We arrived safe and sound at about 5:30 pm this evening. Skippy took off bucking and running in his field, as did Oslo and Cashew. Oslo couldn't roll enough in the dirt.
The horses did find the musquitos a bit of a nuisance, but we put fly sheets on them and I am sure they are all happy to be home!
The lawn is super long, but the May Day tree is in full bloom and I had forgotten how beautiful it is here at home in the summer! I am looking forward to a good night sleep tonight and spending time on the farm tomorrow. Also, I cannot wait to see friends and get updated on everything we missed!
Thanks everyone for all your support and encouragement along the way! I miss you all and I hope you enjoyed reading the blog. See you soon!
Linds
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Canada Here We Come!
We quickly loaded everything up early Sunday afternoon after presentations and were headed North! We stopped in Vegas Sunday night to give the horses a break before the next two long days and I didn`t want Oslo doing a full day`s haul right after being ridden. It took us just over four hours to get to Vegas from LA. Due to the EHV we had been having a very hard time finding barns to stop at for lay-overs since most barns are closed. Consequently, we ended up staying at a vet`s “farm” on the outskirts of Vegas. It was the definition of sketchy. Fortunately, the pens were safe and that was the only reason we stayed. Just across the fence were donkeys, and on the other side there were bulls. The first time the donkeys “honked” Oslo lost his mind and tried to jump the fence. Even Skippy was a little worried. Cashew seemed to handle it well and settled the quickest, but I don’t think anyone got a very good sleep that night. Oslo was terrified so I stood out in his pen with him for a couple of hours to try and settle him while dad got some sleep. The wind and cold (yes, it was cold in Vegas – apparently they had snow the morning before) didn’t help the situation either. We had all the blankets we had on the horses and I am thankful mom brought a toque! Eventually Oslo started to relax and eat, but mom and I stayed up for a good part of the night to monitor the horses. Once the wind died down after midnight, the horses seemed much more comfortable and mom and I got a couple of hours of sleep. We left at about 5:00am and I have never seen the horses so eager to get in the trailer! Let’s just say we won’t be stopping there again! The fences were safe though and it did allow the horses time to put their heads down and stretch their legs.
Yesterday we drove from Vegas to Butte, Montana and stopped at the nice fairgrounds there. We had to make sure there hadn’t been horses there for the last month in order to make sure it was safe to stop. We didn’t want to go anywhere that had had outside horses on the property in case they had brought in the EHV. The horses were in pens attached to stalls which hadn’t been used for over a month and the couple of horses that live on the property had just had vet checks done. Therefore, we felt it was safe and the horses were so happy to get out and not have a donkey “honking” in the middle of the night! This morning we did wake up to frost though, which was a sure sign for us that we are getting close to Canada!
Today is our last day of driving! The horses were a bit more hesitant to get on the trailer this morning. They are getting tired from the travelling and I cannot blame them. I keep trying to reassure them they are going home this time and get to be outside in big, green pastures as soon as we get home. They will all get several days off to frolic in the fields!
I am personally very excited to be back in Canada! No more billboards advertising ER wait times or 6 lanes of interstate! We are coming home!!!!! =)
Linds
Flintridge Show
I am very apologetic for the late post. I did not have access to the internet on the show grounds and we did not have a rental car to zip off to Starbucks for a couple of hours. So, I am sorry for the delay!
Overall the Flintridge show went alright. Highlights were Oslo and I being Reserve Champion to Jan Ebeling in the Intermediaire 1 test, along with the Freestyle. It was pretty special for Oslo and I to be standing beside Jan in the presentations! Scores were generally low at this show though, so Oslo only ended up with 66.7% in the I1 and a 66.8% in the Freestyle. The weird thing about this show was that Oslo was LAZY! We used our new warm-up approach of going out a few hours before and taking 10-15 minutes to just stretch and focus on getting through the right side. Then Oslo gets to go back to his stall and relax before going out about 15 minutes before our ride time to get him fully in front of the leg and collected. It seems to conserve his energy and help him relax. Apparently on Friday he was too relaxed though (this is when the saying “be careful what you wish for” comes into play!). We went into the ring and he fell so behind the leg and he kept wanting to walk! Therefore, our trot work was a bit unsteady and we had two mistakes in the PSG test because he wasn’t in front and therefore not supple. He cantered out of the first halt (instead of trotting – definitely a suppleness issue!) and his rider went crazy on the extended canter and didn’t collect soon enough at the end, so Oslo swapped behind early. I just couldn’t get over his lack of energy in the test. I asked mom if him and Skippy had been switched on me or something. Bizarre for Oslo! Consequently our score in the PSG was only 64.6% which Lientje and mom thought was a bit low, but the very conservative Linda Zang was on the judging panel so all the scores were low. Our I1 test was a bit more energetic since we did even less warm-up and really focused on in front of the leg. It was still very “blah” for Oslo though. Our test was clean though and we felt the score of 66.7% was fair (Linda wasn’t on the panel that day, haha!). And, like I said before, it was special to be in the same ranks as Jan!
The freestyle was a serious disappointment for me. We had a clean ride, but for some reason, I got considerably ahead of my music. Consequently, I felt our quality of movements was not as good as it could have been. Being ahead of your music sucks! That is the bottom line. Of course afterwards, I had all these brilliant ideas of how to get back on with the timing, but unfortunately those didn’t come to me in the ring. Therefore, I am still frustrated with myself. The freestyle is special to me and I feel like I wasn’t on my A-game. Oslo, on the other hand, was better for the freestyle. He was much more in front and with me that day. The combination of his extra forward and my focus on the forward I suspect got us in trouble. Dressage is all about partnership, and unfortunately I feel like I was the one who didn’t do my part. Although, I feel like I have learned a lesson (yet again!) and am now prepared for such a situation again. There are so many things to learn in this sport!
Skippy had some better tests this weekend and with Lientje’s help on Friday we got him considerably more in front of the leg again. He still likes to lean against the left leg and not step into the right rein, but we are still happy with his progress, especially with him carrying more behind. I could really sense this weekend that Skippy was tired of this whole showing and travelling thing though. It is starting to get to all the horses and us too. Skippy misses green grass, pastures, and all his friends back home! The last day I took him out early and just let him walk on a long rein for about 20 minutes. We have decided that although Skippy only needs a 15 minute warm-up, he needs time before to relax and have time to get his head in the game. So, we gave him extra attention and just let him chill on a lone rein before our warm-up. As a result, he seemed much happier and we ended with a good test. He won his class and a nice wine glass for his owner Claudia! I know she will appreciate that! =) From now on, I will make sure Skippy gets his “chill out time” before starting out warm-up, because I don’t think the happiness of your horse should be underestimated.
Cashew has been great and I even took her in the big show ring (the ring where all the CDI tests were ridden) on Thursday for schooling. She went down centreline with confidence and I felt like we owned the place! Past the flowers, judges’ booths, announcer’s booth, and stands without the blink of an eye. FEI 4 year old here we come!
Linds
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Last Night in Sacramento
I had three good rides this morning on the horses and then we went touring around Sacramento for a few hours. The horses love it here and are really enjoying their turnouts and chowing down on the grass. In the evenings we sit in gazebo by the arena and eat dinner while watching the horses in their turnouts. The weather here has been great. Sunny and warm in the daytime and then cool at night.
Tomorrow morning we hit the road first thing for L.A. We are hoping the traffic is alright and we have heard there is a bunch of construction on the interstate, but we are crossing our fingers the drive doesn't take too long. We are hoping to be at the Flintridge show facility early enough so I can get the boys into the show rings Wednesday afternoon. The Flintridge show is much smaller than originally anticipated due to the EHV and many barns being closed. There are still a bunch of big names going to be at this show, such as Jan Ebling, but Steffen has closed his barn, so unfortunately no one from Arroyo will be there. It seems likely that the next few shows in the area will be cancelled because of the virus. We are all actually very surprised that Flintridge hasn't been cancelled. We are happy to hear that it isn't though! Hopefully Oslo and I can keep everything together and actually play with the big boys down here! Fingers crossed the facility doesn't look anything like Del Mar!
It has been a relaxed couple of days so I don't have much else to report. I cannot believe we leave in less than a week for home. It has all been going so fast!
Linds
Tomorrow morning we hit the road first thing for L.A. We are hoping the traffic is alright and we have heard there is a bunch of construction on the interstate, but we are crossing our fingers the drive doesn't take too long. We are hoping to be at the Flintridge show facility early enough so I can get the boys into the show rings Wednesday afternoon. The Flintridge show is much smaller than originally anticipated due to the EHV and many barns being closed. There are still a bunch of big names going to be at this show, such as Jan Ebling, but Steffen has closed his barn, so unfortunately no one from Arroyo will be there. It seems likely that the next few shows in the area will be cancelled because of the virus. We are all actually very surprised that Flintridge hasn't been cancelled. We are happy to hear that it isn't though! Hopefully Oslo and I can keep everything together and actually play with the big boys down here! Fingers crossed the facility doesn't look anything like Del Mar!
It has been a relaxed couple of days so I don't have much else to report. I cannot believe we leave in less than a week for home. It has all been going so fast!
