Hiatus

This is the updated version of the Blog, fresh off the presses. The decision to stop riding and stop showing this year was made before our Grand Haven Schooling Show Kerfuffle. I had hoped to begin and end our show season on a higher note, but it is what it was and helped me make some other decisions that were harder for me.

So....since then I haven't really been riding. I've only been riding once a week on Sunday's after I help Cindy feed in the morning. This decision was 100% financial in nature. Gas is outrageously expensive, I have stupid gas-guzzler of a truck and it takes me close to a 1/4 of a tank to go to the barn and back. I just couldn't swing it anymore. I have to say that each Sunday when I went out to ride Bastian was awesome. He never once felt like he was going to jump out of his skin or be a Dork-a-saurus and basically like any other 7 year old thoroughbred not being worked and on limited turnout might act. I didn't even have to lunge him first and a few times there were some x-rails left up in the arena and we popped over them like he was in regular work. *pat pat* he is such a good guy.

I was hoping to maybe find someone who was interested in leasing him over the summer so he could at least stay in shape, but that didn't pan out so I turned to my amazing parents and asked them if their grandson could come and live with them for the summer. The answer was yes. We have a cute little three stall barn and lots of lovely green pasture so other than being a Bachelor, Bastian is actually pretty happy. So on June 15th-ish my friend Samantha and I trailered him home and then spent the rest of the afternoon fixing the pasture fence. He'll be there until mid september. Then he'll be coming home to me and getting ready for our upcoming 2012 show year.

In other news, I am not entirely without equines in my life, which is a good thing because I think my students could attest that I was getting pretty crabby by the end of the school year. I am not a happy camper without my pony-time. Donna, who owns the fabulous Dutch Warmblood, (I hope I got the breed right....I can't keep all the warmbloods straight! LOL), Ferrymore Lane, aka Bugsy, is letting me ride her. Here we are during our 1/2 hour lesson today. Sorry for the blurry pic, I didn't have my camera set on the right settings!


Soooooo. Bugs is trained and has shown through 3rd level. Kristin, my instructor earned her Bronze medal riding her, then she took a year off and had the beautiful filly Rae Sangria (who is Bastian's little sister), followed by a bit of bad luck health wise and now she has finally gotten back into shape enough to be used by Kristin for some lessons. Let me just say that Bugs is GINORMOUS. I used to ride a lot of draft crosses and big horses when I was in college, I just have a thing for big horses, they are cool and they make me look normal sized. I'm not petite in any way, even when I am at my "scientifically ideal weight" I'm just a big girl, big boned, tall and not petite or graceful. So I look pretty good sitting on big horses like Bugs, she makes me look skinny! LOL

Her gaits are way different from Bastian (go figure!) and when I first asked her to trot I kinda just busted up laughing because it had so much suspension in it compared to what I was used to, I loved it! I think Kristin thought I was crazy. I didn't like her canter at first, but then once I got into the rhythm it was pretty cool, again it was just huge and throwing me all of the place. I am so excited to get to ride her and learn all the cool stuff that she has to teach me. She has all the tricks and training, but if you don't ask for it the way it is supposed to be done you ain't gonna get it.

She is strong, but when you ride her, she actually feels so light and fluffy, its fabulous. So I'll be sure to keep updating when I start learning how to do the cool stuff like walk piorettes, half passes, mediums, renvers, travers, etc. etc. I can't wait! I'm only riding once a week still (on Sunday's when I feed) but once a week is better than not riding at all.

Hopefully my summer will continue to be filled with lots of hours at JCP and finding a vehicle that gets more than 10 miles to the gallon so that when Bastian comes home in September and everyone else at the barn is kicking ass at Regionals, I'll be able to start getting him in shape for his stellar 2012 season, I've got some plans for him baby, oh do I have plans......

My Riding Funk

**This blog covers several days, I keep meaning to post it then get busy trying to upload some video so I forget, but I don't want to just forget about it...so sorry for the length and jumping arounded-ness and I figured that since its been written and waiting to be posted that I would just post it and get it done with**

I let Bastian play a bit on Monday before I rode him so he could get out all his bucks and craziness. It worked because he was a G-E-M on Monday, we had an awesome ride.

