While Kat is enjoying his time off, I have been riding my WB mare and getting her going under saddle. She was ridden as a 3y/o at a clinic and been a broodie for the most part since. Bringing a 13y/o mare along is fun, has it's challenges and also the same rewards of any age horse really.
I am posting about it on my other blog- The Well Groomed Horse Join us in the journey from broodie to show horse as I prepare her to finally go in the ring under saddle...
Friday, April 26, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Refresher course
Since Kat has had the last two weeks off and then a twist in a string of events kept me from riding my mare on Sunday, I pulled him out and decided to drive. We would just tootle around the pasture, nothing big, just an easy workout. I went with the snaffle and figured we would work on walking, bending and just keeping things relaxed for the most part.
Kat was his normal, calm and quiet self while I brushed him off and he did try slipping under the rail once or twice before I harnessed up. I almost forgot to put his boots on, but grabbed them and slipped them on, put him to and we were ready to go. I climbed into the cart; we went out back and started walking. We did some big circles, smaller circles, serpentines, stopped and walked off a few times and everything was good so we headed out into the big pasture with the cows. Yes we drive in the pasture with the neighbor’s cows and Betsy. We give them room and everyone is good.
Best laid plans, good intentions and all those happy thoughts went right out the window as soon as I asked for a trot. Kat was walking nice enough, but now that we were trotting he wanted to speed up and even canter. Um, NO! I had to bring him back down to a walk and then ask for a trot again and he was still fussing in the bridle and being a little twit. I couldn't just let him run and blow off steam, but I also couldn't get after him too much either for having that extra steam.
We trotted circles, we made a somewhat cloverleaf pattern in the pasture and we trotted down the centerline. There were a lot of change of direction and asking for bend, then change again and go back to bending the other way. Before long, Kat kept offering to stop. He was quitting on me, but if I tried letting up on the reins he tried taking off again and would speed up.
From here it will be back to ground driving and long line work in the snaffle again. Let him work out his own issues without the interference of the cart shafts, me and anything else anyone can think of to blame it on. Another part of the issue is that he is a stallion, it is spring and the mares are all in heat or will be. Expecting him to focus - he should be able to, but there are still times that nature takes over and he has his mind on other things. I'm not excusing his behavior for this, but rather pointing it out to keep it in mind that this is why he may not be responding like he should. If it gets in the way too much, too often- I don't have a problem calling the vet out to take care of that. Good stallions often make awesome geldings.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
All said and done
This part of the CDE is not something I have shared with very many people yet. It was beyond awesome and with all things considered leading up to the CDE and the whole weekend in general- I was beyond thrilled for things to end on such a high note.
I have a lot into this- time, effort, (not so much on the blood, but...) sweat and tears, talking to people and asking questions on how to improve- several DUH! & A-HA! moments along the way, money, travel, etc. and things are not only looking up, but it seems they are about to get a whole lot better... and more challenging, possibly difficult and more than likely tougher at times too.
As the names were called and we each drove forward to accept our ribbons, the gentleman handing them out asked if Kat was a Welsh or at least a cross. When I answered that he is, he told me he thought so, "because typical of the Welsh attitude- Kat had something to say about everything". He also told me he thought he was a very nice pony and he enjoyed watching our performance in the cones.
I talked to Gary later on back at the barn and was quite thrilled with what I heard. He told me- "Keep working with him and move up to Prelim. He is ready for it and so are you. Besides, the times in the hazards would count, you would be doing the water hazard- you are obviously ready for that- Move him up." I am pretty sure I had a huge, stupid looking grin on my face about then. Wow. Okay then...
Later as I helped my friend put her horse to the cart for her cones performance, she too told me to move him up. I told her that Gary had just said the same thing and she said "He's right. You guys are ready for it. He is a lovely pony and has such beautiful movement and he will just get even better." Now I had two well respected opinions and 'votes' to move him up to Prelim.
After returning to the barn to gather things up, then walking over to the tent area- which was still covered in mud and slippery, sloppy and buzzing with people... I ran into another club member Jim. He is our course designer and judge for the cones portion of the ADT's and he also helps out with the hazards at the events. He is/was an approved ADS judge and a very knowledgeable horseman as well as driver. "My friends and I were seated in the tent and talking about how much we like your pony and how nice he looks in harness."
That not only blew me away, but it had my mind racing wildly for a minute or two before I could find the words to thank him and let him know how much it meant to me to hear him say that. I'm not sure who his friends were, but knowing Jim, they too were likely well respected and knowledgeable drivers.
I had such a great time at the event, playing in the mud with both the truck and the pony/cart, then to have moved up from 4th to 3rd, posting a quick time in cones going double clear and getting not just one, but three compliments on everything... Yes at one point I was literally jumping up and down playing in the mud like a little kid. It has been an adventure and the adventure is far from being over.
