Spring Cleaning

Spring has finally arrived. For Bastian and I, March came in like a lamb and has gone out like a lion. We've been making some tremendous progress towards mastering 2nd Level. He's getting so much stronger, balancing back more and lifting those magnificent shoulders of his. Our turn on the haunches is getting cleaner and his barely-trot-lengthenings are actually becoming lengenthings and dare it say it, (dare! dare!) mediums. He has been loving his Neue Schule Tranze Lozenge Bit (which we got from my amazing sponsor Hastilow Competition Saddlery!!!) If you haven't checked out the info and research that has been done by the Neue Schule Bit Company, I highly recommend it. I just ordered the new bits for my double- they make a Weymouth just for Thoroughbreds!! Woot!

However, March was not without its difficulties. They were all linked together and has reminded me of how Bastian communicates. As long as I listen he'll remember to be the loveable dragon I've know for the past 10 years, although he maybe needs to simmer down a bit since his method of communication can be a bit, well, painful.

On a particularly windy and dismal day, Bastian and I had a rough time. Every know and again he gets a bit looky and his looky-ness is generally related to him not feeling 100%. I make it a regular habit to check is back for soreness and like all good horsewomen, check his legs and just generally make sure he's well. So I didn't find anything amiss before I got on. However, for whatever reason he decided to be a complete asshat that night. Everything was going great then he spooked at the wheelbarrows (which have been in the same corner for the past six months that we have been riding in the indoor). He did his classic duck and spin move, which I've gotten fairly good at riding, except for this time. He went left, I went right, my foot got hung up in the stirrup for about fifteen feet as he bolted until my leather slid off the stirrup bar (always ride with those down kiddos!) So I can now officially cross "having been dragged by a horse" off of my list. So I get back on, things are going pretty well-I'm not gonna lie, I was giving the wheelbarrows at the other end of the arena a wide berth- and I felt him starting to get tense again, we cantered by X on a circle and he pulled the move again and I completely gave up on him. I'm as much to blame for the second time as he was. So long story short (too late!) we had a glitch in the matrix moment, he went left and went right again. As in right into the dirt. I haven't been dumped more than once in one ride/day since I rode a lovely school horse at Wilson named Snoe-she had a penchant for dumping riders who got ahead over jumps and that was pretty much my cardinal jumping sin. I got on a third time, cantered (or loped, I was keeping him sooooooooo slow) one more circle to say that we did it and then I got off. Aside from a few sweet bruises and having to replace my helmet, no harm done.

Tawny was scheduled to ride him the next day and from the text I got afterwards, he was a complete BUTT. :( The next two days, he won't let me catch him in the pasture. He walks away from me and makes me chase him down through the muck and the mud. That right there is Bastian-speak for "something hurts and I don't feel good." I found a little bit of discomfort right over his hips, but only before we rode, after we rode he was completely fine through his back. So we did the lunging to warm up thing so that until he got his muscles loosened up I wouldn't be on his back making anything worse. Tawny rode him again and he was just being a butt again, so the decision was made to just lunge him until I could get some maintenance done.

So Bastian got his teeth done, and the dentist said they definitely needed it so that could have been causing him some discomfort and caused him to pull his shenanigans. I had also already started making plans to get his hocks done before all this craziness started, so Cleveland Equine came out and injected those puppies this past Monday. Bastian has been on stall rest since then (he finally gets to go back outside tomorrow!). Today was his first day back to riding, just 15 minutes walk and trot only. So perhaps against better judgment (and yes, there is a huge flow chart that goes into whether or not I get on my horse's back each time I ride) I took his new hocks for a test drive tonight. And I was rewarded by an amazing ride on the Dragon that I know and love. There wasn't anything particularly fantastic about his quality of movement-I didn't push him at all, we were going for calm- but he was unbelievably well behaved.

I was expected some fire breathing and just a general feeling of him being higher than a kite having been trapped in a 10X10 for four days. He was super lazy....I had to push him to get a nice swingy hunter trot and as soon as I started to half halt to transition he was walking. He didn't look at anything (I was looking at stuff, waiting for him to find an excuse to spook). So there you have it, Bastian-speak for "all is right in my body now." I know to listen to my boy, but I guess I needed to refine my listening skills. The only times he is every bad is when he is uncomfortable. Granted, he needs to maybe give me a bit more of a chance to translate the Bastian to human, its not like he comes with subtitles. ;)

So here we are. The last bit of spring cleaning we need to do is to get new shoes for the B-man. I'm hoping I can make it into the Lake Erie College Prix de Villes show at the end of April so we can get started on earning our Second Level scores. I want another week to make sure we've addressed all of his issues and then I'll send my entry in. Unfortunately, since its a team competition, teams get the first priority. If we don't make it in, our first show will be the Grand Haven Schooling show in May. Did I mention that I'm anxious to go to a show? He just feels so much more amazing than last year, I can't wait to get some judges perspective on him.

The final piece of good news is that towards the beginning of the month (on a really good day) Tawny was riding Bastian and she got a successful flying change each direction with him. He's got a super solid counter canter and very few people have been able to get a flying change on him, including a BNT-who was awesome enough to not push the issue and say he just wasn't ready for it. Which he wasn't, he wasn't strong enough or straight enough in the canter. So this gives me hope for getting to 3rd level this year and earning my last two scores towards our Bronze medal. I never thought I would get there on Bastian and I am humbled and excited that we're doing this together piece by piece.

Fingers crossed we get into the Lake Erie show!!

The Schedule

February was a short month, but I hadn't realized that I hadn't blogged since the end of January and now its March....

Its been a weird month weather-wise and unfortunately my work schedule has also been a bit non-cooperative, something that I hope changes this month. Something that will have to change this month. I've had Bastian in training with Tawny and he is getting much stronger and of course, much smarter. He's really such an amiable guy. His steadiness through the poll has increased exponentially and he's pushing off more strongly from the hind legs, not to mention that we've made some great progress (thanks again to Tawny) in our turn on the haunches. I'm anxious to get to a show and see how we score with all of our new skills ;) I had aspirations of going to the Chagrin Schooling Show today, but when I woke up to snow and sloppy roads, I was glad that I hadn't signed up and didn't have to go! The new plan is to start in April....

Which leads into my show schedule for the year....drumroll....

April:

13th: Chagrin Valley Farms-Schooling

May:

10th: Grand Haven Schooling Show

31st: BHP Hunter Show

June:

7-8: WPDA/Grand Haven Recognized-2 Shows

21-22: LEC Dressage Derby Recognized- 2 Shows

July:

6th: Grand Haven Schooling

19-20: NODA Recognized Show - 2 Days

August:

9-10: WPDA Summer Sizzler Recognized

24: Grand Haven Schooling

September:

7th BHP Hunter Pace

I have yet to find a Schooling event that fits into the schedule so I may have to forgo that this year and just stick with the odd hunter show (weather permitting!). With the crazy weather and my work schedule, I think my horse is a bit fitter than I am at the moment, he's getting more consistent work than I am!

Aside from hashing out my show schedule for the year I spent the day working on my art project: Ribbon Jars. I really like the idea and have wanted to try it for a while and so today I bought two "jars" and took care of Goldie's and Melvin's ribbons with fabulous results. Here they are:

This is Goldie's, the three other panels are completely open, I'm really happy with how it turned out!

And Melvin's:

I've got Bastian's ribbons sorted and ready to go, I just need to get jars for them, I'll be sure to post pictures when I get them done!

Finally, a Hastilow Competition Saddler will be in the area in March-contact them to set up an appointment whether you are looking to get a new saddle or just have your current saddle checked and reflocked, they are super knowledgeable and friendly to boot!

A brief update all in all, spring is almost here which means its almost show season! Bastian and I are really looking forward to this year and can't wait to show with Emily and her new horse, Padrick. While Emily was horse shopping, she was riding Bastian in lessons and they made a pretty good team.

Good Luck to both Emily and Norah at IEA Regionals next weekend!!!!

Happy New Year!

