I'm a pretty lucky person. Make that a very lucky person. I get to do a job I love, surrounded by amazing people and wonderful animals. All day, every day. Yeah, sometimes its not quite all fun, like yesterday, when I did my last gallop before Galway in a full on, white out blizzard. Or when my horse is lame (as he was after Twin Rivers, when he popped a huge abscess which kept him out of work for a week). Or when I spend over 12 hours at the barn, riding, cleaning, grooming, riding, and riding, until I'm so tired I forego dinner altogether and fall asleep on the couch. But for every time I'm feeling overwhelmed or harried or exhausted, I can name at least three times that my friends, family, and clients have stepped up to help me out.
The lead up to this trip to Galway has not been nearly as smooth as I would have liked. Between the lame horse, a crammed teaching schedule, the winter that finally came, causing said teaching schedule to become even more wild, cross country schooling, and a clinic with Alfredo Hernandez, I was just toeing the line which divides moderate insanity from utter chaos. Then, I plugged my trailer into my truck to drive to the car wash on Sunday. No trailer brakes. I did have a flashing red light on my brake controller, and when I used the manual trailer brake lever, I did actually have brakes, although the computer didn't think so. Uh-oh. I called the trailer repair guy first thing on Monday morning and made an appointment for that day. I arranged for Steph to pick me up and take me back to the barn. I put the dog in the car, and fired up the truck. Bingo. Brakes. I called the trailer guy back and we decided to try it again later and see if it was still working. He rightly (and honestly!) pointed out that he couldn't fix what wasn't broken. Crisis averted.
But, yesterday was supposed to be Cha Cha's final (and only- stupid abscess!) gallop before Galway. He's finally feeling very fit and no longer looking like a prelim Thelwell, and I was loath to miss another gallop. But... It was blizzarding. Seriously. And windy enough in the valley to blow rain gutters off of houses. I can do canter sets in the indoor, but we'd set up the dressage arena on Sunday, and I'd need to take most of it down in order to make the corners, and even then, its a very controlled canter, and not really very beneficial from a fitness standpoint. The footing in the outdoor was surprisingly good, in spite of the moisture, and the ring is much bigger, and therefor more suitable for a more serious canter work-out. Brian, our wonderful barn manager agreed to harrow the outdoor for me in the blinding, driving snow. So, Cha Cha did his gallop, and recovered very quickly, so I'm thinking he hasn't lost too much in the way of fitness due to his unplanned layoff.
Today was predictably the craziest of all. I started teaching at 9am, and went pretty much straight through until 2pm. Plus, I had several horses to ride before leaving for the weekend, and the trailer wasn't loaded. Lani came up and spent the day, and did the lions share of the work, loading hay, bedding the trailer, adding feed, loading tack, and trunks, and grain, and blankets... Plus, she cleaned and vacuumed the living quarters! What a gal!
So now I'm getting ready to head to bed, after going out to dinner with my mom. I'm just waiting on my last load of laundry to finish drying so I can finish packing. Oh, and I'm waiting for Lani to get here to spend the night before our 3am wake-up. She had a family party to get to, on top of everything else. Oh, and she's stopping by the grocery store on the way up- because, like most of the people I'm lucky enough to have in my life, she's awesome like that!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Twin Rivers Recap
I am happy to be writing this blog entry from the comfort of my couch, finally home from the first event of the season at Twin Rivers, in Paso Robles, CA. Twin is one of my favorite events, and once again, I wasn't disappointed. The Baxter's have an amazing facility, and really go above and beyond to make the event a great time for everyone. Oh, and it was 80 degrees, and I got a sunburn... that helps me feel even better about the weekend.
Lani Taylor and I (wisely) left monday afternoon, and missed the huge snow storm that pummeled Utah, although we didn't miss the cold and rain on for the first two days in California. The horses all traveled well, and after a morning of riding and bathing ponies, Lani and I spent some quality time getting lost in Paso Robles (don't laugh, I've been conditioned to a grid street system by none other than Joseph Smith!) By Wednesday night all 8 horses had arrived, and I spent Thursday alternating between the schooling ring and the dressage ring, where most of us spent some time knocking the rust off and remembering how to do complicated things, like ride a 20 meter circle... Cha Cha found himself possessed for our first schooling test, so I turned right around and rode again, with a much better result.
