Team MP Carmel Valley Fundraiser

I don't even know where to start in order to explain how FANTASTIC the Carmel Valley fundraiser was on May 16. I guess I should start by thanking the "Team MP Committee" for all their hard work and time spent pulling off such a great day. All we had to do was drive in, meet our supporters, ride for them and then go head home. The CV fundraiser committee included: Nancy Bareilles, Katy Peterson, Julie Culver, Susan Baxter, Erin Branson, Susan Rowland, Elizabeth Pasquinelli, Margaret Robinson and Andrea. These ladies are go getter's to say the least. And they know how to throw a party!


The setting

When we arrived everything was set up and the setting was unbelievable. The Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club is like a park, tucked into the mountains. Its lush and green and very low key so the atmosphere was very relaxed. The Committee had decorated all of the tables, serving areas and silent auction coral in red white and blue. Everything was so darling and perfect!



The event started at 2 pm with cocktail hour, silent auction opening and was followed up with tri-tip and the works! Every detail was attended to...even down to tin plates and red, white and blue wrapped silverware!




After the mid-afternoon lunch, the demonstrations began. First, Tiana Coudray, a top US Three-Day Event rider, rode a young horse over fences and on the flat to demonstrate the skills of three-day horses. She and the horse were beautiful together, there were many oh's and ah's from the crowd. Next up was me and MP with our freestyle. For whatever reason, riding in front of this crowd was the most nervous I've ever been on a horse. We started with a little warm up from Ellen, in which Katy P was able to talk the crowd through some of the movements required in dressage. Then our freestyle to the Can Can, Cabaret and the Stripper. We showed off some of the new freestyle moves which debuted without a hitch.

The fundraiser was more successful that we ever imagined. It was just perfect. There is no other way to explain it. We had a wonderful time and the event put us over half way to our fundraising goal. As I said before, the group of people that pulled this off for us are amazing. We couldn't ask for a better support team. Thank you Team MP!!!

YAHOOOOO!!!!!

You can't have a weekend like we just had and have some silly, she-she title to your blog post. YAHOOOOO!!! seems appropriate.

We have returned from the Del mar CPEDI3* and I'm pleased to announce that we did quite well - we swept all three of our classes AND won the overall highpoint. Which means we won a Borne saddle! And earned our certificate of capability AND qualified for National Championships. Not a bad weekend.



We had the entire Team MP support system there: Ellen, Steve, Nancy, Julie, Katy, Mom & Dad as well as Scott and Devon. The two weeks prior to the show I was a mess. A complete and total wreck. Devon wouldn't let me spend too much time around MP as she didn't want me to "rub off" on her. Devon is a good assistant! Luckily we were able to spend a few days of training at Ellen's prior to Del Mar so I was polished leading up to the competition. And Steffen was able to squeeze us into his busy show schedule so we got a little tune up on Thursday after the jog.



There were 8 riders there for the Para division. There were three grade IV's (one with two horses), three grade III's, and a grade II. Two of the grade IV's were non US, one was Canadian, the other Australian. Holly Bergay was there too, but unfortunately had to scratch prior to the jog.


Our panel of judges included two of the judges for the WEG, one of them being the head judge, so the pressure to impress was really on. And I really didn't think I was going to do well. I had gotten a cold on the way to Del Mar and it was in full effect by the jog. I couldn't breath and I was afraid to take anything because of the athlete drug rules. And I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breath, so I was exhausted.



I was quite surprised by our win on Friday. I had received the wrong information about our ride time and we didn't double check the info ourselves so we almost had a tragic chain of events. As we were taking our time getting prepared for the Team Test on Friday, the TD popped by to check in on us. She was chatting away with us and then was bidding us farewell when she said, "see you in a half hour." I said,"What?! I'm supposed to ride at 8:45!" She said, "no, we have you at 8:15." Team MP went into overdrive. Devon braided at lightning speed, Scott groomed, I got dressed and Ellen through herself together (she was still at the hotel). I trotted to the warm up and had about 15 mins before my ride. Not much of a warm up. Ellen had to yell at me from across the ring because we didn't have time to put the head sets on.





As I trotted around the ring for my test, I got really worried. MP was feeling backed off and not warmed up. I put in a solid test, but I didn't think it was good enough. I barely had canter extensions and I didn't have trot extensions. I though I would get a low 60's. And the first report that came in was that I had received a 64.5%. We knew we had our qualifying score, but also knew that that score wouldn't cut it for international competition. Then it turned out we had again received bad info. I had received 645 points, not a 64.5%. So I actually received at 67%!!! That put us in first and was the highest para score for the day. It was a huge relief! And the two WEG judges gave us the highest scores. So we got a neck ribbon, a cooler and got to do a victory dance.

Then the pressure was off. Just like that. My confidence went back up, I was still sick, but I knew we were on the right track. And I knew I could ride the next test better.

