I have had the great pleasure to ride with some phenomenal riders/trainers/coaches this past year. This post is a long time coming, but also constantly developing. When I started taking lessons with big name people I was a bit unsure whether it was a good use of my money or not. The first time I just figured I'd try it out to say I did it and see how it went. It ended up being a very positive experience that I wished to have again. From there I decided to try a clinic and the rest is history!
Joe Meyer
The first lesson I took from a big shot was Joe. One of my trainers had connections with him and brought him down in September 2014 while he was laying over nearby before the AECs. Panda and I hadn't truly mastered the canter, jumper turns, the half halt, keeping our heads while jumping, or turning in a 20 meter circle. If we're being honest, I still haven't mastered any of those things. Nonetheless, I decided to sign up for a semi-private with Joe. The girl I rode with had a beautiful, scopey, aging Warmblood mare who, apparently, wasn't on her game, although I couldn't tell. We muddled through some grid work and moved on to course work. I was advised to do circles when practicing courses at home if Panda decided to get anxious in front of jumps and rush them. We did a lot of circles in our lesson that day. I came away with a bit of a star struck feeling, as well as some homework about teaching Panda to canter and calm down and things like that.
Joe came back again in November, right before Thanksgiving, and I took another lesson with him. Although I'm sure he didn't exactly remember who I was, we didn't get told to go back and learn how to canter. We also didn't get stuck in grid work because he was scared I might die for a giant portion of the lesson. We were able to work on courses and really work on some technical aspects of stadium. We made sharp turns, changed direction, worked on lines, and mastered combinations. All while keeping our heads about us. We definitely needed to keep working, but we had obviously made some improvements since the last time he'd seen us. I don't know if I will be able to take a lesson from Joe again, as he hasn't made it back into our area due to the show season starting up, but if he does, I look forward to seeing him again.
Debbie Bowman
I believe it was the last weekend in November or the first weekend of December 2014 I was able to go to Houston with my dressage trainer and take a lesson from her trainer, Debbie. I have watched Debbie teach clinics and lessons before, but this was the first time I was able to ride Panda with her. This was a kind of dressage milestone for us because it meant our trainer felt that it was worth our time (and her time) and money to lesson with Debbie and that we could both really get something out of it. Debbie is a wonderful and very insightful person who is endlessly knowledgeable. Panda and I were finally able to trot around on the bit and look halfway like a dressage pair but our canter still left a lot to be desired.
So we worked a lot on the canter. On me, sitting like a sack of potatoes. It's been over half a year since that lesson and I'm only just now getting it, but I'm finally getting it. We worked on Panda staying calm in the transitions. We cantered more in that lesson than I had probably cantered all year. I got a lot of confidence from that lesson. Debbie really liked Panda and she and my trainer were able to form a better plan for him in the future. It is now the future, and I can say that the plan really has worked well! I am excited to lesson with Debbie in the future, after the AEC hype is over probably.
Buck Davidson
YES!!!! December 2014. This was my first actual clinic! I mainly did it because I LOVE BUCK DAVIDSON, and I love him even more now. For real. That's the reason I signed up for the clinic. I signed up for the Beginner Novice/Novice section too, so I could get more out of the clinic, and get more practice over the bigger stuff. Let me tell you right now, I got there on Saturday morning to watch some of the more experienced riders go and I was trying to guess which aspects of the exercises were going to be taken away to make it easier for us puny riders. The answer to that is a big fat NONE. None of the elements were taken away. All that was different was the height. So when I hopped on Panda and Buck came into the ring and told us to start by trotting into an X followed by 11 canter poles (some soon to be jumps) and an oxer at the end, forgive me if I heartily laughed and started bawling at the same time. I wanted to raise my hand and say, "Excuse me, my horse can't canter. Can someone please pull an ambulance around?"
But that's the thing about riding with the big guys. You paid them to be there. They don't know you. They don't know your baggage. They DO know how to recognize problems and correct them. They do know what the average event horse is capable of. And they do not put up with crap. Buck was super nice, explained everything, didn't shake his head in disgust all of our first times through the exercise, and was very encouraging. All of a sudden, I was going first! And I felt like I could do all the things! His belief in me made me really believe in myself.
Cross country day started the same way. I watched. Laughed and cried. Asked for an ambulance. And nailed the freaking zig-zag exercise the 3rd time through it.WHAT?! I couldn't believe it. I went first and set my mind to it and did it. Because that's the only option you have if you don't want to lose all the money you just paid and also be the laughing stock of the clinic. There is no making it easier. There is either do or don't. Then, we went off and jumped the ditches that always make me pee myself. Oh and did a double up bank to a giant down bank. I did more in that clinic than I thought I Was capable of.
