Off Horse Showing

Grace and I just completed week 2 of 3 weekends in a row of horse shows. When I looked at our potential schedule for July I thought it might be a bit much, but also thought it would be the best way to prepare for the Region 1 AQHA show in August. Last weekend's show was good, Grace was much more consistent in both the pattern and rail classes with the exception of a very out of character spook in one of the Western Riding classes. During what was shaping up to be one of the best patterns we've ever ridden she stopped dead during the line changes to spook at a sun spot at the end of the arena. Only a Western Washington horse would spook at the sun! We recovered after that to win the next Western Riding class. The spook left me a little shaken, while it was very rideable it seemed to come out of nowhere I realized I have no clue what to do when Grace decides to act like a horse. 

This weekend we hauled on our own up to a zone show almost 2 hours from home. My parents live 30 minutes from the fairgrounds so I knew I had a place to stay if I came up on Saturday and showed on Sunday. Saturdays at the zone shows are English day with trail classes at the end of the day. I entered in the 18 and Over trail and the Championship Trail class. I figured it would be good practice for Region 1 where I plan to ride in Rookie and Novice Amateur trail. As soon as I saw the patterns at this show I knew I would have to walk them both, they were 2 very different patterns, the Championship pattern was the most technical pattern I've seen at a zone show, it rivaled some AQHA patterns, it just needed a few more poles. One thing I learned this weekend is that I should be walking every trail pattern. I've gotten out of the habit since I haul alone at times and don't have anyone to hold my horse. This time I put her in her stall and still had plenty of time before I had to ride. I found someone to hold her for the Championship walk. The first class went well, we did get a bit stuck in the L and bumped the poles, we placed in the middle of a very competitive class. 

You know the Championship class is going to be good when it starts with a right hand push back through gate, yes - I said back through! From there you picked up the jog and started a figure 8 over a series of poles, you finished the figure 8 at the lope which also included a lead change. It reminded me of something Tim Kimura would lay out. I must have walked that part of the pattern 3 times looking for the line to the poles after the lead change. I knew I had to give myself plenty of room to get straight for the change and still have time to get over the next set of poles. It had to start after the jog pole, I had to make sure I got to the right spot of the first lope pole to set up my line to the lead change. This meant using all the real estate I had between obstacles. Did I mention that the pattern was set in less than half of the arena? Even the judges commented on how tight it was as they measured it multiple times. At the end of the pattern you came out of a 270 in a tight box to step onto the short side of the bridge, turn right on the bridge and then step off into a fan of poles. The bridge was not wide enough for a horse to get all four hooves on it width wise,I watched as several horses before me stumbled off of it. Still, I loved this pattern - it was so technical and it asked a lot of great questions. 

I made a mental note to take my time going into the class, we both needed to be grounded for what was coming. The back though gate was really no big deal and I was much smoother about changing my rein hand than I was in the first class. From there we started our jog over the poles, I came out the second pole and asked for the lope which Grace stepped right into. I loped over my first pole exactly how I wanted to, went deep into the corner so I could come out straight for the lead change. We only had a stride after the change before the next set of poles, which were set as a corner. Grace kind of hoped into the poles, but landed on the other side at a lope. I felt her get flustered for a second so I said out loud "You're ok, you're doing great!" We loped into the L, stopped and took a deep breath. This time she backed the L without touching the poles. From the back up we picked up the lope, loped out of the L, turned left - where I made sure to have her shoulder and loped over a line of 4 poles. I have to say it was a lovely line of poles! Then we jogged into the box for the 270. I again took a breath to settle, and then executed the 270 to the left. I was a hair short of the 270 which left me at an angle. The angle was exactly where I needed to be to get onto the bridge and turn. I made sure that Grace took her time so she wouldn't fall. We then stepped out over the fan of poles and were done. The pattern felt great and I knew it was the best I could do. As I walked out past the judges one of them said "Very well ridden!", there were people in the audience cheering and clapping. I was pretty blown away that I had just done that, it was by far the best pattern I'd ever ridden. There were still several goes after mine, a few of the riders left were the ones that I consistently place under. I didn't really care about the placings, I just knew I was one step closer to feeling like I belonged at AQHA shows. I untacked Grace and then came back to help put the course away. They placed the class while were were putting away poles, I had won the championship under both judges! 

