Don't Be a Blob

Sounds kind of funny right? I mean, we think of blobs as large masses of gooey, ooey messes - not riders. But this is exactly what I'm talking about. I've recently been to a couple of horse trials (events) and what I see there -even at the lower levels- can be scary. Now before we get all worked up, lets look at what I really mean. To me being a blob is the same as being an ineffective rider. It's not about how hard you look like you're working, or how little you look like you're working. It's about doing a job. Many riders I see, seem to have this idea that if they're pushing, pulling, and fighting with the horse then they're not being blobs. Other riders seem to have the traditional sense of being a blob; they sit around let the horse do whatever he wants and then complain when something doesn't go right. While all this is occuring, the majority of us look on and either don't say anything, or are clueless to what is happening.

Let me put this in an example: Most Olympic dressage riders (the good ones) look as if they are sitting on the horse doing absolutely nothing. In fact its written in the rules that the aids should be imperceptible to the audience. But who would question if the horses are being influenced by their riders? Of course they are! You don't make it to the top of the game by being a blob. You make it by becoming an effective rider, one that respects the horse, but knows how to get the job done.

I'm not saying that all our lower level riders need to be masters. They're not and that is what the lower levels are for. But is it truly fair to send students out, when they barely have basic control over the horse? We would call that dangerous, and unsafe. So why do we teach our riders to be blobs? It's time to sit down and truly think about what we are teaching. Are we taking the fast road to glory that will burn out quickly? Or are we teaching students how to be effective riders who know how to think and feel? Because if we're not doing this, we're letting our riders turn into blobs.



                          

      Are we letting our riders become blobs?

Saying Goodbye

For the last two weeks I've been at a lost of how to describe the prepurchase exam. So in short, I've decided to come right out and say it. Unfortunately, Carnegie did not pass the prepurchase exam. I will not go into further detail except to say, that it was a very educational experience for me. It is to my great disappointment that I had to return Carnegie back to his home. He is truly a special horse, and I know that he will make someone very proud one day. I'm not exactly sure what will happen, but at this point it's not really important. I will continue to ride Monte, and see where it goes from here. Just another day living with horses.

Watch Your Toes!

When I'm working with Carnegie I'm probably most afraid for my toes. Strange? I don't think so. I mean I'm wearing a helmet, and I always turn him towards me when he gets "scared" so I don't get kicked, but my toes? Thankfully the more Carnegie comes to understand what the word straight means, the less I have to worry about my them. Trotting went over well today, with more trot steps, and mostly when I asked for it :) Since I've also had some trouble with Carnegie walking without stopping, I decided to experiment a little bit. I introduced the dressage whip today, and it went over fairly well. Now when Carnegie stops a little tap will get him going right away. All in all, a good day, and we've got one more day before the prepurchase. Best of luck...to Carnegie:)

Who's Working Who?

The funny thing about young horses is that they always seem to make you do more work than they have to. I must have spent twenty minutes running around looking like an idiot and got Carnegie to trot all of ten steps. But it was ten steps more than yesterday! On the other hand the walking is really coming along, and walks like any other horse most of the time.  The objective is to get Carnegie trotting in a straight line by Wednesday, so the prepurchase exam will run smoothly. I think we'll get there, with progress being made everyday, and hopefully we can start on some more challenging ground work soon. In the meantime, we'll be taking it nice and slow, and covering all our tracks. Tomorrow should be fun.... we'll see :)

One Step At A Time

I'm writing this with a huge smile on my face because today Carnegie walked. As in walked like a normal horse. It doesn't sound like much, but for a horse that's been trying to run you over for the past few days, it's a huge accomplishment. Thankfully we caught the big moment on film. It's intoxicating to know that with just a little bit of time, and a lot of elbow grease you can make your thoughts (such as a horse walking straight) into a reality. Hopefully tomorrow will only bring more good news, and maybe a little trotting??? In a straight line??? :) Who knows...

Walking The Straight And Narrow

I've recently aquired a new mouth to feed in the form of a 1300 lb Dutch Warmblood named Carnegie Hall. The fun part comes in the fact that he is a curious, talented, and spunky four year old. The training literally begins with the basics - walking in a straight line. I have a prepurchase exam lined up, and in order to help out the vet (and myself) my first task will be getting him to walk the straight and narrow.

