Show Season Closed

My show season should have been done last month when Czech had a spaz-fest in the Hunter flat classes where I got more compliments on my extraordinary dressage horse than anyone in history at a Hunter venue probably has.

Still it was a day on my horse and what could you do but laugh. He couldn't toss me or persuade me to give-up so his creative juices really got going and we put in an interesting performance to say the least.

The real last show of the year I planned to miss due to a conflict, until it was rained out and postponed. I decided to enter Bandon to jump and the very next day in practice we had a wreck. Heading to an oxer Bandon's front legs didn't clear the second pole and it fell perfectly in our landing path. As one of his front feet came down on the pole, he went down and my boot grazed the ground. He recovered and seemed no worse for the wear. We set poles went back and jumped it again before either of us could come up with a good reason not to.

Two days later, he refused every jump. Timid and not acting himself at all, I checked him again for soundess and came back with no reason for it, he'd just lost his wings.

At the show, I entered low rails first hoping to find his confidence. He came in the arena timid and slow. Each round he improved until the very last course he was driving full speed even at the panel.

We placed in every jumping class and won the Equitation medal. I came home with a better horse than I'd hauled in.

But even that wasn't my favorite part.

Leaning against him as he grazed by my side while high jumpers tore around the ring full speed, sitting on him with a totally slack rein while he rattled his nose at a pony dressed like a reindeer, leaving the ring from each round on a loose rein with a supple back, those are the things made my year.

10 months ago I'd left this show site with two broken halters, a busted rope, rope burned hands and blistered feet, both of us soaked with sweat and exhausted from the ordeal just to "be on site", I'm pretty sure I cried most of the way home and told a close friend I was a class A fool to think I could pull this off. He had big spooks and blow-ups if he saw another horse doing anything more than walking, never standing still he circled with endless pacing, and my personal favorite rearing in-hand. With all of it he made me better and I did the same for him.

We came from there to now and we're going to do a hell of a lot more. Watch and see, Conyers we're coming back in 2015...

Thank you, those that follow this blog and friends in general, for all your support this year. You've seen me through the rants, deaths, births, and successes over the years. The letters I get from you all drive me when I lose heart. I hope you tear into your own 2015 for all it's worth.

Czech Valentine, Cavalry Wannabe

The morning started in a literal fog from fresh rain. It was thick enough that dropping the kids at school, I couldn't see the street I was turning into until I was half turned. The barn wasn't visible at all from the yard and my boots protested my attempts to move them with my feet through the sticky mud.

Laundry, dishes, barn, chickens, and bathrooms got checked off my list and Christmas costumes for tonight's play were laid out long before the sun came up. After a few attempts to get my trailer hooked on, I was ready to sneak Czech off on an adventure before school let out.

As we got closer to the battlefields, the fog burned off into a Caribbean blue sky determined to chase away the black jagged clouds that headed north.

Czech tacked perfectly, his gaze and ears fixed on the sound of the church bells ringing the hour from across acres. Once on his back, he became a massive horse that moved lighter than air and we were headed down trail.

Deeper into the woods, we find it feels eerily occupied. Maybe it's the suggestion already in your mind of all the people and horses who died on this land. Maybe it's the bits of fog that lingered in patches under trees. Maybe it was just the perfect quiet when you notice things like scattered feathers from a nighttime catch that tells you that animals are here, though you can't hear a thing no matter how hard you try.

Whether the ghosts are real or only living in my imagination, Czech isn't bothered in the least. An old friend told me once that horses have no fear of these type things because they are closer to the spirit world than we are so they understand it and with understanding fear goes away. Why my horse would be okay with the other world but loses his mind if a plastic bag moves, is beyond me...

Four deer jump across our path as we round a turn, a doe stops to look at the two of us. Sizing us up or trying to understand what kind of an animal has two sets of eyes, it's hard to say what a deer thinks.

The excitement of our adventure rises off Czech's shoulders and withers as fresh steam, the heat radiates up and warms my own hands, and I'm grateful for it since my gloves were left behind in the trailer... again. Sidestepping to avoid rocks, Czech swings us underneath the branches. We simply can't both fit and I come away with wet shoulders from the winter berries that had held on to their raindrops through the night, until now.

Watching him paw in the shallow water crossings, tossing his head and teasing me that he may, in fact, drop to roll at any minute, it's easy to forget that this horse raced at Churchill Downs.

He picks up a trot and the leaf squishing one-two beat of his hooves echo riding instructors past, up down up down, one two one two, weight in your heels, shoulders back, check your diagonal...and we were into the open fields.

Last ride here, we had a long negotiation over the bank Czech had to go down, next to a horse eating culvert, under the stone bridge, and finally crossing the water with cars going overhead. As we came up to it today, I put my lower leg on ready to state my case for moving forward.

It wasn't needed.

Czech had a score to settle with that crossing and gave one snort before launching down the bank into a Thoroughbred swan-dive, we splashed into the water, my breeches above the cuff of my tall field boots getting soaked with the icy water, and in 3 strides he was surging up the other side. Clearly proud of himself and certain he'd earned every peppermint I had back at the trailer, Czech shook like a big dog.

