Some numbers

During my lesson, Bob was telling me some numbers, that will no longer be accurate, but I will do my best to repeat them for a rough idea:
98% of event riders are single women ages 35-42, who make more than $100,000/year.
An average novice horse now sells for $15-20,000;
A training level horse for $20-30,000;
and a Prelim horse for $35,000 and up.

I'm not 35 yet, but I'm not going to be making $100,000/year unless I switch to private practice and then don't ride anymore but pay Bob to ride. (He has offered, numerous times now, to take Mercury at training level if I pay for the shows. I can't really tell if he's joking because I don't see how inexperienced Mercury, even in Bob's very capable hands, could do some of those jump combinations.)
Bob also said that a lot of those "riders" are actually rich women who pay trainers to ride.
And I'll go ahead and post this - Mercury only cost $3500. Even if he's "green", what a bargain for a horse who will hopefully one day go training level (since it will take both of us many years to get there - though it's a race against Mercury's age since he's 13 this year).
The other thing Bob said was that a lot of riders don't learn how to "train" the horse, so they have to get new horses every 2-5 years when the new horse starts to exhibit the same problems as the old horse (rider-source). One reason why the horses cost so much is it takes a lot of time to train them.
He said we were in the "fine-tuning" stage with Mercury this year - that last year was the big stuff, and now we're focusing on details. It doesn't feel like details to me, it feels like a plateau. But I see his point - if he teaches me how to train Mercury, then I can sort of work with the next horse too. It's just frustrating and time consuming. And I never want Bob to leave.
He said I just need to be patient - now Mercury just needs experience for the next couple years.

Dressage Lesson on 5/28 and Volunteer at Happ's

I am ashamed to admit it, but I think I volunteered for the first time ever at a horse show. I've gone and watched a lot, but I don't think I've ever helped out. It was interesting. There is a lot of work that goes into keeping things flowing and organized, and I have a whole new appreciation for how much effort that takes. I also had no idea that people talked to the dressage judge. Bob told me he's told me to say thank you, but it never registered because I think it's rude to talk to the judge. He says its common courtesy. It's also interesting to observed the attitude of the riders. I witnessed one really rude altercation (and that was an hour and a half after the actual rude event), and it turned my ears red. Bob's course, by the way, looked super, super fun.
So today I had my dressage lesson. It was ok. I was crabby from watching the other beginner novice riders because Mercury can't jump at a canter yet (he can, but it is considerably less well than at the trot) and there's no way to make the time at a trot.
Bob said to sit up more, don't post so high, and to be careful my legs don't move at the trot.
Around corners keep him balanced and keep the tempo consistent.
Don't let him hang on my hands (or the martingale, but I can't feel when he's on the martingale).
Change things - never go two laps doing the same thing because he checks out.
We worked on transitions - trot/canter, trot/walk, and then trot/halt.
This is pretty blah - I'm sure Bob told me lots more, but I was busy being pissed that we're not better than we are and I don't feel like trying to remember it all right now.
The other thing that stunned me from the horse show was that a basic novice horse now sells for around $18,000.

