The Angst of Heat

I haven't been able to ride the mare-beast in over a week, closer to almost two. This was orchestrated by her(gashing up her side) and several other things including the fact that Virginia suddenly realized that it was summer and a trip to Arlington National Cemetery to bury my father's ashes.

Seneca and her partner in crime Cowboy have been pretty sweaty everyday when I get home which forces me to feel guilty and hose them off.  Seneca has to be haltered and held to be sprayed for while she enjoys sipping cold water from the hose she doesn't actually enjoy being sprayed with water or bathed.  Although yesterday when the heat got up over a hundred she was pretty compliant.

On the flipside Cowboy will almost mow you down to be hosed. He is completely happy to just stand there and be sprayed to include flipping from side to side for optimal coverage.

Again today's forecast had been another day up over a hundred but a freak storm blew in overnight and it's been a bit cooler.  I am still being considerbly lazy and hanging out indoors air conditioner cranked up both dogs planted at my feet.  I want to try and ride this afternoon if the mare-beast is healed up and the heat abates but we'll see.

My garden is exploding with tomatoes, onions canteloupe plants and my young cucumber plant that has yet to produce. I also have watermelons planted, carrots that need to be harvested and a whole herb garden. I find it extremely sastifying to be cooking realize I need an herb or a vegtable and be able to go out and just pluck it fresh from the plant.

My job is still horrendously boring but I am putting all my down time there to good work and trying to forge ahead with several writing projects.

As for my riding goals?  Still trying to get to a couple of schooling shows with both my beasts though I need to put some real saddle time with Cowboy in before I can take him any where.

My family made the trek to Washington D.C. to bury my dad's ashes at Arlington National Cemetery. I won't go in to all the details but I will say that the Cemetery staff were extremely nice, experts in making everyone feel at ease and making sure the ceremony ran smoothly.  I read a Navy poem that is traditionally read at retirement ceremonies and everything ended on a bittersweet note.

I did find out a strange fact. Did you know that you can adopt a Caisson horse? These are the horses that draw the carriages that escort the caskets of all those who desire a ceremony with full military honors. Or you may have seen them on tv for the media covered funerals for high level government officials or military service members.  When the horses have served for ten years they are retired and the public can adopt them.  Just Google: Adopt a Caisson Horse to find out the details.

Not much going on but I took some photos of Seneca having a wild hair moment in the pasture while super hubs was bushhogging the weeds. Upside is she's getting exercise, the downside is she looks like a giant fat pumpkin.

Keep it between the flags everyone! And P.S.  GO TEAM S.H.E! We're rooting for you to make the TEAM!

Be Still My....

I had scheduled to go to a hunter show for the mileage this weekend and a lesson with a 3* rider but had to opt out of one, and opt for being an auditor at the second. Mare-beast somehow gashed up her saddle area, and while it wasn't stitch worthy it is ouchy and right where the saddle would touch. *Le sigh*

But she did plot her destructiveness for after a little theory and resolution session that we had yesterday.  Our main problem for a long while that has been getting in the way of our moving forward in training and competion is that the mare-beast and I were having a communication problem.

I thought I was being still, solid in my base, and quiet when I would ask her to canter to a fence. But apparently not and what she was feeling and "hearing" was faster, faster, faster! Which being her ex-racer self was only too happy to oblige. Which in turn scared the hell out of me.

So yesterday I set up an exercise to test the theory of what I thought my body was doing and what the reality was. Six canter poles set 12 feet apart. We trotted through twice then cantered through.  The first time because it was new Seneca was fairly quiet down the line. The second time she got quick and rushed towards the end. Hmmm. So the third time through I focused on sitting deep, heels way down, leg on.  And she got quiet and sane to through the line. Okaaaay.

Just to make certain that I wasn't hallucinating I switched canter leads and came down the line again. I let my body be easy and didn't focus on it.  Quick, fly, fly, fly.  Came through again focusing on deep, heels way down, leg on. And the sanity came back.

Damn it it was me this whole time. *head to desk*  Well crap, at least I know how to fix it now.  Of course I haven't tested this new theory with anything resembling a jump and I won't be able to for awhile, plus I want to run her through the canter poles several more times just to solidify this new line of communication and then add a jump somewhere in the line. But hopefully this was the Ah freaking Ha moment and we can finally move foward and stop looking like green todlers when we trot the entire BN courses.

If we can finally get beyond the trotting and learn to trust each other at the canter/gallop then we may actually be able to do a recognized event late this fall which has been my goal since the beginning of the year. So until the next Ah freaking Ha moment....keep it between the flags everybody.

The Lessons We Learn

Sunday I made 2.5 hour trek to a new xc course to school with Chris and some of his other students. It was a new course, and very greenie friendly.  And even though it was his birthday super hubs accompanied me to help drive, photograph and generally help me deal with my own craziness.

