Pony Club Games

We had a play day rather than a formal lesson at Pony Club this past Sunday.  One of the parents organized some games for all us riders - things like pole bending, backing through obstacles and relay races.

It's always fun to do something that is not so focused mentally.  Playing games like this forces me to just ride rather than try to do every little thing perfect....which in the end makes me a stronger, more confident rider and helps my fussy little mount get over herself and just do the job.  :)

Having said all that, the ride didn't start out all that well for me.  I was nervous riding with a big group since I had decided that the whole group thing is what made the trail ride so awful.  Plus, Zoe and I were experiencing a new arena together (Black Walnut, up on Cottonwood), which is okay except that this particular arena has mirrors along two of the walls.  Zoe freaked when she came up on her reflection - just who the heck was that other horse that appeared out of no where!!!  So with my nerves and her hyper energy, we weren't a good pair.  I had trouble bringing her back to me and just plain making her stand still. 

Cathy M. saw all of this and kindly offered me the use of her horse, Traveler, while she got Zoe under hand.  I quickly agreed to the switch.  Traveler is notorious for his complete lack of enthusiasm for anything taking place in an arena.  Getting him to just. move. forward. at. a. walk. is a challenge. 

So imagine my surprise when after going around some poles Traveler decides that the bag on the barrel ISGOINGTOEATHIMOHMYGOD!  He quickly backed up a step, flipped a 180 and started to move off in the opposite direction of that horse-eating-bag!  I was already starting to lean down to get an envelope out of the bag when all of this started, which really was a good thing because I had a good hold of him with my legs....so I managed to sit his whole freak-out.  I'm quite proud of that, actually.  :)

After that I never was able to get him to approach the barrel (although we tried several times) and he was very, very skittish when any envelopes were brought towards him.

I jokingly commented to Cathy that if I'd wanted excitement, I could have just stayed on Zoe!

So, lessons learned from my ride on Traveler:

1.  Don't assume that just because a horse is normally quiet it'll stay that way!
2.  A solid seat is based from the waist down - my hands weren't all that necessary to stay with him as he moved off that barrel.
3.  My connection with Zoe is stronger than I thought. I discovered while riding Traveler that I take some of the things I easily do with Zoe totally for granted.  Like just turning - I don't even have to think about it with her.  I look in the direction I want to go and we just go.  It's amazing, really, when I think about it.

This is fun?

Pony Club and Horsemasters took advantage of the recently clear weather and went on a trail ride at Bennington Lake.  E and I were both very excited to join in; I love a chance to ride somewhere other than the arena at our barn and I'm sure the horses like the change as well.

 Group shot, with Molly's ears in the foreground (Isn't she a great photographer?)  ;)

I wasn't worried about taking Zoe (or Monte, for that matter) up to the reservoir since they have both been before, and we actually had a decent ride then.  So my nerves were not jingling as we loaded up.  (I'm basically trying to say that my energy was calm, so my horse shouldn't have gotten anything spooky from me....)

The moment we unloaded, Zoe started to jig and dance around.  Just getting her tacked up was a bit of a challenge, but I thought that once I got on her and we started moving she would begin to calm.  Boy was I wrong!  And by the way, Monte really wasn't much better...

There were about 10 other riders going along with us.  Most were calm;  only Zoe, Monte, a Tennessee Walker and a very green Morgan were having any visible issues.  Right away my girl decided she needed to be near the lead, but not actually in the lead.  The baby Morgan got that position.  But I had to work to keep Zoe off his tail; I felt like I was yanking on her mouth almost the entire ride!  I tried keeping her busy, side passing back and forth, but she was still frequently jigging and spooking.

Monte decided that he needed to be right behind Zoe.  But she decided she hated him and actually kicked out at him a few times when he got too near!  (That's not a fun feeling, by the way, having your horse kick out while you're on them.) It's safe to say I had one of the worst behaved horses on the trail.

Luckily, there were no run-away moments for Zoe and I.  E did have to dismount once when Monte just plain refused to go down a somewhat icy/slick hill.  Zoe stumbled and fell to her knees at one point (she was too busy watching imaginary monsters and didn't pay attention to the trail!), which scared me a bit, but we quickly recovered.

