Tag Archives for Dressage

Choose Wisely

Today’s post has yet another movie reference.  After enjoying some barn time this morning and then spending most of the afternoon water proofing the deck (yippee for me), my husband and I rotted in the A/C and watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  It is the installment where Indiana and his father played by Sean Connery go in search of The Holy Grail.  In one of the final scenes, the Holy Grail has to be chosen from a miriad of choices.  The elderly knight tells Indiana and the Nazis to “Choose wisely.”  The Nazi chose the flashy gold Chalice and was told after his body aged, “he chose poorly.”  The Holy Grail was actually the plainest of all the choices, but was the one that offered eternal life.

I tell that story to tell the story of selecting Ike as my next dressage mount.  I spent countless hours combing the internet looking at available horses.  Virginia Equestrian (http://www.virginiaequestrian.com), Warmbloods for Sale (http://warmbloods-for-sale.com/), Dressage Star (http://www.dressagestar.com), and various private farm website were trolled looking for a horse that would meet my needs and my budget.  It was overwhelming and I hadn’t even left the house or put a foot in a stirrup.  Make the wrong choice, and I end up with a horse whose trot I cannot sit or a horse that is too much for my meager skill set.  I also wanted sanity, yes, sanity was a very important attribute.  My trainer knew of a sales barn in Wellington, Florida after finding one of her horses there.  Berktold Dressage (http://www.berktolddressage.com/) ended up being the perfect place for me to find a horse.  I had four horses to try that all were close to meeting my criteria.  Two were knocked out of the running because poor Flash’s trot had so much movement that I could not even do a decent rising trot; Gloria was a phenomenal mare, but I would have been overfaced with her powerful movement.  The two remaining choices were Ike and a mare named Dona.  Both were sane and rideable.  Dona had proven show experience.  Ike had only been under saddle for 4 weeks or so when I rode him, but there was just something about him that I liked.  Well, you already know who I picked.

Our ride today was 40 minutes of goodness.  We did some practice tests and schooled haunches in and a tiny bit of leg yield to help Ike get his weight in the correct place for canter.  I have a video that will need some editing since it is almost 10 minutes long and I’m not always in the frame.  I started the filming before I mounted and left the camera sitting on the fence for the first part of my ride.

It could be said that for dressage riders, reaching the FEI levels could be considered The Holy Grail.  It is what we all wish we could do at least once before retiring from the sport.  While I may never get there with Ike, and he might not be the flashiest mover or the horse with the most chrome, the longer Ike is part of the family, the more I realize that I “Chose Wisely.”

Friday the 13th

Hi Mom, I’m waiting for you.  Silly boy was waiting in his stall when I arrived today.  He made it outside for a few hours this morning before he decided that it was time for sanctuary.  The upside to a horse that likes to be in his stall?  He was clean and grooming was simple.  I have to say that I wouldn’t mind a little mud right now because that would mean it had rained.  The ground is already hard as well…not a good sign for the summer to come.

No bad luck while under saddle today.  Ike was again spot on with his work.  Have I mentioned that he is a good boy?  Ms. C’s son was kind enough to shoot a short video of part of our ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOBR0mmaBrA&feature=youtu.be  As you can see, we got our right lead canter on the first try – you just have to squint through the dust.  I watched our canter video from February again and I do believe that there is better balance.   The only bad luck is that I’m wearing the same fleece pullover that I was wearing in the February video.  What can I say, it is comfortable and has pockets.  Pockets are the key.

My bad luck today occurred out of the saddle.  I forgot the battery to the camera (it was in the charger back home) and had to retrieve my phone out of the car to take this photo.  I know, it goes against my rule of no cell phones, but the camera feature came to the rescue today.  I also forgot the air mattress for Ms. C to borrow.

15 days to go.  Guess we need to get that mane pulled and the goat hairs trimmed.

The Kindest Eye

I cannot say enough good things about Ike’s personality.  He might have a moody day like yesterday, who doesn’t, but he is a kind and gentle soul and you can see it in his eyes.  He maintains the relaxed and happy eye whether we are grooming or under saddle.  Ike wants to please which is a refreshing change from his brother.

Our ride today was top notch.  I always like to try to repeat the lesson from the day before to see if I can recreate the feeling without Ms. C’s direction.  We might not have had all the flexion and bend that we needed, but overall I was pleased with today’s effort.  In my humble opinion, Ike’s canter was show worthy today – he could have even have done well in a Training Level test.  The left lead was again balanced and rhythmic.  Drumroll please…….so was the right lead!  Why today and not yesterday?  Because we are still three years old for another 18 days and we just can’t make all the body parts work in unison each and every ride.  As we build muscle memory, oh heck, we need the muscle first, then we will get more consistent.

As I left today, Ike was contentedly eating his hay with that happy look in his eyes.  Isn’t is a great time when all is quiet in the barn except for the munching sounds from happy horses?  As much as he enjoys his hay, Ike always takes a moment to quietly bid me goodbye.

