The Woes of Being a Show Hitchhiker

"I wish I could go, but my ride fell through!"

Now that Ruby and I have decided to give the show world a try, we have discovered (with much pain, disappointment, and frustration) how incredibly difficult it can be just to get your horse to a show. I have met many barn-mates who were fortunate enough to be born into families who had the money to buy so-and-so a nice new truck and trailer (and chiropractic visits, and nice new saddles, and hey -even board costs!), but this was not my fate. Any and all horse-related financial burdens are entirely my own.

Growing up as a very strong-willed, independent woman, nothing irks me more than having to rely on someone else- especially when Ruby is involved. But what options are even out there?

1. Continue to "beg" rides off horse-y friends who have the equipment you need. This can include a wide variety of arrangements: some friends will take you and your horse for free, some will charge you gas, some will charge you gas and time, and some will refuse to take you at all. A general rule of thumb when hitchhiking for a ride is to offer to pay for gas -or in my case, I generally offer to pay for my ride's classes provided it does not overly exceed the standard going rate for hauling (about $1.75 per mile in my area).

2. Look for a professional hauling company. Although this will guarantee your horse is being transported by a professional (with the proper truck to haul the trailer, and up-to-date inspection stickers), these can be very pricey or completely unavailable depending on your location.

3. Only participate in "home" shows. There are plenty of boarding barns out there that will host shows. This is a very economical option for those who are boarding at one such facility. If not, well...

4. Buy your own trailer. Before we hop into the "okay, trailer shopping!" train, there are some important things to consider: Do you have a truck that has the towing capacity to safely tow your trailer AND everything inside (shavings, tack box, horse, buckets, etc.)? Does this truck also have the stopping capacity required to safely come to a complete stop with this load? If no, you may not want to buy a trailer just yet- if you can't tow it, you will again be at the mercy of others to find a truck that can tow you.
   *note: not all is lost if you do not have a truck. You might find a fellow rider who has the truck but no trailer- you can always try to arrange something in this case. If a friend provides the truck and you provide the trailer, plan to go to show together free of charge.

So what else do you need to know before going trailer shopping? 

Right now, I have figured the following:
1. It the trailer safe? Can I put it to use right away? Are any repairs needed?
2. Does the trailer come with a title (watch out for scams here!)
3. Does the trailer have working brakes/lights?
4. How many horses does it hold (I am looking for two horse)?
5. When was the trailer last inspected?
6. How old is the trailer (do some research on trailer models to see if it is what you need)?
7. Is the trailer bumper-pull or gooseneck?
8. Is the trailer a slant-load or straight-load? Ramp or stock?
9. How heavy is the trailer? Is is steel frame? Aluminum? (Aluminum will be much lighter, but some argue not as safe)

I will add as I figure out more!

Ruby's First Horse Show

"Do you want to ride to win, or to train?"

I have always wanted to show Ruby, but, after all the road blocks, pitfalls, and complications, I assumed this was just not our future. After some nagging and harassing, a friend of mine finally convinced me to at least give showing a try.

Connie met me at the show (I asked her to be there in case I decided to freak out), and asked me "Do you want to ride to win, or to train?"

I said train, since this was our first show and I had no idea what Ruby would think of the whole thing!

Despite the 94 degree heat and absurd humidity, I tacked up my pony and headed out to the schooling ring. Walk, look around, walk, SPOOK at the flower box in the corner that eats horses for sure, walk, trot, rush past aforementioned horse-eating box, trot, relax. We left the schooling ring (we actually schooled in the wrong ring, but hey- first show means we are allowed a few mistakes!). Heat. Humidity. Cold Bath. More heat and more humidity...for a while there I though we would both drop! The classes I wanted to do (pony pleasure) were near the beginning of the show, so we did not have long to wait. I entered the walk-trot class, no expectations, and determined to get her to bend as we have been practicing in our lessons. She was perfect and we won the class. Well then, might as well do the next walk-go as you please class right? I mean, I can just walk-trot again...

Which we did. And won. With only one more class in the division, might as well do that too (since the heat hadn't quite killed us yet either). Won that too!

Super proud of my pony, not even for winning (although that is nice of course!). I knew she was nervous, but she stayed calm, listened well, and (as long as I didn't get out of her sight) behaved.

Horse Personalities

"You and Ruby are exactly the same!"

Not going to lie, the first time I heard this, I was extremely offended! Ruby was moody, unpredictable, and (quite frankliy) a brat when I first met her. You can obviously see why I was not pleased when people kept telling me this!

Further into our relationship, I actually saw this to be true: we are both control freaks, pleasant with people but like our space, neither of us likes kids, both of us love cats and simply tolerate dogs, both of us take time to warm up to new people/are slightly nervous around new people, and (when situations get uncertain) both of us look to the other to figure it out (whoops on my part, but we both equally bail in certain circumstances).

I found this funny blog that lets you take a test to see your horse's personality: Horse Personality Test.