Linds
Monday, May 23, 2011
So Proud of Oslo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oslo and I have amazing news! Saturday we had a great Intermediaire 1 test with only one mistake in the last flying change in our half-pass zig-zag. He was so much more with me and he felt so on the aids. He just felt great. We had a bigger trot as well which bumped our trot marks up. In the end we got a 67.4% which made us the Reserve Champions! Sunday we got even better! We rode the Intermediaire 1 Freestyle and Oslo came out very nervous. We were warming up right beside the show ring and he was not a fan of the other freestyle music being played. He was very tense and we did not really have a walk. Once it was our turn to go though, our music came on, and I swear, Oslo took a deep breath and relaxed. It was like he recognized his music and became so rideable. Holy crap, he felt so good!!! Our freestyle was error free and he was even more supple today (which was what we really went for since Brenda Minor commented on the need for more suppleness the previous day). We ended with a score of 70.7% which made us the Champions of the Freestyle! They played the Canadian anthem for us and then we got to lead the victory lap, at a TROT, because once again Oslo was not a fan of the music being played during the presentations and was very far from calm. Axel Steiner commented that "it was probably safer that way" (us trotting)!
Skippy had another sluggish test on Saturday, but near the end I got him more in front of the leg and I am hoping he is starting to figure out that he needs to work in the show ring as well! Sunday he was much more forward for the freestyle and he finished with a 67.9%! Even though we had some mistakes in our changes (which is SO weird for Skippy - we needed a better connection) we were happy with his forward! One step at a time!!
Cashew was such a good girl at the show as well. We just schooled her in the rings and trail rode her, but she couldn't have been better. Hopefully this means she will take on to the whole show thing really well once we actually enter her in some classes!
We are currently in the Sacramento area, staying at Michael Etherly's farm where the horses can get out in big turnouts with grass! They were so happy yesterday to get off the trailer and head straight to the pasture. They have been in the trailer, stalls, or dirt turnouts for almost 5 weeks now, so we thought they were in need of some frolicking in grass pastures! We will depart for the Flintridge show in LA first thing in the morning on Wednesday. It will be approximately a seven hour drive. Flintridge will be our last show and then Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, we will be homeward bound.
Hopefully the horses get some much needed R&R time in their pastures here and are all ready for the show in Flintridge on the weekend.
We all say hi to everyone back home!
Linds
Skippy had another sluggish test on Saturday, but near the end I got him more in front of the leg and I am hoping he is starting to figure out that he needs to work in the show ring as well! Sunday he was much more forward for the freestyle and he finished with a 67.9%! Even though we had some mistakes in our changes (which is SO weird for Skippy - we needed a better connection) we were happy with his forward! One step at a time!!
Cashew was such a good girl at the show as well. We just schooled her in the rings and trail rode her, but she couldn't have been better. Hopefully this means she will take on to the whole show thing really well once we actually enter her in some classes!
We are currently in the Sacramento area, staying at Michael Etherly's farm where the horses can get out in big turnouts with grass! They were so happy yesterday to get off the trailer and head straight to the pasture. They have been in the trailer, stalls, or dirt turnouts for almost 5 weeks now, so we thought they were in need of some frolicking in grass pastures! We will depart for the Flintridge show in LA first thing in the morning on Wednesday. It will be approximately a seven hour drive. Flintridge will be our last show and then Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, we will be homeward bound.
Hopefully the horses get some much needed R&R time in their pastures here and are all ready for the show in Flintridge on the weekend.
We all say hi to everyone back home!
Linds
Saturday, May 21, 2011
First Show Day
All in all it was a good first day. Always could have been better, but I also need to remember that it could always be worse too! Oslo was semi normal and we only had a few moments of tension in our test. He had a much better trot than he usually has in the show ring, so even with him breaking in the first medium and an error in our four tempis, we managed a 66.3% in the PSG which put us 3rd in the class (first place was a 67%). I was quite happy with him, especially since I was very nervous, knowing what happened in Del Mar. He still needs a better work ethic at times and to focus more, but we are on the right track!
Skippy was on the lazy side again today, but he still managed to win his PSG class! Our goal is to get him way more in front of the leg today and I need to make sure he stays that way in the show ring. I think sometimes we under estimate Skippy's intelligence since he definitely knows when he goes in the show ring!
Cashew has been a super star and I have had some great rides on her while at the show. She did have a traumatic experience though today when she was in the warm-up ring and a horse took off with the lounge line dragging behind it. This absolutely terrified her! She was snorting and trotting around with her tail up in the air. She needed a few minutes to relax and calm down, but afterwards we had a fantastic ride.
Unfortunately, the show had many scratches do the EHV virus outbreak and we are a little worried about the show next weekend potentially being cancelled. We have contacted the show organizers and it is still a go, but the show is being held at a private facility, so if that facility decides to close, the show would have to be cancelled. We are taking extra precautions in the barn areas at the show and following biosecurity practices. All the vets we have been in contact with though are not overly concerned and feel the virus has been limited to cutting horses or horses that have been in contact with the cutting horses that were at the show in Utah, where the original outbreak started. We just have to hope it stays that way!
Funny lesson learned: Don't buy gas with your credit card and then go down the street and try to take out a bunch of cash from the bank in the United States. Apparently this is normal behaviour for criminals who steal credit cards and this will result in your credit card being blocked!
We got to sneak away on Thursday for a couple of hours and visited the Golden Gate Bridge. It was definitely a pretty neat site and amazing engineering for being built in 1937! It was super windy though and by the time we walked half-way across mom and I were frozen since it is very exposed out there! Apparently the wind is always blowing in that area. Also, the traffic here is insane. Six lanes on the interstates and they always seem busy. It is rush hour every hour! I cannot believe how many people live here!
Today is the Intermediaire 1 test for Oslo and Skippy. I already stretched Oslo out this morning since we figured he needed to get out after he tried to take off while I was hand walking him. He just seems so nervous and insecure when I am hand walking him, but once I get on him he seems to relax a bit more. So hopefully we can have a really short warm-up before our test since he should be stretched and a bit more settled from this morning. We will also do a short warm-up with Skippy since he is going in the hotter part of the day and we tend to do a shorter warm-up anyways to try and conserve as much energy as possible!
Wish us luck!
Linds
Skippy was on the lazy side again today, but he still managed to win his PSG class! Our goal is to get him way more in front of the leg today and I need to make sure he stays that way in the show ring. I think sometimes we under estimate Skippy's intelligence since he definitely knows when he goes in the show ring!
Cashew has been a super star and I have had some great rides on her while at the show. She did have a traumatic experience though today when she was in the warm-up ring and a horse took off with the lounge line dragging behind it. This absolutely terrified her! She was snorting and trotting around with her tail up in the air. She needed a few minutes to relax and calm down, but afterwards we had a fantastic ride.
Unfortunately, the show had many scratches do the EHV virus outbreak and we are a little worried about the show next weekend potentially being cancelled. We have contacted the show organizers and it is still a go, but the show is being held at a private facility, so if that facility decides to close, the show would have to be cancelled. We are taking extra precautions in the barn areas at the show and following biosecurity practices. All the vets we have been in contact with though are not overly concerned and feel the virus has been limited to cutting horses or horses that have been in contact with the cutting horses that were at the show in Utah, where the original outbreak started. We just have to hope it stays that way!
Funny lesson learned: Don't buy gas with your credit card and then go down the street and try to take out a bunch of cash from the bank in the United States. Apparently this is normal behaviour for criminals who steal credit cards and this will result in your credit card being blocked!
We got to sneak away on Thursday for a couple of hours and visited the Golden Gate Bridge. It was definitely a pretty neat site and amazing engineering for being built in 1937! It was super windy though and by the time we walked half-way across mom and I were frozen since it is very exposed out there! Apparently the wind is always blowing in that area. Also, the traffic here is insane. Six lanes on the interstates and they always seem busy. It is rush hour every hour! I cannot believe how many people live here!
Today is the Intermediaire 1 test for Oslo and Skippy. I already stretched Oslo out this morning since we figured he needed to get out after he tried to take off while I was hand walking him. He just seems so nervous and insecure when I am hand walking him, but once I get on him he seems to relax a bit more. So hopefully we can have a really short warm-up before our test since he should be stretched and a bit more settled from this morning. We will also do a short warm-up with Skippy since he is going in the hotter part of the day and we tend to do a shorter warm-up anyways to try and conserve as much energy as possible!
Wish us luck!
Linds
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Happy Birthday Oslo!
Yesterday was Cashew's birthday and today it is Oslo's birthday! Carrots and crunchies (or cookies as they call them down here) for everyone!!!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Woodside Arrival (San Francisco)
We arrived last night just before 8:00pm and it was raining. Actually raining, unlike what it was doing in San Diego. We left at about 10:30 am from Arroyo. I had a great lesson on Oslo in the "rain", as they call it down there, and Skippy had some good stuff in his lesson as well, but also some of his typical lazy moments. Still a good morning and I was the only one riding in a t-shirt and by the end of Oslo's lesson, I was the only one still riding outside! As soon as it began to "rain" all the horses were brought in from turnout and everyone abandoned the outdoor rings for the small covered ring. That was ok for us though, because it meant Skippy and Cashew could get turnout in the morning - our tough Canadian horses didn't mind that is was kind of raining! Steffen did ride Ravel outside for a while, so Oslo and I got to share the ring with Steffen and Ravel - that was kind of special! By the time we had left, everyone was in the covered ring and the turnouts, and outdoor rings were closed. Dad and I couldn't believe it. What would they do if they actually got a real rain storm, or better yet snow?!?!?! Haha, I guess they are just so spoiled with the weather there, that when it kind of rains, it is very disappointing to them.
The drive up to San Francisco went fairly well. It took us about 9 hours since trucks pulling trailers can only go 55 miles/hr in California on the interstates (and dad is Mr. Safety so he follows the speed limits!!). The horses seemed happy when they arrived though and each of them drank a full bucket of water (this is very impressive for Oslo!). It was definitely a bit wet and mucky though and for the first time in weeks we were actually a little chilly. The sun was shining this morning though and the weather looks good for the next few days (fingers crossed).
