I. Am. An. Idiot.
In addition to my proven inability to memorize a pattern at a show, I have now discovered I can't even READ a pattern.
Today I was stalking my competition for the Fuzzy Fun on Film show on Youtube.... there is another adult with a nice little paint who won the high point the first show and then was 2nd overall on the 2nd show. I watched her entry for the Jackpot class, you know, the one with the complicated pattern? Her walk and jog were lovely, the circle was big and round and smooth, and then she broke to a walk before doing the 360.... uh... uh oh.... there was a walk in there before the 360? Expletives. I looked and it's right there on the pattern. RIGHT THERE. IN ENGLISH. Expletives.
I didn't even want to submit my entries after I filmed them! When I got home and watched the videos I saw a TON of things I could have fixed, but I didn't have another day that I could film. The tricky thing is you NEED another person to man the camera, or at least to do the inspection walk-around. Entries weren't due until the 31st, but I was leaving town for a conference the 27th-1st so I had to submit early or not at all. And now I'm kicking myself for entering them. There's no way I'll place in the Jackpot. The regular adult class wasn't great either. He stepped on my foot, and that was the best of the 3 takes. I am embarrassed.
Okay, enough of the Whiny McWhinerton. I AM pleased with the progress we were able to make while I was benched from riding. I think our pivots have REALLY improved with the help of a dressage whip during training sessions. I use it as an aid to straighten his body by giving him a tap on the shoulder when he gets crooked. I used to just use the lead rope or my hand, but with the whip I can keep my body and hand positions correct. Backing is getting better, but he needs to get stronger in his hind end to do it faster and straighter. He still requires convincing. The whip is helpful for that but he resists when I don't use it. The back-around the cone of the Jackpot was dreadful. I don't really know the "proper" way to do that. It's on my list for my lesson later this month.
Even if I miraculously acquire the ability to read and learn a pattern properly, we still need to work on a lot. But, with only a handful of lessons I've done the vast majority of his training by myself and I'm pleased with how far we've come. And yet there's so much further to go.
In other news, I was able to ride this morning and groom my poor neglected pony. He was very good, but he needs a chiropractor. He felt better the longer I rode and his canter was surprisingly smooth and even. He felt very light and it's been a while since he's felt that way. So I know he's not too messed up, but I'd still like to get him adjusted asap. I haven't heard back from my favorite chiro yet, and I'm starting to consider calling the other guy. He does fine work, but I prefer the one who spends a whole hour with the horse working on massage, pressure points, AND adjustments for only $10 more.
Here are my entries (patterns are HERE) if you want to watch me fail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqEXjTGxfWw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otXj36krzYo&feature=relmfu
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Yay for Better!!!
Two posts in a day? I know, I couldn't help it, today was really great. I got to the barn and two of my friends were grazing their horses in the yard so I went and got the Junebug out of his stall. It was chillier and windier than I would have wanted and then it started to rain so I went in. I decided to lunge a bit and then try the showmanship and see how it went. Lunging was great. I even made him trot and canter over a raised pole. He needs lots of practice at those things because he is rather lazy and doesn't like to pick up his feet.... therefore he's clumsy. Remember when I used to say he had 4 Left Feet? Yup.
I actually got him nice and sweaty and he was a very good boy, doing (nearly) all my verbal commands when I gave them, going from gait to gait and even got him to lope off from a walk a few times! He even stopped and switched directions for me without incident and NEVER tried to switch directions on his own!
Showmanship was great. I worked mostly on setting up and he was his usual willing self this time, so I took advantage and really made him set up nice and square each time then smacking him good on the neck and telling him what a good boy he was. Tiring him out first really helped with using the setting up as the release!!!
Then, because he was sooo good we went out and I sat in a chair (I know, super safe) and let him graze around me at the end of his lead. I stepped back to take a few photos. We just upped his grain a bit trying to cover the ribs a bit more.
Then I cleaned my English tack and our English show halter and even the leather crown on his halter. Junior's stall is right across the aisle from the tack room so I watched him snooze with his head over the stall door while I worked. I took the pad, saddle cover, half chaps and gloves home to wash last night and even gave my helmet a good scrub and washed the removable liner. Such a productive day!
And while lucky Junior was eating lush clover, poor Beau was showing us how flexible he is!
Video Horse Show Scoresheet & How Infuriating My Horse Can Be
I got my scoresheet back for the Fuzzy Fun on Film Horse Show. I was 2nd out of 3 in the Adult Showmanship class. Here's what the judge had to say:
"Nice first impression - good pace transitions - nice 270. Back average: more body/less hand - slow set up. Line drifted in back to set up. Pos - inspection." Score: 16.5 The winner had a 17.
