I hope points are awarded for effort, because I TRIED to get helmet cam footage of our XC schooling this weekend but failed. Again. My camera was actually on the entire time, just not recording. Technology, it has defeated me once more. BUT, I did get pictures of Bobby posing with the Training fence we jumped, and stole general internet pictures of the Prelim half coffin we jumped too, so that’s something…

Cantering up to the T fence, it didn’t look that big. Then we took off and I was like “Oh, that’s wide AF!” but by then we were already over it. Yay for not looking at fences before you jump them! Then you don’t know how big they really are.

In general the schooling was a really good day. Henry started out a little bit spooky (I have no idea why he’s spooky at this venue, he’s normal everywhere else) and I was trying to showjump canter everything, but once I let him go forward it was amazing how things actually worked out. Duh. The word of the day was “allow”. Half halt with the body but allow the horse to keep coming forward to the fence. We need to school XC more so I get better about remembering this.

We strung together a few BN and N fences to start, then went to the water and jumped the BN, N, and T routes through there. No problem with that stuff. Then up to the big mound taking the N route and circling around to the big Training hay feeder thingy. He peeked at that off the ground a little and I gave him a tap on the shoulder, then galloped around and he jumped it well the second time. In retrospect, that’s the biggest XC fence he’s jumped to date and it’s kinda spooky, so I can see why he gave it a little peek the first time!

Then we went over to an open ditch that was probably the deepest Henry has ever seen, AND it had water in it from recent rains. He’s jumped a few open ditches and several Trakehners but nothing quite this deep and dark. All the horses were a little spooky at it but with some encouragement and repetition it smoothed out. Henry was definitely looking down into it but he went. Once Trainer said “just ride it like a canter stride” something clicked in my brain and ta-da: it rode perfectly. Just like a canter stride. It’s amazing how sometimes all it takes is the right words… that’s how she fixed my down bank issue too. I think she’s a wizard or a voodoo queen or a unicorn priestess or something.

After the ditch itself was smoothed out, we jumped the ditch with two strides to the prelim log stack. It wasn’t very big, probably only 3′, but it’s the first ditch combination Henry has ever done. The whole thing took a few more shoulder taps but once he figured it out he was super game, locked on, and went right through.

All the shoulder taps he’d received up to this point (oh, what… 4 or 5? Henry says it was a million) had gotten him a little upset so we took a minute and relaxed and I made a big fuss over how good he was while he velcroed his brain back in place. Poor boy, those hamsters in his brain were working on overdrive the whole day. We ended the schooling with a trip up and down the banks, both of which he did perfectly on the first attempt so we let him be done with that. Mentally he was at full capacity for learnin’.

On the way back up the the barn Trainer and I discussed my plans for the future. I had intended on cornering her after AEC and giving her my 2 year plan (nope I’m not That Weirdo at all, I dunno what you’re talking about) but she beat me to the punch. I was happy to hear that her timeline for a move-up was actually even a bit ahead of my own plan, and that she approved 100% of the Novice 3 Day at Coconino. Will we run a Training before then? She thinks it’s possible. We’ll see how things work out. A lot will probably depend on how wet and miserable this winter is… if we can’t ride, ain’t nothin’ gettin’ done. Until then, I’m super pleased with the progress we’ve already made in Henry’s first year as an event horse. On to the fall season… starting with AEC NEXT WEEK.

Forever ago, when I worked at a barn, I had my own truck and trailer. Then I joined the world of normal 9-5’ers, sold the trailer, and moved to h/j barns where you pretty much went wherever the trainer went and you didn’t really need your own rig.

Now that I’m at a small barn with no resident trainer and back into the eventing world, not having a truck and trailer is a big hindrance. I’m lucky enough to have barnmates and friends that either drag me along with them or let me borrow their rigs if the logistics happen to work out. But a lot of times things don’t work out, or I don’t want to be THAT GUY abusing someone’s kindness by borrowing their nice things all the time. Being dependent on other people sucks.

In case anyone hasn’t read this blog basically EVER, I like to set goals. I want to qualify for things (like Championships) and participate in hard stuff (like 3DE’s in Arizona) and within the next couple years I’d like to move up to Training. I want to do everything I possibly can while I have the opportunity… we all know how fleeting that can be in the world of horses.

But to make those dreams happen and be successful, we need to do more. Ideally I’d like to haul out to some trainers a couple hours away that I really like for jumping lessons, and to the dressage trainer down the road as often as possible. Not to mention XC schooling (we need to do that as much as possible), jumper shows, and dressage shows. We need to be able to do all the things that will help make us better, without depending on someone else. The elephant in the room can no longer be ignored – a truck and trailer have become a necessity if I want to make any of these things happen. A rig represents freedom. A rig represents progess. Everyone needs freedom and progress.

That said, I am not of the financial situation to just go out and buy a truck and/or trailer. In fact, I’m in the really tricky position where if I were to go buy a rig, I really wouldn’t have the money left over to do all the things I’d be buying the rig FOR. Kind of a catch 22. So I really have no idea HOW I’m going to make this happen, but it’s got to. And I want it to happen within the next year, without sacrificing the events that my horse and I need to keep doing to make us better. Where there’s a will there’s a way… right? Step 1 is make a goal, Step 2 is a make a plan. I’m always a lot better at Step 1 than Step 2. Let’s not even talk about Step 3.

I always keep my eye out for trailers (there was THE PERFECT one for sale on a fb group for a couple months for only $4500, it’s like it existed there only to taunt me) and trucks that could work. I don’t need fancy, I just need safe. Eventually something will work out in the right place at the right time if I keep my eyes and ears open and keep working my butt off to make it happen. I have hope, even if that’s ALL I have. Maybe I’ve seen one too many Disney movies.

