I am definitely learning a whole lot these days and enjoying every second of it! I am the first to admit that I am green at the level. At my last two shows, I have learned what happens when I don't have enough canter and what happens when I am not patient, balanced, and run her off her feet into technical combinations. My motto this past weekend was to attack.... and well, I attacked and twice I over attacked! She came out of the box really going this weekend and I had an absolute blast!
We had one of best dressage tests this weekend! I also earned a huge compliment from Megan Moore saying it was the best she's seen me ride! Wayne would have been so proud! We had two stops on XC, for the same reason, and both at "A" elements. Her attitude was not, "I am not doing it." It was more like, "I cannot do it from that canter." Once I circled and organized, she answered the questions perfectly. What I am thrilled with is how well she held her line everywhere! I watched some more experienced riders take the option at the "D" element of the water and even though I thought about taking the option once we stopped at "A", when I landed in the water, look for my line up the angled bank to the skinny, it was right there! She sailed through angle tables and negotiated the terrain at the corners. The sunken road was an A,B,C,D and the horses were asked to jump in over a solid roll top then down the bank and up the bank at an angle with a skinny angled bounce out at "D" inviting the horses to run out right. Once I got my canter correct, Frankie sailed through straight as an arrow.
Show Jumping is getting better. At least when I make a mistake, I seem to make one.... even if I make the same one more than once! I am getting better at knowing where I am in the shorter distances but when the distances are seven strides or longer, I have a tendency to disrupt the canter on the landing before I know if I need to stay the same, wait, or move up. Two of the three rails we had were this exact mistake. I jumped in and took a tug then found myself wanting to move up three strides out. The other rail was a gentle roll out of the cups. I left all my rails up out of combinations and that is huge for us. Now, to just keep working on putting the numbers together.
I had an amazing weekend, with an amazing group of people from Lexington! Tom was SUPER and very helpful all weekend!! Having him there to support me is important so even though he probably does not LOVE it, he is a great sport about it all! Jen O'Neil and Megan got Frankie safely to GA and all set up in her stall. When I arrived the next morning, she was re wrapped, my packet picked up, and my stuff nicely placed in front of my stall. What an SUPER group of friends. Megan and Andrea were a huge help and both so incredibly positive as always. As were Elissa, Lindsey, and Drew. (So many KY people were there- it was almost like KHP South.) Jen and I went around and around the advanced course, once even with the help of Micheal Pollard. I know how disappointed she is in how the weekend turned out. My other friends, Hannah Williams and Heather Johnston didn't have the best of weekends either but you've of never know it from their attitudes! I LOVE traveling with this group. It seems we really understand each other and have formed our own little team. I have surrounded myself with people that care about others and are excellent horsewomen. May your next journey be as much fun as the destination!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Frankie Tee Shirts and What's Next!!!
Team Frankie tee shirts have been designed and will be available to order next week I hope! Shirts will be $20 and available in blue or white. I am having one made so I hope to have it posted online soon! These shirts will help fund a trip for Frankie and me go to Jan's this summer to prepare for the CIC 3* at Richland Aug 23-26. After that we plan to head to Plantation in Sept, before hopfully being quilified and goint to run the CCI 3* at Fair Hill in October! It is going to be an exciting summer and fall! Please buy a tee shirt and show your support! :)
Summer is almost here! There are only six school days left and for one of those, I will be at Chatt Hills. Frankie will leave Thursday morning with Megan, Jenn, Hannah, and Heather on Megan's horse bus and head to Atlanta. Tom and I will head down right after school on Thursday. Between my school team and my horse team, I am able to go to Chatt Hills for another Advanced run. I wish I would have been able to go to Jersey Fresh to run the CIC 3* this week but we had state testing and being present for testing is really the only thing that is nonnegotiable in my job so I consider myself lucky.
