I wanted to write a little bit about the horse that started this whole "investment" process for me, and who without and a little bit of luck I wouldn't have had the opportunity to get more involved in the horse world (and own some of the nicest horses I could ever imagine owning in the process!)
In August of 2015 I told my trainer I wanted an investment horse. At the time it had been two years since Arwen retired, I didn't really have a mount, and getting into buying/selling horses is something I've always had as a goal. My budget was small-so her work was cut out for her to find that diamond in the rough. We decided it needed to be an eq type horse, or a hunter since the market for jumpers is just not there in our area. She put the feelers out, and soon enough one of her contacts had something for us. She called me and the convo went something like this:
"So, I have a horse for you. He's really cute, but he has no papers. Don't really know his age, but probably around 6. Has been sitting in a pasture, don't know how long, but he was imported by (insert big name person here) a couple years ago and went lame. They say he might still be lame, but I think we can try to bring him back. He's free, I think he's worth a shot"
Free? We all know a free horse isn't really free. But, since my budget was SO small I figured putting a little bit of money into a freebie to see if he could come sound wouldn't be that big of a risk. So, on the trailer went the little horse (no vetting! Also not recommended LOL) and to our barn he came.
When he arrived, he was every bit as cute as promised. Smaller than I would ever choose for a personal horse, but that didn't matter since he would hopefully be sold. We let him chill for a bit, and then started riding him. Right off the bat, we knew he was something special. How could he not be, he was imported for some big money and apparently for sale in the mid six figures when he first arrived! His back story remained a mystery though. He was branded, but we had zero history since his papers "disappeared" awhile ago. A friend of mine guessed (and she's probably right) when he went lame at first, the prior owners probably collected insurance money and had to make the horse disappear. So he was relegated to a pasture, with most likely a different name, and his history was effectively erased. It all seems very shady and is definitely a part of the horse world that makes me shake my head.
However...little dude turned out to be perfectly sound. I injected since he was sticky on leads, and started getting him regular chiro appointments. His name became Arendelle aka Olaf, and he started looking like a nice little hunter that would be able to get me some decent money. He was probably the first "real" hunter that I've ridden and boy was it an adjustment! Didn't need to touch his face, super soft in the mouth and once he was going, had a great natural rhythm. He was also super spooky-I fell off of him twice in the 8 months I owned him! Fortunately being small the ground wasn't that far away but it still hurt!
I had him for about 5 months before we sent him to his first real show. He was a rockstar! Still missing some leads but for the most part was fantastic. He even got second in a competitive derby! At the show a trainer had a client looking for a fun little hunter, so they inquired about him. It was the perfect situation-we know the trainer and client well so there wouldn't be much questioning the back story. They came and tried him a week after the show, loved him, and took him to their barn for a trial...
Where he promptly failed vet. WHAT?!? So disappointed. However, my trainer's friend was super persistent because she really liked the horse and had her vet dial down on the issues since his x-rays came back squeaky clean. Turns out he was just footsore, so they stuck on some front pads and re-vetted and FINALLY came back clean (this was about a month long ordeal, I was biting my nails the whole time). From there it was green light go, and in March of 2016 I got my check from them. Probably the biggest check I've ever held in my entire life! The little freebie horse more than covered all his expenses during the 7 months I owned him and then some. Definitely doesn't always work out this way and there was a large chance the whole thing wouldn't work out from the beginning. However, the stars somehow aligned and it did all work out. I owe a lot to the little guy, who basically bankrolled the start of one of my major goals. For that I owe him (and my trainer for finding him!) more than he'll know.
So with the money burning a hole in my bank account, and the ability to actually buy something decent, my trainer and I started inquiring with her agent in Europe...
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Two years!
Wow. Its been two years since I last posted on here. I blame some of it on the fact that for awhile I couldn't retrieve my google account due to a lost password, but lets be real...a lot of it is laziness! And its not because a lot hasn't happened in my world. There have actually been a ton of new and interesting things I've wanted to write about but just haven't gotten around to it.
First and foremost...I'm now single. August 2016 is a month I will remember for the rest of my life because that is the month my marriage disintegrated. It was a big change and I won't go into much detail, but the gist of it is my ex was asking me to pretty much be something I am not nor will ever be so it was inevitable that we would part ways. It was very amicable and when we talk I still feel like I'm talking to a good friend. I know there is no animosity on my part, and these last 8 months I've felt like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders as I no longer have to deal with the expectations that were being projected on me. I've gotten to experience living on my own and financial freedom for the first time in my adult life and its been both eye opening and exciting. I've gotten to make plans and do things that would have been hard or impossible to do when having to consider someone else. So all in all, while it is an experience I would not wish upon anyone, it is sometimes something you have to do and I feel like its made me grow up a lot in areas that I've been lacking, after having someone around to help take care of things for the last 17 years basically.
Second, I got a new job about a year and a half ago. I'm so glad I did because it paid me a good chunk more than my prior job. With hindsight, I feel like it happened for a reason-to help prepare me to be on my own financially. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and looking back on my decisions this is one that definitely stands out.
On the animal front- my awesome dog Major passed away right before Thanksgiving 2015, almost to the day that we adopted him. That was really hard. He was my first dog and therefore the best dog. All dogs will forever be compared to him. At the time my ex did not want to get another dog (mainly because he wanted me to have babies, not puppies) but I finally convinced him after a month of being dog-less to get one. In came the best little furball that I could have ever imagined, Choco. He's a F1 Goldendoodle and I really couldn't love this dog more. I think there is a special attachment because I am the one who chose him (laziest puppy in what was left of the litter! Haha), I've had him since he was a puppy, and he has pretty much been my saving grace will going through all my personal drama at the end of 2016. He helped get me out of the house when I was feeling down (to go for walks, go to the dog park) and just serves as a constant companion. Always up for an adventure, is great at the barn, but also perfectly happy to hang out with me if all I want to do is stay in bed. I really don't know what I would do without him.
In these two years I've also had three new horses, all investments. I still don't have a personal horse and am still riding whatever my trainer has in the barn. Its been fun, but I do sometimes miss having a bond with that one special horse. Arwen is still around, and loving her life as a pasture puff. She had to go on Prascend this year due to testing positive for cushings, but other than that she's still the same old girl. Maybe just a little grumpier. Jynx is still around too. He's almost 16.3 now! He's currently being broke by a cowboy at our barn and is doing great.
I'll have to do a more detailed update on the three horses that have come and gone in the last two years, and also a show update on my hunter debut! Oh and also my complete lack of fitness.
First and foremost...I'm now single. August 2016 is a month I will remember for the rest of my life because that is the month my marriage disintegrated. It was a big change and I won't go into much detail, but the gist of it is my ex was asking me to pretty much be something I am not nor will ever be so it was inevitable that we would part ways. It was very amicable and when we talk I still feel like I'm talking to a good friend. I know there is no animosity on my part, and these last 8 months I've felt like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders as I no longer have to deal with the expectations that were being projected on me. I've gotten to experience living on my own and financial freedom for the first time in my adult life and its been both eye opening and exciting. I've gotten to make plans and do things that would have been hard or impossible to do when having to consider someone else. So all in all, while it is an experience I would not wish upon anyone, it is sometimes something you have to do and I feel like its made me grow up a lot in areas that I've been lacking, after having someone around to help take care of things for the last 17 years basically.
Second, I got a new job about a year and a half ago. I'm so glad I did because it paid me a good chunk more than my prior job. With hindsight, I feel like it happened for a reason-to help prepare me to be on my own financially. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and looking back on my decisions this is one that definitely stands out.
On the animal front- my awesome dog Major passed away right before Thanksgiving 2015, almost to the day that we adopted him. That was really hard. He was my first dog and therefore the best dog. All dogs will forever be compared to him. At the time my ex did not want to get another dog (mainly because he wanted me to have babies, not puppies) but I finally convinced him after a month of being dog-less to get one. In came the best little furball that I could have ever imagined, Choco. He's a F1 Goldendoodle and I really couldn't love this dog more. I think there is a special attachment because I am the one who chose him (laziest puppy in what was left of the litter! Haha), I've had him since he was a puppy, and he has pretty much been my saving grace will going through all my personal drama at the end of 2016. He helped get me out of the house when I was feeling down (to go for walks, go to the dog park) and just serves as a constant companion. Always up for an adventure, is great at the barn, but also perfectly happy to hang out with me if all I want to do is stay in bed. I really don't know what I would do without him.
In these two years I've also had three new horses, all investments. I still don't have a personal horse and am still riding whatever my trainer has in the barn. Its been fun, but I do sometimes miss having a bond with that one special horse. Arwen is still around, and loving her life as a pasture puff. She had to go on Prascend this year due to testing positive for cushings, but other than that she's still the same old girl. Maybe just a little grumpier. Jynx is still around too. He's almost 16.3 now! He's currently being broke by a cowboy at our barn and is doing great.
I'll have to do a more detailed update on the three horses that have come and gone in the last two years, and also a show update on my hunter debut! Oh and also my complete lack of fitness.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Keep on keeping on...
Last update was a month ago and not too much has happened since then. On the horse front, I've backed down from riding Arwen. She started exhibiting some interesting behavior (namely bucking like a raging bronc) under saddle which made me think something physical is really bothering her. Not wanting to really spend money to diagnose and/or push her through it (for what purpose, really) I've just been putting her on the hot walker and spinning her around on a lunge line a couple times a week. Just enough to get her big brown butt moving a bit more since all she does is stand around in pasture!
Baby J is also getting a little feisty. His um...testicles are dropping so I'm wondering if that's contributing? He's still pretty sweet and easy to handle but not exactly what I would consider totally docile, judging but the hoof shaped bruise he left on my hip when I was trying to stop him from getting pushy with his food around me. Lesson learned from that one: time to stop being so nice to the "baby" and make our ground rules/manners a little more clear on who is boss.
Riding has been going decently well too. I feel like I've worked out of the slump I was in a few weeks ago. And actually, I think the slump was happening because the horse I'm leasing came up lame. Not dead lame, but lame enough to be concerning to me and his owner, and could account for becoming somewhat harder to ride (and not to mention spookier, since horses can get spooky when in pain). So he's been taking a couple weeks nice and easy, and I've been riding other horses. And hey, I got back to the point where I started thinking hey, I actually can ride! Amazing. The horse I lease, despite being uber talented and an overall cool guy, has a pretty horrible left drift that I am constantly fighting and focusing on which makes it hard to work on much other than "get him off his left side!". Add in a severe lack of engine and desire for any kind of self carriage and he can sometimes be a bear to ride well around a course. The last week though I got to ride a totally uncomplicated, dare I say "easy" horse who not only stays straight, but has an engine! It was glorious. The only bad habit this horse has is he can sometimes grab onto the bit and go "fast" which really isn't that fast at all. He did try it with me for the first couple rides, but with a great tip on how to deal with it from the assistant I was able to get him to go around on a consistent, even rhythm before and after the fences. I also did a lot of bending/flexing/lateral flatwork before jumping, and by the end of the week he was so awesome. I have only jumped him (including last week) maybe 4 times total, and by the last lesson of the week we were coursing around 3'. That is how easy this horse is to ride! The horse belongs to a kid and I have to admit...I'm a little jealous. He really is a fantastic horse and just all around good guy.
On the fitness and personal front, I started a Whole30 at the beginning of February. The main driver behind this was I did a wellness evaluation at work (to test blood and what not) and the results where...not great. My blood glucose and triglycerides were ok, but my cholesterol was not great and my weight was just...ugh. So I decided enough dicking around-time to get serious. I have been lax about everything for so long thinking "oh, but I CrossFit and I'm happy!" and feeling like it was enough. Which yes...its good I'm active outside of riding and that I am happy, but I also was decidedly NOT happy that I can't wear some of my clothes, and my numbers were just so bad. So I Whole30'd. The last day is March 2 and I would say while this wasn't my easiest Whole30 (I've done three) it also wasn't my hardest. I am definitely planning on continuing to eat gluten free again, and to continue on without sugar. I'm feeling pretty awesome overall, although I will say, I haven't experienced the "tiger blood" feelings in my workouts like I did the first time around. I contribute that to my being just kind of flaky about attending workouts consistently. My first Whole30 was when I was only a year into CF, and going pretty consistently. So I do need to ramp that up eventually, but I feel like if I force myself to go right now that mentally I will already been in a place of not feeling the WOD. So I've been aiming for at least twice a week consistently, with something else (like a bike ride) to replace that 3rd workout.