And so there it is, a want that has become a need that has become a goal, with no actual plan for how to make it come to fruition. Typical. How much is a kidney worth on the black market these days?

I finally got a chance to put together the pictures from Sadie and Merlin’s RPSI inspection. I was unable to attend due to other commitments, but the report back was that they were both super well behaved. Sadie was really TOO well-behaved, since they couldn’t really get her fired up enough to show her best gaits. She was approved despite that, as was Merlin. Being only 4 weeks old he was at a major disadvantage to all of the other more mature, filled out foals, but he still scored really well and won a lot of fans with his precocious temperament. Seeing how well Merlin turned out makes me even more excited for my Mighty Magic foal.

Photo Credit to Terri Hatcher for most of these!

I’m sure that anyone who is even remotely connected to USEA has seen the new rule change proposals on the docket. Anyone who has read this blog is probably not surprised that one in particular jumps out at me:

• Helmet and Body Protector Standards: Currently the USEF Rules for Eventing does not state a standard required for helmets, however it does recommend one for body protectors. With the new ASTM/SEI Standard released for helmets, the USEA BOG has recommended parallel wording for both pieces of protective equipment. While the wording is still being finalized, the rule would require all riders to wear a helmet and body protector meeting, at a minimum, the previous ASTM/SEI standard and strongly recommend the equipment meet the newest standard. In addition, body protectors meeting the BETA standards (the European equivalent) will be accepted.

I touched on the vest issue a while back, which was met with varying reactions, because I personally feel that the “standard” Tipperary vest that so many people wear is not adequate. That model vest is not ASTM/SEI or BETA approved, and to allow an un-approved vest to be worn on cross country seems more than a little silly to me when you consider that one of the biggest challenges in this sport is safety. We are lagging behind the rest of the world in that department. Once I did my research and upgraded to a BETA 3 vest, the difference was stark, obvious, and substantial. Comparing the two vests is like apples and oranges.

It should be no surprise to anyone that I whole-heartedly agree with and support this particular rule change proposal. I’m sure plenty of people would grumble about having to buy a new vest, but the priority of the sport has to be safety. I can’t imagine that anyone would be upset about the helmet standard… or at least I would hope not.

Although on the topic of helmets, Burghley was once again a disappointment, with only 26% of competitors choosing to don a helmet for dressage. And despite participation in Mind Your Melon promotions and sponsorship by a helmet company, Laine Ashker once again chose to wear a top hat – the only American to do so. Why in the world we still allow anyone to NOT wear an approved helmet for any phase of eventing is beyond me… hasn’t the safety of this sport been publicly scrutinized enough? It’s disappointing that people still continue to chose fashion over safety, and even more disappointing that you apparently have to make rules to force people to wear helmets.

Alas, rant over. Thoughts on the rule change proposal for vests?

It’s true that every once in a while even a blind squirrel finds a nut. The same thing is true with Bobby and good ideas.

After Corona, Bobby noticed that we were both qualified for Area V Championships at Novice. This year Area Championships are at Holly Hill in Louisiana, which is a venue neither of us have been to before. Surely you can see where this is going. Because when Bobby and Amanda get an idea, we tend to charge headlong into it with reckless abandon.

When Bobby first suggested Championships, I admit to thinking I’d rather go and enter the non-Championship Novice division instead. Usually it’s much easier pickins, being that everyone “good” is entered in Championships. Last year if you wanted to place in the CH division you had to finish with a score in the 20’s. Let me tell you what me and Henry WON’T do! Our dressage just isn’t there yet. But then I thought… my momma didn’t raise no coward. Sure, we’re very unlikely to place, but we will show up and we will give it our best shot. They’ll have to climb over me on their way to the top. Besides, how cool would it be for my pony to have gone to AEC at one level and Area Championships at another level all in his first year of eventing? He’s kind of a badass (not even a little biased).

So here we go on yet another adventure. The Novice course at HH looks pretty straightforward (pics from last fall’s regular Novice and the N Champs in 2012), nothing about it gives me pause for Henry. There are bank combinations and a trakehner and a wanna-be keyhole type thing, all of which he’s seen before in some capacity.

I feel especially ok with it too since Championships are at the end of October, and if all goes according to plan we will have run Novice at Greenwood a couple weeks prior. Greenwood is the ultimate Novice course in our area, IMO. They kind of have everything: related distances, a corner, a down bank to log bending line, a trakehner, water, jumps into and out of a crater, a baby ditch weldon’s wall, a big honkin ditch to kinda skinny brush line, and a giant-ass maxed out brush fence. The Omnibus listing describes it as “a variety of questions requiring horses and riders to be competent at that level”, which made me giggle endlessly in and of itself. If Henry can jump around Greenwood, he can jump around any Novice course anywhere… of that I’m certain. And I feel like he can 100% jump around Greenwood.

Sadly no one has posted a Greenwood N course walk on MyCourseWalk yet (I wish everyone in the world would get that app, it’s fantastic) so I had to nab screen caps from someone else’s helmet cam video:

  

Greenwood is going to be the “hardest” course Henry has ever seen to date, and I’m pretty excited about it. He’s up for the challenge. Especially since Greenwood comes a couple weeks after dropping back down to BN for AEC, which should be a fun easy confidence builder for him.

So now Henry’s fall season includes

National Championships

Greenwood (aka Novice Rolex)

Area V Championships

I already have my entries in for all three so I’m officially poor until November.

It’s been fun placing at every event we’ve been to this year, but I’m afraid that streak is about to come to an end my friends. And that’s okay, because