Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Angry Ears
It was a tough start to the week. Ringo had completely regressed back to the same guy he was during my first ride, somewhat disproving my theory that he was really into this work. What can I say, he is a horse, after all.
Monday and Tuesday rides were quite similar I felt; Brendan thinks Tuesday showed slight improvement but the poor horse was more crooked than a crunchy pretzel. Not a soft-baked one mind, because that would insinuate some semblance of suppleness. Nope, crooked and stiff as a board. I was semi irritated with him on Monday, because he a) blew through my shoulder-nothing like trying to stop an ex racehorse! And b) he was very dramatic about the whole scene. He made it known via angry ears and tail swishing exactly what he thought of hard work. I was affronted, really, because we'd made such big strides last week. Brendan thinks I was riding a bit too aggressively by rushing transitions and overcorrecting Ringo's behavior. I wasn't trying to do those things, I need to really keep it in my mind that the poor guy has zero dressage or even basic training and doing all this hard work probably makes him sore. I will try to stay more laid back and forgiving. Sometimes, because I know some horses will take advantage of my weak side, I tend to overcompensate by trying to push too much and ride too strong. I can't blame poor boy for getting annoyed! The trick is to tell myself at least I didn't punish him or hurt him. It's really important to me as a rider to be fair and remind myself the horse has shown himself to be open minded about doing the work, and I must match his pace.
Now for the fun stuff-last night, Brendan and I went to dinner in "the City" to meet up with Hope Hand, president of the U.S. Para Equestrian Association (USPEA). It was time for those two to meet, and for all three of us to discuss the next steps in this crazy game we're doing.
The meeting was a total blast! Not only really fun and great to catch up with Hope, but also great news and a game plan sort of started to take shape. Hope really liked coach, and thought his enthusiasm for starting with the para scene was awesome. She also informed me that she has started scouting and contacting people in order to find an FEI horse to be donated to me. I was so excited to know she's already on the lookout! No one can keep up with Hope. That lady is 5steps ahead of everyone.
She told B and me that we will need to certainly plan on being in Welly for the CDI the first week of Jan; whether or not I have a horse to ride. There is a huge clinic the week after for all the trainers and riders and she said she really wants me to be there to network at least. And then she told Brendan to put me on SOMETHING that I can start competing with immediately, just to start putting out some scores. Ringo is not even suitable for training level at this point, which brings me to the best part (in my mind) o the evening:
There is this darling young horse at the barn named Cydrick who is four years old and is what we call a Frankinhorse. He has a lovely face, great neck, nice back and gorgeous legs, all from different horses. He is put together quite strangely, but I've been impressed from first watching him with his movement. He's got big swingy gaits, and just an all around sweet horse. Brendan's assistant trainer Hannah has been bringing him along, and I've been totally envious. Last night Brendan said it was time to put me on baby Cyd and just see what happens. For competition reasons! I'm pumped. Not sure when this will ensue, but I can't wait. Cyd will not be old enough to do the CDI with me, but he will at least be nice enough for me to get down centerline some more! He's a big boy, but he's light in the bridle and quite uncomplicated and I'm so happy that coach is willing to take that chance to see what we look like together. I think it'll go well! Off to ride, I'll update later!
Monday and Tuesday rides were quite similar I felt; Brendan thinks Tuesday showed slight improvement but the poor horse was more crooked than a crunchy pretzel. Not a soft-baked one mind, because that would insinuate some semblance of suppleness. Nope, crooked and stiff as a board. I was semi irritated with him on Monday, because he a) blew through my shoulder-nothing like trying to stop an ex racehorse! And b) he was very dramatic about the whole scene. He made it known via angry ears and tail swishing exactly what he thought of hard work. I was affronted, really, because we'd made such big strides last week. Brendan thinks I was riding a bit too aggressively by rushing transitions and overcorrecting Ringo's behavior. I wasn't trying to do those things, I need to really keep it in my mind that the poor guy has zero dressage or even basic training and doing all this hard work probably makes him sore. I will try to stay more laid back and forgiving. Sometimes, because I know some horses will take advantage of my weak side, I tend to overcompensate by trying to push too much and ride too strong. I can't blame poor boy for getting annoyed! The trick is to tell myself at least I didn't punish him or hurt him. It's really important to me as a rider to be fair and remind myself the horse has shown himself to be open minded about doing the work, and I must match his pace.