But the best part was, Buck pointed out at the end that he could tell I was a bit timid but because I went first I grew more and more courageous. Another girl in the clinic was very anxious and he told her to try going first in order to be able to learn the most she could during our lesson, instead of being anxious for her turn the whole time. I thought he was so insightful. He cared that we learned things. He knew our names. The man could watch 4 people on course and talk to a 5th standing next to him and give you a stride by stride run down of everyone's go. I have already signed up and put my deposit down for his clinic this coming December.
Doug Payne
Doug effing Payne. That was the theme of the weekend. Doug effing Payne. And I mean that in the most respectful and enthusiastic way I can muster up. He was amazing too! I had a dressage private with him on Friday where he helped us with, you guessed it, the canter. He was very patient and took a lot of time to communicate effectively. He answered all of my questions with patience and no eye rolling. He liked Panda a lot and said he gave me very good efforts.
The absolutely monumental part of our clinic experience was Saturday. 2 of my friends came to watch and it was sprinkling on and off. We worked on an easier version of his famous circle exercise, a small gymnastics, a skinny, and finally a course. It was not as immediately frightening as Buck's course, but it became apparent that I needed to stay human when I couldn't get my distance or keep my leg on through the gymnastics. Then the crazy part. I cantered up to a green fuzzy roll top and Panda refused. He actually refused about 5 strides before the roll top but I decided to do nothing about it and ended up falling off! My first fall off panda in a bit over a year of riding him. I had really become quite nervous about falling off because I hadn't fallen in quite awhile. So when I landed on my feet laughing out of relief, everyone wanted to know what kind of crack I was smoking. Once that was out of the way we got on with the course and everything went decently smooth from there.
Cross country day was pretty straight forward. Oh wait. Except I was keeping it on the DL about my fear of banks when someone asked if we could work on them. So we went up banks. Then we went down banks. Then we went up a bank to a down bank. Then we went up a bank, bounce, to a verticle. Then we went verticle, bounce, to the down bank. I felt like every time it was my turn I needed a new pair of breeches. But I tell you what right now, Doug was a lot like Buck. He knew we could do it which helped me do it! And I was beaming with delight when we successfully did all of the bank exercises with only minor technical issues. Of course, Doug is always one to up the ante. So we moved to the training level bank. Lord have mercy. He made a little course of novice level houses with the down bank somewhere in between. It was optional. But when is anything REALLY optional? I mean if I had said no, he would've been fine with it. But my first, middle, and last names are competitive, so no was not really a word I could use and sleep well at night after that. So I did the house to the bank and Panda was a rock star. Wow. Anything else Doug threw at us that day paled in comparison to the fact that I just leaped with my horse off a cliff of doom. Seriously. Although we did work on the ever famous scary ditches. Which went well. He's coming back in November but I'm not sure I can swing a clinic with him this year because...
I have signed up for a clinic with Karen O'Connor a month before the AECs for prep!!! It's at Texas Rose, where the AECs will be held! And it's almighty expensive. And I've chickened out a bit and only signed up for beginner novice because I heard she can be tough. I'm so excited and will definitely be posting an article about that after it is over in August. Panda and I need to go school some cross country before that happens so I can regain a bit of my tenacity. I don't have a lot to begin with so I need every bit I can muster up. Stay tuned for lots of exciting AEC updates, hopefully next week!
Friday, June 26, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Game: Life - Mode: Zen - Level: 1
I am full to bursting with massive amounts of toxic anxiety. Until recently, it has defined the person I was. It seeped into every aspect of my life including work, relationships, and goals. Without knowing it, I allowed it to tell me who I was and how far I could go. If you've ever suffered from anxiety, it doesn't let you get very far.
The "what-ifs" pull at you, dragging you backwards, or at least holding you still, as you attempt to make any forward progress. As a kid, I let the anxiety tell me I wasn't great at playing basketball and I never could be, because I wasn't the coach's daughter. As a teenager I let it tell me that I could never win a horse show, and I was lucky just to finish, because my horse wasn't a Warmblood and only cost in the low 4 figures. As an adult, I let it suck me into terrible relationships, I let it make me give up on my dreams, and I let it lead me into a job that caused me to be a miserable person.
Recently I discovered that there is a non-narcissistic alternative to negative self-talk, and that is positive self-talk. Panda and I have been doing so well as a team, but I was scared to allow myself to think that it was anything other than the stars aligning, or the cards being in our favor. That never stopped me from working my butt off, but I have always been very hesitant to blame good things on myself.
This year has been a journey for me as far as bettering myself as a person. Slowly but surely, I believe I am on the road to personal success. I say personal success here for 2 reasons. The first is that everyone has their own version of success, and mine may not get the main stream stamp of approval, but that's not my desire. The second is that I have been chasing my parent's approval of success. Come to realize that I failed miserably at that the day I got kicked out of the BIMS program at A&M and realized I didn't have good enough grades to be a veterinarian (or, at that time, even a custodian).
