Some days you wonder I got out of bed for this?
It was a disappointing lesson day for us this past Thursday. We were working on some jumping lines over some “scary” jumps. One jump was an oxer, another was a vertical with some colorful buckets under it, a flowered vertical and then a vertical with a blanket draped over it to give the illusion of a panel jump.
The blanket/panel jump just had us both completely unfocused. Because it was so close to the Oxer, he would jump the first jump and then deek out on the second jump which was the oxer, so we dropped the second pole of the oxer, and still it was an issue. He was paying too much attention to the horrifically scary blanket/panel jump. Now at OHara, we did our first panel jump there, and it wasn’t a problem for either of us, but if you make it out of dangerous horse eating cotton – well then it becomes worse then a water hazard.
We brought everything down to a trot, and although we finished our mini course, it certainly didn’t leave me feeling very positive about Maple Ridge coming up. If Oz was going to be a tool about the little stuff at home, how were we going to handle the pressure of MREC?
Friday we just rode down the street past the golf course, up beside the highway. I just wanted to clear my head of the issues we were having in the ring, and without Brianne there to assist us, I knew it could go one of two ways, so-so or really bad…. So with that thought I decided we would just hack out. He was a jem, other then crossing over a scary street bridge, in which it wasn’t much of a hesitation. But I thought good we’ve cleared his mind of all the bad thoughts, and mine too.
I along with Brianne, Kim, Sandra, Kyra, Little Amy and I think some other students went to watch the BC Summer Games Equestrian, Jumping division. From where we were sitting we had a great view of the jumps and some of the lines. There were some incredible horses and riders there, and then some that it just wasn’t to be their day – boy do I know that feeling. The jumps were sitting at about 3’6, and were looking fairly looming to me. It didn’t really motivate me to ride; in fact I grew a bit more nervous. But with a bunch of other things going on at work and the non equine area’s of my life, I know I’ve been playing some major head games with myself over the past week or so. After seeing some of these fabulous young riders jumping, it did make me feel like such a beginner – and not in a good way.
Knowing I had to try and break this mind game of mine, I waited till the heat of the day passed and headed up to the barn at 8:30 pm that night. We were going to ride the scary jumps again, and this time under the lights – which we’ve never done before.
As I was tacking up, I TRIED, but unsuccessfully tried to put everything into a positive spin… we were going to jump things, we were going to jump clear, I was going to stay in the saddle….. Brianne rode him for about 20 – 30 minutes before, and was having him move so lovely on the flat. After a little bit, where he started to focus on her and what she was asking and not trying to stare down the jumps in the ring, he really came along beautifully. I told her then that next year – she should ride him in the dressage show – she had him moving that nicely.
Then I clambered on, not sure why all of a sudden its getting harder and harder to climb into the saddle, maybe he’s growing – I doubt it, maybe I’m shrinking – this is a strong possibility. We trotted over the scary blanket/panel jump which we had changed to a cross rail, with a couple of towels thrown over it. He gave it hardly a glance. Once we started to master that, and get our confidence back, then we proceeded to our mini course. Again an in and out single and oxer with flowers, vertical with the buckets and the blanket/panel jump. We started everything at the trot, and he was getting over them, but was totally lazy. So off we tried it at a canter, the first time around, everything was fine, but the bucket jump we were cutting it strangely to the one side. Every time we cantered up to it though, it just felt like he was either a) out of control and rushing it b) we were cutting the corner real tight and thus ending up right beside the one standard. Brianne thought our track was right, but it just didn’t feel right going into it when we were doing it. So again we tried it, this was probably our 4th or 5th time over it, but this time I knew something was off, not sure what, but it just felt bad – as we were flying over the jump, I knew we were over jumping this. When I glanced beside and saw that the standard was at my foot, I then knew – this was REALLY big. We landed and I fell on Ozzy’s neck, and lost steering, he ended up stopping a HAIR in front of Brianne’s Border collie, Andy, who had been lying by the stool by a jump fearful of moths…. Thank god Oz is such a good boy and never takes off or bucks when I land so bad. It felt big and ugly, and I’m sure it looked big and ugly. We pretty much jumped over the 5’0+ standard, instead of the jump. Over the past month, Oz has been leaning towards jumping over or at the standards, and its probably my biggest fear. Far greater then falling off, is to have either him or I land and be stabbed by a standard. I know this is rider error and could be corrected, but I’ve now started to fear the standards and stare at them as we ride up to the jumps – thus pointing my horse directly to them.