She also mentioned I need more consistent 45 degree angles during inspection and commented that it was the slow set up that really kept me behind the winner. I'm not sure how to fix that. On Thursday he absolutely refused to set up. He knows the cue, sometimes he does it on auto-pilot and sometimes he's infuriatingly stubborn about it. In fact I starting writing an angry blog post about how he was completely ignoring the halter pressure cues and there was nothing I could do. He just planted his feet wherever he wanted and refused to move his feet. I tried making him back up and go forward again but he kept refusing to set up square. I tried chasing him in a circle to remind him who's boss, but he just wouldn't do the set up. The dressage whip in my hand was a dangerous item considering my temper, but thankfully there were lots of kids in the arena so I was able to keep my head. Then of course I felt guilty and deleted the post. Once I was hom and calmer (thank you, Pinot Grigio) I thought about it more rationally and remembered he did seem back sore when I tried to ride him, he felt all crooked and I couldn't get him to keep his back round (that's why I switched to showmanship) so it is possible he could just have been uncomfortable standing square. I watched some dressage instruction about the square halt and it became clear that the goal of the square halt is that the horse is so even/symmetrical that it naturally stops square and that a crooked horse cannot stop square... duh... sometimes I miss the obvious. So I called his wonderful chiropractor/massage therapist and left a message asking for an appointment. We've ridden more in the last week than we have since November so I can't be surprised he's sore too. I know I am.
I guess I need to drill it and drill it and drill it, but it's so hard with him because he gets bored easily and the square halt isn't nearly as fun as playing the move-my-feet-around-randomly-until-she-gets-REALLY-pissed-off game. So I don't really know how to reward him when the "release" isn't as rewarding as continued punishment. Know what I mean? Got any ideas? We know treats are out. They last thing we need is him mauling me for treats in the show ring.
"Nice first impression - good pace transitions - nice 270. Back average: more body/less hand - slow set up. Line drifted in back to set up. Pos - inspection." Score: 16.5 The winner had a 17.
She also mentioned I need more consistent 45 degree angles during inspection and commented that it was the slow set up that really kept me behind the winner. I'm not sure how to fix that. On Thursday he absolutely refused to set up. He knows the cue, sometimes he does it on auto-pilot and sometimes he's infuriatingly stubborn about it. In fact I starting writing an angry blog post about how he was completely ignoring the halter pressure cues and there was nothing I could do. He just planted his feet wherever he wanted and refused to move his feet. I tried making him back up and go forward again but he kept refusing to set up square. I tried chasing him in a circle to remind him who's boss, but he just wouldn't do the set up. The dressage whip in my hand was a dangerous item considering my temper, but thankfully there were lots of kids in the arena so I was able to keep my head. Then of course I felt guilty and deleted the post. Once I was hom and calmer (thank you, Pinot Grigio) I thought about it more rationally and remembered he did seem back sore when I tried to ride him, he felt all crooked and I couldn't get him to keep his back round (that's why I switched to showmanship) so it is possible he could just have been uncomfortable standing square. I watched some dressage instruction about the square halt and it became clear that the goal of the square halt is that the horse is so even/symmetrical that it naturally stops square and that a crooked horse cannot stop square... duh... sometimes I miss the obvious. So I called his wonderful chiropractor/massage therapist and left a message asking for an appointment. We've ridden more in the last week than we have since November so I can't be surprised he's sore too. I know I am.
I guess I need to drill it and drill it and drill it, but it's so hard with him because he gets bored easily and the square halt isn't nearly as fun as playing the move-my-feet-around-randomly-until-she-gets-REALLY-pissed-off game. So I don't really know how to reward him when the "release" isn't as rewarding as continued punishment. Know what I mean? Got any ideas? We know treats are out. They last thing we need is him mauling me for treats in the show ring.
I rode him yesterday and he seemed just fine. We just trotted along smoothly and then we did a lap or two of a canter and included a lope over a pole. It all felt very smooth and effortless, the total opposite of Thursday. The trail bridge was in the outdoor so we went over that a few times. He was so good and so chill that I quit very early as a reward and then did several carrot stretches. I swear sometimes I'm an unwilling participant in some horrible reality show where there is actually an untrained clone of my horse that the swap out at random.
I'm hoping to do the Adult Showmanship and the Jackpot Showmanship for this last Fuzzy Fun on Film Horse Show, but it's going to be a rather busy week at work and I might not be able to devote the time or find someone to video me.
Here are the two patterns if you want to play along at home, and I KNOW some of you do showmanship! You should do it! Deadline is March 31, more info HERE.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Pre-Show-Season Assessment
We are 7 weeks out from our (expected) first show of the season. Barring any major disasters I think I'll be able to show this year after all. So I've been doing a bit of pre-show-season assessing to see what needs to be done in the next 7 weeks.
1. Build up strength and endurance. We're not going to be in top shape this year. There just isn't sufficient time to get both of us back into anything other than functional show shape. But I think we can still get out there and not look like complete fools at the small shows we plan to attend. My current HUS trainer will be back in town mid April so I hope to get a lesson or two in before the show on May 6th.