We will be moving up to Prelim, but for the most part- Kat is getting the summer off. I will still be working him and driving him, posting pics of him when I can, so don't worry about that. The two upcoming ADT's are about 2 1/2 hours away (one south- the other north) so we will be skipping them both. The last two ADT's to finish out the year- Paulden in the fall and Dale Creek in November- we will stay at training level while working on getting things right for the switch next year.
If we make the Grass Ridge CDE in October, I will look long and hard at how he is doing before sending our entries in. Worst case? We tank miserably in dressage and knock it out in the marathon and cones, maybe moving up a placing or two... or 'E' out altogether with a big donation to the club and ADS. Who knows where it will go, but at least we will give it a shot and do our best.
I have a lot into this- time, effort, (not so much on the blood, but...) sweat and tears, talking to people and asking questions on how to improve- several DUH! & A-HA! moments along the way, money, travel, etc. and things are not only looking up, but it seems they are about to get a whole lot better... and more challenging, possibly difficult and more than likely tougher at times too.
As the names were called and we each drove forward to accept our ribbons, the gentleman handing them out asked if Kat was a Welsh or at least a cross. When I answered that he is, he told me he thought so, "because typical of the Welsh attitude- Kat had something to say about everything". He also told me he thought he was a very nice pony and he enjoyed watching our performance in the cones.
I talked to Gary later on back at the barn and was quite thrilled with what I heard. He told me- "Keep working with him and move up to Prelim. He is ready for it and so are you. Besides, the times in the hazards would count, you would be doing the water hazard- you are obviously ready for that- Move him up." I am pretty sure I had a huge, stupid looking grin on my face about then. Wow. Okay then...
Later as I helped my friend put her horse to the cart for her cones performance, she too told me to move him up. I told her that Gary had just said the same thing and she said "He's right. You guys are ready for it. He is a lovely pony and has such beautiful movement and he will just get even better." Now I had two well respected opinions and 'votes' to move him up to Prelim.
After returning to the barn to gather things up, then walking over to the tent area- which was still covered in mud and slippery, sloppy and buzzing with people... I ran into another club member Jim. He is our course designer and judge for the cones portion of the ADT's and he also helps out with the hazards at the events. He is/was an approved ADS judge and a very knowledgeable horseman as well as driver. "My friends and I were seated in the tent and talking about how much we like your pony and how nice he looks in harness."
That not only blew me away, but it had my mind racing wildly for a minute or two before I could find the words to thank him and let him know how much it meant to me to hear him say that. I'm not sure who his friends were, but knowing Jim, they too were likely well respected and knowledgeable drivers.
I had such a great time at the event, playing in the mud with both the truck and the pony/cart, then to have moved up from 4th to 3rd, posting a quick time in cones going double clear and getting not just one, but three compliments on everything... Yes at one point I was literally jumping up and down playing in the mud like a little kid. It has been an adventure and the adventure is far from being over.
We will be moving up to Prelim, but for the most part- Kat is getting the summer off. I will still be working him and driving him, posting pics of him when I can, so don't worry about that. The two upcoming ADT's are about 2 1/2 hours away (one south- the other north) so we will be skipping them both. The last two ADT's to finish out the year- Paulden in the fall and Dale Creek in November- we will stay at training level while working on getting things right for the switch next year.
If we make the Grass Ridge CDE in October, I will look long and hard at how he is doing before sending our entries in. Worst case? We tank miserably in dressage and knock it out in the marathon and cones, maybe moving up a placing or two... or 'E' out altogether with a big donation to the club and ADS. Who knows where it will go, but at least we will give it a shot and do our best.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Cones
With cones on the last day, they run the order of entries from last place to first. By moving up one placing in the standings we were scheduled to go right in the middle and then after that you wait around and they bring all of the training level entries (VSE, pony, horse, pairs, etc.) back into the ring to hand out the ribbons.
Our warm up was done out in the muddy area and the vet check- OTM (on the move) was done in the squishy, rutted grass of the holding area. Because the footing was so bad in there, I wasn't pushing him to do much more than expected and even at that, our circles were not all that great. He was sound though and there was no stiffness or soreness from his effort the day before so we were good to go. Watching the one gentleman in our class- he took a slightly different route in the cones and I believe he might have been the fastest on the course for the day. He did it in 3:24 with no time penalties, no balls down.
When it was our turn, Kat and I went in and knocked it out. There were a few places that the grass was deeply rutted crossing our intended route and again, Kat became a jumper as well as a driving pony and bounced his way around the course. He tried a few times to break into a canter and quickly brought it back down with a few words of discouragement from me. That could wait until we were done and he knows it. As usual we flew thru the cones and it was over before you know it. We flashed through the finish line and Kat loped towards the gate out of the arena. He had been whinnying his way through the course, but it wasn't as much or as loudly as he had done in dressage. For our efforts, we were double clear- no balls down, no time penalties.
