Our First Show

Well, Surya and I competed in dressage in the schooling show our barn put on last weekend. It was the first show either of us ever competed in. It…did not go as planned. Before getting into the specifics, let me say, I am so proud to have such a beautiful and talented horse. Our trainer encouraged us to attend the show since we are doing so well in our schooling. Surya has a wonderful presence of mind, and I think we work well together. That being said, my trainer and I both thought she would spook at everything and I did not expect to put in a great test this first time out.

What I did not expect was Surya refusing to go forward to C from X. Apparently, the judge’s box (a parked car at the end of the ring) is very scary. We were doing okay in the warmup until we passed the car at the same time the judge blew the whistle for us to start the test. Holy startling Batman! Cantering and snorting ensued. But, we got it together and trotted confidently and (mostly) straight to X. I got a good stop and saluted the judge. I squeezed my legs and lifted through my body to trot on. Lovely rein-back! Back to X. I took a minute to grin and give up any aspiration to fluke perfection. Okay, this will not be a straight path to the Olympics. Go forward Surya. No, I really mean it, kick. Head tossing. Eventually, I got a decent leg yield followed by a side pass and at that point, because we had moved at least a few feet in the direction of the judge, I declared it somewhat of a win and moved on to circling at E. As soon as we weren’t heading to C, Surya went on the bit (more or less), and we completed the transition to collected walk and then extended across the diagonal. We picked up the trot a little before C (whoops) and then galloped at C. It was short-lived however, as I forced the trot and circle at B. We trotted down to A then back up the centerline and I achieved a very willing stop at X. The judge poked her head out of the car and I managed to get Surya a few steps closer so I could hear her. The judge opened the door of the car and ye Gods!

Whirl and gallop. Stop and return. I guess since we haven’t done any jumping yet it didn’t occur to Surya to simply leave the ring? On the plus side, the judge had very nice things to say about my riding and my secure seat (which she couldn’t have observed had we done the test correctly, so there ya go). Since this was my first show ever, I was very proud of myself for getting positive feedback and upholding my side of the partnership. And everyone said Surya was looking gorgeous and cute.

Actually, I’m absurdly happy with how this went. First of all, as long as there is improvement show to show, I’m happy. Secondly, Surya is a mare. She is also stubborn. However, up to the show, we hadn’t had any serious disagreement. I’ve given her time and convinced her to do what I want without too much effort. As a result, there hasn’t been an opportunity to establish myself as the boss under every circumstance, even if she really really doesn’t want to do it. At the show, Surya wasn’t genuinely terrified. She wasn’t shaking, I couldn’t see the whites of her eyes, and she wasn’t truly trying to put as much distance between herself and the car as possible. Consequently, it was a question of obedience. She was merely unsure about the car and so she took matters into her own hooves. This moment would have come sooner or later, and I’d rather it come sooner than when we are trying to teach her to go over scary jumps at a cross-country course. I’m going to re-create the car situation in my lesson this week and see if we can reach an understanding. Aka, I am alpha pony and the car is not scary.

That being said, while my brother took video of my test, no one will ever see it unless it’s part of a montage of “look how far we’ve come” when we’re celebrating the win of a Grand Prix.

First World Problems

Well, I thought Surya’s and my progress was fast before. Boy was I wrong. The past two weeks have felt like a continuous stream of epiphanies. All of a sudden things are working. Then, five minutes later, things are working even more. I feel like all the previous months of building on principles and riding position have reached a threshold where I can use them. After 75 hours on Surya’s back, we both have some muscle memory.

I hear this in my trainer’s voice. The past two weeks, instead of telling me to put my heels down, she’s been telling me to keep my heels down. Instead of telling me to push Surya onto the bit, she is telling me to get her rounder. My lesson this week felt like my brain was understanding things faster than I could comprehend them. My trainer pointed out that I don’t squeeze, I kick. So I stopped kicking and squeezed with the inside of my (whole!) leg. That made a HUGE difference. Then we cantered, and it was perfection. My trainer had me sit in the saddle, and all of a sudden, I understood how to move my lower body with the horse, my upper body in counter-balance, keep my heels down, keep my leg on, and not drive with my seat.

