AQI

As many people in the west, I have bookmarked and been checking purpleair obsessively.  I think I may be becoming a bit immune to the smoke smell, because sometimes I don't or barely notice it, then check only to see the AQI reading above 100.  I'm not sure how accurate this is, sometimes two reading fairly close to each other are very different which could truly be the microclimates but sometimes makes me question the accuracy.  But nevertheless I air on the side of caution and don't ride or keep it super light on those days (which, lets face it has been pretty much every day for the past 2 weeks).

Today I threw on my bareback pad and Cupid and I walked around the property.  The bridle paths have been widened and groomed, so it is pretty nice right now.

We stopped in the arena for a few minutes, just doing a few walk-halt-walk transitions and leg yields at the walk.  We've been doing some turns on the haunches in hand and ridden at the walk, and some simple exercises to try to maintain some semblance of work.  But overall I must say standards are slipping.  Today I didn't change out of my sneakers, and let Cupid stop for some grass.  (He doesn't have any trouble eating with his bit, or even his slightly loose flash strap)

With Gratitude

Cupid is hanging out at an evacuation center.  We had been preparing for this eventuality for several days, but it was still a bit of shock when I got the message from our barn manager, and things happened very quickly from there and all horses were moved within a few hours.  They were not in any immediate danger from the current fires, but with more lightning forecasted, and the visibility so poor, it was a preventive move.

Cupid has all his buddies around him, and seems perfectly content.  It is much harder for us owners, as we are not permitted to take our horses out of their stalls.  But we can visit, and groom them and give them carrots. 

A huge thank you to everyone who is making this as painless as possible, or otherwise helping in the fire relief efforts, including but not limited to:

- our barn manager, for making this very difficult decision and working tirelessly to make it happen smoothly and making sure everyone (horses and humans!) are doing okay

- the volunteers at the evac center, who are feeding, cleaning, walking, and keeping an eye on our horses, and moved horses with expertise, calmly getting everyone loaded and there safely

- my barnmates, who helped move and text me pictures and updates of Cupid

- the tireless firefighters, dealing with danger and poor air quality.  (And may they find this piece of worthless trash: https://sfist.com/2020/08/23/firefighter-battling-czu-lightning-fire-has-wallet-stolen-and-bank-account-emptied-by-thieves/, as well as any looters)

Windy Hill Trail Ride

Today Cupid and I ventured to a park that I've hiked numerous times, but never rode in.  But it's been a while and I guess I kind of forgot that there are a few steeper climbs - Cupid made it but he was sweating buckets and huffing and puffing!  

We're heading into a bit of a heatwave.  It was in the 80s today, but luckily the first part of the trail was pretty well shaded and then once we got a bit higher there was a bit of a breeze.  (Guess it's not called Windy Hill for nothing!)  The park was pretty empty, we saw a few hikers and cyclists (who were all very nice and stopped and pulled over for us pass, even though the trail is fairly wide.)  We trotted a few stretches early on, but didn't want to wear the horses out too much so walked the rest of the way.

Once we reached the summit, I checked the map and determined we should turn around and return the way we came instead of completing the loop, which would have been a bit longer.  Cupid was a bit antsy when we turned around, and seemed a bit over everything and just wanted to get home.  But luckily he settled back down after bouncing around a bit, and we enjoyed the rest of the ride.

Things have been going fine at the home barn - nothing really interesting for me to write about.  We don't have anything set on the calendar but there are a few events we may consider.  Otherwise, we'll just keep on keeping on!

Roadside Assistance

Coming home from the show, one of the things I've most been fearing since getting a truck and trailer finally happened: engine trouble on the freeway while hauling!  We had been driving about 1.5 hours with the temperature hovering right around 100.  Cupid had his fans going, and I had A/C on.  I started noticing an odd smell coming from the A/C.  I checked the temperature gauge and it was normal, so I turned the A/C off and continued going but saw the temperature gauge quickly start to climb.  I drove just a bit further to see if there was an exit or at least a pull out or something, but not seeing anything I just pulled over onto the shoulder.  It was just wide enough that we were off the road and I could open my door and walk to the front to pop the hood as cars and semis zoomed by so fast and close the truck and trailer were rocking. 

