Pony Club Ratings, The Reprise

True to my original stated goal that if Gwyn was lame, it wasn't going to stop me from working on Pony Club stuff.... I did it!  As soon as our club asked if anyone was interested in C level ratings, I jumped on my chance to get back to being a full C-1.  All I needed was to take the Horse Management portion of the C-1 rating since only my riding level transferred. 

The exam was scheduled for this past Saturday, Oct 29.  I prepped early and often, I had my record book thoroughly filled out thanks to these posts and my habit of always gps logging when I ride or taking at least one photo. All of my rides or horse things needed to be documented for at least 6 months. 

I made kick ass flash cards but should have started on them sooner, honestly. I didn't actually study MUCH with them. I do want to proceed through with the Horse Management ratings so it might be a good idea to start working on these now since it was a major effort to get it pulled together. Those spiral bound note cards are perfect especially if you put the answer on the back so you can flip through and quiz yourself. 

The night before I was going through making sure I had my pin, coat, shirt, etc. Now I'll feel better about putting felt behind my pin to indicate my level (spoilers!)  but this is the first time I've worn some of this gear since I bought it! I found amazing deals during the pandemic and promptly stopped showing. 

For whatever reason I couldn't find any of my belts so I whipped one up really quick that coordinated with my jacket (navy backing with purple and white) thanks to a long ago tutorial on blogger land.

This was also my inaugural test of my hi-tie! It was installed while I was in North Carolina on a work trip back in March and I had surgery and hadn't been out to use it!  Gwyn loved it and had no problems, but she also generally prefers a hi-line over being tied at the trailer.

Mostly tacked up, I went with the purple pad (and peep the blogger made saddle cover) and a shiny pony. 

Spiffy and almost ready to go. I was reviewing how to do safety checks and realized my own helmet chin strap was woefully loose so I adjusted that quickly. 

The other adult member running through her questions with our examiner, Peaches. Also Hazel the morgan mare who did great! 

Part of the exam was applying two stable bandages on diagonal legs front and back so Gwyn got to demonstrate that as well. After this Gwyn got to just chill out at the trailer like she was camping. I hung around, even though I was technically done, to act as ground crew and assist the examiner. And of course to cheer on my fellow teammates!

The junior member performing a tack and safety check on Robyn and Hazel. We all safety checked each other. 

Robyn and Hazel looking spiffy in their riding portion! They also did a dressage C-1 rating. 

Final questions outside as we all recognized that the horses were just done with being in the indoor arena. 

Group photo!

And congratulations to us! We all passed! 

Checking how well I did on the stable bandage.

Lesson Time!

 After my last scheduled lesson got sent far off course due to Gwyn eating a bee (like... REALLY mare?!) I was finally back at it on Sunday! I had originally signed up for a Shawna Karrasch clinic this past weekend at Polestar but it was cancelled due to low sign ups. Like... booo, but also hey, money back! And not trailering in every day stress since I'm only 5 minutes down the road. 

We started with working on the ground and really getting Gwyn to stretch down and reach out. A lot of that is making sure I'm timing my cue when her inside hind is starting to swing forward. From there it's working on not nagging her. If she responds to the cue, stop asking as the release. Know where her sticky spots are though (arena entrance) and anticipate/watch the body language for signs she's going to start slowing and ask again. When she gets that floaty trot, it looks magical. 

Photo from a previous ride, I never have time to take pictures during lessons hahah

After doing some work on the long lines we switched to me on board. This lesson was all about me feeling the timing of Gwyn and feeling the feedback loop. So input from Gwyn to me and then me cued to Gwyn. It should be a cycle, but right now I'm a wall and I need to become not a blockade. So it was working on me while also fulfilling PT duties for Gwyn!

We started with me feeling how she was moving, was she straight, where was her front end, where was her hind end? And then asking for corrections, creating the feedback loop. Going to the right she loves to swing her haunches in, so a lot of what I needed to do was ask for her hind to step in and under her (outside leg keeping her forward). I want to feel like I'm funneling her body between my legs and hands. I'm also working on not leg cuing with my heel, which is a bad habit. It should also help reduce my knee pain. 

