From the judge's booth

I had the opportunity to judge a little schooling show back in August. A friend of mine from college has her own farm in Ohio and asked me to come judge. It was an easy 2 hour trip and lovely weather.

The show was filled with all types - from kids on pony packers, to those giving their green horses some experience, to a few pairs at Second and Third level. The majority was Intro and Training Level tests. I have to say, judging really gives one a who new perspective on showing. Not once was I bored, in fact I really enjoyed the job and have started to give more thought into the L program for dressage.

That said, judges do have a difficult job. They can only judge what is in front of them at that moment in time. Sometimes they make mistakes too. (I called one girl off course when in fact she was not. Geez. She handled it well though). There was only one "complaint" that come from a parent who's kid scored lower than someone else's kid and that was "the first time that had ever happened." They wanted a reason, and by that time I did not even remember which pony was which!

Anyway!

There were a couple of specific movements that stood out as a theme for the day on "Where People Throw Away the Most Points."

#1: FREE WALK. I can probably count on one hand the number of pairs that had a somewhat decent free walk all day. Sooooo many lost points here. I understand that sometimes it just does not happen (horse is nervous, rider nervous, etc). But at least make an effort. Show that you are trying. At the very least march forward. This movement can be so easy, but you do need to work on it at home. It's easy points and it killed me to have to keep giving 5s. You do not need to have a fancy, upper level, expensive warmblood to nail the free walk. ANY horse can do it.

#2: HALTS. I am the first one to admit I do not work on halts enough. A square halt doesn't happen all that often for me. That is a detail I need to work on. However, all horses can halt. Again, this is a "non brilliant" movement. All your horse has to do is stop, and stand still. If he is not square, then fine, you can probably still pull off a 6 - possibly a 7 if he is close enough to square and the judge can't really see that well at C. But if you halt, and your horse steps backward, or steps to the side, or jigs, or never actually stands still - well then you are going to get a 4 or 5 at best. Teach your horse to STOP and NOT MOVE HIS FEET. That's a good place to start.

A couple of other things I noticed:

When your horse is naughty - smile! I mean, what are you going to do? First, smiling will relax you and frankly it gave a better impression if you just smiled and kept on going, than those who got angry or frustrated and started getting after their horses. It's ok to be firm, but don't get angry.

Use of voice during your test is a -2 error. The judge can hear you cluck and say "good girl" even when you are down at A. I was not too strict about this since it was just a schooling show, but something to keep in mind.

Also, if you are scribing - try not to fall asleep during a test.

Please, and thank you!

And if you ever have the opportunity to judge, or scribe, do so!

(I've included some links to a few helpful books. Mostly I am just testing out links to Amazon.com, but do feel free to click and buy if you should desire!)

Burn that Bridge

So Harmony in the Park was a whirlwind show you guys.

But first, spoiler alert, it was a total success:

Earlier in the week (Sunday/Monday) I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning (or a virus, or possible spider bite, I'm not sure but I am NEVER this sick).



I had to call in sick to work on Wednesday after coming very close to puking in my car. Thursday I had nothing to eat at all. Friday - the day I had to leave for the show - I finally caved and begged a PA friend to write me a script for some meds to keep some stomach quiet so I could show. She was so kind to do so! Thank goodness for awesome friends!

Hamps and I loaded up and drive up to the Hoosier Horse Park on Friday. The drive went smooth, but about 20 minutes out (this might be TMI people ... sorry) .. my stomach started to act up only it was the other end this time. At this point I am like FML.

I get to the HHP, unload Hampton, make a very unpleasant trip to the bathroom and then felt fine all of a sudden.

We got in a good school Friday evening with my favorite coach from Indiana. She was a great help and Hamps was well behaved. I put Hampton to bed and spent the night with a friend who lives fairly close. I did end up having to take some stomach meds as I was still a bit queasy and knew I needed to eat something in order to function the next day.

