From the Top Down

I have been able to take a few more biomechanics lessons, and my instructor has encouraged me to write down my thoughts so I can look back.  Of course that's the primary purpose of this blog, and though I haven't felt very inspired for the past several months I'll try to follow her advice!

I've been working hard to practice correctly when I ride Cupid, and the good news is the "new" is starting to feel normal.  Or at least, when I get on I am starting to naturally just assume the correct position and hold it okay at the walk but of course it goes to #$@% as soon as I try to ask for anything other then just ambling around at a sedate walk!  

I took a before and after picture from the same angle - on the left is how I used to position my leg (!! I know right!!) and the right is the "new normal."  My instructor told me I shouldn't be looking down - but if I were to look down I want my leg to look flat (lying against the saddle) not rounded (upside down U coming off the saddle). 

Before (left) and after (right)

It's funny, I've spent so long trying to get my lower leg still and heels down.  It seems dumb now, but I didn't really focus much on my upper leg at all.  It seems obvious now that that's what I actually need to fix, and then the lower leg almost just follows.  But without the top being correct, there is almost no way the bottom can be.  And I'm sure my regular trainer has been trying to tell me that for years and I just didn't put it together. 

Now I just have to re-learn how to use my leg effectively from this position, then make some tweaks to the upper body and of course continue the struggle with bending my elbows and keeping my hands closed.  Maybe in another 25 years I'll have this riding thing figured out!

Learning the Mary Way

 I love my trainer, but I also get a lot out of working with different people, who might focus on a different aspect of my ride or explain something in a new way.  Plus I have some extra flexibility in my schedule while unfortunately my trainer does not, so I took the opportunity to sign up for some lessons with a local biomechanics specialist.  She is a student of Mary Wanless, and for anyone reading who is better versed in MW than me (I'm brand new to it!) if anything sounds wrong it is probably my misunderstanding or doing a poor job describing it and not a fault of the trainer.  And I have to admit, I've read several other blogs where the bloggers discussed Mary's teaching and there was a lot I didn't really understand but after my first lesson is starting to make sense!

My mount was a cute little quarter horse. I got on him and the first thing my instructor did was shorten my stirrups, to a length that is actually comfortable for me but shorter than what I think of as traditional dressage length.  Then she watched me walk as I normally would for a minute or two before having me stop for my first adjustment.  Now I've heard before that you need to rotate your leg in from the hip, and I thought I had been doing that, but it turns out I wasn't!  After the adjustment I saw the difference in how my upper leg was lying on the saddle, especially looking down comparing the two legs after only one had been adjusted.  I could also see my toes were pointed more forward.  And then the next step was she put her hand kind of behind my heel and told me to push against it, and keep that feeling.  

She also put her hands under my feet and told me not to crush them, and that is how much weight I should have in my stirrups.  I worry about losing my stirrups, so often jam my feet way in and try to keep really heavy.  My instructor said with keeping my legs more still, and letting the light friction between the stirrup pad and soles of my boots, I won't need to worry about losing my stirrups even though I have less weight in them.

We talked about how I need to carry more weight on my seat and upper legs.  One thing she said that particularly resonated with me was that the stirrups are very unstable, they can swing or bend.  On the other hand the torso / girth band area of the horse is one of the most stable parts of his body, so I that is where I want to put myself.  

I walked some more trying to get used to the new feeling, and it definitely felt different.  For the next adjustment, my instructor put her hand in front of my knee and told me resist against it and keep that feeling.  It should feel almost as if though I were kneeling on the ground.

Resistance points (imposed on old position!)

Then after another brief period walking my next adjustment was to resist against her hand with the back of my ankle, without taking my entire leg off the horse.  My toes were already more forward but this corrected it further, and hopefully will help with my "nagging" legs.  By which I mean my lower legs tend to swing and bounce a bit, when I ride Cupid it often looks like I'm nagging him to go when really I'm not trying to do anything at all.

Next we moved up to the torso, and my instructor reminded me to engage my core.  She asked me what other sports I do, and when I said kickbox she said basically to ride like I'm about to take a punch to the stomach.  So that is the "bear down" I've heard other bloggers refer to, lol.  