Negative self talk is a serial killer. It haunts you, and stalks you, and never gives up until every last one of your goals and dreams lay dead or dying before you. It is a disease, where the only cure is personal strength, which is really hard to find in the sea of negativity you are used to swimming in. I have made small daily steps to, at the very least, swim toward my personal strength and stick a life jacket on it. This has been such a hard thing but it has been monumentally redefining in my life.
I have begun to recognize negativity in my life and cut it out completely. Whether it is people, TV shows, activities, whatever it is, it's got to go. That alone has made a massive difference in my life. Panda is at a new barn where we can focus on ourselves and not be presented with the opportunity to make excuses. I have surrounded myself with like-minded people and put myself in situations where I have the opportunity to learn, grow, make connections, and meet new people.
Another step I have taken is to start my own business, Warm Up Ring Bling. I have had plenty of good ideas in the past with no follow through. I have decided that whether this business makes me a million dollars or a single dollar, I will be more happy because I tried it than I would wondering what would happen if I tried. I have also not thrown a pity party that on day one I had no orders. I am exercising both patience and perseverance. I believe in my products and that people will want them. But I am not standing idly by. Marketing, marketing, marketing!
I have also started a GoFundMe account that is very outside of my comfort zone. I am not normally one to ask for help, but I decided that why not? What do I have to lose? Literally NOT A THING! This allows me to share my story with tons of people across the internet, as well as allowing my extended and far away family to possibly be a part of this huge event in my life.
I am not sharing this to brag. Believe me, I have misgivings. Being a little bitty working student in College Station, TX, running a business on Facebook from my living room, riding my cheap horse in beginner novice, and bar tending on the weekends definitely doesn't have "rich and famous super star" written all over it. It kind of almost has, "next step; parent's basement" engraved deeply into it.
But that's the thing. Same life, different internal voice, and I kind of feel like maybe I'm getting somewhere. Maybe I'm finally doing the right thing. I'm happy. I have food on my plate, 3 animals that aren't hungry, clothes, a computer, an account on file at Dover, and today my truck even got an oil change! Well dang, that's looking pretty awesome to me!
I'm finding out that if you don't believe in yourself, no one else is going to. It's ok to be GOOD at things and it's ok that good things are your fault. If you don't make good decisions for yourself you may end up being used for all you've got to offer. Give. But also take. Take time for yourself; to tell yourself you're doing a good job, or encourage yourself to do better. As much as I like to preach about hard work, it's true! But it doesn't work without you believing in yourself. If you just randomly do a lot of hard work, you paint a barn but still can't ride a horse. Work hard at things that will improve yourself as a person and a rider.
Say thank you to compliments and don't make excuses about how it's all just luck. It isn't. Luck doesn't really exist. Believe me, I've wished on a lot of shooting stars, picked up a lot of pennies (heads and tails up), and had far too many black cats cross my path with mixed results to believe in it. Be positive. Be ready to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. Be ready to make changes. Remember, when one door closes, another door opens.
The "what-ifs" pull at you, dragging you backwards, or at least holding you still, as you attempt to make any forward progress. As a kid, I let the anxiety tell me I wasn't great at playing basketball and I never could be, because I wasn't the coach's daughter. As a teenager I let it tell me that I could never win a horse show, and I was lucky just to finish, because my horse wasn't a Warmblood and only cost in the low 4 figures. As an adult, I let it suck me into terrible relationships, I let it make me give up on my dreams, and I let it lead me into a job that caused me to be a miserable person.
Recently I discovered that there is a non-narcissistic alternative to negative self-talk, and that is positive self-talk. Panda and I have been doing so well as a team, but I was scared to allow myself to think that it was anything other than the stars aligning, or the cards being in our favor. That never stopped me from working my butt off, but I have always been very hesitant to blame good things on myself.
This year has been a journey for me as far as bettering myself as a person. Slowly but surely, I believe I am on the road to personal success. I say personal success here for 2 reasons. The first is that everyone has their own version of success, and mine may not get the main stream stamp of approval, but that's not my desire. The second is that I have been chasing my parent's approval of success. Come to realize that I failed miserably at that the day I got kicked out of the BIMS program at A&M and realized I didn't have good enough grades to be a veterinarian (or, at that time, even a custodian).
Negative self talk is a serial killer. It haunts you, and stalks you, and never gives up until every last one of your goals and dreams lay dead or dying before you. It is a disease, where the only cure is personal strength, which is really hard to find in the sea of negativity you are used to swimming in. I have made small daily steps to, at the very least, swim toward my personal strength and stick a life jacket on it. This has been such a hard thing but it has been monumentally redefining in my life.
I have begun to recognize negativity in my life and cut it out completely. Whether it is people, TV shows, activities, whatever it is, it's got to go. That alone has made a massive difference in my life. Panda is at a new barn where we can focus on ourselves and not be presented with the opportunity to make excuses. I have surrounded myself with like-minded people and put myself in situations where I have the opportunity to learn, grow, make connections, and meet new people.