Communication 101

Horses are world class communicators.  Anyone who has spent time with horses knows.  While some are very vocal with whinnies, nickers, and squeals, others are relatively quiet.  All are masters of non-verbal communication.  A squinty eye with pinned back ears – I am not happy with what you are doing!  Eyes wide and unblinking with ears perked forward – danger, danger Will Robinson!

Ike is the tall, silent type.  I can count on two fingers the number of times he has whinnied in my presence.  He relies more on facial expressions and ear movement to let me know his feelings and boy, was he in a mood today.  Not his best photo but you can see the ‘tude.  Maybe it was because he didn’t get to see me yesterday?  Perhaps I did not doll out the treats fast enough or give him all the attention.  Most likely, it was close to dinner time and I made him wait until after our lesson was over.  Lots of ear pinning and head swinging every time I was in his sight line.  A handful of oats tamed the beast while I tacked.

It was not an ideal spring day to have a lesson.  In fact, it felt more like early March with temperatures in the high 40s and windy.  The clouds were out as well and produced some spinkles while we rode (so no new undersaddle photos to share).  With less than 3 weeks until the debut, we need the practice and you never know what the weather will do on show day.  Ike was feeling fresh so he was very much in front of my leg.  He has had a tendency to pop into the trot if I use too much leg – even with a suggestion of trot today he was popping up.  Do over!  Do over!  We were finally in sync at the trot; the down transitions, which used to be like running into a brick wall, now flow up and into the bridle.  Progress.  Centerlines could not have been better.  I thought we were communicating well…

Then it was time for canter.  The left lead was balanced and controlled and Ike got it on the first try.  The right lead, well, ah, you see, {patience, patience, patience} we were a bit of a hot mess.  Poor Ike was disunited in our first attempts, left lead behind, right lead in the front.  All I can say is that it felt like a was riding a 8 month old Great Dane puppy with legs flailing every which way.  You could tell that he was trying so hard to do what I asked, but he just couldn’t get all the body parts aligned at the right time.  Time to regroup.  I had to ask myself if I was being clear in my request.  Back to trot to gain some confidence, down the long side, half halt, step into the right stirrup, feed off onto a circle, squeeze the rein, rock the right hip, left leg slightly back, and TA DA!  Success.  Not nearly as balanced as the left, but we all have our better sides.

We ended the lesson introducing the concept of a walk pirouette to the right to help Ike shift his weight to the inside hind.  Well, it is a work in progress.  One good step and then out swings the hind end.  We try again.  Alison, where is your weight?  Shift to correct place, two more good steps and we are done.  Note to self – I must communicate at the right moment and in the correct way for Ike to succeed.

Back in the saddle tomorrow.  18 days.

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.

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.

The Entry Fees are Paid

So we are now on the clock and counting down to our first real entry at A.  Thirty two days, tick tock, tick tock.  The show is at HITS Commonwealth Park in beautiful Culpeper, Virginia (http://www.hitsshows.com/culpeper/index.html).  Ike will debut at Intro Level and try all three Intro tests offered.  The beauty of these classes is there is no need for me to register Ike with USEF or USDF to enter these classes…horse registration is not cheap (but nothing with horses really is).  We get the licensed show atmosphere and judges at a slightly less expensive rate.

This show venue is one of the closest to the barn, so we can spend the night before at home and return home right after the show.  Can you imagine being 3 years old and having your mother leave you in a strange place by yourself?  Perhaps I’m being a bit overprotective.  There will be plenty of future shows that will have sleepovers with his new neighbors.

This venue was also the place where Ike’s “older brother” reached the pinnacle of his dressage career (said with sarcasm dripping from my tongue).  We achieved a 78% one a Intro test and came home with a Champion ribbon from the 2009 USDF Adult Team Competition.  The highlight for Cigar was getting to do a victory gallop.  The dressage test performance was just a means to the end.

Hopefully Ike will want to achieve a similar result and look forward to achieving similar results in the other levels.  Stay tuned.

Huff and Puff and Blow Your Horse Down

Windy spring day in Virginia with a seasonable temperature of 65 but winds were steady around 20 mph with stronger gusts.  Although he could not cope with the winter winds while pretending to graze in his paddock, Ike is typically cooperative under saddle even on the most blustery days.  He faired better than I did today.  While I rode, the nose was runny and the eyes tearing from the combination of wind and pollen.  It is a really special look.  Not really sure why it has not caught on as a trend.

We had a few moments of defiance during our warmup- no acrobatics or airs above the ground, just a little resistance to listening to my aids as we fed off onto a circle.  A couple of one rein flexes later, we were back in our groove and had some hint of flexion and bending around my leg.  We’ve starting incorporating basic dressage test movements into our work in preparation for our first centerline of the season on April 29th.  Turns onto and off of centerline have some sway, halts have haunches shifting to the right, and the long diagonals are a tad wavy.  Getting the right lead canter is a 50/50 proposition.  I have to keep reminding myself that HE IS ONLY THREE!  Patience young Jedi, patience.