We finished another round of the mini course but at a trot. So now my fears are not jump height, as we know he can easily clear 4+ feet if not 5+. Its in our direction and trying to keep him center of the jumps. We are done riding now until we get down to Maple Ridge on Wednesday. Wednesday we are hacking around the facility, Thursday will be a schooling day, and then show day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Am I nervous? You betcha! But I think come Wednesday evening, once the horses are safely unloaded and I can see the facility and such – I probably won’t be as nervous. Just got to keep remembering, its just another horse show, it will be our 8th show of our season. And for our first year, really I can’t complain. He is a Clydesdale; this is a fairly busy year for riding for me. I don’t honestly remember the last time I rode so often and routinely. I remember when I first told Brianne, um I don’t know how to jump, I have this Clydesdale, and we have a jumping show in a week – can you help, this was the end of March – a short 4 months ago, almost to the day. Back then we couldn’t make it over a crossrail without a very ugly and awkward landing, now we are jumping 2’6 and clearing much higher. I have to remember we’ve accomplished a lot already, I wouldn’t have thought by this time I would be cantering to jumps, let alone busting out of the hunter division and wanting jumpers so badly. Also be throwing oxers into the mix… Really who does this??????
So our lesson this week was amazing! We went down to the Kelowna Riding Club for another Jump / Dressage Night. I hauled down first Chili and Kim and then went back up for Ozzy (damn I need a two horse trailer now, and the truck to tow it with, and the sugar daddy to pay for the fuel). So by the time we got down there, they were just finishing up with what looked to be a 2’0 class. Fortunately Oz never needs much of a warm up, and so in we went. Not knowing our course AT ALL!!! And totally getting lost at one point. I was looking for #4, and I should have been looking for #3…. It was ugly. I spent so much time on him trying to figure out my next jump, that I was all over him, he was all over, leads weren’t right – it was ugly. He was such a good boy for putting up with me for that round though. I came out of it saying – NEVER AGAIN am I going in unless I know my course.
So then we moved to 2’3. On course there was approx 3 oxers as well, one of which we took backwards on our 3’0 round. We watched other riders go, and finally knew our course at least. And it was our turn to go in, the first jump is an oxer and we took it on the wrong lead. I knew I was on the wrong lead but I was hoping as I made the turn to the jump he would correct it. Well he didn’t. But in all honesty, I just wanted to clear it at the canter and the fact that I knew we were on the wrong lead – well that in itself is an improvement from even 2 weeks ago. I’m finally starting to be able to see what lead he’s on. Whoohoo, yet another advancement! Anyhow back to the course. Well it wasn’t pretty – I think we took down one rail or two, we did the whole thing in the ugly tranter that we’ve both picked up. A couple of jumps (mostly the oxers) we JUST made it over, as we didn’t have enough speed to really send us over it well. Many times I was being left behind or on his neck. Not our best round AT ALL. I knew that they were planning on moving the rails up, and I was wanting to go to 2’6. Brianne came over and said – you need to do this round again, and then we’ll decide after that if you’ve settled enough to move to the 2’6.
Now I’m not sure if this happens with every coach and student, but I have to say I love mine. She knows what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Because I totally understood – if we can’t get this done at 2’3, then moving up to 2’6 means we aren’t going to get it done there either – but now we are just going higher – which is putting mine, and Ozzy’s both confidence and safety at risk. Basically I equated it to a mother telling her child “ Listen if your too full to eat your veggies, then your too full to eat dessert”. So next round I ate my damn veggies. I concentrated on keep it simple. Listen to my leg, decide if I’m going to trot or canter, but not this in between pace, heels down and relax. The next 2’3 was better – enough that we then worked on bending to my leg on the flat while they moved up the rails. And upwards we went.
Although the course was set at 2’6, lets say some of those jumps were a HEALTHY 2’6. Our first go around I think we brought more down then we left up. Brianne came over said clear my head, go in there at a canter, cuz you can’t do this height at a trot. Go back in and ride that course, put your leg on and close your hips. Right back IN! So that’s what we did. Now here again, I love the fact she gets me and what I’m doing out there.
My head before the jump is this…..
