6 days ago
December 5, 2012
Solo's Infamy Makes Leap Across The Pond!
December 1, 2012
The Artful Equine
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| By Tony O'Connor (Ireland) |
Note to my mother: rule still stands, my walls are full, don't get any ideas!!!!
What the heck? This is not about horses! You protest.
But it is. Because I'm going to give in to my aesthetic lust and give you a self-indulgent artgasm (these sentences are getting dodgier and dodgier...) of incredible equine works that are outside of the well-known pieces such as
- Lin Yuan's Eight Horses paintings
- Jacques Louis David's masterwork of Napoleon at the St Bernard Pass
- Da Vinci's anatomical studies of horses in many poses
- Franz Marc's Red Horses (pssst, Amber, this is the one I said your painting reminded me of).
Horse porn for your walls (oh, I'm going to get so many hits from that sentence):
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| Neptune's Horses by Walter Crane (1892, England) |
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| Deux études partielles d'une tête de cheval bridée, sculptural study by Edme Bouchardon (1698-1762, France) |
I bet you didn't know Degas (1834-1917, France) has a huge body of equestrian work -- sculpture & paintings of racehorses. My favourites are his studies:
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| Three Jockeys |
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| A horse study |
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| Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma |
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| Saddled Horse (c. 1615-1618) |
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| A Woman And A Horse, Let Someone Else Master Them (how can you pass that up?) |
Contemporary Artists
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| Stallion I by Ricardo Vargas |
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| Weathered Equine I by Norman Wyatt Jr (VA) |
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| Baroque Horse Series III: II by Heather Theurer (western US) |
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| Hanging in the Balance by Heather Theurer (western US) |
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| Horses At Leisure by Yunlan He (Beijing) - K, I confess I bought a print of this, it wooed me. |
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| Desert Kings by Karen Dupre (CA) |
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| 3 Stewarts by Joseph Zbukvic (Australia) - a newly discovered favourite |
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| Morning Work by Joseph Zbukvic (Australia) |
If I had a bottomless pit of money, I would build an entire wing of my house to be my own personal art museum (perhaps it would extend off of my fantasy library), one wall of which would be a mural painted by Sarah Lynn Richards (I requested one from her years ago at Rolex and she said, "Sure!" but I don't think she works for free) & oh, the treasures it would hold...
November 25, 2012
Bring It
Maybe it's just because it's far too late at night. Maybe it's because I've been trapped in this chair for too long. Maybe it's because bad luck keeps on rolling in.
I thought I might collapse in defeat. Non-blog related issues sent my brain packing weeks ago. I hope it is enjoying wherever it is, perhaps on a nice beach in Ecuador, watching the sun rise over the Andes.
But there's a surprise inside. As I sit here, even with my knee in constant, throbbing pain; even after leaning on my crutches, watching a friend ride Encore today and seeing that he is so unschooled, so lacking in mileage, that he desperately needs to get back in a program; even feeling like poor Sisyphus while Zeus laughs on...
I find myself narrowing my eyes in defiance.
Staring at the mountain of adversity in front of me, there is a wellspring of determination, probably fueled by sheer stubbornnes, but nonetheless picking up momentum as the flow breaks through tiny, nearly invisible cracks.
Even if you put your hand over a flashlight, beams find their way out through the spaces between your fingers and around the edges of your hand. Even if you put an entire moon over the mass of the sun, a bright corona belies the shadow and the rolling fire at the core flings its rays to the heavens in spite.
Every torturous minute of PT, every rip of pain from a step, and every mind-numbing "walk horse up the hill, walk horse down the hill" will be fueled by this fire. Because the flames are fanned by a wind I think you know. It was the wind that whipped my face as Encore stretched out in a gallop in the bright afternoon of our last ride before surgery, ripping the laugh of glee out of my mouth as I felt the enormous power of this Thoroughbred, born and bred and begging to run, leap away and carry me into an unearthly place.
I think you've been there; you don't always enter at a gallop, but you still feel that air in your heart. It's that which transforms my despair into resolve that we will not be beaten and we will not go quietly.
If you could see the entire path of your journey from the start, you might never take the first step, because the view would surely be terrifying and you might question the worth of your goal. But if your goal IS the journey, there is really nothing that can stop you.
Except yourself.
I thought I might collapse in defeat. Non-blog related issues sent my brain packing weeks ago. I hope it is enjoying wherever it is, perhaps on a nice beach in Ecuador, watching the sun rise over the Andes.
I find myself narrowing my eyes in defiance.
Staring at the mountain of adversity in front of me, there is a wellspring of determination, probably fueled by sheer stubbornnes, but nonetheless picking up momentum as the flow breaks through tiny, nearly invisible cracks.
Even if you put your hand over a flashlight, beams find their way out through the spaces between your fingers and around the edges of your hand. Even if you put an entire moon over the mass of the sun, a bright corona belies the shadow and the rolling fire at the core flings its rays to the heavens in spite.
I think you've been there; you don't always enter at a gallop, but you still feel that air in your heart. It's that which transforms my despair into resolve that we will not be beaten and we will not go quietly.
If you could see the entire path of your journey from the start, you might never take the first step, because the view would surely be terrifying and you might question the worth of your goal. But if your goal IS the journey, there is really nothing that can stop you.
Except yourself.
November 21, 2012
The Wheat From The Chaff: Separate It Does
This story is a little overdue, but no less worth telling. Because it is a perfect illustration of the line of horsemanship those of us one side of it know perfectly and those on the other side are convinced does not exist.
Last weekend, Amber came out to practice her bending and I wanted to get her in a basic two point and cantering before I was laid up (ah, back when The Plan was still alive). As we warmed up, she was doing worlds better with her bending (as in, Solo was bending!) in serpentines and circles (ok, I still tied her hand together) and making serious progress relaxing her upper body and guiding Solo with her eye. We worked on trying to get a more forward trot and I even saw a couple steps approaching a trot that was awake -- not bad for three rides!
