Show Time Part II

Along with a big crew from my barn, Maggie and I headed back to Carolina Horse Park the weekend of June 8th for a schooling day on Saturday, and another dressage test on Sunday. This was Maggie's first overnight experience (at least with me), and she handled it beautifully. She was so quiet and well-behaved in her stall that you could easily forget she was there:)

The plan was an open schooling on Saturday, with some schooling in the dressage arena and then XC schooling (and hopefully getting her over some little, Green as Grass jumps) Tropical Storm Andrea had passed through the area on Thursday and Friday, but with the great footing at CHP, it was still very rideable (although there were plenty of big puddles still around) I got on Maggie and headed over to the dressage warm-up area. She didn't even want to get near the puddles that we would have to go past, so eventually we got a lead over to the arena from my friend Sarah who was passing by.

In the arena Maggie was pretty quick and tense, and then the combination of a truck starting up/her buddy Greetly cantering towards her sent her up in the air. She continued to be very spooky with some pretty good leaps and spins, but after awhile she started to settle down and ended up with a pretty nice trot (though we ended up never getting into the actual arena to school)

At that point, we headed over to XC schooling. As I was walking over I started to feel lightheaded and sick. I'd had to ride Maggie a lot harder than I was planning, and it had gotten very hot and humid while I was riding. I don't always do well in the heat, but I've learned that I need to start 'pre-hydrating' if I know I'll be out in hot weather - I usually start downing Vitamin Waters and plain waters a day or two beforehand. I've also read somewhere that protein is important, so I try to eat more protein than I usually do. However, I realized afterwards that since Friday (the day before the schooling) had been graduation/last day of school where I work, and a bit of a crazy day, I had gone most of the day only eating a piece of cake. No wonder I couldn't handle the heat! Since the thought of fainting off my horse wasn't too appealing, I got off and headed back to the barn. Bummer.

On a positive note, talking to other riders later, I learned that a lot of the horses out at the dressage schooling had been very 'up' - I was so focused on my horse that I hadn't realized that. It made me feel better that it wasn't just Maggie acting badly - perhaps there was something in the air that all the horses were reacting to.

On Sunday, I ended up going for my own XC "schooling" by taking Maggie out to an empty field (actually where we had camped out the night before) and hacking her around. I had been really excited to let her open up her canter in a big field - that was really what I had wanted to do the day before. I had recently been able to canter Maggie around the big circular driveway at our barn, and found that when she was able to open up and not have to worry about staying in the ring, she had a super canter. I was very happy to find that same canter out in a field - she made no attempt to run away with me, and I could put my leg on and ask her for a bigger canter. So much fun!

Warming up for my dressage test, Maggie was spinning and rearing like crazy! I have no idea what was making her act so badly, but I was seriously considering scratching from the test. But once I got her into the emptier warm-up ring, she settled down a lot. And then once we started going around the arena for our test, she really settled down. We had a nice trot going, and then when they rang the cowbell (our signal to start the test), she really stretched down into a beautiful trot (I think Maggie understands this competition thing!) Our test had some great moments, and some tense moments (spooking at the judge's stand, a non-halt at the end of the test) At the end of the test, the judge very kindly told me to take my time leaving the ring, to let Maggie settle down.

There was only one more test after mine, and I stayed so that I could school Maggie in the ring and try cantering her. While I was schooling her, the judge had some very nice things to say about Maggie (including that she has a very nice walk) and took some time out to give me an impromptu lesson when I started cantering. She gave me some tips on how to get the correct lead to the right and I haven't had any problems since then! How nice that she was willing to help me out, even after a long hot day of judging. She made me feel like I have a horse with great potential - a great way to end a long, hot, tiring weekend:)

Jump for Joy!

I've been missing in action for a little while - I work in a school, so this is our extra crazy time of year. But, the year is winding down, so I'm back:)

In addition to showing, another goal that seemed eons away was jumping. My trainer and I had decided to wait until Maggie chronologically turned 4 in April to start jumping her. Maggie cooperated with this plan by giving us more than enough to work on before we could even consider jumping!

Before April, we started incorporating trot poles into our lessons. Maggie learned this very quickly - she may slow herself down approaching the poles to "assess the situation", but she has never stopped, and she always gets herself through beautifully. (This from a horse who spooked the first time she saw a pole roll!)

For one lesson early in April, my trainer lunged Maggie over jumps. She was a little fiesty on the lungeline that night. Annie set up a grid of trot poles with a little cross rail in the middle. Maggie just took a big step over it. We turned it into a little vertical. Maggie just took a big step over it. We made it a bigger vertical (2 feet or so). Maggie finally jumped it. Like with the trot poles, she stood back a little to figure it all out, but never put on the brakes. It made me feel good that she wouldn't be the type of horse to throw herself willy-nilly at a jump. The second time through, she hit the jump, and then the last time through she jumped big to clear it (also making me feel good that she figured that out).

In the saddle, we started with a grid of trot poles with a little pile of poles at the end. The first couple of times, she just took a big step over them, but when I gave her a little kick right before the pile, she "jumped" (it was a grey area as to whether it could really be considered a jump, but from where I was sitting, it felt jump-like)

The next lesson we started the same, and then made the pile of poles into an itty-bitty vertical, which Maggie jumped just fine (no grey area that time!) We also tried a cross rail and a slightly bigger vertical, both of which she jumped perfectly. All in all, it was a non-event - Maggie jumped as if she'd been doing it forever.

In the next lesson, we continued building up, by turning the jump into a little oxer. No problem. We also changed things up by having Maggie jump in the other direction (up to this point, the little grid had been in the same spot in the ring, so that she was jumping away from the barn and turning right afterwards) Annie built a little oxer going towards the barn, and also took away the trot grid (just leaving a placing pole) Maggie didn't get herself to the jump quite right, but didn't panic and just jumped big/round to get over it. The next time through she figured it out.

Since Maggie has taken it all in stride (pun intended), we are going to just keep building up her skills. The plan is to work towards having just a placing pole in front of a single jump. Also, adding another jump to the grid (a 2-stride first and then a 1-stride) I'm also hoping to get her out to a XC schooling and see if she'll jump over the little Green as Grass jumps.

I'm excited about how well Maggie is doing so far, and she seems to enjoy jumping. Our development of a future eventing superstar is right on track!