Goal Review and 2020 Goals

2019 Goals

1. Make First Level our bitch: God, no. I didn't like any of the new First level tests, and I moved up to Second level before Opie was truly ready just to get out of riding them any more than I had to. I crossed off our First Level Rider Performance Award, was Champion for rated shows and Reserve Champion for schooling shows with my GMO, but I still firmly say that First level owned us instead. Later, bitch. 
2. Fix the canter transitions: From where they were at the beginning of the year, this is a resounding yes! Now we keep moving forward up the levels and the expectation goes up as well. So while they're great for First, and really for Second as well, they're always going to be worked on to be baller status. 
3. Get another 25 trail hours logged: Currently at 38 hours.
4. Go to two new places: We did a hunter show at a barn neither of us had ever been to, and BM showed us around a park just down the road from the barn.
5. #dopiedoesdriving: Dopie broke his cart and half his harness in a completely random, unexplained, partially hitched freak out very early in the year, and neither Hubby or I prioritized getting any of it fixed. We'll revisit it when there's spare cash and motivation to do so.
6. Learn to braid a forelock: You know what I learned to do instead? Buy a really cute matchy ear bonnet and call it good. To be fair, I did put considerable effort into learning. I enlisted my braiding genius barn mate and she tried her generous heart out, but after kicking me off his forelock to practice on his tail instead--because I sucked so much--we both finally gave up. We I need a forelock braid, I pay for it. When I don't, I bonnet.

Those didn't seem like difficult or stretch goals when I posted them at the beginning of the year, and yet I somehow only accomplished half of them!

2019 Dopie!

2020 Goals

1. Improve rider position. Shorter reins, longer leg.
2. Once a week stretch day.
3. Be a bigger cheerleader for myself.
4. Find a good balance between pushing Opie forward and making sure he stays happy in his work.
5. Do more jumping. Now that we're not trying to move up a level (or two), we can spend more time away from the dressage to focus on other fun things.
6. Ride each movement in our tests. Don't give up stupid points by skimming over an area. We need every point we can get.
7. Figure out how to score well in the turn on the haunches. Started at a 7 last year, ended with 4s with no discernible difference in how I was asking/riding. 

The Cost of 2019

2016
2017
2018

I know I'm in the minority, but I genuinely love doing these posts. I think it's good to see where the bulk of my horsey spending is so I can theoretically trim it down (LOL). Doing it this year, I kind of felt like waving the final tally in a few people's faces.

Yes, we go to a lot of shows. Yes, we get a lot of ribbons. Yes, my horse is progressing and building muscle and education. Yes, I'm improving as a rider. And yes, my horse looks better and behaves better than your horse. This is why. Put in the time and--unfortunately--pour in the money, and get something in return. I work hard to make my horse what he is. Maybe you should try it, too.

(Okay, I may be slightly annoyed at the moment by someone who told me her ill mannered poorly trained brute of a horse was worth $6,000 because that's how much training she paid to have put on it this year when she couldn't pay someone that much to buy the horse.)

Anyway. 2019 costs.

Memberships: $564

• I upgraded Opie to a lifetime membership for one of the fifteen fucking organizations you have to belong to to show rated, and I paid for a PM with the USDF and ended up not needing it as the All Breeds group I was aiming for got dropped. 

Vet: $1,031.28

• That includes the dentist, body work appointments, and the emergency vet call to stitch up his leg with a couple follow up appointments when the healing was slower than expected.

Board: $1,680

• I work hard for my money! AKA I work hard to spend my money on shows and not board. 

Truck and Trailer: $1,610.44

• I knew this one was going to be expensive this year, and it didn't disappoint. The truck needed a lot of work done, the trailer need a lot of work done, and then the trailer tires needed replacing after blowing on the highway and ripping off my fender. Unfortunately my truck is still on the brink of death when it comes to hauling, so we're going to have to take a serious look at doing something about that this upcoming season.

Farrier: $660

• Front shoes went up from $80 to $90 this year. I guess I can manage that.

Lessons: $50

• One whole lesson!

Shows: $2,026

• A whole lotta shows!

Supplements: $943.04

• Opie stayed on the Nutrena Empower Boost all year. I added a magnesium supplement and UGard. 

Tack and Equipment: $1,876.55

• I had to buy a new pair of tall boots after mine came apart, and I went wild and splurged on a $300 pair of Ariats. I also had to buy new white breeches and actually did go wild and splurged on a $200 pair of Romfh Isabellas. Worth it. The rest.... I mean, I'm sure I could justify all of it if push came to shove.