Surya also seems to have a lot confidence in what we are asking her to do. Now when I mount up, she becomes very serious and gets right to work.

One good thing about a green rider/green horse combination is the fact that we have yet to reach a plateau. If I’m struggling with something and not improving, she has figured something out and over the aggregate we improve. If she’s stuck, I’m improving my riding, and over the aggregate we improve. The other thing is that I assume she is better than she seems when I am riding her, and it’s my riding that is holding her back. I’m never quite sure how true that is, so I have endless motivation to improve immediately so as to stop cramping her style.

Anyway, the point of this post is that we are having these incredible epiphanies riding in the indoor arena. BUT we are participating in our first dressage show in a week and a half (for both of us, the first show, ever), and while the show is hosted by our barn, the dressage competition will be in the outdoor arena. When Surya and I ride in the outdoor arena, she is very distracted and we are not nearly as good as in the indoor. My goal for the show is to show up (haha, pun intended) and for Surya to not freak out. Still, it would be nice to have some precedence of proper behavior in the outdoor arena. So, a dilemma. Do I continue riding inside and see how long my warp-speed streak continues, or ride for a week in the outdoor to try and present our best selves at the show? Definition of first-world problem.

Thoughts on Zoos and Suburbia

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is the zoological standard to which all others are held. It is 1800 acres where various types of animals can run…well, if not free, then with sufficient space to avoid boredom and an environment just controlled enough to mitigate against sudden death. While zoos used to place exotic species in concrete cells for the public’s viewing pleasure, many now serve the dual functions of entertainment and preservation, and try to emulate San Diego. Instead of bare concrete, they provide tigers with an island of greenery, things to climb on, things to play with, and intellectual challenges. Nevertheless, most of the tigers I’ve seen still pace along the edge of their moats.

Living in a major metropolitan city and surrounded by hundreds of miles of suburbs, I often feel like the tigers. Sure, there are lots of activities and parks, but it is all so tame. There is no discovery involved. We’ve bull-dozed the world and built ourselves the perfect artificial habitat, air conditioned to the ideal temperature. Even the trails we’ve built traversing our “undeveloped”, “open” spaces are well-groomed and often paved.

Argh! WHAT IS THIS OBSESSION WITH PAVEMENT???

Not only are our parks designed by committee to provide maximum amusement to the general public, but they are all circular, self-contained, and oh god, so boring. Trails are no longer built to a destination, they are the destination. They’ve become an amusement park. How can you have an adventure when you are traveling in a carefully controlled, safe circle?

In building suburbia, we’ve destroyed our natural environment. It’s like building a zoo featuring rainforest species on top of pristine rainforest! Why?!

There are some exceptions to this tendency. The Appalachian Trail runs the length of the East Coast in an unbroken line of forest. But that’s one trail! What if I want to go somewhere the AT is not? I got very excited today when I learned of the American Discovery Trail…a whole non-paved trail across the country…on the exact route that I would choose to take if I planned it myself.

Road trip! Only not confined to the artificial bubble that is the American highway. I want to see the land. I want to meet the people. I want to stand on top of a mountain and have the option of going in any direction I choose. That is freedom.

Videos! And Happy Fourth of July :)

Happy Fourth of July! So far, this has been one of the best summers of my life. Concerts, boats, pools, beaches, friends, family, and horses have occurred and it’s only the beginning of July! This time last year I was not happy. This past Sunday, I spent the day watching my ARF compete in eventing. The difference 12 months can make is astounding. Actually, thinking about it, the difference 4 months can make is astounding. Case in point, it’s been about 4.5 months that I've owned Surya.

When she first got to the barn, she would not go into the indoor arena, because she had never seen one before. She was very hesitant to enter her stall. Let’s not even talk about wash stalls or fly spray. My riding posture (actually my riding everything) was terrible. We couldn't trot in a circle on the bit, let alone pick up the canter.

