Cross Country Pony

How Cute are they!!

Friday was our XC schooling day. It was an absolutely beautiful day with lots of sun and clear skies. We got off to a great start leaving the barn on time and getting to the horse park without incident.

Of course, the "hunter" girls immediately headed for one of the rings to warm up (chickens). Molly and her friend followed since they are only 9 - the "hunter girls" are the barn owner and manger who are in their mid 20's, so they're really the "boss". After about 15 minutes they decided to head up to one of the dressage rings so K could practice her tests - Molly got kind of bored with all of this - as was I, but since I did encourage everyone else to come with us, it was only fair that I be a team player.

FINALLY, they were ready to head out onto the XC course - they were so excited to see all of the jumps and at the fact that there was a nice amount of little jumps for everyone to play with. We spent a lot of time just going back and forth over little logs, hay bales, railroad ties etc. Molly was a little nervous at first, but Treenie NEVER looked at anything - she just went and jumped like a good pony should. She did stop at one jump that everyone had trouble with. It was a cross rail in a post and rail fence - see pix below. I don't know what the issue is with this jump, but whenever I event here, my horse backs off to take a look at it too - EVERY TIME! It is a little 2 ft cross rail but there is something scary about it I guess. However, Molly stuck to her plan and did get over it. AND, when one of the hunter girls was having a really tough time at it, Molly asked "do you want me to lead you?" We all got a huge chuckle because the response was, "Only if you don't mind me jumping on top of you". The hunters were a little wild. One was over jumping everything by like 4 ft - I'm not kidding - I have the pic to prove it! Our hunter girls are good jocks boy.

And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon!

(and that was from a trot)

The Very Scary Cross Rail

Lovely Form Too!

Molly and K also were the first to get their ponies into the water. I thought Treenie was going to roll in it she was splashing so much. Molly said that when they first started out in the ring that she didn't know what the big deal was but once she saw the xc jumps she thought she was just going to "walk around" while everyone jumped. However, once she got started, she kept up with the everyone else and jumped with the group. She said she had a lot of fun and would like to think about doing a starter event in the fall! I think I may have an event rider on my hands!

Of course, it was a rush to get back to the barn and unload in time to pick my son up at preschool, then rush home grab quick showers and shuffle Molly off to her dance recital rehearsal - nothing like over scheduling!

Why I Hate the Hunters!

Warning: This post may offend some die hard hunter fans - sorry, I have to get this off my chest!



Preface - I was a hunter rider for 20+ years, children's hunters, schooling hunters, pre-adult hunters, adult amateurs etc - been there, done that - and I was perfectly content while I was doing it. The turning point came during a lesson. I had been jumping a course that turned out really well - I hit every distance and it felt great. I turned to the instructor and said "that felt really good" - her response was "you could have been 6 inches closer to the last jump". That's it, I was done. I was not interested in having to be that perfect. I stopped riding for a while shortly after that. I had just had a baby (Molly) and life was too complicated to fit in riding that was just frustrating so I took a break. I started again after reconnecting with a friend who had moved onto eventing. I evented a little as a junior - it was fun and in the lower levels, you just had to get from one side to the other. Maybe this is what I needed. My friend set me up with an event barn and that was it I was hooked! I have not been back in the hunter rings since. I LOVE the fact that you get an actual score and on the dressage test there are comments along with the scores. You know exactly why you got what you got.



So, Molly is now doing the mini stirrups which brings me back to the hunter shows. Almost every time we go I think "God, I HATE this." There is no sense to the judges' picks. At least not that I can see and I have a good eye. At one show, the judge pinned a short strided horse that limped in the corners in the pleasure class - can someone please explain that? At another, a pony stops twice to poop in the middle of the class and that kid is in the top 3 - I'm sorry, I just don't get it.



Molly showed again on Saturday. It was another HUGE division - 10 in each class. She was 4th in the pleasure, nothing in the Eq, 6th in the Figure 8 and 4th in the cross rails. I can't really say why she got what she got. Treenie is a decent mover so I thought she should have been higher in the pleasure. They asked for a sit trot in the eq which Molly does great - more than half of the kids bounced around like jumping beans - but Molly got nothing. In the Fig 8, I expected her to get nothing because one of her circles was really lopsided but she managed to pick up 6th. I REALLY thought she won the o/f class but was 4th.



On the way home she asked me why she only got the places she got - I had no answer. I told her that the judge picked the ones she liked best. I also told her that there was nothing that she really should have done differently - she is riding really well and there is nothing we need to change. She really is on the right path, in the right program and has the right pony.



I thought a lot about her question on the ride home. To put everything in perspective:



1-This is her 1st year of showing (her 5th show to be exact)
2-This is the mini-stirrups - not the Maclay's!
3-She manages to get a piece of the ribbons almost every class
4-She is usually in the top half of the class
5-She said - out of the blue - that she loves to horse show



I felt a lot less frustrated after I came up with my list. I think it was bothering me more than it was her. Still, I can't help but wonder if we are doing anything to help these riders along by handing out arbitrary ribbons with no reasoning? Would it be so terrible if the judge handed out the ribbons and gave each rider a little comment? Like they do at a schooling dressage show? Nothing too deep, but just a little hint "try to keep your heels way down" or "make sure you don't let your reins get too long". Something - anything to give a clue on what the judge was looking for.