Bastian is celebrating a Happy New Year and looking forward to an amazing 2014. With the frigid weather we are experiencing tonight and tomorrow, we ended up with a "snow day" at school. I can't say that I'm actually a fan, I mean it's not like the school isn't heated...but before I dip into the "back in my day kids went to school no matter what the weather is" diatribe (and yes, I think I am officially old enough to start using that line), I do have to say that I am excited by the fact that I get to sleep in tomorrow before I wake up and start reading *hopefully* brilliant essays on Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

2013 in Review

2013 was loaded with some amazing awesomeness and some harsh realities. I managed to coordinate a cross country journey for my horse, myself and two extraordinary friends to compete in my first CPED*** Dressage show with Bastian. The experience was wholly worthwhile, if still disappointing in the fact that we were prepared to compete at the Grade III level and I was reclassified as a Grade IV. The reclassification wasn't the disappointment, it was having spent an obscene amount of money to basically "school" my horse at a show in California since neither of us were prepared to perform 3rd Level movements. I'm proud that I was able to eek out my required 60% score in front of three international judges having never schooled things like trot or canter half passes, extended gaits, and canter to halt transitions. Not to mention completely rewriting my freestyle the day before the competition and going in and riding it without ever having practiced it before. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the amazing people I had the opportunity to meet, I will be following their progress closely and cheering for them all the way, when they are competing at the WEG, I'll turn into a total name dropper and be like "oh I know them...." :) I think this will be a great year for Team USA!

After California, back home and recooperated from our trip, Bastian made huge progress and we handily earned the scores we needed at 2nd Level for our Bronze Medal along with earning our qualifying scores for Regionals. Unfortunately Regionals did not happen due to a myriad of reasons, but it worked out all for the best. Bastian was contending with some sort of muscle soreness from playing rough in the pasture and I was already overbooked between my full time job, my part time job and full time graduate level college courses. September and October was time off that we both evidently needed despite my protestations. November came and we started to get back into the groove of things, regular rides and Bastian felt excellent and bouncy again. Progress. December was more getting back into the groove, long and low, building up muscle, developing impulsion, steadiness, straightness. Things were back to normal and we could start looking forward again, developing a plan of attack for the big bad 3rd Level that we need to conquer. :)

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that France in 2014 for the WEG is completely out of the question. Being reclassified plays a big part in this, in order to be competitive as a Grade IV, Bastian and I need to be scoring well at 4th Level. I'm at a huge disadvantage in that I lack the financial backing that I need in order to compete at the FEI level (and those that helped me I give my whole-hearted thanks, I could not have done what I did without out it!) however the majority of the financial onus rests on me and it is not something that my pocketbook can take. Bastian is a lovely horse and I positively adore him, but we're going through this together, he learns as I learn, I've noticed that many Para horses tend to be trained through Grand Prix or higher, we're simply not there yet. Eventually, yes, but right now no. Being named as a member of the team means that the selection committee feels you have the ability to bring home a medal, to do better than the riders sent by the other countries. That's not us right now, no matter how much determination I have, how much I want it, and how much I have sacrificed for it. It sucks, but that's the reality.

So what does all this mean? It means that right now we're focusing on mastering 3rd Level, earning our Bronze Medal, aiming for Regionals at the Kentucky Horse Park next fall and keeping our nose to the grindstone. I'm going to enjoy 2014 and be proud of the fact that when we get to 3rd Level and continue on to 4th Level that I got there through hard work and Bastian and I did it together with the guidance of fabulous instruction of my trainers. I'll be the one putting the miles in the saddle and the time into the schooling that brings us there and that is something that I cherish now and will continue to cherish.

What's in Store for 2014...

Well, 2014 did not start out as auspiciously as I had hoped. Through no fault of Bastian or myself, while we were enjoy our first ride of the New Year and happily cantering Bastian exhibited a display of intense gracefulness tripping over his own feet sending us both into the fluffy arena dirt. Luckily, no harm was done aside from my reins ending up in three pieces and the intense amount of arena dirt that ended up in my eyes and mouth. Seriously, chunks of dirt were oozing out of eye until Thursday night...eeewww.

Here is my helmet after the fall, now imagine that much dirt covering my entire left side. I'm hoping this means that it's out of the way for the year and I won't have any more falls. It also made me realize that 2013 was the first year ever where Bastian and I never parted company.

Never fear. The next two days were amazing. I had two lessons with Tawny (my first lessons since early September) and aside from being pleased with how good Bastian felt, Tawny helped me figure out our straightness issues going to the left and had me getting him round, light and fluffy and, drumroll please..... straight! Bastian is a squirrely little wriggle-worm and I've got to really concentrate on where his haunches and shoulders are. Getting him moving straight and square is the key to developing better collection and getting the points we need to compete with the more naturally gifted warmbloods we'll be facing more often at 3rd Level. We have to be precise and correct.

Other goals include mastering our flying changes-a movement that is pretty much the bane of my existence right now, Bastian is a counter-canter extraordinaire and has so far proven fairly resistant to complying with the idea of a flying change. But I'm not worried, we'll get it, and with our flying changes will come the remaining two scores I need in order to earn my Bronze Medal with the USDF. Regionals is in the mix too, showing at the Kentucky Horse Park is amazing and Bastian likes it there. I'm hoping we get to ride in the Rolex Arena again, he was a big fan of the footing there. Aside from that I just want to master 3rd Level and improve my riding.

I was invited to attend AETA in Philadelphia, PA by my sponsor, Hastilow Competition Saddlery and am definitely excited to attend, if you're going be sure to stop by their booth and introduce yourself and to check out their amazing saddles, bridles and other tack. I adore my Concept Dressage Saddle and so does Bastian! They have trained and qualified saddle fitters that will work with you and your horse to meet all of your needs. Be sure to check out their website.

And finally, thank you to the 7864 people that have read and visited my blog. :) I'm working on updating my website as well so be sure to check it out soon. Until next time, Bastian says stay warm!

An Overdue Update

I haven't updated my Blog since October 7th. To those of you that follow, I'm so sorry, but I had some fairly good reasons for not updating before now. The biggest reason being that there was absolutely nothing to report. Bastian was still just "off" I was only getting out the barn about once a week and we were doing nothing..... No shows, no lessons, no training. But now that November is already half-way over we're finally back on track :)

I tried for a few weeks to get a Chiropractor out to check up on B, but to no avail. I think I was causing bad chiropractic luck, both of the chiros I called had to cancel due to having their own chiropractic emergencies and being unable to work on horses. So after week five I hopped on Bastian to see if he still felt a little funky and he felt FANTASTIC! So I opted to listen to what the powers that be were trying to tell me and decided not to attempt to reschedule for the time being. So far, so good, Bastian has continued to be amazing and he is back to engaging his hind end and using his back.

I also had my Hastilow Concept Saddle reflocked by the amazing saddle fitters at Hastilow Competition Saddlery. It had been a year since I had had it looked at and it was due for a bit of maintenance. The best part was that despite how absolutely wonky Bastian is in his hind end due to his bout with EPM as a three year-old, he actually still moves quite correctly and evenly under saddle.

(Check out this picture! He is standing square, that is how 'off' he is in his hind end, yet he still moves lovely, we usually score 7 or 8 on gaits!) The fitter told me that the flocking was even on both sides and it did not indicate that the saddle was unbalanced or that he was moving unevenly. I'd also like to take a moment to mention that I have seen Hastilow fit some odd shaped horses and that their saddle fitters are good. I've got some horror stories (don't we all!) about saddle fitters that are linked to other companies and in my experience I have yet to have a bad experience via Hastilow. So any saddle fitter that can make a saddle fit my wonky horse definitely has my respect! I just ordered a Neue Schule bit from Hastilow as well and am looking forward to trying it out, I'll be sure to give a full report once its here.

We haven't been doing any exciting work, just getting his muscling back and getting our groove back. Both of us are fighting a lack of fitness, but we're back up to 45 minutes of solid work and going strong.

