In the (near) words of the esteemed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Fun at last, Fun at last, Thank God almighty, we are having Fun at last!"

Somewhere near the end of June or the beginning of July, I decided that I was OVER Speedy G; riding him was no longer fun. Every time I got on him we had an argument. He's not dangerous or scary, but you can not MAKE that horse do anything. If he feels like he's being picked on or nagged, forget about it! My trainer suggested I just get through the RAAC, and then take a month off.

Knowing that the "end" was in sight, I lowered my expectations and cut Speedy some slack. We went to the two July shows with what we had, and I gave up expecting brilliance. Of course, we had the best string of tests ever, but that's Speedy's MO; you can't make him do anything! Ask him politely, and he'll go all out for you. 

I gave him a few days off after the RAAC, but then we got back to work, gently. We rode a few days, took the weekend off, and then started again this week. I have had the most fun on him! We've been doing a couple of "move out big" exercises that he has been really digging!

The first is just down centerline, track right or left up the long side, come back down centerline and track right or left up the other long side. Sometimes I even do the same long side just to see if he's really paying attention. After trotting boldly down the centerline and up the long sides, we come down centerline one last time for as sharp of a halt as he can do. He has had so much fun. His halts, always pretty nice, have been spectacular!

After doing the long side work, I switch it up by doing essentially the same thing but we cross the diagonal. As we come out of the corner and I look at H or M, I give him some extra leg, slide my hands forward, and ask him to really go for it. I can't say it's a true extended trot, but he's getting the idea. He's starting to really power his way across that diagonal! It has been a total blast to ride.

When we rode that exercise on Tuesday, he made the turn on his own and just absolutely launched himself. I wasn't quite prepared for such an explosive trot out of the corner so it lacked some bend, but I loved his enthusiasm.

Doing these two exercises has really helped me with getting some good inside bend and controlling the outside shoulder all while moving out in a big trot. I am sure Speedy's happier doing this right now than being stuck in a twenty meter circle. Later in the week we'll switch it up and work on the leg yield. First Level ... it's getting closer!

Yesterday, I talked about contact and evenness in both reins. Recognizing when Sydney is heavier on one rein helped me to help rebalance him. This is another exercise that JL has been trying to teach me for several weeks. We finally "got it" on Monday.

The point of this exercise is to change the bend while asking the new inside hind to really step under and over. If you do it correctly, it also shows great control of the outside rein, something I really need.

The exercise can be done first at the walk and then at the trot, but it is almost easiest to do at the canter (without actually changing direction). If done incorrectly though, it falls apart much more dramatically at the canter.

So here is how it goes at the trot (it's the same at the walk, but done more slowly).

1. Track left (or right).

2. While tracking left, create a counter bend. The inside rein now becomes your new outside rein.

3. Stop the forward movement with the new outside rein by bringing it straight back (do not let it cross over the withers), and ask the horse to slide his hindquarters to the left.

4. If your horse drops to the walk, you've either used too much outside rein, not enough leg, or probably both! 

5. Once his hindquarters have made the fan, or shift, you should now be facing the opposite direction. Add leg and continue in the new direction.

If you do the exercise at the canter, the point is not to change directions, but to really lighten the horse's font end and demonstrate control of the outside rein.

1. Track left at the canter (or right).

2. Create a counter bend. Your inside rein will now act as your outside pace rein.

3. Use your right leg (if tracking left) to push your horse in the smallest canter circle you can mange.

4. If your horse pivots to the right, you've lost control of your new "outside" rein.

5. Once you've made the circle as small as you can get it, go back to a regular bend and make your circle larger again. Your horse should now be very light in the bridle.

We were able to do the canter exercise in both directions, and I was shocked at how uphill and light Sydney became. The exercises were quite challenging while tracking left as Sydney is heavy on the left rein. These exercises ask him to come off that rein and left shoulder so that he can balance better. We have a schooling show on Sunday so we'll be working hard on these exercises for the rest of the week. 