Mom arrived yesterday and met us at the show grounds late last night. It is nice to have her back and Oslo made sure to welcome her this morning with his typical "love bite"!
The show grounds here are much more "horse friendly" and there is grass everywhere - Skippy thinks he is in heaven! I am hoping Oslo is much more relaxed here since it has more of a natural feeling and seems like a more laid back show. The grounds are fairly large though, and it may be a bit of a walk to the show ring, so there are still a few mental hurdles we have to prepare Oslo for.
There are some B.C. riders here as well that we met this morning. Nice to have some fellow Canadians to visit with!
I am sure most of you have heard, but there is an outbreak of the EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus) in the US and parts of Canada. It started in a cutting horse show in Utah, so most people are not too concerned here since it mainly has been found in cutting horses. Barns and shows are taking extra precautions though, and we are trying to be very careful. This is a deadly virus, therefore we need to make sure the horses do not come in contact with any other horses that may have potentially been in contact with a sick horse. We had actually heard rumours that the show this weekend was going to be cancelled due to the virus outbreak, but there has been few cases in California and they have been limited to cutting horses. There are barns closing to outside horses though, and the bottom line is that everyone just needs to be careful. We may have issues coming home as well since some states have apparently closed their borders to horses (such as Utah and Idaho). This means we may have to take an extremely long way home, or have to quarantine the horses coming across the Canadian border, or both. We will just have to wait and see what happens regarding the virus and border crossings in 2 weeks, when we head home.
The plan is to get Oslo in the show ring this afternoon and take Skippy and Cashew for a ride as well.
The country around San Francisco is absolutely beautiful. Much more lush and green than San Diego. There is also a Starbucks close by, so hopefully I can sneak out every once in a while to use the wi-fi to update the blog.
I was checking the weather at home, and just to let you guys know, it is going to be at least 5 degrees warmer there than here! I hope everyone is enjoying it back home!
Linds
The drive up to San Francisco went fairly well. It took us about 9 hours since trucks pulling trailers can only go 55 miles/hr in California on the interstates (and dad is Mr. Safety so he follows the speed limits!!). The horses seemed happy when they arrived though and each of them drank a full bucket of water (this is very impressive for Oslo!). It was definitely a bit wet and mucky though and for the first time in weeks we were actually a little chilly. The sun was shining this morning though and the weather looks good for the next few days (fingers crossed).
Mom arrived yesterday and met us at the show grounds late last night. It is nice to have her back and Oslo made sure to welcome her this morning with his typical "love bite"!
The show grounds here are much more "horse friendly" and there is grass everywhere - Skippy thinks he is in heaven! I am hoping Oslo is much more relaxed here since it has more of a natural feeling and seems like a more laid back show. The grounds are fairly large though, and it may be a bit of a walk to the show ring, so there are still a few mental hurdles we have to prepare Oslo for.
There are some B.C. riders here as well that we met this morning. Nice to have some fellow Canadians to visit with!
I am sure most of you have heard, but there is an outbreak of the EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus) in the US and parts of Canada. It started in a cutting horse show in Utah, so most people are not too concerned here since it mainly has been found in cutting horses. Barns and shows are taking extra precautions though, and we are trying to be very careful. This is a deadly virus, therefore we need to make sure the horses do not come in contact with any other horses that may have potentially been in contact with a sick horse. We had actually heard rumours that the show this weekend was going to be cancelled due to the virus outbreak, but there has been few cases in California and they have been limited to cutting horses. There are barns closing to outside horses though, and the bottom line is that everyone just needs to be careful. We may have issues coming home as well since some states have apparently closed their borders to horses (such as Utah and Idaho). This means we may have to take an extremely long way home, or have to quarantine the horses coming across the Canadian border, or both. We will just have to wait and see what happens regarding the virus and border crossings in 2 weeks, when we head home.
The plan is to get Oslo in the show ring this afternoon and take Skippy and Cashew for a ride as well.
The country around San Francisco is absolutely beautiful. Much more lush and green than San Diego. There is also a Starbucks close by, so hopefully I can sneak out every once in a while to use the wi-fi to update the blog.
I was checking the weather at home, and just to let you guys know, it is going to be at least 5 degrees warmer there than here! I hope everyone is enjoying it back home!
Linds
Monday, May 16, 2011
Last day at Arroyo =(
Today was our last full day at Arroyo. I rode all three horses by myself today since Lientje was away teaching a clinic in Chicago. Oslo has never felt so good. He was so through and supple and on the half-halt and in front of the leg and.... just amazing!!! Skippy was also quite good and we are thinking the extra alfalfa he has been getting might be helping our in front of the leg issue! I am trying to teach myself to not push in the rhythm with him (actually on all of them). I need to put my leg on for a stride or two and then relax it, not push every stride! Cashew was a bit spunky today so therefore I lunged her for just a couple minutes to let her take off and buck for a bit. I think it was really good for her actually just to let loose for a few minutes. When I got on she was great and we had another great ride. We are just continuing to work on the suppleness in the higher frame.
The rest of the day was spent packing and cleaning.
Tomorrow morning I have a lesson at 6:45 and 8:15 am. We are pretty much packed up, so dad and I hope to be on the road by about 10:00 am. I just wanted to get in a couple more lessons with Lientje before we left since she was gone all weekend and Monday. It should be a busy morning, but hopefully the boys are good and we get off earlier enough to get into San Francisco at a reasonable time.
I am really hoping Oslo travels well and that he is much more settled this time. He has been going so well that I hope we can show some of that off in the ring this time! It can be so frustrating to have a horse going so well and then he falls apart mentally at the show. So, we are crossing our fingers and I am hoping we can support each other a little better this time!
Goodnight from San Diego for the last time this trip!
Linds
The rest of the day was spent packing and cleaning.
Tomorrow morning I have a lesson at 6:45 and 8:15 am. We are pretty much packed up, so dad and I hope to be on the road by about 10:00 am. I just wanted to get in a couple more lessons with Lientje before we left since she was gone all weekend and Monday. It should be a busy morning, but hopefully the boys are good and we get off earlier enough to get into San Francisco at a reasonable time.
I am really hoping Oslo travels well and that he is much more settled this time. He has been going so well that I hope we can show some of that off in the ring this time! It can be so frustrating to have a horse going so well and then he falls apart mentally at the show. So, we are crossing our fingers and I am hoping we can support each other a little better this time!
Goodnight from San Diego for the last time this trip!
Linds
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday
I rode Cashew first thing this morning. We had all the rings to ourselves and we had a great ride! I love riding on the weekends here since you usually have the place to yourself! Cashew was really good and I am so excited to be riding her!!!
We took the boys for a walk and then dad and I were off to go hike Mount Woodson. It was a really good hike and great exercise for the legs! It was very cloudy near the summit and it actually tried to rain a few times. It was also very windy so we didn't stay at the top for very long since we are acclimatized to the warmer weather by the ocean! We are so in trouble when we get home! lol
I will ride all three horses tomorrow and the rest of the day will be spent packing and organizing the trip to the San Francisco area on Tuesday. We are headed to the Woodside show late Tuesday morning. I will have a lesson on Oslo and Skippy first thing and then we will start heading north around 10 or so, in hopes to avoid the rush hour traffic in LA, which is two hours away from here. We will be staying in the horse trailer for the rest of the trip, so I may not always have internet, but I will try my best to update the blog as much as possible.
Goodnight for now!
Linds
We took the boys for a walk and then dad and I were off to go hike Mount Woodson. It was a really good hike and great exercise for the legs! It was very cloudy near the summit and it actually tried to rain a few times. It was also very windy so we didn't stay at the top for very long since we are acclimatized to the warmer weather by the ocean! We are so in trouble when we get home! lol
I will ride all three horses tomorrow and the rest of the day will be spent packing and organizing the trip to the San Francisco area on Tuesday. We are headed to the Woodside show late Tuesday morning. I will have a lesson on Oslo and Skippy first thing and then we will start heading north around 10 or so, in hopes to avoid the rush hour traffic in LA, which is two hours away from here. We will be staying in the horse trailer for the rest of the trip, so I may not always have internet, but I will try my best to update the blog as much as possible.
Goodnight for now!
Linds
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday
This morning I practiced Oslo's freestyle since we got the new and shortened version from Karen this week. The timing works a lot better now and I was really happy how things turned out.
Skippy and I practiced the Intermediaire 1 test and I was quite happy with him as well. A really soild test for Skippy!
Cashew got the day off since she has been going well and was very good yesterday.
The weather has been slightly cooler the last couple of days and mostly cloudy. Still high teens temperature wise, but not bright and sunny. Less chance for me to get a sunburn though, so it's not all bad!
Dad and I took the afternoon off and spent a couple of hours walking on the beach and ended the day watching the sunset. What a romantic afternoon we had!!! haha. We spent some time by the dog beach watching the many dogs chase after tennis balls in the ocean. I wish we had brought Lientje (our little dachshund) just so we could take her to the dog beach! The dogs and owners always look like they are having so much fun! =)
Tomorrow morning I will ride Cashew and then dad and I are off for a hike.
Linds
Skippy and I practiced the Intermediaire 1 test and I was quite happy with him as well. A really soild test for Skippy!
Cashew got the day off since she has been going well and was very good yesterday.
The weather has been slightly cooler the last couple of days and mostly cloudy. Still high teens temperature wise, but not bright and sunny. Less chance for me to get a sunburn though, so it's not all bad!
