We did the Jumping Branch Farm Schooling HT yesterday. Great ,great event, I really miss their 3-day horse trial that used to be in March.... it was so well-run, nice move-up courses that asked all the questions without getting anyone in too much hot water.... and the Powers That Be (USEF) had to start a stink about "upgrading" the courses (more max fences, etc.) and JBF just said "no thanks, we'll just do schooling HTs and you can just kiss the money we made you bye-bye". Seriously, this event was so popular that you had to make sure your entry was postmarked on OPENING DAY and PRAY that you would get in....! As a schooling one-day event they run FOUR dressage rings and had IIRC 137 entries. Yikes!!
Got up at 3:30 am to drive down and make my 8:18 dressage time for Revi's first full Preliminary HT. Arrived in plenty of time and had a decent warm-up and test, though Revi was a bit tentative.... she really does not like doing dressage on grass, I need to do more flatwork out in the front field! I also forgot the halt at the beginning of the test, had to restart, and then was a little tense myself! We were in third after dressage with a 37....
Walked cross-country which was just as I remembered with maybe two fences changed. Which was fine! Came back, warmed up for showjumping... and about four horses before we were to go, cross-country started.... and fence 5 is right next to the back of the showjumping warmup. A fact which did not escape Revi's notice! She was a bit hyped up when we went in the ring. Fence one was a big dark brown oxer with the sun behind it.... I think it was just a big dark mass to Revi and we rolled off the front rail. The second fence was a big oxer, then a turn downhill to a VERY vertical vertical. Several horses had run down the slope, propped/added at the last second, and knocked the HECK out of it. So I half-halted and Revi really listened, got a nice spot and cleared it. But at fence five, the combination, I got her too close and she had a rail (but most horses would probably not have jumped!) and got out cleverly over the second element. I did notice she was jumping a bit left, but the chiropractor is coming Tuesday which will probably take care of that!
So we had two rails in showjumping but so did a LOT of people. Cross-country went great, except I had to spend too much time arguing with her to get her to set up before the harder questions. She just wanted to treat everything like a fly fence! But she was GREAT at all the harder stuff.... there was a skinny chevron, a lovely coffin in the woods, some big tables, a triple at the water (ascending rails, wall/drop into the water, skinny out), a bank/ditch/skinny combo, a ditch with a rail fence behind it, and a corner with options. The ditch in front of the rails was waaaay wider than I remembered (of course, last time I jumped it my horse was 4" taller....) but Revi didn't bat an eye. We took the short option at the corner, and Revi jumped a little crooked and racked my knee on the left-hand flag. That stung! But, finished with just a handful of time faults. We ended up in 2nd.... the horse who was leading after dressage had a stop on xc. Not bad for her first Prelim HT! But, lots of room for improvement.
Doing the CT at the Ark in two weeks to work on stadium and dressage.... today I schooled her in a latex-wrapped bubble gag, only had to touch the gag rein a couple of times for her to realize the gig was up and brakes were now mandatory. She is a smart little brat!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Revenge is sweet....
Hah, just couldn't resist the title.....
Vanity's Revenge aka Revi is really coming along. Last weekend she won the Training and Preliminary Combined Tests at the Ark with a 32 and a 34 in dressage....
This weekend we did the Preliminary/Training horse trial at TTC. I haven't been to TTC in a few years, but since we're prepping to move up and they had the P/T division, we decided to go. Melanie and Drayco went too since they had never been to that facility and Drayco needs to see 'new things' since he's movin up to Training soon.
Dressage was in the spooky lower ring (you have to walk past several paddocks, an occupied dog kennel, the ring is cut into the side of the hill with a dropoff and woods on two sides). Revi was obedient but slightly distracted--she really WANTED to look in the woods, and ended up with a 38, leading the division (3 horses). Drayco was also distracted in his test and got a 34, still in the top few though.
We walked cross-country and I was pleased to see that there were a fair number of pretty big fences so it wouldn't be dull. I forgot how big the banks/drops at TTC were! We also checked out stadium and as always the fences were colorful, nicely decorated, and the course was big and winding, with two big combinations and several changing bending lines, really a true representation of the level.
