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Lessons from Pine Top

2/11/2015

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I took Syd and Dyson to the Intermediate one-day at Pine Top. It had been a year since Syd had competed because of his foot injury and it was Dyson’s first Intermediate. I had mixed results. I had a beautiful test on Syd—all those lessons with Jacquie Brooks paid off—and Dyson had a nice test, too, just not consistent yet at the level. Both of them show jumped amazing, and I felt again that all my hard work in show jumping and dressage over the last two months had paid off. 

The one thing I hadn’t done a lot of was cross-country. Derek Di Grazia, Pine Top’s new course designer, created a really smart course, with the first three jumps on turns so we could keep riding forward and have balance, and the fourth jump a straight-on gallop jump, a big, wide ramp-y table. Then you had to start to work. 

The first combination was a simple upright, narrow roll top to roll top on a straight three or a curving four. Derek’s placement on terrain and in the trees made it so that if you did the three, your horse didn’t see second jump till the last second; the four was a bit more time consuming but definitely a safer option. Then we had two gallop jumps and then the first water, a downhill log in the fence line and then into the water. It held them and jumped quite well, but you had to be able to ride terrain. Then came a table to a chevron, straight on in four. Next was what I felt was very clever designing on Derek’s part—an airy log on a mound with a drop on the backside, followed by a coffin with a solid vertical on a mound, one-stride slightly downhill to the ditch then straight to a corner with the point slightly pointed away from you, making it more difficult—so a similar question right in a row. If you had trouble at the first log, you knew you had your work cut out for you at the coffin, but it was all very educational, especially for the greener horses like Dyson. 

The rest of the course was beautiful and thoughtful, with another mound down to a house where you had to ride forward and trust horse would pick up on it. The last two waters were quite educational for the horses. All the questions were smart, fair, and let you know if needed to do more homework.
Picture
Syd Kent, Hoofclix Photo
I opted for the three with Syd at the first combination and he was right on it and felt awesome, quite fun. He’s never really liked to be in small, skinny places, he’s too big and it makes him uncomfortable, so I was pleased with him. At the table to the chevron I could tell he hadn’t been doing a lot of cross-country, but the log on the mound rode great. I rode strongly into the coffin and Syd was great at the logs, jumped the ditch well and then went straight to corner but the four got short and he ran out. It was a real wake-up for me, I hit him hard, turned back to no distance and he jumped it. In hindsight, I didn’t adjust him enough to get the four or really ride him off the ground. I have to be better than that. Jimmy Wofford would say I lost my eye control, but I think I lost my brain control, too. I needed my brain to be in the moment, and it was already galloping away instead of focusing on the “c” element of the coffin. Hindsight’s beautiful, but if I’m going to Kentucky I have to know where my holes are. 
Picture
Duke of Diamond (Dyson) at his first Intermediate, Hoofclix Photo
For the first time I really felt like Dyson could gallop and he was smooth, smart and quick with his legs and the exercises on cross-country. I didn’t have the best ride at the log on the mound, and he was quite taken-aback at the first element of the coffin. I got to a good distance but he stopped, I hit him twice, and he jumped through. 

So I would like to say I was the winner, but it’s always good to know what you need to work on. I use my events this time of year to see where the holes are and what I need to focus on, whether it’s keeping my mind on one jump at a time on an older horse coming back, or helping a green horse new to the level that needs more education. Isn’t that the name of the game? 
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Wellington and Sporting Days

2/3/2015

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PictureUrrem gets the blue!
I went to Wellington for two weeks in January. I haven’t gone since I made my come-back in 2011 after being injured to ride with Katie Prudent. It’s so good to get in ring, I just couldn’t afford it till now. Wellington is an amazing experience, there’s so much knowledge in such a small area. I felt like a fish out of water the first week. It was incredible how much they’ve improved the horse show grounds and the Global Dressage grounds, where the Eventing Showcase was just held, since I was there last. 

We arrived Monday to beautiful weather with Syd, Dyson, my new horse, Urrem (REM) and Call to Order (Joe). Katie had arranged for me to have lessons with her on all four on Tuesday, which was great, and of course to show all of them Wednesday and Thursday, which is what we did! It was hard to get everything organized and hack over to horse show grounds, especially with Joe, who is just a year off the track. I thought I was going to die getting to the ring, though he was very good in his class. 

