Day 3 Ram Tap HT: Rain, rain go away...aw, screw it

After a brilliant, albeit it chilly, Saturday I found it hard to believe all those predictions of rain on Sunday.  Come on, what have they got, radars or something that tell them when clouds are coming in?

Needless to say we woke up at 5 to see it pissing rain outside.  Again, thank you Holiday Inn Express for sending us on our way with coffee, warm bacon, eggs and biscuits!  We got up to go to the barn anyway for Nahmi's cross country round on Simon.  We looked at the horse, we looked at the footing (as much as one can in the pitch black).  Discretion being the better part of valor, Nahmi decided that she'd be just as happy not running cross-country. Like any good Hobbit, we went back to the hotel for second breakfasts of fresh baked cinammon rolls.  Ironically, Sherry reports that the announcer kept calling out, "Nahmi Jones on Simon the Likable clear at fence three" etc. until "Nahmi Jones and Simon the Likable finish with a clean score."  How awesome is that - Nahmi got to stay in bed AND have a clean round in the rain?  I just feel bad for the poor bugger who actually rode and never heard their name called!

We came back to the Ram Tap to help Sherry and Poznan get dressed for their go.  By then it had stopped raining but the wind was still blowing up big pony's skirt.  Quite by accident, Sherry discovered that what Poznan really needs as a warm up is a good, brisk 10 minute gallop around the warm up area.  Unfortunately, he decided to do it all on his own.  One replacement set of reins later and Sherry was back in the irons (leg ups for your wife are definitely your domain, Brent) and doing lovely over some warm up fences.  A little coaching from Nahmi and she was on her way. 

Nice fashion statement, Nahmi!

Are those Pony Club clean?

It was a gorgeous round fit for a movie.  The first few fences were a bit slow, making the round as they disappeared over the hill a real cliff hanger.  Would Sherry kick him into the next gear and avoid time faults?  Or would she stay safe & secure in hunter land?  As they popped out of the water over the hill, the answer was clear.  Poznan thundered proudly around the last third of the course and came in at the perfect time. 

Another irony in life -- with all the techno-gadgets at her disposal (see the app reference in the last entry) to ensure she was running on time, Sherry ended up going by mostly feel.  

Dear Santa: Nahmi needs new windshield wipes for Christmas

We went out to celebrate the day with lunch, only to hear reports of ice on the Grapevine forming around three o'clock.  Not nearly enough time for us to get over it before that happens.  We changed our orders to lunch to go and headed out the door and on the road.  Fortunately, all we found was snow near the Grapevine but no ice on it.  Still, we end up home before 6pm and cocktails served before 7.  All in all, a successful weekend!

Ram Tap November Horse Trials - Sat 11/19/11

A new day dawning

So very, very proud of both Sherry & Nahmi today!  They're both showing commando style -- no, not that kind of commando.  They're both wearing underwear, but are showing without the help of a professional trainer to coach them in warm up.  Relying on their own skills acquired from hard work all year (life?) long, experience from past shows, and helpful notes/suggestions from trainers Susan Friend, Gina Economou and the ever awesome Brian Sabo, they're doing it on their own and really shining.

It's really inspiring to see them showing "without a net" as it were, flying or falling on their own wits.  At the end of the day, isn't that what we all should be able to do? Not at every show, but if the point of showing is testing your own mettle (and for the kind of $$$ it better not be for the .98 ribbon) we all should consider doing this on our own from time to time.  Just a thought...

Hair club for geldings?

Anyway, back to the ladies: of course Sherry had to be an over achiever, scoring the lowest dressage score of the entire show with a 20.  (For non-eventers, our sport is like golf, the lowest score wins.)  Nahmi had a really great, relaxed, flowing ride on the folliclely challenged Simon - see braid pic) and scored one of their best tests at a 35.  I was really happy not just with her ride, but her terrific attitude of looking at this as a building kind of test.  She achieved what she set out to do - bring a relaxed partnership into the arena - and will continue to push from there.  Considering it was such a brisk, chilly day that even the judge commented on it, that was quite an accomplishment for Simon!

