A Fun Moment

This was Rijkens' second time in the longlines, and only his first time in the longlines with our trainer Karen Brown.


Yep, this will definitely keep me coming back for more!

Rijkens at Windy Knoll Farm Spring I and II

Look what you've done to me...
I'm utterly at your whim...
All of my defenses down!



Judge Bill Solyntjes said of Rijkens in the collective remarks: "Great horse.  Has good changes."

Rijkens, you're totally automatic!

Windy Knoll Spring Show

Our first recognized show together was pure bliss.  We gained two more qualifying scores toward our bronze medal, and I'm finished with second level forever!  Can I get a hooray!

 Lola and Rijkens commiserating in the warm up arena.

Pumpkin Pony

Horse Show Packing List

Home:
show pads
show coat/bag
white breeches
show shirt
show helmet
white gloves
stock pin
stock tie
warm up pants/cover up shirt
white socks/bra/undies/barn clogs
show boots/bag
ice chest/waters/drinks/comfort food
camp chairs/table
toiletries/change of clothes/overnight gear

Show Folder:
current Coggins
USDF/USEF verification for rider, trainer, and horse
venue info/directions 
"ride times"

Barn:
saddle/saddle cover
girth
bridle/bridle bag
saddle rack
bridle hanging rack
lunge line
dressage whip
spurs
saddle pads
polo wraps/boots
groom box
braiding kit
cowboy magic
show sheen
fly spray
sponge
small bucket
shampoo
conditioner
AM/PM portions of grain
hay
alfalfa
SmartPaks
tack trunk
3 buckets
hay net/bag
manure bucket
manure fork
dolly/cart
fan
extension cords
bungie cords
electrical tape
contact info card for stall
bucket hangers/twine/snaps
cross ties
spare halter
water hose

The Three Ps on The Journey, and much Moore

This weekend at the Jeff Moore clinic we made much headway into learning many things, including developing power in extended gaits, adding or taking away angle and bustle in shoulder in, renver, and traver, climbing uphill halts and transitions, as well as counting flying changes.

We even played at the THREE Ps: piaffe, passage, and pirouette.  The piaffe is pretty good, we have ideas to continue to develop the passage, and the pirouette is in there it is a matter of me learning to ride it in such a way as to allow the horse to accomplish it.

Not yet perfect, but I certainly have a clue about how to school and even continue to develop the pirouette, piaffe, and passage.

Learning the piaffe:

Learning the pirouette:

Videography credit: Stacey Smith of Bridge Equestrian

Wall of Fame

Maybe it's that clydesdale commercial from the super bowl, or maybe it's something else but I've been feeling a sense of pride and nostalgia thinking about all the fun times I've had with Delphi, and looking forward to many more great experiences with my new horse Rijkens.  It seems trite but it really is about the journey, the day-to-day seemingly small episodes that are fulfilling and keep me eagerly going to the barn day after day.  I owe a debt of gratitude to the horses and horse-people in my life, both past and present.

Delphi's wall of fame.  The blue ribbons, HDS rosettes, and USDF medal she won in the seven years I owned her, complete with her bridle name placard Karen Brown made that hung in the tackroom at Blue Fox Farm for five years, her sales ad photo, and pictures from our first and last show.

 More Delphi memorabilia.  The nameplate from her tack trunk, swag she won competing at dressage shows, and the stock tie, a gift from her Aunt Ceil, that I wore at shows with Delphi.

Rijkens is starting his own wall of fame.  With ribbons from our first (and only at this point) show complete with his sales photo, baby picture and snapshot from our first show together.  With room for more!

It Takes a Village

Aristotle said the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  This must be why Rijkens is so great because he, as most pampered show horses do, has a staff of seemingly thousands.

His supporters include:
Four trainers/clinicians: Karen Brown, Lurena Bell, Jeff Moore and Charles deKunffy.

His veterinary staff: Dr. Michael Davis his dentist, Dr. Danny Dutton his soundness expert, and Dr. Robin Robinett his chiropractor, with Waller Equine Hospital on standby in case of emergency.

His farrier Aaron Register.

His grooms that care for him daily are George, Julian and Antonio.

His breeder Cheryl Kellerman and first owner Cherie Everett who brought him into existence.

His trailer is maintained by New West Truck and Trailer. 

His professional braider at shows Bree Bell Bandy.

His massage therapist/body work Equine Touch expert Sandy Bartlett.

His saddle fit thermal imager Jennifer Weems of ThermScan Diagnostics and his saddler Marshall Griffin Enterprises.  

His owner and personal slave: me.

His cheering section made up of his many doting Barn Aunts.

Living according to the lifestyle to which she has quickly become accustomed, as all horses should.

Obb Stackels

Rijkens and I are back to work after we both had the flu.  And yes of course it was on the weekend of our first recognized show as a team so we had to scratch.  *sigh*  Disappointing for sure but there will be other shows.  Our next one is Windy Knoll Farm Spring 1 and 2 March 22-24.

Since I love the bullet list, here's one of what this has taught me:

• The flu is a respecter of no one; not horses or even famous people.  Poor Edward Gal had to scratch at the masters in Florida because he had the flu.  Though this saddens me I'll also take any connection to Ed I can make, even if it's commiserating about how it sucks to get sick during a show.

