Saddle Search- Dressage Edition

"Can I afford this one?"

With tax season upon us, many friends are already advertising via social media 'how much money (my) refund is!" Thinking I would be in the same group, I decided to start looking for a dressage saddle (tax refund well spent, in my opinion)...

Here's the thing: Ruby and I don't do much dressage. Sure, they are part of horse trials. Sure, Debi is an amazing instructor. But do I REALLY need a dressage saddle? Probably not...but hey, you try riding a dressage test in a jump saddle- while everyone else at the show gawks at you like you're some country bumpkin (no offense intended)- and let me know what you think!

My original budget was $800. Note the 'was.' I combed through craigslist, scoured ebay, and harassed half a dozen saddlers and fitters in the AL/GA/FL/SC/NC area (hit most of the SE USA with even a few in PA and VA from my jump saddle fitting days!). Speaking of, I did look at Hastilow to make me a dressage saddle since I love my jump saddle so much, but that was no where near the budget. Anyway, $700 of increased budget later (up to $1500, for the mathematically-challenged), I was coming across some nice leather saddles that had good reviews online (because yes, I read reviews about everything before I decide to buy- thanks Amazon for grooming me for that habit). County, Black Country, Custom, Albion, Amerigo, Hastilow; all the brands fellow boarders recommended has something that fit the bill:
1. 17-17.5"
2. Wide tree
3. Leather
4. Black
5. Used in good condition
6. Lots of thigh support

Here is where I hit my first snag: I tried a few saddles (as I recommend you ALWAYS do when saddle shopping) and found out that sizes vary greatly between brands: County Fusion W was too narrow; Amerigo MW worked- but Albion MW was too narrow, Custom W worked for the Advantage but was too narrow for the Wolfgang Solo...and that was just tree size, not to mention panels, gullet, length to the last rib, etc. Unless someone wanted to let me take a saddle on trial (ebay didn't have much wiggle room here), there was no way to know for sure if the saddle would even fit. I had to calculate here: I could get a used saddle I really liked (Albion SLK) on ebay for $1100. Plus $135 saddle fitting. Plus pads if needed. Plus stress...I decided it was best to try to find a saddle through a friend or fitter so there would be no doubt about fit for Miss Ruby.

Enter Catherine at Embrace Saddle Fit. Catherine is a County rep that covers my area and whom I have used to annually to check my Hastilow (another thing I recommend since your horse's body changes- I mean, do your clothes fit exactly the same as they did a year ago? I know mine don't!) Catherine knew I was looking for a saddle and brought a few for me to try.

The first was a Custom Steffen's Advantage. I loved it! It was like riding in a couch, put me in a great position and fit Ruby nicely (with some flocking adjustments). The second was a Karl Niedersuss. Not bad; did not have the thigh support like the Custom, put me in a good position, but the twist was too narrow for me. The third was a Schleese. I came in biased about Schleese because I have heard mixed reviews but gave it a shot- well balanced, not a ton of padding, but pitched me forward. At this point, I already knew I wanted the Custom.

Snag number 2: Tax refund. Yeah, the large bonus I got last year tipped me over because it was not taxed at the correct bracket. Let's just say that I actually owe a decent chunk of change. Damn you federal government!

Saddle is on trial for 10 days while I figure out how and if I can pay for it. My birthday is this Thursday so I made my family very away that the best gift was money :)

Update: Went ahead and bought the saddle! Still having a little buyer's regret, but I know that this saddle will help Ruby and I work more on our dressage.

Snow Day!

"It's not the end of the world!"

We got hit by snowstorm Jonas (seriously, who the hell names these storm systems??)- and buy hit I mean, we got a couple inches of show. Redstone shut down, work got off early, and there was the general mass exodus of idiot drivers panicking about the presence of snow.

Meanwhile, Caitlin and I headed out to the barn to play with ponies!

I think this was maybe the first time in a few years that Ruby WANTED to be caught by me haha- walked up to the front of the field and waited for me. By the time I got her tacked up though, I think she was rethinking her decision :P

Super cold but had a blast. Thanks to Dan for the pictures and to Caitlin for dragging me out of the house!

Oh the Weather Outside...

"Is frightful..."

Merry Christmas and happy New Year! No Christmas photos this year- the weather here was akin to a monsoon. Flooding and general gloominess killed the mood for us, but at least I did make it out to ride a bit over the past week off work.

