Chestnut Mare crushes the stereotype! Bella Rose

What a wonderful mare -- only ten-years-old! Definitely this one will have a second career as a broodmare. I'm sorry that they were not able to complete WEG this year...

Chauffeur -- Riley's younger brother!

It's my understanding that you can only call a horse a half-brother to another horse if they share the same dam, not the same sire. This baby shares the same dam as Riley, and by golly they sure look similar as babies!

Chauffeur      Riley     Riley at 3 weeks of age from Behind the Bit Blog on Vimeo.

RIP Simon: A big and kind boy

I bought Simon as a 17.1H three-year-old from a farm in Sunbury PA and I have blogged about him a few times -- here is one of my favorite photos of the two of us. He was a lovely, easy horse and I owned him for two years -- don't think he ever spooked, and I never felt afraid on his back. I took him to his first show and he rode his test as if he was home.

Simon was not a dressage horse. I sold him to a woman around 2003 who has owned him since. He grew to 17.3! He was ridden by the owner and used as a lesson horse. I learned Thursday night that he passed away from colic. Here are some photos from the farm web site.

Safe travels Simon...

Michel Mcnabb jewelry giveaway!

I'm excited to offer a Michel McNabb jewelry giveaway -- a necklace! I have two of her necklaces from previous Rolex trips and they are stunning. Michel graciously offered this necklace up for a giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment with contact information describing your philosophy on accessorizing.

Me? I follow the old adage, get dressed, accessorize as desired, then remove one item. Like Will Ferrell says, stay classy.

Where are the horsehead riding helmets, already

Walmart. It's addictive. Say what you will about cheap foreign labor, they have great activewear -- and  a diet strawberry lemonade to die for. Here I am mugging for the camera with a bike helmet for kids. It's beyond me why riding helmets can't look like this. They would sell for kids, and I half wonder if some adults might go for the unicorn look...

Alltech FEI WEG 2014 - Trailer

Browband for the dark and bold! For sale...

Diamond Stud Approved Oldenburg Stallion -- In the U.S.!

This horse's movement is so elaborate it is almost "overkill" in this footage. I've not seen anything like it. But if you check out his other videos under saddle, he has power and elasticity without bordering on excess. I guess we should count ourselves lucky to have such choices in the U.S. Nice horse!

 

Bob update

I have not done a "Bob update" in awhile because he has been doing well -- and for the most part, he still is. He had had a CTCL (cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, for those new to this blog) flareup in December 2013 and start taking Interferon, or Intron, in a mid-level dose. It helped. He continued on the very pricey Targretin and its associated meds to deal with side effects.

 Six weeks ago, at a doctor visit, his condition was pronounced 75% better -- good but with room to improve. We were given more treatment options, but all of them had significant side effects and quality of life issues, so we held off. We also asked about going off the Targretin because during the flareup it did not seem to be doing any good. And at 10K a month with non-trivial side effects, we wanted to at least try dropping it. The doctor agreed. 

Bob is at 4 weeks post-taper-off, and there are some signs that his condition is worsening -- his skin is itchy, reddened, and exzema-like, with the itch being the worst of the symptoms. We think/hope this step back is from the cessation of the Targretin, and he is taking steps to get back on it. It is a little scary.  A month or so ago, Bob went to get treated for an ear problem that is common in CTCL patients. The doctor, and ENT, was familiar with the disease and without hesitating he said, "You will eventually be looking at a bone marrow transplant." I had read that some patients get to a point where this is necessary, but not all need to. Bob had not heard this, so it was a jarring moment. Things are good overall, at least. We're getting some biking in and planning a brief vacation in the fall.

 

INTRÉPIDO - Rocinante do Top x Éra VR

Interesting horse! Love the Roman nose and ghostlike color. Another one for my imaginary barn...

  INTRÉPIDO - Rocinante do Top x Éra VR from Leiloluso on Vimeo.

Writer, stunt pilot, dressage rider

Annie Dillard wrote a wonderful book called The Writing Life. In one of the essays, The Stunt Pilot, she writes about a stunt pilot Dave Rahm and likens his work to writing. Watching from the ground, Dillard observed the stunt pilot guiding the plane in a series of graceful arcs, free falls, and loops. She writes:

Like any fine artist, he controlled the tension of the audience’s longing. You desired, unwittingly, a certain kind of roll or climb, or a return to a certain portion of the air, and he fulfilled your hope slantingly, like a poet, or evaded it until you thought you would burst, and then fulfilled it surprisingly, so you gasped and cried out.

Annie found his work so compelling and beautiful she went up in the plane with the pilot while he was at an air show, and the experience in the cockpit was harrowing -- a stomach-lurching,  tumultuous, gut-wrenching, physical experience.