On the final stretch of trail (about the last 100') a dog jumped up in the brush.  That was pretty much the last straw for Zoe; I could feel her bunching up under me, so I dismounted and chose to walk her down to the parking lot.  I had to remind her of her ground manners, but once we did a little re-schooling (only about 20 seconds), she was her wonderful self again.

If only I had had that wonderful pony for the rest of the ride!

A friend taking pictures commented that even though I claimed this was a far from stellar ride, I am smiling in every single picture she got of me.  What can I say?  Any moment spent on my horse makes me deliriously, irrationally happy!  This is true in lessons as well.  All the other students will be so serious and stone-faced and there I am, laughing and talking to my horse the whole time.

I'm crazy, I know.  ;)

...And to answer the first question: Yes! This is fun!

Recognizing the problem...

....is the first step, right? Okay, so it's not really a "problem" but I am finally beginning to understand what I'm doing wrong as I attempt to post while trotting. Like using my feet and stirrups to propel me up rather than my thighs and knees. And not keeping my leg on her the whole time (which goes back to using the stirrups too much). I also can't keep the rhythm of the up-down motion going for very long - I usually end up bouncing along within a few strides.

But I'm determined to get it eventually! This has become my goal for the summer - learn to post a trot. On my horse. (As opposed to someone else's - Zoe has such a smooth stride that I don't always feel when I should be up and when I should be down! The motion is much more prominent on other horses I've ridden recently.)

I had a lesson with Pat this past Sunday; she hasn't seen me ride in a couple of months and was surprised at how "brave" I had become - she was with me during my first few rides, remember? I no longer begin to hyperventilate when asking for a trot and am actually beginning to look like a real rider. It's nice to look back and see some growth.

E and I have had to cancel our Deary horse camp plans. She had her "big running test" to determine if she was healed enough to ride - and didn't pass. After running a mere .5 miles, she had a headache....that promptly disappeared once her heart rate was back to normal. It's pretty clear that her brain is still recovering. She was sad to miss out - this is one of the big highlights of the Pony Club year for her, but the risk of serious brain trauma is just not worth it.

Monte is dealing with a sunburn on his neck right now. We have begun going out to the barn each morning to put a fly sheet and some sun block on him, and then back out each evening to take it off. Poor guy! It's supposed to get up to 90 today and I'm sure that sheet is making him hot, hot, hot. I think it's kind of ironic that we don't blanket for the majority of the winter but will end up sheeting him the whole summer!

Two-point torture and other stuff

Whew! What a crazy life! We've all been go, go, go for what feels like weeks. (My other mode this past month has been sick, sick, sick. Uhg! Worst case of the flu ever and I'm still sniffling - probably allergies now.)

So this will need to be a short, short, short post.

Spring is only beginning to arrive; the days are still relatively cool and definitely wet. Consequently, not too much time has been spent out at the barns. I did have a lesson with Marla last Sunday. I was plenty nervous about it (first time riding with her) and my high-strung, spring-fevered pony didn't calm me any. But let me back up a little.....

E had a lesson the hour before mine. Monte was feeling a bit energetic (she hadn't ridden in almost two weeks) but didn't appear unmanageable.....until they got into the arena. As soon as they got past the gate, he became a pretty good imitation of a rodeo bucking bronc. He bucked about half-way 'round the arena before she got a chance to attempt an emergency dismount, and just as she started to dismount, he bucked again, making her fall to the ground. (She was okay, just shaken, although she did end up with a nice bruise on her shoulder.)

He then proceeded to run like a crazed animal around the whole arena several times, going so fast that he actually fell on a corner. It took a few minutes before E could catch him. We thought something must be wrong, but the instructor (also a vet) checked him over and declared that he was fine....and that E needed to work him so that he didn't learn he could get away with such awful behavior.

So E decided to go on with her lesson and Monte behaved beautifully for the remainder of the afternoon. Go figure.

