2014 Year in Review: How We Did What We Did

and what a year it was

Oh boy! This is seriously the best part of blogging. I go through the year's blog posts, cherry pick my favorite pictures and posts for the month, and share snippets here. It's a great way to get a sense of how Courage and I are progressing and omg yay pony pictures!

January

This was a terrible month. The weather was terrible, Courage was on break, and I had to make the decision to put down my mean ass bastard horse.

Ellie (who took this gorgeous picture) wrote the post to let the blog world know because I couldn't find the words.

When I finally put the words together, all I could summon was gratitude for all that Cuna had done for me.

Many accouterments modeled her

February

The second month of the year from me reeling from losing Cuna and from really great (sarcasm) personal situations. I compensated by stress-buying nearly everything on the internet. Courage snagged a saddle, browband, breastcollar, custom pad, and various accouterments.

The weather was still terrible and there wasn't a lot of riding to be done. I occasionally walked around on Courage, and when the arena cleared up a little, I started doing some lunging.

Look! I did a craft!

I also had a lot of fun dressing Courage up like a Budweiser Clydesdale, because why not?

I still can't explain why I thought this was a really good idea, but it was tons of fun and we got great pictures and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

A shining moment

March

March had moment of brilliance and moments of not-brilliance. Courage came back into real work and he was feeling very, very good. He leaped and flailed his way through an attempted lesson, although his home jumping efforts were respectable.

Despite looking like a hot mess, Courage started to address placing poles, obstacles higher than 18", and some different looking stuff. It was more for my brain than his, but we both needed it. 

But great outfit, right?

Our flatwork continued to progress as well. Ellie got some nice shots of us, but she had to pick them out from lots of wild flailing. When this shot was taken, we had to cut the ride short because SOMEONE flailed so hard he nearly went through the fence and did bite his own tongue. 

Horses.

It can be done

April

April saw Courage and I take our first out of state trip together. Aside from a little interlude about ditches, it went very well. 

I was impressed with how well Courage handled the whole thing and blogged about the entire experience. 

YEAH

Even at home, Courage was jumping really well. We addressed lil' jumps with some fill. Courage was going forward on a loose rein and I was riding very well. 

We were very excited for the upcoming show season, at least until my car exploded.

not a look anyone wants

May

This was a serious roller coaster of a month. The weather was gorgeous. My life was not.

I got too focused on trying to force Courage to be a show horse and made some really stupid choices. He got very overfaced in a lesson and it recreated all the anxiety I've spent so long working through.

Teaching him to deer leap

I like to blame the circumstances, but the truth is, I would have been money ahead to just give him the month off instead of trying to ride through all the stress. Or you know, just not jumping. 

We did some fun trail rides and had a fun show practice at the barn. We made progress in dressage, and that's always useful.

this was good

 June

So apparently, overfacing yourself and your horse and then going straight to a show that you're under-prepared for is not the best idea anyone ever had. Not even the same level as sliced bread.

In case you were wondering.

this was good too

I already checked.

So instead of talking about how terrible the show was and how screwed up Courage and I were, let's talk about how we got over it.

We went trail riding and we played western pony and we lunged over jumps and we tried to rediscover the fun parts of riding.

so fancy

July

It was crazy hot and I felt like I barely rode, but that mostly isn't true. We opened the month with Courage getting some time over fences on the lunge line. Then redheadlins popped him over 2'11" oxers with all the cameras going.

almost like a broke horse

I made decisions like a smart amateur, both backing the pressure off and letting Courage get comfortable jumping again with a better rider in the tack.

It's not that I didn't try it--it just wasn't working out for us.











Other milestones included Courage and I celebrating our one year anniversary together and me recognizing that Courage was really turning into "my horse" instead of just the green project that I picked up.

Besides, he was picking up the flat work and learning new things.

always the cutest

August

We played a lot in August. Courage had a whole host of different riders, from horse show friends to first time beginners. We did flat work and hacked in fields and didn't stress too much as we totally missed shows I'd been hoping to attend all year.

