I now have a MySpace page which will be reining focused. I will be using the blog portion of the page to post my scores. The scores from the AARC are already posted. My show claendar is also on there.
http://www.myspace.com/thereiningdream
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
AARC Results
Well it was really bad and then good. (I blame the really bad on not getting enough well wishing comments on the last post) J/K
The 1st go-round for the derby was on Thursday. I was totally stressed out. My stomach was in knots and I was crazy nervous. I didn't eat the entire day. This is totally not how I was 10 years ago when i was showing all the time. I never used to get nervious! We had had to get up at 1:30am to ride because there was hardly any warm-up space and tons of horses (we saw license plates on the horse trailers in the parking lot from Tennessee, New York, Montana, Canada, and even Florida). And they were having problems with the PA system so it could not be heard from the barn area or the warm-up area. So I got on Mr. Breezy thinking that I had 5 horses before me. WRONG! I made one trot lap and one lope lap and then everyone was shouting my name at the back gate. I yelled to Rick across the warm-up pen that I was in and headed toward the in-gate. I still had my noseband on so I had to look toward a group of people standing there to ask them to take it off. Nonother than Pete Kyle ended up taking it off for me(he was really nice by the way). And in I went. No deep breath, no warm-up, and no time to get my head right. I walked to the center giving myself a speech about how much "fun" this is. I got to the center and Breezy's head immediately shot in the air. I lifted my hand and he dropped it back down where it belonged. Not wanting to start a yo-yo head demonstration I asked for the left turn right away. Instead of rocking back into the turn Breezy rocked forward, a minor issue. But, instead of just rocking myself back and pushing harder with the spur I panicked and just jabbed him with the right spur. He did a little pitch back and forth and then went down into the turn. It was like that for the rest of the run. Every time I should have just given him a reminder I totally over did it. I even got him to kick out at my leg in the lead change. When I watched the video it was like it wasn't even me riding. I was so quick with my hand and really heavy with my leg. Rick and I had discussed in detail what I should do while I was in there showing and I did everything! I just did it 10 times harder then I should have!!! I ended up walking out of the pen with a 189 (5 judges, with the high and low tossed out). Not good. It took a 210 to qualify for the Limited Non-Pro Derby. I was really mad at myself and wasn't sure if this was the new Kristin or if I was just too freaked out with the never showing the horse before, not showing at all for over 5 years, starting off with one of the biggest shows of the year, and not having any warm-up time. I was hoping it was the later, but feeling very unsure. In the show pen is where I used to shine most. I used to ride better in the show pen!!! What was happening?!?!?!?
I went to bed Thursday night at 8:00pm. At 10:17pm I woke up and couldn't think of anything, but lead changes. I tried to change the topic in my mind and go back to sleep, I thought...puppies, PJ, ice cream, even about work, and just kept coming back to lead changes. So at 1:30am it was time to meet Rick and ride Breezy. The ride went super well and I was feeling a little better. Rick let me change leads in the center, something we are never allowed to practice and I did it perfectly. Breezy did the rock forward in the turn thing again and I just balanced him with my hand and push with my leg and he went right into the turn no problem. So back to bed at 4:30am and back up at 6:30am.
Friday I was 7th in the draw of 109 horses in the non-pro ancillary classes, but there were 7 adds so I was really 14th. I was only entered in the Limited Non-Pro and just wanted a smooth ride to build back some confidence. I decided to change my top since I really didn't want the judges to be reminded of the prior day’s disaster. I got on with plenty of time to warm-up. Half way thru the warm-up time I felt fine. The knotted stomach was gone and I was having fun. The warm-up went perfectly and I loped into the pen with mind in the right spot. It was pattern 7 so I ran him in, pushed him up on the end and got a big stop. I didn't jerk him once as I had done so many times the day before, but I didn't exactly trust him and he hung his month on the amply tight reins; so I missed out on any bonus points. The next two stops I just didn't ride him hard enough and really only pony loped him into the stops not really giving him enough momentum to stop well. He tried though. I just really wanted a smooth easy ride and that is exactly what I was getting. I was being soft and easy and so was Breezy. After the 3rd stop I backed him to center and started my right turn. It was solid. Not dazzling, but solid. Then to the left. This one was much faster and bordering on dazzling until I asked him to stop at 4 and had to just kind of walk the last 2 steps to make it 4 and 1/4. Opps. Got some big penalties there. Circles were smooth and easy. Didn't push him real hard, but he came back well to the small slow both directions. Still not giving any slack in the reins, but not being too quick with my hand either. And I even got the lead changes perfectly both times. I ran him around the end and drove him up well into the last stop and even got plused by 2 of the 3 judges for the stop. YEAH. I had ridden smart and Breezy had done exactly what I told him to. We had accomplished exactly what we had set out to do and it was FUN! We ended up scoring a 204 and tieing (with my good friend Wendy) for 18th place out of 61 horses! Not bad. And there is still tons of room for improvement. I know that I could have easily pushed him up more in the run downs and got plused on the stops and of course not forgotten the extra 1/4 turn.