Another step I have taken is to start my own business, Warm Up Ring Bling. I have had plenty of good ideas in the past with no follow through. I have decided that whether this business makes me a million dollars or a single dollar, I will be more happy because I tried it than I would wondering what would happen if I tried. I have also not thrown a pity party that on day one I had no orders. I am exercising both patience and perseverance. I believe in my products and that people will want them. But I am not standing idly by. Marketing, marketing, marketing!
 |
| Panda modeling his ear bonnet for Warm Up Ring Bling's advertising! |
I have also started a GoFundMe account that is very outside of my comfort zone. I am not normally one to ask for help, but I decided that why not? What do I have to lose? Literally NOT A THING! This allows me to share my story with tons of people across the internet, as well as allowing my extended and far away family to possibly be a part of this huge event in my life.
I am not sharing this to brag. Believe me, I have misgivings. Being a little bitty working student in College Station, TX, running a business on Facebook from my living room, riding my cheap horse in beginner novice, and bar tending on the weekends definitely doesn't have "rich and famous super star" written all over it. It kind of almost has, "next step; parent's basement" engraved deeply into it.
But that's the thing. Same life, different internal voice, and I kind of feel like maybe I'm getting somewhere. Maybe I'm finally doing the right thing. I'm happy. I have food on my plate, 3 animals that aren't hungry, clothes, a computer, an account on file at Dover, and today my truck even got an oil change! Well dang, that's looking pretty awesome to me!
I'm finding out that if you don't believe in yourself, no one else is going to. It's ok to be GOOD at things and it's ok that good things are your fault. If you don't make good decisions for yourself you may end up being used for all you've got to offer. Give. But also take. Take time for yourself; to tell yourself you're doing a good job, or encourage yourself to do better. As much as I like to preach about hard work, it's true! But it doesn't work without you believing in yourself. If you just randomly do a lot of hard work, you paint a barn but still can't ride a horse. Work hard at things that will improve yourself as a person and a rider.
Say thank you to compliments and don't make excuses about how it's all just luck. It isn't. Luck doesn't really exist. Believe me, I've wished on a lot of shooting stars, picked up a lot of pennies (heads and tails up), and had far too many black cats cross my path with mixed results to believe in it. Be positive. Be ready to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. Be ready to make changes. Remember, when one door closes, another door opens.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Working Hard or Hardly Working
I am not planning to talk about how awful or hard or unfair it is to be a working student because if I did that I think that would prove I've learned nothing. Being a working student is a lot of things. It is hard. It is fun. It is fulfilling. It is an amazing opportunity for growth. And it is not for everyone. I have never been a working student prior to this experience but I know for a fact I do not have it anywhere near as hard as some people pursuing the working student path to success. I have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to work with a trainer/rider/coach who understands the person I am and can see the potential within me, but better yet, she knows how to get all of that out of me.
As a working student I have learned more than I thought was humanly possible. This knowledge has made me realize that not only DID I not know anything, but what I now know is but a drop in the vast ocean that is horse riding, training, nutrition, and care. The more I have learned, the more I know that there are things that exist that I know nothing about and the endless cycle continues. Aside from sailing over a big jump, it is the most exciting and terrifying feeling I have ever known. I feel both that I am more prepared than I ever was at the start of my journey to own my own business, and also that I will never in a million years of experience be able to think about owning my own business. And neither of those feelings is in any way related to the money.
I have had the pleasure to work with green horses, young horses, highly trained horses, a yearling, stallions, spooky horses, jumpers, hunters, eventers, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, ponies, giant horses, hot horses, dead heads, pregnant mares, and everything in between. Every experience is a new one that, as my trainer says, "adds another wrench to my toolbox." Meaning that every experience you have makes you more able to solve problems and correct issues you will eventually be confronted with. But every horse is also an individual and will always throw something new at you. This is why it is so crucial to be a working student and watch training actually happen. To encounter as many horses as you can and learn as many things as you can so you are best equipped to be out on your own, one day, when you decide to spread your wings.
A day for me is relatively straight forward. Do all the things. Feed, water, hay, muck stalls, add shavings, tack up horses, watch them being ridden, bathe horses, fly spray, clean tack, sweep, rake, and anything else that needs to get done. It isn't crazy, It isn't really a long list. But it is all important. If I have learned nothing else (but believe me I have learned a lot of other things), it is that you have to take care. It's hard to explain in 2 little words. It is more than that but just that at the same time. Take care of the horses. Take care of the tack. Take care of the facility. Take care that you are paying attention and that things are done right. Take care that your words and actions are above reproach. Even those things don't help me sum it up.
Horses come to the barn and they are beautiful, because they are horses. They leave the barn and they are whole. Not just because they are trained, but because they are taken care of. Mentally, physically, emotionally, inside and out. They are taken care of. There are no short cuts because short cuts produce results sometimes, but doing it right produces results every time.