Okay we are jumping, jumping a Clydesdale, that jump is looking pretty high, what if I bring it down, what if I fall and smash my head and become like superman, who is watching me do this, am I embarrassing my coach and my horse, again the jump is looking high, is he on the right lead, damn I don’t know my strides in, where are my heels, grab mane, get off his face, we are coming in too slow, we are coming in too fast, who is that waving over there, there is wind in our ears, I can’t hear anything, will that spook him…..
ALL of this goes on in my head before each jump, so 10 times that goes through my head.
So our next approach at the 2’6 all I kept in my head was, dammit pull up your big girl panties, heels down, keep the leg on, heels down, leg on, heels down, leg on. And our ride was INCREDIABLE… I mean who knows how it looked from the ground, but it felt fast, it felt like we were actually flying at times, the jumps felt smooth, only a couple of landings were jarring, but I finished that round on a high. It was such an incrediably GREAT note to end on! I couldn’t have asked for better.
Certainly an improvement from our last show.
And off to ride again tonight, but I think we may just go for an easy ride tonight… work his mind and butt possibly tomorrow.
Last Saturday we showed at Kelowna's OHara Stable. As we drove onto the Kelowna Riding Club, my nerves started to get to me.... on one side I had OHara, and on the other we had Western Heritage with a ton of QH's at the Kelowna Riding Club facility. For those that know me will know WHY my nerves started to get to me. My future meeting my past... after the image of hoof polish, manes banded, and more bling then Rodeo Drive, I remembered why I chose the draft horses.
We came into the OHara facility feeling confident and ready. It was our first time on a grass course, but the big Ogopogo jump wasn't in the course, so I felt no problem. That was our first problem - way over confident!
Our first class was cross rails, to which the first jump was with flowers and he refused it, after one more cross rail refusal I was not a happy camper. But I also thought, okay we got this out of our system - no problem - he shouldn't refuse the next class as we've now seen them all.
But that wasn't to be. We entered into 5 hunter classes in total and one jumper class. Our hunter classes we placed in only two of them. It wasn't the height that was getting to us, it was our flat part. We have developed a tranter - a bit of canter in the front and a trot in the back part of the horse. This is NOT a pretty pace by any means and is a most definate way to bring down jumps.
After a very quick rest (in 32+ degrees) we were back into our jumper class, we started at what was to be 2'3, but looked relatively small. Again I was playing big mind games with myself. The jumps in which I concentrated on just keeping my heels down and looking past the jump - well those jumps were nice and felt good. But for whatever reason I was very focused on staring down the jumps, thinking about all those watching more then getting him to the jump and moving onto the next one. Our last class was going well, short of a disasterous first oxer jump which we brought down, we then recovered, went over jumps I was pretty sure he was going to refuse - but then on the 8th jump I totally forgot it and went to the 9th instead. 100% my fault on this round.
By this point my head was ready to continue as was Ozzy in both head and heart, but physically we were both drained. As a team we were not meshing that day, I was getting pissed off at him, and as Brianne pointed out, and I know better, if I get mad at him he worries - and then we are both off track completely.
It was a humbling experience, not really one I want to do again. Tomorrow is a lesson day, and I'm looking forward to it. On Monday after work I went for a quick ride to work on our flat work.
On our last lesson we were working on jumping lines, which are FAR MORE DIFFICULT then hunter lines are. During our lesson we were clearing the jump, but while we were over our second jump we needed to already be looking at aligning up for the next jump, as it was a swift turn to the right. Oz wasn't feeling my leg at all during this lesson.... little bugger. Towards the end of the lesson, he was starting to get it, but for most of the lesson and at OHara, my leg was no more then a mosquito bite.
So tomorrow I'm looking very forward to. When I rode on Monday though at a walk and trot, he sooned remembered what my leg/spur/crop meant.
While we were at the show though I had two people come up to Oz and say hello - I have no idea who they were, but apparently my big boy is becoming quite an Okanagan name. My mother (another recent Oz fan) has friends that have chatted him up with others that know of him.... but when she mentions their names I have no idea who they are. I think I'm looking forward to winter, when things slow down at work and the shows slow down so as I can work on getting t-shirts, pins and such made up for his fans.
Not sure of when our next show is going to be, possibly this weekend, but also we may take a couple of weekends off from showing to work on schooling at Maple Ridge.
Ozzy's #1 fan, my aunt sherry and her camera are on vacation for a couple of weeks so the photos will have to wait.
