30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12- The Biggest Horse Show You've Ever Competed In

Day 12- The Biggest Horse Show You've Ever Competed In

In 2007, I competed at the Varsity Equestrian National Championships at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I had never before, and have never since, competed in anything on a national level. I wasn't some kind of spectacular equitation rider; my team was new and lacked many experienced over fences riders. Since I had lots of experience and could ride any horse that was bound to be at the competition, I was selected to go. I had a mediocre round (as I usually do in the hunter ring) and didn't win my matchup.

For sheer number of competitors, the biggest competition I've entered is the Midsouth Regional Pony Club Rally, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. There were always hundreds of competitors; it's a miracle everyone managed to ride in three days.

How about y'all? How do you define your "biggest" horse show?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11- Your Favorite Tack Shop

Day 11- Your Favorite Tack Shop

Who remembers when State Line Tack partnered with PetSmart and one could find horse things there? That was the best. I was extremely disappointed when that partnership ended!

I started riding in the days before online shopping was a thing; I remember when my parents ordered me a few items via phone order from a Dover Saddlery catalog. Most of my equine items were purchased at one of several nearby stores.

Growing up in southern middle Tennessee, I had a lot of tack shops at my disposal. There was The Tack Trunk, an english tack shop which carried both new and consignment items; my mother, ever the savvy shopper, found me many gently used clothing items there. Judy's Tack Shop in Franklin, Tenn., also played an important part in kitting out young Stephanie. It was mostly new items and perhaps a little rich for my family. They carried a huge selection of saddles that I ogled at every opportunity.

Of course, I could also count on my local Tractor Supply Company and the Maury County Farmer's Co-op for necessities like fly spray, dewormer, bot blocks, and saddle soap.

However, my go-to, very favorite tack store was, by far, National Bridle Shop of Lewisburg, Tenn. A mere 30 minutes away (as opposed to Judy's and The Tack Trunk, which were nearly an hour's drive), National Bridle catered to the gaited horse set. (Lewisburg is fairly close to the Tennessee Walking Horse capital of the world, Shelbyville.) While I had no use for patent-leather browbands or weighted ankle rings, I could use quality leather girths, breakaway halters, and splint boots. I think before every Pony Club Rally, I made a trip to National Bridle for tack sponges and new stirrup pads (seriously- have you ever tried to clean those?! Not worth it.)

Here in Oklahoma, I have an english tack store, The Horse Of Course, right down the road from me. It's alright, but somehow, it just can't compete with the memory of National Bridle. I haven't been to National Bridle in years, but when I close my eyes, I can still smell the leather, feel the cramped aisles, and see the bins of shiny browbands in every color under the sun. It makes me smile every time.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10- Five of Your Favorite Jumping Exercises

Day 10- Five of Your Favorite Jumping Exercises

I love gymnastics and grid work. I think they're invaluable for sharpening a horse's skills, building confidence, and improving a rider's position. That said, I don't know that I have specific favorite exercises that I return to time and time again. I'm more of an improviser. So, here are five exercises I think are very good!

1. Gymnastic #2 from Jim Wofford's Modern Gymnastics (also found in May 2012 Practical Horseman, and online here). It's four ground poles, a jump, and a one-stride to another fence. This is a great confidence builder; I jumped Colter through it today. The trot poles really help establish a good rhythm and set the horse up for success over the two fences. I did a crossrail for the first fence, and eventually ended with a 2' oxer. It rides well; I increased the distances a little bit to compensate for Colter's very long stride. (Note: I think you can also find this gymnastic in Wofford's Training The Three Day Event Horse and Rider.)

2. Exercise 7 from this PDF from the Alberta County 4-H. This sheet has several good exercises, but I love exercise 7- two bounces to a one stride. I particularly like bounces because they make horses that rush (like Moe) sit up and sit back on their haunches. 

3. "The Y" from this Horse Illustrated article on grids. This exercise is a two or three stride followed by a three stride bending line. I think when trainers and riders think "gymnastic", they think "straight line"; however, it's important for horses to learn to turn while jumping. This exercise is effective and something different for horses to think about.