Most of you already know that I am teacher; fifth grade most recently. This is dressage related as my days of riding both boys 5 days a week are nearly at an end. I go back to work next week to prepare, and the kids come back the week after that. So, until my official first day back, August 15th, I am using every calendar day to its fullest.

Even though I was busy showing Speedy a week or so ago, Sydney still got his 5 rides last week, including a lesson on both Friday and yesterday. Somehow, riding Speedy with Chemaine's coaching helped me develop a new level of feeling on Sydney. It could also have been just taking a three day break from riding him enabled a few things to really settle and sprout.

In any case, I had a huge AHA! moment on Sydney when I rode him on Monday after the El Sueno show. I suddenly realized that while tracking left, he was hanging on my inside rein and wasn't filling up my outside rein. Which means that to the right, he wants me to hold him up with the outside rein. In both cases, it's always the left rein that's bearing the whole load.

I say it was an AHA! moment because not only did I become aware of this un-evenness in the rein on an intellectual level, but I knew how to fix it! It took a day or two of Sydney fussing about it, but by the end of the week, JL was very impressed with the results of my new "feel."

So here's how I fixed it:

1. Tracking left at the trot, I made it unpleasant for Sydney to lean on the inside (left) rein by flexing (rocking, sponging, pulsing) the inside rein. If he has nothing to lean on, he must carry more of his own weight.

2. I kept the outside rein steady and firm so that he had a secure place to go. JL calls it helping him to stay on the balance beam. In order to get off that inside rein, he has to trust that the outside rein will truly be there to help him balance. 

3. I also added inside leg. The goal is to "push" him into the outside rein so that he fills it up. He needs to engage his inside hind leg so that he's reaching farther underneath himself which sends his barrel farther out which allows more bend (sort of).

4. Once I could feel him taking hold of the outside rein, I could now use my outside aids to lift his outside shoulder and make the turn. As I felt him fill up the outside rein, I used Chemaine's tip of releasing the inside rein while scratching his withers with my inside hand.

Tracking right was a totally different story. For some time now, JL has been telling me that Sydney is falling off the balance beam to the outside. To help him, she has described it as riding outside leg to inside hand. I've nodded my head, yeah, yeah, yeah, but really, I've been trying to figure out how to actually do that.

As I was riding those first few days after the show, it hit me like a ton of bricks: by keeping a strong hold on the outside rein and keeping him straight through the bend, he is able to balance on the beam. I imagine myself to be like the woman above holding the girl's hand. I am helping him to NOT fall off.

Since he needs an inside bend, I flex the inside rein steadily to ask him to soften his hold on the outside rein. At the same time, I am using my outside leg to turn. Outside leg to inside hand.  Sydney hardly needs any inside leg, as he's already moving out onto my outside rein, too much so. Instead, I have to catch him with my outside leg and asked him to bend into the turn.

It's an odd way to ride a dressage horse: both directions, I need to be very supportive with my left leg and left hand. Chemaine kept pointing out that I need to sit more on my left seat bone when tracking left and add slightly more weight to that same seat bone even when tracking right. In other words, my whole left side needs to be a lot stronger!

At yesterday's lesson, I was able to demonstrate to JL how much better I was able to keep Sydney balanced in both directions. Seeing that I finally was able to keep him "up," JL challenged us with several good exercises. More about those tomorrow. 

By the way, do you remember my elephant named Fear? I haven't seen him in a really long time, which is a great thing. I am pretty sure he has completely given up on me since this is what I saw him trying to do the other day. :0)

Hello. My name is Karen, and I am a halter snob. 

Most people will tell you that I am pretty down to earth. I don't think I put on airs, although who would admit it even if they did, and I am far more into function than aesthetics. I am not into name brands, and I am not into bling or flash. So what's the deal with halters?

I know, weird thing to have a "thing" about, huh? I am guessing my obsession with good halters and lead ropes stems from having ridden some really green or naughty Arabs. So here is where my snobbery makes its appearance:

I HATE nylon web halters.

What's to hate? you ask. Well, they get stiff when wet. The metal tab on the crown piece can get get hung up as you buckle and unbuckle and with no end buckle, the end piece frays. They also start to smell when they get wet. The worst problem though, is that horses can easily lean on the thick straps and happily ignore you as they drag you all over the place.