Six more miles, 3 more road crossings, we were on the last leg of our trip. I gave a few clucks and picked up my reins, letting him run. Czech and I flew through the woods scaring deer and scattering squirrels. His long strides eating up the ground so fast it seemed too soon when we came out to the last clearing to pull up, cool down, and pay our respects at a cavalry monument.

It's the Christmas season and everywhere you hear words like Joy and Peace. I don't know any easy way to give the Earth peace or joy this year, but I can at least find it for myself so there's one less person in the world who needs it, maybe that's good enough.

No Stirrup November

It's the first week of November and riders everywhere are blowing up social media with "Happy No-Stirrups November!" memes usually showing a pair of irons hung near some fall leaves and a pumpkin. Riding without stirrups is a great way to work on balance, core and leg strength, it can expose any holes in your equitation that you may feel is otherwise perfect.

I want to be a great rider, equitation is a strong foundation for that, so even without the cajoling of a trainer or a pretty autumn backdrop I removed my stirrups for the month.

My eq on the flat isn't too shabby and when I ride the ponies twice a week (to keep them responsive for their kid riders) I always do it bareback. With four bareback rides a week, surely I was ahead of the curve a little on strength...I tacked up Czech and we headed down. 

First problem. Huge horse. Tallest mounting block. Still can't reach.

Summoning my inner gymnast, I tried to toss a leg over. When that failed with a slightly pulled thigh muscle, I leapt up across the saddle on my stomach as Czech decided he was leaving, threw over a leg and we were off.

The cool air had Czech feeling great and he gave me his big trot. I sat his long strides without any issue one lap in, fabulous. Lap two I was breathing a little hard. Lap three I decided that my arena was obviously too large to be counting just one lap per trip and lap four my abs were screaming, "Let the horse walk!"

Czech, being a Thoroughbred, has an awesome sense of humor. He jigged at the walk as soon as I relaxed, making my sides protest with tweaks of stabbing sensation.

We went the other way and picked up a canter. Czech was having fun and so was I. My inside leg had a little swing to it I didn't know was there and I fixed it, starting to feel pretty positive again about the whole stirrupless idea.

Back to the trot, half lap sitting, half posting. 

After 5 laps of this I reached a sort of clarity coming around one more time in two point. My thoughts became dark. George Morris was a bleeping bleep. My saddle was too bleeping slippery. Who the bleep does this honestly?!

Will I ride the rest of November stirrupless? Um, NO. I won't even make it through 8 more rides this week without them. But I swear on my Hunter Seat Equitation Manual that I will drop stirrups every ride for at least 15 minutes. To the rest of you still eagerly waiting to tackle your stirrup freedom, buy the big bottle of Advil and get some good full seat breeches, you're going to need them. PS Seat heaters in your car are awesome. 

Get Over

Considering how much fun it is to go for a long canter on your horse...

How rewarding it is to jump obstacles that your horse finds success on after previous difficulty...

It's easy to see how something like ground pole work can fall to the wayside. Ground poles are an excellent way to work on all aspects of jumping without physically taxing your horse. I've used poles as stride markers a bit over the last year, but honestly not much more than that.

In my defense, we are predicted another harsh and wet (no jumping on wet ground or frozen ground) winter. I've been jumping while the sun shines humidity be damned. Not to mention that on my turf the poles easily roll and riding alone means getting off to reset them. A lot.

It was time to bite the ground pole bullet as two training issues were rearing their heads and I wanted to stop them for good.

One was Bandon getting careless with his feet.

The other was me. As Bandon learns the fine art of impulsion vs speed, I was getting forward leading into, through, and after combinations in an effort to balance with his speed instead of sitting back and getting the impulsion letting him jump up to me. I was equally trying to balance his forward motion (creating more) and feeling the need to heave him over the fence instead of trusting he would meet me halfway.

It's easy to sit here and say it now, already understanding the mechanics of how loading a horse's front end makes them come forward even faster (and could be contributing to him getting clumsy with his feet). It's much more difficult when you are in a combination line and everything in you wants to move with the horse to get them over the jump. Sitting back would feel like you were setting up a perfect crash into the jump.

So to fix me not coming back and to fix him not being careful, I brought out my measuring tape and set two lines of poles. One at trot distance and the other at a canter spacing for a 2 stride 2  stride 2 stride 1 stride.

Czech is coming along in his physical therapy, his stifles aren't clicking nearly as much as they did a few weeks ago. On him in the arena first, I put him over the poles. The action to pick his feet up would alleviate the boredom of our exercise routine and could help him build flexibility.

Czech turned into the trot pole line and my fire breathing dragon on fence approaches was under me! He tucked that head, cranked up behind the bit, leaped the poles two at the time, then cantered off all proud of himself.

I laughed at him, called him a big goober, and we went back at it intent on fixing some of his jumping issues. By the end of it he would hold a trot throughout before tucking up behind the bit as we came off them around a curve. I just love unintended teaching opportunities! This might be a great thing for Czech and I.

