Shameless self promotion

For those of you who are curious (or just wish to live vicariously), Team EnGaged (www.teamengaged.com) who I am a partner of launched it's blog last year to easily update people before, during and after the events. Please visit:

teamengaged.blogspot.com 

for details and don't forget to follow us there, on Facebook and on Constant Contact!

HeLlo HeLlo

It's the wee early hours of the morning (alright it's 7am after the time change) and the weather has been too nice to stay inside. So no blogging.

The week was busy to say the least, between three clinics (Stephen Bradley this week, Christoph next and two weeks after Debbie McDonald) to execute and prepare for, finding riders, creating media campaigns, attending the L program, riding and that pesky thing called a day job it's hard for a girl to catch a break.

Last week I went up to Ohio to finish out the B session of the L program. Everything went well and all participants, from my experience had a good time. These sessions only serve to improve the community and create better future judges. We went through the entire scale and the use of marks. Plus there was also a lot of side discussion of judge fetishes. In the end, I came home ready to work again. There is something strange about the effect the program has on me, it creates the expectation that if I am to judge then it's my responsibility to ride the test as physically as best I can.

The pony is doing fantastically for coming back into fitness. We worked thoroughly on bending and quality of movement through short periods of time. Sessions maybe, at most last a half hour at this point before she's tired. She is still a little sticky in the walk-canter transitions.

In two weeks we have Christoph Hess (I Judge) coming to view us and eight of our closet friends and then maybe the Debbie McDonald clinic.

Have you ever seen the rain?

It feels like I've gone in to the wrong sport with all the rain. It feels like I should be growing hydroponics instead of ponies.

Falling in to the I can't believe it's already March crowd, it feels like February just blinked by.

Unfortunately the weather has not. 

It's been non-stop rain and at best a slow pace to get ready for the season. It really does suck to have your arena under water, and be regulated to indoors. We did manage to get off the property and school in another arena, which rocked.

But all progress made over the winter and the two months came to a temporary grinding halt and pushed the season back to June.

Sinari came in heat strongly this year and it knocked not only her changes out of the equation, but locked up her entire right side for the week. The poor pony, who normally gives so much couldn't tolerate light sessions or have the attention span for it. She was lightly ridden, and worked on. 

February:
-Ride as many times as the weather will allow
Check. The weather lightened up enough to get in a solid two weeks in.
-half halts
Much better. She comes back faster and is much better prepared.
-transitions
Walk-trot is coming along great, the canter-walk is a little sticky at the moment. Transitions within gaits are coming along well.
-Regain fitness (horse and rider)
Started, I feel that this is ongoing.
-Prepare materials for L program
Did. Binders are ready and waiting to go for this weekend. Need to finish HW.
-run through second and third level
Ran through second, schooled elements of third
-big, bold changes
bold, not so big. 

March:
-Ride as much as the weather will allow
-Prepare for Christoph's visit
-L program
-Run through third
-work on walk turn on the haunches
-Half pass and lateral work
-Purchase new dress boots

For all the wrong reasons

Tis the season for FedEx dates and baby making in Kentucky.

In Kentucky, you'll find the majority of the mare owners on the road this month trolling the back roads up and down to have their stock live covered by the stallions. For non thoroughbred owners it means getting to know your FedEx delivery guy a lot better (and hopefully tipping him generously when he hauls three Equitainers up your drive).

With a small break, I've become involved in following a contest series that's taking place on Facebook with winning breedings to some of the best stallions in the nation.

The contest is in two portions, the first being a popularity driven and the second and currently ongoing- essay portion. The essays are open to the public, and are quick reads between rounds. The entire concept is great, and has huge publicity for stallion owners.

I've begun reading through the submissions. The essays range from hard core pedigree addicts to mare owners praying on a dream and a genetic gamble. But somewhere in between I look at the mares and I go why would you cross or even reproduce or why would you post that photo of that mare looking that way in a public forum?

The things that people see and then hear what they expect out of the cross is even more concerning. Everything from an advanced eventer out of a short stirrup pony to a children's mount out of a half wild, unrideable mare.

What's worse is that some of the worst entries are from experienced breeders. 

I really begin to wonder about the state of American breeding when this is occurring and where some people are getting their information from.