So based on his running and bucking Bastian might actually be able to make it either on the rodeo circut (check out those bucks! and I challenge the cowboys to stay on with those) or maybe hold up his decent Thoroughbred breeding and be a racehorse.  Which I have considered.  What if I threw him in just one race just so that he could then be considered an off-the-track thoroughbred?  I mean all the awards at horse shows are for ott-ers.  Which sucks since he never raced, Regionals last year was the first show I had ever been too that just a regular Thorougbred high score award.  *sigh* 

So our ride on Monday was fabulous, I had some awesome Conrad-Mojo working and everything felt great.  I had to work on Tuesday so no riding for me.  Yesterday, I was tense.  Not entirely sure why, but I just could not relax and of course Bastian picked up on that and well neither one of us was feeling the love.  I started to get really fussy with my hands and Bastian and I just never synced.  I couldn't post, I couldn't sit and our canter transitions were downright ucky. 

We ended up riding for almost an hour because I was determined to work through it and do something right before I got off.  We finally got some nicer canter transitions so we stopped.  Today I had a 1/2 hour lesson and it started out pretty much the same as I ended last night.  Ucky.  Kristin explained that Bastian is being inconsistent in his poll, he just kinda bops it up and avoids actually working so I need to get him deeper in the poll (my words in case I'm not talking about the right thing...the horse word is so picky about terminology sometimes, lol).

I was having a heck of time getting it at the trot.  The canter was easier to get and feel.  Then we worked on halts.  Something that bugs the heck out of me.  The actual halt, not working on them.  The halt is wickedly complicated, much like the walk, but seems like it should be so easy.  I want 7s or 8s or higher on my halts and since there are two of them, it would be prudent to make them good.  Bastian aside from being a wiggle worm, never halts square.  So we worked on me doing an "up" half halt to keep his back and maybe, with some intelligence on B's part, he'll figure out that stop + kick kick = square.

All in all, our halts got better, our biggest problem is that he brings his poll up (there it is again!) and avoids the contact so that our halts are hollow.   So first we have to get nice round halts then we can really start focusing on the sqareness and straightness. I mean we usually get 6s on our halts, so if we can get this and change that to 8s, that is 4 more points per test and that is always a good thing.

So our lesson ended well and it felt better than my ride on Wednesday.  This funk I'm in is self-inflicted I'm sure.  It happens sometimes either because I let the outside world interfere with my riding or I have some great riding ideal that I feel I MUST uphold (This is all Conrads fault! lol...just kidding) and then I get frustrated when things don't go well.  I'm hoping I can get rid of this funk before the show in May.

I get to ride tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, which is just weird because between work and the price of gas I am averaging about twice a week right now :(  So I'm hoping that tomorrow goes well, I'm going to work on being quiet with my hands, but keeping him in the "zone" and staying round though the halts.

So I intended to have posted this blog a few days ago with an adorable video of Bastian running and playing.  But due to my super cheapo internet and less than stellar connection, it would not load, I tried for three days.  So this video is of one of our leg yields.  Our leg yields are better then they were, I get it now at least, (lol) and I can almost always tell when our hind end is ahead and/or he's not straight enough.  Overall, I feel like we have had lots of improvement there. 

Still not a lot of improvement in the lengthening department visually (at least to me)  I feel like he is stretching through his topline and taking bigger strides, but when I watched the video (can't post it, its 4 minutes long :( )  it looks like nothing, I can't hardly see a change.  I feel like its happening though....

Today (Wednesday the 27) was an okay day, I lunged him first to get him warmed up and he looked great, no head fussing and nice big trot steps.  Not so much when we got to the riding part. :(  So I know that its me, because he only starts fussing with his head (inconsistent through the poll) when I'm up there.  My problem is that I haven't figured out how to fix it.  Do I hold tighter (he was super resistant today) or let up a bit?  I know of course the right answer is a little of both.  I think my problem is that I tighten the reins and get him where he needs to be but I don't release quick enough and so create our little problem.  I'm getting better at doing mini leg yields and keeping him between my legs, but I think I'm still bopping around too much overall. 

At the end of our ride I was schooling canter circles with change of lead through the trot and was trying really hard to have what I call "hunter hands" or hands that hover above the withers and never move, he seemed less fussy when I did this and so ignored his head and tried to ride entirely off of my seat for my transitions and steering and everything.  A) holy half halt to actually get him to trot from his canter! B) it kinda worked, he was kinda "on the bit" and just had his nose poked out a little, most of his up and down transitions were good.  So I'm still not happy with this head thing, and I don't know if now that I "know" about it I'm more aware and letting it bother me more or if this has really become a genuine problem/stag in his training.  I guess only time will tell.