The next day brought more exhaustion. I hadn't slept well and I was really sick. But at least we had the right ride time! I had a proper warm up and I felt like the test went well. Two of the judges agreed, the judge at C scored me 5 percentage points lower than the other two and placed me in third. Luckily the other two scores were high enough that I still got a 67% and still won the class. Neck ribbon/victory lap #2 & a basket of Mushroom Matrix! I could get used to this.






Day three brought a wiped out Susan, a wiped out MP and a tired groom. Devon had spent the whole weekend working her tail off, making MP look perfect and networking with all the other world class groom's: Ruben (Debbie McDonald), Fernando (Guenter Siedel), and Rafael (Steffen Peters). They were all showing her the ropes!

But day three was also the fun day - the freestyle! And boy was is a freestyle. I wasn't sure how it went but the crowd seemed pleased, and the judges had big smiles. And the scores reflected that! I received a 72%, and a 76% from the head WEG judge!!!! The weekend was over, it was successful and we could go home! But not yet, we had also won the overall highpoint which earned us the Borne saddle!

Team MP went to celebrate with a slew of photos followed up with Susan, Devon and Scott packing up the trailer and heading off into the sunset! I'll blog next week on whats to come, we ain't done yet!



Team MP

New Interview!

I was recently interviewd by the WEG Online Radio Show. You can catch the interview here.

Boo-YA! A very long post....I have a lot to say! Pictures to come...

Show season started off with a bang! MP & Verite were both AMAZING!!! Here's the recap:

We got to Rancho Murietta last Thursday, arriving in the big new 6 horse trailer loaded with 4 horses and all of their needs. We have dubbed this trailer "MP's RV." Anyhow, we roll into Rancho Murietta to find big white tents EVERYWHERE. Turns out the US Open is being held at Pebble Beach this year so they moved all the horsey stuff to Rancho Murietta for the year. Lucky us (she says in a Debbie Downer way). It did mean that we would be out of the rain for the weekend, but it also meant we were riding in banging, flapping, humongous tents. The ponies were none-to-excited. I even opted to lunge miss MP for good measure. Miss Verite chose to walk around on her hind legs for the first day prompting people to ask me "would you like some help?" I forget that the visual of "girl-with-one-arm" plus "rearing-mare-posing-as-a-stallion" always equals "someone-go-save-that-girl-before-she-gets-herself-killed." If only they knew the stuff I've seen and experienced from the good-ole-days of Tom & Ellen's three ring circus clinics! Back to the recap...

Most of our barn showed up by 3 pm on Thursday. Our trusty coach Ellen came with Wendy Morgan and Alder from Wyoming, followed by Katey A with Roman and Odie with Fairbare. Amanda & Doni came with us, and Pam Lovelle with Dylan and Rebecca with Tensleep showed up a little after Ellen. Katie D and Will and Eva and Final pulled up the rear. It was fun having 10 horses and two tackrooms in our fleet!

Most of the horses started off on edge, but surprisingly by showtime Friday they had all settled a bit. Luckily we all had Ellen there to help us get them settled and relaxed as well as looking good in show form. I opted to show MP Fri, Sat and Sun and Verite on Sat and Sun so she would have some time to settle.

The Para tests are new this year so I was a bit anxious to show them. MP had a year off and prior to her injury, I wasn't able to break 68% with her. I was able to set a personal best with Final last year at Pebble Beach with a 70, but MP was just getting there when she pulled her suspensory. Plus, we had checked the early scoring for the day and it was obvious the judges were not handing out scores. Most of the scores we saw early on were in the low 60's and there were quite a few in the high 50's. Of course, once Ellen's crew started riding, we saw the scores start to go up!

The last thing I needed after last year was a bad show. Luckily, I had a trusty crew with me to help me stay focused and positive. Devon, MP's now personal assistant was there taking care of all of MP's needs. Amanda didn't show on Fri, so she was acting as backup helping with whatever she could (btw - that girl can set up a tackroom, she's like Indian Jones with bailing twine!) and of course, Horse Show Husband was there doing his thing, with a few less duties thanks to Devon and Amanda. And of course Ellen was there to warm us up. MP was tight in the warm up ring and Ellen was working us over pretty good to get more of a "falling down neck" as well as bigger strides behind. I wasn't getting it so I kind of gave up a little right before I went in the ring. I figured it was the first show and I needed to take it easy on Miss MP. After all, Del Mar is the show that really counts. So I decided to give it my best effort but not push her for pizazz.