Baby J is also getting a little feisty. His um...testicles are dropping so I'm wondering if that's contributing? He's still pretty sweet and easy to handle but not exactly what I would consider totally docile, judging but the hoof shaped bruise he left on my hip when I was trying to stop him from getting pushy with his food around me. Lesson learned from that one: time to stop being so nice to the "baby" and make our ground rules/manners a little more clear on who is boss.
Riding has been going decently well too. I feel like I've worked out of the slump I was in a few weeks ago. And actually, I think the slump was happening because the horse I'm leasing came up lame. Not dead lame, but lame enough to be concerning to me and his owner, and could account for becoming somewhat harder to ride (and not to mention spookier, since horses can get spooky when in pain). So he's been taking a couple weeks nice and easy, and I've been riding other horses. And hey, I got back to the point where I started thinking hey, I actually can ride! Amazing. The horse I lease, despite being uber talented and an overall cool guy, has a pretty horrible left drift that I am constantly fighting and focusing on which makes it hard to work on much other than "get him off his left side!". Add in a severe lack of engine and desire for any kind of self carriage and he can sometimes be a bear to ride well around a course. The last week though I got to ride a totally uncomplicated, dare I say "easy" horse who not only stays straight, but has an engine! It was glorious. The only bad habit this horse has is he can sometimes grab onto the bit and go "fast" which really isn't that fast at all. He did try it with me for the first couple rides, but with a great tip on how to deal with it from the assistant I was able to get him to go around on a consistent, even rhythm before and after the fences. I also did a lot of bending/flexing/lateral flatwork before jumping, and by the end of the week he was so awesome. I have only jumped him (including last week) maybe 4 times total, and by the last lesson of the week we were coursing around 3'. That is how easy this horse is to ride! The horse belongs to a kid and I have to admit...I'm a little jealous. He really is a fantastic horse and just all around good guy.
On the fitness and personal front, I started a Whole30 at the beginning of February. The main driver behind this was I did a wellness evaluation at work (to test blood and what not) and the results where...not great. My blood glucose and triglycerides were ok, but my cholesterol was not great and my weight was just...ugh. So I decided enough dicking around-time to get serious. I have been lax about everything for so long thinking "oh, but I CrossFit and I'm happy!" and feeling like it was enough. Which yes...its good I'm active outside of riding and that I am happy, but I also was decidedly NOT happy that I can't wear some of my clothes, and my numbers were just so bad. So I Whole30'd. The last day is March 2 and I would say while this wasn't my easiest Whole30 (I've done three) it also wasn't my hardest. I am definitely planning on continuing to eat gluten free again, and to continue on without sugar. I'm feeling pretty awesome overall, although I will say, I haven't experienced the "tiger blood" feelings in my workouts like I did the first time around. I contribute that to my being just kind of flaky about attending workouts consistently. My first Whole30 was when I was only a year into CF, and going pretty consistently. So I do need to ramp that up eventually, but I feel like if I force myself to go right now that mentally I will already been in a place of not feeling the WOD. So I've been aiming for at least twice a week consistently, with something else (like a bike ride) to replace that 3rd workout.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
And some horse updates
First off, Baby J! He continues to do really, really well. We've had two kind of scary issues with choke due to the barn help feeding him pellets that even adult horses tend to choke on. First time we didn't know what was happening so called the vet out (lovely bill with that one) but the second time our groom recognized the signs, brought him in and I massaged his neck for 30 minutes until it passed. Poor guy. Oh and a disclaimer: I had no idea they were still feeding him pellets. He was in a pasture with a buddy who I guess was supposed to get them, which no one informed me of. It has since been made VERY clear that he is not to get any kind of pellet.
Other than that, he is a pretty normal baby. So super sweet and tolerant. Takes things in stride, and seems to learn very quickly. Not spooky, but you do have to present new things to him before he goes "meh" about it. Makes me hopeful he'll be pretty bomb proof once started under saddle.
He is also looking more and more like Arwen which tells me she either stamps her babies really strongly, or Imothep just doesn't really stamp his babies with anything distinguishable. I guess I'll know if I get another one out of her!
Speaking of Arwen, I started riding her big brown butt again a few times a week. Just w/t/c, and tried to take her over some poles which was...amusing. She lept over them like they were fences, which I think she did because a) she has absolutely ZERO interest in any of that crap and b) being out of shape and a little rusty made it hard. She started out feeling really really rickety, but after about a week suppled up a lot the more I made her walk and use her body. I can tell though that there is some pain in her somewhere because when we canter on her left lead she will generally scoot and buck. So I try not to make her do too much, she gets bute once a week and we do lots and lots of walking. If I were to ride her more than what I do now, she would definitely need some maintenance. However, for what we're doing I don't think the once a week bute does much damage to anything.
I sure did miss riding her though. Her trot and canter are just so smooth and having a horse with an engine is so nice! I've been putting her in a super soft bit and she's actually been great in it-plenty of brakes and she gets really light and foamy in it. For being out of work for over a year I actually think she's carrying herself better than she was when she was in work. Granted she definitely doesn't have the muscle that she did but she just goes on the bit so much easier now and I don't think its because I'm a better rider.
I'm hoping to get a couple more babies out of her, and then she'll just be retired to a trail horse/pasture puff. I don't think she will ever reliably be any kind of lesson horse if I'm trying to be realistic. I recently asked one of the more beginner riders to get on her when I was in a rush and I think Arwen freaked her out. Because yes-she will take advantage of you and will test you which doesn't exactly make a good lesson horse, unless the rider is brave/very confident.
As for my riding horse, I've been riding the assistant's personal horse for the last couple months. Super schoolmaster horse and all around great guy. He was an ex-GP horse until he got injured, the assistant worked with him and did his rehab and he's now been ridden by a few people at the barn. He's not "easy" but he's also not necessarily difficult because he is pretty straightforward. His only flaws are he's lazy and he has a really vicious left drift. Oh, and can be spooky at really random times but that's not too big of a deal. He's basically a big ol' derp who is happy to dink around little fences with me. Not quite sure how long I'll be riding him, but I hope that I can at least ride him through the summer and go to some local shows.
After that, I've actually been thinking its probably time to start thinking of a baby of the human variety. I do want one, and timing to start trying in the fall would be good. We'll see!
Other than that, he is a pretty normal baby. So super sweet and tolerant. Takes things in stride, and seems to learn very quickly. Not spooky, but you do have to present new things to him before he goes "meh" about it. Makes me hopeful he'll be pretty bomb proof once started under saddle.
He is also looking more and more like Arwen which tells me she either stamps her babies really strongly, or Imothep just doesn't really stamp his babies with anything distinguishable. I guess I'll know if I get another one out of her!
Speaking of Arwen, I started riding her big brown butt again a few times a week. Just w/t/c, and tried to take her over some poles which was...amusing. She lept over them like they were fences, which I think she did because a) she has absolutely ZERO interest in any of that crap and b) being out of shape and a little rusty made it hard. She started out feeling really really rickety, but after about a week suppled up a lot the more I made her walk and use her body. I can tell though that there is some pain in her somewhere because when we canter on her left lead she will generally scoot and buck. So I try not to make her do too much, she gets bute once a week and we do lots and lots of walking. If I were to ride her more than what I do now, she would definitely need some maintenance. However, for what we're doing I don't think the once a week bute does much damage to anything.
I sure did miss riding her though. Her trot and canter are just so smooth and having a horse with an engine is so nice! I've been putting her in a super soft bit and she's actually been great in it-plenty of brakes and she gets really light and foamy in it. For being out of work for over a year I actually think she's carrying herself better than she was when she was in work. Granted she definitely doesn't have the muscle that she did but she just goes on the bit so much easier now and I don't think its because I'm a better rider.
I'm hoping to get a couple more babies out of her, and then she'll just be retired to a trail horse/pasture puff. I don't think she will ever reliably be any kind of lesson horse if I'm trying to be realistic. I recently asked one of the more beginner riders to get on her when I was in a rush and I think Arwen freaked her out. Because yes-she will take advantage of you and will test you which doesn't exactly make a good lesson horse, unless the rider is brave/very confident.
As for my riding horse, I've been riding the assistant's personal horse for the last couple months. Super schoolmaster horse and all around great guy. He was an ex-GP horse until he got injured, the assistant worked with him and did his rehab and he's now been ridden by a few people at the barn. He's not "easy" but he's also not necessarily difficult because he is pretty straightforward. His only flaws are he's lazy and he has a really vicious left drift. Oh, and can be spooky at really random times but that's not too big of a deal. He's basically a big ol' derp who is happy to dink around little fences with me. Not quite sure how long I'll be riding him, but I hope that I can at least ride him through the summer and go to some local shows.
After that, I've actually been thinking its probably time to start thinking of a baby of the human variety. I do want one, and timing to start trying in the fall would be good. We'll see!
Two more horseshows off the bucket list...
So 2014 definitely ended up being the year of the horse show. I mostly spectated, but after my long experience at Thermal I decided that I definitely like being a spectator more than a competitor. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE showing. However, only when its fun. Thermal was fun, but it was also really tiring and way to competitive. Both of those factors take a lot of fun out of the showing equation for me. I discovered that two to three days is really optimal, and my money is best spent locally.
However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to get to every major show ground in North America at some point in time. Bonus points if I become independently wealthy and get to do some classes (HAHAHAHAHAHA).
My original list was comprised of:
Spruce
Kentucky (any competition there really, preferably National Horse Show though)
WEF
Penn National
Washington International
Devon
In 2014 I managed to get to Penn, then Washington on a whim. Penn was actually planned and I got to watch the GP there, Washington the timing just happened to be right on my last day in Washington DC so we watched a couple hours of the hunter classes. Both are super historic shows and were awesome to get to see in person! I saw a good number of the riders that had been at the LA National, and totally took a stalker picture of Beezie Madden studying her course map (I know, I'm so creepy!) Again, it was amazing to be so close to some of the world's top riders, or at least close to so many of them.
So my list pretty much stands the same for the future. Spruce is way up at the top of course-everytime I watch that show on any livestream I am blown away by how beautiful it looks. For 2015 I'm hoping to add on the World Cup in Las Vegas and another trip to see the LA Masters, but who knows!
However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to get to every major show ground in North America at some point in time. Bonus points if I become independently wealthy and get to do some classes (HAHAHAHAHAHA).
My original list was comprised of:
Spruce
Kentucky (any competition there really, preferably National Horse Show though)
WEF
Penn National
Washington International
Devon
In 2014 I managed to get to Penn, then Washington on a whim. Penn was actually planned and I got to watch the GP there, Washington the timing just happened to be right on my last day in Washington DC so we watched a couple hours of the hunter classes. Both are super historic shows and were awesome to get to see in person! I saw a good number of the riders that had been at the LA National, and totally took a stalker picture of Beezie Madden studying her course map (I know, I'm so creepy!) Again, it was amazing to be so close to some of the world's top riders, or at least close to so many of them.
So my list pretty much stands the same for the future. Spruce is way up at the top of course-everytime I watch that show on any livestream I am blown away by how beautiful it looks. For 2015 I'm hoping to add on the World Cup in Las Vegas and another trip to see the LA Masters, but who knows!
Friday, October 3, 2014
Longines Masters Grand Slam Los Angeles- The so-so and some interesting observations...
So there wasn't much to dislike at this show. It was pretty much top notch over all, from decor, to the planning, the execution, and the caliber of rider (and people watching!)
BUT.
The cost of stuff was pretty astronomical. And I understand, we were in Los Angeles and at a prestigious show trying to imitate the super high end European shows. However, a sandwich (that was very very good, but it was still a sandwich) was $18, bottled water was $4 and then on Sunday I splurged and got a mimosa. $20 later...I almost spit that mimosa back into the bartenders face. Okay, not really but I don't even pay that much for bottomless mimosas at my local brunch place.
