Wednesday, November 13, 2024
WW: Goggles XC
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Fall Rocking Horse: Day 2 AKA The JOMPIES!
1 - our standard, friendly yellow cabin |
2- Log on box |
3- Triple X (they've stopped calling it that, but I always will...) - not visible from 2, you had to carry on and then make a right hand turn, these fences were behind some trees from the view from 2 |
4- Red bench, a left hand turn from 3 |
5- Hanging log |
7AB- coop at top of a little hill to a bending line to B. This combo was the source of all of the problems in the novice division on XC. |
View of 7B from 7A, you can't really see the terrain, but you had about 1/2 a stride on landing then a significant but short downhill |
8- Brushy roll top |
9- Right hand turn from 8 to a water crossing |
10- second water crossing, you can see 11 out of the water, slightly right |
11- our fave ye old corner |
12- Left hand turn and a bit of a gallop from 11 to Big Red |
13- triple bar then a right hand turn through the sunken road, which I guess I didn't photograph |
15- right hand turn and a gallop to the mushroom table |
16- another bit of a gallop to the "Feeder" |
17- finishing over a table |
We had 50 minutes between stadium and XC. I should have spent more time at the trailer, but we thought potentially they would let us head out early.
"you should've let me eat more!" |
Not the case since everyone ahead of us was ready and waiting for their times too, so we walked for a while, really getting his steps in this weekend! Once we were three out, we jumped the starter coop, a BN cabin, and then a N hanging log in the warm up. He didn't quite step up to the spot I saw at the N log, so he got tapped and then we came back around. That time when I closed my leg, he moved up. JT said "now he believes you". Then we moseyed over to the start box and chatted with the starters. One commented on how relaxed he was. Yes, he is, and it is so lovely.
Video of the 3rd and 4th and then last fences, courtesy of JT. We had so much fun out on the course. The only question mark was 7A where he was scoping out the terrain behind the fence and the coffin to our left. I was glad we had practiced jumps with a downhill landing at Naked Horse. That practice was useful in two ways: I knew he might have a bit of a question about the downhill landing AND I was confident that we COULD do it just fine. He hesitated a bit a few strides out and then didn't necessarily go when I closed my leg, so I gave him a solid tap off the ground, and he stepped right up to it.
They had not moved the upper level jumps out of the water crossings, but he slowed to a trot and let me show him the clear path through the water. I could imagine both Goggles and Ben sight seeing and spooking respectively, so it was really nice that he was confident and allowed me to direct him. We jumped the corner squarely in the middle of the front face of it, but even the widest part is narrower than the cabins on the course.
He handled the terrain between 13 and 14 really well, but I didn't establish enough of an uphill bouncy canter on the way out, so our jump over 14 was unimpressive. From there we had just a few long gallop stretches and then we were home. Seeing the video I still need to work more on the "new" galloping position and staying out of the tack and off his back.
Finished and so happy! |
Celebratory snacks for him |
And me |
We finished up 7th out of 14 on a 37.1. One of my goals for us is the medal program. I would like to aim for the gold medal at novice, but this gave us a qualifying silver medal score. I'll take it!!
It was such a fun weekend!! Butterball is just the most pleasant creature to be around and have as a partner. We have lots to work on, and I'm going to enjoy every second of that journey. Cross country felt like a great mix of questions for us, so I know we'll continue to learn with each schooling session and competition.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Fall Rocking Horse: Day 1
Hi Ben! |
Didn't love his bath. Loved eating grass in the sunshine |
Enjoying the fancy box stall life |
I'll be honest, there are a few (such as the stretchy circle) comments that I cannot interpret. It also took me longer than I'd like to admit to sort out the ">" meaning greater. |
Friday, November 1, 2024
October Wrap Up
|
Ben |
Butterball |
Goggles |
Training rides |
0 |
1 – Dressage |
10 |
Lessons |
0 |
4
– 1 XC, 2 jump, 2 dressage |
0 |
Hacks |
1 - Ponied |
8 – 1 in hand, 6 bareback, 1 with Goggles |
1 – with Butterball |
Ground work, lunge, long line |
4
– 2 lunge w/ Equiband, 2 lunge |
2
lunge |
2
– 1 lunge w/Equiband, 1 block 1 |
Flat rides |
3 |
5 |
7 |
Conditioning rides |
0 |
3
– Watermelon pond trot and canter, 2 aquatred |
0 |
XC school |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Shows |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Ben: On the 31st, his barefoot trimmer and I came up with a new plan for him. He's only been keeping wraps on for a couple of weeks, which is frustrating for everyone involved. After the wrap came off, he had chipped up his left front toe beyond the point she said she would have taken it back to. But he did have enough heel that for the first time she had to remove a tiny bit. Overall we both feel like we're making progress. He isn't lame at the walk at all anymore, and back in May he was VERY sore without the wraps and lame at the walk. But he's about 90% when they're on and about 70-80% when they're not.
Right front, has come a loong way from May |
Left front wanting to be a teeny tiny foot, but still a much better shape and with more foot than back in May |
After chatting with her, we decided to forgo the wraps, start Copper Sulfate spray on his front feet 2x a day for a few days and then Hoof Armor, and try hoof boots for riding. A loooong way down the internet rabbit hole, I decided on Scoot Boots and have pictures in their app, waiting for them to tell me what size to order.
He saw his favorite sports medicine vet partway through the month and she was quite pleased with him overall. She isn't normally a barefoot person, but she understood my frustration this spring and said it was worth a try. She feels like it is working pretty well for him because his condition and muscling look great. And other than the feet, everything seems to be good for him these days which is great.
So October wasn't really the month he returned to three or four work sessions a week. Instead we averaged two. Partially because if anyone is going to get pushed by lack of time, it's him, and partially because he had better and worse days and I am not pushing him to do things if he's not feeling great on his feet that day.
Goggles: Kiddo was fully launched back into a program this month and spent two weeks down at JT's with AT doing 2 days on, 1 day off. He had a few trials and has been a perfect angel for each one. The type of people who think they need a five year old TB is absolutely wild, but I'll leave it at that.
He's headed to the recognized event at Majestic on November 9th to put a second USEA event on his record. After that we'll just continue plugging away at things as we would have if he weren't for sale. A mix of training rides and me riding him, XC schools, etc etc.
His coat is looking absolutely lovely right now |
Most tired. Schedule should be one day a week, you heard that wrong. |
He slept like this for quite a while. I shooed away flies for him. It was so sweet. |
Looking so handsome! |
Hope you all had a wonderful October!! |
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