So for the past week or so its either been the second coming of christ with rain, thunder, and lightening, or the devil was visiting with the temperatures rising up into the 40's. So due to this our lessons and practice sessions have been a little less then consistant.
But after a storm with hail and lightening cancelled our Thursday session, Friday was such a bad day at work Brianne and I just headed up into the hills for a quick ride, and Saturday finally was a lesson day. We shared a lesson with Kim and Chili, and after a quick warm up we were off. Lesson were over the jumps today and working on counting our strides. I can't say that our abilities during the lesson were excellent, but there was some definate good jumps and then some definate bad jumps. But all and all we cleared them all I believe. One in particular was a repeat of our Peachland show, where it was almost a dead stop to the jump and then straight up and over - and clear. This is certainly not we want or how we want to jump, but to me it proves that this horse LOVES this discipline. It would have been so much easier to just not jump, go through it, or at least not put in the effort to clear it. During the lesson we were starting to get the strides required, and we could see what happened when we came to the first jump too soon, and had to add on the next jump.
There was a lot of cantering to the jumps, and as per Ozzy's norm, some fantastic flying lead changes that he just does on his own. Such a babysitter that way. When he's on his A-game, I really am on auto pilot, point and steer him to the jump and he'll just babysit both himself and me. On the wrong lead - you don't know it, that's okay mum, I'll just change it NOW - hold on here comes a jump, and we are flying over it.
I have to say I can remember just 3 short months ago when I was falling all over his neck, nearly coming off, when a cross rail was intimidating. Now we are both just itching for them. During the beginning of our lesson - we were doing a crosspole, but after going over it for three times Oz was done. Now he knew he could just step over or trot over THAT - come on mummy #2 (Brianne) bring on the good stuff! Bring on the scary stuff - flowers and oxers - we eat those up!
Sunday was just a working day in the ring, we started off with working on the right canter leads, as I'm still not getting those correct. That lasted for about 20 minutes before we were hopping over the jumps again. Although I can definately notice a difference when its just him and I, then when we have our coach advising us. I like it when Brianne is there far more! We do far better - so now we just need to find that semi winning lottery ticket so that I can just use that to pay for her to be there whenever we ride. I'm thinking a nice cheque of $25 000 would likely pay for the next couple of years of a lesson 4 days a week. Most people want to win so they can retire, I want to win so I can ride better! On the plus side, I think during the 20 minutes of canter sessions I finally figured out when we are on the correct lead and when we are not on the correct lead. BY JOVE I THINK I GOT IT!!!
I apologize to all Ozzy's fans, I think I figured out a way to write more often, but I'm pretty sure other then show days the lesson blog has got to be getting boring. We need something to spruce it up....
I did purchase some professional shots from his last two shows, and as soon as we have those we'll be posting them. We also have decided upon a logo for Oz, and soon he will have his own business cards. He also has quite a schedule ahead of him over the next few weeks. This Friday we have a braiding clinic at the barn, and Saturday we have jumper classes at O'Hara stables. The following week on the Thursday we have Jumper nights at the KRC, and that weekend we have Zing Fling July's Show. One whole weekend off - hahaha and then Wednesday we are off to Maple Ridge for what will be our nail biting show of the year I'm sure. Dog Days of Summer Maple Ridge Equestrian Center's Show, we'll be doing two jumper classes in the am at 2'6, and then in the afternoon a hunter class for 2'3. Three full days of this - I've very excited!
When we get back there is another Lanyard show, possibly IPE - but thats probably a long shot, and then of course if SOHA has a fall show we will be there, and the Peachfest parade we will certainly be out.
Plans are in the works for some large shows next year, and we will be working on a sponsorship package. If you have any SERIOUS fund raising idea's then please let me know in the comments section of this website.
Till later - actually I think you will have a guest writer for the next blog insert, maybe we'll see a blog from Ozzy's view point. Which I strongly suspect will be greatly different then my own.
Although we did have a lesson a full week ago, we've done little riding over the last week, which has shown in Ozzy's behaviour on our ride yesterday morning. It has been a tad too hot 35+ degrees to ride, couple that with heat exausten and I took a weekend off.
We will be back to lessons and riding this week as the weather starts to dip a wee bit in the mornings and evenings. Will update on Friday.
We are now on the countdown to Maple Ridge show - 4 weeks away!
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