TBD

TBD on Ning

Here's a place to record your day-to-day equestrian doings, musings, and adventures.

Tags: day-to-day doings, equestrian ephemera, what's happenin'?

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Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I think we still need to work on being forward and refining our geometry since those were the areas that the judge noted most as problematic.  We'll see what progress we make between now & July 21st, the recognized show.

Today was a play day for Nathan & I...we practiced some shoulder-in which we hadn't done in quite a while and then I worked on balancing a plastic egg on a big serving spoon at the walk, trot & canter. Had a lot of laughs with that! the temperature was in the high 80s with lots of humidity. Needless to say we did not work too hard!

I love all those silly, but useful, exercises! 

We used to do the egg on the spoon one! HAHAHA! Sometimes we'd hold the spoon in our hand, sometimes in our mouth with our hands behind our back.

In that same vein, the funniest variation I ever did was no stirrups, no bridle, arms pulled back, elbows around a broom stick running across your lower back, doing a training level test. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Hysterical, but also a good learning experience. 

OMG! that broomstick one...I wouldn't have lasted 2 mnutes! I probably would do better with the spoon in the mouth.

The broomstick exercise was pretty funny!

It took lots of concentration. Everyone was SO serious.

After we'd ridden the tests and all four of us were trying to do extended trot in the arena together, reins returned but still no stirrups and broomsticks in place, it became a laugh free-for-all!  One top-flight rider fell off laughing so hard he couldn't control himself...

HAHAHAHA!

It was probably the funniest clinic I ever attended.

What a great memory to have of a clinic!

It is! Wish they were all that funny and enlightening at the same time!

Today Nathan was at a horse show...jumping..versitile boy that he is! So Ophelia subbed for him. We practiced transitions..w/t, t/c, and back again. Hot in the arena but sometimes the clouds made it cooler. Ended with 2 baby xrails....had forgotten how she bascules ove the jumps!

Yesterday was cooler but threatened rain any minute. For Nathan's sake I was not happy that he was scheduled for back-to-back lessons with mine being the longest. It didn't help any that the first rider did not give him the attention needed to dry his back and girth area and in fact, if I hadn't said anything, would have left him in his stall fully tacked. So since he didn't need much of a warm up, we practiced Intro C and it was passable...probably 6s with maybe a 7 or two. I made it up to him with a nice cool wash down plus his usual carrots & apples. Two lessons till the next show.

I'm so glad you were there to care for him, Carol...he probably thinks, "Hooray, Mommy's here!" every time he sees you.

Are there no grooms around to take care of the school horses? I hate to think that at times horses are ridden and put away hot and wet.

Where is the next show? Do you have to travel far? What's the date of it? 

The grooms do strictly basic care ie: mucking stalls, watering, feeding, turnout, etc. There's a barn manager from 6AM to 7PM with volunteers helping usually young girls that do tack up, grooming, etc. He knows I'm not mommy, but I can pass for auntie. It has happened several times during the 16 years I've been there that horses have not received the care that they are entitled to and I've voiced my complaints about it especially if it's a horse that I've been riding regularly. This sunday the 21st is the next show in Brookhaven on LI,  and for me it's far...about 50 miles from my house. Nathan has a shorter trip in the van, but it will be a new venue for him and since he'll not have a buddy this time, I'm sure he'll be a bit anxious. 

It's over! Another horse show in the heat...but I kept my jacket on! Drank lots of fluid but still was not at my best.  Nathan AKA Nip n Tuck was calm & cool and loved hanging out in his rental stall muching hay or begging carrots. We did our best but I'm still not at the top of my form in the heat and so there was a fair amount of rider error. So we were not able to equal the results of the previous show...this time we came in second in all classes. The judge remarked on our lack of energy in all three tests. I have to keep experimenting with what I need to perform well in the heat. The next show may turn out better because it is in September when hopefully it will be cooler.   

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