too

6) What does success with horses look like for you?
My horse leaves the show happy and feeling like a million bucks because he did his job.  I leave the show feeling like I improved from the first class but still have things to work on.  Neither of us feel beaten down or scared by what we tried to do.  Bonus points if we're awarded fair ribbons for our efforts.

fancy

7) How do you finance the addiction?
I work for a video game company doing content marketing and UI design.  It's a random job I fell into about four years ago, but I really love it.  I've been challenged here and continue to learn and grow while getting a pay check that allows me to keep Sir Simon up to his expectations.

so many great moments

8) What does your support team look like?
My husband isn't in the forefront (he claims horse shows are boring... can you believe it?) but he's probably my biggest supporter.  He indirectly finances the sport and also doesn't get upset when I spend lots of time at the barn or horse shows.  Outside of him, my trainer is hugely important.  She's been key in making Simon the solid citizen he is today and she deals with my crazy amateur brain without ever getting visibly frustrated at me. Since I get frustrated at myself, I consider this fact shocking and amazing.

let's do this

9) What are your horse keeping arrangements?
I board, and I'm a happy boarder.  I don't mind writing a check for having a lot of life balance and I'm never going to be one of those people who just MUST see my horse every day.  I love my horse, but I also love my life outside of horses.

10) How often do you ride?
Weather permitting, I try to hit 3-5 days a week.  Usually I end up around 4-5 when we're actively showing.

so pretty together

11) What’s the single biggest thing that helps you achieve your goals?
Breaking them down into tiny steps, and believing that I can.  If I walk into the ring and honestly believe I won't have any trouble - I don't.  For me riding is mostly mental right now and I'm slowly winning that battle bit by bit.

horse showing bosses

12) If there was one thing you could say to people getting ready to join the ranks of riding (or re-riding) adults, what would it be?
Remember that this is for fun, but also know it's going to be really hard.  There will be nights that you cry and worry and stress, but if you're in the right situation you'll do a LOT more smiling than you ever thought.  Horses teach you more about life than they do about riding, and a solid relationship with the right horse is one of the best feelings in the world.

13) Bottom Line:
I really like ponies.  And ribbons.  And sunshine.  And pearls.  I could go on.  Mostly though, I like Simon.

Many thanks to Lauren for participating! Do you want to be featured on Ammy Hour? Do you know someone who should be? Contact me!

Havens

i could look at this all day

I told myself that after the ongoing cluster that was last year, this year had to be better. Right?

Well, yesterday was on a mission to single-handedly prove me wrong and all the situations are ongoing. Huzzah.

For the past year and a half or so, I have really embraced the ammy life. Horses are a hobby and the barn is a haven. I don't go there for stress or drama or weirdness. I want to enjoy my horse. That is all. I'll admit to being rather abominably rude to my fellow boarders by being completely unsocial for most of the winter because I just needed time alone.

I realize horses mean different things to different people and I am learning to respect that.

But for me, the barn is where I go to unwind. I need to feel safe. I need to relax. I need to have fun.

Because sometimes the rest of my life is the opposite of that and I need one place I can get away from it all for an hour or so and just breathe.

I'm not denying reality, but I can't handle it all the time. It is so freeing to ride my horse. I can focus on our connection and improve our ride and push all the other thoughts out of my mind.

I've been really lucky at my past thee barns--each one has been a uniquely wonderful place that has allowed me to heal from different hurts.

I love to pull into the driveway and let out a sigh of relief. For a few minutes at least, I have a safe haven to relax in.

I don't know what I'd do without it.