The Final Schooling Show of 2014

So, today was our final 'show' of the year. Yes, it was just a schooling show, but for under $100 per horse, I got to ride a few tests, take home some ribbons and accomplish a few personal goals...

Let's start off with Delight. 

She's, well, not always the most ridable. Obviously, she has a functional W-T-C, turning and stopping. For the average horse, she's a damn 'well broke' horse... But dressage is not cool with "The Average Horse". We want a powerful, submissive (read: willing to take direction), supple athlete. And of course, I want to be FEI, not forever stuck in the lower levels purgatory. 

Delight really excels in ridability
Also... Floating Pony!

Attainable? Yes.

Easy? No. 

I took Delight into 2-3 and out recycled 2nd level freestyle from the October show in Michigan (and the Coat returned!). Our 2-3 test had some, er.. communication issues. I asked for medium gaits, she turned into the toy soldier pony. In a slight over reaction to guidance, I half halted back from an excessively forward canter and she halted... Like a reining horse. 

Submission score took a hit right there.  

Ponies man. Ponies.  

"NOTHING IS EVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!"
(schooling at home)

 The freestyle, on the other hand, felt fantastic with powerful, up and supple moments. We didn't mesh with the music, since the 1/4 of the arena by the judge was just under water, so there were some on the spot edits, but it was up, forward and fun. And really isn't that why we do this sport?

And then there was Tilly. My goal with here is exposure, plain and simple. She has a tendancy to get slightly overwhelmed in some situations, but really she's 7. Time to pull on the Big Girl Pants and just Deal With It.
Our first warm up/test was... tense.

A pasture of cool, composed, well trained horses.
Or something like that....

 Literally, every comment on our 1-1 test says "Tense" "Quite tense" "Rather tense". Super.
But, despite some huge spooks and slipping and sliding through the mud we completed our test, mistake free but in so way the supple, willing, on the bit horse that she should be. Thank goodness for multiple tests...

So, three tests later, we reentered at A for 1-3 and it was a totally different pony. Gone was the rigid neck, crazy Arab look, replaced with a pony who is starting to look downright German for a 10% improvement in score. Go figure.
There's hope for the pony!

Oh, and lest I forget... guess who made her show debut with her first horse show?
My mom and the wonderful, unforgetable RC!

They've got this.

Mom and C-Buddy rode Training 1 and 2 and have now been bitten by the horse show bug. RC was a champ (aren't I so proud of my little homebred!) who powered through his tests as steady as ever.

This year? First show!

Next year? Qualify for the schooling show championships! 

MWAahahahahah!

No Shave November!

Now, if you are under the age of fifty, you've probably heard of No Shave November... It's pretty much a guy's excuse to go full lumberjack. Or hipster. Either way, it's not sexy. Not sexy at all.

Beards: Not sexy. Ever

Anyhow, in keeping with my rebellious nature I just cannot embrace No Shave November. And not just me, but my horses (and poodles, obviously).
Now, there are tons of things to love about Texas: the ability to knock out two shows before the new years, not having to shovel roofs (sorry, New York), an overdose of state pride. However, this lovely pseudo-tropical retreat leaves my ponies feeling like they brought the wrong wardrobe on vacation

See the difference?

 So what is the conscientious rider to do when every ride ends in a lathered, sweaty horse?

Shave them!

Be Forewarned: This is a picture heavy, super adorable and probably itchy post.

Scratch that. Very itchy. There will be little itchy horse hairs everywhere. I think I need to shower again. Maybe twice.

Since it was a lovely 60 degree day and the arena was still too wet to ride in so it seemed the thing to do by starting my day off with a pony bath.

Tilly is not impressed

Of course, my normal handy (lazy) front of barn area proved to be too wet me to continue my morning baths at that location. So we moved to our otherwise abandoned wash stall.