Now for the fun stuff-last night, Brendan and I went to dinner in "the City" to meet up with Hope Hand, president of the U.S. Para Equestrian Association (USPEA). It was time for those two to meet, and for all three of us to discuss the next steps in this crazy game we're doing.
The meeting was a total blast! Not only really fun and great to catch up with Hope, but also great news and a game plan sort of started to take shape. Hope really liked coach, and thought his enthusiasm for starting with the para scene was awesome. She also informed me that she has started scouting and contacting people in order to find an FEI horse to be donated to me. I was so excited to know she's already on the lookout! No one can keep up with Hope. That lady is 5steps ahead of everyone.
She told B and me that we will need to certainly plan on being in Welly for the CDI the first week of Jan; whether or not I have a horse to ride. There is a huge clinic the week after for all the trainers and riders and she said she really wants me to be there to network at least. And then she told Brendan to put me on SOMETHING that I can start competing with immediately, just to start putting out some scores. Ringo is not even suitable for training level at this point, which brings me to the best part (in my mind) o the evening:
 |
| that's code for Wednesday |
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Weekend
When your coach says, "do what you did yesterday. Because you kicked ass yesterday."
It's the best way to finish the week!
It's the best way to finish the week!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
If You Give a Monkey a Razor Blade....
Where to start? This has been a very eventful week. It got very cold, very quickly, which can mean all sorts of fun with the ponies!
By cold, I mean below 60deg, I can hear you all laughing from here!
Monday's ride was very good. Ringo seemed looser and less fussy throughout the whole lesson. Lessons are still less than half an hour (am I the only one who sees the humor in the fact that my fitness level is higher than an ex race-horse?!) Balance issues still, (the gorse, not me) and resisting contact, but really a decent ride for three days off.
Tuesday we got the rodeo show. Bucks, spin outs, weird lead changes and taking off. But it really didn't phase me, I just kinda sat there and said, "no, butthead, we're going to do this my way. Sorry, not sorry!" And then he listened. Brendan mentioned something Mike Barisone had told him, which made me laugh but sadly the metaphor escapes me. It involved giving a monkey a razor blade. I think the point is that a horse is going to take advantage of anything you give it...? Maybe? Anyhow, it was a butting-heads day.
Then after the lesson I made the mistake of mentioning to my girlfriend that some guy had called me "Pancake-Butt" (because I am on the skinny side) and now the barn manager Brian calls me "Flapjacks." Wonderful.
Wednesday Brian rode Ringo and I found it interesting to be able to observe the horse from the ground. Brian is just starting out and has only been on a horse a handful of times. They worked on walk/trot, keeping and feeling posting diagonals, etc. Ringo was very sore-sorry boy! That was my doing. He was hollow and had uneven strides, and basically just kept quitting on Brian. Which was a bit amusing, it had to be said. And a bird pooped on my head, which Brendan found to be very amusing. Karma!
Today was the best Ringo has been. We did a much longer trot warmup, Brendan told me he really likes my method of warming up with so many bending/turning sets, so he let me do all that and then we jumped to the canter. Now, I must note that I've been on Ringo a total of maybe 7 times, and the horse has steadily progressed. He hasn't once decided that he forgot the lesson from the last day, and instead, today he actually gave me moments of roundness! Very brief moments, but little seconds of doing over his back and giving to my hand. Progress!! I made sure to reward him every time. I focused so much today on keeping my right shoulder back, and keeping my elbow. And then I just pushed him really forward and met him in the contact, and he started to give without flinging his head. I'm excited about that. So, the canter was far easier to pick up and maintain to both directions; it's the trot transition at the left lead that gets me into trouble. Because my left leg is weak, Ringo cuts straight into the middle of the circle when we transition down. So Brendan has me steer as wide as I can to counter this. Over all though, the horse is looser, more supple, starting to bend, starting to come through his back, and maintaining straightness better, which I'd say are some quick and correct steps toward the basics! I told Brendan I think right now we are just teaching the horse how to walk/trot/canter in balance, and he agreed, saying we can't really try any "dressage stuff" until we get him solid here. But let me just ask, what is dressage, if not all the basics working together?!
