Training problems and Five Points Horse Trial
I wanted a much more positive lead up to Five Points Horse Trial than I actually had, but the event was surprisingly well anyways.
Monday before event - Unruly Behavior Begins
Monday I had a lesson with Lesley. After Saturday's lesson we switched back from the citation to the snaffle for jumping this week. We were working on a circle doing canter - walk - canter transitions with a small cross rail thrown in. Well, this simple exercise blew Leo's mind. He started anticipating the transition to canter and when going to the right started throwing his haunches in and running sideways. I'd try to correct the haunches falling to the right by putting on my right leg. Leo would not respond to this and somehow we'd end up running backwards (and sideways?). So I corrected this with a circle to the right since it was ultimately a disobedience to my right leg. At least going in a tight right circle I could put my right leg on again and get some sort of response. Well, Leo figured out he could just stop and plant himself in one spot and be further disobedient. So then I had to use my crop to back up my leg which I have never done with him (thinking he would flip out). He didnt even care. At first he cared enough to move in a small circle in the desired direction (but he was spinning on his haunches - moving his forehand but not his hind legs). Eventually I managed to get him turning on his forehand and moving his haunches which I could open up in a bigger circle but we'd have enough blow up and the whole thing would start all over again. I was in disbelief but Lesley was calm and was like "we can stay out here all night if we have too." Eventually after several large fights and a broken crop we got him trotting a circle properly and then cantering a circle properly again. Exhausting.
Tuesday - Worst fall in years
Tuesday I rode Leo on the flat in the ring and he was good so I moved out into the dressage ring to practice my test. Leo started the same issue again trotting circles to the right - dropping his haunches to the right, falling in and not moving off my right leg. He got obstinate and stopped again and this time I could not get him moving forward or turning or obeying any of my aides. The dressage whip didn't inspire him at all either. I had his head turned to the right and was applying leg and then following it up with the whip. Nothing. I just repeated. I really didn't know what else to do but I knew we were at a total impasse. The last time I hit him with the whip he reared up and took off bucking. I stayed for probably 30 yards at which point we were about to run into the pasture fence. Leo went right and I hit the ground. I hit so hard, I got the wind knocked out of me. Oh, that is so uncomfortable. I'm used to rebounding immediately after falling (I've fallen off a lot in the past 2 years) but it took me couple of minutes before I could get up. Leo stayed around for a little bit then trotted back to the barn. I wasn't sure exactly how to proceed. So I worked him in hand getting him moving his haunches in both directions when asked then got back on and did some trot work again. Ugh I was in pain but it got better by the next day versus getting worse.
Wednesday - Less Pressure, More Fun
I spoke with Lesley about my fall and everything leading up to it. She instructed me that in the future if he is not moving, I should get off and school him in hand then get back on and repeat as necessary. If only I had thought of that the night before!
Per Lesley's direction, I took it easy Wednesday and worked him lightly in the ring. Then I schooled him over some xc jumps as a reward. He liked this and it helped us get our head back together after Saturday's less than stellar jumping lesson. I jumped in my snaffle and just practiced keeping my heads in the neck strap during the approach, jump and landing. I have so much position retraining to do!
Thursday - Relaxation
Another light day in the ring. I lunged Leo first then rode and we had some really nice canter work. After that I spent the night packing for the show.
Friday - Arrival at the Carolina Horse Park
Leo and I caught a ride with Cheryl and Froto (Midnight Starter) to the Carolina Horse Park. We were the first of our crew to get there. Lauren (also riding in Novice), her mom Diane, Brooke and Lesley arrived later. After getting set up in the barns, Cheryl and I walked cross country. Then we walked it again when Lesley got there. There was a nice mix of max height/width fences along with those that weren't. There was no one fence that I thought would be a problem for Leo and I. I was more concerned with being able to ride him between the fences. I lunged Leo and then rode him Friday night and he stayed pretty relaxed which I was happy about.
Saturday - Dressage & XC
Cheryl and I got to the barn to feed the horses in the morning. I lunged and rode Leo at 8am, in the hopes that the additional ride would help him settle down before our dressage ride at 11:30. He did pretty good with this and we worked in the warm-up ring so he could get used to the show excitement and speakers. At 11am, I got back on for our dressage ride. Unfortunately he was not relaxed and against my aides for most of the warm-up - but he did not have any huge blow-ups which was an improvement over our last showing at Plantation. He was tense throughout his test and behind my leg. We had a horrible halt at the end. It was definitely not the test I had hoped to ride. Yet again we were in the mid 40s with a score of 44. Dead last in our division of 25 people. As always, you aim to end on your dressage score - so since I didn't break into the 30s, my next goal was to end on my dressage score.
On to cross country, Leo warmed up well. He loves anything that involves cantering and jumping. But several weird things happened. First, we were walking next to Lesley while she was coaching us, when Leo tripped and fell down. I fell off. Landed on my feet but it was really odd. Leo seemed ok, so we continued our warm-up. He was fresh and bold over the warm-up fences, which included 2 xc jumps. This was a good sign and I was feeling pretty confident. Then we tried to make our way over to the start box.