After seeing all this, and then having my pony start out all high-headed in the round pen, I was plenty nervous. But once she was tacked up and I was in the saddle, Zoe settled nicely. My first challenge of the day was to ride her from the dressage arena (where I was warming up) past the various wood piles (where all the trolls and gremlins live, according to Zoe) to the big arena for my lesson. And we did it! I know, sounds minor, but really it gave me a bit of a confidence boost.

And then the two-point torture began. :) Marla asked us to get into a two-point position and ride...and ride and ride and ride. This is the first time I've ever done this, so I was plenty off-balance. Zoe was not appreciative of my beginner ways and about half-way through the lesson began to lose patience with me. I was able to stay in two-point for most of the hour, though, and even managed to trot while perched on my stirrups. This was a lesson where a steady-eddy schooling horse would have been nice. Zoe is so reactive that any shift in my balance caused her to change her pace....which then made it even harder for me to maintain my balance!

By the end of the lesson I was noodle-legged and could barely walk upright. :)

And I will no longer give E a hard time when she has a lesson like this and then complains. I have a new appreciation for the skills she makes seem so easy.....

Clinic Weekend

This weekend was a big fundraiser clinic weekend for our pony club. We hosted Jim Briggs and invited participants from all over the region to take a lesson or two with him. E was signed up for both a jumping and a flat lesson with him.

Unfortunately, Monte was not up to the task of jumping by Saturday; his withers were still painful under saddle, so she decided to not use him for the lesson. Luckily, we board at a barn with many generous owners of many capable horses. E rode a pony (who really is a pony!) named Oscar on Saturday.

E and Oscar

Now Oscar has a bit of a reputation around the barn. He's not exactly a beginner horse - you could rightfully call him "Oscar the Grouch" - but he does know his stuff. He's very headstrong and takes a strong rider to make him go through his paces, however. After her ride, E compared him to Curly in that it took quite a bit of strength in both her arms and legs to keep Oscar doing what she wanted. Not exactly a willing partner, you see.

To make this all harder for E, she started to get pretty sick in the morning and by the time she rode her lesson she was achy and feverish. But she insisted on going through with the lesson. Oh, and it was cold and rainy. Not exactly ideal conditions.

But they did it. Oscar did not refuse any jumps and did a respectable job on the course. E managed to get through the lesson before collapsing in the truck. And Oscar's owner was quite happy that her pony had behaved well and redeemed himself, even if only a tiny bit, in the eyes of the spectators.

Sunday's lesson was impossible for E (high fever, sore throat, etc.), so we gave it to our barn owner C. Ends up that the lesson was pretty miserable since it was full-on raining and the horses were a little nutty. C's horse Maxwell bolted at one point and dumped her in the corner of the arena - a scary moment to say the least. But all was well in the end and the clinic has been deemed a success.

We will have the chiropractor out again to take a look at Monte. I think it's just lingering muscle pain, but we want to be sure.

Snowy lesson

Winter has arrived at the barn...

The first snow of the season began today just before E's Pony Club lesson. Dedicated riders that they are, though, the weather was not an impediment at all. All of the parents stayed huddled around a bonfire while the kids and their ponies stayed warm jumping in the arena. Everyone was happy. :)

E and Monte, ready to ride.

E especially enjoyed today's lesson because she got to ride with the "big girls." Often she is grouped with the more inexperienced riders due to the fact that she has not achieved (or even attempted!) her D3 rating. Today she rode with a D3 and a C-level rider, so the jumps were higher and the whole vibe of the lesson was more challenging - which often means more fun.

Snow started accumulating on the girls' helmets during the lesson...

I didn't pull Zoe out today. The footing at much of the barn is still sloppy and frankly, I'm a fair-weather rider! It was cold out there this afternoon. And I'm sure Miss Zoe didn't mind being left out in the field in the least.

Zoe running over to get a treat...

Rainy days

Poor E! She had to muck stalls yesterday in a sideways-rainstorm. It was so miserable that the barn owner even came out to help her. I, on the other hand, stayed dry inside the barn, sniffling and coughing with my cold.

