Month: April 2018

I spent most of last week waffling about whether or not to enter the local Combined Test at Scissortail on Saturday. Mostly because I’ve been pretty distracted by Presto, and Henry’s had a really light schedule since Texas Rose. We’ve mostly just hacked out, done some conditioning rides, and hopped over a tiny fence a few times to test the Seaver. I also had other plans for the weekend and wasn’t sure if it was going to be wise to try to stuff it all in. But, ya know… I got to Wednesday and couldn’t come up with a truly valid reason NOT to enter, so online I went, filled out our info, and hit submit. Done. And can I just say omg thank you for having online entering, bc that is amazing for the lazy procrastinators among us.

I entered another Prelim CT, mostly because I really wanted to do that dressage test again. It has it’s challenges for us, for sure, but I love the flow of it, and the movements are a little bit more challenging. But also I knew I’d likely be the first rider of the day and could be in and out of there really early. That was exactly the case: my ride times were 8:20 and 9:25.

Despite the 30 degree overnight temperature drop, Henry warmed up well. I’ve been asking him for a lot more lately as far as quality of gaits go… more push, more carry, more impulsion. It does require effort and focus on my part, he’s quite happy to plod along in a short little trot (and sometimes I seem quite happy to derp around and let him), but he’s also got better gaits in there if I do my part to bring them out. Caveat being that he’s actually relaxed enough to let me put my leg on and ride him, which sometimes is not the case at shows.

This time he was good though, and I thought the test went really well. It was not brilliant, but it was very consistent and he was obedient. The 10m canter half circles back to the rail are still quite challenging as far as keeping him balanced, we need to work on that more. For the right one I was able to hold that counter lead for the last few straight strides before the trot transition at the letter, but for the left one (at the end of the test) I just couldn’t keep it and he plopped back into trot a stride too early. The medium canters were a lot better though – not as balanced as they should be, but we actually WENT. I’m so tired of the comment “show more difference” on the lengthenings in the Training test, I was determined not to get it this time.

The test was good enough for a 35, which is actually the best score we’ve ever gotten at this venue because they always bring in REAL dressage judges. There is no soft schooling show scoring happening here ever – the scores are always on par with what I get at recognized. I really appreciate that a lot, because it gives you a way better idea of where you truly stand. All of our scores were between 6 and 7, which I thought was 100% fair, and the comments were totally on point too.

After that I stuck Henry back at the trailer and went to walk stadium.

This is where it’s extra awesome to be the only person in your division, because I was able to ask them to set the jumps a bit soft. We hadn’t jumped a course since Texas Rose, and we haven’t jumped anything of height in a couple months. Plus I was trying out a new bit, or rather – lack thereof. I wanted to see how he went in a mechanical hackamore, which I haven’t ridden him in for a few years. This venue is always super accommodating, so they had no issues with setting most to Training height with a few Prelim sized fences thrown in. I cantered a couple laps of warmup, hopped over the vertical once and the oxer once, and then in we went.

Henry was actually really good. I felt like he was coming off the ground better, using his body better across the entire arc of his jump, and I was able to keep him in front of my leg much more easily. I had to whoa a bit in both lines and he immediately came right back, no problem. For our first test run in the hack, I was pleased. I am rarely pleased. And we FINALLY got a clear round! It’s been too long.

It was a good day, and we were out of there with a blue ribbon and a gift certificate (I’ll say it again: being the only person in your division is awesome, how can I make this happen more often?) by 10am. Can’t beat that. I really appreciate these local venues that are willing to take on the headache involved in putting on schooling shows. For less than $50 and just a few hours of my time, it’s so nice to be able to get these miles. And the organizer is always so accommodating – she wants everyone to come away with a good experience, no matter what. I wish we had more places like that. They are few and far between around here.

I think maybe for next month’s show it’ll be Presto’s turn… he can go spend the day screaming at all the commotion and taking in the sights. Unless I can recruit a ground person to come with me, then maybe both boys can go? We’ll see. I’m sure it’ll be another last minute decision on my part, that’s just how my life tends to go.

Somehow over the past few months I have managed to acquire three new show shirts. I don’t really have a good reason for this… one of them was a Treat Yo’self, and the other two were so cheap on sale that I don’t think they even count. Plus I just really like shirts for some reason, so whatever, judge me if you want.

