BUT, I FORGOT!

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned... It's been over four weeks since my last posting."   And this is one that just keeps circling my brain...  I forgot! 

Christmas is a beautiful time to celebrate!

No, I did not forget to write.  Work obligations, a "busy season" and maybe a tad bit of malaise is at fault for that.  I just never got to it. 

And, as I walk into the dark side of a middle-aged life, forgetting can be a bit worrisome and perhaps, a reflection of a mind already too full to add more tidbits without causing a slight spill of other such thoughts. 

You see, it came to a head, shortly after getting the proverbial "green light" to canter and progressively return to full work, that I have forgotten how to ride my lil' pinto pony.  12+ weeks of traipsing around the indoor with nary a move off the outside tract, I have become the epitome of a beginner rider.

Loving the canter!

I forgot the hundreds of tools I've been given to loosen up a tight, naughty girl...  (hmmm, that doesn't sound quite right for a G-rated post).  My brain is like mud as I try to remember the difference between renvers and travers.  And, is a leg yield done with the hips or shoulders leading?  And, can someone tell me why I am slumped over like the worse eq rider?  Am I flopping about?  WHERE ARE MY SEAT BONES?

Dear god, have I no skill left?

Sug and I had a lesson last night.  Our inner DQs', buried deep under the cob webs of "rehab" felt a fluttering... Could it be the memory of what was forgotten?  Of a past dressage experience worthy of a superstar? 

Wait...  who's blog is this?  I believe what I was recalling as a memory is, in fact, a fantasy...  I forgot...  Sugar and I rock the warm up as we practice our Beginner Novice/Novice/First Level Test while demonstrating grand prix (lower case intended) airs-above-the-ground.  

Oh well, 2015 is a new year and who knows?

Psssst, I also forgot how much I love to write!  Let's git 'er done!

WHAT IF? REHABBING REAL LIFE

What if real life, like you know... housecleaning, career, school, dating...  you know real life was like rehabbing your Lil' Pinto Pony?  What if, instead, of throwing yourself off a cliff, changes can be made in increments?  What if?
 

Keeping busy photographing our
Hunts

REHAB STAGE 1 - STALL REST/HANDWALKING

• I am pretty sure that Sugar did not spend this time reflecting on her issues, meditating on life's next steps and truly resting for any and all future decisions.  She fought it like a good, co-dependent alpha mare until we relented and let her stand with her UL Dressage Lover with her promising to be quiet.

{{Note, she also did not clean her tack well, polished her brass or cleaned out her closets at home.}}

REHAB STAGE 2 - WALKING QUIETLY UNDER SADDLE

After a bit of time whining, complaining (quietly) and fighting restrictions, one finds gratitude and begins to enjoy the quiet solitude of our new found freedom.  These twenty minutes allow the reflection necessary to move forward (or accept) with life.

In the later phase of this stage, you begin to see the future more clearly and yearn to make changes but are still inhibited by restrictions.  Sugar chose to deal with this with occasional leaps and bounds - leg said GO! 

REHAB STAGE 3 - ADDING TROT

Release the Hounds!

The eagerness to move forward is exhilarating.  Yet, change must happen gradually or you risk further injury or a set back.  The first set is dull and lifeless... is this the right thing?  Do we need to wait?  Then the second set is brilliant, each stride more enthusiastic then the next.  This where we need to be! 

Still, while boldly moving forward, we must do so incrementally - 6 minutes week one, 12 minutes week 2 adding lateral movements, 18 minutes (ok to hack outside with no limit on walking), 24 minutes week 4 (still no 20 meter circles or turns on forehand).

 REHAB STAGE 4 - CANTER/JUMPING

Happy Thanksgiving!

The world opens up again...  To be determined

There is so much going on in my life now.  What if I rehabbed it as gently as we rehabbed the Lil' Pinto Pony?  What if I had a guide as good as my vet?  What if? 

Hmmm...  Still, Life is, indeed, Good!