My principal, Kyle Sexton, has been very generous to me this year. It is hard to explain qualifications, "move up" shows, flow of competitions, and ALL the rules that go along with this sport to people that are not actively involved in the sport because let's face it- It sounds crazy most of the time! I also have no good answer for him when he asks me why, with the horse park right here, are all my shows are so far away and require two days off! Having his support is imperative and he has really worked with me this year and I cannot thank him enough! The support I continue to receive from my friends and coaches is just as important and always present.
I have had some great show jumping lessons from Craig in the last two weeks. As I was warming up yesterday for my lesson, watching Craig put the jumps in the 4'3" cups, I thought about how far we've come in a year, and how a year ago I would have NEVER jumped those jumps! I was just gearing up for the OP at Maydaze this time last year! It was just a surreal feeling as I even noted to myself how different her canter is and how different she feels in the bridle. If you find yourself in a rut right now, hang in there!! Peaks and valleys- remember! That is why we love this sport- we never truly "master" it. Horses will always humble us and even the best of the best have bad days!
I remember when I heard Mary King speak this winter and she talked about William Fox-Pitt having something like 7-8 rails in the show jump somewhere.... I thought to myself...."Well, no one WANTS to pull rails and we all try not to but if WFP can have that many.... I surly can have the many." (and I have). By filling my head with productive thoughts of what I need to do to jump well, I don't have time to think about things that are not helpful and often distracting. Trust me, the canter can still get too quick, flat, and off the pace out of the turn, and my reins still get too long, and I let her neck get a little long at times but I am to a point where I can recognize, adjust, and move on. This is huge for me.
I hope your summer is filled with big dreams and that you don't let anything get you down! I will keep you posted from Chatt Hills! Look for the tee shirt design to be posted next week!!
Summer is almost here! There are only six school days left and for one of those, I will be at Chatt Hills. Frankie will leave Thursday morning with Megan, Jenn, Hannah, and Heather on Megan's horse bus and head to Atlanta. Tom and I will head down right after school on Thursday. Between my school team and my horse team, I am able to go to Chatt Hills for another Advanced run. I wish I would have been able to go to Jersey Fresh to run the CIC 3* this week but we had state testing and being present for testing is really the only thing that is nonnegotiable in my job so I consider myself lucky.
My principal, Kyle Sexton, has been very generous to me this year. It is hard to explain qualifications, "move up" shows, flow of competitions, and ALL the rules that go along with this sport to people that are not actively involved in the sport because let's face it- It sounds crazy most of the time! I also have no good answer for him when he asks me why, with the horse park right here, are all my shows are so far away and require two days off! Having his support is imperative and he has really worked with me this year and I cannot thank him enough! The support I continue to receive from my friends and coaches is just as important and always present.
I have had some great show jumping lessons from Craig in the last two weeks. As I was warming up yesterday for my lesson, watching Craig put the jumps in the 4'3" cups, I thought about how far we've come in a year, and how a year ago I would have NEVER jumped those jumps! I was just gearing up for the OP at Maydaze this time last year! It was just a surreal feeling as I even noted to myself how different her canter is and how different she feels in the bridle. If you find yourself in a rut right now, hang in there!! Peaks and valleys- remember! That is why we love this sport- we never truly "master" it. Horses will always humble us and even the best of the best have bad days!
I remember when I heard Mary King speak this winter and she talked about William Fox-Pitt having something like 7-8 rails in the show jump somewhere.... I thought to myself...."Well, no one WANTS to pull rails and we all try not to but if WFP can have that many.... I surly can have the many." (and I have). By filling my head with productive thoughts of what I need to do to jump well, I don't have time to think about things that are not helpful and often distracting. Trust me, the canter can still get too quick, flat, and off the pace out of the turn, and my reins still get too long, and I let her neck get a little long at times but I am to a point where I can recognize, adjust, and move on. This is huge for me.
I hope your summer is filled with big dreams and that you don't let anything get you down! I will keep you posted from Chatt Hills! Look for the tee shirt design to be posted next week!!
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