5k

So I have signed up for a 5K, the Resolution Run and it is happening tomorrow. I am fully expecting I may be walking for most of it, but I am going to try my hardest. I will walk for 30 seconds then run for 60 ... that is my strategy right now.

Frankly at this point I am most worried about parking at the event. Two thousand people have signed up for this thing.

My WW leader has given me my 5k charm already, so I won't be tempted to back out. I have left it in its plastic until I actually complete the run. She's going to be there too - participating in the Polar Bear Plunge part. I will not be doing that. No.

There is Chili and a Beergarden at the end of the race. That part I am doing.

Every ride I try to ride my best. I don't always achieve this, and it is hard not to beat myself up when I am just not feeling strong or sharp or what ever it is that I feel I am lacking. Because it is not just for me. I have an obligation, a responsibility to Kip. Sure, I train Kip so I will have a great partner to help me live out my dream of Eventing, but more importantly, I train him to give him the very best chance he can have in this world. A smart, willing, trained horse will pretty much always be able to find a home, no matter what happens to me. So every ride I try to build my skill level, because Kip sure as heck is building his -- He is better every single ride. It is really amazing. In my lesson last night, I was expressing my frustration with myself for not always supporting him with my leg to get that nice, bouncy canter to the fence. I guess I was being kind of hard on myself, because my trainer said that I had done an extremely good job with Kip, that I had not taken one misstep in his training, and that his amazing progress was because I was a good rider. I almost burst into tears.

Every morning I re-pledge my self to sticking to my WW points allowance, and getting some exercise. And every day it is really a struggle. News flash, I know. This last week has been a complete over-points-fest, with Crush dinner, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving leftovers, and then my birthday again. (Thanks Stitchers!)

Today another Yoga session starts, and I have a riding lesson -- so there are some activity points. But sheesh - I have gained weight this week and it is totally demoralizing. But, today is another day, and I will stay within my 29 points today. That is my pledge. Just for today. I can do that.

Kip seems to get better every ride, with no help from me. This guy is so smart, it is scary.

Our lessons have been gymnastics for the last month or so -- with winter setting in, keeping rides interesting is hard. Our lesson last night was extra fun. We have been working on transitions in between jumps. So we started with 18" cavaletti 3 canter strides apart. The exercise is come in (straight) at a trot, land, transition to a walk, and then hop out. Then Canter in, trot transition, hop out; third, canter the whole thing. The key to this exercise is for me to SIT UP for heaven's sake. It's eighteen inches after all, no need for a crest release.

Add to that a bounce. So, enter canter, cavaletti, three strides, cavaletti, land on left lead, sharp left, 2' bounce. (that is an in-and-out with no stride in between) . That was cake, Kip is super catty and snapped his feet up nice and tight through the bounce. Add to that - land on right lead, right turn, down the long side (Keep that canter forward and bouncy) sharp right to cross-bar on the diagonal, land in left lead, down the long side, left turn over another cross bar.

That is a lot of thinking. One of the challenges of a smart horse is they have opinions about what they want to jump and in what order. Kip "locks on" to any jump we have even the barest line to, and I have a hard time convincing him that that is not, in fact, our jump. So I need to get a lot more precise in seeing the line. Something I have not been really great at in the past. Part of this is sitting up, and going deep into the corners. Since most of my past experience is with Jumpers, I am used to cutting those corners, and jumping out of a bending line, taking the fence where ever will get me closer to my next fence. Two problems with that are, Kip is green and still figuring out where his feet go, so he needs to come in nice and straight; and I am not riding Jumpers, and that is not how you ride Stadium. Old habits, and all that.

This week's lesson: SIT UP. Put on your leg, and support that canter.

Our first dressage show

This weekend was rather eventful.

Kip and I went to our first horseshow. It was at Donida and was a Dressage Schooling show.

Heidi and I are both Anxious Annies, so we left the barn at 9 am for the 30 minute drive to Donida. My first ride was not until 12:22. We really wanted to get there with pleanty of time, I guess. We found our stalls, and unloaded the horses and our stuff.

We got our numbers, I was 94, and Heidi 66. We got the lay of the land, brushed our horses, hung out a bit and before you knew it, it was time for me to tack up for warmup. This took longer than I wanted it to, but I was the first ride after lunch, so I could warmup in the ring we were taking our test in. Kip was great, very interested and looking around, but never feeing that "OMG I am going to EXPLODE" thing that Imax did. All of the time. Kip was distracted but I could not have asked for better behavior. He was a doll.