OK so confession time .... despite my father being a car mechanic I don't really know that much about cars.  I can change a tire and have changed my own oil but that's about it.  So when I pop the hood I don't necessarily know what I'm supposed to look for.  But even I had some idea the car is overheating, check coolant levels - confirmed the reservoir was empty.  Checked pressure in hose - seemed low but ... ??? what do I know.  If I had not had Cupid in the trailer I would have called roadside assistance at this point, definitely not drive any more to prevent further damage, but I didn't think that was a great option with Cupid sitting there.

Luckily what I did have is plenty of water, since my trailer has a water tank.  So I used a water bottle to fill the reservoir.  It did not seem to be leaking. I checked the map and realized where I was - very close to a place we've shown before.  In fact it was the next exit, and I knew there was a gas station at that exit.  I pulled back onto the road and drove slowly towards the exit, keeping an eye on the temperature gauge which stayed at the halfway mark.  I bought several gallons coolant at the gas station and filled it.  But I didn't think to buy a funnel and made a bit of a mess pouring it, so then it was impossible to tell if it was leaking.  Whoops. 

I was still an hour from home, and knew I could not drive that far.  I considered my options - trying to arrange someone to come pick Cupid up, either from my barn or the trainer who was coaching me at the WE show who hadn't left yet and would be driving through that way in another hour or two.  But first I thought I'd try calling the place down the road where Cupid and I had shown before (Greenville Equestrian Center).  I got the barn owner's voicemail, which said if it's urgent send her a text.  So I quickly summarized are situation, letting her know I'm not a boarder but have been to her facility for shows and it was an emergency situation, could I please bring Cupid there for the night while I get my truck looked at.  She called me back right away, and said she was not at the barn but would call her staff and have a stall ready.  She was super nice, and gave me the name of her mechanic.

So with the car full of coolant I went down the road and Cupid got a nice cozy stall. He seemed no worst for the wear, rolling in his shavings before hitting his hay. 

Since it was Sunday late afternoon when the problems started, I waited until the next morning to call the recommended mechanic, who said they could look at the truck that day.  So I called my insurance company and had them tow the truck from the barn to the mechanic.  Luckily it was just a valve that needed replacing, not a total blown radiator, and seems fine now with that fix.

I haven't really looked into US Rider - I've heard mixed reviews.  But it's something to consider if I'm going to do more longer distance hauling.  I was really lucky that my breakdown happened where it did, and that Greenville was kind enough to put us up for the night.  And also that my repairs were not something very expensive!

Working Equitation General Tips

At my first working equitation clinic someone joked about how many different ways there are to get disqualified in working equitation.  Unfortunately I did see a few DQs this weekend, but was lucky enough to avoid it myself.  I read the rulebook before the show, and I also had a coach with me who walked the course with me and helped me navigate through the weekend.  So here are some general thoughts and tips to help me remember next time, and maybe help someone else.

- The Order of Go is not the same as a dressage ride time.  If the person before you is done, you have to go in right away and don't have the option to wait until your designated time.  So make sure you're ready and have a feel for how quickly they're moving through the order!

- If reining one-handed, you must use the same hand on the rein throughout your round!  I mentioned this before but it bears repeating.  Be sure you are paying attention as the bell you need to ring or cup you need to lift may be on the opposite side, requiring you to reach across your body. 

- You can also get DQ-ed if you go through an obstacle you haven't completed yet.  Pay particular attention to the more spaced out ones, like the two barrels with the bull in between them.  If there is something in the arena that is not part of your course (like for Intro if they have additional obstacles for the higher levels) then you can go through those.

- Obstacles may have markers (usually small cones) in front of them - if so you need to go through the marker otherwise you get DQ-ed.  If you are changing gait you would do it at/just before the marker.