Fortunately, the dawn's arctic breeze blew the gray, overcast sky away to give us a brilliantly sunny late morning for show jumping.  Simon's round continued on the same theme of learning and growing.  They had a rail and some time faults, so I suppose on paper it doesn't look as successful as rounds from previous shows, but Nahmi was extremely happy with the outcome and rightfully so.  Simon wanted to be a pisser in the warm up, but as Brian says she choose to disagree with his choice to lengthen to the fence with her upper body, resisting the urge to pull or or lock up her elbows.  Guess what, it worked!  In the arena, they rode straight to the fences, Nahmi's form was awesome, she made choices to get Simon to particular spots and achieved those goals.  A few wide turns turned out to be costly time wise but she had goals and met them -- what else could you ask for?

Poznan proved to be interesting and entertaining to watch in the warm up.  Every time another horse would jump a jump towards him, he went leaping about the place putting poor Sherry's back to the test.  At one point he nearly went over a coffin combination that was next to the warm up arena in his exuberance to show his disdain of other horses & riders.  All the rails stayed in the cups - good Lord, he cantered over one or two instead of jumping them - but they did have time faults thanks to his laid back style.  If only he was the over achiever that his mummy is...  Since her one and only goal was to finish with no time faults, Sherry was disappointed, but it's kind of hard to feel sorry for someone sitting in first place! :)

Sorry, no pics of rides as I was busy with the video camera.  Maybe videos to follow if Carolyn will be kind enough to link them here?  

Have to say, once again Ram Tap's staff and the facility make the unpredictable weather worth enduring.  The jump course was challenging but not daunting, the footing in remarkably good shape and everything running pretty much on time and according to plan.  For those who know me well, you know that the thing nearest and dearest to my heart is the bathroom situation.  Happy to report after touring nearly every port-o-potty on the place that they were all clean, had paper, had hand sanitizer and all in all a pleasure to use.  Thank you Ram Tap!

We walked the cross-country courses with a new companion - the course walking app.  (Have I mentioned lately how much I hate the word "app"?  It sounds like a burp gone wrong, but I digress.)  More on that later in another blog entry but clearly we weren't the only ones out there with this handy new device that measures the course and gives you minute markers as you walk.  Hard to tell, however, it people were using the app or just texting while walking.... (if you zoom in on the pic, you can just barely see it at work.) 

On a very sad note, our dear friend Larry Sawyer lost his eventing partner Caboose today. More than just a successful Intermediate and one star competitor with Auburn Brady in the irons, he was a friend and will be missed. 

November Ram Tap Horse Trials - Friday, 11/18/11

It's freezing, it has rained/is about to rain/just rained and windy -- it must be Ram Tap in November!

When we left LA, it was chilly and foggy so to be fair, crummy weather isn't really Fresno's fault.  On the upside, the Ram Tap showgrounds were, as always, really well organized and the folks who run the show were super friendly when we checked in.  Nahmi and I got Simon the Likable settled in and shortly after, Sherry arrived in the rolling Taj Mahal with his majesty Poznan.

The ladies hacked around a bit while I snuggled in the nose of Nahmi's trailer bundled up in her (purple, of course) sleeping bag on her surprisingly comfy new mattress.  With the shorter days, Sherry and Nahmi both ended up braiding by head-light - literally, with those little miner helmet lights you were on your head. If you show and braid your own horse, this is an invaluable little gadget to have.  Thank God Carolyn owns one so Nahmi could borrow it! :)

Working all day made the steaks that Sherry was gracious enough to grill out on her awesome BBQ that much tastier.  While it looked like way too much food, magically it was all gone by the end of dinner.  (If you look closely you can see Sherry's malibu & firefly lights twinkling - does she know how to do horse shows or what?) Great company and the traditional horse show round (or two) of cocktails almost made you forget how freakin' cold it was!  Well... that and we all piled inside Sherry's warm, cozy living quarters for after dinner toast before Nahmi and I made our way to our hotel.

