I am pretty hard on myself. I am certain you are sick of hearing that line, but it continues to be true. I have a much easier time giving my horses the credit they deserve. So please, join me in giving Speedy G a round of applause. He was an absolute rock star at the show.

It makes showing so much easier when you can just walk away from your horse and know that he is perfectly content to stand at the trailer for the next twelve hours if needed. I hung his hay bag and a bucket of water and he just stood there, waiting patiently for me to tell him what was next.

Not only is he good tied at the trailer, but he is always a favorite of the volunteers and spectators. He loves everybody and is confident that they love him right back. He reaches his muzzle out to anyone who passes by and invariably cons them out of a scratch or a pat on his neck. There is just something about this horse that people are drawn to. He reminds everyone of their own special mounts.

He adores standing around the ring watching other horses do their thing. He greets every pony that walks by with a friendly look and does his best to sidle up next to anyone who will have him. He never sneers or pins his ears at any of the other horses, and he quickly forgives those who might not greet him as warmly.

We always get lots of compliments, those people should see what a stinker he is at home, but lately, we're getting praise of a different sort. Usually people admire his clean and silky coat or his cute expression. But recently, we've received some very nice comments pertaining to his physique and conformation.

Several people stopped to admire his very solid rear end, he's really purebred? (I hear that a lot.) Others approved of his nicely arched neck and muscled shoulders. I heard several comments about his development being very unusual for an Arabian. I was told that most Arabians have very petite necks and backs and butts. Petite being used as a euphemism for ewe-necked and hollow backed.

I don't take this as an affront to the Arabian breed at all. Instead, I take these comments to mean that people can appreciate that his breeder, Feather Arabians, bred for correct build and movement rather than fashion. They also recognize the results of good, correct training (thanks to the many people who are helping me: JL, Chemaine Hurtado, and Dr. Christian Schacht).

This isn't a sales add, Speedy G is definitely not for sale. I just wanted to share how tremendously proud I am of the horse he's matured into.

Holy smokes! I can't believe the amazing feedback you all offered yesterday. I know we're improving, very slowly, but often times it feels like it's all in my head. I loved it that so many people could actually SEE the improvement just through some photos. That speaks volumes. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for acknowledging our progress.

My second test was less than a half an hour after the first so I just walked around on the buckle. Speedy would have been grouchy had I gone back to the warm-up. It was a toasty day, high 90s, and I just didn't want to burn up his last bit of energy.

While my score was very good for the first test (67.679%), I wasn't really happy with the ride, so rather than working on "go" and "bend," I decided to focus just on improving the inside bend. With the heat building, I knew that Speedy would get resentful if I kept insisting that he trot bigger and with more expression. It simply wasn't going to happen.

My score was a bit lower for Training Level Test 3 than it was for T2 (65.800%), but I was happier with how I rode it. My first loop at the trot was weak (5.5), completely my fault, but I fixed it for the second one (7.0). The judge noticed as well, better shape and energy. 

We didn't get nearly as many sevens for this test (ten as compared to seventeen), but this test only has 13 movements as compared to the 16 in Test 2. We did improve our halts though from the first test to the second. We earned sixes on Test 2 and seven point fives for Test 3.

Even though our score was lower, I liked how Speedy felt for this test. He was listening better and was more receptive to my aids. I am also really happy about the canter to trot transition at C (right in front of the judge). We've earned a seven there the last three times I've ridden this test. Since that is a downward transition on a right lead canter, the side we struggle with most, I am happy to see such a solid score.

With that, here is the score sheet.

The second half of the test rode better than the first. It looks like the free walk really helped him to relax.

For Test 2, the judge said that we had a very steady test. I think a very fluid test is an improvement, but it could simply be the judge's way of saying the same thing! It's his final words that are particularly nice to read, consistently harmonious throughout. That's what it felt like to me.

I really wanted to use Sunday's show to work on my own relaxation. My goals were two-fold:

1. ride as well as I could while not worrying about anyone else's scores
2. really enjoy the day 

I have to say, mission accomplished! I didn't care what anyone else scored, other than wishing them well, of course, and I found myself laughing throughout the day. It was fun without a moment of stress or worry.

For both tests, I entered at A focusing on my ride and thinking about how I wanted to execute each movement. In the past, the tests always just flew by in fast forward which always left me playing catch up. With more experience, I am finding that I am able to ride much more in the moment which is certainly helping to improve my scores.

Aberdeen, Speedy's new trail buddy, went up with us, and after checking that I truly didn't need help with anything, she went and hung out with an acquaintance as well as a few other people to whom I had just introduced her. That left me free to focus on my horse and get myself mentally prepared for my first test. I suspect her "disappearance" was very deliberate, but I appreciated it.