My last lesson was a group lesson where Ruby and I were the 'noobs' (everyone else had done the course before):

The only tricky parts of this course were the angle from 4 to 5 and the two corners. At our first attempt going from 6 to 7, I went riiiiiight past 7...by the time I started to turn for the jump it was too late! We figured it out by the next one but geez, tons of outside aids which you have to have already started at the approach to the first jump.

Jumps 10 and 11 were barrels that for sure eat ponies, so we did have a stop at 10 the first time. Let Ruby look at it, and we went over it on the second approach just fine.

Leads are still difficult for me, especially on courses where we are constantly changing directions. I have this really bad habit of leaning to the outside when on the right lead canter; even if I look the correct way over a fence, I am still leaning the wrong way so Ruby picks the lead based on my leg (sorry Ru, I know that's confusing!). Time to sneak a few bareback rides in to work on that.

I know Ruby saw me maybe a little more than she would have liked over the holidays, but I hope everyone was able to enjoy some pony time as well.

Here's to 2016!

Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials

"It is time to go up a level."

Ruby and I competed in our first ever recognized show (even though we only did starter level) last weekend in Nashville, TN. Although I had originally planned on competing her in the beginner novice division, my nerves got the most of me and I decided that I wanted this show experience to be a 'happy' thing for both of us and dropped down to starter.

First up- Dressage:

Overall- she definitely did not have the impulsion that I wanted from her, but our cues were on point. Transitions were clean and much nicer than they have been in the past. Our free walk was terrible (this is usually her best movement), and I think she was just not at all focused. My errors were, again, ring size- it was so tiny compared to what we usually ride in so my geometry was a bit off.

We scored 129.5 points at a 35.3% with scores at:
1. 8.0
2. 6.0 (wanders on center line)
3. 7.0 (fairly steady)
4. 5.5 (needs more reach in shoulder; falls in)
5. 7.0 (obedient)
6. 6.5 (fairly straight; show left bend)
7. 5.0 (active but falls through left shoulder)
8. 6.0 (small circle; falls through left shoulder)
9. 5,0 (cantered early; late transition)
10. 6.0 (correct frame but off track)
11. 5.5 (needs downward stretch)
12. 7.0 (obedient)
13. 8.0 (straight and steady)

Definitely the most difficult judge that we have had so far. Time to start getting a bit more nit-picky (sorry Roo).

Collective remarks: Gaits 7, Impulsion 7, Submission 7, Rider Position 7, Rider Effectiveness 6, Geometry and Accuracy 6.

Overall remarks: Cute pair- fairly accurate. Be sure to bend and flex to the left.

Second phase was xc- very straightforward. 13 jumps and one water element. We ran right through that with no issues!

The first two phases were completed on Saturday- Sunday was stadium. The course had a lot more loops and turns that I am used to (yikes, lead changes!) but it was fun once I felt comfortable knowing where I was going. When the pair before me finished, I took Ruby in the ring right away and cantered her around some of the 'scarier' jumps to give her a chance to at least see everything. The judge was ringing the bell pretty fast to get people in and out quick, so we wasted no time!

Third place in Open Starter division. There were 12 entries, but I don't know how many of them made it to compete. By Sunday, I think there were only 6 left to ride stadium because of xc eliminations.

Super stressful (shows always are for me), but I think we had a good time too? Ruby knew what she was supposed to do, even if she was a bit of a diva! In the ring, she was great- out of the ring, she was ready to be done with me haha. Love you too, pony...

Thanks to Joe and Valerie, who came to help out and support me! I know it was two long days and I really appreciate y'alls help. Also thanks to Marion, who let us stay in her home (if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend looking into Airbnb- my experiences so far have been nothing but positive).






No upcoming plans thru the end of the year, but we will use the winter season to get ready for next year...and definitely moving up a level!

She's a Bouncer!

"Stay back through the grid!"

Ruby and I had a great lesson last Tuesday. She has been very consistent with her stadium jumping (although xc gave us some issues recently due to my lack of confidence). This week, we had a new course to practice and a grid to start us off.

Grids are a great way to teach your horse how to jump. For Ruby, she has a tendency to get into a very long canter right before the jump and then dives down onto her forehand. Grids, especially this one with the bounce, forces her to snap up her front end quickly and keep her weight back where it should be.