Oh. And this was the big one that really irked me. You would figure that an event like this would have a lot of branded merchandise that people would buy to get signed, remember the event, etc. NOPE. They had baseball caps, and then a polo for men and one for women. Like we're all horse people here-where are the saddle pads? Or polo wraps? Or something that is relatively cheap that Longines can embroider and sell at a huge markup? It was disappointing to say the least. Also disappointing is that they completely ran out of hats and I really wanted one. I tried to see if one of my friends who was volunteering there knew of any connection but I guess the show REALLY ran out of them. So much so they had to take the hats (worn hats, by the way) from the volunteers to give to the people who had won. Crazy, right? Seems like kind of crummy planning especially since nothing had dates on it. Longines is contracted to run this show for 5 more years-they could have recycled extras! Or, maybe the person ordering needs to learn how to count...
Anyway, like I said. Small stuff, but it was significant enough for me to note it.
The most interesting thing I saw there (besides the horse statue made out of hangers, OMG! Oh, and some random celebrities) was how these "Masters" rode around each other in the warm up ring. The warm up ring was great-smack dab in the middle of the venue and you could stand there just an arms length away from some of the top horse and rider pairs in the world. I watched before the big class Saturday night. Some of the riders at the time I was watching included Mclain Ward, Laura Kraut, and Reed Kessler. Now I've been in super crazy warm up rings before and it is stressful. But people are generally decent about calling out "rail" or not purposefully turning into other riders or calling their jumps. These Masters though? It was probably the quietest warmup ring I've ever witnessed and holy hell...they are SO RUDE to each other! I saw one riding up right on anothers butt, despite the horse they were riding up on having a red string in its tail (signal for a kicker). Another jumped a jump, and turned left INTO the rail, right where a couple other riders were walking who then had to scramble out of the way. Saw another do a circle RIGHT in front of someone else, literally 4 inches in front of the other horse's nose. When I mentioned all this to my friend, she brought up a good point that they probably do all this as an intimidation factor. You figure as far as riding talent goes, most of these riders are on a pretty level playing field-its the best of the best. So they have to play a mental game to out psych their opponents. Makes sense but damn! It was intense.
BUT.
The cost of stuff was pretty astronomical. And I understand, we were in Los Angeles and at a prestigious show trying to imitate the super high end European shows. However, a sandwich (that was very very good, but it was still a sandwich) was $18, bottled water was $4 and then on Sunday I splurged and got a mimosa. $20 later...I almost spit that mimosa back into the bartenders face. Okay, not really but I don't even pay that much for bottomless mimosas at my local brunch place.
Oh. And this was the big one that really irked me. You would figure that an event like this would have a lot of branded merchandise that people would buy to get signed, remember the event, etc. NOPE. They had baseball caps, and then a polo for men and one for women. Like we're all horse people here-where are the saddle pads? Or polo wraps? Or something that is relatively cheap that Longines can embroider and sell at a huge markup? It was disappointing to say the least. Also disappointing is that they completely ran out of hats and I really wanted one. I tried to see if one of my friends who was volunteering there knew of any connection but I guess the show REALLY ran out of them. So much so they had to take the hats (worn hats, by the way) from the volunteers to give to the people who had won. Crazy, right? Seems like kind of crummy planning especially since nothing had dates on it. Longines is contracted to run this show for 5 more years-they could have recycled extras! Or, maybe the person ordering needs to learn how to count...
Anyway, like I said. Small stuff, but it was significant enough for me to note it.
The most interesting thing I saw there (besides the horse statue made out of hangers, OMG! Oh, and some random celebrities) was how these "Masters" rode around each other in the warm up ring. The warm up ring was great-smack dab in the middle of the venue and you could stand there just an arms length away from some of the top horse and rider pairs in the world. I watched before the big class Saturday night. Some of the riders at the time I was watching included Mclain Ward, Laura Kraut, and Reed Kessler. Now I've been in super crazy warm up rings before and it is stressful. But people are generally decent about calling out "rail" or not purposefully turning into other riders or calling their jumps. These Masters though? It was probably the quietest warmup ring I've ever witnessed and holy hell...they are SO RUDE to each other! I saw one riding up right on anothers butt, despite the horse they were riding up on having a red string in its tail (signal for a kicker). Another jumped a jump, and turned left INTO the rail, right where a couple other riders were walking who then had to scramble out of the way. Saw another do a circle RIGHT in front of someone else, literally 4 inches in front of the other horse's nose. When I mentioned all this to my friend, she brought up a good point that they probably do all this as an intimidation factor. You figure as far as riding talent goes, most of these riders are on a pretty level playing field-its the best of the best. So they have to play a mental game to out psych their opponents. Makes sense but damn! It was intense.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Longines Masters Grand Slam Los Angeles-The Amazing and the Good!
This weekend I had was able to attend the Longines Masters show in Los Angeles for a couple days. I've known about the event for a few months, but hemmed and hawed about going because of the cost, finding people to go with, etc etc. However, about a month ago I won a pair of tickets from a horse publication. That pretty much sealed the deal-I was dying to get down there!
I wrangled a couple friends who at this point wouldn't mind doing the drive with me, we worked out a free hotel thanks to one of my friend's hotel points, and decided that we would cram as much horse time in a whirlwind 48 hours.
Thankfully the drive went pretty painlessly. No traffic out of Sacramento, and the traffic once we hit LA was minimal. Made it down with plenty of time to shower, get ready, and head over to the show to check out the vendors before watching the first class.
There is a lot to say about this show, so I'll just start with the amazing and the good.
The Amazing:
I think this goes without saying but DAMN. The caliber of the rider and horse at this show is top notch. They allowed 2* riders to show (for a hefty sum) but even those people were some of the best ammys and pros in the US. As for the 5* riders (the Masters riders) that kind of goes without saying. The top riders IN THE WORLD with their TOP horses. This wasn't a second string horse type of show. People brought their "A" horses. I got to see Cristallo, Blue Angel, Willow, Zavall, Simon and Cos I Can, just to name a few. To see these horse and rider combinations in the flesh after only watching them on internet live feeds is an experience I will never forget. I mean at a couple points in time when I was watching the riders warm up, I could have reached out and touched them. It was pretty amazing.
On top of that, the riders were pretty accessible. They walked around the venue just like everyone else. In fact, I encountered Mclain Ward as I was leaving my seat the first night. I might have geeked out a bit and tried to be all sneaky to take a pic, but he totally caught me and said it was fine to take a picture with him. So I did. I admit to being a total dork but whatever! It was very very cool. I also was standing literally right behind Reed Kessler and we rode the escalator down after the show. She may not have the nicest reputation, but I will say she is very pretty in person and just seems kind of normal. I wanted to say hello but it was after her not so great ride in the GP class on the last day so used my better judgement and just smiled.
Also amazing was the venue. The convention center was totally transformed. Beautiful styling everywhere, along with a nicely thought out warm up ring in the center of the lobby area (so everyone could watch), plenty of seating, and a gorgeous arena. Parking was easy, access to everything was easy and even for being such a "fancy" show with many millions of dollars of horseflesh, everyone working was pretty easy going. Backpacks didn't get checked, we didn't get hassled for bringing in outside food or taking lots of pictures. It was a good mix of fairly casual people, and then people dressed to the nines (VIPs).
Speaking of people being dressed to the nine...SO MANY CELEBRITIES! I try not to geek out about celebrities but sometimes you just can't help it.
The Good:
Food and drink was fantastic, but has been deemed only good because of the prices. I understand why it was all so expensive but the second day I went to have a mimosa and it was $20! I almost choked. Still delicious and the bartender was super generous (poured a full glass of champagne, let me drink quite a bit of it, topped it off again and then added the OJ) but man...that's more than what I pay for umlimited at brunch.
Shopping also fell under the good. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. Vendor space was pretty limited, but everything except maybe one vendor was stuff I would see/find at any horse show in my area. The highlight was the D'yon booth. Huge with tons of beautiful leather goods. They ended up giving a deal to us on a couple of cute little crossbody purses and I bought a pair of lined spur straps that were very affordable. I did see a couple of other things I *could* have bought but I resisted since I think the shopping will be better at the Penn National show I'm going to in a few weeks.
Next post will be on some of the crazy/interesting observations I made, as well as the bad!
I wrangled a couple friends who at this point wouldn't mind doing the drive with me, we worked out a free hotel thanks to one of my friend's hotel points, and decided that we would cram as much horse time in a whirlwind 48 hours.
Thankfully the drive went pretty painlessly. No traffic out of Sacramento, and the traffic once we hit LA was minimal. Made it down with plenty of time to shower, get ready, and head over to the show to check out the vendors before watching the first class.
There is a lot to say about this show, so I'll just start with the amazing and the good.
The Amazing:
I think this goes without saying but DAMN. The caliber of the rider and horse at this show is top notch. They allowed 2* riders to show (for a hefty sum) but even those people were some of the best ammys and pros in the US. As for the 5* riders (the Masters riders) that kind of goes without saying. The top riders IN THE WORLD with their TOP horses. This wasn't a second string horse type of show. People brought their "A" horses. I got to see Cristallo, Blue Angel, Willow, Zavall, Simon and Cos I Can, just to name a few. To see these horse and rider combinations in the flesh after only watching them on internet live feeds is an experience I will never forget. I mean at a couple points in time when I was watching the riders warm up, I could have reached out and touched them. It was pretty amazing.
On top of that, the riders were pretty accessible. They walked around the venue just like everyone else. In fact, I encountered Mclain Ward as I was leaving my seat the first night. I might have geeked out a bit and tried to be all sneaky to take a pic, but he totally caught me and said it was fine to take a picture with him. So I did. I admit to being a total dork but whatever! It was very very cool. I also was standing literally right behind Reed Kessler and we rode the escalator down after the show. She may not have the nicest reputation, but I will say she is very pretty in person and just seems kind of normal. I wanted to say hello but it was after her not so great ride in the GP class on the last day so used my better judgement and just smiled.
Also amazing was the venue. The convention center was totally transformed. Beautiful styling everywhere, along with a nicely thought out warm up ring in the center of the lobby area (so everyone could watch), plenty of seating, and a gorgeous arena. Parking was easy, access to everything was easy and even for being such a "fancy" show with many millions of dollars of horseflesh, everyone working was pretty easy going. Backpacks didn't get checked, we didn't get hassled for bringing in outside food or taking lots of pictures. It was a good mix of fairly casual people, and then people dressed to the nines (VIPs).
Speaking of people being dressed to the nine...SO MANY CELEBRITIES! I try not to geek out about celebrities but sometimes you just can't help it.
The Good:
Food and drink was fantastic, but has been deemed only good because of the prices. I understand why it was all so expensive but the second day I went to have a mimosa and it was $20! I almost choked. Still delicious and the bartender was super generous (poured a full glass of champagne, let me drink quite a bit of it, topped it off again and then added the OJ) but man...that's more than what I pay for umlimited at brunch.
Shopping also fell under the good. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. Vendor space was pretty limited, but everything except maybe one vendor was stuff I would see/find at any horse show in my area. The highlight was the D'yon booth. Huge with tons of beautiful leather goods. They ended up giving a deal to us on a couple of cute little crossbody purses and I bought a pair of lined spur straps that were very affordable. I did see a couple of other things I *could* have bought but I resisted since I think the shopping will be better at the Penn National show I'm going to in a few weeks.
Next post will be on some of the crazy/interesting observations I made, as well as the bad!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Baby J and Riding Update!
So this is my first post since Baby J (Jynx) was born. It has been a rocky, rocky road to say the least. He was at the vets for almost 7 weeks, although I think we could have pulled him out much sooner had the vet been more proactive. Lesson learned. Long story short, the legs improved dramatically enough that he could have gone home, but vet kept pulling bloodwork and Baby J had a mild infection for quite awhile. We probably did three rounds of antibiotics with limited success. Finally, after that third round vet suggested plasma transfusion. Which, unknown to me, he told my trainer/breeding partner he would do the first week. Well lo and behold, after the transfusion his numbers pretty much came normal. GRRR!!! He still continued to struggle with the knee a bit, as well as the lovely addition of pressure sores from the splint. And towards the end of his stay, he started not wanting to put weight on his leg that had been more seriously contracted (also had the pressure sores on the fetlock). All these things made the vet want to keep him longer, so we did.