So, let's do a couple of canter circles and we'll be done, k?
No problem. And she'd been great cantering on the longe, very well balanced and smooth.
I stressed that it was important to sit up, keep your leg wrapped around him, and to keep your spurs off of him when he was cantering and just keep a light seat, he might get excited.
She picked up her canter at A with a fairly prompt transition and made a nice corner tracking left. Going down that long side is a bit of a down slope, so I saw Solo fall on his forehand a bit and cheat his way through by just going a little faster. Before I knew it, he made a motorcycle turn across the arena and I yelled, "Half halt!"
He was pointed almost straight at the arena rope now and I saw the conflict on his face. Never jump out of the dressage arena! But she's pointing me at a thing and digging in her spurs and saying go! NEVER jump out of the dressage arena! But she's telling me to go faster! NEVER JUMP OUT OF THE DRESSAGE ARENA! OMG!!!
Fortunately for the long run, Solo made the correct decision and politely said, no ma'am, you have requested the wrong thing, and slid to a stop with his ankles against the rope. Amber, less fortunately, had lost her leg behind her and tipped forward and did the MOST superlative Superman impression out to the side that I think I have ever seen. We're talking full-body, stretched out, completely level airtime here.
She hit the ground on her butt, rolling (yesss, someone who knows how to roll!) and Solo sidled two steps over to me with worried eyes, saying I'm sorry, mom, but she was wrong. I yelled to Amber not to move, patted Solo and told him it was ok, he did the best he could.
I knew Amber had a pre-existing back sprain, so I didn't want her to get up (I never let people get up anyway), to just take a minute and breathe. She popped up a little soon, but insisted she was ok and climbed back on the horse to walk it out. I had her walk around, stretch everything out, breathe and chat, and just relax.
This, this is where the line starts. After calmly assessing she was unhurt aside from some road rash and bruising, she climbed right back up and said, "Let's do this because I don't want it to be a thing."
Right on.
I re-emphasized the spurs; "Now we know why we don't dig them in, yes? Do you feel like you know where they are right now and that you can control them?" Because Solo is nearly impossible to ride without a spur and he knows it. She thought she was good, so I said, ok, let's try this again.
We did the right lead, his easier one. It was perfectly uneventful and had some nice strides on the short end. When he got unbalanced, I had her take a tug and then release to rebalance in a crude sort of half halt, but she was able to keep Solo from slithering down the hill. Yeah! So we changed direction and hit the left lead again, although I had her stay on a 20 m circle at one end this time.
Solo picked up his canter and after the first few strides, I saw Amber get a bit wobbly from nerves. Solo shifted a bit and tried to keep his balance under hers as they turned towards me. I love my horse. But as they turned in the arena corner, she tipped forwards and lost it again and rolled over his shoulder, albeit much less dramatically this time.
I will say now that I HATE when people fall off when I am teaching. I know it is part of the process, but standing in the middle of the ring, I am responsible for everything that happens there. It's why I've been keeping our work mostly in the small grass dressage arena from which I've removed all the rocks and know every inch of the footing. Much nicer than the bigger arena down below where you land on rocks and a very hard base....
But Amber hopped up immediately this time (I'm going to have to work on that!) and came back over and climbed up again.
That's the line, right there. Many people walk away after the first fall. Most of the rest are gone after the second. Especially within 15 minutes of the first. Given of course, that no injuries in need of medical care occur. One must, of course, take of those first!
Well, I'll be. She's the real deal. She's someone who knows that Rome wasn't built in a day and it is definitely not a painless process. Colour me impressed.
The second fall really gets your adrenaline going though, so I made sure she spent lots of time wandering around, relaxed, doing breathing exercises, talking about other things. Oh yeah, and I took the spurs off. I felt confident that Solo was awake at this point.
I said, "I'd really like you to canter a left lead circle one time before you leave, so that this is resolved. However, if you are not feeling comfortable, that is absolutely fine and we can pick it up next time and I have no problem with that."
Her reply, "No way, I don't want this to be a thing and I want to DO it."
RIGHT ON.
So she picked up her trot, settled her shoulders back, asked for the canter and I yelled "Relax your leg and sit up!"
And she did it. Then we dropped back to trot, did a bit of stretching for Solo's back, stuck a fork in it, and called it done.
I hope that Amber went home feeling very accomplished (well, after she got the dirt out of her pants), because it was indeed a big thing. It takes courage, dedication, and a heck of a lot of try if you really want to ride and she displayed every one in spades. I would have been ok if she had just wanted to fall off once, but I guess she had something to prove...
Last weekend, Amber came out to practice her bending and I wanted to get her in a basic two point and cantering before I was laid up (ah, back when The Plan was still alive). As we warmed up, she was doing worlds better with her bending (as in, Solo was bending!) in serpentines and circles (ok, I still tied her hand together) and making serious progress relaxing her upper body and guiding Solo with her eye. We worked on trying to get a more forward trot and I even saw a couple steps approaching a trot that was awake -- not bad for three rides!
So, let's do a couple of canter circles and we'll be done, k?
No problem. And she'd been great cantering on the longe, very well balanced and smooth.
I stressed that it was important to sit up, keep your leg wrapped around him, and to keep your spurs off of him when he was cantering and just keep a light seat, he might get excited.
She picked up her canter at A with a fairly prompt transition and made a nice corner tracking left. Going down that long side is a bit of a down slope, so I saw Solo fall on his forehand a bit and cheat his way through by just going a little faster. Before I knew it, he made a motorcycle turn across the arena and I yelled, "Half halt!"
He was pointed almost straight at the arena rope now and I saw the conflict on his face. Never jump out of the dressage arena! But she's pointing me at a thing and digging in her spurs and saying go! NEVER jump out of the dressage arena! But she's telling me to go faster! NEVER JUMP OUT OF THE DRESSAGE ARENA! OMG!!!