Anyway, the bell rang and my first ride was on. Kip was above the bit the whole time, and on the forehand, but he did great. Some comments from movements in our first test:

The good:

Nicely forward

fairly straight

square halt

The not as good:

looses contact, out of balance

fall into trot

could use more prep into transisitons

looses rythm

Then in further remarks:

Left lead canter looses rythm.

Elegant pair, Work to develop constant rounder connection to the bridle and better preparation into and out of canter, especially transition to trot.

That is exactly the comments I would make as the rider. I think the judge nailed our ride exactly.

Second ride was 20 minutes later. It was much better, except I did not prepare him sufficiently for the left canter, knew I was not preparing correctly, psyched myself out, and sure enough, cross-fired and did not get the canter in the corner.

The video

Some remarks

The good:

Active haunches and swing

balanced trot, fairly active and connected

smooth active medium walk

The bad:

hollow unbalanced on left canter

Needs better prep

almost no stretch shown in free walk (that one hurts - Kip has a great free walk at home!)

Final comments:

Lots of potential, can do more to engage from hind legs so that back comes up more and horse reaches more to bridle.

Again, totally fair. The judge was right on in all her comments to me.

So, Victory! The first show down, and Kip proved himself to be steady, sane and perfect. We cam in 6th and 7th in our class of eleven. Not too shabby.

This week has been so long, how is it there is still one day to go?

I was so excited to go to dinner and then on the artwalk with Scott last night that yesterday totally felt like Friday.

But alas, it was not and I still have an entire day to get through before the show tomorrow. I am very excited and not nervous at all, at least yet. I figure there is nothing to get nervous about as there is nothing at stake. Exactly what a schooling show is supposed to be.

I have done exactly zero to prepare for this. I still have to clean my saddle, bridle and boots, launder the breeches and jacket I am going to wear, pack my show kit, go shopping for food (no concession stand at this show -- which is fine because all they sell is crap anyway). Not to mention Kip will be a dirtball with his shaggy coat and love of rolling on to his back and grinding the dirt in from his poll to his dock. Oh, andt he also has rain scald. I have laundered my saddle pad, so that is something.

Oh well, what ever I get done will be done. I am just really looking forward to the ride. Fun!!

First Show - preparation.

Another excellent lesson last night. We primarily worked on transitions with poles and fences. Trot pole, halt. Trot 2-3 steps, jump. We are learning ride to the base, pat the ground, rock back, snappy little jump. Kip of course is getting is quickly. We also rode our dressage test.

Kip and I are going to our first show on Saturday, the Dressage Schooling show at Donida. We are going to be doing Training Level 1 - twice. So my ride times are 12:22 and 12:46. My number is 94. Numerologically speaking, that is "4" which is a practical and organized number. I am good with that. (For an atheist, I am so superstitious. Embarrassing.)

Our goal at this show is just to have fun. Kip is going to be very distracted, and i am sure the judge's stand is going to be very scary. But I am just going to ride, what ever horse I have and have a good time.

Since our ride times are late, I am hoping we can get there with plenty of time to settle in, and have a good look around before warming up and riding. Heidi, who is going with me rides at 1:52 and 2:56, so we won't be leaving until after her scores are posted and tests released, so I am thinking around 4:00 probably.

Training Level 1 test:

Enter at A brisk trot
halt at X, salute
Track Right at C
At E circle
between K and A, Right Canter
Circle at B
Between X and B, Trot
at C, Medium walk
HXF free walk
at F medium walk
Trot at A
at E Circle
between H and C Canter left lead
at B circle
Between X and B, trot
At A turn down the centerline
at X halt, salute.

Halloween Jumper Group

Wow. That was so much fun, I just want to go back and do it all over again.

Kip and I attended the first Jump Group this fall, our first ever. Kip was just amazing.

I was prepared for him to be more focused on the other horses in the arena, and generally mischievous to begin with -- but right away, he settled in to work. He listened to me very well the entire day.

There were horse and rider combinations, all in the indoor - so it was crowded. The highlight of the whole thing to me was we jumped a course of eleven jumps. And he did it willingly and with very little "green horse looky-loo-ism" (there's a term for 'ya) . There were many kinds of jumps he'd never seen before, and sometimes on the first pass, he'd be crooked, but he learned so fast that usually the second time around, he was jumping it like an old pro. Many people commented on how great he is doing, and how cute he is. He is really cute.

As a bonus, Heidi asked me to go to a dressage schooling show with her next saturday. We are so ready. I am once again expecing him to shy at everything. Then if he doesn't I will be pleasantly surprised.

Wednesday was a rough lesson.