Valentine Equine Aila

The first one I got, the “Treat Yo’self” item, was the Aila shirt from Valentine Equine. I’ll be 100% honest, I got it because I freaking hate stock ties. I hate remembering to bring them, I hate tying them, I hate pinning them, I hate how floofy they look, I hate washing and sometimes having to IRON them… I just hate them. A lot. I’ve been going sans stock tie at pretty much every event for the past couple years, unless it was a special/more formal occasion. So the Aila shirt, with it’s BUILT IN, TACKED DOWN, PERMANENTLY AFFIXED stock tie was a really appealing alternative for me. I don’t want to wear it all the time, because I still hate stock ties, but for the shows when it’s more appropriate to wear one, at least this way I won’t have to go through all the fuss.

The only thing I didn’t love about it was that it came with short sleeves. I guess I spent way too long in h/j land growing up, but I gotta have some cuff peeking out from under my jacket. I messaged Valentine Equine and asked if they were planning on offering a long sleeve version, and they replied saying that all of their shirts are made to order, so I can get anything I want. Whaaaaat? Ok, sold. I sent my bust measurement (because I am useless at Australian sizing), wrote in my request for long sleeves, and ordered online. There was no additional charge for the sleeves or for having the shirt made to my measurements. All of that, including shipping, brought the shirt to around $100 USD.

Long story short (because we still have two more shirts to get through here), it took about 5 weeks to arrive, which seems reasonable for a made to order item traveling from halfway around the world. It definitely fits small – it’s SNUG on me, so I’m glad I sent my measurements and didn’t just try to guess at a stock size. If in doubt, definitely size up. The fabric is quite stretchy and comfortable, and I like that the stock tie part isn’t too floofy. It’s sleek and simple and definitely very solidly built into the shirt. The zip at the neck makes it easy to get in and out of, and the collar is fairly short, which I prefer. Nothing worse than a tall collar jutting into your second and third chins.

The only two things I would really change are the length – mine is just barely long enough to tuck in – and I would make the zipper at the neck white instead of metal. Overall though, it’s a great option for stock tie haters that might find themselves having to wear one at some point. It definitely takes all the annoyance out of it, so it’s a useful addition to my closet.

The next two are both really similar, so we’ll do a little compare and contrast as we run through their features. One is a navy and white RJ Classics Paige show shirt, and the other is a teal and white Noble Outfitters Madison show shirt.

I actually got both of these at Dover on super sale – the RJ I got online at the end of last season for something ridiculous like $30, and the Madison I got on the sale rack in-store a couple months ago for $40. In general they are really similar shirts. Both of them have a white front fabric, the RJ’s being a tone on tone stripe and the Madison’s being just a plain flat white. Both are a little bit sheer, but not too bad. The RJ’s fabric is a little bit lighter weight overall, both the white front part and the colored stretchy tech fabric parts. The RJ also has snaps that go 1/4 way down the front and the rest is sewn, which is GREAT both for ease and for eliminating any possible boob gap issues. The Madison has regular buttons and covered placket going all the way down the front.

Both have patterned fabric inside the collar and cuffs, which seems pretty de rigueur for  show shirts these days. I prefer the colors and patterns of the Paige, I think it’s a little more elegant, but that’s totally personal preference.

When it comes to design details, the Madison has a bit of an edge. On the back of the collar it has a loop (for you weirdos who actually like to wear stock ties) which is a nice feature, and it also has more ventilation. The middle back panel is made from a mesh fabric for breathability, whereas the Paige just has the same navy tech fabric making up the back of the shirt.

What they both need is some real arm ventilation. I find them both to be a bit hot, especially in high humidity, compared to my lovely lightweight cotton Winston shirt. Granted, these don’t wrinkle as easily as that one does.

The Madison does make an attempt at an arm vent, with a little one inch wide strip of mesh on the underarm. This feels more like a joke than a vent, but I guess they get points for trying. I’m not sure that one shirt really feels particularly cooler than the other.

The tailoring and fit are good on both shirts… both are fitted to the body, not boxy (my biggest pet peeve in a shirt) and both have enough length to tuck in securely without having a ton of shirttail leftover to create a Lump Butt situation in your pants. No one likes that, especially not the people looking at your Lump Butt.