Finally, she told me to keep my elbows bent but have the feeling like I'm resisting against something in front of my hands.  

The lesson ended we me trying to do all of this at the trot.  It did feel weird and different, and also just weird and different since I don't ride new horses very often.  But in the two rides I've had on Cupid since, I think my leg has felt steadier so I'm hopeful!

Fleece Blinkers for the Spooky Horse

Cupid is generally a fairly straightforward horse, but one of his biggest quirks is his spookiness in our outdoor arena.  He's lived at the same barn for all 6.5 years that I've owned him, and has been in this arena hundreds of times but as I've mentioned probably many times before, he is often spooky and distracted in there.  Some times he's totally fine, but the past few weeks he's almost always been spooky, by the corner where the gate is.  (I would have expected him to like the gate corner and try to move towards it not away!)  There are some props on the ground, but nothing unusual and they've been the same.  He does it both directions.  Luckily he doesn't do anything terrible, he just scoots away and gets tight.  So not dangerous, but very frustrating!

In the past I've tried, to little avail:

- ignoring the behavior aside from a little half halt, and try to keep him straight and moving on as best we can, and just doing the most important work in other parts of the arena;

- turning circles as soon as I feel his attention drift;

- walking up to the sides where he gets distracted (he doesn't seem scared, and will walk right up to and put his nose on each of the various things lying there); and

-working hard away from the spooky area and resting there.

Also I didn't notice any difference when he was on magnesium or ulcergard for unrelated reasons - still about the same number of days he was totally fine versus spooky.

My latest idea was to try fleece blinkers.  I got these kavalkade pads, which have velcro and were very easy to attach to the bridle: https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Kavalkade_Pure_Lambswool_Crown_Poll_Nose_Chin_Padding/descpage-KPLP.html

Kavalkade Pure Lambswool Padding

Cupid didn't mind the blinkers and didn't have any sort of reaction to having them on.  He raced with french cup blinkers, but luckily this didn't bring back any memories for him!  I rode him as normal around the property to warm up.  (He is totally fine everywhere else, there's just something about that arena.  And not always the same spot in there either, recently it was more halfway up the long side.)

The current spooky area

The blinkers did seem to help somewhat, but not as much as I hoped.  He was still squirelly but it did seem easier to refocus him.  But that may be in some or large part because by putting the blinkers on I kind of made this ride about working on this issue so I think I rode him even more proactively then usual.  

So back to the drawing board, but thought I'd share this experience in case anyone else has thought about trying it!

Dressage Boots for Short People - Cavallo Stanford

I've been riding in my trusty Ariat field boots for the past several years, and they are very comfortable and totally fine for what I do.  However, with my trainer's encouragement I've been contemplating getting real dressage boots for a while.  Who knows, maybe they'll even help with my bad habit of bracing on the stirrup and shortening my leg!

Unfortunately I don't have the nice long legs desirable for dressage riders.  I measured my height from the ground to the back of my knees at about 17" or 43 cm, and my calves at the widest part, with breeches, at about 13" or 33 cm.  I usually wear a 7.5 shoe, sometimes 7.  My Ariats are a 7.5 short height, regular calf.  They are a bit big all around, but I love the footbed enough I would have bought a dressage boot the same size if they had them - unfortunately they don't seem to have any dressage models at present.  Since I've never worn stiff boots I didn't really want to splurge on my first pair and find out it's not for me - I was hoping to spend around $500 (black Friday deals preferred!)

I previously bought Tredstep dress boots, and just didn't love them so I wasn't interested in that brand.  I've heard some people really like Mountain Horse, and others say they don't last long, but since their Serenade dressage boot doesn't seem to come in a short height it's a moot point.  That left me with several European brands and the ones I looked into were DeNiro, which I've heard are pretty comfortable, and Petrie.  Well Petrie was out immediately because they don't seem to come in short at all.  And DeNiro only had regular dress boots in short at my pricepoint.

Then I landed on something on Dover's website I wasn't familiar with, the Cavallo Stanford.  It only had one review, but at least it was 5 stars.  I couldn't find much more information or reviews on it.  But they have a size 7/7.5, 45 cm height (XX short, lol!), 33 cm (X slim, which is not something I ever would have called my calves), at $399 and with Dover's free returns I figured it was definitely worth a try.  

