Ike and I wish you a very Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with laughter, love, friends and family.
Memories
The end of the year finds me clearing out old emails and organizing my paper files to make room for the upcoming year’s correspondence. As I was working my way into my older emails, I came across an email from July 14, 2011 when I was horse shopping.
It had pretty much been decided that I was headed to Florida to horse shop. I was receiving emails from Bianca who was sharing details of the horses she had available that 1) were in my price range and 2) were rideable for someone with my skill set.
This particular email gave details about Ike. The email read:
“So here is the video of the 3 year old gelding. This one is very special, only 3 years old he is solid at training level and just so rideable. Super sweet natured and just wants to learn and please his rider. This boy will go very far as a dressage horse as he develops more muscle. He is extremely safe and sane, non spooky and just a gem to handle. He loves people, loads easily, clips etc. All in all a wonderful horse!”
Here is the link to his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsWTfVKnTe8
I smiled as I read this because it was a pretty spot on description of the horse that ended up as part of the family. I watched this old video and it made me smile. While he looks quite solid with Bianca riding him, I like to think that he has shown progress in these subsequent years with me as his primary rider. He is at least more muscled than he was as a three year old.
I sometimes wonder where the other horses landed since my budget only allowed one to come home. I hope their owners are as happy with their equine partner as I am. Fingers are crossed that Bianca was right and that there is still more to achieve with our dressage aspirations!
alison
The Mile Long To Do List
Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that it has already been three weeks since the musical freestyle clinic, and that there are only two weeks until Christmas. This is the time of year that my riding schedule goes from five or six days per week down to three days, four if I am lucky. Many factors play into this schedule shift, and while it drives me crazy, I don’t think Ike cares that he is now a part time worker.
First of all, the sun’s earlier departure from the sky really wrecks havoc with my ability to ride after work. Most days I can get to the barn with enough time to ride 30-40 minutes. However, the angle of the setting sun means that half my ride is spent riding into the blinding glare. Ike usually has a moment of pause as well as we turn. We both squint and I pray that no wildlife decides to pop out and say “Boo!” during this momentary blindness.
One of our dogs has been in desperate need of some obedience work, so I took advantage of the slow down in riding to sign up for a 6 week Canine Good Citizen Class. We practice as best we can with our two other dogs “helping,” but there has been progress. Two more classes to go and it looks like he just might pass, shocking as that is to myself and everyone who knows Brownie.
My work schedule right now has also gone from a steady 55 mph to the white knuckle 100 mph with deadlines of yesterday. I suppose if work had to get busy this is a better time than May or June when show season and riding is in full swing. Since this also involves more time on the dreaded Interstate 95 in the Washington DC area, perhaps it is best that I am not riding as much. The more I am on this god-forsaken road, the less I am tolerant of poor driving displays by other commuters. Needless to say that I am a bit stressed upon arriving at my exit. PSA: I believe that turn signals are STANDARD EQUIPMENT on most automobiles and trucks, yet the use of this piece of equipment seems to have declined. If we look hard enough, I’m sure there is a direct correlation to the increased use of cell phones while driving.
In lieu of riding on high stress days, I find that just spending time with the boys is enough to return my blood pressure to normal levels. Grooming is an excellent moving meditation. When that is done, this happens:
And, lest I forget, December is also when the holidays and all the things that accompany them invade my to do list and probably everyone else’s as well. Shopping, wrapping, more wrapping, finding Christmas cards, completing Christmas cards, baking, decorating, cooking, eating, regretting all that you ate, post office visits, family visits, visits with friends and the occasional party or two. Most of the necessary stuff is done and now it is on to the baking and cookie decorating. Ike’s favorite fan club will be here next weekend for an afternoon of cookie fun!
And, while I am not riding as much, I do find that when I do find the time, it is with much more purpose and focus. I already have an eye on next year and what we want to accomplish. I’ve set a lofty goal of achieving at least one score in the 70th percentile range for Second Level. I know it won’t be easy, but I am hoping that the effort to achieve that will pay off later when we move upwards to Third Level. <===Do you see that??? I actually mentioned Third Level?! I’d love to think that we will give Third Level a go by then end of 2016 as well. Guess we need to start thinking about flying changes on command and not as you please (Ike’s favorite way right now).