Standing around waiting for the rest of the training level ponies, then horses to go, Kat was getting antsy. He wanted to do something. I took him out back to the warm up area and let him run. He made several laps going one direction, then several more going the other direction... As long as he didn't get too racy or stupid on me, he could keep going. He wasn't tired or worn out, but he was a lot more relaxed when I slowed him down to the trot again. Little man has got some serious staying power, since most of the other ponies and horses were happy to be standing around and resting for the most part.
Later I checked the scores and we were 2nd fastest for training level, single pony in the cones. We had done it in 3:44. The other times in our division were 3:47, 3:48 and 4:00. We had locked in our 3rd place position overall.
Friday, March 29, 2013
And on the 3rd day
After the marathon portion on Saturday I had to hose everything down. Silly me, I unhooked Kat and after removing the harness- took him over to hose him off. Then I took the cart over to hose it off and afterwards wiped down the harness to get the mud off of it too. I should have just hosed it all off at once. It would have been much easier.
Sunday morning was fun getting the horse trailer in with all of the mud. The two main driveways were nice and firm with good traction, but getting from one to the other was the issue. I had it in 4WD and gunned it, holding my foot steady and not letting up for nothin'. The biggest mistake a lot of people made was going too slow and then stopping and then of course they were stuck. As it was- I did manage to slide my truck sideways a bit throwing mud all over the front of the trailer on the way in. As it was sliding, I held my foot steady on the gas pedal and was laughing out loud having a blast. This was not the first time I have been mud boggin' at a horse show!
I pulled around and backed the trailer in next to a friend of mine and her rig. It turned out later in the day, she would be helping me hitch up and I would be helping her. This was what I remember of horse shows from the past- people helping each other out, everyone there to do their best and most of all to have FUN! Since things were still a bit muddy, some allowances were made as far as 'proper attire' in the ring. I wasn't going to wear my muck boots in the ring, but I wouldn't be wearing my nice shoes either. I was going with my boots...
I had started to make a new coat for this event and when things didn't come together like they should, I scrapped the idea and went with the hat, coat and apron I had made for Grass Ridge last fall. Thursday night after dropping off Kat, I had to rush home and finish a skirt to go with it all. I had thought about buying a pair of slacks, but decided matching the colors would be a challenge and look ridiculous without the apron so I went with making the skirt.
When it came time to get ready for cones, I harnessed Kat at the trailer, then climbed inside to change clothes. The look for in the ring was one thing. I had on the hat, the coat, my tank top underneath my skirt, my tall socks and my boots. I put my apron on and tucked it up into the waistband with my gloves. I was ready to put Kat to the cart and go.
My friend had asked about me putting the apron on before putting Kat to the cart. Wouldn't it drag in the dirt? When I tucked it up, she had never thought of that before. This was kind of funny to me since she is a pleasure driving judge and competes at the advanced level. She did give me a tip on the decoration of my hat- tuck up the ends of the tulling on the bow. Having it flowing out behind me was distracting. Like in hunters and dressage- clean lines make for fewer distractions on the judges eye. Since today was cones, it could pass, but in the dressage or pleasure class rings- no!
To be continued...
Sunday morning was fun getting the horse trailer in with all of the mud. The two main driveways were nice and firm with good traction, but getting from one to the other was the issue. I had it in 4WD and gunned it, holding my foot steady and not letting up for nothin'. The biggest mistake a lot of people made was going too slow and then stopping and then of course they were stuck. As it was- I did manage to slide my truck sideways a bit throwing mud all over the front of the trailer on the way in. As it was sliding, I held my foot steady on the gas pedal and was laughing out loud having a blast. This was not the first time I have been mud boggin' at a horse show!
I pulled around and backed the trailer in next to a friend of mine and her rig. It turned out later in the day, she would be helping me hitch up and I would be helping her. This was what I remember of horse shows from the past- people helping each other out, everyone there to do their best and most of all to have FUN! Since things were still a bit muddy, some allowances were made as far as 'proper attire' in the ring. I wasn't going to wear my muck boots in the ring, but I wouldn't be wearing my nice shoes either. I was going with my boots...
I had started to make a new coat for this event and when things didn't come together like they should, I scrapped the idea and went with the hat, coat and apron I had made for Grass Ridge last fall. Thursday night after dropping off Kat, I had to rush home and finish a skirt to go with it all. I had thought about buying a pair of slacks, but decided matching the colors would be a challenge and look ridiculous without the apron so I went with making the skirt.
When it came time to get ready for cones, I harnessed Kat at the trailer, then climbed inside to change clothes. The look for in the ring was one thing. I had on the hat, the coat, my tank top underneath my skirt, my tall socks and my boots. I put my apron on and tucked it up into the waistband with my gloves. I was ready to put Kat to the cart and go.