And then it was time for Pony Club. The rain clouds parted, the sun came out and the footing in the arena, while wet, was deemed safe enough. E, however, was cold and grumpy. And mean mom forced her to saddle up. She was not happy (to say the least!) to be going out. I soon learned that part of this feeling was being driven by memories of falling in a wet arena and having Curly land on her ankle.

But this was a different day and a different horse. Ultimately, she and Monte did just fine and even got in a few low jumps. I won't say she was a happy, smiley rider but she was at least no longer teary.

I just wish my cold would go away so I could ride my pony.....I'm tired of being tired.

Horse-filled day

What a busy day! I started off with a 6 mile walk (14:30 pace) up the Mill Creek trail. I actually get energized by my morning walks, so that was a great way to begin today. Once home, I prodded E out of bed so we could make it to the barn by 10:00. I had a "date" with C to ride Zoe and I wasn't going to be late for nothing!

C pulled out one of her Western saddles to try on Zoe; it actually fit fairly well so I felt a little more comfortable/safe getting on her back today. Zoe was patient as I put on her tack - I bet it's the first time I've done this in about a year. I led her into the round pen and C held her while I got up, but really, she stood quite still on her own.

I spent about 30 minutes just walking with her, getting a feel for her movement and learning how to turn, stop, move over and back up. Zoe was very good for me, only spooking a little bit when we got near the side of the pen that has a tree (wind was blowing this morning). My hesitancy probably didn't help her get over her own fears, but we managed.

After my 30 minutes, C got on to see what skills Zoe actually has. She was so impressed with the smoothness of Zoe's trot and also found her canter nice. Zoe didn't offer to kick-out today when asked to go faster; not sure what the reason is, but happy she didn't act out. The horse spooked a little more significantly while C was riding, but it wasn't anything I wouldn't be able to control once I have a few more skills myself. At the end of her ride, C said, "Go write a check for this girl!" Obviously, she enjoyed Zoe. :)

The afternoon was spent preparing for E's D-2 rating and then actually completing the rating. She passed with flying colors, managing a few "exceeds standards" in the riding portion of the test. To help make sure Monte was ready, E has been riding him daily since Thursday; she didn't want a repeat of the star-gazing pony she rode during Hot August Nights!

Congratulations E!

It's back to work for me tomorrow, and then fair preparations begin in earnest. I think our horse time is going to be seriously encroached upon. I'm hoping we can squeeze in some fun rides, though. Crossing my fingers right now! :)

Pesky flies

After a break from riding (we were on vacation), E had her first lesson in two weeks yesterday. We were both happy to be heading out to the barn and I looked forward to seeing Monte. Plus E really needs to buckle down and practice some of her riding skills before the county fair hits.

Monte was happy to see E and even seemed pleased to see me. At one point E went to get something from the trailer, and while she was away he inched closer to me, lowered his head and gently rubbed his nose on my knee. Too cute for words! :)

Unfortunately, the fly bites on Monte's back are still bothering him. They are not quite as large as before, but he shies away whenever we try to touch them. And he was definitely throwing dirty looks at the person trying to do the touching!

Consequently, E did not ride him for Pony Club yesterday. But she was able to ride another PCer's horse, Sienna. Sienna is a Tennessee Walker - and E was (pleasantly) surprised how smooth and responsive she was. Monte is so light that she often finds other horses a bit hard to cue; Sienna was just about as easy as Monte.

The best part of the lesson is that E finally got her D2 checklist completed and can now schedule her rating. Hoping to have that done in two weeks.....

Deary

E and Monte had horse camp this past week - and what a blast it was! Ever since she started Pony Club we've been told "You HAVE to go to Deary!" E was also told that it was more intense than the rallies we went to. Which had me a bit worried, because heaven knows, the rallies took quite a bit of energy!

We packed on Tuesday, trying to make sure we had whatever we might need for the coming week. And I think we did pretty good, except that a couple of key items were left behind at the last moment.

While picking up hay at the barn on Tuesday afternoon, another boarder requested some help from E (Their pony was being a butthead and pulling back while tied - but that's a whole 'nother story!). In the process of helping them out, we forgot to reload the extra stall bedding and the muck boots that had been temporarily taken out of the truck while we packed in some extra hay. Those two things would've been mighty handy once we got out to Deary since there were torrential rains a couple of nights before we arrived, turning the whole property into one huge mud pit.