Bucky in all of his fluffy glory

Really, it's super handy... but we dumped a yard of lime in front of the barn door that leads to the wash stall... so you have to walk out the front door and around the side of the barn.
Tedious. But at least my feet dont get  wet and there is no mud. Win-win!

Then it was time to whip out the clippers!
Mwahaha-AHAH!

 By the time I finished with half of Tilly and all of Bucky, my elbows were buzzing and i was covered in hair. Not my own.

Why only half of Tilly, you ask?

Because I'm freakin' creative. And honestly, I kind of assumed what could go wrong?

 So I took a quick lunch break and made a stencil out of a manila envelope. Like a boss...
I taped the stencil onto Tilly's unclipped butt, and let the fur fly!

It's all about the bass

Now.... wait for it....

Brace yourself. 

For So. Much. ADORABLE.

Ready? Are you really?

AWWWWWWWWWW!


Encouraged by my success, I had to find an appropriate stencil for Delight.
I mean, the Blackfish cannot do bout sporting bows and hearts. That's just not her. And there's a distinct possibility that she would buck me off just for offending her. It's a risk.

So the list began.
Bows? Adorable on Tilly, but Deli doesn't want to be a copycat.
An Orca? Perfect! But too tricky for an amateur body clipper like myself. And no one else would get it...
A shamrock? Celtic knot? Blah.
 So, in the spirit of the season... And for ease of application, Delight earned some Christmas Bells!

Not quite as vivid as the chestnut

 All in all it's not too bad of a look, if I do say so myself.

Now I need to see if I can get a picture of the clip jobs out in the sunlight.

And now I need another shower. I feel itchy again just thinking about all over again. So many tiny itchy little hairs!

Thanksgiving Comes Early

Well, here at Chez Alison, the family is spread out all across the country. Well, less so now that I'm back at Texas, but you get the point. When we all come together by sheer happenstance, we make the holidays happen when we want them to. Like today, for instance, is Thanksgiving for us. Suck it Traditional Thanksgiving, we have out Christmas carols starting 5 days early.

When this kid is in town... Shit gets real.

And it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

I was originally going to type something up in response to a forum post asking if anyone regretted bringing the horses home... but tis the season to be thankful and really, I have no reason to be all negative anyway.. .which kind of tied into my original post so I'll just continue to expound on it.

I love love love having my horses at 'home'. I cannot think of a better way to live than to be able to sit out on the porch sipping coffee while everyone eats breakfast.

Not a bad view, amiright?

 Sure, there are no days off. Horses need to eat, be turned out, stalls cleaned, brought back in and fed again. Fences need to be fixed, arenas need to be dragged, yards need to be mowed... There are easier life style choices, to be sure. There are no days off- not in the rain, snow or when you have a 104 degree fever- Horses still need to be fed. The logistics behind planning a vacation or night out are not easy... Thank again my most significant relationship is with a little white velcro poodle named Bacon, so its not like I spend a lot of time out on the town anyway.

"I cannot stay out after dark!"

 Of course there are much less complicated ways to keep your own horses. Some horses live outside (I've heard rumors); some don't get grain daily, let alone twice daily; Grass arenas are simple and easy to maintain... But that's the perk of having your own place: you get to keep your horses in exactly the manner in which you want. Want a different blanket at ten degree intervals? Done. Want Pookie out only in perfect weather? Done. Want turnout boots/flysheets/SWAT applied/ the rain dance done before turnout out the Bucastan? You can make it happen! All that limits you is time and money...
Now, I have had some pretty nice boarding situations. Maybe not high dollar, but good personal care and a descent riding space. Then there have been the situations where the care was not as advertised and I had to be out every day to make sure that the Ponitas were still alive anyway. Having my Ponitas at home is a cheaper (because the Family already owns the land) option with that guaranteed peace of mind that only comes when I have total and complete control over my horses.