We got to the venue fairly early and I left the mare-beast in the trailer remembering the last time I had taken her off the farm and she was a freak the whole time. I wanted to be able to go watch other schoolers, relax, eat, whatever without having to worry if my mare had escaped or was in the process of losing her mind.

My husband set up the awning on the trailer, set out the chairs and generally chilled out while I tagged after one of Chris's schooling groups and tried to learn from watching. 

When it was close to pot-luck time I trekked back through the fields to pick up super hubs and head over to the dining area where there was loads of good stuff to eat, soda for me, and surprise BEER! for the hubs. We chatted with the owners of the farm, great people, oohed over their cute dogs and then it was time to unload the mighty mare-beast.

She came off the trailer with a bit of a snort, looked around, flicked her ears and then proceeded to show me that I must be crazy for thinking she might be tuned up at a new place. Not only was she three legs and a hipcock at the trailer (WTF?) she placidly ate her hay as if she'd been doing this for years. Granted this outing was a lot less energy and craziness(plus no evil demon cows) so maybe that had a lot to do with it. But I believe Seneca just wanted to make me look like a liar and a dork, her specialty.

So we tack up and I meet the two fabulous ladies I will be schooling with.  Sheryl is riding a nice bay TB gelding, who looked like Seneca's bulkier brother. Hope was riding a very cute paint/draft cross. Chris arrives and the challenges begin.  Challenges for me because eventing forces me to do things that aren't in my nature. Being bold, brave, confident, and trusting.

He helped me to see what I was doing wrong in the stadium jumping that made Seneca feel like she was nose diving at the jumps.  She only felt like she was rushing but obvious to other eyes wasn't(Didn't I say making me out to be a liar was Seneca's specialty?)  He made me see that when I got a few strides away from the fence my hips started moving which pushed Seneca in to what felt like a flat, rushy jump.  Okay we can work on fixing that.

Next we went off to the xc course. The first jump was a tiny log(Seneca could and did walk over it). I rode up to it at the trot in what I thought was a bold frame.  I will tell you now while Seneca has ducked and run out she has never outright stopped. Until yesterday. She stoppedat this tiny log, in front of my husband, schooling partners, and worst of all my coach.  Thank you mare-beast for making me feel like a failure!

I made her walk over it and then we jumped it several times.  We didn't have another stops that day, but we did have a run out later.  We jumped several other intro fences then went to the bank which was great, and the ditch, which Seneca hesitated at the first presentation and then she got a swat from the giant jumping bat which super hubs had gone back to the trailer and gotten for me along with a bottle of water. Love HIM!

Then we did a line of fences. We did the ditch on a down hill, then a left hand turn gallop up the bank and on to a table jump.  The first time I went over the table I trotted it. But the second with Chris encouraging me to "Gallop on!" We cantered over the table.  It was the first time we had ever cantered a xc fence. And I gave a "WAHOO!" going over, which super hubs, because he's the man caught on camera.

Other than the run out later at a bench we had a great time, I learned a lot, and have several things to work on. Like being comfortable with letting Seneca canter/gallop up to fences.  Begin assertive/aggresive with her to the fence because she's green and will avoid jumping if she can, and making my body still up to the fences so that I don't accidentally encourage her to rush and get flat.

Learning, learning, learning.  Keep it between the flags everyone.

The Big "E"

Yesterday was our last Horse Trial of the spring season.  I prepared, I packed, and leaving later than I wanted to I still made it to Kelly's Ford with an hour and half before I needed to be on.  So I left the High Queen ensconced in her prison  trailer and went to pick up my packet and do a quick walk of the xc course.

Quick it was not, the course was really long and I realized half-way through that I realized that somehow I was walking the wrong course.  And when I asked one of the jump judges she was absolutely no help.  So needing to get on for dressage and knowing I had over two hours between dressage and stadium I decided to leave it until later.

My whole warm-up plan was to warm up just enough to get her moving, but let her be as calm as possible. Seneca was a bit reluctant to go in to the dressage arena and not great while she was in there.  She remember what the halt was, always very important. She was more bendy this time, also good. We managed to do both canter circles, though she broke in the second, went back to the canter in the wrong lead, and I had to ask her to change.

Not too bad a test, we got a 45 and put to the bottom of the order of 16 entries. Eh, better test than the last one that's all I really wanted.  Back to the trailer, untack, sponge off the sweat, it was really hot, not middle of the summer hot, but still pretty warm.  I relaxed for a bit, gave the mare-beast some water, let her relax although the field full of cows behind us had her giving them the hairy eye ball every 15 seconds.