4. An Australian publication, The Horse Magazine, featured this exercise from Colleen Brook. It's simply two jumps set nearly parallel to one another on a slight angle. (You just have to go look at it, I think.) As the graphic on the article illustrates, there are about a dozen different ways to utilize just two jumps; that's great news for people like me who own four sets of standards!

5. Horse Channel featured the "wagon wheel" exercise way back in 2007 as a way to help riders with rollback turns. It's four crossrails set up on a large circle (width of your arena). The goal is to ride through three or four times while keeping a steady, even pace and jumping in the middle of each crossrail. I'm excited to try this with Colter soon!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 9- Your Show Goals for 2013

Day 9- Your Show Goals for 2013
My goals for 2013 are pretty basic:

• Show Gina in enough local dressage shows to sell her.
• Take Colter to a schooling horse trial and a recognized horse trial.

I don't plan on taking Moe to any shows (except perhaps the fall hunter pace). I haven't been riding him much; selling Gina is my primary objective. I enjoy the challenge Colter presents- he's a blank slate who needs work. That's always been my kind of horse. Moe is pretty settled in his ways, and he's 18 years old. He's healthy and happy, and I see no reason to push him. 

Colter's making good progress, so I imagine I'll actually get him to a show this year- I'm pretty excited about it!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 8- Your Favorite Horse Magazine

So I didn't post this yesterday, unfortunately- but I'll just continue the blog challenge in order, whenever I think of posting.

Day 8- Your Favorite Horse Magazine
I've been a longtime lover of Practical Horseman; I love George Morris's cranky Jumping Clinic and always have. Lately, I've also enjoyed Jim Wofford's column, as well as the various people that write about how to improve a horse's jumping and dressage skills.

A couple of Christmases ago, Johnny gave me a nook. While this is super awesome for checking out books from the Tulsa County Public Library, it's even better for subscribing to magazines. I subscribe to old favorites like Southern Living and Eating Well, but I also enjoy getting the digital editions of Practical Horseman and Horse & Hound. It covers a lot of things that aren't necessarily relevant to me (e.g. British horse racing), but it includes excellent articles from top riders. It's a bit steep (I think it's $3.99/wk), but I think it's well worth it...

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 7- Five of Your Favorite Flatwork Exercises

Day 7- Five of Your Favorite Flatwork Exercises

Since meeting my friend and trainer Anne a little over two years ago, I've grown to appreciate flatwork. I used to do it grudgingly and quickly, as a necessary evil to be performed before jumping. These days, I spend most days riding doing some type of flatwork. That's not really a tribute to my maturity- it's more a tribute to Anne's ability to make flatwork interesting and fun.

Here are my very favorite flatwork exercises:

1. Spiral in/spiral out- I'm pretty sure I do this on every horse I ride, even the old, sometimes cranky horses at work. I start in a 25 or 20-meter circle and slowly make the circle smaller by asking the horse to move laterally off my leg. When the circle is about 10-meters, I begin to expand the circle outward until it's back to its original size. I find this exercise useful at any gate to get a horse bending and supple (and to help teach greenies lateral movement). 
2. Follow the leader- When you're riding with a friend, it's easy to get caught up doing one of two things: chatting while walking around the arena on a loose rein, or focusing solely on your horse and ignoring your friend. Anne and I play follow the leader (especially with Colter) often- she and Atut will lead me and my mount around the arena, through circles and serpentines and changes of direction. Then we switch. We still get to talk to one another, but it keeps our horses doing something useful.
3. Down the centerline- I'm not sure if this counts as a flatwork exercise, really, but I like to practice straight lines away from the rail (center line, quarter line, I'm not picky). With very green horses, I like it because you can ask them to canter without worrying about what lead they pick up and simply reward the forward movement (and turn in the appropriate direction). With more advanced horses, I like to use it to work on straightness without the visual aid of a rail.
4. Simon says- I promise I haven't gotten this post mixed up with one on therapeutic riding! If you're riding with a friend (can you tell Anne and I ride together a lot?), try playing Simon Says. Have them call out a movement or transition to you. Typically, Anne is perched on Atut in the center of the arena, calling things like "...And turn left! ...And canter! ...And walk! ...And turn right!" I love this exercise because it keeps me on my toes and prevents me from doing the same old thing every time I ride.
5. Cloverleaf (with or without ground poles)- Think of this exercise as two capital letter Bs, back to back. This is a great exercise to work on bending, quick changes of direction, and flying lead changes.Ground poles can be added toward the center of the exercise (especially when practicing flying lead changes.)
   