Dad and I took the afternoon off and spent a couple of hours walking on the beach and ended the day watching the sunset. What a romantic afternoon we had!!! haha. We spent some time by the dog beach watching the many dogs chase after tennis balls in the ocean. I wish we had brought Lientje (our little dachshund) just so we could take her to the dog beach! The dogs and owners always look like they are having so much fun! =)
Tomorrow morning I will ride Cashew and then dad and I are off for a hike.
Linds
Friday, May 13, 2011
Great Day!
I am going to start with something non horsey this time since I think even the horsey people can hear the words "inside leg to outside rein" too many times!
Since I was done all 3 lessons before 9:30 am this morning, dad and I ventured off and did a hike up Cowles mountain in the afternoon. The summit was the highest point in San Diego and was definitely a good workout for the legs. It was slightly foggy/hazy today so we couldn't see Mexico, but we could see downtown San Diego and it was a great view and a nice break from the city. Even though it was a hiking trail, there was still a fair amount of people though and I came to the realization that I am beginning to get a bit home sick. I miss Canada and the farm!! The one good thing is that the barn is nice and quiet - it is my escape from the traffic noise and crowds. Good escape I think! Dad and I are planning on doing another hike on Sunday and it is supposed to be less busy.
Now to the horses... I had lessons with Lientje on all three of the horses today. My first lesson was at 7:00 this morning on Skippy. Skippy thought this was too early for him or he was just not in the mood for work. He started out super, but then he began to feel tired and lazy very quickly. He almost seems to be a horse that works better the second or third day in a row. It's like once he has a day off, he gets used to it and doesn't think he should have to work again! Our main focus with him has been left leg to right rein. First we really need to get him on the right rein and almost hollow him right. Then we add the left leg and I try my hardest to shift his big barrel away from the left leg into my firm right rein. All I can say, is that it is a lot harder than it sounds!
Oslo was very good today. Perhaps a little tired, but the trot was easier today. We also worked more on the canter pirouettes and I feel like I am much more prepared to ride them properly in the ring now. Half pirouettes on the centre line is on of the greatest exercises ever!
Cashew was less feisty today and didn't put a foot wrong in the trot. I think she wore herself out a bit yesterday so she felt a bit tired in the canter today, but overall she was very cooperative today and we had some very good trot work.
I will ride Oslo and Skippy tomorrow and then Cashew on Sunday. Lientje is gone Monday, so I will ride all 3 on my own and then Oslo and Skippy will get a final lesson first thing Tuesday morning before we head to the San Francisco area for the Woodside show. It is about an 8 - 10 hour drive depending on the traffic through L.A. and the number of rest stops we do. We are arriving to the show grounds early to hopefully let Oslo adjust. I am crossing my fingers that is enough time for him and that the show grounds will be less scary this time.
It has been a long day! I think I will sleep tonight! Goodnight.
Linds
Since I was done all 3 lessons before 9:30 am this morning, dad and I ventured off and did a hike up Cowles mountain in the afternoon. The summit was the highest point in San Diego and was definitely a good workout for the legs. It was slightly foggy/hazy today so we couldn't see Mexico, but we could see downtown San Diego and it was a great view and a nice break from the city. Even though it was a hiking trail, there was still a fair amount of people though and I came to the realization that I am beginning to get a bit home sick. I miss Canada and the farm!! The one good thing is that the barn is nice and quiet - it is my escape from the traffic noise and crowds. Good escape I think! Dad and I are planning on doing another hike on Sunday and it is supposed to be less busy.
Now to the horses... I had lessons with Lientje on all three of the horses today. My first lesson was at 7:00 this morning on Skippy. Skippy thought this was too early for him or he was just not in the mood for work. He started out super, but then he began to feel tired and lazy very quickly. He almost seems to be a horse that works better the second or third day in a row. It's like once he has a day off, he gets used to it and doesn't think he should have to work again! Our main focus with him has been left leg to right rein. First we really need to get him on the right rein and almost hollow him right. Then we add the left leg and I try my hardest to shift his big barrel away from the left leg into my firm right rein. All I can say, is that it is a lot harder than it sounds!
Oslo was very good today. Perhaps a little tired, but the trot was easier today. We also worked more on the canter pirouettes and I feel like I am much more prepared to ride them properly in the ring now. Half pirouettes on the centre line is on of the greatest exercises ever!
Cashew was less feisty today and didn't put a foot wrong in the trot. I think she wore herself out a bit yesterday so she felt a bit tired in the canter today, but overall she was very cooperative today and we had some very good trot work.
I will ride Oslo and Skippy tomorrow and then Cashew on Sunday. Lientje is gone Monday, so I will ride all 3 on my own and then Oslo and Skippy will get a final lesson first thing Tuesday morning before we head to the San Francisco area for the Woodside show. It is about an 8 - 10 hour drive depending on the traffic through L.A. and the number of rest stops we do. We are arriving to the show grounds early to hopefully let Oslo adjust. I am crossing my fingers that is enough time for him and that the show grounds will be less scary this time.
It has been a long day! I think I will sleep tonight! Goodnight.
Linds
Steffen Lesson Day
Yesterday I had a great lesson with Steffen. He is much more picky on test movement stuff than Lientje, which was good for me. He really liked how Oslo was going though and how he was in the connection. He said a few times how happy he was with all that. So, he went after the precision of the little things such as halts. We also rode the pirouettes on the centre line, really working on the rideability of them and Oslo staying in front of the leg. Steffen is the master of pirouettes and is so picky about the quality! Steffen says Oslo collects really nicely in them and has the right idea, he just needs to stay that much more listening to the leg, especially inside, so that I can eventually ride them smaller and tighter. We also worked on the cadence in the trot. Same stuff as with Lientje, but instead of using the whip as much, he got me to use the leg, and spur when needed, along with me clucking! At one point he said I needed to cluck louder and all I could do was laugh since I was lucky I was clucking at all (for those of you who don't know, I have always had trouble making the clucking sound)! So then we went to the trot half-pass and he emphasized the need for the neck bend and the shoulders going over first. He says the focus with Oslo should be neck bend with an expressive shoulder sweeping over and then worry about the haunches later. He says the impressive part is the shoulders and front legs, so that is what we should get first. We also did walk pirouettes and he thought Oslo should get very good marks for those as long as I keep the rhythm and activity. So first we rode the pirouettes too fast and focused on the activity and then I had to slow them down a bit and work on the rhythm since he was now active. All in all it was pretty good and I am very happy that Steffen was very happy with Oslo's connection. Lientje also stayed for the 2nd half of my lesson (she rode her horse before so she was putting him away, but then came back to watch). I thought that was very nice since it was late and she could have just left to go home, like everyone else does at 4:00 at the barn!
The other exciting event at the barn today was the capture of 2 Rattlesnakes! Bugsy, Lientje's dog would find them and chase them into the corner! Dad and I also saw a Gophersnake on our way from the barn to the parking lot. It was much bigger than the Rattlesnakes - about 4 feet long or so. I guess that is one thing that we don't have to worry about back home. It is way too cold for dangerous snakes!
The other exciting event at the barn today was the capture of 2 Rattlesnakes! Bugsy, Lientje's dog would find them and chase them into the corner! Dad and I also saw a Gophersnake on our way from the barn to the parking lot. It was much bigger than the Rattlesnakes - about 4 feet long or so. I guess that is one thing that we don't have to worry about back home. It is way too cold for dangerous snakes!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Skippy's Lesson with Shannon
Today Skippy had the wonderful opportunity to be long-lined by Shannon and Lientje. Although, Skippy did not consider himself so fortunate. He was very cooperative though and Shannon thought he was quite cute! He did really try hard and after the long-lining I got on him and had a lesson with Shannon and Lientje together. He felt amazing to the right - engaged, quick, and light in front. To the left he was also good, but we still need work on the right rein connection. As Shannon put it: "inside leg to outside rein!" Where have I heard that before?!?! For a moment I thought mom was yelling at me!! =) haha. Boy do I want to pull on that left rein, but really I need to get him more in front of the left leg so he steps into the right rein connection. This is not something that comes in one lesson, or even many lessons sometimes, but at the end he was much more properly bent around the left leg and I had a good feel in the right rein while Skippy stayed quick and light. Overall, it was a great lesson.
Oslo and Cashew had a long walk in hadn today and then turnout with Skippy later in the afternoon. The horses are so craving green grass. It may be warm down here, but it is kind of deserty. They irrigate their lawns, but that is not for the horses =( Today Kate, the barn manager mowed the lawn in the front of the barn and all I could think of was how Skippy would have done just as good of a job! Instead he got to eat the grass clippings! I do feel kind of sorry for the horses who live here all year round because they would never have real grass. At least Oslo, Skippy, and Cashew will return to lush green pastures!
Kassandra Barteau moved into the barn a couple of days ago to become a working student for the Peters. For those of you who don't know, she competed young riders 2 years ago on her fancy stallion: GP Raymeister and her parents are the famous Barteaus who ride and train near Chicago. It is a big name for the dressage world. It has been fun getting to know her a bit more.
Dad and I miss mom but we are having a good time and I need to thank dad for being so helpful at the barn. He may almost be as good of a groom as Raffa (Steffen's groom for Ravel)! He has also been going around fixing things and building shelves for people at the barn. I think the barn manager loves him!
Other interesting facts that we have learned from our trip so far:
- San Diego drivers are crazy and no one knows how to merge
- about half the people at the grocery store are wearing riding pants and riding boots (finally I fit in!!!)
- HOA lanes are the greatest things ever and reduce our driving time to the barn by a significant amount
- the weather here is almost perfect
- one should always wear sunscreen when riding in San Diego!!!
I have been trying to post pictures, but the internet seems to be a bit too slow at times here. I will try a few more times and if it still doesn't work I will send some to mom to post at home.