(Bastian, while very glad to be back to work, is thinking that its a bit tiring....) We're focusing on building up those back muscles again and getting our balance up and back over the hocks, lots of transitions and building on our lateral work is doing the trick. I also think that I have figured out what I'm doing wrong when we halt. Bastian has a bad habit (induced by me!) of bringing his left hind leg up underneath of him and resting it when we halt. Tres annoying and I have been trying EVERYTHING to figure out how to get him to halt square (When Tawny rides him she gets a square halt pretty much every time so I know its me!). Finally I tried putting on an insane amount of right leg and despite him tracking sideways away from it, he halted square! So now I've just got to figure out how to keep him from going through my left leg....oy vey the joys of riding dressage, right??

On a much more awesome note, check out the sweet dragon that I managed to clip onto my horses booty:

Yup, I did that and it looks pretty cool. We're ready for some winter work, Third Level Approach-th ;)

And The Good News Is.....

Prepare for the Good News-Bad News-Good News Sandwich. ;)

Good News

We've hired two new people at work and I've been making it out the barn three or four times a week after school depending on my schedule, Bastian doesn't know what to do with seeing me so often.

Bad News

I scratched from Regionals. There were a lot of factors leading up to this decision, not the least of which involved the fact that Bastian was out of shape from the lack of work in September and he needed to be on top of the world to be competitive at Regionals. Like many other in this sport, I lack the disposable income to spend to just say "I went to that show!" If I'm spending my money on a show, I expect to do well. So long story short, I scratched and I was able to get my entry money back.

Good News

Not going to Regionals means we can focus on getting ready for Wellington in March and our Para Test. Bastian is in training and I'm getting to take a lesson every week. :)

The Rest of the Story

It was not an easy decision to make, I love competing and showing, its what keeps me focused when I ride, I am a person who likes to have a goal to work towards. This year was looking even cooler since it was the first year that National Championships are being offered too. I went back and forth, played out all sorts of different scenarios in my mind and decided to follow my gut. My gut said 'scratch.' I've ignored my gut before and regretted it, for the most part its 99% right. So its done and now we're focused on what needs to happen before March (I'm assuming March...they aren't exactly Speedy Gonzales on posting dates or prizelists for this Para-Dressage stuff). I've got my personal days saved so its all good on that front.

We're getting much better at our turn on the haunches and we've actually learned how to do half-passes so we've been practicing those as well. Bastian is thinking more collected, even though he can't maintain it for long. We're working on addressing his fitness and redeveloping his back muscles and his hind end. Its really pretty cool, because once I get his gaits where I want them, he has all his 'tricks.' In preparation for Wellington, we're focusing on his gaits and on all the small things-square halts (I have three per test and there is no reason I should not be scoring 8 or better on each one), riding my corners, accuracy, straigtness, etc. etc. Bastian is wonderful and I absolutely love him to death, he is talented and athletic, but a fancy dressage mover he is not. We can't afford to give away any points and we will be competing against fancy movers that have extensive dressage training. Bastian has an amazing Walk and a great Canter, his weakest gait is the trot, but even that is improving. I feel confident that by the time we go south we'll be ready. And I can't wait to see all my new friends too!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Hastilow Competition Saddlery is the place to go if you are looking for a new saddle, whether it be a dressage or jumping saddle. They have many options to suit you and your horse, they can do custom options as well and have a selection of used saddles! Their saddles are made in England by master saddlers and are of an amazing quality! They also offer custom bridles, Neue Schule Bits and other high quality tack. I never realized how much my old dressage saddle was restricting Bastian until I got my Concept Elevation Saddle. Wow, what a difference it has made in how Bastian has been able to move through his back and be more comfortable. I also find it much more comfortable than my Wintec Isabella ever was! So I highly suggest that you head over to their website and check it out!

It will be time to clip the B-Monster soon, I'm hoping to replicate this awesome dragon on his adorable little behind:

This amazing dragon was done by a friend of mine on his butt two years ago. I'm not as handy with the clippers, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

What Would Brian Boitano Do?

Wow. What a crazy two weeks. I'm sorry I didn't manage to keep my blog more updated during the journey, but we managed to keep ourselves quite busy. We made it home safely on Tuesday night and spent pretty much all of Wednesday sleeping. Today has been spent doing laundry, mowing my jungle of a lawn and just getting back into the groove of EST and Pennsylvania. I'll try to cover all the important things here, but forgive me if I jump around a bit!

I mentioned before that during my international classification I was re-classified as a Grade IV from a Grade III para-equestrian. I've had a lot of people ask me "how could they do that??" Welllll.... how could they not? I needed be classified internationally, when they went through the same process that they went through three or four years ago when I was nationally classified, the only difference being that now I am stronger, I've found different ways to compensate for the muscles and bits that don't work, I've developed more core strength. Which of course leads to my mixed feelings, on one hand I'm very excited about being reclassified and knowing that I have improved physically. Of course, receiving this news the evening before you are about to compete and you've spent every penny you had and didn't have to get your horse across the country in your one shot at earning a qualifying score was NOT what I wanted to hear.

The grade IV test is more like a third level test. The differences from the Grade III test include: Extended trot, Extended Canter, Simple Changes, Walk Piorettes, trot half pass, canter half pass, canter-halt, and extended walk. Easy-peasy right? All I can say is that I have an amazing horse and an amazing trainer. We had never done over half of those things, I've played a bit with half-pass, but mostly a the walk in an effort to teach Bastian how to do our turns on the haunches..... Becaus Kristin has trained both Bastian and I correctly, we were able to do some semblence of the all those new movements, although not nearly as good as they should be and for a few, the first time I did them was in the show ring.....

So the theme of the weekend became "What would Brian Boitano do?" We all know of course, that he would make a plan and he'd follow through, that's what Brian Boitano do. So Team Bastian regrouped, I studied the Grade IV Test Team for Friday, watched a few youtube videos on walk piorettes and extended walks and got ready to give it my best shot. On Friday, we misse our qualifying score by 1/6 of a point. We scored a 59.4%, we needed a 60 :( The test itself went pretty well (my video camera is in a bag that was unpacked at the barn, I will post videos once I get it back!) I missed a lead in one of my simple changes, had we gotten that we might have eeked out our 60%.

Saturday was the Grade IV Individual Test, which was more technically difficult, it had more simple changes and the test was actually doing pretty well until we missed our right lead in a simple change at P, then missed it twice more and didn't get it until we were in the corner before K, obliterating any chance at a decent mark for either the simple change or the collected canter between P and K.... We end up with a 53% for that test, moving even farther away from the desired 60%. After we got Bastian put away, we sat down and started working on my Freestyle. I had a freestyle for Grade III, in order to ride it for Grade IV, I had to re-write the choreography, we had to include all those elements I mentioned above except for the walk-piorettes.

We tweeked it a bit, then I saddled B back up and we rode through it once in the practice arena. I switched to the double bridle, I figured it couldn't make it any worse! LOL, it was just what we needed, he rocked back, was more collected and our transitions became much better.

Sunday came and we tacked Bastian up one more time...our freestyle rode SURPISINGLY well given that we changed it to fit the music I had and be Grade IV compatible and that I had only ever ridden it through once. I only had to improvise one movement-we threw in an extra 10 meter circle in extended walk and believe it or not, we managed to get our 60%, just by the hairs of our chinny chin chins. During the awards ceremony, when the judge was handing me my ribbon, she complemented me on taking on the Grade IV test and dealing with the difficulties of the test without any preparation. So, long story short, we earned our Certificate of Capability and we are now eligible to be selected for the WEG team.

Its of course, much more complicated than that, but this step of the process is done. I have until Wellington next spring to work on the Grade IV test and actually learn how to do all those things I was doing...lol. The location of the Para-Nationals is still up in the air. Apparently show management thinks paras make things too difficult? I don't really know, but that is the blunt answer-I'm not one to mince words. If its someplace we can make it to, then we'll be there. Right now our show plans include the NODA shows at Grand Haven in July and the WPDA show in August. Then, Regionals in October and Wellington for a CPEDI*** in the spring.

