Porkchop in the press

As if his ego wasn't already out of control, Hampton has been in the news again lately.

He made the USDF Connection yearbook issue in recognition for earning his rider her Silver Medal:

That's us, bottom right! 

And the KDA newsletter featured him in a fun new column:

Meanwhile, I've been able to keep his weight pretty steady. He is still a bit thin, and lacks much of a topline, but at least he doesn't resemble skeletor like he did at this time last year. He is getting Equine Senior, FibreEnergy Hallaway grain, beet pulp, cool calories and Super 14 so (oh wait that maybe explains all the EXTRA ENERGY lately ...) .. and of course free choice hay. So I am happy if he just holds steady and doesn't get any more thin. When the grass comes back in he will bloom again.

But the dapples tho!!

Meanwhile we are back in full work, and weekly lessons.

He is feeling good and we are slowly regaining our strength and fitness. I'm debating whether or not to body clip one more time. He won't be totally shed out by the time we have our big clinic in early April and I'd rather he not look unkempt. But I also hate body clipping ...

I also have been planning out the show season this week. That sort of helps keep me motivated when it's 17 degrees and I need to ride. haha.

Horse shows aren't won in June, they are won in January!

Right? errrr.

Lol weirdo

The gifts we give

It's been a little more than a month since my father died.

Helping me halter break one of our homebred Morgans.

He always worried about me, as dads tend to do. But as his health declined last year, I could tell how helpless he felt. He worried about me, about my family. How he couldn't stop this process from happening. He couldn't fix it for us. He couldn't make it better. He did everything there is to do to prepare for his own death - how difficult that must have been for him. But there's only so much paperwork you can really do. There's nothing you can do to prepare for the emotional void his death would leave. That, I think, perhaps devastated him more than the cancer itself.

My youngest niece grabs on to grandpa (my dad).
This was 5 days before he died.
My family experienced both the beginning and end of life in 2017.
What a f-ing year.

Who would watch out for me? Who would come to my rescue? Would I be ok? I know he thought about these things, and prayed - A LOT - about it.

He also started leaving little legacies around for us to remember him by. He made thousands (I'm not kidding, more than 2,000) of these crosses for children who receive first communion at his church. Each will have the kid's name engraved. Again, I'm not religious but I found it to be a very touching gesture. Because it was important to him.

There were a dozen or so others he engraved with the words, "Pray, Hope and Don't worry." This was the title of his favorite prayer book. He gave me one of these crosses over the summer, before he really started to decline. And an extra sat at his bedside during his final months and days.

My Christmas gift to him was a lovely throw blanket, embroidered with - you got it - "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry." He loved it, and while he only got to use it for 5 days, it laid across him during his final hours, and then across his coffin at the funeral and visitation.

As his health started to decline, my dad started writing notes to his friends throughout the years. They were just little cards, each with a personal message inside for the recipient. He had a list and he was checking off names as he completed each note.

We mailed them after he died. I bet those people cherish that card. It must have taken tremendous courage to write those - knowing it was a true and final goodbye. A gift so meaningful it's hard to put into words.

That was my dad, always finding meaning in the little things.

I so wish he could see the support and love that has surrounding me (and my entire family) this past month or so. He would be so enormously grateful and proud. And the little gestures that have kept me going the past month.

BFF Liz got me this bridle charm. It swaps out "love" instead of "pray" since
I'm agnostic, but the spirit is the same. My dad would love it!

From messages, texts, cards, thoughtful gifts, visits, loaning me a car when mine took a dump, flowers, food, hugs, laughs, craft parties, tequila, ice skating, and general kindness and understanding.

From my fellow cat-loving co workers.

Another thoughtful gift from friends.

I have always known I have good friends. But man, when you go through something like this - it is just humbling to realize how GOOD people are. There are good people in this world. A shit ton of them are in my friend circle. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I will do my best to pay it forward.

For my friends, and for my dad.