"DON'T WORRY"

First, let me say this, Ingrid Klimke is a goddess!  That's right, this is a woman who excels at the highest level of two demanding sports - Eventing and Dressage.  And, after auditing the New England Dressage Association's (NEDA) Fall Symposium on "Methods for Training the Classical Way Through Fitness & Gymnastic Exercises", I would also say that she is the ultimate horseman.

Grand Prix rider on an UL Dressage
Horse

I really want to inundate you with great quotes, particular exercises and lots of her tips to help you become a better rider.  Alas, it was 38 degrees and my ability to write notes quickly deteriorated into indecipherable scrawl.  (See, that word, once again hypothermia.)

What I can do is give you a few things that, after 3 days, remain crystal clear in my brain.  Here you go:

Area 1 Eventer & Ingrid

"Don't worry!" - No matter what happened, no matter what mistake, no matter how awkward something looked, her response was always, "Don't worry!" Mistakes will happen and, you have to let the horse figure it out and keep doing it.

Repetition helps the horse gain confidence.  Once you're successful give them a big pat and allow them a walk break.  Then move on to something else.

Cavelletti exercises done regularly will improve a canter, develop a weak hind end and will break up the routine of a dressage horse.  Eventers, these are low impact exercises that will just improve everything - jumping and dressage.

"Ride him like he's a 4 year old" - For horse who easily goes into a frame but isn't quite on the bit or a horse who has been collected or worked in a frame, allow the horse to flow easily forward on a longish rein to find their rythym and balance.  Use this as a break in your collected/medium gaits.

On Training Aids (like draw reins) - maybe some horses might need them but she never uses them.  "If I did, I know someone (Reiner Klimke, her father) is looking down on me and he wouldn't be pleased." 

"If you make a mistake, you must continue"

Another Area 1 Eventer doing us proud!

"Be brave and try" - This is one for all you dressage riders who participated in this clinic.  I watched the exercises and they were hard.  You were brave to do this with your dressage horses and the results were stunning!  Keep trying (and maybe try the dark side).



A girl can dream... one day...

"Reward your horse by doing something that they think is fun" - One rider did 3 tempe and then 1 tempe changes and another entertained us with passage.  And, you could see the horse's enjoyment.

And, for us Eventers, she talked about safety, bridging the reins for XC and then showing us how and why you should bridge your reins for dressage training.  She was a phenomonal clinician.  I wish I had more to offer you but the chill won out that day!

Shhhhh, Sugar doesn't know that I told our trainers that winter training will be cavelletti training...  lucky girls!  "Don't worry!"  We'll figure it all out!

ALWAYS THE LITTLE THINGS!

The little rain drops

Way back when, I used to work for a software design firm.  It's uniqueness was embedded in their research - they watched folks while they worked, recording every step as they used a piece of technology or software.  It was the little steps, the tiny gestures and the stuff to minute to remember that were important and it is all remembered in the very moment...

In addition to our handwalking,  three of the days I am permitted to walk Sugar, under saddle, for no more than 20 minutes.  Sugar is not quite sound (almost but not quite) and the tendon injury is 80% healed.  We're getting there... 

A little bit of color as fall fades

Tonight, alone in the indoor, we were serenaded by a pack of coyotes howling and yipping nearby.  They were so close, I expected them to come in to check us out.  Sugar was not impressed and continued her quiet march around and around the arena.

If you asked me what I missed most about riding, I may have said something like, "I miss the connection between her body and my hands."  Or maybe, "The rhythm and power of her trot."  And all sorts of riding stuff...

But, what I really, really missed was our post ride ritual.  I slide her bridle off, careful to not bang the bit against her teeth.  Then with cupped hands, I wipe the foam off her outstretched muzzle and scratch her head and ears finishing with kiss on that kissable nose.

Tonight, for the first time in 6 weeks, I wiped, scratched and kissed.  I believe my Lil' Pinto Pony was as happy as I was...  Life is indeed... very, very good!

