"Straight" vs. eventing dressage

Dressage judge Margaret Freeman talks about the difference between "straight" dressage and eventing dressage tests, including practical considerations, the expectations for performance, the design of the tests, and the conditioning of the horse. I think she offers some nice insight on the thought put into the design of the tests. Of course, at Rolex I think some of her comments don't hold, as it is a higher level than she is probably covering in her talk. At Rolex there is a halt at X, and the ring is 20X60. Thanks to MF for sharing these observations...

On break from CTCL worries -- till April 1

Weird post-cardy photo (overuse of the sharpen mask):
Bob and I in Indiana 4-5 years ago

Bob's Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma is still an enigma to me. I know lymphoma is the "C" word (scary), but when you read about treatment the focus seems to be almost entirely on keeping the skin healthy -- so it is a dermatological problem too. It is  ideally treated by a team  of oncologists and dermatologists. The course is unpredictable -- some people go for more than ten years, some survive two years or less.

Getting answers
On April 1 we're going down to UPenn to meet with the specialists. Hopefully they will stage the disease and have some treatments to propose. Bob is hoping they'll just want to continue the light treatments, but since he still has significant symptoms, I'm thinking they'll want to do more.

"Sorry, I'm on break"
After a few weeks of dark thoughts, I've taken a break from worrying. Initial tests indicate Bob does not have the most aggressive form of CTCL, and that is an enormous relief. The other type of CTCL encompasses a wide range of symptoms and outcomes. I don't know how afraid to be. This has been a pleasant few weeks, not knowing, and enjoying time with Bob. Looking forward to Rolex more than ever.

The thing about cancer
And the thing about cancer, is, it's not what it used to be. At age 50, it seems almost like more people I know have had it than not. I learned that 75 percent of households will find themselves caring for a cancer patient at some point during their lives. One in two men, and one in three women, will develop it. Where I work, there is always someone dealing with it, and recovering from it, and usually they get better and get on with their life. In my personal life, ditto.

• My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (over ten years ago) on the same day my close co-worker was diagnosed with breast cancer. 
• The husband of a close friend of mine was diagnosed with prostate cancer just a few days before Bob was.   
• When I met the boarder who owns Harv's turnout partner, she mentioned that she is currently in chemo. 
• Both my parents are cancer survivors. 
• I lost a friend to pancreatic cancer last year after a ten year battle. 

I'm sure everyone my age has a similar list.

The good news is, we have gotten good at dealing with it. It is often more of a chronic condition than a life-ender.


Financial factoids

Some interesting stats I've uncovered.

• Average out of pocket expenses for insurance holders with lymphoma are between $1200 and 1800/month (expenses vary dramatically according to type of cancer). 
The financial burden of cancer hits hardest on the middle class – people too well off for programs that cover the poor but unable to afford what cancer care often costs, spend their savings getting treatment.
• The costs of unreimbursed medical care, even for people who have health insurance, caused 62 percent of personal bankruptcies in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. 

I'm thinking I'll do a health update for Bob on Saturdays, when appropriate. I don't want this to be a cancer blog but I figure a lot of readers will be interested and/or care. Thanks all...

How much longer will Ponder wonder?

Ah-ha! Ponder is not so questioning as she once was (see previous posts of her as a yearling and weanling). I don't know her age here, perhaps 2-3?

Moving in synch: Photo from Rolex

Did I mention Rolex??? Can't. Wait. This is one of the neatest moments of horse and human I've ever seen -- the pair is from Mendoza Dressage and they have lots of photos on their web site (this is one of them). The horse is, I believe, a stallion.

Source: Uploaded by user via Stacey on Pinterest

Look who's gonna be at Rolex!!!!

Peter Atkins and Hentry Jota Hampton!!!!!

And here I was wondering who I should root for this year. Bob and I will be sporting our Run Henny Run shirts and we'll be gunning to go on the coursewalk with Peter. His coursewalks are like lessons, he asks you questions and tells you about different styles of riding and how each might approach a particular question.  I'd love to see them in the top ten  this year.

Show jumper on autopilot!

This horse must be the Cal Ripken of the horse world. I'm glad he's okay from this incident, because looking at the footage I would not have expected him to come away unscathed. Extra carrots for this one.

