Monday, March 18, 2024

Hunt Club Farm CT

Doozy and I had a somewhat rare opportunity to fill an open trailer spot to Hunt Club Farm's spring starter trials this weekend!! 

cute mare is getting out there and learning how to cart around her adult ammy owner!!
On one hand, we are obviously not really ready for primetime -- just like last weekend at the schooling dressage show haha. Not exactly a whole heckuva lot of training you can do in the span of one week, right? 

we learned a lot of life lessons and soft skills throughout the day lol
On the other hand, tho, we'd be traveling with very capable and helpful company -- the best possible circumstances for ensuring Doozy gets all the support she needs. Plus. Ya know. It's a starter trial in March. Not the Olympics, right? 

gotta seize the opportunities when friends have available trailer spots tho!
So we signed up for the CT class in the lowest level division, which called for USDF Intro C as the dressage test, and cross rails and small verticals not to exceed 18" for show jumping.

these lovely ladies may or may not have won their division!! despite rosette proving that actually, maybe she shouldn't ship with mares unless you want to spend the entire day listening to her sing the song of her people LOL
It meant for a LONG day, since Katie's division went much earlier, and obvi we were basically the very last to go. But. Eh, it's like that sometimes, and we knew what we were signing up for! 

quasi-related -- Hunt Club Farms was super cute, nicely compact, easy to get around and nicely arranged. it's also a super interesting part of the world geologically, with a LOT of rock jutting up all over the place. they did a nice job orienting the xc field and grassy areas to make safe passage intuitive
The long day was useful anyway for all the soft skills horses need to be successful competitors -- hanging out by the trailers all day, eating hay, drinking water, getting on and off the trailer repeatedly... Not being a menace to other people and horses parked nearby. Ya know. Normal manners that can make or break the overall experience.

holy moly we're cantering out in an open field for warm up!!
(tho i assure you, it was NOT smooth sailing lol... sorry if you were in that ring with us!)
This was actually my first time at Hunt Club Farm, in Berryville, VA. And it's SUPER CUTE guys, omg! And really friendly. All the volunteers were really laid back, they had a nice selection of judges across three dressage rings, and cute but simple and inviting jumps for all phases. 

omg she just went into the ring and.... trotted around
And we got to meet Nadia (and Siri!!!) omg!!!!!! Long time bloggers know!!!! Nadia relocated to the East Coast just a few months ago, transplanting from the wide open (and spread out) world of the West into Eventing Central, USA --- beautiful Virginia! So it worked out perfectly for her to stop by the grounds while we were there!

Sorry I somehow didn't snap a photo of us, but hopefully we'll get it next time -- and hopefully with Henry in the mix too!! 

got both her canter leads!!
And guys, this is maybe the perfect example of why I'm so excited about getting back out and about with Doozy, even tho we are objectively "not quite ready" lol. Bc it's just such a cool community, such wonderful comradery, so great to run into folks and chat and basically just be a part of this thing again.

i honestly kept waiting for something crazy to happen... but she just.... did the test lol
Tho. Ahem... One might also argue that maybe I should wait until we aren't "that horse" in warm up so I don't just embarrass myself by almost making roadkill of former coach Dan C by nearly running sideways over him (all under his watchful gaze of muted disapproval LOL)....

like. obvi there is a LOT to do here haha... but that's a problem for future emma lol
All that to say --- this was, yet again, another big ask for Doozy. And our warm up was not really confidence inspiring. We were very attached to Rosette. Very unable to manage a straight line in any direction not facing Rosette. Very unable to do anything other than attempt to bolt when directed toward Rosette. It was a lot, and I had significant doubts. 

bc present emma is legit just happy to be here again!
But, eh, I just kept the full length of my inseams on as strongly as possible, and tried to slowly expand our bubble, while not accidentally murdering anybody else in the ring (thankfully it was a fairly empathetic set of riders!). We managed to trot in a civilized manner. Then when Doozy broke into canter, I just rolled with it and managed to ease into something that felt ok enough. And then it was our turn!

maybe eventually we'll have slightly higher expectations
I had zero idea what to expect when we went in for our test. We had to walk away from Rosette, pass through a gate into a separate field, circle around the judge's car and all that, and then perform a test in a standard (ie wall-less) court for the first time. I honestly figured literally anything could happen. Except, even then, I was not expecting what Doozy did...

but we did it, yay!
Bc guys.... The mare just went into the ring and did her test. Omfg. Just like, "Sigh, ok, this bullshit again..." and went around, only breaking accidentally into canter once! Well, ok, I actually got rung out immediately for forgetting my first halt, so we exited and started again with the error on our first score. BUT STILL omg!!