Bandon was up next and I learned from Czech that I should probably show him the poles by leading him the first time. Both boys have done them before, of course, it's just been awhile.

Bandon kicked the poles like each one was worth points.

Up on his back, he was Bambi on ice. He stepped over one, stepped on the next, jumped the fourth and fifth, by the time we were at the end he jumped the last two in one stride for good measure. A few more laps and quite a lot of half halts, he was trotting through and only jumping the last two.

On to the canter poles, oh my goodness. Halfway in, he was in a sprint race. I, not worried about crashing into a fence, could sit back and rate him with decent results. The horse can certainly jump if I can get paced correctly.

Next time out I walked Spotlight and Pegasus down to do the trot poles in hand. Spotlight is not known for his jumping prowess at all. In fact one of the main reasons he became ours is because he refused to do it. I assumed he would need some prodding and was completely wrong. He picked his little feet through the trot poles in perfect form without even creating a breeze to move one. Pegasus on the other hand pinned his tiny ears and went through them like he was gritting his teeth.

Czech made his way through, not cranking his head nearly as much and I felt good about progress while Bandon came off the canter poles bucking a few times and sent trot poles flying all directions.

Dull it is but certainly not a waste of time to spend a week or so on this ground level exercise again, maybe I'll ask Santa for real wooden poles this year...

"I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." Thomas Jefferson

Back To School

As the kids went back to school, appointments were made and horses had grass stains curried out in preparation for their return to regular schoolings too.

Czech needed to most priming. I removed his facial stitches and he had shoes put on all the way around after our summer-long trial bare was clearly not going to work for him. A week later the vet came out to evaluate his movement.

Under saddle he was back to the way he was when I first got him last year, cross cantering and generally off with his hips. The vet determined that Czech had momentary upper fixation of the patella. Basically, his knee caps were not sliding the way they should but instead staying locked similar to what they do to sleep standing.

After he was warmed up and stretched, it was improved though all the sudden snapping when it engaged created inflammation throughout his stifle. Long term prognosis is great, if he's kept in muscle his own structure would support it nicely and he could even jump. Not being worked over a few months coupled with his bare feet limiting his free exercise in the pasture, meant he needed some help coming back.

He received injections to reduce the inflammation to allow healing to take place and is on bute for a week. He'll be brought back very slowly and I think he'll do just fine. The nicest thing about us and Czech is that he never HAS to do anything. He enjoys work, I enjoy working him, but he isn't required to do anything at all if that time comes. Happily, that time isn't now.

Our first ride a few days after the injections, Czech and I rode at walk through the pasture, with my daughter! This is huge to me. My kids have been riding well but I've never felt secure enough to be in a position off the ground where I couldn't help if their pony was naughty or yanked reins out of their hands. I also wasn't sure how their ponies would do riding along with my bigger strided horse. What if Czech started to get excited and jig? Would the pony then freak out? What if the pony ran up on Czech and he wanted to kick?

I decided it was time to try and saddled up Pegasus with a more secure western saddle, and Czech with strict orders to take it easy.

Czech and Pegasus were awesome. My daughter, Sage, was also wonderful, handling Pegasus's minor tantrums when he wanted to return to the barn. I was in heaven riding my horse with my daughter on her's.

Then Czech had another surprise, his breeder Iva came up for a visit and he adores her. Horses have an excellent memory and it was a  very sweet reunion.

Bandon tackled his first few back to school sessions with fierce intensity. A little too much intensity actually. Today we went back to taking one jump then halting after 15 strides just to slow his roll a bit. He's riding with a very forward fire he hasn't shown me often, partly a product of his rides being jumper's courses. Once he's "on", he's getting harder to communicate with, though I wouldn't trade forward for any other problem, I can direct forward! Over the weekend an easy bareback ride through the pasture turned into an adventure on him when he spooked (at a chicken, of course) and took off running, gotta love my baby horse.

Iva left behind some goodies (and scrapbooks that include Czech's baby pictures *sqeal!*) that she doesn't need since she is out of horses, her Stubben saddle was one of them.

Riders, try other saddles. Seriously. Even if you like yours. Just try. WOW. This saddle fits the boys nicely AND rides with a more secure feel for me than my Beval has ever delivered. Full appreciation for those that stress taking the time to find a saddle that fits you both, it certainly matters.

Pegasus and Spotlight have taken to their groundwork sessions without too much pony attitude and both have been ridden already a few times. Unfortunately the western saddle I used on Pegasus for our awesome Mother Daughter ride, rubbed him raw at the girth. I felt terrible about it and may or may not have gone through an extra handful of teddy grahams just for him.

Extra fleece covers have been added to their grazing muzzles. While they do the job to keep the weight nice, those muzzles also rub. Hoping to get all the kinks worked out and everyone comfortable soon.

After vet assessments, farrier fixes, barn water leaking and repairs, training schedules, and tack cleaning, we're ready to see where training takes us this season!

