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!

Almost to ulcer stage!

The pressure is finally setting in. So much to do and so little time. I have spent the past two months pining over how to get MP to IL for champs. I think I have finally reached a resolution which requires me to send a binding contract and fat check off to Fast Freddie of Freds Pony Express horse transport. I got Fred's info from our good friend Anke who has assured me he's the best. Knowing Anke, I'm sure he is. While I'm at it I may as well plug Anke's operation too - if you need a nice horse, contact Anke at Royal Oaks Farm. Thanks Anke, and thanks Fred for wheeling and dealing! Just no wheelies with our ponies!

And we have half of a freestyle! Diane of Center State Musical Freestyles came last weekend and worked the kinks out of our trot choreography. Now we just have to iron out the canter and we'll be ready to boogy! The plan is to show the freestyle for the first time on March 8th. I think after I show it once my blood pressure will subside. At least I hope.

And then we have all of the rest of the stuff to get done by May 11th - like qualifying scores and plane tickets and coggins tests and health certificates and Illinois permit entry and hotel rooms and car rentals and so on and so on and so on. And the biggie - I need $3500 pronto. I've raised $6500, but I still need more. STRESSFUL!

At least Ellen's coming this weekend. That always brightens my day!

2009 Off to a Good Start!

We had our first show of the season last weekend. First things first - horse show husband (Scott) put in a stellar performance. You can tell all of the training from 2008 paid off. Plus he's really starting to get into the horse show scene. He knows when the horses look good, are going good and are going to get good scores. He also has become a very competitive husband. He sighs on the video when people walk on the bleachers in the middle of my test and make lots of noise. He makes sure MP is gleaming, has plenty of treats and that my boots aren't dirty (or my white gloves). IN FACT he even suggested that I need new boots and white gloves this weekend! Enter white stallion with flowing mane and Scott atop riding shirtless. Good god where did this guy come from? The best husband a horse girl could ask for. In fact, one of the other horse husbands told Scott he's making him look bad!


4th level test 2 video

Now onto the show update. My first fourth level test is officially under my belt! I got a 67.5% and won the class. Not bad for being completely paranoid and only just riding the test for the first time last weekend. MP was HOT to TROT. Like a fire breathing dragon! I was a little worried after my test because I thought maybe she came off to hot and too out of control (thats what she felt like). So I really wasn't sure if I should be happy or not. Actually I was just relieved to have ridden the test without any major bobbles - she got a little carried away in one of the pirouettes so I brought her back too much and she almost broke in the medium trot. Of course, Scott comes trotting out of the stands telling me that it was the best test he's seen us ride, so that gave me some sense of reality. Then he handed me the video to watch while he shoved carrots into MP and tried to get her to stand still. The video eased my worries and gave me a confidence boost for my second class on the day....the dreaded FEI Para Dressage Grade IV Individual Championship test.


FEI Para Dressage Grade IV Ind Ch test

Many people talk about the Para tests as being "easy" or "below their level" or "not compatible with the level of carriage required of the horse." I will blog about that at a later time, but really I find the para tests quite complicated. For my grade, the require a horse of PSG caliber, but they have things like simple changes. One would think, "oh that should be a piece of cake for a PSG horse." Not so my friend. It takes a lot of time and work to train the tempi changes, and there is a lot of preparation that goes into riding them. So going back to simple changes can be a little confusing. For the rider, you have to be very clear about your aides. For the horse, they have to wait and not anticipate. My goal for the year is to learn to ride these tests accurately and without flaw. MP won't be as fancy as the other international horses from Europe, so I'll really need to put in solid tests. This is why I call them the dreaded para tests - because they are a lot more work than you would think.

BUT, although my first para showing of the year had a few flaws, I put in a good test. I got a 65.4% with a bolt, a buck and a break in the canter (anticipation of the simple change). I was happy with it, and I know what I need to work on to get ready for Para National in Wayne IL. AND I got my needed qualifying score for nationals. I just need one more with my freestyle.

Thats all for now - enjoy the videos. Upcoming blogs will include the "ST & MP training plan," the "Goals & Objectives for 2009," the "Needs and desires," column and more. I may even pull off a tour of Somerset farm so you can see where Winters is.

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!