I went out of my way to thank the woman that set the course and told her that I appreciated how technical it was. She said I rode it exactly how it was written, I told her that I walked it several times trying to figure out the questions she was asking. The student judge also complemented me on the pattern telling me that I nailed it. I hope to have pictures soon and need to get someone to film next time we show, but even without footage I won't forget the feeling of that course, everything was clicking at the same time. It reminded me of years ago when I rode jumpers, every once and a while I would pull out a win on a super technical course because I would read a line and just get it and it seemed like no one else did. And to think a year ago I was struggling to lope over a single pole.

Trail Schooling 5/25/2013 with Video

The arenas were freshly dragged on Friday which inspired me to pull out some trail equipment. I haven't shown trail yet this year, it looks like the end of June will be our first chance. I plan to show in Rookie trail at the Region 1 AQHA in August and maybe Novice as well. Trail has always been one of my favorite classes, I love the technical challenge as my brain never really has time to get in the way. Grace loves it too, when I rode her into the arena with the obstacles set up she kept drifting towards them during our warm up. We worked on lope transitions which are coming along quite nicely and then I worked the gate to let her catch her breath.



My first experience with Trail Class was with Penny Jones. She taught me to take my time when schooling an obstacle. This is where you see me stop and adjust my jeans. If I rushed the horse while schooling the horse would then rush and anticipate in the show ring. One of my biggest challenges is keeping Grace's focus and getting her to wait on me.Working the gate itself has never been an issue, just like a trail bridge she is always willing to just power through it. It is the finesse that we've been working on. One thing I discovered yesterday is that I also struggle with taking my time. When side passing poles I became frustrated with Grace who was kept taking a step forward and a step back. I finally took her off the poles took a deep breath and tried again, this time slowing myself down and of course it was 1,000 times better. Sigh.



Speaking of poles remember when last year loping over poles was kind of a big deal? I think we've come though that now. The thing I love about this clip is that even when the distance isn't perfect, Grace carries on like it isn't a big deal. A year ago a missed distance would have caused her to tuck her butt and run. Grace is becoming a joy to ride on pattern, she does this new thing where she waits on me. This also means that I actually have to show up and ride and be the leader she is looking for. I plan to start throwing poles out in the arena on a regular basis for the summer. Working the obstacles is great but I know that the improvement is a result of the homework we've done over the winter without them.

Asking for More

Today I took Grace to a schooling show and maybe for the first time ever at a show, I felt totally in control of my horse in the show ring. I can directly trace these results back to a lesson I had with Sarah almost two weeks ago.  Prior to the lesson we had a conversation where she told me that I needed to ask more out of the mare at home so that I could get more out of her at shows. If I asked for 75% consistently at home, I could ask for 25% at shows and still be ahead. When I wrapped my head around her concept it occurred to me that I had been hauling to shows still expecting it to just all fall together in the show ring when we still didn’t really have it all together at home. My expectation of Grace was not only unreasonable, it wasn’t fair at all. I am the epitome of the amateur rider, while my intention is to always be “nice” to my horse; i.e. not asking too much of her, it often creates more problems like my horse deciding that she had to be in charge since I won’t take the lead.

During our lesson I asked Sarah to get on Grace to show me the new cues she wanted me to use for getting control of the shoulder and hip. I knew that if I could put the trainer on the horse for even 5 minutes that my job would be that much easier when I got back on. I expected the usual “I couldn’t possibly!” fight from Grace when Sarah asked her for something new. To my surprised it was short lived and within minutes Sarah had my little mare jogging around the arena better than I had ever seen the mare carry herself before. The horse I saw in front of me was even better than the one I have been hoping would miraculously appear at every horse show. I’ve always thought the world of my mare, but I really didn’t think she had it in her to move as nicely as Sarah had her going. Over the next two lessons Sarah worked with me to make sure I was getting the feel, keeping Grace’s shoulder upright, knowing where her hip was at all times and correcting as soon as a mistake was made. It is the kind of riding that I shy from, it feels like micromanaging at first, but my real reason for not doing it is my fear of failure. What if I don’t “feel” my horse drifting to the left? What if I correct at the wrong time and accidently reprimand my horse for something she didn’t do?  This time I was willing to take the risk and do the work, I had to get that same ride that I had seen Sarah get out of my horse with what looked like very little effort.

