Random Thoughts about Horse Riding and Showing in 2020

 2020, it's been a year of ups and downs, panic and fear, suffering, trepidation, patience, kindness, happiness and that is just from horse back riding.  I learned new skills, techniques and got  out of my comfort zone which gave me excellent foundation for the two shows I participated in the latter half of the year. I spent the first half of the year on injured reserve. I tore my Achilles tendon on my left foot at the 2019 End of the Year show and spent about 4 months recovering from that. Instead of riding Silver bareback I rode him in my dressage saddle  without stirrups. I wasn't going to give up actual riding for 4 months. So i "schooled" dressage for about 6 weeks, mainly sitting trot. I got brave and cantered a few laps.  
it was time well spent as I just got to fool around with my horse and watch my kids ride. My daughter had to sit out the last couple of horse shows in 2019 because of "growing pains", it's a real thing. Her muscles and tendons/ligaments had not caught up with her bones, so she was in a lot of pain. 

We were lucky our state and county considered horse back riding exercise. We were able to go to the barn several times a week. We got exercise but most importantly we got human contact from outside our family. We got to socialize! Very important for everyone to socialize.  Horse people know how to distance socially especially around horses, if you don't maintain proper distance, there is a fairly good chance your horse is going to kick another horse. Maintain at least one adult horse space, or two ponies space from each other. 

I was released for riding in June, yay! Just in time for hot weather. I still had to be careful with not over stretching my left leg. It's not easy remembering not to put your left heel down while riding especially when it has been so ingrained over a lifetime, but pain was a quick reminder.  I used my 3 foot tall mounting block to get on and off the horse while injured. And now my horse now walks over to the mounting block at the end of the ride.  It helps both my aching knee and feet not to slam down on them.   

AFter slugging, er, I mean riding through the hot, humid summer, I was ready to start competing.  But my trainer does not like to show in the summer, too hot and humid. It's hard on both horse and rider.  My husband decided to go to his second competition this year in October. Everyone in my family was riding in the competition but me. I didn't bring any show clothes because this was my hubby's time in the show ring, not mine. Well, I regretted not bringing any show clothes because the division he was in didn't have enough riders in it, so I got up early Saturday mornin, drove to Dallas from Tyler and returned to the Tyler Rose Horse Park late Saturday morning, so I could ride in the division.  It was well worth it, the fences just came so easily. We got all our strides and even our lead changes. Silver was like point me in the right direction and I'll make everything happen. And it did.  It was a two day show but it was the best ride I had ever had over fences in that division.  We didn't do as well on the flat. My husband beat me on the flat!  But I won Champion of the Rusty Stirrups division. 

The end of the year show proved to be a bit more challenging for Silver and I. Even my husband had trouble with Scout. Scout seemed to decide that he was going to go fast over the course. I'm proud of my husband for staying the course and not giving up on his horse or the show. 

the last day of the show, my husband and I entered the 18" equitation classic. I was scared to death. My earlier hunter rounds were terrible in the Rusty Stirrups division. I could barely get Silver to move faster than a tranter and he practically crawled over the fences, even the judge was telling me to use more leg - true story. I pushed through my anxiety about the Classic and ended up third, true I was beaten by an 8 year old but I had a lot of fun in the ring. I got Silver off my leg and I was determined to make every fence and lead change work. No trantering and crawling over fences for us, baby!

So after analyzing myself this year, I realize the longer I wait for a show, it seems the worse I do. My trainer will enter me into a division on a lark and I usually do well. I believe I am over thinking it and scaring myself. I won the Rusty Stirrup division because I wasn't there to win, only to help fill up the division. The end of the year show, I was there to win and the pressure I put on my self caused me to not do as well as I could. Perhaps I should drink a couple of sips of whiskey before I enter the show ring. I'm not sure how to relax during a competition. If showing is about having fun, why do I want to barf?

When Silver is balanced, collected and uphill, all our spots to the jumps become effortless. I have to remember to sit back, half halt when necessary and wait for the jump.  I like to jump ahead and "help" Silver jump. I need to remember it's his job to jump it, it's my job to get him to the right jump and patiently wait. And my helping him, actually hinders him. Sunday told me to work on getting him off my leg and not get behind it. which is really a nice way of saying, stay in rhythm with your horse. Be connected, be one. 

The Three Second Half Halt

Nothing like taking a riding lesson from your trainer while her dressage instructor hangs out at the barn. My trainer is taking dressage lessons from a notable dressage instructor, who only works with professionals. So I'm trying to ride like he is not sitting near the arena, soaking in the sunshine, watching me...he was probably watching her teach.