 There is certainly something to be said for having an arena all to myself and being able to schedule your day around when the weather should be nicest.... And with only six horses at the moment, the barn work takes about an hour (not including the semi-annual chores like spreading the manure pile, or fertilizing or cutting and stacking hay). That leaves plenty of time for me to get three or four horses worked in a day and then teach a few lessons.
Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a mother with the same passion for the farm life? This way if someone needs a day off, the other one covers the chores. And let's face it, it's nice to see someone else who actually enjoys this lifestyle so I don't feel like a total anomaly.

Perk: Farm poodle loves his life!

Soooo.... this is Awkward.....

You know when life gets really really busy and you kinda sorta forget to call that guy back who you kinda sorta saw a few times?

Well, this blog is like that. And you guys get to be that guy. Harsh, I know. My bad.

So very much has happened since October.

I shipped Bucky to Texas after the championships. He loved it.

I closed up my house, painted GTT on the door (yes, that's a seventh grade Texas history reference...) and got the heck outta the Yoop before Snopocolypse hit. We all knew that it wsa going to hit and turn the area into a wintery snowy wonderland that kills Dressage Queens. It's happened before and this time I was not going to haul through it.

You can suck it, Snow. 

So yes... Here I am, back home sweet home in the lone star state. 

Farm poodles, hard at work. 

 I drove down with only two ponies in tow and about fifty bales of hay. Oh, and those poodles (of course). The poodles are loving the weather. it's not cold, there's no snow... poodle heaven!

Freeeeeeeee-dooooooommmmmm!

 The ponies have assimilated nicely. Of course, they know all of the horses on the Texas Headquarters from last year (and RC and Bucky still don't get along). So there are six horses in four pastures/paddocks/pens. It all works out as long as Bucky goes out with a pony. He does love his ponies.

Who can blame the guy? I have  soft spot for the little monsters too...

Of course when this cold front blew through last weekend/this week everyone blames me. Uh, guys... I'm here to escape this weather.

And honestly, I knew better than to complain, I'l take 30 degrees and cloudy over 15 degrees and snowing any day... I keep my weather app on both Texas and Michigan locations just in case I ever feel the urge to complain about anything. It could be worse. There could be snow...

A jacket? really?

 And now, while I plan my next post... just so no one misses me too too much..... I leave you with some quarter horses...

#BreakTheInternet

 #DreamOnKim

And the Best Part about Halloween is....

The Costumes!

Of course, had it been any other time and you answered "candy!" you would be 100% irrefutably correct... However, I'm going somewhere with this so just take a deep breath and follow me down the rabbit hole!

Anywho, I've been semi-crafty all friggin' summer .There were windchimes, boxes, painting, etc, etc. So when the fall schooling show was announced in Escanaba in October with a costume-friendly-freestyle class, I was so in.

Until I realized that ti was on the same weekend as the championships. Then I was so very sadly out, I emailed the organizer my regrets and wished them luck... Only to have them tell me that it'll be moved to the following weekend to accomodate the Championship-goers. Which was me.
The freestyle was back on!

Coming up with music and choreographing was no big deal. Honestlym I'm pretty good at that kind of stuff (thank you ten years of drill teams). Costuming was the harder part...

Now, sewing is something that I have never done. Ever.
I did not take home ec. I took welding and home improvement and repair where I learned to rewire shit and fix a leaky faucet... Because, I assumed, when would I ever need to learn how to cook or sew? Seriously.

In hindsight, I'm still glad that I didn't take that class.

However, I decided that ti was time to try my hand at sewing, in my quest for a non horse hobby, to create a little costume to go along with my roughly edited music and fan-freaking-tastic choreography. I mean, since The Blackfish will have had a good week off while I'm in KY showing Bucky, I was really kind of leaning on my costuming choices to carry this freestyle.

I found a little pattern in Walmart that I LOVED and gave a nod to my favorite design aesthetic. How hard could it be? Seriously... 8 year old indonesian kids can sew up designer labels that people pay big bucks for, surely I can whip up a costume that will be only viewed as I trot/canter/buck on by the meager dressage audience. Surely.