Ruby was: the Perfectionist (go figure)



Shy, suspicious, sensitive! Are you a solid, consistent enough rider with low enough expectations to be able to work with this horse? They need a solid, well planned out training program to be able to perform well. They want a job that they can perform perfectly. Each step in the training process needs to be methodical and repeated until they really, really get it. If things get too hard to handle, this horse's evasion is simply to leave - mentally, emotionally, and physically if possible. If they find a job they like and are allowed to learn it slowly and correctly, they will give you an endless amount of effort.

*When you take this test, you will also be given a few pages that describe your horse, how they react to certain situations, and training methods that work with this personality. Despite my usual suspicions, this breakdown was Ruby almost to a 't'!

Finally, some information that supports my anti-cookie-cutter beliefs on horse training!

Equine Photography- Protecting Your Images

"Wow, did she really steal my picture for her website?!"

I have no experience in photography and no training (besides skimming over the user's manual of my camera), but even I am aware of the copyright protection that your photos should have when you upload them to the internet. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing someone take one of your photos for their personal use without paying for it! I have had this happen to me; I got on a website and there was one of my images- no credit given at all- being used as marketing material...

So what can you do to protect your images?

1. Picasa: The easiest way to keep others from stealing your photos is to watermark them. Picasa is a free photo editing software that does a simplified version of a watermark for you- choose the photos you want to watermark, click file, click export, and check the watermark photos box. Enter your name here. When you export, your name will appear on the bottom right corner of your photos.

2. Photoshop: This program (depending on the version) can get pretty pricey, but it can do anything and everything you would ever need in terms of editing power and protection.

3. My way: I am as cheap as they come, and look for products that are free to use. Instead of having just my name on the photos, I decided to make myself a logo (stingray! my favorite animal) using Inkscape. It is a fairly intuitive vector design software that I use at work for graphics design- not nearly as fancy as Adobe's line of products, but it gets the job done. I also downloaded another program called TSR Watermark to add my Inkscape logo to my pictures.

Although there is always the asshole out there who will crop your watermark or photoshop it for themselves, I like to think that most people will respect your work. For more information on how to better protect your images and for information on copyrights, see here: Protect Images Online.

Below are my favorite pictures of my friend Lauren Thomas and "Evel Knievel" (Titan) and my trainer Connie Warner and Harry de Leyer's "Dutch Juliet" (Juliet). I stick my logo in the most annoying spot possible so it is more difficult to crop out.

Making Work 'Fun'

"You might not want to come out today- the ground is wet and the ring is flooded."

The biggest setbacks in my riding at the moment involve the weather- the past week has been somewhat akin to a monsoon...right when the sun starts to come out, I get in my car, start driving out to the barn, and the rain starts to pour again!

I am a firm believer that you should NOT show up at the barn just to ride your horse. There are plenty of other things for you to do to spend some quality time together (grooming, bathing, just hanging out) or to work in a different way (lunging, hand exercises, stretches, tricks).

For Ruby and I, it is even more important that we spend as much time together as we can. My job as a controls engineer is in a constant battle with Ruby to take over my life, and, unfortunately, sometimes it wins. After being sent off on site for 3 months last summer, our relationship suffered a bit of a strain- I came back, and Ruby gave me the cold shoulder ("you ditched me and expect me to listen to you? -hell no!"). With her, I found that working on the ground is a great way to get her to focus, listen, and gain respect for me. Usually, I just grab a lead rope and ask her to do some basic commands: walk-up, back-up, turn, and stand. In the ring and in the barn, she is a champ! I can get her to the point where I only need to use a hand signal to get her to do what I want (wave hand forward for come here, point at her chest to back up, point to her shoulder in the direction I want her to turn, and hold my hand up to get her to stand). The field is another story (she gets so focused on wanting to be with her friends that she pretty much ignores me, but we are working on that).

For jumping exercises, it really depends on how high YOU can jump!

Once Ruby is listening to me, she is pretty good about letting me lead her over obstacles, provided that I make it over them too (try not to trip over things- it doesn't end well!). Especially with Ruby not wanting to jump consistently/reliably for me anymore under saddle, I have decided that she needs to be comfortable jumping without me on her first (lunging would be easier, but we haven't quite mastered that yet).

Remember, repetition is boring to you too! Mix things up, and try to keep your horse interested. If he/she is watching you and licking/chewing, you are doing something right! My hope with Ruby is to remind her that jumping is fun, and is not a big deal- if she ever forgives me for ditching her for my work...

Sometimes it can be hard to convince yourself to drive out (in my case, 32 miles one way!) too see your horse, but trust me, it is worth it- even in the rain and mud :)

Going out of Business: Economy and Equine Ownership

"I deeply regret to tell you that (we) have decided to close the boarding operation..."