As much as I hate nylon halters, I hate the typical poly nylon lead ropes that tend to go with those halters even more. 

I know I am seriously offending 99% of the horse loving world. These are the halters and lead ropes that virtually everyone uses. I just can't help it. I hate how those leads and halters feel in your hand.

Instead, I use clinician style rope halters and 10 - 12 foot leads. I don't necessarily buy my halters and leads from Parelli or Clinton Anderson, although I have. More often, I buy my stuff from Pat Fredrickson, also known as The Halter Lady. 

What makes Pat's halters and leads so useful is that she uses rope designed for boating, or yacht rope. Marine grade rope can withstand a lot of moisture and never gets stiff. It also has a comfortable amount of "body" in the line that makes it easier to communicate with your horse. With yacht rope, you don't have a limp rope. Instead, the line stays "alive" which gives you a feel of steady contact.

Her halters, and others of the same quality, encourage horses to be responsive and polite on the ground. The well placed knots teach a horse to give to pressure rather than leaning into the pressure. Since a good quality rope halter won't break, it's important to use a tying system that will give under pressure; I use the Blocker Tie Ring or cross ties with a panic snap.

When I first got Sydney, more than two years ago, I tried to use a regular nylon halter. I even bought that cute black, yellow, and red Rambo halter, but he learned that he could ignore me on the ground with it. Within a very short time, less than a month actually, I had him in the rope halter. He's a pretty big boy, and when he wants to be naughty, I know that a sharp jerk on the line gets him back in line.

And then there's my Speedy pony. Speedy went in a rope halter for quite a few years. Eventually, his ground manners got nearly perfect so I switched him out to my Zilco halter which is a bit more traditional in style. It also fits perfectly under his Zilco trail headstall. The Zilco halter is a synthetic, but it looks like a flat web halter. The main difference is that the material is very thin and strappy, which gives it a bit of an edge when I need to get his attention. On occasion, I toss a rope halter on him just to keep him sharp.

But ...

Sometime recently, Speedy managed to leave some chew marks across the nose piece of his halter. Zilco is actually a nylon product that has a plastic seal around the outside. Once the coating cracks, or gets chewed up, the plastic can start to have sharp edges. So far, Speedy's halter isn't causing him any harm as the teeth marks are just indentations, but before too long there will be some "erosion" of the plastic.

The halter is nearly as old as Speedy and has been used on several horses already. It's time for a new one. While I love my rope halters, I also like the look of leather halters, but there is no way I am going to use a leather halter as my day in and day out restraint. My halters get dropped in the dirt and sprayed with the hose regularly. I hate to condition and clean my bridles; there's no way I am doing that for a halter.

So ... I've ordered the Tekna Padded Breakaway Halter from Riding Warehouse. I have a Tekna bridle that is well (enough) made so I am hoping I like the halter. I am about 50/50 on whether or not I'll keep it. After all, I am a halter snob. If it's too thick or stiff, I'll send it back and go back to a rope halter for Speedy.

I love how quickly Centerline Scores updates their data! I've "chat" with Jay Stevens, creator of CenterlineScores.com, a few times and know he works hard to get new data entered as quickly as possible. If you don't participate in USDF-rated shows, Centerline Scores probably isn't a very useful tool for you (yet!). In case you haven't been to the site, here's how it works.

Enter a horse or rider's name. I'll let you enter Hilda Gurney or Steffen Peter's name as they're much more interesting to play around with.

Here's what you get when my name is entered.

The first thing that comes up is a nice summary page. Beside my name, at the top, is listed the highest score that I've received at the highest level that I've ridden. Next comes my USDF show experience (excluding Introductory Level Tests), and my median scores at Training Level. I am working hard to raise that number.

Even though Sydney has been shown, I haven't taken him to a USDF-rated show so only Speedy G's name appears (G Ima Starr FA) as the horse I am currently riding. My "medals" are translucent since I haven't earned any scores at First Level. As you earn medal scores, the medals darken in chunks until they are completely filled once the final score is earned. Maybe I'll get that first little "chunk" on the bronze next year!