However, it did get to a point where we were both like "wow, our bill is going to be really high, let's just pull him out, bring him back to the barn and see how he does". Vet thought he was good enough to do that (and would periodically check on him) so we brought him home.
He made HUGE leaps of improvement once he got home. HUGE. I was able to get his sore healed up in a couple weeks (whereas it was improving super slowly with the vet). He had no issues putting weight on the leg when I started bandaging him, and then wouldn't when the vet came to bandage him. We figured out it was because of the way he was being wrapped and the type of bandage the vet was using. I think it was just so tight, it was irritating that sore and making Baby J not want to put weight on it. Leg started straightening out more as he used it more (since he was on stall rest at the vets). Started putting on some weight, and some muscle.
He also started to get limited turnout. Oh man...I was SO happy the first time I got to turn him out for an hour. HE was so happy! To see him running around like a normal baby was supposed 7 weeks after being born was awesome.
And all through this he kept his curious, and very sweet personality. He is now super duper easy to handle, and loves humans. I guess that's the one perk to being handled every single day for a variety of treatments since birth?
Anyway, we named him Jynx because its meant to be a little tongue in cheek. He has been jinxed! He's had a lot thrown at him at such a young age and so far, has come through the other side relatively unscathed (just has a few scars, which I'm hoping will disappear in a few shedding cycles). I'm just thrilled to have mom and baby back at the barn. Arwen is doing great-I was warned she would drop a ton of weight but so far, she is holding her condition fantastically. I'm planning on getting on her back a little this winter to just do some flat work and get her a little tighter in prep for her next breeding (will talk more about that later...the stallion search continues). I am dying to bring her into the arena with jumps/poles, just to see what the baby will do with it all!
Speaking of riding, I have still been taking lessons consistently on a handful of horses. Its just been kind of a rotation of whats available (and of whats available, what I am able to ride!). I tried leasing one for about a month but that didn't end well. Started out fine, but after about two weeks horse started trying to rear. It was really weird-I attribute it to some kind of pain issue because other than that he is a pretty good guy who does like his job. Lately I've been riding a horse one of the juniors is "leasing" who is super fun and I like a lot, but is tricky. He has a stop in him that he employs when you are not accurate which unfortunately for me, happens a lot. Not the stopping but the lack of accuracy...anyway, I guess you could say he is not super forgiving in that sense. But in others, he's great. He kind of trucks along, especially since we've only been jumping 2'3-2'6" lately. Although last night, with my trainer back from a show, I got to jump him up a lot which was great. Probably around 3'-3'1". This horse has an AMAZING jump, just so smooth, round, slow and lovely so jumping him up was an experience. He took one oxer huge, and I got a little jumped loose and may have shrieked, but hey, I stayed on. Left that lesson with a really big smile on my face.
So that's pretty much what's been going on in my horse world. Lots of happenings coming up, and I do need to update on the CF front, although that isn't super exciting (besides me hitting some PR's, which I guess is exciting in its own way).
However, it did get to a point where we were both like "wow, our bill is going to be really high, let's just pull him out, bring him back to the barn and see how he does". Vet thought he was good enough to do that (and would periodically check on him) so we brought him home.
He made HUGE leaps of improvement once he got home. HUGE. I was able to get his sore healed up in a couple weeks (whereas it was improving super slowly with the vet). He had no issues putting weight on the leg when I started bandaging him, and then wouldn't when the vet came to bandage him. We figured out it was because of the way he was being wrapped and the type of bandage the vet was using. I think it was just so tight, it was irritating that sore and making Baby J not want to put weight on it. Leg started straightening out more as he used it more (since he was on stall rest at the vets). Started putting on some weight, and some muscle.
He also started to get limited turnout. Oh man...I was SO happy the first time I got to turn him out for an hour. HE was so happy! To see him running around like a normal baby was supposed 7 weeks after being born was awesome.
And all through this he kept his curious, and very sweet personality. He is now super duper easy to handle, and loves humans. I guess that's the one perk to being handled every single day for a variety of treatments since birth?
Anyway, we named him Jynx because its meant to be a little tongue in cheek. He has been jinxed! He's had a lot thrown at him at such a young age and so far, has come through the other side relatively unscathed (just has a few scars, which I'm hoping will disappear in a few shedding cycles). I'm just thrilled to have mom and baby back at the barn. Arwen is doing great-I was warned she would drop a ton of weight but so far, she is holding her condition fantastically. I'm planning on getting on her back a little this winter to just do some flat work and get her a little tighter in prep for her next breeding (will talk more about that later...the stallion search continues). I am dying to bring her into the arena with jumps/poles, just to see what the baby will do with it all!
Speaking of riding, I have still been taking lessons consistently on a handful of horses. Its just been kind of a rotation of whats available (and of whats available, what I am able to ride!). I tried leasing one for about a month but that didn't end well. Started out fine, but after about two weeks horse started trying to rear. It was really weird-I attribute it to some kind of pain issue because other than that he is a pretty good guy who does like his job. Lately I've been riding a horse one of the juniors is "leasing" who is super fun and I like a lot, but is tricky. He has a stop in him that he employs when you are not accurate which unfortunately for me, happens a lot. Not the stopping but the lack of accuracy...anyway, I guess you could say he is not super forgiving in that sense. But in others, he's great. He kind of trucks along, especially since we've only been jumping 2'3-2'6" lately. Although last night, with my trainer back from a show, I got to jump him up a lot which was great. Probably around 3'-3'1". This horse has an AMAZING jump, just so smooth, round, slow and lovely so jumping him up was an experience. He took one oxer huge, and I got a little jumped loose and may have shrieked, but hey, I stayed on. Left that lesson with a really big smile on my face.
So that's pretty much what's been going on in my horse world. Lots of happenings coming up, and I do need to update on the CF front, although that isn't super exciting (besides me hitting some PR's, which I guess is exciting in its own way).
Friday, June 13, 2014
Breeding: Not for the faint of heart
So...Arwen had a beautiful baby boy on 5/30/2014 at 9 am in the morning. Totally normal, non eventful pregnancy, textbook birth/labor. She was contracting the night before, I milk tested her around 12 am (low pH but her calcium was not super high) and I thought she had at least another night so I went home. Got the call the next morning as soon as I arrived at work that OMG ARWEN IS IN LABOR!! so I rushed down to the barn. Of course, Arwen pushed the little sucker out in like five minutes so I totally missed it. Pretty much the ENTIRE barn got to see it though since she was quite thoughtful and gave birth at such a reasonable hour on a Friday. According to people that were there, everything progressed as I read it should progress. I was thanking my lucky stars that my dependable, unshakeable girl made it through the birthing process a-ok.
Well, turned out that after being so "textbook", her baby was not able to stand upon birth. Totally healthy otherwise, gorgeous bay with four white socks and a tiny star. But, all that didn't matter with his pretty contracted fronts and laxity in back. This resulted in us rushing him over to the vet to try and get him straightened out, and to get him the all important colostrum. He is a BIG foal-not only super long legged, but long in body. Its believed that being so big in the womb can contribute to the issues with the tendons, since the baby cannot move around as much and stretch out. It is also believed that weight of the mare, nutrition, and genetics can all play a roll as well. However, there is no definite or common answer out there for these issues. Most foals are born with *some* degree of these issues, so it is not uncommon to encounter.
It was also clear that Arwen has been a mom before because she is EXCELLENT. Very nuturing, stands stock still when baby wants to eat, protective when she needs to be but lets people fuss over the baby because I think she knows we're just trying to help. Going through all of this with her makes me so proud to be her owner. She may not have been the best riding horse, but she is definitely the best mom and I do not regret my decision to breed her because I do think that is something she loves and excels at.
However, this whole experience has definitely taken off my rose colored glasses when it comes to breeding, stomped on them, ground them into the dust, maybe stomped on them again, and then thrown them into an incinerator to make sure they're REALLY destroyed! Breeding puts on your radar a lot of other people who are expecting babies-and just like in humans, you encounter a lot of good stories, but also some of the unsuccessful/bad ones.
For example-the lax back tendons. When I first saw Baby J had those, my heart just sank. Someone I'm aware of through an online forum had just been through those with her baby, and ended up having to put the baby down as the tendons were not improving after a month. Her case and situation was completely different from mine, but it still stuck in my mind.
Another example-local trainer bred her mare, and now the mare is in ICU. Baby is healthy and fine, but her poor mare may not make it. Not sure why, but again its just another thing that can go wrong with a breeding.
For those two bad stories though, there are two great ones. Two acquaintances had a healthy, happy babies and a healthy happy mommas. No issues, with the exception of one of the baby's having slightly contracted back tendons (another WB, actually. Its believed to be very common in WB's where the genetics issue could come into play).
So while Baby J is now doing much better, what I originally thought was going to be a fairly inexpensive endeavor is becoming much more expensive. Its also a crap shoot on how he is going to turn out-right now he is a very tolerant, sweet, fiesty and curious little guy. But who knows what kind of talent, saleability, ridability, etc he is going to have!
Do I still plan on breeding again? Yes. I would like to continue trying to breed because my ultimate goal is to get a horse out of Arwen I could keep for myself. However I will definitely go into my next breeding with all these stories/experiences in the back of my mind.
Well, turned out that after being so "textbook", her baby was not able to stand upon birth. Totally healthy otherwise, gorgeous bay with four white socks and a tiny star. But, all that didn't matter with his pretty contracted fronts and laxity in back. This resulted in us rushing him over to the vet to try and get him straightened out, and to get him the all important colostrum. He is a BIG foal-not only super long legged, but long in body. Its believed that being so big in the womb can contribute to the issues with the tendons, since the baby cannot move around as much and stretch out. It is also believed that weight of the mare, nutrition, and genetics can all play a roll as well. However, there is no definite or common answer out there for these issues. Most foals are born with *some* degree of these issues, so it is not uncommon to encounter.
It was also clear that Arwen has been a mom before because she is EXCELLENT. Very nuturing, stands stock still when baby wants to eat, protective when she needs to be but lets people fuss over the baby because I think she knows we're just trying to help. Going through all of this with her makes me so proud to be her owner. She may not have been the best riding horse, but she is definitely the best mom and I do not regret my decision to breed her because I do think that is something she loves and excels at.
However, this whole experience has definitely taken off my rose colored glasses when it comes to breeding, stomped on them, ground them into the dust, maybe stomped on them again, and then thrown them into an incinerator to make sure they're REALLY destroyed! Breeding puts on your radar a lot of other people who are expecting babies-and just like in humans, you encounter a lot of good stories, but also some of the unsuccessful/bad ones.
For example-the lax back tendons. When I first saw Baby J had those, my heart just sank. Someone I'm aware of through an online forum had just been through those with her baby, and ended up having to put the baby down as the tendons were not improving after a month. Her case and situation was completely different from mine, but it still stuck in my mind.
Another example-local trainer bred her mare, and now the mare is in ICU. Baby is healthy and fine, but her poor mare may not make it. Not sure why, but again its just another thing that can go wrong with a breeding.
For those two bad stories though, there are two great ones. Two acquaintances had a healthy, happy babies and a healthy happy mommas. No issues, with the exception of one of the baby's having slightly contracted back tendons (another WB, actually. Its believed to be very common in WB's where the genetics issue could come into play).
So while Baby J is now doing much better, what I originally thought was going to be a fairly inexpensive endeavor is becoming much more expensive. Its also a crap shoot on how he is going to turn out-right now he is a very tolerant, sweet, fiesty and curious little guy. But who knows what kind of talent, saleability, ridability, etc he is going to have!
Do I still plan on breeding again? Yes. I would like to continue trying to breed because my ultimate goal is to get a horse out of Arwen I could keep for myself. However I will definitely go into my next breeding with all these stories/experiences in the back of my mind.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Getting so friggin' close!