This'll be the first week where I've had four rides. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Rainy days for girly girls
I've found that being a horse girl, I make certain sacrifices in the appearance department. We have perpetual helmet-hair-the flattened, sweat-clumped frizzy look, which, let's face it, is never in style; broken, dirt-caked nails; dust and grime everywhere in fact, and we don't always smell the best. Being a very girly girl, this is often a disappointment. I love to look pretty when possible, and while living in LA I always made sure I had awesome hair. Now as I sit here writing, I'm simultaneously doing a mask to try to unclog my poor pores. I found a cheap and very practical way to freshen my look-acrylic nails!! Before you go all judgy on me, let me just say something. If you've ever jammed your finger in a stall door, or under a saddle, or in the chain on a lead rope, you will understand where I'm going with this. I find that since I can't actually cut my nails on my right hand, mine are always breaking when I handle horses, and the worst part is that they break way down in the quick. Then it hurts for weeks for me to do anything at all with the only working 5 fingers i got! Solution? I saw an advert for a $20 manicure, and I thought let's just try this. I got nice clean french tips, very very short-the nail doesn't even extend past the end of my fingertips. The deciding factor was that I recently split my thumbnail when a foal jammed her chain on it, and it kept snagging on everything which was agony. Now, I'm pleased to say I have a full set of finger armor. And they look FABULOUS!! Very unassuming and simple and yet so sophistique! And, I've already banged them plenty and not even a chip. voila!
It's the simple pleasures.
Now for the riding portion of our program:
Now we've established that I rode on Monday. Brendan's barn manager, Brian, rode Ringo (the TB) yesterday. We have it set up so that I will ride 4x/week and Brian 1, sharing the schoolhorse.
I'm all about positive thinking, but I don't expect leaps and bounds of improvement between the initial ride and the second. It would seem though, that this is what occurred.
Today, I began again with lots of changes in direction, loops and different sized circles, and the minute I took him to trot, he not only accepted my leg, but stopped fussing with his head so much. Brendan's first comment was that we looked much more solid as a pair; more together through turns etc. Ringo was still very stiff, but moved away from my legs better without throwing a fit.
I am very proud with my lack of soreness (knock on wood) because I feel that is a testament to my fitness level. Usually the first and second rides after a long break are brutal but I think my gym time has payed off well.
There was one nasty moment when Ringo pulled a spin/bolt combo because his left side is very weak and hard for him. But my sweet Clever taught me last year how to deal with that, and Ringo's move was wasted on me. My heart rate didn't even change! I'm quite happy about that actually, I used to get so scared when horses pulled tricks, but I was utterly unfazed and remained calm and cool. I rode through it, insisted he go back the other way, and just tried again. We got it right the next time. Brendan said,"That was very well ridden!" I've become such a confident rider. It was a surprising revelation I had today when I felt literally zero apprehension in anything the horse did. I just simply enjoyed the ride.
Then we started working the canter, and Ringo is very much on the forehand (downhill) and wants to run along quickly like a wheelbarrow that's out of control. So to counter this, we do very short bursts of work and lots of transitions through the gaits. Eventually this will train the horse to shift his weight back to his haunches.
Mostly I focused on keeping the horse forward and straight. Brendan was saying we can't get any other movement from a horse until it can go forward and straight and that is where we start. But overall, I think coach and I were both surprised and excited to see the vast improvement in such short time!