If you've been to Ram Tap before, you know the hotel choices are either a dump next to a crack house or something that's pretty pricey & farther away.  Behold the new destination hotel for anyone going to Ram Tap -- The Holiday Inn Express on Kathryn Ave.  I shouldn't even be publicizing it for fear that the rooms will fill up all that much faster but who am I kidding, this blog doesn't have that big of a following!  Don't know what the price is since, being a mere groom it came as part of my payment package, but I'm in love with the hotel.  The beds are firm but comfy, the staff really helpful and most of all FOOD!  The gentleman in charge of such things had the continental breakfast ready - and I mean coffee, sausage, eggs, the whole nine yards - by the time we left on Sat. morning at 5:30!!  Usually hotels get kind of pissy when you ask if they can open a little earlier than their 7 a.m. posted time so we can have a little sustenance to face the long days at shows.  Not only was food ready, the young man was pleasant, eager to please and downright chipper!  This happened not just one morning but both days!  I am officially in love...

Ram Tap: Sunday, Nov. 15

Its late on Sunday and I'm happy to report that the day went spectacularly well overall.

Sara and Calvin were the first up. They took a rail or two but after the show was over the two of them schooled some cross-country fences and they looked AWESOME. Whatever imperfections showed up in the show jump arena they clearly worked it out in the field.

Reese was a superstar (she says modestly about her own horse) but his success didn't come without Michelle working her buttocks off to keep Captain Klutzy from stalling out completely. Oddly, he was pretty calm in the morning but after the show was over and people started schooling the cross-country ski-jump he could see, he went BERZERK just like yesterday. Either he's anxious to prove he can do the big boy jumps or he's thinking "are you freaking crazy?".

Still, I couldn't be happier that he finished on his dressage score to take a third place ribbon.

Next up was Carolyn and Ceilidh. To quote Carolyn, "I don't bounce as well as I used to." 'Nuff said.

Ok, not quite enough... Her one boot with the broken zipper was fashionably held together with black duct tape. It looked a little odd to have one shiny, almost patent leather boot and one normal one, but later we saw that her fashion statement is becoming all the rage. There was one other competitor following in her fashion statement today with the bold slash of silvery tape! It's the look that's sweeping the nation!

Nick and Buck pulled a rail and had some time faults but still managed to stay in second place to win Training Level Reserve Champion for Area VI. Way to go boys!

Breaking down was, as always, filled with a little sadness and a little relief. Sad that the fun was over but some relief that, after four days of 5am - 7pm days fighting the damp cold of Fresno, we were going home. It was great to be showing with Nick and Sara, who were super helpful every single step of the way. It was also great of Dusty and her friend Sherri to come up and cheer the riders on with food, drink and moral support. Their sometimes bawdy revelations kept the mood light, that's for sure!

Sorry there's no pictures; the one tragedy of the weekend is that I can't find my digital camera (yet) so no more pics until Carolyn can pull them off the videos or Dusty can forward to me what she took.

Off to bed now for me, it's been a long but fantastic weekend. Thanks to one and all for their help and support!

Ram Tap: Saturday, Nov 14

CROSS COUNTRY DAY -- better known as the day my four year old turned... three (no....more like the terrible twos! - cjb).

The day started off at a balmy 38 degrees as we left the hotel at 6:30. Brrr! A little coffee and we were off to walk Carolyn & Michelle's course one last time before the rounds started at 8am in the crystal clear frost covered grounds & jumps. After hoofing it around the tricky end of the year course that shared most of the fences (most? try only two additions..... whine..... - cjb) with the championship class we went back to the barn.

As much as Carolyn may have been suffering some show-day butterflies, Ceilidh was IN THE ZONE. Suddenly, the nutty persona was replaced by a cool, calm professional. She even deigned to nibble at her heretofore untouched breakfast to get enough calories to take on the task in store. She studied the back half of the cross-country course, plotting how she would tackle the ski jump-to-the-corner combination that was causing so much trouble for the division ahead of her.

Reese, on the other hand, became the four-year-old baby that he's never acted like before. He saw the first training horses galloping across the course and suddenly, he had a HUGE SPAZ ATTACK in his stall. Running and calling and stomping and kicking - it was like he was doing an immitation of Ceilidh. Once I took him out and walked him around, he calmed down almost immediately but every time you put him back in the stall, he went kooky all over again. Fortunately, once we got him tacked up and Michelle rode him up to the warm-up arena, he was back to his old, dependable self.

Then it came time to go into the start box. Or not. Later, Michelle confessed she could have really used a hand getting in there, although it looked ok from where I was standing. The first jump looked dramatically squirrely and according to Michelle the next five or so were just as weird from where she was sitting. Bottom line? They got around clean though a little fast - a huge surprise to those of us who thought she'd be getting off and pushing by the end!