Saturday morning was downright cold (43 degrees). So I gave Hampton a morning lunge. He looked good and we got ready for our 11:48 am ride. It was Third Level Test 2. Warm up went pretty well. Hamps was a bit stiff (normal, just some tension in his back) but we did work a lot of it out. But it wasn't quite enough as there was still some anticipating in the ring and stealing flying changes from me. I was actually happy he did that because now JK could see what he does in the ring and help me prevent that for the next time. Even so, we pulled off a 62% in Third 2 (the first time I have ridden that test in the ring, it's difficult!). I was quite happy with that. A major improvement from May when we were getting 53 and 54%.

Warm up. Jumpy canter!

Our next ride wasn't until 5 pm and it was Test 3 in front of Hilda Gurney. No pressure.

Warm up was a little better, but we got in the ring and again he wanted to anticipate the change. The tension ended up blowing our left half pass totally. (clean change though...) Argh. And he got too low in the bridle. I blame myself there as I had not had anything to eat and was exhausted and not riding to the best of my ability there. But still, we got a 58% from Hilda. She had a lot of good things to say, and gave Hamps a 7 on gaits and me a 7 on ride position. I will take it! :)

Shoulder in.
Also, an example of how I constantly collapse my left side.

As I was checking ride time for Sunday morning, some gal was passing out jello shots.



I took 2.

They were good.

I wish this happened at every show, because Sunday morning's ride ended up being awesome! I was feeling better so Hampton was much more uphill and in front of my aids. We did Third-2 in front of Hilda and it was pretty smooth. There was just one little moment where Hampton spooked at something outside the ring and fell behind my aids. He ended up breaking from the canter to the trot for just a moment, but we recovered and carried on. 60.8% from Hilda this time. Yay!

Getting there! This looks more downhill that it actually is.
I think my photog friend tilted the camera because the fence is also facing down hill.
haha.

Our last ride was Third-3 and while Hamps wasn't as in front of my aids this time (I only warmed up for 10 minutes because I knew he was out of gas), the test went smooth and there was NO ANTICIPATING of the changes! yahoo!! Nice changes and our mediums and extensions at both trot and canter really improved over the weekend thanks to some great tips from JK and her assistant trainers. I was pretty shocked to see we earned a 64.7%! That means we are qualified for regionals, plus earned reserve champion high score AA Third Level as well!

It might be time to replace my grungy helmet.

Judges' comments were nothing surprising. We still need to work on keeping that uphill balance. Need more bend in the half passes. Better cadence. More extended canter! I need to quit being so mediocre and start to ask for more. Hampton is not going to run off with me. Lots of good comments like "talented pair" and "lovely moving horse". All 7s on gaits and rider position. Also, after my last test on Saturday Hilda came out of her box and said "Lovely browband!" ... I managed to stammer out "Oh, thank you!!". So that was pretty cool!

But the changes I made in our program back in May were clearly the right choice. This show was such a positive experience. At no point did I feel lost, or like I was floundering in the ring with no idea what to do. Also, no one insulted my horse or shamed me. Amazing how a show is much more fun when people are supportive. I feel like my confidence has been boosted and now I can't wait to show again. After the show in May I almost quit showing for the year.

Better uphill balance!
Just need to keep it the entire test.

 We still have a lot of work to do, and I need to remember that Hampton is still pretty young. Rome was not built in a day. It takes time to develop the balance and strength. Plus I am still learning to ride at this new level. We are figuring it out though!

We are aiming for a schooling show in a few weeks. The more times we can get down centerline the better!

Ok, I'll stop writing now.

More soon!

So, that wasn't actually a lead rope.

Alternate title: News of the weird
Alternate title: Tack room friends
Alternate title: THERE WAS A SNAKE UNDER MY SADDLE.


There I was, tacking up Hampton. I go to retrieve my saddle.

There is a strange object under the pommel.

That's weird, I thought, why is there a lead rope smooshed up under my saddle?