My friend had asked about me putting the apron on before putting Kat to the cart. Wouldn't it drag in the dirt? When I tucked it up, she had never thought of that before. This was kind of funny to me since she is a pleasure driving judge and competes at the advanced level. She did give me a tip on the decoration of my hat- tuck up the ends of the tulling on the bow. Having it flowing out behind me was distracting. Like in hunters and dressage- clean lines make for fewer distractions on the judges eye. Since today was cones, it could pass, but in the dressage or pleasure class rings- no!
To be continued...
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Marathon- Section E
The third stage of the marathon is Section E and has the hazards. This is where the fun begins! One thing that stuck in my mind from last year was to take my time and do things right. Slow and right beats fast and wrong, all the time, every time. Last year since it was my first CDE, I can admit that I got caught up in the excitement of being there, being in the moment and letting Kat go as fast as he wanted without breaking out of a trot. Doing that cost us big in the end.
Last year I was in 3rd after dressage and slipped to 4th because of my mistakes in Section E of the marathon. I seriously think they call it Section E, because if you are going to E out or get Eliminated- that is where it is likely to happen. Missed gates, red on the right, several obstacles to remember your path through and even with a good 'gator- it still happens and not just at Training Level.
As a quick recap from last year- I let Kat go too fast and in Hazard #2 we overshot one way into the maze, took the next one- which happened to be Gate C and rearranged the alphabet that day. That cost us 20 penalty points. **Something to note here- in training level, your time IN the hazards doesn't count** Then at the end, Kat was cruising along in a really nice extended trot so I let him. I figured we would finish strong doing a bold, very forward trot. Another big mistake since we finished 34 seconds Under the minimum time allowed. We were too fast and racked up More penalty points... Doh!
So this year I had my plan of action in mind. I had walked the course three times already and although the first time out I mistakenly went through the hazards in the wrong the wrong order. I walked through #1, #2, #5, then #3 and finally #7 instead of taking them in the correct order. At least while I was walking them- I realized what happened and retraced the course in my mind so I knew what I was supposed to do. Mind you this was on Friday afternoon. The wind was blowing at around 65mph at times, it was raining off and on and twice we had decent sized hail. This is all supposed to be FUN! Remember???
**#4 is the water hazard. ADS rules state there is to be an optional dry route for training level, but since this one is set up in a way that a dry route is not possible- training level skips it. Training level also only has 5 Hazards so #6 was skipped as well. It consists of 2 large 'covered wagons' and Gate B was going right through the one wagon**
As Kat and I made our way out to the start of Section E, he didn't have a care in the world about the same people who were the scary, horse eating monsters that we had to go past to get to the start of Section A. He was ready for action, but this time around, these people were fine and not going to bother him, let alone set him off like they had earlier that morning. We walked around in the waiting area as the pony before us was also waiting for their turn to go.
We are spaced out in 5 minute increments so that there is a steady flow through the hazards and everyone has plenty of time to do things right, make corrections and be on their way before the next competitor comes through. This also gives the many volunteers at each hazard time to consult and call in any penalties to the TD and Ground Jury. With so many people armed with camera's and video cameras- if there is any question about anything- someone along the sidelines probably has it on hand for a quick review and is more than happy to provide digital evidence of what you actually did.
Kat and I finally had our turn and we headed off to complete the rest of our course. He was comfortable moving along at a steady working trot. We headed off to Hazard #1 the Kokopelli Pipes. Some of you may have seen photos of us in the pipes as we had done them at the Darby back in December.
To get to the Pipes, you have to enter a fenced area and right in the gateway was a sizeable spot of mud. No problem here- Kat just launched his little bad self into the air and jumped it. The mud was pretty firmly packed, but he didn't care and wasn't going to set foot on it and find out otherwise. There was plenty of photographers on the sidelines and I am hoping that someone caught that, because I was cracking up and I heard several others laughing about it as well. He never fails to surprise, impress, amuse or entertain if given the chance.
We wound our way around and through Gates A, B and C, thanked everyone as we went through the Out gate and headed out the way we came in. Kat jumped the mud again and kept on going like it was no big deal or anything out of the ordinary. Everyone had another good laugh about it and it was all good. We wound our way around and through the course, went through Hazards #2 & #3, looped around through the fields and I could see that we were gaining fast on the horse in front of us. This kind of had me concerned. Either we were going way too fast, they were going too slow or a combination of both was happening and we were both going to get nailed on it later.
I slowed Kat down a bit as we were approaching and lined up for Hazard #5 to let them get out of there before we came blasting along. We headed into #5 and easily wound our way around through the gates and I made sure the red was always on my right as we went through them.
