Team Taco!

More Fun With Doc

2011-12-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Doc has had a busy month! We went to Pine Top for the famous Thanksgiving Horse Trials. The weather was perfect all weekend and Carol, the dogs, Doc, and I enjoyed the beautiful venue.

Doc tried very, very hard in dressage. We put in a steady test and got a 38.

Then he was really stellar in showjumping, jumping clean even though I didn't quite have the pace and balance right.

And he was super fun cross country!

We finished on our dressage score and had a truly enjoyable weekend.

Then, last weekend, friend of Team Taco Heather Gillette was in town for the USEA convention. She was a finalist for the very prestigious Broussard International Grant. And she consented to help out a few friends and me! Here is some footage from our really fun jump lesson.

Unfortunately, less than a week after she left us, Heather was kicked by an ill horse back home in New Jersey... and her jaw is broken. Team Taco is sending all of our get well wishes. From what I understand, having a jaw wired shut is absolutely no fun at all.

Safe travels, Team Taco reader, and Happy Holidays!

Taco is back under saddle!

2011-11-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting on Taco! On November 2, I tacked up up and climbed on board. We had a little bit of pharmaceutical help to make sure he stayed nice and mellow. He was indeed very mellow, and he had a nice stroll up and down the driveway with Kate and Graham to keep us company.

Since then, we have been taking our little strolls without drugs, and he has been very calm and settled. He is not in his true rehab workout stage yet, but the little bit of work keeps his mind occupied and helps him feel like he has a job again. And I can't begin to say how good it feels to be on his back again!

Doc's Middle TN Pics

2011-10-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, I took Doc (Standing Order) Novice at Middle TN Pony Club Horse Trials, held at the beautiful Percy Warner Park in Nashville. After he was so good at Flying Cross at our joint debut, I thought he might really have fun with the Novice course at PWP. And I was right! He really showed what a special little horse he is!

Here is some video, taken by Carol:

And one more clip from Elizabeth:

Yesterday our photo CD from Nikkrody Creative & Photography arrived in the mail, so here are the pics!

Dressage was a substantial improvement over the last time, with a slightly more relaxed outline and bigger steps.

He was super bold cross country! His gallop was so easy to ride and I just let him roll on-- which, I was astonished to discover, got us some speed faults. I think I had better get in the habit of checking my watch for going too fast-- I am used to being a little too slow! But he was simply phenomenal-- so much fun, and easy to ride. He reminded me of why I love eventing so much.

Cute knees

That nice gallop of his!

Log before the water...

...in the water...

... out of the water...

... and away!! Of course, we did not need to make a quick getaway, but I was on the job!

Bench before the half-coffin, which he skipped over easily


Honestly, it didn't feel like we gave this table so much room.

We came back on Sunday to showjump, and he felt lovely in the warmup-- cracking his back and springing over all of the warmup fences. We had a mostly lovely round in showjumping, except I overrrode him to an oxer on a turn, missed my turn to the next line, and got a rail because we were crooked. But he was totally unfazed and trying to please me as he always does.

Too much fun! And we even got a purple ribbon as a keepsake. Next stop: Pine Top!!

Good Healing Progress

2011-10-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Taco went up to Kentucky for his checkup with Dr. Peters last weekend. I'm pleased to report that healing is proceeding very well! The outline of the lesion is still visible, but the tissue has continued to fill in with nice, aligned, uniform fibers.

Another grazing pic. But this one was taken at the Kentucky Horse Park!

Rehab will begin around New Year's 2012. I could sit on him if I wanted to now. And I might. But with the holidays and the end of the semester coming, that might not happen. We shall see. Dr. Peters did give me a little "chemical assistance" for the say that I do decide to get on. Not for me, for him, silly!!

Dr. Peters examined Taco at his stall at the Kentucky Horse Park. Since the Hagyard MidSouth Three Day Event and Team Challenge was happening, we decided to make a weekend of it. Taco had his checkup, I did some news coverage for the event on the USEA website, some score running on Saturday's XC, and I got to be a part of Team SPF's Big Idea-- aka help Lauren and Brandy at their first T3D! They looked wonderful and did great-- I'm so proud of them! Amy, Megan, and Hub were there too. It was an exhausting weekend but I sure did have fun.

The usual suspects, plus Supah!

Up next... Taco's baby brother Doc's superstar weekend at Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials!

Pictures: August & September

2011-09-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

All dressed up...