I was actually saddled ten minutes too early, which turned out to be a blessing as there was a glitch in the schedule. It turns out my first ride time was fifteen minutes earlier than I thought. Had I been on Sydney, the earlier time would have been a problem, but with Speedy, I simply shrugged my shoulders about it. He hardly needs a warm up.

The purpose of the Training Level Tests is to confirm the horse is supple and moves forward in a clear and steady rhythm, accepting contact with the bit. We've got that, but what we need now for First Level is more forward thrust and better bend for the lateral work.  First Level's purpose is to confirm that the horse has developed the thrust to achieve improved balanced and thoroughness and to maintain a more consistent contact with the bit.

As I rode Training Level Test 2, I kept the ideas of forward thrust and inside bend in my mind and tried to get as much as I could from Speedy. At the test's end, I was a bit disappointed as I know we've ridden the test better. I felt that by asking for more thrust, we sacrificed some rhythm. I also felt like my half halts weren't going through in the corners which negatively affected the bend.

Here are some photos. Some show me with a solid position, while others show areas of needs to improve.

At the show Speedy and I did a few weeks ago, I thought I rode this test better, but I scored a very low 61.250% on day one. This time, I knew the test wasn't our best, but the judge awarded us a whopping 67.679% and the comment, "confident partner." 

The judge is a licensed "S" judge, which means that he can judge all levels at national shows, so I don't know if my scores were a tad higher since this was only a CDS show and not a USDF-rated show or not. Interestingly, the judge at the last show (USDF-rated) is an "R" judge which means he can only judge through 4th Level. It just goes to show that you never can tell. 

Here is the score sheet.

Look at the second movement: 7.5, active, well bent. We got heavily dinged a few weeks ago on that same movement; we had no inside bend and needed more activity. It would seem as though our work over the past two weeks is paying off.

The stretchy trot is our nemesis, but look at the slew of sevens. That just blows me away! I love the comment at movement fourteen, steady bend and energy. And that's to the right!

It's hard to ask to ask for more than a very steady test. We'll probably never get comments of "brilliant ride," or "fancy mover," but I'll definitely take steady! 

And even though I didn't feel that this was our best work, I heard that the score earned us the Adult Amateur High Point which has a $50 cash prize. Not a bad way to start and end the day!

I really love my two boys. They're not perfect, but they are pretty cool dudes. Aberdeen came over on Saturday and we trailered out to the river for a two hour trail ride. I always forget how much I enjoy hitting the trail.

Both boys loaded up with their customary ease and unloaded just as pleasantly. Sydney still gets a bit tense backing out of the trailer, but he manages to get the job done. Tacking up was a bit wild and woolly as both boys were feeling fresh and excited to be working somewhere new. 

Sydney kept nipping at my shoulders, something he does when he's feeling anxious. He doesn't use his teeth, but he likes to grab me with his lips. I just patted his neck and puttered around as if this was our every day routine. Speedy needs some TLC as I girth him up as he still panics when the girth is tightened. It's an ongoing issue, and one which I am managing, but it makes things a bit hectic when both boys need mothering at the same time.

Within no time though, both horses were saddled. We walked through the trail head fencing and got on at the bottom of the hill. Sydney was quite the looky-lou and his body was pretty tense, but he slowly released the tension and finished the ride completely on the buckle.

We rode through the trees along the river trying to stay in the shade as much as possible. I was so pleased with Sydney. He wanted to be in the front and managed to do most of the weird places all on his own. There were a few times that Speedy needed to go first, but as soon as Speedy offered a forward step, Sydney was right behind, bravery resurfacing.

We even rode through some very narrow trail that has a canopy of trees just over our heads. For a tense horse, the closed in aspect of the trail can be very claustrophobic, but Sydney took it in stride without a single mis-step. At the half way point, we got off to give the horses a quick break in the shade while Aberdeen checked out Rancho Rio's arenas.

We took a different trail back, and even let the horses pick up a canter over an undulating and winding trail. Speedy offered a few bucks, but Aberdeen just laughed through them and kept his head up. What I most appreciated about Sydney was that as soon as I asked for a return to walk, he was on the buckle without any need to hurry. In fact, we walked along a bit and then picked up another canter.

Our river has fairly steep sides and is pretty brushy along the way so it's not easy to get down to the water's edge. We finally found a spot though so we took the horses down for a drink. I had to get off to coax Sydney to the water's edge, but once I was on the ground, he happily stepped in and got a long drink. And then of course he kept going and tried to pull me in. 

