Doing a Double Take

A little about Legs, my wonderful old show mare.  I finally got around to her 2011 show debut last weekend.  I basically consider her semi-retired now, but ride her a few times a week to keep her fit and interested.  She knows everything she needs to know by now (more than I do, I think!), so they're just fun rides dabbling around in whatever we feel like getting into that day - trail, dressage, western, patterns, etc.  Well, County Fair season is in full swing now in KY, and the Scott County Fair is just down the road from us.  It's quiet, fun, and we know the showgrounds and people well.  It's mostly a 4H show directed at youth, but there are a few adult classes we enjoy riding in. 

We started off the day helping my friend's 13 month old daughter debut in leadline (complete with mom and dad as sidewalkers for safety, of course).  She was by far the youngest entrant, and Legs, in her usual fashion, took good care of her tiny rider.  Next up was English Pleasure.  Legs was a bit ancy at the trailer and in the warm up, but when we hit the ring, she was a perfect and responsive hunter pleasure horse and the judge was full of compliments for her.  Likewise for our 2 gait class.  Western Pleasure followed immediately, with one of our patented "speed changes" - swapping the hunt tack for the western, the hunt coat and cap for a sparkly shirt and cowboy hat, and throwing the chaps on over the breeches all in under 5 minutes.  With no time to warm up, I was afraid she'd still be in "go" mode from hunters.  Relaxed and quiet, she jogged and loped effortlessly on a loose rein.  They added 2 new classes this year - Hunter Hack and Hunter Over Fences.  We'd only hopped a couple small jumps for fun this year and hadn't done a full course since STB Nats in August.  But it's Legs, and the jumps were only 2' so I said what the heck.  And Legs knew her job - hand galloping down to the fences, doing her flying changes (with some enthusiasm, I might add), getting her strides.  She was a perfect 5 firsts in 5 classes for the day.  The 4H club had gotten some fabulous prizes donated, too, so we came home with some really great stuff!  I couldn't get over how perfect Legs was in each class - she did exactly what she was supposed to do as if she'd read the rulebook!  I will certainly make sure that she stays happy and sound and don't want to push her, but it's pretty clear to me that she still loves her job as show horse and isn't ready for shuffleboard and bingo yet!

So on to Larry, the subject of this blog.  There was a show in Henry County (about an hour away) Saturday evening.  I've never endeavored to ride in 2 shows in one day before.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't do it, but I bathed and clipped Larry Friday night just in case.  I got home from Scott County around 2:20, got Legs unloaded, bathed, fed, and turned out. 

I called to confirm directions to Henry County (and that there were 2 gait classes I could actually go in), looked at my watch (2:50) and said why not?  I grabbed Larry out of the field (he had rolled, of course), hosed him, and bet myself that I could get him ready and on the trailer by 3:30 (the show started at 5 pm and I wanted to go in the 1st class).  With the clock counting down, I finished cleaning him up, braided his mane and forelock, put his tack in the trailer, and put his travel clothes and wraps on.  3:35 pm.  Close enough!  He followed me right onto the trailer (Thank you for that, Rob!  Having a horse that loads readily is a lifesaver!) and we were pulling out of the driveway by 3:39 pm.  I knew it would be tight trying to make the first class.  I put my tall boots on while stopped at one long red light (Hooray for zip back tall boots!), and did my hair net and hunt cap at another.  I missed a turn on the directions, but thankfully the fairgrounds actually had good signage and it didn't take me too far out of my way.  I pulled up at 4:50 pm.  Also, thankfully, the show didn't start promptly and they had the flag presentation first.   

We got signed up and did a less thorough prep for our in hand classes than I would have liked, but he still looked darn handsome.  He trotted right with me and stood up like a rock in hand (though I did have to dodge the slime he was attempting to decorate me with - the joys of clover pasture & KY summers).  We were rewarded for our efforts with 1st out of 4 in English and Gaited Halter.  He was perfect in showmanship, too, though I backed a 3.5 steps instead of 3 to square him up better and put him a little too close to the final cone for our 360 and had to take an extra step to avoid it - my fault, not his.  We wound up with the yellow ribbon in a class of 8. 

In Adult Huntseat Pleasure (WT), there were only 2 of us.  The other horse was a cute little bay mare, but extremely green.  She was spooking at the spectators and the wash rack by the end of the covered arena (Larry wasn't too sure about that end either, but confined his uncertainty to lookiness and a little bit of the "Standardbred Scoot").  He was largely well-behaved - more consistent in pace than at our last show and more willing to bend.  There was a little bit of Tourette's, but it was more subdued than before.  And we won!  Larry got his first blue ribbon under saddle.  The judge complimented his nice stride, too.  :-)  (Technically it wasn't a blue ribbon, as at this show they give out prizes/trophies for 1st instead of ribbons, so he won a rain gauge to go with his small trophy from the halter class.)  Our next class, Adult Novice Pleasure, followed immediately (a bummer bc I would have preferred to let him have a break since he was behaving).  Again, there were only two of us, the other was a pretty nice mule in western tack.  Lar was a little fussier than the class before and had a few very small tantrums (I'm sure he thought he deserved a break after the previous class, too).  He also tried to mooch for food from the spectators when we were supposed to be picking up the trot.  His trot was a little inconsistent in cadence and he wouldn't keep a consistent headset, but he trucked along ok for the most part.  Nonplussed, I kept showing and it paid off with another first place for Larry; this time we won a leather curb strap.  I may have to make him the 3 blue ribbons he earned as a substitute, just so he has something to hang on the wall in what is otherwise Legs' Hall of Fame (aka my basement)!  lol  The curb strap, OTOH, will come in handy when he and I are ready to venture into western together.

