Thursday, March 19, 2015

short practice is still practice

Our weekly Tuesday afternoon outings are drawing to a close - as the arena at home is rapidly improving and my request for weekly half days only lasts through March. It's been really nice while it lasted! 

Especially bc I generally get to the barn about an hour before B. It only takes 15 minutes to pack the trailer (woo hoo routine!), and I don't want to torment poor Isabel by bringing her in any earlier than necessary, so I usually have 30-45min to amuse myself around the barn.


This is a welcome change of pace from the usual rushing, and I savor it. This week I used the time to nail twine to Wick's stall so B can start hanging her ribbons. Then I hiked into the woods below the arena to rescue the big green ball that somehow escaped into the wilderness down there. I also checked out the arena itself to gauge the drainage progress. Verdict? Doing good!! 

drying out!

We probably could have ridden at home, and may end up skipping out on going to FV for the last two Tuesdays of March... but this week we definitely wanted to go bc FV is hosting a schooling show this weekend and we entered! B & Wick are doing the baby greens, and Isabel and I will be doing 2'3" equitation (try not to laugh too hard haha).

There weren't a ton of jumps set up at FV - but more than enough to make sure we each had a few options at appropriate heights. Lots of bendy lines too, which are obviously nbd after riding in the super tiny indoor at OF all winter long haha. 


Our warm up was SUPER short and sweet so we could finish before lessons started. We trotted for about 10 minutes - asking for forward and not much else. After a quick canter in each direction we started warming up over fences. Isabel was on fire and ready to GO. I still really struggle to capitalize on this energy and package it into the 'right' canter. Instead, I kinda try to balance in the corners, then start building as we approach the fence, but then pull to the base. Not a happy recipe!


pictured: moderately painful oopsie moment

Isabel is used to it tho and can save my ass more often than not. Like when we started putting courses together and I totally botched the approach to the vertical above. She made it work -- but I paid the price of having half a finger nail ripped off on my left hand. OW. 

B was kind enough to lend me a glove to cover the still-barely-attached bloody nail so we could go back and fix the line... But I was pretty much done after that. Le sigh. 

notice black glove on left hand...

I had been working on little combinations with the plan to put it all together into a bigger course... but Isabel was jumping just fine and all the mistakes were my own. And the 2'3" verticals were a walk in the park - even when I rode them terribly. So quitting early, even tho unplanned, didn't seem like much of a sacrifice for our show preparation.



It meant that, given the rapid-fire warm up, our ride time was just under 40min. Kinda weak considering the driving time and arena fees... but whatever. I feel like Isabel is in a good place and I mostly just need to hang on (and WEAR MY DAMN GLOVES). 


sad panda :(

26 comments:

  1. Omg! Wear your gloves!! (True story. I have to put my gloves in my helmet and insist I put them both on at the same time. Otherwise I forget them.)

    I think a short ride before a show isn't such a bad thing. If there was nothing serious to fix, you guys are just building experience, right?

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    1. the sad story is that i DO keep my gloves in my helmet... but lately have been opting not to ride in them for easier camera access. um.. clearly my priorities need work!!! and i agree - the short ride was more than fine. isabel is pretty sharp and the last thing i want to do is make her dull by drilling so... it's all good!

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  2. OUCH. I hope that's orange gauze on your finger, and not all the blood :-0

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    1. haha that's red vet wrap from my horsey first aid kit, fortunately - and definitely NOT soaked in blood!

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  3. She is so cute! And looks like a blast to ride!

    Good luck with your show in hunter-land! It's "fun"! At least the equitation courses are the fun courses! ;)

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    1. thanks! it should be fun :) i rode hunters through college and beyond, so it's always fun to hop back in every now and then.

      i'm just hoping that by doing equitation i'll mitigate any bias against isabel's breed (not that serious bias should exist at the schooling show level haha)

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  4. ouch, learned to wear gloves the hard way too!

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    1. yerp... i used to be really good about it, esp when i rode horses that ripped holes in my hands... but lately i've been lax. no more tho!

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  5. Ouch! Hope it feels better soon! Love that you have access to those indoors , but wow is that an amazing outdoor ring!

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    1. thanks! that outdoor is actually really pretty, and big enough that we can have quite a bit of fun there. but the footing has seriously gone to hell in the last few months and it is FULL of holes now. and those holes really freak me out - plus isabel doesn't really appreciate how much i micromanage her to steer around them...

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  6. Ahhhh feel better soon! Nail related injuries make me so squeamish! Your mare looks sooo fun :)

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    1. she's a TON of fun to ride :)

      and i have the worst luck with nail bed injuries... it's tough to tell in that photo but the pinkie nail on that hand is warped too bc it (and the whole tip of that finger minus the bone) was bitten off by a girthy but otherwise bomb proof lesson pony (and totally my fault at that)... oops...

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  7. Yikes! No fun! Must be a week full of injuries..grr

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    1. right? hope your wounds are healing up too!!

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  8. OUCH! Hope that heals up fast for you!

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    1. thanks! i'm kinda just leaving it alone hoping it'll grow out soon...

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  9. Yay for the arena drying up!! Boo for the fingernail!! But yay for always having vetrap on hand ;)

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    1. haha right? like, if that's the only use i ever find for the first aid kit, that's fine by me!!

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  10. I ripped my nail off on Murray's wild mane today in my lesson too!! However, I managed to avoid getting it foul and bloody. You will heal fast, nails always do. :)

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    1. aww boo!! nail injuries suck, but you're right - at least they heal quickly!! mine ripped straight across the entire quick, but it doesn't feel like anything so long as i keep it protected and leave it alone haha

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  11. Ouch! But hey, good excuse to go glove shopping!

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    1. haha right?? except i'm actually a little ashamed to admit how many pairs i already own...

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  12. ow ow ow... my fear of ripping my nail off keeps me gloved all season! even if i'm sweating through them... lolol

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    1. yep - you're wiser than i am. a glove would have kept my poor little piggies completely safe. oh well!

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