Tomorrow Oslo gets a lesson with Steffen! Hopefully he can help us even more with the expressive trot work.
I am off to bed for a good nights rest. Goodnight from San Diego!
Linds
Oslo and Cashew had a long walk in hadn today and then turnout with Skippy later in the afternoon. The horses are so craving green grass. It may be warm down here, but it is kind of deserty. They irrigate their lawns, but that is not for the horses =( Today Kate, the barn manager mowed the lawn in the front of the barn and all I could think of was how Skippy would have done just as good of a job! Instead he got to eat the grass clippings! I do feel kind of sorry for the horses who live here all year round because they would never have real grass. At least Oslo, Skippy, and Cashew will return to lush green pastures!
Kassandra Barteau moved into the barn a couple of days ago to become a working student for the Peters. For those of you who don't know, she competed young riders 2 years ago on her fancy stallion: GP Raymeister and her parents are the famous Barteaus who ride and train near Chicago. It is a big name for the dressage world. It has been fun getting to know her a bit more.
Dad and I miss mom but we are having a good time and I need to thank dad for being so helpful at the barn. He may almost be as good of a groom as Raffa (Steffen's groom for Ravel)! He has also been going around fixing things and building shelves for people at the barn. I think the barn manager loves him!
Other interesting facts that we have learned from our trip so far:
- San Diego drivers are crazy and no one knows how to merge
- about half the people at the grocery store are wearing riding pants and riding boots (finally I fit in!!!)
- HOA lanes are the greatest things ever and reduce our driving time to the barn by a significant amount
- the weather here is almost perfect
- one should always wear sunscreen when riding in San Diego!!!
I have been trying to post pictures, but the internet seems to be a bit too slow at times here. I will try a few more times and if it still doesn't work I will send some to mom to post at home.
Tomorrow Oslo gets a lesson with Steffen! Hopefully he can help us even more with the expressive trot work.
I am off to bed for a good nights rest. Goodnight from San Diego!
Linds
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mom's Departure and Tuesday's Lessons
Today started off a little sad with dad and I driving mom to the airport =( She left this morning for home in order to attend some meetings and look after the farm. Dad and I were both very sad to see her go, but we knew she had to.
Once again all three horses were super in their lessons today with Lientje. I was extremely happy with Oslo. We did some test movements today to test the gaits in the lateral work and just for good practice. For instance, I just need to make sure to half-halt before each change in the canter half-pass zig-zag and then the quality of the changes and half-passes are better. And then I don't have to worry about running out of space either! His trot work was even stronger today. We just worked on getting it more steady and exuberant in the lateral work. We ran through the Intermediaire trot tour trying to get more expression in everything and really keeping the forward in the shoulder-ins on centre line.
Skippy gets his long-lining lesson tomorrow with Shannon and Lientje. I briefly saw Lientje long-lining another horse today and it looks like a very cool procedure! One person is behind the horse with two lunge lines attached to each side of the bit (similar to reins) and then one person is in front with a rope attached to a big caveson on the horse. The person in front keeps their head up and taps their shoulder with a whip to get the front leg more expressive and the person in the back has a lunge whip to get the activity in the hind leg and keep the horse round in front with the lunge lines. It is very complicated and takes precise timing, hence why Lientje wants Shannon to help with Skippy. Shannon is very good with working the horses in hand and has lots of experience with it. Therefore, she has good timing and a good feel.
That's all for today!
Linds
Once again all three horses were super in their lessons today with Lientje. I was extremely happy with Oslo. We did some test movements today to test the gaits in the lateral work and just for good practice. For instance, I just need to make sure to half-halt before each change in the canter half-pass zig-zag and then the quality of the changes and half-passes are better. And then I don't have to worry about running out of space either! His trot work was even stronger today. We just worked on getting it more steady and exuberant in the lateral work. We ran through the Intermediaire trot tour trying to get more expression in everything and really keeping the forward in the shoulder-ins on centre line.
Skippy was really good right from the start. As soon as I picked up the reins he was up and light. We did some working pirouette work today and he stayed quick, in front of the leg and light. He felt great. We got the trot shorter and lighter again today as well.
Cashew started off a bit feisty and had a couple of bucks in her! But then she was fantastic! She was so forward today we spent most of the lesson reinforcing the half-halt! Since we could work on the half-halt she was much rounder and supple in the higher frame. She felt so good! Even in the canter she was more supple today and very forward!
That's all for today!
Linds
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday's Lessons
Today was awesome!!! All 3 horses were super and mom, Lientje, and I all feel like the horses are making lots of progress =)
Starting with Cashew at 8:15 am, it was actually chilly here. I rode the beginning of the lesson in a jacket! haha. Anyways, Cashew was very forward today right from the start. She was a bit "saucy" as Lientje said, actually taking the bit and running through the shoulder a few times. Nothing serious and we worked things out. Her frame was higher as well, so we worked on lots of suppleness and moving away from the leg. She was brilliant! Forward and pushing in a good frame. What more could you ask from a 4 year old!?!?! Both mom and I are very excited for her progression over the next few weeks.
Oslo went next at 10:30 am and he was also brilliant! Big, exuberant trot, and a much better jump in the canter today. The trot was so much steadier today and Oslo seemed more confident in the work, so we took the big trot into the lateral to see if he could sustain it. It was a success! I really have to ride it and help him out most of the time, but Oslo is really starting to be able to hold the throughness while pushing so much better from behind. It sure feels like we are on the right track! Now we just have to figure out the mental part of Oslo and we will have one heck of a horse! =)
Last, but certainly not least, was Skippy. Again, we were working on a bigger trot and a steadier connection. As soon as he would hit the bit we went to the half-steps to sit him back down and get him more on the seat. It took a lot of half-halting and quick hands to keep him supple, but in the end we had a much bigger trot without me being pulled out of the saddle! His canter was great as well. Much more active and again, a better connection. Lientje officially wants an "I Love Skippy" t-shirt now too!
So, overall a great day with the horses and I am so excited for all of them! Hopefully we can keep this up for the next couple of weeks!
This evening we are taking mom out for dinner before she leaves for home tomorrow morning. She is flying out of the San Diego airport tomorrow morning and then meeting us in San Fransisco in a week and a couple of days for the Woodside show.
Linds
Starting with Cashew at 8:15 am, it was actually chilly here. I rode the beginning of the lesson in a jacket! haha. Anyways, Cashew was very forward today right from the start. She was a bit "saucy" as Lientje said, actually taking the bit and running through the shoulder a few times. Nothing serious and we worked things out. Her frame was higher as well, so we worked on lots of suppleness and moving away from the leg. She was brilliant! Forward and pushing in a good frame. What more could you ask from a 4 year old!?!?! Both mom and I are very excited for her progression over the next few weeks.
Oslo went next at 10:30 am and he was also brilliant! Big, exuberant trot, and a much better jump in the canter today. The trot was so much steadier today and Oslo seemed more confident in the work, so we took the big trot into the lateral to see if he could sustain it. It was a success! I really have to ride it and help him out most of the time, but Oslo is really starting to be able to hold the throughness while pushing so much better from behind. It sure feels like we are on the right track! Now we just have to figure out the mental part of Oslo and we will have one heck of a horse! =)
Last, but certainly not least, was Skippy. Again, we were working on a bigger trot and a steadier connection. As soon as he would hit the bit we went to the half-steps to sit him back down and get him more on the seat. It took a lot of half-halting and quick hands to keep him supple, but in the end we had a much bigger trot without me being pulled out of the saddle! His canter was great as well. Much more active and again, a better connection. Lientje officially wants an "I Love Skippy" t-shirt now too!
So, overall a great day with the horses and I am so excited for all of them! Hopefully we can keep this up for the next couple of weeks!
This evening we are taking mom out for dinner before she leaves for home tomorrow morning. She is flying out of the San Diego airport tomorrow morning and then meeting us in San Fransisco in a week and a couple of days for the Woodside show.
Linds
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Weekend
Saturday I rode Oslo's and Skippy's Freestyle since the barn was empty and I had the big arena to myself for the day! Skippy's Freestyle seems to have really good timing and it was good for me to practice the canter tour again since the half-pass to pirouette and vice versa routine is quite challenging for us. Oslo's Freestyle needs some adjusting though. At the Del Mar show I got slightly ahead in the canter tour and had to do a pirouette right in the corner and it made things messy. Practicing it again on Saturday confirmed there is just a few too many seconds of canter in the pirouette section. Therefore, we talked to Karen Robinson (the Freestyle master!) and she is going to take out 4 seconds and send it back to us asap. Hopefully that will make it a bit nicer to ride!
I also rode Cashew on Saturday and she has progressed again sooo much! I cannot get over how much she has learned in the last 3 days. She was so forward today and much more supple in the higher frame. GOOD GIRL Cashew!!! Her trot is also starting to get bigger and I am finally getting comfortable with her extravagant canter! We are really starting to get used to each other. It feels good to be working on a girl's team again! No offence to Oslo or Skippy. Geldings have their benefits too!
Sunday was a rest day for everyone and then we will have four lessons with Lientje this week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Oslo and I are also hoping to fit in a lesson with Steffen at some point too. In addition, Skippy has been signed up for a long-lining lesson with Shannon and Lientje. Now that Skippy is doing so well and really starting to understand things, Lientje thinks an in hand lesson will be very good for him. I am excited to see how that goes. I have heard that Shannon is amazing at working the horses in hand, so I am sure it will be a very educational experience for Skippy and me!