Went back to the trailer, changed my helmet cover, put on my stock tie, got my jacket on and was stuffing my hair under my helmet when Mel said "Isn't cross-country before stadium?" DUH!! Changed helmet cover back, hunted up my blue cross-country shirt, etc. etc....
Ran cross-country, came in right in the middle of the speed window. Revi jumped great and is still listening really well in the Happy Mouth snaffle.
Mel ran cross-country and had a great round EXCEPT for the big drop.... Drayco came up on it a little quick and looked surprised when he got there! Circled on top of the bank and hopped right off, so hopefully next time with a slightly slower approach and a little tap/lean back from Mel he'll be fine!
Stadium was about an hour later so we watered the ponies and then let them chill out tied to the trailer while we got some lunch. Fabulous chicken salad sandwiches I have to say!! Concessions at TTC are always delicious.
We went first in stadium. The first fence was very vertical, and we rolled the top rail. I thought "Well, now we're in second." Revi apparently thought "Oh, these are bigger!" and jumped the bejeebers out of the rest of the course! Then the other two horses went. The big chestnut had the first jump down (now I didn't feel bad!) and then stopped at the final swedish oxer. The black horse had the first jump down also and pretty much went through the final element of the second combination. So we moved back up to first! We got a lovely big ribbon, a purple cooler, and an etched vase.
Mel and Drayco had their usual lovely stadium round, but due to the stop at the drop didn't get a ribbon. Still a good experience and ready for the move-up to Training, with a couple of schools over big unfamiliar drops perhaps....!
Onward and upward.... Revi will run in her first full Prelim at Jumping Branch, which has a nice move-up course, and Mel will run her first Training at the Ark's December event. I was going to run Revi at Pine Top, which is recognized, but JBF is about $200 cheaper.... plus I can go to Dwayne's speedskating meet now, which is the same weekend as Pine Top....!
Vanity's Revenge aka Revi is really coming along. Last weekend she won the Training and Preliminary Combined Tests at the Ark with a 32 and a 34 in dressage....
This weekend we did the Preliminary/Training horse trial at TTC. I haven't been to TTC in a few years, but since we're prepping to move up and they had the P/T division, we decided to go. Melanie and Drayco went too since they had never been to that facility and Drayco needs to see 'new things' since he's movin up to Training soon.
Dressage was in the spooky lower ring (you have to walk past several paddocks, an occupied dog kennel, the ring is cut into the side of the hill with a dropoff and woods on two sides). Revi was obedient but slightly distracted--she really WANTED to look in the woods, and ended up with a 38, leading the division (3 horses). Drayco was also distracted in his test and got a 34, still in the top few though.
We walked cross-country and I was pleased to see that there were a fair number of pretty big fences so it wouldn't be dull. I forgot how big the banks/drops at TTC were! We also checked out stadium and as always the fences were colorful, nicely decorated, and the course was big and winding, with two big combinations and several changing bending lines, really a true representation of the level.
Went back to the trailer, changed my helmet cover, put on my stock tie, got my jacket on and was stuffing my hair under my helmet when Mel said "Isn't cross-country before stadium?" DUH!! Changed helmet cover back, hunted up my blue cross-country shirt, etc. etc....
Ran cross-country, came in right in the middle of the speed window. Revi jumped great and is still listening really well in the Happy Mouth snaffle.
Mel ran cross-country and had a great round EXCEPT for the big drop.... Drayco came up on it a little quick and looked surprised when he got there! Circled on top of the bank and hopped right off, so hopefully next time with a slightly slower approach and a little tap/lean back from Mel he'll be fine!
Stadium was about an hour later so we watered the ponies and then let them chill out tied to the trailer while we got some lunch. Fabulous chicken salad sandwiches I have to say!! Concessions at TTC are always delicious.
We went first in stadium. The first fence was very vertical, and we rolled the top rail. I thought "Well, now we're in second." Revi apparently thought "Oh, these are bigger!" and jumped the bejeebers out of the rest of the course! Then the other two horses went. The big chestnut had the first jump down (now I didn't feel bad!) and then stopped at the final swedish oxer. The black horse had the first jump down also and pretty much went through the final element of the second combination. So we moved back up to first! We got a lovely big ribbon, a purple cooler, and an etched vase.