I'm always up for new exercises- what do y'all like to do?

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 6- Fantasy Horse-Item Wishlist

Day 6- Make a wish-list of the top 10 tack/riding clothes/horsey items you would buy if you were given an unlimited budget.

After 20+ years with horses, I feel like I have nearly everything I could need. That said, there are always things to want, right?!

1. Passier Optimum Dressage Saddle: Anne owns a Passier (not this particular Passier; hers is maybe 15 years old) and I love it. It's comfortable, fits all of the horses I've tried it on, and puts me in a great position for effective dressage work. At $3249.95, it will take a while before I'm able to afford one of my own. Fortunately, my awesome trainer is happy to let me borrow hers whenever I need it.
2. Featherlite Horse Trailer: I am the proud (?) owner of a custom built 2000 model horse trailer. It's a 3-horse slant load gooseneck affair, with a tack room in the back and dressing room in the front. It's solidly constructed and in relatively good shape other than some cosmetic rust damage along a front panel. It's also heavy! I'd like to sell it and purchase a lighter, smaller trailer. This Featherlite is a two horse gooseneck, which I think would be just the right size. (I am a dedicated gooseneck fan, as I find them easier to pull and maneuver.)
3. Jump Set: If I had a spare $10,000, I'd happily purchase this set of eight jumps (and pay through the nose for shipping, I'm sure.) I've made my own jumps before, which is tedious and time-consuming, especially when I'm trying to put them together in my garage. If I had the extra money, I'd just as soon buy the stupid things and not worry about it.
4. Der-Dau Custom Riding Boots: Let's talk boots for a minute. I have a pair of Ariat field boots that I've owned since I was about 13 years old. Over the years, they've gotten enough wear and tear that I decided to replace them. (They are still functional, but have scratch marks on the toes from my cats being bored when I lived in Wichita.) Do y'all know how hard it is to find a pair of boots when you have an wide calf?! I'm 5'9 and typically wear a size 9.5 boot. My calf is around 17.75" around, which is like...next to impossible to find boots for. I ended up settling for a pair of boots that are 18" wide, which is really a little too large. I've had them just over a year and they're already at a cobblers', have their zippers replaced. Ugh. Next time, I'm springing for a custom pair of riding boots.
5. Kentucky Horsewear Solimbra D30 Eventing Boots: Tendon protection, waterproofing, breatheability? Sign me up! 
6. Ariat Olympia Full Seat Breeches: There's nothing like a crisp, sharp-looking pair of white breeches for dressage. I love full seat breeches for dressage, because they help me stick in the saddle during those sitting trot moments. (And any time Colt canters...because it's like riding a wave.)
7. Alexus Knee Patch Breeches: I love the styling and color of these breeches. I'd get them in the titanium, because when you have an unlimited budget, you buy a $200 pair of schooling breeches. 
8. Herm Sprenger KK Ultra Aurigan Loose Ring: Poor old Colter needs a bit that fits a little better his currently does. It's hard to find a very large bit for a reasonable price, which is why this $126 Sprenger is on the fantasy list. I love that it's a loose ring, and that it has a french link. It's my very favorite kind of bit!
9. Deluxe Wood Tack Trunk: Most of my tack and accouterments are scattered between the barn, my home, and my horse trailer. I'd love to be able to consolidate lots of the small items in a beautiful tack trunk. (As opposed to my 15-year old hunter green trunk that's covered in bumper stickers.)
10. Colter. I'd buy Colter in a minute if I had unlimited funds! 

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 5- Your Show Team

Day 5- Your Show Team

My show team here in Oklahoma is composed of good friends and a decidedly unhorsey boyfriend.

There's Anne, my amazing trainer (who's also my friend). She helps me stay cool and calm, helps me warm up, and lets me know when it's time to beat the pony.

Anne and the famous Atut.

Arguably the most important member of the team is my pal Levi (of hunter pace fame). Levi is my go-to guy when my horses and I need a ride somewhere. While I have a three-horse trailer, I don't have a truck to pull it. So Levi graciously chauffeurs us around, whether it's to the lake for a trail ride or halfway across the country.