Total: $10,441.31

• It's been worse! If I hadn't had so many problems with the truck it would have been about on par to last year. It's actually the second cheapest year I've recorded thus far. Trending in the right direction? Hopefully won't blow this bitch out of the water with a new truck next year? Fingers crossed.

2019 Year in Review

January kicked off a slow start to the year. Opie celebrated his sixth birthday and only got ridden a few times, but kept his #childgenius title by not losing any of his training. Right at the end of the month he got cast in his stall and ripped a giant gash in his ankle that required half a dozen stitches.

That meant February was even slower. He spent the first half of the month healing before going back to work with a lesson. I wanted to focus on our horrible canter transitions, but things ended up going in a different direction and it led to Opie getting even more sporadic work while I tried to mentally deal with The Suck of training a young horse by yourself.

In March we started doing concentrated dressage rides, and continued to struggle with the canter--both the transitions and the gait itself. I started introducing him to the concept of sitting trot and ran through our First level tests for the first time ever. He also got hitched and driven around the driveway for the first time since the previous year and was a total gem about the whole thing.

The Spring Stupids set in in April. He kicked off the year by having a random violent freak out while half attached to the cart which broke the shafts, parts of his harness, and scraped up all four legs. We spent the rest of the month working on some core basics: straightness, contact... not rearing on the ground or under saddle just because your BFF called to you. I introduced him to a dressage whip which helped considerably in keeping him from laying on my leg.

Our first show of the year was the first weekend in May, and it was also Dopie's First Level debut. He was a complete tool at the trailer, and a complete tool warming up for the first test, but he settled in by the end and finished second and first with a 64% and 67%. We had a big set back in attitude and rideability afterwards though that led to me start supplementing him with magnesium and UGard. That did the trick, and we started working hard on developing a real trot lengthening--although not with much success.

The first half of June was a big block of rated shows. Opie was back to his perfect show horse self and laid down three 66% tests and one clunker in the first weekend of showing. The following weekend was our first overnight show and he laid down three 60ish% tests which was still enough to win his last test of the day and a high point award. I dealt with rail birds that put a massive dent in my self confidence for the rest of the season and blew a trailer tire on the way home. We finished out the month with lots of trail rides and a hunter pace in between trying to fix the broken leg yields while also preparing for a move up to Second.

Opie made his Second Level "debut" in July in a Ride A Test clinic type thing. We scored a 62% and then a 60% on the re-ride after listening to our judge gush over all things Opie. Her takeaways were that it's all in there, it just needs to develop. We got ready for his rated debut at Second by doing a hunter show where he was obvi the cutest thing alive. In his first real go at Second he did his very Dopie best and came away with a 61%. We did well enough to place in all four tests despite, in ongoing fashion, a couple rider errors.

We did two schooling shows for my GMO in August. Opie showed his vast displeasure about getting rained on in the warm up at the first show, but he won all three tests (1-1, 1-3, 2-3) and was high point for the entire show. In between that show and the next, we worked hard on straightness (still) and I implemented the mandatory once a week stretch-only ride which is still in affect. The second show was in the coliseum at the state fair grounds where Opie was less tense than last year, but not relaxed enough. His lateral work was super locked up, but we managed well enough for second in both First tests and reserve champion at Second. I finished out the month by having a horse jump off my toe which left a giant wound and several breaks in the bone.

The broken toe meant No Stirrup September. While I had to miss out on the last GMO show of the year, a hunter pace, and a cross country schooling, we did an absolute shit ton of trail riding instead. Hubby also taught Opie to rope!

With my toe finally healed enough to fit in a boot, I got back from a trip to Oregon with my mom in October and the very next day BM and I took the boys cross country schooling. Opie lacked some confidence to start and took serious offense to one particular pile of logs, but he did his first water, banks, and ditches all without problems and finished the day like a good boy. The next weekend we went hunter pacing where we had a rider fall off her naughty mount towards the end which led Opie to carry her the rest of the way back like the #childgenius he is. We continued with our jumping fun and worked through some grids for the first time.

We officially wrapped up show season in November with a hunter show where there was some slightly questionable jumping going on, but we got 1st-6th in six classes. We finally found the sweet spot in relaxation in the lateral work and now solidly have SI, HI, leg yield, and half pass.