I have to give a huge thank you to Team Bastian. They were amazing in keeping him happy. Between stall cleaning, 3 hand walks a day, icing, poulticing, grooming, bathing, and tack cleaning they more than earned their keep. Also, a huge thank you to my sponsor, Hastilow Competiton Saddles. I love love love my Hastilow Concept Saddle and obviously Bastian loves it too or else he would not be able to utilize his back and rock back onto his hocks as well as he does.

I also have to give super thanks for all of the words of encouragement from the other para-riders, the Classifiers, the Stewards and the USPEA representatives. It was a tough weekend for us, Bastian and I definitely gave it our all and well I of course would have loved to have done better, I feel that we did pretty damn good given the situation that we faced.

So. Take that Bembridge Scholars!

Right Place, Wrong Time

Things have been going well overall here in sunny California. We've been having a great time and Bastian has been behaving like the best lil' dragon in the world. He's been a bit tense and after some keen coaching advice from afar, Kristin got us thinking forward and through again.

Bastian likes the weather, its cool overnight (in the 50s) and the mornings are in the 60s (just cool enough you want long sleeves) and by the afternoon its in the 80s. No humidity, so its really quite nice. The B-man has been taking little siestas in the afternoon.

Today was the jog, I'm going to admit I was super nervous about this part, having never gone through it and not knowing how picky the judges were going to be I was scared that they would not pass him and I would have driven all this way for nadda, but he was looking fine and Samantha did a great job jogging him despite his lovely trip on his way back towards the judges. Yes, only my horse would trip. But he passed, greatest words I have heard in a while "Number 153, Accepted." Here is the video from the jog: They never announced the results for best dressed or best turnout, but I think Samantha and Bastian looked awesome.

Here is the tricky part, I was originally classified as a Grade III Para-Equestrian four-ish years ago. Since then I have gotten much stronger, especially in the last few months as I've been doing more core exercises and whatnot. I had to be internationally classified today (I only had my national classification before) and because I've become stronger, I was re-classified as a Grade IV Para-Equestrian. :-/

Don't get me wrong, overall, I'm actually quite excited about the change, there are a lot of fun things that I get to do in my dressage tests (more third-level-ly [is that a word??]}, but that is not what I wanted to hear today at the end of my classification. I am currently prepared to ride a Grade III test, I've practiced it and that is what we came to do, but in order for us to get our certificate of capability in order to be considered for selection, we need to ride the Grade IV test tomorrow. There are a few parts that might be sketchy, but we are going to give it a go, keep our mind on the task at hand and *hopefully* rise to the challenge. We ride at 8:40 in the morning (around 11:40 for all-y'all Pennsylvanians and Ohio-ans out there) and of course we are the first Grade IV ride so I don't get to even watch another rider go through the test (there is only one other Grade IV here).

So tomorrow I ride the team test, I feel good about most of it, it is what it is and hopefully, with luck, we'll manage to pull off a viable score. Its been great to meet the other para-riders, check out Lara Oles website.

I'll be sure to update after we ride our test tomorrow, if you want to creep on scores, you can go here:Fox Village Dressage Scores

Thank you again to everyone who has helped to support and sponsor me, especially Hastilow Competition Saddles my amazing family and friends. This would not be possible without all of you!! THANK YOU!!!

California Dreamin

Bastian has settled in quite nicely to his temporary home at the Mureita Equestrian Center. Aside from wondering why in the heck he is in solitary confinement, he seems right at home. I'm anxious for other horses to start arriving so he has somebody else to talk to being the social butterfly that he is. He is enjoying his spacious 10x13 stall and was pretty darn happy when we hung his fan up yesterday. He has been eating and drinking like its going out of style and with the high being 106 degrees yesterday, I had no problems filling up his waterbuckets multiple times. He even had 3 buckets of water overnight, of which he drank the majority of it. He looks as fat as ever and is very relaxed.

We spent yesterday getting my tack stall set up and finding a car to rent. My amazing dad was great in that regard and having an entire tack stall to myself is definitely spoiling me! I spent today feng shui-ing my tack stall and making minor adjustments. It was also nice getting all that done before the show-we didn't have to fight with a line of traffic, throw things unceremoniously off of the trailer and get out of the way.

After we got everything unloaded I lunged the B-man without side reins for about 15 minutes just to get him out of his stall and moving. He looked great, there was a bounce in his step, but he wasn't nearly as crazy as I was expecting having been cooped up in a stall of some sort for the past week. I'm sure the heat had something to do with it, but I was able to work him in one of the covered outdoor arenas so it wasn't too bad once you were in shade, but there wasn't much of a breeze to speak of. After his lunge, I gave him a bath because he looked downright chompy :-/

I dropped the second half of T-Squared off at the airport last night, so I had all morning to spend bonding with my handsome chestnut guy. After feng shui-ing my tack stall I saddled him up, lunged for about 10 minutes and then hopped on. He felt great, forward and steady in the contact. I just wanted him relaxed and forward today, we played a little with shoulder in and leg yield and did a few lengthens for 3-5 strides. The arena was huge and we had it all to ourselves, which was very nice. I was proud of his focus, it was getting pretty windy so there were some terrifying squeaky noises but he kept it together. I'm looking forward to riding him again tomorrow, we can focus a bit more on the elements of the test and I'll have Samantha (only 3 more hours until she is here!) there to video.

So far so good! I still can't believe that I've managed to pull this off so far, this has been a huge undertaking and we're moving into phase two (the show!) Thank you again to everyone who has contributed! Here is the link to where ride times and scores will be posted . As of right now, nothing is posted, but it should be up shortly.

Well, its time to go feed the B-man his supper then its off to the airport to pick up Samantha! I can't wait until she's here, I'm pretty excited that she was able to come out here, she's going to look amazing jogging Bastian on Thursday!

To Make a Long Story Short.....

There has been so much going on since I last blogged....I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up better! So, here's the latest news:

THE TRIP

All plans are go! I sent my entry in, Bastian's FEI passport has been obtained. Its been a bit crazy coordinating all of this. My amazing dad and brother are hauling Bastian out to California for me. They are leaving on June 3rd. I've managed to secure enough hay, grain and shavings for the handsome man. The tack box is packed and I've only got a few more things to take out to the barn. I'm flying out on June 7th to meet them. The show grounds open on the 11th and the show starts on the 13th! Getting everything in order has been quite stressful, but we're managing! It hasn't officially sunk in yet, but I'm sure that once I board the plane it will! Super excited ;)

BASTIAN

After a great show at Chagrin Valley Farms in March, Bastian and I started to encounter a few roadblocks, he was sore through his back and just not moving as well as I know he can. The solution was having the vet out and getting his hocks injected. Aside from him being wound tight from four days of stall rest, he is feeling great and is back to his awesome self. I had lesson today and will have another one on Thursday. I'm trying to fit in as much as possible before I leave as I'm doing the show solo, I've got to soak up all the wisdom I can from Kristin and Tawny!

Bastian's double bridle arrived in the mail the other day and he looks quite smashing in it. I'm not entirely sure whether I will show in the snaffle or in the double yet, we'll just have to see how he feels on those days. His Hastilow Concept saddle fits like a glove and he's looking sleek and happy, a little on the chubby side, but that's the plan as I'm sure he'll lose weight on his trip.

EVERYTHING ELSE

I've successfully completed my first semester of graduate school, just two more semesters until I have my Masters! Woot! I've managed to get lots of extra work days in at the part time job which has kept me extra busy. Only a few weeks of school left, which I am glad for, it has been a long exhausting year for so many reasons. I'm looking forward to next year; I've back to teaching my awesome 9th graders :)

THANK YOUS

In general, thank you everyone! This is a huge endeavor and every little bit has and will continue to help us on our journey. No matter what it is that you have donated, especially the well wishes and encouraging words, we genuinely appreciate them. Thank you to Hastilow Saddlery for our amazing saddle, Thank you Kim Sprickman for hosting a month long Scentsy Party and donating a portion of total sales to our trip (its not too late to order! Just contact me!) Thank you to my AMAZING brother and dad for taking time off to haul my adorable chestnut pony's booty across the country. Thank you to Cleveland Equine for fitting in my horse's hock injection appointment and making him feel so super good! Thank you to Iroquoise Elementary School for donating their monthly "jeans" money to our trip. Thank you thank you thank you! I'm trying to keep on top of all the thank yous, if I've left your name off please forgive me!

