Steuart Pittman Clinic Recap

Friday baby horse, Mum and I packed into the Neilmobile for a trip to Rusty Knees Farm in Dover-Foxcroft for a clinic with Steuart Pittman, sponsored by Foxcroft and Penobscot Pony Clubs. Neil got a chill-out-tying-to-the-trailer-lesson (horses like Neil are the reason for tying to bailing twine, I swear) and I got to audit some lessons in the morning, and then our group rode last in the afternoon.

It was such an awesome lesson! It's really rare for me to get a cross-country lesson (like less than once a year rare) so it was great that we got to work on both stuff for the baby horse and stuff for me. I'm still working on implementing some of the position changes and I think some more trot sets in two-point are in order for me and my base of support. Baby horse improved dramatically from warmup (trying to buck me off) and the beginning in the lesson through to the end. I'm amazed that his brain stayed with us as long as it did- first ditch and bank included! I was glad we didn't have ditch issues (he literally crawled down into the half ditch and out the other side) and things got better when I was reminded like a D2 to keep my position solid and look where I'm going (imagine that!).

We had some greenness issues about getting straight to fences, which in a way were good- sometimes it's frustrating to have a lesson where your horse doesn't have any of the issues you have at home, so you don't get help fixing them. The clinic was just the right balance of having the issues we need to fix, fixing them, and challenging both of us. Making it through two cross country jumps in a row (little log two strides little log) was a big accomplishment, even though it didn't happen on the first shot. Looking back at a year ago, Neil wouldn't have survived two crossrails that close together out in the open, mentally or physically. Sometimes it doesn't feel like we've come that far since a year ago (and it's mind-blowing to think I've had this "new" horse for almost a year now), but days like Friday really show that he has, and now I feel a lot more confident about signing him up for an elementary schooling trial in September. There won't be anything on that course that he hasn't handled before.

Another great thing about the clinic (and there were a lot of great things about the clinic) was that we each got a little pink radio and an earpiece, which meant A) no screaming for Steuart and B) we could hear directions while we were riding a hundred yards away from the group, and we could hear all the directions everybody else got while they were riding. Probably wasn't a plus for the auditors, but it was really cool and definitely a big help- saved a lot of come back, talk, and go do it again. It was also pretty great to see Caitlin, Chloe, Steph, and Mica from Springpoint Farm while we were there!

Links for your video enjoyment: half-ditch, ditch, Steph and Mica, baby course.

Go ride cross-country!

Thank you Gena

for making my day by posting this:

I mean, seriously, does it get any better? Thank you Springpoint for letting everyone love my pony for me!

#tribute

Dolores, from the Spanish, 'many sorrows.'

I'm sadly reporting a tragedy this afternoon. One third of the three-part team that is the rusty, green, broke, and undercaffeinated Neverland Eventing (also known as "Marina will ride it if it has four legs", incorporated) has left us, and it appears to be permanent.

The team that was once Marina, Neil, and Dolores the Subaru, is now Marina, Neil, and Marina's Bicycle.

The tragedy happened suddenly. At 4:45 AM, Dolores was just about to pull into the driveway at Hogan Farm when her power steering gave out following her making what can only be described as a "weird noise." Followed by losing her ability to move forward, followed by losing the brakes, including the emergency brake. Luckily, she coasted into the stable yard and rolled to a stop.

The diagnosis: a big gear in the engine cracked into a zillion pieces resulting in no gas getting in and no car moving forward. At 13 years old, and with 239,500 miles (many of them with a somewhat abusive driver who shall remain unnamed), the decision was made to humanely call AAA. Dolores may or may not have been subjected to foul language at this point.

Watching her loaded up onto the tow truck to be returned to my yard, I was reminded of just where those many miles with Dolores have taken me. To the County Road the first time I saw Aly, to Virginia, for USPC Championships, and more recently to Dover, New Hampshire, to visit my poor horse in isolation. Dolores was the car in which I learned to drive stick shift (sorry car) and while she did not suffer at the end, she certainly suffered a lot of other times, like second semester of my senior year, when I more or less lived in my car. She was a real trooper about going days at a time with the gas light on and not going off the road in the winter (much).