I started up one of my all time favorite blog series about regaining my jumping confidence.

yeah, we look good

It wasn't exciting or glamorous, but we were laying a foundation in a steady, day-to-day grind. I could see flashes of progress, but horse training tends to be more little increments than blinding flashes of genius (at least if you're me).


I also hit my 1000th post and did a contest, which was super fun.

It's that good

September

September had moments of brilliance. Courage and I took lessons with S, which brought us my all time favorite jumping picture of us so far.

I rode great, Courage was on, and our good moments made it all worthwhile. I also talked about my history with horses and how that changed my interactions with Courage.

Solid ground tie though

Much like the rest of the summer, though, I struggled with being very discontent with where I was at. I wanted Courage to advance faster and I wasn't happy with the options available to me.

I had to be careful to not translate that to my under saddle work.

<3

October

I had a lot of fun this month. My rides weren't the most consistent due to traveling every single weekend and some during the week, but Courage and I were connecting really well. Ellie took some unforgettable shots of Courage.

still love this

There was lots of progress in the rides we did have--Courage had some wild moments, but he also had excellent ones. We jumped skinnies and cleared our first 3' jump.

Courage was definitely going through a challenging phase, but I was stepping up to the plate and riding him through it without constantly relying on trainer rides to save me.

(I mean, there were still trainer rides, but more for a different perspective than because I thought I couldn't.)

because I hate snow pictures

November

Screw this month.

Courage was being wild again.

Just about the time I got him sorted out and we started to make progress, an epic winter storm came along and prevented all riding for about two weeks.

so much better

I cracked under the pressure and moved Courage to a new barn with a dressage trainer and an indoor.

To my great surprise, all the things we'd been working on sunk in during Courage's down time, and I had a willing partner again.

topline

December

I realize we're technically only about halfway through the month, but I'm not anticipating any major changes here. Courage and I took our first dressage lesson (not just flat from a jump instructor). I learned SO MUCH and Courage is going in a whole new, awesome way.

hey look no one's tongue is sticking out

We've played ponies and brought the puppy out and I am enjoying the HELL out of having an indoor this winter.

Courage is reminding me every day why it is I wanted him in the first place.

supermodels. or something.

It's not the year I wanted or planned on or dreamed about, but it's the year I had. It wasn't one of those years that makes people stop and go "wow, look at how successful she is". I'm pretty sure my show/event friends think I'm completely nuts for dropping off the face of the earth and not even trying to push the envelope.

But you know what? Despite our lack of material progress, Courage and I are a far better team now than we were at the beginning of the year. We have a bigger tool box, a more advanced skill set, and a stronger partnership. I'm happy and confident on him, whether it's our first ride in an indoor or popping over new jumps at home. We'll let next year worry about itself.

Making It: Tack Ho on a Budget

Bridle selection at the old barn

As I mentioned before, tack buying is not so much for me right now.

My very mature response has been: poo. And possibly sticking my tongue out.

The good news is, I have an end around that lets me keep having tack fun without all the expense of buying.

Remember how I'm going for the whole "minimalist" thing at the new barn? I have a trunk, a saddle rack, and a couple of hooks instead of a huge locker plus a trunk, plus blanket racks, plus all the space I want in the tack room.

I mean, yeah, I could add more hooks

That means the rest of the pony toys got cleaned and conditioned and put away in (dun dun dun) THE VAULT.

aka my garage.

Yeah, I even washed and rolled all the polos. There is a WHOLE RUBBERMAID TUB of boots. Don't even get me started on the bit box.

I don't spend a lot of time in the garage day to day, so when I'm feeling the need for a change, I just run out and rummage through rubbermaids until I have enough fun toys to keep me entertained for a few days. It's like the best store ever because everything is free and whoever stocks it has immaculate taste.

argyle polos and aramas bridle

I'm a total out-of-sight-out-of-mind person, so it works really well for me. I mean, it's obviously not completely the same as pulling the trigger on fancy new toys. However, I can just swap out a bead string on a browband, grab a bridle I haven't used lately, and pick the cutest polo wraps, which makes it almost feels like shopping.

Can't argue with the results, right?