We have been using the shaker on Oslo almost every morning and he seems to find it quite relaxing. At first he was a bit suspicious, as was I, but I think we are all in agreement that it makes you feel good afterwards! It is a nice set-up since they have an entire stall with the floor being the shaker/vibrator. It allows Oslo to eat hay and walk around while mom or I are standing in there as well! We all get the vibrating treatment for 15 minutes. When I ride Oslo fairly soon after the shaker, he seems quite loose and supple as well. Too bad it wasn't portable and could be taken to shows!
After we took the horses for a long walk this morning we headed to lake/reservoir in the middle of Rancho Sante Fe and went hiking around the lake. It is a beautiful place - a peaceful, quiet lake in the middle of the city. Walking around the lake and rolling hills you would have never known you were in San Diego!
Congrats to everyone who rode in the Young Rider show and received qualifying scores for NAJYRC and to everyone who had good rides!
Back to work tomorrow with 3 lessons with Lientje, all in the morning!
Hugs to all our friends back home!
Linds
I also rode Cashew on Saturday and she has progressed again sooo much! I cannot get over how much she has learned in the last 3 days. She was so forward today and much more supple in the higher frame. GOOD GIRL Cashew!!! Her trot is also starting to get bigger and I am finally getting comfortable with her extravagant canter! We are really starting to get used to each other. It feels good to be working on a girl's team again! No offence to Oslo or Skippy. Geldings have their benefits too!
Sunday was a rest day for everyone and then we will have four lessons with Lientje this week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Oslo and I are also hoping to fit in a lesson with Steffen at some point too. In addition, Skippy has been signed up for a long-lining lesson with Shannon and Lientje. Now that Skippy is doing so well and really starting to understand things, Lientje thinks an in hand lesson will be very good for him. I am excited to see how that goes. I have heard that Shannon is amazing at working the horses in hand, so I am sure it will be a very educational experience for Skippy and me!
We have been using the shaker on Oslo almost every morning and he seems to find it quite relaxing. At first he was a bit suspicious, as was I, but I think we are all in agreement that it makes you feel good afterwards! It is a nice set-up since they have an entire stall with the floor being the shaker/vibrator. It allows Oslo to eat hay and walk around while mom or I are standing in there as well! We all get the vibrating treatment for 15 minutes. When I ride Oslo fairly soon after the shaker, he seems quite loose and supple as well. Too bad it wasn't portable and could be taken to shows!
After we took the horses for a long walk this morning we headed to lake/reservoir in the middle of Rancho Sante Fe and went hiking around the lake. It is a beautiful place - a peaceful, quiet lake in the middle of the city. Walking around the lake and rolling hills you would have never known you were in San Diego!
Congrats to everyone who rode in the Young Rider show and received qualifying scores for NAJYRC and to everyone who had good rides!
Back to work tomorrow with 3 lessons with Lientje, all in the morning!
Hugs to all our friends back home!
Linds
Friday, May 6, 2011
Cashew's Lesson
Today I only had a lesson on Cashew first thing in the morning. The boys got the day off after 3 hard days in a row (Cashew had her day off yesterday). Lientje was very happy with Cashew's progression in the forward department!!! She was so much more in front of the leg today right from the start. That allowed us to work on getting her frame a bit higher and suppling her in that higher frame. Yesterday we got the higher frame at times but it was almost impossible to supple her up there because she wasn't really in front of the leg. Therefore, today was a great day for her and she truly felt awesome at times. She gives such a nice feeling when she carries her head slightly higher and is really stepping through. Since she was already so much more in front of the leg today, her hind leg was also quicker and she had a spectacular canter. So uphill and over her back!!! We even went for a trail ride afterwards and we eventually got over the bridge and past the pond! Couldn't have asked for more from her today =)
We took a break from spending the whole day at the barn and spent the afternoon hiking after mom got her pedicure (her toes are a bright orange now - so her!). It was a good break for all of us - we got to go hiking beside the ocean at Torrey Pines Park and the horses got turned out for the afternoon!
Tomorrow I will practice my freestyles on Oslo and Skippy. The barn is usually empty on the weekends, so hopefully we can have the main ring to practice the freestyles.
Good job everyone at the Young Riders show today. We checked scores as soon as we got home and a lot of people had a good day it looks like!
Linds
We took a break from spending the whole day at the barn and spent the afternoon hiking after mom got her pedicure (her toes are a bright orange now - so her!). It was a good break for all of us - we got to go hiking beside the ocean at Torrey Pines Park and the horses got turned out for the afternoon!
Tomorrow I will practice my freestyles on Oslo and Skippy. The barn is usually empty on the weekends, so hopefully we can have the main ring to practice the freestyles.
Good job everyone at the Young Riders show today. We checked scores as soon as we got home and a lot of people had a good day it looks like!
Linds
I had two lessons with Lientje yesterday and both were great. We worked on getting the trot bigger again with Oslo. It is such hard work for him and he doesn't always handle hard work very well mentally, so we have to be very tactful when we go for that bigger and steadier trot. He was great though and we mix the trot in with some more relaxing canter work, along with lots of breaks, just to keep him sane and healthy! He is starting to feel so awesome at times, so now we just need to keep building our strength and keep him mentally stable =)
Skippy was AMAZING again today. At the end of the lesson Lientje was actually speechless because he was going so well. He really gave me good right bend today and much better straightness, while maintaining the in front of the leg. Consequently, his trot work was spectacular for him because he was straight, through, and very in front of the leg! GO Skippy =) We also did some canter work and his half-passes are really coming along as well, I just need to make sure he stays more in front of the leg in the transitions within the gait so that he doesn't "hit the bit" and pull me out of the saddle at times! He really is progressing well and he seems to love it down here. He just seems so happy and isn't opposed to the work these days. I hope he just continues to get better!
Cashew had the day off today since she went 3 days in a row already and we don't want to over work her young body or brain. She gets a lesson today though while the boys get the day off. This is how we usually do things - 3 days on and 1 day off. Cashew did get a couple of walks around the property though, along with her turnout. She is such a brave horse, especially if I am walking beside her. She went over the little bridge by the pond without even hesitating! The pelican was a bit scary at first, but even Skippy finds that it scary!
I am off to the barn now. My lesson on Cashew is at 7:30 am and then I am taking mom to get a pedicure for her early Mother's day present.
I hope everyone has a great day and that the first day of the Young Rider's show is a success!
Linds
Skippy was AMAZING again today. At the end of the lesson Lientje was actually speechless because he was going so well. He really gave me good right bend today and much better straightness, while maintaining the in front of the leg. Consequently, his trot work was spectacular for him because he was straight, through, and very in front of the leg! GO Skippy =) We also did some canter work and his half-passes are really coming along as well, I just need to make sure he stays more in front of the leg in the transitions within the gait so that he doesn't "hit the bit" and pull me out of the saddle at times! He really is progressing well and he seems to love it down here. He just seems so happy and isn't opposed to the work these days. I hope he just continues to get better!
Cashew had the day off today since she went 3 days in a row already and we don't want to over work her young body or brain. She gets a lesson today though while the boys get the day off. This is how we usually do things - 3 days on and 1 day off. Cashew did get a couple of walks around the property though, along with her turnout. She is such a brave horse, especially if I am walking beside her. She went over the little bridge by the pond without even hesitating! The pelican was a bit scary at first, but even Skippy finds that it scary!
I am off to the barn now. My lesson on Cashew is at 7:30 am and then I am taking mom to get a pedicure for her early Mother's day present.
I hope everyone has a great day and that the first day of the Young Rider's show is a success!
Linds
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
3 Lessons With Lientje
Today I had a lesson on all three of the horses and everyone was great! Cashew went first in the morning and we worked on forward, forward, and more forward! She just needs to be more in front of the leg with a slightly higher frame and then "everything will come after that" as Lientje says. Lientje was very impressed with Cashew's temperament and thought she had an amazing canter. =)
Oslo was much better today and we had some excellent trot work. Oslo was trotting like a big horse!!! And he was through his back!!!! He did find the work very hard and got slightly stressed about it, but we need to go there now in order for him to strengthen and eventually get comfortable in that top notch work! His canter still needs a bit more jump, but we will continue working on that and it is something we know he can do well once he is a bit more relaxed and through.
Skippy was spectacular again today! Lientje is soooo good with him and she always seems to know what to do with him. He was so in front of the leg today and almost ran away with me at one point! Lol. He had a great collected trot and we are finally getting into his right side. He can actually bend right now and hold it. His canter was also great today and we got both half-passes, going both directions, fairly equal with great bend and collection. We are all very happy with him.
There is a virus/unknown disease going around the barn that causes the horses to get weird bumps on their legs. It then proceeds to causing the entire leg to swell up and cause a decrease in energy in the horse and sometimes even causes unsoundness. It seems to only affect the "outside horses" (horses that don't live permanently at the barn). Vickie Argals and Lindsey Stroh had all three of their horses get it while they were down here last month and now Michelle McWilliam's stallion seems to have it. Therefore, we are trying to be careful and fly spraying the horses legs (since dad thinks it may be bug/spider bites) and not wrapping their legs very often since there is a belief that fresh air may help. Crossing our fingers that our horses don't get it. It is such a strange thing and the vets have no idea what it is so we are just trying to keep the legs dry and clean!
Tomorrow I only have two lessons and we haven't decided yet who I will just ride with mom in the morning. Everyone has been going great and I have so much to work on with all of them so that will be mom and I's homework for tomorrow and the weekend.
Tomorrow evening we are also going for dinner with Lientje and her mother, who is visiting from Germany.
I just want to send out a GOOD LUCK to everyone attending the Young Rider Show in Red Deer this weekend. I really hope the weather is good for you guys. I specifically want to wish Meagan and Walker good luck in the FEI Junior tests! And Julia and Missy kick some butt in the Childrens tests!