Summer Vacation

It's been tricky finding time to do more than just groom and care for the horses this summer. While my kids love them, they are also great at getting into situations I can't handle when I also have my attention on the horse in front of me. The farrier came recently and it was misery handling their issues (he's touching me and won't stop looking at me!) while keeping each horse steady. The silver lining of summer comes in working with the kids and the horses to teach them skills one on one when we aren't swimming in the pool.

I find outlets for my soul on horse restriction by building jumps and doing improvements here and there.

Finally the weekend arrived with dry ground (a bit too dry but I'm not about to complain now) and my hubby home to watch the munchkins a few hours for me. Bandon's wound from Fourth of July had lost its swelling and now just had some surface abrasions left.

He was ready for some fun.

Our first ride since hauling to Rivermont for jumping, he was HIGH. Someone must have given him the memo that said he was in training to be a jumper. He fixated on the new jump the second we walked into the ring. Hand walking around it, I let him explore it, still once I was on his back he began to jig.

Jigging is a most uncomfortable gait that isn't a trot or a walk, but somewhere in between where the horse's motion is more upward than forward. Czech is a master at jigging, he holds the record for "longest jig in open spaces" on our Hunter Pace attempt. Bandon avoided the gait, for the most part, until this ride.

I put his mind to work on bending, using his rear, as each pass near a jump sent him tossing his head and light on his feet.

Off I went, on with a longe line. Bandon performed like a masterful artist, jumping and contorting in the air. Cirque De Soleil here we come! After he worked all the silliness out, I asked him to jump the new jump on his longe circle. Nope. He wasn't having any of that. He stopped after my 5th attempt and looked at me, "If you expect me to haul my body over that solid looking thing, you're going to have to go too."

Up on his back, we went straight for it before I changed my mind. Bandon cleared it with miles of room to spare, landing in a heap of bucking bay horse, he was nice enough to keep me on as I kept a fist full of his mane in a tight grip. We did a few other jumps before turning back to flat work with transitions as he became higher and higher each jump, approaching a little faster, feeling a little less under my influence. Cantering large loose circles he came back down to me.

Points in his favor : He only spooked once this ride, and was nice enough to get it out of the way while I was still on the ground. He also held a straight line approach to the new jump after having lots of time off from work and he kept me on though he was still a little ticked at me for having pulled his mane day before. Extra point for helping me find a baby turtle that I saw in the arena and wanted to show the kids!

Next up was pretty boy. Don't tell him, but Czech has gotten a bit fat during his time off...

Getting on his back gave me the same wash of peace that I think a lot of people feel when they come home after having been away.

Unfortunately, he was super stiff. I worried about his feet being tender. As we kept going though, he seemed to warm-up out of the stiffness, not characteristic of foot soreness. Asking for the canter was exactly the same as last summer and early fall, his hip wasn't moving in cadence.

Last Fall I'd had a chiropractor come out and adjust him since Czech was new to me and I was still learning what his issues were and what his history showed.  Working him consistently through the school year, Czech moved perfectly. Now after time off we were back where we were.

Did he have an underlying issue that suffered with lack of muscle tone?

The facts : Czech moves well in good tone. He had a full vetting Spring '13 including heat scanning that revealed he was sound for anything short of immediate Olympic trials. Czech was at an eventing barn for 4 years that ultimately seriously neglected him and we suspect did inadequate warm-up.When he is not muscled Czech cross canters until warmed up. He almost always plants one foot in front instead of together at a jump (this does not seem to be improved by hill work) and does so with me and in photos from years ago. He bolts through jumps and will avoid them altogether if they are on a turn instead of a line. (photo from last fall, excuse my EQ he is a freight train)

We'll do some more investigating to see if we can find what Czech is trying to tell us and the vet will be out to look him over Monday.

The ponies are doing great, Pegasus finds new and more interesting ways to remove his grazing muzzle while Spotlight keeps his on like a gentleman and has lost a lot of weight with no lasting issues due to his brush with laminitis. They both look like cannibal ponies with their muzzles covered in black straps. I'm pretty sure the new neighbors thought they might be...

"What if I fall? Oh but my darling...what if you fly?" - unknown

Coyotes, Pony Feet, and a Triple Crown

Fairly routine training stuff going on over at Seven Hearts as the end of spring approaches and summer blazes in.

For Bandon it's been canter work. My long-distance trainer recommended a ground pole at 9' to give us both help with stride and timing. Bandon has been clearing jumps well except for long canter lines approaching, those we are taking down bars 50% of the time as he flattens instead of rounds.

To his credit, I'm not helping this problem much. A long canter approach feels very fluid, even if your timing is lousy. I felt like I was getting where I needed to be until the camera showed me the truth. My release kept my elbows behind my shoulders and I was not as balanced from my heel as I should be.

When we added in the 9' ground pole, Bandon leapt the pole then hurled at the fence. Obviously we needed quite a lot of practice with skills at the canter.

So... without a trainer critiquing from the ground, Bandon and I are starting to solve the problem ourselves the easiest way I know how; bareback. Riding him bareback forces me to think about and use my seat and a long leg. Under saddle I was getting almost to half seat to accommodate my pony who preferred to move with me off his back, without even thinking about it. It takes a little courage riding him bareback at a canter when he's so fresh from him learning to canter without bucking, but we do it and it's improving! In the saddle each time I feel ahead or forward, I think "heels" and we're getting there. He's also riding on a loose noseband and listening.