I receive them a few days later, and was very excited to try them on!  I was wearing workout capris and ankle socks, and the boots felt a bit big in the feet (probably not ideal for someone who is a true 7), and zipped up easily.  I was worried they might rub the ankles a bit, but overall they seemed to fit pretty well.  They zip on the inside, and don't have elastic.  They are stiff on the outside, but soft on the inside.

Because I'm impatient, and/or a masochist, I only wore them around the house for about 3 minutes before my first ride.  At my friend's suggestion I wore tall socks and thick winter breeches under them, so they were definitely more snug!  I rode for about 20 minutes before taking a walk break with my feet out of the stirrups when I started to worry I might go numb, then finished up with about 15 more minutes work.  

I used my Soloshot, and even though my feet still alternate between heels up and down I think overall I did have them level more of the time than usual.  

So far I'm quite happy with my purchase and first stiff boot experience!

Happy Halloween!

We had a dressage judge come to our barn on Halloween to practice ride dressage tests.  Cupid was a unicorn, and I was a butterfly.   

My unicorn!

Warming up

We did Training test 2 as a warm up. It was going well until almost the end, when just as we picked up our right lead canter Cupid spooked coming out of the corner.  Mind you, he had been perfect the whole time with my wings flapping (we had a dress rehearsal a few days ago, and even hopped some jumps with the wings on!) but he spooked at seemingly nothing, go figure.  

The judge spoke to everyone after their ride with some additional comments.  She said the best part of my test was actually the right lead canter departure, which she said was very balanced and uphill, right before the spook.  And she said something to work on was our stretchy trot, and to think about a bit of shoulder fore feeling in the corner before it to get him lifting his withers.  She said since he does a nice job stretching at the walk she thinks we can get it in the trot too.

Then for our final test of the year I finally got to ride First level test 1!  I know we're not quite show ready with it yet, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to practice.  The test started out okay with the trot 10m half circles.  Our stretchy circle was a bit better than the first test, and the walk as usual was fine.  For our canter to the left it went okay, though we need to show a bit more in the lengthening.  But then the test ends almost the same, with picking up canter at C (instead of between C and M as in Training 2) and down the long side, and Cupid spooked again in the same spot, worst this time.  And then went into the wrong lead, so instead of lengthening we were trying to fix the lead.  So the end was a bit of a mess.  

The judge said the best part of our test was our second 10m half circle, to the right.  Obviously the canter was the worst.  She said I need to be a lot quicker about fixing an incorrect lead if it happens, which is true.  She also said we need to be just a bit more consistent in our connection, but I told her my goal was to show it early next year and she said we can definitely get there.  She suggested a lot of circles and serpentines, and also leg yields.  Big leg yields as well as just a hoof's width over then straight again.  The feedback was helpful and encouraging, even though it was frustrating having Cupid spook in both tests, at our home barn!

We went first in the day, before most people got there and a few people asked to see my costume.  So after everyone was done we got dressed up again and did a little loop around with some of the other people who had costumes. 

Our First 8! =)

Cupid and I went to a show at a new to us venue.  It turns out he does not love this venue, and was pretty tense.  I knew it was bad when he wouldn't even eat a carrot the whole day, which is very unlike him!  I'm not sure why he was so tense, he's been handling other new places fairly well and I thought this place was pretty inviting in that the warm up was adjacent to the show ring, so you always had other horses around.  

We did Training 2 and 3 again.  I wasn't thrilled with how it felt because Cupid felt tense and braced.  He kind of leapt into the canter both directions.  But there weren't any major mistakes, and the judge was seemingly in a generous mood.  So I was thrilled to see two 7s on our first test.  And our first ever 8 in our second test!!  It was for our first halt, with our final halt earning a 7.5.  I was equally thrilled to see a 6.5 for the canter circles both directions, which I think is also a first. 

Photo purchased from show photographer Artistic Equine

I think the scoring was generous, but I was ecstatic nonetheless!  Kind of made up for our last show, which felt a lot better to me but our scores were dismal.  We earned a qualifying score in case we want to think about pointing to championships next year, though I'm not sure if it's worth it for us.  My main goal will be getting ready for First Level hopefully early next year.  I'm a little sad we weren't able to finish the year there but now that I'm finally starting to understand dressage I can see we're not quite ready.  Haha, the more you learn the more you realize how little you actually know!  (or something like that)

Can a Thoroughbred Work Cows?