For the last two weeks each ride has been better than the one before it. I do less micromanaging than I had expected as Grace is more comfortable in her body and quick to respond to a correction. I do feel when she drifts to the left, and my fears of asking more of her are slipping away. I put her on the lunge line one day last week and was blown away by how much better she carried herself on her own. She kept her shoulder up and was telescoping her neck on her own and would step into the lope with her head level each time. In typical fashion this breakthrough has occurred right before the show season. I have a zone show planned for May 5^th, and nothing freaks me out more than to totally change the way I ride right before a show. So I took Grace to a schooling show today at the same place the zone show will be held next weekend. I went with a plan, to school at 75% in the warm up and ask for 25% in the class.

During my warm up at the show another rider stopped to tell me how beautiful my horse was. I only mention that because it has NEVER happened before. Plenty of non-horse people tell me how amazing my horse is, but to hear it from another rider gives real meaning to it, something had changed in my horse. Our first class was trail, and while we did well (ok we won the class), I felt that Grace was rushing more than I would have liked, she needed to wait on me. I went back to the warm up and asked for more body control. Our next trail class was the same pattern but with a lope element added. That class was EXACTLY was I was looking for from the mare. She waited for me on each obstacle, and surprised me by how nice her turns on the forehand and haunches were. We also won that class. Our first rail class was not so good. I had ridden trail one handed, and was doing the same for the rail classes. Grace went back to being flat and rushing off her feet in the rail class. I knew I needed to fix it, but was at a loss for some reason. I knew this wasn’t the ride I wanted. In the next class I picked up both reins and asked for 75%, oh right SCHOOLING show! Grace broke into and unasked for jog, I stopped her and backed her up. When we walked off she lifted her head and broke into the jog again, I backed her up again and did not let her walk off until she gave me her head. We walked off nicely this time and the lope was called. Grace tried to launch into the lope; I stopped and backed her up. I loped her off from the back up and my nice soft horse appeared again. As the day went on, she was better with each rail class and I was able to ask less of her.

We ended the day with a pattern class. By then the show had thinned out and I was the only entry that would be riding the pattern. It was labeled as a Western Pleasure pattern and started out with lope circles with lead changes, similar to a reining pattern. There was then a back , turn on the forehand to a counter lope halfway around the arena, a halt, jogging, halt a turn on the haunches more lope before ending with a jog circle. I had never seen a pattern quite like this, it covered the whole arena. It was the perfect pattern to prepare us for Western riding next weekend. Lots of loping, lead changes and a pattern that Grace doesn’t know. I rode all but the counter lope one handed as it was on the left lead – give us another week for that one. Grace gave me the best lope she had offered all day and her lead changes where just wow! The judge even commented out loud on how nice they were. Grace was in her element on pattern and at the end the judge said “very well done!” I was thrilled with how consistent the mare was throughout the pattern.  She was an absolute joy to ride on pattern at a horse show!! Amazing things happened when I listen to the trainer.

Things my Trainer Already Knows

I think I am finally starting to figure Grace out under saddle. It’s only taken 10 years but I am starting to finally feel some of the things that Sarah has been telling me all this time. The difference is now that I am getting my body balanced I can “feel” what it is she was talking about. This discovery like any other that I make with this horse brings me back to the chicken and egg question. Are Grace’s issues a direct result of my imbalance? Are my imbalances a result of Grace’s issues? Is it a combination of the two of us feeding off each other’s imbalances? Here are things that I discovered in the last 2 weeks that my trainer has told me countless times in the past:

1.       Grace’s reaction to pressure is to suck back and slow down. She does this when I ask her to move her hip, her shoulder or her ribcage; she does it in upward transitions. If I don’t correct it she drops her back and dumps her shoulder making the upward transition or lateral movement just downright ugly. I’ve spent entire rides in the last week just working to keep her at one steady pace no matter what I was asking of her. I’d like to tell you she is a lazy horse and is doing it to get out of work, but I can’t help but look at the fact that for years anytime I was under pressure in the saddle I froze, locked my body down and didn’t move. Kind of like a human form of sucking back. Coincidence? – I think not. The good news is that it has only taken a few rides to reprogram the two of us. The right shoulder and left hock issues seem to resolve on their own. It is amazing how nice she moves when I keep my body moving.