If I had not turned two barrel rolls in an airplane, I might have fancied that Rahm felt good up there, and playful. Drawing lines with an airplane, unfortunately, tortures the senses. Jet pilots black out. Rahm felt as if his brain were bursting his eardrums...

To Dillard, this hellish ride was the price he paid to pursue his life's work, or his art.

  When Rahm flew, he sat down in the middle of art and strapped himself in. He spun it all around him.

I think dressage riders at the top levels must be like stunt pilots. We watch them and it looks so effortless and fun! But it's the culmination of years of dedication and effort, and even at the top levels, when you've mastered the craft, it must be hard work.

Making my own browbands now (for sale!)

New curved black padded 16" dressage browband featuring 8mm Irish shamrock Czech glass, gold swarovski-style rondelle beads, and  green azurite chrysocolla beads. 16"  Browband from Delfina Saddlery.  Beads are hand-strung with wire and stitched-in, not glued. $90. I have additional shamrock beads and can make a similar style to order. BTBbrowbands.com

Brown is the new black: Dressage saddle for sale!

How I came to own this saddle is a long-ish story, but while I like it, and love the adjustable tree, it is too small for me (I was hoping I could squeeze into it). It is an older model Lovatt & Ricketts 17" adjustable tree (easy turnkey system). If you aren't familiar with L&R their saddles are designed for low-withered horses -- Arabs, Morgans, Quarter Horses, and their name used to be the Arabian Saddle Company (I think?). I have ridden in it several times -- a nice, comfortable, close-contact saddle to sit in and while some adjustable trees just don't "sit well" on a horse, this one fits Riley, a medium and another horse who is a wide, once adjusted. I actually can't believe it fits Riley :-). I'm asking $1K.

True Grit riding: Psychological characteristics of successful riders

From Holly Martin Photography

From The Science of Equestrian Sports : Theory, Practice and Performance of the Equestrian Rider by Wolframm, Inga, Taylor and Francis: Florence, KY. 2013.



Takeaway message
Don't be a namby pamby!

A little litigation -- From Spellbound to Unscrupulous

Somewhere in Maryland a $250,000 pony is padlocked in his stall, and a blind/lame horse has an uncertain future.

 In case you have not read about the litigation around the $250K hunter pony Spellbound and the two very disfunctional-sounding parties involved, the essence of the case is excerpted below.

Plot thickens? The spoon is standing straight up!
Basically a trainer is planning to send a pony to auction because the owner hasn't paid her bills, and the pony is padlocked in his stall. Meanwhile the same owners bought an unsound horse from this trainer for 100K because the vet report was not shared with them.  There is so much shady stuff going on with both parties, it's...  Well, read about it at Ratemyhorsepro.com news.

There is a dark humor in the excerpt of this court document. A trainer duped rich buyers into purchasing a horse that was blind and lame, and upon discovery of the deceit the buyer not only continues doing business with the trainer -- they conspire to sell the lame/blind horse for more than they paid!

Flex those ankles, ladies!

From The Science of Equestrian Sports : Theory, Practice and Performance of the Equestrian Rider by Wolframm, Inga, Taylor and Francis: Florence, KY. 2013.

Excerpt from the book...

Takeaway message
Keep the ankle joints flexible.

Those lips, those eyes, those arms...

Trouble with rein length? Hand/arm position? Need motivation? Read on!

From The Science of Equestrian Sports : Theory, Practice and Performance of the Equestrian Rider by Wolframm, Inga, Taylor and Francis: Florence, KY. 2013.

Takeaway message: Get your hands out in front of you and aim for the ever-elusive soft, following arm.

Thinking your way to a good ride...

Years ago, when I was riding Harv at First Level, we had a problem coming down the diagonal at the canter, where we were supposed to trot at X. At shows, and sometimes at home, I would ask for trot and Harv would just canter smaller and smaller and smaller. He could really do a tiny tiny canter for such a large horse, but it was a problem!

 I worked with several instructors who had me try different things...

• Relax
• Start posting
• Stop gripping
• Make my seat heavy
• Make my seat light

Nothing worked. 

Then someone, a friend, said "When you want him to trot, just think TROT."

It worked. Don't ask me how. Maybe I made some minute unconscious body adjustment as I thought "TROT." I think it must be partly that. But  that sensitive thoroughbred Harv was just a tuned-in kind of horse. It really seemed like he heard me.  It helped us synch up.

It's a technique worth trying, at least for transitions (can't imagine it would work for a leg-yield!). But canter-halts, canter-walks, trot-halts, halt-trots? Maybe. 

Try thinking it, and let me know if it works.

Awesome Baby Festtanz

Here's one of the nicer (I think) babies in the Oldenburg foal auction footage on Youtube. I've been following the offspring of the stallion Fidertanz. His babies have "liftoff," yes???