Horses don't really come to us abused and neglected with a sob story about their past. Most of them come from barns that are nicer than my house and cost more per month. They are eating top quality feed and hay. They have saddles that fit them like a glove. Most are happy. And yet there is a transformation. It's not a miracle.
I will not talk about how awful life is and how I am a slave. Everything I have learned or am asked to do has a purpose. There is a reason for everything. From the way the stalls are cleaned to the layout of the entire barn there is a reason. If you go about training horses or even caring for them by the seat of your pants I think you'll get far enough. But if you have a plan, a routine, a schedule, a goal and a vision, you will get so much farther. This is why being a working student is important. Seeing how a program works, or does not work, is so important. Watching horse after horse after horse go from a regular old horse to a glowing, confident animal might get you thinking it's more than just luck. The time you spend grooming, and lunging, and hosing, and treating, and cleaning all culminates into the beautiful, amazing animal that leaves when it is time.
It is never too late. You can be a working student. Find a reputable (key word here) trainer and learn as much as you can. Work HARD. Do as much as you can and then a little more because there's always a little more you can do. Have fun. If you do something wrong, it's ok, you're human and accidents happen. Just do it better next time. Sweat, cry, laugh, and enjoy. Then the hard work doesn't feel so much like work anymore. You'll be in awe of what you don't know. And if you're not, you're doing it all wrong.
As a working student I have learned more than I thought was humanly possible. This knowledge has made me realize that not only DID I not know anything, but what I now know is but a drop in the vast ocean that is horse riding, training, nutrition, and care. The more I have learned, the more I know that there are things that exist that I know nothing about and the endless cycle continues. Aside from sailing over a big jump, it is the most exciting and terrifying feeling I have ever known. I feel both that I am more prepared than I ever was at the start of my journey to own my own business, and also that I will never in a million years of experience be able to think about owning my own business. And neither of those feelings is in any way related to the money.
I have had the pleasure to work with green horses, young horses, highly trained horses, a yearling, stallions, spooky horses, jumpers, hunters, eventers, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, ponies, giant horses, hot horses, dead heads, pregnant mares, and everything in between. Every experience is a new one that, as my trainer says, "adds another wrench to my toolbox." Meaning that every experience you have makes you more able to solve problems and correct issues you will eventually be confronted with. But every horse is also an individual and will always throw something new at you. This is why it is so crucial to be a working student and watch training actually happen. To encounter as many horses as you can and learn as many things as you can so you are best equipped to be out on your own, one day, when you decide to spread your wings.
A day for me is relatively straight forward. Do all the things. Feed, water, hay, muck stalls, add shavings, tack up horses, watch them being ridden, bathe horses, fly spray, clean tack, sweep, rake, and anything else that needs to get done. It isn't crazy, It isn't really a long list. But it is all important. If I have learned nothing else (but believe me I have learned a lot of other things), it is that you have to take care. It's hard to explain in 2 little words. It is more than that but just that at the same time. Take care of the horses. Take care of the tack. Take care of the facility. Take care that you are paying attention and that things are done right. Take care that your words and actions are above reproach. Even those things don't help me sum it up.
Horses come to the barn and they are beautiful, because they are horses. They leave the barn and they are whole. Not just because they are trained, but because they are taken care of. Mentally, physically, emotionally, inside and out. They are taken care of. There are no short cuts because short cuts produce results sometimes, but doing it right produces results every time.
Horses don't really come to us abused and neglected with a sob story about their past. Most of them come from barns that are nicer than my house and cost more per month. They are eating top quality feed and hay. They have saddles that fit them like a glove. Most are happy. And yet there is a transformation. It's not a miracle.
I will not talk about how awful life is and how I am a slave. Everything I have learned or am asked to do has a purpose. There is a reason for everything. From the way the stalls are cleaned to the layout of the entire barn there is a reason. If you go about training horses or even caring for them by the seat of your pants I think you'll get far enough. But if you have a plan, a routine, a schedule, a goal and a vision, you will get so much farther. This is why being a working student is important. Seeing how a program works, or does not work, is so important. Watching horse after horse after horse go from a regular old horse to a glowing, confident animal might get you thinking it's more than just luck. The time you spend grooming, and lunging, and hosing, and treating, and cleaning all culminates into the beautiful, amazing animal that leaves when it is time.
It is never too late. You can be a working student. Find a reputable (key word here) trainer and learn as much as you can. Work HARD. Do as much as you can and then a little more because there's always a little more you can do. Have fun. If you do something wrong, it's ok, you're human and accidents happen. Just do it better next time. Sweat, cry, laugh, and enjoy. Then the hard work doesn't feel so much like work anymore. You'll be in awe of what you don't know. And if you're not, you're doing it all wrong.
