Learning Curves and Back for Good

I must say, seventeen months is a completely inappropriate amount of time to be MIA for this blog. However, with much due apologies, I promise to be back for good. After struggling through this past year, I decided that it would be best to take a step back in both my blogging and competing to focus on both Princess and myself. But, I am ready than ever to take on the last six months I have to make it the best possible. 

Recently, I began training with Tami Crawford in April of this year, after having the opportunity to clinic with her last November. For the reason that she is two and a half hours away, and to put less stress on Princess, we decided to keep her at Tami's stable near Nashville, TN. I train and work with Princess twice a week, while continuing to ride Cody, as well as a few other horses, at home, every day. It didn't take long for me to see Traveller's Rest as the happiest place on earth. The stable not only absolutely lovely, but it is ran in the utmost professional way. Tami is incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging, which has obviously flowed into the mindset of the rest of her clients and riders. 

To briefly update you on this last year, last summer, I was a working student for Gwen and Sharon Poulin at their stable in Deleon Springs, FL. It was a great learning experience to have to take care of 20+ horses, and get to see what all goes into making an athlete. It also gave me a glance at what intense level of dedication is required to be successful in this sport. 

Upon my return at the end of the summer, in August, Princess and I continued to excel as we were unlocking her potential and working harder than ever before. With the plan to compete in the FEI Junior division this year (2016), we were doing better than I could have dreamed. I was fortunate enough to ride with Jeremy Steinberg and Janet Foy in September, both of whom said she was more than capable of scoring consistent 8's. Both Princess and I were in a very successful place in our career, taking strides every day. 

However, in the horse world, not everything goes as planned. At the end of October, Princess became rather different to ride. It wasn't too obvious, her attitude didn't change, but she was becoming more stiff and resistant to ride, however still trying to please. She began rapidly losing muscle and weight, going from being a top conditioned athlete to very underweight in less than three weeks. After two months of supplements and talking to the vet, she had a last resort idea to scope Princess for ulcers in her Larynx, as her appetite had started to slowly drop and her nose had become very runny. Indeed so, she was confirmed to have major ulcers in her  larynx. This would explain the loss of appetite and bracing/resistance when in training. For being untreated for three months, the ulcers were very severe and would require another three months to heal completely. So, from January until April, Princess would be on a strict work schedule consisting of only stretching to build muscle and allow her larynx to remain relaxed. 

Fortunately, since then, she has made huge steps in building her topline and for us to work as a team again. Tami has gone above and beyond in helping me not only get Princess back on track, but push us to the next level. I am so lucky to be able to work with Tami and her wonderful assistant trainer, Kristy, and to be a part of her stable. That being, said, everything works out, and you will always end up where you are meant to be. It will be exciting to see where this year takes me, and I cannot wait to share the experiences with you. 

  

It's Been Quite A While...

Well, well, well. It's been about a month since my last blog post, and I promised to post more. I didn't exactly keep my promise, but a lot of personal things have happened since January that has kept me from writing. However, I do have quite a bit of new things to keep you interested for today's post. 

To start with, Both Princess and I's progress together has improved tremendously. We are starting to work as a team, and she is starting to trust me more each day. I have been playing with some choreography for my Junior freestyle, but, unfortunately, the snow has kept me from doing regular workouts- instead they are only 30 minutes instead of an hour. However, she is an incredible horse to work with, and I am excited to see how this year goes. 

Unfortunately for me, the little town of Paducah was dumped with 12 inches of snow over the course of two days (15 inches if you count the drifts in the arena). So that has left me to dance in the snow- with Princess, that is. I will say that the snow does serve as constant trot poles, so we spent yesterday playing with half steps and passage because I the snow wouldn't allow a straight collected trot. It makes me happy to see what my mare will do, instead of just imagining what she can do. 

Angela will be coming back from Florida sometime next week, so I hope to have a lesson with her as soon as she gets back. She has been so supportive despite the fact that she has been over 900 miles away for the past two months. I can't wait for her to get back and see our progress and help improve us even more for this show season. 

As for Cody, he is enjoying his retirement. I still hack him around the farm and do some dressage with him quite often, as he gets fairly jealous quickly. However, in late January, he pulled a tendon running around in the field. Fortunately, it just took a few days of hand walking and poulticing to mend, and now he is at it again. 

I am so fortunate to be blessed with such incredible horses. Every day with them is a blessing, so I will never take it for granted. Without Cody, I wouldn't be the rider I am, and without Princess, I wouldn't be able to compete and learn at the level I am. They both are just incredible!

Welcoming New Opportunities

Two weeks ago, my horse-shopping came to an end, and I could not be more excited! After months and months of endless searching, the horse-shopping excitement was starting to get old. In the oddest ways, everything does workout how it should, and I ended up with the best horse for me. 

About three weeks ago, Angela informed me about an extremely talented horse she thought would be great for me. Upon further discussion, her father had bred the mare- yes, mare- and she was the last foal by Angela's FEI Grand Prix stallion, River H. Angela believed that this mare would not only get me where I want, but teach me so much along the way. 

The mare is a seven coming eight year old Zweibrücker who was shown through Third but schooled Fourth and much of the Prix St. George, with definite potential for Brentina Cup. She stands at a gigantic 17.3 with the presence that makes her feels so much bigger. Despite the fact that just a couple months back, I had stated that getting a mare was not going to happen, her sweet and loving character won me over in the first five minutes. 

The mare's name is River's Princess H and she could not live up to her name more. Pink and patent everything with anything a Princess would want! We brought her home this past Sunday, and she jump right into the swing of things. Everything I do, she just says "yes". Not to mention how quickly she has gotten attached to me. Every time I leave the groom-stall, she gets upset and when I turn her out, she stands at the gate and stares at the barn doors for ten or fifteen minutes! 

I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. Princess is not only talented and an incredible mover, but she has the heart and kind spirit to make working with her just a blast.

Young Horses

This past month, I have had the opportunity to start training with Angela Jackson. Angela trains out of Rhine River Farm in Henderson, KY, which is only two hours away from Paducah. Since she is so much closer, I am able to train with her weekly, which is really going to help me as I continue up the levels. However, instead of trailering Cody to Henderson once a week, she has allowed me to start working with her young horses- which is incredible. I have never ridden a horse younger than the age of 9, so being able to work with these talented, young animals will boost my education to the next level as I plan to bring up a young horse in several years. I have learned so much in just five lessons of working with young/green horses. 

To begin with, young horses work so much more differently than an educated eight year old. Everything you do with them is different: they way you ride them, the way you warm them up. Both their bodies and minds are not fully developed so training them must be approached in a welcoming manner. Not only must you keep them working and moving forward in their career, but you HAVE to keep them interested. You have to break things down to the most simple way possible so that they can understand and achieve new things without feeling confused or over faced, as confidence is the main part of training any horse. You have to handle things in a quiet manner while regaining their attention and keeping them focused. So, while remembering all of this, you must continue to train the horse in the most pleasant and enjoyable way possible. 

Especially with these young horses, you have to be patient, which includes a lot of- what some might call- "boring" work. Despite the fact that you may be just trotting around the arena, working on getting the four year old to follow the bit, is so much more beneficial to them than jerking their heads down and drilling the halfpass. It is necessary that with these young horses, that we teach them willingly. Jerking and forcing them into a "frame" does nothing but create a horse that must always be ridden with force. It is all about giving, with these youngsters. Yesterday, I rode Figaro- a four year old- completely above the bit, yet he still carried himself correctly, using his back and sitting through the haunches. Forcing any horse, for that matter, is not necessary, nor is it correct in any way. 

Quote from the British Horse Society:

 In order to properly develop a FEI horse, you must take into consideration the time and patience that goes into these horses. Just like Angela has said: "We have all of these FEI quality young horses, but no riders". This is because not just anyone can develop and train a young horse, it takes a certain amount of experience and patience- that not very many people have. It takes, easily, two years to train a young horse to eagerly follow and reach for the bit- many people want to cut corners and make it one year. The US needs young riders to show an interest in bringing up these quality young horses, for the future of US Dressage. 

Fortunately, there has been a growing awareness of the necessity of well educated Young Horse trainers/riders. I have recently seen a great article in the USDF Connection about the works of a Young Horse. These youngsters are blank canvases and must be treated with the utmost care and focus in order to create a beautiful piece of art. Take the German Young Horse program for example- the reason why they do so well and the scores keep getting higher, is because of the abundance of well educated Young Horse riders. In order for the future of US Dressage to be secure- and it has been improving tremendously in the past ten years- the young horse stock must not only have movement and quality, but talent under saddle, which can only come from a well educated rider. 

Do What Makes You Happy

Two whole months, am I crazy? Two whole months and I haven't even thought about a blog post! Fortunately enough, I did have one already written out, so I just had to tweak it and post it. However, a lot has happened this month, we moved Cody back home for the winter and I started working with a trainer much closer to home- so I will be able to lesson weekly and continue riding everyday. But, this time I promise to write at least twice a month, no excuses. Now that Cody is home, I can start writing about his training and plans for the future, as well as any other horse that joins the journey.

These past few months I have been plagued with the question of what makes me happy. For some people, plagued may not be the right word, but it is all in how you look at it. I've wanted to write about this for quite sometime, but I just haven't had the courage to post it. This is a very controversial topic for some people, but I feel that this is something that many need to realize. I know that I'm not the only one faced with this problem, which is why I chose to write about this. Many young riders go through these same phases of questions almost everywhere they go. So, I hope I can shine some light for those that are having the same problems.

It seems like everywhere I go and everyone I meet, people are asking me the same question: what do I want to do when I grow up. Well, that's easy. I want to go Professional with this sport. I want to represent my country at the Olympics and WEG, I want to give clinics around the globe, I want to train Dressage horses for a living, and I want to do this everyday for the rest of my life. But, for most people, that's not the answer they are looking for. They want to hear "Doctor, Veterinary, Lawyer, ect.". This has been something that I have had to deal with for quite some time, and I don't understand how people are telling you to "do what makes you happy in life", yet making it unacceptable to do so. 

Ever since I was four and I started riding horses, I wanted to go to the Olympics. Which, all adults thought was pretty cute- thinking that I would grow out of it in a few years. No, unfortunately for them- and eleven years later- I still want to do exactly the same. Why? Because it has always made me happy, I love what I do. Reading, riding, studying, everything is Dressage. So why not continue doing what makes me happy while taking it to the next level. I still am faced with the "oh that's cute" or the "rethink that in a few years" response when they hear my plans. But, it's never going to change. 

Some have even offered up the idea of continuing on to get a job while competing as an AA. But, sitting in a cubicle or work office all day is not at all what I associate with happiness. There is not a job in the world that would make me happier than training and bringing up horses. Happiness, to me, is waking up at 5 a.m. to feed, clean stalls and tack, then continue to ride and train horses until it is time to feed again. On the occasions that I have groomed for trainers, I was up to feed at 5:30 and I stayed until 10 at night untacking and hand walking horses- and I could not have been happier. There are so many people in the job world who do not enjoy their job or just hate what they do; life is too short to be counting the hours until you can go home. I don't want to become one of those people, I want to move mountains and make things happen, not calculate numbers and wait until it's time to leave. 

With that being said, everyone should pursue what they love, even if it is deemed unacceptable. The world would be so much happier if everyone was excited to go to work. At the end of the day, it is our happiness at stake and our life ahead of us. If you have a passion for something, nothing is more exciting than to wake up just to do what you love. 

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty!

After ten days of training, riding, showing, and grooming in Lexington, it does feel good to finally have a full eight hours of sleep. However, I am missing the four a.m. mornings of cleaning stalls and feeding horses. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people to take care of me and raise me along my journey. So, without further ado, I will try to wrap up the week in a blog post.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay on the farm this past week, therefore I was able to get a hands on look of normal morning for a working student- which is something I was so excited to be able to do. I started at five a.m., feeding and cleaning stalls, and cleaning tack during my spare time. It was so peaceful to be able to get up and walk down to the barn in the dark (however bundling up was not something I enjoyed). In afternoon, my mom and I went to the Kentucky Horse Park to help set up arenas and prepare everything for the show, which, despite the rain, was quite fun. I can't wait to finally be able to put all of my working student and grooming practice into effect within the next couple years. 

On Wednesday, we shipped the horses to the Horse Park and set up for the weekend ahead. We schooled the horses in the early afternoon, and Cody schooled around beautifully. We ran through transitions and decided that I would sit the whole test so I could keep Cody under me and I could prepare more effectively for all of my movements. It is such a huge improvement to go from not being able to sit any trot just last year to sitting my whole test this year without any problem.  This weekend had the theme of 'feeling pretty', as Kristin put it. So, both Susan and I were singing "I feel pretty, oh so pretty" as we went around our rides. I will agree, it did help, and yes, I did feel pretty although the silly song is still stuck in my head.

Thursday and Friday went by quickly as I kept busy by running scores and taking care of Cody. Friday morning, I had the wonderful opportunity to watch Caroline Roffman school Susan before her Freestyle Championship. I learned so much that I could put towards and apply to my rides, too.  All of my scores on both of those days were in the high sixties- which, considering it was a regional championship and the judges score harder, made me very proud. On Friday evening, I had my equitation warm up... in the pouring rain. Everyone looked like they were wearing tights as you could see pink skin beneath the soaking, white breeches. Water was dripping through the ventilator holes in my helmet and down the back of my jacket. However, the rain didn't phase Cody and he put in a more than stellar ride, leading me to a win out of 14 other older riders. 

On Saturday, I had my Equitation Semi-Finals. In a huge class of twenty riders, Cody put in another incredible ride which put us sixth with an 81% behind previous Medal Final champions. Being in the top ten cut was an honor in itself. I could not be more proud of our improvement in the past year- I was even told by one of the judges that I had the best toes in the class! 

Sunday was my Training Level Championship and I couldn't be more happy with how it turned out. No, the ribbon wasn't why I was so happy, but because Cody didn't do anything other than be perfect.

He went into the test knowing his job and let me focus on just having a good time. After my final salute, I couldn't help but burst into tears knowing that my 25 year old Quarter Horse put in the best ride of our life. We placed 7th behind Young Rider's who were bringing horses up the levels. I believe that Cody knew that he had done incredibly well and had the time of his life in the victory gallop. I just barely had to touch him with my calf and he bounced up into a rather lovely canter.  I couldn't be more thankful for such an amazing partner. 

All in all, it was an amazing show- KDA did an incredible job despite the 800+ horses and all of the rain. I can't wait for the 2016 Regional Championship that will be held at the Horse Park, again. I think I am speaking for everyone when I say that KDA puts on one of the best regional championships in the country. I am very fortunate to be able to show at the Kentucky Horse Park regularly.

A huge thank you to everyone who has gotten me here, I couldn't have done it without you all! I can't wait for the journey ahead and many years to come with such amazing people. 

Such a spoiled pony!

A very happy moment for all of us!

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty!"

Being Thankful

This year has been so incredibly amazing. I am such a different rider than I was last year, and Cody a different horse. My scores have improved so much and so has my knowledge for Dressage. I can't thank everyone in my corner enough for helping me along this journey, I couldn't do anything with you all. I like to believe that it is all about the journey, so here is to my journey and the many years of hard work ahead. 

With that being said and with Regionals being this weekend, I am looking at how amazing this year has been. I have come to realize this year that the color of the ribbon does not matter. I am looking at this weekend with the thought that whatever happens, this year has been completely stellar in both improvement and learning. I do not need a ribbon to tell me that I have the best horse I could ever ask for. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I have had and every learning experience this year. My victory, this year, was realizing how lucky I am to be doing what I love and our improvement from just last year. Dressage is all about learning and improvement, and I feel like I have learned that in the best way. 

So, whatever the score and whatever happens, I realize that I am incredibly lucky to have such an amazing partner to journey with and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Cody has taught me so much just this year that I would have never learned in a hundred years without him. There is nothing better than ending the year with this in mind and with my best friend beside me every step of the way. I plan to make this Regional's the best experience possible no matter what happens. 

 

Thank you, Cody, for this wonderful experience❤️

 

Good hacks like this make everything better.

He has trucked me around since I was tiny.