Thank you. You all know who you are.

A masterclass.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself with one incredible opportunity: The chance to watch Charlotte Dujardin teach a masterclass at the Kentucky Horse Park.

#nerdalert

I had been in need of some serious cheering-up, and when Kelly of Team Engaged offered me the chance to audit in exchange for standing in as a local reporter for Dressage Today, um of COURSE I said yes!

If you want to read the article I wrote - click here. It's a more "professional" roundup of my experience. But, I know that my blog readers much prefer more of the bullet point approach, and the "real story" so to speak. So here goes.

Want to know the secret to Charlotte's success?

It was clear to me almost immediately.

DISCIPLINE.

Americans are sloppy. We are sloppy, we are undisciplined, we are apathetic. Out of shape. We try to take short cuts.

Total, utter SLOP. Literally and figuratively.

Charlotte - and those at her level - are just plain and simple BETTER. More disciplined, perfectionists. Totally focused.

That's it. That's the secret to getting to the Olympics people. Well, that and a good horse and a lot of luck and money ... but mostly, discipline.

I like to think I have discipline and dedication. I don't. I let things slide constantly. I accept "good enough" more than I should. The riders in the masterclass were all great riders on lovely horses, but they all had much of the same little issues - especially transitions. It starts to carry through to everything.

I miss summer.

----

After I got home, I immediately quit riding with a whip. Charlotte does not ride with one unless she is going to work on some piaffe work. It makes you use your legs more appropriately, and the whip does not become a crutch.

---

I have a renewed sense of motivation for 2018. Charlotte was inspiring, blunt, cheeky and gave each horse a pat and a "good boy." She is a true horse lover - clearly enjoying horses for who they are, and not a means to an end. I would see her again in a heartbeat.

Improvement from the first picture! My core got stronger, I lifted my hands, and Hampton
had developed better self carriage. 

---

I may never see the inside of an International arena (although I do have a goal to ride in a CDI rated show one day ....) but I CAN make myself and my horse better.

And that is what I consider success.

-----

Other notes I took: 

● If you make a mistake, keep going.

● Every transition should be a good one.

● Eat, sleep and dream about doing good transitions

● Short reins, hands forward

● Transitions are the foundation.

● It’s about discipline.

● Add power, not speed

● Try not to overprepare for the flying changes

● Think shoulder-fore when you turn down centerline

● Don’t just work on what’s easy

● Dressage is about repetition

● Understand what your horse is capable of doing

● The horse’s head must be in front of the chest for straightness

● Choose a couple of things to work on each day. Do not drill and exhaust the horse.

InterWeb Lynch Mobs

Last I was slacking off at work working diligently and live streaming a big dressage festival that was occurring out west. During the I-2 class, a rider entered the ring and proceeded to perform a test that left myself, and many others, shocked. I mean, my jaw just about hit my keyboard.

I have been unsure on whether or not to blog about this. My intention is not to start an internet lynch mob directed at this lady. Mostly because there already is one. She is an influential Beverly Hills producer, and thus has the money to just keep buying super nice horses and move up through the levels. She is "skipping to the end" so to speak, as the horse she was showing is a CCI5* GP competitor from Germany. So, I'm am sure he probably cost a little more than Hampton.

However, somewhere along the way she neglected to learn the basics of dressage for herself.

I am not defending this lady. Yes her riding was bad, but that's one thing (my riding is bad at times, too). But her outright disregard for her horse was appalling. And even more so, there is a trainer who sent her in like this. And there are judges who let her continue. And a TD her let her continue.

She did get eliminated (I believe for taking her hand off the reins multiple times), but that was after her ride. It was too late to spare the horse.

And THEN the ride was DELETED from the FB page that had the live stream. SHADY.

It made me so sad that no one - not the rider, trainer, judges, TD - NO ONE - stood up for this horse. She was frustrated and took it out on him - multiple times - and it was beyond inappropriate.

