Not-So-Speedy Dressage

My Five Things: Miscellaneous

11/29/2022

#1 - I caught Izzy napping the other morning. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, he's happy to let me sit beside him. I never catch Speedy napping. I have no photos of him laying down. Big brown horse has a mind of his own though, so if he's napping, I have to wait.

#2 - It matters not one whit, but I noticed that this little space is still on the list of the 60 Best Dressage Blogs and Websites to follow in 2022. We've been there for a while, but we're now number 8. That matters very little as some of the blogs listed are no longer even active. But still, it's a thing.

#3 - Something that matters even less is that we decorated for Christmas over the weekend. What makes that of any interest at all is that it's hard to do when it's 79 degrees - in November! Yes, you read that correctly; it was 79 degrees on Thanksgiving Day. Ho ho holy hell, it's hot!

#4 - Over the weekend I received an Advent Calendar filled with 24 samples of Effol products. I couldn't wait a month to see what was inside each little door, so I ripped open the box and emptied out all of the goodies. I can't wait to try them all!

#5 - Least important of all, Izzy stopped on my right foot for the third time in six months, twice in two weeks. When I got my pedicure last week, there was still a black spot at the base of one of my toenails that I couldn't see under the black nail polish I had chosen for October. You can see it now. Oh my gosh but does this version of a foot stomping really hurt. My foot still hasn't healed from summer's foot stomping. Two hours after Izzy stomped on it this time, it had already begun changing colors. Mother forklift!

So there you have it: five things that make up daily life. I think it's important to stop and recognize that life is filled with both big and small things. It's easy to get caught up in the next thing and the next and the next without stopping to be in the here and now. Being present is something I work on every day.

Even when it hurts!

Black Friday - Today

11/28/2022

The one thing I HATE about Black Friday sales is that they don't last long enough. Everything I want has to be bought TODAY, but I won't have that kind of spending money until AFTER Christmas. Be that as it may, it doesn't stop me from looking. If I had that money TODAY, here's what I'd buy.

#1 New River Boots
Mine are still good, but they are starting to look a wee bit shabby. I don't wear them to the barn; I bought them for doing morning yard duty at school. I also wear them on the weekend when we go anywhere cold - sporting events, fire pit dinners, and so on. This pair is even cheaper than the first pair I bought. Sale ends today though.

#2 New Dressage Pad
I already have this pad, and while it's not quite as nice as the Le Mieux pads, it's also cheaper. It's also very serviceable, and at this lower price, it wouldn't make me feel at all bad about getting it dirty. Besides, for the past year or more, I have been washing and rotating my pads regularly. This means they are staying cleaner, but some of them are looking pretty rough around the edges. It's time to rotate in a new pad or two.

#3 A New Helmet
It's not like I don't have plenty of helmets, but each one serves a purpose. I keep three show helmets - black, navy, and maroon. I use the black one for Friday's warm-up ride, the navy one pairs with Saturday's navy coat which leaves the maroon helmet and coat for Sunday's rides. The one I need to replace is my everyday schooling helmet. It's getting pretty gross, but helmets are expensive. However, if I had some extra cash, this is what I might spend it on.

If wishes were horses and all that jazz ... What's on your list?

32 Degrees on Black Friday

11/25/2022

I swear that I am not a fashionista. I swear that I am not a clotheshorse despite what the evidence might suggest. What I am is a deal shopper. Finding quality clothing at ridiculously low prices is my super power. I am not a name brand shopper, not that I won't wear name brands, but if I can find the same thing at a substantially lower price, I am all in.

So what's my new favorite? 32 Degrees. If you like base layers, soft fabrics, and low prices, this company is for you. I read quite a few reviews before placing my first order, and it sounds like this might be a brand that is found at Costco, but as I am not a Costco shopper, someone else will need to weigh in to confirm that. Either way, I am hooked on their winter stuff. I am hoping their warm weather gear is just as nice.

So far, I've purchased three different items, and I have more on the way. The first thing I bought was the Poly-Fill Packable Vest. This thing is amazing.

Size/Fit : true to size, but it's more accurate to say that the fit is generous, and that seems true about all three things I bought. I ordered a large and have plenty of room for whatever thickness I want to wear underneath it.
Cold/Heat Appropriate: It is not super warm which works great for me as I rarely ride in anything more than a long sleeve shirt and vest. It's generally not very cold here, but it was recently in the 30s, and the vest was the perfect weight for riding. If it's really cold where you live, this might be a good layering piece for underneath your jacket as it's pretty thin and easily compacted.
Price/Value: At $16.99, it's almost disposable, but I am betting it will last a good while. While it appears well constructed - the zippers all work and no threads are loose, the fabric is very soft which might not last if snagged on the fence or chewed on by your horse. (Izzy constantly nips at my clothing and has broken more than one zipper so I am being extra careful with this one.)