Arwen is now at 330 days. Ack! Her body is definitely starting to move things around and soften up. I've been doing the milk pH testing, where as she gets closer to foaling her milk is *supposedly* going to drop super low in pH and get high in calcium. She has been holding pretty steady for the last week around 6.8-7.2 pH and 100 calcium. I was really hoping she would go this week, but its possible she will hold onto the baby up until 340 days, or even past. Anyway, fingers crossed it happens soon!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Ex-Grand Prix horses...why the obsession?
A thread going on on COTH about riding a strong, ex-GP horse got me thinking about this. Why are people so enamored with the idea of riding/owning ex-GP horses?
Why do we consider it something to be proud of to ride an "ex-GP" horse? Why do people, even if they may never jump higher than 3', say they want a 1.20m horse? What is it that makes us want to sit on this very specific kind of horse and more importantly, make us think we can ride them successfully? Is it vanity? Pride? Bragging points?
I ask these questions to myself because I too fell into the trap when I bought Arwen. She was an ex 1.40-1.50m horse, doing those classes in Mexico with her old owner who (according to some COTH feedback) is an amateur but one of the biggest amateurs in Mexico, meaning he could essentially be a pro. She did the 1.20m with her old owner, but we were told just didn't "want" to jump that height anymore. The old owner was rich so essentially was having a firesale on her. So, when I discovered she was within my budget I never really questioned why at the time. But I should have. Because when I purchased her she could have easily been doing 1.20-1.25m still (was only 13, still in her prime) however I REALLY wanted to believe that she was tired of doing the big stuff and wanted to be a partner to a relatively experienced adult amateur. And admittedly, I really did love her when I first tried her. Outside of jumping, she is super sane, safe and sensible. I can trail ride her, bareback at dusk, around the property with just a halter. However, as soon as we started jumping it was kind of a mess. Also admittedly, however, I was liking the fact I could tell people I bought an "ex GP" horse for pennies and was now riding her.
Dumb, right? And vain.
Because it takes a certain type of animal to do those big jumps. I know this now, though I don't think I really knew it at the time. Jumping that big takes a lot of athleticism, bravery, confidence in your rider, and well, some funky personality quirks. Every horse I have seen/read about that jumps at that level has something about their personalities (horsenalities?) along with extreme athleticism too, that gets them to that point. And I just don't think that makes most of them suitable to be jumping around at 3', with a rider who makes a lot of mistakes. They just don't have the tolerance for it. Its kind of like how you see very few pro athletes come back and want to coach some puny middle school team after being in the big leagues (if at all?). I know horses don't understand the meaning of something being beneath them, but I do think they can be bored, especially ones purpose bred and then trained to do a very specific job that not all horses can do. They are elite athletes, with the brain to be elite athletes (otherwise they would have washed out long ago).
I would say 80% of the time Arwen was really bored with her job with me. Bored, and it made her act out, in addition to not getting what she needed from me as a rider. She was used to non conflicting aids, that precise distance to a jump, and basically having more of a give-take relationship that I was prepared for. I still don't think I'm prepared enough to ride a horse like her. I rely a lot on my partner to be able to help me out and have the confidence to do it, which is where a good, solid 3'6" horse is a much more appropriate match for me. They don't have to be a world beater, or be able to jump the moon.
Something that has stuck with me for a couple years when starting the talks about breeding was a trainer who was offering up a solid 1.20 stallion for me to breed to. She said "everyone wants a 1.40 horse, but barely anyone needs one". She felt that the typical backyard/small breeder needed to breed for brains and the typical 3'-3'6" ammy market because in all honesty, it is a handful of very talented riders who will make it to the top. Not to mention just a handful of horses too! It is a statement that I brushed off at the time, but lately has really been ringing true. Especially as I don't have a horse to ride and have gotten to take lessons on some really amazing, but limited, horses who have taught me so much and I realize I would be perfectly happy owning (and they were never ex GP horses! OMG).
So I guess, where does it stop? Because despite me knowing what I know now, I am still trying to breed Arwen for that 1.40m baby. Maybe its just human nature, to want the best? And I am admittedly falling into that trap again.
Why do we consider it something to be proud of to ride an "ex-GP" horse? Why do people, even if they may never jump higher than 3', say they want a 1.20m horse? What is it that makes us want to sit on this very specific kind of horse and more importantly, make us think we can ride them successfully? Is it vanity? Pride? Bragging points?
I ask these questions to myself because I too fell into the trap when I bought Arwen. She was an ex 1.40-1.50m horse, doing those classes in Mexico with her old owner who (according to some COTH feedback) is an amateur but one of the biggest amateurs in Mexico, meaning he could essentially be a pro. She did the 1.20m with her old owner, but we were told just didn't "want" to jump that height anymore. The old owner was rich so essentially was having a firesale on her. So, when I discovered she was within my budget I never really questioned why at the time. But I should have. Because when I purchased her she could have easily been doing 1.20-1.25m still (was only 13, still in her prime) however I REALLY wanted to believe that she was tired of doing the big stuff and wanted to be a partner to a relatively experienced adult amateur. And admittedly, I really did love her when I first tried her. Outside of jumping, she is super sane, safe and sensible. I can trail ride her, bareback at dusk, around the property with just a halter. However, as soon as we started jumping it was kind of a mess. Also admittedly, however, I was liking the fact I could tell people I bought an "ex GP" horse for pennies and was now riding her.
Dumb, right? And vain.
Because it takes a certain type of animal to do those big jumps. I know this now, though I don't think I really knew it at the time. Jumping that big takes a lot of athleticism, bravery, confidence in your rider, and well, some funky personality quirks. Every horse I have seen/read about that jumps at that level has something about their personalities (horsenalities?) along with extreme athleticism too, that gets them to that point. And I just don't think that makes most of them suitable to be jumping around at 3', with a rider who makes a lot of mistakes. They just don't have the tolerance for it. Its kind of like how you see very few pro athletes come back and want to coach some puny middle school team after being in the big leagues (if at all?). I know horses don't understand the meaning of something being beneath them, but I do think they can be bored, especially ones purpose bred and then trained to do a very specific job that not all horses can do. They are elite athletes, with the brain to be elite athletes (otherwise they would have washed out long ago).
I would say 80% of the time Arwen was really bored with her job with me. Bored, and it made her act out, in addition to not getting what she needed from me as a rider. She was used to non conflicting aids, that precise distance to a jump, and basically having more of a give-take relationship that I was prepared for. I still don't think I'm prepared enough to ride a horse like her. I rely a lot on my partner to be able to help me out and have the confidence to do it, which is where a good, solid 3'6" horse is a much more appropriate match for me. They don't have to be a world beater, or be able to jump the moon.
Something that has stuck with me for a couple years when starting the talks about breeding was a trainer who was offering up a solid 1.20 stallion for me to breed to. She said "everyone wants a 1.40 horse, but barely anyone needs one". She felt that the typical backyard/small breeder needed to breed for brains and the typical 3'-3'6" ammy market because in all honesty, it is a handful of very talented riders who will make it to the top. Not to mention just a handful of horses too! It is a statement that I brushed off at the time, but lately has really been ringing true. Especially as I don't have a horse to ride and have gotten to take lessons on some really amazing, but limited, horses who have taught me so much and I realize I would be perfectly happy owning (and they were never ex GP horses! OMG).
So I guess, where does it stop? Because despite me knowing what I know now, I am still trying to breed Arwen for that 1.40m baby. Maybe its just human nature, to want the best? And I am admittedly falling into that trap again.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Thermal and other updates
Again, I have been slacking on getting things written down. Nothing since December is no bueno.
First update: Thermal. Went down there for Week 3, riding a borrowed horse whose owner rode him Week 2. Super awesome 6 yo named Sitation who at such a young age is already a total packer. Well, maybe not a total packer but he is getting close. He saved my butt a couple times, and is as honest as the day is long. We showed in the low adult/child modified division, which is 2'11" (.90). Thermal sets a HARD 2'11" though and when I first got there, I thought the height looked huge. However, by the end of the week I felt like if I had been there another week, I would have been fine bumping up to 3'1" (.95).
The gist of the show was this: Biggest show I have ever been to in my life in terms of sheer number of riders (at least 35 in every class), jumps, and actual showgrounds. Thermal is SO spread out-if you don't have a golf cart, bike, etc you are going to get really tired just hoofing it (heh) around on. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I am so grateful that I got to go. That being said...I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon. It was just way above me in terms of competitiveness and while I definitely feel prepared to do local shows here (and do well) it was just a bit much for me down there. After all, I don't have my own horse, I have only been riding 3 times a week on mainly a hunter type ride and my fitness is generally sucking. I think maybe I wasn't really prepared for just how many people were going to be there and how tough it was going to be. Basically, I think my money is better spent at local shows (based on my current skill level and situation), since what I paid for Thermal equals two full weeks of showing here. Its possible I will want to go back at some point when I have a different horse, but for right now I am perfectly happy being a spectator there next year!
BUT...on a more positive note, I didn't forget any of my courses and actually put in some really decent rides that I am happy with at a height that is pretty much considered a "move up" for me. After all, I've only shown around the 3' level on William, the big grey ISH. So I'm happy with the way things turned out on the riding front.
More updates: Arwen is getting REAAAAAALLLY close to her due date now! 340 days puts her around June 1, so at the 300 day mark when we have to start watching will be end of April. Holy cow! That is like a month away. Time has gone by really fast. She is starting to look very pregnant too. I've also started looking closer at stallions to use for her next one and even though I said no frozen...I think we're going to go with another frozen one. Only because she did end up catching and the vet now knows what he needs to do to get her pregnant (oxytocin protocol!). So hopefully this time around she catches the first time.
Anyway, the stallion we're 99% sure we're going with is Con Capilot. He's a lovely young stallion that I see quite frequently at the big shows and has been coming a long super nicely. Jumps in great form, and is also clean and fast. His rider has been having some pretty good successes on him this last year, and he does have some young-ish offspring on the ground who look like they have a lot of potential. Not to mention his bloodlines should match up with Arwen's really nicely (he is Contender-Pilot, with Ramiro a couple generations, all lines that are supposed to produce super jumpers with good personalities/brains in combination with her Alme blood), and he has great conformation that I think will compliment her as well. He is dark bay with a lot of chrome, so I imagine it would be a bay baby as well (like her current one will probably be). The breeders also say he passes on the chrome, so I hope it will be something flashy! (although healthy is first and foremost)
First update: Thermal. Went down there for Week 3, riding a borrowed horse whose owner rode him Week 2. Super awesome 6 yo named Sitation who at such a young age is already a total packer. Well, maybe not a total packer but he is getting close. He saved my butt a couple times, and is as honest as the day is long. We showed in the low adult/child modified division, which is 2'11" (.90). Thermal sets a HARD 2'11" though and when I first got there, I thought the height looked huge. However, by the end of the week I felt like if I had been there another week, I would have been fine bumping up to 3'1" (.95).
The gist of the show was this: Biggest show I have ever been to in my life in terms of sheer number of riders (at least 35 in every class), jumps, and actual showgrounds. Thermal is SO spread out-if you don't have a golf cart, bike, etc you are going to get really tired just hoofing it (heh) around on. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I am so grateful that I got to go. That being said...I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon. It was just way above me in terms of competitiveness and while I definitely feel prepared to do local shows here (and do well) it was just a bit much for me down there. After all, I don't have my own horse, I have only been riding 3 times a week on mainly a hunter type ride and my fitness is generally sucking. I think maybe I wasn't really prepared for just how many people were going to be there and how tough it was going to be. Basically, I think my money is better spent at local shows (based on my current skill level and situation), since what I paid for Thermal equals two full weeks of showing here. Its possible I will want to go back at some point when I have a different horse, but for right now I am perfectly happy being a spectator there next year!
BUT...on a more positive note, I didn't forget any of my courses and actually put in some really decent rides that I am happy with at a height that is pretty much considered a "move up" for me. After all, I've only shown around the 3' level on William, the big grey ISH. So I'm happy with the way things turned out on the riding front.