It just bothers me because I feel like we have the chance to get good strong scores at the schooling show next week, but a judge will totally totally destroy me if he is that inconsistent about contact. 

And time did tell. Here is the video of our Dressage test. The only award we would have been up for was "best turned out pair" I had the SHINIEST horse there. We ended up with a 56% :( Super ultra sad face. The judge was harsh with everyone so she was at least consistent, but that did not make our score any less harder to stomach.

Okay, I can't get the video to upload here, so here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMFL5Ps0qyY

We Love You Conrad

I was lucky enough to be invited by my instructor to audit a 3 day Conrad Shumacher Clinic.  She was invited to bring Zoe (owned by the fabulous Sherri H.) and ride on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  So I made some quick arrangments for my puppies and packed my bags.  Yes, that means two days away from my horse and missing chances to ride, but the opportunity to learn from one of the Dressage Masters was too good to pass up.  I warned Bastian that I would be back on Monday, ready to try out all my new knowledge on him....lol.

I learned so much, got so many ideas for exercises, saw lots of awesome riders and horses and met some totally awesome people!  The hospitality of the barn we were at was spectacular, delicious food and very good company, you couldn't ask for a nicer group of people.

Here is some of what I picked up this weekend:

1) "Making a decision with confidence will turn out right 95% of the time, but making a decision without confidence is always the wrong decision."  Conrad said this at our dinner lecture on Saturday and I whole heartedly agree.  This is one of my shortcomings, I have a little bit of baggage concerning horses and me resulting in seriously painful injuries and all totalled, about 15 months sitting on my couch with some mending bones and muscles.  So when things are starting to happen and a decision needs to be made, I either stop altogether (Bastian has a wicked emergency brake) or I panic and freeze and make no decision.  Either way, it always ends poorly because it reinforces my lack of confidence (when I stop) or becomes dangerous (freezing).  I totally used to be up for riding anything and while I was not a high quality rider, I was a confident, crazy rider.  Now I play it very very safe.  I digress....When I do make a decision when things start happening things go well.  So basically I need to believe in my ability to make the right decisions while I'm riding, I mean for goodness sakes I'm riding Bastian and doing dressage, its not like I'm riding some crazy stunt horse and acting like a cossack.  How hard can my decisions really be? lol

2)Slow and steady wins the race.  Conrad did not say this, I just had to give the concept that I took away a name and an easy one at that.  Kristin has had me work on this before too, but then I forget about it and go back to my normal ride.  Anywho, its this whole idea of really slowing the tempo down at the trot and canter while maintaining lots of roundness.  The neck has to stay down, it can't come up, this really makes the horse come through his back.  He had everyone at the clinic working to slow the tempo at some point for various awesome upper level reasons.  The result was collection and horses that were really working hard and improving their gates, it was very awesome to see the change in the three days we were there in the horses.  So while Bastian and I are eons away from canter pirouttes, piaffe and passage (should we ever see fit to make it that far), getting him to slow down will make him so much stronger through his back and hind end and make our gaits prettier.

I got to ride him today and was armed with all of my new knowledge, I used this idea and the next one I'm going to talk about today.  I slowed his tempo way down, way way way down, like western pleasure down.  While not competition "speed," it gave us the opportunity to really focus on doing it right, you have to crawl before you can walk, right?  The canter was really hard, but we got 2-3 strides each way where he was so collected and slow it would make any inbred quarter horse jealous.  It was awesome.  But then when I let him out into his regular canter, wow, what a difference.  I mean it didn't last long, but with some more work, bing, we'll have it!

3) Ride with your seat, not your reins.  I think this is something that all of us riders tend to do as some point, especially those of us that are lower level riders.  I am so dependent on my reins, I mean ah, how else do I get from A to C or B to K or anywhere else in the alphabet that I need to get to?  So all weekend Conrad kept saying steer with your seat not the reins, making tiny voltes and diagonals, etc. etc. 

So I really focused on trying this while I was riding today, I can't say I entirely stopped steering with my reins, but I was hyper focused on it and trying very hard to just make sure my weight was in the right place and I was using my legs properly and while Bastian was not entirely unfussy with his head, he was less fussy than usualy while doing our figures.  It was actually pretty cool, I didn't try it at the canter yet, I want to make sure we've got it at the trot and walk first and it was all going well until the end when we were walking to cool out and I was taking him across the diagonal.  I must not have had my weight and legs right because he pretty much walked right into the wall.  :-D   And this exercise worked well with the slow tempo idea too, I mean how could we not make a turn when we going at turtle speed?