I also walked out the door on Wednesday morning without my foot bands (for my plantar faciitis) and my sunhat - both things I can live without, but again, sure would've been nice to have them!

Wednesday started out very smooth, but way too early. Out of bed at 4:45 and on the road by 5:30. We picked up our friend's horse, Handsome, and hit the highway around 6. Check-in at camp was between 9 and 11, and I had been warned that earlier is better because you can choose a better camping spot. Given that we were staying in a tent, a prime spot was VERY important to me! So, we arrived at Deary around 9:30.

Entering the Pony Club camp.
This was taken after several days of no rain, so the road is no longer a river of mud.

We immediately discovered that the whole place was sopping wet, with part of the property being totally closed off to any traffic. People driving 4-wheel drive trucks couldn't even get through the road. After some truck juggling (since we only have 2-wheel drive and couldn't safely position the trailer ourselves), another rig pulled our trailer into place and we found a relatively dry, if not flat, spot to put up our home-away-from-home. I decided sleeping on a slope with toes downhill was preferable to sleeping in a bog.

E returning to the campsite after 6 a.m. horse chores....note the incline - and her smile!

Camp could now begin!

Deary is both a horse management rally and a summer camp with riding lessons. E's team was made up of younger Pony Clubers, one from her own club and two boys from others. Their counselors were also on the younger side, although both very experienced PCers. It took the team some time to figure out their rhythm and pull the tack and feed rooms together, but in the end they managed to place 7th (out of 8) in the rally.

The Red Team - ready to put on their skit. :)

The first riding lesson, on Wednesday afternoon, was led by a veteran PCer named Erin who has been coming to Deary for 32 years (she is also 32, by the way!). The other students in the group were young riders and after the lesson, E asked to be moved to a different group. Although she is still rated as only a D1, her skills are a bit above that rating. I was very proud of her for taking the initiative and approaching her instructor to ask if she could join a different group. When she asked, Erin agreed that E was definitely able to do more than was being taught and arranged for E to move to lessons with another instructor, Sarah Stanton.

Riding up to the arena for a lesson.

E's first lesson with Sarah proved to be a better placement. And Sarah was able to get E to finally SIT UP STRAIGHT AND NOT LEAN FORWARD while riding! A major, if simple, breakthrough for E. She also had the students trot over poles with no hands.

Look, mom. No hands!

The second lesson with Sarah was a jumping lesson. They jumped cross poles and small banks. Because E is so tall and her pony is not, she has to be super conscious of her body position, especially when jumping. Slight changes in her body angle can have big consequences on his balance. This makes jumping a bit difficult for Monte and E, but with practice they can be quite successful. And in the end, E will have great body control and awareness.

Thursday night was skit night for all the campers. E's team had planned ahead, bringing costumes and whatnot for the festivities. Due to E's "memorable" performance as Princess Ella, the other campers called her Princess Emily for the remainder of the week. (PC parents from our own club were surprised at how goofy she was as she's often pretty quiet during our regular lessons. If they only knew!)

E's final lesson with Sarah was on the cross country course. I was nervous about how Monte, a true arena baby, would do out in the open and in the woods. I was especially concerned about all the mud and the pond they would also go through.

Sarah schooled all the riders on how to approach the jumps - and Monte did it! In fact, I think he even enjoyed the experience. I know that E did, anyway. Huge smiles the whole time we were on the course.

Jump #3 on the beginner XC course at Deary.

The footing was still a bit messy, but safe enough.

The last jump on the XC course; they just came up a hill to jump this.

As expected, Monte was totally unsure of the pond. After 2 days of dealing with mud, he had become accustomed to mucky ground that sucked at his hooves, but entering a pond that was almost 3' deep in the center was not his idea of fun. You could see him thinking, "But I'm a desert horse, not a water pony!" E managed to coax him into the water, and I swear that if a horse could tip-toe, he would've been! We all were laughing as we watched him gingerly cross the water with his ears off to the side.