Where are the sleeves? WTH, Alison...

It took me about three days of cutting, sewing, lining and hemming before I actually believed that I might have created something AMAZING.

Blingin', part 1

Two days later, I had embellished it with enough flair for an off broadway production.

Screw the freestyle, I'm going to ride All of my tests in this baby!

This.
This is why Ponies buck....

For the full freestyle, please click:

HERE

 Enjoy with your speakers up on HIGH!

Trick or treat!

2014 USDF Championships.... Part 2

Show Time!

Well, since the whole point of this practically cross country drive was to show…. You would think I grabbed it with both greedy little hands.

But I rode one test a day for four days. As did Courtney. It was the easiest, most relaxed show ever…. 600+ other horses nonwithstanding.

Because Prix St Georges is so much easier than 4-3, I chose to ride PSG for my open show rides, saving 4-3 for my championship ride only.

For those of you who haven’t read it, Fourth level test three was designed by monkeys on LSD. The canter work has no rhythm and is increadibly haphazard. It’s a silly ridiculous test.

Anywho, my Thursday open show ride was easily the most accurate that I have ever ridden.  We scored a respectable 64, and I honestly don’t remember the placing or class size.  Sorry All.

My PSG championships ride was on Friday.

 Dun- dun- DUN!

Prophetic fortune cookie....

We were forward. We were powerful. We were on the very brink of control!

We might have continued our extended canter through our turn onto the centerline. We had one break in the pirouettes where I half halted a touch to hard for a canter-walk-canter pirouette transition. Other than that little flub it wasn’t a terrible, terrible test. Considering that there were ponies gleefully running through the Rolex water hazard within sight, we kept our shit together.

Cause, let’s be honest, Bucky identifies strongly with the cart horses.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it that the National Drive was held on the same weekend.

Anywho, We earned a 65% for our less than totally-accurate-but-powerful test. And ended up 17^th/50 horses. Top half! Yes! My whole show was already a success!

Saturday’s ride, also PSG was easily my best. We were less spastic, more accurate and mistake free. And we actually won a large Open FEI class! Which, of course, I treated with the dignity and blasé expected of established professionals….

That's a $1000 coffee cup, folks!

Or not.

By Sunday, let’s face it… We were all exhausted. Whoever invented four day horse shows was obviously attempting to kill the entrants. By day three the enthusiasm and adrenaline has worn off, by Day four it’s sheer perseverance. And it was our fourth level championship class.

Bucky was (slightly) tired. I was tired. But we pulled off a mistake free, if not spectacular test. We may have had moments that went full-cart horse. You never want to go full cart horse….

But we earned a ribbon! In a 30 horse Open Championship! SQUEEEEE!!!

See? See that ribbon?
SEE IT?!?!

UDSF Championships... Part 1

So... It's been a hell of a month so far. But I'm back, faithfully chronicling my horse showing saga....

Smoke detector lying on the sink.
Super legit.

Unlike the fateful Kentucky Championships of 2012, nothing went categorically and catastrophically wrong. Whew.
I had reliable and trustworthy pony  sitters at home, the truck and trailer(s) all made it to KY and back to their respective destinations. The weather held for all of my tests (not so much for Courtney's... but that's the risk you run at horse shows).

Who does this?
The seat doesn't fit the toilet!

I broke the drive down into two days, overnighting in Columbus, IN at a nice little horse motel. Bucky settled in quite nicely after his 13 hour trailer ride where in we only had to wait out on Tornado Warning. Easy, right?
The poodles and I settled into a Motel 6 one exit over. Good news is that is accepted dogs, no questions asked. Bad news is that it was just a touch shady. In true Horse show tradition, wherein my family tries to counter balance the decadence of high powered show horses with slummy hotels.  So far I've survived.

