Survival

Good news: I did survive the massive layoffs in my company!
Bad news: Several co-workers and friends did not. Another major blow to journalism.

Sucks, but all we can really do is keep moving forward.

I had all sorts of plans hashed out in the case that I was axed.

• Couch surf across the country with various bloggers
• Move back home with my mom and keep Hampton in the garage
• Move in with the cats at the humane society
• Sell everything, become world's oldest working student with a big name trainer
• Teach Hampton to barrel race, make a living on the rodeo circuit.
• Run for president
• Go on tour following Phish and sell grilled cheeses
• Pick up a new career as a stripper
• Become a professional wine taster 

Alas, for now I will keep workin for the man. 

And maybe even dare to start planning a 2019 show season.

The Great Freestyle Debate

Our freestyle at Regionals earned us a 66%

Geez I am really late to jump on the new USDF Freestyle score rule change debate.

In case you didn't hear:

"A new rule was recently approved by USEF regarding the prerequisite score to ride a freestyle, increasing the score from 60% to 63% at the highest test of the level (DR 129.9). This change goes into affect 12/1/2018 to coincide with the new test cycle.

Over the past few years, the USDF Freestyle and Judges Committees have been discussing the quality of freestyles and the technical proficiency that seemed to be missing in some freestyles. This has also been discussed at the annual convention for the past couple of years. In the spring of 2018, the USDF Freestyle Committee, with the support of the USDF Judges Committee, put forth a proposal to the USDF Executive Board to increase the prerequisite score to 63%.

In reviewing the statistics for 2018, approximately 9% of the riders who rode a freestyle in 2018 will need to re-qualify to ride a freestyle in 2019."

Read the full statement here.

If I wanted to show my 4th level freestyle again this year, I could. I barely squeaked in because I do have a 63% at PSG somewhere. HA! Take that USDF! Didn't keep this shitty freestyle rider out of your ring!! SUCK IT.

I've come across a number of opinions regarding this change. I see all sides.

Same freestyle, less mistakes, got a 63% at Nationals.

On one hand, why limit the number of participants in freestyles? More entries = more money. If the judges have to judge crappy rides, THAT IS THEIR JOB and they can score appropriately. FFS judging a sub-par dressage test is still not the worst job in the world. I can think of a lot of jobs that would suck more.

On the other hand, yes there ARE people showing in freestyles who really aren't quite ready for that level. Or maybe they just have a super average horse that is a 6 on every movement no matter what. Those are the people you are excluding.

What if you can only afford 2 shows a year. And your first show the horse is tight and it isn't your day. People can't afford to keep going to show after show to get their score and then still have to show their freestyle. No, judges should not just give away scores but this is not Europe. Many of us show on OTTBs, draft crosses, ponies, etc. that are not going to get 7s, 8s on gaits all the time. Do you want to include them USDF? Or just push them out? I LIKE dressage, I WANT to spend my money on your sport USDF.

Not a big scoring horse but we hold our own

I think it's sad that so many will be excluded from participating in the Freestyles at rated shows. But, if USDF thinks it is best, what are we doing to do? If I can't qualify, I can't ride the freestyle. And that is that. I had really wanted to try for an I-1 freestyle one day, but it's doubtful I'll get a 63% ever in that test. It's not my fault, and not Hampton's fault. That is the sport. And I have to accept that.

However, many schooling shows do offer freestyles and don't have the qualification rules. So I say start jamming and do a freestyle anyway.

Damn the man, save the empire!!

How do you plan your rides

Working out butts off during a lesson in 2014 I think. With a sharp young horse developer, fellow
blogger and friend who really believed we could make it to FEI.

I try to lesson once a week, but the rest of the time I am on my own as far as what to do that day with the Porkchop.

Most of the time I try to give him the day off after a lesson day, since we typically school pretty hard during lessons.

Which makes our current schedule look something like this:

Sunday: Light school

Monday: Dressage

Tuesday: Dressage

Wednesday: Fun day*

Thursday: Light work/school

Friday: Lesson

Saturday: Off

But we have plenty of No Dressage Days.