The ride started and as I came down centerline on my tight little girl she whinnied. Crap, was the first thought in my mind, followed by, oh well. As I turned left at C after my halt salute, the judge rang the bell. I knew I hadn't made an error, so I continued on. More bell ringing. So I stopped and the judge said, "You went the wrong way, you were supposed to go right." I said, "Which test do you have?" She said, "the Team Test, do you know it?" I said "Yes, I think you have the wrong Team Test, is it from 2010?" She said, "No, 2006." I said, "Oh, there are new tests, lets get the correct version." Then out trotted Devon, correct test in hand for the judge. The judge apologized profusely and I just said, "no worries, gives me another opportunity to come down centerline sans whinnying horse." So I started the test again. And guess what.? MP whinnied in the exact same place. "Oh brother," is what I thought. But the test went quite well. She was tight, and a little tense with all the wind and flapping tents outside the main ring, but she was obedient. We had one small mistake in a simple change, but no major errors and no spooks or bolts or anything naughty. After my final halt salute I had a little mini break down walking out of the arena. I was SO happy to have MP back. And to have her first test go off like that with all that was going on around us. Of course Ellen was there to say, "it was a nice test, but we need to get her let down over her back and taking bigger steps behind for the next test." Onward and upward!

We had a break in between rides so we took her back to the barn for a little downtime. Soon thereafter I got a text from our friend in the show office. It read "71." Holy crap! Our first test out, with a small mistake, tough judging, a restart, two whinnies, a tight back, banging tents, and a lack of "pizazz" MP and we just got a 71! I think all the training is paying off! I was beside myself. I actually wanted to quit and go home. But nope, trusty coach Ellen sent me back to the warm up to get that back loosened up and that neck more let down. And of course it paid off because the next test, the Para Individual received a 72% and that was with two judges! Day one down, and I had two all time highs AND I had the highest scores of the day. BUT I wasn't finished...Miss V needed schooling.

So off we went back to the barn, tacked up Verite and went up to the tents to try out the wanna be stallion at her first horse show. She was quite good. A little strong, and definitely not interested in taking her canter departs without a buck. Good thing Ellen was once again there to guide us through. After a good hour, V had her departs and I felt like she would be showable the next day, which was good because I was to ride her first thing, then MP in the afternoon. Four rides in one show....this would be fun!

My morning started off with me begging Ellen to let me scratch one of my rides on MP. I think I was scared to blow a test after having two solid scores. She gently reminded me that today, all of Team MP (except Mr. Peters because he was showing AND WINNING in FL) would be there to see us go. I grumpily went back to my tack room but agreed that I needed to ride both tests. So the day would go as follows: back-to-back first level tests on V, followed by an hour break and back to back tests on MP, including my freestyle.

Verite turns out to be a little competitor. Her warm up went ok, but as soon as she hit the show ring, she turned on like a light bulb. Focused, determined and willing. Oh and compliant too! Which is a first...

Her tests went better than I expected. She was a little tight and broke in the canter (because of me), but she received two 66%'s and two 2nd places. Not bad for her first dressage show ever!! Federica was there to see, which made me feel very good because I really didn't want to disappoint Federica.

After a quick break and a quick switch, it was once again MP's turn. She put in a rock solid test, but once again I didn't want to push her, so I took it easy on the pizazz. And out popped another 72%! I do like consistency. I was really happy with this score because she felt so soft through the test and it was so easy. Plus, Team MP got to see her go for the first time in a year and they too were very pleased. And then came the freestyle....

We went back to the barn and while Devon took care of MP, I rode my freestyle over and over again in my head. And in the barn aisle. I was really nervous. I hadn't really practiced the freestyle, so I was just hoping to get through it with little to no bobbles. And no bobbles were had! It was a great freestyle. And the best part was all of Team MP, my parents, my friends and even some of my Somerset barnmates were there cheering me on. It was definitely something I'll never forget! We all went back to the barn for happy hour and awaited the score, which my dad felt the need to speechify and keep from me as long as possible until I went nuts. 74.6% again from two judges!!!!! Team MP went nuts and then went to dinner!

Sunday came early. We decided to scratch MP because she was so good and there was no sense using her up before Del Mar. We still have a few weeks of training and we are definitely going to bring out the pizazz there. I'm not expecting 70%'s in Del Mar, I'm just hoping to pull of a 60+ so we aren't through for the year.

It was nice being able to concentrate on V. Her first test was a little rocky and I had to throw in an extra circle because she broke in the canter, but she was still pretty solid like the day before. She received at 61% (2nd place), not qualifying, but expected because of the errors. Her second test was much better, but she was definitely showing her FEI horse frame (she doesn't know thats not acceptable at first level) so we received another 66% (1st place). Her scores would definitely go up if she was longer and lower, but she's built like an FEI horse and we don't want to discourage her. Plus mid to high 60's are EXTREMELY respectable scores for a first show! Can't wait to see where Miss V goes, I think she has big things to come in her future....

All in all it was the prefect 1st show...now onto to Del Mar...

Can't WAIT for this weekend!!!!