More updates: Arwen is getting REAAAAAALLLY close to her due date now! 340 days puts her around June 1, so at the 300 day mark when we have to start watching will be end of April. Holy cow! That is like a month away. Time has gone by really fast. She is starting to look very pregnant too. I've also started looking closer at stallions to use for her next one and even though I said no frozen...I think we're going to go with another frozen one. Only because she did end up catching and the vet now knows what he needs to do to get her pregnant (oxytocin protocol!). So hopefully this time around she catches the first time.
Anyway, the stallion we're 99% sure we're going with is Con Capilot. He's a lovely young stallion that I see quite frequently at the big shows and has been coming a long super nicely. Jumps in great form, and is also clean and fast. His rider has been having some pretty good successes on him this last year, and he does have some young-ish offspring on the ground who look like they have a lot of potential. Not to mention his bloodlines should match up with Arwen's really nicely (he is Contender-Pilot, with Ramiro a couple generations, all lines that are supposed to produce super jumpers with good personalities/brains in combination with her Alme blood), and he has great conformation that I think will compliment her as well. He is dark bay with a lot of chrome, so I imagine it would be a bay baby as well (like her current one will probably be). The breeders also say he passes on the chrome, so I hope it will be something flashy! (although healthy is first and foremost)
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Updates all around
And once more I have been terrible about updating...
On the horse front:
Went to another show for one day the weekend after the Halloween show. Had to do it to redeem myself! It was at the same facility, in the same ring but a much MUCH less packed show so the pressure to go fast and crazy was not as high. I also rode a different horse, a totally chill LARGE (he's probably 18.2) ISH who I rode exclusively for about a month earlier this year, and have occasionally carted over to show for fun. He's so easy and requires pretty much zero prep-I can basically just hop on him, and go cruise around 2'9"-3'3", no problem. Which, is NOT a reflection on how wonderful of a rider I am, this horse is just that point and shoot. So uncomplicated to ride, his thing is you just basically have to be able to get him going. Which I did for my first two classes (got a 3 and 4, was riding relatively conservatively). Then my last class, a 3' one, we ended up with a first but managed to go SO.SLOW. Something was up with him, he was just so dead and behind my leg but still got around clean like a good boy. Trainer thought he might have been colicing at first, but then we decided he was overheating. All the classes ran pretty much back to back, it was in the 70's and he basically had his full winter coat. So all around much better...I remembered all my courses (although they were all speed rounds, so relatively easy to remember!) and I rode well. Next up...THERMAL! Its going to be expensive and I'm not riding my own horse (which I would have loved to do) but I just love it down there. Its so fun, and warm when its the middle of winter up here. Its basically going to be a horse show and a vacation all rolled up into one! Another owner is graciously sharing her horse with me for the two weeks my barn is down there. He's a fun horse, young, but again, relatively uncomplicated. So hopefully it goes well!
Also: new horse is FANTASTIC. I freaking love him. He's just so cool-pretty much a schoolmaster with the exception of a sometimes gnarly left drift (I think its due to the injury, his left side is weaker). Once you get him packaged and going, he just goes. Like a metronome. Such a nice rythym, and super comfortable. Has only spooked once, at something totally random. Otherwise packs out in whatever type of weather, night/morning/afternoon, and deals with general barn mayhem without batting an eye. We're hoping he can get back to doing 3' stuff occassionally, but honestly I don't care if he stays at 2'6". I would love to jump bigger, don't get me wrong but I also get a lot of satisfaction from nailing a 2'6" course. Which, I am not consistently doing yet. So there is a lot of good stuff to still work on at the lower heights with him, that I think (hope) will later transfer to whatever horse I ride next who can hopefully jump a little higher. Because I'm still dreaming that someday I will do 3'6", although the more I ride the more I realize meh...jump height doesn't really matter!
Arwen is also still baking her little bun. Vet checked her, confirmed there is still a baby in there. Did some more research and decided I am going to try and register her baby KWPN. They have two books, A and B, and the B book allows foals from an approved dad with no requirements for the mare. I have also been looking like mad for the next stallion to breed her too, and keep coming back to either Baldev or Mezcalero. I REALLY like both of them, but they are pretty different. Baldev is much more modern looking (like Imothep) and young. Basically unproven in the ring with not a lot of offspring on the ground versus Mezcalero, who is an Olympic jumper and very proven. BUT (and this is a big one) he is a chunk. Like huge, and he apparently does pass that onto his offspring. Arwen is pretty well built herself, so I fear that we would end up with a big, bulky tank.
Oh, and FINALLY did my USEF membership so I can offically transfer Arwen to my name. Also, this means I won't have to pay $60 in association fees every show. Which, for a week long show its not horrible to pay but when I would trailer in for a day? OUCH.
On the fitness front:
Have been REALLY REALLY trying to go 3 times a week. Have succeeded a little more than in the past couple months, but still not as consistently as I would like.
The next couple weeks are winter skills testing and its definitely not going to be as good as it has been in the past for me. The lifting portion, maybe but the rest of it? Not excited. Only because my shoulder and my back are still bothering me, and so I've been doing a lot of modified stuff. Like pull ups? Back on the blue band. However, keeping it easy on my should has definitely been allowing it to recover, which is good. I also think once I get fitter (i.e. lose some weight too!) it will be better. I was just trying to push to do too much, when I hadn't allowed my muscles/body to catch up to my weight gain. I was still thinking in my head I was 15 lbs lighter, but my body was not conditioned for it. Again, my fault for slacking. But, with Thermal now on the horizon I definitely have more motivation to be consistent in the gym! And not only because I will be bringing a swim suit down there. EEK!
On the horse front:
Went to another show for one day the weekend after the Halloween show. Had to do it to redeem myself! It was at the same facility, in the same ring but a much MUCH less packed show so the pressure to go fast and crazy was not as high. I also rode a different horse, a totally chill LARGE (he's probably 18.2) ISH who I rode exclusively for about a month earlier this year, and have occasionally carted over to show for fun. He's so easy and requires pretty much zero prep-I can basically just hop on him, and go cruise around 2'9"-3'3", no problem. Which, is NOT a reflection on how wonderful of a rider I am, this horse is just that point and shoot. So uncomplicated to ride, his thing is you just basically have to be able to get him going. Which I did for my first two classes (got a 3 and 4, was riding relatively conservatively). Then my last class, a 3' one, we ended up with a first but managed to go SO.SLOW. Something was up with him, he was just so dead and behind my leg but still got around clean like a good boy. Trainer thought he might have been colicing at first, but then we decided he was overheating. All the classes ran pretty much back to back, it was in the 70's and he basically had his full winter coat. So all around much better...I remembered all my courses (although they were all speed rounds, so relatively easy to remember!) and I rode well. Next up...THERMAL! Its going to be expensive and I'm not riding my own horse (which I would have loved to do) but I just love it down there. Its so fun, and warm when its the middle of winter up here. Its basically going to be a horse show and a vacation all rolled up into one! Another owner is graciously sharing her horse with me for the two weeks my barn is down there. He's a fun horse, young, but again, relatively uncomplicated. So hopefully it goes well!
Also: new horse is FANTASTIC. I freaking love him. He's just so cool-pretty much a schoolmaster with the exception of a sometimes gnarly left drift (I think its due to the injury, his left side is weaker). Once you get him packaged and going, he just goes. Like a metronome. Such a nice rythym, and super comfortable. Has only spooked once, at something totally random. Otherwise packs out in whatever type of weather, night/morning/afternoon, and deals with general barn mayhem without batting an eye. We're hoping he can get back to doing 3' stuff occassionally, but honestly I don't care if he stays at 2'6". I would love to jump bigger, don't get me wrong but I also get a lot of satisfaction from nailing a 2'6" course. Which, I am not consistently doing yet. So there is a lot of good stuff to still work on at the lower heights with him, that I think (hope) will later transfer to whatever horse I ride next who can hopefully jump a little higher. Because I'm still dreaming that someday I will do 3'6", although the more I ride the more I realize meh...jump height doesn't really matter!
Arwen is also still baking her little bun. Vet checked her, confirmed there is still a baby in there. Did some more research and decided I am going to try and register her baby KWPN. They have two books, A and B, and the B book allows foals from an approved dad with no requirements for the mare. I have also been looking like mad for the next stallion to breed her too, and keep coming back to either Baldev or Mezcalero. I REALLY like both of them, but they are pretty different. Baldev is much more modern looking (like Imothep) and young. Basically unproven in the ring with not a lot of offspring on the ground versus Mezcalero, who is an Olympic jumper and very proven. BUT (and this is a big one) he is a chunk. Like huge, and he apparently does pass that onto his offspring. Arwen is pretty well built herself, so I fear that we would end up with a big, bulky tank.
Oh, and FINALLY did my USEF membership so I can offically transfer Arwen to my name. Also, this means I won't have to pay $60 in association fees every show. Which, for a week long show its not horrible to pay but when I would trailer in for a day? OUCH.
On the fitness front:
Have been REALLY REALLY trying to go 3 times a week. Have succeeded a little more than in the past couple months, but still not as consistently as I would like.
The next couple weeks are winter skills testing and its definitely not going to be as good as it has been in the past for me. The lifting portion, maybe but the rest of it? Not excited. Only because my shoulder and my back are still bothering me, and so I've been doing a lot of modified stuff. Like pull ups? Back on the blue band. However, keeping it easy on my should has definitely been allowing it to recover, which is good. I also think once I get fitter (i.e. lose some weight too!) it will be better. I was just trying to push to do too much, when I hadn't allowed my muscles/body to catch up to my weight gain. I was still thinking in my head I was 15 lbs lighter, but my body was not conditioned for it. Again, my fault for slacking. But, with Thermal now on the horizon I definitely have more motivation to be consistent in the gym! And not only because I will be bringing a swim suit down there. EEK!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Show Update and New Ride!
Well. The show was a learning experience, to say the least. I didn't ride as well as I did the previous weekend, not by a long shot. Honestly, I think that is what has been bothering me most about it. I let the OMG GO FAST! get in the way of having nicer riding rounds and I'm really annoyed with myself in getting waaaaaay to wrapped up in winning.
Don't get me wrong though-winning can be great. When I got my head together and rode the way I should be riding, lo and behold, we would place. But that happened in only 3 out of 8 classes total, when it should have been more!
So some definitely learnings were well, learned this past weekend.
1) to ride the way I was trying to ride (i.e. fast and efficient) I need to practice jumpoffs A LOT more than I have been. And this means more showing. Which honestly, isn't that realistic. So I think I just need to remember to ride as best I can, and let the chips fall where they may.
2) I have some serious flaws in my position. I got tossed loose by Ready more than a couple times. I know part of it is gripping with my knees when I'm nervous (thanks Arwen) instead of sinking down. I also tend to go fetal when trying to go fast, which doesn't help
3) got to get more comfortable with jumping sans irons, and retriving my irons when I do loose them. This also happened more than a couple times. I will say, I did end up jumping the last 4 jumps of the jump off during my last class without irons on the worlds most uncomfortable horse, so while its a fail its also a win? LOL
So I plan to work on at least the last two things over the winter, which is good because I have felt a little bit aimless and goal-less ever since I stopped working Arwen intensely about 9 months ago. With her I just always strived every day to be a better rider for her and since I haven't had to deal with her antics, I've gotten lazy. All the other horses I've ridden just seem so easy compared to her I have let A LOT fall by the wayside. So while I'm not going to ramp it up like I did before, especially since I'm thinking my next year's focus will be diverted to other things, I do need to get my head back into the game.
On that note, for now I have a new ride! Who should actually really let me focus on a lot of my positional issues while being a comfy, easy horse to ride. Trainer got a freebie from another trainer because the owner just couldn't really afford him anymore. He's a super sweet, 17 yo 17 hand or so former hunter/eq horse who has been on the road to recovery after a suspensory issue. Last night was his first night out at the barn and while he looked at things, there was no spook at all and just let me dink around on him at WTC and over some crossrails. What a good guy! He has a great trot and canter, although he does take a lot to keep him together (is a little long, and is just a bigger horse). So my goal with him is to get him jumping little things again, and work on getting him more fit on the flat. He needs a rider with a strong leg to help keep him engaged, so he's not technically a beginner horse although he definitely has the mind to cart beginners around (lazy and kind) Trainer said for the meantime I can treat him like he's mine (which makes me laugh a little-means I can pay for his shit! LOL) and I'll be the one mainly riding him. After that, I imagine he will be just a fun, easy horse to have around the barn for lessons and whatnot. We'll see! I'm kind of excited about him.