Friday, June 5, 2015
AEC Bound
As I mentioned in my last post, Panda and I have qualified for the AECs!!! That is the American Eventing Championships, if you're not familiar with the acronym. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! The AECs will be held this year in Tyler, TX at the lovely Texas Rose Horse Park. It happens from Thursday September 24 through Sunday September 27. We have the hotel room booked and I have started a GoFundMe campaign to help send us there! We will also be competing with new friends of ours on an adult team for the Adult Team Challenge.
To qualify for the AECs at the beginner novice level you must place 5th or higher at any 2 recognized events with no cross country jumping penalties. To qualify for the Adult Team Challenge you must have completed 3 recognized events with no cross country jumping penalties.
This seems pretty straight forward. I've never placed below 7th at any event I've been to and I'd been doing quite well in the schooling shows, even winning 2 of them! Not a bad track record for our first year out. Our first speed bump was that the decision to qualify for the AECs was made in February of this year. This gave me relatively little time to get the qualifications because the qualifying period started in July 2014 and only goes till September 15 of this year. Recognized shows don't happen every weekend and we missed a lot of good ones in the fall season. On top of that they are much more expensive than little schooling shows, with a lot stiffer competition.
So with our sights set on trying our best to even just make it to the AECs, I formulated a plan. Pine Hill in April, Texas Rose in June, Corona Del Sol in August. At this point you may be thinking, slow down just a gosh darn minute! I thought you needed two shows with a 5th place or higher. Why would you only put 3 shows on your calendar? Great question! I wasn't really thinking about it that way at first. I needed to step down off my high horse and realize that in no way am I ever guaranteed a top 5 finish, especially not at a show where everyone comes with their guns out ready to smash out their best test ever. Oh, not to mention I get a big case of pre-show nerves just on the drive to the show, and I'll be showing places I've never been before. All of these things are reasons we decided I should try to qualify for the AECs, but all of these things also have the potential to get in my head and make me perform at less than my best.
So, as they often do, plans changed. In March I got my tax return and decided it was off to Texas Rose we go! Fancy clothes, check. Fancy pony, check. Truck and trailer, check. I decided to put even more pressure on myself before this show by making Panda homeless. We had moved out of our other barn but hadn't quite moved into our new barn so he was living at our trainer's barn for a week of pre-show boot camp while his stuff was living... a little bit of everywhere. My trailer doesn't have a tack room so tack lived in my car, at home, in the storage unit, outside his temporary stall, and even some things, in the horse part of the trailer. So off to Texas Rose we head. And I really mean we. The whole gang was along for the ride, boyfriend, dogs, pony, every bit of tack I owned.
The drive was easy; few turns, not much traffic, got to stop at Buccee's. The facility was absolutely to die for with the big barns, rolling hills, lovely arenas, and people everywhere. Within 3 hours of arriving there had already been tears at least twice; once trying to coordinate with my trainers about course walks and warm up rides, and then the fact that there wasn't a hose at the wash racks (no worries, my middle name is over prepared). Without a complete blow by blow, I was really excited to find that I had every piece of equipment I needed and more. I also realized how heavily I struggle with show nerves and that the pressure I put on myself is enormous. We had a lot of fun. I bawled my eyes out after dressage for no particular reason and found out how proud my dressage coach is of me (I was almost done crying and then that made me cry all over again!). I had 2 really tumultuous jump warm ups. Luckily Panda is a cross country machine and told me to get out of his way while he did his job. Unluckily I had placed the fear of God in myself over a particularly colorful jump in stadium at which I basically stopped panda and then asked him to jump, which he did, but took a rail down with him. That rail was the thing that stopped us from getting 5th and ended us in 7th. But boy was it a learning experience! I will forever be glad of the decision I made to take my trainers' advice and go outside my comfort zone.
All of the stress and anxiety I experienced at Texas Rose made my next show, Pine Hill, feel like a walk in the park! My friend Jen went with me and took her horse Bam so that made it even more fun, although her weekend ended less successfully than mine. Pine Hill runs their shows all in one day, unlike most other recognized shows, which run over 2 or 3 days. So while Pine Hill had it's own special kind of stress, it has been our home for so long that I felt pretty calm and cool compared to the inner tension I felt at Texas Rose. We scored a 29 in dressage which was quite exciting indeed. Our stadium round was solid. But it was our cross country round that really made me realize how much of a beast Panda is. We were held at jump 3 due to a rider falling on course. I was a little nervous about how Panda would take the pause in the action, but when we were told to continue he had a "Let me at 'em" attitude. A few jumps were the same as last year's course so when we got to those he tried to go on the old track. I couldn't believe he remembered it! His crowning achievement of that weekend was jumping the coal train car. It was a jump built to look like a coal train car with coal rock and everything. We had never schooled it, and a large crowd had gathered in the field because it was claiming quite a lot of victims. I remember breaking out into the field and knowing we were a jump away from it and just thinking in my head, "we are going to jump this if it is the last thing I do." I gritted my teeth and headed straight for it and panda sailed right over it without batting an eye. The whole crowd erupted into a cheer as we galloped off to complete the course and I had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the ride. Good man Panda poo. We placed third overall.