Then my hand brushed up against it. And it squirmed.

You know how sometimes it takes a second for your brain to make a connection? It was like time froze for just that moment.

And then 3 ... 2 ....1 ....

After I freaked out like a total valley girl, I of course went back in to snap a photo of it!

Our beloved farm manager Julian came to my rescue. He marched in there like Steve Irwin F-ing Crocodile Hunter and grabbed the snake by the head. #hero

The snake has been evicted for the time being. Our tack room has many holes in which mice and snakes can crawl into, so he will be back.  I don't really mind him (he is not poisonous), but he just can't live in my saddle!

The story didn't really end there because not 20 minutes later Connie went to get her saddle and found not only a mouse, but a nest of about 10 newborn babies.

Gee, THANKS Snake. Way to do your job!

So let's see, so far today before 11 am I found a snake, had snake removed, rode my horse, found a nest of mouse babies, drowned them in a pond (sorry, they would have suffered), and cleaned out the tack room to make sure no other surprises were lurking.

#horsegirlproblems

evicted.

Transformation

Jumping in on this neat blog hop started by Life of Riley.

2009 (dawww)

2014

Hampton twisted a shoe and stepped on a clip last week, so he's still recovering from that. It was sort of bad. But, he should be OK. We are still aiming for another bootcamp this weekend in Indiana as long as he is sound. I'm hoping that gives us a boost going into our last couple of shows for the fall.

Meanwhile, I'm obsessed with the WEG! Productivity at work is in the negative numbers. hahaha.

Skadaddlebreds

Freedom Hall!
I would LOVE LOVE to show here someday.
Note to self: Marry a billionaire.

Readers may remember last year's post on the World's Championship Horse show - the American Saddlebred show conducted at the KY State Fair. (The KY State Fair truly deserves a post of its own. Jesus).

In walk, trot classes, a handler is allowed to come in after riders line up.

Walk trot rider

The eventual winner of the walk trot class

So cute

Well I was back at it again this year! This time I had lower level seats for one of the morning sessions thanks to one of my old friends giving me an extra ticket. Yay!

The sessions started at 9:30 and did not finish until close to 3 pm. That is a lot of classes! The more I sat there and watched the more I missed it. These people have such a good time showing their horses. And they don't come out of the ring and overanalyze if they were not putting enough weight on their inside seat bone or how their horse really lacked longitudinal flexion and blah blah blah. The crowd can cheer and scream for their favorites and the horses just get better. It's so cool and sometimes I really wish dressage people would lighten up and have a little more fun.

Howie! He photographed me a bazillion times when I was a teen.

Country Pleasure classes require horse and rider to halt and stand quietly.

Play with all the hair!

There were some hairy moments, too. Many of the classes had more than 20 horses in a class. That is TWENTY skaddadlebreds trying to canter all at the same time. One girl got dumped and ended up under her horse's hind legs. She got up, but appeared stunned. She retired and left the ring. No helmet of course. Two other gals were "excused" (kicked out) of the ring because their horses were not in any sort of control.

Hackney Pony classes were also abundant. Want one?
Think again, these bastards
cost six figures these days.

I love when the riders pat their horses.

Western Pleasure classes have all the sparkly things

This elderly lady was unbearably adorable showing her western horse.

Also, one of the judges had a hurt leg and was unable to walk. He judged from a swivel chair in center ring. What if a horse had darted toward him? He would not have been able to get out of the way! He was also breaking rules in that in certain classes the judge must "walk the line" (walk down the lineup) to take a look at horses equipment, etc, and he was unable to do so. I guess management did not care?

Saw my old trainers and mentors as well. Here is Fay running to the winner's circle.

The strip (in which riders take the saddles off and the judge's evaluate conformation).
Plus, nice tail! (I don't think it's fake either)

This horse won $13,000 for first place.
Yup, you read that right.
Plus, Saddlebreds are awesome as first place gets TWO ribbons! TWO!!
Dressage you need to step it up!