Okay, that is all the major stuff, I've got laundry to finish and its almost my bed time..... I promise more updates soon and hopefully some video!

Practice Practice Practice!

This past weekend was full of success for the B-monster and I. I had not one but two fabulous lessons last week. We worked on our collected canter and just getting him to really really collect for a few strides then pushing him back out, we learned how to properly execute a turn on the haunches and we started schooling those, and we worked on keeping his haunches and shoulders where they are supposed to be and maintaining the correct bend. :)

Then on Saturday I headed to Equine Affaire to do some awesome shopping. I did pretty good and while I didn't find a double bridle, I managed to snag some great deals. I also managed to snag a coveted Cosequin bucket. I've wanted a cosequin bucket for years.....I had to stand in line for about 15 minutes and get my picture taken with one of their sponsored riders and then post it on facebook. Totally worth it ;)

And speaking of sponsors....I will soon be announcing a new one! Yay. Bastian loves his sponsors, they keep him looking snazzy (Thank you Hastilow Competition Saddlerly), and feeling healthy (Thank you Dr. Susan Wilcox/Steel Valley Spay/Neuter). I must say that my Hastilow Saddle looked pretty spiffy this weekend all cleaned up and what not. I have to say that one of my favorite things about my saddle is that it truly fits my horse-I don't have to use any extra pads in there to make it fit or to make his back more comfortable.

Any why, you might ask, was my saddle all cleaned up this weekend. Well not only is that right way to take care of your tack (I'm soooooo bad about cleaning my tack regularly!) but we went to a schooling dressage show this weekend at Chagrin Valley Farms. It was our first time riding the Para Team and Individual tests. I had run through the movements before in their approximate order, but it was really the first time doing it in an actual correct sized arena. Both tests rode much better than I was anticipating. I was concerned about the 10 meter collected canter onto centerline into counter canter move, but it went really well and wasn't nearly as tiny as I was expecting. We scored just over 60% on both tests. I thought my first test (the Team test) rode better, but I was on my way to a better score on my Individual test until we lost our canter between D and B. (I half halted too much and didn't back it up with enough leg) so we scored a 4 on that movement and on the transition down at M, I just kept my trot and went on with my test. Had we not broken I probably could have eeked out another 1 or 2 percent. Oh well, live and learn!

We were both tired by the time we were done, but I was very happy with Bastian's effort. The judge's comments were true, I only disagreed with one-I thought our last center line was much better than our first center line, but I wasn't the one at the judges table. For us it was a great check up. It confirmed for me that we are on the right path and that if I continue to work on what I am working on we can only go up from here! I'm very excited to go to California! (if only they would post the prize list....its killing me! lol) and even more excited for the NODA shows in July. Our next stop is the NODA schooling show at Grand Haven, we'll be doing the Team Test again and hopefully doing a run through of my free style.

The weather here is starting to improve and Bastian is adjusting to living in his lovely new home quite nicely. Here's hoping the weather is lovely tomorrow afternoon and I can ride outside!

Pack Your Bags!

So those of you that know me, know that I am a complete and utter geek, through and through. When I'm not doing the ga-zillion and one things that I have to do in order to make a living and prepare my horse for the show season, I can be found reading awesome literature, watching awesome TV shows and movies, and watching the best Japanese Anime around. (Total pop culture junky here) Two of those particular loves are watching (and reading) George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and watching Nickelodeon's Avatar the Last Airbender. So when HBO decided to put out a template to make your own coat of arms I couldn't resist combining these two ideas and creating a coat of arms and 'house words' for my fabu pony. House 'Luck Dragon' didn't sound right so I just stuck with "House Bastian" and then as I sat there trying to come up with some mind-blowing house words (We do not Tempi ~ala House Greyjoy) I started thinking about Uncle Iroh from Avatar, one of my favorite characters and how his nickname was "Dragon of the West," and well, long story short, I was like 'Hey, Bastian is the Dragon of the East.....' So the above is now my horse's coat of arms....I think its pretty sweet, the only thing that is missing is Bastian's personal logo, which I think I can eventually finagle onto there somehow....

Anyway, the main purpose of this blog is to give an update on our California plans. What I've got right now is some transportation! Woot. So, between borrowed trucks, trailers and a whole gaggle of air plane tickets, Bastian, myself and my slave, er, groom for the week will be making it to California. After the show I'll be making the drive back with him. Road Trip! I'm hoping we're in good enough spirits to get a few touristy pictures with Bastian like at the worlds biggest ball of yarn or something. (He's been telling me that he would really like to journey with the donkeys down into the Grand Canyon). But regardless of that. It looks like Game On. While there are still a ton of other details to work out, this was one of the major ones. If anyone has any frequent flyer miles they would like to donate let me know! LOL

That's all for now, just wanted to share his bodacious coat of arms and our happy progress news. Lesson tomorrow! Can't wait;)

Double the Fun

The ever so handsome B-Man has stayed sound for going on two weeks now...**knock on some serious wood here**! We lost about a month of muscle development in him from his time off, but we're quickly catching back up. That's the best part about having such solid training, he knows what is expected now, we just have to get those muscles responding again, so we have moments of collection and self carriage and its fabulous. (I've also been watching him on the lunge and there is some pretty nice trot in there, I just have to figure out how to find that gear when I'm on him!)

Our plan of attack the past two weeks has been long and slow, we've only just started getting back to doing bits and pieces of "collection." My focus has been on getting him through his back again and in front of my leg. The first week was tough, all he really wanted to do was have a 9 year old TB moment and go "KABOOM!" but he (for the most part) kept it together so the relaxed and forward wasn't happening to much until this past week. So as we re-adjust to each other there have been bobbles, but they are lessening every day and he is becoming quieter in his poll again.

We've also did our first ever ride in a double bridle. I've ridden with a double one other time in my life, but was pretty handy with gags and combination bits that utilized two reins back in my grand ol' eventing days so at least the two rein thing didn't freak me out. I'm pretty sure I could not hold anything else in my hands; two sets of reins and two whips is quite enough, thank you. My hands hurt after about 30 minutes since I'm not used to the curb rein yet. But mission successful, Bastian was quite accepting and when I managed to hit the sweet spot, it was heavenly. We're going to incorporate that into our regimen once a week. I'm also pretty sure that since we are now 'using' a double, he should automatically start passaging, piaffing, and piriouetting. He did none of those things so I think I want my money back.... lol

Funding is still going rather slow, but I'm hammering away at it. I have to give a HUGE thank you to the faculty and staff of Iroquois Elementary School in Erie, PA. They generously donated their casual Friday fund for February to Bastian and I to help us make it to California. Their generosity is much appreciated and gets us one step closer to our goal. I continue to cut out whatever I can and in April we will be moving to another local barn where Bastian will be field boarded for about a 1/3 of what I pay for board now. That extra money can be put into our California fund. It was not an easy decision to make, he's a happy camper and of course I can't foresee any problems but with horses you just never know! I think he will be okay, he was an outside bachelor when I first got him. I'll still be able to ride with Kristin when she comes out to my new barn and in the in-between times I'll be riding with Tawny Williamson. So fingers crossed that he'll like his new living situation!

My tack trunk is almost finished I just need to put the finish on it and thanks to some great advice from my TSC co-workers I got this awesome finish that is the same thing they put on bars to keep them from getting banged up and destroyed by inebriated patrons, so if we have a rough day at a horse show we can just belly up to my tack trunk and have a few....dual purpose equipment is always the best!

Those are the high lights for the moment. A final note: Hooray for March Madness! May the best Gator/Buckeye win ;)

Unwillingly Waylaid

First off- almost 5000 page views! How cool! :) and I'm up to 16 followers *thumbs up* thanks guys for reading/following!!!