*Fun day is a light hack, hills, "gallop" sets around the farm, poles, an easy lunge, maybe some jumping. A Light schooling day could also turn into a lunging/long line day at times.

And obviously this schedule gets changed around during show season. And with winter weather he will get more days off due to footing or my general lack of give-a-shits. But this is the general idea.

Usually on the drive to the barn I will start making a plan of what I want to work on. Did we do pirouettes the day before? Then today I would make a trot day, maybe lateral work. One day I might do nothing but forward and back within the gaits, and tons of sharp transitions. I have had days where I have done mostly canter leg yields in all sorts of configurations.

What Hampton would rather be doing at all times.

If he gives me super flying changes and tempis, then I will leave those be for the day and pick something else to work on. Other days, I have gone around and around doing changes whenever the F I wanted them. There have been a couple of days where he gave me such amazing passage I stopped, dismounted and put him away after maybe 20 minutes. Poor Hampton is always my victim whenever I audit a clinic, or watch videos and then I will try those exercises on him. hahaha

Dressage with speed bumps

I guess my point is that plans are good, but you have to be ready to change it depending on what you feel that day. Every day I always work on suppleness and straightness. And EVERY DAMN DAY I have the same discussion to get in front of my leg. And then the "tricks" are right there!

And if I am drawing a blank, there is my favorite book ever that I pick an exercise from and do that for maybe a warm up something to challenge him.

and shoot there is one for jumpers and eventers, too ..

How do you plan your rides?

Or do you just see how the horse feels and go with that?

White knuckles

While Hampton has been feeling good and schooling like a champ, the rest of my life is a bit tense at the moment. There is a chance I will get laid off next week because about 75% of my job is being eliminated. I am hoping that I just get moved to work on another product, but I have my resume updated and am trying to come up with plans to get by until I find a new job.

I don't have any savings, and nothing to fall back on. I don't have a spouse to pick up the slack. It's a very scary situation to be in.

I would need to get a new job within a week or I would have to take drastic measures. (Well, depending on any severance pay they may or may  not offer) Selling Hampton would be a last resort, but I most certainly have considered that option. But only if I am about to become homeless. I would sell my condo before I sold Hampton, hands down. haha

All of that is still up in the air though and I'm trying to remain optimistic that my team will just get moved around a bit instead of laid off.

All the while my boss has not been around to reassure anyone as her husband is extremely sick in the hospital.

Which brings to me to .... stuffs for sale!

This is my Ryder Zara which I rode in for a number of years, until I won my new saddle. Has panels best suited for horses with broad shoulders. It's stamped 17 x 4. Standard 16" flaps. Thigh blocks, but they are not super bossy. Very comfy. They sell new for around $2000. I am asking $1300. I'm not opposed to giving a blogger discounts either haha.

Prestige Collections RJ Classic black show coat. Great condition. Size says 2R. Regular length, should fit bust size 34-35, waist 27-28 and someone who is 5'4-5'7. Have more photos for reference if you need. $80

Coat in action!

Fingers and hooves crossed that I keep my job!

Hello 2019!

This is the 10th New Year's Day ride Hampton and I have enjoyed together.

Wishing everyone peace and love in 2019.


--  Karen & Hampton

365 days.

One year has passed since my father died.

The past year all I have tried to do is keep on living exactly how he would have wanted me to.

Seems like a good path to stay on.

--

Below is the eulogy I wrote for him, and managed to choke out at his funeral. Only now can I go back and read it without sobbing again. It's still heartbreaking to think of his suffering, and all he will miss out on. 

But finally I am reaching a really beautiful stage of grief. Mostly when I think of him I smile. I love to talk about him and remember him. I know you are supposed to "get over it" and I had one person suggest that I'm "just at that age" where parents die. (Really? 38? I dunno any age seems too young), I know it's part of life, and I accept it. 

