Can I get a "heck yeah" for little, local shows?

I grew up with a small local circuit of shows.  They were perfect for young riders, green horses, a few scary rounds, and a good hot dog.  The local show scene around the Triangle is just a bit different, but not lacking the good experience and good hot dogs!

Saturday Maggie Brooks and Sarah Edwards headed down to Pine Level, NC for one such local show.

Maggie was riding her new horse, Star, who I have seen be very naughty in the past (once when Maggie was showing her as a favor to me before the Brooks decided to by her).  Since then, Maggie has shown her once while I was out of town and Star had been MUCH better behaved.  after watching the videos from that show, I could see that now that we had the behavior issue under control, Maggie needed to push the envelop a bit more to get the best out of the mare.  We worked on it during her lesson Friday, and it transferred over to the show Saturday, with Maggie winning one class and receiving a 2nd, two 3rds, and a 5th.  Not a bad color scheme!

Sarah was riding her semi-new horse, Cocoa.  Cocoa came to the Edwards' family back in April, I think.  He has loads of talent, but is just a bit uneducated, and is a MUCH different ride then Sarah's last horse.  Because of all those factors, we've taken things a bit slow so that way Sarah can be confident and Cocoa can learn to CHILL.  And chill he did!  She jumped her over fences course exactly as we'd planned (trotting), and rode well in all the flat classes (once she found her way to the rail!!!!).  She ended up with a 3rd, a 4th, and I think a couple of other ribbons.

WELL DONE LADIES!!!!!

Good boy Snake Killer, and excellent riding, Sarah!

Star and Maggie's first Win!

Maggie and Star

Now it's off to Southern Pines for P and I this weekend for the 5-Points Horse Trials. More to report after then!

Not so Difficult Run, but a difficult drive!

Ugh, I know I've been horrible about updating... just something about being apprehensive makes me dread putting things 'down on paper', or I guess it's 'out in cyberspace'. 

Anyway, there really anything specific to be apprehensive about, just the fact that I was worried that P's success at his first Prelim might have been a fluke and that we weren't prepared or ready or whatever to tackle it again.  Thanks mom, for making me a worry wart about anything and everything! :)

I've also been so busy though, that I didn't really have time to A) worry as much as I probably could have and B) I did have time to worry that with my busy schedule, that there was probably no way in heck that I'd properly prepared my horse to start off the Fall season yet.

So with all the worrying going on, I headed up the road last Friday to spend the night with a long-time friend in Middleburg, VA.  Prophet settled nicely in his paddock while Dana and I enjoyed good company and a glass of wine on her beautiful cabin porch.  It was amazingly peaceful, but I knew that 5:30 wake-up call was going to come wicked early.

Now, although I would never want to live in Northern Virginia again, I do think that it's one of the most beautiful places to visit.  As I made my way from Middleburg toward Frying Pan Park down 50, I was treated to fog-kissed scenery, which made waking up so early manageable.

I'd made the decision to change Prophet's bit for Dressage as he sometimes just needs a bit of a change to stay fresh.  Usually a change is a good thing... this time, not so much.  With his rubber mullen mouth in place, he proceeded to drag me places rather then staying soft and rideable.  Even so, we managed an OK test with everything from a 4 (leg yield) to an 8 (free walk).  A score of 36 and change landed us mid-pack in a field of about 17.

Shortly after dressage, my great friend, and soon to be leaving the US for her home country of 'Canaydea', Mel, arrived and we went out to trek around the XC.  The first part of the course was over dreadfully terrible gravel footing, and seeing as I hadn't even made up my mind whether to not go out on course, or maybe just pull up after P got a few good fences in, I honestly felt like there was no need to walk the rest of it.  But we did, and the footing did get better from there on out.  It wasn't a difficult course, but had a couple of questions that I was keen to know how P would handle.

Show Jumping was in the indoor and P put in a stellar round - saving by butt twice - and being an all around professional through the entire course.  He pulled off a double clear round, and was one of only two horses to do so!  Thanks to his wonderful efforts, we moved up to 3rd place!

Immediately we headed out to wait our turn in the start box.... and here's where the apprehension kicked in.  What was he going to be like?  Was he going to be timid after the BIG course at Carolina Horse Park, or was he going to be a bigger, better horse because of it?  Didn't really have time to think about it to much since before to long we were being told "have a nice ride!".

P and I picked our way around that course like an old married couple at Kroger.  We were a bit slow most of the time, VERY slow sometimes, had a few familiar discussions, but all together, we knew each other so well that it felt easy. Once I got about 3/4 of the way thru, I knew I could pull up, but figured I might as well canter across the finish line and get in our second qualifying score.  As we cooled him out, I slowly came to the realization that my baby had literally just loped his way around a Preliminary course and made it feel easy!!!! Pretty darned cool feeling!

I also slowly came to the realization that I'd completely ripped out the knee patch on my oldest and fondest pair of show breeches.... a pair that my mom showed in when I was about 10 years old, and I inherited when I was in high school. Definitely made me a bit sad!