2. Nixing the All-Around. In the past I've been doing Showmanship (both Eng. and West.), Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, and Western Pleasure with a walk/trot class thrown in there on good days. At this point I think it's wise to pare down a bit. Even when we've been in good shape we lack the mental and physical endurance to do all of those classes. So I think I'll be cutting out the western under saddle classes, at least for this first show. This way I can concentrate on English and Showmanship and just get him working on a floaty trot and a ground-covering canter instead of trying to build his strength AND slow him down which requires muscle tone he will not yet have. Better spend riding time on strengthening and conditioning. So I plan to do the Eng. Showmanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, and Western Showmanship. It's still 3 patterns to learn, but it was always the 4th (horsemanship) pattern that wouldn't stick. This also means I can leave the western saddle, bridle, pads, chaps, spurs, etc. at home and have less to prep and pack and CARRY, but I can still wear my western outfit. :)
3. Speaking of Show Clothing... I did a quick try-on of things today, making sure my layup didn't shrink my pants. The Western pants are fine (woot!) but they're not too big like they felt last summer (darn) but at least they are not too tight. My Western jacket needs some alterations and I'm replacing the zipper with a separating one because there's no way I'm going to squeeze my shoulders through that hot mess again. Poor construction choice, I must say! I'm questioning my earlier plan to add more appliques... sometimes less is more. For English everything looks good aside from the breeches. I tore a small hole in them last year and they never did fit well so that'll be the one "big" expense for this year. I've added the black spurs so now I can leave the "show" spurs on the "show" spur straps and I can leave my chrome/pink crystal spurs on my velcro straps. One less thing to deal with the day before/of the show... and hopefully I don't forget to put them on like I did last year. You can't wear them in Showmanship, so they have to go on between SMS and HUS.
4. Tack and other Supplies: We're pretty good here, I think. I just need to repair the hay bag he destroyed last summer and change out my chrome irons for my new black ones. Ooooh! My mad-psycho-organization skillz have created a pretty good system which allows for minimal loss or misplacement of things. Everything needs a REALLY good cleaning, though. I was so embarrassed at the condition of my girth the other day I cleaned it, but the saddle and bridle need it, too, and my work pad has more winter hair on it than my horse currently does. But it seems futile to wash it just yet. I'll just continue to be the talk of the barn I guess. :)
1. Build up strength and endurance. We're not going to be in top shape this year. There just isn't sufficient time to get both of us back into anything other than functional show shape. But I think we can still get out there and not look like complete fools at the small shows we plan to attend. My current HUS trainer will be back in town mid April so I hope to get a lesson or two in before the show on May 6th.
2. Nixing the All-Around. In the past I've been doing Showmanship (both Eng. and West.), Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship, and Western Pleasure with a walk/trot class thrown in there on good days. At this point I think it's wise to pare down a bit. Even when we've been in good shape we lack the mental and physical endurance to do all of those classes. So I think I'll be cutting out the western under saddle classes, at least for this first show. This way I can concentrate on English and Showmanship and just get him working on a floaty trot and a ground-covering canter instead of trying to build his strength AND slow him down which requires muscle tone he will not yet have. Better spend riding time on strengthening and conditioning. So I plan to do the Eng. Showmanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, and Western Showmanship. It's still 3 patterns to learn, but it was always the 4th (horsemanship) pattern that wouldn't stick. This also means I can leave the western saddle, bridle, pads, chaps, spurs, etc. at home and have less to prep and pack and CARRY, but I can still wear my western outfit. :)
3. Speaking of Show Clothing... I did a quick try-on of things today, making sure my layup didn't shrink my pants. The Western pants are fine (woot!) but they're not too big like they felt last summer (darn) but at least they are not too tight. My Western jacket needs some alterations and I'm replacing the zipper with a separating one because there's no way I'm going to squeeze my shoulders through that hot mess again. Poor construction choice, I must say! I'm questioning my earlier plan to add more appliques... sometimes less is more. For English everything looks good aside from the breeches. I tore a small hole in them last year and they never did fit well so that'll be the one "big" expense for this year. I've added the black spurs so now I can leave the "show" spurs on the "show" spur straps and I can leave my chrome/pink crystal spurs on my velcro straps. One less thing to deal with the day before/of the show... and hopefully I don't forget to put them on like I did last year. You can't wear them in Showmanship, so they have to go on between SMS and HUS.
4. Tack and other Supplies: We're pretty good here, I think. I just need to repair the hay bag he destroyed last summer and change out my chrome irons for my new black ones. Ooooh! My mad-psycho-organization skillz have created a pretty good system which allows for minimal loss or misplacement of things. Everything needs a REALLY good cleaning, though. I was so embarrassed at the condition of my girth the other day I cleaned it, but the saddle and bridle need it, too, and my work pad has more winter hair on it than my horse currently does. But it seems futile to wash it just yet. I'll just continue to be the talk of the barn I guess. :)
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