Goodnight from San Diego!
Linds
Oslo was much better today and we had some excellent trot work. Oslo was trotting like a big horse!!! And he was through his back!!!! He did find the work very hard and got slightly stressed about it, but we need to go there now in order for him to strengthen and eventually get comfortable in that top notch work! His canter still needs a bit more jump, but we will continue working on that and it is something we know he can do well once he is a bit more relaxed and through.
Skippy was spectacular again today! Lientje is soooo good with him and she always seems to know what to do with him. He was so in front of the leg today and almost ran away with me at one point! Lol. He had a great collected trot and we are finally getting into his right side. He can actually bend right now and hold it. His canter was also great today and we got both half-passes, going both directions, fairly equal with great bend and collection. We are all very happy with him.
There is a virus/unknown disease going around the barn that causes the horses to get weird bumps on their legs. It then proceeds to causing the entire leg to swell up and cause a decrease in energy in the horse and sometimes even causes unsoundness. It seems to only affect the "outside horses" (horses that don't live permanently at the barn). Vickie Argals and Lindsey Stroh had all three of their horses get it while they were down here last month and now Michelle McWilliam's stallion seems to have it. Therefore, we are trying to be careful and fly spraying the horses legs (since dad thinks it may be bug/spider bites) and not wrapping their legs very often since there is a belief that fresh air may help. Crossing our fingers that our horses don't get it. It is such a strange thing and the vets have no idea what it is so we are just trying to keep the legs dry and clean!
Tomorrow I only have two lessons and we haven't decided yet who I will just ride with mom in the morning. Everyone has been going great and I have so much to work on with all of them so that will be mom and I's homework for tomorrow and the weekend.
Tomorrow evening we are also going for dinner with Lientje and her mother, who is visiting from Germany.
I just want to send out a GOOD LUCK to everyone attending the Young Rider Show in Red Deer this weekend. I really hope the weather is good for you guys. I specifically want to wish Meagan and Walker good luck in the FEI Junior tests! And Julia and Missy kick some butt in the Childrens tests!
Goodnight from San Diego!
Linds
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Harpo - our neighbour for the weekend!
Oslo and I warming up. Note the worried, thinking expression on my face.
Trying to calm and relax Oslo
Rebecca Rigdon (one of the trainers at Arroyo) prepard to feed her horse carrots once they got in the scary indoor. It is amazing how treats will relax/comfort most horses!
Skippy after his Freestyle with our coach (mom)!
Skippy with his Reserve Champion ribbon!
Skippy's Freestyle warm-up during the sunset.
Stabling at Del Mar show.
Steffen warming up Magic
The top riders practicing their "six-drille".
Dad's spectacular park job in the R.V. Campground on the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Skippy trying to drool on his nice rbbon!
Bugsy - Lientje's dog.
Guenter Seidel on his horse U II.
Back to Work
It was VERY hot today. Over 30 degrees again and I don't think any of us Canadians are functional in that kind of heat. I started with Cashew and she already thought it was extremely hot first thing in the morning. She went super though and we had great walk, trot, and canter in the rings at Arroyo. The first ride at the barn and she was so confident and quiet. At a point she did think she was done though, halted, and she would not go forward. I felt like a little kid on their stubborn pony with my legs coming off her sides and kicking her repeatedly, without any forward motion resulting. Rebecca, one of the trainers was nice enough to hand me her whip in the ring and then we went right back to work. She just needed a bit of encouragement in the heat I think! Still, I am very happy with her and cannot get over how confident and relaxed she is at the barn. She goes straight to work when you take her out! I am very excited for Lientje to see her! We will likely do a lesson in the next couple of days - I think we are ready now! =)
I had a lesson on Oslo and Skippy with Lientje at 1:00 and 2:30 - the hottest part of the day. Both horses and myself were breathing hard and sweaty in a matter of minutes! We did lighter rides since it was their first day back after the show and Skippy especially, was confused that we were even doing anything in such weather! Oslo was very stiff and tight. I think he is finally feeling the aftermath of his shenanigans. The poor guy was not feeling great and I could tell that his muscles were sore and just so tight. We tried to stretch him as much as possible, but he was very hesitant and I am sure tomorrow's ride will also be spent stretching. We are also going to try and get him on the "shaker" at the barn. It is exactly what it sounds like! It is a stall with a shaking floor in it. I think Oslo and I will both stand on it for a bit tomorrow morning! It is supposed to loosen things up and make the horse, and you, feel better. Shannon stands on it every morning with her horse and swears by it. She often has back pain and the shaker apparently helps her with that. Therefore, we think it is worth a try for Oslo and I am eager to try it as well!
Skippy was actually super in his lesson and we had some very good work. He even let us get him more supple and engaged under the sweltering sun! With both horses I need to work on getting them even more in front of the leg and get more into the habit of putting my leg on for only 2 or 3 strides and then almost taking it off/lessening the aid to check to see if the horse is still with me. I am pushing too much each stride and need to "have the horse do more of the work" as Lientje says! Once again, mom is correct in saying that most issues have to do with the horse being behind the leg. The concept sounds so easy, but I have been working on it for years and it still needs more work! Still so much to learn and my timing needs to get that much faster.
I really hope it cools down tomorrow (something I am having a hard time saying, coming from the cold Alberta winter) but the heat is taking a toll on all of us. Either way I will be at the barn tomorrow morning again to ride everyone and likely do some more watching of Steffen riding his line-up of talented ponies! Just hanging out at the barn watching all the trainers ride the various horses is very educational, and even if it is 30 degrees out, I should not be complaining!
I do apologize for not posting any pictures recently. I have been having problems trying to upload photos on the blog. I have quite a few on facebook, but I know not everyone uses facebook, so I am working with Claudia back home to see if we can get the issues figured out. Hopefully I can upload a bunch soon! Sorry to keep you in suspense.
Linds
I had a lesson on Oslo and Skippy with Lientje at 1:00 and 2:30 - the hottest part of the day. Both horses and myself were breathing hard and sweaty in a matter of minutes! We did lighter rides since it was their first day back after the show and Skippy especially, was confused that we were even doing anything in such weather! Oslo was very stiff and tight. I think he is finally feeling the aftermath of his shenanigans. The poor guy was not feeling great and I could tell that his muscles were sore and just so tight. We tried to stretch him as much as possible, but he was very hesitant and I am sure tomorrow's ride will also be spent stretching. We are also going to try and get him on the "shaker" at the barn. It is exactly what it sounds like! It is a stall with a shaking floor in it. I think Oslo and I will both stand on it for a bit tomorrow morning! It is supposed to loosen things up and make the horse, and you, feel better. Shannon stands on it every morning with her horse and swears by it. She often has back pain and the shaker apparently helps her with that. Therefore, we think it is worth a try for Oslo and I am eager to try it as well!
Skippy was actually super in his lesson and we had some very good work. He even let us get him more supple and engaged under the sweltering sun! With both horses I need to work on getting them even more in front of the leg and get more into the habit of putting my leg on for only 2 or 3 strides and then almost taking it off/lessening the aid to check to see if the horse is still with me. I am pushing too much each stride and need to "have the horse do more of the work" as Lientje says! Once again, mom is correct in saying that most issues have to do with the horse being behind the leg. The concept sounds so easy, but I have been working on it for years and it still needs more work! Still so much to learn and my timing needs to get that much faster.
I really hope it cools down tomorrow (something I am having a hard time saying, coming from the cold Alberta winter) but the heat is taking a toll on all of us. Either way I will be at the barn tomorrow morning again to ride everyone and likely do some more watching of Steffen riding his line-up of talented ponies! Just hanging out at the barn watching all the trainers ride the various horses is very educational, and even if it is 30 degrees out, I should not be complaining!
I do apologize for not posting any pictures recently. I have been having problems trying to upload photos on the blog. I have quite a few on facebook, but I know not everyone uses facebook, so I am working with Claudia back home to see if we can get the issues figured out. Hopefully I can upload a bunch soon! Sorry to keep you in suspense.
Linds
Monday, May 2, 2011
You Tube Links
I need to thank Chelsea for finding these links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00jnFtHiWE This is Skippy's Freestyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiFvrhQ4ec&NR=1 This is the top riders doing their "six-drille" on stick horses
I hope you enjoy them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00jnFtHiWE This is Skippy's Freestyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiFvrhQ4ec&NR=1 This is the top riders doing their "six-drille" on stick horses
I hope you enjoy them!
Day off
We all got the day off except for Cashew who got a good lunging session and a good walk tour of the rings at the barn this morning. She was very good. Quite focused during the lunging session and she was very brave walking around, alone, in the big rings. She was a bit concerned about the roof on one of the gazebos blowing around (it was super windy today) but other than that she was great! I cannot wait to get on her tomorrow and do some work with her!!!
The barn was very quiet today and only a couple of horses were ridden today by a two of the trainers. Almost everyone was taking the day off after the show. It gave Cashew and I a good chance to walk around the rings and get used the environment.
It was very hot today, with temperatures reaching almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit/~31 degrees Celsius. Oslo thought it was so hot he only wanted to be in his turnout for a few minutes - long enough for him to roll and then he wanted to go right back into his shady stall (he stood at the gate of his turnout and would whinny at me whenever he saw me walking back and forth in the barn!). The heat is due to winds coming from the desert, which is very unusual for San Diego at this time of year. These very warm winds usually occur in November and often cause fires (last year the barn had to evacuate due to fire warnings and excess smoke). Tomorrow is also supposed to be really hot so everyone is planning on being at the barn really early in the morning to try and avoid the heat as much as possible - this is very hot weather for the area this time of year and the Canadians are not the only ones complaining about it! By Wednesday it is supposed to cool back down to normal temps - we all hope so anyways! I hear the weather is beautiful at home - I hope you are all enjoying it!