Beneath all of that is a place for USDF Rider Awards. I have an entry here with my USDF Rider Performance Award, but there's definitely room for more.

If you go to the horses link, you'll get a page that lists each horse you've ridden and the minimum/maximum score he earned. My horse list is really small since it's only Speedy that I've shown at USDF-rated shows. Here's what that page looks like.

My Levels page is equally small since the Introductory Tests don't appear (bummer, as I have some USDF scores in the 70s for Intro), and I have only shown Training Level. I am a little bit surprised to see that in just over a year I have ridden 29 USDF-rated tests.  

The next two links are the ones that I find the most helpful, Tests and All Scores. The Tests page shows the minimum and maximum scores earned at each test of the level. Since I've only shown Training Level, I only have scores for Tests 1 - 3. I can see what my lowest score was at Test 1 and what my highest score was at Test 2 and how many times I've ridden each test. 

The All Scores link shows all scores earned (accurately) since 2003. There are some scores that go back to 1993, but the data is incomplete. This doesn't concern me however, as I was busy doing endurance races during those years and finishing high school before that. As short as it is, my list is too long to fit in a single screen shot, so here's the list pieced together.

You might notice that the colors for the scores change. The highest scores are dark green (even into the 80s) while scores in the 50s turn yellowish. Scores in the 40s are a light red.

Centerline Scores is a great tool for analyzing your score results. When I feel discouraged, I like to visit the site because it clearly shows me that we are making steady progress. I can see medals in my future; I see a lot more green scores than yellow; and that 67% next to my name looks pretty good right now.

El Sueno Equestrian Center (ESEC) is a lovely facility that hosts nine USDF/USEF shows throughout the year. Their final show features the ESEC Championship. In order to be eligible for the championship classes, a rider must participate in at least two El Sueno shows and earn scores above 58%. Speedy and I qualified for the Training Level Championship class, and even though I didn't think we had a chance of winning, I entered simply for the experience.

After my mediocre ride at Training Level Test 3 earlier that morning, and the struggle with my pride that followed, I knew that I had to get myself together if I had any hope of putting in a decent championship ride. Chemaine and I had a long discussion about what I could do to ride the test better, and then we took a solid thirty minutes to warm up. I also decided that it would help if she read the test to me. I know the test, but with my new focus on properly riding the loops, I thought it might relieve some of my anxiety to hear her voice guiding me.

The championship rounds were held in the late afternoon after most of the RAAC classes. Surprisingly, very few riders entered. There was no First Level entry, one junior entry for Second Level, two riders and a junior for Third Level, Hilda Gurney in the Grand Prix, and of course, me, at Training Level. Even though I knew I would win the championship round, I felt just as much pressure as I had in the RAAC class. How embarrassing to "win" a championship with a mediocre score.

As we approached the ring, I noticed that the "A" end of the arena had a rail covering the entrance. I'll admit that I've never ridden a test before where "A" was closed. I was a bit excited because I knew it would help us make the turn more easily. The ring steward (pal, Jen) explained that since it was a championship round, "A" was closed, no whips were allowed, and riders had to ride their tests from memory. D'oh!  

It's a good thing I actually do know the test. Chemaine's final words to me as I entered were, flex, flex, flex!

I could not have ridden this test any better. My entry was spot on, and those first four movements that I find a bit difficult, were solidly ridden. I later told Chemaine that rather than letting the start go by in fast forward, I took control of the outside rein and rode each stride without letting Speedy rush through.

I was especially happy with the canter to trot transition (movement 5) which helped me prepare Speedy for the walk transition at "A." Our medium and free walk felt purposeful with some decent march.

From that great walk, Speedy easily picked up the trot at "C" and willingly trot the loop followed by a nice canter departure between "A" & "K." I know the judge commented that I could prepare better, but I knew it was as good as we can get it for now. I think I am most proud of the transition from the canter to trot at "C" (movement 11). Speedy can get pretty forward as we canter up the long side and getting the trot transition right at "C" sometimes takes a strong hand.