Once we were back at the trailer, we untacked and offered both horses fresh water. They must have tanked up well enough in the river because neither of them was interested. They hungrily dug into their beet pulp though while we let them cool off before driving back home. It's only a ten minute drive to this trail head, so the lunch break was just to give Sydney a chance to stand tied at the trailer to show him that good things happen there.

Speedy was once again a perfectly well-behaved pony. He loves getting out to do different things so I know this trip was very good for his brain. It makes me proud to know that I've helped him become such a model equine citizen, and it's fun to watch someone else ride and enjoy him. I know Aberdeen misses her own horses and wants them to be here, but she's welcome to ride Speedy in the meantime. I know he enjoyed her company!

It's just a small CDS show, but it's kind of our last "practice" for the RAAC in late August. It's not like Speedy's just going to be sitting around, but it's our last opportunity to see what we can do in our tests with our new found go and bend buttons.

I've been really happy with the work we've done the last two weeks. It's not like his inside bend is automatic, but I've had some wonderful rides on him where I could finally feel the stiffness and address it.

We've also been working hard on improving our canter departures. We're decent to the left, but much like with Sydney, he's reluctant to the right. I am learning that I need a lot more outside rein with him as well to keep his butt lined up with his shoulders.

I wrote about Aberdeen the other day, the woman relocating here from Scotland. She's actually going to the show with me. I told her it's like winning the lottery to have someone to hold my jacket, dust off my boots, and take photos.

It's a also a bit stressful to bring someone along as I always feel a sense of needing to keep that person happy and entertained. The truth is, I've been doing this by myself now for so long that having someone along makes me feel a bit crowded and gets me off my rhythm. Instead of letting it stress me out, I've decided to not feel bad about using her as a gopher. She's a big girl; she doesn't need me to entertain her.

In fact, I know she'll enjoy hanging out at an American dressage show. She can watch other riders go, meet people, or just enjoy a snack in the shade. I might even find that my boot polisher has gone AWOL!

I ride Training Level Test 2 at 1:11 and Test 3 at 1:32 which is much later than I usually ride at this show. I'll actually have time to give Speedy a bath this morning instead of having had to do it yesterday afternoon.

Wish us luck!

Thank you all so very much for the many congratulatory comments that you posted the other day regarding our wedding anniversary. I was quite surprised by such an outpouring of well-wishes, both here and on Facebook. Like I said, it was just another day for us, a little more fun than usual perhaps, but still, just another day.

After riding and writing, travel is my next favorite thing to do, so of course I want to share photos of our trip. We've been to Las Vegas a number of times, Hubby more than me as it is certainly a guys' favorite, but we always do something a little different. Some of you must be wondering how far Vegas is from Bakersfield. If traffic is relatively normal, it's about a 4 hour drive, but on a Sunday afternoon, it can be twice that.

If you've never been, prepare to be wowed, spend a lot of money, and experience serious sensory over-load. We always arrive with excitement and anticipation, but we're always just as eager to get the heck out of there. It's a strange city.

We stayed at the Bellagio, the casino with the big fountain show out in front. We've stayed there before, but I really like it. Last time we splurged and got a suite with a view of the fountain and The Strip, but since we were only staying one night this time, we got a less pricey room, but we still had a nice view.

The Bellagio has a large conservatory, a glass-roofed atrium that is decorated for the various seasons. This time it was done in a garden theme with live birds. I don't know how the horses fit into the theme, but as always, I found them!

Our plan for the night was to celebrate our anniversary with dinner followed by a show. Both were fabulous. Las Vegas does a lot of things right. Food and entertainment are certainly their specialties.

After dinner, we played some slots and a little roulette (I walked away with what I started with), had a glass of wine, and then drifted towards the theater. If you've never seen a Las Vegas show, the venues are all quite fabulous. The Bellagio's theater entrance is literally on the casino floor, so it looks quite small from the outside. As you walk through the corridor, the theater opens in front of you to reveal a very large venue. 

I love Cirque du Soleil. They put on jaw-dropping shows, and this one was no exception. (There's a great behind-the-scenes video here.) O's theme was water. Much of the show happened in a massive swimming pool, but throughout the show, a floor would magically appear, lower, and then disappear. We both watched very closely and could never see the transformation happen. It was quite stunning.

We spent the next morning walking up and down the strip popping into different casinos and losing money. I hate that part of gambling; it's a lot more fun when you're winning!

On a whim, we decided to check out the very new High Roller observation wheel. It opened in March and is one hundred feet taller than the London Eye. We've seen the Eye in person, and it seemed quite high, so we were surprised to hear that this wheel was even higher at 550 feet.