Obviously the answer is yes, but can Cupid?  This weekend we went to an Intro to Cattle clinic to find out!  Cupid has seen cattle from a bit of a distance, and ridden through cow pastures without problem, but I wasn't sure how it would go being in close quarters or if they take off.  Luckily, Cupid handled it really well!  This clinic was organized by our regional Working Equitation group, and led by Heather Kornemann. 

The day got off to a bit of a rough start, as I had packed my trailer the night before but couldn't find my keys in the morning.  I spent some time looking for them, then gave up and grabbed all my back up tack so I could still ride, but unfortunately not with what I planned to use.  So instead of the comfort snaffle we've been riding in, we had our double jointed snaffle (which led to a bit of chomping), and instead of my jump saddle I had my dressage saddle (having recently sold my western saddle, which Cupid hated anyways).  And instead of my short boots, I luckily was able to zip my tall boots over my jeans (but also confirms what I have been suspecting, that I should probably go with slim boots next time).  So a bit behind schedule, and without my preferred gear, we missed the orientation but  made it just in time to ride in our group.

There were about a dozen cows in the arena, all huddled down at one end.  There were 4 horse and rider clinic participants including Cupid and me, and our trainer Heather and I think 3 mounted assistants in the ring.  The participants took turns letting our horses approach and get used to the cows, with Heather staying close.  Cupid was interested in the cows, and not scared to walk right up to them.  We walked among the herd, between the herd and the fence, and started playing a bit with pushing them.

All photos courtesy D. Clayton

Investigating these strange creatures

In working equitation, you have three minutes to cut your designated cow from the herd and move it into a holding pen.  You are on a team of 3 or 4, but your team members have to stand behind a line until you get your cow past that line, at which point they can assist with getting the cow into the pen (but also have to keep the other cows behind the line, I believe.)  

In this clinic, our objective was to pick a cow, cut it from the herd, and move it down the arena across the line of other horses and riders.  We each took turns, and while you were waiting your turn you did not assist but stayed out of the way, and moved aside when necessary to create a hole for the cow to go through.  It was kind of like a group jumping lesson, which we haven't done in a very long time so it was also good for Cupid just to practice standing.  Sometimes starting out he is a bit antsy, but he was on his best behavior today (aside from some bit chomping, which I think was because I haven't ridden him in the double jointed bit in a long time.)

Waiting our turn

Not all cow horses where western saddles!

After making sure Cupid was comfortable, we gave the cutting and sorting a try.  Our first few turns I made the mistake of just going for the cow closest to the line we needed to cross.  And also trying to move them along the fence, thinking it would be easier because then I just have to watch one side.  But apparently these are bad strategies!  We did manage to get it done, if not gracefully.  Back to my original question, Cupid doesn't really have the instinct to cut a cow or anticipate where it's going to go, so he lets them get away but then seems to have fun chasing after them!  (Haha, maybe he wants to be a roping horse?  Let's try that next!!)

After a few goes, he seemed to start getting a bit anxious.  Heather said it seems like he is a very task-oriented horse, and to just forget our task for the moment and just relax and let him play.  Just before she said this, I had been thinking that it seems like he knows I want something, but can't quite figure out what it is and might be getting a bit frustrated.  I let me reins lengthen and let Cupid walk among the cows, sniff them, and trot after them - as long as he was remaining engaged.  Occasionally if he started to wander I would turn him back.  So some of our turns we cut and sorted, some we just played. 

Get 'em!

Success!

This clinic was a ton of fun!!!  I'm really glad I got to try something new, and build my relationship with Cupid in a different way!  It will take a lot more practice for us to learn to read the cows and really get the hang of this, but I'm definitely looking forward to trying again.

DIY Dyeing Breeches for Us Mere Mortals (Fail!)

I read some blog posts and comments online about people dyeing their sunshirts and breeches.  And they made it sound pretty easy!  I had a pair of white breeches I got for shows, that just wasn't show quality anymore but I still didn't want to wear white to school is so I figured I'd give this dyeing thing a try.  And I'm here to say, for us mere mortals that are not particularly crafty, it is not idiot proof.  My hats off to those of you who were able to do this correctly!