December moved the focus to longitudinal work, aka developing a real medium trot. We're still in trial and error over this, but it's starting to show promise. Halfway through the month, Opie started getting girthy and dropping nervous poop splats right before tacking up so I stopped everything and decided to give him the rest of the month off. Unfortunately for him, the work is going to just keep getting harder and the pressure is going to rise so I need to make sure I take care of him mentally as well as physically.

Ride Notes: Jumping Practice

Monday Jumping:

• 2 big Xs set on each diagonal. The goal was to canter over them while staying in half seat and not flinging his head and running at them.
• One way harder than the other because of a longer approach.
• Each time he ran through my half halt he got sat down and backed up on landing before going right back around to it. Needed it a few times in a row to start, but then it really started clicking and only needed it a couple more times after a break or stringing several jumps together.
• Had to make sure I could also put my leg on and keep him coming while still not speeding up and running the second the leg went on. Ended really well though.
• Made sure we either landed or got the correct lead right off the bat, not trot changes, flying only. Even if I had to knock him over onto the correct lead from a small circle, I want the flying changes to start becoming a reliable thing while jumping so he does them and then goes right to something else instead of lingering on what just happened. When asking for them during a dressage school, they're giant and he takes off afterwards and it leads to a big production reining the tension and crazies back in. With the jumping, he does them and then it's, "Okay, back to the good jompies canter because look! There's the jompies! Love those jompies! You don't have any memory of being asked to change!"
• The flat work was flawless.

Jumping with Mo

Jumping! On Wednesday he ended up in draw reins doing canter work for thirty minutes after too much head flinging and tantrum throwing when being asked to use himself. That's gonna be a no from me on the bashing me in the face with your head game, bro. Got Thursday off and got to jump Friday as a reward and hopeful mental reset.

Brought out the slow twist dee (his jumping show bit) and standing martingale as he's been VERY rude about jumping lately. He warmed up at the trot soft and stretchy, really reaching down into the bridle with no urging. Good canter, and then started off with a single low but wide oxer. He supermanned it the first time so had to shorten my reins way up and work on riding him up into a super collected canter to get him to the base of the jump. Every time I gave an inch he took a mile. Needed to start half halting ten strides out and not let up until we were going over the fence.

Did the two single oxers, and a one stride line X to vertical. BM bumped everything up to 2'6-2'9 and we did everything again. He never backed off of anything, if anything he was too confident. Every time I touched my reins, he tried to jump into the canter to get going again.

Made him jump the X--first jump of the line--by itself at an extreme angle. Jumping out of his skin and loving the mental challenge of it. Came off of that after we stood and watched Mo coast over a 3'9" square oxer and went to the walk on the buckle. Rounded the corner where the big jump was and he beelined for it and took off to jump it. I manged to BARELY snatch enough rein to rip him off of it at the very last second. He had zero regrets about trying to go for it--FROM THE WALK. WITH NO URGING.

sorry not sorry

Had just been let out to the ring for turnout when I got there. Easy is out of the soul mate role, Mo and Opie are the new besties. Twins in dumbness and naughtiness. The both of them where ripping around and chewing on each other. Opie took initiative to jump an oxer all by himself:

He also offered up a few steps of medium trot for the very first time since I had him:

Hopefully this means the hair pulling boot camp we've been doing for this stupid trot is starting to gain some traction in his giant Dopie head.

Ride Notes: Medium Trot

• Really focusing on making all rides about the medium trot right now. It's our biggest weakness because it doesn't exist. 
• Have tried the bring back and super collect then let out and super go, but there hasn't been a whole lot of actual go going on. Decided to try the way I taught Bobby: GO, MOTHER FUCKER, GO.
• Essentially getting chased into the biggest trot possible without breaking into the canter, and if he does, he gets sat on his ass before immediately being sent back into the trot. Once he's trucking to the absolute best of his ability--and boy, you better be covering some fucking ground--start adding in a half halt here and there until the wild, out of control trot becomes just a super big too fast trot. And then a couple more half halts until a couple of actual thrusting strides appear at which point quit and shove a cookie in his face. 
• It's slower than slow, but it is getting there. He's so lazy and can be such a quitter I really have to bully him around about it, but if he could bother showing a little try it wouldn't be so hard for either of us. 

