A little TLC and voila!

Both Blu and I have benefited from a bit of work. For me, it is stretching and strengthening of my lower back and hips along with attention to my core muscles. For Blu, coffin joint injections and shock wave. Both of us felt the effects this evening. It is just beautiful when it all comes together.

I took a lesson and told Linda I wanted to focus on the bend since the past two tests have had similar comments about "not enough bend". So we did some work at the walk -- half pass to X then turn on the haunches and half pass back to the rail. We also worked on the turn on the haunches element required at 2-3. Off we went to trot and quickly turned that to canter and back to trot with transitions being of utmost importance. The canter work that followed was just spectacular. I rode him up in the bridle and had beautiful counter canter and simple changes. Linda thought if I could replicate these movements for my test on Saturday I could easily have a 67 - 68 ride. Oh please... all I want is a 60!!!

So coffin joint injections and shockwave did the trick for Blu. Continued stretching and strengthening for me. My knees are out of the saddle and my leg is hanging down his side. I can give the aids I need from my seat and core. What a beautiful thing! This boy has taught me so very much about feeling and riding correctly.

A tepid bath (Blu is not a fan of cold water...), lots of treats and love and then home to dream of the ride. Can I just bottle that and replicate it on Saturday?

Exclamation!

Here is Blu and his mom at their very first show together! Another milestone achieved and documented! He was the very best boy! How lucky am I! I think I need to pinch myself! Dreams do come true! I must have been very good in another life or is it that I have paid my equine dues so I am now entitled to all the joy a horse can bring! Whatever it is I hope it goes on forever!

Maintenance required for older models.

Both Blu and I require the occasional tune up. I get mine from limb bending physical therapists who delight in seeing how much open angle they can create in my hip. I was proclaimed to be at about 90% this past Monday when I started 8 weeks ago I barely had 20% of my expected range. Got to love those therapists. No pain... no gain.

Blu has shown some progressive ouchiness in the past month. Nothing really to write home about but when you look at it cumulatively, he has become plain sore. Dr. Liz was out to see him and confirmed my suspicions -- sore back and sore front feet. X-rays of his front feet showed no discernible change so she felt coffin joint injections and shock wave for his back were in order. In a week's time he will be back to full work.

We also talked about his strange episode the last day of the show. She said my instincts to load him up and take him home were correct and there could have been any number of things that caused his distress including the agitated horses all around. From now on he will continue to get the Gastrogard with each day of showing supplemented by 60cc of Maalox every 4 hours and Tums as his snacks. I would go to all sorts of lengths to keep this young man happy...

So us seniors have got our therapy and will prepare for the next show. Hopefully we will both be in the best of shape as we continue to search for those bronze medal scores.

Another show... another show experience

Off to Mystic Valley Hunt Club this past weekend. We were due to depart on Thursday afternoon but severe thunderstorms in the area kept us at home until early Friday morning. Getting to the barn at that hour I hoped Blu was clean and tidy like our last outing but of course that was not to be. He had brown spots all over him. So off to the wash stall we went. His braids were also a bit dicey but time was not on my side and I said to heck with it and went off to the show a bit tattered. Half way in the commute I realized we were not going to make our class in time. When I got to the show, I immediately went to the show secretary and luck would have it that there was a scratch an hour later so I took the slot.

By the time I got enough unloaded, Blu groomed and me put together we had 15 minutes for warm-up. Out went the long walk and a bit of trot. We walked to the warm-up area and went to canter. He felt good -- a bit tired-- but overall he was good. Neither of us were very anxious and that is great! He was still going into the ring but what are you going to do when the show must go on? Put on a smile and trot into the ring that is what you are going to do! And so we did...

The test was far better than our last outing. I was more confident and started to think more about the ride vs. the OMG I am actually in the show ring thinking. I had a heads up from my friend that it was a bit boggy at "X" due to torrential rains the evening before. Blu spotted it immediately as we entered at "A". You could feel his wheels turn -- "How am I going to get out of stepping in that slop?" I kicked and kicked... he fishtailed and bulged. I got him into the middle of it but the halt was plain ugly. For a horse who usually scores a 7-8, we settled for a 5. Sweet! For the rest of the test where I had to pass through "X" I simply tried to stay to one side or another but we had to come back through as we approached our final halt. Simply put, it again was not very pretty. He scooted through "X" and then landed in a heap with a few walk steps for the final halt. Not good for second level and it earned us another "5".