Next we went to Corona, in May. Corona is in Baird, TX which is near Abilene. That was a 4.5 hour drive and was exactly the opposite of Texas Rose. No one came with me. Not even a trainer. I brought a tent and I was ready to camp out and tackle this show alone. Or so I thought. But life with Panda cannot be drama free. On the way to the show I gave him hay in his hay net on the trailer. When we got to the show his eye was weepy and slightly swollen and I saw some hay in it so I got the hay out and hopped on for a hack. When I got off the eye was more swollen, still weeping, and I saw more hay. As I was digging around in it I kept seeing more and more hay. There was like a whole flake of hay in his dang eye! Any hopes I had about making it to Texas Rose again in June were dashed as we called the vet out to the barn on a Friday, after hours... Our immediate show hopes were hanging in the balance because he might need to be sedated and he will definitely need drugs (there are some drugs and some doses that are not allowed to be given within a certain time frame of a show). Luckily the vet lived close and the show organizer was very knowledgeable. She called the USEA and got all the information the vet needed about what Panda was and was not allowed to have just 16 hours before his dressage round. No sedation was necessary, all the hay was removed from his eye, I immediately went and bought him a fly mask for the ride home, and by morning his eye was not weeping or swollen!
Aside from being known as the girl who was sitting on a rock crying while waiting for the vet, I had a wonderful time. I made a lot of new friends and developed a lot of self confidence. I also walked the cross country course 6 times because the first 3 times I got lost. We put in our best dressage score to date, a 27.8. We dropped a rail in stadium because I made a dumb decision not to fix his lead and he cross cantered up to jump 2. Apparently some sort of demon was chasing us (me) during cross country because we came in 1 minute and 7 seconds UNDER optimum time which gave us 5.4 time faults. Oops. I was wearing my watch and everything, I was just too preoccupied with not getting lost and Panda did not understand the twists and turns of the course so I had to keep convincing him to let me steer. We ended in third at this show too, behind 2 of our new friends!
With those 3 shows under our belts I feel more prepared than I thought I would to compete at the AECs. I can't believe I qualified in such a short time. I left room for more shows if necessary (this weekend is another TX Rose show, a few weeks from now is another Corona show, and in August there's ANOTHER Corona Show) but I am completely blown away at how well Panda has been able to do. I feel that I am working really hard and I feel that he is a perfect partner for me, but for our results to prove that time and time again is mind boggling to me. I'm so used to coming from the hunters where everything is so political. I feel like I'm living in a dream, my own dream! We will be shooting for another run before the AECs and several more schooling days. Stay tuned. Panda and I are officially on the #roadtotheaecs.
Please go check out our GoFundMe page for information on how to help us achieve this monumental goal. It is expensive to enter and travel to these shows and any little bit helps. We've already gotten $100 toward our goal through GoFundMe and another $250 private donation. I am offering rewards for different levels of help. Stay tuned for more on our never ending journey!
To qualify for the AECs at the beginner novice level you must place 5th or higher at any 2 recognized events with no cross country jumping penalties. To qualify for the Adult Team Challenge you must have completed 3 recognized events with no cross country jumping penalties.
This seems pretty straight forward. I've never placed below 7th at any event I've been to and I'd been doing quite well in the schooling shows, even winning 2 of them! Not a bad track record for our first year out. Our first speed bump was that the decision to qualify for the AECs was made in February of this year. This gave me relatively little time to get the qualifications because the qualifying period started in July 2014 and only goes till September 15 of this year. Recognized shows don't happen every weekend and we missed a lot of good ones in the fall season. On top of that they are much more expensive than little schooling shows, with a lot stiffer competition.
So with our sights set on trying our best to even just make it to the AECs, I formulated a plan. Pine Hill in April, Texas Rose in June, Corona Del Sol in August. At this point you may be thinking, slow down just a gosh darn minute! I thought you needed two shows with a 5th place or higher. Why would you only put 3 shows on your calendar? Great question! I wasn't really thinking about it that way at first. I needed to step down off my high horse and realize that in no way am I ever guaranteed a top 5 finish, especially not at a show where everyone comes with their guns out ready to smash out their best test ever. Oh, not to mention I get a big case of pre-show nerves just on the drive to the show, and I'll be showing places I've never been before. All of these things are reasons we decided I should try to qualify for the AECs, but all of these things also have the potential to get in my head and make me perform at less than my best.
