One two three!

We got 3 one-tempis in a row!

.... this was after about 5-10 minutes of going around and around. I could get 1-1, but the elusive third change was just not happening. I was not fast enough with my legs, or Hampton got his legs tangled, or too crooked, or about a billion other things that must align in order to do the ones.

but finally - FINALLY - we got it!

Brick by brick right?

Dead Musicians?

Hamps and I have been enjoying this (finally!) fabulous weather lately!

And without any shows to prep for, we've gone a little rogue.

I took a jumping lesson which I LOVED and so did Hampton. The jumps were not big, but I learned a lot and Hampton even did a little half assed bucking at first he was so happy to be jumping around.

I am kinda sorta looking for a cheap jump saddle, as I can't really keep borrowing from people. And I definitely need to shorten my stirrups even more. I felt like my knees were in my chest but as you can see they most certainly were not. So a call out to my blogger tack-ho friends, my budget is around $200-$300. I realize the kind of saddle that will buy me but I don't jump often. I just want one to bop around on. Medium tree. Annnnnnd go!

And of course we have been working on dresss-AGGGGHHHHE. I have started to play with some one tempis again. I left them alone most of the summer because Hampton was getting riled up about them. I really think he needed to find his balance in the 2s a little better, because now he will do a 1-1 change and remain calm and mostly balanced.

You can see I lose his haunches there a bit at the end, so we have a long, LONG way to go with straightness and balance. But this is a fantastic base. Soon I will try a 1-1-1 and see what happens! 

And the canter pirouettes. Ah yes, those things have really been difficult for us this year. I was not riding them correctly and Hampton learned bad habits because he is smart and he's rather work smarter and not harder.

He learned to slow way down and use his neck instead of his booty. Resulting in his poll DIVING down to the center of the earth. This left me with really no leverage or ability to fix the pirouette within the actual movement. It dinged our scores. It''s horrible to ride when your horse's poll disappears.

Yeah that's the middle of a canter piro.
(Thank you Jen S for capturing both good and not so good!)

I promise I'm not rollkur-ing him. If he dives down on me, you can see he does not
have to load his hind legs. His croup is actually up in the air.
Trust me, I'm putting an end to this habit. 

BUT I have new tricks and have really gotten after this movement the past few months.

You can see he still wants to use his neck, and gets a little locked at the base but this is MUCH better and he is keeping the jump better. So we will keep working at it. I think he can score well on these, he can sit for sure! 

It is so fun training a horse like Hampton who has a wonderful work ethic, but at the same time is really teaching me to deal with just about any trick in the book. 

And finally I've started to work a bit on an I-1 freestyle for next year. I think I've got the choreography somewhat nailed down. Music is still up in the air but I am thinking my theme might be Dead Musicians. hahaha.

Here's what I've got so far:

I am so open to music suggestions, too! Preferably dead. Or at least one person from the band must be dead. 

Disappearing in airports

September was a bizarre month.

At the beginning of the month, Hampton came up mildly lame (grade 1) on his left front. I immediately called the vet out because I was suspecting his navicular was acting up. The vet disagreed, and said it was more likely a mild collateral ligament injury in his hoof.

We injected his coffin joint, and while still allowed to work my vet said no lateral work, tight circles or anything that could torque his foot for 2 weeks.

His body is looking like a snack these days.

So we did that, although two days after the injection he was sound. So who knows. But he is back in full work now and feels great.

But I did decide to scrap the rest of show season. I may hit up a schooling show just to get ring time, but no more rated shows for us this year. Which I was totally ok about. Saves money, and it means we can have a little non-dressage fun to close out the year! :)

--

Then my mom had to have back surgery. She's ok! But I did end up spending almost the whole week up there with her. She is a tough lady. So Hampton ended up with another 4 days off.

I did sneak away for a couple of hours to play with Liz and her kids' pony, Spot. (She lives not far from my mom) He is adorable but is somewhat of a SHIT which only made me laugh and almost fall off.

Spot's opinion on having me cowgirl him around bareback for a bit.

--

And then last Friday a friend very suddenly and unexpected died. She was only 57.

Kathy, on the left.
Want a sobering fact? Out of the six of us in this photo taken in 2014, only myself, Liz,
and Hampton are still alive.

Our local horse community is in shock. She was a kind, wise friend to everyone. She was one of the first friends I made when I moved to KY. We went to a number of shows together, first with her young palomino cross and later with her Morgan/QH cross. She was a integral part of the local TB rehoming organization, Second Stride. She was a mentor and light to many, many people.

L-R: Kathy, Donna, myself, Kim at Rolex a few years ago

I am still in disbelief that she is gone.

Her husband said that about a month ago, she had said "I have such a great life."

Devastated is such a weak word when it comes to this kind of loss for her family and friends. Life is so short and people can be taken so swiftly.

Kathy, you will be missed.

Kathy and Nichole following us back from the show ring.

A day of volunteering

The day was hot, but perfect.