Fortunately for the long run, Solo made the correct decision and politely said, no ma'am, you have requested the wrong thing, and slid to a stop with his ankles against the rope. Amber, less fortunately, had lost her leg behind her and tipped forward and did the MOST superlative Superman impression out to the side that I think I have ever seen. We're talking full-body, stretched out, completely level airtime here.
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| R U OKZ? |
I knew Amber had a pre-existing back sprain, so I didn't want her to get up (I never let people get up anyway), to just take a minute and breathe. She popped up a little soon, but insisted she was ok and climbed back on the horse to walk it out. I had her walk around, stretch everything out, breathe and chat, and just relax.
This, this is where the line starts. After calmly assessing she was unhurt aside from some road rash and bruising, she climbed right back up and said, "Let's do this because I don't want it to be a thing."
Right on.
I re-emphasized the spurs; "Now we know why we don't dig them in, yes? Do you feel like you know where they are right now and that you can control them?" Because Solo is nearly impossible to ride without a spur and he knows it. She thought she was good, so I said, ok, let's try this again.
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| I always cantered Solo perfectly. Ha! |
Solo picked up his canter and after the first few strides, I saw Amber get a bit wobbly from nerves. Solo shifted a bit and tried to keep his balance under hers as they turned towards me. I love my horse. But as they turned in the arena corner, she tipped forwards and lost it again and rolled over his shoulder, albeit much less dramatically this time.
I will say now that I HATE when people fall off when I am teaching. I know it is part of the process, but standing in the middle of the ring, I am responsible for everything that happens there. It's why I've been keeping our work mostly in the small grass dressage arena from which I've removed all the rocks and know every inch of the footing. Much nicer than the bigger arena down below where you land on rocks and a very hard base....
But Amber hopped up immediately this time (I'm going to have to work on that!) and came back over and climbed up again.
That's the line, right there. Many people walk away after the first fall. Most of the rest are gone after the second. Especially within 15 minutes of the first. Given of course, that no injuries in need of medical care occur. One must, of course, take of those first!
Well, I'll be. She's the real deal. She's someone who knows that Rome wasn't built in a day and it is definitely not a painless process. Colour me impressed.
The second fall really gets your adrenaline going though, so I made sure she spent lots of time wandering around, relaxed, doing breathing exercises, talking about other things. Oh yeah, and I took the spurs off. I felt confident that Solo was awake at this point.
I said, "I'd really like you to canter a left lead circle one time before you leave, so that this is resolved. However, if you are not feeling comfortable, that is absolutely fine and we can pick it up next time and I have no problem with that."
Her reply, "No way, I don't want this to be a thing and I want to DO it."
RIGHT ON.
So she picked up her trot, settled her shoulders back, asked for the canter and I yelled "Relax your leg and sit up!"
I hope that Amber went home feeling very accomplished (well, after she got the dirt out of her pants), because it was indeed a big thing. It takes courage, dedication, and a heck of a lot of try if you really want to ride and she displayed every one in spades. I would have been ok if she had just wanted to fall off once, but I guess she had something to prove...
November 20, 2012
WTF Just Happened? AKA The Surgeon's Update
So...I made this giant plan, right? I pretty much gave up a year of my life to fix this stupid knee thing. I had everything in place, all the characters lined up, & this massive, intricate web of steps ready to push into motion.
Anticlimax alert.
Then I woke up from anesthesia to be informed that all the tendons in my knee were, in fact, fine. Big, chopping surgery with drills & such was not performed. Arthroscopic exploration (which surgeon did say nothing was 100% till that) revealed that all of the issues stemmed from an intra-articular cartilage tear, just under the meniscus. Which.....
Wait for it.
There is currently no available solution for.
I sat in my bed in puzzlement, looking from lifeshighway (BFF) to nurses to leg & back to lifeshighway.
What?
What happened instead was that the surgeon debrided (read: power sanded & sucked out) all the loose cartilage edges & built up inflammatory tissue (a lot!), wrapped it up & sent me home, now neatly moved into the "oop, can't fix, no longer interesting surgical case" category.
It's not a bad thing that I now have a two-three month recovery instead of an eight month one. But now I'm sitting here with this heap of plan in my lap going, Heh. Now what?
After the nerve block wore off, I spent Saturday in a whole new world of pain I didn't even know existed (thank cod I requested the stronger drugs), was dragged to salvation by two amazing friends, had insane explosion of plan remnants yesterday in "you can't make this shit up" realm, & now on Tuesday am just resting till I go back to work & PT next Monday.
Long term prognosis: I am now a horse. We will try maintenance HA (hyaluronic acid; at least I'm a nice enough horse that I get the expensive stuff) injections & I will rebuild muscle around the joint. I will then just manage flare-ups until someone invents a solution.
Lifeshighway & I remain scratching our heads from the abrupt departure from expected occurrences. I've been putting this thing together since late summer, building up to it, building up to it, ready to get my solution, then WHAM-O! Just kidding, you'll be fine by February, except not really. Now you're just another person with a bum knee.
Have fun with that!
Anticlimax alert.
Then I woke up from anesthesia to be informed that all the tendons in my knee were, in fact, fine. Big, chopping surgery with drills & such was not performed. Arthroscopic exploration (which surgeon did say nothing was 100% till that) revealed that all of the issues stemmed from an intra-articular cartilage tear, just under the meniscus. Which.....
Wait for it.
There is currently no available solution for.
I sat in my bed in puzzlement, looking from lifeshighway (BFF) to nurses to leg & back to lifeshighway.
What?
What happened instead was that the surgeon debrided (read: power sanded & sucked out) all the loose cartilage edges & built up inflammatory tissue (a lot!), wrapped it up & sent me home, now neatly moved into the "oop, can't fix, no longer interesting surgical case" category.
It's not a bad thing that I now have a two-three month recovery instead of an eight month one. But now I'm sitting here with this heap of plan in my lap going, Heh. Now what?
After the nerve block wore off, I spent Saturday in a whole new world of pain I didn't even know existed (thank cod I requested the stronger drugs), was dragged to salvation by two amazing friends, had insane explosion of plan remnants yesterday in "you can't make this shit up" realm, & now on Tuesday am just resting till I go back to work & PT next Monday.