So, that's my soap box for the week. As parents, we shell out a lot of money for our kids to show, I don't think it is too much to ask for a little feedback.



If the weather holds out, Molly will be going cross country schooling on Friday. It should be really fun. I know once she gets a taste of it and realizes she can stay in control, she will love it. She also has a dressage show coming up on June 12 - scores and feedback to make Mom happy!



Will try to take a lot of pics of the xc day!

A Pony In Our Backyard!

Saturday was Molly's "cousin's" birthday party (in this family, we have to have multiple birthdays - don't ask!). She had been wanting to show off Treenie to her cousins for quite a while now. She decided that her "theme" would be Treenie and that the pony would also be the "guest of honor". Luckily it was a beautiful day so Miss Treeners was able to make an apperance. We live in a development but have a "dedicated open space" land parcel adjacent to our backyard. However, it is definitely NOT common to see a pony in the open space. Our neighbor kids were totally shocked to see Molly riding a pony in the field!

Miss Treenie was definitely a star - she totally LOVED all of the attention the kids doted on her - she tolerated pony rides and was even good enough to let 2 of Molly's cousins ride her on their own. My 1 niece really loved her and spent a ton of time grooming her and fussing over her - it was so cute when she said "Aunt Lori, do you think I can ride her by myself?" She did great and even rode her alone in the big field - making the pony go where she wanted her to go. Treenie is a funny, funny pony though. I can tell by the look in her eye when the little mischief wheels are turning in that pony brain of hers. I KNEW she was thinking of dragging my niece back toward the house instead of staying on the circle. Treenie would look over at me to see if I was watching her! I would just say "I'm watching you" and then tell my niece to pull her head in the other direction - Treenie only tried to get away once and then gave it up once she made eye contact with me - Ponies!

Treenie definitely was having a great time eating all of our grass - she did not want to go back on the van - I had to lure her with birdseed (well, it's not like I keep grain at me house!). Overall it was a great doy for Molly, the cousins and Treenie! We love this pony!

Her First Blue Ribbon - Priceless!

First off - thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments. It is nice to know that SOMEONE is reading this besides me! I actually quite enjoy writing, and hope that this blog has been kept light enough for everyone.

So, Saturday was another show for Molly. It was down at a farm about an hour south of our town. The last time we went to this show, I had e-mailed the organizer for directions because the ones on the prize list did not cover the direction we were coming from AND mapquest could not find the address. One would think that the organizer would be able to give good directions from a major interstate right? WRONG! I left with about 1/2 tank of gas in one tank and a almost full 2nd tank. The directions I was given were so wrong and out of the way (40 minutes out of the way to be exact) that I had to search for a gas station before we even got to the show. It was incredibly frustrating because I had been to this farm before - I came from a totally different direction, but went home the way I wanted to come so I knew there was a direct route. Anyway, we did get there on time. However, I was smart enough to right down the way I went home so that I would know how to get back.

This time, I filled both tanks a few days before so we could just jump in and go. I HATE having to do anything other than load the pony the day of the show - call me lazy, but I spent over 20 years showing hunters and getting up before sunrise to bathe/braid etc. Been there, done that! Plus, it's tough dragging an 8year old out of bed at 6 AM. However, because this show was on a Sat AND we did not have to be there until 1pm, I did opt not to bathe or braid the day before - Molly went out on Fri and hopped on bareback for a bit and Treenie got to sleep outside with her friend.

Sat turned out to be beautiful - we got to the barn around 9 AM with the intention of bathing but the farrier was there monopolizing the wash stall with the hot water - ugh!! Fortunately, I pulled Treenie's sheet off and she was really clean - I mean really clean - I know she had rolled since her last bath, but she stayed out of the mud so nothing was ground in. Fine - I can use the cold hose on the other side of the barn to wash her legs and tail - spray her with a little healthy hair care and done - clean enough! Then I braided while Molly packed (or supposedly packed) the van. We had a foal born Friday morning, so it was REALLY hard for Molly (and me) to stop staring at this adorable little thing and actually get something done. Since Treenie is all of 11.2H, it takes me about 20 minutes to braid her. We were on the road at 11:20 - 10 minutes before our scheduled 11:30 departure.

My backwards directions were perfect and we were there in exactly 1 hour and 1/4 tank of gas - that's right, only 1/4!! At $3.59/gal I was thrilled. My Mom met us there with one of her friends (great, now I have to be nice AND cheery!) I've actually known this woman since I was born (my Mom's friend, not my Mom - well, I guess I've known my Mom since I was born too - you know what I'm trying to say!!) It was actually very funny, because while Annette really liked the pony, she was also really afraid of her - she is really afraid of all animals. She was so eager to help but to scared to actually do anything - she decided that she would supervise Molly getting dressed. I tacked Treenie up in the van - another advantage of having a small pony - I can pull her out of the stall but still cross tie her in the "aisle" of the van. It sure beats walking up and down the ramp to unload everything and, you don't have to worry about leaving anything behind because it never leaves the van! I made my Mom hold Treenie while Molly got ready - ho hum are you done yet??? I do not know what takes so long to throw on a pair of breeches and shirt - sheesh!

