Teach Me Tuesday: Horsey Holidays

once upon a time

It's that time of the year again. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day or that other holiday I'm so far from being able to spell that auto correct and spell check can't even help me (sorry major ancient religion. I do respect you), you most likely participate in some exchange of gifts this time of year.

And that's the point: how does your horse factor in to your holiday celebration? Do you buy presents for the pony? Have a horse wishlist for your family? Ignore the horse completely? Get oddly-shaped home-decor things with a vague horsey theme from clueless relatives?

I'll go first. My family thinks I'm an addict and gets me no pony things. I think the horse gets all the pretty things anyways, so unless there's a killer sale, he gets no Christmas presents and little to no time off.

On Jumping (or rather, not)

As I'm sure all of you have noticed, I really don't jump my horse anymore, which is weird considering the whole plan was to do jumpers together.

I mean. He jumps like this:

SWOON

I must be crazy not to jump him, right?

Sigh.

I wish it was that simple. I was trying to explain it to Alyssa the other day and it goes kind of like this:

Courage is an incredibly brave and honest jumper. He's not a stopper. He doesn't really rush, he won't charge off after, he doesn't generally buck, leap, rear, or fart around. If he jumps you out of the tack, he just canters in a straight line until you haul your sorry ass back into the saddle. He's not dirty.

Like... what idiot wouldn't jump this clearly talented and awesome horse?

Me.

Because that's not all there is to it. I mean, yeah, he requires a VERY specific ride. You will get your ass OUT of the tack and you will HURL your release at his mouth, or you will have a massive problem exploding directly under you. It's a bit unnerving for my eventer-background self who's used to being a little behind the motion for security's sake, but since he WANTS that ride and really doesn't stop, it's actually quite safe. I can deal with that.

and this is why he needs that release

But there's more.

This part is harder to articulate. I didn't realize what it was at first, because I've done 99% of the rides on Courage and I haven't been riding a lot of other horses in the time I've had him, so it was very hard to contextualize. Courage is an older horse (10) who's been ridden all his life. He's very opinionated and he knows what he wants.

So if he wants to canter through an exercise on the left lead, no matter what you do and whether you're me, a prelim-level eventer, or a strong seasoned pro, he will put you where he wants you. If you're weaker, he'll do it subtly. If you're stronger, he will literally pop you out of the tack and put you where he wants you to be.

horse has OPINIONS

And that makes him not a very fun ride.

He's too green over fences to really know where you ought to be, so sometimes he puts you in the wrong place, which puts him in the wrong place, which he then thinks is your fault. Oops. That's why last summer we spent a long time lunging him over fences--he had to learn how to jump on his own, because he really couldn't with a rider up. He wouldn't listen to the rider (no matter who) and then he'd interpret jumping problems as "ABANDON SHIP", which is no good.

little fences

and big ones

So it's really weird--on the one hand, he has good technique and an attractive jump with no actual vices. On the other hand, no one who jumps him is like "that was fun, I want to do it again". Honestly, I really believe the reason he hasn't developed a stopping/rushing/bucking problem is precisely because of how careful his formative jump training has been.

He is a really attractive jumper with a lot of talent. He's super scopey and fun to be around on the ground. He's really turning in to a fun horse to ride on the flat. Part of our dressage foray is simply to get him more broke to ride. Maybe, just maybe, I can get him to be ride-able enough that we can make jumping fun for both of us.

It's not completely crazy--late this fall, we jumped two courses over 2' fences with like, brakes, steering, and actual control. It was super fun.

finally convinced him that not all jumps are 3'6"

I'm very serious about my bronze medal in dressage goal and most of the time, that makes up for not jumping. Sometimes (like writing this post and looking at these pictures and any time I see a jump set up), I want to jump SO BAD RIGHT NOW OMG OMG OMG.

I keep reminding myself that maybe we can. Next year. Sometime. Maybe. Until then, I've got to get this horse broke.