I'm also happy because the horse being very weak on the same side as me, it's the ultimate therapy. If I'm not aware at all times of what my leg is doing, Ringo will either beeline to the middle of the arena or have some sort of meltdown. It is really forcing me to use that side as much as I use my right. Which I can see as a happy coincidence!
Now we're off till next week as Brendan has a championship show (BLMS) over the weekend. To him we say GOOD LUCK!
It's the simple pleasures.
Now for the riding portion of our program:
Now we've established that I rode on Monday. Brendan's barn manager, Brian, rode Ringo (the TB) yesterday. We have it set up so that I will ride 4x/week and Brian 1, sharing the schoolhorse.
I'm all about positive thinking, but I don't expect leaps and bounds of improvement between the initial ride and the second. It would seem though, that this is what occurred.
Today, I began again with lots of changes in direction, loops and different sized circles, and the minute I took him to trot, he not only accepted my leg, but stopped fussing with his head so much. Brendan's first comment was that we looked much more solid as a pair; more together through turns etc. Ringo was still very stiff, but moved away from my legs better without throwing a fit.
I am very proud with my lack of soreness (knock on wood) because I feel that is a testament to my fitness level. Usually the first and second rides after a long break are brutal but I think my gym time has payed off well.
There was one nasty moment when Ringo pulled a spin/bolt combo because his left side is very weak and hard for him. But my sweet Clever taught me last year how to deal with that, and Ringo's move was wasted on me. My heart rate didn't even change! I'm quite happy about that actually, I used to get so scared when horses pulled tricks, but I was utterly unfazed and remained calm and cool. I rode through it, insisted he go back the other way, and just tried again. We got it right the next time. Brendan said,"That was very well ridden!" I've become such a confident rider. It was a surprising revelation I had today when I felt literally zero apprehension in anything the horse did. I just simply enjoyed the ride.
Then we started working the canter, and Ringo is very much on the forehand (downhill) and wants to run along quickly like a wheelbarrow that's out of control. So to counter this, we do very short bursts of work and lots of transitions through the gaits. Eventually this will train the horse to shift his weight back to his haunches.
Mostly I focused on keeping the horse forward and straight. Brendan was saying we can't get any other movement from a horse until it can go forward and straight and that is where we start. But overall, I think coach and I were both surprised and excited to see the vast improvement in such short time!
I'm also happy because the horse being very weak on the same side as me, it's the ultimate therapy. If I'm not aware at all times of what my leg is doing, Ringo will either beeline to the middle of the arena or have some sort of meltdown. It is really forcing me to use that side as much as I use my right. Which I can see as a happy coincidence!
Now we're off till next week as Brendan has a championship show (BLMS) over the weekend. To him we say GOOD LUCK!
 |
| poetry in motion |
Monday, October 13, 2014
At the risk of sounding cliche......
It has happened! I am officially back in the saddle. (Har, har). On this dreary, wet fall day, I was finally, FINALLY put on a horse again. I make a big deal out of it only because it's the first ride (other than 2 spins on a friend's horse, who was kind enough to take pity and let me ride hers) since Nationals back in June.
The school horse, Ringo, was my noble steed du jour. He's a seven year old thoroughbred, used strictly for hunter lessons. What this actually means is that he simply does not know the meaning of self-carriage, stride adjustment, collection, or bend. What he DOES know is, leg means go, hand means stop, and either rein means change direction.
We have some work to do.
Let me start out by saying I was a bit apprehensive about this first ride in front of Brendan. I certainly had a lot to prove, simply because he decided to take me on, it meant I had better have a certain level of skill. Also, getting on a new horse with no idea how it acts is always an awkward situation. Like a first date with someone you don't know-you aren't aware of mannerisms or what is ok to ask etc.
Being the balls-to-the-wall kinda girl I am, I slapped some spurs on (despite several cautions from third parties, because the TB wasn't used to spurs), and up I got.
