The good news is that we had a very pleasant and relaxed first test. The bad news is that I don't have any drama llama moments to share with you so this post might get a tad boring. As such, I am keeping it super short and sweet.

Chemaine met me at the warm-up and helped me get Speedy focused and stretching. I will say that with her help, I've learned that Speedy actually needs a longer warm-up than I've been giving him. Normally I ride for 15 - 20 minutes. Chemaine had me walk for 10 minutes working on flexions to the right and left before we even started our trot work. This definitely helped Speedy loosen up through his back. I think 30 minutes is going to be Speedy's best warm-up time: 10 minutes of walking followed by 20 minutes of other exercises.

The test went well, we scored a 64.464% which was good enough for 2nd place out of five riders. Again, we had no 5s on the test, which has become my personal indicator of whether or not we're ready for First Level. We also had a collection of 7s and even a 7.5. 

Peggy Klump, a former CDS president, was the judge, and I know she is well respected for being fair and consistent. I rode in a clinic with her in 2011 and loved the experience. She's also judged me a time or two in the past, and I've found her comments to be helpful and accurate.

Chemaine and I studied Peggy Klump's further remarks quite closely and worked hard all weekend to address the weaknesses. Peggy wrote, "Smooth? test that needs polish w/clear bend & balance, keeping poll highest point. Develop rounder frame, prepare more for transitions w/poll ⬆ & this talented pair shows potential for brilliant performance."

I think we're nearly finished with Training Level Test 2. We're starting to show some real consistency in the test. I am guessing that by some time next year we can either use this test simply as a warm-up, or leave it behind all together. My score sheet is posted below. More drama tomorrow!

Before I get to the show, I need to tell you about the fantastic lesson I had with Chemaine on Friday evening.

After having some lunch and getting settled in, I saddled Speedy and head out to the warm-up ring. I started out with lots of walking and a suppling exercise that I had learned from Chemaine the month before.

Chemaine Hurtado, of Symphony Dressage Stables, is based at CastleRock Farms in Moorpark. She is an outstanding trainer. If you live anywhere near Ventura, and you're looking for dressage help, I suggest you give her a call at 805-340-3246.

The walk work and the trot work seemed to go okay. I wasn't as happy as I had been at the show two weeks prior, but it wasn't a total disaster until I asked for the canter. Crap. I knew I was in trouble.

The first summer I showed, back in 2010, I got lots of comments that read hollow, needs steadier contact, needs better energy, and above the bit. It took a while to start feeling what those things really meant. Now that I know what hollow feels like, I do everything to avoid riding it. Speedy's canter on Friday was so hollow that I felt as though I was riding a hammock with a head and a tail. His back couldn't have been any lower without his belly dragging on the ground.

When I asked for a canter, I got a buck and a kick followed by a leap and a rear that was followed by a dirty slam on the brakes. Repeatedly. I had told my mom that she chould sit in the shade along the arena's edge and relax for a moment as my warm-up would be quick and we could head back to the trailer. 

After a half hour, I started to feel sorry for my mom, but I felt like I just had to get something that approached a canter transition or I was going to be in big, big trouble on Saturday. I never did get a good transition, but at least the bucking and kicking tapered off. To say I was discouraged, frustrated, and bummed out would be a classic understatement. I just didn't want my mom to have driven 650 miles to watch a 55% dressage test. I put Speedy away and sent Chemaine a frantic text: HELP!

The plan had already been for Chemaine to coach us through both tests each day as needed. She needed to be at El Sueno anyway later that evening so we planned to meet at 6:30 for an emergency pull us together lesson. Knowing that help was on the way, I was able to relax and visit with my mom.

When Chemaine arrived, my mom was quite impressed that I would be using the ear pieces to hear Chemaine's instructions. She thought Chemaine's whole approach was pretty classy and upscale. After listening to the lesson and watching me magically improve to become an actual dressage rider, Mom promoted Chemaine to Trainer Extraordinaire!

Chemaine's quick assessment was that Speedy was tight in the back so we worked on getting him to stretch over his top line. If you've been following any length of time, you already know that the stretchy trot is my nemesis. Chemaine was finally able to show me a way to effectively ask Speedy to consistently stretch down. By Sunday afternoon, I could get him to stretch down nearly on command and he liked it! I earned three 6s and a 6.5 for our stretchy trot during the tests. That 6.5 was one of my favorite scores of the weekend!

For those that are like me and find the stretchy trot to be a complete mystery, here's how we did it.