Simple jump lesson, 5/19/07

I set up two jumps for today's lesson. But to back up, Thursday I rode Mercury outside because we were having nice weather. He was an idiot. After he spooked at a chicken two fences away (a chicken!), and then spooking at the chicken scared him into spooking at a cone on the ground we'd been past, oh, 200 times, I went in and put him on the lunge line in side reins, brought him back outside, where he proceeded to: 1) not make a round circle - ever - in the next 45 minutes; 2) not transition or consistently move his feet, including lots of stumbling like he had jello-Gumby legs; 3) not be able to not bend to the outside; and 4) not run around with his head up in the air like a giraffe. It was agonizing. I was so mad I was ready to sell him, and Friday I called and meekly asked what kind of lesson Bob wanted on Saturday since I can't even lunge my own horse.
So I set up these two jumps, because I wasn't even sure we'd jump, given my Thursday humilation (Bob was out mowing, so he got to watch the whole horrible thing). I set ground poles on either side, 3' away, and Bob thought that was hilarious because it would make Mercury jump a 6' spread. Note to the inexperienced, do not set your ground poles at trot distance.
We actually had a great lesson. Bob laughed at me for a while about Thursday and said that I need to do two things: 1) calm down - I get so worked up and that doesn't help because then Mercury just gets more upset; and 2) get help - if something is going wrong, and I know it's going wrong, then ask for help. He said it doesn't do me any good to wait and ask on Saturday because then the problem is over with, more problems have developed because I couldn't handle the first problem, AND I don't listen to the actual solution to apply it, I just hear "that was so simple" and then beat myself up for not thinking of it. Bob said it's good I can identify there's a problem, but that it's normal that I can't think of the solutions (and normal that if you don't fix it, one problem turns into 2, then 3, then 4 ....) He said you have to learn the solutions from a trainer.
We worked on the same old things, only over different jumps (because of the ground poles):
1) Head up - do not look down
2) Nice impulsion coming in, but don't race to the jump
3) Sit a few strides out
4) Hands forward a couple strides out
5) Half halts a few strides out
6) SQUEEZE all the way through
My legs just completely disappear most times.
And suddenly, today, after all these times Bob has said it, it finally made sense. I don't RIDE the jumps. I sit on Mercury and wait for him to do it. I don't do those 6 things. I just sit there, like a passenger. When I actually ride him, he says "oh, ok" and then we both do it.
When Bob put three poles after the jump, and Mercury jumped around, I said "why is he doing this?" and then realized, as Bob was saying "well, how many times has he done this before?" I keep forgetting Mercury is a green horse. I expect him to act like a trained horse.
I could feel the difference between when he jumped but I hung on his mouth or jumped ahead and was heavy on his neck, and when he made a round arch because I gave him space and the impulsion to do it. The round arch was sooooo smooth!
Oh yeah, and think sit up straight. I begin tilting forward pretty far out, to go into my showjumper position.
He got tired because he's fat and out of shape.
For next week - I am supposed to lunge him before I ride him to get some of the attitude out. I can lunge him over jumps to help him learn where to take off from and how high he needs to jump. He is lazy about knocking his legs (that is not just me messing him up). And I need to make my side reins progressively tighter during the lunge (about every 10 laps).
I need to ride him more often, which is hard because work is heating up and I am stressed out at home because of the dogs and work being done on my house.
If I get mad, call Bob.
Ride dressage up to a stride away from the jump.
I think that was it. It was a great lesson - lots of progress, but also a lot of the same messages. I felt good afterwards.

No lesson this week

Mercury somehow pulled his right hind shoe half way off between Saturday night and Sunday morning. He wears trailers on the back feet to help his legs move straight, so he gimped around the arena kicking himself when I lunged him. However, when I turned him out 15 minutes later (after he shedded all over me when I groomed him), he raced off doing flying lead changes and canter pirouttes. He's smarter than me.

Horse Trailer for Sale

If anyone is reading this blog who lives in Washington, my boss and his wife are selling their horse trailer. It is a 4-horse LQ. 2006 Bison Stratus 8410 (aluminum) with removable stalls. Ramp, tack room, 2 stud panels, hay rack & ladder, electric power jacks. 6' slide out, awning, A/C, 3 burner stove, microwave, fridge, bathroom w/shower, AM/FM/CD (I think with surround sound). $65,000 OBO. Post a comment and then I'll post their phone and email.

Me Sucking on a Lemon

Bob's right. I look like I'm sucking on a lemon. One more thing to practice now when I ride is smiling. Usually, I feel stupid, which then makes me smile for real.

The photos are by Wendi Ross, Blue Ribbon Photography. Her website is: www.printroom.com/pro/qualityponies

Mercury's Ewe Neck and a Funny Halt Photo

Looking down on him, I don't see the ewe neck that often. The halt photo is funny because his eyes are half closed like he's already finished and asleep. The photos are by Wendi Ross, Blue Ribbon Photography. Her website is: www.printroom.com/pro/qualityponies

Mercury Jumping at Happ's Derby

I should have done this on the last one. The photos are by Wendi Ross, Blue Ribbon Photography. Her website is: www.printroom.com/pro/qualityponies

Mercury at Trot and Canter at Happ's Derby