First off, I felt like I had no stirrups whatever. Were my legs really that straight last time I rode? Jeez I have to get my muscle memory back. And second thing, Ringo scooted off straight after I mounted, which took me by surprise because so many different people had told me he's very dull and needs tons of leg. WRONG! Perhaps it was the spurs, and let me tell you the reason I use those suckers, regardless of the horse's attitude: simply because they give me extra support on the left side where I just don't have the coordination to turn my toe out and put leg on. Therefore, having a spur, a horse can actually feel the tiny amount of pressure I am able to apply.
I want to start with what pleased me about Ringo: he is very smart. He was unsure at times of what I was asking, but as soon as I asked another way or fixed an issue by insisting, he would figure it out in no time.
I worked mostly in trot, after a very long warm up in the walk. He wasn't thrilled when I tried to pick him up-long and low is the hunter MO and the opposite of what we want.
so he fussed a lot with his face and acted claustrophobic. Once we lengthened the reins a notch he was much quieter. In picking up the trot, I immediately started in on bending exercises. 10m, 20m circles, serpentines, half 10m circles, so many changes of direction I think we both got dizzy. But he went quickly from being horridly stiff to becoming relaxed and happier.
Brendan kept reminding me to get a bigger trot-you have to have enough forward to be able to do anything at all. Most of the time, when I applied more leg, Ringo would go to canter, even though I was still posting.
My first canter sets were quite fast. As in, almost out of control. He is extremely on his forehand, so Brendan said our homework for the next month is to do half a circle in canter (roughly 3-5 strides) and then immediately down to trot again. This gives him no time to fall on his face, and instead retrains him how to transfer his balance to his hind end.
It's funny to see how similar the issues we had today were to Clever when I first started working with her. It's an unfortunate fact that Ringo doesn't want to stay out on a circle or on the wall to the left, seeing as how that is my weak point. That was the only area that Brendan really stepped in to instruct me, toward the end of our ride. I was tracking left and asked for the canter and Ringo honestly twisted into a pretzel and spun in a tiny circle like a western horse. His body language said in a whiney voice, "I can't do it, it's too hard."
Brendan was like make it straight, fix it in the trot. And I did. I just focused extra hard on my left leg, and used my seat to push the horse outward, and he did. And then we got a nice balanced transition. Solving problems one equation at a time.
Overall, I was quite pleased with myself, not having any idea what to expect with this guy. I think it will be a phenomenal opportunity to learn how to train a green horse and to become more clear as a rider. {In my best Cher voice from Clueless,}-*PROJECT!*
The school horse, Ringo, was my noble steed du jour. He's a seven year old thoroughbred, used strictly for hunter lessons. What this actually means is that he simply does not know the meaning of self-carriage, stride adjustment, collection, or bend. What he DOES know is, leg means go, hand means stop, and either rein means change direction.
We have some work to do.
Let me start out by saying I was a bit apprehensive about this first ride in front of Brendan. I certainly had a lot to prove, simply because he decided to take me on, it meant I had better have a certain level of skill. Also, getting on a new horse with no idea how it acts is always an awkward situation. Like a first date with someone you don't know-you aren't aware of mannerisms or what is ok to ask etc.
Being the balls-to-the-wall kinda girl I am, I slapped some spurs on (despite several cautions from third parties, because the TB wasn't used to spurs), and up I got.
First off, I felt like I had no stirrups whatever. Were my legs really that straight last time I rode? Jeez I have to get my muscle memory back. And second thing, Ringo scooted off straight after I mounted, which took me by surprise because so many different people had told me he's very dull and needs tons of leg. WRONG! Perhaps it was the spurs, and let me tell you the reason I use those suckers, regardless of the horse's attitude: simply because they give me extra support on the left side where I just don't have the coordination to turn my toe out and put leg on. Therefore, having a spur, a horse can actually feel the tiny amount of pressure I am able to apply.
I want to start with what pleased me about Ringo: he is very smart. He was unsure at times of what I was asking, but as soon as I asked another way or fixed an issue by insisting, he would figure it out in no time.