I will be headed to the barn first thing tomorrow morning to help Lientje with a horse, ride Cashew and then get a lesson on Oslo and Skippy with Lientje.
I hope everyone voted today! We are sitting and watching the election results on mom's computer now - we couldn't find the results on any television channel here. The Americans are completely focused on their Osama news...
Linds
The barn was very quiet today and only a couple of horses were ridden today by a two of the trainers. Almost everyone was taking the day off after the show. It gave Cashew and I a good chance to walk around the rings and get used the environment.
It was very hot today, with temperatures reaching almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit/~31 degrees Celsius. Oslo thought it was so hot he only wanted to be in his turnout for a few minutes - long enough for him to roll and then he wanted to go right back into his shady stall (he stood at the gate of his turnout and would whinny at me whenever he saw me walking back and forth in the barn!). The heat is due to winds coming from the desert, which is very unusual for San Diego at this time of year. These very warm winds usually occur in November and often cause fires (last year the barn had to evacuate due to fire warnings and excess smoke). Tomorrow is also supposed to be really hot so everyone is planning on being at the barn really early in the morning to try and avoid the heat as much as possible - this is very hot weather for the area this time of year and the Canadians are not the only ones complaining about it! By Wednesday it is supposed to cool back down to normal temps - we all hope so anyways! I hear the weather is beautiful at home - I hope you are all enjoying it!
I will be headed to the barn first thing tomorrow morning to help Lientje with a horse, ride Cashew and then get a lesson on Oslo and Skippy with Lientje.
I hope everyone voted today! We are sitting and watching the election results on mom's computer now - we couldn't find the results on any television channel here. The Americans are completely focused on their Osama news...
Linds
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Big News!
The exhaustion has set in from the weekend and everyone is vegging for the night! Saturday was a better day for Oslo and he was calm enough to get 5s and 6s on his walk work - a big step up from the 2 we received on Friday! We rode the Intermediaire 1 test today and although he was more relaxed today, he still had very tense moments and was not always interested in listening. Consequently, we had numerous mistakes resulting in a score of 61%. I really couldn't complain too much though since Oslo gave me the walk and it was a huge step up from Friday. Taking into account all the mistakes, only 3 three tempis, an extra change at the end of the two tempis, large pirouettes, and a sloppy canter zig-zag, the score was still fairly remarkable for what we had to work with!
Saturday evening Skippy and I did the Intermediaire Freestyle under the lights in the covered arena, in front of about 500 people!!! It was a very electric atmosphere and I was more than relieved that I was riding Skippy and not Oslo. There were so many horses that completely lost it in the ring that night. Skippy is completely amazing though and was more worried about the flowers around the ring than anything else! Good old Skippy! We had a nice forward freestyle that was bang on to the music. It was a lot of fun to ride! Skippy received a great score of 66% and was Reserve Champion! He also had to be the big brave horse to lead all the other horses into the ring for presentations! The other horses wouldn't stand still and were jumping around during presentations and Skippy was just chewing on his sugar that he received from one of the awards presentor! He was so awesome. Such a star!!! =)
After the Intermediaire Freestyles the CDI 3* Grand Prix Freestyles occurred. Therefore, we got to see Ravel compete in person, along with Shannon Peters on her gelding, Odyssey, Guenter Seidel on U II, and many other amazingly talented horses! Such an amazing experience. I am such a huge fan of Steffen and Ravel's music so it was really special for me to see them perform in person. Also, Guenter's horse is a piaffeing machine!!! I would love to see his score sheets to see if he gets 10s on the piaffe work. It just seems flawless and effortless.
To conclude the evening the top riders, including Steffen, Shannon, and Guenter, did a freestyle together on stick horses (in a much shorter ring of course!). You may think that seems completely ridiculous and it was, but also quite entertaining!!!
Today was a new day and we started off with Skippy having a good test in the Prix St. George, placing him third in the class. It was a great conclusion to Skippy's fabulous weekend! Oslo also had a good finish to the weekend with his Intermediaire 1 Freestyle! Finally he was more relaxed and actually rideable today =) I was sooooooo happy with him today. Finally I kind of felt like I had my horse back. He was still a bit "stiff" feeling and was not always enough in front of the leg, but we had a good walk (for Oslo anyways), and we had a clean ride. No major mistakes. Definitely needed more suppleness and exuberance, but I couldn't have asked for more knowing what happened the past few days. I was a bit disappointed with how my choreography worked out (the timing and positioning of the movements), but that was my error and I know that I need to know the music even better. There wasn't anything majorly wrong, but I got a bit ahead and my pirouettes were not placed very well. I did only ride the freestyles a couple of times a few weeks ago, so I am hoping with a few more practices at Steffens' in the next couple of weeks, things will be more bang on for the next show! Our final score in the freestyle was 67% which put us 4th in the class (Steffen won the class on Magic with a 76%).
Overall the show was a great learning experience and a very interesting event to be a part of. Warming up riders such as Steffen Peters and Guenter Seidel is more than a little intimidating at first, but once I got over the initial fear, it was really cool!!! LOL. Even though I wish Oslo would have been better, I realize life doesn't always work out how you wish it would, and just being at the Del Mar show was an incredible experience! I feel that much more prepared for shows in the future.
We moved the horses to Arroyo (Steffen's barn) this afternoon after the show and all three of them got turnout for a while before settling into their stalls for the night. Their turnout time consisted of rolling in the dirt, more rolling, and ended with even more rolling. They were very happy to get out and "wash the show off of them"!
I will have access to the internet everyday now for the next couple of weeks, so I am hoping to update the blog far more often then I have been.
I am super excited to have the horses at Arroyo now and am eager to get lessons with Lientje and hopefully Steffen himself over the next couple of weeks! This past week has already started to whip my butt into shape, and I hope many lessons in the next while will get my body and mind into even better shape!
That is all for now!
Linds + Oslo + Skippy + Cashew
Saturday evening Skippy and I did the Intermediaire Freestyle under the lights in the covered arena, in front of about 500 people!!! It was a very electric atmosphere and I was more than relieved that I was riding Skippy and not Oslo. There were so many horses that completely lost it in the ring that night. Skippy is completely amazing though and was more worried about the flowers around the ring than anything else! Good old Skippy! We had a nice forward freestyle that was bang on to the music. It was a lot of fun to ride! Skippy received a great score of 66% and was Reserve Champion! He also had to be the big brave horse to lead all the other horses into the ring for presentations! The other horses wouldn't stand still and were jumping around during presentations and Skippy was just chewing on his sugar that he received from one of the awards presentor! He was so awesome. Such a star!!! =)
After the Intermediaire Freestyles the CDI 3* Grand Prix Freestyles occurred. Therefore, we got to see Ravel compete in person, along with Shannon Peters on her gelding, Odyssey, Guenter Seidel on U II, and many other amazingly talented horses! Such an amazing experience. I am such a huge fan of Steffen and Ravel's music so it was really special for me to see them perform in person. Also, Guenter's horse is a piaffeing machine!!! I would love to see his score sheets to see if he gets 10s on the piaffe work. It just seems flawless and effortless.
To conclude the evening the top riders, including Steffen, Shannon, and Guenter, did a freestyle together on stick horses (in a much shorter ring of course!). You may think that seems completely ridiculous and it was, but also quite entertaining!!!
Today was a new day and we started off with Skippy having a good test in the Prix St. George, placing him third in the class. It was a great conclusion to Skippy's fabulous weekend! Oslo also had a good finish to the weekend with his Intermediaire 1 Freestyle! Finally he was more relaxed and actually rideable today =) I was sooooooo happy with him today. Finally I kind of felt like I had my horse back. He was still a bit "stiff" feeling and was not always enough in front of the leg, but we had a good walk (for Oslo anyways), and we had a clean ride. No major mistakes. Definitely needed more suppleness and exuberance, but I couldn't have asked for more knowing what happened the past few days. I was a bit disappointed with how my choreography worked out (the timing and positioning of the movements), but that was my error and I know that I need to know the music even better. There wasn't anything majorly wrong, but I got a bit ahead and my pirouettes were not placed very well. I did only ride the freestyles a couple of times a few weeks ago, so I am hoping with a few more practices at Steffens' in the next couple of weeks, things will be more bang on for the next show! Our final score in the freestyle was 67% which put us 4th in the class (Steffen won the class on Magic with a 76%).
Overall the show was a great learning experience and a very interesting event to be a part of. Warming up riders such as Steffen Peters and Guenter Seidel is more than a little intimidating at first, but once I got over the initial fear, it was really cool!!! LOL. Even though I wish Oslo would have been better, I realize life doesn't always work out how you wish it would, and just being at the Del Mar show was an incredible experience! I feel that much more prepared for shows in the future.
We moved the horses to Arroyo (Steffen's barn) this afternoon after the show and all three of them got turnout for a while before settling into their stalls for the night. Their turnout time consisted of rolling in the dirt, more rolling, and ended with even more rolling. They were very happy to get out and "wash the show off of them"!
I will have access to the internet everyday now for the next couple of weeks, so I am hoping to update the blog far more often then I have been.
I am super excited to have the horses at Arroyo now and am eager to get lessons with Lientje and hopefully Steffen himself over the next couple of weeks! This past week has already started to whip my butt into shape, and I hope many lessons in the next while will get my body and mind into even better shape!
That is all for now!
Linds + Oslo + Skippy + Cashew
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