Month: May 2016

A couple years ago when Henry was re-learning how to be ridden in a bit, I tried carrying a whip. That was well before we started eventing, so it was just a short little jumping bat, but after almost a month of carrying it every ride he still wouldn’t relax about it, so I gave up. Later on I started carrying one on XC but really he’s so pumped to be running XC that you could carry a grenade launcher and he wouldn’t notice.

Last year when we really started delving into dressage, I tried carrying a dressage whip a few times to help me a bit with those trailing haunches in the lateral work, but he was unfocused and way over-reactive (borderline belligerent, really) whenever I carried it, so I opted not to push the issue.

But over the last 6 months he’s really started to calm down and settle into the dressage work a lot more. As soon as it started getting hot and humid I found myself working WAY too hard to get him forward and engaged, so instead of surgically embedding my spurs into his ribs I thought I’d try the dressage whip again. Or as Henry calls it, the Electric Death Stick.

The first ride with it was borderline. He was rideable, but he was still tense and worried about what I might do with that thing. Because I beat him so much, apparently? Henny logic. I ended up dropping the whip after we cantered that day, since by that point he was plenty forward and I didn’t want it to turn into a meltdown. Then I carried it again the next dressage ride, which was on a very very humid and hot day. I ended up having to tap him with the whip FOUR times that ride, to really get him forward off my leg. The first time he was a little shocked, but I immediately let him go into stretchy circle (aka Henny Brain Recovery Zone) and he settled. He respected the whip after that, but didn’t get upset if I used it.

Then yesterday, another dressage ride, another few taps with the whip. Now instead of getting the very offended “OMG DEATH STICK” response, I get a “Yes ma’am” response. It took two years, but finally, finally I can carry a dressage whip, use it when I need to, and Henry won’t have a come-apart. Weird milestone, but a milestone none the less.

Surely you’ve come to expect these posts from me by now.

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Traveling for horse shows is not a new thing for me.  Growing up doing h/j shows, and now eventing, in a place where the closest shows are 2-4 hours… traveling becomes normal. Week-long h/j shows, those are pretty simple. Lots of supplies but not much tack and equipment. Weekend-long events, also pretty simple. Lots of tack and equipment, not a lot of supplies. But two weeks of eventing and 4 solid days of travel for Coconino? Sweet Jesus, the amount of crap we need is overwhelming. Add the complication that we have to fit it all into a 2 horse Brenderup and my regular size truck… I’m still not really sure how that’s going to work.

I’ve been keeping (and regularly adding to) a list of all the things we need to take with us. Priority one is hay, because in Arizona you can’t get the type of hay our horses eat, and I’m not changing their hay on a long trip like that. So, we shall load up the truck bed and stack that shit sky high.

Aside from just figuring out what to pack and how, we have a lot of other stuff to get ready too. The truck and trailer need to get serviced and checked out before their 2,000+ mile round trip journey. We need health certificates to cross state lines and booster vax for our USEF paperwork. Our layover and pit stop destinations had to be checked out and planned (done!). The horses need to start on electrolytes and an immune booster, because Bobby and I are both paranoid and it’ll be hot. I already located a feed store in Flagstaff where we can buy Triple Crown in case we don’t have room to take enough with us, plus a laundromat to wash clothes in between weeks, a place where we can shower if our Plan A doesn’t pan out, and the closest grocery store and Walmart to the show grounds. I’ve stalked the hell out of Flagstaff via Google Maps.

Aside from all that logistical crap, we also have new tests to learn (Training B for Bobby, the N3D test for me. By the way we both hate our new tests. There will be much whining on the way to Arizona.) and extra stuff to acquire. I was down to just one pair of white breeches so I got two more (the really nice Winstons for when I want to look legit and a cheap, fun pair for when I need my butt to be inspirational)

plus I had to get jog outfits. I’ve figured out that jog outfits, which I was originally excited about, sound much more fun in theory than they are in execution. I still haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to wear but I have several options, so that’s what matters. I’ll figure out the rest later. I also got my awesome new custom belt from Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks in my colors that I’m more than a little obsessed with.