I put Seneca back on the trailer then struck out to re-walk cross country.  A second judge at the starter box still was no help but directed me to a very condescending woman who informed me that the Maiden jumps were marked with a blue flag. Thanks for making me feel like an idiot.  I walked the course again, found the water jump not inviting at all.  You come up to it on an incline where the horses can't see it until the last second and it's just suddenly there. While I was walking the course I saw more than one horse absolutely freak when suddenly presented with the water. At that moment I was not looking forward to that jump on the course.

But I moved onwards along the long course and finally finished with an hour and a half before needing to get on for stadium.  I got something to eat, sucked down more water and trekked back to the trailer.  I took the mare-beast off the trailer to let her hang out tied next to it.  She freaked when she realized the cows had moved up closer and spent her time flipping from side to side at the end of the lead line. She did not however escape.

Then all too quick it was time to tack up for stadium/xc since they were within minutes of each other I would be show jumping in xc gear.  All tacked up and after having a lovely conversation with my neighbor, I picked up my giant jumping bat (It's long enough I can smack the mare-beast without taking my hand off the reins, if my reins a little longer than usual)  Off we went.  

The mare-beast was pretty damn fabulous in the warm-up. We jumped the baby X, the bigger vertical, and the even larger oxer.   Then we circled, circled, waited for our turn.  A minute or two before we were supposed to go in the mare-beast began to fidget.  When it finally was our turn the ring steward had to give me a hand lead-in.   I got Seneca to the first jump made the long sweeping turn to jump 2, went over it  and this is where the mare-beast lost her mind.   My trailer parking neighbor had warned me about the jumps going in the direction towards the judges stand.  Something over there was very spooky to a lot of horses.

And it was our undoing.  Upon landing after the second jump Seneca shied sideways almost hit jump 6 before I got her circled and pointed at jump 3.  Nothing doing whatever was over in that direction was too scary to be tolerated. We got elimated.  Head hanging a bit we made the walk of shame back to the trailer.

I finished off the day by getting a strawberry smoothie from the vendor area then packed up, spent 15 minutes convincing the mare-beast to get back in to the trailer then made the 3.5 hr trek home.

Was it worth it?  Yes. Was it frustrating to not even get to do part of the xc course?  Hell yes.  Do I wish there was another HT this season? Yes.  

All in all I spent around 200$ for a partial schooling event. Sigh.  So the plan?  Do h/j and dressage schooling shows closer to home at less entry cost and less gas cost.

Keep it between the flags everyone. 

Practise Makes a Try at Perfect

After getting stuck at work until after 4pm I finally got home and had the time, energy, inclination and weather to ride.  It took me awhile to figure out what to do with Cowboy because Mr. I don't want to stay where you put me kept escaping in to my riding area. I even tried putting him on the trailer but he kept kicking and kicking and I just couldn't stand it.

Soooo I shut the dogs in the house and tossed the Spotted Beast in to the front yard which has the most secure fences. Finally when the High Queen and I were alone I tacked her up and went out to try and practise for the upcoming HT.

I did more flatwork than I usually do. Partly because super hubs had gone over to the neighbors and I didn't want to jump anything big or tricky with no one within shouting distance. I did lots of lateral work, lots of circles, bending, and tons of practice on trot to canter transitions. This is something that I am going to do in the warm-up for dressage on Saturday. I jumped a bit, but nothing too difficult. Tomorrow I'll be hauling both horses down to E's where I will school the stadium jumps there.

The ride times are up for Kelly's Ford, and all my stuff is in the afternoon which will give me plenty of time to watch other rides and settle the mare-beast. There are about 14 people in my section, including on of my friends who rides with Chris.  Should be fun though. Can't wait.

Anyway, long day tomorrow, longer day on Saturday as the drive is 3.5 hrs up and 3.5hrs back.


Keep it between the flags everyone. 

Rain on My Parade

I haven't been able to ride since Saturday. *face to palms* I gave the High Queen Sunday off as she'd w/t/c 15 miles the day before. Granted she was a total mare-beast for the first half of the ride, but she did decently and I think she diserved the day to rest.  I did bathe her and Cowboy in to super shinyness which lasted for about 2.5 seconds before they both rolled. Seneca is still pretty shiny and I plan on giving her a bath on Friday, putting her bug rug on to keep her semi-clean and separating her from Cowboy to keep them from injuring one another the night before the trial.

I could have ridden Monday but the weather was so iffy I just knew if I put my saddle on that it was going to pour. And it was the same for Tuesday, and yesterday it did pour buckets. I am hoping that today's heat and sun will dry out my riding area enough that I can at least do flatwork.  I am also trying to get ahold of the owner of the arena around the corner that has jumps AND footing so I can school there today or tomorrow. If I can't get permission today, and it's fairly dry I'm going to trailer down to E.'s and use her grass arena and show jumps.  I desperately want to jump her coop and rolltop. But we'll see.