Mel and Drayco had their usual lovely stadium round, but due to the stop at the drop didn't get a ribbon. Still a good experience and ready for the move-up to Training, with a couple of schools over big unfamiliar drops perhaps....!
Onward and upward.... Revi will run in her first full Prelim at Jumping Branch, which has a nice move-up course, and Mel will run her first Training at the Ark's December event. I was going to run Revi at Pine Top, which is recognized, but JBF is about $200 cheaper.... plus I can go to Dwayne's speedskating meet now, which is the same weekend as Pine Top....!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Job number two
So of course mostly I write about my horses and I run a boarding barn and teach every day, but along the way I have picked up a little part-time gig....
So it's 6:30am and I'm heading out with hubby Dwayne to shoe horses all day. I think at the first barn we have eighteen (10 shoeings, 8 trims), our regular stop, and two extras at a barn after that.I learned to shoe and got certified so I could do my own horses and not have to inflict badly-mannered new horses on Dwayne all the time.... I already knew the theory and conformation and biomechanics, horse handling, etc., so it was just a matter of application. Very handy skill. Then I started helping Dwayne when his last helper moved away, and now I help him about 13 days out of his 20-day (five week) shoeing rotation.
Fortunately we get along pretty well, not many couples could work together that much! A couple weeks out of the schedule we pull long days and then I come home and teach and there's no time to even look at my personal horses, but with the economy I'm sure not going to complain! It is certainly helping with getting to shows and making improvements around the barn....
So today my horses won't get ridden but next week the new paddock fence WILL be going up!
So it's 6:30am and I'm heading out with hubby Dwayne to shoe horses all day. I think at the first barn we have eighteen (10 shoeings, 8 trims), our regular stop, and two extras at a barn after that.I learned to shoe and got certified so I could do my own horses and not have to inflict badly-mannered new horses on Dwayne all the time.... I already knew the theory and conformation and biomechanics, horse handling, etc., so it was just a matter of application. Very handy skill. Then I started helping Dwayne when his last helper moved away, and now I help him about 13 days out of his 20-day (five week) shoeing rotation.
Fortunately we get along pretty well, not many couples could work together that much! A couple weeks out of the schedule we pull long days and then I come home and teach and there's no time to even look at my personal horses, but with the economy I'm sure not going to complain! It is certainly helping with getting to shows and making improvements around the barn....
So today my horses won't get ridden but next week the new paddock fence WILL be going up!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Well October WAS busy! We ran the Foothills HT... Revi finished third, would have won on our dressage score except my watch stopped so i had a few time penalties. Melanie and Drayco won the Novice division on their dressage. Drayco is turning into the little xc machine! And his dressage and SJ were already excellent.
The Lucinda Green clinic was fabulous. Lucinda had us try a couple of different bits--the Myler was a bit strong and wasn't letting her finish her "magic" jump (Lucinda said that my horse was magic!) So for xc we were in a big fat latex-wrapped full-cheek snaffle and Revi was A) loving it and B) behaving herself. Less head-tossing AND brakes, too! And, at the end of day 2, Lucinda said I might as well buy our tickets to Rolex because Revi has "no limit". She thought Revi just didn't like metal in her mouth and that she would despise dressage less in a plastic-type bit.
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnnZ4g7jrv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAo3gsfGAno
The next day (high as a kite) I took Jones to the FEH at the Ark and won the 3-year-old class with a 77. Nanci Lindroth, the judge, was extremely complimentary.
So Monday I wrapped Revi's bit in latex and she went great on the flat, but of course that is illegal in dressage. Lucinda had suggested a Nathe, so I ordered one, and of course it was backordered and had not come by the time we went to Tryon. So I grabbed a Happy Mouth mullen d-ring that I was using for one of my other horses; and Revi LOVED it. She was happy and relaxed, the judge stood up at the end of my test and complimented us on a lovely job. When I checked the score sheet, we got a _25_ and were in first. I about DIED! In showjumping I took a standard down with my foot trying to be clever and angle a big oxer, but Revi jumped great in the Happy Mouth. I was a little nonplussed not to have to check her up in front of the jump, where she usually sticks her head up and charges from three strides out, but I'm sure I'll get used to that!
