Under pressure

I think dressage teaches me something new every day. 

On Tuesday I had a lesson with L (new instructor) and we started teaching Hampton passage. If you had told me that Hampton would learn passage before the end of 2013 I would have laughed in your face. But, here we are.

We all know that Hamps is not the most gifted horse in the movement department. Teaching him passage is going to help improve his trot. So in the end he will have his passage and then I am hoping to have a sort of hybrid passage trot that will be the trot I bring to the ring.

Anyway, here is is how we started introducing that to him.

Start with half steps. Hampton has a real knack for half steps. He has learned to do this even though I have no idea what I am doing. The concept just made perfect sense to him. Then ask for real piaffe. Again, this came pretty easy for Hampton. He's quite good at staying animated with his hind legs. My instructor does not even need to walk beside us with a whip. (note: Please don't think that we do some Olympic level perfect piaffe. He schools this very nicely for a 6 year old, lol).

Normal BLAH trot will hopefully improve.

Once in piaffe I think "Ok this engagement but bigger steps." But to Hampton I am sure this sounds like "Go go go ... no whoa whoa  GOO ... whoa, stay here, stay with me .. GO GO"

And then all of a sudden he was dancing!! It was for real the coolest thing. He can only maintain it for 4-5 steps but the gear is in there. He understood. He found the right answer.

But of course in true Dressage Rider fashion, I had to overanalyze everything. Is there another equestrian sport where we put so much mental pressure on the horse? I really could not think of one.

Now I see that perhaps the most important quality in a dressage horse is the ability to handle mental pressure. I can see how some horses may blow a gasket during this process. You are asking them to go and whoa at the same time, and you have to insist upon it at first. A real recipe for rearing if you ask me. But never once did I feel Hampton start to freak out. He just kept trying. 

So while he may be an ordinary mover, he has an extraordinary brain. In that moment when we were dancing I thought "Holy shit, I may actually ride a Grand Prix one day."

But then I snap back to reality and remember our flying changes still suck ass. ARGH.

:) 

Shave and a haircut.

I finally gave in and gave Hampton a trace clip. 

See how cute I am? I will now inspect you for treats.

He had grown the world's best winter coat, and as a result has not worn his blanket yet this winter. But he also gets sweaty quite quickly when we work and I am tired of the sweaty mess of hair I have to deal with every day. 

So hair off, blanket on. He was a good boy and required no drugs for the process.

One treat is insufficient, lady.

I call these Flinstone dapples, lol. Whatever they are, it is adorable.

I think this is also called an Irish Clip.

My Strange Addiction: Model horses; Links

Just in case you are looking to get started in the model horse world .. come on, I know some of you out there are crazy weird bizarre love trying new things like I do ... here are some of my favorite links.

Here's another photo of my beloved Ahzz. This one shows off more of his detail.
He would be considered a silver dapple bay.

Model Horse Sales Pages | http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com
This is a really great resource for 1) Buying all the ponies, tack, etc. and 2) Finding approximate value on models you already own - especially original finish Breyers. Oh and 3) Drooling. Just use the tabs on the left and you can sort through ads. You can buy everything from unpainted artist resins, to saddles, to random collectibles.

Burn Season. I showed him as a Hannovarian.

Model Horse Blab | http://www.modelhorseblab.com
Blab is basically a forum and/or message board for discussing all things model horses. You have to pay to start your own posts, and view certain topics, but you can learn quite a bit by just browsing through for no charge. This is sort of like COTH, but for model horses.

Save the Empire, a Saddlebred, obviously.

Breyer | http://www.breyerhorses.com
For all things Breyer. Got news for ya, Breyers aren't just for kids and the company knows this. They do cater to the younger crowd, but have made good efforts in pleasing those of us who are older and never grew out of the obsession. Breyerfest, conducted annually, is at the Kentucky Horse Park every year. It's a whole new level of insanity. Trust me on that one.

This guy is a Breyer mold, repainted by Thomas Bainbridge.

Stone Horses | http://www.stonehorses.com
Meh. Ok, I will go ahead and say it. I don't like Peter Stone. And I don't like the product he produces. But you can be the judge. Peter Stone used to work for Breyer, before branching out and starting his own line. His models are quite pricey, and often times sloppily painted. Some of the sculptures he selects are real pieces of shit, too. Mr. Stone made a very mean comment one time at a live show I was at, (not at me, but about hobbyists in general) and after that I never purchased another one of his models (unless it was customized by another artist). I don't support this company, but plenty of people do.

Equine Resin Directory | http://www.equineresindirectory.com
If you like artist resins, this site is for you. It's a total droolfest. You can search by resin name, sculptor, owner, painter, and more. I put in a search for myself as owner and the results produced several bombdiggity resins I used to own. It made me sad.

Another one of my ALL TIME favorites. I'd buy her back if I ever had the opportunity.