all the back and forth from the trailer throughout the day seemed to help doozy settle in
Like it's not a "good" test and the scores reflect that. But Doozy also doesn't know what a "good" test IS, nor has she been trained to accomplish said test LOL, let's be real hahaha. But ya know. She CAN walk trot and canter-ish around in a 20x40m space, accomplishing approximations of various movements and patterns more or less on purpose. 

flash forward about 3.5 hrs lol... and it was time to show jump!
As far as she knows, that's the whole game lol. So I was thrilled with her. If there's one big takeaway from this whole experience --- it's that, ya know, I just need to keep raising my standards and expectations of myself, bc the horse will get there. 

i stuck to the small covered ring on footing for our warm up as opposed to the more open grassy area
Which. Ya know. Was basically the theme for our show jumping, too. We had a LONG break until show jumping, which was itself running about an hour behind schedule by the end of the day. Fortunately we could hear the announcer from the trailer and kept track of the order of go, so time management worked out just fine.

she was so brave to these little Xs!! 
We spent some time up by the ring in hand, just watching things go, getting Doozy comfortable with the atmosphere and various lines of sight around the ring, with XC running in the background. She was totally fine, tho, and eventually it was time to get on while they reset the course for our little cross rails. 

side note: the trial period ran out on both saddles before i could get a fitter out, so we're back in Charlie's l'Apogee
Options for warm up were a little limited -- there was a very small covered ring with footing, and then a slightly larger grassy area. I opted to stay in the covered, thinking it would help with Doozy feeling all sorts of ways about her attachment to Rosette... But actually, in retrospect I wish I'd gone into the larger space. 

we got a little gung ho in places haha
It's the same thing my young rider friend identified for me recently -- it doesn't look the way it feels. In my last jump practice with Doozy, I really tried to embrace that mindset and let her carry more pace, and it was great. But in the small covered ring, we didn't really have room for that, and I was not fully trusting the mare anyway. 

wheeeeee!!! 
So then in our actual round, I kinda forgot some of that feeling. I really had no idea what to expect, ya know? Like, I know the horse is brave -- she's actually been in almost as many different jump rings as she's had jumping sessions LOL. And she so far hasn't seen a jump she doesn't like. But I still felt like we needed to go slow to give her time to look at things.

were appropriately patient to the big brick columns tho!
It all worked out, tho. Like we had a couple jumps out of decent trot, a couple jumps out of decent canter. A couple jumps out of a rushy canter (including one clobbered rail), and a couple out of a rushy trot that I probably could have let be canter. 

she seriously just clocked around the jumps guys, omg
Tho, maybe in my defense, the one jump she wiggled to and seemed to think twice about was one we cantered, and we got there on a lovely stride -- but on the kind of open distance that is definitely still new to this mare and she wasn't immediately sure. But she figured it out, good girl. 

booooring!
Anyway, tho, actually the second half of the course was a bit more moderated. A few jumps (like the sails above) I thought she'd canter, but then she came down to trot herself. And she finished the course on a lovely effort with a pleasant little canter circle. 

nice little canter over the last!
So on one hand... I kinda wish I'd ridden better. Which like, duh, don't we always? On the other hand tho, it felt like we both learned a lot. And at the end of the day, that was the whole point anyway!


We didn't win any ribbons for our efforts, but I'm just so pleased with this mare. She's challenging to me in many ways, but honestly is turning into a pretty game and forgiving creature. My hope is to really learn a lot from her, and hopefully have a LOT of fun along the way. 

crossing bridges --- literally and figuratively!
Obviously we've thrown a LOT at her in just the last few weeks, if I'm being honest. This was only her 5th off property adventure. But it seems like she's figuring it all out? None of what we're actually asking of her is particularly hard. And in fact, maybe she actually likes the job?

little lady is growing up!
Maybe the hardest next step will be getting more serious about actually properly training the creature (and/or myself, as the case may be). Maybe, lol.

But for now, I'm just grateful for the experience -- and grateful for all the help we're getting along the way from friends like Katie! And grateful for gorgeous spring weekends to get out and do fun things with the ponies!!! 


Friday, March 15, 2024

friday foto finish

TGIF, y'all!! I've been making daily pilgrimages to the barn for a couple weeks now for a variety of reasons.... some very practical (like giving Doozy her ulcergard!), and others... more just relating to keeping my happy place front and center. You know how that goes sometimes!

