Virtual Brush Box

I went to the show. Mathilda did okay. Yay. [Bigtime/Causation]

The Pro-Am Benefit Classic Horse Show of Georgia, April 2-5, 2014, Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, GA. I rode Saturday afternoon in the Academy division.

121. Academy Equitation WTC Any Age
I could not get Sam into gear. Instead of reacting with quiet efficiency, I flopped and fiddled. I shimmied and stared at my hands. This did not go unnoticed by the judge. I was second out of three.

122. Academy Showmanship WTC Any Age
The third place horse retired and the other rider and I set off around the ring to do this all over again. I gave Sam a smart tap on the shoulder, not so much for discipline as for a psychological signal. It’s all about getting Sam to believe that one is serious. Then, he can be a smokin’ show horse. Otherwise, lesson horse and wiggling rider.

We went as wide open as I could manage. We had a few nice passes, usually on the backside of the ring, behind the judge. Either the front passes were still sufficiently forward or the judge turned around to watch since there were only two of us.

Despite the small size, the class felt interminable. She worked us like rented mules. I got the feeling that my riding had improved enough to win but that the judge wanted to give the class to the kid. (Note the “Any Age” in the class title). Perhaps we were simply equal in skill & this is my projection (more about this on the Q day). [Quietude]

So, only two in the class, but I rode hard for the win.

123. Academy Showmanship WTC Championship
In my lessons, I have been getting flawless upward canter transitions. Slight angle from the wall with my outside leg, then a gentle tug on the outside rein with the ghost of a tap on the inside shoulder with my whip. Boom. Off we go in a soft, organized canter. However, this requires presence of mind to remember that Saddlebreds work from OUTSIDE aids. If I get distracted, say at a show, I revert to the hunter/jumper practice of using the inside rein to ask for the canter. The idea is that you ask as you are coming down from the jump. Therefore the horse a) lands on the correct lead and b) lands turning for the next jump.

I made this mistake in warm-up. I tugged on the inside rein causing Sam to give me exactly what I asked for, a canter on the wrong lead. For the next two & 1/2 classes, I made a point of concentrating on the outside rein. Then …

Last canter of the last class. I ask. I see Sam’s shoulders come up in what might be a strike-off for the wrong lead. I am seized with doubt. Is this the correct lead or not? My memory is foggy. Did I tap (correct) or tug (incorrect) with my inside hand? Eek. Go and hope it’s right? Change? I smother the canter and retry.

In the Championship class.

Fortunately I was at the far end of the ring, so I did not hear what my ringside advisors thought of this maneuver. Either the judge missed it or I reacted fast enough that errant signal got lost in the noise.

Prizes
For first place, Academy riders got a nice ribbon, a neck medal, and this from Doug Shiflet Photography:

I’ve ordered 2014 Pro Am Benefit > Saturday Academy > 123 – Aca Showmanship WTC Championship > 123-003-PA14. It’s a picture of me hugging Sam while Miss Courtney puts the ribbon on his bridle. Funny thing, I don’t even remember doing this. Thank you ProAm & Mr. Shiflet. Photo Disclaimer Rant

For the Championship, I got a tricolor and a monogrammed ProAm 2014 saddle pad. I might even use this one. Occasionally. On Sam. Happy? Moi?

I think I look like a dork, but anything for the blog.

Huge thanks to Ashleigh Donovan for the wonderful horse. Thanks to Miss Melissa, Katie, and everyone who helped get me dressed, on the horse, and into the ring. Special thanks to Miss Julie, Rachel, and Miss Terry for making me look as lady-like as possible. Not an easy feat [Show Report: Village]. Coaching thanks to Miss Courtney for keeping all the cats herded in vaguely the right direction.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2014
List of my A to Z posts

Show this weekend (maybe. possibly. cross fingers. superstition scares me from being more definite. more on this tomorrow.) My first big show of the year, i.e. an open show with performance classes rather than a fun show for lesson students. It will be at held in at a show arena rather than at a local barn. Time to break out the shirt/vest/tie combo.

I’m ready. Mentally, that is. Physically, not so much.

In Obedience Epiphany, I expounded on my theory of the dressage horse versus the saddle seat show horse. Short version: “What’s next?” versus “Here we go!”

I asked my saddle seat instructor for her response to this post. It is her stated goal to train the horses so well that they can to do their jobs without their riders. In my previous riding life, having your trainer do all the work was something, if not to be ashamed of, at least not to boast about. You could buy a trained horse or have the trainer ride the horse around a new level to give a good experience. Maybe. But if the trainer needed to tune your horse daily, that made you a dressage queen or hunter princess. Neither are terms of affection.

However.

I think it goes to the goal of the riding style. The ideal of a well-trained ASB is that he (or she) trucks around on his own, stylin’ along while the rider sits in comfort and admires the scenery. A saddle seat trainer in an open class might be holding the horses’s hoof every stride, but needs to make it look as if the horse is on effortless autopilot. Whereas a dressage horse is supposed to be in a close dialogue with the rider. If the dressage horse is on autopilot, the rider needs to make it look as if she’s leading the parade. Again, neither one is good or bad. Both are equally hard to do well. Just different.

Of course, it’s not that clear cut. I’m wandering in the realm of abstract theory. A place I know overly well. While the goals of the two disciplines diverge, the realities are closer together. Dressage horses know their jobs. ASBs need a supportive ride. Between any two riding styles, I think there is about 50% overlap and 50% wildly different. Depends which angle one wishes to pursue. Whether one is a lumper or a splitter.

So what is the take-away and what does it have to do with my ride on Saturday?

Ready, Aim, Fire
When Sam & I trot into the ring, correction, when Sam & I “bust up in there”, all I’m gonna do is ride straight & let the corners of the arena turn him. No circles. No bending. No setting up for jumps. There is nothing to do except …

Ease On Down The Road
Sam is not a DIY hot rod, nor a junker farm truck that sticks going into third gear. Sam is well-maintained, luxury sedan. My mechanics have rotated the tires, waxed the hood, and filled the tank. So, I shall sit down, sit back, and pilot my ride to a Diana Ross soundtrack, cranked from 33 to 45 rpm.

We’ll see if all this mental preparation can substitute for serious lack of saddle time.

One more day to join the madness: A TO Z CHALLENGE SIGN UP/LIST [2014]. Deadline: 4/2/2014 11:59 PM North America – Eastern Standard Time

List of A to Z posts