Going to the left she's crooked more in her shoulder and my focus was on asking her lift her inside shoulder and step over. We did a lot of square turns, and the combo I need to remember is that I want her rocking back onto her haunches (half halt) and lifting the shoulder up (outside leg cue). I have to think the haunches slow while the shoulders keep the same pace.  

What was absolutely neat was suddenly feel that stiffness and shoulder drop when we were near the end and she passed the arena exit and I just lost her for a moment. It's where she always runs out and where she spins out if spooking. Now I need to practice that half halt - outside leg cue. Because the mare will square turn without me in her face when I get that timing right. And of course, this is the basis for pirouette. Basics y'all. I'm actually loving working on these basics because I can see where the holes escalated and widened and I'm fixing and filling them in.

Some other things I'm planning to continue work on from the ground include a 'politeness' ground tying. This is specifically focused on the barn because Gwyn loves to LARP as a vacuum cleaner. Great when she's given permission to do so, less great when I'm trying to bridle her and all she wants to do is hoover wisps of hay. I had been trying to work on her head down cue for bridling and if I want to do it in the barn aisle, I was sweeping meticulously beforehand. Goal is that she will stand in the aisle, regardless of errant hay, and wait.

And of course, working on the head down cue. I've made sure to practice every time I put something on her face and she's gotten much better! Goal here is that she will drop her head to make haltering and bridling possible by my kids. They don't have an interest now, but if they ever do, it'll be nice to have that button preinstalled.

In Pony Club news, I have a date for my C-1 Horse Management rating so I've got studying to do and a record book to fully compile before the end of October!

Pony Club Goals

 A lot has changed in the 20 years since I graduated Pony Club (that hurt to write, by the way)

D-Rally in 1999 with Clyde

Notably, it's not just one rating. You can choose tracks like Eventing, Dressage, Hunter Seat Equitation or Western. You also have a Horse Management track. From what research I've been able to do, the Horse Management track might typically advance as you advance your mounted rating. And your Horse Management rating should equal or exceed your mounted rating. 

I'm a little weird. 

This rally was held at the Connecticut Audubon Society and Earle Park in Glastonbury Connecticut. I also remember doing my rating here. 

I graduated as a C-1 when I left Pony Club, in the time of you were done once you aged out at 21 years old. I figured I wouldn't be able to pursue riding through college and wouldn't be able to push my rating further. Then they added Horse Masters, and then just rolled adult membership back into the club as a whole. And changed up how the rating worked so people could still advance without needing to jump. And became more inclusive with Hunter Seat Eq and Western. 

Glastonbury Pony Club maintains a riding ring, and a whole ass cross country course.

Now when I look at my rating, it lists me as C-1 EV (eventing) and D-3 HM (horse management).

2005 would be when I aged out

But the chart of learning states that riding certifications cannot be awarded until the horse management for that level has been passed. 

I can technically advance through H-HM without a sound horse. This would be heading into national certifications territory and just looking through the standards of proficiency, they are a beast. But I think if I start aiming for that now, I can get some things created in preparation and have them sitting and waiting. That path would mean doing C1, C2 and C3 HM, then H-B, then H-HM. Because the Standards of Proficiency explicitly state "An H-B member may take the H-HM/H/H-A certification without completing any national level riding certifications."

I worry about Gwyn's capabilities in taking me up the levels given the heights being asked. She's nowhere near jumping 2'9", the level I graduated in. I'm not even ready to be back jumping at that level. Dressage might be a better track for her long term, and I can always collect that rating with her. She's about at D-2 dressage level, I'd say but needs much more work to do D-3. 

I'm going to start filling out my Health and Maintenance Record Book now, with the expectation that it will be used to meet an H-A standard of proficiency. It requires a years worth of records after all. Why not document this road to recovery for Gwyn?