I think if you combined these two shirts, you’d end up with the ultimate show shirt. The back vents and the small, thoughtful details on the Noble Outfitters shirt are testament to how much work went into the design, but then that front button situation makes it look a bit cheap. It reminds me of those Royal Highness shirts that used to be everywhere for like $20. I much prefer the 1/4 snap front and general styling of the RJ Paige. It’s sleeker and more streamlined.

For what I paid for them, I’m quite happy with both. They’re nice shirts that look good and are comfortable to wear. They’ve both been really easy to wash, too, no issues in the washing machine and neither of them require steaming or ironing to be wrinkle free.

These three new additions plus my other two standbys, the Winston Vienna and the Mrs. Tutton’s May, have given me a pretty solid show shirt collection. I’ve got something for pretty much any occasion, and they’re all really attractive shirts that have their own unique features. No boring, frumpy show shirts around here!

While it’s been no secret that I’m a warmblood enthusiast, my first and main love has always been the thoroughbred.

I grew up at a h/j barn, which meant that it was occupied by mostly thoroughbreds and warmbloods. I was horseless for most of my time there, which meant that I rode… well… anything my trainer let me ride, which was usually the more sensitive or hotter ones that other people weren’t clamoring over. That meant I rode a lot of thoroughbreds. That meant I got a lot of practice at riding a forward, sensitive, and sometimes quirky horse.

Of course, to this day I am really freaking terrible at riding a horse that doesn’t have it’s own motor. I really cannot. It’s sad. Give me some fire or I don’t want it.

And that’s not to say that there aren’t thoroughbreds out there that are dead quiet, bombproof kick-rides. I’ve ridden PLENTY like that. There is definitely a lot of diversity in the breed, from temperament to phenotype and everything in between. But what I really love about the thoroughbred in general is their innate desire to please, their drive to find the right answer, and their willingness to work. Those are qualities that I have come across in almost all of them, without fail. Unless they had a physical reason to behave otherwise, or if they have been treated – in their opinion – unfairly… those two things are game changers for horses like this. But I truly believe that if you do right by them, make them happy, and find what they’re good at, they will turn themselves inside out for you.

Throughout my life, thoroughbreds have always been the way for me to have a quality sporthorse at a reasonable price, with just a little time, patience, and elbow grease. Since I was lucky enough to grow up riding them, I understand them pretty well. I didn’t appreciate them enough then, and remember longing for the days when I could afford a big fancy warmblood. That was a silly mistake on my part.

It’s no secret that without the thoroughbred, warmbloods would still be nothing more than fancy cart horses. They have been absolutely instrumental in building the modern warmblood as we know it – which is why I always get so amused to see people arguing over which “breed” is better, or when someone sitting on a warmblood says that they hate thoroughbreds. Girl… your ignorance is showing, just like mine used to.

Good luck finding a showjumper these days that doesn’t have Ladykiller, Uppercut, Rantzau, Cottage Son, or Furioso in it’s pedigree. Or a dressage horse without Sacramento Song, Angelo, Donnerkeil, Laurie’s Crusador, or Lemon.  You can’t throw a rock at a 4* event anywhere in the world without hitting a horse carrying the blood of Heraldik or Master Imp or Hand in Glove.

I appreciate the thoroughbred a lot more these days, as I’ve become more educated and as I’ve learned more about myself as a rider. This is exactly why I chose a stallion with such a high % thoroughbred to be Presto’s sire. Most of the best event horses in the world are at least 70% thoroughbred, and while a lot of that has to do with gallop and speed and efficiency, I also think that when it comes to cross country, you really need a horse with a lot of heart and a lot of try. Something that can dig down deep, even when it’s bone tired, or even when conditions are terrible, and get the job done. And that’s not to say that warmbloods with low percentage of TB blood don’t have this quality… some certainly do. But it’s something that has been bred into the best thoroughbreds for centuries. I wanted a horse that had plenty of that.

So while I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about warmblood breeding and looking at warmblood stallions and mares, I wanted to take the time to appreciate the breed that has been, and always will be, my true love. They are not for everyone, and they have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they are the horses that have molded me as a rider and a horseman. They are the horses that have served to improve other breeds to make them into the successful world class sporthorses that they are today. I’ve been lucky to own a lot of good ones, the current one of which is by far the most golden horse I’ve ever sat on. I’m even luckier that my next prospect carries the names of so many of the world’s best examples of the breed.