Four Awesome Things I Want for Christmas

It's that time of year again. People are all crazy go nuts buying things for loved ones and I'm just over here like "I'm on a budget and all the pony things are on sale. Whyyyyyy." 

So as per the usual, I really, really want these things, but I won't be purchasing any of them in the foreseeable future. Let's imagine that I had a budget or someone was shopping for me though. Here's all the crazy fun things I'm wanting but don't need and can't afford. 

It's ok to borrow pics for advertising purposes, right?

1) PS of Sweden Jump Off Revolution Bridle

I already have a PS bridle and not gonna lie, I love it. So much. Cool features, quality workmanship, fits perfectly and keeps me entertained. 

This one is also super cool. Interesting design features and very anatomic and 

GRABBY HANDS SO WANTY.

Not gonna lie. Wanty.

2) Dublin Pinnacle Boots

Yeah ok, it almost killed me when Bit of Britain had their black Friday sale and these bad boys could have been mine for $167, when full retail is $209. 

Long time readers know I have wanted these forever. They also know that I really can't justify $200 muck boots. I tried telling my husband that it was a great deal and I could ride in them too and I don't do barn work anymore (knock on wood), but no dice. 

I guess if I got them, I'd realize my wardrobe isn't trendy enough to match them anyways. 

Certainly wouldn't complain if it was monogrammed

3) Ogilvy Baby Pad

I took the plunge this year and snagged an Ogilvy pad for Courage. It's a pretty great pad. It's way classier than my cheap and limited saddle pad collection. I really want the Ogilvy baby pads to balance out the classiness and be all non-slip awesome, but at $40 a whack, they haven't been in my budget.

I'm way too impatient to custom order through any of the vendors and I'm perfectly happy with black and white. 

Free shipping at smartpak if you buy two, ok Santa?

Not the dorky hat though.

4) Horsewares Daja Hoodie

Truth: many years ago when I still had the hellmare and expendable income, I snagged a horsewares hoodie on a mad post-Christmas smartpak sale. I loved it.

You can tell, because I'm wearing it while I'm typing this post. The cuffs are fraying apart and the print is wearing off, but that's par for the course after like.... 4 or 5 years of heavy wearing and washing, including barn work and riding in all weather. 

I love the horsewares line--cool details, well made, infinitely stylish (maybe that's just me? I dunno). I don't like the prices, which I why I don't own much from them, but we're dreaming here so SHHH. 

I'll stop now. I could come up with more. I could do an all-tack list. I could do a for the horse and for the rider list for several different disciplines, but I'm committed to my budget and shopping is the buzz kill of budgets as far as I can tell. 

So. What's everyone else dreaming of? 

PS Please don't say jewelry. If it sparkles, it damn well better go on a horse, or I'm flat out not interested. 

2014 Goal Wrap Up: Hint This Year Not as Planned

3'. We do that now.

Karen over at Contact started the 2014 goals round up. I figured I might as well jump in, because anything not accomplished at this point isn't going to get accomplished anyways.

Without further ado, here is a summary of the my 2014 goals:

1) Go chase cows.
FAIL

I did nothing with this goal. I want to do this for so many reasons--I want Courage to stay fresh by trying new things, I want him to be brave around cows, and I would really love to win prizes doing something. I didn't make it happen. Hm. Oh well. Maybe next year?

we got an epic trails picture

2) Do a mini endurance ride.
FAIL

We did some fun trail rides and there was that week where I rode the piss out of Courage so he wouldn't kill the farrier, but I never got coordinated enough to actually figure out what it would take to do a ride. Plus I hear rumors about the endurance world that make me not want to be involved and I really don't think I want Courage fit enough to trot fifteen or twenty miles, so we'll just scratch this one off for the time being.

Ok, this one is technically 2'9". 3' is at the top of the post.

3) Jump 3'.
SUCCESS.

The jumping we did this year was more about quality than height or quantity. I mean, we jumped lots and lots of little jumps, but we really just focused on teaching Courage the mechanics of how to jump and how to handle his body on a course. It wasn't the right time to do complex combinations or add in a lot of height.