Alison, Up your game. Seriously. 

Since I stayed nice and close to the Horse park, my Day 2 drive was only 2.5 hours. I made it to the Horse Park by noon. Of course, I beat my mother and my sister there... because, why not?

 The tack stall was set up.

The horses were settled in.

The Dog Party had commenced.

Its Show Time!

Preparing for the Kentucky Invasion...Take Two

Welp, it's that time of year again. The leaves are turning reds and golds, the temperatures are dropping... it's time for the Championships!

Now, I'm sure some of you all will remember the god awful 2012 Championships..also in Lexington KY.
Delight and I came in 26 out of 26.
The truck broke down.
I received a call from home saying that my barn was in shambles.

Yep. That's the one. You can read all about it back in my archives.
*Shudder*

So, here I am all set to do it again. And this time, we're going to go Big or Go Home. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

Bucky, are you hiding behind your ponies?

The trailer is washed and packed (mostly).
The ponies are ready to spend a week (or so) at their "sitters".
The poodles are still filthy little farm dogs... Bathing is still on the to do list.

Yes. This is the wimpy french poodle stereotype

Bucky and I have secured lodging in Indiana on our way to Lexington (because Grand Prix horses do not stand on the trailer for 13 hours).

I've had the start of stress- induced acne.

Yep, it's show time!

Well... Almost.

Things All Women Should Know...

So, I attended a clinic in Marquette over the weekend.
How easy could that be, I thought. Marquette is only 100 miles away; compared to any other venue it's practically a walk in the park!

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Never tempt fate. And if you thing something's wrong, it usually is.

So, I hooked up my trailer at 5:30 Saturday morning on the first try.. Those of you who own goosenecks and are too short to actually see the bed to line it up know what a good thing this is. Compounded by hooking up in the dark, I was really on a roll. Today is going to be a good day.

Until I noticed that the drivers' side rear tire on my trailer was low. So I grabbed my handy dandy little air compressor and inflated it back up to 42psi. Another crisis averted; though I would have really preferred to have the tire fixed, the local tire places didn't open until 8:30. I could make it to Marquette by then and have the tire looked at there while I let Bucky chill in his new stall and acclimate to his new surroundings. The tire was holding pressure, so Bucky hopped on in (with a little pony bribe) and of we went.

We made it roughly 20 miles.

I kept checking the trailer tires in my mirror. Call me paranoid, but when you have a free-leased grand prix horse in your trailer, paranoia is positively justified. And this Saturday, it was prophetic.

Roughly 18 miles into our trip, I noticed the sway. The trailer tires were fine, but I chose to pull into the gas station anyway.

And it was a Damn good thing I did, too.

I picked up a piece of gravel in my drivers side rear truck tire, and it managed to puncture the tread of my new tires.

See that?
Air was streaming past that rock like a blow dryer

Yep, I've had these tires less than a year. The tread shows practically no wear. And we were totally crippled by a little piece of gravel.

So here's the moral of the story, ladies: Always know how to change your own tires and have tire chocks for your horse trailer.

Now, I was plenty pissed off that I had a destroyed tire, but I wasn't totally devastated because I knew that last year I bought not four, but five brand spanking new tires. So I went to lower my spare from it's comfy home under the truck only to discover that one cannot lower a spare with a trailer attached. There just wasn't room to crank down the spare. So I unhooked the trailer, pulled the truck up a bit and then proceeded to winch down my spare. Then I loosened my lug nuts then jacked up the truck. After I pulled off the hot melted wreck that used to be a $200 tire, I noticed something.
My spare was about 4" smaller than my other tree tires.
And instead of having the nice new treads it was practically bald.

What. The. Fuck.

Evidently some time in the past three weeks, someone stole my spare. And replaced it with this piece of crap.
Oh, come on. they probably just gave you the wrong spare when you got your new tires.
Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at all.

Yep. This one is done.