Don't get me wrong though-winning can be great. When I got my head together and rode the way I should be riding, lo and behold, we would place. But that happened in only 3 out of 8 classes total, when it should have been more!
So some definitely learnings were well, learned this past weekend.
1) to ride the way I was trying to ride (i.e. fast and efficient) I need to practice jumpoffs A LOT more than I have been. And this means more showing. Which honestly, isn't that realistic. So I think I just need to remember to ride as best I can, and let the chips fall where they may.
2) I have some serious flaws in my position. I got tossed loose by Ready more than a couple times. I know part of it is gripping with my knees when I'm nervous (thanks Arwen) instead of sinking down. I also tend to go fetal when trying to go fast, which doesn't help
3) got to get more comfortable with jumping sans irons, and retriving my irons when I do loose them. This also happened more than a couple times. I will say, I did end up jumping the last 4 jumps of the jump off during my last class without irons on the worlds most uncomfortable horse, so while its a fail its also a win? LOL
So I plan to work on at least the last two things over the winter, which is good because I have felt a little bit aimless and goal-less ever since I stopped working Arwen intensely about 9 months ago. With her I just always strived every day to be a better rider for her and since I haven't had to deal with her antics, I've gotten lazy. All the other horses I've ridden just seem so easy compared to her I have let A LOT fall by the wayside. So while I'm not going to ramp it up like I did before, especially since I'm thinking my next year's focus will be diverted to other things, I do need to get my head back into the game.
On that note, for now I have a new ride! Who should actually really let me focus on a lot of my positional issues while being a comfy, easy horse to ride. Trainer got a freebie from another trainer because the owner just couldn't really afford him anymore. He's a super sweet, 17 yo 17 hand or so former hunter/eq horse who has been on the road to recovery after a suspensory issue. Last night was his first night out at the barn and while he looked at things, there was no spook at all and just let me dink around on him at WTC and over some crossrails. What a good guy! He has a great trot and canter, although he does take a lot to keep him together (is a little long, and is just a bigger horse). So my goal with him is to get him jumping little things again, and work on getting him more fit on the flat. He needs a rider with a strong leg to help keep him engaged, so he's not technically a beginner horse although he definitely has the mind to cart beginners around (lazy and kind) Trainer said for the meantime I can treat him like he's mine (which makes me laugh a little-means I can pay for his shit! LOL) and I'll be the one mainly riding him. After that, I imagine he will be just a fun, easy horse to have around the barn for lessons and whatnot. We'll see! I'm kind of excited about him.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Arwen Update and Show Time Take Aways
So a few fun updates:
Arwen is still baking the bun in her oven. Its funny looking at the picture of her in the header because at this point, she looks nothing like that horse! That horse is fit and muscled, nice summer coat, good weight. Right now she is a furry beast with limited muscle and is FAT FAT FAT. She has been out to pasture with a pasture mate and apparently hogging all his food. I guess he's getting really skinny. What can I say...girl is eating for two!
Still haven't gotten on her back since she's been pregnant either. I was waiting for her bare feet to toughen up before sitting on her back, and that kind of morphed into me just being really lazy. I mean there isn't a reason why I really need to ride her at this point, other than for my own pleasure. Also, by the time I'm done at the barn I'm usually really tired (I will sometimes hack a couple horses in addition to my lesson) and ready to go home. So getting on Arwen's back is low on my priority list. I do go out there and check her over though, or give her a treat.
Since I don't have a horse to ride right now, I've been kind of riding whatever comes my way. I really wanted to do a show though before the season is over since DH and I are supposed to try getting preggers at the end of the year, and doing some shows before kids was on my pre-pregnancy bucket list. So since the horse I have been riding is privately owned and the owner wants to go to shows too, I'm back on the back of the first horse I rode at the barn! Its kind of a weird, bittersweet full circle kind of deal. This is the horse that basically took me from crossrails to jumping 2'6" courses, took me to my first show, and made me want to buy Arwen. He's seriously one of the kindest horses I've ever encountered and is equally good at taking care of a beginner as he is zooming around the jumper ring with someone who is more knowledgeable about riding. So while being back on him is a little like coming home since I know him so well, at the beginning I was like "crap, I have made no progress!". However, after taking at least once a week lessons on him for the past month or so I quickly came to realize just how much progress I had made, and how much I owe to Arwen, this horse and the others I've had the opportunity to ride for teaching me at various stages in my riding.
This horse, Ready, taught me so much about confidence and getting around a course. Arwen taught me so much about dealing with whatever is thrown at you, and how to feel what is going on under you. So now, back on Ready, not only have I become a much more confident rider again after Arwen kind of took that away from me, I have much more feel and understanding of what is required to get a good, winning ride.
This was proven to me at a one day show I took him and another horse to this weekend in preparation for the "bigger" show that is coming up later this week. I went in with my normal goals of a) getting around the course and b) not falling off/dying. I managed to do both! I rode in a total of 5 classes with the two horses. Only did two on Ready since it was more of a warmup for the show later, and then three on William, the other horse. This included my very first class with 1.00m jumps thrown in, and I've probably only jumped William 2-4 times in the last six months. In my lessons we've really been working on "going for it" i.e. making sure I have enough pace to my jumps, balancing well through tight turns, supporting my distances and then...galloping in jump offs! I really haven't practiced that much because there wasn't a real reason to. I have only shown 3 times in the last 4 years, so working on jump off strategy was not high on the priority list.
So when we got out there and trainer was talking to me about how to ride my track and jump off, I really really tried to remember and focus on sticking to my plan. I knew I was on some super trustworthy mounts who, as long as I told them what to do and where to go, would cart my ass around the classes I put them in. I had complete faith and trust in my horses, something that I haven't felt in a long time. Because of that, I was able to go out and really think about my ride instead of worrying that my horse might stop (like I constantly did with Arwen) and ultimately, I ended up with two seconds and one first out of relatively decent sized classes (10-15 people, some were on two cards though). Didn't make the jump off in two because of rails (at the same fence!) but that just told me that there was rider error going on. My horses ran their asses off for me that day, and its hard for me to put into words how much I appreciated that.
Going into next week I can only hope that my show goes as well as it did on Saturday, but if it doesn't thats okay too. I have never been a super competitive person and I realize even more now that I like showing because it not only shows my progress as a rider, but it really shows the partnership that can exist and that I got to experience on Arwen just once at the only show we went to together.
Arwen is still baking the bun in her oven. Its funny looking at the picture of her in the header because at this point, she looks nothing like that horse! That horse is fit and muscled, nice summer coat, good weight. Right now she is a furry beast with limited muscle and is FAT FAT FAT. She has been out to pasture with a pasture mate and apparently hogging all his food. I guess he's getting really skinny. What can I say...girl is eating for two!
Still haven't gotten on her back since she's been pregnant either. I was waiting for her bare feet to toughen up before sitting on her back, and that kind of morphed into me just being really lazy. I mean there isn't a reason why I really need to ride her at this point, other than for my own pleasure. Also, by the time I'm done at the barn I'm usually really tired (I will sometimes hack a couple horses in addition to my lesson) and ready to go home. So getting on Arwen's back is low on my priority list. I do go out there and check her over though, or give her a treat.
Since I don't have a horse to ride right now, I've been kind of riding whatever comes my way. I really wanted to do a show though before the season is over since DH and I are supposed to try getting preggers at the end of the year, and doing some shows before kids was on my pre-pregnancy bucket list. So since the horse I have been riding is privately owned and the owner wants to go to shows too, I'm back on the back of the first horse I rode at the barn! Its kind of a weird, bittersweet full circle kind of deal. This is the horse that basically took me from crossrails to jumping 2'6" courses, took me to my first show, and made me want to buy Arwen. He's seriously one of the kindest horses I've ever encountered and is equally good at taking care of a beginner as he is zooming around the jumper ring with someone who is more knowledgeable about riding. So while being back on him is a little like coming home since I know him so well, at the beginning I was like "crap, I have made no progress!". However, after taking at least once a week lessons on him for the past month or so I quickly came to realize just how much progress I had made, and how much I owe to Arwen, this horse and the others I've had the opportunity to ride for teaching me at various stages in my riding.
This horse, Ready, taught me so much about confidence and getting around a course. Arwen taught me so much about dealing with whatever is thrown at you, and how to feel what is going on under you. So now, back on Ready, not only have I become a much more confident rider again after Arwen kind of took that away from me, I have much more feel and understanding of what is required to get a good, winning ride.
This was proven to me at a one day show I took him and another horse to this weekend in preparation for the "bigger" show that is coming up later this week. I went in with my normal goals of a) getting around the course and b) not falling off/dying. I managed to do both! I rode in a total of 5 classes with the two horses. Only did two on Ready since it was more of a warmup for the show later, and then three on William, the other horse. This included my very first class with 1.00m jumps thrown in, and I've probably only jumped William 2-4 times in the last six months. In my lessons we've really been working on "going for it" i.e. making sure I have enough pace to my jumps, balancing well through tight turns, supporting my distances and then...galloping in jump offs! I really haven't practiced that much because there wasn't a real reason to. I have only shown 3 times in the last 4 years, so working on jump off strategy was not high on the priority list.
So when we got out there and trainer was talking to me about how to ride my track and jump off, I really really tried to remember and focus on sticking to my plan. I knew I was on some super trustworthy mounts who, as long as I told them what to do and where to go, would cart my ass around the classes I put them in. I had complete faith and trust in my horses, something that I haven't felt in a long time. Because of that, I was able to go out and really think about my ride instead of worrying that my horse might stop (like I constantly did with Arwen) and ultimately, I ended up with two seconds and one first out of relatively decent sized classes (10-15 people, some were on two cards though). Didn't make the jump off in two because of rails (at the same fence!) but that just told me that there was rider error going on. My horses ran their asses off for me that day, and its hard for me to put into words how much I appreciated that.
Going into next week I can only hope that my show goes as well as it did on Saturday, but if it doesn't thats okay too. I have never been a super competitive person and I realize even more now that I like showing because it not only shows my progress as a rider, but it really shows the partnership that can exist and that I got to experience on Arwen just once at the only show we went to together.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Pregnant!
The horse, not me. She has her 30 day heartbeat check this weekend though, fingers crossed she has held onto the baby. Will update after!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Skills Testing Week 1
Heavy lift week. Back squat, strict press and DL were on the schedule for me (also had the clean, but I never go on clean days so it was pointless to sign up)
Back squat I improved my number by 20 lbs and I feel like I probably could have even gone 5-10lbs heavier. Hit 225. Happy with this because when I did it 6 months ago, 205 was really really hard. 225 didn't go up super easy, but I also didn't feel like I wasn't going to get up out of the bottom.
Strict press I also improved by almost 20 lbs. Did 105, prior number was 87.5. Pretty happy with this too. This one was definitely harder, the 105 did not go up smoothly but all that matters is it got up there!
Missed the DL day due to being out of town. Kind of bummed about this because I really want my DL max rep number. Oh well, next time!
Back squat I improved my number by 20 lbs and I feel like I probably could have even gone 5-10lbs heavier. Hit 225. Happy with this because when I did it 6 months ago, 205 was really really hard. 225 didn't go up super easy, but I also didn't feel like I wasn't going to get up out of the bottom.
Strict press I also improved by almost 20 lbs. Did 105, prior number was 87.5. Pretty happy with this too. This one was definitely harder, the 105 did not go up smoothly but all that matters is it got up there!
Missed the DL day due to being out of town. Kind of bummed about this because I really want my DL max rep number. Oh well, next time!
Skills Testing Week 2 Day B
Well. That was painful and I can say with 100% certainty I'm glad its over. It was good though, because I haven't done this set of skills testing (or even the full two weeks of skills testing) for almost 2 years. Its pretty sad. In the past something always came up, like I got sick twice and I can't even remember what happened the other times. Even still, I missed the max DL day which made me a little bit sad panda because I've been working a lot on my DL and really wanted to see if I could hit at least 300. Ah well. Next time!