It worked--the one day we jumped a 3' jump he was bloody perfect. He's been exposed to lots of different types of jumps and had one successful XC outing.

So that's good.

because cute knees over a ditch

4) Run BN XC
HAHAHA FAIL

Can we not even talk about this one?

Fine.

Courage did really great at his first ever xc schooling in March. I was THRILLED with him. THRILLED. ECSTATIC. JUBILANT. Unfortunately, due to my lingering cross country issues and the issues with jumping that we dealt with later in the spring, cross country just isn't happening for us in 2014.

When I set this goal, I was banking on being able to do more clinics and lessons, but the whole "buy a car" thing derailed the "spend money on ponies" thing that I was planning on.

It was optimistic when I set it, and yeah, didn't even sort of happen.

it was a jumper show. don't judge.

5) Do some local jumper shows.
Semi Success?

I'm going to count the event derby we went to as a jumper show, since it was over show jumps and then I look like I failed at goal setting slightly less miserably than I did. I also tried to send Courage to another jumper show, but he went a little lame and couldn't compete.

Courage handled the atmosphere really well (eventually). He did great in the jump warm up and was completely unphased by normal horse show things.

goal one: jump skinnies like a badass. check.

We all know that the carnage on the actual course was not his fault at all.

He definitely needs more exposure to be a seasoned show horse, but I'm not too worried about it. He's such a confident jackass most of the time anyways that it's not like he's impressed by the "atmosphere".

So that was 2014's goals. I still want to do the month by month wrap up (because I absolutely LOVE those. Srsly best time of the blogging year.) and I'm thinking on what I want to set for 2015 goals. Obviously, I aimed way too high for 2014. I want to be more grounded in the coming year and more mindful about pursuing my goals.

The 3 Types of Trainers: a TSB Guide

We look good

Riding, teaching, and training are three completely unrelated and highly precise skill sets. Being one does make necessarily make you another and rarely is someone a master of all three. Hell, SOME OF US like to point out that even George Morris, that esteemed rider and teacher and god of US show jumping didn't make his own horses. Someone else did all the training for him.

And there's nothing wrong with that. We need people in all three capacities and they certainly don't all have to be the same person. Besides, it's not like you can master "training" and then automatically fail at "teaching" and "riding". Everyone is a mix of the three, but some are stronger in one area or another.

Not the face of a broke horse

What it means for amateurs like me is that when we are being advocates for our horses, we need to realize just what sort of help it is that they need. With Cuna (very broke), I had a huge range of options available because he was a made horse. I could work on me and screw things up wily nilly and it wouldn't bother him. Moreover, I didn't have to worry too much about who I rode with, because Cuna already knew what he was doing. It wasn't like one bad lesson would set him back months.

Enter Courage. Not only does Courage face wholly different challenges in his life, he's bright, flaming, neon green (like if a gas station caught on fire. Bear with me.). That definitely changes the game in what we need for an instructor.

Just because I'm happy doesn't mean I'm good

In general, I'm perfectly happy to do almost all the riding on him because we get along well and I'm fairly confident in my skills at this point. Because of that, I'm not worried about finding a really competitive rider. If they can ride, great, if not, no worries. I'll ride him through most things. I really like having a great teacher for my own sake, but the #1 MOST IMPORTANT CAN NOT COMPROMISE issue right now is that I need a trainer.

This needed to happen

Not in the generic "random person yelling instructions from the middle of the arena", but in the very specific "someone who truly understands my horse and how to help him progress" sense of the word. Don't get me wrong--I'm not knocking the people we have worked with. Redheadlins was invaluable getting us from the track to here (and you bet your britches I'll snag her any time she can come out) and our beloved S was beyond helpful and hopefully will continue to work with us when our schedules mesh again.

Also this

Which brings us to now. Yes, I moved to the new facility for the indoor, but the truth is, I've been wanting to ride with this trainer for months now. She's a great rider, but not a big competitor. Her focus is on calm, happy horses and her program is full of adult ammies enjoying their quiet, well-adjusted, diversely-bred horses.

She's a trainer of horses, through and through.

This is where we need to be.