Once we got P cooled, and everything packed, I jumped in the truck, ready to tackle the 5 hour trip home.  Figuring I was leaving at 1 pm, I estimated my arrival back in Raleigh at 6pm -- just in time to get everything settled and enjoy dinner with J-Bomb.  Did I say 5 hour drive?  Apparently I meant 7.5 hour drive with wicked traffic everywhere I turned. 

P and I both unloaded back at Raleigh a bit stiff, but by Sunday morning he looked much better (although I was still a bit stiff).  He's had two well-deserved days off now and will go on a stretching hack this evening. 

Put your leg on, stupid....

Unfortunately, my busy schedule as of late has led to o-dark-thirty rides with the Diddy.  The last two nights I've focused on Dressage, where he's been actually really good! .... or fairly good for P anyway.  The thing I've been struggling with is keeping his back moving and keeping a soft even contact as we canter down hill (the only spot of the field that even has faint light is on a hill. For some reason, we get a bit jack-hammery which usually ends in a bit of a fight.

But the thing is, is  that I feel like he wants to stay round and be good.  I've been a bit paranoid that it means that there's something wrong with him physically, but other then being scheduled for his chiro follow-up, there's nothing that anyone can find. 

Well, last night I finally had my ah-ha moment.  And now I feel a bit blond.  Apparently what my horse needed was for me to ride him forward down the hill, while keeping my thighs and seat open and moving with a soft contact and calf on.

Hmmmm.... worked like a charm, and I actually had a canter to work with at the bottom of the hill -- amazing how that works eh?

Pony will get a little flat/trot tonight, and a small jump school tomorrow before we head up to Middleburg in the afternoon.  Pondering putting him back in the rubber mullen mouth for flatting -- might have to play with that idea tonight.

Whirlwind like a tornado, explosion like a volcano

P says 'hello!'

So, I've been looking at my calendar.... I've been flipping through it everyday, just hoping that more days and hours will magically appear.  Let's just say that my Fall is filling up fast - really fast.  But you know, the funny thing is, is that no matter how much I stress about it now, I will manage to fit everything in, even if that does mean 10pm trot sets on Diddy and some creative scheduling. 

I always manage to fit it all in. :)

For example, I have 5 recognized Horse Trials scheduled, several schooling shows, a combined test to organize, a hunter pace to organize, a wedding to attend, WEG to work, new freelance marking opportunities coming in, a day job, and my lessons/training rides (which are also increasing!). 

But I love being busy!  Bring it on Fall!!! :) 

Plus, all this work really is making this brutally hot summer fly by!

The boy is back in town...

As a horse owner, I pretty much understand that I am one step from disaster.  One slip, one spin, one twist, and everything that I've spent years, and months and weeks and days and hours and minutes striving to perfect could change.  I mean, have you ever seen horses as they prep for a jog at a 3-day?  Pretty much the closest thing to bubblewrap that you'll find.

When Prophet slid a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't that it was dramatic or raised any red flags right then, it was the nagging feeling that I'd lost a bit of my horse's giddy-up.  Teddy's situation was burning a hole in the back of my mind, and I just couldn't help but worry... and worry... and worry.  See, Ted was on course for the World Games (not with me of course) when he started stopping a bit.  He transferred riders and kept stopping, and stopping more, and was a little off, but nothing that was apparent.  Finally it was discovered that the injury was in his stifle and that he'd never make a full recovery (to run at the advanced level)... a situation I hate for him, but loved for me since it meant I got to 'play' at the upper levels for a bit on a horse where prelim was like a Sunday stroll. 

One of my best friends also had a similar situation with a stifle injury where the horse was 'just not right'.  This time the injury was more severe and resulted in a full retirement at age 8 for a VERY promising horse. 

UGH... erase. memory. please.

The thing that was nagging at me was that although I'd gotten P checked out thoroughly, and that he was sound and jumping and everything, he just didn't have the same fire.  The same 'jump' off my leg when it was time to school a line or gallop up a hill.  The same lightness and jazz in his dressage work.

I sort of put my plans for what to do over the next month on hold and scheduled myself a show jump lesson with Melissa and a cross country lesson with Betsy Freedman who I'd never ridden with before.  I planned to just listen to my horse and see how these two things went.  If he said he needed a bit more time, then it would be back to the drawing board with more diagnostics.  If he said "yeehaw! Now this is what I'm talking about!" then I'd beg my way into a late entry at Difficult Run in Virginia to run  an abbreviated course, and then full tilt to 5-points.

Thursday's lesson with Melissa went really well.  We worked alot of footwork exercises and some oxers at width.  We did a trot in line of 3 X bounces, canter poles, and a line of trot in to an X one stride to a big, honkin oxer.  P jumped better and better, although he did get a bit bored and heavy.  I was very pleased with his jump and his desire to be there.

Sunday's Cross country lesson was JUST what we needed.  Betsy definitely takes no prisoners and was perfect to whip us into gear.  Lots of footwork again, and Prophet ATE IT UP.  Apparently a jaunt around the cross country was all we needed.  I GOT MY PONY BACK!  He was a bit strong (which I was super happy about), yet really rideable when it came to the fences.  All in all, it was fantastic for us.  I can't wait to take from her again.

Below is a short video from Melissa's.  You can't really see much of what's going on, but you can see how bored the Diddy is! :)

I will post lots of videos from the XC lesson later tonight.