4)  Lots of figures and exercises, that while I might not be able to do the level of collection and awesomeness associated with the movement or we're not ready to learn that specific trick yet, we can still gain a lot from doing the exercises.  Like this cool leg yield to walk pirouette and 10 meter canter voltes towards the "board"  (wall!) with simple changes and the like. 

Its not every day you get to see this quality of horse and rider at a clinic, you see them at shows but you don't see them working towards that end result, you don't see them struggling with some of those same issues that everyday joe rider goes through.  Most clinics that people like attend are training level and walk-trot marathons, which are very important and worthwhile in their own right, but seeing this caliber of clinic is totally different and gives you a very different perspective.  It reminds you of all the possibilities that are out there. 

In other news, I've sent in my entries for the NODA Grand Haven Schooling Show on May 7th.  I'm showing in Training 3, First 3 and the Dressage Seat Eq. Class (which I probably won't do well in due to my floppy legs, but I have always wanted to show in this class and for $10 who could pass that up?  Should be fun!)  That will be our prep for the WPDA/Grand Haven Show in the beginning of June.

My Para-Equestrian hopes are not completely lost just yet.  There may still be a chance I end up at HITS Saugerities this September, we will see where that road leads. 

Me and Conrad!!!  (and the gorgeous diva Zoe Isabella)

Truckin' Along

Nothing too exciting to report.  Bastian and I are still plugging away trying to conquer and perfect the world of dressage.

I'm focusing again on riding every stride.  Being there to direct and work with Bastian so that our ride is smooth and wonderful.  I know, this is like riding 101, but it is soooooo hard to master.  I get caught up in the idea of "the ride's not right," and go to every solution in the book before I stop to think, "hmmmm, maybe he's not leg yielding left because I'm sitting right and don't have my legs where they should be." 
Magically though, when I fix those things and make sure I'm at least communicating the right signals, ta-da,  The ride improves. 

Speaking of leg yields, we've had a huge breakthrough there.  I never really focused on controlling different parts of Mr. B, I was just like leg on and go sideways brother.  Kristin finally got it through my silly head that I have to start with the shoulders.  Once I control the shoulders, then I can work on controlling the hind end and then bam, wonderful leg yields happen.   And our last couple of rides, our leg yields have been SOOOO much better.  I was just pushing the poor boy sideways, now we're moving our shoulders, moving the hind end and we are so much straighter.  I got it!  I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the new leg yield "pattern" in First Three.  You come off the wall and leg yield K to X, then ten meter circle left, then right, then leg yield back to the wall X to H. Its a lot happening in a short amount of time, but it actually rides fairly well once you get a ryhthm. 

Our lengthenings are better and worse.  It just seems to depend on the day.  I think I'm improving on riding them and again, when I keep myself on target Bastian does pretty well.  And because I like to play around with concepts that I don't fully understand, I'm trying to translate some of his lengthing into a medium trot and canter. 
I've got to get him moving better, more push from the back, more fluffyness through his back.  There are moments were I feel it, but its a matter of getting it on "cue" and maintaining it.

 Today was the first time I tried actually riding through one of my Para tests.  I got lost after the first 6 movements, lol!  But the first part actually rode well.  It involves collected trot, which I highly doubt we were actually doing, but we're going to pretend because he was soft and I was sitting his trot so at this point well take that as a "collected."  And I think a lot happens in First level!  Not only is there a lot of stuff happening in my Para test at random letters (counter canter D to M!) but its in a small arena. 

All I can say to that is yuck!  I'm a large arena diva, like a huge part of my wants to protest the eventing world because they ride in a small arena.  There just isn't room to get anything done, you get started on a lengthen and bam, your at the next letter.  Yes, I'm griping.  I don't see what the big deal would be to offer the tests in a large arena, but then I'm not a big whig who's in charge so I only see my point of view. 

For the record, I do agree with putting Intro A, B, and C in a small arena,  that is a lot of trotting and a lot of walking.  A lot of walking.....