I knew we were coming into the corner a bit fast so I did my best to give a soft half halt without stopping him too abruptly. I could tell that it wasn't enough so I made a conscious decision to make the transition slightly late rather than abruptly. The judge clearly appreciated the smoother downward; she rewarded us with a 7.0! 

With a smoother canter-to-trot transition at "A," I found Speedy to be better balanced and listening to me as we approached "B" for our stretchy trot. He usually wants to blow past "B" so I focused on turning my body in preparation before arriving at "B." It wasn't a perfect stretchy trot, but we earned a 6.5 which is much higher than we've earned before. When I shortened my reins as we approached "B," I knew it was a well ridden test. 

Our trot up centerline is almost always our best movement so I focused on making that turn at A and getting him as straight as possible. To finish a busy weekend and a long season with a solid square halt was as good as it can possibly get. We'll take the 8.0 with a huge smile and a thank you to everyone who supported and helped us this season.

I would love to end this post right here, but there are a few last things to share. First, that was the whole score sheet with nothing left out. Not only were there no 5s, but there weren't even any 6s! That's right, we had only 6.5s and above for a final score of 67.000%. And of course, we "won" the ESEC Training Level Championship. Do I feel that it was a win by default? Absolutely not! We qualified, we entered the class, and we rode a solid test.

This is Speedy's last show of the season. I am glad we finished on such a high note. I don't know what our schedule for next year will look like yet, but I am fairly certain we'll be attempting First Level in 2014. 

I'll end this with the Collective Marks and some photos of Speedy's Championship neck ribbon. Thanks for all of your encouraging words this week; you don't know how often I told my mom how important it was to me to not let everyone down. :0)

I know I am not a terrible rider, but when I saw my placing for Sunday's first test, I had to fight really hard to hold back tears. 

I knew as soon as we entered at "A" I was going to have to fight for every point, and it had nothing to do with Speedy G. Instead, I had let the pressure of riding in a RAAC class get to me. I should probably remind you of some background information.

The California Dressage Society (CDS) has more than 3,300 members. It's the largest of the GMOs, and competition can be a bit stiff. CDS holds three Regional Adult Amateur Competitions (RAAC): one each in the Northern, Central, and Southern parts of California. Qualifying isn't overly difficult, but many riders work hard to get there. The RAAC is also USDF/USEF rated.

Last year, Speedy and I qualified for RAAC at both Introductory and Training Level. I was the only rider who qualified and entered in the Introductory class so I was the winner with a score of 67.000%. My goal for the Training Level Test 3 class was to simply not finish dead last. Out of ten riders, we were ... 10th. I was really disappointed. In hindsight, I should have been quite happy with our score of 57.200%. It was only the fourth time I had ever ridden that test, and the third time had been the day before!

My goal for this year's RAAC was to not finish dead last, again. We've worked on this test for a whole year, and I know we are capable of turning out a pretty solid ride. During our warm-up, Chemaine had me work on the loop. In order to get some bend, I needed to turn my own body to encourage Speedy to bend his body.

I have learned that we score better if we enter the ring on a right bend. When the judge rang her bell, we were on the other side of the ring which meant I was going to enter on a left bend. Speedy was resistant, and I knew I shouldn't enter before feeling ready. My inner voice kept saying, pass "A" and turn around. I ignored that little voice, never again!, and entered at "A" from the left with a resistant horse. We wobbled all the way up the centerline to "X," and I fought for a halt. Our score? A dismal 5.5.

One of our strongest elements is our trot up centerline. I knew we had blown the very first movement, and I had four tough ones ahead. I made it through the loop and canter, but the frustration and mental energy wasted on our entrance left me feeling slightly dazed. As we transitioned from the canter to the trot at "X," I continued across the diagonal, but as I approached "A," I had absolutely no idea what came next. I halted at "A" (which is what I was supposed to do), but then thinking I should have cantered, I circled back to the rail to restart so I could get the canter transition.  