Wherein Courage Takes a Dressage Lesson

Slower and softer

Pardon my delay on the wrap up here--I didn't get pictures back until the weekend, and no one wants a post without pictures. Plus I don't really look at a computer on the weekend (sshhhhh), so wheeeeee speed writing a post on Monday morning.

Anyways. It was our first lesson at the new barn, with a new trainer who we'll call C. Yeah, I'm really original. C has never even seen Courage in person before, but she's my facebook friend, and I venture most of you know how I am about pony pictures.

That's more like it

It took her almost no time at all to zero in on his issues. He has FINALLY given it up in terms of giraffing constantly, but he just drops his neck at the wither and pokes his nose out front like a western pleasure horse. It's better than what he was doing, but he still isn't building a topline.

Into the contact

Also, because I'm used to Courage sticking his head straight up and dropping behind my leg, I've adopted the really cool habit of running him off his feet in all three gaits to make us feel "forward" when really, he's taking short, quick steps and not using his back end and topline.

OMG neck muscles!

At this point, Alyssa was probably regretting her decision to come take pictures of us. It was literally a lesson of doing w/t/c transitions in a very slow rhythm. We focused on the quality of every single transition rather than promptness, which meant that some transitions took a lap or more of the arena to get done.

It wasn't the most exciting hour I've ever spent (and I can only imagine watching, lol), but Courage came out for the lesson on the buckle and ended it more relaxed than he started.

check out that engagement!

I'm working on a post about it, but I'm really glad to have the chance to work with C this winter. I think she's exactly what Courage and I are needing.

If you need us, we'll be doing hundreds of walk/trot transitions for the next eternity.

So Far, So Good

you know how sometimes blogger hates pictures? that is today.

It's been a little more than a week now that Courage has been at the new barn. I'll be really honest here and admit that I was petrified to move him. We LOVED our old barn and I was 100% confident that he was absolutely perfectly taken care of at all times. There were only a few horses, so I always knew the BO had time to keep an eye on him and treat him like her own (ie crazy spoiled) and we shared very similar horsekeeping ideas. 

So much space

And it's not that the new place is weird or scary or bad. It's just different, and different takes some getting used to. For example, at our lovely old place, Courage had a large stall, PLUS a big, bedded, covered run. It was awesome. He was never, ever wet or dirty. All winter long, I could just spritz his tail with showsheen from time to time and it was perfect.

Enter outdoor run.

Courage thinks it's AWESOME. He's always liked standing in the rain, he thinks rolling in the mud is TEH SHIZ, and he likes his afternoon sunshine naps.

I'm happy he's happy, but my inner show groom dies a little bit every time I see that thick, full, muddy tail of his that I won't really be able to wash until spring.

I mean, yeah, I could clean it, but he's just going to roll in the mud again.

Courage has a turnout buddy now. He LOOOOOVES him. Apparently, they play like idiots and the only harm is a couple of bite marks that I'm sure he deserved. It's good for Courage to have to learn to be a horse without me micromanaging him and I know that. 

overlooking the turnouts on a sunny day

I'm having to let go a little bit, and that really is good for both of us. Besides, every single ride, Courage is reminding me of why I wanted him in the first place. He has this incredible brain and he takes changes in stride. So far, he hasn't batted an eye at things like these:

-first time in an indoor

-first time with a buddy in the indoor

-first time having a buddy leave him in the indoor

-first outdoor ride on new property

-mules

-changes to indoor scenery

-ice breaking up on the roof of the indoor

-epic rainstorm while in the indoor with three girls and a puppy

-lunging in a small space

-cantering in a small space
-watching another horse zoom around on the lunge
-standing on the buckle while another horse spooks

In fact, the only thing that has bothered him was his good old fashion nemesis: dark spots in the sand. 

I'll take it. 

First lesson is set for this afternoon. Can't wait!

Flatwork, A Green Horse, A Tiny Indoor: Recipe for a Thinking Ride

A good moment

In addition to the puppy adventure and my non-dressaging on Saturday, I finally got a look at what Courage and I have been working on, ie going forward in a longer frame and getting comfortable there.