I volunteer frequently in our local eventing community. Odd maybe, because I compete pure dressage but somehow always end up volunteering at events.

The opportunity to be a fence judge at the American Eventing Championships popped up, and since I already had a rare Saturday off thanks to my birthday (I'm 40 WHOA), I went for it.

Saturday was all about the BN horses and riders. I was stationed at the last fence on course and while it was a long, hot day, I enjoyed watching a wide variety of horses and riders gallop, sing, rap, laugh, cluck, stumble and be cheered on through the finish.

I LOVED the wide variety of horses and ponies that ran around the KHP that day. From small ponies, to Appaloosas, to big draft crosses. It was really neat!

One of the most heartbreaking things I saw was a handful of riders who jumped the last jump, but WALKED and in one case even got off her horse BEFORE crossing the finish flags. That's a TE, and I cannot imagine the suck that goes along with getting that news. One gal cantered right past the second to last fence. Otherwise we didn't see much drama other than one refusal.

Except. I witnessed some gob-smacking unprofessional behavior from one of the other volunteers at the finish line. There was some shouting between her and a junior rider. Now, the rider was slightly in the wrong. She was loitering a little too close to the finish line (off her horse), but was on her way walking back to the barn. The volunteer shrieked at her and I didn't hear what the rider said but then someone (I could not tell if it was rider or volunteer) screamed "THE FINISH LINE IS RIGHT HERE BITCH!"

The rider started flailing her arms around so much that she lost hold of her horse and he nearly got loose.

Finish flags by that black car

Then the volunteer started demanding the rider tell her her number and the rider threw her the middle finger. At this point I laughing at this display of ridiculous behavior. I mean, thanks for the drama to break up my day you idiots.

That particular volunteer also made several condescending comments to me over the day, so I wasn't at all surprised she blew up when someone challenged the power she seemed to think she had. haha. Pro tip: be nice to your volunteers. Don't treat them like idiots.

It was a huge championship event with more than 900 pairs I believe! Saw some darn good riding and I think the eventing bug bit me a little bit .... hmmm.


Also, my favorite horse name of the day: My Box of Crayons.

A sweet itchy butt

That title should get me some interesting internet hits. ha.

This summer has been particularly hot, humid and nasty. And for long periods of time. Hampton has never been a particularly sensitive-skin type fellow, but this summer he has battled sweet itch off and on. At least I think it's sweet itch. Or something similar.

Treat pouch is empty. Unacceptable.

I cleaned his sheath, wormed him, and continued to treat these patches with triple antibiotic ointment and eventually MTG when it was no longer raw. And of course lots of fly spray. They only appeared on his butt cheeks or at the top of his croup.

It worked until recently. When he had a really nasty reaction on the top of his butt, resulting in a big, oozing, hot, very painful lesion. I would merely lightly touch it and he would drop his croup down and wiggle away from me. Poor guy.

ouch

I am not a lover of fly sheets. Especially for a horse like Hamp, who is a sweater, I think they trap sweat and gunk and create an even better environment for fungus and skin issues. Hamp has always been good as rolling in the dirt and mud, too.

But I finally cried uncle.

no but are you serious tho. Why you make me look like
white supremicist

At least it isn't 95 degrees with 85% humidity anymore, so I think he will be comfortable. But still makes me cringe a little. Hoping it keeps those nasty bugs off!

12 questions blog hop

Hey-o! Borrowing this hop from Go Big or Go Home.

Q1:  What hobbies do you have outside of riding?

via GIPHY

Q2: What is your boarding situation?  Are you happy with it?

Hampton lives outdoors 24/7 at a smallish barn with a handful of other super awesome boarders and my coach on site (she's also the barn manager). There's zero drama, the horses are well taken care of and there is both an outdoor and a covered arena. I've got zero complaints except I wish we had hot water.

Q3:  What's on your horsey-related wish list?

My current list of wants include a Total saddle fit stretch girth, brown Mountain Horse Boots, and Sarafina breeches. Probably going to need a new set of DSB boots soon, too.

Q4: What is your most expensive horsey-related item?

The horse trailer. Which my dad bought for me. Because he is the best.

Q5: What was the hardest horsey-related decision you've had to make lately?

Thankfully I have not been faced with any super difficult decisions lately. *knock on wood* Mostly just battling with self doubt and if I should be making my horse do FEI dressage. He answered that question for me already and says he will gladly keep working!

Q6:  What's something you feel you can't live without in your routine?

Probably my routine itself. I really love structure and routine, and Hamps and I have our time in the mornings where we both know what to do, and what is expected. When my routine gets changed significantly, or without warning, I can sometimes get flustered and start forgetting things. haha

Q7: What's on your horsey-related calendar for the rest of the summer?

Pretty busy!

• volunteering as a fence judge at the AECs (I think I'm doing BN on Saturday - shout out if you are going!)
• Dressage chairperson/coordinator for Flying Cross Farm horse trials in Sept.
• KDA Fall Classic horse show in Oct. with Hampton

Q8:  What is one thing you would willingly change about your horse?