My new mare, REM, was amazing. I did the low jumpers the first day and the medium jumpers the second day with her. She was pretty fun to ride and although she was quite fresh she was a complete pro the second day. I did the mediums with Dyson and Syd on Wednesday and the highs on Thursday and I think I was a bit nervous because Dyson’s never jumped a 4’1” course in his life and was a big ring. Most of the Grand Prix riders were using the class as a warm-up, so I was riding around with Beezie Madden, McClain Ward, Nick Skelton, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and others—all these amazing riders. The quality of the riding was out of this world, an education in itself, and I was a bit star-struck. 

Friday I rode all four horses with the amazing Jacquie Brooks, and then Katie rode Syd and Dyson at her ring on Saturday. It was fascinating because Katie knows Syd so well and couldn’t believe how much calmer he was. But, he also loves the hot weather! It was fun to have her ride Dyson because she didn’t realize he’s actually hotter and more sensitive than you think. Katie’s a great teacher in that she does a lot of flatwork with her horses, they have to learn to move their bodies, be more connected to bridle, be sharp to your leg, which makes it easier to do things like go from medium to collected canter. 

I took all four horses back to Jacquie on Sunday and only did two lessons, on Syd and Dyson, but it’s always amazing to ride while she’s riding because you learn a lot just from watching. I was reminded that you have to have a system and it’s the repetition of your system that makes things progress. I did two more lessons on Monday, a bit easier school with Jacquie, and then I was back to jumping with Katie on Tuesday to prepare for the show that week. 

We decided to show in the same classes: the training jumpers with Joe, REM in the mediums and Dyson and Syd in the highs. I felt like I was out of practice jumping big jumps since I hadn’t had a Preliminary or higher horse other than Dyson since the summer. It’s not that I was nervous, but I just don’t jump that high that often. You have to make sure you believe your horse is going to jumps and stay in balance with them. Jumping four courses in a day of competing is a lot for me, especially four days in a row, but it’s great practice. Watching Adam Prudent showing about 10 times in the week, you realize, how do you not get better with all that practice? 

On Thursday I did the mediums and highs with REM and the highs with Syd and Dyson. Syd was awesome but Dyson had a little trouble backing up in the combinations and had three rails. REM was amazing in the mediums, though she decided to do three in a four stride (she’s a bit scopey, thank God!). Then I went into the high class with her, a bit nervous because she’s new to me, not that broke, only seven, and it was a really spooky course. Henri told me to trust her and use less hand and more leg, to just settle down. She was great! 

The chaotic warm-up with all the amazing riders, plus the spooky course, really reminded me that you have to have a mental calm. If you’re in the show ring 10 times a day five days a week with big classes Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, you get used to the pressure. What we decided to do on Thursday after we showed was to show again because I felt like I didn’t do a good enough job. I went back with Dyson after schooling a tighter in-and-out, an oxer to a solid vertical, and he got better and better. REM went in the mediums and highs again and Joe in a training class. Joe was really good, REM was great in the mediums, and did a better job in the highs but felt a bit tired with not quite as good a rhythm at the beginning. Dyson had one rail down at a square oxer because I cut the turn, but was amazing in the in-and-out.

Saturday and Sunday we switched sports and went to a dressage show, Joe and REM did first level test 1 the first day and first 2 the second day. Syd did third 2 both days, and Dyson second 2 Saturday and second 3 Sunday.  There was so much atmosphere at the jumper shows, and although this was a local show with less atmosphere, I had an 8:00 A.M. ride on Joe, it was windy and cold for Wellington, everything was blowing over and they had huge sprinklers on to prepare the turf for the Eventing Showcase. Joe was amazing and didn’t bat an eye! I didn’t feel the horses were that great on Saturday but in fairness, it’s not a great prep to jump the three days before, and I also didn’t really know the tests well. The horses were better on Sunday. REM won her class on a 68% and all of them were good and got ribbons. 

I hopped in my truck on Sunday and drove back to Aiken with my head reeling from all the information I’d been exposed to and all the show experience I’d gotten. I think my biggest take-aways are that when you get to compete a lot, like Phillip, Boyd, Ryan and Buck, or the people at jumper shows, you can’t help but get better. The other thing is if you can trust you know how to ride, and that your horse is going to jump, it will make you and you horses more confident. Finally, Jacquie Brooks is one of the best instructors I’ve ever had on the flat. Her analogies for teaching dressage are amazing, and you can clearly picture what she’s telling you. 

I made it back to Aiken early Monday morning just in time for the week to start. I schooled cross-country with the babies and Dyson to get ready for Sporting Days the following weekend. Surefire South had a great Sunday at the event; every horse we brought was in the ribbons and because of my preparation in Wellington, and my students’ preparation, pretty much showing every day for the previous three weeks, we were better prepared and calmer for the first event of the season.


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