2.         Grace has never been taught to just sit and chill. I really want to compete in trail class with this horse, but I get frustrated when she lifts her head, drops her back and takes over on course. We started to get it at the practice show so I wanted to build on that. When it was time to give her a breather tonight I parked her in between some poles to get ready to side pass them. I asked her just to sit there for a minute or two. You would have thought the world had ended. She lifted her head, I asked her to put it down, she lifted her head, I asked her to put it down, repeat. She pawed at the pole, I asked her to stand. She spooked at something in the woods, I asked her to stand with her head down. She tuned into the horses next door, I asked her to stand with her head down. ONLY when she stood still and relaxed did I even think of side passing the pole. Even then it was a step at a time, correct her head, ask her to stand and continue again. After 10 minutes we went back to work in another part of the arena and started the process all over again when it was time for a breather. It did get easier with time and she started to become a horse I would like to sit on at a show. Guess what we will be doing for the next few weeks?

3.       Everything I do in the saddle affects the movement of my horse. If there was one thing that I took away from our Yoga for Equestrians classes it was using the placement of my belly to establish my center of gravity. When we were learning a new movement we were told to put our bellies in the space first and out bodies would follow. I started playing with this under saddle. These are small movements, almost more of an awareness of where my center is and I am just amazed by how little control I had of it. Turns out most of the time my belly is trying to throw itself at my horse’s ears. This throws all of my weight onto her front end; no wonder I couldn’t get her to free up her right shoulder. I have again spent entire rides in the last week focused on my belly. I visualized it sitting on my horse’s hocks. Big surprise my lower back softens when I do that and my horse starts to sit on her hind end. I can side pass and half pass my horse with ease when I think of leading the movement with my belly.

As much as I appreciate the discovery process and amazing journey I’ve taken with Grace, I really look forward to the day that it all comes together and I have something to show for it. Here’s hoping that it comes sooner than later.

Lessons from a Non-Horse Show Day Two

I climbed off Grace at 8:00pm Saturday night at the show grounds. I had been on her since 5:00pm – 3 hours. We spent most of that time walking, jogging, bending, and staying in our bubble. My goal was to get her on the ground without making her sore. As I wrapped her legs in standing wraps for the night, I had hoped I hadn’t pushed too hard. I have been accused more than once of being too nice to my mare. I still tend to think that she is made of glass and worry that if I ask too much she will break underneath me. I’ve caused her to be lame in the past and carry a certain amount of guilt with me; I’ve always trying to find that line of being too nice and pushing too hard. One thing that has been made very clear to me over the winter; in order to keep Grace sound I MUST insist that she carry herself correctly. This requires me to be less of a passenger and more of an active rider. I had this in mind during my 3 hours in the saddle on Saturday night.

I was up early to feed on Sunday; trail was running from 7:00am – 9:00am so I was sure to be in the barn by 6:00am. Even at that early hour the show grounds were awake with the lunging areas full of activity. I was greeted by a chorus of nickers when I slid open the door to our aisle way.  Grace was covered in shavings which is always a good sign when sleeping away from home. After feeding and cleaning I had just enough time to make sure I ate before tacking up for trail. On the way to the arena Grace was noticeably more on the ground; I was able to keep her on a loose rein; she could care less about the increasing amount of activity around us. During our warm up I found that Grace was right where I had ended our ride the night before, I had control of her body and all the tension I am usually greeted with in a show setting was gone. Sarah said it was the best she had ever seen Grace come out of a stall; she was sound and moving up from behind. When we loped off I was blown away by the quality of the gait, after a few circles I stopped and told Sarah that we should just load up and go home now, it wasn’t going to get any better than that.

We finished our warm up with a few lope overs in each direction before getting in line for the trail course. I reminded myself that this was a practice show – it wasn’t even judged which meant I could and should take my time. I watched the person in front of me reschool obstacles during her run as her trainer instructed her to. This was more confirmation that I needed to take my time and school. The course started with walking through a box of poles with smaller boxes inside of it. I asked Grace to wait and take her time over the poles. The poles lined us up with the first bridge, where I once again asked Grace to take her time. She rewarded me again by looking at the bridge and staying slow over the raised pole and repeating the same performance over the second bridge. Lope overs were next so I stood and gathered myself. The lope wasn’t the same quality that it was in the warm up, but only because I had become tight in my lower back and was sticking my inside leg out. I circled the lope overs until I could get my act together. While I was frustrated at my tension I was pleased that I was finally aware of it. We went onto the jog overs which circled back and became lope overs to the left. We were both a little amped up after the lope so I had Grace stand for a few seconds before proceeding to the gate. The gate was a non-event; I did make a mental note that I want to work asking to keep her head down at home while we work the gate. The course ended with a back through, 360 and then walking out over a raised pole. While we have a long way to go to even look like the breed show caliber teams, this was by far our best trail class to date.