Oldenburg auction: Amrum

Ampere is another stallion producing nice babies (and he's eye candy himself). Here is one from the Oldenburg auction. Drool, drool.

Game changer, frame changer

A few years ago, there was an article in the Chronicle about a dressage rider who, at Grand Prix level, was told that she needed to go back to the basics and fix some things before she could go further. She found herself at Square One, fixing those things. It had to be disheartening.

 For me it is not back to basics so much as "still the basics." In order Riley to do consistent First and Second Level work for me, I need to be strong enough in my position to help him stay balanced. I have been working on my upper body and hands. In the footage below I am making a concerted effort to keep my hands in front of me and not to give away the reins. A longer rein actually makes me collapse my upper body.

I think the footage here is some of our strongest work in that Riley has a consistent place to work. We do stall a few times but overall I like the more accordion-like feel that I had and his more upright shoulder. And the canter. I like this canter work. Yeah!

Animo dressage jacket

Love it, but if you see the Animo jackets in person you realize that they are for the very fit, perfect figure. The fabric is very body-conscious (clingy for those who don't follow fashion jargon), and the fit is intended to be almost but not quite too small (do you see it in the photo?). I don't want to return to the eighties trend of shoulder pads but it's nice to have a garment designed with a few figure flaws in mind.  That said, I love the color and style of this jacket...

Future browband beads

Here are some beads that I've already gotten, soon to be browbands. I'm probably going to sell a few, and this is going to look good on almost any horse that will look good in a black bridle. Thanks to MayaHoney on Etsy -- her shop is awesome.

Centered riding meets Austin Powers

Fembots would make good dressage riders I think.

I went to a centered riding/biomechanics clinic a few weeks ago, and the instructor covered the concept of "six eyes" -- your real eyes, the eyes in your chest, and the eyes in your hip-bones. Turn all six eyes in the direction you are going to help the horse understand your directive (turn!) and  stay in balance through the turn.

This clinic and the "six eyes" concept reminded me of when  I saw the Austin Powers movie with the Fembots (pictured right). When I watched the fembots scene, I have to admit I had a fleeting thought of  Sally Swift and her "eyes in your chest" metaphor. Even laughing through this scene, I thought "File for later! File for later!.

The fembots could be a mod update to Sally's eyes in your chest metaphor. It is nice to have a fun image to help you use your upper body in a powerful way.

For those of you have have not seen this footage from  Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, here is the first scene (they appear later in the movie but Austin steals that scene).

August 3, Riley canter

Footage, a whole lot like the other footage you've seen, but I think the canter transitions are better. Ri is clearly a gem of a guy.

Foxhunter humor!

It's been awhile (high school in fact) but foxhunting is part of my past. It made me braver, but I missed out on the whole silver flask thing, being too young to partake. I wouldn't mind a flask on my saddle now!

My Pinterest presence!

In case you haven't already, check out my Pinterest boards. I have paid particular attention to equestrian fashion. Love love love...

Visit Stacey Kimmel's profile on Pinterest.

Choices for browband beads? Which do you like?

Help me pick browband beads! Choice 1....

Choice #2

Choice #3

Choice #4

Talvina breeches: A breech for the fit and slim

Love this line of breeches -- think Chico's for the equestrian! Lovely patterns and styles,  but probably not a look for everyone. Check out the styles at Talvina.com.

Harvey says: "Watch my dust!"

It's like Harv reads my blog!

 My prvevious post on his failing health must have annoyed him. Tonight, Thursday the 31st of July, I took him to the outdoor for his roll and ring-time. I wanted to see him roll and see if it's easier for him now that he is on Bute. He still does take a bit longer to lower himself, but perhaps he seemed a bit more comfortable. He sure did get up quick!

Harv shows me what he thinks of the notion he's slowin' down.

TPO, Intro 3 on July 13

Have you all seen Intro 3 from our last show? I can't find it on past posts. Sorry if it is a repeat...

Harv the riding horse: A look back

In riding Ri this summer, I've experienced a mix of frustration, fear, motivation, and sometimes, success! If it is a struggle sometimes, it's because we're holding ourselves to a higher standards for performance. It's not enough to look sort of round travel along on the shoulders. The back end needs to be engaged, the shoulders up and out of the way, and at the helm using subtle cues to direct. That's the picture we're aiming for.

Our good days can be very, very good. On some days, the two of us just take a while to click in. I can't consistently diagnose "what to fix" without eyes on the ground, but I'm getting better. Once we get where we need to be, I'm pretty good at keeping it.


 Harv and the happy place 
 I can't help but harken back to the days of riding Harv. Ri has the talent and the good nature, but he isn't as naturally tuned-in as Harv was back in the day.  Harv, I never appreciated how kind and easy you were to ride. You met me more than half-way and I didn't even know it.