Due to being scheduled at work every night this week and the week before along with having a flat tire two days in a row I have missed out on A LOT of Bastian time, but in order to have that Bastian time I have to work or else I won’t have the income necessary to do what I want to do. I’ve got some projects in the works to get me through the this “off” season, although it not really an off season since I have a show in about 45 days…..which I should note is still not a definite, there has been a slight monkey-wrench thrown into my plans and I don’t know if I’ll be able to work it out but as soon as I know for sure one way or the other I’ll be sure to update. So here’s more of the Good News/ Bad News:

Bad News:

Fast forward to Saturday…I get off work, head to the barn all excited to finally get to ride. I decide to lunge him first so we didn’t have to worry about too much goofiness and he’s lame. Something was off with his right front. Cindy and I poked (mostly Cindy) and prodded him and couldn’t find anything other than a titch of a titch of heat inside of his cannon bone. *sigh* I iced, poulticed, wrapped and buted him. Today he was much better, he looked more stiff/soar rather than actually off, and not a severe stiff/soar, just a "I need to stretch and warm up kinda stiff" in his right front. I’m thinking he maybe slept funky? Can horses do that? Anyway, I rode him today at the walk for 50 minutes and worked on walky-things and halts. We trotted a few times on the long sides and he felt good-he wanted to go and was stepping evenly. So I’m thinking that he is better, but he did have bute with breakfast I want to take every precaution so I’m playing it safe. He was iced and pouticed and wrapped again and is getting bute through Monday night. I work tomorrow so another day off will be a good thing and then I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’s ready to rock and roll on Tuesday.

Bastian isn't a fan of the poultice!

Good News:

My freestyle is complete! I worked with Cynthia Collins of Luna Tunes Freestyle and although my initial musical choice wasn’t a good fit I was able to find some great Celtic music and Cynthia did a fabulous job organizing it and splicing it together. The choreography is excellent too, I think it will really showcase Bastian’s and I’s strengths. I’m working on learning the choreography but will have to wait until I am in a full size arena before I can actually practice with the music. I’m looking forward to it, I’ve always wanted to be able to ride a freestyle. I even already have plans for music for our next one-I’m hoping by next year Bastian and I will be ready for a freestyle that involves some third level moves.

Another project I’ve got in the works is refinishing a tack trunk I picked up. It was a steal of a deal for just $35. Aside from a missing hinge, the box itself is really in excellent shape, it needs some sanding and I’m working on stripping the paint. My plan is to refinish it with a dark stain and I have Kim working on designing a plate or such to place on the lid that has our awesome logo on it. Once its finished it is going to look super super classy and between that and the rolling saddle/cart basket do-hickey that we recently acquired I should be able to transport everything I need other than hay, shavings, and grain to a show. The trunk is a little bigger than I really wanted but for that price I just couldn’t pass it up. And I will be able to fit things like his water/food buckets in there as well as my helmet, boots and some other larger items. Like I said, everything but hay, grain and sawdust! I’m an organizational freak and so I’m also excited that I was able to order some pretty awesome stuff from Thirty-One to help organize mine and Bastian’s things. I’ll be sure to post pictures as I get farther along in the process! So far I am having a blast working on it, I’m all about doing projects like this and I will appreciate it all the more because I did it. (cheesy, I know!) Here it is on the day I picked it up (I took it apart-it was all in one piece when I got it!)

And from the side....

Not exactly horse related, but another project I’ve started is that I finally managed to enroll in Graduate classes. I am taking a full course load this semester in addition to everything else I’ve got going on. To quote Corey from Empire Records “There are 24 useable hours in every day!” I’m excited about taking the classes, if there was money in it, I would be a professional student, I really love taking classes and learning. If everything stays on track, then I will have my Masters by next spring.

I’m looking forward to getting out to the barn tonight and spending some time with the B-Monster. I’m sure he’ll be a bit of a fire-breathing dragon since he hasn’t been worked in forever and that’s the problem with having a super fit, young, healthy horse. I can lunge him for an hour tonight and then hop on him and ride for another hour and he would still be raring to go! And I’m not lazy when I ride, we go for 20-30 minutes before we take a legit walk break, like I said, he is super fit! But when he’s fit he ends up being more through and wow will he have some nice movement!

I’d like to encourage anyone out there who is currently looking for a new saddle whether it is a jumping or dressage saddle to visit www.hastilowusa.com The Hastilow Saddle Company custom fits their saddles to you and your horse and do an amazing job at it. Since switching to our Hastilow Concept Saddle, Bastian has been coming more through his back and lifting his shoulder more. His mediums have made major improvements and he is staying softer through his bridle because he has less reason to brace through his back. We’ve finally found a great balance of the right equipment, the right training and the right farrier that we are making huge strides in our training. Because all of the basics were there, now as I throw new things at him he takes them by storm. The difference in his way of going improved when I got the Concept Saddle and then improved again once I had the saddle fitter out to make a few minor adjustments to the flocking.

Until next time Bastian says “"In order to get from what was to what will be, you must go through what is." ;)

So You Think You Can Dressage Part II

As promised, here is Part II of the "So You Think You Can Dressage" Saga. :)

The first order of business is to welcome Hastilow Competition Saddlery as my first official sponsor! They've helped me to trick out my ride with a Hastilow Adjustable Concept Dressage Elevation Saddle

I am super excited about this (I mean who isn't excited about a new saddle!) The Elevation is built to be completely adjustable, which will be great as Bastian continues to change through his back and develop more and more topline. Its built on a Bio-Kinetic Tree that employs Simatree technology, this means the tree is laterally flexible providing more comfort for both the horse and rider. It also features 3 different panel types based on your horses build as well as an adjustable gullet, ergonomic knee block, a deep seat and is wool flocked. If I haven't convinced you yet, head over to their website to check out more information and to look at the other high quality saddles they offer. They are also providing me with a lovely new bridle. Thank you Hastilow Saddlery!!

I haven't owned a Hastilow in several years, but I had both a dressage and jumping saddle when I was in College and loved riding in them both. Bastian was measures for his new equipment and now we are just anxiously awaiting their arrival. He doesn't even know how much more awesome its going to be. The saddle I currently ride in is okay, it doesn't fit him poorly, but it doesn't fit him well either. It gets the job done. I can't wait to feel how much better he'll go in his new saddle.

I'm still in need of sponsors and help! This is only the beginning of the journey ;P I am selling polo shirts and saddle pads, please contact me (bastiandressagedragon@gmail.com) if you are interested in ordering anything! I will have photos soon...just ordered a proto-type the other day. I'm hoping to begin riding with Missy Ransehousen in October and begin full time training with Kristin in either December or January so that we are ready to rock the Para-Dressage world in 2013!!!

So, you're probably asking yourself, how did an crazy eventer type like me end up riding Para-Dressage? Well, here's our story....

This picture is the from the day I bought Bastian. Ain't he a cutie!

In May of 2007 I was riding a very green gelding, he only had a handful of rides on him. We had successfully walked and trotted on the lunge line and I went to dismount. While dismounting, he spooked, I grabbed onto the saddle to stick with him which spooked him more, he bucked and threw me over top of his back up into the air and I came down like an arrow right on my head(yes, I was wearing my helmet-I honestly believe it saved my life that day!), I was instantly numb from the waist down. I wasn't in a lot of pain, and I tried to keep myself calm by repeating "its only a pinched nerve" inside my head. 911 was called and then the Life Flight Hellicopter.

They flew me to the hospital where the doctors quickly assessed my condition, took x-rays and I was rushed into surgery. The first surgery was to alleviate the swelling and insert pins into my spine-I had a burst fracture of my first lumbar vertabra. 24 hours later I was back into surgery, this time to insert a metal cage around my spinal cord where all of the bone fragments were placed to "re-create" my vertabra. I don't remember much of that week in intensive care other than how stressed out my parents were and not knowing what feeling or use of my legs I would actually regain. I couldn't move anything on my left side and only slightly better on my right.