• Pick up a trot on a 20-meter circle.
• Open the outside rein.
• Weight the inside seat bone.
• Wiggle the inside rein.
• Add inside leg.
• When he's on the outside rein, flex him to the inside.
• When he gives, give the inside rein by scratching his neck at the withers.
• Repeat about a million times.
• On the one millionth plus one time, as soon as you scratch his withers with your finger, he will beg to stretch down!

Once you can do the inside flex exercise, begin to play with lengthening the rein without losing the outside contact. In Speedy's case, he still wants to get behind the vertical. To help with this, Chemaine had me get him rounder, lower my hands, and really squeeze him forward with my seat and legs.

I discovered that while I am not afraid of him bolting and running off, I am afraid of "handling" that bigger and bolder movement. It takes a lot of balance and control to keep that energy connected without falling apart (as in the trot loops at Training Level Test 3). I also discovered it's a lot like riding a bike: if you go too slowly, the bike wobbles and you fall over. If you can get your bike zooming along, you can ride the energy forward. 

Do I see trot lengthenings in our very near future?  More tomorrow ...

I am home! What a great weekend filled with time spent with my mom, dancing, lots of riding, and making new friends. I had a total blast at this year's California Dressage Society's Central Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) and El Sueno's Championship!

On Friday night, the show management provided a pizza dinner and drinks, which was a great way to visit with old friends and make new ones. Mom and I had a great time and felt very welcome. 

On Saturday evening, The Ventura County Chapter (VCC) of the California Dressage Society threw a fantastic barn party! There was wine (lots of it!), dips and veggies, wraps, fruit, and other goodies. 

For entertainment, VCC brought in a great guy to lead us in line dancing and square dancing. We had the most fun learning those dances. Several times the caller joked about our lack of coordination and poor sense of direction given that we ride dressage. Most of us couldn't tell our left from our right or our toes from our heels!

My mom might have had even more fun than I did! She's quite social and had no trouble meeting everyone in our barn row. She even made some new friends that I'd never met before. On the way home, she told me that she felt as though she'd learned so much about dressage that she'll be better able to understand some of the technical stuff that I write about (such as it is!).

There is a lot more to share, of course - you know me, but I'll leave you with this tidbit: Suzi Kuykendall, the show manager (and super nice lady), draped my Championship ribbon over my chest and told me to wear it proudly. I walked down to the championship ring to say goodbye to Chemaine, my now, out-of-town trainer, and Jen, the VCC Chairperson. 

Hilda Gurney had just finished her Grand Prix Championship ride on Wintersnow. As she walked by us, she noticed my championship ribbon. Stopping Wintersnow for a moment, she paused and congratulated me. I felt pretty honored that someone of her experience would take a moment to congratulate another rider even though she must have been still busy recovering from her challenging ride. Thank you, Hilda Gurney; you made my day!

Nothing big. Nothing fancy. Just wanted to let you know that we, yes, there's a we this time, are heading to the Regional Adult Amateur Competition and El Sueno Championship Show. If you'll remember from yesterday, my mom is here with me to keep me company.

We spent Thursday packing the trailer and cleaning up Speedy. Mom also sat in the shade and watched me school both boys. She spent my entire saddle time oohing and aahing over how beautiful Speedy is and how lovely I ride. I gave her a few, aw shucks, Mom. But you know I was grinning from ear to ear.

We'll be on the road by 8:00 a.m., and if traffic permits, we should pull in by 11:00, just in time to unload and have lunch. Both of my Saturday rides are in the 9:00 - 10:00 range which gives me all afternoon to watch. Hilda Gurney will be riding Wintersnow, which will be a treat to watch. On Sunday, I ride in the morning and then late in the day. The Honor Round and Awards Ceremony don't start until somewhere around 4:30 so we won't get home until rather late on Sunday evening. 

Wish us well; I really need some good juju right now! Have a great weekend.

It's not that I am at a loss for words, Hubby can swear that never happens, it's just that I have too much to say. So instead of a post about one topic, I need to just unload a few different things.

1. I am back to struggling with my gray pony, but at least I am not taking it personally. He is being a real stinker about the canter. He is literally hurtling his body into the gait with no effort at relaxing. When I rode on Tuesday, I just kept asking in a nice way while staying calm and relaxed myself. After what seemed like forever, he finally rolled into the canter. We made one circle, and I brought him to a halt. I praised him like there was no tomorrow. Getting frustrated with him isn't going to help anything.


