AEC's: Dressage Day

Oh dressage day..... Sigh.

Dan and I rode at 8:30 am! We were the second rider of our division. Which, is a little disappointing for a few reasons. One, that meant I had to get up SUPER early to braid because... Dan would likely rub them out if I had tried to do them the night before. And two, it would be less likely in theory for me to score super well because they wouldn't want to give me big marks in case others are better. (Which... only makes sense if we did a really really good test... which we are capable of... at beginner novice... in theory!). But... the good news is that I could then have the rest of the day to relax and eat. Ha! Aside from the fact that I knew the following day was XC day and might start getting nervous as soon as dressage finished. But whatever... I was up until about midnight but slept like a rock until my alarm went off nice and early! I got Dan fed, picked his stall, and put the bemer on him. Then we braided! I was smart and brought my headlamp so it wasn't too bad. My braids actually turned out pretty good! Especially since his mane is a teeny bit too short. So Yay! Then I bathed a tiny spot of his rump, groomed him, and peed again for the 12th time... and then it was time to get ready. I managed to get him tacked up and me all ready and off we went.

We got to warm up before most. I think there was only one or two people in there when we started. It was huge too so Dan didn't even make snarky faces. We were warming up with our stretchy loose work and he felt good. And then I saw a rainbow patch in the sky. I couldn't help it. I teared up a little right then and there. We were HERE! We were at the AEC's... in Kentucky! Our Rolex! And God was smiling down on us.... I thanked him profusely and praised him. And then we went back to work. We worked on some transitions trying to keep him sharp as he felt a teeny bit sleepy. Cindy showed up, which was super awesome. It was nice to have her moral support. She gave me a few pointers too about our halt. He felt great! He felt soft and relaxed and through and supple and so uphill! The ring steward was awesome and kept telling me how much time I had. It was great. And then.. it was our turn! We headed in and started our test. We had a decent entry and then a good trot circle. Then we went to do our first canter circle... and... he picked up the wrong lead. ACK!!! I pulled him back and asked again and he picked up the wrong lead again. DANIEL FLOYD BREAUX!!! What are you doing?! So we tried again and this time we got it... but now my circle was way too big. Sigh.. And... I tried, I tried to carry on, but... it messed with me. We did our trot across the diagonal and I asked for a hint of a lengthening and it was nice. Then we did our other trot circle... and our circle was a bit too big. There's no tracks in the GGT footing and with only have two riders before me (test ride and then the first rider) and then.. not having been able to practice in the small arena in awhile... I blew it. Sigh. So then we did our second canter and thank goodness we got the correct lead. We had a nice canter but then as soon as we hit the rail, he broke. And instead of letting him... I pushed and we picked the canter back up and then came back down... and then our walk was good. Actually our free walk was LOVELY! I thought! Then we had a decent trot back down centerline but not a great halt. Sigh. I was disappointed in myself. My geometry was awful. How on earth did I blow the right lead? On a freakin' circle? Sigh... I gave him pets but it was hard to smile and be happy for the camera when I was so disappointed in myself. Oh well. Cindy said the rest of the test was quite nice. And she was right. The rest was quite nice. Still, it's disappointing not to have given your best effort at the national championships. But we brushed ourselves off and he got cookies and then he got to rest and chill and eat hay.

I went and watched a few others go. I went and walked XC twice. We were supposed to have a course walk but it must have gotten changed or cancelled and I didn't realize. But no worries.. I walked it myself. It wasn't too bad but I really wanted advice in the water. You came in far right.... and then you could either go straight out and make a sharp right turn to a fairly decent sized table. Or... you could go straight in, turn left, go down the water and come out the far end and then have a long straight approach to the table. I asked Dawn and Marian and they both said to take the long route and get straight. I ended up calling Jacel and face timing her and she said to go straight through and take the tight turn. So I still pondered. And then... I checked our scores. Lo and behold we weren't too bad. We scored a 32, which... is great! Not our usual score, but considering... a pretty decent score. It ended up putting us 15th out of 51. So ... okay! That's not too shabby! I've still got a chance. Although, beginner novice tends to be mostly based on the dressage score. But that cheered me up a bit. And later that night, when I got my test.... the once judge at A had given us a 71! The judge at C, who obviously saw my horrific geometry and the break at the second canter, gave us a 66.5. But that judge also gave our free walk a 9!!! YAY!!! I thought it was a darn good free walk. :)