Well, Leo had a meltdown and I have no idea what set him off. He started dancing and running sideways, which ultimately led him to running backwards. In his frenzy we ran into a pickup truck. I got him moving forward and then we ran sideways into an SUV, I got him moving forwards again and he ran sideways into another parked SUV. I was horrified and seriously worried because I could not get him moving in any desirable direction. Leo was getting panicked and was snorting and acting like he was going to rear. All nerve-racking things. Lesley caught up to us and took hold of the reins and lead Leo forward. She continued leading us into the start box - we didn't leave the box on time but Leo's mind was back in place by the time we did get off. Somehow I put all that behind us and got to the jumping. Leo was awesome - just fantastic. Our only sticky point on course was fence 14 & 15 (an up bank, 2 strides to another jump). The approach was uphill through the trees. There were a lot of people and cars right around the complex and he started running out to the right (that same issue AGAIN). I managed to keep him moving forward at a walk and we jumped up the bank at an angle and continued over the next fence (no stirrups but I was determined not to have a refusal!). We finished the course inside the time for a clean round. What relief!
I was super happy to find out when I got back that none of the cars had been damaged when Leo ran into them. Riding Leo is an emotional roller coaster to say the least.
Sunday - Stadium
We were able to watch the intermediate and advanced show jumping Sunday morning which was great. Marilyn Little-Meredith won the advanced division with a fabulous horse she imported from Germany and came in 4th on another. It was actually the 4th place horse I fell in love with - gorgeous dark dapples and a to-die-for jump. Those warmbloods are spectacular.
Leo looked tired in his stall, but as soon as we were in the warm-up arena he was revved up again. We were catching a lot of long spots to the jumps, but I was keeping my hands down!
We went in for our round and had the first 2 fences down. Leo ran past the distances both times (actually he ran past the distances for most of the fences but got his feet out of the way for the rest of the course). Fence 1 was an oxer; he had this down behind (Lesley said I sat down on his back too soon and caused him to hollow); it was then 5 forward strides - 5 holding strides for Leo - to the vertical at fence 2. Leo had this down in front. I was really disappointed with this because he is so scopey and jumps the fences with so much room that rails on him are just frustrating. It shows how we lack the adjustability and rideability between the fences. Leo has so much potential and I still have so far to go to channel it.
Who knows when we will move up to training. The size of the fences is definitely not the issue. Progress with Leo is much slower than I anticipated it would be given his raw talent for jumping.
Lesley says we need to correct his disrespect for my leg aides first. We won't be able to hold any of our lines on a training level xc course unless he moves off both legs when needed. I still need to get way better at riding less with my hands and more with my seat and legs.
Monday before event - Unruly Behavior Begins
Monday I had a lesson with Lesley. After Saturday's lesson we switched back from the citation to the snaffle for jumping this week. We were working on a circle doing canter - walk - canter transitions with a small cross rail thrown in. Well, this simple exercise blew Leo's mind. He started anticipating the transition to canter and when going to the right started throwing his haunches in and running sideways. I'd try to correct the haunches falling to the right by putting on my right leg. Leo would not respond to this and somehow we'd end up running backwards (and sideways?). So I corrected this with a circle to the right since it was ultimately a disobedience to my right leg. At least going in a tight right circle I could put my right leg on again and get some sort of response. Well, Leo figured out he could just stop and plant himself in one spot and be further disobedient. So then I had to use my crop to back up my leg which I have never done with him (thinking he would flip out). He didnt even care. At first he cared enough to move in a small circle in the desired direction (but he was spinning on his haunches - moving his forehand but not his hind legs). Eventually I managed to get him turning on his forehand and moving his haunches which I could open up in a bigger circle but we'd have enough blow up and the whole thing would start all over again. I was in disbelief but Lesley was calm and was like "we can stay out here all night if we have too." Eventually after several large fights and a broken crop we got him trotting a circle properly and then cantering a circle properly again. Exhausting.
Tuesday - Worst fall in years
Tuesday I rode Leo on the flat in the ring and he was good so I moved out into the dressage ring to practice my test. Leo started the same issue again trotting circles to the right - dropping his haunches to the right, falling in and not moving off my right leg. He got obstinate and stopped again and this time I could not get him moving forward or turning or obeying any of my aides. The dressage whip didn't inspire him at all either. I had his head turned to the right and was applying leg and then following it up with the whip. Nothing. I just repeated. I really didn't know what else to do but I knew we were at a total impasse. The last time I hit him with the whip he reared up and took off bucking. I stayed for probably 30 yards at which point we were about to run into the pasture fence. Leo went right and I hit the ground. I hit so hard, I got the wind knocked out of me. Oh, that is so uncomfortable. I'm used to rebounding immediately after falling (I've fallen off a lot in the past 2 years) but it took me couple of minutes before I could get up. Leo stayed around for a little bit then trotted back to the barn. I wasn't sure exactly how to proceed. So I worked him in hand getting him moving his haunches in both directions when asked then got back on and did some trot work again. Ugh I was in pain but it got better by the next day versus getting worse.