Tickets can be bought from ATM-like machines for about $20 bucks for a regular, daytime ride. The evening trips are a bit more expensive, but I know it's worth it. Next time we're there, we're definitely going up at night. It takes 30 minutes to go around once, which was the perfect amount of time to spend enjoying the view. Which, by the way, was nothing short of spectacular.

So there you have it, Vegas in 36 hours. We gambled, ate a fabulous dinner, caught a great show, cruised The Strip, and even got a bird's eye view of the city. We had a great time!

After our most recent show (was that just a week or so ago?), I brought Speedy back to full work gradually. He had a day off, a day with just walking, two days of walk/trot/canter, and a day out on the trail. In just those few days in the arena, I can tell that he came back from the show with a new understanding of what his job entails.

I had one lesson that weekend with Chemaine along with a little bit of coaching, but that was enough to show me where we needed to be going. Since the show, Speedy has figured out that I really need him to be in front of my leg. With some consistent "poking" of the spur, he's figured out that I either mean more forward, or get off my inside leg.

We had some really good work last week which leaves me feeling optimistic about this Sunday's show. I really wanted to make my First Level debut, but since the Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) is just a few weeks away, I decided to stick with the Training Level tests until we finish with that show. There doesn't seem to be any sense in rocking the boat this close to our season's big "finale."

I just need to keep my focus and not let myself get too worked up over how we'll place. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well which only achieves the opposite. So, for the next few weeks, we're just going to work on inside bend and flexion along with some good forward energy. And that's it! 

About 20 years ago … 

Nothing makes you feel your age like seeing your friends' kids graduate from high school or realizing that you've been with your husband longer than you haven't been. I am forty-three years old, and I have been with my husband since I was nineteen. Today is our 20th Wedding Anniversary.

In most households, this would be a big deal. For us, we're treating it a lot like every other day because we treat our marriage like it's special every day of the week. We don't wait for special occasions to celebrate. If we want to go out for a nice dinner or spend a weekend at the beach, we do it. If Hubby thinks I need flowers, he doesn't wait for a birthday or other special day, he just gets them.

We made a commitment a long time ago to do whatever it takes to keep our marriage healthy and happy. It's not easy. What's easy is to get complacent and take each other for granted. So often we save our best for our colleagues and friends and our significant other gets what's left over. We work hard so that doesn't happen. So to all my twenty-something friends out there, remember to bring your A-game home. Your honey is worth it.

We couldn't just let the day roll on by though without at least some nod to the occasion, so we're heading over to Las Vegas for the night. Hubby got a room at the Bellagio, made a dinner reservation, and got tickets to O by Cirque du Soleil. I think he's a pretty generous guy, and I plan to keep him for at least another twenty years. Oh, and of course there were roses. He knows me well.

Toast your own love tonight for no special reason; every day should be toast-worthy. See you all in a day or two!

According to my trainer, I have now earned the right to work the inside rein when tracking right. I know that sounds stupid, but it is a huge deal. She also announced that it is because I now have an established outside, left rein, and I know how to use it.

So what does all of this mean and why should anyone care? Well, really, no one besides Sydney and I probably care, but what it means is that we are starting to really get this ball rolling.

My number one goal for this summer has been to get a consistent, right lead canter departure. I can check that off my list. I've moved on to maintain a consistently, round and balanced right lead canter. We're rock solid to the left so that was never even a factor in my whole goal-setting agenda. To the right, we are not quite there, but we are looking mighty fine.

I've been writing about this "chute" exercise. I circle at "A" on a right lead canter (not really as we don't have a dressage court, but you get the idea), and then canter down the long side which is a narrow chute between the fence and the jumps. At Monday's lesson, we cantered it on the right lead without any drama. Can you see me raising the roof?

Sydney is really crooked to the right. To the left, he's balanced and forgiving of my own imbalances. But to the right, I have to do the work for both of us. What JL has been able to do is teach me how to balance Sydney so that he can feel confident and safe in the right lead canter.

The first step is to get his haunches behind his shoulders and his nose on the rail. This feels horribly wrong and crooked, but it has become my new normal. JL assures me that when I ride him this way, he is actually quite straight. Once he is "straight," I can then work the inside rein for some bend and flexion. JL points out that to the right, I have to actually ride outside leg to inside hand. Very non-traditional, I know, but it works.

As long as he is straight, I can ask almost anything of him, and he is happy to try. In order to come out of a turn and canter the long side on the right lead, I have to:

1. maintain that straightness by keeping my outside leg back to keep his haunches from falling out;
   
2. hold that outside rein very firm and steady;
3. encourage him to step away from the rail;
4. add inside leg to keep him going forward;
5. and finally, work the inside rein to remind him that I want to stay on the right lead. If he gets long in his neck or gets his nose to the outside of his haunches, he falls into a trot and swaps leads.