My breeches were 95% cotton, 5% spandex so I got the "all purpose" dye not the one for synthetics.  Mind you, this is supposed to be the easier one because you don't need to do it over the stove.  I just dumped the dye into a large plastic tub with hot water and some dishwash detergent.  Then I put in the breeches, which I ran under water first.  I used gloves to submerge the breeches in the dye water, and gently moved it occasionally as I let it soak for about an hour.  Then, as per the directions I ran the breeches under running water until the water ran clear, and then put them in the dryer with a towel.

Clearly, I shouldn't quit my day job to pursue arts and crafts!  The results are far from perfect.  There are light colored blotches on a big section of the front.  And then a dark colored stain on the leg.  I'll keep them for schooling because I'm not one of those gorgeously put together people you see on other blogs, who look just as nice leaving the barn as they did when they arrived.  Sadly that is just not me, as hard as I try usually I leave the barn with the frizzy messy hair and smudges of dirt or horse hair. 

Overall the color is much brighter and lighter than I expected from the "dark green" dye.  (The picture below is a better representation of the actual color than the ones above.)  As you can kind of see in the picture above, the sock bottoms stayed white and the silicon is white as well.  This I kind of like.  The stitching on the seams stayed white as well.

I have a bottle of blue dye for synthetics that I was going to use for a lighter blue sunshirt I wanted to darken, but I don't think I should bother...

Stretches for the Horse and Rider

Cupid and I have been gradually getting back to work, though we are still taking more frequent walk breaks and haven't done much cantering.  But after a little time off I think he's felt really good (aside from now his hooves being due for a trim.)

Since I don't really have a lot to say, I thought I'd share some of my stretches.  As an attorney, I spent most of the day sitting in front of a computer and struggle with the tight hips and rounded shoulders commonly experienced by desk jockeys.  So I try to incorporate stretching into my workout routine, but have some additional stretches I often do to start my rides.  

I like to start with my feet out of the stirrups, stretching my legs long.  I have a tendency to pull my legs up when I ride, so I use this stretch to try to set the tone for keeping my legs long.  (It doesn't work, but I still try!)  Then for my hips I lift one leg away from the saddle.  My hips are very tight, so this is pretty uncomfortable for me and I don't hold it very long.  I used to try doing both legs but that was just way too uncomfortable so I've been doing one at a time.

Then for my upper body, I like simple arm rotations, one at a time with the reins in my other hand.  This helps open my chest and get my shoulders back.  Sometimes I also like to raise my arm and stretch through my sides, while asking Cupid to bend and stretch through his side too.  I usually do that on the quarterline or centerline, and switch bend every few strides.

Cupid has stretches too.  His chiropractor showed me some stretches I do from the ground, though I'm not consistent about it.  Of course, like most horses, he loves carrot stretches!  

We usually start our rides in a long frame, but we don't usually get a good quality stretch until he's warmed up and has often not until after I've asked him to go rounder.  We've been playing a lot with moving between a working trot and stretching trot, and I've come up with a little exercise.  So we trot a figure-8 with two 20 meter circles, but we go twice around each loop, first in the working trot and then the second time in a stretching trot.  Before we get to the middle of the 8 we go back to a working trot and change bend.   (Regarding the video below, I'm working on not carrying my hands so wide! 😕)

Curvy Fit Breeches - Romfh Champion and Smartpak Hadley

As an athletic hourglass shape, I can have trouble finding clothes that fit well, and that includes breeches.  When I say curvy, I mean my waist is 24" and my hips are 34".  To make finding pants even more challenging, I am petite with a 29" inseam.  But luckily I've found a few breeches recently that not only fit well, but come in cute colors and are good quality!  (These are breeches I found and purchased myself, and I am not getting anything in exchange for this review.)

First up, the Romfh Champion has been around a while and is specifically marketed as a curvy fit.  Per the manufacturer: "The Champion also features 'Curve Fit', a special cut to reduce any 'gapping' at the back waist, nipped in at the waist and cut fuller through the seat and thigh. Perfect for the curvy girls!"  I agree with this assessment!