Last Friday, after tacking her up in a wash stall and dousing her in fly spray, we headed toward the trail that circles the property. We stopped at a grassy area behind the outdoor arena and did some quick trot work and cantered on both leads in nice round circles before continuing onto the trail. (As an aside, her canter, on both sides, is turning out to be lovely.) As we stepped beyond the fence line Surya rounded her neck even more and pricked her ears forward. Her walk became animated and bouncy. She was so excited and happy! And then I realized I hadn't seen that level of animation in a couple of weeks. Which means that she has gotten bored with the indoor and outdoor arenas. Yes! The fact that she’s bored with our normal routine means that she is completely comfortable in those surroundings. She is not feeling particularly challenged or interested by what we are asking her to do. This is really wonderful. I took her away from semi-wilderness and her comfortable position on a beautiful peaceful farm in rural California and transplanted her to a busy training barn half an hour from Philadelphia where not quite everything was different or new (read: scary).

And, not once in the process of introducing her to the barn, her stall, the indoor arena, the outdoor arena, cross-ties, jump standards, fake flowers, wash stalls, fly spray (well, re-introducing that one), winter blanketing, spring grazing muzzles, and clippers, did she even think about stomping, kicking, biting, or being anything but a sweet and polite model equine citizen. The one thing that she is truly traumatized and terrified of is shots. However, even when cornered and twitched in her stall while being subjected to spring vaccinations, she made no attempt to hurt anyone. Sometimes she makes a “grumpy face” when walking in from her field, but I think she just likes to be a little surly unless given a reason not to be (carrots help). I’m so proud of her.

A good thing about 4 months of everything being new is that Surya and I just went through a 4-month-long trust exercise. The result, I think, is a pretty good bond. Case in point: we were walking up to the barn the other day, when there was a very loud crash from inside. Surya leaped sideways and backwards, but then stopped of her own accord and immediately looked to me. Holy shit! Did you HEAR that? I patted her neck, she calmed down, and we went inside. So, because through all the introductions of Scary Things, Surya has shown the utmost respect for my well-being, and I think I now have her trust, she has my trust. It also helps that I have developed my seat, and that no matter what is happening, if I say “Surya, hoe” she stops so fast I get thrown up her neck. (By the way, Chris, however you taught her that….genius!)

Thus, I now have confidence to do scary things in the saddle as well as on the ground. The trail ride was a little scary for Surya. She was fine when we were walking by forest – she was first trained to saddle in the redwoods of California, after all! However, while the farm is bordered by another horse farm and wheat fields in the west and east, it backs to houses in the north. These are yet more unfamiliar structures. But with my encouragement, she walked on past the tarps and lawn ornaments back into the safety of grass. Hopefully by the time this trail becomes routine and boring, I can get a truck and trailer and we can start going for rides in some of the state forests in the area. Or start schooling cross-country jumps. I haven’t decided whether to be an eventer or endurance rider. I will probably end up doing both as a result of indecision. Either way, I think my point is that four months ago we were strangers and now we’re becoming a pretty good team.

To prove it, as promised, here are some videos. Be kind please, but constructive criticism is welcome!

Riding: As my trainer said to me this morning, the months of trotting and controlling direction and speed have paid off. Now, I can push her more forward into the bit while maintaining the same posting speed, and she just gets rounder. And, trust me when I say that my riding has improved drastically!!! Our canter has gotten much better too, but no video yet.

Clicker training: So far, she is trained to go after the donut and then touch it. When I click, she comes back to get a treat. I'm not quite sure what I want to use this skill for, but I'm thinking of teaching her to fetch. I just really like the concept that the clicker instantaneously tells her when she is right, that she has to use her brain to figure out how to get the treat, and that I'm not forcing her to do anything...she's "playing" because she likes the outcome. Hence the unnecessarily epic music. Also, she is a bit disheveled from her bath.