As we came out of #5 we were stopped and advised that the course had changed. Where we should have gone straight and wound our way around through a field- others had gone through it in the morning and their horses struggled as the horses and carts sank into the deep mud. One woman's horse, a lovely Trakehner mare sank to her knees in the mud while the cart sank to the axles. There was nowhere to go but forward. They were on the path through the field, so getting off the path meant the mud may be deeper yet. One of the minis or VSE entries- the driver had to get off the cart and lead her horse out to solid ground. She was advised she would not be penalized for it and after that- that section of the course was closed.
After coming off of #5, we took a right to the end of the road, made a left and went up that road to a 'marker' which was a person waiting to tell us to make a U-turn and come back, that we would be back on course from there and proceed as normal, which was go to hazard #7. At Hazard #7 we went in the In gate, made our U-turn and back out through the Out gate heading for the end of section E.
Once you cross through the markers at the end of Section E, you head back over again to the vet check and rest area. The vet gives you a quick once over- respiratory and HR, quick look to see that the horse is ok and then you are met by the President of the Jury. You hand him your green time card and he figures your times for each section and scores.
On Section A with 23-25 minutes as the time allowed? Our time was 23:03. We BARELY squeaked by on that one without penalties by 3 seconds. Talk about cutting it close! In the walk portion- Section D the maximum time was 12 minutes and we came in at around 9 or 10 minutes I believe. Now for the scary part. I have no idea how we did in Section E and he didn't either. It looked like we were once again fast, but since the route was changed, the one hazard withdrawn- they really couldn't figure times on the course at that point and would have to make the changes and accommodations later and then refigure the scores.
As it turned out- because of all of the changes, the overall time for Section E for all levels was tossed out. Only the time in the hazards for the upper levels would count as well as any penalties or major mistakes which resulted in elimination. While one person in Training Single Pony did have time penalties in Section A of the marathon- None of us E'ed out! This penalty for the other competitor moved us up into third place.
After shaking hands with the President of the Jury and thanking him for his time and comments, I headed Kat back towards the barns. He still had plenty of pep and plenty of breakfast to finish cleaning up. I had plenty of mud to clean up and clean off of everything. As we made our way back behind the tent and past the giant orange semi of Gerard Paagman- Ideal Harness it was a soupy, wet and incredibly sloppy mess. So I let Kat run...
And run he did! Mud was literally spraying up off the wheels on the cart as well as it splashing up through the steel mesh of the basket as it came off his feet. We were both having a wicked blast and I soon realized I had better stop smiling because there was plenty of mud getting all over me and in my face. Yes I had mud in my teeth and Kat probably did too. At that point neither of us cared. We were having a total blast...
And this is the muddy, messy result-
My boots
My helmet on the seat of the truck
Mud chunks on the seat
A couple of chunks in the basket still and the number holder pulled double duty holding my green time card for each section.
More mud
You can see where I sat the whole time- it's clean!
The back of my number holder on the tailgate. It's caked!
Last year I was in 3rd after dressage and slipped to 4th because of my mistakes in Section E of the marathon. I seriously think they call it Section E, because if you are going to E out or get Eliminated- that is where it is likely to happen. Missed gates, red on the right, several obstacles to remember your path through and even with a good 'gator- it still happens and not just at Training Level.
As a quick recap from last year- I let Kat go too fast and in Hazard #2 we overshot one way into the maze, took the next one- which happened to be Gate C and rearranged the alphabet that day. That cost us 20 penalty points. **Something to note here- in training level, your time IN the hazards doesn't count** Then at the end, Kat was cruising along in a really nice extended trot so I let him. I figured we would finish strong doing a bold, very forward trot. Another big mistake since we finished 34 seconds Under the minimum time allowed. We were too fast and racked up More penalty points... Doh!
So this year I had my plan of action in mind. I had walked the course three times already and although the first time out I mistakenly went through the hazards in the wrong the wrong order. I walked through #1, #2, #5, then #3 and finally #7 instead of taking them in the correct order. At least while I was walking them- I realized what happened and retraced the course in my mind so I knew what I was supposed to do. Mind you this was on Friday afternoon. The wind was blowing at around 65mph at times, it was raining off and on and twice we had decent sized hail. This is all supposed to be FUN! Remember???
**#4 is the water hazard. ADS rules state there is to be an optional dry route for training level, but since this one is set up in a way that a dry route is not possible- training level skips it. Training level also only has 5 Hazards so #6 was skipped as well. It consists of 2 large 'covered wagons' and Gate B was going right through the one wagon**
As Kat and I made our way out to the start of Section E, he didn't have a care in the world about the same people who were the scary, horse eating monsters that we had to go past to get to the start of Section A. He was ready for action, but this time around, these people were fine and not going to bother him, let alone set him off like they had earlier that morning. We walked around in the waiting area as the pony before us was also waiting for their turn to go.