Harv update and PSA on CTCL

Pardon the wonkiness of this layout. It's for your protection :-).

So here are pix of Harv on 3/24 about 2 1/2 weeks after the last photos. Whether the last photos were misleading or he's put on some weight, I like his look here better.


  I'm breathing a sigh of relief.

While I wanted to share the good news about the Harvster, I also wanted to use these photos to put the skin pix below the fold -- at least a little. Again, they aren't bad, but I don't want to subject anyone to a medical issue on this blog which is, after all, about horses.


Bob's situation: Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)
Because Bob is out and about, and going to the gym, and working, and cycling, and contra dancing,  you can certainly make the case that he is doing really well. He's not a complainer, so you won't hear him fussing about his condition. There are many conditions that are painful while outwardly you look pretty good. But this rare disease can, in later stages, be pretty awful inside and out.  In one keynote speech at a world conference on CTCL, the speaker called CTCL "one of the most disfiguring diseases known to man today." When it is not controlled, it can be compared to leprosy. In the interest of spreading the word about CTCL here is a picture of his skin.

This is the back of his upper arm, a reasonably close-up shot. You can see it is red-patchy, and from any sort of distance you lose the mottling and just see bright red. It is extraordinarily itchy (pruritis), periodically it is flaky, and it looks and feels a lot like a bad sunburn. And -- it's all over his body. Head to toe. All the time. For the last two years. Back when they were trying to diagnose what this was, they  they could not even do an allergy test  because he didn't have a clear patch of skin to test. He has other symptoms too -- hair loss, nail problems, and hands and fingertips cracking.

For the first two years Bob was told he had psoriasis, after routine diagnostics including skin biopsies. I searched google scholar and medical databases with terms like "full body rash" and "erythroderma" -- and guess what? CTCL was among the search results. When I asked the doctor about it, he gently dismissed the question with the response, "people who have that are very sick." This was not a crappy doctor either -- this was at UPenn.

 CTCL: a Public Service Announcement
CTCL is rare -- only about a thousand cases are diagnosed a year -- and not much is known about it. Unfortunately many doctors only heard about it while they were in med school, and they may never have seen a case -- don't count on them to recognize it. Its incidence is increasing dramatically -- it's rising faster than melanoma. In fact, all lymphomas are seeing a rise in incidence. CTCL is most likely to occur:

• In people over the age of 50
• In men more than women
• In black men more than white men
• in a very slow progresson (some people have had a rash or skin coloration since childhood)

It's usually misdiagnosed for years, in part because of its rarity (six cases per million) and in part because tissue biopsies and other tests are not very good at detecting CTCL till it is more advanced. Bob's case is unusual in that it was a sudden, dramatic onset. Often the 'rash' people have had since childhood suddenly starts to get worse, and then they find out they have CTCL.

Take Home Message: If you have, or know someone with,  worsening psoriasis, or with a persistent bad rash, and they fit the traits listed above, mention this to them. Believe me you want to catch it early.

Not "just" psoriasis
BTW I'm not making light of psoriasis and would never say "just" psoriasis. I have a new respect for people with psoriasis. When Bob was initially diagnosed with it I joined a few support groups and the stories of people with psoriasis -- especially young people -- are heartbreaking.  Psoriasis can be debilitating, and the drugs are expensive. Many, many people can't afford them.

Thanks for listening.

Kitty conquest

Warning: My next post will have a photo of what CTCL looks like -- it's not yucky or too "revealing," and it is a whole lot better than the photos of CTCL that you'll see on the Internet -- but it is a dermatological shot. Still, because I dislike seeing unexpected "graphic" photos on FB, I want to be considerate. On Monday, you may want to opt out of the photo (just turn image view off). 

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BTW this is not the "manta ray" position

 Newman and Bob didn't always get along. Recall that there was inter-kitty-conflict when we first introduced Newman to Red Kitka. Looking back, Newman was a bit of a bully. I can't blame Bob for being protective of Red Kitka, who is a lot smaller and not-at-all agressive. Bob regretted that we got a second cat for a long time, and he even hinted at taking Newman back to the shelter. Stressful for all concerned! It took a while to work out, but it did work out. Newman prevailed over Red Kitka, sure, but he also won over Bob.