The rest of the day included a walk jog pleasure class, horsemanship patterns and western riding. The walk jog class went well; I was able to stay in my bubble in a very full class. There was another break before the horsemanship classes. I like many of the other riders signed up for an all-day fee allowing us to ride each pattern twice. Adding that to the schooling atmosphere made for long waits in between runs. I was stuck between wanting to keep Grace moving and not losing my place in line. After the first go on my second pattern I realized that the standing was not working for Grace, she had become cranky and was starting to act up throughout the pattern. At Sarah’s suggestion we went back to the warm up ring to get her back into her body. She settled right away and gave me control of her hip and shoulder. I could tell she was tired and I had a decision to make. We still had one more pattern run and 2 western riding classes to go. I know I need a fresher horse for Western Riding; I need her on the ground, but ready for lead changes. I also want it to be a class that she enjoys; the last thing I wanted was a bad experience in that class. I talked it over with Sarah and decided to end the day after our last horsemanship pattern, skipping western riding all together. In our horsemanship pattern Grace acted up at the cone when we started so I circled her back around it and loped off from there. The pattern was much better from there; I was able to let the reins out after the lope allowing Grace to settle into the jog. I left the arena incredibly appreciative for the opportunity to school my horse at a show the she didn’t know wasn’t a show.

I left the weekend with a list of lessons. Number one is to take the time to make sure both my horse and I are in the correct body position before proceeding. Sarah and I also discussed the need to get Grace stronger over the next few months. I’ve been riding her 5 -6 days a week over the winter but she still needs to be stronger in her hind end. Sarah has prescribed hill work at the lope and riding twice a day on the weekends. Our rides this week have only gotten better with each one. This is exactly where I want to be in March going into a show season.

Non –Show Horse Show = Great Learning Experience Day One

Grace and I attended a “practice” show put on by a local AQHA affiliate last weekend. I was on the fence about attending the show when Sarah first mentioned it. It was presented as an opportunity to practice patterns in a show environment at a premier facility. Sarah also wanted us to take the time to watch the other riders work their patterns.  That sounded good, but I found myself intimidated at the idea of riding in the same show pen as breed show caliber riders. Which is all the more reason that I needed to attend, this would give me the chance to get over myself in a no pressure setting.  The show offered Trail along with a schooling session the night before. Trail is quickly becoming my favorite class, but I still had no intention of riding it, again in fear that I would embarrass myself in that company.

After settling into the show grounds we walked over to the trail pattern to check it out. Sarah told me that it was the same as the patterns that I’ve been riding all winter, only prettier. It had 2 bridges with a raised pole in between them, 2 sets of lope overs, gate with a pole under it and lots of other poles in various configurations. Still, I was intrigued by the smooth flow of the layout and the two bridges were more than tempting so I signed up to school it that night, still with no intention of riding it the next day.

Grace came out of the barn a little more animated that I like to see her at a show, when we warmed up in the main covered show ring with all the other horses she just wouldn’t connect with me. We’ve been doing a lot of lateral work at home for body control and now I had no body control at all it was like she was on vacation somewhere. Oh wait – I tend to check out in those situations, maybe I was the one on vacation. Sarah suggested that we head over to the trail arena to play on the poles. Grace was more settled in the trail arena and once we started working over poles she started to come back to earth. Oh wait – maybe that was me that finally settled down. When we started to work the bridge Grace stormed over it in her usual fashion. Sarah had me take her back to the beginning and take my time at the bridge. This is something I had wanted to work with her on; I had no clue how to get Grace to drop her head to “look” at the bridge. We stood at the base of the bridge for several minutes. Grace kept placing her front hoof on the bridge anxious to get over it. Sarah had me wait and ask Grace to drop her head, finally she relaxed, took a breath, dropped her head and looked at the bridge! She then walked across it with her head down like she was analyzing each speck of dirt left behind by the other horses. This was the very first time she had ever taken a bridge this nice, it was also the very first time I had ever really taken my time with her at a bridge. I had always just accepted the idea that she went over trail bridges, but had never thought to ask her to actually “work” the obstacle. Onto the lope overs Sarah reminded me that I had to use my legs to control Grace’s body, I had gone back to sticking my inside leg out in front of me at the lope. As soon as I changed my leg position Grace’s lope completely changed underneath me. We then went over the lope overs and what do you know – she hit the timing perfectly. It turns out that I actually have to show up and ride at these things! After we finished schooling trail Sarah had me take Grace back into the main arena with an order to ride her the same way that I did in trail. There was still a lot going on, people working the rail while groups worked patterns in the middle. I focused on staying in my bubble and riding every stride. Maybe for the first time ever Grace looked to me for direction in the pen, or maybe for the first time ever I showed up and decided to be a leader.

