Cob Jockey

Thanks for all your love on the WW post! When Google Photos brought up those '5 years ago...' photos, it made me stop in my tracks. That season, 2016, was my first full season of Dressage after I failed Connor out of eventing, the first time I ever chased year-end awards, and we were doing First Level. 

Beginning of 2017

Five years later, we've only advanced one level further in the show ring, but we're miles ahead in terms of our fundamentals, which is no accident. Those of you who've been following this blog for a long time know that the summer of 2017 saw many emotional breakdowns on my part. I would stop at Lowe's on the way home from the barn and cry in the clearance plant section at the back of the garden center, lol.

End of 2017

I knew in 2017 that I wasn't doing this Dressage thing right, but I didn't precisely know what was wrong. After I took a flyer on 2-1 at a schooling show in July of 2017 (omg I thought it was three years I've been doing 2nd, but it's technically four!), I barely showed in 2018 and 2019, and then 2020 happened and made it almost a three year break, which was very intentional, (aside from COVID) - I wanted to fix the holes in our fundamentals before showing again.

 

Somewhere in there (May of 2019) I rode in my first Mary Wanless clinic (and my second), which led to riding with CGP, which led to sending Connor off for full training, and I started Pilates, which has been as influential my riding as any time in the saddle has been.

And thank goodness I found Mary Wanless, lol. Look at that torso.

We aren't ever going to be the pair that rockets through the levels one per season. I'm going to continue to overthink every fiber of my body in the saddle, he's going to continue to be "a complicated ride" as CGP thankfully validated for me. But feeling and seeing progress like that is all I've ever wanted out of my Dressage journey, so I'm okay taking the slow route while people whizz past me on all sides.

 

2018 was a year unlike any other for me and Connor.  I backed off of showing.  I poured myself into getting our fundamentals correct.  I admitted I had no idea what I was doing at this level, and I sought to learn.  I cried.  I committed to achieving non-horse goals, like paying off debt.  And hey, while we're at it, I landed a fantastic job at my dream employer.

All photos in this post courtesy of Austen

Seriously not sure I've ever seen this much butt engagement out of him at the canter before.  At least in pictures. (Side note: this part of the indoor previously housed temporary stalls, so the fluffy white stuff is some new, not-quite-totally-mixed-in-yet TruTex.  It won't look like that forever.)

20 minutes later, goofing off.  This is how Connor would PREFER we canter...

I was already thinking this year I wouldn't do my usual year-in-review on the blog - this was a transitional year full of things that, frankly, make for boring blogging.  Spending as little money as possible on horse things, not showing, over-analyzing biomechanics and hardly going anywhere fun?  I won't make you sit through that a second time!  So I'm joining in Amanda's blog hop.

Favorite Show Picture

PC: Karen

This year was H-A-R-D in a lot of ways.  But we made a great deal of progress, and our second and final show of the season proved that to me.


Favorite Non-Show Picture

PC: Leah

I still have to pinch myself sometimes and remind myself that this really happened.  I'm still so grateful to Karen for including me in her contest winnings.  Sidenote: KPG came back to our area to clinic recently and the prices reminded me I definitely could not have done this if it wasn't for that contest!


Favorite Thing You Bought



Due to my spending freeze, I have a short list of 2018 purchases to choose from.  This saddle was a 2017 purchase, but having it professionally fitted in July is definitely my favorite purchase of 2018.  Especially after discovering Connor is exceptionally hard to fit in a Dressage saddle, seeing how well this one sits on his back now just feels like a miracle to me.


Favorite Moment on Horseback


This whole clinic.  How could it not be?!  This photo is KPG gushing over our shared love of Welsh Cobs.  She may not be competing one in the Olympics, but once a Welsh Cob lover, always a Welsh Cob lover.


Favorite Moment out of the Saddle



Moment?  How about weekend?!  Flying to Colorado with Connor's breeder to meet Erika, and to watch both Castleberrys Dillan and Castleberrys Gavin go in the RMDS Championship show was so amazing.  It was so cool to watch Connor's breeder watch her "kids" go, and and to understand that dreams 15 and 13 years in the making were realized for her that weekend.


Favorite Between the Ears Picture



On one of the last warm fall days this year Connor and I wandered the open field at just the right time of day, just enjoying each other and the warm sunlight and the beautiful surroundings before winter set in.  This picture is my cell phone background now, and I get a little zen every time I look at it.