Newman achieves lap time
The picture to the right is one I took of Bob right after he and Newman started to bond. Newman was relentless in his insistence that he sit on Bob's lap. Cats on the leather chair had been forbidden since Bob and I have been together. Bob was annoyed at first but then charmed by Newman's "flat cat" defensive position -- part manta ray, part tentacle. You couldn't budge him or  shoo him away. And as you can see, Newman succeeded. He even looks like a cat who has made a conquest.

More bling! This time it's braid bling

I don't know if these bands are available in the states yet, but search "EQuest Mähnenringe Crystal Regular" to find German sites that sell it...

Source: loesdau.de via Stacey on Pinterest

Ponder as a yearling (or thereabouts)

Here is Ponder (the baby I showed in a previous post) as approximately a yearling (by my guesstimate). Still lovin' the marking, and the fat fuzzy cuteness.

Reed Kessler receives Rolex watch

Just a note that I'm visiting my family this weekend -- A few of the posts are photos from my pinterest account that I really like. Back to regularly scheduled programming early next week. Thanks!

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Source: Uploaded by user via Samantha on Pinterest

I love photos like these. First, I love the expressions of the giver and the receiver in this photo. Secondly, what a great tribute to the Rolex watch. Expensive watches are not my thing, but Rolex has a long history of supporting equestrian sports like -- well, Rolex. The Three Day. Where I'm going in just a few weeks!

An R-rated post

 That's "R" as in movie ratings and "R" for horse husband re-education and  also "R" for really good news :-).

REALLY GOOD NEWS: A Bob update
Recall that while Bob has cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL), there are two types: one slow type and one aggressive type, which is called Sezary Syndrome (SS). The blood test results are back. A Sezary cell count of over 1,000 means you have SS, and a count of over 10,000 means the syndrome is pretty far along. Bob's results showed no Sezary cells. His LDH value (a value that is significant for CTCL) was normal.

YES!

He did have abnormally high values for basophils, atypical lymph, and absolute baso values but  they were not all that high, and besides who knows what those mean? Some quick googling suggested these could be related to infections, itching (which is a big symptom), and lymphoma (which we know he has).

We have succeeded in pestering the Dr. into trying to move our appt in Philly up.

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Now here is a post I wrote several weeks ago, slotted for today...

Bob's horse-husband "re-education" and my "r-rated" appearance
So a few Sunday mornings ago, I got up and started to get dressed to go ride. I had on my polo shirt and underwear and socks on, but I could not find my breeches. After looking around the bedroom I remembered I'd left them on the dining room chair. I walked downstairs to get them, in my state of partial dress. Bob was at the table eating cereal and reading the newspaper.  I walked to the chair to fetch my breeches.

Bob: "Do you have a show today?"

Me: "What? What makes you think that?"

Bob: [sets paper down] "Oh -- I thought you had on your light breeches."

Crushed peppermint for picky eaters.

 Riley is a picky eater, and meds are really not his thing. After his abscess last week (which is fine now) I gave him a little bute to bring down the swelling sooner.

I was present when the barn manager presented him with his bute-infused pan of food. He sniffed. Without touching the food, he butted the pan with his nose, flipping it over, and walked away. Duly noted Riley.

Back to the picky eater dilemma
I've tried lots of things -- applesauce, molasses, even fondant (someone recommended) -- nothing worked to make Ri eat unpalatable stuff. The night of the pan-flip,  I went home, grabbed my bag of peppermints, went into the garage and smashed them all with a hammer. I gave them to the barn manager, and she mixed the bute with a 1/2 cup of the smashed pepps. Ri yummed it up.

That problem solved, but...
Bob was unhappy with the state of the hammer and the garage floor. Peppermints fly pretty far when hit with the force of a  hammer. Even though I used a plastic bag, some escaped. Bob found pieces on the lawn mower and work bench. Not cool.

So I can't do that again.

Ebay, from whence cometh my help
I have found that for any given unmet need, Ebay is a good a source as any -- search "crushed peppermint" and see what you get! For $8 I scored two 2-lb bags of -- you guessed it -- pre-crushed peppermints.

Worth it at twice the price!