From there I spent just over a month in the hospital, going to physicial therapy everyday and working to relearn how to walk and move again. Finally I was released to go home, there was a lot of adjusting to do, I had always been active and independent and know I was relying on so many people for basic aspects of living. Also at the back of my mind was the big question of "When was I going to ride again?"

Not riding again had never crossed my mind. I was going to get back in the saddle, I wasn't sure how well I would be able to ride and what I would be capable of, but I always knew for sure that I would get back on. I was banned from riding for 9 months by my doctor. At 7 months, I started "riding" again and by riding I mean I tacked up my 26 year old pony and sat on her. We didn't actually go anywhere, I just sat on her while she munched on hay. It was a glorious feeling to be back on a horse. At 9 months I started actually riding again, nothing like a 26 year old pony to restore your faith in the equine world!

Throughout this time, Bastian was also constantly lurking on the edge of my mind. I had bought him as an untouched 3 year old directly from his breeder just two weeks before my accident. I had bought him as my event horse prospect and had been looking forward to starting him myself and storming the event world... now I wasn't going to be physically able to do that. Bastian is quite the level headed guy, always has been, but he was also a baby thoroughbred and he may be level headed, but damn is he athletic! Watching him play in the paddock is amazing, he can do some pretty cool tricks! So I was constantly struggling with what to do with him. I was already in love with his personality, he let me in his stall with my walker to groom him and love on him and he never snorted the wrong way or gave me the wonky eye, that's pretty good for any 3 year old, much less a thoroughbred ;P

Our very first dressage show at Grand Haven together. We showed in an Intro Class. He was very good!

Luckily I had some excellent people to work with and in the Spring Bastian was officially started under saddle. Bastian went through his own trials and tribulations before he started his real training. In the fall of 2007, he was diagnosed with EPM. With proper medical attention, he was able to make a full recovery, but he has a permanent memory of his disease. When you view him from the back, you can see that his left side has much less muscle development than his right and for almost two years after his recovery he was always a little uneven. Through a lot of hard work and careful development, he now tracks up evenly. You would never know unless you stand behind him that he has difference between his right and left side.

In 2009 I moved to Hermitage, PA and started riding with Kristin Stein (www.steinequine.com). Through her instruction and training Bastian and I began to excel and find our place in the dressage world. I showed all year at recognized Dressage Competitions without being a Graded Para-Equestrian and while we managed to get our qualifying scores at Training level, I was always getting comments on my test about how I had a kind horse and I needed to stop my "excessive" kicking. Finally before Regionals that year, I was classified as a Grade III Para-Equestrian. The main compensations that I use are carrying two whips and securing my feet into the stirrups via velcro. I'm also allowed to carry my whips during Championship Classes.

So began my career as a Para-Equestrian. This year I had the pleasure of riding under the wonderful eye of Kristi Wysocki, an FEI*** Para Equestrian judge who was impressed by Bastian and I's performance and pulled us aside to encourage us to pursue getting my FEI Para-card and working towards making the selection trials for the 2014 WEG. You can read the whole blog about that show here: http://www.bastianthewonderdragon.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html

So that is how we came to be. This year has been an amazing year so far for Bastian and I, not only have we made huge strides in our dressage work, but we successfully completed 3 recognized events, 2 at the starter level and one BN. Eventing does not recognize my para-equestrian status so I competed in those events without any of my normal compensations. Bastian LOVES to jump and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Para-Equestrian jumping makes it way to this side of the pond soon, Bastian would rock it. Still to come this year is our Regional Championship Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in October. Bastian and I are showing in both the Training Level and First Level AA Championships. This is our last time showing Training Level, a bittersweet parting, but we're ready to move onward and upward. Watch out Second Level, we've dipped our toes into the deep end of dressage and we're ready to dive in head first!

Mai oui, Bastian est tres formidable!

Sorry I haven't kept up with my blogging, its been a rather crazy 2 months and I have no excuse, but believe you me, this post should more than make up for :)

So last time we left our struggling hero, Bastian, he had two refusals XC at the Lost Hounds Pony Club horse trials because his rider didn't do her job and get him around with confidence. I had already sent in my entry for South Farm for BN, but contacted them and asked to be put into the Starter Division. I needed to get my confidence up. So with that done we concentrated on riding forward and me not grabbing him with my right hand. It was like my right hand had a mind of its own and going up to a fence I would yank it back and out repeatedly and I had no idea I was doing it. Kristin made me jump with my right hand holding my left hand and you know what, it was perfect! Really weird feeling, but perfect. I wasn't interfering with him.

So off we went to South Farm with Cindy and Banff. I wasn't 100% there for Dressage, he was a little stuck behind my leg and I didn't put in the best test, we came away with a 30.5 and were sitting in second place. XC was next and I kept my warm-up perfect. All I needed was about 5 minutes, we popped over the warm-ups and did the warm-up log they had. He was forward and I felt good.

5....4...3...2..2..Have a great ride! My plan was to trot our first fence...Bastian decided he wanted to canter so I panicked for a stride then said okay and off we went. Jumped it like a champ, the only one he looked at was fence 2 and he just took a little peek, after that we actually cantered all of our fences, I was with him, we didn't take any from a standstill and we didn't hit any. So much improvement! Here is the video:

Did you see how AWESOME that was????? I actually rode, I was so happy :) So we maintained our second place spot. On Sunday we came back for Stadium. A pretty technical course, but still very inviting fence-wise. Check out our first two fences, they were perfect!

Again, we didn't jump any from a standstill and we didn't hit any. This was what we needed, we needed to just get our gallop on and go without being intimidated by anything. We finished in 2nd by just one point (1st had a 29), so close.....So our last event of the year ended quite well :)

After South Farm, I had just two weeks until the NODA Dressage Shows at Grand Haven. This was my big chance to get my Qualifying scores for Training and First for Regionals, no pressure or anything. LOL. Kristin kicked our butts in lessons and we got a lot sorted out, like the elusive element of straightness and making my corrections more subtle. Well all I have to say is that it worked!

I got all my qualifying scores and am Kentucky bound in October! Woot! Bastian and I owned Training Level, we scored a 70% on Saturday and a 73.2% on Sunday, placing first both times. Oh yeah, we did. :P He felt sooooo good. Our Sunday Score also earned us the Training Level Reserve Champion Award for the AA division (Champion had a 73.5%, again...so close!)We got a 65% and 63% for first level on Saturday and Sunday respectively. We placed 2nd in both of those classes. Sunday's score would have been fabulous, but on our first canter loop I half halted too much at X and he did a brilliant trot transistion :( Otherwise it was really really great!

So Bastian was a champ. Now, here is the cool part. Are you ready? Should I build the suspense more? Maybe do a whole 'nother paragraph about the awesome food that they offer at Grand Haven or how well everyone did and how awesome Kristin is as a trainer and instructor to have gotten me to the point where I can score 70s in Training Level....or maybe I should just tell you. Or maybe wait? I just can't seem to decide what to do.....

Okay, here it is: My judge on Saturday for First Level and Sunday for Training Level was an FEI*** Para-Equestrian Judge. After our Training Level test when the runner went to go get the tests (the runner happened to be the Show Secretary at that moment)she told her that she wanted to speak with me during lunch and that she felt that me AND my horse had a lot of potential and she wanted to see us work toward being selected for the 2012 WEG.

How friggin' awesome is that! All my hard work has finally gotten me noticed (and I have to give a HUGE hats off to Kristin because without her guidance and no-nonsense work hard kick ass lessons we would NOT be here). So Kristin and I spoke with her and she kept saying how much potential she thought we had and I mentioned that I would start looking for a more suitable horse and she was like "why?". Even better than thinking that I have potential, she feels that Bastian has the ability to be competitive. We earned an 8 on Harmony between horse and rider on our test, how about them apples?! Not just a safe ride and not just a nice score, but COMPETITIVE!!!! My lil' Bastian boy an international pony! Riding planes and learning how to wear a beret and speak French....lol, okay maybe I'm getting ahead of myself!