I know because I checked it out when I was hauling to Rehinelander for lessons (I learned from my flat-spare episode). It was the big, new fully aired spare.

So here I am with a too-small-spare, a horse trailer and a very expensive horse (and tack) sitting in a parking lot. So i called a friend, to follow us with flashed on while I trailered home, dropped Bucky off and then proceeded to limp to the nearest tire place that's open on a Saturday. Which happened to be 20 miles in the wrong direction.
Of course.
But two new tires (and a leak repaired on the trailer tire) and $500  later, we were off on our way to pick up Bucky and attend that clinic.

 Of course my Saturday ride I was not impressed. All the clinician said was "Good!" "What a nice horse!" or "Try to go deeper in the corners".
That was the extent of our Saturday lesson. Sure, maybe he was tired since we had arrived at the end of the day. Sure I was short tempered due to my morning. But still, I want to work for that $100 lesson!

Sunday was better. Instead of riding for 7's I told the clinician that I wanted to ride for 10s, so we slowed Buckys tempo and lowered his neck and voila! Bucky the Wonder Horse was just super!

It was 38 last night. So horses are in blankets.
In the summer.

Quote of the Day!

Have you ever had one of those moments when a sentence, phrase, or saying that leaps out off of the page at you? Rattling around in your brain for the next day or two?

Bueller? Bueller?

Just me, then. Damn.

Anyway, this may or may not set off a helpful-quotes motivates existential type blog. Or may simply result in another long rambling, barely cohesive blog post. It’s a risk I take every time I veer from self-derision. And since I’ve sworn off of negative self-talk for the next 20 days (give or take) in an effort to totally re-vamp myself… existential gibberish it is!

“Being aggressive is fine if you’re a boxer or a skier. But we have living, breathing, feeling animals underneath us. I don’t think it’s right to use them as a stepping stone to get to the next level.”

-Curt Pate

Now I realize that we outgrow horses and have to move them on to their next home and not everyone can own their horses forever, allowing them to retire to pasture in their golden years… But I really don’t think that’s what this quote is about.

My take away is that there are better paths to personal glory. Sure, I love ribbons and awards nearly as much at the next person, but I want my horses to like me. Not just during breakfast and dinner when I show up with the food bowl, but also when I’m grooming, tacking up, riding and after working. Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing a bit, but I can tell when my herd is happy, sad, worried or stressed out.

We’ve all seen that person at a horse show or clinic who blames their horse for being a horse. We’ve heard about the trainers who take short cuts to get quick and easy results. We’ve met riders who have to keep trading out horses when the ‘magic’ isn’t there immediately or the ribbons don’t come quickly enough.

As riders and trainers, we really owe it to our horses to enrich their lives; to develop that little personal relationship with our trusty steeds.  After all, that’s why (most of us) got into horses – for that relationship that’s just not possibly with a basketball or motorcycle. 

Sometimes we just need that little reality check when we completely blow it at a show or have a day where the flying changes just. aren’t. there.

My goal is not to use Bucky as just a tool to get to Grand Prix. I want him to enjoy working with me.

Delight is not my ticket to fame and fortune. My goal with her is not that other people will take a look and thing wow, look how great Alison is! My goal is develop horses who love their work in the same way Bucky does… Because really, there is nothing quite like riding a horse who loves their job.

Oh, on a ‘positive self talk’ note: Delight and I had wonderfully supple and powerful moments yesterday. Admittedly there were also moments where she flipped me the bird and told me exactly where I could shove my requests, but baby steps. We’ll get there some day… Hopefully by October.  

Quote of the Day!

Have you ever had one of those moments when a sentence, phrase, or saying that leaps out off of the page at you? Rattling around in your brain for the next day or two?

Bueller? Bueller?

Just me, then. Damn.