Rancho Murietta is coming up this weekend and I can't WAIT! Everyone is coming: Ellen, Nancy, Katy P, Julie, Eva, Katey A, Katie D, Odie, Wendy, Amanda, Rebbecca, Pam, Jan, and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. The horses are feeling fab and all tuned up, can't wait for some last minute tweaks from Ellen! Will post after the show...

Wonderful Weekend with Ellen

You know its time to work on something when nearly every horse you are working with needs that something...thats what I experience this weekend. For whatever reason, the horsemanship gods have brough me three horses that all require me to be "quick" so that I can truely get to their feet. No lollygagging here!

There was a time when these gods brought me a slough of horses that required me to be "quiet." Then there was the string that needed me to be patient - more patient than I knew how to be. There was also the lot where I needed to be "slow" or "steady" or the group that taught me how to concentrate without giving myself a headache. Its all part of the onion, one layer at a time, one more tool in the tool box.

So as frustrating as it may be to hit the wall, it is the perfect situation to "perfect" a certain skill.

All the horses wound up great this weekend with Ellen here. MP is the star as usual, always so steady always so exceptional. At this point with her its about keeping her in condition and bumping everything up a notch for competition.

Verite may have turned the corner this weekend. She has had this little thing where when she meets bit pressure, she shuts down. Ok so not a little thing, pretty important. After a few tough lessons with me trying to be quick while not getting frustrated or giving up she unlocked. We thought she could move before, now we know she can move even more! Just in time for her first show!

Now to prepare the tests...only three weeks to go before show season begins!

Some pics of my week with Ellen

We had a fantastic week with Ellen and the girls (MP & Verite)! Getting ready for 2010 and ringing in the new year!

Collected trot:

Extended trot - with SUSPENSION!

Verite learning how to be a showgirl:

Overdue Ellen Clinic post

We had Ellen here a few weeks ago and had a great clinic as usual. I rode Amigo, Verite and miss MP had her first lesson back!

With Amigo, it was clear than I am the problem in this relationship. Too nagging with my seat, not clear enough with my reprimands, and way too slow. So he's kind of bullying me around. Not fun since he's so big and strong and athletic. But with Ellen's help we got going and had two great lessons and have since decided he needs to back back to bootcamp with his trusty bootcamp general, Katey!

With Verite, we worked on her responding better from behind and learning to sit when she meets bit pressure. Its coming quicker for her in the trot than it is in the canter. You can watch her here and here.

And then there was miss Mp's first ride back. I've been very careful with her since her injury, so I haven't wanted to do anything with her that might be too much. But our timing for a lesson was just right because it turns out she needed to do a little more to get going right and get up in front of my leg and use herself behind. The end result? Well, here she is schooling the PSG trot work two weeks later: http://www.youtube.com/user/streabess#p/u/3/BmgGtF0KuRs

We're off to Steffen Peters for training next week which I'm sure we'll have lots of Video & photos from to post.

Ellen's book website is up!!!

YAY! The day has finally come. Ellen has been working on a book for sometime now and you can finally buy it. Check out her website at: http://bringingittogetherdressage.com/

70.9%, the Pewter Loving Cup and Amigo's first outing

4th level Pewter Loving Cup perpetual trophy

It finally happened! After a year and a half of riding the para tests, I was able to secure a 70.9% on Eva's horse Final! At Pebble Beach no less! This is a huge milestone for Team MP, even though MP didn't get to participate. Although I'm sure she's happy her wingman Final pulled through.

I have to say that the test felt amazing. It was flawless and Final was spot on with everything I asked. You may remember that I'm riding Final right now because his mom (Eva) became a "human" mom two weeks ago when she gave birth to Isabella Beverly King. Even though she is new to the whole human mom thing, she still made it down to Pebble to watch her boy Final go and boy did he go.

The "Tri-Wizards Cup" according to Scott

In addition to the 70.9%, Final also won three 4th level classes, secured almost qualifying scores for championships AND won the Pewter Loving Cup class. The Cup is amazing (Horse-show-husband calls it the Tri Wizards Cup because of its size) and Final and I will have our names engraved on it. Very Cool! You can watch the winning ride here.

The weekend proved to be yet a third milestone, where Amigo (aka Adonis) had his first big boy outing and was shown by Katey Augsburger at training level. Turns out that he was bred to show and wasn't even phased by a big show like Pebble. He even won one of his classes and scored 8's on his gaits. Not bad for just coming 4! Amigo has been at Ellen's being ridden by Katey for the past two months. As you can see, she has done a fantastic job with him! You can watch his video here.

Amigo's first test in his first show

Team Eckstein was large and in charge with 8 horses and seven riders showing from training level to fourth level. Ellen had full days, but we all did really well and hopefully lived up to the Team Eckstein expectations! Thank you Ellen!!

What next?

Where to start. Well, the tests could have been better and my scores couldn't have been worse. Andy felt better each day, but the scores barely improved. The judges said they liked him and liked me but they didn't like a petite rider on a big horse. Compatibility was a major factor at this show.