North American Model Horse Shows Associaton (NAMHSA) | http://www.namhsa.org
This is sort of like the USEF for model horse shows. You can look up NAN qualifying shows in your area, find info about NAN (the National Championship show) and more. A great hub for those who are really into the live showing aspect.

ID Your Beyer | http://www.identifyyourbreyer.com/links.htm
This page has additional links - a pretty good collection - for more information on the hobby. Here is a link on LIVE SHOW ETIQUETTE, for example.

International Model Equine Hobbyists | http://www.imeha.org/
This organization still does photo shows - although online I believe.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of additional links out there. These are just some that I visit most frequently, or are most popular.

If you find yourself engulfed in some of the forums, you will find that the hobby has its own set of bat shit crazy drama. It's quite hilarious and used to be one of my favorite pastimes to read the fights that flair up - all over fake horses!

But there are plenty of awesome people in the hobby, too, many with real horses as well. Man, I really miss it. Be sure to check out posts from Lauren at She Moved to Texas for more information about the hobby. :)

Off with your head! I mean, shoes!

I went ahead and pulled the plug and had Hampton's shoes pulled for the winter. I know this is sort of a controversial topic, but I felt it was best for him at this time.

Showing barefoot a year ago at Flying Cross Farm.

I lunged him today to see what condition he was in and ... actually he was not too bad! Totally sound, just a bit more flat up front. More like a flippy toe hunter than the rolling movement he had before. But he did not appear sore - even when walking over gravel.

So that tells me that he will likely toughen up after a few weeks and be just fine barefoot for the winter. I prefer that because I do not like shoes + ice + snow. I'll of course continue to ride, but only in our arena (nice footing) or the grass fields. After a month or two I bet he will be fine to hack up and down the gravel lane.

I also like the fact that he feet now have a chance to breathe and reset. He has awesome feet and the shoes were more of an enhancement than a necessity. They will go back on in the spring for show season. I know some people may not agree with that, but it worked really well for us this year. And you just never know what kind of footing you are going to run into off the farm.

From this summer. Shoes = Hampton must wear bell boots 24/7.

Also while lunging today I noticed how strong and even his hind end has become. His little "hitch" sometimes get worse when the weather gets cold, but it was no where to be seen today. And hasn't been around in a while. He was moving wonderfully. Very fluid and loose.

We have a lesson on Saturday. Temps are supposed to be back up in the 60s. Kentucky, you slay me.

My Strange Addiction: Model Horses, overview

** For more fun stuff on this hobby AND a cool contest, check out She Moved To Texas, who is also a model horse hobbiest.**


I tend to keep this hobby of mine on the down low. Mostly because it is bat shit crazy ... silly ... insane ... weird ... an odd hobby. So brace yourselves.

Part of my collection and their loot at a Michigan show (Yes I traveled as far
as Michigan, Ohio, Nashville, Kentucky, Illinois)

I have had model horses - mostly Breyers - since I can remember. I was born horse crazy and Breyers were an obvious choice for birthdays and Christmas presents. Pretty normal, right? All girls have Breyer horses. Well, I kept collecting them through high school. And then I kept at it through college - only now I was forking over entire paychecks for them. Then I purchased tack. And decorations. Each horse had a show name, maybe even a "barn name." They were stored in a glass cabinet and no one, and I mean NO ONE was to touch them except me.

This is At the Drive In. I sold him and then a few years later bought him back
and I still have him. I think this photo is a Reining Class. Basically the idea is to capture
a moment in time and make it as accurate as possible - you must provide a description
for the judge.

I dated an architecture student in college and I made him make me an exact replica of a Rolex jump to 1/9 scale for my model horse showing purposes. (Brilliant on my part, now that I think about it).

Think I am crazy yet?

A picture of part of my show collection (college years I think)

At one point I had about 40 horses, pretty much all of them were Artist Resins or customs. A.K.A. they were REALLY expensive. But, I knew what won in the show ring. And I was very successful for a number of years. I went to NAN - that's the North American Nationals - one year in Lexington and came away with several awards there. Breyerfest was like model horse porn. It nearly made me foam at the mouth. I was on the board for NAMHSA for a year and was very active in the community both online at at live shows. I hosted my own live show - Giddy Up Live - for 2 years.

One of the breathtaking Artist resins I owned at one point. This one was painted
by Carolyn Boydston. These resins can cost upwards of $2000+

Another one of my absolute favorites. Ahzz. He also won a Res. National champion title at NAN.
I showed him as Tenn Walker. This photo does not do him justice this model was gorgeous. I actually
cried when I sold him.

Sadly, I started running into financial problems (not because of the models, but because of the real world and stupid decisions I made), and I sold the majority of my collection to pay rent and bills. It made me sick and broke my heart. Then Hampton came along and I never did replenish my collection because he eats most of my money. (I'm fine with that, by the way). I do still have maybe 10 horses left - including my favorite model ever, Hiss the Villian, who won everything under the sun for me.