Snow is in the forecast, Let’s Horse Show!

Happy to say I made it back safe and sound from the show on Saturday even with an inch of snow on the ground where the horse show was held. For those of you not living in the Seattle area you should know that it only takes 2 inches of snow to bring our entire world to a standstill. When I was getting Grace ready for my late afternoon classes large fluffy flakes started falling from the sky, pair that with the freezing cold temperatures and I have to ask myself, what kind of people would choose to participate in a horse show in this kind of weather? My kind of people, that's who!



I rode in the reining class to help fill it and being the first riding class of the day it gave us a chance to get stupid in the show ring out of the way. With cold rain coming down outside the indoor warm up ring was nuts. I am not at the point that I can really accomplish a good warm up riding next to horses that are standing on their hind ends, so Grace and I headed out into the rain to warm up. When we entered the main show ring for the final warm up Grace and I became stiff and out of sorts. I talked to Sarah before my run who reminded me that it was a SCHOOLING show and I was to take my time and SCHOOL (yes, she said it in caps!). The reining run gave us a chance to get some nice lope work in and Grace changed leads only where asked. Big step for her as in the past she’s been known to make up her own changes everywhere else in pattern.


The trail classes were being held outside in the rain and since we were already wet and cold I decided to go for it. My copies of the patterns were soaking wet and were falling apart as I was trying to read them. The trail judge sat in a car at the end of the arena to stay warm and dry, the pattern was set at one end of what is normally the outside schooling area. There were people wandering into the pattern the entire time, I saw one woman who had to stop mid pattern while someone lunged a horse right into her path. On my first pattern I had someone schooling the trail bridge right behind me. Despite the distractions Grace did and I did well, winning 2 out of the 3 classes. I was really pleased with both the jog overs and lope overs as Grace stayed relaxed and on rhythm.


It took me a rail class or two to get into my body, but when I did I was rewarded by my horse stretching for the bit and driving up from behind at the jog. We stayed on the inside track and lapped the slow pleasure horses on the rail several times. I didn’t care as I was enjoying feeling my mare’s hock drive up from behind for what may have been the first time ever in the show ring. We improved with each rail class, even placing 3rd in a lope class that I accidentally entered.


This is the second show that I’ve entered the equitation pattern classes and I was able to see and feel a big improvement from the first show. Grace was much more relaxed and was better about waiting on me, it was no coincidence that I was better about staying relaxed and taking my time on pattern. During the lope pattern we had to do a simple change from the right lead to the left lead. Grace anticipated when I asked for the jog so I brought her to a halt and made sure to get her into position before letting her lope off. That might have just been the biggest success for me the entire day. Better than any blue ribbon, I used my brain in the show pen! Starting to finally get the point of this “schooling” show thing.

Lope Overs that separate the men from the boys!

Grace was at the short end of my stick this week. Between the extra hours at work, a company meeting, writing class and an after work session at the Strength Lab she didn’t get the attention she is accustom to. I found myself apologizing to her on Friday night, followed by assuring her that by the end of the day on Saturday she would be sick of me. 24 hours later my prediction rang true.



I was excited for our trail pattern lesson on Saturday, that was until I saw Sarah setting the course. My first clue was when she drove into the arena with a flatbed full of poles. As we proceeded to place them in specific piles around the arena it got me to thinking – isn’t it time to change the name of “trail” when it refers to the class that is held at horse shows? Long ago it was a class that simulated conditions you may have to encounter while out on an actual trail ride, as in outside of an arena. Grace and I spend a lot of time out on actual trails, but I have yet to encounter a lumber yard full of painted poles that I had to negotiate at a slow rhythmic pace. Maybe the class should be called Horsemanship Over Poles or Super Technical Pattern Class or even Horses with Long Strides Need Not Apply. Either way I learned on Saturday just now technical trail class really is.


