Rendezvous recap and then some:

What a weekend!

Neil and Aly got a couple of well-deserved days off as myself and the rest of the Medux clan traveled down to the Northeast Region's annual Regional Rendezvous at the Senator in Augusta. My favorite workshop was with a vet and equine acupuncturist. I don't totally buy into the 'find your chi,' spiritual balance bit of non-traditional medicine and the electroacupuncture looked a little scary, but it was interesting to learn about the acupuncture points and the indicators used for the treatment. They're around clusters of arterials and lymphatics, which makes sense given the lymphatic system's role in immunology and its relationship to the nervous system. I never quite got scientifically how sticking a needle in it stimulated a healing response, but this article provided some insight into Western theories on human acupuncture. My not-so-inner-nerd is quite fascinated.

In other Pony Club news, I really want The Glass Horse digital leg CD Beth Ruk was using at one workshop, and if anyone wants to buy it for me, you can find it here. We had a lovely banquet where Jordan Stordahl, though absent, was recognized for passing her C3, a number of PCers including some of my own were awarded ribbons for their research projects, and yours truly was awarded a Corinne Gray, which my mother did a very good job keeping a secret. The Regional Youth Board (council?) had its first meeting as well. I skipped a few workshops to get in a trip to Adams, of course, where Neil got a new clincher browband so he can wear his sister's dressage bridle without being embarrassed about the butterflies on hers. Aly got new purple boots to take with her to Springpoint Farm; she is leaving Sunday and I cannot even say the word horse without bawling.

Now we're back to the relaxing lifestyle that is Maine in a snowstorm, school in session, and full fledged jazz season. Oh, and scholarship applications, in case I actually decide to go to college. Whoop!

2.25.11

It's storming again in Maine (surprise). Luckily it waited til I had the barns done before the heavens opened up with another deposit of white yuck. Neil hates his vacation work schedule; it seems that when I get to him around 2:30 is prime nap time. I had a better ride on him today, though, starting to feel him loosen and swing better behind and chill out in my hand a bit more.
There's a working student position at The Fork (yes, that's right, The Fork) and it's calling my name: free rent, board, and lessons with none other than recent Canadian WEG silver medalist Rebecca Howard. The cross country course was designed by CMP himself. Unfortunately it's a one-year commitment, meaning I would have to take a whole year off college before I even start college. Middlebury is really cool about deferments, but I already sent them my deposit, and the idea of not going straight to college scares me a little. If I get to The Fork and I absolutely love that life, it won't be easy to make myself go to school at all. On the other hand, spending a year exploring whether that's the life I want to live would probably be better to do before I owe various private and federal institutions tens of thousands in college loans. I've been putting off figuring out my spring and summer for a while, and it's time to sit down and make some decisions. This position probably won't happen because they need someone immediately, and it's unlikely they'd want to wait for me to graduate in 3 months (holy $#%t, I'm graduating in three months!) and it makes no sense to abandon high school now. But there's always another opening up. My mom is being really cool about the whole thing, which is great, except she's not making this decision for me, which makes it more difficult.
Meanwhile, I also have a horse show to begin to plan and organize, a number of clinics to line up, a competition and conditioning schedule to write for Neil, the NER USPC Regional Rendezvous this weekend (pumped), and I just took on another client for the spring (yay!). Everything I own is for sale, except the horses, the truck, and the trailer. Neil enjoys destroying things, so if you need anything demolished, I am renting him out by the hour (kidding, but really, it's chronic). So ready for spring!

Neil, Aly, and Chuck Norris

I'm not sure it's possible for a horse to be as laid-back as Neil: today when I went to catch him, I found him and his 11 hand pony friend stretched out, fast asleep in the middle of what was once a round bale (like two days ago, to be exact). Most horses have some kind of instincts, but apparently the Canadian Sport Horse has evolved past basic self-preservation because my 4 year old 'hot' event horse did not respond to various attempts to get him up off his ass, including but not limited to cajoling, clapping, poking, prodding, the other horse being awakened and chased away, etc. I had to actually put his halter on and give him a good shove to get him up.