Dan got lots of grazing and walking. Unfortunately no turn out as we had to run XC at 9:14 and while he didn't have to be sparkling.. he definitely couldn't be dirty and I didn't want to have to give him a bath in the morning. So... I had "dinner" at the competitor party... which, sigh.. was not good. It was cold baked beans and potato salad... and pork... and no cornbread... no other vegetables... Ugh. But we did get to watch the advanced stadium riders go. And it was fun hanging out with Dawn and Marian. So after that I got everything set for the next morning and took Dan out for another quick walk. Then we both went to bed. I slept okay... but woke up at 2:30 am... started thinking about my XC course and my heart started to pound away in my chest! Like...wow! I'm really really nervous for XC. The most nervous I had been for XC in a long time. And it wasn't like the course was that scary. But I did manage to go back to sleep for a few hours at least.

American Eventing Championships! We FINALLY made it!!!

This weekend was 5 years in the making... Yes its beginner novice... and yes my horse is 10. But.... 4 years ago we were qualified for BN AEC's in Tryon. 2 weeks before I made a bad decision and hung a low hay net in Dan's paddock while in Aiken. He ended up with two muscle tears in his butt, and no AEC's for us. He rehabbed for 7 months and we got back to it. But somehow, somewhere along the way... something else must have happened. It was subtle and not consistent so I misread it for a training issue instead of a pain issue. We struggled. We lost confidence. We took money out of the bank. We had some good runs in there too though. We managed to qualify via placings for AEC's the last two years at Novice, but couldn't manage to get the third clean run. One year ended with Dan dumping me at the first fence and me dislocating a finger. I was so frustrated. I couldn't figure out what had happened. I got scared. Really scared. And then I finally realized that it wasn't a training issue.. it wasn't a confidence issue. It was a pain issue. We saw our vet and there was nothing blatantly wrong, but.... we could see something wasn't right. We decided to look at the right stifle as it had bothered him before. And... his meniscus was trashed. Badly. There was joint changes in the bone too. We took a month off and just walked the trails. We weren't sure if we would ever be able to jump again or dressage again. We thought that we'd be trail ponies and beach poines only maybe. We had an appointment with UT because they could get me in a week earlier than UGA thanks to Covid. And... for two days they worked on him. They couldn't make him lame on the right hind. But he was lame on two other legs. So we treated those. And he still wasn't right. So we went to the vet again. We decided to ignore the stifle ultrasound and just treated what we found. We rested the hind suspensories and trail rode for another 6 weeks. We injected hocks, stifles, and neck. We bemered, we lasered, we adjusted, we acupunctured, and we massaged. We did fitness work and did rehab riding. I finally managed to learn how to ride more correctly and focused on straightness and evenness. And he started to feel good! He got back in front of my leg! We got the all clear to start jumping again. So we inched our way along... feeling it out. We did our first event back at Beginner Novice about a year ago. And it was scary! But.... as we did more, our confidence came back. It wasn't a trust issue in each other... it was a trust issue in his body. Once he felt like he could trust his hind end, he got in front of the leg, and once he got in front of my leg, I could ride him better and we could be braver together. We worked really hard and slowly put more and more money back in the bank. We did another recognized BN and the course wasn't nearly as scary. And we started having fun again. Then we did a third BN and were qualified for AEC's. And at this point... BN wasn't scary anymore. So then we moved up to novice at a schooling show... and then at a recognized show. And he was a beast! And it was fun and not scary and we were feeling brave and confident again! But by this point, it was too late to push to qualify for AEC's at novice, and quite frankly... we probably would have been fine, but we had enough fun at BN that it didn't matter.

So we went to the AEC's and did BN. And we didn't come home with a ribbon, but we came home with the coolest memories ever. We accomplished a goal we set out to do. And we're doing it! And he feels amazing and ready to go and do more. And we're having fun doing it.

This horse is amazing. He is tough! Seriously tough. He's game. He's a perfectionist. He's a hoodlum. He's cheeky. He's smart. He's talented. He's hilarious. And I love him so. He takes care of me. He tries. So.... whatever happens now, happens. Hopefully we can continue on and maybe try our hands out at training level again. Hopefully we'll get a change and get our bronze. We'll continue to trail ride and go to the beach. And we'll teach sissy to be a good Fleck 3.0. And we'll keep having fun.

