Newly crowned saint

Alternate title: How to give George Morris a stroke

Dressage peoples don't ever like to display examples of their bad moments. Of bad riding (unless its someone else). Of ugly moments.

But I am not one of those peoples!

Think my lower leg can't go back any farther? HOLD MY BEER.

*Please note that Hampton got many treats and pats and I made a promise to him that I would 1) Never jump larger jumps in my dressage saddle again and 2) always check the distances set BEFORE I send him down a line. You cannot assume that the person before you had them set for a 12-foot stride.

Terrible on my part but Hampton of course willing.

So yes. Hampton has been schooling great so I decided lets have some fun and jump! We the circle of death and nailed it on both leads, so I said "Let's do down that cool grid!"

I this moment I am thinking "Holy Fucking Shit" in my head and threw my shoulders back as best I could.
Hampton: "Little tight human but alright!"

The jumps were wide oxers. But I said, oh they aren't really that big stop being a damn chicken. I just shorten my stirrups in my dressage saddle and generally I am ok as long as the jumps aren't too big. It is impossible to keep your lower leg on, and mine isn't that great in the first place. These jumps didn't seeeeeeem like they were too big. I had convinced myself I was being a wimp.

ha. hahahahaha. #famous last words.

I think I sent him over 3 times before we got an ok jump and quit. I had to keep dismounting and adjusting the distance so that we would not crash. Hampton saved my ass the first time when I realized the ground rail was wrong and I nearly crapped my pants. But Hampton found his feet and got over anyway! Jumping me WAY OUT OF THE TACK in the process. I thanked him profusely.

OH FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!! --- ME
"Where did human go?" -- Hampton, probably

And that is the story of why my horse should be anointed a saint.

Back to dressage now.

Wheels on the bus

A brain fell out last week.

The great thing about winter is that you can school more difficult movements, and learn new ones.

The sucky thing about winter is that sometimes when you are learning something new the wheels fall off the bus.

The hamster dies on the wheel.

The horse's brain falls out.

He can no longer horse.

Which is what happened to Hampton and I last week.

Has anyone seen my bwwwrrain?

During our lesson, we were working on the tempi changes. The usual - straightness, suppleness, etc. He felt great during a line of 4s, then 3s. And we did several solid 2s in a row as well. Then my coach says "Ok let's try some 1s!"

I have played with a one-one before, and Hampton has done well. But I have only tried going Right-left-right lead.

And during this lesson we did get a couple of those.

But I then I tried going left-right-left lead. It didn't work, not such a big deal. We just go back to doing 3s or even twos to get the rhythm back.

Except. A porkchop brain has splattered on the ground because he would not do a right to left change AT ALL. And that has always been his GOOD change. I went all the way back to doing ONE SINGLE CHANGE like in third level and NOPE.

And then of course it becomes A THING because my coach insists that he HAS TO DO IT, he cannot ignore me. And at the moment I did agree but after I had time to think about it I realized he was truly confused. My legs were flopping all over and I kept asking him to change his lead and eventually he was like "I AM NOT DOING IT I DON'T KNOW OH MY GOD."

Then is escalated to me asking for a change and then he would BOLT. He bucked HARD a few times as well. He was getting tired and frustrated. Eventually I got some random tempis on a circle, and while they were tight and stabby behind he did them so I quit on that.

Oh god I ruined my horse he no longer does changes.

Like I said, thank fuck it is winter and there are no shows coming up.

So the past week I went WAAAAY back to basics. I did walk canter transitions, switching leads each time. Then I would ask for random tempis with no count. And after a few days I now have my Hampton back who does 4s, 3s, and today a beautiful, balanced line of 5 2-tempis with no theatrics whatsoever.

I think he lost confidence and he really does not like being confused. Learning the 1-tempis is like learning a whole new gait (Megan told me this and she is right). I will keep touching on them here and there when he feels good, and I know eventually he will figure it out.

What I will be doing the next couple of days when it is cold as a polar bear's balls.

And for now the wheels seem to be back on the bus.

Until next time.

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