We are spaced out in 5 minute increments so that there is a steady flow through the hazards and everyone has plenty of time to do things right, make corrections and be on their way before the next competitor comes through. This also gives the many volunteers at each hazard time to consult and call in any penalties to the TD and Ground Jury. With so many people armed with camera's and video cameras- if there is any question about anything- someone along the sidelines probably has it on hand for a quick review and is more than happy to provide digital evidence of what you actually did.
Kat and I finally had our turn and we headed off to complete the rest of our course. He was comfortable moving along at a steady working trot. We headed off to Hazard #1 the Kokopelli Pipes. Some of you may have seen photos of us in the pipes as we had done them at the Darby back in December.
To get to the Pipes, you have to enter a fenced area and right in the gateway was a sizeable spot of mud. No problem here- Kat just launched his little bad self into the air and jumped it. The mud was pretty firmly packed, but he didn't care and wasn't going to set foot on it and find out otherwise. There was plenty of photographers on the sidelines and I am hoping that someone caught that, because I was cracking up and I heard several others laughing about it as well. He never fails to surprise, impress, amuse or entertain if given the chance.
We wound our way around and through Gates A, B and C, thanked everyone as we went through the Out gate and headed out the way we came in. Kat jumped the mud again and kept on going like it was no big deal or anything out of the ordinary. Everyone had another good laugh about it and it was all good. We wound our way around and through the course, went through Hazards #2 & #3, looped around through the fields and I could see that we were gaining fast on the horse in front of us. This kind of had me concerned. Either we were going way too fast, they were going too slow or a combination of both was happening and we were both going to get nailed on it later.
I slowed Kat down a bit as we were approaching and lined up for Hazard #5 to let them get out of there before we came blasting along. We headed into #5 and easily wound our way around through the gates and I made sure the red was always on my right as we went through them.
As we came out of #5 we were stopped and advised that the course had changed. Where we should have gone straight and wound our way around through a field- others had gone through it in the morning and their horses struggled as the horses and carts sank into the deep mud. One woman's horse, a lovely Trakehner mare sank to her knees in the mud while the cart sank to the axles. There was nowhere to go but forward. They were on the path through the field, so getting off the path meant the mud may be deeper yet. One of the minis or VSE entries- the driver had to get off the cart and lead her horse out to solid ground. She was advised she would not be penalized for it and after that- that section of the course was closed.
After coming off of #5, we took a right to the end of the road, made a left and went up that road to a 'marker' which was a person waiting to tell us to make a U-turn and come back, that we would be back on course from there and proceed as normal, which was go to hazard #7. At Hazard #7 we went in the In gate, made our U-turn and back out through the Out gate heading for the end of section E.
Once you cross through the markers at the end of Section E, you head back over again to the vet check and rest area. The vet gives you a quick once over- respiratory and HR, quick look to see that the horse is ok and then you are met by the President of the Jury. You hand him your green time card and he figures your times for each section and scores.
On Section A with 23-25 minutes as the time allowed? Our time was 23:03. We BARELY squeaked by on that one without penalties by 3 seconds. Talk about cutting it close! In the walk portion- Section D the maximum time was 12 minutes and we came in at around 9 or 10 minutes I believe. Now for the scary part. I have no idea how we did in Section E and he didn't either. It looked like we were once again fast, but since the route was changed, the one hazard withdrawn- they really couldn't figure times on the course at that point and would have to make the changes and accommodations later and then refigure the scores.
As it turned out- because of all of the changes, the overall time for Section E for all levels was tossed out. Only the time in the hazards for the upper levels would count as well as any penalties or major mistakes which resulted in elimination. While one person in Training Single Pony did have time penalties in Section A of the marathon- None of us E'ed out! This penalty for the other competitor moved us up into third place.
After shaking hands with the President of the Jury and thanking him for his time and comments, I headed Kat back towards the barns. He still had plenty of pep and plenty of breakfast to finish cleaning up. I had plenty of mud to clean up and clean off of everything. As we made our way back behind the tent and past the giant orange semi of Gerard Paagman- Ideal Harness it was a soupy, wet and incredibly sloppy mess. So I let Kat run...
And run he did! Mud was literally spraying up off the wheels on the cart as well as it splashing up through the steel mesh of the basket as it came off his feet. We were both having a wicked blast and I soon realized I had better stop smiling because there was plenty of mud getting all over me and in my face. Yes I had mud in my teeth and Kat probably did too. At that point neither of us cared. We were having a total blast...
And this is the muddy, messy result-
My boots
My helmet on the seat of the truck
Mud chunks on the seat
A couple of chunks in the basket still and the number holder pulled double duty holding my green time card for each section.
More mud
You can see where I sat the whole time- it's clean!