- You plan your own route between the obstacles, bearing in mind the above you want it to flow smooth (not too many unnecessary changes of bend) and approach each obstacle as straight as you can.  At Intro you have to trot between each obstacle, so if the obstacles are close make sure you have room for a few trot steps.  You can add circles (just don't go through any uncompleted obstacles!), which you see especially at higher levels where you need to canter, and be on the correct lead.

- You can ask to move how the pole is sitting in the barrel before you start your round - it was suggested to me that it's easiest to have the pole leaning away from me.

- The cloverleaf pattern is not the same as how you run barrels.  At Intro you can trot or walk - doing it well at the trot gets you the best scores.  You want the loops to be the same size around each barrel - so consider both your turning radius as well as anything around the barrels that you need to navigate by. 

- For the slalom (line of poles you weave through, they are each 6 meters apart), you need to start with the number on your right side so going to the left of the first pole.  At Intro you are required to trot.  For this one you don't want to do loops around the poles, just a change of bend after your leg passes the pole ideally with a step or two leg yield.

- Ah my old nemesis, the gate!  You want to approach it straight on as you transition to the walk, then turn parallel to it as you unlatch it.  Then you want to push it away from you, and can slide your hand along the top as you maneuver your horse through.  Then push hindquarters over and back up to close and latch - easier said than done!  My coach suggested I work on making sure Cupid is very comfortable putting his feet very close to standards / gates to help us get it next time.

- The "pen" - you need to go around it both directions, and can go either direction first unless the course map specifies otherwise.  At Intro you do it at the walk, and the judge looks for a nice bend through the horse's body.  Once you complete the first direction you come out and ideally turn on the haunches to change direction.

- The bridge is straight forward.  At Intro you have to walk over it, so a smooth down transition and calmly over the bridge at a nice round, forward walk.

Summer Fun Working Equitation Show, Day 2

My goals for day 2 were to get 5% better on my dressage test, and to get the gate in Ease of Handling.  I was feeling a bit more relaxed, and hoped Cupid would be too!

I put Cupid on the lunge line to see if he needed to work anything out, but he didn't seem to have any excess energy.  Since our test doesn't have any canter, I didn't canter in my warm up either.  I was a bit worried that Cupid will anticipate a canter during the test, since up to now he's always had one, and sometimes he just tries to be too "helpful"!

Cupid was still tenser then at home, but it definitely felt better than the previous day.  Our geometry was better, I tried to bend him more through our circles, and our halt and rein back seemed easier too.  I was optimistic we reached our goal - and we ended up getting almost 8% better so I was really happy with that!  (Even though our score was still under 60, we were 2nd in our division!)

We had several hours before our Ease of Handling.  I took Cupid on a few walks and let him graze, the rest of the time he seemed content hanging out in his stall.  I didn't do much warm up, having already ridden earlier plus with the heat.  We just practiced some transitions, and moving the haunches for the gate.  The obstacles were the same as the previous day, just in a different order.

The first two obstacles were the 3 barrels with the cloverleaf pattern and the picking up the pole / spearing the ring / returning the pole.  Those went well - I still chose to do the 2nd one at the walk.  The third obstacle was the "jump" which at Intro is just a pole on the ground between the standards.  For some reason Cupid got really revved up over it, and landed in a canter tossing his head a bit.  I'm sorry to say it threw me off a bit and made me tense, at the worst possible time because the next obstacle was the gate.  This time I made sure to open the gate towards me, but it got away from me again, and swung all the way open.  I struggled with it a few moments, then looked at the judge and asked if I could take a zero.  So I was pretty disappointed I didn't meet my goal, and even though the rest of the test was fine I felt like overall I actually did worst then the previous day and was feeling really disappointed about that.

I was surprised to see afterwards that I ended up getting about 1.5% higher then the previous day!  Even for the jump, we just got a 5 with the comment "broke gait" - I was expecting no higher than a 4 and some comment about total loss of control, lol.  And the last obstacle was the "cup" - which has you trot up and stop between two vertical poles, with a cup on one of the poles and you pick up the cup and move it to the other pole.  So basically it's just a trot - halt - trot transition, and we got an 8 on it, yay, I didn't even realize we ended it on such a nice note!