Besides the vest, I also bought the Rib Base Layer in Grisaille - a steel blue color.

Size/Fit: Just like the vest, the fit is generous. I ordered this in large, but could have probably gotten away with the medium. The fabric is super soft and stretchy, but it doesn't cling to you like lycra does. If you like more of a fitted look, order a size smaller.
Cold/Heat Appropriate: This is a great base layer for cold mornings. I LOVE the ribbed texture as it feels like I get better air circulation underneath whatever top layer I am wearing, usually a vest. Despite working pretty hard, I never felt damp or clammy under my coat or vest.
Price/Value: The price for these base layers simply can't be beat. At $7.99, you can order them in multiple colors without feeling guilty.

Finally, I also bought the lightweight Crew Top in black.

Size/Fit: Just like the ribbed base layer, the fit of this shirt is also generous. Again, I ordered it in large, but could have gotten away with the medium. The fabric of this shirt is super cozy and smooth, but still stretchy. But again, if you like more of a fitted look, order a size smaller.
Cold/Heat Appropriate: This too is a great base layer for cold mornings, but of the two, I liked the ribbed fabric better which is slightly thicker.
Price/Value: The price for these base layers simply can't be beat. At $7.50, I wish I had ordered more than one.

I have also ordered two pairs of leggings: this one and this one, along with a second vest, this time in Moonlight Ocean. My school's colors are blue and gray, so this will look cute on Fridays when I wear a school t-shirt and leggings. The chili pepper and pumpkin spice colors are calling my name though. How cute would those be with a pair of jeans and river boots?

I know there are tons of Black Friday sales going on - including this one at Riding Warehouse, but I am trying not to participate. Let me know what you find!

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/24/2022

Despite being deaf, Jean Massieu learned to read and write French, and later helped develop the first formalized French Sign Language. This French Sign Language was later adapted into American Sign Language.

Chiropractor Musings

11/23/2022

There were a few more things I wanted to add about yesterday's post. Things CC said that made a lot of sense about Izzy's frequent need for body work. As cool of a horse as CC thinks Izzy is, he has said from the beginning that dressage is hard for Izzy and not just mentally. CC thinks Izzy has some conformational issues that make the sport harder for him, things like being able to stretch forward and down. I never argue with him because I don't have the training experience that he has, but I do disagree a little. Every horse can do dressage, and Izzy is built better for it than a lot of other horses.

On the other hand though, he is right though: dressage is hard for Izzy, but I don't believe it's for the reasons he thinks. I think CC's under the impression that I ask for a lot more than I do. I think he assumes we're passaging and piaffing in between all the canter half passes and extended trot that we're doing. We're obviously not doing all of those things; we're just trying to walk, trot, and canter without bracing and sticking our nose up in the air like a giraffe. Every horse can do the work we're doing, even his quarter horses.

Whether the work should come naturally to Izzy or not, whether he is built for it not, we're still doing it. Since Izzy is hard on himself, doing it means frequent body work. One of the things CC and I talked about yet again - we have this conversation several times a year, was how to keep Izzy from tweaking himself so frequently.

CC has made suggestions in the past, all of which have been spot on. One in particular was to be super vigilant about not letting Izzy get away from me by jerking the reins out of my hand. Every time he gives that hard jerk to the side, usually to the right, he runs the risk of tweaking the C7, the base of the neck. I have taken that advice to heart. Izzy rarely makes that move anymore.

CC's newest piece of advice was about riding deliberately with tension. I immediately thought of positive tension. CC didn't quite know what to do with that, but I think that is what he meant. He explained that when I get Izzy nice and supple and stretching forward, that is exactly when he is most likely to tweak something. If he spooks while being so relaxed and loose through his frame, he has no tension to protect against something going "out."

Instead, if I ride with some tension, and I understood that to mean with collection, there will be some rigidity in his muscles and tendons to hold everything in place. This is an idea that I will have to work on carefully because when I push Izzy up to the bit and ask for more collection and thrust than he is ready to give, he becomes overly tense and stiff which defeats the purpose. It is something that Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, and I have been working on lately.

I am grateful to have such a knowledgable team of professionals helping me. I don't think anyone can do this completely on their own. Between my trainer, CC, my vet, my farrier, the ranch owner, and Reggie - who takes care of the property, I am surrounded by a lot of help and support.

I hope your own team is just as great as mine - better even!

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