The judge blew her whistle, which fortunately woke up my brain, and I got back on track. The rest of the test went just fine, nothing spectacular, but it was relatively well ridden. Even with the horrible entry and the two point deduction for going off course, we earned a 61.200% (just 1.5 points lower than the day before). I was sightly disappointed with the ride, but still hopeful that I could still place somewhere in the middle of the scores. 

I need to apologize in advance to all of the riders in the Training Level RAAC class. My drama llama is about to run wild!

When my mom and I went up to check scores, she asked what I would be happy with. Anything over 60% always makes me feel pretty good, I told her. But then I quickly changed my mind and added, I just don't want to be dead last. 

You know what's coming. 

I was crushed. Boulder crumbs rained around me and occasionally pelted my already smooshed ego. My cheeks felt as though they were bright red. I was embarrassed and so disappointed for my mom. I had really wanted to do well for her. She came all that way to see me, and I figured that the least I could do was give her a ride worth bragging about. But seriously, last place?

Mom asked me if I needed to be alone. She said she understood how disappointed I was and wouldn't be offended if I just needed to walk off alone. I told her that I was fine, and I would be okay in a few minutes. One of my strengths is being able to let a "bad" ride go so that I can prepare for the next ride.

Chemaine and I went over the test. I didn't really need any feedback; I knew exactly what had gone wrong. I rushed the entry, lost control of Speedy's outside shoulder in the first loop which made the first canter transition rough, and then I went off course. I managed to pull the second half of the test together and ended up with a straight halt (7.0). There were no further remarks, but we scored a 7.0 for gaits and another 7.0 for rider position. The judge also commented that we are a "nice team."

It's not a bad test. Six months ago I would have been quite happy with the score. It's not as good as we have done in the past, but I learned that it's more important to worry about beating your own score rather than beating someone else's. 

Not to spill the beans, but when we rode this same test later in the day for the El Sueno Equestrian Center Training Level Championship, we ROCKED it! More tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few photos from the Awards Ceremony.

Again, no real drama on Saturday, unless you count being just just a tad bit overconfident. Scoring a 64% on my first ride gave me a tiny bit of a swagger. It's not like that's a brilliant score or anything, but it is a mid-60ish ride, and I did earn a second place finish. I was feeling pretty satisfied. So much so that I let time get away from me.

I had an hour between tests which was too much time to keep riding, but not enough time to untack and let Speedy eat lunch. By the time I thought to really start warming up again, I had less than 10 minutes to ride and put my coat on. Dork ...

Training Level Test 3 is a bit tricky. But then I suppose most of the Test 3s are tricky, whatever the level. For me, it's the start of the test that really challenges me. The test starts out with the standard enter at "A," halt at "X," and track left at "C," but it goes immediately into a one loop from HXK which is then followed by a left lead canter between "A" and "F." From there, you make a 20 meter circle at B, but then you continue on to "C" where you begin to cross the diagonal with a trot transition at "X." 

Those first four movements come at me in fast forward, especially when I've rushed the warm-up. There's a lot of bending, and Speedy and I are really working on getting it. Our score wasn't bad, 61.800%, and for the most part I am happy with a score over 60%, but I know we can ride the test better. Training Level Test 2 is beginning to feel relatively comfortable for us, and I know we're close with Test 3 as well.

Unfortunately, my old score buddy, 5, made an appearance (I hate that guy), and he brought his cousin, 5.5. We earned the 5 for the canter that follows the first loop. I know it's because I don't quite have control of the outside shoulder so the transition is rushed. Our judge, Peggy Klump, commented that it was "abrupt, hollow, prepare better." Um, yeah, I'd say so.

After those four movements, the test always improves. Even the next loop  (6.5) and canter to the right (6.0) feel easier. And surprisingly, our stretchy trot earned a 6.0 even though there was "limited stretching." It was still improved however, so I am not going to quibble. Not to give away too much, but we really nailed all of the halts throughout the weekend: 7.5, 7.5, 7.0, and 8.0.

Saturday ended on a good note: we earned a second place finish on our first test with 64.464% and then closed out the day with a fifth place finish on the second test with 61.800%. It was a good day.