That said, he was a good boy today. I am still figuring out our contact issues and trying to get him to carry more in his back, which is an interesting challenge for me because I'm tight in the hip, which is contributing to the problem. Margie Godson's words of wisdom from August keep coming back again and again (Margie is awesome, we rode with her at Rohirrim farm, and she teaches at Myrrdin Equestrian Center in Ontario): I need to loosen up my leg. I see more chiropractor visits in my future.

The red mare is leaving earlier than planned- next weekend. The good part is, since March is jazz season, she'll actually get more work than if she had stayed with me. And she's going to an awesome barn. With an awesome person, and an awesome instructor, and they will take awesome care of her. And I will be able to visit frequently. The bad news is, they will never love her like I do, and she will not be in Houlton. Which sucks.

In other news, my dad has rediscovered his love of all things Chuck Norris, and has been watching a Walker Texas Ranger marathon all day. Nothing to make you feel like an inferior human being than Chuck Norris in your living room, inescapable.

2/21/11 Lesson Video

YouTube links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpKyYPr06SM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0SjrFiGdI4

Blogger doesn't like me and won't let me upload, but these are both of one exercise from yesterday. The bicycling exercise was majorly helpful in the transitions, the changes of direction, and in helping him carry from his back. When I rode him today, he was more comfortable with the exercise and we practiced it a bit more. Changed him to a double-jointed loose ring of Amy's, which he was a little different in- played with it more, anyway- it's also a 5 1/2" which is bigger than the last one, and took the flash off his dressage bridle. Debbie says he needs to get 'wooden' in my hands (not in his body, he is not to hang on my hands, very different) so I have a contact to push him into, and Amy was telling me something about how they 'have to be heavy before you can make them light again,' so anyway, lots to wrap my head around and obsess over for the last long cold stretch.

Aly is not surprisingly a bit sore (they had their feet done yesterday and she's always quite sensitive to any changes) so she did five minutes of walk work to loosen up her back and got some Bute. Jayne was at the barn riding Clipper and he looks like a champ especially for all the time off he's had! But then again he adores her (must have something to do with all those cookies, hmm). I'm so sick of this winter crap- fell down in the driveway but the pitchfork caught me and saved me from serious harm. I need crampons for my field boots.

Ice skating...

is not good for horses

This morning was more than a little bit nuts, doing turnout for 11 horses at one barn before loading up at another to hit the highway at 7 and head to Debbie's. It snowed most of the way down, no big deal because I had my Dave Matthews groove on and my mom in the passenger seat, and it was a pretty uneventful drive until we arrived, I stepped out of the truck, and promptly fell down. Aly was fine to unload (she has 4 studs in each shoe, of course) but Neil stepped off the trailer and promptly moved his legs in a variety of directions I did not know he was capable of (now I have full confidence that he can handle any lateral movement through at least Intermediare II). Luckily he was wearing his shipping helmet or 'idiot hat' as we call it, and boots, and never actually fell all the way down. A variety of solutions were considered but eventually we put him back on the trailer and backed the trailer up to the barn door, and unloaded him onto a rubber mat- Sheila and the Debbies were fantastic helping us with sand and moving the trailer on the ice.

Ponies got their feet done, met Kathy Shultz's new horse Ray- he's super cute, had an awesome and very educational lesson in which I learned:

1. I need to educate my horse before I ride him like he's an educated horse.

2. A better way to use my seat to help him swing from my seat and over his back and topline instead of curling up in front away from the bridle- speaking of which, a change in bit and bridle are in order as I suspected. Debbie said something fatter and french-linked would be good for him, a KK or something like that. She must know how much I love to play with bits. The mouthpiece on the D is too thin, it's something I used to jump Aly in. Follow along for weeks of bitting adventures.

