Category Archives for Equestrian Sports

I like Ike

It turns out that having a horse named after our 34th President can be really cool.  I found this old campaign button on Ebay (http://www.ebay.com) around Christmas time.  It is the perfect size for my husband to pin to his ballcap to show his support for us when we are out and about.  Luckily it is small enough so that he can hide it in a pocket if he wants to deny any relationship should we exhibit less than desirable behavior.

The best find on Ebay was the following:

Yes, that is right, I have a stock pin with my horse’s name!  I couldn’t risk not winning the item so I did the purchase now option.  Since I will be sitting astride Ike, I will be required to claim ownership no matter what.  I’m just hoping that Ike has been ignoring the war stories from his “older brother.”  My Thoroughbred was well known at local dressage shows, but it wasn’t for his stellar performances.  His antics were numerous and I always played defense – ready at a moments notice to shut down the explosion.  The gallop down centerline sticks out in my mind.  Hey, at least we were straight.

Ike’s centerlines have improved the past few months.  We’ve found that I must sit perfectly still once we make the turn.  Ike hears every shift of my weight or the slightest pressure from my leg.  He does tend to keep his weight to the right in the halt.  Tried using my leg to stop the shift, but then he over-corrects and we are then more crooked than before.  We will live with status quo for the time being.

He was spot on today.  The canter is coming as he grows stronger.  His “try” is what makes him such a special horse.  He gives his best every ride and never holds a grudge.  Can’t ask for more than that.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

First, let’s get the the ugly stuff out of the way…trailer practice had been progressing in the right direction. Ike has been walking right on the trailer with absolutely NO hesitation. I could not have been prouder of him. Well, today we had a minor setback. He walked right up the ramp and proceeded to eat his oats. He lifted his head and spotted the neighbor’s children in the woods (boogie men in disguise). He high tailed it into reverse and lifted his head. When he does that, it is higher than the back door. You can see where this is going. Bam, he hit his poll on the trailer – you can see the dented metal. The boy has a hard noggin. He then went into mule-mode and would not get back on the trailer. Sigh. Time for another lesson in patience. Twenty minutes later, he reloaded and managed to back off with his head down. We got the ugly out of the way before we rode, so I was hoping for a good day.

Managed to fit in a second lesson this morning. The divine Ms. C brought in the tractor as a stand in for a dressage judge’s booth. We started developing a game plan for the first show. How will we warm up? What if Ike is as high as a kite? Will I scratch or try my test if he is having a meltdown? So many unknowns and although we can try to plan for every variable, I know good and well that there is always another boogie man waiting for us.

We then practiced our tests.  Since I did not compete last year, I never studied or memorized any tests at any level.  It is somewhat nice to ease back in with the Intro tests.  [Heads up, Here comes The Bad.]  Made it through Intro A.  Simple test – need to work on our long diagonal.  Hate that you have to walk down centerline to finish.  With Intro B, we made multiple 20 meter circles to the left in order to achieve better bend.  Overall, it was our best effort.  Then it came time for Intro C.  Made it through the first trot circle, the right lead canter (and we got it!), the change of rein, our left circle, then……………………………………….oh, yeah, my mind went…………………………….blank……………………………………..rider error.  Better to get it out now.

Finally let us end on The Good.  My trainer is the best!  Her knowledge of dressage is amazing.  She has a way of explaining things that make complex concepts simple to understand.  She helps me set realistic goals.  Mere words hardly seem enough to express how much I admire her horsemanship and friendship.  Ike and I could never do this without her support and guidance.

Einstein

 

Ready, Set, More Action

Yesterday was our weekly lesson.  I can honestly say that my trainer is one of my best friends and has probably forgotten more about horses that I will ever hope to learn.  She keeps us on task and knows just how to bring out the best in both of us.  Too bad I cannot shrink her enough to hide in a pocket as I ride my tests.  It is evident by the photos that we need the constant reminders by the fabulous Ms. C to find our happy place.

We continue to work on our rhythm and relaxation; Ike was much less of a freight train during the lesson.  Ike and I are also searching for straightness between the reins and my legs and for the still elusive connection and recycle of the energy.  There are fleeting moments where we achieve that goal, but then the moment is gone and one body part or another has moved into another time zone.  Ms. C says it is all part of the process as Ike learns to find his balance, and I learn how to help him find it and maintain it.

