These are from 3 weeks ago, but better late than never. Look how warm and happy we were…
He was a very good pony that day, but then again he usually is. This is the same venue as our event this weekend so hopefully he remembers. Good news: the weather is supposed to warm up for the weekend. Bad news: 90% chance of thunderstorms on dressage/stadium day. Goody. Maybe Henry needs floaties like this guy?
Finally, a little bit of lesson video! First I have to say: the weather for our lesson was freaking miserable. Low 40’s with drizzly cold rain. It was a group lesson with a lot of people in it, so every time we were sitting there waiting for our turn to go I just about turned into a solid block of ice.
We started out easy with just crossrails then a little oxer then a couple of lines, then put it together into a really twisty course. We were in the top ring which is pretty small and there were lots of jumps with tight turns and short approaches. For it to ride well you really had to come forward out of turn, otherwise you’d just get “stuck”. This is a pretty ideal course for us because my biggest problem is my tendency to NOT keep coming forward out of the turn… so it was tricky but a good exercise for me. If you didn’t keep coming forward, it didn’t work out. Period.
The video is a pretty good example of that. My completely crooked wiggly botch at fence 6 is because I clamped up instead of continuing to let him go forward. The rest of it, where I actually put my leg on and kept going, worked out decently.
IMG 8821 from amanda chance on Vimeo.
Fence 1 was an oxer, 6 bending strides to the plank at 2. Then around the corner (which was very tight and short) to 3, 4 and 5 – a 3 stride to 2 stride combination. 6 was a little vertical, broken line with a short approach to the oxer at 7. It was one of the harder angles but actually rode pretty well. Then a tight left rollback around to 8, the gate, with a very short approach to 9 (easy to blow right past if you didn’t get them back quickly after 8), then 3 forward strides to 10. Fences 11 to 12 rode as a going 4 or a whoaing 5.
It was a sea of plain white jumps. For the most part I was satisfied with how it went, but felt like I was a little sloppy, a little reactive instead of proactive, and of course WTF at fence 6. Very happy with my horse though and how well he listened and how very honest and game he was. Somebody get dat pony a halo.
After the lesson I clipped him again… yes, clip #2 already. Ugh. This time I left his legs since they hadn’t regrown much and he’s awful about them. Definitely not my best clip job but I was frozen and in a hurry and he kinda wanted to kick me in the head so it’ll do.
Sunday was decidedly non-horsey, unless you count washing saddle pads. The grocery store and new brakes on my car are not that interesting. But I did use a couple gift cards and go buy some actual winter clothes. Well… winter-ish. Better than what I had, at least! Hope everyone else had a good weekend! Just gotta make it through a 4 day work week and then we’re off to our first event.
Yesterday while I was at the barn a friend texted me and asked how miserable it was out there, with the cold weather. I thought I’d be clever and send a picture back of me and Henry looking sad and cold. The following is exactly how my selfie attempt went (and exactly why I should never try to be clever).
And then finally… we got one. Although he looks more naughty/pleased with himself than sad. Close enough.
Last night’s (really really ridiculous cold, seriously WTF IS UP WITH THIS CRAP why is it freezing in November in Texas? I don’t have the right clothes for this!) jumping lesson featured the circle of death. Of course like pretty much everyone I’ve done this exercise a million times before but honestly very very little with Henry.
With just poles we nailed it very easily. As soon as the jumps came up our inconsistent pace issue was highlighted in bright yellow. It took me a couple tries to really get a feel for the pace I needed – I always want to whoa too much – but we got it and I think it’s really a great exercise for me with this horse. Then we cantered some single jumps, working on squaring the corner a bit and getting very straight while keeping a good pace and rhythm. He was great, we got the point of it, so we quit with that. I didn’t even bother asking Trainer to get video since I figured the Circle of Death with little jumps wasn’t very interesting. Or at least not interesting enough to remove hands from gloves and pockets. On Saturday we have another jumping lesson and my picture taking friend is feeling a lot better so hopefully she’ll be able to come out and get some visuals.
In the mean time – we’re only a week away from our first event! I’m feeling pretty calm and reasonable about it, except for that 5% of me that’s occasionally goes
I finally learned my dressage test (BN Test B, why you gotta be so awful?) and started making lists of what all I need to do over the next week to get ready. I may or may not have stalked the entries list to see who else is entered… I’ve got some serious competition. The good thing about feeling a little bit outclassed is that I tend to feel less pressure and take it less seriously, which ends up working out a lot better in the end. Hopefully I can stay that way.
Goals:
1) Remember dressage test
2) Stay in the ring
3) Don’t fall off
3) Remember the stadium course
4) Don’t get eliminated
6) Remember the XC course
7) DON’T FALL OFF
8) DON’T GET ELIMINATED
I want a number, not a letter.
I have a lesson today so hopefully I’ll have some actual riding content tomorrow (I swear I still ride), but until then…
I’m super late to this one (somehow I missed it!) but if there was ever a blog hop made for my hoarder collector self, it’d be this one.
Breeches and Boat Shoes asked:
What horsey things do you have that you can’t have JUST ONE of? From breeches, to bits, to bridles, I want to know what you hoard in the endless world of equestrian things.
Oh boy.
Well, since I gave a bridle away earlier this week I’m down to only 6 – the PS of Sweden, a Mark Todd, an Ovation hunter bridle, a custom hackamore bridle, a dressage bridle, and a spare dressage bridle (minus cheekpieces). That’s not too bad right? Planning on selling the spare bridle and maybe the Ovation.
My breeches collection isn’t nearly as bad impressive as some of my fellow bloggers. I’m down to just two pair of Animo, two pair of TS, a pair of ADE, and two pair of Annie’s. But of course I’m always looking to add to the collection. Looking at YOU, Tardis blue Annie’s and Spring ’15 ADE… come live at my house.
One of my major loves is bonnets, in case the big Firefly logo on the sidebar isn’t a major indication of that. I feel like I’ve displayed excellent restraint in only owning 7 (as of this exact moment in time). One for each day of the week. Maybe someday I’ll have one for each day of the month. A girl can dream.
Belts. I have no words, only a picture. Actually I take that back, I have two words: Mango Bay. And this isn’t including the 3 belts (two Mango Bay and one C4) that live in my locker at the barn.
The last thing would be Roeckl gloves. I’m up to 4 pair – two gray, one black, one navy. I’d take 10 more in a heartbeat. BEST GLOVES EVER.
Surprisingly I don’t actually have that many bits or saddle pads…
breedrideevent.com 