Long term prognosis: I am now a horse. We will try maintenance HA (hyaluronic acid; at least I'm a nice enough horse that I get the expensive stuff) injections & I will rebuild muscle around the joint. I will then just manage flare-ups until someone invents a solution.
Lifeshighway & I remain scratching our heads from the abrupt departure from expected occurrences. I've been putting this thing together since late summer, building up to it, building up to it, ready to get my solution, then WHAM-O! Just kidding, you'll be fine by February, except not really. Now you're just another person with a bum knee.
Have fun with that!
November 12, 2012
The Eagle Has Landed
"You could totes be a model...."
Maybe that's what Encore's friends tell him. And by friends I mean, one friend who likes to bite him. Who is not really a friend, more like a food-stealing, bossy, co-dependent dominator.
But there has indeed been a noteworthy landing...of a Dover store in Raleigh (about 25 minutes from my house). So BFF and I had to jump in the car and check out the grand opening sales, naturally.
Much to my bank account's dismay (although all it knows is dismay, so perhaps it didn't notice), I decided I needed a consolation prize for the fact that things were going to suck really badly for quite some time. So aside from the two years' worth of wormer and vetwrap (I ALWAYS stock up when that stuff is on sale! $0.99 a roll, I mean, come on!), I walked around the corner and stopped dead in front of this (for those of you who missed it on TFS Facebook):
Holy crap! you exclaim, Is that a custom wool dress sheet in exact Team Flying Solo colours? Why yes, yes it is. At 1/3 of its regular price. Horse and trailer not included. Mine. The picture really does not do it justice; the colours are rich and gorgeous and I am quite sure we will intimidate the competition simply by stepping off the trailer next year.
I also found the grail of my year long quest: a dressage pad with blue binding. Well, close enough. Enough with the black and white thing, DQ's, live a little!
That pretty much took care of my year's worth of horse purchases. Of course, I always snag a pair of breeches when they are on sale, since I have a pile in various stages of decay from daily use.
I also did an experiment and verified that you were NOT immediately encapsulated in a metal cage and shot if you uttered SmartPak's name. You do, however, get a glare from the store manager.
Sorry, Dover, love ya, but SmartPak already stole my soul when they delivered my cat food for free. BUT nobody carries everything, so the beauty of this one is that you can order anything you want from the Dover catalog and then pick it up at the store. Not that I often need much at this point, but I HATE PAYING SHIPPING. There, I said it, I'm spoiled.
I'm not sure how much will be left of that sheet though, after I spend months petting it in my lap until I can jump sweet jumps again...
Maybe that's what Encore's friends tell him. And by friends I mean, one friend who likes to bite him. Who is not really a friend, more like a food-stealing, bossy, co-dependent dominator.
But there has indeed been a noteworthy landing...of a Dover store in Raleigh (about 25 minutes from my house). So BFF and I had to jump in the car and check out the grand opening sales, naturally.
Much to my bank account's dismay (although all it knows is dismay, so perhaps it didn't notice), I decided I needed a consolation prize for the fact that things were going to suck really badly for quite some time. So aside from the two years' worth of wormer and vetwrap (I ALWAYS stock up when that stuff is on sale! $0.99 a roll, I mean, come on!), I walked around the corner and stopped dead in front of this (for those of you who missed it on TFS Facebook):
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| Easy on the orange blush there, tiger. |
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| Work it, baby. |
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| Click to enlarge. |
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| His Highness approves of your offerings. |
Sorry, Dover, love ya, but SmartPak already stole my soul when they delivered my cat food for free. BUT nobody carries everything, so the beauty of this one is that you can order anything you want from the Dover catalog and then pick it up at the store. Not that I often need much at this point, but I HATE PAYING SHIPPING. There, I said it, I'm spoiled.
I'm not sure how much will be left of that sheet though, after I spend months petting it in my lap until I can jump sweet jumps again...
November 6, 2012
An Emotional Blender
Our farrier met me in a bitterly cold wind this afternoon and pulled Encore's shoes; the final touch ending my desperate attempt at a fall season. At least I won't have to get all crabby about riding in the dark all winter.
It's not all bad -- Encore no longer shows any pain in his hip or hindquarter from his ligament injury, which is great. Now we just need to work on loosening up the tight tendons and ligaments in the area and make sure to keep them moving throughout the winter. The Majykal Hotwalker (my new best friend) will help keep his muscles toned and hopefully, the round pen and a lovely rider of a friend can keep a hint of topline on him.
In addition, there is Amber. Delightful, thoughtful, enthusiastic Amber who showed up out of nowhere and brightened my life really at its darkest moment. She will be helping me keep Solo in shape and showering him with the attention he has been craving. I laughed out loud on Sunday as I glanced at him: Amber was brushing him and his bright eyes and pricked ears were locked on me, saying, "FINALLY! Thank you for this most excellent minion!" He was in heaven. At least until he found out there would be SOME work involved. But he was quickly bribed back to joy with a giant peppermint stick.
My surgery comes next Friday and this week is a crazy one at work, so the clock is ticking. I will be stockpiling feed and digging out my old crutches and relishing my last moments with my legs wrapped around a warm, wonderful horse. I lean against their necks and breathe deeply, hoping I can save up their essence to get me through to the other side.
It's not all bad -- Encore no longer shows any pain in his hip or hindquarter from his ligament injury, which is great. Now we just need to work on loosening up the tight tendons and ligaments in the area and make sure to keep them moving throughout the winter. The Majykal Hotwalker (my new best friend) will help keep his muscles toned and hopefully, the round pen and a lovely rider of a friend can keep a hint of topline on him.
