I am sure most of you will disagree with me, especially if you don't live in California and aren't members of CDS. But here goes - US Equestrian, I want a refund.

Up until this year, membership with USEF was $55 a year. I was never excited to send them half a Benjamin, but I figured it was part of the game; showing isn't cheap. This year, USEF raised their rate to $80 a year. That hurt. My USEF membership is now my most costly membership, and I get nothing tangible for those 80 bucks. 

Like I said, a lot of you are getting ready to itemize all of the many ways that US Equestrian makes it possible for me to show. It kind of reminds me of the scene were Miranda so cheekily explains where Andy's cerulean blue sweater came from. 

I get it; I really do. Rulebooks need to be maintained and updated. Horses needed to be registered and followed. Points need to be recorded. Awards need to be distributed. New members need to be brought into the fold. I grinched about the 45% increase, but I paid it.

This past week though, I got the newest edition of US Equestrian, the official magazine of the United States Equestrian Federation. My level of irritation rose from mild to are you kidding?!?!

Let me explain.

I am a member of the California Dressage Society, a Group Member Organization of the United States Dressage Federation. My annual membership is $70. For that fee, I am eligible to participate in various programs and earn numerous awards. And I do participate.

I've twice been selected by my CDS Chapter to ride in the CDS Adult Amateur Clinic - my chapter paid the clinic fee. I've shown at the CDS Regional Adult Amateur Competition more times than I can count. Speedy and I have won twice and been reserve champion once. We have two coolers and a leather halter to show for our efforts. ​Each year, Speedy and I have earned a "plate" to add to our plaque. And this year, we earned our scores for the CDS Ruby Award which we'll get in the fall.

A portion of my CDS membership fee goes to USDF which also offers a number of awards programs in which I participate. As of 2018, I've earned Rider Performance Awards at Training and First Levels, and with a little luck, I might get my Second Level award at the end of this show season. Once that's done, I'll set my sights on a Bronze Medal.

What do I get from US Equestrian? I get to be an Adult Amateur and ... I get this glossy magazine that now sports a trendy new textured cover. Glossy must have looked cheap. Not only that, but this month I got a 30 inch long foldout on heavy duty paper lauding the member benefits that my $80 get me.

There is a Learning Center (already get that with USDF), the USEF Network (I am not much of a TV watcher), the magazine and Equestrian Weekly which shares US Equestrian articles (redundant?), 120 National Championships, and International Team Development. How about no, nope, too expensive, and did I mention NO?

And to top it off, in bright red letters, US Equestrian included their current count - a community of over 105,000 members. I did the math; that's in excess of 4 million dollars in membership fees. And I didn't even count how much more they get as members pay to have horses registered. 

Before last weekend, I had never needed to back out of a show before. And technically, since this show got rained out, I'm calling it a show cancellation rather than saying I cancelled.  When I was still showing at Introductory Level, I entered a show that was also cancelled due to rain. Of the more than 50 shows that I've attended (many of which were two-day events), that's my experience with cancellations. Obviously my data set is quite small.

The show secretary sent out an email saying that refunds were on their way. I even wrote about how happy I was going to be to get my money back given the huge vet bill I had just incurred, so imagine my disappointment when I saw that the check was a fair amount less than I was expecting.

I am not mad; I get it. The secretary no doubt incurred some expenses in organizing the show. Even so, the $56 in office fees she kept seems a little steep. Had there been 30 riders, I haven't checked, but that seems like a reasonable number, she made $1,680. That seems like an awful lot of pre-show expenditures.

I don't know what her expenses were, maybe she had to pay the judge, but I know she works at the facility in some capacity and puts on a series of shows there, so I don't think she had to rent the place. I am not writing any hate mail or sending any complaints, and I will go back for other shows. I am just curious to know what is the standard when it comes to refunds at USDF-rated dressage shows. 

Have you ever cancelled or had the show get cancelled? What kind of refund did you get? Please share your experience with refunds. I'm definitely curious.