So she said Kristin should start riding Bastian and getting him schooled on the second level stuff that is in my test (shoulder in, mediums, simple transitions, collected gaits,etc) and I should start riding horses that can do those things so I can learn how do them. Next year I should ride the tests as often as possible so I get a year of experience and attend a couple of CPDI/CDI, (I don't really know the abbreviations yet, but big time shows!) so I get comfortable with that kind of pressure and work towards getting on the selection list at the end of 2013 beginning of 2014.

Grand Haven's secretary said they would add the tests to the shows next year for me :) So now I have to get an FEI passport for Bastian and I need to get my Classification changed from just USEF to FEI. I am soooooo excited. Lots of details to work out and I've got to start seeking out sponsorships and donations to make all of this economically feasible, but I'm gonna get it done one way or another.

Our next show is the MSEDA Show in Kentucky in September. I'm taking Bastian and doing not only First Level, but we're making our Second Level debut with Second One. I don't expect to dazzle anyone, but I'm hoping I can hold my own. I've watched others make the move to Second Level and its one of those funky levels that a lot of people seem to struggle with. Bastian and I have to learn how to ROCK second level. I'm pretty excited about it.

So that's my news! I'm hoping to start serious training in January as the next two months are devoted to prepping for Regionals and I'll probably give him about a month off of real work (as in light hacks a few days a week) then get ourselves ready for serious boot camp starting in January! If anyone wants to help out send me a message! I've got some great fund raising ideas in mind and am hoping to try and secure some sponsors. Kerrits, watch out, cause you are getting a letter seeing as how I pretty much exclusively wear your clothes! LOL

Chalking it up

Where to begin? At the beginning of course, but that would take too long, so we'll just start with Friday.

Cindy and I drove up to Erie to walk the XC course. I wasn't worried about any of them (well thats a lie, I was worried about fence 8, the green flower box, but it was entirely my worry-it just freaks me out) I walked the course, had a plan and told myself how I was going to gallop every fence and use my legs and whip and rock it. Same thing with Stadium, Stadium had a few oddly set fences, but we had a plan and again, it involved galloping FORWARD!

On Saturday, Cindy and I rolled out of the barn at 6:00 AM, with one very handsome chestnut Thoroughbred tucked in the trailer. The farrier cut Banff a bit too short and Cindy made the decision to not risk him on the hard ground at Erie and blow her entire season. They'll be up and running for South Farm so no worries there :) My dressage was at 8:40. We arrive and are right on time as far as getting ready and warmed up. Bastian feels great and we put in a very solid test, I thought the judge was a bit picky, but I'm also of course biased (lol). We came away with a 33 and were sitting in third place.

Unfortunately for me, that was the easy part. I'm totally backwards for eventing because dressage is my strongest phase...lol. My stadium time was at 1:12, I was exhausted so I took an awesome nap for about 2 hours-I was out. I decided I needed to be on at 12:30, I wasn't sure how to plan my stadium warm-up. Lots of factors going on, what if the warm up was crazy and I couldn't find my own space (Bastian has a thing about horses coming towards him that we haven't completely addressed yet, thank you dumb friesan at Regionals...grrrr). What if I couldn't get him forward enough? What if..... so I decided that more time was better. I didn't need it. We came to the warm up and I had him awesome, forward and kicking those fence's asses. Now we had about 30 minutes to wait until I actually went in...lesson learned, shorter warm up time, I go into the warm up with my game face on and get it done, I can't worry about all the other stuff. There is no other option but to DO IT. We started out okay, then lost it for fence 2, fence 3 was okay, four was horrible, lucky for me taking out the whole fence still only counts as one "rail." Then it was the moment of truth. I got my shit together and rode the rest of the course.

This was a big thing for me and thank you Kristin for bringing it to my attention in my lesson on Friday. I ride one fence and then I stop. I get so elated by the fact that I got over it and (hopefully) rode mostly well that I just let B stop. Which is or isn't good for schooling, but at a show over a course will not work. I have a crappy fence and I shut down and don't realize that the rest could be okay. But I have to ride and keep riding, one crappy fence doesn't mean the rest have to be crappy. So I manned up and I got us over fence 5 and took much more control over the rest of the course. See for yourself. Better than Buckeye CT and lots of room for us to improve-but at least there is improvement (and I think we looked super cute at least with the grey jacket and his little braids....)

So we had a rail, but no time penalties so we bumped our score up to 37, but managed to stay in 3rd place, a lot of people were having rails.

XC was scheduled just 1 hour later, at 2:12, so back to trailer where Cindy took care of my awesome little Luck Dragon and I drank some more brandy and got myself dressed for XC.

What to say about XC, fence one was iffy, but we got over it and took fence two for granted, we lost our pace way far out, fence three I was lucky he went over, same for four, the bank, then we had another stop at five, this one was a bit dirty, but after four iffy fences, he thought he had figured out what was going on, he's a quick learner and while he LOVES jumping, he really does need my help and when I don't do my job I can't say I blame him for being a bit naughty. But at this point I said enough, I whapped him good and we got over it on the second try and the next five fences were awesome. I galloped him and focused him and myself and he didn't bat an eye. I'm really hoping that the photographer was at the green flower stand, because that was our fence. I GALLOPED him up to it. As in I had two outcomes for this fence in my mind, one he was going to slam on the brakes and I would take the fence independently of Bastian and two he was going to take it like an old pro. I was seriously afraid of how fast we were going, but it was our best fence. This was the pace I need. This is what I have to learn. Through the water, over the stone wall (another pretty good fence) then over the log. Then a long gallop to the ditch. I was tired, but we kept going. We trotted the ditch, which he peeked at, but jumped. Then over another little log where I lost my stirrup and had to stop and it took me a good 20 seconds to get my stirrup back-more time faults) then galloped on to my last fence, didn't have enough pace, but had enough to get over and we were done.

My initial reaction was a mixture of about to be sick and pissed off. The stops were my fault, I hadn't done enough, I made mistakes that should never have happened, dumb simple mistakes that I know better than to make. I have got to get my mind in the game.

Here is the link to my XC video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9fY0Vc2mVk&feature=youtu.be

Upon further reflection I don't feel as pissed off, am I still disappointed in myself, yes. Thats me. I don't accept those mistakes in myself and the only option in my world is perfection (see the dressage diva coming out!!!) But looking at the facts, we did alright. I have not evented in 5 years. My last two events I was eliminated in dressage both times. Bastian has been to one event prior to this, Winona HT, everything at Winona was much quieter and low key. LHPC was the first time we actually galloped a course (and I use the term gallop loosely!), at Winona we trotted the whole thing. There were hardly any people on the course, at LHPC, there were people and chairs and tents and ambulances and OMG all sorts of things for Bastian to look at and look he did, his attention was everywhere for those first five fences until I got us together. We finished the course and believe you me, there were several times when the idea of retiring popped into my head, but I overruled it. I said no, you are here and you are not stopping just because you are a wimp, if you have a good reason, then stop, but you don't so you had better keep going. And go we did.

I need to be more fit. I was tired and having trouble keeping up my end of the bargain in riding Bastian, he on the other hand was super fit and could have gone out a second time! The fitness thing is frustrating for me because I have to do everything twice as much as a normal person to get even a normal fitness level. Please don't think I'm whining or pulling a oh poor me moment, but you know what, it sucks. So somewhere in my schedule I need to find time to walk more and fit in the SITS DVDs that I have (which are awesome, its just a consistency problem for me- I know, shut up with the whining and just do it....). Another option might be only doing events where its divided up over two days, doing all three phases in one day might just be too much for me. Some food for thought for sure.

We ended up in 11th place out of 15 starters with a penalty score of 94.2 :( Yikes! But we finished and all in all it gave me a lot of good experience and I intend to learn from all of it.

South Farm HT is in two weeks, we've always had good rides at South Farm, so I'm looking forward to putting my galloping into practice and getting it done. Wish us luck!

I leave it with a quote from the one and only Augustus McCrae:

Old Codger: Augustus McCrae, you won't walk 40 miles on that busted leg.

Gus: I might fool you.

Augustus McCrae, you are one of my heros and despite the obstacles that keep being thrown in my path, I hope to fool everyone too. :)