3. Sometimes, it's okay to ride in a less-than-Pony-Club-standard position to accomplish something as a trainer. This makes a lot of sense: obviously my weight needs to go in some places outside the range of basic balanced position to help my horse understand what I am asking of him, like loading the opposite front shoulder when I ask for a turn on the forehand, being looser everywhere generally.

I will post some video if my computer cooperates- the luxury of a heated barn and indoor are quite nice when it's 15 degrees out, but as Amy keeps reminding me, it's only 5 weeks til April (yikes!). As an added note, eventers are awesome: someone whose name I did not catch got her horse trailer stuck at the very top of the driveway (did I maybe mention how icy it was) and like 5 people were there from the barn helping try to get her unstuck, a random guy with a blue van (random guys are awesome too) stopped on the side of the road to help because he had a couple of buckets of sand in his car, and finally Scott went and got his truck from next door and pulled her into the road. I was quite proud of Devon the Chevy (my truck) for making it into the road all by herself.

Stay warm everyone!

Lesson!

Finally got in a lesson on Neil today- everything has been so nuts with my jobs and my teeth and rehearsals that it had been quite a while. Kept it simple and flatted him, really worked to get him not to hang so on the right rein (and me the same). He's naturally very crooked to the left so we did lots of counter-bending and straightening exercises to move him into the outside contact, especially left but also right. His leg yields are coming, I just need to slow everything down more so he can cross better behind. But the canter transitions are so much better than six months ago, when he almost fell out of the dressage ring at Rohirrim! Amy is great at seeing the nasty habits I don't notice myself developing when I ride alone- yikes. So, onward and upward to a better contact and a straighter horse. And jumping with Debbie tomorrow!

I've been riding him in a D lately, which in some ways is better (steering, not coming behind the bit) and in other ways worse (bracing). He likes the double-jointed mouthpiece in the other bit better, I think, so when I have extra money (ha) I'll get him a double-jointed D and see how he goes. I need the right balanced of not-too-fixed so he doesn't hang, but fixed enough. He def jumps better in the D than the other, but I was thinking a full-cheek or a fulmer might be in order for his course work. We shall see tomorrow. I'm taking all my options with me, which means I need to clean them all, of course...yuck. But should be a fun trip! Lots to work on.

Ouch.

It's show choir season everyone! And while nobody hates (and sucks at) choreography more than me, it is going to help me get in shape for eventing so much faster- all the core work for the lifts and the cardio. Disco is...energizing and cheesy to say the least. My yesterday was wake up, do chores, school, dance for three hours, play at pep band (more or less recovered from wisdom teeth), ride Neil. At 9 P.M. I had to wake him up, but my position was already so much better from the dancing, I think.

This morning: up, chores at a different barn, 9 A.M. rehearsal, lunch (now) followed by more rehearsal til 3:30, then riding. Whazaaaam weekend. And the best news of all: I get to keep the red mare here til April! So much better than I had hoped- thought she might have to go sooner but not.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog!

I'm excited to have a space just devoted to sharing my ups, downs, and in-the-middles of eventing. Neil and I have made a lot of progress toward our 2011 goals already, but we have a long way to go. Follow along- it's sure to be a humbling and exciting ride. We're very pumped for a lesson with Debbie Place at Peppergrass Farm on Monday, and to see our very beloved farrier goddess Debbie Knight.

It might be bad luck to begin a blog with sad news, but everyone, PLEASE, remember to give your ponies extra love and carrots tonight when you tuck them in (and maybe wrap them in bubble wrap while you're at it). My friend and fellow eventer lost a great horse to a bad colic today, and a loss like that always puts into perspective how much we love the horses in our lives. So if that leg yield isn't perfect tomorrow morning or he nocks the last rail of that course, give him a pat and a 'good boy' anyway. Meanwhile in the lab, I'm working on an equine immortality supplement available in Smartpaks soon.