This was (going right to left was the direction we took it) a one stride, bounce, bounce, two stride. Starting out, we had the first jump set and the others set to poles- as we went through, the other jumps were set one at a time. By the end, we started raising the last jump for height and continued to the other jumps on course. Ruby was super good, looking and trying to figure out what she needed to do- my job was just to get her there and stay out of her way...

Easier said than done. When we come up to a jump and the distance is in any way awkward, I have a habit of 'jumping for her' (basically, I get into 2 point before she actually jumps). This throws her off balance, throws me off balance, and throws Debi a teaching curve ball (lol, if she could reach she'd probably smack me- and I'd deserve it). A year ago, Ruby would have dumped me for riding like that, so to Ruby: thanks for putting up with my crap in that lesson.

This is why we practice :)

Goal Setting

“What are your goals for this year?”

I am sure that by now, most everyone has heard of the importance of goal setting- whether that be financially, in academia, professional career, or general life choices…but what about for your riding?

At one point I was boarding Ruby at a very nice, quiet barn. There was no resident trainer, so Connie was traveling an hour each way to come teach me once per week. However, only so much can be done in only one weekly ride, and the fact that the other boarders had horses more as pets did not help my motivation. Stepping back, I realized that I was spending all this money on board and lessons for…what? Shortly after this epiphany, I moved Ruby to an active barn where others had more of the same goals that we did- showing the local circuit.

Debi asked me about my goals in my last lesson, and I honestly did not know how to reply. I mean, I knew I wanted to take Ruby to shows, but had not put much thought into what kind of shows/at which level/how far away. After all the years of incessant blood, sweat, and tears (literally), I suppose it never occurred to me that Ruby and I had finally reached a point where we had options: Did we want to compete Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, or continue with Horse Trials? Maybe all of the above?

Finances are still an issue for me at this point in my life: juggling the cost of living, Ruby’s other expenses, student loan debt, and retirement; because of this, I had to be especially careful/picky about this decision. Debi and I agreed that our near term goal would be our first recognized show in October: Middle Tennessee.

What is goal setting?

Goal setting is the process of defining goals (short-term and long-term). Seems pretty self explanatory, right?

In my opinion, there are a few requirements for goal setting that will make you more likely to succeed. For riding, the general guidelines for business goal practices are applicable:

1. Write your goals down: make sure to include a time-frame, specific terms, and make sure it is measurable. If you write/log your goals you are much more likely to commit to them!

2. Make a goal that has value- choose something that is important enough to you that you will not lose motivation when you hit obstacles.

3. Goals should be achievable, but challenging.

4. Choose a support group- having others who support your goals can help keep you motivated and on track.

I am going to start out with saying my goal for this year is: Finish BN at the Middle TN show with Ruby!

8 Years of Friendship

"Thanks for being you, Ruby"

Today marks mine and Ruby's 8 year anniversary.

That smile sums it up

Recently, I have been swamped with medical bills, car repairs, and one difficult cat that keeps getting sick. This has forced me into a very sticky financial situation; one where everyone automatically says "why don't you get rid of the horse- you'd save SO MUCH money then!"

I won't deny it- I WOULD save a lot of money; it was a financially irresponsible decision to have a horse while I was paying for school and living on my own back in 2007.

I will starve first.

Yes, it costs money. Yes, I sometimes wish I could have my own house now, or go out with my friends every weekend, and update my aging wardrobe. But what you have to consider is this: what has Ruby done for me, and what is the price of that? When my ex of 6 years cheated on me and all my friends had abandoned me- Ruby was there. When I was struggling with bullying, lack of self confidence, and depression- Ruby was there. When I graduated college and had to deal with the stress of my first 'real' job- Ruby was there. Even when I showed up only once a week at 11pm, she was there to greet me with her cute Ruby nicker. No matter what, she is always there; to hug, to make me laugh, to remind me that not all strong bonds have to be human. She will never betray me, she will never tell my secrets, and she will never give up on me.

How do you put a price on that?

So to Ruby:Thank you. Thank you for being there when no one else is. Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and your uncanny habit of not allowing me to mope. Thank you for your willingness to give in a world full of takers. Thank you for helping my dreams become reality. But most of all, thank you for being you.