What do I have to say?

First the obvious truth: I'm very disappointed and my confidence has taken a major blow. I can take low scores and own up to mistakes, but I experienced things this past week that I won't write about but definitely have me questioning my future involvement in this program.

Second: I'm moving on and am going to set a personal goal of 68% for the next CPEDI. Or at least that is what I will be training for now knowing what I know. I'll be back out in the show ring within the next three weeks.


Third: My team has been AWESOME. Starting with Andy. Sunday was our 14th ride, his 5th dressage show and his third time riding these tests. He has been very tolerant and professional considering. Next comes Steve and Nancy for everything they have done for me, even though they couldn't be here they wanted me to take their horse half-way across the country. There are very few words that I can use to express my gratitude towards Steve and Nancy, they are very special people. Then there is Ellen, who is out here on her own as my coach. She has been so positive and supportive and is now as enlightened as I am. My parents and Scott have also been here being their usual selves, funny, informative and just great people all around. My dad and Scott have been great grooms! Finally I want to be sure to thank Steffen Peters for the advice, feedback, video review and general support he has given to date. I'm looking forward to our upcoming training sessions. And I can't forget all of my friends and family who have backed us from the beginning. Thank you.

Here's to moving onward and upward! Videos and pics coming soon...

And so it begins...

The tornadoes passed and the sun was out in full force here in Wayne, IL for the kick off of the Lamplight CPEDI & USEF Para Dressage National Championships.

Andy's trip here was uneventful and he even arrived 12 hours early on Sunday night. We've been schooling since then and Ellen arrived on Tuesday so "training" started on Wed. Andy's been doing great and getting better each day.

The facility is unbelievable. It puts our shows in CA to shame (sorry but its true!).

There are about para riders here competing for national championships as well as some Canadians, Mexicans and Irish. The Bergay's are here too from AZ so we're sharing tack space and Andy's has had a girlfriend (Bella) since Sunday. Its very cool! There are 9 people in my class so for once we have competition! Yay! The events began yesterday (Thurs) with the inspection and jog, then today we ride the team test, tomorrow the individual test and Sunday is the freestyle.

The jog was a fascinating experience. The atmosphere here is intense with all of the horses and chaos in the barns. Everyone scurrying around to get their horses gleaming for the jog.

We went in order of our numbers so Andy and I were went 11th. It is intense because if the ground jury doesn't accept your horse you are done. Bye, bye. Thats it, finito. Plus we had never done this before so I was outrageously nervous. My trusty father meanwhile was hawking the process and has formulated all kinds of insights by the time our number came up.

And then we jogged...

And passed! Yippee! Andy was so cute. On the trot down we kind of lulled along, but on the way back he took over as if he were jogging me. It was like he decided I had no idea what I was doing so he would fill in and show me the ropes. He was so cute!

So far so good! Scott's here in full force with mega media so we will have many pictures and video to document the experience. And he's already capturing moments when people aren't looking. Here's a really cute one of Holly and Bella:

Introducing Andaluz 2: Team MP Reserve Horse

Meet Andy. Steve (and Nancy) Bareilles' 14 year old 18hh Holsteiner gelding. He's a former Grand Prix jumping horse and was shown successfully last year at first level by Katey Augsberger (Ellen's right had gal). He's a great guy and I will be posting a bunch about him in the next few weeks. We will be taking him to National Championships and then he will return to Ellen's where he will remain in full time training.

Bad news, good news, more bad news and maybe light at the end of the tunnel.....

It's been an interesting couple of weeks in the world of Team MP. I've been dreading this post, but now I have some really good news to report so it will be easier than I thought. I'll start with the bad news and work up to the good news.

Two weeks ago MP had a minor colic scare. It turns out it was ulcers so we are treating her for the next month and are very confident she'll be back to normal soon. At the same time she went lame. This horse has not taken a lame step since we got her last Jan, so this was very out of character. Because of the ulcers, we gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she wasn't feeling well and needed a few days off. We were wrong.

After a lameness exam that suggested she had either pulled a check or suspendory ligament, I took her into UC Davis for an ultra sound. Low and behold she had a check ligament injury. So this means 3 months of walking only as well as icing, poulticing and careful management. She will fully recover and be ready for competition this summer, but Chicago is not possible for her.

This realization has been pretty devastating, and I've been trying to stay upbeat, but its hard when your partner that you know so well and love so much is not going to be your partner for one of the most important competitions in your career. To ease my guilt and depression I have been spending a lot of quiet time with her. I have taken to reading her books while I ice her, letting her "groom" me and play with my hair and we we have moved her up to the barn so she literally lives underneath us. I think she likes seeing us all the time too. Seeing her big brown eyes every morning gives me the most wonderful warm feeling to start my day.