In addition, there is Amber. Delightful, thoughtful, enthusiastic Amber who showed up out of nowhere and brightened my life really at its darkest moment. She will be helping me keep Solo in shape and showering him with the attention he has been craving. I laughed out loud on Sunday as I glanced at him: Amber was brushing him and his bright eyes and pricked ears were locked on me, saying, "FINALLY! Thank you for this most excellent minion!" He was in heaven. At least until he found out there would be SOME work involved. But he was quickly bribed back to joy with a giant peppermint stick.My surgery comes next Friday and this week is a crazy one at work, so the clock is ticking. I will be stockpiling feed and digging out my old crutches and relishing my last moments with my legs wrapped around a warm, wonderful horse. I lean against their necks and breathe deeply, hoping I can save up their essence to get me through to the other side.
November 2, 2012
The Guestest With The Bestest
I am proud to introduce you to Amber, who humoured me and has written a guest blog for us today. She contacted me through email about my woeful longings for Solo to have a job again and to get him back into shape. We had our first meeting this past Sunday and she is fantastic. Not only does she have a lovely seat and posture, she got the Solo seal of approval, a list which only has two people on it, AND she's just a fun person! Perhaps my red love boy is finally relaxing and learning that its ok to trust the people I bring him. He thoroughly enjoyed his job as caretaker and Amber very quickly re-found her balance and rhythm. I couldn't be more excited and proud for my beloved shiny horse and so happy and grateful to have met such a great person.
Without further ado, take it away, Amber!
__________________________________________________________
Everything. Hurts. And it’s glorious. I couldn’t be happier to be this stiff and sore! It’s
so completely worth it for the experience of riding Solo. And I guess a
statement like that begs for some background information.
While I haven’t left comments on this blog, I’ve lurked in the background for a while. I’d sit reading away every morning when I got to work; yes I was procrastinating. It was just a nice window into a sport I enjoyed in my teens. I
stopped riding about 15 years ago and pretty firmly closed the door on
that part of my life. It’s funny how horses manage to creep back into
your heart and your life, sometimes when you aren’t expecting it at all.
One morning I read Brena’s blog post about Solo needing some attention
and exercise, and all of my casual thoughts of getting back into
eventing became this uncontrollable urge to start fresh with this horse.
It’s the Solo magic I think. Before I knew it, I was emailing like a
complete creeper to see if this stranger would let me ride her horse. Imagine
my surprise when instead of a restraining order, I received an email
response! Brena has been immensely generous with her time, expertise,
and her shiny wonder boy.
I drove up and was privileged to ride Solo this past Sunday. Of
course when I first saw him, Solo was running around his pasture
screaming and performing aerial maneuvers I haven’t seen outside of a
Royal Lipizzaner Stallion performance [eventer79 notes: Encore was on the hotwalker and Solo disapproved and there was a cold wind blowing up his tail]. I just looked at
Brena as she laughed and said “that’s my broken horse”. I’ll admit, I
definitely had a moment of questioning my sanity as I watched him gallop
and buck. As soon as he realized we were coming to get him though he
settled right down. It was awesome to see his happy face as he received
some well-deserved attention from his minions. Solo is very expressive,
and it was easy to see he enjoys having people fawn over him.
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| Wait till she gets to do this... Damn, he looked good then! |
As
I scrambled aboard he was a saint, and definitely babysat me as I
exhibited amazing feats of clumsiness and a complete lack of
coordination. It is simultaneously humbling and hilarious
to ask your muscles to do things that they haven’t even considered for
15 years. My brain said one thing and my body did something completely
different! I’m so grateful that Solo took such good care of me, and I
know he most definitely took pity on me because I really doubt any of my
cues were very effective. I’m also grateful that Brena is
willing to allow me to ride His Shine-ness, and I look forward to the
both of us slowly getting back into shape. Who knows, maybe someday you
guys will see us out doing a maiden course somewhere. But for now, Sweet
Heavens to Betsy…I am a bowlegged mess, and this is several days later!
I’ll take being this horribly sore any day if it means I’ve been out
riding.
October 31, 2012
A Gear In The Complex Machine, Pt. II
I took up my traditional role as the finish timer of Phase D. I love seeing the big grins as each partnership gallop through the finish flags, having finished the greatest accomplishment in our sport: endurance day of a true long format event.
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| Tools of the trade. |
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| It also came with a friend. 3 minutes can be long... |
It went something like this (warning, terrible cell phone video resolution):
The latter was one of my favourite horses, Mr. President. a big drafty paint cross who was actually a lovely mover and jumper and had the sweetest face; I wanted to pick him up and put him in my (very large) pocket and take him home.
But it wasn't all the same thing. Some had more trouble than others with the concept of flags (apologies again for poor video but the conversation is worth it)...
By afternoon, it was done. I believe one horse withdrew in the vet box and the only fall was an unfortunate soul whose mount tripped and fell on his knees starting Phase A. Trotting. Fortunately, you don't get eliminated for that.
After that, it's a like snowball rolling downhill, already having gathered so much momentum, your exhausted brain just rolls along with it. Scoresheets were all turned over the the head scorer, we all ran away and passed out after a final review of which prizes go where, and the sun had set on a fantastic day.
Saturday was almost anticlimactic after the thrill of completing the day before. After the morning jog up, I worked as pole steward when tired or looky horses didn't quite get all four feet over and as holder of all prizes for distribution. The three divisions (2 Training, 1 Novice) jumped around, collected their loot, and we bolted for home.
Even greater though, is the knowledge and experience I gain with each trip. Not only do I meet new judges, officials, clincians, product reps, and adult riders, but I learn tidbits from the seemingly bottomless well of how to successfully complete a long format event. Things you never get from a clinic or a lesson. When I finally DO make it to competitor status, I will be the one sitting there feeling (relatively) confident about exactly what is going to happen every day, as well as how to be not only successful but EFFICIENT with my competition plan. Because I've seen what worked and I've seen what didn't and I've seen the difference between how you ride and manage a true 3-day horse and how you ride a regular horse trial horse.
And all I remember thinking, the whole time this year, was, Encore could totally own this...