My Mom was never allowed to come to horse shows when I showed as a junior. My Dad and I always went. He would tend bar on Thurs/Fri and Sat nites (in addition to his reg job just to pay for my horse) until 2:30 AM then get up at 5 or 6 to take me to a horse show. We were a team - I could leave him with my horse to go register and he would have him unloaded and mostly tacked by the time I got back. He just did it (and did it correctly for the most part) without being asked. My Dad died years ago but I have no doubt that he would still get up at 5 in the morning to take Molly to a horse show these days. So, now my Mom is trying to fill his shoes. She can hold the pony, but that's about it. I know for sure, that she can not tack up or do anything else but that's okay. That's what I'm there for. Molly likes having her meet us at shows and I know she like spending time with Molly.

The classes were pretty uneventful - the ring was very muddy - guess what - Miss Treenie is definitely NOT a mudder! She went, but VERY delicately - she was very concerned about getting those little piggies dirty! Molly got a 3rd in Pleasure, 4th in the EQ and 4th in the Fig 8. The delight was the crossrails class. First, the course was diagonal line to diagonal line - have you ever heard of that in the mini's?? Good thing Molly is doing regular courses at home! I put her in 2nd - we don't like to go first but I hate going way down in the line up. The first kid totally missed the last jump - she is another of these kids who thinks they can canter the whole thing - look where that got her! Molly went in did a great opening circle and proceeded to trot the WHOLE course, use all her space on the ends of the ring and get the correct diagonals. It was really her best course ever. The rest of the kids did a trot/canter combo that was completely inconsistent and some were even not in control. Molly's was by far the most organized and well planned of the group (okay, maybe I'm a little partial). However, I did hear the judge ask the ring steward if she was supposed to penalize the kids who cantered. I'm not sure what the response was but it started out as "it's up to you..." Whatever her decision was, Molly won the class! It was her first blue ribbon ever and very exciting. It's extra nice when you can win a jumping class!

Everything's Coming Up Roses...

Sunday was another show day for Molly. I can't say enough how cute our pony is! She just gets better and better. I really think she likes to horse show. She gets the cutest expression on her face and really ties to be on her best behavior. It has been great for Molly because it is giving her the confidence she needs to know that she can do this.





There were only 6 in the whole division this time - who knows - perhaps because there was just another show the week before, or because the weather prediction was kind of iffy all week, but there were 10 fewer kids this week. 6 is a good number, and, it was "good company" - meaning that the kids were mostly all about the same level so Molly really earned her ribbons. She ended up 2nd in the Eq, 4th in the Pleasure, 4th in the Figure 8 and 2nd over fences.

Overall, she was Reserve Champion which was huge for her. She was SO proud.

This is our first year in the mini's, but after only 3 shows I am already having a problem with it. I'm digging out my prizelist now as I type because I want to quote this correctly..."Rider's may not cross enter into any other class or division at the same show where they are required to canter". By definition, the division is called Mini Stirrup Walk/Trot Division. Can someone please tell me why kids are going in and cantering the entire cross rails course? I understand the kids who trot in and canter out the lines, trot in the corner and trot in and canter out the other line. Molly does that sometimes because she just likes to canter her jumps. I tell her that mini's should TROT everything. But these kids that go in with a courtesy circle then pick up a canter and proceed to canter the course I think are technically wrong. Also, if they are cantering this course, then move up to short stirrups where they expect you to canter! It REALLY annoys me - so much so that I am going to go to the next association meeting to try to get some clarification on this. It is not a matter that Molly can't do it, but I think this division was created for a reason and we need to maintain that reason so that the kids coming up will have a proper division in which to show. (I should have been a constitutional law attorney!)

Molly trotted in and cantered out, did a simple change onto the correct lead (phew!) at the end of the ring and cantered the entire last line - fortunately the strides all worked out or it could have been ugly! It really was a nice round even if it wasn't how we had schooled it.

Molly's new little show friend did not have as good as day - last week her pony wouldn't go - I mean just wouldn't go. He would stop and rear. This week she brought a different pony who cantered off with her after about 30 sec in the 1st class. I felt SO bad - I was wracking my brain " do I have an extra pony in the van?" I have an extra of almost everything so it was not crazy to wonder if I had stuck in an extra pony! Unfortunately, I did not - nor did I have a stronger bit that might work - I just wish I had something that might have been able to help her. She was a REALLY good sport and went back up and schooled the pony before they put him away. I hope they can work it out, because she really is a sweet little kid and it is nice to have a friend at shows!

We're off again on Saturday and then things will quiet down until June. I told Molly that for her birthday at the end of this month I would take her cross country schooling - that should be interesting!