One for the books

The ADT was a lot of fun. It was good to be back out there competing again and Kat seemed like he really enjoyed it. But when it comes to cones and hazards or obstacles, he is all in and it is game on!


Nuzzling Muzzles made it out and she was armed with her camera. I hope she got some more awesome shots, because after all- who doesn't like seeing their horse(s) out there doing what they are there to do? My friend Sharan had texted me the night before and offered to bring coffee, so I grabbed an assortment of Munchkins and we got down to hanging' out and having a great time.


First up was dressage and I finally had a grip on the test. Cones? Well I got to walk the course once before I had to go get checked in, unloaded and ready for the day. Then more fellow bloggers Cindy and BEC's showed up in time for lunch, we watched a few mini's zip thru the cones, helped take down the course, talked to Jim and got a good understanding of some things involving course design (more on that later), I walked the hazards and came back to meet up with everyone, go hitch the pony and get ready.

Proof it happened!

Cindy was to be my 'gator and we were to be on course at 2:42pm. Plenty of time to warm up.... We both hopped on the cart and walked Kat over to the holding area to check in. As soon as we got there, we were told, "1 minute and you're up." Um, crap. I drove Kat over where we could make a few circles at the trot and get him moving and loosened up. He was ready and we zipped around the course, him being allowed to run because we moved up a level and as usual- it was over, we were done and like everyone else, we wanted to do it again.


We all hung out and got to watch the pair of big black draft type horses go, a bunch more assorted horses and ponies and wrapped it up watching the mini's zip through at what seems like warp speed for them when the carts are sliding sideways thru the turns and dirt is flying. It was a lot of fun and the forecasted rain never showed up. Instead it was sunny, warm and t-shirt weather all the way. Next up is the CDE in Coolidge.

ADT #1, Prelim Pony

A few days left to go and I finally (think) I have my dressage test memorized. I thought I had it and would go through it in my mind... look at my printout of the test and dang it if I didn't forget something. Like the serpentine down the center of the arena. That's kind of a big one...


We moved up to Prelim and will soon find out if we are ready for it or not.


Then I was looking online for the cones course and the hazards.  Hazard 1 & 2, Hazard 3 & 4


No callers allowed for dressage at any level, as per the ADS rules, so I need to have that one burned in my brain. No cheat sheets, no visual aids, zip, nadda, nothing. We are on our own out there. You either know it or you don't. Even still, there are and will be times that in the middle of the test, your mind goes blank. Just like I did last year after the halt, wait, back and WALK to G, halt and salute the judge... I could not for the life of me remember if I was supposed to walk or trot. We did a little of both so one way or the other- half of it was right.


Cones- Jim has once again out done himself. I was looking at the map and thinking about how to do it and found myself lost around cone 12. At least they are numbered, if only I can remember to keep the red cone on the right. Oh and at Prelim, we are allowed to run. It will be challenging to see how many balls remain after we are done. At the Darby in December? We started out by running OVER cone #1. I think we hit cone #3 and from there it was all a blur.


Hazards- again we are allowed to run. I'm not sure if I will let him the whole time, but I will feel him out and see how energetic he is feeling. It should be interesting. He has gotten a lot more brave and confident as far as obstacles and hazards, but I don't want him to be too brave to the point of being crazy or reckless. That's where things go wrong and people get hurt. I'm not on board for that.


I did drive Kat over the weekend and we did walk the entire pattern. Once. That was all, walked the whole time and I didn't want him to anticipate anything.  After that we worked on circles, bending, shortening our turns and opening them back up. Spiraling in and out, smaller, then larger and changing our direction to do it the other way. We did a LOT of halts, up and down transitions and some serious serpentine work. Can I just say that the last two times I have driven him, he has been just A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!!


I met another neighbor who was riding her bike and seen us. She is into roping and gymkhana right now and lives in the neighborhood across the street. She is interested in driving and I have invited her to come try it out to see if she likes it. Super nice lady and who knows if she will pursue it or not, but the offer is out there.   

I have my reasons (III)

I had a whole post typed out on this one. I was explaining about competing one level Under what you are training on at home. A lot of competitors do this. Looking at it, it sounds like a bunch of whining. I don't often whine so I figured I would spare you all of that. Put on my big girl pants, suck it up and move on sunshine. I have plenty of good, hard, solid, steadfast reasons for not entering the CDE this year. I was telling a friend of mine about half of this and they said, "You've already talked me out of it..." So at this point, what more is there to really say?


I was looking forward to it, but the money spent on this one event will just go for other things. I am planning on hitting the ADT's this year and since I won't be competing at the CDE, I can still volunteer and help out. I can still be involved and pitch in. Support the club, lend a hand and cheer everyone else on. No harm in that.


If anyone is interested in volunteering at the event- let me know and I will put you in touch with the right people. I did it before several years ago and I was and still am, impressed. Things are organized, run smoothly, they treat you very well and appreciate your time. I still have the t-shirt from that event and remember it well. Now that I have competed at the event and been involved with the club, been to the organizing meetings and seen everything that goes on months prior, leading up to the day of... Holy cow! There is a lot that goes into it. I'm still looking forward to the CDE this year, I will still be there, it's just that my pony won't. 


That all being said, I drove him this weekend and it has been one of our best drives in a long time. He was soft, responsive and just as awesome as his little bad self could get. He didn't give me much resistance and when he did, he quickly changed his tune back to the best pony ever. I'm still not sure I have the dressage test memorized yet. I have looked at it a few times and got out and walked it once... We have worked on a few of the different aspects of it, but not repetitively or even in the same order. He shouldn't be anticipating anything or bored with any of it either. Come 'Game Day' though, who knows what will happen in the ring.