If you have never been to an American Saddlebred show, I do encourage you to do so. Just be a fly on the wall. Listen to the trainers, to the owners, to the riders. Watch the warm up ring!

The chute.
Speaking of warm up rings, here's where they warm up in Louisville.
In dressage terms, the chute is about as wide as a 10m circle.
Riders just go up one side, stop, and turn around and go down the other!

It is such a different world, but so neat. I got to hang out with a friend of mine with whom I showed horses when we were both kids. Funny how 23+ years later we both still have horses, just in different capacities (he still has a ASB). My perspective has changed so much over the years. My friend still lives the high life and probably has never picked up a pitchfork. His trainer trains the horse, and my friend rides once or twice on the weekends. He spends shows drinking beer and chatting with fellow owners. But he tips the grooms well and does right by his horse.

This lady had been deaf (not sure how long, or if she was ever able to hear).
Just before the show, she had her hearing aid turned on and was able to hear for the first time.
When we entered the ring, she was able to hear people cheering for her
for the first time ever. She starting smiling and crying.
It was amazing.

What different lives we lead in the horse industry, but still - it's everyone's own journey and he enjoys his horse just as much as I enjoy mine. All of us can learn something from other areas of the horse industry. Just open your mind, eyes and ears.

But most of all, enjoy your horse.

In the end, that's all that matters.

Pony's First Hunter Pace (in which all hamsters leave the building)

Don't worry, I was smiling at the end. :)
(photos used with permission)

Everyone made fun of me.

---

Our area hunt club hosts a very cool hunter pace every August. Pretty much every horse person in a 90 mile radius shows up. Eventers. Hunters. Jumpers. Trail riders. Some dressage queens but not many of those. It is a gorgeous property. You could choose to be either on a jumping team, or a trail ride team. Jumping teams would move at a quicker pace and jump what you are comfortable with. Most of the jumps were BN size, a few were larger but most were very inviting. The trail ride teams did just that - they walked the course and took it easy.

Anyway, I decided I could keep up with some barn mates and so I joined their jumping team.

As we were getting ready, my teammates were teasing me and making fun of me because I was decked out in my cross country vest, holy shit grab strap and loads of sticky spray on the inside of my boots.

"Oh you silly dressage people!" "But your horse is so quiet and sweet"
"Why do you need sticky spray?"

Little did they know.

I knew what was coming, thankfully. Laugh all you want, people.

We started off our ride in good form. Hampton and I were behind my friend Lori and we cleared the first 3 jumps easily. At that point I was laughing and having a great time. Hampton was forward, but obedient and also enjoying himself.

But after those fences we had to come back down to the walk to cross through some woods. At the end of the trail, we hit the opening and Lori took off with her horse toward the next jump.

Well Hampton wanted to take off, too. And buck. I told him no, we needed to wait and stay off the other horse's butt. All Hampton was hearing was "blah blah blah"

Next thing I know, Hampton rears STRAIGHT UP in the air. He is flinging his front legs around like the fucking Black Stallion. I even see the bottom of his shoes!! My other teammate who saw it, yells out "Woooooowwww!" ... It was very impressive. I manage to bring him back down to earth and make him stay there by bringing his nose to my boot. People, this technique has saved my ass more times than I can count.

If we would have been out there alone, it would have been fine. It is when other horses take off and leave Hampton in the dust that causes the problem. He just cannot handle it. Even with another horse waiting back with us.

But unfortunately this ended my time with the jumping team. I knew it would only get worse from there. I could not just let him go and gallop because it just wasn't safe.  (translation: I am a chicken)

So I turned around and within a minute met up with our other team who were trail riders. Great timing! Another gal from our jumping team also went back with me as her horse (a lovely OTTB) was losing his mind as well. No reason to put ourselves at risk. We will just trail ride.