So we are going to go to Del Mar the weekend after Easter to school. I am going to show one of the days and try to really trust him. Using the loose rein I use at home and running down into the stops. If he makes a mistake I will just fix it and not worry about it, but be able to find my limits. Then the next weekend is the Hollywood Charity show and I will enter the non-pro derby there and try to go for the gold.
Well, believe it or not that is actually the short version of the story. But, bottom line I had a great time and feel really good about future shows. A definite learning experience.
Below are a couple pics, but the pics from the derby day (Thursday) are on my father-in-laws camera so I probably won't get any of those until next week.
Following Mom & Wendy on the way to Las Vegas
Doing large-fast circles to the right on Friday in the Limited Non-Pro
Last stop that we got bonus points for from 2 or the 3 judges
All done...walking out the gate
Back at Breezy's stall in the barn area
Pic from Thursday's disaster
Rick & I before showing on Thursday
Me with the Fam after showing on Thursday
The 1st go-round for the derby was on Thursday. I was totally stressed out. My stomach was in knots and I was crazy nervous. I didn't eat the entire day. This is totally not how I was 10 years ago when i was showing all the time. I never used to get nervious! We had had to get up at 1:30am to ride because there was hardly any warm-up space and tons of horses (we saw license plates on the horse trailers in the parking lot from Tennessee, New York, Montana, Canada, and even Florida). And they were having problems with the PA system so it could not be heard from the barn area or the warm-up area. So I got on Mr. Breezy thinking that I had 5 horses before me. WRONG! I made one trot lap and one lope lap and then everyone was shouting my name at the back gate. I yelled to Rick across the warm-up pen that I was in and headed toward the in-gate. I still had my noseband on so I had to look toward a group of people standing there to ask them to take it off. Nonother than Pete Kyle ended up taking it off for me(he was really nice by the way). And in I went. No deep breath, no warm-up, and no time to get my head right. I walked to the center giving myself a speech about how much "fun" this is. I got to the center and Breezy's head immediately shot in the air. I lifted my hand and he dropped it back down where it belonged. Not wanting to start a yo-yo head demonstration I asked for the left turn right away. Instead of rocking back into the turn Breezy rocked forward, a minor issue. But, instead of just rocking myself back and pushing harder with the spur I panicked and just jabbed him with the right spur. He did a little pitch back and forth and then went down into the turn. It was like that for the rest of the run. Every time I should have just given him a reminder I totally over did it. I even got him to kick out at my leg in the lead change. When I watched the video it was like it wasn't even me riding. I was so quick with my hand and really heavy with my leg. Rick and I had discussed in detail what I should do while I was in there showing and I did everything! I just did it 10 times harder then I should have!!! I ended up walking out of the pen with a 189 (5 judges, with the high and low tossed out). Not good. It took a 210 to qualify for the Limited Non-Pro Derby. I was really mad at myself and wasn't sure if this was the new Kristin or if I was just too freaked out with the never showing the horse before, not showing at all for over 5 years, starting off with one of the biggest shows of the year, and not having any warm-up time. I was hoping it was the later, but feeling very unsure. In the show pen is where I used to shine most. I used to ride better in the show pen!!! What was happening?!?!?!?