October 29, 2012
A Gear In The Complex Machine, Pt. I
Before I start, to all my friends, human and equine, north of me, please stay safe and wear a lifejacket! I know those areas are not as accustomed to our tropical visitors as we are down here, so just buy an extra case of beer and keep your blankets handy.
I've been gone the last four days (Wed-Sat, I know, I heard you sobbing) doing my annual volunteer stint at the Waredaca Training 3-Day Event (now including the Novice 3-Day!), which is run by my beloved Area II Adult Riders (see sidebar) group with the help of Gretchen Butts, the owner of Waredaca who donates the use of her amazing facility (omg, the XC footing...) to use for the event. As longtime readers know, this event has been my riding goal ever since I first set foot on the showgrounds in 2009. And hell or high water (both of which you might actually be in right now?), I WILL ride that course. I tried to make it happen last year. We all know how that ended. But not this year.
I am always a strong proponent of volunteering for our sport. I firmly believe EVERY SINGLE MEMBER from me to Boyd Martin should be required to spend 8 hours volunteering each year if they want to compete at a recognized event. Doing ANYTHING. Because there is a lot more to running a horse trial than judging cross country jumps. Every time you are out there competing, we are running around like mad behind the scenes, most of us completely unpaid, there for the love of the sport, without which, you couldn't feel the rush of that course. We make it happen for you - pass it on.
Psh, a few judges, a TD, and some jump judges, what more could it take, you think?
I arrived around lunchtime on Wednesday; the first soundness jog-up was scheduled for late afternoon. OMG, THE SUN WAS SHINING (This never happens; the T3D is usually held in 30 mph wind with a cold rain, during which I wear all the clothes in my suitcase at one time)! I held on for dear life as the golf cart launched into warp drive to collect order of go sheets, distribute them to Gary from GRC, our dedicated photographer, Brian O'Connor (yeah, that one), smart-ass the entertaining announcer, TD, ground jury, and myself (jog steward) and one fellow yearly volunteer who also doubles as the stabling manager (MASSIVE job who is in charge of everything including safety checks, shavings, payments, posting announcements, answering 1,000 questions, and keeping the snack bowl stocked). We also hold a briefing for riders, led by Stephen Bradley of how to organize your time and pace on endurance day (roads and tracks, steeplechase, cross country). The riders stare back like spotlit kittens on a highway.
Post-jog, there is dinner to prepare for, dressage tests to be organized on clipboards with 27 pens apiece for judges and scribes, more orders of go for the warmup steward and all the rest (that printer's already smoking in protest), The arena is set up, and everyone is already in pre-freak-out mode about endurance day (Friday).
Thursday, as the frightened kittens riders perform their tests in the sandbox, I am once again clinging to a golf cart that is surely performing outside of its design specifications as we bounce off clumps of dirt on the side of a hill. Have all the flags been staked for roads and tracks? Where is the steeplechase practice jump? Will the steeplechase be the same for Novice and Training (nah, they hedge-trimmed inbetween)? Has someone fixed that decoration that blew over? How are we going to stretch the 10 extra Friday volunteers (for shame, peeps, for shame) over 47 positions? Is the 10-minute box roped off? Can someone put out the finish flags for phase C? Where is the start box for D? Who will be control for cross country and will they be on the same radio channel as roads and tracks? Has anyone seen the TD? Have we picked rider reps yet? Don't tell them how much paperwork it involves. No one has STILL fixed the blowover? Thank cod vet school minions are showing up to help in the 10-minute box! Will we ever convince the kittens that the end of B and the start of C are the same location? By the way, did anyone ever mark that?
You get the idea.
I managed to steal about 30 minutes to watch Tremaine Cooper (FEI course builder and excellent teacher) and Stephen Bradley coach some of the riders through steeplechase practice after their dressage tests. Two words: FAST and FUN. Just let go, ride the gallop, and it becomes a beautiful thing.
Then I spent about 1.5 hours putting together all the clipboards for endurance day judges, talking through the system with the volunteer coordinator, labeling, re-labeling, stacking, mapping, and hoping people would actually show up. After that, it was helping Michele, our magical, incredible prize coordinator, organize prize buckets and loot from a variety of donors and sponsors.
Then it was more dinner, including more attempts by our dedicated volunteer vet, Dr. Julie, and Max Corcoran (do I even need to explain who she is?) to teach riders how to untangle the pile of 4 phases of string and make it into a smooth line of endurance day awesomeness: A - B - C - 10 min box - D - vet check - done.
Led by a cold beer and a warm bed, I was passed out by 9:30 pm. And there were still two days to make happen, two days to give 50 lucky people the (safe!) ride of their lives around a championship level course. Easy....
To be continued...
 |
| Seriously, sun!! At Waredaca!! In October!!! |
I am always a strong proponent of volunteering for our sport. I firmly believe EVERY SINGLE MEMBER from me to Boyd Martin should be required to spend 8 hours volunteering each year if they want to compete at a recognized event. Doing ANYTHING. Because there is a lot more to running a horse trial than judging cross country jumps. Every time you are out there competing, we are running around like mad behind the scenes, most of us completely unpaid, there for the love of the sport, without which, you couldn't feel the rush of that course. We make it happen for you - pass it on.
Psh, a few judges, a TD, and some jump judges, what more could it take, you think?
 |
| Task Priori: Keep Russell the russell warm! |
Post-jog, there is dinner to prepare for, dressage tests to be organized on clipboards with 27 pens apiece for judges and scribes, more orders of go for the warmup steward and all the rest (that printer's already smoking in protest), The arena is set up, and everyone is already in pre-freak-out mode about endurance day (Friday).
 |
| The 10-minute box: the last thing between you and XC |
You get the idea.
I managed to steal about 30 minutes to watch Tremaine Cooper (FEI course builder and excellent teacher) and Stephen Bradley coach some of the riders through steeplechase practice after their dressage tests. Two words: FAST and FUN. Just let go, ride the gallop, and it becomes a beautiful thing.
 |
| Want it done right? Hire OCD girl. |
Then it was more dinner, including more attempts by our dedicated volunteer vet, Dr. Julie, and Max Corcoran (do I even need to explain who she is?) to teach riders how to untangle the pile of 4 phases of string and make it into a smooth line of endurance day awesomeness: A - B - C - 10 min box - D - vet check - done.