First time into the pond.

At this point, camp ended. But we stayed on to participate in two competitions - Combined Tests, and the Hopeful Horse Trials. Combined tests consisted of a dressage test and a stadium jumping round. In this competition, the lower the score the better; E and Monte scored 34 in dressage (all 6s and 7s, with an 8 thrown in for good measure!) and had a clean jumping round, so they ended up in 2nd place for their division. Yeah! The Combined Tests were over by dinner, and then E began the Hopeful Trials, which consisted of another dressage test, a round of stadium jumping and a cross country competition. E and Monte competed in the Nervous Novice division, along with 14 other competitors.

The dressage portion was completed Friday evening (the same test that they did earlier in the day). By the time they rode the test, Monte was done so their score was a bit higher than the first time through (40.5 - which is still quite respectable for a novice rider).

Saturday was jumping day. E was very happy that she didn't begin riding until early afternoon (a nice change after early mornings during camp). The XC course was deemed too wet in portions, so a few spots were eliminated (including the pond) and/or changed. E found that Monte was VERY nervous about entering the woods without his herd. She had to work to get him over all the obstacles but they managed to get through the course with no refusals.

The last portion of Hopeful, the stadium jumping, took place late afternoon. I hoofed it up the hill to watch the higher level competitors, thinking that I'd leave sometime during that portion to help E get ready. But the competition was so exciting I never left my spot so E had to manage on her own (which she did splendidly, btw). Watching those huge horses (and some not-so-huge horses!) speed through the jumping course was incredible.

Being in the Nervous Novice division, E's jumps were substantially lower than the first riders'. Her challenge consisted of 10 jumps, all 2' or lower. Which was plenty challenging. :) By this time both horse and rider are exhausted, but being the good pony that he is, Monte willingly did whatever E asked and knocked down only one pole at jump #4. Their main problem during the round was that E wasn't focused enough and didn't give Monte clear directions for part of the course.

In the end, she and Monte placed 6th in the Hopeful. Not bad for a first time!

A tired rider, wearing her medal, on her tired pony.

And what was I doing during all of this fun? Well, washing dishes up in the cook shack, cleaning the bathrooms one afternoon and volunteering as a jump judge during the cross country portion of Hopeful. I was plenty busy. :)

And we are both totally looking forward to next year at Deary!

Show Jumping Pictures

Pics from last weekend!












You'll notice that you can see E's feet hanging under Monte's belly. :)
So far he's the one knocking down the rails, though, not her!

Dressage and Show Jumping

We got back from the dressage and show jumping rallies late yesterday evening (10:30ish) - a very exhausting weekend but so much fun!

During the dressage competition on Saturday, E chose to complete the easiest tests, with a reader, and managed to score a 59 on Test B and a low 60's on Test A. Very respectable for her first time out. As a team (Pony Club rallies are team events, so individual scores are added together to get the "team score" for ranking), her group placed 5th out of 6 (one competitor forgot her test - hence a bad score) BUT they scored first in horse management! Not an easy thing to do, btw. E was very happy with the results and thinks their stable manager (a fellow pony clubber from her club who chose to keep the team members on track rather than ride himself) was awesome. He definitely made sure they were up to snuff on their animal and tack care and kept them on schedule for all the required inspections and competition times. Stable manager is an important job in the Pony Club rally world.

Sunday was the show jumping rally. Being fairly new to jumping, E and Monte entered the crossrail division. And this time E was moved to what is called a "catch team" comprised of 4 riders and a stable manager who came from 3 different clubs. The highlight of the day for E and Monte was that they ended up with a perfect score - no faults made during their two jumping rounds and no penalties accrued for horse management! Her team ended the day in first place for both overall team competition and in horse management.

We tent-camped during the rally, which was fine except that it did get a bit cold at night (around 48) and there were no showers available. On Sunday I found a friend with an RV and begged a short shower from them - oh the joy of hot water coming from above!

E was super exhausted by the rallies, but like last time, thought it was totally worth it.

Looking forward to our next Pony Club event at the end of the month!