With all of this going on with MP, we have had to concentrate on the rider side of this equation. Three months off would not be good for my riding skills and condition. Plus, if I do not show in Chicago, the WEG dream may be through. But as soon as I started to think my hopes and dreams were crushed (not to mention thinking I might just sell the horses, but an Aston Martin and travel for the next few months) a glimmer of hope sparked onto the scene.

My friend Eva - you know THE Eva from all the posts last year - is very pregnant and has gotten to the stage where riding is a bit difficult. We all know that she'll probably still ride anyway, but she really shouldn't be on a horse and I think her husband would agree. So she had asked me if I would help her keep her horse in shape while she takes it easy until after her little girl is born. But with no horse to ride with Ellen or show, she offered her horse Final first for my lessons last weekend with Ellen, then for the Rancho Murietta show this past weekend.

My first ride with Ellen on Final was shaky. OK, it wasn't just shaky it was a disaster. He wanted his mom, I wanted my Moneypenny and neither of us were on the same page. We worked through some of it, but we needed more time to see if we could communicate. Luckily his mom was standing nearby so as soon as he was done he could go running back to her arms! The second ride with Ellen was better. It was like we both had the night to digest reality and both came back ready to work with each other. He was very willing and I tried to be as respectful of his feelings as possible. Plus his mom was still there in case he needed saving.

After this second ride, we decided that he could fill in for MP at the upcoming Rancho Murietta show. This was on a Sunday, so we only had three more rides to get to know each other AND pull together a freestyle. Yeah, sure piece of cake.

Our rides through the week went great. Each ride getting a little better and easier. Each day both of us becoming more attune and more willing for the other. And his mom was very happy and proud of him. It was really fun to see his confidence change within the week, and nice to know that he was starting to trust me. Showing was going to be fun....

I'll do a separate post on the show that is only about the show because he was so fantastic he deserves his own post. We also have video and pictures. He was such a trooper and even though he was exhausted from the week of riding (he's been on paternity leave for a few months now) he tried and tried and tried and exceeded all of our expectations. We got the feeling he was pleased to fill in for MP and show everyone what he was made of. And he qualified himself for Chicago.

So now there may be a glimmer of hope for Chicago, but its not a light decision that Eva has to make. It is no small thing to send your horse half-way across the country even with a friend you trust. I would be honored to ride a horse like Final in Chicago, but not unless his mom was fully comfortable with him going that far. He's a special horse and Eva is a dear friend of mine and one of my strongest supporters. She will do what is best for her horse, as she should. If it doesn't work out for Final to go, I am now confident that I will get another opportunity to get my WEG qualifying scores even if that means going to Europe. I have learned from this experience: "Don't give up, just roll with what comes at you and stay focused. The rest will fall into place" No matter how pretty those Aston Martin are.

Sit Mp, sit. Good girl.

Remember the ending to the 80's sit coms where the guy would say, "sit Ubu, sit. Good Dog?" Well, we said that to MP over and over this weekend and she got it! I just returned from an exciting weekend in Carmel for lessons with Ellen at Los Suenos. The "Carmel Ladies" were out in full force: Nancy Bareilles, Susan Baxter & her sister Kathy, Julie Culver, Erin Bransan, Erin O'Connor, Katy Peterson, and Elizabeth whom I just met this weekend.

The lessons with Ellen went great, and included Ellen riding MP for about 40 mins on Sunday. Our new project is to develop FEI gaits, and being this as a completely new project to me, it works best to have the expert show MP the way. It was pretty amazing to watch and there were several jaw dropping moments and "holy crap, I had no idea she could move like that," comments coming from the peanut gallery. I was able to then get back on and feel the difference, and realize how much stamina and strength it takes to actually ride and keep the FEI gaits. I was wiped out when we were through! It just solidified the need for strength training (which I will talk about in a later post). My lesson on Saturday was spent perfecting the shoulder in, which I was riding completely wrong. I was riding it more like a leg yield rather than the preparation for half pass. Whoops! I think I got it now.

Saturday night we went to one of the cutest homes I have ever been to. It was straight out of a movie. I'll take pictures the next time I go. It is owned by Julie Culver and includes big old trees that take up the entire front yard, a sliding barn door between the kitchen and living space, and a guest room that looks like an old west cabin from the 1800's (but more stylish). Julie cooked us a fantastic dinner and we had great conversations about horses and politics. What else would you expect!

I had a great conversation with Erin O'Connor about her background in dance and how you present yourself through your body. It was a very helpful conversation when considering how to present yourself on the horse through your head and shoulders. I kept this thought in the front of my mind when I rode on Sunday and I felt taller and more confident on the horse. It was a great feeling and one that I will probably carry on as I continue to train.

Dinner was followed by a peaceful rest at Nancy's house in one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. And was definitely in order for the big day on Sunday.

Thank you Camel Ladies! You guys are a great group and it is always so fun to come visit!