Harv's weight

Update: Since I wrote this, Harv is looking better. He is getting corn oil in his feed short term until I can get some fat supplement into his program. Hopefully by the time he loses all that hair he'll be back to his normal chubbiness.

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Harv gets lots of food and hay -- really as much as is recommended by the Senior bag (Triple Crown) for a horse his age and size, and that is a lot -- it is fed in three feedings, along with hay, which he nibbles on all day as best he can, with his aging teeth. I do think he has lost weight over the winter. It has nothing to do with the quality of care he has received--he has always gotten consciencious care with regard to his diet, especially access to hay. Has something changed about his health? Winter is never easy on oldsters, but Harv has generally come through winter looking pretty good. Remember last year's birthday photos? I admit that I panicked a little when I saw this photo Bob took of him last Sunday. I hadn't noticed him looking all that thin -- he did look smaller and older, the way old folks do. But this photo has him looking gaunt, even with his winter coat.



So I went to the barn tonight, planning to develop a game plan for putting weight on him. I found him happily chewing from a generous portion of hay. I pulled him out of his stall, took of his sheet, and took a few more shots. Dammit. Here he doesn't look half-bad -- three days later. When he bends through the body I can see ribs, plural. But he looks pretty rounded, and his body score would probably not be too alarming.

 
A lot seems to hinge on where the camera eye is -- straight on he looks good, from an angle he looks leaner.

So starting last week, I have been adding oil to his feed, as a stopgap till I can get to the feed store to get more Ultimate Finish for him.

What do you all think? How worried should I be?

Bob update: A new journey

Bob and I at a wedding last year

I mentioned in a previous blog post that Bob has been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma -- a type that seems to target the skin, called cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL).  It's a tough disease to research in that the prognosis varies dramatically according to the staging (how far along the disease is) and other factors like age. Also the treatments have improved dramatically, so the survival rates in published research are out of date. It's all a big question mark: It can be a chronic but lifelong disease many people, or it can be more serious, but there is no cure.

Bob's health right now
Although Bob is plagued by a whole-body rash and relentless itching, he is otherwise in great health -- able to do his beloved Contra dancing, go to the gym, bike, etc. His dermatologist is good, and he has an appointment to go to a state-of-the-art treatment center for CTCL, UPenn on June 3. But we don't know what stage he is in, and we don't know much about treatments. He is currently receiving light therapy/phototherapy three times a week.

The patient is impatient
June 3 is way too far away IMHO. There are two forms of this condition:

• one which is considered "indolent" (Mycosis Fungoides, or MF) 
• one which is more agressive (Sezary Syndrome or SS), with a more guarded prognosis. 

We don't know for sure which he has, and I can't imagine waiting till June to get a proper diagnosis and staging. We pushed our local dematologist for a blood test called a Sezary count, which  is a rough way of diagnosing the agressive form of the condition, Sezary Syndrome. Basically they count the presence of abnormal T-cells, and it it is over 1,000, you can consider yourself diagnosed with SS. If he has this, treatment has to be expedited. June 3 is just not going to do it.

Blood tests: A cautionary tale
The moral of this story is, be curious and vigilant when dealing with the medical bureaucracy. Bob had the blood drawn on Monday the 11th. He noticed the lab attendant seemed very casual in filling out the paperwork. Bob saw her write CBC (blood count) on the paper, with no note about a Sezary count. He asked her about it and got a snappish reply, and any subsequent question was answered with "talk to your doctor," to the point where if he opened his mouth to pose another question, she just talked over him in a louder voice, "Talk to your doctor."  It is making my blood boil as I write -- that infuriating broken record response!

On Friday, Bob called the doctor for the results; the office staff can only tell him was that the test was "normal." Bob asked about the Sezary cell count, but there was no mention of it in the results. "The results just say normal," they told him, and the doctor was not available to help. I was in meetings all morning and the office was closed on Friday afternoon. Bob told me Friday night he felt sure that the Sezary test had not been done.

Quest for the answer
That was yesterday (at the time I'm writing). This morning (Saturday the 16th) we called Quest's 800 number. I have to say the staff member we spoke to was wonderful. She did indeed confirm that no Sezary count was done, and she told us exactly what had to be on the script in order for that blood smear to be performed. For the record -- I did not look closely at the script but I did review it. I'm pretty sure the doctor had written word-for-word what he was supposed to ask for.