2. I am worrying about this weekend's show. Of course. I am worrying about the parking; I am worrying about the stabling arrangements; but my greatest fear is that we "peaked" at the last show. I just don't see how we can equal that performance. Ridiculously, the main reason that I am so worried about it is because a handful of local riders will be there, and I don't want to be the bumbling country cousin that everyone rolls their eyes at. Oh, right, her again. 

I know, I know; it's stupid. I give my students a million ways to combat those self-destructive thoughts: Success Starts with Believing in Yourself; For Success, Attitude is as Important as Ability; and my favorite, The Three D's to Succeed: Desire, Discipline, Dedication. I am up to my chin in those three things.


3. I got some good work out of Sydney on Tuesday. We mainly worked to the right. I could feel my brain firing like crazy with all of the info I learned on Monday. The first thing I did was to really make sure he was working from that outside rein. Once he felt balanced, I started asking him to soften off the inside rein. And then, all of a sudden I could feel when I needed to use my inside leg. I asked for a right lead canter and actually got it the first time. It wasn't a spectacular transition, but getting it right away felt like a victory. I called it a day.


4. My mom is coming to the show. She drove down from Cave Junction, Oregon just to camp out with me for three days at the show. It's a 650 mile trip so I feel some added pressure to do well and make sure that she has fun. I know she'll be wearing her rose colored glasses and will only see an Olympic rider on Speedy G, but still ... I'll know it's just me. 

Even though I am anxious about it, I am still looking forward to having my mom walking with me from the warm-up and waiting patiently (or not so patiently) ring side as we do our tests. Oh, and to have a boot polisher will be divine!

As hard as I tried to make this a true list of 5 Things, I couldn't find a fifth thing that has me worried. Well thank goodness for that! So instead, here's a bit of a Can-Do to help myself out ...

5. I work really hard to improve (Success: Don't Just Wish for it, Work for it!). I do a lot with a little: I travel alone (no groom/trainer), I ride non-traditional breeds (Arabian & OTTB), I don't have a dressage trainer (h/j trainer instead), and yet, we still mange to get the job. Win or lose, I'm in it for the education and experience (Education is Not Received, It's Achieved!).

It's not that it's a big surprise that Sydney's right lead canter needs work. It's just a bit of a PITA that it needs more work that I had first thought. You see, we really couldn't even get a left lead canter six months ago. That is now pretty much under control so I am not sure why I am so shocked that the right lead is now up for improvement.

What happened is this: we finally got a steady rhythm. We can pretty much tool around at the speed that I ask for. We can do it on a loose rein without the fear of a bolt, rear, or buck. We can canter both directions on that same light contact. We've also achieved a solid degree of relaxation with the longer rein as well as a good connection. Sydney is now traveling with a much more forward way of going which means he has developed some impulsion. We are also much straighter than we've been in the past. But now I am asking him to shorten his frame and shift some of his weight back by changing his longitudinal balance. In other words, some collection.

Don't misunderstand; we haven't mastered the training pyramid. We're starting from the bottom again, but I'm asking him to do more of all of those things; this is hard work.

Instead of riding simply to get him to relax, I am shortening my rein and asking him to work. He needs to start carrying his own head and front end. With the shortened rein comes a loss of tempo - run away! he says. Noooo, I say. My pace is a good one for you. Once he is convinced that I am actually not holding onto him, he settles into the rhythm and then offers some relaxation. He's getting happier with the connection, but to the right, he still wants to hang onto the right rein. This is causing an impulsion problem and some issues with balance.

On Monday, we worked on this issue a lot. We worked first at the trot, and then took that work to the canter. First up was that I had to feel how un-straight (unbalanced) he is tracking right. To support him, I need a lot of outside rein and leg. Once he is securely on the outside rein, (I can tell by how easily I can halt from that rein - if I can't halt, he's leaning on it.) I can start to ask for some bend with the inside rein. When he needs a bit more help, I can use a little bit of inside leg to remind him to move over.

This sounds so easy, but it is very tricky to help balance him to the right. When I ask for a right lead canter, he wants to take the inside bend away and simply collapse into the circle. Picking up the correct lead requires me to literally rub my belly and pat my head. It takes a strong and supportive outside rein and leg combined with a vigilant right rein. He can't pick up the right lead if I let him take the right rein away.

It's not like there's any rush to get it, but boy did we work hard on Monday. I have a week and a half to work on it before my next lesson. I sure would like to show JL some progress between now and then! 