Hiss the Villian was a Reserve National Champion for me. (That year NAN was in Rupp Arena
in Lexington)

Vill again. Cleaning house.

Yes she is wearing a running martingale and jump boots. :)

I think I should write more than one post on this because showing was a big part of my life for many years. I miss the hobby terribly, but the nice thing is that you can leave and come back when you are ready and it will still be there. :)

Coming up: 
My own painting/custom attempts (spoiler, it did not go well)
Performance classes
Links so you can get started in the hobby
Old School (photo shows, breeding ... you read that correctly)
Day in the Life of a live show
.. and more!

Thank you to She Moved to Texas for spurring this along and inspiring me to write about this!

So this happened.

Relinquish your carrots to me, lady!

Oh, you know, not big deal but we did 3 single flying changes across the diagonal today. When I asked. Clean. On the first (and only) try. It was probably a fluke since I caught Hampton off guard in asking him that, but ... holy cow I really did not expect him to do it! (I was feeling inspired and brave after watching the US Dressage Finals online). No photos or videos so ... guess it didn't actually happen. haha.

I squealed "GOOD BOY" so loud a fellow boarder came running out the barn thinking something was wrong.

Guess he has earned himself a nice hack day in the field tomorrow. :)

And I have earned myself a beer angry orchard (zomg I am obsessed). After work that is.

Driving cadillacs in our dreams

Hampton and I have been getting down to some serious business. I am trying to work really hard before the weather goes to total shit and we are forced to take a short vacation.

Also, I have been taking a few lessons from a different instructor lately. ... There, I said it. It feels like I am cheating on J, who has been an enormous part of our progress this summer. I wasn't actively looking for another teacher, but this new gal just recently moved herself a couple of students to our farm. I have watched her ride and it is just beautiful. I want to know what she knows. So, I asked for some lessons. Since she is there anyway ...

Is that bad of me? Is that disloyal? I still plan on taking lessons from J, too, but maybe only once or twice a month. They are two VERY different teachers, but both have really helped me. I feel like I am cheating on a boyfriend or something ...

Here is a portion of what Hamps and I have been up to lately:

• Canter half pass from the rail to the center line. Then go straight. If he gets the wiggles, stay on that same lead and turn at the end of the ring (so if we half pass left, we would turn left). Repeat. If we get to the centerline and he stays straight and jumpy, do a flying change and turn the other direction. Now that Hampton understands the aids for the flying change, now we have to clean them up. He has to be STRAIGHT and I have to change things up so he doesn't decide to change when I don't ask. I appreciate his efforts but I'm the one driving here.

How Hampton feels after working on changes and pirouettes.

• Starting the pirouettes. Now we are really entering the "Karen has NO CLUE what she is doing" territory. I was able to get a taste of what a REAL canter pirouette feels like today. It is an entire new level of collection. I was able to think "make his hind legs jump up under me, but not go anywhere." There is a difference between collected canter on a small circle, and a real pirouette at the canter. We only got 1 or 2 strides (before Hampton understandably puttered out), but I felt it. I need to be able to find the moment where you need to ride out of that collected canter, too.

Sort of what we look like when attempting canter pirouettes:

• Half steps. New instructor has been helping us with this from the ground. Hampton has really got the hang of it and it really makes him so much more uphill. We will be adding passage soon (or at least the idea) in order to add more cadence to Hampton's trot.

Would like to add more reach and swing in his shoulders, too.

• Adding more expression to the trot half pass. I have been adding in some of the "WHAM-O" leg yield technique I used when I was first teaching Hampton to leg yield. For example, half pass left off the rail, at the centerline change it to leg yield and WHAM-O (pony club kick) with the outside leg. This will result in some ugly steps, cantering, kicking out, grunting, etc. BUT the next time around, same thing only ask nicely and he moves with much more expression and obedience off the outside leg. :) Disclaimer: This technique is probably not a smart move with super hot horses, or horses who hold a grudge. Hampton is just one of those types who responds well if you rattle his cage a bit, and then be quiet.

Checking out the lump on his back. Look pretty supple to me here! Hmmm.

• In general more suppleness. More uphill balance. Strengthening. So, LOTS of transitions. LOTS of forward and back in the same gait. Lots of circles, bending, counter bending, spirals. Etc.

New instructor came up to me after my lesson today and says, "You know, at the stage he is now, I think you can do 4th level and Prix St. George next year."

My reaction:

I laughed and told her not to blow smoke up my ass!! But I guess .. really ... if you think about it ... the pieces do come together rather quickly. It is a BIG BIG maybe on my radar. My only goal for next year is third level and my bronze medal. Hampton will only be 7 years old. It's not that he can't do all the "tricks," it's that I'm not sure the strength and suppleness will be there. But never say never!

Maybe I should be looking at shadbellies .....