He was once again calm and reliable in unfamiliar surroundings (part of which is his STB breeding, and part of which is all of the in hand show experience from his prior owner) and trailered like a champ.  While not perfect, he was improved over the last show under saddle.  Now that I have had more time to work with him, I think the stubborn streak is slowly melting and he's starting to warm up to me more, too.  He'll nicker for me sometimes, and hang out at the fence away from the herd even after he's through with work and dinner for the day.  I think trying to work him as often as I can is paying off, even if I only manage to lunge him for 10 minutes or so.  The stubborn side still rears its head here and there, but we continue to do a lot of lunging work and under saddle work, and sometimes I can almost see him thinking about a tantrum and reconsidering it.  (Naturally, after my last complimentary blog, he rewarded me with a tantrum day, just to keep me humble, I guess.) 

The great part is (and this is a STB thing), he doesn't forget things (he may test me, but he knows better) and he doesn't come out fresh and stupid after a few days off.  Nor does he get hyped up and wild when taken to a new place.  Legs is like a little elephant - she learns quickly, wants to please, and remembers everything even after a long break.  She also gets a little nervous about showing but calms right down when you get her into her routine.  Larry learns, too, but he's not entirely convinced that your way is the best way and it seems to take quite a bit of repetition over several sessions.  OTOH, he seems to enjoy new places and hasn't shown any tendencies towards nervousness.  We're trying to keep it interesting at home with pivots, some basic trail obstacles, and in hand stuff but we're still drilling a lot on the basics. 

I'm eager to do some western with him, but want him to understand cadence and consistency in hunt tack before I start confusing the matter with a jog one day and working trot the next.  I'm eager to get to canter work, too (since that makes finding shows for him a whole lot easier), but right now I'm using the lunging to build his coordination and stamina since he almost never canters on his own in turnout.  Last night he held a balanced left lead for nearly a lap and a half, but could barely hold a few strides of the right lead.  Nonetheless, it's progress, because he clearly knows what I want and is simply not able to do it yet for very long.  I'm rewarding his attempts and trying to build him up a little at a time and I won't ask him to canter with a rider until he can hold just himself on gait.

Catching Up

Since my last post about a month ago, there have been some big changes.  I left my job in the field of social services and returned to school (first day was today).  I am studying to be a dental hygienist.  While it's certainly a departure from my previous career path(s), I am excited about this new direction and the advantages that it offers.  Balancing a full time job, backyard horse farm, riding/showing, and a nearly full-time autocross career was simply too much.  Life's too short to be perpetually stressed out, especially when the things you supposedly do for fun and enjoyment become a burden as a result.  DH offers steady employment, part time hours, great pay, and the ability to find employment nearly anywhere and there's no selling things or working oddball hours. 

Now that I am back to the carefree college student lifestyle (Ok, that's not really true since I still have plenty of adult responsibilities and obligations.  But it sure is fun to pretend that's the case.) I have made an effort to put Larry on a more regular schedule.  I have been riding or lunging him 3-5 days a week for the last couple weeks and it seems to be paying off.  The swearing has gone from shouting to more mumbling under one's breath (for both of us) and he is starting to figure out that agreeable horses don't have to work as hard or as long as obstinate ones.  I'm not going to declare him "cured" of his stubborn streak yet, but I can almost feel him thinking about acting up under saddle sometimes and then deciding against it.  We're still doing pretty basic stuff, but he's finally showing me more consistency.  We're still lunging a lot, too, as it seems to be the only way he'll canter and I want to build his coordination and stamina.  Earlier this week, he even picked up the canter promptly on the lunge line with just a verbal command, though he wasn't able to hold it very long.  I hope to try a few more shows with him in the near future as my new life settles into a more predictable schedule.  At this point, I don't think that the national show in NJ is in the cards this year.  J doesn't have enough vacation time left and I'm not ready to haul two horses clear across the country if I can't be 100% certain they will behave.  I am optimistic that we can gain some experience at the local level and try for it next year.  Ok, crossing my fingers and hoping I haven't jinxed our progress!  More news to follow.

Another Setback

It's been a hectic summer.  Between a jam packed race schedule with lots of travel, and a full time job with a lengthy commute, riding time has been scarce.  I've been so busy, I don't think I've even been to the grocery store in a month.  Looks like I won't be riding tonight so I can restock the cupboards!

As a follow up to my last blog, Larry's progress and regress have been frustrating.  Some days he shows a lot of potential and lets me entertain fantasies of what he can accomplish in the show ring.  And other day's he's so frustrating I just want to throw up my hands.  I finally concluded that boot camp would be the best plan to reform his sometimes sour attitude towards work.  The idea isn't to inflict a hard or grueling workload, just to help him realize that he's not a pasture puff and working for a living is expected.  In fact, when he behaves, his workouts can be quite short (10 minutes one day when he was particularly tractable).  When he misbehaves, that's when he has to work longer until we can get something right.

With my hectic schedule, I was very late giving Spring vaccinations this year.  Last Friday, to be exact.  Wouldn't you know it, Larry had a reaction to the rabies vaccine and is now sporting a large puffy grapefruit on the side of his neck.  I'm not panicked, as he had a similar reaction to the botulism vaccine in the fall, and it eventually went away with hosing and anti-inflammatories.  However, it does mean that I won't be working him for a while until the swelling goes down.

On the upside, I have only two weeks left at my job, and I will be back in school part time.  It should afford me extra time to do things around the farm (including ride), even with studying. I am really looking forward to that!  By that time Larry's neck should be back to normal size and he and I can both work on our respective homework.