I've been to more than forty dressage shows and a dozen clinics. I've also participated in more than 80 endurance races. I know how to complete an entry form. This entry form, however, was a completely different beast. I read through the whole thing (all 33 pages) and never found my classes. I almost gave up right then. If I couldn't even find the right class, what did that say about my readiness? (said with an eye roll)

It probably would have helped had I known that the CDS Championship classes are referred to as Horse of the Year classes. (Holy crap. Nothing like adding extra pressure!) But since I didn't know that at the time, I kept reading, looking for the Championship classes since I knew (or thought I did) that Speedy couldn't possibly be in contention for Horse of the Year.

Finally, I went to the CDS webpage and looked up the championship results from previous years.

As soon as I saw the first set of results, I realized that yes indeed, Speedy and I would be riding for the Training Level Horse of the Year award for Adult Amateurs. Hmm. That gave me a great deal to think about.

The next thing I noticed was how BIG the classes were. In the Adult Amateur Training Level class, there were 18 riders in 2012, which was the last time the championships were held in southern California. I also studied the scores; they ranged from a high of 72.321% down to a low of 55.400%. I know the judges at this show are all very highly qualified. What I hoped was that these weren't brilliant riders getting their lowest scores ever, but rather that they were riders (just like me) getting fair scores from knowledgable judges. 

What really interested me was that the scores were all exactly the type of scores that I've been earning this season. And that got me thinking. If these riders really were your typical adult amateur competitors, I had a chance of doing pretty well at the show … if I didn't let my nerves psych me out. I decided to enter.

This dressage show is not run like any other I have been to, so it did take me a while to complete the entry. Most of the information required was typical: ID numbers for horse and rider, stabling requests, and so on. The part that threw me was figuring out which classes to enter.

It took some time and a phone call, but I finally figured out that for the championships, riders will ride Test 2 on one day and Test 3 on another day which is actually one class, 2AB. The scores are then averaged to determine the Horse of the Year winner for each level. Normally, for a two-day show, I would ride two tests each day to maximize my time at the show. For the championships, you only get two rides over the course of the entire show (unless you qualified on multiple horses or at multiple levels).

Riders are also allowed to ride in ONE warm-up class on Thursday, but only one. The other thing that makes this show tricky is that the schedule is not made in advance. In other words, you don't know which day your tests are being judged until a week or so before the show begins. When I completed my entry, I had no idea which days I was going to be showing.

I have since received my ride times, and unless something changes, I will ride Test 2 on Saturday and Test 3 on Sunday. Way up above, you can see the entry fee for the Horse of the year classes - $170 gets you a "package" deal. The entry fee of $170 allows me to ride Test 2 and Test 3, and that's it. Pretty expensive! 

Stabling was also high. No matter how many days you stay, the price for a stall is $175. And, according to USEF's rules, if you are entered in more than one championship class (who isn't?), and they are not scheduled on the same day (whose is?), you MUST stable on the show grounds rather than just paying the $20 haul in fee. I live too far away to haul home, but there are a lot riders who do live close enough to take their horses back home each afternoon.

The last little thing I should mention about this entry form is that quite a lot of money is at stake for the top riders, relatively speaking.

Basically, if you're in the top five, you're getting a check, and if you're in the top ten, you're getting at least a ribbon. And I think the top two get something monogrammed, but I can't tell if that's just for the USDF Regional Championship. Below tenth place, you're just walking away with more experience.

So. What did these three dressage tests cost me? A whopping $664 which includes the three tests, stabling, fees, and camping. It does not include shavings brought from home ($40), a shared tack stall ($35), trainer fees ($200?), gas ($100?), food ($50?), or other incidentals.

I hope I enjoy it!

I really don't want to review the whole year. The first one I did at the end of 2011 was kind of fun; the second one I did for 2012 took me days and days to write, so I am not going to do it again. 

Frankly, I just DO too much to report it in a short, monthly summary. Or, at least it feels like I am always doing something newsworthy. For me, there's a story in everything that happens at the barn, even when it's just a regular ride. So instead of the monthly recap, I am just going to give you some year-end totals and stats. 

Here are My 5 Year-in-Review Things: 

First, how much did I spend this year ($18,932) as compared to last year ($21,101)? The good news is, less! I didn't keep my accounting as carefully as in 2012, but it's still pretty accurate. While it appears that I spent less in 2013, it's only because I paid off my horse trailer which means I spent $2,800 less in the Horse Trailer category, but only $2,179 less overall. 