On Arriving

The whole time I evented as both a teenager and an adult, I was always trying to move up. I didn't really care to what level--I just wanted to get above Beginner Novice, because I wanted to be one step better than the lowest division. I want to feel like I didn't just have my toe in the door, but like I sort of belonged.

at least I got a water picture

It was never meant to be--as a kid, I couldn't afford to join USEA, which you had to do to go Novice, and as an adult, I had an unsuitable horse (Izzy) and then one that went lame just as I regained my confidence (Cuna). There's a part of me that's glad I don't event anymore, because it's weird to tell people "yeah, I've done this since I was a kid and I still can't get past the level you start at".

becoming a team

I think that's what drives me with Courage. I hate telling people I do dressage when my only scores are at intro and training level. Sure, it's "technically" dressage and I know it's a stage we all have to go through, but I want to be better than that. I want to do a level with a number. I want to do things that the average rider who doesn't do dressage can't just pop into the show ring and do as well. You know?

we even lunge now

It's not that I need to go FEI to be personally fulfilled or even that I have have a goal past third level. I don't. I just want to be a Dressage Rider and have that term mean something more than "my saddle is black with long flaps". I want it to mean that I sit on my horse and his way of going is different because of me. That I attend an event and I belong, because I not only speak the language to other people, but to my horse as well.

someday

I do love that dressage doesn't intentionally institutionally demean it's lower level constituency by calling it "novice" and "training", when it should be called "legit hard stuff". "First level" at least sounds mildly cooler, right? I want to do hard things well enough. I want to ride a level with a number. I want to have a place in the horse world to call my own.

one step at a time

I want to arrive in my own quiet way, take a seat in the back, and know that I'm in the right place. The place where I belong.

right here

2015 Goal Wrap Up!

Some of you set monthly goals, and I think that's cool. I set annual goals, because that's about all I can keep up with. It's late enough in the year and we have nothing else planned in the way of clinics or shows or accomplishments, so let's take a look at the goals I set for this year and how we measured up.

1) Compete at two dressage shows (schooling shows count) with Courage. Me riding. Don't care what level. Complete test and stay in the ring.

SUCCESS!! We knocked this one out of the park, I think. We did the schooling dressage show, the GMO rated dressage show, and then at least 1-2 more schooling shows. As of this writing, we have completed 6 different USDF tests in the show arena this year. Damn son. That is a lot of memorizing.\\

2) Attend two jumping shows with Courage. Don't have to compete. Do have to hack around warm up.

Oh you BET YOUR ASS I'm counting this. We did 3 (count 'em) event derbies. I do not even care that they were over ground poles. I rode in jump tack and it was in a field. Success.

this was not an event derby, but it's cute

3) Comfortably jump around a 2'6" course at home, including oxers and spooky fill.

This did not happen. We did haul to our old barn and jump around a 2' course with oxers and fill (or maybe just fill) at the end of the summer, so that's like 50% success, right? I give myself half credit.

4) Pop over the occasional 3' (or better) single. 

Nope. Did not happen. This goal was contingent on #3 being a thing and while a very big part of me wants to set a grid in the indoor just so we can say we did this, that's probably not a responsible idea. The point isn't to do it once and be terrified--the point was to develop consistency and push ourselves. We did that, but not with fences.

5) Get out on the trails. Courage is brave and willing. I want him comfortable solo and in groups.

Big, fat fail on this one. My barn is land locked and I don't have a trailer. We tried to schedule trail rides twice, but neither one worked out for various reasons. I do need to be more consistent about this--I like horses to understand it's a big world so that the little sandbox never looks like it's going to eat them. This needs to be improved.

We did hack in the fields a lot this summer and Courage learned to walk over the tiny ditch without running backwards and spinning, but that doesn't really count.



6) Ride bitless. I dunno. Just want to try it and have an english hackmore, so might as well.

CHECK. This we did a few times. Nothing too exciting, but that's the point. We toodled and it was fun. We used the mechancial hack I bought for no reason and had a good time.

7) Take 1-2 lessons a month so I'm not just stalling out without help.

SUCCESS. This has been a game changer for us this year. I am really, really good at doing homework, but I need consistent eyes on the ground to tell me what homework to do as I learn a whole new feel for a whole new discipline.

8) Travel to one out of state show to see either upper level eventing or grand prix showjumping.

SUCCESS!! I attended the Evergreen Classic to watch Grand Prix jumpers with a friend and it was super fun. This is definitely something I want to build on in the future--high performance in any discipline is inspiring.

Reach Goals: 

9) Jump double clear around a stadium course at 2' or better in a show.

No. We re-directed mid year sometime and decided to be dressage queens instead of jumpers/eventers. If you look at #3, you'll realize that we jumped around a 2' course at "not our home barn", but it had very little in common with a show. This didn't happen and won't happen this year.

