Taylor Mountain 2.0

Since we had flown in the day before, the whole family was still on major east coast time zone vibes and we were up at 6. So I had my procrastinators/last minute inspiration surge to start working on my  waterproof riding skirt.

Spoilers, I didn't get it done, also I apparently didn't buy enough fabric either AND i need to make other modifications since my waist measurements cause issues with this particular pattern and method. YAY FATTIES. 

Anyway, I came up with a basic solution and now just need to add some final details on prototype 2 for my riding skirt. I'm excited.

 Despite all of that, I still left the house early to get everything hooked up before heading down to Taylor to meet Cortney and company. It was raining fairly heavily as I drove down and we were all gritting our teeth and making sure we were as waterproofed as possible. It rained throughout tacking up.

I think I've finally dialed in the scoot boot fit! 

 And as soon as our butts were in the saddle, the rain disappeared. Much to our pleasure. It turned out to be wonderful riding weather and we were all stripping layers as the ride continued.

Cortney and baby Reign, who finally found her 'go' button

Robin joined us, as well as a mutual K who rode Splendid

We were waiting for another rider to cross the creek since this was the widest spot and we had a huge group. He, apparently, is a fearful rider and just wanted us to go by him. 

After 10 days with the in laws, I needed this, rain and all

 We stuck to a walk and trot. Robin's gelding is coming back from an injury and only just got approval for trotting and hills so we walked all the downhills so he wouldn't reinjure himself. But when we were trotting, it was a great conditioning pace!

Cortney had to move a gate. Shhhh, don't tell.

Look! Shadows! The sun came out!

 We even got blue sky. What a reward when we were all expecting to be soaking all day.

 Gwyn got very sweaty on this ride and her face got very very itchy. She kept trying to rub her face on everyone, much to the displeasure of the horses around her, as you can see Reign telling her off. In the future I need a whip, crop or spurs AND I need to clip her face, I think.

Robin got off and walked the last mile in.

And Cortney's husband met us as he had borrowed Cortney's truck and was exchanging their other car with her so she could get home.

Scoot Boot success! My last time on the trails saw one of the boots twisting frequently enough that I just pulled it off in frustration. The rep I've been working with recommended adding a shim, which I did DIY'd by sticking a piece of EVA foam onto Gwyn's hoof before she even left her stall (so her hooves were dry)

That seems to have done the trick! These boots stuck on through mud, water and a big power trot. I'm pretty pleased! Enough so that I went ahead and ordered another pair as well as extra straps because these suckers need to have purple accents.

Sweaty mare at the end

My big takeaways are that I need some kind of encouragement, even if it's Gwyn being mindful because it's in my hand, I need it. She was a bit of a brat, and would try and surge ahead  of the group only to immediately put on the brakes. Theories thrown out were that she's in heat. So she got relegated to being in the back due to that behavior.

She's fitter than I think, and LDs should be easily achievable if I keep up with riding regularly and getting out on the trail.

We've got hoof protection dialed in and that's good given how some of the trails are out here for competition (protection is almost always required)

Otherwise, it was a great day with friends, meeting new friends, and getting rewarded for our perseverance by weather that was NOT in the weather report.

Bloghop: 2010s Photo Challenge

2010

 This decade started a whole lot of changes in my life. Gwyn was already in it but 2010 saw me saying goodbye to her and my zoo job in Florida as Eric applied for and got a job with Boeing and they moved us to Washington (for the first time)

2011

This was the year that Cheri's house got hit by lightning and she was desperate to find a place for all three horses. I was offered Gwyn and within the month she was shipped to me, arriving a few days after her birthday in May. This picture was taken the day she arrived.

2012

This year was when Kaylee arrived. Gwyn immediately treated her like part of the family.

2013

Having a young baby kept serious activities to a minimum but the barn I was at was great at providing fun clinics. We tried cattle sorting and never had to leave!

2014

This was the year I tried endurance for the first time! We both had a blast, doing a 15 the first day and a 25 the next.

2015

This year was marked by our move to Michigan and fulfilling a lifelong dream of having a horse in my backyard. This picture was the first day Gwyn and my new donkeys spent at home. Poor scraggly Arwen. She's loving life in her new home!

2016

Hazel was the highlight of this year and once again, Gwyn proved her weight in gold and immediately decided Hazel was hers to protect. She apparently likes nuzzling babies.

2017

 This year I spent working as a microbiologist and enjoying life on the farm. Like watching Hazel share dinner at feeding time or torturing the animals with a neighing demon skeletal pony.

2018

This was the year I finally got to take Gwyn around a cross country course, returning to my Pony Club roots, and we had a blast. It also really emphasized that we needed more dressage work.

 2019

And now this year. We moved back to Washington and this time I moved Gwyn myself and that's best represented by this picture by Devil's Tower with Gwyn.

Working Backwards and Top Down

As previously mentioned:

Rebecca Farm, BN AEC August 31-September 4 2022

Which means I need:
1st or 2nd in any USEA/USEF 3 day or Horse Trials or
2 3rd places in any qualifying event or 
1st-5th at any regional championship
and
I have to complete 3 recognized horse trials in the qualifying time period
I cannot compete at Training or above (not a problem)
I need to declare Amateur status

PHEW

It also means I need a membership in USEA for 2021 AND 2022 ($$)

The above competition qualifiers will likely take place from end of May 2021 through mid August 2022 if the pattern holds steady.