It took another hour for Hampton to calm down. He was chomping at the bit (literally), grinding his teeth, dancing around when other horses came by.  Not wanting to stand still. But he did eventually fall into Super Trail Horse mode and the rest of the ride was sane.

Our trail team trots toward the finish line. Hampton in the lead. Note we do have one rider-less
horse by this point ....

Until we came upon the creek.

I would not call Hampton a veteran trail horse by any means, but he does have a fair bit of experience. We've done some terrifying make me poop my pants more challenging trails and he was easily the most experienced of our pack. We got to the creek and Hampton was the first over, he did not even hesitate. The creek had a somewhat big bank on the other side and was pretty muddy. Once on the other side, I waited for the others. My friend's Arabian gelding just would not cross. Even after everyone crossed. He just would not go. So N (my dear friend) got off of him to lead him over.

This part I did not see, but apparently he went to leap over and ran right over the top of her. He stepped right on her thigh and shoulder, and his hooves hit her head (WEAR YOUR HELMETS. She was, thankfully!). When I looked back, I see her lying face first in the mud. And she didn't move at first. That freaked me out, but she got up and walked to the grass to sit down. She was clearly in pain. I felt so bad for her. She looked like she had just run the tough mudder.

So we got her on a gator to be checked out by the medics and the rest of us finished the course. (she is ok but I am sure will be sore tomorrow!)

By this time, the gerbils in Hampton's head had returned and I was actually able to jump the last 4 jumps in a very civil manner! WHY couldn't he have been like this the entire time I do not know. But at least I ended up on a good note and did jump some things.

The last few jumps were so fun because my horse was civil. Yay!

Then as we walked back to the trailer Hampton turned into a fire breathing, prancing, screaming stallion. I do not know WHO he was screaming for but apparently he is more fit than what he leads me to believe! I'm like WTF horse?! I was half tempted to lunge his ass but at that point my legs were rubber and I gave up. He was quiet again once we got back to the trailer. Weirdo.

So, that was a crazy morning to say the least. It did make me want to go cross country schooling because he was loving the jumps. I'm not sure I would do another hunter pace though. It was a little too much for Hampton's little brain. Unless I gave him Ace beforehand. hahahaha. Half kidding.

I did see a number of other horses also acting a fool, so I'm not mad at him for acting like a douche. It was just a very exciting environment. I think if we could have picked up a trot and STAYED trotting, we would have been fine. It was the stop and go, and his friends taking off and leaving him, that he just could not handle. What a ding bat.

And since he is so fit apparently, he can work every day this week.

Fat boy works the camera

It was a day off for Hampton since he worked his tail off last week. So I made it a spa day. Clipped him up, brushed out his tail and then made a lame attempt at a photo shoot.

I even had a plastic bag to shake thinking it would make him prance around, maybe arch his neck and look fancy.

Lady, WHAT are you doing.

No.

The good news it that the spooky, stressed out Hampton has faded away. Lazy, quiet Hampton has returned. The bad news is that lazy quiet Hampton is not much of a runway model.

The best at standing quietly while his human flails around like an idiot.

"Human there is a fly on my nose - please remove."

I've got more updates to write for sure. But his new shoes have made him a new man! No more spooking. No more tantrums! We've been working hard but both of us are happy and peaceful again. It's been fabulous!

Hi name is Hampton is this is my 4th pair of bellboots in a month!

Still standing in same place ....

Pulling the "here is my cute face now gimme carrots" look

Mane highlights. Possible 5th Backstreet Boy?

Sunbleached and a little fat, but otherwise looking good!

We've got a hunter pace coming up (yes, you read that right) ... and another show in early fall. We're sticking with Third, even though our work lately has started to include some more serious 4th level and even PSG work. The shoes and change in our program were major breakthroughs. He is so much happier and comfortable. The human is much happier as well. So good things all around! Will write up a more detailed update soon!

We're back! Hampton comes alive. bahahaha