Several big deadlines at work have taken up much of my writing energy, but here is a photo diary of what we all have been up to.

Taco's leg on August 10. Still thickened, but cool and tight. It got ultrasounded 10 days later and looked quite good... but I still have to wait until late October to get back on.

Doc won a ribbon. He got a 68% in Training Test 3.

Taco and Doc helped me celebrate my birthday!

So did Tidbit!

The leg on September 9. Still cool and tight!

Doc in his big brother's cooler, waiting to go XC at Flying Cross. (Professional Pics Here - which ones should I order?) Doc was great at our first outing together. A little tight in the dressage, a good one-rail round in stadium (rail was mine), and clear XC!

Taco's very favorite activity


Reading together

Volunteering, and Playing with Doc

2011-08-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

I had a great time volunteering at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships on the last weekend in July, at the Kentucky Horse Park. I have two main reasons for volunteering. First, it is of course my duty to help support the volunteer-driven sport that I participate in. There would simply be no eventing if there was not someone to write down the judge's scores, or check bits, or sit in a field and watch horses jump a fence. These people get up at all sorts of hours to help me do my sport, so I pay it foward.

But, really, it is not just a duty; it is a joy. The second and more significant reason I volunteer is that I always, and I mean always, learn something. It might be big or small, disturbing or joyful, but it never fails to be educational. I am not the only person who believes this; check out this post about the cheapest day-long lesson you'll ever have.

For the two star/ Young Rider level, my co-judge and I were at a very tall down bank that was immediately followed by a skinny brush. I recall this bank being used on Rolex courses in past years. To get a sense of it here is a picture of me with the bank, taken by the renowned photographer Brant Gamma. I watched in amazement as the horses and their young jockeys jumped down off the mountain, sighted the skinny brush, jumped it, and then galloped on to the next question. We did have one runout at the brush, and a couple of people took the option, but everyone took that leap of faith at the bank on the first try. I found it inspiring to watch pair after pair accomplish this feat.

For the one star/ Junior level, we were at a downhill combination of a coop to a skinny-ish brush table. The combination was immediately preceded by a long gallop and then a 180-degree turn. What I learned here is that how the riders negotiated the turn determined their success at our combination. Sure, everyone knows that-- but after watching a couple of dozen trips it becomes even more ingrained. Those who rode the down transition from big gallop to hand-gallop backward, and thus had a horse on its forehand, had some scary jumps. Those who whipped around the corner on the inside rein were scary also (although the turn itself did help slow and balance the horses). Those who seamlessly brought their horses back and maintained their rhythm and energy around the corner made the task look easy.

It was a quick day and we were done before noon. I was back in Nashville in time for supper!

This past weekend I took Doc to Percy Warner Park for a cross country school with the Panther Springs Farm gang. He was just wonderful! Someone is going to have a really awesome horse to play with.

PSF is in da house!

Here is a video of him being awesome:

From Standing Order (Doc)

Another entry soon-- Taco has an Ask Taco question to answer, and he's working on it as I write this!

Doc is For Sale

2011-08-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

In a perfect world, I would have my own beautiful little farm, a faster metabolism, and a better memory. And I would be able to keep two horses. Alas, this is not the case. I can only keep one horse at this point in my life: Taco. Doc, who has charmed me beyond words, cannot stay forever.

Doc's owner Annika, however, is in a very intense program to become a Physician's Assistant, and she has no time for him. As much as both of us would like to keep him for ourselves, we realize that he needs a person who can give him the time he needs. So he is for sale.

Here is his ad:
Standing Order: Uncomplicated and Fun, Ready to Go

"Doc" is a 10 year old 16.1 Bay Thoroughbred (lightly raced) gelding. Some mileage at Novice, but capable of much more. Doc is generous and athletic under saddle and a teddy bear on the ground. Beautiful jump and gaits. He will hack out on the buckle or eagerly gallop and jump on cross country. Easy to get on the bit, and easy to adjust between fences. Sane and safe-- suitable for an ammy or junior. Lack of time sadly forces sale. Asking $10K. Email acurwood at bellsouth dot net or call 617-312-6134.

Pedigree: http://www.pedigreequery.com/s+w+clip+money

All of these photos are by Leslie Vancil. Thanks, Leslie!

Conformation shot

Such a fun guy

Trotting along on a loose rein

Dressage Doc

He's got a fabulous canter!

