First Event of the season!

Area VII Young Riders Benefit Horse Trials


This horse loves to go to shows, and hes pretty good at em, too.

Training level

Dressage: 35.7
xc: double clear
sj:double clear

Running in circles

The sunny weather has continued and the days are getting longer, oh so slowly but surely. At 4:30 there was still light so I decided to ride outside. I did not make 2 point Tuesday so I planned to revisit it today.

For warm up we took a nice hack down the driveway and out the gravel road to loosen up muscles and then went straight to the outdoor arena to do trot sets in 2 point. Deuce was a little sticky and behind my leg at first. The sun was setting and it was getting a little dark, and I was having trouble getting my watch set to beep on the minute when we started out. So at fist I did 2 1 minute trots in each direction (man I am out of shape in 2 point!) Then a little walk break to fiddle with my watch to get the settings, we did a 5 minute set, then a walk break then a 3 minute @325. I worked on keeping my elbows soft and keeping him round and together while forward too. Its tough to have it all. seems like if he is soft he slows down. Argh. We;ll get there. We did another 2 minute canter, this time I jsut sent him forward and did not worry too much about round which seemed to go better. By this point, it was dark. Fortunately, Deuce did not mind and the arena was empty so there was nothing to crash into.  We wrapped up with the canter and then walked out in the dark.

Riding in the moonlight

It was an early morning ride for me today! The skys were still clearish and there was a super bright almost settingg, nearly full moon! We worked on Dressage in the indoor about 30 mins and had some really nice round  soft moments at the trot and canter and some decent transitions from walk to trot where he was both prompt and soft in contact. Progress! 

I was drawn to be outside, even in the chilly wee morning o dark thirty hours so I ditched the saddle and swung up bareback to go for a hack up the road behind the arena. The moon was so bright there were shadows! Deuce seemed to resonate with the calm quiet morning and very happily and relaxingly strolled down the road. As I felt Deuce move under me and his warmth against me, I experienced a strong feeling of peace, oneness and connection with Deuce and the world. What a way to start the day!! I am so thankful and blessed.

Happy New Year!

Its a new year with new goals! It started off great with  a beautiful sunny day. We road in the outdoor since its been dry the last few days and the footing was good! It was great to be in the open! 

We worked on dressage still focusing on loosening the base of his neck with over bending and counter bending. I am also working hard on keeping my hands up and together, elbows by my side, shoulder back and legs long... Deuce responds positively when I get all that position straightened out, so its my motivation to keep working at it and maintain it. 

End of the year reflections

Well, this year ended up quite different than I had planned at the beginning of the year.

While we did get our qualifying Training competitions completed for a Training 3 Day, we did not actually make it to The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, MT.

Deuce was ready to go. My financial planning was not fit to make the the journey. So by early June, right after our pony club xc schooling at Wa State Horse park and the Inavale 1 day, I pulled the plug and re evaluated my calendar. Of course I was still going to the beach in August... but in terms of 3 day events. I had to change it up. No T3D in Montana this year.

We ended up going to Caber in August and Spokane the end of September. Both fun xc courses. Dressage still needs work. But not surprising, I did not get in much coaching or training this year.

Deuce rocked the courses, we had mere seconds too slow for time penalties. Need to work on that... but really pretty darn good - big bold clever jumper.

Oh and  I got a new dressage saddle! Its a funny story, sort of. It ended up being the one of Lea's that I loved so much. It is a well  traveled saddle and had a tree fitting adventure. It is all set now; but there were a few months of set backs.

I also leared about a new xc bit from Anna Collier. We used it at Spokane - it really helped with the bracing, stiffness and bearing down trouble we have when galloping.

2018 will be  a year of better planning for horse competitions. I love this horse so very much. He's fun to be around and take out and about! I am such a lucky girl and so thankful he is in my life.

Here are some pics of our year...

Cornering

Today was a pony club lesson with Anne we did course work. Deuce was pretty excited to be riding a pony club! He was quite forward so I had to work on keeping him together with all his forward and wanting to get flat tendencies.

We started by really concentrating on working the corners and getting a good bend. I need to really work on keeping my hand out in front so I don't pull him down in the corners

Going to a jump, Deuce locks on about 4 strides out so I need to have him balanced while still maintaining forward by that time - especially coming through a corner.

Maintain balance before and after jump through corners. Sit tall used my tall upper body to help balance.
Maintain leg all the way to the base.

Dressage = work harder

Today I had the profound realization that in dressage you must work for every good step.
Elbows by side. ride on seat bones hands together, chest up.... think about riding inside leg to outside rein...
Once I did that, i had more good with moments with Deuce. rounder, bendier. more impulsion.

yeay.

Long ride

Quadrille practice night -

got there early enough to get a in a good ride

I am borrowing Lea's Custom Wolfgang Omni - similar to Icon Coda. I like how the seat locks me in quite  a bit.

We started with lots of walk work to warm up. Moved him off my leg both ways and also worked on not bracing/poking nose out  or diving left or right when I pick up the picking up reins

nose to wall leg yeilds, stay straight. turn on forehand.

close legs and send forward with  hands together.

really awesome canter work to right. canter lengthens and on 20m  while staying round and bent.

Left canter is more challenging to balance.

Fight Night

After 3 days off -

I get insistent  - non sympathetic rider... I am braced and stiff and that is what he gives back.
Move off leg turn on the fore, nose to wall leg yields. free walk to medium walk transitions w/o falling in or jigging

I finally got some okay work and called it a night.

I dont like being grumpy or frustrated with this big sweet, giving horse. I get mad at myself.. he always forgives...

Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy

Lea and I had a jump lesson with Anne tonight and the focus was grids.

As typical with grids, we started with a small, straight forward exercise with a cross rail bounce followed by some ground rails. Anne had also put in some ground pole rail road tracks to help keep straightens down the line (a constant effort for Deuce who tends to get a little crooked to make the distance) Then she added to the exercise until we were jumping series of 5 low bounces. A bounce set of fences does not not have non-jumping strides in between them - the horse lands with his front feet over one fence but then has to pick up to take off for the second fence, just as his hind feet touch the ground, having negotiated the first fence. Bounces are an exercise of quickness on feet and athleticism for the horse and helps the rider learn how to keep and maintain momentum through a combination of jumps.

Deuce is quite cleaver with his feet and  pretty good at the exercises, I had to encourage him to stay lighter through the corner and to the base of the fist fence so he would hit the ground lighter after each jump. I also ended up needing to use my voice to rate his speed half way through the exercise, so he would not speed up too fast. We wanted him to work through it, as opposed to throwing himself through.

Another component we worked on was the right hand turn to the jumps. I had to keep a better bend (and prevent a falling to the inside) by pushing out with my inside leg and keeping my hand up off his neck.


So after we worked through the low 5 bounces, Anne stepped it up a bit and made 2 ones strides to a 3'+ oxer.  After going through a few times with placing rails, Anne added v rails on the oxer to encourage Deuce to round over the top - I had to maintain lots of leg and remember to land in my heels. but man o man, he flew! Lots of power!


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