Dolores is survived by Neil, myself, and a bike, who is suddenly getting a lot more use. Funny story- I actually met an oil baron at a party last week (don't ask) who asked me where I bought my gas, and being a smartass, I told him I rode my bike everywhere, save the whales, that sort of thing. And now, I really am riding my bike everywhere. Karma's a bitch.

Dolores would ask that in lieu of donations, happy thoughts be sent to other piece of shit cars everywhere. May you, too, not break down on the highway.

A small memorial service will be held for family and friends, date and time TBA.

Happy 4th!

Or, if you're Neil, happy belated Canada Day.

Summer, it seems, is just starting to get good. A weekend trip to Vermont found Neil a perfect (really perfect) barn with an indoor and lots of other event prospects for me to ride, within biking distance of campus, and potential mucking/riding/teaching jobs. How do we know it's the place for us? Well, it could have to do with the fact that while we were waiting for the barn manager to get home from the horse show, they just put me on a horse (my kind of people, and my kind of big Irish event horse, come to think of it). Can we say, happy broke college student?

Last week, I spent a few days at the Hundred Acre Wood in Jefferson- home of Clary Lake Pony Club, day camp, and Jack the wonder pony stallion. I had a blast teaching there! Tuesday we had a fun jump group after the camp lessons and then picked up a couple of horses (great job Melissa, Justin, Emma, Livy, and Keyanna!). Wednesday was camp lessons again, and then a little reunion with my Champs '08 teammate Jessica Champagne, who is prepping for her HB rating. Rach has tons of horses to look at, so we did a lot of conformation and anatomy- good review for my rusty, someday HA candidate brain. Thursday started wonderfully late with a 10 AM lesson for Melissa again, which was really fun because she rode Brig, who had been struggling with some adjustability issues the day before. Brought out Ali Stillers' good old 6/6/7/5/6 exercise (Abby Moody, if you're reading this, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about) for some striding fun. Afternoon jump group got a really fun grid/land and turn exercise which really helped and challenged some horses! I hadn't taught in a while and I always forget how much fun it is.

What I also forgot was that teaching really helps me ride better. It's not just that I'm more aware of my own position out of guilt or whatever (i.e., I just told ten kids to keep their heels down, guess I'd better do some no-stirrup work today); I can also think-talk to myself more constructively (i.e., instead of jeeze, that was a shitty leg yield, it's do it again with more weight in your left stirrup or something like that). Prepping with Jess reminded me that somewhere in my future is another upper level testing and I need to ride like I'm prepping for it, every single day. And mastering my own evil jumping exercises with perfect position ought to keep me busy for a long, long time.

In general news, I finally got Neil out for a hack and some light trot sets (two minutes), his first at the new barn he's at. Farm roads are my favorite for hacking, they definitely beat the back roads with cars going 65 past you and no shoulder. I just need to find some hills- I'm definitely missing the Horseplay Farm hayfields right now, so maybe I'll pop over there some day this week. Neil also put on some weight, finally, and he looks awesome if I do say so myself. Although Nub (aka Rapunzel) isn't terribly fit, he now understands that bucking and bolting areunacceptable responses to being allowed outside the indoor arena, so we have been playing with some transitions and figures outside (very exciting).

Next week I'm rating some kids at Foxcroft Pony Club on Thursday and doing HB stuff with Ashley, and then it looks (though looks may deceive) like I have a whole weekend with no major commitments, so a possible trip to Hancock. Pumped! What else am I pumped for you may ask? Charlotte Pony Club Schooling Trials at Triple Combination Farm in my soon-to-be new pony club, opening date in a week. Elementary division, prepare to be dominated by your newest upper level member and her baby superhorse. Last but not least, one constitutional theory nerd is enjoying herself some horrible Nicholas Cage movies in honor of the Founding Fathers and Independence Day.

Cheers!

Marina