The back of my number holder on the tailgate. It's caked!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Marathon- Section A & D
Because of the slick footing in the dressage arena on Friday and it only got worse as the day progressed- the organizers stopped everything with the last 7 competitors' still waiting and decided to have them compete on Saturday morning. The marathon start times would get pushed back about an hour and because one of the hazards was under water- it was excluded. We would all simply go through the In gate, make a U-turn and exit through the Out gate. This was a good thing because the footing was beyond slick, any way you tried to go through it.
Since Kat would need all of his energy for the day, I didn't lunge him or hand walk him at all. I just harnessed him up in the stall, changed my boots, grabbed my gloves, put him to and started heading for the holding area by the starting line. As we went out the driveway, he spotted the people volunteering for the start of Section E. For whatever reason- they. freaked. his. shit. out! He got really flighty, tried to spin around to the left and Bolt! I managed to keep him from taking off, but dang he wanted no part of going past them at all. Thankfully I went with the butterfly bit that day. Had I used the snaffle as I had considered- I don't know if I could have kept him under control when that happened.
One of them told me that the ground on the pathway coming in was firmer and we would likely be better off up there. I told him the slick, deep mud was working in my favor to make the going tough and help keep him from flipping out altogether. If he had to really work at getting through it, he would have less traction if he really wanted to get outta dodge. And just as quickly as he seen them and freaked- he was perfectly fine and we went on our way. He was still a bit amped up, but he was listening and responding to me.
The marathon is in three sections. Section A is generally on pretty even ground and the same distance for all levels. You can also go at any pace in any level, but you still have your minimum time allowed and maximum time allowed. It is stressed that this is a pace, not a race. For small ponies the minimum time allowed was 23 minutes and the maximum was 25 minutes. Talking to one of the other Single Pony entries later on- you are encouraged to use as much of the time as you can, although you receive less penalty points for going too fast than you do for going too slow.
As we were cruising along, I kept checking my watch and trying to do the math in my head. We started at 11:41 and I checked my watch, did some quick math and figured we had to finish section A around 12:06 or so. I'm pretty sure my math was off from the start so I kept checking my watch and trying to refigure, always coming back to the same conclusion and thinking- "Crap, we have Got to make up some time!" Part of the problem- I couldn't see the pony that went before us. At all.
Last year, I could see that horse and just kept a steady pace behind them and kept them at a steady distance. I figured they had a 'gator, I would use them in a way and judge it by them. We came in well in good time last year doing that so why not this year? Only this year I had nothing to go by. Any pace is allowed? Fine. I let Kat run. As fast as he wanted to go- we went! I kissed to him once and eased up on the reins and he gladly took off.
I couldn't see the end checkpoint of section A and still thought we were behind on our time so we ran some more. Kat was really good about it and kept his head about him. He didn't get all squirrely on me and whenever there were mud puddles in our path, I slowed him down and guided him around or through them and we took off again. And because of all of the mud- It was flying everywhere! Large chunks were coming off the wheels and flying up over my head and landing all around us. Some of them even landed in the basket of the cart and since it is diamond mesh steel, I ground it through with my boot. We didn't need any extra weight on the cart or any souvenirs for later. As it was- there was plenty on everything else anyways.
Kat did slow down for the few places we crossed the paved roads, but once back on the dirt and up next to the farm fields- off we went again. Finally I could see the checkpoint for the end of section A. We were still in good time so I eased him back down to a trot. He actually walked up to the checkpoint and wanted to stop before going over the line and ending our time. Kind of a good thing he did as I would find out later on.
Then came Section D, which is a walk section. We had 12 minutes or less to complete it and again I figured my time on it and what the maximum would be. Kat was more than happy to walk as I think he burned off plenty of his exuberance and excess energy blasting along through Section A. Part of it too was that Section D for the most part- is heading back into the property and familiar territory for the horses. As it was, we came in well within the time allowed. Section D is followed by a vet check and then a mandatory 10 minute rest period. You can offer the horse water and let them stand around or even keep them walking. This is also a good time to put on your protective vest for the next part, if you weren't already wearing it.
At the vet check, a gentleman came over and acquainted himself to Kat before trying to take his temperature. Kat wanted no part of that and half reared as he half tried to sit down. I haven't ever had to take his temperature before so that was a new one for him. Not wanting to cause any issues, the temp was scratched unless I wanted it done. I don't really have a need, so we skipped it. When the vet came over to take his respiratory and heart rates, he was getting fidgety and interested in why all of a sudden he was such the fuss?
The man taking temperatures stood by his head to help keep Kat quiet. Kat started sniffing him and huffing and puffing about it. The vet was trying to get his respiratory rate and this was not helping. Then Kat just held his breath. That didn't help her any either. Finally she just stood back and looked at him, watched him interacting with the temp man and determined he did not look to be stressed or overworked, he wasn't labored in his breathing, just not cooperating so she noted that and went for the heart rate. His resting HR was 44 and we joked about him trying to hold his heartbeat and if he could manage that, then we had issues. The vet looked him over once more before letting us go for our rest period. She wanted to be sure about his breathing which she decided was fine and let us go.