Levi (right) and me (left) training for the hunter pace last spring.

The third and final member of the Hand Gallop show team? Johnny, my boyfriend of nearly four years. Johnny is not a horse person. Before meeting me, he hadn't been on or around a horse since he fell off one at Boy Scout camp at age eight. These days, Johnny is comfortable enough around horses to groom them, lead them, and sort of tack them up. He even volunteers at the therapeutic riding center where I work! But he still doesn't have fun at local dressage shows when I tell him stuff like "Can you hold Gina? Don't tie her up, she's going through a 'not tying' phase right now."

Johnny likes cities. (We vacationed in Detriot once!)

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 4- Create A Fun Jump Course

Day 4- Create A Fun Jump Course

This was a tough one for me, as I am not especially creative. My jump courses at home tend to either be gymnastics or a very easy sort of two-fences-on-each-side-of-the-arena-and-one-in-the-middle type.

But when I really thought about the type of course I'd like to school my horse over, or compete over, I came up with something that would be just the right amount of challenging for a greenie like Colter. Voilà!

MS Paint Rulz

Easy, confidence building, with a couple of twisty loops. And one combination, probably a three-stride. 

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 3- Explain the Division You Show In & Why

Day 3- Explain the Division You Show In & Why

Mid South Pony Club Rally, 2000

I wasn't always an eventer. In fact, as a very small child, I rode western (as most very small children do). My mother rode hunters as an adult, and I imagine that's why she signed me up for english riding lessons after we moved to Tennessee.

How my parents found out about Pony Club, I do not know. I imagine some of the people we saw at 4H and Bridle & Saddle Club shows were members; the club's longtime DC (district commissioner, kind of like the president of the club for those not in the know) lived a few miles down the road from us.

At age 10, I was inducted to Cedar Hills Pony Club, a large club serving areas of Middle Tennessee far south of Nashville. The club's primary equestrian discipline was eventing, and so an eventer I became.

Since my family couldn't afford to pay for me to compete in many events, I supplemented my horses' show routine with jumper shows, hunter classes, and dressage shows. I never placed very well, but as I got older, I didn't care as much about placing as I did about getting mileage on myself and my mounts. Still, I always enjoying eventing more than any other sport. (I liked jumpers second-best.)

In college, I received a scholarship to ride hunt seat for the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks. I was no equitation superstar, but UTM had just made the switch from IHSA to NCAA competition and needed riders who could competently pilot a questionable group of horses over fences. The team did IHSA for one year I was a member, then moved to the head-to-head format of NCAA meets. I never enjoyed hunt seat competitions.

After college, I moved to Wichita, Kansas, where I signed up for polo lessons. I loved polo. I think, perhaps, had I been better at hitting the ball, I would have taken up polo instead of returning to eventing.

Having attempted a variety of different disciplines, I think I keep coming back to eventing for a few reasons:

• It's fun! I'm an adrenaline junkie and few things match the thrill of cross-country.
• It's (fairly) objective. In two of three phases, you are not judged on how you look, but on how you and your horse perform. Are you fast enough? Are you jumping cleanly? Is your horse doing what he's asked?
• You can really express yourself through attire on the cross-country course.
• The eventing community is supportive and full of nice people. (At least in my experience.)
• Any horse can be an eventer! There's no certain look or lines that eventers require! Just find a horse that jumps safely and reliably and can also not jump out of the dressage arena. 

What about y'all? What disciplines/divisions do you ride in? Why? Have you tried others?

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 2- Your Most Exciting/Intense Moment at a Show

Day 2- Your Most Exciting/Intense Moment at a Show

In late 1997, my parents and I began shopping for a horse to replace my saintly Quarter Horse mare, Sadie. I was a tall youngster and Sadie was a very short horse. (She was technically a pony, standing just a smidge over 14 hands.) Sadie had packed me around local hunter shows, helped me learn to jump, and taken me to a Pony Club eventing rally, all without batting an eye. She was exactly the type of horse a young beginner needs.