New Team Member: Steffen Peters

ST & MP: are we worthy?
This weekend may have been THE most important weekend to date since the inception of Team MP. It started with a leisurely trailer drive to Livermore Saturday morning and ended with a stellar freestyle performance at Yarra Yarra dressage show. Oh yeah, and somewhere in between we had a lesson with Steffen Peters! I'm not much of a name dropper, but here's what that means for all you non horsey friends: if you were in the cycling world you would be working with Lance Armstrong; if you were in the soccer world you'd be playing with David Beckham. So the prospect of Steffen Peters working with Team MP now and in the future is MUY IMPORTANTE for our ability to be competitive in the WEG.

My lesson went very well. And I had my support system: Ellen, Nancy, Katy and Scott were all there. I was so nervous about not being good enough that I kind of forgot how to ride, but I started to relax about half way through. Hopefully stella will have her groove back the next time I work with him so he can see the confident side of our abilities. He worked with me on the basics like when you use leg, your horse should go forward. It was kind of a duh moment but sometimes you forget about the basics when things get more complicated.

He also stressed the importance of keeping the horse supple and loose, especially while asking for collection. It all made so much sense and I was amazed what I was able to take away with just one lesson, especially the first lesson: it takes time to understand a persons lingo and intentions behind the words they use. The more you work with someone the better it gets. These were all things that Ellen has stressed with me before so I am fortunate that the lesson was compatible with my regular training at home.

The most important take away was the fact that he was willing to come on board and work with us. I will have the opportunity to go into training with him in San Diego and have the opportunity to ride with him when he comes to northern California. He was very kind and seemed very willing to be involved, even with his complicated schedule and own personal quest.

And I have to take this moment to recognize that NONE of this would be happening without the one and only Ellen Eckstein. Many of you already know that Ellen has been my long time trainer and mentor. At times she has been my idol, at other times she has been like a mother. I'm so blessed to have her by my side and she really went the extra mile and drove all the way from Paso Robles for my lesson and to coach me at the show the next day. Thank you for everything Ellen!!

Now onto the show.....

The show at Yarra Yarra was a big success. I must plug Yarra Yarra and provide you with the link to their website. Carolyn and Patrick Adams run the best shows, and it is such a pleasure to ride at their facility. Patrick is always Mr. Congeniality and until this weekend I never knew Carolyn had such a talent for the Can Can!

I had three firsts at this show: I rode the Team Test for the first time: I rode my freestyle for the first time: and I rode my socks off in the show ring for the first time. All good things! The Team test came first and I rode way too conservatively, but I pulled off a 68.8%, so I know the 70's are right around the corner. It was a clean ride, with no mistakes, but it definitely lacked pizazz.

Coach Ellen watching the warm up with Nancy and Katy strategizing - always trouble

For my freestyle, I got a very good piece of advice from Diane, the freestyle coordinator, "you are now an FEI rider so I expect you to ride like one. No pussy footing around the arena." So I warmed up like I was serious, being driven and advised by none other than Coach Ellen and MP responded perfectly. She got hot, she went up and I had the best ride in a show so far. There is room for improvement (I still need to work on my technical execution), but I think that ride will become the new baseline for which I improve. The score was a 71.8% and had my technical been on the mark it would have been in the high 70's. Now we are talking. You can view the video by clicking here.

Team MP: Nancy, Ellen, ST & MP, Mom, Diane, Dad, Katy

And I was so honored to have the whole team there, Nancy flew home from Sun Valley, Ellen drove from Paso Robles to coach, Katy P came and gave up her weekend just to be there and my parents drove down from Tahoe. Diane came too, and our thoughts are with her as she is going through some difficult times with her mothers health. Thank you Team MP for EVERYTHING! You guys are the best and made this past weekend our most successful yet!

Horse show husband at his finest!

Major rain, major meltdow,major breakthrough

Its raining, its pouring.....and its miserable outside! Our road is almost flooded but we were able to squeak in a clinic with Ellen and it was fabulous as usual! I think I actually got the real feeling of riding the horse to your hands. It took me to remove my hands from the equation, but I actually saw the light! It also took a little meltdown on Sat to bring forward some of the major problems with my riding.

The freestyle coordinator (Diane) came for my lesson with Ellen to work out my canter music. But the session was a bit of a disaster as I kept dropping my reins and MP wasn't really through and was behind me, and on and on. I even stopped and yelled at my reins with very bad words at one point - better than yelling at people or the horse - but I was MAD. Needless to say we weren't able to get very far so at the end of the ride I sort of freaked out.

BUT it paid off because I think I finally saw the other side of my position problems. I pull my right shoulder forward, I pull my hands back, stick my elbows out and pull on the reins. On Sunday, I was able to pull my shoulders back put my hands and elbows forward and ride MP up to that contact. And boy did she go up!