Of course, things continue to change in regards to my show schedule.  April 2nd is a possible Hunter Show.  We *might* be showing in the 2' Limit Rider division.  I really hope so, I want to show so bad!  I miss it!  

Then there is the possibility of a Dressage Schooling Show May 7th at Grand Haven.  I want to go to this one not only to show but to get to run through the new tests before I pay 10x as much at a recognized show.  

Majestic Farm took their Para classes of the Prizelist, but they had added an awesome Thoroughbred TOC class with $$$$$$.  But since I'm 99% sure I'm switching regions again (moving to region 8!), there isn't a real reason to make sure I get to Majestic Farms and its far far cheaper to show closer to home.  So I'm now aiming for the WPDA and Grand Haven shows at the beginning of June.  As long as I can get my qualifying scores I don't have to show recognized again until September for Regionals and the Para-Equestrian Championships held in NY at Saugerities.  Which looks like an awesome show grounds (they have their own mall!  On the showgrounds!!). 

So thats the new plan.. now back to work for me so I can afford this rather expensive hobby of mine... and did I mention that B pulled a shoe again on Thursday.  (actually Cindy pulled it, B just got it loose...)

Getting a Jump on Things

Just a quick update because I am so super happy with all of our rides this week!

On Thursday, we had a great jumping lesson where did a three stride line and by the time we were done, the first jump was at 2' and the second jump was at 2'3"!  Woot!  I was very apprehensive about doing it, I'm not gonna lie.  And because Bastian has been out of the jumping loop a bit too, we're both like OMG! 2'!!  And he over jumps it (also because I keep saying "slower, slower when I need to just relax and let him go at the pace he's going) and it feels huge so I get a little off kilter too. 

He way over-jumped the 2'3" the first time we jumped it and it felt very very cool, but it terrified me too!  (In a good way, kinda like a really good roller-coaster).  Thankfully I've gotten pretty good at keeping my shoulders back and keeping my position so although I feel all out of sorts, I keep my seat and land and am able to ride on, I'm not getting thrown all over the place. 

So today I set up an X to a 2' with three strides and then just a single X that eventually went up to a verticle at 2' also.  He was fantastic and we cantered 90% of the jumps, only trotting the first few to get warmed up, but he was ready to go!  The best part is that he wasn't overjumping the 2' jump today, at all!  It was just a normal jump so its not as big a deal as before...what a good boy!! *pat pat*

I was pretty cooked myself towards the end, I had the brilliant idea of riding in my jumping tack on Saturday too, but still "dressaging."  Brilliant idea? Yes.  Achy muscles? Yes.  I'm trying very hard to stay in a lighter seat in my jump tack, more hunter-ish (yes, I'm progressing towards the dark side! lol) whereas in my dressage saddle, when I get a little fatigued towards the end of the lesson, I can use the saddle to support myself a bit, I don't have to be as dependent on my muscles and position as much.  Jumping saddles are not that forgiving.....but judging by the ouchy-ness of my muscles, I think I am making progress.  I'm glad that I won't have a chance to ride again until Wednesday because my muscles need to recover!

After we were done, I pulled his tack off and set up a small oxer.  Bastian doesn't understand oxers in the sense that they are different and so he will way overjump them.  I came off of him the first time we jumped an oxer last year because he just didn't know what to do with it other than jump it like it was a 5' triple bar and I just lost my balance.... Anyway, I decided I would start lunging him over some oxers when we jump so he can figure out that they are no big deal on his own before I get up there.  The first couple were a little sticky then he got his groove on and when he came around he locked on the fence and took it like it was nothing.  He was actually getting a little lazy about it.  I got it up to a 2' square oxer and he went over it both ways. 

Bastian was a gem on Saturday, we managed to to some lengthenings, have nice transistions and did some pseudo shoulder ins.  (We're just starting to play with the idea of shoulder ins, I really don't know what I'm doing aside from trying to get him on three tracks and getting him to move his shoulders).

So thats it!  Bastian got to play outside this morning with his friend RW, so I think that made him happy :)

Bastian enjoying his hay after a wonderful day of jumping :)

Warm-up rings and oxers and flower boxes oh my!

Welcome to February.  So far this year has been much better than last year, lets hope it keeps rollin' this way. ☺

Bastian has been being a gem since he turned into a charity giving kinda guy, in fact I think I am almost ready to up his grain back to 3/4 of a can, especially since he's getting worked regularly now.  Just two and half months left before our first big show! I've still got to renew our USEF memberships.....