Led by a cold beer and a warm bed, I was passed out by 9:30 pm. And there were still two days to make happen, two days to give 50 lucky people the (safe!) ride of their lives around a championship level course. Easy....
To be continued...
October 23, 2012
I Think It's Over Now
I've been in this blind panic, trying to get Encore going properly for Virginia, my destination event of the year, the one thing I've set my sights on that was to be a balm for my life, a grand adventure of a true 3-day event with a great team of friends.
I've decided instead to invest in pet rocks.
Encore has had soreness in his left hip ever since he slipped at Five Points in September. I, like an idiot, took two horse trials to figure out what was even going on. It's not like him to go into the ring and pull 5 rails in stadium. He should NOT be getting 44's in dressage. I blamed my riding, I blamed lack of preparation. FINALLY, I was able to piece together the evidence, see a timeline and figure out he was just plain sore.
Dr. Bob came out several times, as mentioned previously. He put the skeletal pieces back where they belong and gave the muscles and ligaments a little juicy help.
On our Facebook page, I mentioned we did a trail ride on Saturday -- some walk/trot work on hills. As soon as he picked up the trot though, I could feel his diagonals were uneven. The muscles in his hindquarters fatigued quickly. He was hot and sweaty in less than an hour; not normal for a fit young horse. There was obviously something else stressing his system.
So I spoke to Dr. Bob yesterday and he instructed me to try everything last night and see what I had.
What I had was a tense, anxious horse, ears pinned back, teeth grinding, tail swishing, who would not step under with his left hind. He kicked out, he dropped his hind end in downward transitions, and in general, I felt like I was torturing him. But I had to collect the data. After the ride, I admit I ended in tears because I knew he was only getting worse in work and I knew that, barring unicorn magic, our journey for the year was over after a frustrating fall half-season and now, my riding was done for a long time.
I palpated and tested and stretched post-ride. Everything seemed concentrated around the SI/ligaments/muscles on top of his left hip. Strains to the SI ligament often happen when a horse slips at a gallop at the moment that leg is loaded: exactly what he did a month and a half ago. I will talk to Dr. Bob again later today and I will wait and see, but odds are I will be calling in a scratch next week and I will just eat $400.
Because there comes a point where it's all about you and stops being about your horse. I could probably push him through the event, but then it is all about my personal wants and NOT about what is best for him in the long term. So I choose him. I choose what I hope will allow him to continue to perform for many years to come.
It could change, something magical might happen in the next week. That has not been my experience. While I am heartbroken, there is also a little bit of relief -- taking away the pressure of getting to the horse trial took away the panic and anxiety of wondering how he will make it. Now if it works, that's great, but if it doesn't, I'm now mentally prepared to pull his shoes and start over again next summer.
So now it's just me and two half-broken horses, kicking around the broken remnants of our goals. Maybe we'll share a beer and share a dream of a brighter comeback. Maybe we'll just lean on each other and watch the days crawl by, waiting, always waiting, for a little luck to glance our way.
 |
| He never gets sore spots. |
Encore has had soreness in his left hip ever since he slipped at Five Points in September. I, like an idiot, took two horse trials to figure out what was even going on. It's not like him to go into the ring and pull 5 rails in stadium. He should NOT be getting 44's in dressage. I blamed my riding, I blamed lack of preparation. FINALLY, I was able to piece together the evidence, see a timeline and figure out he was just plain sore.
Dr. Bob came out several times, as mentioned previously. He put the skeletal pieces back where they belong and gave the muscles and ligaments a little juicy help.
On our Facebook page, I mentioned we did a trail ride on Saturday -- some walk/trot work on hills. As soon as he picked up the trot though, I could feel his diagonals were uneven. The muscles in his hindquarters fatigued quickly. He was hot and sweaty in less than an hour; not normal for a fit young horse. There was obviously something else stressing his system.
So I spoke to Dr. Bob yesterday and he instructed me to try everything last night and see what I had.
What I had was a tense, anxious horse, ears pinned back, teeth grinding, tail swishing, who would not step under with his left hind. He kicked out, he dropped his hind end in downward transitions, and in general, I felt like I was torturing him. But I had to collect the data. After the ride, I admit I ended in tears because I knew he was only getting worse in work and I knew that, barring unicorn magic, our journey for the year was over after a frustrating fall half-season and now, my riding was done for a long time.
Because there comes a point where it's all about you and stops being about your horse. I could probably push him through the event, but then it is all about my personal wants and NOT about what is best for him in the long term. So I choose him. I choose what I hope will allow him to continue to perform for many years to come.
It could change, something magical might happen in the next week. That has not been my experience. While I am heartbroken, there is also a little bit of relief -- taking away the pressure of getting to the horse trial took away the panic and anxiety of wondering how he will make it. Now if it works, that's great, but if it doesn't, I'm now mentally prepared to pull his shoes and start over again next summer.
So now it's just me and two half-broken horses, kicking around the broken remnants of our goals. Maybe we'll share a beer and share a dream of a brighter comeback. Maybe we'll just lean on each other and watch the days crawl by, waiting, always waiting, for a little luck to glance our way.
October 18, 2012
Back To School
So many things going, trying to cram every possible moment in before I am hobbled....
Batman (Dr. Bob -- he and Robin broke up, so now we only have the one, snif) visited on Tuesday and "refixed" Encore. As I suspected, his tight hip muscle had rotated his pelvis again and his sacrum was tilted from his slips at 5 Points, so that all got worked out and he got a bit of muscle relaxer in the left hip ligaments to hopefully help keep things in place, along with a steroid in the right hip to tighten up that muscle for the same reason. He has two days off, then tomorrow, a 2-hour date with the hot walker. This weekend, we'll go back into work with low jumps and next week, with bated breath, training resumes.