It was a fun weekend, doing something a little different.  I was hoping it would give Cupid and me the chance to try a new setting, and ride in front of the judge without quite the pressure of a dressage show that would go on our USDF "permanent record."  Even though I was initially a bit disappointed when we finished on Sunday, on further reflection we just had a bad moment in an overall okay round, and took away a few things we can continue working on. 

Summer Fun Working Equitation Show, Day 1

Last weekend Cupid and I completed our first B rated working equitation ("WE") show!  It was about 2.5 hours away, at a facility I have never been to.  After much internal debate, realizing the benefit of getting there a day early to school, I nevertheless decided to drive in early on Saturday.  It's hard being away when you have a 1.5 year old(!)  Luckily our drive was uneventful and we got there with enough time not to rush, even though once I got to the giant sprawling showgrounds I had no idea where to go.  Eventually I found the right barn and where to park my trailer.  I unloaded Cupid and took him for a short walk, then let him settle in his stall briefly before we had to tack up for our dressage test. 

Enjoying some grass after a long trailer ride

The warm up for dressage was in the arena with all the obstacles already set up, so it was good to get a bit of a peek at them (you could go around, but not actually over the obstacles.) 


The dressage test for the Introductory division does not have any canter.  But it does have 5 meter half-circles at the walk, one each direction.  It tests your accuracy because you trot across the short diagonal, transition to the walk at B while simultaneously coming off the rail in a diagonal line to the quarterline, and then turn back onto the rail where you walk straight ahead to B then angle out to the quarterline again and turn the other direction (diagram below, courtesy of Kelli Paulson from WE Nebraska).  Then you pick up the trot again and halt at C, then rein back 3-5 steps.  Cupid and I haven't practiced the rein back a whole lot, though we did it several times in the past week as part of our prep.  Cupid's head comes up a bit, but at least we were fairly straight.

Cupid and I have been getting low 60s doing straight dressage (and usually the canter work is the toughest part, which we didn't have to do today), and I thought thought that WE might look more at functionality and precision.  So I was really shocked, and disappointed, when I got a 51 - but it was actually right in the middle of our division because all the amateurs were in the 50s.  WE judges pretty strictly!  Most of the comments were related to being above the bit. 

Our "Ease of Handling" (or obstacle) round was in the afternoon so we had several hours to relax.  Or suffer in the 100 degree heat.  Luckily the barn was well ventilated and it didn't feel too bad inside.  But with the heat, and having ridden once already I kept my warm up fairly brief.  For the Intro division you need to trot in between obstacles.  For some of the obstacles you have to do them at the trot (like the slalom, or weaving through poles), some you have to walk (like the bridge or the pen), and others you can choose whether you want to walk or trot (like spearing the ring).  Some of the obstacles require you to hold the reins in one hand while maneuvering the obstacle with your other, and one of the technical rules require you to always use the same hand for your reins.  Most people hold the reins in their left hand.  So they can get tricky by putting the cup you need to pick up or the bell you need to ring on the left side, meaning you need to reach over with your right hand otherwise that is an automatic elimination!  I saw someone get eliminated on the bell (you walk between two poles on the ground up to a bell, halt, ring the bell, and back out) - which was unfortunate for them but helped me remember to make sure to use my right hand!

The Ease of Handling arena

The one obstacle we totally bombed was opening and going through the gate, and then closing it behind us.  I made the mistake of backing Cupid up and opening the gate towards us, then couldn't hold onto it.  We got a 0 for that one.  Otherwise no major errors, and overall I was happy with how it went.  Cupid was good going over the bridge, and around the pen - which meant walking between a white picket fence around a roping dummy steer and a wall of white shavings bags.  The judge said we should have shown more bend, but I was happy Cupid wasn't distracted by it!  We also lost points for our circles apparently not being even sizes in both the figure eight, and "drums" which is a cloverleaf around 3 barrels, both of which I did at the trot.  We got a 50.3%, which granted is not spectacular but good enough for 3rd, which meant we were Reserve Champion for our division!

Good boy Cupid!