Not the best of times - moving to "Plan B"

Well, the excitedly anticipated trip to Lamplight can now be politely filed away under “learning experience” – as opposed to “total bust”.

Remy traveled well, and I got word from Kim (the best groom there is) that he settled in nicely on Wednesday at the show grounds. I made the 300+ miles (roughly 500 km) trip through Michigan and parts of Indiana to Illinois, to find myself outside of Chicago, smack in Suburbia. Not where you would expect a huge show facility. The place certainly looks lovely, very well maintained, with meticulously manicured grounds. Unfortunately, Remy was less impressed, and when Judy took him longing Thursday morning he was quite the handful.

Not the best of starts, and it would only go downhill from there, as it turned out. Friday the heavens opened and the water in the longing area was so deep I couldn’t possibly work him there. Judy recommended we scratch first class to have more time to work him later (when hopefully the ground would be drier). Alas, no such luck! For the afternoon class we went straight to the warm up arena, not too thrilled having to go by a lot of grading equipment and maintenance trucks. My usually so settled Remy became pretty much rattled and started to buck in the warm up, which made me get off and scratch my class.

Saturday I was determined to get through this. It was a team effort to get us to the warm up arena, as both Remy and I were covered in mud from longing. While I cleaned myself up, Kim and Nancy took Remy for a quick hose down. He had longed beautifully, so I was hopeful for the things to come. All went well in the warm up arena – that is, until a clothes rack from the vendors lining the arena fell over with a big thud. That got Remy rattled and he bucked. Right before we had to go in for our test. We made it to the judges box – and then he bucked and bolted, jumping the rails and heading for home. I gathered Remy and my wits (rather shaken), and when the judge nicely asked if I’d like to try again I said yes. Well, we made it down the center line – and came not to a screeching halt but to another huge bucking and bolting session before B. Once I got him under control all I could do was excuse myself from the ring. That was that.

Good news: I didn't hit the ground. Bad news: We never got to ride a test the entire weekend! Not to mention that I really, REALLY don’t want to re-live the years of agony I had with Saumur. My confidence was severely shaken. Luckily Judy had a plan (as always!): She will ride Remy at the next shows to give him more confidence to deal with the unexpected (and to correct him when needed). Remy will stay at Topline for training until the end of August, so summer ‘remedial’ school it is for him. I won’t have time to lick my wounds, though, there is a freestyle waiting to be finished with Saumur. Saumur was really happy to see me back last night, and I’m happy that I can give him more attention again. Admittedly, my focus had been more on Remy lately, so it’ll all work out (or so I hope!).

By the way, a note on horoscopes: I checked mine for fun before leaving for Lamplight, and it read “you will have wonderful experiences on the weekend, with lots of fun”. Well, if bucking and bolting count as “wonderful experiences and lots of fun” then yes, the horoscope was right on!

In from London - Out to Illinois

Just back from a busy week in London, business trip with some fun thrown in for good measure. I hadn't been to London in ages, so it was fun to explore the city. The business part of it contained “The Bands of the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade” to which we invited customers. The description read “it will be a magical extravaganza of military pomp and ceremony and an opportunity to experience an unforgettable evening of British pageantry at its very best”. Well, then… 

Luckily one of our team members is a Brigadier General in the British Army, and he arranged for me to get a private tour of the stables. It was a great experience, I learned a lot of interesting facts and got drooled on by the General’s horse. The evening’s performance featured a female officer singing Adele’s ‘Skyfall’, during which an officer’s horse laid down. When the song finished the officer stepped next to the horse and jumped on as it got up. Very cool!

Back home, it meant packing again. This time it’s different luggage, as Remy and I are hitting the road. Remy left this morning on a big Semi with seven other Topline horses for Lamplight. Due to work I’ll be following tomorrow. It’s exciting and also a bit nerve-wracking, I've never been to a show that far away; Lamplight boosts stabling for 450 horses in barns, with a total capacity of 1,000 when adding the tents. As the Europeans call it “American Supersizing”. 

So, I’ll hit the road bright and early tomorrow and see what the next four days will bring. My last rides on Remy haven’t been as smooth as I would have liked them to be, mainly due to me being tired. Good thing I can count on Judy finding the right mix of encouragement coupled with reminders to “wear my big girl pants” to get us through this!

Horseshow-Weekend - the good, the bad, the call to submit evaluations

Back from 'Dressage at Waterloo Spring Classic' (a USEF level 3 competition). Judy convinced me to take both boys "you need practice going down the centerline". She had a point, as Saumur had skipped last year, and Remy only went to a couple of Intro classes. Not to mention yours truly being out of (show) practice... ergo, three rides per day: one on Saumur and two on Remy. No time to get bored!

With the truck and trailer loaded to the brim we headed out on Thursday. The schooling went well, despite blustering winds, rain, and looming thunderstorms. Friday started with Remy's TL 3 class, and ambitiously I had entered it as qualifier for Regionals. Good start: Even with some "whoopsies" (breaking in the canter) we received our qualifying score and won the class! Remy's second class went well also and I felt pretty good.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as well with Saumur, he got his tongue over the bit and that was it. The judge didn't see it and marked it  down as "not forward enough, not enough contact" -- well, lady, you can't have contact if the tongue is over the bit. But OK, I didn't think too much about it.

The bummer came with Remy's class on Saturday. I had heard grumblings about that particular judge before (same one I had for Saumur), and sure enough, her comments really had me more than fuming (or, as my friend Stephanie would call it: "der Schachtelteufel ist los").  Whereas all other tests had great scores for harmony, and comments like "quiet rider", "lovely pair", this one wrote "the horse needs a partner, not a dictator". It could be humorous, because both Judy and George have been after me about being 'too nice', meaning not pushing my horses enough! But my sense of humor never came to the surface on this one, especially after JP innocently asked "do you think it's because you are German?!".

I went to the show office to talk with the manager (who, together with his staff, goes out of his way to accommodate competitors), and the TD (Technical Delegate). I made it clear that I am paying for constructive criticism, not for unqualified and non-quantified comments like this. The TD agreed and offered to send a copy of the score sheet to the USDF for the judges evaluation forum and also suggested I submit an evaluation form.

While talking with other competitors I found out that I was by no means singled out (good or bad?). I ran into a friend of mine who said "oh, I should have told you, I just scratch every time I am supposed to ride in front of this person, I don't need the abuse!". Others had tales about extremely low scores, 1s and 2s, without comments; or plain mean comments. To top it off, said judge was overheard in the tack store complaining about "the crappy riders she has to judge all day long". Well, lady, if you hate your job that much, get another one!

Luckily I had one more ride in a different arena, and that restored my faith in the system.

To sum it up:
The good: I had a great weekend, boys were awesome, I truly enjoyed the company of the Topline team and the other competitors
The bad: A 'bad apple' judge
The call to submit evaluations: Fill out the forms! In this case: "USEF Member's Confidential Evaluation of USEF Judges, Stewards, Technical Delegates, and Course Designers". Officially voice your concerns, only that way things may change.

Don't forget to point out the positive either, such as very helpful suggestions from the judges; or competition   feedback on items such as footing, super organization (I greatly appreciated three guys from the show staff showing up at my trailer offering to unload; and also help fix a flat tire!). People need to know that they are doing a good job and that their hard work is appreciated.

Oh yes, and a little bragging at the end: Remy won the Training Level Championship :-)