Both Kristen and I pondered the distances between the poles as Sarah set them with a measuring tape. There were jog overs which were approached on a serpentine but had to be ridden straight, a rope gate, cones, a bridge and a set of lope overs that would soon become my nemesis. Starting with the jog overs it didn’t take long before it was clear that I didn’t have my horse together. Sarah had me ride two handed driving Grace up into the bridle. Sarah explained that Grace had to learn the pattern and obstacles in contact and working over her back. The goal being to eventually ride it one handed where she will continue to work over her back relying on my body for cues. When I rode the jog overs straight and kept my horse together they were easy every time, but if I dumped her at the base of them or allowed her to drift coming into them she would drop her back and rush through them. It was the same feeling I have experienced from her in the show ring when rushes in a Western Riding pattern.


From the jog overs we had to pick up the right lead and head to the lope overs. The first pole was set on an angle with the remaining 4 poles in the line set straight. The line was ridden at a diagonal set from the first pole. Where you started at the first pole depended on the length of your horse's stride, you also had to come deep enough to the approach to make the line. In other words there was a ton of thinking to do before you even got to the obstacle. This one line of poles seems to quickly brought up all of the weak spots that Grace and I possess. It required the turn to come off the left rein, pushing the horse's shoulder through the turn as opposed to pulling their nose. It became very clear that I didn’t have Grace in my left rein, my right leg didn't seem to want to say on her side, which was needed to keep her together through the turn and over the poles. At one point I was convinced that we were not going to pull it together. I watched Kristen and Rhett Butler negotiate the poles while Grace and I took a much needed break. This is why I love group lessons, seeing another rider go through the same obstacle allows me to process it on a deeper level. I was able to see why the horses needed the deeper approach to the line and why the left rein was so critical on the approach. When it was our turn again not only did we make the line but Grace also waited on me and did not rush through the poles.


Our first schooling show of the season is next weekend and I plan to use it for exactly that –schooling. I am secretly hoping for an easier trail pattern than the one at my lesson. I believe that we are about 1,000 more lope overs away from being able to accomplish a course of that level one handed. I guess I’d better set some poles in the arena at home today. Let’s see, 1,000 divided by 3 …. I have my work cut out for me.

A picture is worth 1,000 rides

I’ve wanted someone to take pictures of Grace and I at horse shows for years. I’m often frustrated as I haul down the road myself, camera in tow, but have no one to hand it off to when I get there. Sarah has a wonderful young student who is a talented photographer. She also takes video and will show it to you right after you ride. I love that she is willing to take the time to do this. At first I only wanted to see the “good” pictures, the ones where I am riding my best and my horse is perfect. Unfortunately at the last show those types of pictures of Grace and I were a rare find. I took a deep breath and looked at the shots of Grace and I in various degrees of tension, determined to learn from them. I shelved them for the most part and decided to focus on improving things before the next show. Then this picture showed up today:

This must have been from the trail practice class because I am riding 2 handed, I rode one handed in the judged classes. It kills me to see how bad I am riding in this picture. These 3 poles were lope overs and I had not yet wrapped my mind around how they were set. I was also a bit psyched out since I had only been loping over one pole at a time at home. Sarah showed me the angel I had to take to get in and out of them. It made more sense to me for the class, but the ride did not look much better. When this picture appeared on Facebook this morning it reminded me – I needed to set some poles up at home.


Tonight we had a wonderful warm up; mostly because of the Connected Groundwork that Grace and I did yesterday. We worked on walking the 2 handed S exercise from both her left and right sides. I quickly saw just how much my body influenced my horse’s way of going. I was able to turn her on the ground just by rotating my torso. The two hands on the line brought the outside rein into play, later when I put Grace out on the line and could see how it improved her stride. Tonight it was easier to influence Grace with my body in the saddle, I rode the entire ride one handed and could see a glimpse of what it might look like in the show ring one day.


Before my ride tonight I pulled out two sets of poles, two poles set parallel for lope overs, and a fan of 3 poles that could be walked, jogged or loped over depending on the line. After our warm up I put Grace into a right lead lope and headed to the two poles set for the lope. Grace sped up a few stride out, I sat against her but left her face alone, wanting for her to figure it out on her own. She surprised me by jumping both poles in one long stride. I circled back around, this time she jumped in and hopped out. Our next attempt wasn’t much better and now her lope was falling apart. I put her in a circle to get her back to me and said out loud “Grace, they are only poles on the ground, it’s no big deal, it is the same ride”. Then I had one of those light bulb moments and said out loud “MELISSA, they are only poles on the ground, it is no big deal, it is the same ride!” I got Grace back to the nice lope we had in our warm up and as I came around corner to the line for the poles I thought “Just pretend they are not there, ride every stride.” We hit the poles perfectly and Grace loped over them – like it was no big deal. We loped them a few more times and once again she just loped over them.