There were a few surprises on the list. Look at my vet costs - barely $700? That's for two horses! They get their teeth done annually, vaccinations, fecal counts, chiropractic work, etc. I guess we were just lucky this year that no one got sick or injured. 

I also think it's interesting that my lesson costs were so much higher than my show costs. I showed at five USDF shows this year; but I obviously spent a lot of time with trainers and clinicians, too.

So how many shows and clinics did I do? I always keep a list on My Show Results tab which you can easily check out, but here's the run down:

With Speedy I did …

• Four, 2-day USDF/USEF/CDS-rated shows
• One, 1-day USDF/USEF/CDS-rated show
• One schooling show
• Two, 2-day clinics with Christian Schacht
• One, 1-day clinic with Christian Schacht
• One Fox Hunt (with Lousiana aboard)

With Sydney I did …

• Three CDS-rated shows
• Three schooling shows
• One, 2-day clinic with Susanne von Dietze
• One, 2-day clinic with Christian Schacht (the same one Speedy did)
• One Ride-a-Test
• One Fox Hunt

To list it another way …

• 16 show days
  
• 9 clinic rides
• 1 Ride-a-Test
• 1 Fox Hunt

I am not sure how helpful this chart is, but I am including it for those who like visual aids. Obviously I ride most of the time with my regular trainer, JL. I also rode with two clinicians this year as well as with two other trainers for a total of 65 lessons.

 JL was on vacation in September which is why I rode with her only once. Most months I ride with her once a week, but in the summer, I tried for twice a week, but with my hectic show schedule, we just couldn't get the intended 8 lessons done. I find it interesting that I got a lot of instruction during the month of December; 8 lessons in total!

I had planned to tally just rides on my own without a trainer, but it got too tedious to itemize so instead, I counted every time that I rode whether it was at a show, with a trainer, or just on my lonesome. With one exception: if I was at a show, I counted it as one ride even though I probably untacked and rode several times during the day.

I work "full time," vacation with my husband, get tired, attend meetings, and have the occasional pedicure. Even with all that craziness, I managed to ride my horses a total of 358 times during 2013. I rode Speedy G 171 times, and Sydney 187 times.

Even more surprising to me was the number of non-riding days: 109! I feel like I ride nearly every day, but in reality, I only rode 70% of the year. What I find even more interesting is that I rode those 358 times on only 256 days; that's a lot of two-a-days!

We went to Central America for 11 days in June which explains the large number of non-riding days in that month. 

Speedy was lame for two weeks in October due to an abscess (?) which explains his limited time under saddle.

Speedy was ridden more at the beginning of the year because I showed him through July, but after that, it was more about Sydney. 

I am sure you're wondering how I know all of this. I keep a calendar at the barn, and before I leave each day, I note what I did, who I rode, where, and any other tidbit that seems interesting. If someone seemed off, bucked like crazy, or was particularly mellow, I note that too. It's an easy way for me to keep track of both horses' health and riding schedules.

I am very disappointed in Sydney's year. Until just now, I didn't realize how many times he left the barn for some kind of field trip. I showed him six times, and while he did show improvement, it was ever-so-slight. I also took him to a Ride-a-Test, two clinics, a fox hunt, and an away trail ride. This means he's left the property in the trailer for activities eleven times this year! Hmmm …

I really don't know what my plans are for him in 2014. Sometimes I think I should cut my losses and sell him, but then I think about how much I am learning by riding him. I know I am a much better rider by struggling with him than I would be without him. Am I having tons of fun doing it? No, not really, but so far it has been worth it.

As disappointed as I am in Sydney's year, I'm very pleased with the year that Speedy had. We started out struggling to crack 60% at Training Level, but ultimately, we rocked it with scores as high as 67% at USDF shows. We finished the show season with a Championship neck ribbon and the confidence to move on to First Level in 2014. 

I wouldn't say I am disappointed per se, but I am certainly not spinning cartwheels either. My goals were to have fun, complete both tests, and get some relaxation. I did all of those things, but only just barely.

Fun ...

I very much enjoyed seeing some friends. The weather was brisk and cool, a welcome changed. The show staff was incredibly friendly and supportive, as usual. The judge was über friendly. The warm up was huge, the dressage court well watered and groomed, and the other riders were very supportive and kind. Except for wanting to throw up for the better part of an hour, I enjoyed the day.