Looking to the future
So after being on pins and needles all week, we're back at square one, and another week of waiting for test results. Monday  morning we're going to show up in the dermatologist office and ask for the doctor (he's pretty accessible in my experience).  I'm hoping we can expedite the test early this coming week.

Whatever the outcome -- I have a feeling this will be the beginning of a long medical journey for the two of us. We are blessed to live near not one but THREE treatment centers that specialize in this disorder (two in Philly and Sloan Kettering in NYC).

Ponder : Great name, great foal

Check out this pony, Ponder, bred at Done Dreamin Farm. I've gotten some more pictures of this now several years-old mare. Can't wait to share the updates!

SOLD!! Thanks Lora Bosin and family!

Pony agility??? This is adorable...

Horses make fools of us: Get used to it

This is a video of a girl "whacking her horse" after a refusal in a competition. Why post this? Well, it's partly a cautionary tale for all of us. Remember that your  split-second impulse and public display of bad temper  is likely-as-not to be captured by some smartass with an iphone who is going to post it to Youtube. Now for eternity  you will be the girl who beats her horse.

So here's the footage:

You might be expecting me to wag a finger at this spoiled brat of a girl, and hint that she doesn't deserve a horse.

I can't throw too many stones here...
 I had a bit of a moment at a schooling show last spring. Bob, my videographer, came late to the show and missed videotaping my first ride. I didn't whack him (he wisely stayed beyond armslength) but I screamed  at him like a fishwife. I took some ribbing about it later, and I later caught others at the show offering expressions of sympathy to Bob.  This did not improve my mood.

Also I whacked Riley with a broom after he pulled on my Anky Elegance boots and broke the zipper. Thank God that was not captured on tape. It was ugly.

Now about this girl
Honestly? I feel a little sorry for her. Yes, the behavior is to be discouraged, and yes, she probably needs a good lecture and some negative "consequences" for  what looks like a public tantrum. If the behavior was unacceptable, it was also ineffectual. The horse looks oblivious through the whole ordeal. My guess is that  hanging on to the reins during the fall probably hurt him more than the   swipe she took at him. Keep in mind, too, that she looks like she's been hurt. Pain and anger can go hand in hand -- it can cloud your judgement for sure.

She looks lonely limping over toward the exit gate. I'm going to cut her some slack.

Emma Peek, making us all look like amateurs

We talk about whether equestrian disciplines should be in the Olympics, and there are a lot of ads proclaiming that dressage, eventing, and jumping are indeed athletic pursuits. Yes, there is a lot of evidence that riding is quite the sport of sports. Except...

Emma Peek is reaching out to us through the years and showing us that real women don't make a fuss over a few poles at the top of a standard. Look at her expression and position! That hat! She's practically sipping tea...

Source: findagrave.com via Stacey on Pinterest

Sterling Leather: Awesome giveaway!

Sterling Leather is a local business, located in Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA, about 45 minutes south of me. They also have a jam-packed web site with great boots, hats, luggage, coats, vests, briefcases, shoes, handbags, and accessories that you won't find in a mall. Sterling is graciously offering BTB readers  a giveaway. They let me pick what to offer, and I selected a belt buckle that has me absolutely drooling, and it is not super-expensive (for those of us who don't win).  I'm loving the restrained bling, the equestrian notif, the symbol of the wings, and the fact that it's silver. I hope you like it: the Nocona Crystal Wing Horseshoe buckle that fits a 1 1/2 in belt (not included).

If you want to enter the giveaway, here are the steps:

1. If you are on Facebook, LIKE the Sterling Leather Facebook page and leave a comment telling us what kind of belt you would pair it with.
2. If you aren't on Facebook or if you just want to leave a comment on the blog, leave a comment on my blog with some form of contact info and what kind of belt you would pair with it.

Is my sugar daddy out there?

So let me show you what I covet most of all from Sterling Leather, the Comfort Klog Belle Meade -- it appeals to me for its heel height, the clean and sleek look, and the zipper detail. It looks comfortable. But Sterling Leather has literally hundreds of shoes to fit with all kinds of looks, from darned-close-to-British to over-the-top flashy western stuff. 