After letting Grace catch her breath, we moved on to the fan poles. We had walked and jogged over them earlier in the ride, so we both had an idea of how they were set. I again decided to just ride the line and forget about the pole, and once again Grace just loped over them. We did it two more times before I decided to call it a night in fear that I might screw it up if I started thinking again. I plan to keep working over poles before the next show in the hope that they will continue to ride to them like they are no big deal and I will remember to just ride the line. Maybe I need to take a look at more of those pictures to see what else I can fix.

When I'm Straight My Horse is Staight - another "Oh Really" moment!

I went to a show yesterday, but I really want to tell you about the lesson I had the night before. After the lesson I didn’t really care about how the show went, I was more excited about the exercises I want to work on in the coming week. The show actually felt like a minor interference in my training regimen. Once again at my lesson it only took Sarah 30 seconds to pinpoint exactly what we need to work on. Grace and I are improving in between each lesson, but it still always amazes me how Sarah has the next thing ready, the next exercise we need for our next break through. I’m starting to really appreciate having a trainer that puts me to work and knows that I am ready for the next step in the process, even if I am not convinced at first.

Sarah had me lope Grace in a straight line right at her. Turns out our straight is not very straight. Grace swings her hip to the inside and then gets really crooked from there. Sarah had me lope the straight line while taking Grace’s nose to the outside. Grace immediately threw in a flying change; I stopped her and backed her up letting her know that she has to wait to be asked before executing a flying change. On the next approach to the straight line I was clearer in my body about holding the lead. I then took Grace’s nose to the right and moved my right shoulder back. Instantly I was straight, and then my horse was straight. All the way down the straight line I could feel Grace rock back on her hocks and it was easy! It was a major “AHA” moment, followed by an “Oh Really!” when I expressed out loud how when I was straight my horse was straight. I could immediately see how getting straight was going to solve all sorts of issues at the lope.

At the show when I warmed Grace up for my Western Riding class I could tell that she was a little apprehensive about her left hock, not lame but just tired from the lesson the night before. The pattern started with line changes and then went into the cross changes. In the class our line changes were the best they have ever been! By the end of the pattern Grace started to rush and she was late on her last change to the left. The end of the pattern wasn’t pretty. When I ride her one handed I feel like I lose my ability to get her back together if she falls apart. I know that getting her stronger behind and straight at the lope will fix this. This show was the first time that they announced scores for Western Riding. Both judges gave me a 65. The rest of the riders in the class did simple changes. One judge rewarded me for executing the flying changes and kept the other scores below mine. The other judge placed me 3rd. I know exactly what we need to work on for Western riding; overall I was thrilled with her line changes.

There were more entries in our trail classes than there were at the show last month. There was also better competition in both of my classes. The first class called for a figure 8 with a simple change. By the time I got to that point of the pattern we were a little discombobulated and Grace picked up the wrong lead on the last change, she then immediately threw in a flying change – we really got dinged for it and placed 5th and 7th. I got more organized for the championship trail class which again was a full class with some real competitors. At one point in my pattern the call judge yelled out something about a cone. I had just passed one, so I stopped and looked back over my shoulder at him. He waved his hand at me and said “continue on”. On my way to the side pass I wondered what I had done wrong, but I really didn’t have time to think about it. I figured whatever it was I had blown the class and the pressure was off. This time the figure 8 called for flying changes which Grace was more than happy to execute. She did get a little flat and rushed at the end, but overall it was a good pattern. I checked the pattern again on my way out and didn’t see anything I had missed. I then realized that the judge had been telling the next person in line to move up to the start cone; I thought that was the job of the steward. I was thrilled to find out that I wasn’t marked down for stopping on pattern and placed 3rd under both judges. Of all the ribbons I took home I think those 2 yellow ones were my favorite!

Trail Course Practice

I set up a few trail obstacles in the smaller arena for practice today. I always love how Grace turns it on when she sees we have fun stuff to play with. Her lope is so much better when we are both focused on a pattern. The biggest challenge is not allowing her to anticipate our next move. I find if I take my time and a lot of deep breaths, it works out.