We headed out for XC (meanwhile Melanie and Drayco posted a 23-something in dressage to take the lead in Novice--mercy!!), fully expecting to come back and find "corrected dressage scores" posted for Training. Nope! Came back from a clean xc run (and, in the Happy Mouth still, mannerly!) to find we had the lowest score at Training and were the NCDCTA Training champs. Melanie and Drayco had two double-clears and were NCDCTA champs at Novice, with the lowest score of the show. So a great weekend for Third Charm!
The next weekend was the Parade of Breeds which went well. Although Spirit is apparently TERRIFIED of Paso Finos which was a bit of a shocker! Who knew she had it in her?? Wish I'd gotten pix!
Then I decided to skip running Revi at Training at VAHT, since it is a pretty easy course and she is clearly getting quite bored at Training.... I ran Jones up there for the FEH championship, where we came four points behind the three-year-old champion.... who we had beaten by six points a mere three weeks prior. There is something to be said for having long legs and big feet--which I emphatically do NOT--in deep sand footing when you are trying to keep up with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred! Oh well! Poor Jones was so frustrated with me, hanging on him like an anchor!
So next weekend Revi is doing a Preliminary CT... then running a P/T schooling HT.... then a weekend off, as it appears the Phillip Dutton clinic will cancel for lack of entries.... then moving up to Preliminary at Pine Top! So November is going to be busy busy busy as well!
The Lucinda Green clinic was fabulous. Lucinda had us try a couple of different bits--the Myler was a bit strong and wasn't letting her finish her "magic" jump (Lucinda said that my horse was magic!) So for xc we were in a big fat latex-wrapped full-cheek snaffle and Revi was A) loving it and B) behaving herself. Less head-tossing AND brakes, too! And, at the end of day 2, Lucinda said I might as well buy our tickets to Rolex because Revi has "no limit". She thought Revi just didn't like metal in her mouth and that she would despise dressage less in a plastic-type bit.
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnnZ4g7jrv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAo3gsfGAno
The next day (high as a kite) I took Jones to the FEH at the Ark and won the 3-year-old class with a 77. Nanci Lindroth, the judge, was extremely complimentary.
So Monday I wrapped Revi's bit in latex and she went great on the flat, but of course that is illegal in dressage. Lucinda had suggested a Nathe, so I ordered one, and of course it was backordered and had not come by the time we went to Tryon. So I grabbed a Happy Mouth mullen d-ring that I was using for one of my other horses; and Revi LOVED it. She was happy and relaxed, the judge stood up at the end of my test and complimented us on a lovely job. When I checked the score sheet, we got a _25_ and were in first. I about DIED! In showjumping I took a standard down with my foot trying to be clever and angle a big oxer, but Revi jumped great in the Happy Mouth. I was a little nonplussed not to have to check her up in front of the jump, where she usually sticks her head up and charges from three strides out, but I'm sure I'll get used to that!
We headed out for XC (meanwhile Melanie and Drayco posted a 23-something in dressage to take the lead in Novice--mercy!!), fully expecting to come back and find "corrected dressage scores" posted for Training. Nope! Came back from a clean xc run (and, in the Happy Mouth still, mannerly!) to find we had the lowest score at Training and were the NCDCTA Training champs. Melanie and Drayco had two double-clears and were NCDCTA champs at Novice, with the lowest score of the show. So a great weekend for Third Charm!
The next weekend was the Parade of Breeds which went well. Although Spirit is apparently TERRIFIED of Paso Finos which was a bit of a shocker! Who knew she had it in her?? Wish I'd gotten pix!
Then I decided to skip running Revi at Training at VAHT, since it is a pretty easy course and she is clearly getting quite bored at Training.... I ran Jones up there for the FEH championship, where we came four points behind the three-year-old champion.... who we had beaten by six points a mere three weeks prior. There is something to be said for having long legs and big feet--which I emphatically do NOT--in deep sand footing when you are trying to keep up with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred! Oh well! Poor Jones was so frustrated with me, hanging on him like an anchor!
So next weekend Revi is doing a Preliminary CT... then running a P/T schooling HT.... then a weekend off, as it appears the Phillip Dutton clinic will cancel for lack of entries.... then moving up to Preliminary at Pine Top! So November is going to be busy busy busy as well!
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