It is a cotton-synthetic blend, with suede seat.  I purchased it in a 24R.  Oddly this size is not on their size chart but it does exist!  For reference, the 26R is listed at 27" waist, 34" hips, and 11.75" rise.  I would call this a true high rise, as you can see it comes exactly to my navel.  The bottom hits just above my ankle.  The pictures don't quite do the color justice - it is called nightshade / omber blue but I would describe it as a charcoal with a dark plum seat.  It has no piping or contract stitching.  It has small-ish pockets in the front; not big enough to securely hold most current model phones.  The belt loops are about 1.5" (it's a 2" loop but the top 1/2" is stitched separate).  

They retail for around $135, but I got a great deal at $65 at Tackoftheday!

Also if you like the fit of these, the Romfh Isabella is the same fit but with a different material (same as the Romfh Sarafina) and also comes with a silicon option instead of suede.

 

The newer kid on the block is Smartpak's Hadley.  I've long lusted after the cute colors of Piper breeches, and have given into the temptation several times even though I know they don't fit me well.  I always figure it's worth trying, maybe they (or I!) have changed but I always end up returning.  Thankfully they came out with the Hadley, which they don't specifically call a curvy fit but per the size chart a size 24 has a 25.6" waist and 33.75" hips, compared to 26.5" and 32.5" for the Pipers (hence the horrible gaping on me!) 

They are a lighter material than the Champions, and wholly synthetic with a synthetic suede seat. They are a mid-rise, sitting slightly below my navel though a bit higher in back.  One feature I like is the large zippered back pockets, big enough to hold a phone (though some people may not like the extra fabric bulk).  They also have a 2" belt loop.  

These retail full price at $124, but like most Smartpak brand items have frequent sales.  I think these are discontinued colors, so only had limited sizes which is why I ended up getting the green (called smoke pine) in a 26R and the purple in 24R.  I'm okay with the fit on both; you can see a bit of loose fabric on the leg and seat of the green ones but these are fun schooling colors anyways.

They are also available in a knee patch version (which I have a traditional tan pair in).  They were previously available in silicon (and I have a pair of a lovely light grey silicon full seats purchased about a year ago) but that option is not currently available.  I hope they bring them back because I think these breeches present a great value at the price!

Pony Rides

I haven't ridden in over a week, but my son has.  He's mainly been staying inside too because of the smoke, but we've made some short trips to the barn.  Every time I put him in the car he starts saying Cupid!  

Cupid has been very good around him.  Jack helps me brush Cupid.  I put a grap strap on my saddle, and I lead Cupid while dad walks next to Jack.  We walk around the barn for about 10 minutes, then Jack helps me get Cupid's grain. 

I'm not going to make him ride if he's not interested, but so far he seems to enjoy it and luckily Cupid makes a good kids pony!

Herd Life

This is what Cupid's been up to lately: hanging out with his buddies.  I haven't even gotten on him in a full week, since a pretty great lesson last Friday.  

Generally Cupid is in a box stall overnight, and outside with three other geldings from about 9-4.  I think he really enjoys this horsey time.  It is especially apparent if I've taken him off the property, if we get back in time that he can still go out in turnout he is always very peppy walking over, and I imagine he is excited to tell his buddies about his adventures.  

He's been with this same herd for a few years now, and they generally get along though Cupid does get the occasional bite mark.  He is third in the pecking order.  He was bottom horse for a long time, and when the now lowest ranking horse came in I think Cupid was a little too happy to have someone he could push around a bit.  He is not aggressive, but he did seem to enjoy getting the other horse to relinquish his hay pile or move out of Cupid's way.

Cupid actually gets along with, and likes being around, other horses.  He is very friendly.  A little too much some times, he doesn't really respect other horse's spaces and some horses seem to find him a little annoying!  But I've had a few people say that their horse doesn't always like sharing the arena but they don't seem to mind Cupid, so that's good.

On the trail Cupid's gotten a lot more confident leading, and is now starting to take greener horses out to lead the way.  I have been hesitant to do this because Cupid can be a bit impressionable, but I guess I've gotten more confident too.  

So until the air quality improves, that's about all I've got.

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.