Tonight was a wonderful wonderful school.  Bastian warmed up quite nicely and once I stopped fidgeting with my hands as much and paid more attention to where my weight was, he got very nice and steady.  Which is basically my current goal, I am in need of some lessons, but can't do a whole lot until towards the end of the month.  My last lesson was I think either right before christmas or right after, I can't even remember now.... 

We have awesome mirrors in the arena now!  The good part is that I saw how much my hands where making Bastian unsteady and how my weight was totally on the inside, but the downside is that I realize how much I have fallen off of the healthy eating wagon.  So I guess the arena mirrors are a love-hate kinda thing.  I've gotta lose about 15 lbs in order to considered holding up my end of this fitness bargain with Bastian, we have enough other stuff to worry about without my fat butt bouncing around on his back being one of them. 

But back to tonight, because I think it was a reaffirment of where we are headed and what we can do when both of us F-O-C-U-S.  He's really getting the idea of lengthening in the trot, its barely there but he at least *thinks* about it and he doesn't just speed up like he did in the beginning.  When we first started really schooling lengthenings he only had two solutions: Go into really fast turbo-trot or canter.  Canter was usually the easier answer, much to my chagrin in the middle of my tests.  But now I'm getting better at using my core to hold him together while kicking (rather wildly) him forward and making him energize.  I can feel him starting to stretch (and maybe I'm way off base here with my terminology so no one crucify me...) through his back and try to take a bigger stride.  Our first two lengthens seemed closer to our working trot tempo, just bigger, while our last two just felt out of joint and discombobulated.  But overall, a great improvement from where we started, I think we may have earned 6s on our lengthens if they had been the first two, maybe 5s on the last two.  But 6s are good, we'll start there ☺

Bastian's canter work has come so far.  His canter is (in my opinion) his best gait.  Again, when I focus, we have some nice transitions where he goes up into the bridle and leaps into the canter.  Today he started out like he was on cruise control, I remembered to keep my legs tight and my hands up and not to brace.  When we circled, I kept my inside leg on and my hand up and weight to the outside.  Overall, it was great.  He was just steady as could be.  We played with some counter canter and he was great, I'm really very happy with how balanced he is in counter canter and he doesn't ever try to change leads on me and rarely breaks.  We did some canter loops, which are easy as pie for him compared with schooling "geniune" counter canter.  Although I worry that sometimes our shift in direction are a little too abrupt, we need to make the loop smoother. 

We did a few canter lengthens as well, which he really really really seems to like.  When I put my leg on in the canter and hold with my core, he's like "woo-hoo!" and really opens up.  I think that will be very fun once I get my courage up to do some cross country.......

And we finished up with some leg yield work.  The new arrangement of movements in First 3 (that is hard to get used to, only 3 tests per division!) is, I think, initially difficult.  You leg yield off the wall, K to X, then do two ten meter circles, first to the left, then to the right, then leg yield X to H.  The leg yield off the wall kills me so I've been schooling it pretty hard, Bastian seems to know when were about to start leg yielding because I know I'm tensing and then he tenses and then he's moving sideways (usually) and his head is all sorts of up in the air... ugh.  I try very hard to focus on everything, my weight, my legs, my hands, where I'm looking..... but I still always forget at least one of them, lol.  But I do believe that our leg yields are improving.  The second half, leg yielding out of the right hand 10 meter circle is great, its sets them up for it quite nicely.  I guess its just the rapid fire of four difficult (for the level of the test) movements in a row.  I've finally figured out the best way to school it in the arena (our arena is shorter and wider than a 60 x 20 ring) so I'm at least happy about that. 

Tomorrow is another flat day and then a jumping session on Thursday under Kristin's watchful eye.  Bastian had turned into a jumping machine!  He went to a Hunter show this past Saturday with one of Kristin's students who rode him quite nicely in a few flat classes, earning a 5th and a 6th place ribbon out of groups of 9ish and it was her first show to boot.  Awesomeness!  I had Kristin take him two 18" Hopeful Hunter OF classes for experience and he was quite good, I'll post video of the rounds eventually.  He earned a 1st place and a 3rd place.  I was very proud of him. 

He has developed a sudden fear of horse's coming towards him in a warm-up ring though.  Not sure where exactly this came from, my best guess is from Regionals where I was in the most crowded and scary warm-up ring of our lives with lots of crazy horses and its fair share of riders that jus weren't paying attention and didn't give a damn.  But since we never actually even came close to being in a wreck, I'm not sure what his beef is. 