Today after three separate sessions success was achieved, at least for a couple feet:) At this point Carnegie doesn't quite understand why on earth this would be important, and is much more interested in everything else that is going on around him. Hopefully tomorrow will continue to be just as fulfilling and interesting as today!

Summer Adventures

So you probably noticed that the last time I wrote was earlier this summer, and you might have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth. While I can assure you that was not the case, I did drop off the radar for three months. Why??? I was given the wonderful opportunity to be a working student with my dressage instructor; Michael Kierkegaard. I had an incredible time working for both him, and his family, and really grew in my riding. Being able to work for the Kierkegarrd's was a very gratifying and inspiring experience.

My riding was going fantastically. I participated in Bucks County in June, and finished in third. I was "half" qualified to go to the American Eventing Championships, in September. At Bucks I also received my lowest dressage score ever: 39.6! I know when looking at things overall I still needed work, but it was showing all the time I had put in. We were gearing up to leave for Pony Club Championships in Kentucky when disaster struck.

This is probably were you could start the theme song from Jaws. It was one week before we left for Kentucky, and I had just finished my last conditioning that morning. Abbey (my sister) came and we went for a trail ride, to stretch out the horse's legs. Unfortunately Monte got more than he bargained for. While walking on a short stretch of pavement, we passed by a foxhunt's hound kennel. Approximatively 40 hounds came running at us in their pasture. Monte was shocked to say the least. Abbey jumped off, and Monte took off up the road. After running into a cornfield he jumped onto the road where he slid across on his knees. I finally caught up to him, and the horror set in.

Blood was gushing from his knees, and he was shaking from the stress. We were probably only 5 min from the farm - if we could cut through cornfields, and soybeans. So essentially we were stuck. It was at least an hour walk if we went back the way we came, and twenty minutes if we took the road. After calling my mom for help, I waited with my stomach full of knots.

My mom finally arrived, and as she puts it we were helped by an angel. A man working at the next farm over came to help us, and I'm positive we would still be waiting if he hadn't. He helped us bandage Monte up, and we decided to take Monte back using the road route, it was dangerous, but we needed to get him to the vet pronto. My mom called my dad, who brought the horse trailer right away, and we were off to the vet.

The wounds were pretty bad, almost down to the bone on his knee joints. Monte received more antibiotics then you could count, and enough ointments to fill a bath tub. Then started our long recovery back to health. No walking. Stall rest. New bandages. Bute, and antibiotics every night. These are just some of the directions we were given to follow. Kentucky hung in the air, and no one knew if he would be able to go.

I had to go back to my job. It was probably one of the hardest decisions ever. To leave the care of my partner in the hands of a somewhat capable family (mine, no offense!). The only way I could leave him at home was because of my dad. Almost a nurse, he knew what he was looking for, and I wouldn't be able to do anything more. The following week the news came that Monte couldn't go to Kentucky, and our hopes (mine) went down the drain. Monte stayed on stall rest for four weeks. We missed Kentucky, our last qualifying hope for AEC, and with that the actual AEC event.

While all of that is hard to stomach, the best part is that the time wasn't wasted. In those four weeks I rode horse after horse, and worked hard on improving my skills. Monte came back a completely different horse. Maybe it was me, maybe it was him, but my bet goes that it was both of us. We went farther in "two" months then I thought we would go in two years. For that I can't thank Michael enough.

I think everything happens for a reason, and this accident could be a mercy in disguise. I do know a few things for certain. If that gentleman hadn't helped us by the road, my horse might have gotten an infection, and possibly died. If I had gone to Kentucky, Waredaca (qualifier), or even AEC's (which is this week) they wouldn't invite my back because I'd kick all their butts. If the accident hadn't happened, I might never have worked with Monte the way I do now. And I thank everyone for their support, and their help in making the pair of us better (physically, and competitively).

Monte did come back to work with me, and things have been easy going from there on. I had tons of fun at the Kierkegarrds. It didn't matter if we were having a party, or if it was just a normal working day. I can't thank them enough for all they have done for me, and I know I will owe them for a long time to come.

Thank You to everyone who made my summer possible. My friends who had to deal with texts all summer, the Kierkegaards who made me feel completely welcome, and my family, who ran me back and forth, and were supporting me a 100% percent of the time. You guys rock!

So that was what I'm sure will become my very famous summer adventures, either to the world, or maybe just  my family. Be sure to check out the summer adventures page for some awesome pictures!


"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." 
  --  Bill Cosby