Nothing else really new going on. Work is driving me crazy, minions constantly running amuk to the point that I'm afraid to leave the building for fear that they might burn it down in my absence.  *head to desk, wack, wack, wack* I soo need a new billet so I can escape this looney bin and go to a command where there is some sanity.

Anyway keep it between the flags everyone.

A Different Track

This past weekend super hubs and I were supposed to be spending all weekend horse camping and trail riding on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Except that we wanted to test the strength of the portable electric corral we created first.

So Friday we set the corral up and put the Spotted Beast in. I moved Seneca way over in another pastrure where he couldn't see her.  We needed to know if when agitated enough would Cowboy escape.  *Le sigh*  Of course he did. No less than three times.  The first time he just bent his neck down shoved the electric tape up and Shetland ponied his way out.  So we fixed that with another line of tape along the bottom. That worked for a little while longer than the single top row of tape.  But within minutes the Spotted Beast flashed his talent and jumped out over the tape(It was at least 3 feet high).

But Cowboy will only jump out if there is no other option so we figured if Seneca was actually in the corral with him he wouldn't be tempted to jump. So in goes the mare-beast.  I went to get some buckets of water, but as it was late evening the High Queen thought dinner was being served and immediately began beating up on Cowboy, who's only alternative to getting bitten and kicked was to leap out of the corral again, this time dragging the tape with him and breaking a good half of the poles. *face to palm, epic fail*

So knowing that my husband was not going to be physically up to riding the trails on Sunday (He has only just gotten back in to riding and his butt was going to make major protests about two long trail rides in a row) We decided to just drive over to the trail ride for the day.  It started out well with the High Queen leaping in to the trailer at the first attempt(always a good sign).  Then when we got there and our horses saw the 250+ other horses, trucks, trailers, people they were understandbly unsettled.  Seneca not only snapped the trailer tie ring(the whole reason I bought extras after she snapped the first one) she escaped two more times before I actually got her saddled.

The first half of the trail was miserable for me. Seneca would not settle and spent the whole first half jigging, cantering in place with that whole "I am two seconds from bucking you in to a tree" attitude and basically yanking my arms out of my socket. But there was nothing I could do.I couldn't ride ahead giving Seneca other things to think about. I even tried leg yielding down the trail.  I had to stay with my husband and Cowboy and Cowboy has decided he likes to lead.  Then I hit upon the cure, althought it came back to bite me in the butt later. I simple let the reins go slack, and put my hands on the pommel of my saddle.  Seneca put her nose directly on to Cowboy's tail and traveled sedately that way the rest of the ride. She even went so far as to use his butt as a scratching post.

After that life was calmer and we had fun.  Getting down to the beach was a little crazy. There was a pretty steep drop off a sand bank. Cowboy refused, Seneca wasn't happy about it either. In the end I got off, led Seneca down and Cowboy then jumped down after her.  I remounted using a log and we went off to play in the waves and sandbars.  We even got some really nice photos from the professional photographer(I'll post them when I get them back)

After the beach we rode for another hour and a half, had lunch provided by the local fire department, then rode another 30 minutes back to the start.  This is where letting Seneca go as she pleased came back to bite me.  Because I'd let her think she was in charge for a couple of hours she now thought getting back in the trailer was not on her to do list. *GRRRRR*

This is inevitably what happens.  She's fabulous about getting in at home where there are no witnesses, but in public she wants other people to think I abuse her. It took me a good twenty minutes at least to convince her to get back in. Meanwhile I got several offers to help. I tried to be polite and rebuff them, telling them that I had worked with this mare for over a year and my way was the only way. But my anxiety level raised every time someone asked because now I can imagine them sitting there watching us and laughing at me.  We circled, we walked, we stopped, I did submission/release bending of her neck to her side, we walked, circled, stopped some more.

Super hubs loaded Cowboy in to the first slot in the trailer as encouragement even though that is typically where Seneca rides.  Finally she deigned to get half way in the trailer. I glared, kept a tight hold of the chain lead shank and firmly told her if she did not get her big brown butt in the trailer that I was going to make the alleged horse abuse a reality. She blinked at me then got in the trailer.  15 miles of trail riding logged, a slight sunburn, photos, and lots of smiles. Not too bad for a days work.

Yesterday I did more trailer loading training with the High Queen(I don't think I will ever be able to stop practicing) She resisted the first time I asked and she got the business end of a chain shank yank and she decided it was in her best interest to get in.  She got in perfectly the second time.  I will be practicing all week in hopes she won't embarass me at Kelly's Ford this weekend.

Yep finally decided to go do the Maiden division at the Kelly's Ford Recognized HT.  I've never been to a recognized trial, even to watch so I plan on trying to go early to see couple of friends take their young horses in the reg. divisions then try to make it through all three phases in the 2ft division without eating dirt or getting eliminated.

Here's hoping.  Keep it between the flags everyone.