Czech has not had as much forward gain lately. Transitions are our curse. We walk halt trot halt walk canter trot halt trot walk halt over and over and over. Once he's "on the bit" he's done listening. He leans and goes no matter what cues your aids give. He's no longer taking off with me like he was last fall, he's also not a willing participant in the conversation I'm trying to have with him after we've entered work mode in his brain. I can get a nice slow approach on a low jump, if I ask for anything more than that nice slow approach OR if we are doing a jump after a jump, he goes at a dead run.

I've found some tricks that are helping him hear me better, specifically riding on a totally slack rein (think Western Pleasure) and lots of groundwork yielding space to me. I trust him now not to kill me on the loose rein and with it he has nothing to lean into, helping us the most.

Since it's summer break for the kids, this will be something to pick back up again in August, he's such a talented horse if I can get him to breathe into his new role under saddle and move mentally away from the (possibly strict) dressage training of his past. For now, he'll have his shoes removed in a few weeks and get through the soreness of barefoot transition while I don't have much time to ride anyway. Hopefully he'll be ready in the fall to stay barefoot and begin work again. I'm pretty determined to take him back out for another try at a Hunter Pace in October.

Speaking of feet, little Pegasus is teaching me even more than Whisper did about hoof structure and function. As I mentioned before, he has a previous founder. This means that his front feet (back look great) have a permanent deformity, the toe of his hoof wall separates from the sole of his foot. As my vet noted when he pulled Coggins on him last week he does have an incredibly tough sole so it isn't bothering him. The convex shape of it requires a closer eye to keep mud from balling up inside and the wall is cracking off making it unsightly. For now, we'll continue specialty farrier work trimming it in a way that helps him move the way he needs to since hoof supplements the big boys are on could cause founder again in him.

normal

founder with rotation

Pegasus has tested Sage riding him a bit, overall though we are still feeling completely blessed to have found this pony. Spotlight is enjoying the companionship when the kids are riding and both ponies will make their show ring debut in leadline for two of my little kids this June.

Seven Hearts has welcomed the addition of running water to the barn! Not hauling water up the hill twice a day has been a wonderful change and the boys appreciate hosings after sweaty rides in the Georgia sun. It isn't completely perfect yet, I'm battling keeping the trench line covered with two Thoroughbreds, who shall remain nameless, in my pasture. They like to dig at loose dirt like half-ton dogs and it's getting a bit old between the caked clay on their coats and the worry someone will break the pipe once dug up, or step in an uncovered portion and hurt themselves.

Keeping up a horse pasture is a constant job with mowing and minor repairs. Yesterday morning at sunrise a coyote was in the field heading for Pegasus, Bandon quickly pursued the animal, striking at the 'fox on stilts' as Czech kept Spotlight and Pegasus in tight herd formation. A hole that had appeared under a fence section by the woods has since been patched and I'm glad the boys handled it so well.

In the great big world outside of the farm, we are all waiting to see if California Chrome can pull off the first Triple Crown in 36 years. Chris and I will be in a box at Churchhill Downs in Kentucky to watch the Belmont, in between live racing that day, on their huge screen. I've never been to a track before and a wonderful friend in racing pulled some strings for us to enjoy not only the day's racing from a box, but also backside passes. I can't wait!

At the same time, the thoughts of Whisper begin to pass through my daily routines again as we approach one year since she passed. All of this magic came because of her and my life will never be the same.

March Hunt

Hunter Paces are the most fun I think I've ever had on a horse, the 2012 one on Scooter certainly was. After Czech and I had some successful trail rides together, paces seemed like a great option for us. In Unison Farms puts on a pace twice a year at Kingston Downs, home of the Atlanta Steeplechase. Czech, my teammates, and I were greeted with perfect Spring morning weather to start our adventure.

All tacked up and ready to go, I was riding with friends Cindy, Elsa, and Devanee for the day on horses that Czech had ridden trails with before.

Once I was up, one of our team horses that was tied to the trailer, spooked and sat back. I was a few yards behind him on Czech when he spun to take off running and it was way more than Czech's brain was ready for. As the Appaloosa went one way, we went another, Czech sidestepping, rearing, and bucking in place. Directing his energy forward in another direction wasn't working over time, so I got off to longe him down a bit and he calmed.

However, about a mile in to the pace, it was clear that we were both miserable. Czech could not settle. Given loose rein, he ran. We tried putting a horse directly in front of him, and two on either side. He pressed his chest into the lead horse's hindquarters so hard I was sure he was about to get his face kicked. We led for a little while and that didn't quite work either as we were turned sideways and still he jigged forward as the sweat that was dripping from him turned to thick lather.

I got off to walk him on foot awhile to see if I could get his brain back and when it was clear that wasn't working, I turned him back on my own on foot. I met a lot of really nice people walking my kite of a horse back up the hills we had ridden down. They all first asked if I was okay, then looked at my  horse and said, "Wow, not his day, I've had one of those before..." A few even recommended drug manufacturers.

