“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ” Helen Keller
#silvermedaldreams #dressage
Slow progress forward is still forward. We are tentatively looking forward towards our Fourth Level debut. I almost cried the other day when I realized the dream is closer to being reality. Never give up. Take those steps backwards, cry the tears, scream with frustration, but never give up.
As many do, I like to set my personal goals for show season. These goals have nothing to do with ribbons and are independent of what anyone else at any given show is doing. While I may not meet every one of them, goals help me gage how our training is progressing. Are we moving forward, backwards, or sideways? Are we plateaued due to one particular problem? Have I driven Ms. C off the deep end with my inability to understand proper half pass alignment?!
Of course, I should have shared these before we got two shows under our belt this year, but that just didn’t happen…life just kept getting in the way. So, without further ado, here are our goals (okay, my goals…Ike would say his goal is to be retired like his brother.)
Increase the points earned by 5-6 points per test.
Progress: Steadily ticking upwards with occasional lapses in progress due to unfortunate tension, i.e. spooking and other silliness. Last year we kept regularly falling short of the points needed to keep our median score in the 60th percentile. That evil word “more” kept showing up in the comments: more engagement, more collection, more bend. Somehow, despite the challenging weather this winter with weeks of little riding, we managed to get stronger and improve our collection and the ability to maintain it for longer periods of time. While we still have a ways to go, we are more often than not seeing our scores in the low 60s this year.
Earn a Third Level Horse Performance Certificate.
Progress: Completed! With our Test 3 score at the May show, we had the final necessary score for Ike to earn his Third Level Horse Performance Certificate. When I shared this great news with him, he didn’t even bother to stop munching on his hay.
Qualify for the USDF Region 1 Third Level Adult Amateur Championship Division.
Progress: Completed! My wallet is quite happy that I managed to get both my qualifying scores already. Sheesh, it is an extra $15 every time you select “qualifying” with the test registration. I also can now stop worrying about it and just focus on the test at hand.
Participate in the USDF All-Breeds Awards Program.
Progress: Enrolled. It was nice to see that Ike’s breed organization is now a participant in the All-Breeds program. The popularity of Dutch Harness Horses in dressage has increased significantly in recent years. I had never even heard of the breed when I met Ike seven years ago, but someone let the secret out and now DHHs are fairly common.
Improve our half pass scores at the trot and canter.
Progress: Well….umm, yeah, there is still work to be done. I think I’m doing it right, but end up still being too straight, or somehow Ike is counter-flexed due to me overthinking the movement, or we end up just falling in the direction we are moving. Luckily we are gaining half points which are boosting our overall scores. Thank you to whomever suggested half points at the judging conference!
Have solid flying changes.
Progress: Depends on the day. In recent weeks, we have had some lovely, drama free changes. I attribute that to the improvement in our collected canter. Ike is using his hind end better – more thoroughness and jump. His rider is also figuring out how to help him improve his work rather than just flailing around and praying that Ike can interpret the chaotic movements correctly.
Perform a Fourth Level test.
Progress: None yet, but Ms. C pulled out the Fourth Level Test 1 test to see what we need to accomplish is an indication that there is a chance it will happen before the end of the year. I was exhausted after mentally riding the test as she read the movements. Phew, it is no surprise that you typically do only one test per day at a show. There are things to learn like the walk pirouettes and the introduction to tempi changes, but I am confident that we will figure it out together.
I set out some ambitious goals for a team that is usually more tortoise than rabbit, but slow forward progress beats stagnation any day.
Enjoy the weekend!
alison
So much for my keenly clever idea of keeping TicTac-like mints in my pocket while I ride…I sounded like a lonely maraca looking for its partner.
The face you make when you realize the downside to washing your horse’s polo wraps with your clothing is that sometimes your underwear ends up at the barn stuck to the velcro…
It is hard to believe, but big man turns 10 today. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this fact. Where did the years go? Gone is the skinny baby with a pencil neck and gangly legs that could not work as a cohesive unit. The green horse is now a bronze medal recipient who quite possibly could make his Fourth Level debut before the end of the year. Crazy stuff, huh?!
So, Happy Birthday Ike, I am looking forward to our next trip around the sun and all the fun and challenges that come along with it.
When you start rethinking your decision to give your 10 year old horse a course of Adequan…ever since the second dose, he has had the energy of a 3 year old as well as the matching attention span. Apparently Ike no longer feels he needs to listen to half halts. Just hoping we can come to a mutually acceptable resolution before the next show.
Perhaps selecting my fleece-lined winter riding pants to wear to the barn today when the thermometer hit 74 degrees was not my smartest decision…maybe I should think of it as a new weight loss method?
At least the trailer is finally loaded and ready for this weekend. Will soon share my tale of woe trying to purchase a tack trunk; once I expanded my search beyond tack stores, I found the most amazing substitution. Not 100% sure that Ike or I are ready for our first centerline of the season, but there is only one way to find out. If you do happen to see us competing, don’t look too closely at the stray goat hairs on Ike’s chin. He is going through his Don Johnson phase.
alison
There have been a number of posts lately on social media from fellow adult amateurs noting their struggles with their dressage journey. Some are almost at the point of throwing in the towel, while others are just looking for some encouraging words. We have all been there. I wrote about it years ago, early last year, late last year, and last month. The weather halts our progress. Our horse is injured and needs time off to recover. The other parts of our amateur lifestyle demand attention. Then there is the struggle of trying to learn the nuances of this sport at the same time that our horse is learning. It can sometimes all be too much, but that is when it is time to remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing – IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! Yeah, I definitely forget that part sometimes as I struggle to find the appropriate bend in our canter half pass or struggle to slow down the big brown freight train who decides that collected canter is for other horses.
