Dressage Quebec

Part 1It seems like the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Summer Show happened eons ago and here I haven't even finished posting about it yet. I suppose my ability to get off track so easily reflects my overall feelings about the show. It was a brief respite from a chaotic and stressful life.I did ride one more class for that show. It was on Sunday morning, so that meant I again got up at the crack of dawn dragging my b*tt down to the Puyallup Fairgrounds to school my horse before the morning session.

I've always wondered if somehow something happened to me, what would happen to my blog? Would it just fade away into oblivion leaving my readers wondering what where I went? Would my family even think about letting these people I've become so attached to here know? Probably not the usual thoughts about one's blog but I guess at my age it makes a little more sense. Being prepared for such a time is part of what goes with the territory of aging.If you're questioning why I'm posting such a thing, it

All the talk of disposable horses and the training that can contribute to such outcomes for horses brings me around to thinking about what I've learned over the years about choosing trainers. Mostly it's the things I've learned from trainers that have not worked out for me that have taught me the most. I've posted about a couple of bad experiences I've had with trainers and I've not posted some other experiences. I swear I learn from those experiences but not always everything there is to learn.

I would be remiss not to mention that there are those owners who really don't care about what is best for their horse. To them it is about being successful to whatever degree their heart desires. Horses are just a means to an end. If the horses are "broken" in the process, they are discarded without a second thought.Just like the culls from some breeding farms are easily loaded up by the trailer load and dropped off at auction houses without papers or any means of identification, the horses that

Of course, money is the motivator for trainers who engage in the practice of pushing horses to get results in record times but trainers are not the only ones at fault here. Many trainers defend their practices saying that owners wanting horses finished quickly is what's behind their behavior. Working as a groom I saw enough owners complaining about the cost of training to know pressure is on most trainers to keep expenses down as much as possible. The questioning I've heard over and over about "how

I suppose this is as good a time as ever to talk about at least part of the role that some trainers can play contributing to the problem of unwanted horses. In BECC's comment she made mention of thirty day wonders as the goal of many trainers nowadays. Any true horseman knows you can't put a time frame as on a horse for training purposes. It's about the process for each individual that determines how things turn out.Many horses do not adapt well to the expectation they will "get it" in a required

There were many important comments on on Shocking Everyone has feelings on such a heart breaking subject. There are so many things to be said about it, it doesn't seem like one post is nearly enough. I must admit that Brown Eyed Cowgirls made some great points in her comment I am just as frustrated by the circumstances of her points as she is and ever so tired of being blamed for issues in the horse industry that I have not caused nor do I condone. I., too, think that responsbility is a big part

Yesterday I went to the open house of a small Arabian horse breeder around the corner from me. I like to go to these things because I think we small breeders need to support one another. It's tough enough in this industry without those of us trying to preserve the quality of the breed not sticking together. It's also at the open houses of the smaller breeders that I tend to meet people I haven't met before. It seems like the open houses of the really big barns will draw the regular show folks that

Part 1I must admit it wasn't until after my class that I realized how really HOT outside it was. My show shirt was stuck to me about every place there was for it to stick. It clung like a wet T and on this sixty-three year old body it was NOT a pretty sight. I couldn't wait to get back to the stalls to shed the sticky thing.Surprising my horse was not all that hot. He had the beginnings of sweat rising on his neck, nothing that a nice shower wouldn't fix. I think we both hung our heads from the

Part 1By the time the paddock announcer called our class to the arena, Legs and I still hadn't really gotten things worked out. My horse was trying but there just wasn't the space to do the exercises that would get me what I wanted. The situation of heading into the arena with a horse that is less than what I'd hoped is a familiar one to me. I headed my horse to the ramp as soon as the announcer called us to line up. There was no point in trying to get something that was more than I had time to

Part 1Luckily my next class on Legs was early in the afternoon session. The temperatures were rising rapidly and I couldn't even imagine how hot it was going to be later in the session. I was grateful we were only about the fifth class in because we'd be missing the hotest part of the day.There were other classes I could enter. I was already paying post entry fees. Since they were only an additional $5 per class, they weren't enough to deter me from entering classes late. The weather, however, was

Part 1The day was getting hotter but I still found time to school my horse again at the break. I just didn't want to leave things as there were if I could get some improvement from my horse by doing some additional schooling. When they called for the break I had my horse saddled and ready to go hoping I could get just a little bit of time to work some more at the gallop.There was another reason for me pushing like this. I was finding it hard to escape my feelings over the loss of Solidare. It seemed

Part 1When the horses in the ring had lined up the paddock announcer called my class to the runway. Usually people lag behind with no one wanting to be first. On this day it seemed to be just the opposite as everyone headed to the gate together. The first horse in line turned out to be the red stallion. Behind him were at least two other horses before there was any room for me to even think about getting Legs into line. Three or four other horses were all vying for the same position as I tried to

Part 1There was another rider from my division stabled in our group. Her trainer was riding the horse in the open so that gave me a barometer of how the schedule was advancing. Sometimes the amateurs get on later than I need, while others get on earlier. At least with it being the open division, I knew there would be no switch of riders and no premature schooling by an amateur doubting her own skills. There really were no many cancellations. For a horse show with just around 100 horses that was

Record temperatures were posted for the weekend. Since I don't get along with the heat, I had even considered not going to the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Summer Show. Looking at the schedule I thought I could avoid showing the hottest part of the day by picking and choosing my classes carefully. I think that's one of the reasons I'd even picked that open class to show.Now that the temperatures were beginning to rise and the morning session hadn't even begun I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of

As Legs and I neared the arena, I couldn't tell if anyone was in there schooling. The morning sun shining directly into my eyes made it impossible to see anything right in front of me, let alone anything off inside the dark arena. All I saw was the dark contrast between inside and out. I did see someone off to my left approaching with a horse and lunging equipment. Despite my issues with grooms lunging horses at the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Spring Show I hadn't even considered the possibility

Once I finished my late night post and played a little Spider Solitaire to unwind, I went back to my bedroom because I was cold. Looking at the clock it was only about twenty minutes until time to rise but I still climbed back into bed to warm up my toes. I really should have known better. I've plenty of experience with late night sleepless sessions followed by morning sleep when I need to be up. Twenty minutes was more than enough time for me to nod off and ignore my alarm. Luckily for me I was

If you've noticed the time of this post, you know I'm up in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. Not that it's ever a good thing to not be able to sleep, but it's even worse when I'm supposed to rise at 5:30 so I can head to the Daffodil All Arabian Summer Horse Show.I didn't get home from the fairgrounds until somewhere around 10 and I only stayed up long enough to unwind from the drive home. Something woke me around 2:30 and my brain hasn't stopped sense. Issues from the darn lawsuit are

Knowing that the day Solidare might be leaving us, I had decided to turn Dare out with Solidare and her foal. Over the weeks a relationship has developed between the colt and his sister that I hoped would be comforting to him if the day did arise he lost his mother.Many times I've seen the colt off out of Solidare's reach up to mischief. Solidare would call out to him to return to her side, or cease whatever trouble he was doing, and often times the colt would ignore that request. Whenever that

There are not enough words to express what I feel in my heart. I must do the telling the only way it will come out. I cannot see through the tears to write unless I become the reporter instead of the grieving owner............even then there just are not words to honor this mare..............The exquisite Arabian mare, Solidare, breathed her last breath as she was humanely euthanized this afternoon. I knew this day was coming but I was not prepared for it. At twenty years of age it was reasonable

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