Stay sane my friends, the relative peace of January is right around the corner. Fingers crossed that the weather is cooperative so we can continue to enjoy some saddle time!
alison
How To Dance With Your Horse
It has been a while since Ike and I have offered up a “How To” blog. We’ve tackled the subjects of assembling a double bridle and taking holiday photos, so it seems appropriate that we provide some advice on the subject of creating a musical freestyle. If you recall, we discussed freestyles two years ago…and that was as far as it went. But now we have a freestyle for next season, so I thought I’d show you how “easy” it is.
- Watch Andreas Helgstrand ride Blue Hors Matine at the 2006 WEG freestyle finals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQgTiqhPbw
- Watch Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz ride Fuego XII at the 2010 WEG freestyle finals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3a4nNO3ak
- Go to bed and dream of riding a musical freestyle with your horse.
- Wake up and daydream of riding a musical freestyle with your horse.
- Attend a Dance with your Horse clinic with Michael Matson (www.equimusic.com ) and receive a CD of walk, trot, and canter music. We did in March 2013.
- Download free music editing software believing that you can edit your music and choreograph a freestyle routine.
- Curse at the computer when you realize the “free” software also downloaded “free” advertisements.
- Curse at the computer some more as you try to delete the “free” advertisements.
- Open music editing software and stare blankly at the computer screen. Heads up – it has as many knobs and buttons as a 747 cockpit.
- Mutter more curses softly under your breath as you attempt to even play your music with the software.
- Wish you had paid more attention in music class in elementary school as you try to recall musical terminology.
- Close software and drink wine.
- Stare at the software for another week to finally figure out how to play your music. Rejoice at this small victory.
- Drink wine to celebrate your cleverness.
- Delete software from computer when you realize you are not clever enough to edit music.
- Watch Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro at the 2014 London Olympics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDLLxgWa_Y
- Find a friend who wants to do a musical freestyle as much as you do.
- Celebrate when your friend organizes a musical freestyle clinic. Thank friend profusely.
- Have Michael M. determine your horse’s beats per minute (BPM) at the walk, trot, and canter.
- Ride to various pieces with the correct BPM and pick the music that suits you and your horse the best. (FYI – after 2 years of training, Ike’s BPM changed and we received new music.)
- Stare in awe as Christine Betz (http://www.christinebetzdressage.com/ ) choreographs a routine for you in well under an hour.
- Memorize your choreography.
- Drink wine AFTER you learn the routine.
- The next day, ride the routine so Christine can time each of the compulsory movements for the level.
- Try to hide your shock when she edits the music in under 20 minutes. Again wish that you’d been more attentive in music class as a child.
- Ride your freestyle for the first time (You might need to turn up the volume to hear the music well) You will see that we will need to adjust our entry-
Second Level Freestyle Take One
27. Go home and drink wine and count the days until you can ride your new freestyle!
So, you see, it isn’t all that difficult…get out there and dance with your horse. I promise you that you will be hooked!
alison
The Final Hurrah of the Show Season
The 2015 show season is now in the books. Done, finished, O-V-E-R. We didn’t finish with any major victories; there were no victory laps. Well, Ike may have had a gallop or two around his paddock, but I think that was more at the urging of his brother than for his show efforts this past year. All in all, I am tickled with what we accomplished…and we are now two thirds of the way to our USDF Bronze Medal. 🙂
Our final show was a small schooling show so that I could try Second Level Test 3 in a less stressful atmosphere. While the score was only a 59.76%, I am pleased with our overall effort in this test. (If you remember, our Second Level goal this year was to hit the 60th percentile.) When you look at the movement by movement scores, we are on the cusp of acceptability and we are going to work diligently over the winter to boost the low marks. If you have a spare 6 minutes, here is a video of our ride…
So there it is, out on the internet for all the desktop judges to critique. No need to tell me what we need to work on. I am well aware.
Our medium trots need more oomph (I’m pretty sure this should be a dressage term defined in the USEF rulebook.) Ike needs to engage his hind more and push. It is a strengthening issue that we are plugging away at in our lessons. Our goal is to always get at least a 6, and we did that with this test and even exceeded our goal with a 6.5 on our first attempt.
Our 10 meter circles are another area that we are giving away points. We should be able to nail these, but I just can’t seem to keep Ike’s hind end from swinging out. The 5.5 on our 10 meter circle to the left definitely didn’t help our final score.
Shoulder in and Travers are getting better and better. Even I can tell from the video that Travers right is solid. Travers left is a little more sticky, but it is coming.