In Washington state I will likely have these rated events available to me:
Spokane Sport Horse Farm Horse Trials  Washington 4.5 hours May and October
Equestrian's Institute Horse Trials Washington 2 hours May and September
Aspen Farms Horse Trials Washington 2.5 hours June
Inavale Farm Horse Trials Oregon 5.5 hours  June
Whidbey Island Horse Trials Washington 2 hours July

Some of them I will have available twice as qualifying opportunities, based on the date range. There will be lots of opportunity to achieve the three completions necessary. The harder task will be the placings. For that I can only do my best. But apparently I -can- appeal if I'm an amateur in an open division and those placed above me are professionals. I'm not banking on that.

So knowing that placings are obviously a huge deal, and some of that is out of my control, the next thing I can do is make sure that Gwyn and I are the best damn Beginner Novice pair ever. There are lots of local schooling shows that will get us some extensive show experience. Plus a cross country course minutes from the barn that barnmates will drag me to (and they know this is a goal of mine)

So, by this time December 2020 I need to have a horse that can:

Maintain a canter around a cross country course
Have a relaxed, controlled canter in a dressage court
Be rateable and on the bit
Be soft and supple in all gaits

We're achieving Forward Down and Out!

If I've got those, the jumping will follow. I already know she can bomb around a starter course no issue.

I, as a rider, need to have:

Better endurance in my cardio fitness
Steadier contact through the bit
Clearer aids

This is all well and great, but now I need to break down those into how I'm going to achieve those December 2020 goals

Goals for me:
Strength training at least 1x a week to start
Cardio at least 1x a week to start
Yoga at least 1x a week (currently at 2x a week)
Track food with intentional weight loss in mind
Save money each month for show costs, figure out budget for what I need to save monthly

Goals for Gwyn:
Riding 3x a week, one including lessons
Lunging 1x a week in addition to riding
Add in core work plan for Gwyn (post on that soon)
Endurance conditioning on hilly trails
3 Limited Distance endurance rides
1 50 mile ride at the end of the season


All of this means I need to commit more to going to the barn with Hazel in tow. If I can, I'm going to get her signed up for a second day of preschool a week but I'm not sure if Eric will be down for that. I absolutely need to commit to the Y more so I can get my other fitness goals.

So I'll likely plan out my January now and break down what I'm doing when and have it planned out.

When you make the same faces as your pony

3 year Goal Planning

USEA just announced the 2021 and likely 2022 location of the AECs.  Rebecca Farm in Montana will most likely be the host of the 2022 AECs so I think I have a new goal. Rebecca Farm won't be that far of a drive for me (compared to Kentucky, lol) and if I start preparations now, what I'm considering won't be impossible, just improbable and I can work with those odds.

I'm going to aim to qualify at BN for AECs in 2022 on Gwyn. There's a ton of in state events I can attend for qualifying. It means endurance in the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022 will likely be on the back burner to prioritize eventing, but if I'm getting Gwyn fit for endurance, that will transfer over to eventing. Plus all the work I'm putting in now to strengthen her up will help with this goal.

My goal for 2020 is to try a 50 mile endurance ride in October. I've got 3 LDs on the calendar and my fourth endurance ride I've got penciled in will be a 50. It's an ideal move up event since the October ride will be cooler and mostly flat, ideal Gwyn conditions.

These are going to be my big goals with Gwyn for now. They're not impossible goals. They just require hard work that starts now. So I'm going to start that hard work now.

 And I'm putting it out there for accountability. I want to go. On this spotty Goober of a horse. We can do it.

Wordless Wednesday

Lesson again

Cortney and Robin were off in Arizona this weekend so I didn't think I'd have a lesson with Jim. However, he texted me and said if I could be ready at Bridle Trails by 1pm again I could get a group rate since he'd have other people there at 11 and 12. I was down for this plan. I 'earned' my time off by tidying up the backyard. Due to how much travel is involved in me getting to lessons it ends up being a nearly all day affair especially because I end up including general housekeeping chores while I'm out at the barn like tack cleaning.

 It was a fairly temperate winter day with temps in the upper 40s and low 50s F and no rain while riding!

I have a couple big takeaways that I wanted to get written down so I don't forget them and so I can implement at home.

First: That gosh darned inside leg to outside rein is magical when it happens. Use the inside leg to ask for bend and push her into my right hand but DON'T LOSE CONTACT WITH HER MOUTH.  Keeping that coordinated results in a horse that will stretch down into contact.  Make more moments and get them consistently occurring.

 Second: Keep communication with Gwyn always varied, even if it's feather light changes so she keeps her attention on me.

Third: When asking for rein back, Gwyn WILL respond to a feather light touch of my calf and when I use that rather than blaring at her with my heels (and spurs now) I get a very calm, slow rein back with a low head. I just need to keep better contact with her mouth with higher hands than I think I need.

 Fourth: She is getting stronger in canter. We are now actually getting canter strides when I ask her. If I'm practicing, ask for the trot after the first three canter strides. The first three strides are going to be the best quality and everything will degrade (for now) until she's stronger. When cueing for canter in the corner, counter-bend her to the outside to encourage her to pick up the correct lead.

 Conclusions I have drawn on my own:
Continue to work on strengthening her hind end with turns on the forehand. Canter departs will also help. Research other exercises to do. Enjoy trails with LOTS of hills :D

 It was chilly enough and she was damp enough that I tossed a wool cooler on her for the ride home. Then she got to make kissy faces with one of the thoroughbreds while cleaned my tack, some of which was starting to mildew. I need to remember to bring out a new damp-rid for my trailer tack room.

It was a good lesson. I felt like a much more effective rider than I have lately and she was being really responsive to my seat and leg aids, which is DEFINITELY something that we didn't have at the start of summer.