Favorite Horse Book or Article



It's not a horse article, but nonetheless, Simone Giertz's TED talk had a profound impact on my horse life.  And then shortly after that, Matt Brown's CoTH series dialed in on the same ideas.


Favorite Horse Ridden Aside from Your Own



I only rode one horse that wasn't Connor this year and it was a great one!  Riding JenJ's T in January (then Second Level, now Third Level) was incredibly enlightening and really shaped my whole 2018.  He helped me realize I was as crooked as a pretzel and as tense as a vice, and that sparked a quest to fix all of that, even if I didn't initially understand what was happening.


Favorite Funny Picture of Your Horse



There was LITERALLY NO REASON for this!


Favorite Movement That You Conquered



I wouldn't call mediums 'conquered' yet, but this is the first year in which I actually felt some lengthening at the trot.  Such a simple thing, but so much went into that from a biomechanics, strength, feel, and straightness perspective, it feels like an achievement (in progress).


Favorite Horse Meme



You have to have a sense of humor to own a Welsh cob, as Dr. Marks said so many years ago!

Austen taught me to do these braids a long long time ago (see her video tutorial here).  When you have a flaxen mane against a chestnut body, you have to get really good at braiding, because any braiding mistakes can be seen from a mile away.



I braid with yarn, although those Quick Knot pins Amanda reviewed a while back do just as good of a job.  I'm just way too attached to my zen meditation braiding time to give that up, plus yarn is cheaper over the long run.  But, the braids look just as good either way you do them, as shown by supermodel Castleberrys Gavin:


Even the forelock didn't suck, which like, I feel like I need to go buy a lotto ticket or something.  I am not good at forelocks.

He looks skeptical that I said his forelock looks good, can you blame him?  I've put him through a lot of shitty forelock braids over the years!

Informal poll!  When it comes to braids, are you a bands person, a yarn person, a QuickKnot person, a waxed thread person, or a something else person?

I am so, so happy with this horse.

Opening halt.  Thank you Karen for taking all of the pictures in this post!

It was not a clean test, to be sure.  I definitely left some points on the board.  But it was such an improvement.  I was thrilled with it even before I saw we scored a 61.282% to notch our highest second level score to date.

But the second medium - eyyyyyyyyy!  This is progress for sure!

Most scores were in the 6.0-6.5 range with only one well-deserved 4.0 when he broke at the end of the counter canter in his tough direction.  (Note to self: need to ride with conviction and find a way to school in a standard ring every so often)

Counter canter in his easy direction is...easy.

Both of our halts were 7.5's, and probably would have scored higher except the judge wanted to see more "directness".  I'm still happy with both of them though:

Closing halt, good boy!

I actually don't think this will be our last show this season after all, but this test was the perfect setup for the off-season anyway.  I proved to myself that I've improved, he's improved, and for the first time in my three attempts at Second I don't feel like a total imposter taking a kamikaze run at things.



Now what we need is more and less - more angle in the lateral work, fewer (yes, zero, eventually) trot steps into the walk from the canter.  More uphill balance in the medium canter and less indirectness in our trot-halt.  More engagement and suppleness and less falling back to leaning on each other when times get tough.  All of those are nice, clear things we can work on over the winter.




It's been such a tough summer riding-wise that I'm taking a moment to savor this ride.  My rides for most of the spring and part of the summer looked nothing like this test and it was HARD to get through.  It's hard to know what the right answer is when you're stuck in the middle of a quagmire like that, but for me, tackling it head on with the help of my trainers was the right call.




This test was so far from perfect, but it represents a lot of progress.  He's been ready for this for a while, but I had to sort myself out before we could lay down a Second Level test that left me grinning from ear to ear for no other reason than 'it felt cool and we had fun.'

"That felt cool and I had fun!"

IDS Show, 1-3, September 2016:

Connor and I ran through our 2-2 test last night.  I really, really love that test.  All of the movements seem to improve Connor as the test goes on (maybe because these movements force me to remember to half-halt, hahaha 😳).  Even the canter work doesn't suck in this test, there are enough interesting things that happen in it that it doesn't feel like a slogfest.  (Ahem, nothing like 1-3)


The one thing we really don't have are canter-walk transitions, although they have improved.  But, I'll settle for a "too many trot steps" for now, since we've got everything else in 2-1 and 2-2 going pretty well.