OF A VIRTUOUS NATURE

First a definition - From Webster's Dictionary:  "morally good, having or showing virtue, ethical behavior, good moral values"

Used with permission
www.flatlandsfoto.com

I do not smoke, drink and, with effort and consciousness, I try to be kind and gentle with others.  I donate time and money to organizations I love (USEA, American Cancer Society, youth programs and scholarships).  To the bane of my mother's existence and teachings, I do curse like a drunken sailor on leave.  The key thing is that I really try to be morally good.

Phew...  now here it comes...  the word that cancels out the above:

BUT, I am so sick and tired of hand walking my lil' pinto pony!  And, at a client meeting this week, a CFO kindly said that he would say a prayer for her healing.  I stopped him and thanked him profusely for his kindness.  And. then begged that he would pray, not for her healing (she will heal to 100%) but that I would stop this god forsaken whining! 




Enjoying photographing
the Hunts

Seriously, when a client... no, a C-Suite Client, sends a prayer to your horse, you have to acknowledge that your whining is out of control.  And, it's not just clients, it's coworkers, vendors, the girls at Dunkin Donuts, my neighbors and even the guy who mows the lawn at the church across the street from my house.  Yet, I believe that no one is more tired of hearing it than me! 

Sigh...  patience and acceptance is not one of the virtues I embrace.  Want to have?  YES!  Embrace? NO!

At least watching, I can
enjoy the beautiful colors of Fall

Clearly if not patience, what has this experience given me?  No, my house and tack are still not sparkling and the closets are still stuffed with things that need a bit of organization.  And I can assure you that I haven't solved world peace or found a cure for cancer. 

What it has given me is the clear understanding at how frustrating lay-ups are to owners/riders/persons.  Our on-injured-reserve-list-ponies are having a good time eating, drinking and being gently attended to with their every need met. 

Sug looking stressed with her boy toy!

Sugar has enjoyed the company of an older sophisticated UL dressage horse and a young boy toy who is just getting a career going.  She has a full belly, is groomed every evening and is hand walked during which she has moments of grazing to "stretch her neck and back muscles".  

Our on-injured-reserve-list-ponies are not suffering.  Their owners are...



Last show, jumping Novice again!
Lucky and grateful me!
used with permission
www.flatlandsfoto.com

And, here is a confession for you!  I never, ever, ever understood that!  So, I send out to all those that are suffering or once suffered a rehabbing horse my sincerest of all apologies.  I am sorry that I planned fun adventures as you hand walked your horse!  I am sorry that I may have pooh-poohed your angst and frustration at being trapped in a ring as the weather tickled your galloping bone.  I am sorry that I said (what I thought was kind encouragement) that you would soon be out and about again.  I am truly humbled and sorry for my lack of virtue in this regard.

The vet comes tomorrow for the next lameness exam, ultrasound and shock wave therapy.  I'll show up in riding attire acting as hopeful as my hound watching me eat - so eager, trying so hard not to let my anticipation erupt in sound.  Maybe tomorrow will be the day we will be set slightly free!  Maybe!

VOLUNTEER GAMES

No matter what discipline, every organizer agonizes over how to attract and retain their volunteers.  Without volunteers, no event is possible. 

{{{And, if you've never volunteered before, please dear god, do not complain about how a show is run or even, make suggestions on how to make it better for the participants.  And just once in your life, show up the day before an Event and ask them if they need a hand.  Trust me, you'll never complain again.}}}

Course Brook Horse Trials was Newbie Event Rider's first (and hopefully not last) volunteer stint.  "Come on, it is so much fun", I told her!  It was 47 degrees and raining.  Despite wearing a rain coat, hat, three layers of fleece, ski pants and waterproof insulated boots, I left my post jump judging at Course Brook Horse Trials shivering, soaking wet, and chilled to the bone. 