Complete Both Tests ...

Sydney went Looney Tunes in the warm up. Nothing I tried helped. He couldn't walk, he couldn't trot in any kind of circle, and there was no way I was going to canter in a space that large. I pretty much kept an inside hand planted on my thigh and just rode out the bucks, bolts, and squeals. At one point, I could tell that a true explosion was imminent. I hopped off and turned him loose in the round pen where he proceeded to squeal, grunt, kick, buck, fling himself around, and generally cause havoc.

With my eye on the clock, I got back on just hoping for a walk, but if anything, he was worse than before. With fewer than ten minutes until my test time, I told the ring steward that I was scratching, something I've never done before. My second test was in an hour so my plan was just to stay on for the hour in the hopes that he might eventually relax even just a little bit.

Just minutes after deciding to scratch, Sydney took a breath and decided to stretch his neck and walk. I know that most will think that I must have also taken a breath when deciding to scratch, but I really don't think I was the source of his tension. I was actually feeling very relaxed, if not a bit frustrated that I wasn't able to help him relax. Right from the start of the day, I had decided that the day would be what it was and whatever happened, happened. I wasn't aiming for any particular score; I just wanted some relaxation.

The ring steward kept her eye on me and didn't scratch me. When she saw that we were finally walking, she knew there was still a chance I'd make the test. With some very encouraging words from the other rides, I walked up to the dressage court after all. The ring steward very kindly gave the judge a heads up that I might not ride the whole test. 

As I came into the arena, still walking, I approached the judge to greet her. She very kindly told me to ride whatever parts of the test that I felt comfortable doing and that I should feel free to school him as necessary. She would still give me scores and comments no matter what happened. That simple gesture took away any last worries I had. Knowing that I could walk the whole thing gave me a different mindset. 

I should point out that this was not a schooling show, but rather a rated CDS show. I know that at a USDF show the judge couldn't be so accommodating, but I've never had one be so at a CDS show either.

I walked all the way to A and only picked up a slow trot as I entered. As I trot up the centerline, I debated whether to halt and salute or just keep on going. I could feel that Sydney was trying to listen, so I took a deep breath and sat deep. He halted, I saluted, and then we kept on going.

None of the test had anything good, but it was MUCH improved over last September when I brought him to Tehachapi. Last year, I couldn't get him to move at all forward. He was so sucked back that we did nearly walk the whole thing. This time, he was forward and trying to listen. 

As I approached the three-quarter canter circle, I debated whether to just trot the thing and get through the test. But then I reconsidered. I had an understanding judge, a safe venue, and if not now, when? So I gave the canter cue and was pleased that he got the correct lead and even came back to trot when asked. She gave us a 5. And that was for our right lead canter! When we approached the same spot for the left lead canter, I again decided to go for it and we scored a 6. Not bad for a horse who ten minutes before was in the throes of lunacy. 

It was not a nice test by anyone's standards, but I am encouraged and equally discouraged at the same time. I know that I rode him as well as he could have been ridden. I was really pleased with what I was able to get from a very nervous, tense horse. He was literally quivering for most of the ride and calling plaintively to no one and anyone. JK, a friend and talented rider, couldn't say enough kind things about how well put together he looked considering what he had looked like just moments before. We scored a 58% which was good enough for a first out of three. I find it funny that I "finally" won a class only to do it with such a paltry score.

I say that I was discouraged, too. It felt like a total crap ride, and yet I have had the same score on Speedy more than once and those rides have felt far better than this one did. My rides at day 1 of last year's RAAC come to mind. I felt so good about those rides only to get this same score. It does confirm for me though that Sydney has a lot of potential. I feel it when we school at home. He gives me so much more roundness and reach than Speedy can or does.

I haven't even read the comments for the directives; I don't need to. I could have written them for the judge. Needs bend, drifting, etc. What he was able to give me at the show was nothing like we have at home. This show was really just for mileage. I just wonder how many "miles" we'll have to do before he starts to relax a little bit more. 

On a brighter note, the remarks in the collectives are more meaningful. He scored a 7 for gaits and 6s the rest of the way down which confirmed for me that I really rode this horse as well as I could have. I absolutely love the judge's further remarks, "Good for you." That about sums it up.

The second test tomorrow ...