First, I had not ridden in a week, due to crush. Kip was totally scattered, blasting through my leg, trotting like a sewing machine, rooting, running me into walls and generally doing his best to ignore me. I admit I did let myself get frustrated. It did not help that Anne was having a frustrating day too, and really laid in to me about Smartpaks. It is a long and boring story, not worth going in to here, except to say that she harangued a little too long, well after I got the point -- NO SMARTPAKS. Alright already.

We decided to work in the indoor because Kip was being such a twerp. We had to get him listening. To improve the canter-trot transition, I need to ask on a turn -- a very definite turn, not a drift. He is still rough, but by the end of the evening, improving.

We also had 2 cavaleti 9' apart, at X -- Canter at B, turn at A (Look early!! look at P!) steady the canter, support with the outside leg, bring both hands to the right; canter the cavaletti, opening rein to the right to land on the right lead, turn to M, repeat.

He rushes this exercise so by the time we are over the second cavaleti, he's going Mach 5 into the turn. I need to sit up, NOT lean forward, and let him find his feet. He'll figure out it is easier if he goes more slowly.

Anyway this is the homework for the week.

And Jumper Group is Sunday -- So excited! squeek!

Post Crush weekend weigh-in

This was Crush weekend and I told myself I could eat what ever I felt like eating. I did not want to make this about any thing other than enjoying this experience.

Thing was, that I did not want very much. My first meal on the road with the "new rules" in effect, I ate an entire garden burger. It was really mediocre at best, but I scarfed it down anyway. At least I ordered the side salad with it, and ate all of that too. I also had 10 sweet potato fries from Scott's plate. I was miserable for the rest of the day afterwards. I think I learned my lesson.

At the Hightowers, I still had plenty of cheese and potatoes and gnocci and cookies and, well WINE (so good), but did not over-eat again.

We worked really hard this weekend, processing a record amount of tonnage (I can't remember the actual amount, of course). So I was very active from 10 am until 9:00pm. That burned some calories, lemmie tell you. I also tore the crap out of my fingers - that has never happened before, and is no fun. Next year I will have to take precautions.

On the drive home we took HWY 410, and it snowed. It was very pretty, and a fun adventure. We had to put the chains on for about ten miles, but that went pretty easily and we made it just fine.

So the upshot of all of this is, I gained .4 pounds. My total so far is 14.4 pounds.

New rooster

100_3993
Originally uploaded by yvettef.

Scott and I left to catch the new light rail train to the airport at 4:30am on Monday. The train took us right to the parking garage at Seatac, and we went to our gate. We had a little confusion with getting boarding passes, because for some reason if you are traveling to the Carribean

Scott and i went to Belize for christmas and new year's - we had a fantasic time and are very tan.

We took the train in to SeaTac airport , and it worked like a charm, getting us there with just the right amout to time to check in & go through TSA. I totally recommend it when you go to the airport., works like a charm.

We arrived in Belize City and took a prop plane down to Placencia. Placencia is a 13 mile long peninsula, with a mangrove lagoon on one side and the best beach in Belize on the other. White sands and sloping shore, with not too much turtle grass.

We went on some tours, to Cockscomb National Park (Jaguar preserve) where we had a jungle walk with a wonderful Mayan man named Bascillo, who showed us what we could eat ( including termites - tastes like carrots!) drink, and use medicinally in the jungle. Fascinating. Then we floated on tubes down the river back through the jungle.

We also visited Xunantunich, Mayan ruins that you reach by a hand-cranked ferry. Besides the ruins we saw an actual boa constrictor slithering through the jungle, that then slithered up a tree when it got tired of us staring at it. We saw a spider monkey and howler monkeys, too. The ruins were stunning, see my flicker site for more photos than you will ever want to see.

We went snorkeling to the outer Cayes twice, to the Silk Cayes and one inner Caye I am forgetting the name of. It was amazing - we saw tons of blue tang, yellow tang, butterfly fish, huge schools of parrot fish,damsel fish etc, etc-- most exciting was the nurse shark, the eagle rays, sting rays bat rays, trunk fish, grey angel fish , stoplight parrot fish...obviously I could go on and on. The corals we beautiful too.

Weather for the first week was mostly sunny, and the second week was pretty rainy. We made the most of it though, and the second the sun came out, we were back on the beach. Scott didn't wait for the sun, and spent time swimming and snorkeling even in the rain.

This has been a very dry description of a fantastic and exciting trip. See my flickr site for more photos than you can shake a stick at. I will be organizing them later, right now they are just kind of there in a pile.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yvettef/sets/72157623021996133/