Ride Notes: Longitudinal Work

• Have done so much lateral work, time to work on the longitudinal suppleness, aka develop a real medium trot. Right off the bat in the warm up trot, back and forth from a short trot to a big trot. Takes a long time to develop as he finds shortening very easy but his "big" trot is just his forward working trot still. 
• When shortening, keeping both legs on and pushing up up up to make sure the trot stays engaged instead of just being slow and dragging his feet.
• Gave him a tap on the butt with the dressage whip and that does seem to make his hind end move faster which gets the stride bigger without getting faster. But then he gets tense very quickly. I need to work on getting a couple of good strides and rewarding the shit out of him instead of keep pushing for more and more when it's just not in there yet, and he doesn't correlate that his response to the whip is good.
• Need to work in a bigger more forward canter for awhile because he wants to get stuck in his super collected canter and it's turning more lazy and on the forehand instead of uphill and bouncy. He's very easy to coil up, need to work on making him longer, too.
• Went to do the counter canter across the ring in 2-2 and he started half passing across the ring instead of going diagonally across while holding the lead. Part of me is like, "Oh yeah, Third level by the end of the year for sure." But, aside from the current lack of medium let alone extended trot, it's A LOT of subtle aid changes and I don't need him to start guessing and doing the wrong thing when my leg is one inch off from one aid or another--see the flying changes and half pass when not asked for.

Ride Notes: Video

Canter to walk:

Half pass:

Sitting trot with some SI and HI:

Things to work on:

• Shorter reins or they start bouncing.
• I want to collapse my core and roll my shoulders in at the sitting trot. Need to focus on bring my shoulder blades together behind me.
• Stop scrunching up my leg when asking for literally anything.

Ride Notes: Counter Canter

In the outdoor, footing was good enough for trotting, but not for cantering as I found out through trial and error slipping multiple times. Wanted to run through both 2-2 and 2-3, but didn't think we could practice the canter enough to do 2-2 for the first time ever. Tried 2-3 instead. Good through the walk, trot, and lateral work, and then the counter canter broke.

• Counter Canter: Have spent so much time lately on getting the canter super ultra mega collected so that the simple changes are flawless, that as soon as we turned off the rail he wanted to walk. Booted him through that so he tried flying changes and breaking to the trot. Counter canter was straight broke. 
• Went into the indoor and made him pick up the CC from the walk and hold it down the long sides and short sides until it was in his head he didn't break, and then was able to do a couple serpentines while holding the lead, but had to work really, really hard at them--not like where we started in them this summer. Stayed round and collected though, just need to re-find the balance and obedience. 
• Medium trot: Able to sit his attempts with ease now across the diagonal. Not sure if this is because they suck so much or because his back is up now or I'm getting stronger or some combination, but I can tell he's trying. Still wants to get a bit quick instead of big, but he understands what he's supposed to be doing now. Still needs a lot more strength and relaxed collection at the trot to make these pop I think. 

Ride Notes: Nov. 20

• Warm Up: It's been cool to live the whole mantra of "What is hard will become your warm up." Leg used to mean nothing or shoot forward, there was no in-between. Now we do leg yield zig zags in warm up. He's learning the half pass. With a shift of weight, he's in shoulder-in. 
• The connection: Being unsteady in the connection has always been one of his biggest weaknesses. In the first year of showing him, he was capable of a full on head wag. In year two, it was more of a bob on and off the vertical. It wasn't related to hands--he would do it if you dropped the reins completely--it was, to me, how he expressed tension. Now he's soooo steady. It's becoming probably one of my favorite parts about riding him, that metronome outline and rhythm.
• The stretchy work used to not be a thing either. He had no idea of reaching for the bit, he just tucked into a false frame with no actual horse in my hand. Now he lives for the stretch, all day every day, offer him and inch and he'll happily take it to the ground with his back round as a ball.
• Forward: The cold weather is helping with the forward immensely, mostly in the trot. At the walk, if he comes out lazy, I have to get after him right away to gogogo, especially through the short sides. But the trot is big and bold, and I experienced a big and bold trot to unstick him when we started the lateral work which I was able to keep going back into the SI and hot damn was it an amazing feeling. #goals 
• Canter: The canter has always been the gait that all of my horses have scored well on and have gotten the best comments on from outsiders while consistently being the hardest gait for me to ride. It is SO HARD for me. Maybe it's always looked so good because I'm working SO HARD? Or maybe their canters would be/would have been 10s across the board, but because they had to pack my huffing and puffing ass around they were only 7s and 8s? 
• Opie's collected canter is becoming amazing. Bobby taught me that collection is basically just riding ten times more forward than you think is possible while not actually going anywhere. Collection = Forward. Always. The canter to walk transitions are coming along so amazing as long as that's my number one focus. Push him forward, push forward, push forward, gooooobutnotactuallyanywhere and he's stepped softly into the walk. Heaven.