So, as they often do, plans changed. In March I got my tax return and decided it was off to Texas Rose we go! Fancy clothes, check. Fancy pony, check. Truck and trailer, check. I decided to put even more pressure on myself before this show by making Panda homeless. We had moved out of our other barn but hadn't quite moved into our new barn so he was living at our trainer's barn for a week of pre-show boot camp while his stuff was living... a little bit of everywhere. My trailer doesn't have a tack room so tack lived in my car, at home, in the storage unit, outside his temporary stall, and even some things, in the horse part of the trailer. So off to Texas Rose we head. And I really mean we. The whole gang was along for the ride, boyfriend, dogs, pony, every bit of tack I owned.
The drive was easy; few turns, not much traffic, got to stop at Buccee's. The facility was absolutely to die for with the big barns, rolling hills, lovely arenas, and people everywhere. Within 3 hours of arriving there had already been tears at least twice; once trying to coordinate with my trainers about course walks and warm up rides, and then the fact that there wasn't a hose at the wash racks (no worries, my middle name is over prepared). Without a complete blow by blow, I was really excited to find that I had every piece of equipment I needed and more. I also realized how heavily I struggle with show nerves and that the pressure I put on myself is enormous. We had a lot of fun. I bawled my eyes out after dressage for no particular reason and found out how proud my dressage coach is of me (I was almost done crying and then that made me cry all over again!). I had 2 really tumultuous jump warm ups. Luckily Panda is a cross country machine and told me to get out of his way while he did his job. Unluckily I had placed the fear of God in myself over a particularly colorful jump in stadium at which I basically stopped panda and then asked him to jump, which he did, but took a rail down with him. That rail was the thing that stopped us from getting 5th and ended us in 7th. But boy was it a learning experience! I will forever be glad of the decision I made to take my trainers' advice and go outside my comfort zone.
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| The only picture of Panda and I at Texas Rose |
All of the stress and anxiety I experienced at Texas Rose made my next show, Pine Hill, feel like a walk in the park! My friend Jen went with me and took her horse Bam so that made it even more fun, although her weekend ended less successfully than mine. Pine Hill runs their shows all in one day, unlike most other recognized shows, which run over 2 or 3 days. So while Pine Hill had it's own special kind of stress, it has been our home for so long that I felt pretty calm and cool compared to the inner tension I felt at Texas Rose. We scored a 29 in dressage which was quite exciting indeed. Our stadium round was solid. But it was our cross country round that really made me realize how much of a beast Panda is. We were held at jump 3 due to a rider falling on course. I was a little nervous about how Panda would take the pause in the action, but when we were told to continue he had a "Let me at 'em" attitude. A few jumps were the same as last year's course so when we got to those he tried to go on the old track. I couldn't believe he remembered it! His crowning achievement of that weekend was jumping the coal train car. It was a jump built to look like a coal train car with coal rock and everything. We had never schooled it, and a large crowd had gathered in the field because it was claiming quite a lot of victims. I remember breaking out into the field and knowing we were a jump away from it and just thinking in my head, "we are going to jump this if it is the last thing I do." I gritted my teeth and headed straight for it and panda sailed right over it without batting an eye. The whole crowd erupted into a cheer as we galloped off to complete the course and I had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the ride. Good man Panda poo. We placed third overall.
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| Panda not liking his sleazy at Pine Hill |
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| Panda after seeing the vet and getting some Banamine |
Aside from being known as the girl who was sitting on a rock crying while waiting for the vet, I had a wonderful time. I made a lot of new friends and developed a lot of self confidence. I also walked the cross country course 6 times because the first 3 times I got lost. We put in our best dressage score to date, a 27.8. We dropped a rail in stadium because I made a dumb decision not to fix his lead and he cross cantered up to jump 2. Apparently some sort of demon was chasing us (me) during cross country because we came in 1 minute and 7 seconds UNDER optimum time which gave us 5.4 time faults. Oops. I was wearing my watch and everything, I was just too preoccupied with not getting lost and Panda did not understand the twists and turns of the course so I had to keep convincing him to let me steer. We ended in third at this show too, behind 2 of our new friends!
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| New friends and a great time |
With those 3 shows under our belts I feel more prepared than I thought I would to compete at the AECs. I can't believe I qualified in such a short time. I left room for more shows if necessary (this weekend is another TX Rose show, a few weeks from now is another Corona show, and in August there's ANOTHER Corona Show) but I am completely blown away at how well Panda has been able to do. I feel that I am working really hard and I feel that he is a perfect partner for me, but for our results to prove that time and time again is mind boggling to me. I'm so used to coming from the hunters where everything is so political. I feel like I'm living in a dream, my own dream! We will be shooting for another run before the AECs and several more schooling days. Stay tuned. Panda and I are officially on the #roadtotheaecs.
Please go check out our GoFundMe page for information on how to help us achieve this monumental goal. It is expensive to enter and travel to these shows and any little bit helps. We've already gotten $100 toward our goal through GoFundMe and another $250 private donation. I am offering rewards for different levels of help. Stay tuned for more on our never ending journey!
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