Sometimes to get better at competing we need to compete

Sounds crazy right. Let me explain.

There are many times when I'm getting ready for a show that all I can think of is "we are not ready". Maybe I should keep schooling and just sit this show out. This thought process can very easily become a vicious cycle of always schooling and never showing for fear of never being good enough. I think this happens more in Dressage than most other sports.

The reality is in Dressage we become perfectionists. Which in order to ride it well, that's kind of a must. The desire to make each movement the best it can be, that's what ends up making it beautiful. In seeking perfection, sometimes we talk ourselves out of competing when we know we are not yet perfect. No ride is perfect, that's why we haven't seen a 100% yet in the show ring. You don't need to be perfect to get out there!

There comes a point in our riding, if we want to compete, then that is exactly what we need to do. Even if it is a hot mess. When we show, we get nervous and it affects our rides. We have to learn to ride through those nerves. Like anything else showing takes practice. Practice showing. Heck, that's why they call them "Schooling" Shows!

 I am a pretty good rider. I struggle with fear that sometimes holds me back from being a great rider...but all in all, I am a good rider. I, however, am NOT a good TEST rider. Test riding is far different from schooling. I can do 10 stretchy circles in schooling and finally get a really great one and feel really good about it. In the test there is only one, and sneaks up on you awfully quickly. By the time you finally get your horse stretching half way decent....crap, circle over. I typically spend the majority of my test just trying to get through one movement and on to the next. There is a point in each test where my mind lets out a huge sigh of relief when it realizes "We are almost done!"

Learning to test ride takes time and practice. Often one of the best ways to practice is in a ring in front of a judge. The great part about schooling shows is the judges often write really helpful comments on how to improve your ride. Often it's repeating things we already knew, but will reinforce working harder on those things when you get back home.

One day while riding through a Training Level Test something happened. The test slowed down. Instead of feeling like everything was rushing up on me and I was scrambling to get through each movement, I had time to think, to feel, and to ride the movement. I was able to prep for the next move. Ride the corners, create bend, half halt. My husband probably describes it best with a football reference. When you first start playing the game seems to be screaming by you at 100 mph and you can't keep up. When you start getting good, the game slows down and you can see the plays. That's how it was for me. I could see my test finally. That's when you know you are learning to ride the test.

So get out there and compete, and get better at competing. And just remember that on horse show day it's never too early to drink!

Equine Chiropractor, Interesting Article

I just read an interesting article that drummed up some internal debate. I use a chiropractor about three to four times a year on Pilgrim. I use a DVM who also underwent chiropractor training. We can always tell when he needs one done. Very tight under saddle, tail swishing, resistance, and not forward. After she comes out, a whole new horse. We always see a major improvement after he is done.

The article LINK-Click me, written by a well known DVM, basically states that chiropractic work on horses does not work and we are dumping our money down the drain using one. There are some things I am hesitant on, especially if no studies have been done to show they actually work, like massage. Acupuncture is currently in studies and is being shown to cause improvement. I don't really question my chiropractic care since I see visible improvement in my horses behavior under saddle. I'm certainly not going to quit using one, but the article does raise valid points, especially about training of Equine Chiropractors.

Who else uses a Chiropractor and what are your thoughts?

Fun DIY Stall Plates

We used to make these as kids in 4-H for our stalls at competitions. I decided I wanted to make one for my new boy. Instead of hanging it on a stall door, I'm going to find a place in the house to hang it. Eventually I'm going to add a way to hang ribbons below it. I've toyed with adding doll rods to hang them from.

So for those of you who want to make one for your special critter:

Step 1: Buy wooden plaque. I got mine for about $3 from Walmart in the crafts section. It's how I got the idea. I was trying to find a fun art project for the kids to do and came home with one for myself to do too!

Step 2: Pick a base color. If you like the wood look you can stain the wood to the darkness you want. For mine I did Metallic Gold. I like to use spray paints for the base as it gives a nice even finish. Let dry at least 2 hours.

Step 3: Decorate! I painted his name on it in sparkly blue and my daughter helped pick decorative stickers and we glued on some bling for fun. If you are super artsy I've seen some with the face of their horse painted on it as well. I'm not that talented, so I stuck with simple.

Step 4: Hang on your stall, around the barn, or in your home!

These are so fun and so easy to customize to your own style and taste. Like for Pilgrim I'm going to wood burn his name in the plaque and stain the wood a cherry color.

Pretty, Shiny Things

My post about luxury made me think of some of the more material lux items that I sometimes daydream about. Especially coming back from some Regional Championships where I saw lots of fabulous stuff. Oh Dressage world, how you tempt me with all your glittery, sparkly, shiny things.  Hmmm, let me count the ways:

1. I am absolutely in love with this bridle.

 It's gorgeous, would look great on Nitrox, and isn't completely out of the realm of affordability. I'm currently saving my pennies.


2. Custom boots. I wish I could make some excuse for why I have to have a pair of these, alas they are out of my budget.

***On a bright note, several companies are now offering custom bling work to just about anything anymore. So you can make your boots look like you took a second mortgage on the house to get them, and not have to!!!! The Secret Magpie, http://www.thesecretmagpie.com/ is one of my faves.

3. Blinged out helmets, yes please! Makes me want to topple off something so I have an excuse to replace my current helmet. Maybe one of the electric ones at Walmart will buck me off.

4. Coats with color

Maybe it's that Western Pleasure side of me crying out for crystals and color, but I was so excited to see so much bling and color going on at Regional Championships. There was even a girl a saw wearing a VERY purple show coat. That might be a bit over the top, even for me, but life's too short to wear things you hate...so fly your fashion freak flag!