The big surprise of the day was our Turn on the Haunches to the Right – we pulled a 6.5! Whhhaatt?! Yes, we are finally digging our way out of the lower end of the scoring for this movement. The Turn on the Haunches to the Left was a bit sticky which earned us a whopping 4.5 (times 2 for the coefficient), but I have the utmost faith and confidence that we can improve it.
Most of our canter work scored 6’s and 6.5’s. The costly mistake was on my first serpentine. Ike decided to demonstrate “a movement not called for at this level.” Thank you Ike for showing us your flying change skills, but since Mom was a goober and did not stop and fix it, our score reflected my failure to correct it (gotta love that 3 in the score column). We then got a big-ole FOUR for the next simple change since we didn’t show any change. Oops. Lesson learned. We also need to continue to school the simple changes. I’m still not strong enough to support Ike in the canter-to-walk transition to eliminate the trot steps. Occasionally I get it right, but more often than not, I am a goober and fail to do the proper prep work.
Having now ridden all the Second Level tests, I have to say that I like Test 3 the best. I’m actually surprised at this admission since Test 2 was my favorite at Training and First levels. That being said, if we intend to head to the Region 1 GAIGs next year at Second Level, we have our work cut out for us. We have 10 months to practice, but we’d better get started…the 70th percentile doesn’t happen overnight.
alison
Simple (?) Changes
So, just when I thought our show season was over, I got a wild hair and decided to head to a schooling show this coming weekend to try Second Level one more time. We will continue to ride and work at home through the winter, but nothing beats an outing in front of a judge to really gage our progress. And, to up the ante, I signed up for tests 2 and 3…
Hmm, test 3. Had not even contemplated trying that test until 7 days ago. Guess it is time to memorize the test and actually try riding it in its entirety. Second Level Test 3 morphs pieces of Test 1 and Test 2 into one “supertest”…the reinback is there, shoulder in, travers, the simple changes, and everyone’s favorite turn on the haunches. Let us not forget the 2 full-sized canter serpentines to showcase your countercanter skills. Oy vey. What have I done?
Our turn on the haunches still regularly resembles Frankenstein. If I try opening my rein to help suggest the way to go, Ike somehow ends up flexed in the wrong direction (i.e., I am doing something wrong). I try using various leg position with the whip as an aid, but Ike’s hind end still swings in the wrong direction. I get so focused on what my hands and legs are doing that I forget to shift my weight in the saddle and there is no doubt that it ends up in the wrong place. There are days that we get a few good steps and all we can hope is that Sunday is one of those days.
And the designers of the tests really challenge your simple change skills by having you do your simple changes on a short diagonal. That means you can’t use the ring to help keep your horse positioned correctly. You have to maintain and change the proper bend on your own. Clever, clever people. Yes, I get that it is preparing you for doing a flying change, but no, we are not ready for THAT since I’m still challenged by simple changes…At this point, it is a crap shoot if we are going to pull it off on Sunday. The other day I managed to canter on the left lead, ask for the walk, and then pick up the left lead again. Oops. And poor Ike maintained the left lead for about three quarters of the arena and then gave me a flying change when he got off balance. He is such a patient soul to deal with the likes of his clueless mother.
So if you are in the area on Sunday, stop by the show. It is bound to be an amusing 14 minutes.
Alison
The Nail Biter Finals Class
Alison and Ike USDF Region 1 GAIGs
Photo by T. Perez
At the start of the season, the October championship show feels so far away. It feels like you have all the time in the world to practice and hone your skills. Heck, I even thought that we’d be able to pull off both First and Second Levels successfully (we only managed First Level). But in the blink of an eye, it is here and the weekend of the show always manages to fly by without me doing everything I thought I could do.
The morning of our departure day was sunny but cold. I had enough clothing layers packed to protect myself from any arctic blast and the suitcase zipper was barely holding the case closed. I also had packed everything but the kitchen sink and the barbeque grill. One must be prepared – doesn’t everyone travel with two corkscrews when attending a horse show for 4 days? Unfortunately, I managed to wake up with a sore throat and a runny nose. Awesome, just freaking awesome. Luckily we had some Dayquil in the house, so I threw a couple of those down my throat and headed off to the barn to load big man…after a stop at the local Target for the large economy-sized boxes of tissues with lotion.
The drive to Lexington was uneventful. Our hacks around the show grounds and competition arenas were relaxed. The excitement came later in the day when my friend realized that someone had stolen 2 of her credit cards out of her wallet while we were unloading the trailers (the sneaky thief left the wallet, cash, other cards and the purse behind). All was resolved without her being responsible for any of the charges. But when I went back to the barn for night check, that is when I realized that I’d spiked a fever. More super news. Did you know that Dayquil Severe packaging is practically adult-proof for a tired, feverish equestrian? After over five minutes of struggling, I finally released the pills from the hellish packaging. My head hit the pillow and I prayed for quick relief.
Quick recovery was not to be. Both Friday and Saturday were spent fighting a fever and struggling to stay awake to do my barn chores and riding. I felt so poorly that I even managed to sleep through my husband’s wakeup call on Saturday and almost sending him into a panic on my whereabouts. Our Friday open class was not our best effort, but if we had to sacrifice a ride, it was better that it was an open class and not our finals class on Sunday. Perhaps Ike was just missing Miss C’s presence since once she arrived on Saturday, he settled. We had a little tension in Saturday warm-up, but Ike was much more focused and gave me a solid performance with no major bobbles. My performance was marred by tearing eyes, a runny nose, a sprained finger, and a lack of oxygen. Cold wind plus a viral infection equals a not photo ready rider. Confession time – Desperate times mean that you just might use the same rag to wipe your horse’s nose to blow your nose. We came out of that class with a 67.5%, a pink ribbon, and the confidence to head into our finals class knowing there we were as prepared as we would ever be.
Miss M and Miss T were kind enough to take care of my morning barn chores on Sunday, so I was able to sleep in a bit. Thankfully, I heard my husband’s wakeup call on “championship day” and I woke up without a fever. The day was already starting on a good note. Ike was a saint and kept his braids intact. Our ride was not until 1:00, so we had some time to stew and watch our friends in their open classes. Part of the learning curve with these long weekends is knowing your horse, his mental state, and his energy level. You want to have good practice rides, but you need to conserve something for the finals. Our warm-up was peaceful and short. We did spend some time riding through the sun spot on the ground since we’d seen a number of horses spook at the one in the indoor competition ring.
It was finally our turn. The indoor was quiet and Ike was focused as I rode around the outside of the ring waiting for the bell. Rrriinnnnggg! Time to make that turn down centerline. Big man was with me as we cruised to X. Exhale, salute, and trot on. Our left-to-right leg yield was sticky, but there was no time to dwell on it. Our 10-meter circles were fluid and our mid-test halt at X was one of our best of the year. Super happy with our canter departs as well as our canter loops. Our weakest movement is the trot lengthening…we just don’t have one. We made it through the ride with no spooks, no “unexpected tension,” and no major errors.
Now came the hardest part – we’d done our best with a 67.86% average from the two judges, but now we had to wait to see how the next 25 or so riders would do to know our fate. We hung out in the top 5 for more than half the class, but slowly, we saw our name drifting lower in the placings. At 4:30 we were sitting in 8th place – the last placing with a ribbon and participation in the awards ceremony….and then there were three riders left….and sadly, the second to last rider bumped us to 9th place. Our fate was sealed and we could now finish loading the trailer for the 2 hour ride home. I must admit that I choked up since I hoped to place – not just for me, but for all those who have tirelessly supported us on this journey.
I teared up even more when we arrived at the barn. Ms. C had left a lovely ribbon hanging on Ike’s stall to welcome us home. In her mind, we deserved a ribbon – she is our toughest judge of all, so this ribbon is so very precious to me. My horse may not have the fanciest breeding, the most extravagant gaits, or the prettiest tail. I may not have the advanced dressage skills or the money for winters in Wellington. But, Ike does have the biggest heart and a lot of try. We do have a trainer who believes in us and amazing friends and family that support our dreams. We have an incredible bond and partnership, and in the end, isn’t that worth more than any accolades or championship ribbons?
alison
The Final Push to the Finals
Hello Friends! Yet again my mother claims to be too busy to write to you about our preparations for the Region 1 GAIG Finals this coming weekend in Lexington, Virginia. Sheesh. So that means that I am taking charge. How are my friends supposed to know to send good luck vibes unless they know when and where I will be?
We had some down time last month because of the weather. It rained and rained and rained and then the cooler weather came rushing in. The cooler air means that my brother and I decided it was time for our fence line games. We like to walk to the far end of our paddocks and race back to the water trough. He isn’t as fast an agile as he used to be, but he will try his best. Mom got mad because I somehow managed to scrape some hide off the front of my hind leg with my front hoof. I don’t know what she is so worried about. I didn’t hurt myself. She is such a fun sucker sometimes. She also frets that I will slip and fall during my hijinks. Does she not have any faith in my athletic ability? It should be me worrying that she will slip and fall…she can be such a klutz sometimes. (I watched her hit her head on the stall door as she ducked under the stall guard. I stifled my laugh, but I have to tell you that it was pretty funny! But don’t tell her that I told you or I might not get to borrow the laptop again.)