Friday morning started out early, with Summer and Lani having 9ish am dressage rides. Both of them are much improved from last year, and finished pretty well. Both of their horses have had the benefit of a full season of competing, and came out like old pro's (albeit with a few new quirks). Next up were Marley riding Adelaide, and Summer riding her young horse, Jake. Both the horses were good, and although neither got the score that their riders were hoping for, it was a promising start to the season. Cha Cha got ridden once at 7:30 am, and he was pretty amazing, so I got on hoping for a good ride. It wasn't to be... Cha Cha got tighter and tighter as the warm-up went on, and despite many walk breaks and attempts at stretching, I never quite managed to get his back moving to my satisfaction. The test was as obedient as possible, given I was sitting on a ticking time bomb, and I am re-examining my horse care routine to rule out physical problems such as ulcers, as well as taking a good, hard look at my warm-up routine and training. He has been going so well at home that the test was disappointing, to say the least. The day wrapped up with three beginner novice rides- Grace and her new horse, Luke, Hannah and Bob, and Alexis, riding Skip. All three girls kept their focus in their test, and rode really thoughtfully and well.
Saturday was CRAZY!! The beginner novice show jumped starting at 8:30 am, and Cha Cha went out XC at 9. The first time out cross country is always a bit surprising. We don't have the opportunity to school at all before the first several events of the year, so both horses and riders go out a bit "cold." Having natural fences in the warm-up is a huge help, and Cha Cha felt fit and focused when we went out of the box. He settled quickly, which was one of my goals for the weekend, and was right on time at the minute markers. The course was riding really well, with a fairly equal spattering of stops here and there. Cha Cha jumped everything really well- the coffin, the table to arrowhead, the sunken road, his first real Weldon's Wall. I cantered through the water, just to get his feet wet, and came around to the rails into the water, and promptly dropped poor Cha Cha in a classic "Save yourself!" move. Needless to say, he stopped, and I deserved it. I re-presented, and he hopped right in. Obviously the first cross country round of the year was more about knocking the rust off the rider- the horse was fine. The rest of the course was amazing, he never put a foot wrong, and finished feeling stronger and fitter than ever. I really can't be at all disappointed in my horse. The stop was all mine, and I know what I need to do to fix the problem. I have no doubt that Intermediate is well within our grasp this year, which is really exciting! I just have to remember to kick AND hold onto my reins...
The novice and training horses show-jumped on Saturday, and the beginner novice did cross country as well. I ran back and forth between the show jump warm-up for Summer and Lani, and the cross country warm-up for Grace, Hannah, and Alexis. Thankfully, Novice had show jumped a bit earlier- whew! Both Summer and Lani had great rides, and both are looking really strong at training level and ready to move up. The novice horses were very good and all three girls in beginner novice were great on cross country. Everyone finished the day happy and with healthy, sound horses, and a bunch of us headed off to the competitors party in good spirits and surrounded by great friends.
Sunday started off early with Cha Cha show jumping at 8:30. He was very strong (good strong, but still a handful), and jumped really well. We had one legitimate rail, and one unlucky rail, but the feeling of power and scope he gave me was new, and really fantastic! Lani and Summer both went cross country shortly after I was finished, so it was back to the warm-up ring for me. Tim was good for Summer, answering several new questions boldly, and she was rightfully very happy with him. Page and Lani headed out looking pretty good, although a bit sticky to some early fences. Page decided not to play at the double down banks, and Lani's day ended there. We were planning on staying Monday morning to school, so Page got added to the schooling list... Adelaide and Jake both went well, although Marley did pick up a stop at the coffin. Jake was a bit wild in the warm-up, and Summer did a good job to stay on him a few times, as he leaped sideways and bucked enthusiastically. Summer had the best finishes of the group, with a 3rd on Tim and a 5th on Jake.
We schooled Page, Skip, Tim, and Jake on Monday morning, and then headed back to Utah, arriving at the barn at 3:30 am on Tuesday. I spent most of Tuesday sleeping and doing laundry, and I'm mostly organized again. We leave in three weeks for Galway, so in the between time, I'm hoping to do a lot of teaching, work on my dressage warm-up, and keep my horses fit and sound. So far, the season is off to a pretty great start!
Lani Taylor and I (wisely) left monday afternoon, and missed the huge snow storm that pummeled Utah, although we didn't miss the cold and rain on for the first two days in California. The horses all traveled well, and after a morning of riding and bathing ponies, Lani and I spent some quality time getting lost in Paso Robles (don't laugh, I've been conditioned to a grid street system by none other than Joseph Smith!) By Wednesday night all 8 horses had arrived, and I spent Thursday alternating between the schooling ring and the dressage ring, where most of us spent some time knocking the rust off and remembering how to do complicated things, like ride a 20 meter circle... Cha Cha found himself possessed for our first schooling test, so I turned right around and rode again, with a much better result.