Whether you love them or you hate them, I hope we can all at least appreciate them. And I hope that, at least once in your life, you also have the honor and privilege of owning a really good thoroughbred.

24 hours. That’s all the time Presto got to settle in before his first big boy day of what I will call “Charm School”. It could also be called “Real Life” or “Fun’s Over, Kid” or “Boot Camp” or “Your Mom is a Real Drag”. So ya know, Charm School just sounds better.

As soon as I got to the barn I went out to his pasture to check on him, with a few alfalfa pellets in hand. I don’t want him to think that he’s in for torture (his words, not mine) every time he sees me coming, so I intend to make a point to walk out there sometimes and just love on him or give him a little something tasty. He doesn’t run from people, or avoid being caught, but he’s definitely wary of what fresh hell you intend to unleash on him. Can’t say that I blame him for the wariness, considering all the poking and prodding and medications he’s gotten in his one year on earth.

So I walked up, gave him a couple alfalfa pellets, rubbed his face, and then left his pasture. He followed me for a few steps before he resumed grazing next to his bestest BFF Quarter Horse across the fence (he’s still not that interested in his donkeys).

After I rode Henry, Presto was still in his stall finishing his dinner hay, so I pulled him out and led him into the barn for grooming. He wasn’t totally keen on my idea, and neighed a couple times, but he came willingly enough. I curried him and brushed him and picked out all 4 feet with very little protest. The barn worker was turning the horses out, so every time he led one out of it’s stall Presto got a little concerned about where that one was going and would dance for a few steps or neigh/poop. But overall the grooming part was pretty civil, so I grabbed a dressage whip and headed out to the arena for a few minutes of in-hand work.

We walked, trotted, practiced standing up correctly for in-hand classes, and backing. He’s actually quite obedient for the in-hand work (we worked on it a few times before his inspection), although very very ADD. He gave me as little of his attention as possible, and was much more interested in all the horses that were coming and going to and from the barn. He did everything I asked though, so we can work on the Eyes and Ears On Me part.

Then I started introducing the most very basic idea of lunging – just basically sending him around me in a small circle on the lead rope and working on cluck = forward, whoa = slow down. The left he understood almost immediately. The right he was a little less cooperative about, but after a few corrections he gave me several proper circles. The good thing is that he’s quite civil about not pushing into my space, and takes the corrections well. He’s smart. Maybe a little too smart, just like his mother. It could be a challenge to keep his brain engaged for good instead of evil.

We ended by walking over some poles in hand, which he plodded right over no problem. We were out there for a total of 11 minutes… that’s how fast he got all of those concepts. Then I took him back to the crosstie area to give him his soaked alfalfa pellets + oil. I’m trying to get more condition on him, he’s so growthy and scrawny looking right now. Plus I want him to associate that area with good things, and look forward to coming inside for his lessons. While he ate I draped the lead rope across him, around his legs, picked up his feet again, and tossed a saddle pad all over him. He kind of just gives me the same “You are LITERALLY the most annoying person in the entire world but FINE” look that Henry gives me all the time. He did think I was trying to murder him when I got to the fly spray part though.

I went home and ordered him an arab size rope halter, hoping the nose is a little smaller, because that current one (which is supposed to be horse size but looks like it would fit an elephant) is just ridiculous. I got hunter green on a whim. I dunno, I think he might be a navy and green kind of guy. We’ll see, I guess. His summer coat is just barely starting to poke through, a nice super dark chocolate brown, but he still looks really mousey from being clipped.

We’ll keep doing these short little lessons and then hopefully maybe next week I can start trying to pony him a little!

I didn’t want to outright say it yesterday because I figured I’d be jinxing it, but I picked up Presto and brought him home! Michelle had brought him to Boerne (outside of San Antonio) for me on Sunday night, which is only a couple hours away, and he stayed at a friend’s farm overnight. I brought my trailer with me to work on Monday morning, worked a half day, and left around 10:30 to go get him.