Maybe if I walk and chew gum and rub my belly while patting my head I will develop some better coordination of the aids! 

It occurred to me over the weekend that my family is another one of My 5 Things.

I have a great husband: he's generous, loving, kind, adventurous, and has a great sense of humor. And while he doesn't share my passion for all things equine, he graciously helps subsidize my passion. Basically, he's Thing 1. As an aside, today is our 19th wedding anniversary. I've decided he's a keeper.

After Hubby comes the gray pony. It's not that Speedy is more important than the rest of the crew, but he's been with me for a few years now. Even Hubby considers Speedy to be a family member. Speedy is Thing 2.

Sydney, of course, is Thing 3. He's not been with us as long as Speedy has, but I think by this point Hubby feels as though he gets to stay. Hubby hasn't hung out with Sydney much and doesn't know him very well, but since Sydney has yet to hurt me, he has a pretty solid ranking in Hubby's book!

Tobias is the youngest member of our family as well as the most recent addition. He's a year and a half old now. His life revolves around walks, swimming, fetching the paper, and being with us every moment of the day. He's Thing 4, and he's definitely a member of the family!

And then, there's Thing 5; me! It's great to know that I am part of a special group that wouldn't work without me in it. Sometimes I feel like I do this dressage thing all alone, but the reality is that it takes all five of us to get it done. 

I love what these 5 Things create: a very happy family!

While it might seem as though the gray pony has become the center of my world, he hasn't; much to his dismay, I am sure. Sydney is being worked and ridden just as much as ever. As proof, here's what we worked on last week.

When we got home from the show on Sunday night, I made sure to unload everything carefully and completely as I had a lesson on Sydney on Monday morning. Our goal has been to stretch Sydney's comfort level enough to get a bit of a rise from him. We're not trying to irritate him, but we do need to challenge him enough so that he learns to work under pressure; Last Monday's lesson accomplished that. 

It felt like a simple concept.

• While tracking left (or right), put him in a counter bend. 
• Restrict forward movement with the new outside rein (left). 
• Use the new inside leg (right) to send him left.
  
• He should rock back onto his haunches slightly so that he can lift his front end enabling him to pivot left. 

The movement is not a pirouette, but it would be similar. The exercise is easier when tracking left. Tracking right is a different story.

After working at the exercise for a while, it became clear that Sydney was becoming frustrated, no doubt caused by my inability to correctly coordinate the aids. We moved on to the trot, but he was tense and stiff. In many ways, this is what we were hoping for. This gave me an opportunity to work on softening and suppling when he's tense and rigid. Within a few minutes, we had a rhythmical trot that was quiet and balanced.

The next morning, I started our ride with the same lift the front end exercise. We worked at it for 10 or so minutes and then moved on to our trot work. Each minute that I rode him, his energy level rose until he was nearly frantic. I spent the next 40 minutes trying to get some level of relaxation from him. I used every exercise I know: canter, swing/rock the rein, a quick halt, transitions, etc. Finally, he just sort of gave in and let loose of the tension. I called it a day and quit.

I gave him Wednesday off to think things over, and then did a very quick and stress free ride on Thursday doing only some basic walk, trot, canter with no tricks. On Friday, we went back for another lesson. I explained to JL what had happened, especially while trying to pick up a right lead canter: so much resistance that he just wouldn't/couldn't get the lead until the very, very end when he had "given up."

After a bit of a trot warm-up, she told me to pick up the right lead canter. As I knew he would, he went back to his old trick of collapsing his body and pivoting to the right. I straightened him out and tried again. He got the lead, but it was ugly. Right away JL could see where the problem was.

To the left, Sydney is "easy" to ride because he's stiff. I can push him out with my inside leg, use the outside rein to lift and half halt, and pulse with my inside rein to ask for some softness. To the right, I've been using the same aids which work if he's relaxed and balanced, but when he's tense, it feels as though I am riding a rolling log (we roll right and left).

Since he's very limp to the right, JL suggested little or no inside leg; I already have more bend than I know what to do with. Instead, I need to help rebalance him with lots of outside rein and outside leg. The outside rein holds him up so he doesn't fall off the balance beam (since he wants to fall off to the right). My outside leg keeps his haunches from falling out and helps make the turn. When he's feeling more balanced, I can start asking him to let go through his neck with a small amount of inside rein. To the right, it becomes inside rein to outside leg.

Within a very short time of riding with little to no inside leg, I finally got a relatively uphill, right lead canter. He was so light that I could drop one rein at a time and he was able to maintain the bend and carry himself. What a lovely feeling!