Our judge was of international fame -- how lucky could one get? My trainer thought my score was a bit low but her comments were certainly something to build on. Our score was better than our last show and we did place 2nd out of 6.

We have some work to do. I just have to get these scores out of the way so I can take a breath and begin to think about third level. With the month of August being show free, we will start back in the double bridle. I think we are both ready for it. Next show in 2 weeks... Get ready Letter Perfect Farm... Here comes Blu!!!

Too busy riding to post

Wouldn't that be a dream? Too much time in the saddle so not enough time to wax poetic? I wish this was the case. The truth is that I continue to ride as work allows and that is usually a 4 day per week minimum. My riding has definitely improved and the magnificent Blu just becomes more magnificent.

We started on our next phase -- horse shows. We went to our first this beautiful sunny hot and humid Memorial Day weekend. He was just the best show pony anyone could ask for. The day started perfectly when I walked into the barn in the morning and he did not have a manure stain on him!!! He stood patiently while I braided him and they came out perfectly. He loaded like it was yesterday that he stepped on the trailer. He was quiet in the trailer for the 1.5 hour ride and then stood patiently while we got set up. Off he came without a snort or a whinny. Blu had arrived and he was ready to show!

Second level test three was made for him. He did flawless simple lead changes and his counter canter was perfection. He did not rush and if I could learn to ride a bit more forward we would knock the ball out of the park. Why is it that I ride like a girl gone wild at home but can not replicate that in front of a judge? Frustrating indeed but maybe with time I will give that bit of nonsense up. The show nerves I have exhibited in the past were far better than I expected -- all due to the marvel of Blu. He never put a foot wrong -- even when the wind was gusting and the low bushes by the ring were being tossed around, he went about his job taking care of me. He is the $50 million horse!

Enjoyment in every ride

Tired and feeling just a bit sore from yesterday's ride I had to push myself to go to the barn. I just did not want to leave the comfort of home, go out in the rain and feel the dampness seep into my bones. Blu was waiting and I knew he would probably be in because of the down pours that kept creeping back into the day. Off I went and as predicted Blu was waiting in his comfy over bedded stall with a nice snack size pile of hay laying at his feet. He seemed quite content but thrilled to have his mom pay him a visit. There are treats in my pocket after all...

He just feels better with each ride. He is strong and he is much more uphill in his balance. My trainer sees it and the barn manager commented today on the improvements she has seen Blu make in the past month. Yes, he has yet another fan club. How can you not enjoy every moment with this wonderful horse?

We are preparing for our first show on Memorial Day weekend with a Ride-Critque-Ride this coming weekend. We will do 2nd-3 and see what we have. I am exhausted just thinking about the week to come but it is filled with anticipation as I take my relationship with Blu to the next long awaited level.

It is tough to get old.

No posts for awhile since my riding has been terribly lack luster. My back/ hip issue had returned with a vengeance to the point where I broke down and went to see a sports medicine physician. Sometimes it is wise to leave the diagnosing to trained professionals but then again that means giving up control of the situation. So this control freak let go and the good news is that the issues can be fixed. The tough news is that it will take some pain and some time. Oh well, as long as it can be fixed.

So my riding is now augmented by twice a week physical therapy, daily stretching and strengthening exercises. Once a week I submit to Linda's instruction, working my body overtime and coming away with improving results.

Tonight I continued with left hip/ buttock pain but said "screw it" and kept on with the lesson. Focusing on a horse who was firing off his hind legs and coming up and into the bridle helped me forget about any discomfort I was feeling. We worked on canter half pass to leg yield, simple changes, canter halt. It was all good work. After about 40 minutes I ceded the reins to Linda and she finished the ride. He was magnificent-- the best I had ever seen.

Linda provided words of encouragement even said she thought PSG was in our reach within the next year.... OMG... can you even imagine that. It may be tough to get old but the old are getting tough!!!