With Mother Nature continuing her bipolar personality, spring training has been more like a game of red light, green light. I get to ride two, maybe three days, and then she decides to throw in three days of rain and some late spring snow just to muck up forward progress. I honestly don’t feel well prepared going into this show season. One would think that since we are staying at Third Level that we should be brimming with confidence. One would be wrong.
Third Level has definitely been the hardest level for me to conquer. Looking back, Ike and I were able to spend a lot of our time on cruise control in the lower levels. Intro? Walk and Trot and stay in the ring. Training Level? Can you now canter a circle on the correct lead and stay in the ring? First Level? Go sideways and canter in smaller circles. Second Level? Has the rider learned to sit the trot, control the horse’s shoulders, and suggest that they have a clue about what collection is? A review of our scores would say that we have a solid grasp of the lower levels…..Then we hit Third Level…in case you aren’t sure, this is where the shit gets real. No more half ass collection allowed. No more tuning out and cruising around. No more lack of throughness. Do you know what proper bend is and can you do it while trotting and cantering? [Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can do it all the time.] Can you control pieces and parts of your horse and yourself? [Sometimes.] Can you show collected gaits, medium gaits, and extended gaits and not look like a freight train or a 3-year old giraffe? [We can usually pretend.]
If I had to do a self-assessment, I would say that we can probably earn an extra 5 to 6 points in any given Third Level test. Our collected trot work is definitely stronger than this point last year. I think I am finally grasping the proper alignment of trot half pass. I am much more proficient with the double bridle which definitely comes in handy when I need to ask Ike to collect after a medium or extended gait. While I would like to think I could do it off my seat alone, alas, I currently cannot. Ike’s collected canter is slowly improving. But the inability to maintain consistent work is hindering that progress. And our canter half pass? Well, that is still a work in progress for both of us. Confession (no judgement allowed): I cannot reliably tell when his haunch is leading.
The interesting thing in our training is our flying changes. When we first introduced the concept, the change from left to right was our strongest. From right to left, we cross-cantered and struggled mightily. At this point, the right to left change is our best with a clean, nice jump. Go figure. When I ask for the change from left to right, Ike has decided that he wants to crow hop half the time. I’ve told him that just because he sees the crows hopping around his paddock does not make him a crow as well. Thus far my argument has fallen on deaf ears.
Sometimes we forget that struggling is part of the learning process. How many times did I fall while learning to walk? Pretty sure my mother lost count, and sadly, I can still fall while I am walking. I just have to hope that no one is around to capture it on YouTube. So, we will head down centerline soon, hope for the best and those extra 5 or 6 points. If we fail, we shall pick up the pieces and try again knowing that the one thing I will never struggle with is loving my big, brown horse.
alison
Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders
Inside leg, more leg, some more leg
Half halt
Half halt
Inhale, exhale
Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders
Seat bone, leg, just the thigh
Half halt
Half halt
Breathe you fool
Look up, look ahead, look up!
Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders
Half halt
Half halt (you forgot didn’t you?)
Are you breathing?
The end
Well, dearest mother, as I type this post, you have decided to huff and puff and shut the mid-Atlantic down. Seriously, what is up with the crazy wind? Gusts around 70 mph are wrecking havoc with my attempts to get Ike and myself back into shape for show season. When I should be riding, I am instead lashing the corner of the fence together with an extension cord to keep the dogs from escaping. And with all the downed trees, all my normal barn routes were blocked. Even if I had managed to get to the barn, it would have been foolhardy to throw my leg over my horse. High profile “vehicles” don’t fair well in high winds.
If I really think about it, you have had a bee in your bonnet this entire winter season. What gives? That brutal cold spell in late December and early January turned our ring into concrete and my fingers into blue icicles. You try soaking a hoof and wrapping it when your fingers won’t function. Who wants to be outdoors when you have to dress like the StaPuff Marshmallow Man to stay warm and stuff your gloves and boots with Hot Hands? You are warm but unable to move normally. Do you secretly laugh at us as we struggle? Imagine I am staring at you with resting bitch face. No, I am not joking.
You were kind to us as far as snow amounts. For that I am grateful. You did manage to stick it to me with that mid-December event that was just enough to make me question my decision to enter a schooling show. Could you please provide me your mailing address? Look for my reimbursement request in the coming weeks.
And lest we not forget the never-ending days of rain. Yes, I am aware of our rain deficit but enough is enough. Mud season is not supposed to start until April. You recall that catchy phrase, “April showers bring May flowers.” Hello! It is only the second day of March. Please check your calendar. All that rain has probably contributed to the tree issues we are having because of the wind. The paddocks look like pig wallows. Try as I might, my horse is never clean. There are always mud clumps that I miss until I am astride. Thank goodness no one but Ms. C ever sees our decrepit grooming skills.
So, what is it going to take to get you to calm down? You have already demonstrated your mad skills for causing chaos. If I promise to plant a tree, will you take a nap? Please let me know what sacrifice you command…you already got my original Charles Owen helmet and I refuse to give you my new one, so just get that notion out of your thoughts.
Here’s to a more pleasant spring season. Sincerely ,
Alison and the entire equine community of the mid-Atlantic region
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