10) Score 65% or better on a training level dressage test.

SUCCESS!! We rocked a 67% on training 2 at the GMO-recognized show and equaled that on training 3 at our last schooling show (which was also our first attempt at training 3).

And Bonus Goal:

11) Ride in either of the H/J shows at the end of the summer.

Fail. In fairness, I was helping organize these shows and the second one that we might have been ready to hack around at was the same weekend as our last event derby. I couldn't do everything, so I opted to not do this.

you haven't seen this picture in a while

Thoughts

I'm beginning to wonder if any year goes the way we think it will--I started the year as a jumper rider looking to do a little dressage and ended it as a dressage rider who likes to jump a little on the side. I'm really looking forward to setting next year's goals--dressage is a whole new world for us and there are some exciting opportunities I want to pursue.

Looking back, this year had some very high highs and some very low lows. I was THISCLOSE to selling Courage in May, but we got it together and went on to win the first tri color of my riding career. On paper, we may not be the most successful team out there, but our progress was huge on a personal level.

Goals met=6.5/11.

Staying Alive: Riding Through Winter Weather

As any winter-activities (in COLD climates) knows, the trick to staying active in the winter is LAYERS. Good layers. I've been keeping Courage in consistent work with sub-20f temps, and here's how:

Mostly I freeze to death.

HAHA actually it's true.

I also layer up. Here's the key elements of my winter wardrobe:

i want this color

BASE:

A good base is absolutely critical. On top, I really love the Noble Outfitters Hailey Long-Sleeve Crew. It's light weight and perfect for layering. It has long sleeves (YAY LONG ARMED PEOPLE REJOICE) and thumb holes that keep it in place. I'm seeing it listed for $30 online, but I'm pretty sure I paid $20 somewhere. I have two and they're great.

so hideous

On the bottom, I have the Kerrits Geothermal capri. This picture is hideous--I have cute black with a pretty design on it. The cut is kind of awful--The waistband comes up to my ribs and I am long-waisted and long-torsoed. The great thing about these is they don't add bulk under your boots and the elastic under your knee keeps them from sliding up and being useless. WIN.

NEXT:

I guess this is the mid layer? On top, I go with the FITS shirt I got on consignment a few years back for like $15. It's got this hideous grey pattern. I can't find it available now, but it slides right over my silky base layer and adds some warmth without bulk. I like that it's soft and stretch and moves with me. I cannot stand stiff clothes that restrict motion.

she's happy because this vest is awesome

THEN:

Again on top, at this point I go with the Kerrits Cross Diagonal Quilted Vest ($80 new, but I had a gift card!). This is a really great vest--it's cute, it's reasonably flattering, and it has stretchy side panels that let you jam ALL THE LAYERS under it because it expands. The front zips up like a mock scarf, which holds your real scarf in admirably. I definitely do not regret this purchase.

Noted: I frequently stick a light weight tech coat that's stretchy in between my shirts and the vest. I got it free from a friend and it closely resembles the Romfh Princess Jacket, but I have no idea what it really is.

ugly pants

On the bottom, I go with Irideon Wind Pro Fleece Lined breeches. Fun fact: I kind of hate these pants. They're bulky and shapeless and unattractive, but I've had several different brands and they're all kind of the same. Also, shapeless means stuff fits under them easily, so that's a plus. A bigger plus would be pockets, but apparently that's impossible. Just don't hold stuff in the winter, obviously.

I do have over pants that I bust out if I'm doing barn chores, but I LOVE BOARDING and I don't do those right now. It's not the prettiest look ever (and I really, really want winter boots), but it gets the job done for me.

What are some awesome winter riding pieces I should know about? Any suggestions from people in the cold frozen northland?

Teach Me Tuesday: Pony Pictures

I will unabashedly admit that the whole reason I have a smartphone and use the internet is pony pictures. If all horses photos were banned from the internet tomorrow, I would never use it again.

Because that is my operating philosophy (and because my mom was camera crazy), I pretty much photograph EVERYTHING my horse does and in turn, try to talk my friends into photographing EVERYTHING I do on him. Need proof?