• Pfizer will pay your entire vet bill if your horse gets sick with something the horse has been vaccinated against with a Pfizer brand of vaccine.  Rijkens' several hundred dollar vet bill including farm call, exam, cultures, labs and antibiotics has been reimbursed.  Every little bit helps!

• There are some newly mutated, nasty forms of flu virus out there.  The lab company in Kentucky could not differentiate the flu strain from Rijkens' nasal culture, and since they did determine it is an unusual strain have forwarded it on to a virus-research company to investigate and isolate which strain of flu it is.

• For every day a horse has a fever, he needs a corresponding week of no forced exercise afterward.  Turn out is okay after all symptoms have stopped.  

• Though I have no proof of this anecdotal observation, it was a huge coincidence that my trainer's horse had the flu-- two days later my trainer had the flu; my horse got the flu-- two days later I got the flu.  The scientists say that viruses don't typically jump species but I'm not entirely ruling out that it is a possibility for new mutations of flu to be shared by different species (and yes, it's happened before as in bird flu and swine flu so why not equine?).

• The number one thing I've learned from this episode: when feeling like Cinderella left home from the ball, the sour grapes one indulges in from self pity taste even WORSE after a night of lower GI trauma.  It was a night of torture and I would have missed the show anyway even if Rijkens hadn't had to scratch, and then someone else would have had to get both my trailer and the horses home.  It all worked out in the end, and Rijkens and I are both well and back to work.

Rijkens sweating today after our schooling; we could have been eventing with the amount of sweat produced:

   

The Oldenburg mare Gentle Rain and my barn buddy Ceil at the HDS Winter Show:

 

The Trakehner mare Lola and my barn buddy Tiffany at the HDS Winter Show:

Show Strategies

With our entries mailed and accepted for the upcoming Houston Dressage Society Winter Shows I and II January 18-20, I am revisiting some showing and schooling strategies. 
The following are some ideas I learned from Jane Savoie.

Becoming a confident, relaxed, composed competitor is a skill I can learn.  My schooling strategies prior to the show can include a pre-show prep with dress rehearsals at home: braid and use show clothes etc.  The adrenaline kicks in but I have a chance to practice without the pressure of the show.  Field trips are also helpful: work your horse in a crowded area (mimicking the warm up area at the show).  Control the variables that you have the ability to control.  Schooling shows are good for going through the motions until it's just second nature.  Well before the show it can be helpful to go to a friend's place then let your horse hang out and graze, then take him home then build up to tack up go home, warm up go home, then mock competition go home, with lots of praise and treats.

Before the day of the show even gets here, I will begin to asses my mental attitude.  I'm thinking of the show as a wonderful outlet for spending time with, bonding with, and having fun with my horse.  I'm thinking of the excitement rather than "nerves."  The body's physiology is similar for both excitement and nervousness, so I will choose excitement.  One can "do" emotions via one's physiology; for example: stand tall, breathe deeply, smile, poise, calmness.  I'll examine my focus: what am I focusing on?  Avoid why? or how come? questions that are low quality.  Rather use high quality questions like "What did I learn from my previous showing experiences that will help me at this show?"  "What was good about this?" or "How can I learn from this?"

On the day before the show, I will use visualization: I'll make my mental images very vivid, using the color of the horse, seeing his braided mane, feeling the arena footing, noting the temperature, the color of my helmet, I'll hear the regularity of the rhythm of his footfalls.  I will see my horse's ears comfortably flopping at half mast; I will smell the fly spray and grooming products; I will feel a comfortable weight in the reins.  Then I'll add emotion: I will feel calm and confident, and feel gratitude. 

In the actual arena in which I will be riding, I'll stand at A and visualize myself riding the perfect test.  I will go a day early to give myself plenty of time.  First I'll ride at home in the morning to get our work done then take Rijkens to the show and let him settle into his stall.  Then I'll saddle him and walk around to relax, maybe do some rising trot and transitions because our actual work is done already that morning at home.  

During the competition, I will again focus.  I'll visualize that my horse and I are very crisp and clear in my mind's eye and everything else outside is fuzzy, gray and receding into the background.  I'll practice good breathing; in every corner I'll take a deep breath.  I'll use diaphragmatic breathing where my shoulders stay down and my belly expands, then exhale and feel myself dissolving down into my horse.

While I'm actually competing I'll use the "triple A" (AAA) method: Ask And Allow.  When I'm tense I can get into a mode of hanging; instead Ask And Allow: give an aid then release and allow the horse to do what you've asked.  You can practice this at home with your reins around a fencepost: take up three to five pounds of pressure, then back to two pounds, then five pounds, then zero pounds without changing your riding position and keeping your "heavy elbows" down.  As you're at the show say to yourself "triple A" Ask And Allow.

After the show I'll again ask high quality questions.  What did I learn from this?  I'll focus on the positives by writing down five positive things that went well at the show.  I'll take feedback from the show and make it my homework.  

At a schooling show feeling calm, confident, and GRATEFUL!

Jeff Moore Clinic

Rijkens and I had three absolutely fabulous lessons with Jeff Moore this weekend at Belle Terre Farm.  We have some tools and tricks to improve half pass, canter pirouette, canter to walk or halt transitions, ten meter circles, and flying changes.

Video highlights from our second lesson: