Reunited with the Jinxy Cat (and Lexi)

Oh look! It's Ellie and Jinx together again. No- this post isn't a throwback to 2014! Lexi and Jinx moved to our barn back in November and last week was the first time we were coordinated enough to manage a ride together. Not much has changed- I'm still going through my Spring nerves and Jinx is as solid a citizen as ever in his 18th year.

Over the past 12 months my barn family has morphed into a close knit group of Oakland women who regularly meet up to puppy social, host impromptu wine and cheese chats, and are always good for a laugh!

A Visit from my Parents.....and the Obligatory Barn Visit!

Give me that banana, human!

Rancho Murieta Autumn Classic: Saturday & Sunday

Wrapping this show up!

Ted was amaze-balls again on Saturday (minus a sticky change at the end of the second course)- and our two firsts and a second O/F was enough to net us Champion of the 2'9" Division.
The weather was gorgeous on Sunday so we gave him the day off and went for a nice hack instead.

Ellie continued to be super competitive in her large 2'6" division with a fourth and sixth over fences on Saturday with really consistent rounds. We left her braids out on Sunday and practiced our Equitation for fun. She was super FRESH and needed a little play before we went into the ring. OK Elle- you've only been showing for a solid week after all.

Could not be happier with the way both horses showed up and a great end to the season!

Equestrian Blogger Gift Exchange- Five Year Recap

I have Tracy at The Printable Pony to thank for this post. Not only is she saving us from continuing to land on my April 5th too small white breeches photo..... my Equestrian Blogger gift giver will feel confident that I am a real person who actually does blog on occasion.

Hard to believe Tracy has been hosting this fun event for FIVE years running! I've participated each year and have such a fun time reading and discovering new blogs. As a hoot I grabbed my recap posts from the previous year exchanges!
2013
2014
2015
2016

Favorite Show Moment

If I had to pick a favorite moment from the show it would have to be our Under Saddle class for the Pre Adult division. I had been so concerned when five numbers were called to the middle of the ring almost right after the class began, including Teddy and Ellie. That exercise turned out to be in our favor as the top five ribbons went to those horses. I was pleasantly surprised that Ellie was included in the lineup- there were a lot of very nice horses in a large division.

I am just so proud of her. First Pre Green Show (3ft division), first Derby- she's game and keeps getting better and better! Excited for the rest of the season!

Teammate

I can't stop looking at this photo. And it's not just because of her knees (those knees tho) or her cute ears (forward!).
It's because I can't stop marveling at the progress we've made at Westhaven Farm since joining at the end of May 2015. One year!
I remember my first lesson with Diane- I was running late due to Memorial weekend traffic and I was so nervous I kept calling her ma'am.

Ellie and I were not getting along. She was busy doing a hop step that I mistook for lameness- which magically went away when Ali rode. I couldn't make it over a crossrail without dissolving into a bundle of nerves- I would often occasionally cry tears of frustration and fear.

Yet here we are a year later zooming around courses, and in the case of the below, jumping a three stride line oxer first. Feeling confident, braver, and strong. I trust Ellie, and I trust Diane and Ali to push me to meet my ability, despite my hesitance.

And I'm just really proud, because this picture looks like a horse and rider team.

Goal achieved!

Karen Healey Clinic: Sunday

I've been having a bear of a time trying to get my videos to upload. But I am SO glad I have them since Sunday passed in somewhat of a blur of slight panic.

Karen set up a solid Eq oriented course and I knew there was some cause for concern when we all moved out to the rail, got into two point, and held it through most of our walk and trot flatwork. Oh why did I not participate in two-point October?!?

After working on the flat and through some pole exercises we move on to fences. Karen would have each person do a course once, twice, and as they slowly fell apart (or not for a few lucky riders) would dig into root causes. 

To tee this video up, we had done a fine job the first time around, less than a fine job the second, and the start of the video is fence number 2 of our third round. Ouch. 

Karen focused on fundamentals of basic riding- heels down, tall body, relaxed shoulders.....generally good equitation. These are things that we all KNOW but somehow when Karen said them it was as though the sea parted and the path was clear.

For us the root cause is pace. I know this. But it took Karen saying so that has made us actually go forward in the subsequent rides following the clinic.

What a privilege to ride with such an amazing horsewoman!

Karen Healey Clinic: Saturday

Oh my gosh, this clinic feels like a million years ago now!

So let's start at the top! I was so worried about getting out of Seattle on that Friday night I checked and rechecked my United app every 5 minutes. We were all set until about 10 minutes before the plane was about to leave SFO to pick me up in Seattle.....plane maintenance. I arrived home at 2:30am on Saturday- no worries- let's get up at 5:30am to head to the barn!

The sky looked ominous and our 8:30 2'6" group was slightly delayed due to a late haul-in. No rain was falling when the 8 of us started out in our outdoor ring BUT we had rented a speaker system and given the potential wet weather, they had been covered with white garbage bags and parked next to the ring. That put 6 of the 8 horses over the edge....even the 18 year old schoolmaster went spinning off. Ellie didn't flip an ear and I loved it because that meant I had that corner of the ring to myself! Worth her weight in gold. That meant that early part of the clinic was dedicated to dealing with wild horses.

Just as we started to dig into the flatwork portion, the skies opened up. As we cantered lap after lap I could hear the struggle through the microphone as Karen was trying to zip up her raincoat. And see, just to play it safe, I wore that old Charles Own Ayr8. As we cantered I noticed a steady drip, drip, drip of brown water from the brim of the helmet onto my lovely white Ogilvy baby pad. It was so sad and I have officially retired that helmet.

Karen, finally having zipped her coat, took mercy on us and ushered us up into our indoor.

Our tiny indoor. With 8 horses, rain on the tin roof, and no microphone. I pasted a grin on my face and hoped we were doing some of what she was looking for- because I couldn't hear a damn thing.

She had set a pretty simple course of 4 fences, nothing like her usual Eq focused drills, and each person jumped around a few times. I was really pleased with my focused rides to the fences despite Ellie being a bit of a sourpuss in the indoor.

The first day I guess I came out of it a little disappointed. It didn't quite feel like what I had expected a clinic to be like- and it certainly hadn't helped that I couldn't hear her comments during our rounds and little attention in the flatwork portion.

Of course you can't help but wonder if you're simply beyond help.

Ali shared with me the next day (Sunday, Day 2) that at the trainer dinner the evening before, Karen had said that Ellie and I were a nice pair. But beyond that, of all of the riders in the clinic, Diane said she was the most proud of ME for stepping up to the challenge and pushing myself out of my comfort zone! What a confidence boost and a great way to start the clinic Day 2......

Clinic Prep: Outfits

Let's choose to just ignore the weekend weather forecast that has gone from sunny and 70's to chilly and rainy for a moment!

A few of the other helpful tips for the upcoming clinic centered around cleanliness of tack and conservative apparel.

I land into SFO on Friday evening just after 11pm and given Ellie's very poopy state this morning I'm glad I spent some time giving my tack a polish and condition so it will be ready to go on Saturday bright and early!

Going the conservative outfit route on Day 1 to test the waters and if all goes well I'll bust out the Sky Blue Odyssey for Sunday. I think these looks are sleek and sporty with a few pops here and there!

Poor Ellie doesn't get to change her look- we have a sharp new White Ogilvy saddle pad, our favorite Navy Eskadron boots, and some Herbal Horse Moody Mare to keep her happy.

Can't wait!

Clinic Prep: Elevator Speech

Wowza! So many fantastic and HELPFUL comments for the upcoming clinic- thanks Blog friends!

One of my favorite tips, echoed by a number of comments, is to prep a short, yet insightful, background about Ellie and I.

I figured I'd detail a number of bullets, memorize, and use based on her introductory questions.

Training:
 The Good:

• Building confidence
• Tidy execution- the handier the better
• Improving transitions 

The Gaps:

• Hind end engagement on the flat
• Lateral movements off leg alone 
• Understanding ideal flatwork prep to prepare for jumping
• Rider position up to fences (sitting still)
• Improving pace 

Goals:

• Continue to build confidence over fences
• Division move ups at horse shows 
• Be a clearer and more consise communicator of my aids with Ellie

Usual Warm Up:

• Stretchy walk for 5 minutes
• Warm up trot with loose reins for 5 minutes
• Down to work with lateral movements (leg yields, shoulder/haunch in) and upward and downward transitions to engage the hind end, circles to focus on bend and rein aids
• A few minutes of break where she literally drops her nose to the ground to stretch her back
• Forward canter followed by shortening and lengthening of stride 

About the Horse & Rider:

• Owned for 2 years, horse just turned 9
• Discipline change from Endurance to H/J (not without its trials- ahem right lead)
• Has been to 2 off property horse shows- SUPER STAR
• Is a DIVA

Even coming up with this short list was hard! Right now we're mostly just about jumping all the fences- equitation and everything in between be damned..... we're just about the jumping!

Clinic Etiquette: Help Requested

Our Karen Healey clinic was moved back to this weekend. Turns out she had double booked herself judging a show at Old Salem Farm. No big deal of course!

I just have another week to stew over it! Having never ridden in a clinic myself, and only audited a few...., I'd ask my fellow bloggers what their tips and tricks are for riding in a clinic!

A few thoughts thus far:
* Dress conservatively
* Be polite
* Don't be afraid to ask for additional direction
* Bring a notebook (for auditing the other divisions)
* Listen

What else! I mean,.... I'm concerned about the basics.....whether I do my usual walk down to the ring and mount....or do I get on at the barn and walk down? Do I use my show girth or do I use my "old faithful" because I know exactly what holes will be tight?

Help! What am I forgetting!

Tootsie Roll

Something pretty cool is happening...I'm pointing Ellie at fences outside of my comfort zone (like the log below affectionately known as the "Tootsie Roll" jump) and Ellie is jumping them without hesitation. Well, with a slight peek that makes her jump with her little knees up by her nose.

I feel like we're on the back end of whatever mental block was preventing confident jumping!

Working late....

wishing I was at a horse show!

Brookside: Saturday

My favorite part of moving up to the 2'6" division were the fun mini-medals we got to sign up for!

Saturday was a schedule flip from Friday- my group was the very last to go at the end of the day. And then the rings were running long....like an hour over. Until all of a sudden they weren't and it was a hustle. Hurry up and wait is not my forte. But I had visualized my SAHJA mini-medal course all day and actually decided to ride that course before going in for my Warm Up over Fences and third Hunter round.

In my fantasy visualization I had marked all of my breathing checkpoints, we caught every distance, and came out of the ring to rousing applause.

In real life I missed to the first fence, stuck my spurs into Ellie's sides to get more pace, and then realized we had a halt directly after fence 1. Whoops. We did still get some applause though!

We had better luck in our outside lines but that gray diagonal line got us every time. At the end of the courses I wasn't delighted. I was tired. But given the chance to debrief with Ali we found some good things in the rounds.

As the videos show, Ellie was generally a sport despite being accidentally spurred, pulled on, laid on, etc. We had a few wiggly baby moments in the gray lines, a naughty swap, and VERY arrow-dynamic ears- but still fun-ish!

Brookside: Friday

The 2'6" division was just after the Evergreen Hunters on Friday so we had a nice early start to the day but still relaxed enough to have plenty of time to slowly get ready. I was scheduled for a Warm Up Round and two Hunter rounds.

I felt nervous but not panicked, although I did check in with Ali to see if I should expect any trouble getting down the lines. Of course not! I'd seen Ellie execute the strides for the past two days and watched any number of big hunters dink their way through. Piece of cake right?

Ending our Warm Up round having added a half stride into each line, Easy? Not so much. Ali coached me between rounds to go out and get those lines- we needed more pace! So Round 2.....I added into every line. The pace felt more comfortable and the lines were coming up great!
Ali had spurs in hand when I walked out of the ring and she and Luis promptly strapped them on and sent me back into the ring. We stepped into a bit more of a gallop (read working canter) and got 2 of the 3 lines.

I think pace was our biggest struggle all weekend- it felt a little bit like "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." What I loved about Ellie on Friday was what a solid citizen  she was. "Mom is nervous? I go slow. Mom wants to go fast? I go a little faster cause I can tell she doesn't really want to go fast. Mom buries me at the base of a fence? I climb over." There was no hesitation riding to the fences and she was on her best behavior!

Biff

Brookside: Wednesday & Thursday

As I drove up to Sacramento early on Wednesday morning I was equal parts excited and nervous. When asked how Ellie schooled on Tuesday I got, "she finished great." Hmmmm. What happened before great? A little wild.

This would be Ellie's second show and my first show in California at a facility that was not Sonoma Horse Park. I'd been up to Brookside once to spectate but wasn't terribly familiar with the ground.

She was adorable, of course, all braided up. But similar to our Sonoma show last year, came into the classes a little flat on the first day. Nothing ugly- just needed some extra giddy-up and didn't seem that interested. I supposed it's better than the alternative...being wild. I was pleased with her 5th place ribbon in the flat class with a group of lovely horses.

Second day, ear puffs removed, she was much brighter and took a third and fourth over fences. Good girl Ellie!

Ali and Diane just amaze me. During the lineup of the flat, before they had even pinned, Ellie was excused from the class and went trotting towards to in-gate. I panicked slightly of course- what happened? Ali was riding so many horses (18) that she needed to be excused to get on a different horse for another class. Busy!

And me? I took photos, watched rounds, worked a little, but mostly enjoyed being outdoors! Brookside and various sponsors hosted dinners each evening which was a great way to decompress with the team and the end of the day!
At dinner on Wednesday night we joked that I was a "pony mom." I had been standing by the ring after one of Ellie's rounds and had said, "good girl," when she went past. Which caused her to break to a trot a little earlier in the courtesy circle than Ali would have liked. I was regulated to the berm to oversee rounds from afar on Thursday.

Our one barn junior, who was on hand to help for the week, and I were commenting that the fences looked pretty small. That's when Diane suggested I drop my Long Stirrup division and move up to 2'6" and start showing on Friday. Dum, dum, dum.......

We LOVE flat classes

Too tired to stand and eat

Horse Show Hangover

It's a real thing.

Ellie DOES NOT care

Instead of Wordless Wednesday....

It's "pretty-pooped" Wednesday

Listen Trainers

I'll jump these things. If you video me. #bribes

Ellie from Emily Kidwell on Vimeo.

Jumping Up

On Saturday we played at jumping up out of the grid. Not going to lie- the two strides up to the last oxer I was like, "crap that looks big." but all I could do was sit up...and shut my eyes.

Untitled from Emily Kidwell on Vimeo.