Probably not, but I'll show you anyways. I am sitting in front of a computer, not taking pictures. Here's fascinating stuff I've photographed Courage doing in the last 6 months:

that time he cut his face

that time he sweated through a saddle pad

eating grass

taking a bath

rainbow reins!

watch dressage

jump a water trough

use a round pen

look at a dog

pee in his stall

 Remember, these are images I took for my own amusement, not something I scoured up to weird people out.

So uh. How important are pony pictures to you? Do you take them every day? Occasionally? Never? Pay for pro photos? iPhone it up?

Spooking Theory and the Hot Horse

I try not to write ride wrap ups or do ride journals on here, because horse training is just so incremental. It's painfully slow and meticulous, and while not boring, it's very hard to make it riveting.

But there are some thoughts knocking around my head about fresh horses and cramped indoors and training theory, and while I apologize if that bores you, it's really important to me.

A week or so back, I talked about my light bulb moment of throttling my horse back so much at the trot that I was literally creating my own monster. That's important--A horse can buck you off standing still but he can't (should be able to) buck you off at a gallop. Forward MATTERS.

throttling down

But of course, Courage isn't that simple of a horse. He's not a pleaser. He has OPINIONS and he wants them to MATTER.

I had the lesson from hell the other night. Courage was distracted and leaping and spooking at LITERALLY EVERYTHING. Instead of working on steady contact and correct balance, we mostly worked on staying on and not dying.

Which is something we have to do from time to time.

cherry picked shot that is less-terrible from lesson

When a horse like Courage wants to be idiotic about something determinedly Not Scary, there's more going on. I know Courage. He's afraid of almost nothing. He's not spooking because something legitimately scary happened. He's not even really spooking to get out of work. He doesn't mind working.

But that's my other important theory tidbit--don't let the horse change the conversation.

This is something that Izzy (the Hellbeast) used to do All.The.Time, until my old trainer called her on it. Don't let the conversation be about the scary thing or the weird noise. If you're talking about the right rein and the left leg, keep on having that conversation, even if it means having it somewhere else for a while. YOU decide what to talk about, not the horse.

superhero colors

Obviously, this concept doesn't apply to a greener horse learning about his environment for the first time or something legitimately scary.

But with Courage, that's not the problem. He's seen it all. He's not afraid. If I keep reacting to him, then all I'm doing is riding defensively and guaranteeing I'll always be a step behind him. I'm letting him choose the conversation. I'm setting us both up to fail.  I need to stay proactive. I need to ride through his spook and keep on riding like it never happened.

I'm not punishing him for being afraid. I'm not rewarding him for losing focus. I just keep repeating "right rein, left leg" (out loud, because dorky) and keep riding.

It's not the most fun thing ever, but it's working.

The Biggest Problem with Modern Dressage

such dressage

I see so many things flying around the internet that I never used to pay attention to when my primary focus wasn't dressage. I mean, let's face it: the people who excel at dressage are hard working, passionate, nit picking perfectionists who are NEVER satisfied with ANYTHING and they're proud of it. (And I'm turning into one of them. Oh god. I miss you, fun self.)

At any rate. I used to tune out all the modern vs classical debates and the whole "sustainable dressage" website and other than laughing my ass off at the Dressage Curmudgeon, I stayed out of it.

But dammit, now it's my fight.

So here I am, bringing the best I've got. My #1 complaint and the biggest issue I see in modern dressage that is going to be hotly contested going forward:

pictured: enough shit to go fourth level. WUT

There is not enough shit.

FOR REAL.

I mean. Watch a dressage test. ANY dressage test. What shit do they have?

A bridle (black).

A saddle (usually black).

A saddle pad (usually white).

There isn't even much variation in half pads.

NO BOOTS.

NO FUN STRAPS.

NO COLORS.

NO COOL BITS.

ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY NOTHING.

This, my friends, is a problem if you are a tack ho like me. Do you know how many white saddle pads a person can own?

Like two. Maybe. Who the hell needs more than two?

Same with black bridles.

STRAPS AND STUFF

I only have one black saddle and IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH. Sure, eventually I can get a double bridle. OR ADD A SINGLE STRAP TO MY EXISTING BRIDLE WITH THE EXACT SAME FUNCTION.

In jumpers, it's more like a contest to see how many cool bits and straps and boots and just plain SHIT you can fit on a single horse and still get around a course. And then eventers roughly double that, plus do two more disciplines with attendant shit. IT'S SO MUCH SHIT. TACK HO HEAVEN.