I worked mostly in trot, after a very long warm up in the walk. He wasn't thrilled when I tried to pick him up-long and low is the hunter MO and the opposite of what we want.
 |
| the dreaded hunter frame |
 |
| the outline we want in dressage |
My first canter sets were quite fast. As in, almost out of control. He is extremely on his forehand, so Brendan said our homework for the next month is to do half a circle in canter (roughly 3-5 strides) and then immediately down to trot again. This gives him no time to fall on his face, and instead retrains him how to transfer his balance to his hind end.
It's funny to see how similar the issues we had today were to Clever when I first started working with her. It's an unfortunate fact that Ringo doesn't want to stay out on a circle or on the wall to the left, seeing as how that is my weak point. That was the only area that Brendan really stepped in to instruct me, toward the end of our ride. I was tracking left and asked for the canter and Ringo honestly twisted into a pretzel and spun in a tiny circle like a western horse. His body language said in a whiney voice, "I can't do it, it's too hard."
Brendan was like make it straight, fix it in the trot. And I did. I just focused extra hard on my left leg, and used my seat to push the horse outward, and he did. And then we got a nice balanced transition. Solving problems one equation at a time.
Overall, I was quite pleased with myself, not having any idea what to expect with this guy. I think it will be a phenomenal opportunity to learn how to train a green horse and to become more clear as a rider. {In my best Cher voice from Clueless,}-*PROJECT!*
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Time to Play Catchup
Hey strangers,
I'm not going to launch into all the tedious reasons as to why I've been AWOL for so long. Trust me when I say my summer was a whirlwind of chaos. Busy doesn't even come close!
Therefore, I am going to restart this disclosure of my adventures by recapping my Florida stint. A lot was good, there was some bad, and more than a fair share of ugly, but it was all so incredibly educational, and I am beyond thrilled with my growth.
It would take pages to recount all the things that happened while staying in White Fences. I'll stick with the highlights:
my very first show on Clever happened to be at Global Dressage Festival. Did you catch that? my DEBUT SHOW on this sometimes CRAZY ANIMAL took place at GLOBBAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL IN WELLINGTON, FL. in laymen's terms, this is like getting drafted for the MLB from middle school. I had no experience whatsoever, having never competed in any recognized show before. These were the big leagues. I was a little nervous-the week prior to our debut I almost tossed my cookies in the tack room, had a total meltdown (complete with crying, hyperventilating and having to breathe in a paper bag). I literally told my coach at the time i was scratching, there was no way i was doing it, she couldn't make me-it was a rather dramatic prelude.
thankfully, Jane, being the calm and logical woman she is, handed me said paper bag, rubbed my back, and told me to suck it up. we had out in the time and entry fees and she was damned if she was going to watch me wuss out.
The day was bright and comfortably warm. i decided to just not care, and go in with just the intention to remember my test. that was all. i figured if i was going to bomb it, i'd fail with style, so i put on my best makeup, got accessorized with plenty of bling and said let's go. the horse was cool and unfazed coming off at Global. she looked around with the air of a bored model who's seen ten thousand catwalks, and didn't anyone have anything that could IMPRESS her for once? i was relieved that when i got on she didn't feel electric. just forward and relaxed. i let out a deep breath.
we warmed up with Jane standing ringside, and Clever obeyed everything. My biggest concern was that she'd swap from left to right lead canter during the test (now we know that habit was formed out of pain, which breaks my heart). but i wash't worried about her taking off with me. the warmup ended and i was signaled over to the ring. Jane told me to trot around the perimeter several times and show off with a huge smile in front of the judge's-common practice in dressage-so off we went. Clever felt sound and swingy. i was starting to breath easier. then the bell rang and i almost galloped away in the other direction. may have peed my breeches a tiny bit. but i was committed at that point so i just plastered a cheesy smile on my face and went down centerline. it was a clean test actually. no errors, although it must be said that we accidentally did the dreaded lead change right before my down transition at M..i'm 95% sure my Sagittarius luck popped up and caused the judge to blink, sneeze, or write something at that exact minute, because i wasn't faulted. i walked out of the ring with the HUGEST weight lifted off. i was beaming in earnest at that point.