Damnit. Of course- I finally find the perfect barn, my horse is happy and her behavior does a complete turn-around, the trainer (CJ Weldon) is great...and the barn goes out of business shortly after we get comfortable...

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this has happened to Ruby and I. When I first started taking riding lessons, things were a little different: board at a decent facility with both and indoor and outdoor was about $400/month. Hay was $2 per bale. Fields had plenty of grass. Now, years later, a decent barn with an outdoor only is about $600 and hay is close to $8 per bale. To compensate, many barn owners pack as many horses as they can into a field, which tears up the grass and causes more expenses to go into hay and feed, meaning your horse gets to live in what is called a "dry lot." I have always been picky about field management at boarding facilities, so this is a deal breaker for me. But why does this happen?

Through my observation, I have found that one cannot have a horse boarding facility in this area and still be profitable. Let's face it, the economy is struggling, people cannot afford to pay an arm and a leg for board, and the cost to feed horses is steadily increasing. In order to offer board at a reasonable price and still make it, barns need to offer other services, such as training, sales, or lessons. In case you were wondering, this is the third barn at which I have boarded that went out of business, and all three were explicitly for boarders.

Where to next?
Connie, CJ, and I have discussed some options, and here is the dilemma: Ruby seems to really like CJ, but to board her with her would be hitting the margins of my budget. Which is more important: the spoiled pony, or my money? For now, I will follow the rest of the boarders (and CJ) to the farm across the street...I am hoping Ruby will continue to make good progress there so we can finally get our jumping confidence back! In the meantime, I will continue working with Connie (and Jimmy)...making progress toward my next lesson with Harry de Leyer!

Riding arena at the new barn!

Crest or Automatic Release?

"Reach for her ears!"

When I first started learning how to jump, this was my trainer's (at that time) favorite phrase to yell at me as I was going over the jump. I remember being told to "stick your butt out, shoulders up, bend at the hip, and reach for the ears." In the beginning, I was told to use the horse's neck for support (i.e. put weight on your hands on the horse's neck). This is called a crest release.

George Morris is credited with coining the term "crest release," but there is no definite proof that he invented the actual "skill." For beginners going over small fences or poles, the crest release can be used to help the rider gain confidence, get a feel for the horse's jump, and focus on other areas of the position such as heels or shoulders. Unfortunately, a lot of riders never grow out of this phase. This means unbalanced riders who lack the core to stay off the neck are able to compete in higher jumping classes. But think about it: how can you expect your horse to have good jumping form when you are weighing down the front end? Because of the insecurity of the rider's seat, the crest release also often allows the rider to pinch with the knee instead of pushing weight down into the heel; weakening the rider's stability and ability to get back with the horse's motion after landing...plus you now have your reins to collect back up! After practicing this release for so long, I knew it would be a hard habit to beak.

The dreaded crest release. My hands are on her neck, not following her mouth. Although my leg is decent, I am still probably not balanced, which is why Ruby made no effort to jump this for me. Typical Hunter "riding position": butt out, hands below the chin, weight in the hands.








Practicing the automatic on Jimmy: when I first started, I grabbed mane with the outside hand and pulled my inside hand out. This was to get used to the feeling of not having my hands on the neck. At first, practice keeping your hands slightly below the crest. As you get more comfortable, start sliding your hands down to move with the horse's head (try not to use 'puppy paws hands' as I did here- thumbs on top!).

Awkward angle (and a short spot!), but you can see that my hands are not resting on his neck, but sliding down his shoulder and following the bit. Had I used the crest release, I would have caught him in the mouth with this spot, and had a very unhappy horse!





In order to get off your horse, get out of his way, and give him the room he needs to stretch out over the jump while still maintaining contact (for control), riders should be using the "automatic release" or "following release." If you are not balanced enough to follow with both hands, try practicing at first as I did by grabbing mane with the outside hand and following with the inside hand. At first this was pretty confusing, and Connie had me actually stick my inside hand out to make sure I really got it off the horse's neck. As you get a feel for how your hands and elbows should be following the horse's mouth, start doing this with both hands. It helped me to think "follow the shoulder"- you want to have a straight line from the horse's mouth to your elbow. I noticed this right off the bat, but the automatic release gave my horse a more round jump, and added a solid foot to what we had been doing before!

In a sport where "looks matter," it is a bit disturbing that some H/J judges actually prefer to see the crest release. In any case, a rider should always do what is best for the horse, despite the show fad. If your ribbons are more important than making your horse happy and comfortable...well, let's just say I feel really bad for your horse!

If you would like to see some really nice automatic releases, google Bill Steinkraus.

Horse riding position then:

Horse Riding Position now:

Seriously, what happened? Open up a horse magazine now and I guarantee, 90% of the riders will look like Richard Spooner. The biggest excuse I hear is "but the rider is balanced"...yes, on the horses neck. No wonder these horses now have to be hundreds of thousands of dollars- not many horses would take that crap! Want to try it on Ruby? I promise you will be dumped.