I have my reasons (Part II)

The marathon- The distance is greater, there are usually one or two more hazards (Including the WATER hazard) and the times allowed are different. Your times IN the hazards COUNT!

In all fairness to my pony, I question if we are ready for it this year. He has had all summer off, we only worked a few times and here we are a month and a half away and haven't really done squat yet. He handles the water like a pro now, between our work at home and all the water at the event last year, but he hasn't been in or near the hazard they use for it at all, ever.

Since they also may use the covered wagons hazard and it has covers on the wagons, I took him through it from all angles at the Darby. He had no problems with that, so I hope the gazebo in the water wouldn't be a problem either, but you never know, until you try it. We all know, once you try it, you have to finish it no matter what, no matter how, you have to finish it and hopefully on a good note...

Since we haven't done any real 'work', is he really in shape to be out there, cruising along for X kilometers, without any bad effects later on. Training Pony is usually 5-7 miles overall. Section's A and D (D is walk only) is the same for all horses. Section E is he hazards and where he excels. He tries harder, goes faster, pushes for more and really enjoys it. I know he will try his hardest, give me his best effort and just go and go and go. He definitely has a lot of heart and is Always willing to give it, but is it fair to ask that of him on short notice? I have seen a horse 'pulled out' of competition because the horse was done. I don't ever want to be that horse.

This one is a whiny excuse- I need to get serious if I am to be taken seriously out there. I don't have a stopwatch yet to help calculate our times out on the course. I use my goofy old glow in the dark skeleton watch I bought at K-mart after Halloween, like 17-18 years ago on clearance for like $3. I know, it's time to move on. I'm not a good 'gator to myself that way. Small pony entries don't require 'gators, so it's all up to me.

Last year on section A, I just couldn't seem to figure out where we were at on time. I couldn't see the horse ahead of us to use them as a 'marker' like we did the year before, sooooo I just let my pony run. We ran almost the entire section and only came in within the time allowed by 3 seconds because he balked at the end, didn't want to approach the person standing there and was walking, swerving back and forth like a dork. We were 3 seconds over the Minimum time allowed. We b.a.r.e.l.y. missed getting any time penalties there.

I have my reasons

I mentioned in the last post about having concerns as far as entering the CDE at Prelim level. Here's one of them. Let me know what you think. I will stretch this out over a few posts, as there is a lot to consider going into all of this.

Dressage- It is a different dressage test with different movements being asked for. I get that. I can handle that and I think he can too, since most of his misbehaving moments in the ring come from boredom. He is bored with the same patterns. Although we do not do any pattern work at home, it is always the same one in the ring and he knows it. He anticipates it. He reacts to it and not always with his best behavior. He is really smart and picks things up quickly. Sometimes a bit too quickly and the anticipation begins again.

Some of the movements I understand if explained in a different way. I had asked a friend of mine about the circles trotting on a loosened rein yet, not an extended trot. What I got back was a long and detailed explanation that made little to no sense to me until the very last couple of lines. "It's like long and low work in hunters. Riding on the buckle and letting the horse stretch out and down to the bit." I've ridden hunters and that makes sense. Now the question I have is, how to get it in driving when you cannot use your legs? That's another thing altogether for me. I'm sure there is a comparison out there that will put it into different terms that make sense. Until then, you may as well be speaking another language.

Where to start?

Dang. Almost halfway into the first month of the new year and I haven't posted anything yet or gotten to drive ponyman. Yay me, huh?

After getting all the feedback last year at the CDE from 3 very well respected opinions that I need to move up to Prelim, I am staring at my entry forms and doubting myself. We all do that as competitors, right? I have good reason, or so I would like to think. I am going to enter the upcoming ADT at Prelim and give it a whirl. I have decided that already. I can stay at Prelim or drop back down after the first one depending on how we do. There is ALWAYS room for improvement though, at Any level.

Prelim for the CDE? It is far more costly. A couple hundred bucks more costly. It is a different dressage test, more hazards on the marathon including a longer course and I'm just not sure we are ready for that yet. Cones have only been a problem in the fact of keeping him under control, getting him lined up and through them while leaving the balls intact. Prelim he would be allowed to run. I'm not sure that will be a good thing, but who knows. The marathon is my main concern with the dressage test a close second.

I will follow this post with a few more to explain everything. There is also another matter of a more personal nature that adds to all of this. Isn't there always? That's really the big deciding factor in all of this. I should know more in the next few weeks and be in a better position to decide about proceeding then. I have some time before the closing date for entries...

Wrapping things up

With the driving club fun Darby and Christmas Party last weekend, things are done for the year for the most part. The party is usually also a club meeting and new things were discussed, new ideas and so on. It seems like things are on the up and up and hopefully there will be more ADTs to attend as well as some new events. 

Kat has been enjoying his time off and with three very well respected votes last year at the CDE to move him up to Prelim next year, I am hoping we can do it. Since he has been my first experience training a driving horse from start to ??? it will be unknown territory. How do you train a horse to do things, when you are barely learning it yourself?  This should be fun and it will truly be a learning experience for both of us.

With the past few months flying by and now here we are almost halfway through December, Christmas and New Years almost upon us and everything else that goes along with the crazy busy Holiday Season, my wish for you is a safe and peaceful time, spent with those you love and plenty of joy to go around.

Peace on earth, good will towards men...