Anyway, tho, so much barn time means I'm constantly snapping random pictures that don't always fit neatly into standalone blog posts, but are still memorable or pretty in their own right... So here they are!

This time of year makes for the BEST dusk rides --- esp when we accompany our friends who are out doing fitness sets on the hills. Obvi Charlie isn't doing trot sets at this moment in his life, but he can still hang out and enjoy the show!

The weather has been so mild, tho.... Literally drove out the driveway past the 'rough board' boys, and *boom*!! Nap-O'Clock!! Just look at 'em all!!!

Doozy, meanwhile, basically always has chill vibes in the field. There she is, on the far right side of this frame... Good girl just chilled at the round bale (you can kinda see the dark hay ring behind her) waiting for turn-in while the rest of the ladies jockeyed for position at the gate. 

She's getting more comfortable with all the little ins and outs around the barn too --- like stopping to sip from the central water trough when coming and going!

Lol, Charlie has always been comfortable around the barn tho... Maybe too comfortable!

This time of year is kinda my favorite, tho. Longer days, mild weather, growing grass and pretty spring flowers!

Makes for way more opportunities to ride outside! And Doozy's getting to be pretty solid at all the outdoor riding spaces (tho we haven't been back out into the fields in a long time). Here you see some of the jumps we practiced the other day --- including this related distance from X to low caution panel.
 
we also had a fun (but dusty!) indoor ride one night with four horses and these fun diagonal trot poles --- we basically just did one big train of trotting thru everything, occasionally "shuffling the deck" if horses were approaching different diagonals at the same time. All the horses got totally into it, tho, and it was a fun way to all have a good time sharing small spaces!

The dressage ring, meanwhile, is getting easier for us too! Not "easy" yet -- no no, there's too much activity with the lesson shed row right across the driveway and ponies and kiddos constantly coming and going... It's going to take time to fully normalize. But we're getting there! In this ride, I set up 3 ground poles spaced on a gently bending line about 18' apart center to center. Trots well, and also canters in quiet one-stride distances. Doozy nailed it!

Forsythia season is the best season, change my mind.

And bath season!! It was 70* earlier this week so BOTH ponies got their first real big true bath of the year!! Not a day too soon, either, bc somebody (not naming any names) like sleeping in her pee... ew!

Oh, said someone also got a fresh little wound. Doesn't seem serious, but apparently bled quite a bit, plus kept oozing for a while. I think it was pretty fresh-ish when I brought her in. Luckily not on her cellulitis leg, but we'll keep an eye on it all the same -- and she spent the night in a standing wrap just in case!

Anyway, tho, the house critters are also well. Here we get a "between the ears" shot of my fat house cat Martini raptly watching me edit the gif of Icee doing Icee things lol....

He IS, after all, an entertaining critter. Terrifying, sure. But entertaining!


So ya know. That's about all we've been up to lately. It's turning into a really pleasant end to winter (knocking on wood). Anyone else looking forward to the weekend??




Wednesday, March 13, 2024

ww: murder machine


it has been 3 days since our last barn panther related biting incident

the sponge never stood a chance

those claws tho, those eyes.... nobody is safe

wild ferocious feline!

advised to maintain 3' distance at all times

advised to also not be chubby fluffy rodent bc you'd definitely be a goner!

icee, you're a character for sure!! slightly murderous, but still entertaining!






Monday, March 11, 2024

did it for the C(ulture)T

Guys, not gonna lie... I kinda feel like a kid again, omg.

this lovely cooler was a very unexpected and generous gift, ngl i got a little teary eyed <3
And let's be clear here, haha --- I mean that in a few different ways. On one hand, the innocent childlike glee of finally getting back out and doing things with my pony!! And also, the kinda childish feeling of taking an extremely green and rough-around-the-edges horse out in public. 

Mostly, tho, it's all about that first feeling <3 

deep breath, dooz -- throwing you right into the deep end!
Doozy and I participated in another schooling dressage show this weekend. This time, tho, it was an away show with an "L" judge and entries that included FEI horses (not to mention one of Boyd Martin's former Olympic mounts, omfg). 

going down center line of the large court for our dinky Intro B test like........
We were, without a doubt, not the classiest entry on the order of go haha. But ya know, I wanted to be there, and Doozy was more or less on board. And so we did it!

yes i wore my stupid white gloves again <3
I know not everyone would make the same decision. And some might say that our dollars spent on entries might be better utilized in lessons. And you wouldn't necessarily be wrong either, but I just don't see it as a zero sum equation. 