I would make him uphill. That's it, he's pretty perfect other than that.

Q9:  What is something you most want to improve on with you and your horse?

Creating a better uphill balance and more engagement in the dressage ring. It's so difficult fighting again his conformation, but it's not impossible. And he is teaching me so much!

This is from first level so we've already made huge improvements!

Q10:  What has been your [current] horses most severe injury?

*knocking on wood* .... hmmm could be a rather nasty case of cellulitis a few years ago, or if you want to count his navicular changes.

Q11:  What do you feel your biggest downfall is as a rider?

Like many of us, probably self doubt. I remind myself often that we are all doing the best with what we have. Some may have more money, more opportunity or better luck. But that doesn't make anyone better than anyone else.

Q12:  What feeds your motivation?

The day-to-day training is what I really enjoy. I love how if you just aim for a itty bit of progress each day, then after 30 days you have made significant improvement. I have enjoyed watching Hampton change and gain strength and balance. I do enjoy showing, and like to use that as a marker for progress as well, but the daily work is where it's at.

... I mean some days we don't really work tho.

Show recap x2. Dressage makes me go bipolar

Thanks Jen for all the photos!!!

First off. 

Someone out there was beyond incredible to me last week. Making it possible for me to enjoy this show at the Hoosier Horse Park even more than I normally would, and really giving me a solid kick in the pants that I have so many supporting me and clearly some extraordinary friends.

I know you read this blog and THANK YOU!! :)

--

I decided not to school Hampton on Friday in an attempt to save his energy. He has been to this facility multiple times a year since he was 4 years old so it's not like he needed to see the show rings anyhow. Liz and I somehow got to bed at a decent hour, which was good because I had an 8am ride for the PSG on Saturday.

Saturday morning Hampton warned up fine. We marched in and had a respectable test, I thought. We did have a mistake in the fours, and the left piro got sticky. But otherwise, I was not disappointed. I didn't think we would get a 60 since we made mistakes, but I would not call the test a disaster.

I went to get my test and was pretty discouraged to see a dismal 55%. Youch. Things we normally get 7s on, this judge was giving us 5.5s and 6s. She REALLY did not think Hampton and I should have dared to go down centerline at PSG because her comment was "Totally on the forehand and inappropriate for this level."

Welp, ok then.

However, this judge was scoring so low all day that people actually filed complaints.

There were even scores in the 40s. Hampton was high point PSG horse for the day with a 55!
I mean good grief. (That's us at the very top)

For the record, I think it is poor sportsmanship to complain about a judge's scoring. You are paying for their opinion, and sometimes you ain't ganna like it. So no, I did not complain to management. I DID bitch to Liz and Jen though hahaha! That is totally allowed.

And I was pretty bummed as this was the second judge in a row to make such a comment.

Did I need to take the hint? Should I throw in the towel and take up basketweaving? Showing hamsters? I was at a loss on how to proceed. I knew that after two judges tell you that you shouldn't be showing this level, you really start to question yourself.

We spent the rest of the day drinking and lounging by the stalls which was really nice. For dinner I hung out with Jen and her hubs who cooked yet another amazing meal. Yum yum!

I spy Jen and a certain pony in the background

Sunday I had the I-1 test to do and figured at this point I might as well go balls to the wall because I had nothing to lose. I knew I needed to keep Hampton's poll UP and him firing off the ground. And that was probably going to require pissing him off a little.

So that's what I did.

Our warm up was not classical dressage by any means. I was sick of Hampton bullying me and throwing his neck down and croup up to get out of work. NO SIR. So the very moment he tried to do that, I floated his teeth with that curb. Yep. Yes I did. It was most certainly not soft, harmonious dressage.

I went into the test telling myself to ride him no matter what. If the judge says I am too rough, then I'll know.

the I-1 ended up going quite well. We only missed ONE two-tempi, and the canter piros def still need work. BUT I rode the ever living snot out of him and had some really great moments.

This judge (NOT the same lady as Saturday THANK FUCK) rewarded us with a fabulous 64.3%!!

Our highest score at the FEI levels to date!
Our only second time doing the I-1
A score toward my GOLD medal
And we qualified to do a I-1 freestyle!!

The judge did not comment one time about my riding. And there were a number of times I smacked him behind my leg, or did a mild teeth floating with the curb.

And another high point for the day!!

Please excuse my saggy breeches. #DQfail

I'm very encouraged. And while I would still like to improve my PSG scores, I think the I-1 really suits us because there is literally no time for me to let Hampton bully me. It made me ride stronger and more aggressive. And since I meant biz-nass, Hampton was like "YES MAAM" (ok more like "ok you slave driving wench')

We've still got a lot to work on, but I'm going to keep pushing on. Hampton proved he CAN do this and is willing. I need to add more positive tension, and ask more of him now.

May or may not do one more show this year. I'm leaning toward one in Oct, when it's a bit cooler at least.

And now I need to start thinking about a freestyle!!!