We work a lot at the walk and trot.  If we can’t maintain our straightness and throughness going slower, we have absolutely no chance at the canter.  I have to think like a metronome while trotting, one, two, one, two, one, two.  I think I’ve got it, and then, oops, I don’t prepare Ike well enough to feed off onto a circle.  We then look tense and choppy.  Sigh, rider error! Thank you for playing, please try again.  [What, did you think I’d post one of those photos??]

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have “do overs” during a dressage test?  Think about it, at golf tournaments, golfers can purchase mulligan tickets so when your ball ends up in the creek for the second time, you can whip out that ticket and try again to hit terra firma with no penalty strokes.  You won’t see mulligans at the Masters this weekend (I bet Rory wished he had that ticket when he ended up in the drink), but every fun golf tournament I’ve ever attended offered this fabulous option. I think USEF and USDF should consider allowing riders to purchase similar tickets, then when you blow a movement, you can stop and cry “DO OVER!” and retry.  Show managers, think of the money to be earned!  Sign me up!

Since I doubt mulligans will be an option by the end of the month, we will continue to practice.  Twenty three days to go.

Horse Free Day

Whether I like it or not, some days are horse free – no riding, no grooming, no trailer practice, no nickers, no barn smell. The residual horsey odor in the laundry basket and car upholstery really don’t count. Work, commuting, family time, laundry, more laundry, dogs, exercise, eating, time with the husband, yardwork all have to fit around barn time.  I guess I should not forget sleeping in that list.  The life of the average, adult amateur rider is a juggling act with too many balls to count.  Throw in my lack of grace and it can be balls flying everywhere – the only one who appreciates that is my puppy.

I did receive my USDF Connection magazine (http://www.usdf.org) as well as The Virginia Horse Journal (http://www.virginiahorse.com/) in the mail today.  In the USDF publication, there is a wonderful article with Christoph Hess about The Pursuit of Happiness.  He believes that through correct and hard work by the rider, you become a better partner with your horse and thus a happier pair.  Applying this to Ike, we need a lot of time at the bottom of the training scale working on rhythm and relaxation.  Hard to have rhythm when we have body parts moving in three directions.  Ike definitely gets tense when he does not understand what is being asked of him, then the strides get short and choppy.  NOT a pretty picture of relaxation.  So we stop for a moment to regroup.  He almost always is good on the restart, and I make sure that I’m clearer with my aids.

We ride again tomorrow.  Another day closer to the 29th.

 

 

Action Shots!

Long over due, but here is an updated “posed photo” as well as Ike under saddle.  He was a bit strong in the hand today.  Half halt?  What is that?  I don’t know what that means.  Perhaps a photo session right before dinner was not the best idea. We are a work in progress and I must remember my mantra – patience, patience, patience.  I can already see my sister-in-law grinning as she reads this.

We took this shot to use for comparison to a similar one that was taken last year when I rode him in Florida.

And now trotting…

If only my upper body was more relaxed the above would be a better photo.  I think Ike looks handsome, but don’t all horse moms think that of their four legged children?

And another trot photo

I have a renewed appreciation for photographers who take action shots of horses.  We took 40 today, but many were just not at the right point of the stride for photo purposes.  My hats off to them.  And I’ve got to relax those arms and shoulders!

And a left lead canter…

Sit back Alison, sit back!

Time is ticking away.  T-minus 26 days.  Ugh.

Sanctuary

Ike is well on his way to being the biggest horse at the farm. A few more groceries as my farrier would say, and he will be the undisputed title holder. So I ask you: why is it that the biggest horse wants to occupy one of the smallest spaces? He has a lovely paddock that is green with spring grass.  His best friend Lady is in the paddock next to his and he is tall enough to reach OVER the hot wire to visit with her.

On any given day, he will pace and pace until he is back in his 12×12 stall.  He used to crash into his gate or rear and take it off the hinges before we ran hotwire over the new one.   Here is the old one as it held on for dear life.