Wednesday - Less Pressure, More Fun
I spoke with Lesley about my fall and everything leading up to it. She instructed me that in the future if he is not moving, I should get off and school him in hand then get back on and repeat as necessary. If only I had thought of that the night before!
Per Lesley's direction, I took it easy Wednesday and worked him lightly in the ring. Then I schooled him over some xc jumps as a reward. He liked this and it helped us get our head back together after Saturday's less than stellar jumping lesson. I jumped in my snaffle and just practiced keeping my heads in the neck strap during the approach, jump and landing. I have so much position retraining to do!
Thursday - Relaxation
Another light day in the ring. I lunged Leo first then rode and we had some really nice canter work. After that I spent the night packing for the show.
Friday - Arrival at the Carolina Horse Park
Leo and I caught a ride with Cheryl and Froto (Midnight Starter) to the Carolina Horse Park. We were the first of our crew to get there. Lauren (also riding in Novice), her mom Diane, Brooke and Lesley arrived later. After getting set up in the barns, Cheryl and I walked cross country. Then we walked it again when Lesley got there. There was a nice mix of max height/width fences along with those that weren't. There was no one fence that I thought would be a problem for Leo and I. I was more concerned with being able to ride him between the fences. I lunged Leo and then rode him Friday night and he stayed pretty relaxed which I was happy about.
Saturday - Dressage & XC
Cheryl and I got to the barn to feed the horses in the morning. I lunged and rode Leo at 8am, in the hopes that the additional ride would help him settle down before our dressage ride at 11:30. He did pretty good with this and we worked in the warm-up ring so he could get used to the show excitement and speakers. At 11am, I got back on for our dressage ride. Unfortunately he was not relaxed and against my aides for most of the warm-up - but he did not have any huge blow-ups which was an improvement over our last showing at Plantation. He was tense throughout his test and behind my leg. We had a horrible halt at the end. It was definitely not the test I had hoped to ride. Yet again we were in the mid 40s with a score of 44. Dead last in our division of 25 people. As always, you aim to end on your dressage score - so since I didn't break into the 30s, my next goal was to end on my dressage score.
On to cross country, Leo warmed up well. He loves anything that involves cantering and jumping. But several weird things happened. First, we were walking next to Lesley while she was coaching us, when Leo tripped and fell down. I fell off. Landed on my feet but it was really odd. Leo seemed ok, so we continued our warm-up. He was fresh and bold over the warm-up fences, which included 2 xc jumps. This was a good sign and I was feeling pretty confident. Then we tried to make our way over to the start box.
Well, Leo had a meltdown and I have no idea what set him off. He started dancing and running sideways, which ultimately led him to running backwards. In his frenzy we ran into a pickup truck. I got him moving forward and then we ran sideways into an SUV, I got him moving forwards again and he ran sideways into another parked SUV. I was horrified and seriously worried because I could not get him moving in any desirable direction. Leo was getting panicked and was snorting and acting like he was going to rear. All nerve-racking things. Lesley caught up to us and took hold of the reins and lead Leo forward. She continued leading us into the start box - we didn't leave the box on time but Leo's mind was back in place by the time we did get off. Somehow I put all that behind us and got to the jumping. Leo was awesome - just fantastic. Our only sticky point on course was fence 14 & 15 (an up bank, 2 strides to another jump). The approach was uphill through the trees. There were a lot of people and cars right around the complex and he started running out to the right (that same issue AGAIN). I managed to keep him moving forward at a walk and we jumped up the bank at an angle and continued over the next fence (no stirrups but I was determined not to have a refusal!). We finished the course inside the time for a clean round. What relief!
I was super happy to find out when I got back that none of the cars had been damaged when Leo ran into them. Riding Leo is an emotional roller coaster to say the least.
Sunday - Stadium
We were able to watch the intermediate and advanced show jumping Sunday morning which was great. Marilyn Little-Meredith won the advanced division with a fabulous horse she imported from Germany and came in 4th on another. It was actually the 4th place horse I fell in love with - gorgeous dark dapples and a to-die-for jump. Those warmbloods are spectacular.
Leo looked tired in his stall, but as soon as we were in the warm-up arena he was revved up again. We were catching a lot of long spots to the jumps, but I was keeping my hands down!
We went in for our round and had the first 2 fences down. Leo ran past the distances both times (actually he ran past the distances for most of the fences but got his feet out of the way for the rest of the course). Fence 1 was an oxer; he had this down behind (Lesley said I sat down on his back too soon and caused him to hollow); it was then 5 forward strides - 5 holding strides for Leo - to the vertical at fence 2. Leo had this down in front. I was really disappointed with this because he is so scopey and jumps the fences with so much room that rails on him are just frustrating. It shows how we lack the adjustability and rideability between the fences. Leo has so much potential and I still have so far to go to channel it.
Who knows when we will move up to training. The size of the fences is definitely not the issue. Progress with Leo is much slower than I anticipated it would be given his raw talent for jumping.
Lesley says we need to correct his disrespect for my leg aides first. We won't be able to hold any of our lines on a training level xc course unless he moves off both legs when needed. I still need to get way better at riding less with my hands and more with my seat and legs.
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