5. Crystal Plaiting Bands. Yes, they exist, and yes, I want some!

What are some things you are currently drooling over?

Luxury

For me, the above quote is so true. There is nothing so wonderful as being completely alone at the farm with the horses. No rush, not in a hurry, taking my time and enjoying every moment. Grooming every inch of the horse, meticulously tacking, a long warm up and cool down during my ride. There is nothing better, more calming, and oh so luxurious.

Good Luck!

Good Luck to everyone and anyone competing at the Regional Dressage Championships this weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park. The hubby and I will be up Saturday to watch some of it. Hope everyone gets good rides and I will cross my fingers for good weather for you.

A Day Homeschooling, Welcome to our Crazy Life

Homeschooling is becoming more popular for families who are able to choose to do so. We chose
to homeschool for several reasons:

1. Our children were not being challenged in their current public school.

• Both our children were considered "ahead" of the rest of their classmates.
• The teachers focused their time on those that were behind.
• Both our children spent a large chunk of their time in school being bored, reading books they brought from home, or doing nothing.
• My son began getting trouble for talking, and after a meeting with his teacher discovered he was just bored because he was always first done with all his work and the teacher couldn't give him anything else to do.

2. Flexible Scheduling

• We show a lot. I was pulling the kids out a lot during spring and fall season at the end of the week to prep or leave for shows. 
• The kids weren't getting the ride time they needed during the week since I spent the limited time after they were out of school teaching lessons until dark. 
• Faith wanted to start training with my trainer, which required us going out there during the week when she should be in school.

3. Fear of being left behind

• While both of our kids were considered ahead, it also meant they were often ignored.
• The teachers spent the majority of their time, energy on the kids that were behind. 
•  I was also helping them with hours of home work after a full 8 hour school day that they were not allowed to do during their "down time".
• While my kids were getting straight A's, I also saw where they were struggling. My daughter read stories very literally and struggled to find hidden meanings and emotions. My son did wonderful at mental math but often could not show you his work. He also was a slow writer and would give only partial answers if not pressed to avoid excess writing. I saw these at home while helping them, but it was not being addressed at school. I felt as long as they continued to get good grades, it would not be...but would harm them later. 

4. Common Core and Standardized Testing

• The teachers began focusing solely on teaching for the standardized tests given at the end of the year since their budget and jobs depended solely on how the students did on those tests.
• Too much pressure was given on those tests, including it counting for 20% of the overall grade no matter how well they did on all of their work throughout the year.
• The introduction of common core, especially with math, was a disaster in our school. It was poorly written and poorly explained. I often could not even understand what the questions were asking or how they got to the right answer. It eliminated me being able to help them in any way at home. 

A lot of other thoughts and discussions went into our decision to homeschool. I'll be the first to admit that the first year was downright terrifying.

"Am I going to make my children dumb?"
"Am I destrying there chances at getting into a good college?"
"Can I stand to be around them 24/7, ALL THE TIME, with no break?"
"Can I teach them, will they listen, will we kill each other?"

All these questions constantly ran through my head. I had to learn to be super organized, but I also had to learn to let some of my control freak things go. I had to find the balance in managing the house, the farm, and the school work. So for anyone curious or interested in a typical day/week of homeschooling for our family...here it is.

• Sunday - This is the day I make the menu for the week along with the grocery list. I also make a schedule of activities for the week that we have on our plate so I know what days we can probably do more school work and what days we need to be scheduled lighter. I also try to coordinate our menu based on when I can throw something in the crockpot in the morning and when Chuck will need to cook when he gets home, or when I will have time to actually cook in the evening. I do all our lesson plans this day.

Mon-Fri (typically)

• 6:30am- Wake up, kids up, get dressed out of pajamas but in comfortable clothing
• 7:00am- School starts with the "Breakfast Basket". We have breakfast and do something from our basket. Each week is themed. One week we did poetry, another All About Tennessee, last week was Knights. Sometimes the kids sketch while I read, other times they read out loud, sometimes we watch a video, other times we sit and discuss and ask questions. It only lasts 30 minutes and ends in prayer. It's a good warm up to our day without being intense.
• 7:30am- School work begins. My daughter always starts with Math since it's her biggest assignment typically, but is easiest for her and she enjoys it. My son starts with small easy things like Spelling and Vocabulary. It gets him going and keeps him motivated through the harder and slower subjects to get through the day to finish up. While the kids are working, this is a good time for me to work on housework or cooking (or blogging!).
• 10:00am- Several days a week this is when we need to head out. So we change into riding/farm clothes and pack any remaining work we have left.
• 10:30-6 or 7pm- The kids are required to work on school work while managing their time helping with feeding, riding, farm chores, helping with lessons, etc.
• 7:30pm- Home, dinner, finish any remaining school work.
• 8/8:30pm - Kids time is their own until bedtime, I grade papers and work, marking things that need to be gone over and reviewed. 

Obviously this is pretty generalized and fluctuates based on what we have going on for the day/week,  but this is the general idea. While we are very flexible, I found we do have to have some schedule and routine otherwise it becomes chaotic. 

The kids typically get the weekend off of school work, however if something gets behind during the week we use these to finish and catch up. 

During yucky weather days when we can not ride/teach we work ahead on other days and do extra work. That sometimes earns them a whole extra day off during the week or several really short days of only a little work.

It's not easy. It's certainly not for everyone. For us, it works and we love it. 

Dwight after a week of school, farm work, riding, and a whole weekend of showing and early mornings!