There was a lot of time to think as we made our way. Mostly I thought about the skin my tall boots had ripped off, cursing cheap boot manufacturers, but I also thought about Czech. I wasn't disappointed it had gone badly so much for me, what is it that he wanted to do? Such an athletic, curious, intelligent horse had to have something that fit him as a job.

As we crested the final hill and arrived at the start line, the official offered us a re-ride. Czech had seemed to calm a bit and maybe he would do better riding totally alone, like I ride him at home. Standing on the starter's truck tailgate to get back on, we went for it.

And Czech did do better alone, at first. We walked a bit and I let him run. Out there in open country running on my horse was AWESOME. As we came to boggy places though, I had trouble slowing him, then we found ourselves right back where we were before, no ability to think. As the trail dried out, I asked him for trot and he took off. Chin touching his neck, there wasn't any slowing him. I pulled him onto a circle and tried to work through it, not having any success and feeling he was dangerous, I bailed.

So there I was, on foot. Again. This time two miles out. I began to seriously question my life choices.

It was a long walk back. A walk that will forever change my packing for a ride out to include thick bandaids. A few times I lengthened my stirrup as long as it would go and mounted back up on my tall boy from the ground, and each time he turned into crazy horse under my seat. For the final hills back to the start again, I mounted and let him just go on, at the start line a handler caught his reins to stop him as I put him on a circle.

Handwalking him back to the trailer, I worried about my saturated froth covered horse. Looking closer though it was clear he wasn't even breathing hard. All that hill work over the last 14 days must have paid off to have him in good shape... wait. Fit. My horse was really fit, dang. Maybe I should have just let him get lazy and fat and then hauled. Either way the well-meaning people that passed me as I walked my horse on foot backwards along the course, had no idea what they were saying when they commented that he'd work down if I just let him run it out.

As soon as I was reunited with my group, feeling pretty glum, sore, and generally miffed, the first thing Elsa says to me is, "What was your favorite thing?". That solo run out there was spectacular. And my mood lifted (helped along by removing the boots made by Satan) there on a sunny day with horses and friends.

So, Czech and I won't be winning any Hunter Pace ribbons anytime soon. The open fields were simply too much for his mind to handle. Horses running around, a general excitement in the air, maybe it was his cross country training before that makes him lose control. Maybe it'll get better over time, or maybe we'll find a sport my big horse really loves. If there were an award for tenacity though, we won it hands-down.

Seeking The Silence

My horse breaths deep like a dragon. His immense lungs, bred for racing, draw in and blow out with audible bass you can hear from pretty far away. His pounding hooves touching into the turf underneath me, there is a sort of rock symphony to it. The cadence of percussion mixed in with his drawing and releasing air.

As we increase or decrease speed, the harmony of it changes. My breath makes no sound muffled under his, we tend to breath in time. Through all this rhythm and almost deafening sound of breathing, footfalls, and tack there is a moment of complete silence except for the whoosh of air passing my ears and the hum of movement as we clear a jump.

Landing on the other side, it all comes back like in a movie where they take the sound away for some monumental point and then suddenly bring it back. The breathing and the thunder of his feet comes back, my muscles absorb the concussion of each stride, until the silent hum comes again, no view for my eyes except between his ears, feeling weightless and unbound by the Earth. Not on some high because of a delusion that I control his power, instead becoming a part of it and it becoming a part of mine.

Back in the saddle again after touching down and returning to the world and to sound, everything fits. Everything is as it should be as if his legs were mine all along. Once you have achieved that you need it to feel like your soul is whole.

My horse tosses his head, light on his feet, feeling it too.

This is why we do it.

Boys Of Winter

After an amazing Christmas season and then Disney vacation with my 'little' family, it's good to be back home and back to routine. I was getting burnt out on the labor of love that a farm requires and the break did me wonders. The past few mornings I've spent cleaning stalls remembering all the special moments I had with my kids and I'm coasting around on that blessed feeling.

That feeling translates well to the horses who weathered the Polar Vortex as best they could, in windbreaking sheets by 12 degree days, quilted blankets by 1 degree nights, and loads of extra hay. It became a quick game in the barn to see which bay boy could grab the toboggan off my head and keep it away from me the longest (Czech won).

We spent a week battling ice and it appears that this week may bring it back to us again. A stark contrast to the sunny horse-loving Ocala, Florida that we drove through on our way down. I never wanted to live in Florida simply because I love seasons and in general, don't like tourists. However, seeing the huge live oaks drenched in spanish moss, broodmares fat with foals under their branches, while a fresh horse came out onto the bright white railed exercise track gave me some serious daydream fodder.

Not long after passing through this area, my phone dinged a new e-mail from "visitRachelA". I had written to Stonestreet inquiring about Marc's Rainbow as I was publishing the blog on Bandon's bloodline. His dam had no real info out there and I hoped someone where he was foaled would know. Turns out that since Bandon's foaling, the holdings had changed hands, original stock including Marc's Rainbow was sold, and new broodmare managers were on board. No one there knew her or Bandon.