It's not "either / or," ya know? We can do ALL the things!!

only nearly fell off once, when passing the judges stand
And this experience was itself instructive in many many ways. While also facilitating a generally positive set of circumstances for Doozy. 

cantering on purpose!! rider still can't seem to sit tho haha
The forecast called for buckets and buckets of rain to start at some point around midday, so they set the schedule such that riders were arranged into blocks, with that set all sharing the indoor for warm up time (outdoor arenas were also open and available all day) and then doing their tests, and then giving way for the next 'block.' 

basically representative footage
Our group was arranged into a block together --- meaning Doozy and I got to familiarize in the ring among a group of empathetic friends. We were also the first block to go, and in fact the first trailer to arrive on site. So it was a pretty quiet environment too!

"is it even worth getting there if you don't get there FAST?!?" -- Doozy, probably
Just like at Loch Moy, we basically proceeded from the trailer to the mounting block (with a person at the block with us ((hai Katie!!))), no hand walkies needed. And ring familiarization was fairly smooth too. 

Honestly, the biggest hurdles for our rides had to do with 1) Doozy was very preoccupied with Rosette; and 2) Doozy isn't exactly what you'd call "schooled" yet LOL. 

halt, salute, survive!!
It turns out, the stuff that's hard at home (like, ya know, trotting a circle on an even tempo with correct bend) doesn't magically get better at a show. We know this. And it's ok. And thus the quality of our rides was not any better than what you've seen in recent videos. 

NOTABLY, however, the rides weren't any worse either. 

#basically
Doozy went forth and did the things. She did normal green horse stuff like sucking back going away from the in gate, and wanting to zoom going toward the in gate. We broke gait a number of times all over the place, and our 'circles' were anything but. 

the collection of unimpressive (but cute!!) satin grows!!!
But ya know. We did eventually present three clear gaits in both directions. The horse did in fact execute two complete tests --- the only error being when I chose to repeat one of the Intro C circles after we misfired into the lead and were slow to fix it. #SchoolingShow, right?? 

AND. She also stood more or less quietly outside the ring while our friends took their turns. And experienced a lot of people and horses coming and going without fuss. Basically a big deposit into the "Soft Skills" bank, as far as I'm concerned!

onto phase 2!!!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

honestly this was a major part of why we joined the party in the first place
Lol for real, the only reason I originally wanted to tag along was bc the group planned to jump around the cute little schooling xc field afterward. 

Y'all might remember the first time I came to the Stables at Fox Crossing back in February 2022, when Royal and Charlie did a little jumper show. I swore then that we'd be back to "conquer" the xc field later... and now was our chance!!

not much side view of us jumping, but plenty of helmet cam!
Tho obvi, the forecast of "buckets and buckets of rain" kinda dampened our hopes that it would all work out... except that it did! We got lucky -- the rain held off and we squeaked in an efficient school for all involved, without mucking up any of their footing!!

nonchalant about steps
And guys. If Doozy was confused about me dismounting, changing some tack stuff (like adding the martingale), and getting back on again... she hid it well. And she was shockingly good out in the field too. Like started off a little herd bound, but grew increasingly bold about doing our own thing when she realized jompies were happening!

wheeeee!! also, lol @ rosette's expression
We basically stuck to all the little logs, and she was more or less game. Had one kinda distracted runout when Rosette was directly in our line of sight as we approached the jump, then Doozy was like, "Holy shit who put that there!" and squirted out to the side. Nbd, tho, jumped it the second time fine and had no further issues. 

cantering out in an open field. who woulda thunk!
We also played around with the super fun bank complex around the water! It was like a jungle gym for ponies, guys, 100% recommend haha. 


Doozy did get a little wild at times with our jumps -- but we finished on a few really positive notes and it felt like a really solid overall introduction to jumping on grass + terrain. 

honestly pretty chill at the trailer this day
(also, i love the OTTB's innate ability to 'suck it in' the second you take a pic --- look at her nostrils lol)
Honestly the whole day was a pretty big net positive for the horse. None of the "tasks" are individually difficult for her, she just needs to learn to be able to put it all together. As the judge said, tho, 'exposure + time' will be key for this horse. 

happy to hang out aboard too! good girl, Dooz!!
As far as I'm concerned, this is the good stuff. It's been a long year+ sitting on the sidelines with all of Charlie's soundness issues. And I'm obvi still hopeful that there are future Charlie adventures still ahead of us!

But in the meantime, there's Mondeuse. And it's a lot of fun so far!!!