It is now in a mangled heap headed for the landfill.  There is no rhyme or reason as to why we cannot stay outside on a clear, sunny day.  Some days there is wind, some days none.  Some days there are hawks, and on others only blue birds flitting past.  There are very few bugs compared to summer.

The best guess is that his stall is a sanctuary for him – kind of like a dog that has been properly crate trained.  He has alfalfa pellets in his feed bucket, hay to munch, an Uncle Jimmy Lickit toy, and one of my husband’s old work boots to nose around.  He has only the radio to keep him company, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

I just smile to myself when I walk in and realize that he is patiently waiting for me to arrive.  Life is good.

Trailer Work, Part 2, 3, 4…

No riding today, just more trailer work and we definitely need it.  Perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of optimism.

This past Friday, Ike was a star at trailer loading.  Ike is now very proficient at backing off the trailer, so it was time to introduce the side ramp. The beauty of the side ramp is that the horse unloads head first so they can see where they are going.  He walked right up the rear ramp on Friday and even used the side ramp a couple of times without any hijinks.

Today, well, let’s just say that he had an “Ike tantrum.”  Nothing like other horses’ tantrums, who I shall not name to protect their identities, his tantrum tends to be more of the growing roots variety.  There is a definite “NO” in his demeanor.  Recalling my new mantra of, patience, patience, patience, I plopped myself down in the trailer with the pink bucket of oats and waited.  My trainer’s husband also got in the trailer and waited.  Ike pawed the ramp, put two feet on the ramp, backed up, turned sideways, try to graze, and pawed the ramp again.  “Mom, will you just give me the bucket.”  He then walked on and quickly backed off without any oats.  The stood and looked at me.  Too bad I can’t give him the camera to take a photo from his vantage point.  I can only imagine what I must look like sitting in the trailer while shaking the pink bucket.

Fortunately, this session ended after only 30 minutes.  The desire for oats was too great and he finally conceded.  With no further drama, he walked up the ramp, calmly ate his oats, and walked right down the side ramp.  Daily trailer practice will recommence tomorrow.

Eeek, it is April 1st, 28 days until the show…

Candid photos from today

As promised here are some current photos of Ike.  He is finally starting to look more mature and there is a hint more weight on him.  If only I had his metabolism.  I think he could have spent all day in this part of the yard.

He follows me around like a puppy dog so trying to get a head shot is challenging; there are a lot of close up nose shots that get deleted.  It took some squawking birds to distract him so I could get this photo.

Begging Mom for one more treat before she leaves.

Finally, one of his “brother” Cigar, my retired off the track Thoroughbred.  If you look closely you can see where he has chewed a chunk out of the pallet that is leaning on the fence.

Action shots will be upcoming.

Please turn off all electronic devices

These days it seems that we are always available. There is the home phone, cell phone, work phone, maybe even a work cell phone. Don’t worry if you are talking to someone, most of us have call waiting and voicemail, so there is no worry that you will miss any important offers from the newest telemarketer. We have laptops, iPads, and internet access on our phones. How many email accounts do you have?

If you Google ” cell phone holder for horseback riders,” you can find various holders to strap to your leg so you never need to miss a call while sitting astride your horse. While this could be useful while on the trails in case of emergency, I find that I like to disconnect during my time with Ike. The only time the phone comes into the barn is while waiting for the vet or farrier.

The barn is my escape from the constant bombardment of everyday life. I escape into my alterego of Super Rider. OK, so I’m not a Grand Prix rider, but I can dream.  For the two or three hours I’m at the barn, I am fully present.  In the 6 years I’ve taken dressage lessons, I’ve learned that 1) I know next to nothing, and 2) the more I know, the harder it is.  I’ve got to block out the external noise to really focus to make my body parts do what they have to do at the very moment they can affect the horse’s movement.  If I lose focus, then poor Ike stands little chance at succeeding.  Right now steering Ike is more like turning a Mac truck without power steering.  I need all the focus and strength I’ve got.  We only have 30 days until the show.

p.s. I promise to post a more recent photo soon.  I brought the camera today, but that “focus” thing got the best of me and I forgot I brought it until after my lesson was over.