Friday morning started out early, with Summer and Lani having 9ish am dressage rides. Both of them are much improved from last year, and finished pretty well. Both of their horses have had the benefit of a full season of competing, and came out like old pro's (albeit with a few new quirks). Next up were Marley riding Adelaide, and Summer riding her young horse, Jake. Both the horses were good, and although neither got the score that their riders were hoping for, it was a promising start to the season. Cha Cha got ridden once at 7:30 am, and he was pretty amazing, so I got on hoping for a good ride. It wasn't to be... Cha Cha got tighter and tighter as the warm-up went on, and despite many walk breaks and attempts at stretching, I never quite managed to get his back moving to my satisfaction. The test was as obedient as possible, given I was sitting on a ticking time bomb, and I am re-examining my horse care routine to rule out physical problems such as ulcers, as well as taking a good, hard look at my warm-up routine and training. He has been going so well at home that the test was disappointing, to say the least. The day wrapped up with three beginner novice rides- Grace and her new horse, Luke, Hannah and Bob, and Alexis, riding Skip. All three girls kept their focus in their test, and rode really thoughtfully and well.
Saturday was CRAZY!! The beginner novice show jumped starting at 8:30 am, and Cha Cha went out XC at 9. The first time out cross country is always a bit surprising. We don't have the opportunity to school at all before the first several events of the year, so both horses and riders go out a bit "cold." Having natural fences in the warm-up is a huge help, and Cha Cha felt fit and focused when we went out of the box. He settled quickly, which was one of my goals for the weekend, and was right on time at the minute markers. The course was riding really well, with a fairly equal spattering of stops here and there. Cha Cha jumped everything really well- the coffin, the table to arrowhead, the sunken road, his first real Weldon's Wall. I cantered through the water, just to get his feet wet, and came around to the rails into the water, and promptly dropped poor Cha Cha in a classic "Save yourself!" move. Needless to say, he stopped, and I deserved it. I re-presented, and he hopped right in. Obviously the first cross country round of the year was more about knocking the rust off the rider- the horse was fine. The rest of the course was amazing, he never put a foot wrong, and finished feeling stronger and fitter than ever. I really can't be at all disappointed in my horse. The stop was all mine, and I know what I need to do to fix the problem. I have no doubt that Intermediate is well within our grasp this year, which is really exciting! I just have to remember to kick AND hold onto my reins...
The novice and training horses show-jumped on Saturday, and the beginner novice did cross country as well. I ran back and forth between the show jump warm-up for Summer and Lani, and the cross country warm-up for Grace, Hannah, and Alexis. Thankfully, Novice had show jumped a bit earlier- whew! Both Summer and Lani had great rides, and both are looking really strong at training level and ready to move up. The novice horses were very good and all three girls in beginner novice were great on cross country. Everyone finished the day happy and with healthy, sound horses, and a bunch of us headed off to the competitors party in good spirits and surrounded by great friends.
Sunday started off early with Cha Cha show jumping at 8:30. He was very strong (good strong, but still a handful), and jumped really well. We had one legitimate rail, and one unlucky rail, but the feeling of power and scope he gave me was new, and really fantastic! Lani and Summer both went cross country shortly after I was finished, so it was back to the warm-up ring for me. Tim was good for Summer, answering several new questions boldly, and she was rightfully very happy with him. Page and Lani headed out looking pretty good, although a bit sticky to some early fences. Page decided not to play at the double down banks, and Lani's day ended there. We were planning on staying Monday morning to school, so Page got added to the schooling list... Adelaide and Jake both went well, although Marley did pick up a stop at the coffin. Jake was a bit wild in the warm-up, and Summer did a good job to stay on him a few times, as he leaped sideways and bucked enthusiastically. Summer had the best finishes of the group, with a 3rd on Tim and a 5th on Jake.
We schooled Page, Skip, Tim, and Jake on Monday morning, and then headed back to Utah, arriving at the barn at 3:30 am on Tuesday. I spent most of Tuesday sleeping and doing laundry, and I'm mostly organized again. We leave in three weeks for Galway, so in the between time, I'm hoping to do a lot of teaching, work on my dressage warm-up, and keep my horses fit and sound. So far, the season is off to a pretty great start!
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