If you want to get fancy, here is an option for you: Lucchese Sweetwater Ostrich...

Consider visiting: 

Peddler's Village
Rt. 263 & Rt. 202
Lahaska, Pa 18931
215-794-7101(store)
215-794-9605(fax)
PeddlersVillage@sterlingleather.com

Harvey, a post birthday portrait

Harvey watches a horse in the nearby pasture buck and play

Harvey at 26! Happy Birthday

Yesterday, at Harv's new digs, we celebrated Harv's 26th birthday. I brought a half-sheet of carrot cake (Harv got a little corner piece, and a bunch of apples). The sun was out, and it was one of the first arguably warm spring days. Harv's coat was sun-baked and warm, and he seemed sleepy. I would be that he laid down and stretched out at some point in the day. He looks wonderful here, and he loves his new home.

Harlem shake, whatever that is: Dressage versio

I know nothing of this cultural phenom, but I like this video which Fourteen Carrots shared with me.

Clothes Horse Blog: Nerd chic

I'm 5'10" and decidedly long-limbed and un-petite. But if  I weren't, I would embrace my inner Audrey Hepburn and wear the kinds of clothes meant for the gamine figure. Just loving the style of clothing and the haircut of the model featured in the Clothes Horse Blog.

No, this isn't a proper horse-related post, but the blog name, and the ensemble on the left, seem to contain horses in some form or shape.

Very, very cute. And fun.

Imagining a canter

I'm riding Ri as he recovers from his abscess, which resolved a few days ago. He is not quite 100% so we are just walking and trotting, but I think in a few days we'll be back to our regularly scheduled boot camp.

Imagine your dream-canter!
It's good to have a goal in your mind, and an image of the canter you want.  I have a mental image of a Riley that will be cantering like Don Juan De Hus, the horse in the photo from the last post, in this photo (I don't have permission to post), and in the video below.  If for some reason you can't wait through the trot to see the canter, it starts at 2:11. Is it not awesome?

Don Juan De Hus
Might as well make it this the goal!  Because there is no downside to dreaming it. :-)

Bob update: New diagnosis

Bob and Red Kitka

I think I may have posted at some point that Bob has been dealing with some skin issues -- several years ago he had an acute skin rash that came from out of nowhere, it seemed. Back then the doctors were all scratching their head, but it was eventually diagnosed as full-body psoriasis. I had trouble wrapping my head around this, and we went to many doctors in our area, and at UPenn, for alternate opinions. Everyone was in agreement -- it's psoriasis.

Psoriasis treatments
How very lucky we are to have insurance that covers the very, very expensive treatments for psoriasis. Many people, we learned through online support groups, don't have access to these drugs. Enbrel, Humira, and similar drugs are many thousands of dollars but usually very effective.

Treatments don't work!
Oddly, 'spensive as they were, they didn't really having an effect on Bob's condition. The body rash  never really improved much, despite these state-of-the-art meds and topicals recommended on support groups. This winter it was particularly bad, and my husband grappled with constant itching, pain 'like a bad sunburn,' chills, fingertip infections, to say nothing of going through life with "dots" all over. In late January, his hair started to fall out in patches. The dermatologist did another skin biopsy, which was inconclusive but showed a particular pattern suggestive of another kind of problem. Hoping for something more definitive, he did four more biopsies.

Not psoriasis after all
This time the results came back with a conclusive diagnosis, from two different pathologists: cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In one sense it is bad news, because the 'L' word is a scary word. In many other ways it is good news. Most importantly, the prognosis is good, but also:

• It is a chance for symptom relief -- skin issues, especially full-body skin issues, are a real blow to quality of life.
• The initial treatment is non-invasive,with few side effects.
• It can go into remission -- that's the goal.

 The first standard of treatment is light therapy, three times a week, and with any luck that'll be all that is needed. Normally, I'm all about research and a friend once chided me about my compulsion to go after  a topic and "understand it to death." I read a little about this back when Bob was diagnosed with psoriasis (apparently it is often misdiagnosed as psoriasis), and I've read a bit in the last few days. No more. Sometimes research opens you up to worries that never come to pass, and I don't want to go there right now. The doctor is upbeat, Bob is upbeat, and all the signs are good. That's enough for me...