We have a follow up lesson this morning.

Some final thoughts … (finally)

I have learned that taking the time to watch other riders do their tests is an excellent way to learn. At one-day shows, I simply don’t have time to hang around and watch because I usually have a two-hour drive back home. Sitting around for several hours means getting home after dinner. At two-day shows however, I have nothing but time to sit around and watch, and I did!

Here are a few things that I noticed, realized, or decided:

Observing from A offers a completely different perspective. You can really check for straightness and accuracy. Straightness and forwardness is hard for all horses, not just the low level ones.

The best riders have a really solid core. Their posture is strong and straight. They ride very uphill themselves with bent elbows and straight backs. You can quite easily tell that they are riding from a deep seat that is maintained by excellent core strength.

On the other hand, there are many struggling riders out there, and they aren't necessarily the Intro or Training Level riders. I don’t point this out to be catty, only to illustrate that you don’t have to be perfect to move on. I also realized that I don’t look out of place out there. While I am certainly not the perfect rider, I do have a decent seat that is getting better and better. 

Everyone else worries just as much as I do about failing and having a bad day. I also noticed that even the very best riders appreciate an encouraging word and positive feedback when they finish. I enjoyed calling out, have a good ride, and telling a rider they had ridden a really nice test. It was fun to see them genuinely smile and say thanks.

Which brings me to this: I am no longer star struck. Really watching horse and rider teams ride all the levels from Introductory through the Grand Prix has shown me that it’s all about relaxation, rhythm, contact, and the rest of the training pyramid. Twice I watched Grand Prix teams put in pretty dismal rides. I felt really bad for the riders because I know both were expecting more, but even I could see their horses were struggling with rhythm and collection. The piaffe and passage just weren’t happening that day.

I also noticed that all of the upper level movements are related to what horses at the lowest levels are learning. I can see how mastery at each level prepares the horse for the next level. Those upper level movements no longer look like magic tricks to me because really, all of the horses are just walking, trotting, and cantering. There’s no magic involved. Looking behind the curtain reveals that you don’t have to be a wizard to ride Grand Prix. What a liberating concept: anyone who works hard enough can get there. Even me!

After watching a number of First Level tests, I decided that First Level is looking really doable. I don’t think we ought to run off and start showing at that level quite yet, but I can see that if we start adding a few elements to our daily work, Speedy and I might think about showing First Level, Test 1 at a schooling show in February.

If you don’t show dressage (yet), but really would like to, I urge you to get out there and go watch some shows. I hear about Dressage Queens all the time, but to be honest, I haven’t met any while out showing. What I have met is a lot of nice women (and a few men) who are journeying along the same road that I am. Come and join us!

After Sarah left, I did a little warm up, but then we were up for our final ride of the show (thank goodness). The ring steward and her pals had enjoyed my story about going off course at the walk, and their laughter invigorated me even more. I was ready for the test.

I worked hard to show more bend in the loops, but the judge still felt that we needed more "clear change of bend." And the stretchy trot gave us trouble again (we scored a 5). It comes at a really challenging point for us in this test, which was no doubt deliberately done by the test designers.

For Test 3, the stretchy trot comes at B rather than at A where you're already making a circle. When Speedy hits the long side, he is focused on trotting with forwardness and straightness. I need to start thinking about how to better prepare him for the turn at B while still allowing him to stretch forward and down. 

It was a bit of a disappointment to earn a 5 on our second to the last movement of the show. We almost went without a 5. Sigh ... The only good thing about the 5 was that we followed it up with a lovely 8 for our final halt of the show. Not a bad way to end. Our final score was 64.000%

I can't be anything but ecstatic about our scores: 66.429%, 65.000%, 66.071%, and 64.000%. These scores would suggest that we are very close to demonstrating that "the horse is supple and moves freely forward in a clear and steady rhythm, accepting contact with the bit." This is the purpose of the Training Level Tests.

Even with good scores, I go back and forth from being paralyzed with fear - What if I just got really lucky and go back to "normal" for our next show? to being more realistic. Our scores have done nothing but rise steadily all year. These scores are definitely a reflection of what we've learned over the past year.

So now I just have the RAAC next weekend to worry about. We'll be back at El Sueno, but it's going to be a much bigger show, more than 75 horses have already been entered, with more pressure to to do well. I am going to work really hard to keep in mind what I learned during Friday's warm-up: ask and encourage rather than nag and force.