Anyway, my plan is for him to go to the next Hunter show and I'll either be jumping him myself in the 18" division or riding in a few flat classes.  My ultimate goal is to show in the 2'3" Hunters in April.  I'm schooling 2' (ish) now so its just three more inches and a few oxers.  We can do it....I just have to be brave!

Til' next time :)

Happy New Year!

2011, you are finally here.  Thank goodness.  While 2010 definetely held several good things for me, there was also a lot of bad, almost an unusual amount of bad.  This bad was concentrated around myself and my friends and I know that others out there experienced similar badness.  What was with 2010 anyway?

We lost some fabulous horses this year, had some horrific injuries to both horses and humans and well, personally I got sucked into a very negative financial vortex (totally by my own doing, not trying to shirk my responsibility here).  But now its 2011 and this year, this year will be a year to remember in a most positive and excellent way.  I guarentee it. 

Despite my lack of financial diligence, I really am, at heart, a planner.  I make big plans, whats the point of small plans? 

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."

- Les Brown

I have to make the bigger plans so I at least get to do the almost as awesome and cool stuff.  This year, my resolution is to take the small parts of those plans into serious account so that the bigger parts come to fruition.  Focus.  Focus.  Focus. 

Bastian has been wonderful!  Since right around Christmas time, I've been back to riding him regularly, and I think that his happy to be back to work again, especially since that work has included two jumping sessions.  (Woot!)  But his canter has been feeling especially nice and aside from getting us both back into shape from our pseudo-break over the past month, he's been a gem.  We've been focusing on just steady steady steady.  Keeping the same correct rhythm, the same quiet head and neck, no fussing, quiet fluid transistions.  Just basic stuff, with a few leg yields or counter canters thrown in every now and then just for giggles.  I mean, I can only loop the arena so many times before we both need some mental stimulation.... :)

I'm trying very hard to be more aware of me also, where my body is, am I straight, am I balanced, did I ask for the transition right, did I cause him to bobble or is he just being a booger?  So well there isn't a "wow" moment of advancement, there is the quiet I know that I have to master the simple stuff before I move onto the tough stuff and I think that we are slowly and steadily conquering that. 

We've started jumping some cross-rails again, and he's taken to it like we never stopped jumping.  He doesn't take off to the fences, which is something that I like, I have to keep my leg on to a degree to keep him forward.  He's keen to jump, but he is a bit lazy so he just needs the leg more to say "yes we are going to jump," and not to "make" him jump.  I'm hoping that this is the year we get to have some more jumping time at some shows, hunter shows or schooling trials and events. 

Just today we trotted a 2' Verticle!!  He was soooooo good!!!!

Here is my show schedule as I have it planned out thus far:

Show One:
May 6, 7, and 8
Majestic Farm's Ride for the Roses I and II
(magically (I think it was meant to be) I have that Friday off from work, so it fits in perfectly with my plans) 


Show Two:
June 18, 19
Lake Erie College Dressage Derby


Show Three:
August 12-14
Hotter Than Blue Blazes I and II

Show Fouir:
September 22-25
Region 2 Championships

I chose the above shows based on dates and classes.  All of them offer Para-Equestrian Classes, and since I need to practice and ride those tests in competition, I'm a bit limited in which shows I can pick from.  Also, shows one and three are held at the same location as Regionals, so I thought it might be nice for Mr. Bastian to get a look-see at where he would be competing in the fall and have some positive experiences there.  Also, all the shows (except regionals) are two shows held over one weekend, so really its like going to six shows, six opportunities to get my qualifying scores for regionals.  This year I want to qualify at First Level as well.

I've figured out financially the approximate cost of entries, hotels, and trailering.  (see me taking those small steps to make the bigger ones happen!)  So with a bit of luck, I should be able to make it happen. 

I also am in need of a better dressage saddle.  Don't get me wrong, I do like my Isabella, but now that I am getting more serious about this, a saddle that isn't fraying and that can actually be really *cleaned* would be nice.  I'm hoping to start saddle shopping in February if all goes according to plan (which we all know it never will.....lol)  Mostly I just want to decide on what saddle I am aiming for so that I have a final goal in mind. 

So here's to the new year of fabulous opportunities and possibilities!