And – my Winston coat that I ordered a couple months ago has arrived from Belgium! I can’t wait to have it in my hands.

I didn’t really like using Henry’s navy and yellow bonnet for dressage (nothing says LOOK AT ME BEING UNSTEADY IN THE CONTACT like a bright yellow line across a horse’s forehead) but Henry is too fussy about his precious ears to go bonnetless at a summer show, so I got a monotone one – navy with navy beads – from If The Bonnet Fits. A little bit of sparkle but mostly very subdued, for a more elegant dressage look.

I also got an awesome box of stuff from Riding Warehouse with poultice, hoof pack, some Licky Things, a jacket, and some ice boots, PLUS a box of stuff from Teddy’s Tack Trunk with liniment, more of my favorite fungus spray, a couple more brushes, etc. I needed all of these things for our trip, so now I think we’re fully stocked on pretty much everything but fly spray.

The last thing I really wanted before we embarked on our journey was a custom helmet cover for my skull cap but I’m out of budget money for non-essentials now, so that won’t be happening. Gotta just suffer through with the plain navy one that doesn’t have a stitch of yellow on it. Sad story, I know.

I still have a few more odds and ends to pick up for Henry (Red Cell paste, Flair strips, etc), but otherwise I think we’re all set. Now if anyone needs me I’ll be playing a really fun game of How The Hell Do We Fit All This Crap In Our Tiny Amount of Space. Because I really don’t know. Anyone want to volunteer to rent and drive a U-Haul?

I think most of us have probably had THAT boyfriend or family member. You know, the one who insists they want to come see you horse show, but spends the whole time complaining. They’re hot, they’re cold, they’re bored, you aren’t paying enough attention to them, it smells, it’s dusty, they’re hungry, when are you going to be finished? After one or two shows of babysitting THAT person, you never want anyone you love to come watch you compete ever again.

I’ve had one of those. I’m not sure that I’ve ever wanted to murder someone more than I did that particular week, and the scars are forever on my psyche. Now when someone says they want to come watch me show, my immediate reaction is something like this:

It doesn’t matter how much you love someone or how great of a person you think they are, you just never know what they’re going to be like at a horse show. Let’s be clear – I show for myself. It’s fun for me, I have my own little social scene, and I don’t have to worry about anyone else or what they want/need. It’s a nice, albeit expensive, reprieve from the responsibilities of my “real life”. So if you march up in there and need to be babysat or ruin my otherwise good time with your whining and neediness, I just can’t do it. I’d rather you support me from afar with a few facebook likes and a really nice present on my birthday (hey, a girl can dream).

When my dad, uncle, and grandma said they wanted to come to Holly Hill, my first thought was “Oh god”. Nothing against them at all, that’s just my knee jerk reaction to anyone wanting to come to a show. My uncle is a character, he’s entertaining but you never quite know what he’s going to do. I was worried about the mud and substantial amount of walking for my grandma. My dad… he’s the most patient, sensible person I’ve ever known, so I had hope for him. Still, there was trepidation. That’s a lot of people.

Turns out, though.. they were model citizens. By far the best “horse show spectators” I’ve ever had show up to watch me compete. They would arrive right around the time I was getting on (standing far enough back to not be in the way, but close enough to hand me things I needed), bringing food and drinks with them. That’s really nice, because I don’t ever remember to eat or drink appropriately at shows. Then they found their way down to wherever I was riding, stayed well out of anyone’s way, stayed quiet, and met me back at the stalls when we were done.

They didn’t need to chat a lot, and they didn’t complain. Even when they accompanied me on the course walk they didn’t whine about the rapid pace, the crazy humidity, or the constant rambling to myself. And then, after I was done riding, they left! They didn’t want me to entertain them, they didn’t complain about the fact that I couldn’t come spend time doing other stuff with them. They just smiled, said good job, and went on their way. That right there is how it’s done. Best horse show spectators EVER.

I see a lot of bloggers who have boyfriends or parents tagging along with them to horse shows though… how does that work for y’all? Are they all just really well-behaved or are you somehow able to keep zen long enough to not kill them?