But noooooooo not dressage. Nope. We get monochromatic boringness. What.

Tack Ho Memoir: My Favorite Bridles

As blogger Emma pointed out, every time I give y'all a tack room tour, the major bridle players have changed. That fact is as true as ever. HOWEVER. 

I hardly even dare say this, but my collection is starting to find a little stability.

It started with my jump bridle. I had a few different things, none of which I was really happy with. I got a Nunn Finer Figure eight bridle as the result of a trade with a friend when I first got Courage. I ride Courage in a standing martingale pretty regularly, so I swapped the figure eight for a custom race noseband from Ocala Tack Shack (in blue with diamond cutouts, because obviously) and then added in my amazing team spirit custom sparkle browband from Dark Jewel Designs (srsly best sparkle bang for your $ on the market).

Oh, and an awesome custom bridle charm from Straight Shot Metal, because she really is the best at those.

AND because the PS of Sweden Running martingale attachment is GLITTERALLY the best thing EVAR (tm) for those of us who need help from time to time, I also use the PS of Sweden softie reins that are rubber lined with hand stops and PS martingale stops AND CLIPS. I love clips SO MUCH.

It's totally franken-ed-to-death, but I ADORE this bridle. It hits all the high points and is so freaking useful. And gorgeous, in it's own special way. Even when I panic about adulting and clearing inventory, this bridle stays. It's not really sale-able in it's current state and I don't need it to be. It's totally custom to me and if I still have it in 30 years, GREAT.

um hello gorgeous

But y'all have seen my absurd dressage bridle turnover lately. And then Alyssa went and bought another dressage bridle that's GORGEOUS and too small for her horse and she let Courage try it on.

I"ll be honest. I am not a white padding kind of girl. I like it on horses like Valegro and Totilas, but I've just never felt it on a horse of mine. I even had one for a while (like... 5 or 6 years ago, so I forgive you for not remembering) and I just didn't love it.

But this bridle is great. Also not mine.

I briefly considered buying one of my own.

But here's the thing:

it looks good with giant ribbons

I already have this Red Barn Capriole bridle headstall that I LOVE. It's the leather quality I like. It's the style I like. It looks fab on my horse. I got it for a tack-ho-appropriate deal on eBay this summer. It's a crank that I use like a cavesson. It has an option for a flash.

I even had some Red Barn reins I also snagged on eBay that I liked well enough. So like. Whole bridle. Same brand. Easy resale.

But then.

Because I am the ho-est of hos, I regularly (multiple times a week), search for random stuff I kind of want but don't need in the strictest sense. One of those things is reins. I found an unremarkable listing on eBay for "dressage reins". The essentials were all what I wanted (rubber lined, hand stops, rolled fronts, hook studs) and there was one tiny clue in one dark picture that was either really clever advertising or more likely, a missed opportunity on the seller's part.

can you see it?

I figured it was a $40 gamble I was willing to take. Glad I did. So glad.

(Well, at least I was glad until the first time I tried to put them ON anything and realized the the dimwitted Frenchies who put them together apparently have NO IDEA how to cut holes for hook studs that ACTUALLY WORK. I mean. People in India who have never seen a horse and use crappy ass leather can do it better than D'yon. Omg. It took two of us 15 minutes and an ungodly amount of swearing just to get them on. They are now staying on that bit. FOREVER.

I mean. I can now get them on and off, but that first time is not an experience I'd care to repeat.)

i give myself A+ for iphone pictures

All that was well and good (and long and drawn out), but it's still just another black dressage bridle like all the other ones.

HOWEVER.

This past summer, I ordered sparkles for it with the longest wait time I have EVER ENDURED for ANYTHING. Topline Leather has been on my radar but out of my price range for YEARS. But then I was up too late one night and so was she and I know her from back when she used to blog and OOPS THAT HAPPENED.

it's so beautiful

I have the worst time visualizing anything anyways and then she totally improvised and improved everything (with my knowledge/consent--she didn't just go totally rogue on me). I saw the pictures and REALLY liked it.

And then it got to my house and OMG YOU GUYS.

LOVE

It's perfect.

I have now almost fully Franken-bridled my dressage bridle and I'm happier with it than ever. I guess that's the secret for me? Instead of buying nice things, throw a bunch of unrelated ass-backwards stuff together and I will love it forever.

CLIP THIS HORSE