The only problem was he didn't go to sleep from exhaustion like he should have. Each rider he saw going on the course only revved him up even more. I'm writing this hoping that he's still in his stall tonight - you can only stay so long at the showgrounds before it becomes obsessive after all.

Carolyn had issues to deal with even before she got on her horse. Her inexpensive zip up field boots broke as she was getting dressed to ride!! This is why I HATE zippers on boots. She made quite the colorful picture with silver duct tape holding both boots together. However, Ceilidh was so in the zone and powering around the course all you saw was a silvery blur! The pair re-entered the eventing world after five years with a double clear round, finishing in the middle of the pack.

Sara and Nick both had excellent rides as well, ending the day the best way possible - with every horse and rider combo coming home safe and sound. Sorry, no pics today because my tired, gin soaked brain left the camera at the barn. Look for a retrospective next week sometime.

Tomorrow - show jump day!

Ram Tap: Friday, Nov. 13

Dressage day. Blch. Bottom line? Everyone did GREAT.

The day started off at, as Nahmi puts it, obnoxious o'clock in the morning. One free breakfast later (thank you La Quinta Inns & Suites!) we were on the road to the barn. The horses were fed by 7am and then we sat around and waited for the dressage to begin. Odd foot note: Ceilidh once again got her stall door open but stayed put with merely her lead rope as a stall guard. Buck got out entirely and wandered the aisle until some kind competitor figured out where he belonged and put him away. Perhaps his show name ought to be "Houdini"??

Good news? Everybody's braids stayed in. Yeah! Bad news? It's still dressage.

Reese and Michelle did FANTASTIC for his first event dressage ever. Ok, he fishtailed a bit like the Mac truck that he is but he is the cutest Mac truck ever. Maybe I'm a little biased, I'm not sure. They got a 32.4 to finish in the middle of the pack at 5th.

Ceilidh has found her show spirit and calmed down a bit. Carolyn had a great warm up and a test that she described as the test of extremes. There were some horrifyingly tragic moments and yet some moments of brilliance. The good thing was that Carolyn stuck to the plan and kept riding no matter what Ceilidh did. She also finished roughly in the middle of the pack with a 40- something score.

Nick and Sara both put in really excellent tests. I've never actually seen either do dressage at a show and they did really well with Janet biting her nails on the sideline both times.

Show statistic: Ceilidh is the oldest in her class while Reese is the youngest in his division. Talk about extremes. (Ceilidh isn't the oldest horse in the show - that honor belongs to a 19-year-old stalwart, God bless!)

A few gin & tonics later, Carolyn and Michelle (plus the dogs) walked their beginner novice course. To see their course, click here.

Stay tuned for the results!

Ram Tap: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Reese's First Show: Part 2
A Lovely November Day in Fresno

Since Michelle took the horse's up on her own on Wed. night, Carolyn and I got to "sleep in" and leave home at 6am. We got to Ram Tap just in time to see Michelle riding Ceilidh in a vain attempt to try and beat the rain. In Scotland, today would be called "a soft day". Here in So Cal, it was "Storm Watch 2009!!!" Just kidding. It drizzled most of the day and was a balmy 60ish.

Ceilidh continued in her love-struck behavior, being an absolute freak in her stall and even under saddle until Michelle let her blow her jets out and gallop a bit. After that she looked great. Reese returned the nuttiness, bellowing from his stall for his new girlfriend until it was his turn to be ridden. No surprise to his mummy, Reese was picture perfect. He went right to work and didn't take a silly step the whole time which was really good since Michelle's neck and back are really bothering her. The only time he jumped is when he passed Carolyn and I as we got up to in the dressage judge booth we were sitting in to hide from the rain. Michelle worked him past it so hopefully tomorrow it will be no issue.

Braiding this afternoon was a real treat. No seriously, it was really nice to braid in broad daylight for a change instead of by flashlight. Ceilidh was a little wound up but Carolyn got the job done. Reese was stellar, standing there half asleep as Michelle braided him down as if he'd done this a hundred times before. Carolyn finished tying the braids up into buttons for Michelle in an attempt to give him a manly-looking neck. Did I mention Michelle managed to make about a hundred braids in an attempt to make his neck look long as well? We'll see how successful both were tomorrow.