I went to bed Thursday night at 8:00pm. At 10:17pm I woke up and couldn't think of anything, but lead changes. I tried to change the topic in my mind and go back to sleep, I thought...puppies, PJ, ice cream, even about work, and just kept coming back to lead changes. So at 1:30am it was time to meet Rick and ride Breezy. The ride went super well and I was feeling a little better. Rick let me change leads in the center, something we are never allowed to practice and I did it perfectly. Breezy did the rock forward in the turn thing again and I just balanced him with my hand and push with my leg and he went right into the turn no problem. So back to bed at 4:30am and back up at 6:30am.
Friday I was 7th in the draw of 109 horses in the non-pro ancillary classes, but there were 7 adds so I was really 14th. I was only entered in the Limited Non-Pro and just wanted a smooth ride to build back some confidence. I decided to change my top since I really didn't want the judges to be reminded of the prior day’s disaster. I got on with plenty of time to warm-up. Half way thru the warm-up time I felt fine. The knotted stomach was gone and I was having fun. The warm-up went perfectly and I loped into the pen with mind in the right spot. It was pattern 7 so I ran him in, pushed him up on the end and got a big stop. I didn't jerk him once as I had done so many times the day before, but I didn't exactly trust him and he hung his month on the amply tight reins; so I missed out on any bonus points. The next two stops I just didn't ride him hard enough and really only pony loped him into the stops not really giving him enough momentum to stop well. He tried though. I just really wanted a smooth easy ride and that is exactly what I was getting. I was being soft and easy and so was Breezy. After the 3rd stop I backed him to center and started my right turn. It was solid. Not dazzling, but solid. Then to the left. This one was much faster and bordering on dazzling until I asked him to stop at 4 and had to just kind of walk the last 2 steps to make it 4 and 1/4. Opps. Got some big penalties there. Circles were smooth and easy. Didn't push him real hard, but he came back well to the small slow both directions. Still not giving any slack in the reins, but not being too quick with my hand either. And I even got the lead changes perfectly both times. I ran him around the end and drove him up well into the last stop and even got plused by 2 of the 3 judges for the stop. YEAH. I had ridden smart and Breezy had done exactly what I told him to. We had accomplished exactly what we had set out to do and it was FUN! We ended up scoring a 204 and tieing (with my good friend Wendy) for 18th place out of 61 horses! Not bad. And there is still tons of room for improvement. I know that I could have easily pushed him up more in the run downs and got plused on the stops and of course not forgotten the extra 1/4 turn.
So we are going to go to Del Mar the weekend after Easter to school. I am going to show one of the days and try to really trust him. Using the loose rein I use at home and running down into the stops. If he makes a mistake I will just fix it and not worry about it, but be able to find my limits. Then the next weekend is the Hollywood Charity show and I will enter the non-pro derby there and try to go for the gold.
Well, believe it or not that is actually the short version of the story. But, bottom line I had a great time and feel really good about future shows. A definite learning experience.
Below are a couple pics, but the pics from the derby day (Thursday) are on my father-in-laws camera so I probably won't get any of those until next week.
Following Mom & Wendy on the way to Las Vegas
Doing large-fast circles to the right on Friday in the Limited Non-Pro
Last stop that we got bonus points for from 2 or the 3 judges
All done...walking out the gate
Back at Breezy's stall in the barn area
Pic from Thursday's disaster
Rick & I before showing on Thursday
Me with the Fam after showing on Thursday
Monday, March 20, 2006
Signing Off
Well, tomorrow morning I am off for Las Vegas!
Wish me luck....
I will post again on Sunday with the results.
Wish me luck....
I will post again on Sunday with the results.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Sliver Medal Dream
Last night I dreamt that I won a silver medal in the Olympics. And I think it was the marathon even! I was running this race and I could see just one person in front of me and no other runners, they must have been far behind me, and all these fans cheering on the side lines. I could see the guy in front getting close to the finish line and I knew that I couldn't catch him. In fact, it was like I wasn't even trying to catch him. It was almost like I was just running with no real purpose or drive to begin with. But, then instead of running across the finish line the lead guy touched it and turned around and ran back toward me. Then I realized that that wasn't the finish line, but only the half way point. For a moment I didn't think I could finish, but then I just got in the zone and finished the rest of the race effortlessly. I was amazed at how well I did without even training. Then they handed me the silver medal. I was so excited and could hardly believe it. And then I woke up.
What could this mean?