So I learned a new concept today. Previously, Kelsey showed me how to use my hands in a zig zagging motion, not sawing on the reins, so that the horse's head goes side to side and back and forth -- which looks atrocious and probably feels the same --  I gently squeeze the reins with my hands. Right hand, squeeze, left hand squeeze   half halts to remind him, I'm up here and hey, are you listening...don't look at the woods at the end of the arena...listen to me, no, don't speed up...

Today, we took it a little more extreme, still not see sawing his mouth, so that his head swings from side to side but that he listens to me and drops his head and engages his behind. Really listening to me. I heard her ask if I could feel anything in the reins. Why yes, and I'm gently squeezing one hand and then the other - I think I'm doing great. But she says she can't see my arms move. Why would my arms move? I'm just using my hands.

Then she says, to squeeze and pull back on the rein for three seconds, release that hand and repeat on the other side. Well, that made a big difference in our riding! He really collected himself, especially when I applied my calves to his side while doing the 3 second half halt. Total control. He was not going anywhere I didn't want him.

Then we did some canter work and it was fabulous! He really has a lovely canter. I felt like I was out cantering across a pasture at my family's farm. It was that much fun!

We are using yet another bit, the Kimberwick Uster Snaffle bit gives me a lot of leverage and control without head tossing like the Dressage-Pelham-Bits/FES-Snaffle-Elite-Pelham/ used with double reins.  The transition from canter to trot to walk was smooth and almost seamless. Wow! This is how it's supposed to happen!

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Flying Emergency Dismounts among other things

I had a minor riding setback this summer, when the horse I was riding, spooked and I had to make an emergency flying dismount.  It was the best canter I had ever had while riding Silver, when suddenly the horse in front of us spooked. Suddenly I saw my feet in front of my face.  Feet should decidedly not be in front of your face when riding, so I knew it was time for a flying dismount... I landed with a thud on my back in the wet arena sand and immediately thought, "I am way too old for this crap!"  I managed to get onto my hands and knees and sorta crawl away from the horses but it took me what seemed like an eternity to actually stand up. I had to "climb" the arena fence until I could straighten up. Then it took another 20 minutes until I was able to get on Silver.
I watched the rest of my class enjoy "pony camp" and then I trotted a couple of laps around the arena, cantered over a low fence and I was done. My back was killing me!

To shorten the story, I purchased Silver in August but didn't ride him for several weeks until I felt like I could ride without pain or actually get on him without pain.  So I decided to curtail jumping, mainly because I didn't feel like I could actually canter until the sciatic pain stopped.  My trainer and I worked on dressage, suppling the horse, bending, half halts, sitting trot and posting trot. I went to a horse show over the weekend and had just started cantering the previous Tuesday. It had been over two months since I had jumped anything!

While I was recuperating from my mishap, I designed some new jewelry for my Etsy shop, vowangems

Blue Green Aquamarines on hand forged sterling silver ear wires

Copper Rutilated Quartz and Carnelian Rosary Chain Dangle Earrings

Garnet and Fire Opal Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings

Titanium Blue Drusy, Garnets and Bali Gold Vermeil Dangle Earrings 

and one of my favorite necklaces: 

Silver Drusy Tassel Necklace

Back in the Saddle Again...

When my kids were diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum I stopped blogging . It took my husband well over a year to even talk to someone outside our family about our kids struggle with Autism. I spent most of the first year after the diagnosis schlepping the kids from therapy to therapy, I became Therapy Mom, My kids participated in ABA therapy at UT Southwestern's ABA clinic twice a week (three hours each day), speech therapy, occupational therapy and Natty even had physical therapy.  They were enrolled in specialized preschool, with four kids to one teacher ratio!

As my children's lives have improved, so has my life. Last fall, my children started therapeutic riding lessons at Equest Therapeutic Horsemanshp Center at the Texas Horsepark location. I started taking riding lessons, after 6 years of not riding, at a small barn, Cedar Haven in Cedar Hills about 40 minutes from my home in Dallas.  My husband and I had sold our horse, Royal Krew, to some good friends who moved to California in 2011.  This past August, I purchased a retired thoroughbred race horse, Silver I.D. and we went to our first horse show this past weekend. It's been 25 years since I showed a horse but I remember riding bigger fences when I was younger at my first show.

I won Reserve Champion in my Walk/Trot division - yay, I beat beginning children riders! How callous of me.  When I was in my twenties I had only been riding hunters for a couple of years when I started competing. I was thrilled when I beat younger riders, it seemed to me they had more time to ride and train, than I did as a recent college grad working in retail management. So here I am an older mom of twins on the Autism Spectrum with my mommy roundness, on my very tall, flea bitten grey thoroughbred, Silver...yes, I'm back in the saddle again.