I’m glad that it is getting colder since my winter coat is growing in pretty thick this year. Mom will probably still make me wear my blanket even though I really don’t need it – I feel like Ralphie’s brother in A Christmas Story when I am all bundled up when no one else is wearing anything. We should all be glad that Mom doesn’t try to clip me. I would look like I’d been shaved by a blind woman using her feet to hold the clippers. I hear it is supposed to be very cold in Lexington this weekend, but better that than too hot.
When Mom and I did get back to work after the rain, Ms. C said that I was looking very fit. She also complimented my canter and how much it had improved since last year. Mom is the one who bears the brunt of the criticism since she is the one making all the mistakes. I always try to do what she asks, but sometimes she is not clear about what she wants and I have to guess. I try and bail her out as best I can. There is only so much a fellow can do in some instances.
Part of Mom’s problem might be that she can’t see very well. She has these things she wears in front of her eye’s that supposedly help her see. Many times though, I catch her squinting. Other times, the things on her eyes are so dirty that I’m not even sure she can tell if I am clean or dirty. The lack of eyesight might explain why we make ovals instead of circles when we are practicing or why we miss X when halting. She had to go see a special doctor and now she is complaining that she had to buy eye things call bifocals. I will have to run away if she shows up with more eyes on her head.
Mom and I had our final lesson this morning. We rode our final’s test from start to finish, then Ms. C made Mom judge each of the movements and next asked how she could have made them better. Haha! See, it is all Mom’s fault when we do things wrong. Well, I do sometimes make it hard for Mom to do some things, but a fellow can’t be all work and no play. I like to think it keeps her on her toes and sharpens her skills to a certain degree. Ms. C felt that our trot work was where we could pick up some extra points, so that is what we schooled for the rest of the lesson. She made us focus on riding accurate 10 meter circles with my body in the proper alignment. That is HARD! Mom and I also worked on our leg yields since there is a tendency for my hind end to get left behind. When we get it right, Mom says we get good scores. Let us hope she uses her corner to help set up the movement properly.
Well, all our homework is done. I get the next 2 days off to rest. Mom has lots of packing to do and has to go to work. She says that without work, I would not live the lifestyle that I’ve become accustomed to having, so I encourage her to work hard at her job. She tells me that unlike apples, money does not grow on trees. That’s okay with me since I like eating apples. I leave the money eating to my brother.
I promise to try my hardest this weekend. Mom promises to let you know how we do.
Ike
#EnoughRainAlready – I Want To Ride!
“I will say my goodbyes from over here.”
Sigh, it has been a challenging few weeks. The Mid-Atlantic region has been coping with copious amounts of rain after a dry spell. We were run out of our fall beach week 2 days early because of a nor ‘ easter, only to come home to a rainstorm and another nor ‘ easter. Thank goodness Joaquin decided not to pay us a visit.
The foggy photo was taken the last morning before vacation. Ike must have thought that he was expected to come with us because he avoided all interaction with me. I didn’t push the issue, gave all the apples to his brother, screamed goodbye, and headed down the road for a week. Did he learn anything from this? Probably not, but he came right to me when I returned, “Hi Mom! Come see me! Do you have treats?”
In the few rides that I have squeezed in between rain events, I am feeling confident with our First Level work heading into the last weeks before the finals. Someone read my blog post from 2 ½ years ago titled “C is for Canter, P is for Patience” just the other day. It was a good reminder of how far we have come with our work. Back then we struggled to stay on a 20 meter circle. Ike resembled Scooby Doo on more than one occasion. Our walk and trot work carried our scores. I can proudly say that we have now seen 7’s and 7.5’s in our canter work later this season. Real evidence of progress!
Our Second Level endeavors are also coming along. Even Ms. C was pleasantly surprised with our turn on the haunches. There is hope for us yet. I am pretty certain that our scores for the movement could finally exceed the 5 ‘s that we received earlier this year. We have scaled back our simple change schooling until after the finals. Ike sometimes offers canter when I want trot…honest mistake, but it would be costly in our finals class. The changes are coming and we will be ready in the spring when the plan is to go full Second Level. (It would be the first time EVER that my season didn’t involve Intro, Training, or First Levels. I feel like a big kid now.)