To be continued...
Since Kat would need all of his energy for the day, I didn't lunge him or hand walk him at all. I just harnessed him up in the stall, changed my boots, grabbed my gloves, put him to and started heading for the holding area by the starting line. As we went out the driveway, he spotted the people volunteering for the start of Section E. For whatever reason- they. freaked. his. shit. out! He got really flighty, tried to spin around to the left and Bolt! I managed to keep him from taking off, but dang he wanted no part of going past them at all. Thankfully I went with the butterfly bit that day. Had I used the snaffle as I had considered- I don't know if I could have kept him under control when that happened.
One of them told me that the ground on the pathway coming in was firmer and we would likely be better off up there. I told him the slick, deep mud was working in my favor to make the going tough and help keep him from flipping out altogether. If he had to really work at getting through it, he would have less traction if he really wanted to get outta dodge. And just as quickly as he seen them and freaked- he was perfectly fine and we went on our way. He was still a bit amped up, but he was listening and responding to me.
The marathon is in three sections. Section A is generally on pretty even ground and the same distance for all levels. You can also go at any pace in any level, but you still have your minimum time allowed and maximum time allowed. It is stressed that this is a pace, not a race. For small ponies the minimum time allowed was 23 minutes and the maximum was 25 minutes. Talking to one of the other Single Pony entries later on- you are encouraged to use as much of the time as you can, although you receive less penalty points for going too fast than you do for going too slow.
As we were cruising along, I kept checking my watch and trying to do the math in my head. We started at 11:41 and I checked my watch, did some quick math and figured we had to finish section A around 12:06 or so. I'm pretty sure my math was off from the start so I kept checking my watch and trying to refigure, always coming back to the same conclusion and thinking- "Crap, we have Got to make up some time!" Part of the problem- I couldn't see the pony that went before us. At all.
Last year, I could see that horse and just kept a steady pace behind them and kept them at a steady distance. I figured they had a 'gator, I would use them in a way and judge it by them. We came in well in good time last year doing that so why not this year? Only this year I had nothing to go by. Any pace is allowed? Fine. I let Kat run. As fast as he wanted to go- we went! I kissed to him once and eased up on the reins and he gladly took off.
I couldn't see the end checkpoint of section A and still thought we were behind on our time so we ran some more. Kat was really good about it and kept his head about him. He didn't get all squirrely on me and whenever there were mud puddles in our path, I slowed him down and guided him around or through them and we took off again. And because of all of the mud- It was flying everywhere! Large chunks were coming off the wheels and flying up over my head and landing all around us. Some of them even landed in the basket of the cart and since it is diamond mesh steel, I ground it through with my boot. We didn't need any extra weight on the cart or any souvenirs for later. As it was- there was plenty on everything else anyways.
Kat did slow down for the few places we crossed the paved roads, but once back on the dirt and up next to the farm fields- off we went again. Finally I could see the checkpoint for the end of section A. We were still in good time so I eased him back down to a trot. He actually walked up to the checkpoint and wanted to stop before going over the line and ending our time. Kind of a good thing he did as I would find out later on.
Then came Section D, which is a walk section. We had 12 minutes or less to complete it and again I figured my time on it and what the maximum would be. Kat was more than happy to walk as I think he burned off plenty of his exuberance and excess energy blasting along through Section A. Part of it too was that Section D for the most part- is heading back into the property and familiar territory for the horses. As it was, we came in well within the time allowed. Section D is followed by a vet check and then a mandatory 10 minute rest period. You can offer the horse water and let them stand around or even keep them walking. This is also a good time to put on your protective vest for the next part, if you weren't already wearing it.
At the vet check, a gentleman came over and acquainted himself to Kat before trying to take his temperature. Kat wanted no part of that and half reared as he half tried to sit down. I haven't ever had to take his temperature before so that was a new one for him. Not wanting to cause any issues, the temp was scratched unless I wanted it done. I don't really have a need, so we skipped it. When the vet came over to take his respiratory and heart rates, he was getting fidgety and interested in why all of a sudden he was such the fuss?
The man taking temperatures stood by his head to help keep Kat quiet. Kat started sniffing him and huffing and puffing about it. The vet was trying to get his respiratory rate and this was not helping. Then Kat just held his breath. That didn't help her any either. Finally she just stood back and looked at him, watched him interacting with the temp man and determined he did not look to be stressed or overworked, he wasn't labored in his breathing, just not cooperating so she noted that and went for the heart rate. His resting HR was 44 and we joked about him trying to hold his heartbeat and if he could manage that, then we had issues. The vet looked him over once more before letting us go for our rest period. She wanted to be sure about his breathing which she decided was fine and let us go.
To be continued...
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