The good part of the tradeoff is that I have gotten to spend some much-needed time with Solo. Last night, we went down to the arena and did some stretching, lateral work, and transitions. Damn, that horse is a nice-moving, well-trained horse. Sigh. I suspect he could improve with an SI injection, but he, unlike his brother, is uninsured so no bone scan or fancy back needles are in his future.
He still felt good once he warmed up and he still loves that extended trot (well, the lopsided version his current out of shape self can do). I give thanks to Encore for making me a significantly better rider, so I was able to keep Solo soft in the bridle and push his back legs forward forward forward (No easy feat. Solo firmly assures me that his butt only exists to hold his tail on). Oh how I long to run a XC course on him again -- I am sure he does as well!
As we finished, our BO came into the ring for the weekly adult lesson group and we started talking. I've offered Solo to him as a lesson horse for the many kid lessons he gives where they are just walking around, learning the basics and being comfortable on a horse. Mr. Shiny is kind and generous, completely unphased by children running beneath his belly (yes, they have, headshake), and in about four steps, if he knows you are clueless, he will move at a snail's speed and take excellent care of you. It will give him a chance to feel important (he loves having his ego stroked, you should see him ponying Encore, he takes no sass) and to be brushed and petted by new people, all the attention that he craves.
I have mixed feelings -- because of his past, I have always been very careful about the scenarios that I put him in, and because of his trust issues, I watch carefully to make sure no one accidentally waves the red flag. There are certain shadows that will never vanish. No one is able to longe him or even carry a longe whip by him except for me and he keeps a close eye on all other kinds of whips, especially if they are held up at the ready. Despite years of training him to give to poll pressure, he will still freak out if he steps on his own rope or backs up against his halter. It will be hard for me to know that someone is handling him when I am not there.
But if there is one person I trust to protect him and respect him, it is this BO. Solo is already the darling of the barn staff (he's so manipulative) and BO is no exception. I have spent months watching him train and ride his own and clients' horses, as well as work with his own instructor and he is the real deal. I have never once seen him be unfair or harsh with a horse or allow his students to be.
It will be ok, it will be ok, it will be ok......
Batman (Dr. Bob -- he and Robin broke up, so now we only have the one, snif) visited on Tuesday and "refixed" Encore. As I suspected, his tight hip muscle had rotated his pelvis again and his sacrum was tilted from his slips at 5 Points, so that all got worked out and he got a bit of muscle relaxer in the left hip ligaments to hopefully help keep things in place, along with a steroid in the right hip to tighten up that muscle for the same reason. He has two days off, then tomorrow, a 2-hour date with the hot walker. This weekend, we'll go back into work with low jumps and next week, with bated breath, training resumes.The good part of the tradeoff is that I have gotten to spend some much-needed time with Solo. Last night, we went down to the arena and did some stretching, lateral work, and transitions. Damn, that horse is a nice-moving, well-trained horse. Sigh. I suspect he could improve with an SI injection, but he, unlike his brother, is uninsured so no bone scan or fancy back needles are in his future.
He still felt good once he warmed up and he still loves that extended trot (well, the lopsided version his current out of shape self can do). I give thanks to Encore for making me a significantly better rider, so I was able to keep Solo soft in the bridle and push his back legs forward forward forward (No easy feat. Solo firmly assures me that his butt only exists to hold his tail on). Oh how I long to run a XC course on him again -- I am sure he does as well!
I have mixed feelings -- because of his past, I have always been very careful about the scenarios that I put him in, and because of his trust issues, I watch carefully to make sure no one accidentally waves the red flag. There are certain shadows that will never vanish. No one is able to longe him or even carry a longe whip by him except for me and he keeps a close eye on all other kinds of whips, especially if they are held up at the ready. Despite years of training him to give to poll pressure, he will still freak out if he steps on his own rope or backs up against his halter. It will be hard for me to know that someone is handling him when I am not there.
But if there is one person I trust to protect him and respect him, it is this BO. Solo is already the darling of the barn staff (he's so manipulative) and BO is no exception. I have spent months watching him train and ride his own and clients' horses, as well as work with his own instructor and he is the real deal. I have never once seen him be unfair or harsh with a horse or allow his students to be.
It will be ok, it will be ok, it will be ok......
October 13, 2012
Waiting....
I'm terrible at it. So perhaps it's a good thing I've been left in charge of the farm this weekend while everyone is shining their silver at the State Fair. With still about 30 horses left behind and a pony with an eye infection, plus pasture dragging and arena mowing -- oh wait, skip that one, the mower wouldn't start. At any rate, better than fidgeting.
I don't want to do anything meaningful with Encore until Dr. Bob has a chance to set right what is sore. Solo is quite of out shape; we did a bit of walk/trot work the other day (see our FB feed) and he was fantastic, but it definitely woke up some long-slumbering muscles who now whine in protest.
So instead, tonight I rode out bareback into the sunset, Solo's familar sway beneath me and Encore's bright face at my knee as we ponied him through quarreling mockingbirds and the fat-rolling scramble of groundhogs in a perfect early fall evening. It was good to get them both moving slightly faster than a lazy pasture amble and good to be on a horse after tractors and pitchforks and grain scoops and hoses.
Only two more days, two more days....
I don't want to do anything meaningful with Encore until Dr. Bob has a chance to set right what is sore. Solo is quite of out shape; we did a bit of walk/trot work the other day (see our FB feed) and he was fantastic, but it definitely woke up some long-slumbering muscles who now whine in protest.
So instead, tonight I rode out bareback into the sunset, Solo's familar sway beneath me and Encore's bright face at my knee as we ponied him through quarreling mockingbirds and the fat-rolling scramble of groundhogs in a perfect early fall evening. It was good to get them both moving slightly faster than a lazy pasture amble and good to be on a horse after tractors and pitchforks and grain scoops and hoses.
Only two more days, two more days....