This medal is similar to the one in my dream
, but the flat part on the top connecting the ribbon was more prominent in my dream.
What could this mean?
This medal is similar to the one in my dream
, but the flat part on the top connecting the ribbon was more prominent in my dream.
Last Ride
Today was not the confidence building last ride I was hoping for. I got to the stables at about 11:00am and was on by 11:30am. The first half of the ride was great. Rick and I were both feeling good about things and were very happy with Breezy's attitude. So Rick asked me to run down one more time into the fence, but slow and smooth. And that is when it all fell apart. It was like Breezy got a shot of adrenaline or something. His tail was out like an Arabian and he wasn't listening to me. Rick got on and he was about the same for him. I ended up staying up in the arena for 3 hours and he was still perky. It was so strange. We still don't know what the problem was. Was it the wind? Was it the guys playing Frisbee golf in the park nest to the arena? Who knows! So finally we decided to go down the hill and pack the trailer for the horse show. I just tied Breezy up to a pole and then when we finished loading up the trailer we headed back up to the arena for ride #2. This time he was back to himself. I just did a few circles and turned him around a couple times, since whatever his problem was seemed to have passed. I didn't end up leaving the stables until 4:00pm. But, I guess "all's well that ends well", right?
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Another Early Morning
Did another 6am before work ride this morning. It was a great ride! Got to fence for the first time in a few weeks and it actually went really well. We were able to practice little of everything, actually, and it was all really good. Breezy is really trying hard for me and I seem to be doing the right things too. Rick even said that he thinks we are ready (if you know Rick you will know what a feat this is)! And with the predicted rain this weekend, this mornings ride might be my last before leaving for Vegas on Tuesday morning. I still wish I had gotten a chance to show Breezy at least once before Las Vegas, but otherwise I feel great.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Still Raining...
Thank goodness I busted it up early Thursday morning to ride! With last nights rain and todays on-and-off rain the arenas were closed this morning. So Rick and I took Breezy to the bullpen and then I just walked him around the stables to cool him down. Hopefully this is the end of the rain since we leave for Vegas next Tuesday!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Early Morning
With it being crunch time with getting ready for the Las Vegas derby, I left my house this morning at 5:00am to head to the stables to get a ride in before work. It was a great ride and even though the ground is still to slushy to run and stop in at least I got some quality time in circling, spinning, changing leads and doing rollbacks. I am really hoping that it doesn't rain this weekend, but if it does at least I got a ride in this morning. And after all that I was still to work by 8:30am!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
The 2006 Spring Collection
The new 2006 line of clothing is final out for Hobby Horse! Here is the link to the website and the catalogs will be shipping soon. Hobby Horse, Inc.
Here are some exclusive photos from the photo shoot back in November:
Here are some exclusive photos from the photo shoot back in November:
Saturday, March 04, 2006
A Lake
Well, there seems to be a lake in our arena! Went down to see Breezy, but could only walk him around. It is super muddy every where from the recent rains. Bummer. And, what is worse is that they canceled the show for Sunday that I was going to be using as practice for the AARC in Las Vegas, which is just a couple weeks away now! AHHH And I just called the AARC to make sure my paperwork was all in order and found out that they are getting tons of entries. The lady I was talking to laughed when I asked how many entries they have received because they have such a huge stack just from last week that they haven't had time to get too. I guess people are coming from all over the county!
Okay, deep breaths.....I am just going for fun and to do my best. Not plans to win here. It is just my first show and I just need to have fun and ride smart. It doesn't matter how tuff the competition is, it is all about the experience.
Okay, now I think I am feeling better. Thanks for the pep talk :o)
Okay, deep breaths.....I am just going for fun and to do my best. Not plans to win here. It is just my first show and I just need to have fun and ride smart. It doesn't matter how tuff the competition is, it is all about the experience.
Okay, now I think I am feeling better. Thanks for the pep talk :o)
Friday, March 03, 2006
Annual Manager's Conference
Well, I'm back. I spent the last week in Scottsdale at my company's Annual Manager's Conference. It was awesome!
Pics from Award's Night:
w/ a couple LA store managers
w/ last years store manager of the year
w/ my boss
Pics from Award's Night:
w/ a couple LA store managers
w/ last years store manager of the year
w/ my boss
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