Anyway, this may or may not set off a helpful-quotes motivates existential type blog. Or may simply result in another long rambling, barely cohesive blog post. It’s a risk I take every time I veer from self-derision. And since I’ve sworn off of negative self-talk for the next 20 days (give or take) in an effort to totally re-vamp myself… existential gibberish it is!

“Being aggressive is fine if you’re a boxer or a skier. But we have living, breathing, feeling animals underneath us. I don’t think it’s right to use them as a stepping stone to get to the next level.”

-Curt Pate

Now I realize that we outgrow horses and have to move them on to their next home and not everyone can own their horses forever, allowing them to retire to pasture in their golden years… But I really don’t think that’s what this quote is about.

My take away is that there are better paths to personal glory. Sure, I love ribbons and awards nearly as much at the next person, but I want my horses to like me. Not just during breakfast and dinner when I show up with the food bowl, but also when I’m grooming, tacking up, riding and after working. Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing a bit, but I can tell when my herd is happy, sad, worried or stressed out.

We’ve all seen that person at a horse show or clinic who blames their horse for being a horse. We’ve heard about the trainers who take short cuts to get quick and easy results. We’ve met riders who have to keep trading out horses when the ‘magic’ isn’t there immediately or the ribbons don’t come quickly enough.

As riders and trainers, we really owe it to our horses to enrich their lives; to develop that little personal relationship with our trusty steeds.  After all, that’s why (most of us) got into horses – for that relationship that’s just not possibly with a basketball or motorcycle. 

Sometimes we just need that little reality check when we completely blow it at a show or have a day where the flying changes just. aren’t. there.

My goal is not to use Bucky as just a tool to get to Grand Prix. I want him to enjoy working with me.

Delight is not my ticket to fame and fortune. My goal with her is not that other people will take a look and thing wow, look how great Alison is! My goal is develop horses who love their work in the same way Bucky does… Because really, there is nothing quite like riding a horse who loves their job.

Oh, on a ‘positive self talk’ note: Delight and I had wonderfully supple and powerful moments yesterday. Admittedly there were also moments where she flipped me the bird and told me exactly where I could shove my requests, but baby steps. We’ll get there some day… Hopefully by October.  

It's All in Your Mind

Well, it’s six weeks until the Region Two USDF championships where Bucky and I will be competing in two obscenely large championship classes: Fourth level and PSG.

When did those classes get so large? I mean, I thought that above second level was supposed to be where the classes thinned out. 50+ horses? Qu’est-que le shit, as the French would say.

Well, there are only so many things a girl can do to brush up in six weeks. I’ve been taking lessons (when I can), I’m walking/jogging more and eating one meal a day (god do I hate jogging. And salads), so that just leaves the mental part.

Can you tell that I’ve been raiding my equestrian library? Jane Savoie’s “Its Not Just About the ribbons”, to be exact. My mother got my copy signed at a clinic in Texas a few years ago but to be honest, I don’t think that I’ve ever read it the whole way through. I remember trying “That Winning Feeling” when I started showing in high school. I probably could have greatly benefitted from it, but being a know-it-all teenager with no room for self-improvement I skimmed it once, maybe twice, and promptly forgot everything in a whirl to teenage angst. Teenagers. Shudder. This time through I’m trying to take something away from it. I mean, I’ve come a long long way with show nerves and becoming a more tolerable human being since high school, but I could always use improvement. What can it hurt to try, right?

But itn’t it, though? Kinda? No?

Since, according to her, it takes 21 days to form a habit, good or bad, I had better get cracking.

So, step one: Positive Self Talk

Now, I’m my own worst critic, something I think that most women struggle with. We all tend to think that we’re too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, too old, too young… And I’m no different. I tend towards self-depreciating humor and sarcasm, think I could stand to lose a few (a lot) pounds and have the constant nagging doubt that every other open rider will see through me for the imposter I am. What else is new?

So my first step into positive self-talk is to choose three buzzwords for positive affirmations (getting to woo-woo for you yet?)

We are Powerful.