It finally stopped raining late in the afternoon. A quick lunge for both horses, a quick scrubbing of Reese's legs in an attempt to make his white sock white, a few gin and tonics and the next thing you know, it's nearly dark. Carolyn had to clean her tack by lantern light - hopefully she either did a good job or the dressage judge is nearsighted.

Speaking of braiding by flashlight, poor Sara had to do just that since they had to wait for her to get out of school before leaving for the show. I'm sure it will look great --- or maybe she'll get the same nearsighted judge!.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the rain is over because soggy dressage would be a drag.

Here's the photos from today - enjoy!

Can't wait till tomorrow (picture me here biting my nails!)

Reese's first show: Part I

So Reese's first real recognized event is underway. As I sit here sipping my wine, Michelle is winging her way to Fresno with Reese and Ceilidh in the back... in the trailer, not the back seat. Although from her early reports Ceilidh is raising quite a ruckus just like a big sister. Or maybe a big sister from the south (since she is from Louisiana) as she is waaaaay too hot for her adopted brother. Four plus hours in the trailer won't helping the bonding issue. By the time the get to Fresno she'll be firmly in love and he'll be utterly confused. Sounds like the first boyfriend I had in college. Should make for just that much more exciting weekend for all!

Tomorrow... the day before show day and highlights of Reese's first haircut!

Everyone has settled into the new digs

It didn't take long for the horses or riders to settle in to the new digs at Day Creek Ranch. We all love how absolutely peaceful it is. I just wish I could have gotten some pics of all the guys who work there. They do a great job of keeping the place sparkling clean and the horses well fed.

Here's some pics of the place - enjoy!

On a side note, last week's fires in Moorpark came dangerously close to our friends back at Vista del Mar but thanks to the efforts of the fire fighters every one was safe and sound.

We have our sights set on getting a big group together to compete at Ram Tap in November so hopefully we'll see some of our local friends there.

“You know what dressage means, right?” asked guest clinician Germán Schneider, local dressage rider, trainer and judge. “It’s French for ‘too afraid to jump’ he quipped. (It’s actually French for training, in case you were dying to know). Germán’s sense of humor really set the tone for the mini-clinic we had at the ranch – a necessary ingredient since the first ride was at the ungodly hour of 7 am. (That's Reese, my horse, to the left by the way.) All kidding aside, as anal-retentive as it may seem dressage is the foundation for everything we do and the reason that even us crazy eventers work so hard at it. (We know it may not seem like it, DQ’s, but we really do.) As Germán pointed out to Michelle C. riding her horse Bailey, an unbalanced, unrateable canter might get you a “6” on your test but you'll be eating wood on a cross-country course.
It’s always good to attend clinics or occasional lessons from a different instructor just to get a fresh perspective on your riding. For instance, Germán focuses on the same issues of rhythm, tempo and suppleness that Michelle E. does but verbalizes it in a slightly different way. Combining the two approaches really clarified for me the importance of working my young horse in a lower frame with more flexion at the base of his neck until his back grows stronger. I wasn’t even riding in the clinic so even watching from the sidelines can be and educational experience. Just be sure to choose someone who isn’t at odds with your own trainer’s basic philosophy. Otherwise you won’t be able to incorporate what you’ve learned from the clinic in your day-to-day riding. Definitely talk to your trainer about what you learned at the clinic if they weren’t present to make sure that the ideas you took away from the experience are appropriate for what he or she is trying to work on with you at this point in your riding.

And where was Michelle during all this? Up in Fresno with dynamic duo Nick and Sarah competing at Ram Tap. Michelle took Dixie into her first event ever where she finished 4th with a double clear in cross-country. Nick finished 4th with Buck pulling a rail in show jump while Sarah and Eddie debuted at Training Level with a so-so dressage test but good solid jump rounds. According to Michelle, as well as the general feedback on the Chronicle of the Horse chat forum, Ram Tap’s courses have changed a bit for this show. The Training course in particular was tough but fair so kudos to both riders and horses for a job well done. They’ll both be up there again next month so fingers crossed that those rides will go even better.