So yesterday's skills test was:
500m row (1:46)
max HSPU (hold for scaled) (45 sec hold)
max TTB or KTE (11 TTB)
max push ups (33)
"Helen" (13:59)
3 rounds
400m run
21 swings (35 lb rx)
12 pull ups
Did my 500m row in 1:46 which I'm happy about. Definitely an improvement. Did a 45 sec hold which sucked because it was my second try. First try the timer broke so we had to do over. I know I held it longer than that the first time too, but oh ewll. Max TTB was kind of a cluster. I did it on the bar which I don't usually do, and I don't think I've attempted them in quite awhile. Looking back now, I'm realizing I made them harder on myself-I kept staring at the bar, instead of up at the ceiling. Hard to explain, but when you do that you're pretty effectively stopping the "swing" that helps you get your toes up. Push ups felt good. Don't really need to say much more on that.
Helen. Oh, Helen. That sucked. I last did Helen a few months ago I think, and was able to complete it in 13:04. So I almost went a whole minute slower. At this point I was just really, really tired. So, what can you do. Next time goal is still sub 13.
Overall, really good to get some numbers on this stuff. I definitely see why some things are my strengths and others are my weaknesses. Strengths are definitely the heavy lifts, and skills that I get to do consistently (like push ups, rowing). Heavy lifts have improved SO MUCH by being able to get under the bar on a consistent basis during normal WOD's. Weaknesses are definitely skills that I either NEVER do (HSPU), or rarely do (double unders) and don't practice (TTB, double unders). Some of that I can control. I could take 10 minutes after WOD's to work on those skills on a regular basis. However, while I do want to improve I'm just not sure I care that much? I mean DU I definitely need to work on because those show up in workouts and it kills me when they do. But I'm just not one of those CF'ers who stays afterwards and drills on skills.
So yesterday's skills test was:
500m row (1:46)
max HSPU (hold for scaled) (45 sec hold)
max TTB or KTE (11 TTB)
max push ups (33)
"Helen" (13:59)
3 rounds
400m run
21 swings (35 lb rx)
12 pull ups
Did my 500m row in 1:46 which I'm happy about. Definitely an improvement. Did a 45 sec hold which sucked because it was my second try. First try the timer broke so we had to do over. I know I held it longer than that the first time too, but oh ewll. Max TTB was kind of a cluster. I did it on the bar which I don't usually do, and I don't think I've attempted them in quite awhile. Looking back now, I'm realizing I made them harder on myself-I kept staring at the bar, instead of up at the ceiling. Hard to explain, but when you do that you're pretty effectively stopping the "swing" that helps you get your toes up. Push ups felt good. Don't really need to say much more on that.
Helen. Oh, Helen. That sucked. I last did Helen a few months ago I think, and was able to complete it in 13:04. So I almost went a whole minute slower. At this point I was just really, really tired. So, what can you do. Next time goal is still sub 13.
Overall, really good to get some numbers on this stuff. I definitely see why some things are my strengths and others are my weaknesses. Strengths are definitely the heavy lifts, and skills that I get to do consistently (like push ups, rowing). Heavy lifts have improved SO MUCH by being able to get under the bar on a consistent basis during normal WOD's. Weaknesses are definitely skills that I either NEVER do (HSPU), or rarely do (double unders) and don't practice (TTB, double unders). Some of that I can control. I could take 10 minutes after WOD's to work on those skills on a regular basis. However, while I do want to improve I'm just not sure I care that much? I mean DU I definitely need to work on because those show up in workouts and it kills me when they do. But I'm just not one of those CF'ers who stays afterwards and drills on skills.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Skills Testing Week 2 Part A
Don't think I posted my results from last week, but I did a 225 back squat and a 105 strict press. I missed deadlift day, which really bummed me out because I haven't had a max one rep number in probably a year and a half. I was hoping to hit at least 300, which I feel like I definitely could have done. Its ok, another test will happen in 6 months so we'll see!
Last night was the first day of the metcon/gymnastic type skills. Was as follows:
800M run (5 min cap)
Max double unders in 2 minutes
Max ring dips in 2 minutes
Max pull ups in 2 minutes
"Christine"- 3 RFT
500m row
12 dead lifts (RX is body weight, I scaled to 135)
21 box jumps
So I was pretty happy with my 800m time, I completed in 3:17 (better than my last 800m for time, which I did in 3:30). Would still like to get around 3:00, but that would mean actually practicing running which is um...an optimistic goal. We'll see.
Double unders-what a fucking waste of time. I haven't been practicing them so its my own fault, and after the run I was super tired which does not equal DU success for me.
Pull ups and ring dips, pretty much hit the same numbers I did last time we tested this which was a year ago. A little disappointing, but eh. I've gained about 20 lbs since then which makes a HUGE difference for those two movements. I'm sure if I shed the weight prior to the next skills test, those numbers will increase
"Christine" I completed in 16:25. I honestly don't even remember my last time-I think it was somewhere in the 17 minute range? And that was with a 95lb DL because my back was JACKED that day.
Anyway, good experience but holy hell I was tired during the whole time. It was overcast and humid so I was sweating like a dog the whole time, and just feeling kind of crummy. On the box jumps during the WOD there was a point in time I couldn't even feel my legs, and was just praying that I was jumping high enough to not miss the box!
Tomorrow is part B of week two, so will report back!
Last night was the first day of the metcon/gymnastic type skills. Was as follows:
800M run (5 min cap)
Max double unders in 2 minutes
Max ring dips in 2 minutes
Max pull ups in 2 minutes
"Christine"- 3 RFT
500m row
12 dead lifts (RX is body weight, I scaled to 135)
21 box jumps
So I was pretty happy with my 800m time, I completed in 3:17 (better than my last 800m for time, which I did in 3:30). Would still like to get around 3:00, but that would mean actually practicing running which is um...an optimistic goal. We'll see.
Double unders-what a fucking waste of time. I haven't been practicing them so its my own fault, and after the run I was super tired which does not equal DU success for me.
Pull ups and ring dips, pretty much hit the same numbers I did last time we tested this which was a year ago. A little disappointing, but eh. I've gained about 20 lbs since then which makes a HUGE difference for those two movements. I'm sure if I shed the weight prior to the next skills test, those numbers will increase
"Christine" I completed in 16:25. I honestly don't even remember my last time-I think it was somewhere in the 17 minute range? And that was with a 95lb DL because my back was JACKED that day.
Anyway, good experience but holy hell I was tired during the whole time. It was overcast and humid so I was sweating like a dog the whole time, and just feeling kind of crummy. On the box jumps during the WOD there was a point in time I couldn't even feel my legs, and was just praying that I was jumping high enough to not miss the box!
Tomorrow is part B of week two, so will report back!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Update!
Wow. Its been a long time since I've posted anything, which is bad because one of the things I really wanted to do this year is to keep better track of my workouts. Quick recap on workouts and ponies:
CrossFit:
Have somewhat lost my CrossFit mojo. Don't get me wrong I still love it. Lately though its just been really hard to get motivated to go. Maybe its because I dunno..I've gained like 10-15 lbs since last year? UGH. I totally fell off the paleo bandwagon and I can feel it. I've been trying to get back on because I just feel SO much better when I'm lighter (and perform better in the gym) but its been really hard for some reason. I feel like my body is really cyclical-I can be comfortable at a certain weight for awhile, and then all of a sudden my body/brain starts freaking out and wants to get heavier again.
Granted I do think some of it is muscle. I've been consistently lifting heavier and making gains in most of my lifting skills, so that could be part of it. Its hard to lift really heavy weights and think about losing some LBs at the same time.
And its actually fitting that the last time I posted was February 26th, where I talked about doing Nancy because guess what today's WOD is? Thats right its Nancy. We'll see if I can beat my time-I have a sinking feeling though that it won't happen. I havent; worked on my running at all, and due to the extra weight that I've put on since February, its not helping my "run faster" cause, lol.
Horses:
I've still been riding quite a bit, a lot of it just hasn't been on Arwen. We kind of came to the conclusion that she is pretty much done with the whole jumping thing. I think she would be perfectly happy just being flatted around and trail ridden for the rest of her life. Which, is ok. I really enjoy doing those things with her because she is so level headed and good about that kind of stuff. I'm not entirely convinced that her aversion to jumping isn't something physical. I'm sure a lot of it just has to do with her personality and my riding, but I also think something is going on with her somewhere that prevents her from jumping somewhat calmly after all this time. We know its not training because she is definitely trained up the wazoo. However, she has always been really hard to get on the bit and can just be so wonky on her left side that I'm thinking its got to be physical. Because when I ride other horses I can get them going on a nice, even consistent contact which has always been a struggle with me and Arwen. So again, I'm sure some of it is my skill as a rider but I also feel like she's resisting for a reason.
So the decision was made to start letting her live outside full time and to try and see if we can make her a momma! She's actually at the vets right now, where we're waiting for her to develop a follicle. The semen from a lovely stallion named Imothep/Werner H arrived last week (frozen) so Arwen just has to tell us when she's ready to go and they'll start injecting it in hopes of getting her into foal for next year. My trainer was originally going to do this breeding on her own, but due to money constraints was unable. So we worked out a deal to split it half way, and if the resulting foal ends up being something I could have as my next horse, I'll buy her out. And conversely, if it doesn't, we'll sell and split the profits. So we'll see what happens! Even thinking about the foal is getting ahead of myself since Arwen isn't pregnant yet But I can't help but daydream!
CrossFit:
Have somewhat lost my CrossFit mojo. Don't get me wrong I still love it. Lately though its just been really hard to get motivated to go. Maybe its because I dunno..I've gained like 10-15 lbs since last year? UGH. I totally fell off the paleo bandwagon and I can feel it. I've been trying to get back on because I just feel SO much better when I'm lighter (and perform better in the gym) but its been really hard for some reason. I feel like my body is really cyclical-I can be comfortable at a certain weight for awhile, and then all of a sudden my body/brain starts freaking out and wants to get heavier again.
Granted I do think some of it is muscle. I've been consistently lifting heavier and making gains in most of my lifting skills, so that could be part of it. Its hard to lift really heavy weights and think about losing some LBs at the same time.
And its actually fitting that the last time I posted was February 26th, where I talked about doing Nancy because guess what today's WOD is? Thats right its Nancy. We'll see if I can beat my time-I have a sinking feeling though that it won't happen. I havent; worked on my running at all, and due to the extra weight that I've put on since February, its not helping my "run faster" cause, lol.
Horses:
I've still been riding quite a bit, a lot of it just hasn't been on Arwen. We kind of came to the conclusion that she is pretty much done with the whole jumping thing. I think she would be perfectly happy just being flatted around and trail ridden for the rest of her life. Which, is ok. I really enjoy doing those things with her because she is so level headed and good about that kind of stuff. I'm not entirely convinced that her aversion to jumping isn't something physical. I'm sure a lot of it just has to do with her personality and my riding, but I also think something is going on with her somewhere that prevents her from jumping somewhat calmly after all this time. We know its not training because she is definitely trained up the wazoo. However, she has always been really hard to get on the bit and can just be so wonky on her left side that I'm thinking its got to be physical. Because when I ride other horses I can get them going on a nice, even consistent contact which has always been a struggle with me and Arwen. So again, I'm sure some of it is my skill as a rider but I also feel like she's resisting for a reason.
So the decision was made to start letting her live outside full time and to try and see if we can make her a momma! She's actually at the vets right now, where we're waiting for her to develop a follicle. The semen from a lovely stallion named Imothep/Werner H arrived last week (frozen) so Arwen just has to tell us when she's ready to go and they'll start injecting it in hopes of getting her into foal for next year. My trainer was originally going to do this breeding on her own, but due to money constraints was unable. So we worked out a deal to split it half way, and if the resulting foal ends up being something I could have as my next horse, I'll buy her out. And conversely, if it doesn't, we'll sell and split the profits. So we'll see what happens! Even thinking about the foal is getting ahead of myself since Arwen isn't pregnant yet But I can't help but daydream!
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