Without the freakout I may not have been as receptive with my body to Ellen's lesson on Sunday. I had to give in 100% to finally let go. Hopefully it was the push I needed!

Tis the season!

So I haven't quite kept up with my promise to blog more. But its the holidays! Things will pick up once I have more to blog about.

Ellen was just here and we had a great clinic. MP is feeling great and her training is really coming along. So is mine! We are trying to save her for show season so she's only getting ridden three times a week right now. But she goes in the eurocizer every day for an hour, so she is definitely not standing around. Plus we really want her to pack on the top line and create lots of muscle so she is getting fed a lot right now and is wearing many layers of clothing so all of her energy goes towards her physical development, not towards keeping herself warm. I've posted new videos to You Tube so you can see the new MP - she's quite the tank. But all of this is paying off as she is really starting to sit and spring off the ground. She has so much to offer and with the energy she has just started to throw the fancy stuff in like really big high strides in her schooling pirouettes. I have no idea how to ask a horse to do that - good thing she just does it.

During the winter months I'm going to concentrate on getting myself stronger. I lost quite a bit of weight and I've gone down two dress sizes, but now it's time to firm up and bump up my own endurance. I'll be starting a fitness program tonight that will promise 6 days of training rotating between strength, cardio and yoga. Scott measured all my body parts last night and I had my first weigh in. Wish me luck.

I'm also starting to plan our trip to Chicago for the Para Dressage National Championships and after evaluating all of the various methods of transportation for MP, I think I've landed on trying to rent or lease a gooseneck trailer and truck to drive her ourselves. That way we can keep her happy and I can ride her to keep her loose each day while she travels. So, if anyone out there knows of someone with a rig that we can borrow, lease or rent, let me know - I'm in the market.

Thats all for now!

A long, long time ago.....

It has been so long! I am such a bad blogger. And I have photos and video to upload but I just can't seem to get it together. I swear I will try!
I had my first "day off" the other day. It has been a year since I have had a day off from work AND horses. Crazy! I'm trying to steer clear of burn out syndrome so I'm going to try and take some time for myself this fall which isn't proving to be easy. BUT if I don't do it now, it won't happen for a long time. There is so much going on and so much to come and prepare for next show season that I am excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. So I promise to get back on track with the blogging!

Here's the latest and greatest in Para-Equest land:

Ellen was just here....
Ellen came two weeks ago and really started to iron out the big trot! My abs are getting the workout of a lifetime! Ellen's lessons always center on feel which you can't get from anyone else. The horses always feel so good which makes the rider feel good. MP was finally able to sit & go for the extensions which has been a sticky point in our training. This move has seemed to unlock her and her ability to spring off the ground at the trot. Yippee!! I hope to have video soon.

Off to Seattle!
I leave on Sunday for the US Para Dressage Team training session in Woodinville WA. I'm not able to take MP this time because of weather concerns, but I will be able to ride a borrowed horse for the session. I'll post either from the session or on the way home.

New Freestyle....
I have a new freestyle in the works that I will debut in January. It is super fun and very international. It has a cabaret theme and brings MP to life! Diane Kernodle with Center Stage Musical Freestyle is working on it as I type and I hope to start working out the choreography soon.

More horses!
I feel like I'm riding lots of horses right now, but I guess I'm just riding more than one so it feels like a lot. My good friend Eva is now with child (wahoo!) so I'm riding Final until she gets out of the exhausting/sick phase. Final is an incredible horse but is tricky to ride so I have really been gaining some good riding experience from him. In fact I think I'm riding MP better now because of some things I've learned from Final. And he's also shrinking my waist! Its wonderful to have two top quality horses to ride and I really enjoy how different they are and what they both have to offer. Maybe I'll get to show the two as well!
Amigo is also under saddle now. He's still young and won't be out on the show scene for a year or two, but I think we can expect great things from him. He has top notch gaits and has been a blast to work with. I'm also riding three other horses here and there. My friend Jen's Lustitano, Paloma, Tessa's movie star horse Davingon and Barbara's new mare Catella. All three are unique, but tons of fun and they are teaching me new things. It is so good to ride multiple horses! I'll try and get photos of them to post in the future.

Whats next?
Show, show, show. I'm working out my show schedule for 2009 and it will be a doozy. It starts in the end of January and rolls right on through to Championships in Oct. I'm planning on going to the Para Champs in May and I'd like to try and make it to at least one, maybe two international shows in July and August. We'll see!

More soon I swear!

Paso de Robles.......

Famous sunsets

We're here at Ellen's and things are going fabulous. We got here yesterday in time for a little group ride and needless to say it was not little. There were 6 horses in the ring and we were all trying to get our groove on. It was tons of fun a great to have the group back together.

Today we had actual lessons and just tried to fine tune everything. Here's a little video. LA here we come......

Odie and her new man

ST & MP cruzin'