Lena
In other news, we have added an adorable Husky cross to the family. Lena is a five-year old from our local SPCA. She is a lovable doll who just today barked for the first time since joining the family. Briefly considered bringing her to the fall show for the doggie costume contest, but decided against it since she has yet to be introduced to the equine side of the family. Better to wait until she is more settled. They can be a bit overwhelming the first time.
Sorry for the delay posting since our return. I started drafting this last night and lost the post. Not sure where it wandered off to, but I hope it finds a happy home like Lena did.
Fingers crossed for some sunshine this weekend!!
Alison
The Last Gasp Before The Finals
Ike at Rose Mount September 2015
Phew, our last regular show weekend of the year is in the books – we just now have to power through to the championship show in October. This particular show is a special one to me since my dressage chapter is the one that hosts the show. We only have 45 members, so it takes everyone plus our supportive family members to pull off the weekend successfully. Planning starts pretty much the year before when dates are selected and judges are secured. Since so many of us also like to compete at the show, there is careful planning so that everything is set so that we can still get our horses ready for the competition. Needless to say that the week leading up to the show is crazy as all the pieces and parts must be delivered to the show grounds and then assembled before the competitors arrive on Friday.
And, if I can boast for just a second, I must say that we might be a small group, but we are mighty, and we pull off a mighty nice dressage show. We’ve got a tent full of vendors with fabulous wares to sell, delicious food, an air-conditioned and flushable port-a-john trailer (yes, you read that correctly, air-conditioned), lovely ribbons and prizes, generous sponsors, and the BEST volunteers. Mother Nature was a bit of a wicked witch on Saturday with some heavy rain, but the show went on and Sunday dawned a stunning fall day.
There was a brief moment on Saturday morning that I questioned whether or not we would make it to the show. My husband and I arrived at the farm to hook up the trailer and load Ike. While my husband hitched the trailer, I was responsible for retrieving said horse and having him at the ready when the ramp went down. Ike revived his one man play of “The Gingerbread Man” and ran as fast as he could around his paddock avoiding Mom. Not even an apple would draw him close even when I shared the better part of it with his brother. Luckily Ms. C felt sorry for me and stepped in to help. Thank goodness that Ike never says “No” to her. When that happens, we are doomed.
As I mentioned, Saturday was a bit of a soggy day. And when I say soggy, I mean soaked through to your underwear as you watch the rain stream off your very expensive saddle as you pray that there is no permanent damage. I must also get on my soap box for a moment and ask again who thought that WHITE pants were appropriate riding attire??!! Unflattering to most of us and rather transparent when wet. I’m fairly certain that the tag on my underwear was readable through the wet fabric. We ended up only riding our First Level test and with a personal licensed show best of 67.9% we came home with a pretty red ribbon. That test made me feel secure with where we are as we head to the championship show.
Sunday dawned a better day. Crisp fall air and bright sunshine. Since we didn’t want a repeat of Saturday, Ms. C brought Ike in before we arrived. Sorry big boy. My first ride time was identical to Saturday and my second was shortly after – that meant we only had to tack up once which is always a good thing in my book. Anyway, our First Level test was not as tension free as Saturday’s ride, but we still managed a respectable 65.7% and another red ribbon. Would you like to take a guess at what caused our tension? Geese. Canadian geese waddling about right outside the fence line. Just what is it about birds that Ike cannot handle? At least they did not take flight since that would have guaranteed that I would have had a short duration flight as well.
Our second test of the day was Second Level Test 1 or as I like to call it, the one with all the simple changes. Luckily, Ike and I have made progress in our simple changes and we actually received some 7’s for them during this test. Woohoo! There is hope for us yet. As you can see from the video, we still need to develop better throughness and Ike needs to sit on his hind end more, but considering that we really just started Second Level a few months ago, I am pleased with our progress. The plan is to work hard all winter and be ready to bust a move with Tests 2 and 3 at our first show in May 2016.
We ended up with a 63.333% and a third place ribbon. Our goal for Second Level this season was not to make it to any of the championships, but to achieve at least 60% in our scores. I’m just thrilled to say that all of the Second Level tests that we have ridden this year have hit the 60th percentile range.
With this show behind us, our sights are now set on the Region 1 GAIGs in mid-October. Big man is going to get a well deserved break for a few days and then we will be back to work to fine tune the elements for the First 3 test.
Thanks for sticking with us this season!
alison
ikescenterlineadventures 