You know the kind of chill where it takes another 5 hours of deep therapy - hot shower, dry clothes, hot food, hot steaming tea and two very warm pooches to finally warm up.   I can only imagine Newbie Event Rider's excitement at volunteering the next time (maybe a plague of locus?).

{{{Pretty sure I could have used deep therapy for other reasons, like understanding why I spent 6 hours outside in the rain watching folks leaping over jumps.}}}

How do you attract and retain volunteers? 

Well, Course Brook Farm provided each volunteer with a lovely gift bag, a nice lunch and, when we thought we were going to die from hyperthermia  (yes, Newbie Event Rider, I will use this word again and again), they delivered hot chocolate and coffee out to our fence. 


{{{Angels arriving in a gator... best sight ever!}}}

What else?  Did I mention that we were cold, wet and suffering from hyperthermia (that word again)?

Hmmm, how about a Fence Judge's Drinking Game?  Ok...  what would that look like?  So we set out with a simple Jump Judge's Chug-a-lug.  At your jump only (or it could be a very short game):

Used with permission
www.flatlandsfoto.com
 

• One shot for every "Good Boy/Girl" (and please hope that the Beginner Novice Division is small)
• One shot for every long spot (really hope that the Prelim folks are not contenders)
• Two shots every time a rider makes a fence judge gasp (could be any fence judge)
• Chug-a-lug for every "Good Boy/Girl" after just having done a flyer at your jump

For those of you who have never fence judged, this might seem to be a light weight game...  Right!  Don't actually try this, the day could be awfully short and the EMTs might be carrying you out!

{{{Shhhh, I'm actually not a drinker but it was fun to figure out a game where, if played, a person could last the day...  all depends on the BN Good Girl/Boy levels.}}}

BORED! BORED! BORED!

Fall Delights
Used with permission www.yokinasphoto.com

"Forgive me father for I have sinned.  It has been several, well, many...  (Let's not get into length of time...  Seriously, time is whatever you make of it...), days (sounds better) since my last confession."

I'm bored!  There I said it... bored, Bored, BORED!.  It has only been three weeks since Sug has been laid up/resting/rehabbing/vacationing...  whatever you call it and I am bored. 

There is a routine to our visits.  I drag out her grooming kit and go over her with a fine tooth comb using the curry and three different brushes.  Her hooves are cleaned and keratoxed.  And, then we begin the hand walking - 15 minutes around and around.  Sometimes I entertain myself and practice "going down the centerline", "lengthening across the diagonal" and a few "marching reinbacks".  I visualize the perfect gait and march towards it.

There is only so much mental entertainment that can be done as the days get shorter and our field of view are the walls of the indoor.  And, what's even worse?  I feel the green goo of Facebook envy.  You keep teasing me with your ear pics overlooking great galloping spaces or the beautiful fiery fall colors.  It's the lust for the experience that consumes me more than the envy. 

Autumn calls to me...

I want you to keep enjoying life's pleasures.  It is so good for the soul.  And, for me, I must remind myself to be patient and tolerant... 

I am bored and by the animated antics of my lil' pinto pony, I suspect she's bored too.  My tack is not yet clean, nor is the brass polished and please, don't ask me if I cleaned the closets, finished and/or put away the laundry...  I guess my boredom can not be solved through cleaning...  sigh.

We will jump again
Used with permission www.connecticutphoto.com

Some of you are probably saying...  "Seriously, just a month and you're bored?  Get over yourself!  I handwalked my horse for (insert # of months here) and didn't ride again for (insert # of months here)."

"I know! I know! I know how lucky I am.  I know!"  And, despite my overwhelming positive attitude toward her lay off, I still want to whine just a little bit!  I beg your forgiveness!

Ultimately, my boredom does not extinquish the gratitude that Sugar's injury is minor and that IF I am patient and tolerant, I will have a jumping horse in the end. 

{{{And, if we're really lucky...  I might even have one before Christmas!  Shhhhh, don't tell anyone because that would mean I'm not patient...  just sayin'!}}}