My next horse, Spike, was a entirely different animal. He was a narrowly built, 15.3 hand Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse mix. (His dam was a quarter Quarter Horse, and his sire was a Thoroughbred. Allegedly.) Spike was a beautiful dark bay, whose coat was totally black in the springtime, before it was bleached by the sun. He was fast and was reported to jump four feet without difficulty. I took him for a test ride and was smitten. I'd just started eventing through Pony Club and was jealous of the older members and their sleek, fit cross-country horses. Here was my athlete. Here was the horse that could take me to the prestigious Preliminary level. Spike came home to our farm the next week.

Over the next few months I learned more about Spike. He was impossible to discipline, as he reacted violently to smacks with a crop. He very rarely refused jumps, but when he did, he threw a fit, bucking and pawing. He was frighteningly fast, often running away with me during cross country schooling sessions.

I took him to the Mid-South Pony Club eventing rally at the Kentucky Horse Park in June 1998. Spike put in an acceptable dressage test on Friday. So far, so good. Cross-country day dawned, as it always does in Lexington in summer: sunny and hot. Spike was fractious from being stalled. I was nervous, as all of the jumps were maxed out (to 2'6). I was wearing my glasses for the first time at a show, too, at my mother's insistence.

Spike was edgy, and jumped the first two jumps like an idiot. The third jump, a dark colored park bench, was disastrous. Spike refused once, then twice. On the second refusal, I fell. As this was long before the "one fall you're out" rule, I remounted, glasses askew. I was furious. I rode Spike hard at the bench, and he sailed over. The fourth jump was a big, black coop on a slight downhill slope. He refused. I refused to give up. The jump judge asked us to wait for the next competitor to pass. We danced in place as a small white pony made short work of the coop.

Something in Spike's brain broke after that. He was fixated on the white pony. The rest of the course went by in a horrifying blur as he strained to catch up with the pony. The jumps no longer mattered; we had no more refusals. We zoomed along at a brisk gallop. I was absolutely terrified. At the end of the course, I jumped off, handed my horse to the team's stable manager, and met my dad at the Gatorade cooler.

His assessment? "Well, at least your mother isn't here."

We went on to have a perfectly good show jumping round the next day. Stories about Spike were told for years afterward at Pony Club trail rides and cookouts. Our cross-country ride lives on in infamy.

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 1- Your First Horse Show

Summer time means slow time at work. Without classes to teach, and with all of my tasks for the day completed, I found myself perusing the archives of She Moved To Texas (which is a super blog, by the way). I found Lauren's 30 day blogging challenge posts, which she snagged from L. Williams over at Viva Carlos. 

I thought the blogging challenge would be perfect for motivating me to write- not to mention possibly entertaining all of my dear readers with stories of my ponies.

So.

Day 1: Your First Horse Show

I'd already been around horses my whole, short life when I walked into the arena at Maury County Park for my very first horse show. Both of my parents had horses before I was born; they purchased my first pony when I was four. I had taken riding lessons as a small child in rural upstate New York. After moving to Tennessee when I was six, it didn't take my mother very long to sign me up for lessons with a local instructor; my father wasted no time in purchasing me a green broke two year old gelding at a horse auction. 

My lesson pony was an adorable chestnut mare with a flaxen mane and tail named Ginger. She belonged to my instructor, Miss Julie. Miss Julie taught me the basics of riding- how to hold my reins, which diagonal I should be posting at what time, gentle reminders to keep my heels down. I progressed enough over the next couple of years to earn entry into the annual county 4H horse show in late spring of 1996. I was nine years old, and I was ready.

Truth be told, I don't remember much about the show itself. I remember my mother helping me buckle the garters below my knees and warning me not to get my jodphurs dirty. I remember Ginger looking so shiny, like a new penny. I remember being worried about getting the correct diagonal. I remember everyone telling me to do my best.

I was entered in a children's walk-trot hunter class. It was a popular class; there must have been at least fifteen other children riding in the arena with me. I stared straight through Ginger's tiny, coppery ears during the class. I didn't glance down to check my diagonal, nor did I steal a look at my parents in the stands. 

It must have gone well, because I won first place. As you can see in the picture above (that's Ginger and Miss Julie in the picture with me), I was bursting with pride. I still have that blue ribbon; I treasure it. My mother's neat handwriting on the back confirms the date, the class, the judge's name, my name, and my pony's name. 

Little did I know my equestrian career wouldn't be all first place ribbons and big smiles. But it was certainly a good way to start.