We are Supple.

We Belong here.

Evidently if I keep repeating these to myself I’ll start to believe it and it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Worth a shot, right?

So here’s to three weeks to me becoming a more positive, chipper individual!

PS: After day one of self-affirmation, saying and resaying my thingys while cleaning stalls, I'm pretty sure Bucky is pretty sure that he's been upgraded to the thinking half of this partnership.. Great start, guys. 

Don't Stop the Music

I seem to go through phases of music- no music… And I am currently in a music phase. Could it be inspired by the costume freestyle class in October?

Maybe.

Is it easy to listen to music when one’s arena has no available power source?

Certainly not.

I mean, I make do with my Zune but its big and bulky and the ear buds are always falling out and ends up pissing me off more than providing soothing tunes. So I tried having a battery operated speaker hanging up by the mirrors, which worked if one has a thing for 20 meter circles by C. Now, don’t get me wrong… I do love me some twenty meter circles… but every so often I have to go rogue and oh, I don’t know… shoulder in down a long side or even extend across a diagonal. Wild. Crazy. Out of speaker range.

Oh Alison, how ever did you solve this world-ending problem?

Why thank you for asking. I got a nomorerack.come email advertising free shipping for three hours, and on a whim, I opened it rather than immediately sending it to the trash folder like every other email I get (except for SmartPak… those bastards always lure me in). Low and behold, the Pyle Sport MP3 headphones, regularly 199.99, were featured for 35.99.

Worth it?

Totally.

 It’s only a little 4G player, so it doesn’t hold a ton of tunes and since it’s the size of a Bluetooth ear piece all of the buttons are really small. Of course, there it only on/off/pause, volume and previous/next buttons to contend with, so it’s not like the thing is rocket science to operate.  Even I could figure it out.

Today was my first ride with it.  I was really hoping that I hadn’t just wasted 35 bucks with something that was just going to bounce around and/or fall off mid ride.

So I put it on, hit play, adjusted the volume and then donned my helmet. The neckband – or whatever you would call it – fit perfectly just over the harness of my helmet. And I will say that I was impressed. It lasted through all three horses from everything from pony pissy fits to the piaffe-passage tour. No ear buds getting bounced out of place in the sitting trot or bulky MP3 players pulling on my waistband.

Oh, and it’s waterproof. It’s really designed for swimming, so I really don’t worry about a little bit of sweat ruining it. Plus, those post ride baths where the rider ends up just as wet at the horse? Now set to music!

Now, I wouldn’t run out and drop $200 on these bad boys… but for $35, it’s totally worth it.

If you like music. Otherwise, save your money. Seriously, though, who hates music?

Learning All the Things!

Again.... sorry for the lengthy break.

It's exhausting being me....

I;m boring. And don't have internet access at home. I am forced to go to McDonald's and steal... ahm, borrow, their wifi to post. Legit, right?

The things I do to be able to afford to go to dressage shows.

Hunter poodle, Bacon

Anywhoo... I've been taking lessons. Two of them. Every other week. But it's better than nothing right? I mean, 7 hours of driving for one hour of instructions isn't too nuts, is it?
I knew horse people would understand. You guys are fabulous.

Lesson one I brought Delight, hoping to show her off. I love that giant pony and when she's on, she's on. But she was not on. She was a little time bomb. Pleasant.
The whole lesson was how to relax the pony so that she would use her back and short little neck for good, not little pony evil. We made progress and I was just happy to be receiving instruction. Win-Win.

Yesterday, I brought Bucky. I mean, since he's the one going to Kentucky in two months, it only makes sense to bring him for lessons. He's good; I could be better... Thus the lessons.
We worked on bend and getting him to actually use his shoulders instead of 'assuming the position' and allowing me to have some significant input rather than sitting up there like a figurehead. And he did.
What a wonder pony.

Now to keep it....

'Cause I'm a Grand Prix Horse!