The person responding was incredibly nice about it though and had gone out of her way to try and research him for me so she could respond with something helpful. All she had turned up in her searching was my blog and remarked that I knew more than they did and that they were very glad to hear he was loved and happy, if any new info came up on Marc's Rainbow they would be in touch.

I was glad they took the time to respond and not totally surprised that his dam's specifics remain a mystery.

Back at the barn without the kids for the first morning in weeks, I was determined to ride this morning. Maybe the intense gusting wind wasn't such a great companion though as my fresh boys put on a rodeo for me.

Bandon was head tossing, he decided to add in spooks when the trees creaked with the wind. It's nice knowing a horse so well that my heart rate doesn't increase when he acts up.

Czech on the other hand, was all business on the longe line. I get the impression Czech spent time in side reins, coming into frame as soon as you ask him to move forward. No silliness at all. On his back however, he cut up and bucked like I had expected him to do with nearly 6 weeks of time off.

We worked out the kinks and all the boys were sappy and loose-eared in the pasture for some good neck scratches when I was done.

Watching the snow flurries out the window now I'm wondering how they will feel tomorrow when I try and ride in ski pants...

After Autumn

In conversation with a great jumper rider I was introduced to the other day, I realized that I had no idea what exactly I wanted Czech to do. As I went into detail on his jumping issues and that we'd backed off to just popping over a fence once a session, twice a week (pasture hacks the other rides), she asked what I'd like him to do long term.

Ummm... no real plan there. I would like to see what makes him happy and pursue that. I think he's going to like Hunter Paces and I'm committed to one already in 2014. Yesterday riding him out on trails I put him over some fallen logs to test the waters. He wasn't sure on the first then took the rest in stride with no issues making Paces seem like a good avenue to pursue with him.

He did jig for long stretches multiple times this ride and my body is still complaining from that today. I couldn't get him to settle in as much as he did the first trail ride 6 weeks ago but he was also more comfortable this ride with shoes on all 4 over the rocky ground. He's fairly brave and pairs well with horses that are a notch less excitable than he is. One of our trail companions was keyed-up and the 2 of them fed off each other enough that we needed to split off.

We led the trail a few times at a walk without much spooking and made it a point to put him in front each time we went faster. I laughed to Ash, my riding companion, that his ears were stuck on factory setting. He was responsive through the woods at a quick canter as long as we were in front and he didn't feel like he was chasing another horse down.

Czech is also an awesome equitation mount, he does get a bit hot and full of himself but he makes you look at him, and I can pull off my part once the eyes are on us. All that being said, I'm still no closer to a hard-fast goal for what I want him to be. We'll just see as we go I suppose.

Sage has been riding a few different ponies at Cindy's barn and already has a favorite lesson pony, Prissy.

Meanwhile I'm going to add some d-rings so I can put daisy reins on and with a new bit (full cheek) in the tackroom so Spotlight will better hear his little riders next weekend.

Bandon continues to stay sound barefoot. Not having to give him time off every few weeks for pulled shoes has been a Godsend. My goals for him are low Jumper classes next year and show exposure a few weeks ago helped move us closer. Next, I started exposing him to novel things around and under my plain bar jumps. At first he cleared flowers on their own, no problem, crossrails over them too, then today he suddenly saw them...

We worked through that and I flew on my horse the rest of the morning, clearing more jumps than Bandon ever has. He feels like he is "getting it" finally as he strides and pulls himself up at the base of the jump. He enjoys it and I'm trying to be careful to bring him along slowly without boring him.

I still have work to do on my jumping EQ, knee pinching and elbows coming out continue to plague me as I find balance. Being kind to myself though, I've stayed on a green horse learning to jump who has thrown me some curve balls including way over-jumping one jump this morning out of the blue after stopping short 5 minutes earlier. He and I grow together. I can't help but start patting him with my outside hand as he finishes a short grid for me, still at the canter.

I'm trying new ways to get him to round and use his rear including longe work and trotting up hills. A few times this morning he planted both hindfeet squarely to jump, a sign we're getting there.

In ten days it will be exactly one year since we lost Lake. Little did I know that his loss was just the start of a black cloud over our farm as old Ben passed in the winter followed by Whisper in the summer. Not a moment goes by in the saddle that I'm not grateful for what has been and where we've come from to now. Bandon and Czech embody that forward hope to me. I see Whisper's still-bare resting place when I hack the boys to the woods and I brush her hairs off Czech when I pull her old blanket off of him on these below freezing fall mornings.

It Was A Good Day

I've had my eye on the October show at Rivermont since August. With time available to train consistently while the kids were in school, I thought it would be a good test for how we were doing. Out here alone, there isn't anything to compare to and I'm a pretty harsh critic of myself in photos and videos riding. An outside opinion was definitely needed.

In the time between my decision in August and the show in October, Czech muscled up, stopped tripping over himself, and started running away with me. Adding the figure 8 noseband helped a ton and I was able to train on the noseband for 2 weeks before the show where I wasn't going to be allowed to have him in anything but a plain one.