So... thank you God... for blessing me with this amazing beast and giving him back his wings so we can do what he was meant to do. And thank you to all my friends and supporters and trainers for helping us on our way.And thank you to all the volunetters and workers who allow us to do this sport. Thank you to all the professionals who have kept Dan and I together. Thank you Rubgy Breek Sporthorses for breeding this crazy talented arrogant beast.

Onward and upward!

So here's the details!

I managed to get everything packed up Tuesday because... it was rainy all day and was supposed to be worse than it was, so I cancelled our lesson. Plus, he felt kind of tired yesterday and he did have a 7 hour trailer ride so perhaps he needed a day off. And to be honest.. my trailer was all packed and set and I didn't want to haul in the rain and mess up my packing. ha ha. So we cancelled our lesson and spent the day prepping and pampering. He got adjusted, acupunctured and Peri came and pulsed him. He loved it! So then Wednesday morning, all I had to do was feed them and load him up. But I decided it was probably easier to give him a bath before we left so we did that too. We left at 8:30 am, which was about when I was planning on it. Our drive was good. We didn't hit much traffic other than the usual spots where traffic merges at the exits. We hit a little bit of rain but nothing major. We did have a scary moment in Kentucky where there was some construction and the lanes had solid lines suddenly and said "No changing lanes". Well... I had a semi truck behind me and one merging into our two lane highway... and the semi behind me moved over but didn't give me room by the time I thought I should change line anyways and I almost got squished between the two. Then before I could recover from that there was a concrete wall between the two lanes and I was in the right. I panicked for a moment thinking I had gone off on the construction path and was about to hit a hole in the highway... or the end of the highway or some other crazyness! Luckily it was just a weird Kentucky construction thing and after awhile the wall went away and we were back next to the same people in the other lane again. What the heck?! That was scary! I only had to stop for fuel twice and the second time was a bit of a bathroom break anyways. Poor Dan, he had to pee too. He was pawing and mad but I thought he was just mad. I had put down shavings. When I got back he had just finished peeing though and then didn't paw anymore. Hee hee. That's why you got shavings buddy!

We got to Kentucky in good time and checked in at the campsite first so we didn't have to pay to get into the horse park. I found Dan's stall after a little bit of difficulty and got him and his stuff unloaded. Unfortunately of all the stalls in the entire horse park... they put us in the one without the bottom catch. So Dan quickly found out that he could push his stall door out with his head. Like a dog door flap! Um... no! He managed to push the door out, stick his nose through and grab the hay Cindy had on the ground in front of her stall (She and Trey were stabled next door) and then put his head back in and let the door shut. Ooops! I moved the hay and hoped for the best. I went and parked the trailer in the campsite and got my "hotel" settled and then went back to check on Dan. Apparently he was still trying to escape so Cindy had bungeed him in his stall as best as she could. It seemed to do the trick. (At least for a little bit). Cindy said the paddock was free so we turned him out. It's basically a round pen in the grass but most of the grass was eaten down. Of course Dan rolled as soon as I closed the gate. Sigh. Oh well. Enjoy it while you can buddy. He stayed out a good bit and came in again for a little bit so Trey could go out. Dawn and I sat at our campsite and ate some microwave chicken picatta and mac-n-cheese. It was nice. I went back to walk Dan and the paddock was free and Cindy said she wasn't using it the rest of the night, so...I turned Dan back out and luckily... the other paddock next to him had two horses in it together and they stayed out overnight, so I was able leave him out overnight. I figured it would be the only night he could stay out because I rode so early everyday and he needed to be clean so... enjoy! Of course then I worried about him rolling into it and getting hung all night long. But I did manage to get a little bit of sleep. The showers were nice and the weather was nice enough I was able to sleep with the windows open. Which did mean that at 4 am I heard the dumpsters being emptied in the campsite and showgrounds... and there were like... 15 of them. Oh well. I got about 4 hours of sleep total I think.