Nattering nabobs: Eh. Let'em talk

Nattering nabobs of negativism -- what a delightful phrase, described by one writer as a " triumphant linguistic confection." It's one of my favorite quotes -- how I love using the phrase as a title to this post. 

What nabobs? Where?
I occasionally check to see where hits on my blog are coming from. I saw that a lot of folks were being referred to my blog from the Fugly Horse of the Day bulletin board. The FHOTD blog, and the board, have a certain reputation  -- so being mentioned there is not always a good thing. I followed the link to see how BTB was mentioned. At first I was relieved to find a thread with the original post asking "what are the good blogs?" But then I scrolled down, and saw this...

 Oh well. On the plus side, my site hits are up about 15%.  No such thing as bad publicity, as they say :-).

Canter boot camp 2013

So presumably you've read yesterday's post, and here is my game plan. It's March, and Riley is beginning his canter boot camp. Canter boot-camp was to take place this winter, but it has had its share of starts and stops.

Delays and sidelines

Dream-canter

• Delays. Ri had an abscess back in December that put him out of commission most of the month. Now, in March, he has had  "drive-by" abscess in his hind hoof -- it happened fast and he's recovering fast, and I expect he'll be back in business very soon. 
• Moves. The boys have moved yet again, this time each horse has gone to a different barn. This was necessary to accommodate their differing needs. Ri is now boarded with the trainer I worked with  in 2011-2012.  Harv is at a nice barn located about seven minutes from my house (and about a block from Bob's and my favorite diner).  While I'd rather have them at the same barn, ultimately it's about what is best for them. I've worked out a very good route that will make it fairly convenient to go from work to Ri to Harv, to the grocery (if needed), and then home. Both boys have settled in nicely.

Nothing to say, but "Onward to a better canter!" Details to come.

Ri Ri: Working on our canter work

Alternate title for this post:  "From Lightness to Leaning in two years."

The canter in 2012

We are now more than half-way through the winter, and one of my and Riley's goals for the winter months was to improve the canter work so that we at least have a shot at First Level in 2013.

To recap the canter work from 2010 to 2012, let me provide you the last few years in photos...

The 2012 canter
You all know about the me, and Riley, and the canter (if you followed our 2012 show season). We could get the canter, but we couldn't "hold" the canter. I think we maintained our canter throughout the tests  maybe 2/3 of the time. I mean, sure, it's Training Level, but I think the judges like to see horses a) cantering where they're supposed to be cantering and b) cantering in a way that does not suggest they are careening down a 15% incline. The photo upper right photo shows a pretty typical canter, circa 2012, for Ri and I.

The canter, circa 2010


Ri cantering in 2010

The 2012 canter is different from  the canter he offered when he was in professional training as a four-year old, circa 2010.

[Nota Bene: my new policy is to give my trainers anonymity, mostly b/c the Internet is a weird place -- hence the photo cropping etc.). 

Note the lovely elevation and softness. I'd like to say Ri looks equally happy enough in both photos--if I'm not riding well, at least he doesn't look abused. Butclick on the 2012 photo and look at his face -- he actually appears to be nodding off. Relaxation may be on the training scale, but sleeping is not.

So all of this big buildup is to herald are game plan for the next few months.. (wait till my next post)...




Transitions and purposeful riding

Ri and I are working toward first level.  I was intrigued by this video of Scott Hassler talking about engagement and transitions. Riley isn't much like this mare, but  there were a few phrases I really liked, and he warned against being "too tactful" and urged the rider to "own it." I think that purposeful riding is something I should be aspiring to more, and this video helps me to envision it...

Kauto Star

Considered by many in the UK to be the greatest steeplechaser of all time, Kauto Star retired recently at the age of 12 or 13 (he was born in 2000). Well, now he is making the news for starting a new career in dressage. What a delightful video! And doesn't he look lovely and SOUND!

The other fun thing about the footage is what a wonderful life this horse has -- look at that footing, that care, that stall! He's earned it. It's hoped that he'll highlight the versatility of the thoroughbred.