then Jane came over and told me she could not be more proud of the performance, and where had that confidence come from all of a sudden (i told her it was fake) and she'd be appalled if that didn't earn over a 60%. i was pleased with the praise, but tried not to think of what my marks would be.
jane watched the leaderboard till my class was posted, and wouldn't you know, I got a 2nd place with a 68.4%!! a way better outcome than i had expected! i was elated. it was a para-test-of-choice class, meaning instead of the riders only competing against their own grade, we all went in the same class and performed a test from our own grades. the first place went to a walk only test, so i was very proud.
wouldn't you know, sometimes you truly can fake it till ya make it!
I'm not going to launch into all the tedious reasons as to why I've been AWOL for so long. Trust me when I say my summer was a whirlwind of chaos. Busy doesn't even come close!
Therefore, I am going to restart this disclosure of my adventures by recapping my Florida stint. A lot was good, there was some bad, and more than a fair share of ugly, but it was all so incredibly educational, and I am beyond thrilled with my growth.
It would take pages to recount all the things that happened while staying in White Fences. I'll stick with the highlights:
my very first show on Clever happened to be at Global Dressage Festival. Did you catch that? my DEBUT SHOW on this sometimes CRAZY ANIMAL took place at GLOBBAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL IN WELLINGTON, FL. in laymen's terms, this is like getting drafted for the MLB from middle school. I had no experience whatsoever, having never competed in any recognized show before. These were the big leagues. I was a little nervous-the week prior to our debut I almost tossed my cookies in the tack room, had a total meltdown (complete with crying, hyperventilating and having to breathe in a paper bag). I literally told my coach at the time i was scratching, there was no way i was doing it, she couldn't make me-it was a rather dramatic prelude.
thankfully, Jane, being the calm and logical woman she is, handed me said paper bag, rubbed my back, and told me to suck it up. we had out in the time and entry fees and she was damned if she was going to watch me wuss out.
The day was bright and comfortably warm. i decided to just not care, and go in with just the intention to remember my test. that was all. i figured if i was going to bomb it, i'd fail with style, so i put on my best makeup, got accessorized with plenty of bling and said let's go. the horse was cool and unfazed coming off at Global. she looked around with the air of a bored model who's seen ten thousand catwalks, and didn't anyone have anything that could IMPRESS her for once? i was relieved that when i got on she didn't feel electric. just forward and relaxed. i let out a deep breath.
 |
| our first show together |
we warmed up with Jane standing ringside, and Clever obeyed everything. My biggest concern was that she'd swap from left to right lead canter during the test (now we know that habit was formed out of pain, which breaks my heart). but i wash't worried about her taking off with me. the warmup ended and i was signaled over to the ring. Jane told me to trot around the perimeter several times and show off with a huge smile in front of the judge's-common practice in dressage-so off we went. Clever felt sound and swingy. i was starting to breath easier. then the bell rang and i almost galloped away in the other direction. may have peed my breeches a tiny bit. but i was committed at that point so i just plastered a cheesy smile on my face and went down centerline. it was a clean test actually. no errors, although it must be said that we accidentally did the dreaded lead change right before my down transition at M..i'm 95% sure my Sagittarius luck popped up and caused the judge to blink, sneeze, or write something at that exact minute, because i wasn't faulted. i walked out of the ring with the HUGEST weight lifted off. i was beaming in earnest at that point.
then Jane came over and told me she could not be more proud of the performance, and where had that confidence come from all of a sudden (i told her it was fake) and she'd be appalled if that didn't earn over a 60%. i was pleased with the praise, but tried not to think of what my marks would be.
jane watched the leaderboard till my class was posted, and wouldn't you know, I got a 2nd place with a 68.4%!! a way better outcome than i had expected! i was elated. it was a para-test-of-choice class, meaning instead of the riders only competing against their own grade, we all went in the same class and performed a test from our own grades. the first place went to a walk only test, so i was very proud.
wouldn't you know, sometimes you truly can fake it till ya make it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)