I know several good breeders in stone's throw distance from me that have done excellent jobs of consistently producing top quality horses that are very well loved, and equally talented for their chosen discipline.  They are knowledgable and calculated when it comes to pairings. They do their homework, and as a recent acquaintance said: they load the dice. If they have to keep the offspring until it matures and goes under saddle, they have their teams in place to consistently produce good young horses.

When I look at contests such as the one going on above, I really begin to wonder whether breeding in America has become a personal romantic notion, or a mechanic's mathematical equation with the expectation of superior results. I wonder if they are prepared to accept the consequences of their actions and have the long-term ability to keep something if it doesn't turn out to be exactly what they want, or support it in a way so it is successful? 


Personally, I enjoy the ulcer-inducing, wallet draining, wait-and-see game even almost two years after Sincere was born. It's so far been a great adventure, learning experience and for the most part, enjoyable time. I've had excellent help along the way.

But when that sperm met that egg, I was just as unknowable, and romantically induced as some of the mare owners that are participating. It's funny what time and a little perspective does to you.

On the road

I spent the majority of my weekend (and week) in the cab of my truck running around, but between everything I managed to squeak in the first solid works of the new year on the pony.

The weather really opened up to mid fifties and soared to low sixties. It was so nice, I had trouble finishing out the regular office work week.

My outdoor finally cleared out from underneath the snow and water to be solid enough to work on. While I do have an indoor, I prefer to work outside where the footing is a little better and there's a bit more room to play. The indoor is reining deep. She worked well in the high winds and felt much more adjustable.

Coming back from light riding/no work is a serious task this year. I hope to not loose the ground we gained over the last season. I've become a little more vigilant in warming up and cooling down, as well as the quality of work that goes on in between.

To help change things up we took a road trip to another facility down the road. It was the first riding trip off the property in over a year and I was nervous. It was the quiet day at that farm, and I had the indoor to myself. Despite the kick up in wind and seeing carriages for the first time in god knows how long she did well (Sinari is a driving reject among several things).

Went through elements of second and third but mostly picked one or two heavy themes throughout the session (bend and adjustments).

She's unfit, but still remembers about everything minus the new lines for flying changes. Give it three weeks and we will be able to run through fourth and maybe PSG.

Here comes the sun

It's been well over a week of strict no riding. The weather has pounded this region fairly hard within the last week or so. What I thought was an extended break was more or less a window and have been grounded ever since.


I can't say the time off hasn't done the pony good. While she isn't as fit, she is maintaining and improving through the schedule that I've got her on.

Goals January:
-Ride as many time as the weather will allow
 Achieved, there were times where we managed two to three works in a row, but everything was infrequent. I've begun to make arrangements to do Florida next year.

-Refine half halts
With infrequent work this became harder. 

-lateral work
played with shallow half passes, namely half pass, immediately straight, half pass again. Did a little bit of pir work when she offered.

-transitions
Better, sharper, but not sustainable at the moment.

-Develop show schedule
Achieved!

February:
-Ride as many times as the weather will allow
-half halts
-transitions
-Regain fitness (horse and rider)
-Prepare materials for L program
-run through second and third level
-big, bold changes

You've got the music in you

Up until Tuesday, the pony was on what seemed like perpetual winter break.

The weather has temporarily subsided at least till next Wednesday, until then the pony is back under saddle and feeling really nifty.

But between rounds of doing nothing I've reopened up the freestyle, namely music selection. My last selection was from BBC and Torchwood, the one prior was a Zimmer composure of The Corpse Bride. These were decent personal freestyles, but nothing to go on and be competitive with.

Truth is, there is a million music choices out there and a million things I would like to use or experiment with.  The difficult thing and the biggest mistake is to plug too many things in one place. As a really nice kur composer put it for me: zen is best.

So during the snowy weeks, I started pushing around for new music.

Dr. Who was a top choice, but there are too many bits to string together from different pieces, and it was not feminine enough. Slumdog Millionaire was another choice (NAJYRC individual played it), but the Bollywood soundtrack was too many BPM and would make her move like a sewing machine. I briefly considered U2, Muse and a few other big bands, but again the variety and volume would make the music hacked.

I went back to Zimmer's library of work. The lovely thing about movie soundtracks is that the pieces are automatically cohesive an naturally have a storyboard behind them. I've chosen a few, and will try them out when Sinari becomes more fit.