To see this all taking place, you would think that Sydney is quite lazy and slow. It took a massive amount of leg and rein on my part to get him out of the turn and down the long side. But once we passed the point where he could have continued on the circle, his stride got freerer and he let go through is neck.

The greatest part to all of this is that Sydney is still a difficult horse to ride. He's reactive, a bit spooky, and wants to bolt, but now that I can keep him between my aids, his moments of anxiety are getting shorter and shorter and are over with as soon as I sit back and give a strong half halt. I no longer have any Oh, sh*t! moments (although I am sure that I just jinxed myself).

I am so excited by what we're doing together. There is a schooling show in two weeks, and I am really hoping that we can go. There are still some questions about trainer availability, show location, and over-nighting that I have to clear up first, but if all of that works out, Sydney and I are primed to actually put together a decent dressage test. 

I hope.

I mentioned the other day that I was going on a trail ride with a new friend. I am always a bit skeptical of new friends as they have a way of disappearing into the wood-work. I know I am a little bit intense, but it's disheartening to think that I simply scare them all off.

This newest acquaintance is actually a French woman in her late thirties who until just two weeks ago hailed from Aberdeen, Scotland in the UK. She and her husband are in the process of relocating to Bakersfield. They work in the oil industry; she's a geologist and he's some kind of oil rig engineer. "Aberdeen" is also a dressage rider!

She found me through my web site, of course. She is shipping her horses here in a few months and was looking for well, everything. She needs a vet, farrier, feed store, barn, arena, chiropractor, saddle fitter, etc. She came out to my barn one afternoon a week or so ago for a little get-to-know-you. She seemed very nice, so we planned a small trail ride for this past Friday.

All of Aberdeen's gear is still in the process of being shipped, but I dug through all my stuff and found half chaps, gloves, and a helmet that fit. Speedy was a bit of a stinker as I bridled him, but after that he was his polite little rock star self. I escorted Aberdeen out into the arena and gave her a few tips about Speedy's quirks and then left them get to know each other.

It's hard to trust that someone really knows how to ride. People say they know how to ride, but quite often they mean they have been on a horse before. Once. Aberdeen didn't try to convince me that she knew how to ride; that's usually a good sign. I watched them walk around a bit and then left her to it. As I was saddling Sydney, I did peek out now and again and saw that they had picked up a decent little trot and seemed to be getting on quite well.

By the time Sydney was saddled and ready to go, Aberdeen had done a little walk, trot, and canter and felt ready to leave the property. It takes a fair amount of trust to get on someone else's horse and hit the trail based solely on a "yeah, my horse is great out on the trail." I think she was able to tell that Speedy is a pretty broke Dude and that he wasn't interested in dumping her.

We rode around the neighborhood which took about 40 minutes. We stopped and visited with one of the neighbor's kids one of whom actually ran back into the house for a bag of carrots; smart kid! When I asked whether their mom had sent them with the carrots, the boy replied that he had just taken them out of the refrigerator on his own.  None of them were more than 10 years old, but they sure knew how to win over a pony!

Speedy is an absolute champ with kids. Even though the little girl, who wasn't older than four, stood right next to Speedy in her little bare feet, he stood perfectly still while they stuffed him full of baby carrots. He let all three of them rub his head and ears and pet his soft nose without complaint. He always drops his heads for kids. He just really digs them.

Sydney even got in on the action once he realized that snacks were to be had. He's not as welcoming in his demeanor as is Speedy G, and he's also a bit intimidating due to his size. Even so, he was able to con them out of a few carrots as well.

We rode the rest of the way just chatting and getting to know each other. At one point, Aberdeen commented that Speedy wasn't very speedy. I just laughed and replied that he is fantastic except when he isn't! Sure enough, we got to the trouble spot. Speedy hates one particular section of this route. Something always bothers him there. Usually it's the sprinklers popping up all around him, but this time, there were roofers nailing and hammering just over our heads. 

The workers willingly paused in their work as we passed by, but even so both horses were very light on their toes and anxious to get moving away from the noise. Aberdeen laughed at Speedy's antics and told me that she believed me now. We made it back to the barn without further incident, and untacked both horses to let them graze in the yard as we continued sharing stories. 

After we tucked the boys back in their stalls, we ended up going for some lunch at my favorite burger joint. The plan is to trailer out next weekend for another ride. By then, Aberdeen's gear will have arrived which should make her feel much more comfortable. We'll see how it goes.