After my experience trying to take Bandon to Rivermont in June and having a total meltdown when we arrived, I hauled Czech to a long trail ride with other horses just to be sure he would do okay off site and still have a brain.

The only real doubts I had this past week in training was not being able to slow him down and not wanting to stick out like we were what we were, a horse and rider team without a coach. What if I missed some etiquette thing in the ring? What if I put my horse in a position that messed up another rider?

Morning of the show, all of that fear came to a head as I sat in my folding chair next my horse and watched trailer after trailer after trailer load of horses and ponies pull up. Czech didn't seem to bothered and was acting reasonably calm waiting for our warm-up. I got him to the show site hours too early, I hadn't planned on the entries being so large for this particular show.

A few times I hand walked him up to the ring where he trotted circles around me and beside me as he watched the high jumpers flying around the ring.

Once I was on him, all the familiarity of riding him came back and it didn't matter that I needed to stay clean or that other horses and riders were everywhere. It was just us. Then he bucked and brought me back to reality that it was definitely not just us and this was a whole different ballgame. In case he missed making his point, he bucked again a few strides later. At a walk. A nearby cowboy thought he was pretty entertaining, not so much me...

The warm-up ring was chaos as usual at a show. Horses running, ponies everywhere, 3 horses deep on the rail, jumpers trying to get over jumps and not crash into anyone. Czech stressed out. He curled up on the bit and with all my arm strength I was able to keep him to a trot but not a walk. We left the ring after one lap. Czech soaked in sweat, we walked. When I asked him to stop (thinking he must be getting tired) he would paw the ground and walk backwards.

I didn't ever feel like he was out of control or anything, at all times he knew I was there and was careful of me, it was just that his stress was palpable in my arms and legs and I didn't know how to take it away from him. I stayed away from the warm-up ring after that, I was sure that all horses moving in the same direction at the same speed in our actual classes would make it easier for him.

I was partially right. The first class I was able to show off my boy at each gait the judge called. The only bad thing I can say about his first class was how incredibly heavy Czech rode in my hands,

In the middle of the ring lineup it took me awhile to find a spot among all the jumps and horses, when we did, he tossed his head and pawed at the sand.

I patted his neck, super proud of him for hearing me through all his tension. You could have knocked me over with a feather when they called Catherine Ford on Czech Valentine as the winner. I was shocked.

I knew he had done okay and I thought my position was pretty good, still in a class that size, I had no hopes of something like that. I was elated!

Back on the rail for the under saddle class I quickly learned to not like the Hunter ring. I heard a trainer tell her rider to get out in front of me and as the rider took her slower horse to my inside she then cropped him hard twice, right by Czech's head, scaring Czech so bad that it took many circles of him cantering to calm down. We did not place in that class and I felt bad for asking my horse to do it.

Next was equitation. This was my big one. I strongly feel like good equitation helps your horse work better and to not be sore, it also makes you a good teammate. Good equitation is hard to achieve without a trainer on the ground spotting you to tell you what to change. Most that train alone use huge arena mirrors. Wanting good Eq so badly, I had gone on photos my hubby took, came in and picked apart, then went out the next day and tried to improve.

Czech was still visibly shaken from the crop being swung so close to his head, I found a spot on the rail alone and I maintained it for him. The judge called sitting trot and my first "duh" moment hit, I had no idea sitting trot was in the eq hunter ring at low levels, we hadn't practiced that at all. If I sat down, I was worried the freight train in my hands would immediately canter, he didn't and we won the class.

Luckily there was a 4 class break before our jumping classes began, I collected my ribbons and went to give him water. Did I mention that Czech likes to play in water troughs? Note to self, next show bring him buckets instead of taking him to the trough... good thing I brought towels.

I asked a neighboring trailer to watch him a moment so I could grab a drink and when I came back around the corner to him, his ears flew up and he called to me like a long lost horsey friend and my heart melted. We were an us.

I got back on to prepare for the jumping classes, he again couldn't hold the posting trot and breaking to canter once cost us any ribbons in that class, but we did pull off a third place equitation in the next.

Last were jumps. Something in my stomach told me he was done and I should pull him. The first class was once around 4 cross rails. I wanted to see if he would do better when we were alone in the arena and I wanted to see how he jumped on arena sand vs the turf we train on at home. First jump he exploded over then ducked the second. I put him over the second which he leaped a stride too soon and landed in a gallop. It was easier to pull him up in the deep arena sand and at a trot we faced jump 3. He wasn't doing it. I sent him to the jump twice before moving on to the last which he also leapt too soon and too big landing in a dead run. We were done and I patted his neck and pulled him from the rest of his classes.

Arms around my sweaty horse, silver trophy in hand and fresh tears down my face after our names were called for winning the Championship in our flat classes, it was a good day. We both worked very hard the last few weeks and at that show and having something to show for it was just a huge bonus.

The last time I competed on a horse was 1993, it's good to be back and great to be there on my own horse, especially a partner like Czech.