Parts of it were good. It really wasn't my best ride lately, mostly because it was our first time in an indoor in the rain and I was a little distracted. But still. It wasn't great.

Alyssa hops on. She also took all these pictures except this one.

Courage is getting so much more consistent in the contact and happier in that longer/lower frame, but the added challenge of an indoor is that he has to do all those things on smaller figures, and he wasn't quite getting it. It probably didn't help that I would get frustrated with him because I wanted him to understand it already.It's the same thing we were already doing, JUST LOTS HARDER OK?

It was really fun to watch Alyssa tool around on Courage though. She has this way of riding nicely forward and never pulling or getting off balance, and he loves it.

exciting walking pic

Hm.

I made a new plan on Monday. Courage and I started out on a loose rein and did some basic lateral exercises at the walk. Turn on the haunches both ways, turn on the forehand both ways, and leg yield down the wall.

I wanted him responsive to my leg, so we kept at it until he understood.

Then we went forward.

Just like this pic

I literally had one hand on the buckle (and occasionally the neck strap, as the situation warranted) and I let Courage trot forward. We went both directions and the longer we went, the more he relaxed his topline and dropped his poll.

Now I had him responsive and forward.

Once he was comfortable there, making big laps around the arena, I added contact. I focused on maintaining his lower frame and the quality of his gait as I added in 20 meter circles.

we actually didn't canter

Then figure eights.

Then walk/trot/walk transitions.

Instead of being frustrated with Courage for not being responsive enough to do a three loop serpentine in a small space, I focused on letting him be successful at something he CAN do.

Right now, I want him relaxed, forward, and straight. The stronger he gets in that default, the more buttons I'll be able to add. Things like cantering and simple changes and cooler lateral moves.

So yeah, it's not perfect. But you know what? When Courage really engages his hind end and softens his topline in a big forward trot, it is SO MUCH FUN.

We'll get there.

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Teach Me Tuesday: Winter Riding

look at all that dry foot. be still my heart.

Here's another fun topic for Tuesday.

Winter. Riding.

Do you do it? What does it look like? I know some people like to just turn their horses out for the winter and wait for better weather, and there is certainly merit to that. Courage took about 10 weeks off last winter and it did wonders for letting go of those racing muscles.

On the other hand, the very idea of doing that again made me insane this winter, so I up and moved my horse to a barn with an indoor. I'm lucky that I have the option to do that. I know not everyone can.

So what does winter look like in the blogosphere? Are you tough enough to ride outside? Rich enough to get to an indoor? Smart enough to board at one?

Teensy Puppy Meets the Ponies

And I think I have a long body. Dachshund problems.

Nothing like the Monday after a holiday. I don't have anything overly deep or brilliant to add to the greater equine conversation today, BUT I DO HAVE TEENSY PUPPY PICTURES.

Omg hang on to your hats.

Alyssa (she of the mighty camera) and I went to have a pony day with new local blogger Micaylah and her fun pony Riesling.

Chek thinks horses are really big

First off, Ries is a super cool horse. He's a 12 year old OTTB that Micaylah's had long enough to be quite proud of all the solid work she's done with him. He's learning to be a dressage horse right now and he's lots of fun.

Also flea bitten grey. Pretty fancy.

Hm check out those muscles he has

Micaylah showed us all his fun moves and because I have the maturity level of roughly a preschool child I was all "OMG I WANT A TURN GRABBY HANDS".

Apparently I can not haz dressage. Oh well. 

She was nice enough to let me ride Riesling and play with my puppy whilst I flopped around like some sort of gelatinous invertebrate on her fancy dressage saddle.

Ries was lovely and fun and someday I hope I can ride him better (if M still thinks giving out turns is a good idea, ha!). I may have cured her of that.

Dat face doh

Chek was not impressed.

He was also not afraid.











So obviously this had to happen:

It was a fun day and I ended up with this shot too:

He didn't end up getting to ride Courage because when I rode, it was Courage's first time in the indoor while it was pouring rain. He was very, very good, but I was a little on edge and Chekov didn't want to get out from under Micaylah's hoodie.

Much warm. Very snuggle.