But still miss him.

__

Eulogy.

Before I begin I would like to thank all of you on behalf of my entire family for being here today and for the amount of compassion and sympathy shown to our family over the past week.

For those that do not know – my name is Karen and I am Dan’s oldest (and smartest) daughter.

__

My father was my first love. He was my hero, my protector and supporter. I thought he lit the sky.

We all knew him in different ways. But we all have one thing in common – he was one we went to for advice, wisdom – or sometimes he would just say “Don’t worry.”

He truly enjoyed sharing his thoughts and advice.. I know he was a safety net for so many of us. He always knew what to do and was a rock for all of us to lean on. He loved all of us more than he loved himself. There has never been a moment in my life where I have doubted my father’s love and I know that many others are not so lucky. Most people never experience love like he and my mother had.

___

Some of his last words of advice to me were “Take care of each other.”  That was my father. Still thinking of others even in his last days.

I always admired the kind of quiet dignity my father had. His stoic nature only amplified his incredibly unique sense of humor. I think we can all relate to my father’s rather dry wit at times. No one was immune from his remarks.

What I experienced last week was enormously profound. He knew what was happening, and even so – and even through a haze of morphine – he was STILL making sarcastic comments. He was still making us all laugh during such a heartbreaking time.

My father literally laughed in the face of death.

They say hearing is the last sense to go, but I am thinking for him it was humor.

___

It was a privilege to be by the father’s side during his last moments. He helped bring me into this world, and I was there to help him leave. His death of course broke our hearts, but he also left me with a sense of peace that everything will be ok.

I think we can all agree there will never be another person like my father.

But we can carry on his legacy of kindness and humor.

And we can take care of each other.

Thank you.

If you want to know where I get my twisted, dry sense of humor.
You are lookin at it.

KPG Clinic notes

Kasey teaching a friend of mine on her TB/Connemara gelding

Olympian Kasey Perry Glass was in the area again last weekend. The clinic cost more than my mortgage so obviously I couldn't ride this time, but I did get to audit!

During a short break I talked to Kasey for about 10 minutes. She DID remember me from April and is just the sweetest person possible. I love that she represents USA dressage because I'm not sure you could have a nicer person.

We chatted a bit about what's next for her and her horse Dublet. She might do the World Cup, but is really aiming toward Tokyo 2020. I had to laugh to myself as she was discussing her possible show schedule and how it affects her world ranking.

"Ah yes, Kasey. I def keep my own World Ranking in mind when planning shows."

Sorry for my lack of media

She also had some funny things to say about this years WEG and the whole hurricane situation and the freestyle getting canceled. Basically she said yes the weather was crappy, but they ride in weather like that all the time in FL. However, it seems Charlotte and Carl (yes THAT Charlotte and Carl) LEFT before the final decision was even made regarding the freestyle. So reading between the lines I wondered if that was a big reason it was just canceled.

She was also very sweet and asked about Hampton. I of course proudly explained how we were polishing the 2-tempis and even touching on the 1s. She seemed genuine and was very encouraging. Here we come Tokyo 2020!!! #not

Sadly I had to work that afternoon so only caught about 4 rides. She is a very patient, kind teacher and worked well with both green pairs and more experienced.

Here are my notes:

• Leg on anytime you take with your hands
• in shoulder-in, counterflex if the horse isn't listening to your inside leg. Push shoulders in
• In counter canter, play with change of flexion
• If your horse bobs his head in the canter, push toward the hand and play with the bit
• Transitions within gaits to build strength
• Be able to put the poll wherever you want
• Flying changes: Push off the new inside leg before change
• Do changes on small lines (like a figure 8). It shortens the space you have to collect them
• If they "stop" in their mouth, go forward
• In half pass, anytime they want to slow or disconnect, change to a leg yield, go fwd
• Open inside rein in half pass to help shoulder over
• Shoulder fore to half pass and back to shoulder fore
• Transitions!
• Keep a slight shoulder fore in mediums