I have enormous empathy for people who have bad rides. We have ALL been there. But this was a different animal. I honestly have never seen the likes of it.

But also ... and perhaps it's because my emotions are a little fragile these days - I felt hesitant to blast her on the internet. Does she deserve an internet lynch mob? Does she deserve all these comments you see? (And that's just what I've found on FB). I don't know this lady. Is she truly that abusive? What else is going on in her life that she lost so much composure? Did her trainer tell her it was ok?

I don't know her situation. I know she is being judged harshly by the public on her rides at that show. One of which in my opinion included moments of outright abuse.

But then again ... have I one-handed whipped a horse? Yup. Have I bumped one a little too hard with my spurs? Yup. Have I had moments I instantly regretted? Yup. Not at a show, or in pubic mind you. But yeah, I've lost my temper with a horse. I'm not proud of it. But I'll admit to it.

So what do you think? Does she deserve such public shaming? Was it abuse? What can we do as a sport to prevent this in the future?

More on this topic at the COTH forum. And Writing Riding blog.

Insane in the membrane

The Porkchop has been back to work for a little while. Now that temps are warmer than Antarctica.

He actually back back into work fairly good. He feels good, but we are both out of shape. So when he turned into World's Most Ridiculous Horse on Tuesday I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyone else have a 10-year-old FEI horse that loses steering? How about flags his tail and snorts? Or bolts for no reason? How about when you get off to lunge a bit, does your horse TAKE OFF and drag you - skiing - all the way to the other end of the arena?

No? Anyone else?

The blur would be my horse going nuts on the lunge

Before I went for a ski.

Hampton is a wonderful, good boy 95% of the time. But I try to be honest on this blog and I will say that when he cannot horse, he really cannot horse. I couldn't even be mad at him. He had just lost his ever-loving mind.

Please don't call PETA on me for the next photo, but this is how I finally got him stopped after he was bolting all over the arena with me hanging on for dear life on the other end of the lunge. He was spinning in circles and got the line all wrapped up under the saddle and across his nose.

Well shit Hampton, this wasn't my fault dude.

*ROLLS EYES*

I for sure wasn't about to let go because he was wearing HIS BRAND NEW BRIDLE and I did not want him to take off around the farm and break it. So yes, I held on like a goddamn champ.

STILL SNORTING at things after all that.
But, NEW BRIDLE IS PRETTY.

And thankfully, for our lesson on Wednesday I had my Porkchop back. Brains and all.

Review on the new bridle coming up AND - notes on the Charlotte Dujardin clinic I audited!

Down the Fence

Just watched an outstanding documentary on Netflix.

Down the Fence is about the Reined Cow Horse competitions, but it applies to all of us. Some really great interviews, footage and emotion.

I give it 4 stars!

Paging my blogger friends

Traditional New Year's Day ride. Too cold to even put on tack.

Hope everyone had a great New Years!

I fell asleep around 10 pm with my cat in my lap. I'm not sad about it either haha.

I need to pick your brains on something.

I am going to start a memorial scholarship/grant in my father's name for the Indiana Dressage Society. I haven't presented anything to the board yet, mostly because I need more ideas. Bloggers to the rescue!

I was thinking something for a Jr/YR or AA, someone who trains their own horse. I don't think I will limit it to any certain level, but you do have to have a required amount of volunteer hours with IDS.

Huh. We were showing PSG this summer. Hopefully all that training is under
all those layers still?

I'd really love more ideas on what grants you think would be most beneficial? Is there a niche missing? I really want this grant to go to someone hardworking and deserving, not a big name pro or trust fund baby who has everything paid for already.

No such thing as a dumb suggestion so throw them my way! :)

__

In other news I am OVER this cold snap and Hampton needs to go back to work badly. He is snorty and obnoxious these days. Oh he had his hocks injected again so now he feels REALLY good .#possiblyneedaneckstrap lol