I was nervous. Really nervous. Mostly because my trailer is VERY DIFFERENT from anything he’s ridden in before. He’s always been able to haul loose in an open area, essentially like a box stall or stock trailer type situation, with a step up. Mine is a straight load with a ramp, and he’s small enough to where I knew I had to tie him so that he didn’t try to turn around. And we didn’t really have the luxury of time to let him learn to chill out about any of that… he just had to get in and go. I had allotted an hour in our timeline for loading, and guessed that at least one of us might end up mangled in the process.

You could have knocked me over with a friggin feather when he walked right up the ramp and into my trailer with literally zero hesitation. I was absolutely shocked. Maybe it was just the fact that it was a totally new situation and it didn’t occur to him to say no, but whatever, I am not looking that particular gift horse in the mouth. The ramp went up, I tied him to the center post, and then jumped in the truck to GO before he realized what was happening and freaked out.

The great thing about my little ghetto trailer is that the front windows allow me to see exactly what the horses are doing at all times, and I kept flicking my eyes to my mirrors constantly. He was not very happy for the first 15-20 minutes. There was a lot of neighing and he kept trying to put his head over the divider, which freaked me out a bit worrying that he’d get stuck. Mostly though he just seemed mad that he was tied and couldn’t move around like he wanted. A couple times he thought about doing a mini-rear so I lightly brake checked him and brought his feet back down. He gave up pretty quickly. By the time we cleared San Antonio he was munching his hay and did so for the entire rest of the ride.

When I pulled up at the barn he was already neighing, and Henry’s pasture happens to be right next to the part of the driveway where you unload. He came running up immediately to check it out. I swear he gave me a special look when he realized that it was ME and HIS TRAILER. He paused for a second like WTactualF.

Backing Presto out of my trailer proved to be the harder part. I have to give him a ton of credit, he never once panicked and went flying backwards, he just seemed really confused. I had to very slowly and carefully ask him to back, one step at a time, trying to keep him straight so he didn’t fall off the ramp. Halfway down he tried to turn around and slipped a bit, so then he just stopped and looked at me like “ok, let’s keep doing it your way then” and we backed the last few steps off the ramp. Kid is stubborn, kid is crafty, but kid is not dumb.

I took him over to his little pasture, which he’s sharing with the mini donkeys. He gave them the hairy eyeball at first but they’re persistent little things, so they soon made peace. Presto seemed more interested in being friends with the 4yo QH in the adjoining pasture though… he was a little snobby about being turned out with donkeys. Unfortunately that QH next door is really aggressive to any pasturemates that get put in with him, so they only get to be across-the-fence friends.

I watched Presto for a little while and he peed, pooped, drank lots of water, and then alternated between roaming and grazing. There was no grand gallop around, and very little screaming. Just a few neighs and a few little spurts of trot and canter. Again, not what I expected at all, in a good anti-climactic type of way.

Then I figured I’d go grab Henry and bring him over to see what he thought.

True to Henry form, he remained much more interested in the donkeys.

But there wasn’t any squealing or pinned ears, so that’s a win where Henry is concerned. He’s generally a mare when it comes to meeting other horses. If he doesn’t like them it’s very immediate and very obvious.

We left Presto to continue his exploration and I took Henry inside to groom him and tack him up for a hack. When we were done I walked him back over to Presto’s pasture to check on him again.

He was still just roaming around and grazing a bit, punctuated by short games of Bitey Face with the QH. Well then, I guess that’s that. We walked back around to the gate and Presto followed, seemingly a bit mesmerized by the horse with a human attached to it. They still seemed interested in each other, and friendly. If Henry got a little too pushy in Presto’s space, Presto would immediately resort to the open mouth chomping thing that babies do to show that they aren’t threatening.

After I put Henry away I sat and watched Presto a little longer as he was brought into his stall for dinner and given his nighttime hay. He ate with his typical gusto (although seemed pissed that his bucket was so high that he couldn’t get his feet in it) and then immediately moved on to his hay.

At that point I was like well… I guess this is all the hovering I can do for one day? I really expected a lot more drama and distress from his move and the introduction to his new life, but he’s taken it all really well so far (knock on wood). Today I’ll start bringing him into the barn for grooming and learning about things like crossties and how to behave like a real horse. I’m sure things will start getting a lot more interesting.

But… he’s HOME!