We actually have a lengthened (maybe medium?) canter and a medium trot now - or at least as medium as we will probably get for the time being.  I laughed when the 2nd level Castleberry Cob's pro rider/trainer said last weekend that his mediums suck.  I've heard so many upper level Cob Dressage riders say they don't really get good mediums until they get the half steps that I have to believe it.

I'd take him, mediums and all.  PS - he's for sale!  Cleaned up at championships at Second, currently schooling all of third and some of fourth with a USDF gold medal pro rider/trainer in Colorado. PC: Me

The key to success is going to be KEEPING MY REINS SHORT. Everything comes up so fast in second level, if my reins get even slightly too long I suddenly find myself scrambling through the next movement.  If my reins are short, he stays put together and we can do everything pretty easily. 

Doesn't this Breyer look like Connor?  It even has the right number of white feet, although his are one foreleg and one hind leg.

Regardless of how the test goes and what the score is though, it's going to be a great weekend.  Sunny and a high of 68 degrees, we're in the good barn, and I'll be showing with Karen and Hampton and a few people from my barn.  If you're there, come find us!

I sent my entry in yesterday on opening day for my GMO's last show of the year.  That'll make my second and last test of 2018.

(90% of the reason I sent my entry in on opening day is that the first 30 complete entries get a food voucher to this food truck that comes to our shows with the most amazing breakfast tacos...#priorities #foodmotivated.  The other 10% is that I hope I earn enough brownie points to get put in the nice barn.)



I signed up for 2-2, which I've never done before, but it's always been my favorite of the Second Level tests for Connor on paper.  It's like it's designed to help me keep him on my aids with some of our favorite movements (turn on the haunches, travers, 10m half circles at the trot), and I really want to ride it once before the tests roll over this fall.

Dream team

Some parts of it will be a reach, but not such a reach that we'll totally embarrass ourselves.  The biggest issues will be the left 20m half circle counter canter (which we can do, but it's not as pretty as the right), and the half 10m canter circle to counter canter immediately after a medium canter.  And of course the simple changes, but even those are getting a lot easier now that I'm sitting better.

Which of you guys is going to be there with me?  Can't wait to see all my show friends again!

Last weekend, Connor and I attended our first Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America show in quite a while.  I have to say, it's weird to pack for a show and not bring a saddle.  There are WPCSA under saddle classes, but we chose not to do any of them this time and just show in-hand.

They've redone the covered at the Hoosier Horse Park and it looks AMAZING compared to what it looked like in seasons past - although the new footing is DEEP (this is typically a rodeo ring, so not sure if they care like the Dressage folks would)

Showing this horse is so fun these days.  He doesn't even scream anymore at shows, even when he's all by himself overnight:



Although he did have one "moment" where something scared the bejeezus out of him and he skittered sideways, stepped on me and then scrambled backward as fast as he could go while waiting outside the show ring.  He's a weird one to be sure, but THAT was a really unusual move for him.  I had flashbacks to hanging onto horse kite racehorses in high school for a second.

We ended up taking first (out of 2) in the Section C/D class and reserve champion (out of 3) in the all sections/all sexes WPCSA championship class.  Small classes for the WPCSA, but that's what happens out here in the heartland.


I know it's not our primary goal in life as riders, but if you get a chance to support your breed organization by doing in-hand classes ever, take it!  It's fun and it helps support the breeders too.  In addition to earning points for himself, Connor also earns points for his sire and I think dam too when he shows in WPCSA-sanctioned classes.

The next WPCSA in-hand show at the Hoosier Horse Park is the last weekend of August, and showing the in-hand classes only takes a couple hours of your Saturday morning (we were home by 11am!).  Classes are $7/class and there's more than just Welsh classes there, since it's held in conjunction with the Indiana Saddle Horse Association Shows.

Hope to see some of you out there next time!

Prefacing this post by reminding everyone of my plans for this season: we're taking a year off of rated shows because I know we're not ready to show rated 2nd, but schooling it like it matters is really helping us.  This is the year of schooling 2nd and accepting that we're going to see the comment "needs more" a lot!