Thursday I got up sort of early to make sure that I got Dan back in the stall and the paddock cleaned up for Cindy since she was wanting to turn Trey out some. Dan survived the night and was happy enough to come in and eat. He likes Trey and they had fun saying hi. I got him all settled and fed and then went to go check out some stuff. I watched Dawn ride once I found her arena. I had bought a bike at Wal-Mart Tuesday night before we left. I took the horse trailer to get it. Ha ha. I'm glad I had it because I didn't have a golf cart and the horse park is BIG! But man, my legs were jello riding that bike around. At least I finally figured out where stuff was and didn't have to back track as much. But I watched Dawns test and then came back to ride Dan. He was laying down, but eating hay. Ha ha. Lazy bum! I sat around a bit... shopped a bit.. and then he was up so we went for a ride. We started off with a little exploring and then found a nice ring to ride in so we did some dressage. We started off with a little "on the buckle" riding using my seat and core aids. He was good. He felt a little tight/short strided though. (Later I realized it was maybe due to the cracks starting in his girth, so I swapped to the slightly bigger girth without cracks and didn't notice it anymore. Phew!). We did some dressage work, nothing too fancy. He was a little lazy but felt good and even other than that shortness in the walk only. We finished with some decent work, including some transitions and some mediums to help wake him up. We even did a few counter canter loops. Then we went on a long hack. We got lost trying to find the XC field, but did eventually, luckily in time to watch Cindy and Trey go! They were awesome! We then hacked back with them to the barn. We even got to ride through the Rolex XC field!!! And Dan was super. The only shenanigans were at the very end right when we got back to the barn area. Luckily he wasn't too bad becuase the concrete there is so slick. I think he felt himself start to slide and decided it wasn't the best choice. After he was untacked he got a bath and then... no more turn out! We had a bright and early dressage ride. So I let him chill some and then did some more shopping and walking. Then we had the Area Adult Rider party. It was fun hanging out with Cindy, Dawn, Marian and Kristin and I met my teammates. Then I took Dan for a nice walk and graze. He was so well behaved! I don't know if it's the chain lead, the magnesium, or the little bit of in hand work, or what, but he was super. I didn't feel worried once. We grazed for a good bit and then it was time for bed. I was exhausted.

Nighty night Dan. Sleep well and have fancy prancing dreams!

Gallop Day

My brain!!! Good gravy! Today was gallop day! So that Dan wasn't wild and decided he needed a gallop at the AEC's. Although we probably could find a place to do it, but.... you know... lots of people... you never know. Of course my plan was to go in the morning but then the glass people for the bathroom decided to come between 10 and 11. So... oh well. And then they showed up at 11:15... so it was 2 pm before Dan and I got to ride.

I tacked him up and had his bemer boots on. They were still going when I was about to put the bridle on, so I went ahead and put the bridle on and promptly forgot to take the boots off. I hopped on and off we went. We headed up to the jump field area and went in the woods back there. He was a bit sticky so I was like "Come on Dan... walk!! Forward!". ha ha. Oops. We then hit the XC field and walked across the top and saw Lucy. We chatted briefly and I thanked her for fixing the arena fence we broke. Then I trotted Dan pretty much all the way down to the edge of the XC field right before it hits the lake. I went to tighten my girth and saw the boots still on. HOLY CRAP! Good gravy lady. I swear.. my brain is mush. So I hopped off and took them off and then Dan and I walked all the way back to the trailer to put them back. I was tempted to leave them at the lake and pick them back up when we were done but... I was afraid I'd forget! So then we walked back to the XC field and did some more trotting and then two gallops. I pushed him to go super fast! He never dropped it into that scary gear but he was going! I didn't time it, but I'm guessing probably 2 minutes almost each way. It was so hot and humid though and he wasn't feeling it. He was puffing hard afterwards so we went walking in the woods. And he was still puffing even at the human lake. Dude! I'm sorry! I felt really kind of bad for him. He also still felt a little short strided.. maybe the right front, maybe the left hind. Ugh. But he managed to catch his breath after a bit... I think the humidity just got to him. So we walked a lot more... did some more trotting and even a tiny little bit of canter too. Then we ended up at the lake and splashed a bit. He sat for a couple of minutes "icing" his legs. Not as long as I wanted, but he did stand there for a little bit. So then we headed back. 

In retrospect, I shouldn't have galloped on the hottest humidest day in a bit... during the hottest part of the day... the day after a fairly intense jump school, but... we have a dressage lesson tomorrow, so... and then Wed we leave for Kentucky, so....  too late now. It's done. And he'll be fine. And it may behoove me in Kentucky to not have a a wild and uncontrollable beast!