We're going somewhere!

Turning to a jump

Cute man!

Jumping!

Just stepping over this little oxer

And here is his video with music:

From Standing Order (Doc)

The Five Stages of Lameness Rehab

2011-07-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Readers of Team Taco might be familiar with the Kübler-Ross model of five stages of grieving. Originally developed by sport horse veterinarians for helping their clients through the process of lameness rehab, the model was adopted by the psychology community to be applied to terminally ill human patients and grieving loved ones.

Here, however, I resurrect the theory as it was first designed. It is important to remember that not all owners will experience all stages in the order in which they are presented. Indeed, swings from anger to acceptance to denial are not at all uncommon. All rehabbers, however, can expect to experience at least two of these stages.

1. Denial
Riders, upon hearing the news of a horse's season- but not career- ending injury, are often oddly cheerful. This is temporary. They may make comments such as, "it's only a 20% tear, thank goodness-- he'll get better in time for that fall destination event!" or "I'm really OK with this because I needed more time to take up scrapbooking/ knitting/ spelunking," or "think of all of the flatwork we can get done!" The horse's mane remains pulled and the tail clipped and banged.

2. Anger
As the reality of the horse's injury becomes evident, the formerly cheerful rider becomes rageful and bitter. "But he was so fit-- how could he have pulled that?" "What on earth was he thinking, screaming around the corner of his pasture like that?" "Why do I get all the accident-prone ones?" This is the stage during which the rider or owner is less-than-perfect company, due to tiresome self-pitying and indignant tirades. He or she might respond disproportionately to the slightest setback: for example, one particularly disturbed rider was reported to have lost most of her hair because she tore it out upon hearing that her rehabbing horse trotted two steps and then bucked in place-- twice-- in his tiny outdoor pen.

3. Bargaining
This stage seems entirely reasonable at first. In exchange for money, the rehabber obtains a diagnosis and treatment plan from the veterinarian, stall toys for the horse, and extra services such as hand walking, wrapping, wound dressing, stall cleaning, and cold therapy. As time goes on, the rider begins to believe that the more money that is thrown at the injury, the faster it will heal. Expensive consulting veterinarians are brought in to perform expensive treatments. Fancier toys are placed in the stall, and failed attempts are made to pay others to ride the pent-up mount on her ~~rodeo sessions~~ controlled exercise rides. Meanwhile, the horse heals at her own damn pace (see Anger, above).

4. Depression
Eventually our rehabber comes to the realization that the season is definitely over, the horse is bored out of his skull in the stall and there is nothing she can do about it, and she is broke. She might observe friends driving off to competitions and returning with stories of adventure, or find herself obsessively checking the competition organization's website for next year's show dates, and find that both leave her numb and unfulfilled. Responses might include endless Facebook and horsey bulletin-board surfing, considerations of quitting riding, ice cream and cookie binges, or the refusal to get out of bed. The horse's mane gets long and shaggy and her tack grows mold. It is important to treat the rehabber with sympathy and understanding at this time, and not try to talk her out of this difficult, but all-important stage.

5. Acceptance/ Resignation
This is the crucial stage in which the rehabber comes to the understanding that she must rehab the horse step-by-step, literally. She purchases a new stick of Sadl-Tite, puts the horse on a calming supplement, and surrenders to the simultaneous boredom and excitement of thirty minutes of walking a fresh horse on straight lines in a lovely November ~~cold wind~~ breeze. When she is bucked off, she dusts herself off and catches the horse, carefully examines the injury for signs of relapse, then gets back on. Eventually, the horse returns to full work, and the rider's mental state begins to heal too. Only residual effects remain, such as panic attacks over imagined swellings in the injury area, and a somewhat annoying habit of recounting the story of the injury and treatment for any hapless interlocutor.

*With a nod to Not That Kind of Doctor!

Heal, Taco, Heal!

2011-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Taco and I drove back to Lexington for his stem cell and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. His bone-marrow stem cells grew very well at the Cornell lab and he had them injected just 2 weeks and 6 days after they were extracted.

We had a somewhat adventurous trip up. First, we hit traffic in the construction on I-65 in Kentucky. NOTE: if you are traveling this route, I strongly recommend that you consider an alternate route-- either 31E or 31W-- between Horse Cave and Elizabethtown! You can use the traffic function on this map (on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone) to help determine where the traffic is and where to start your detour. I took 31W home this time between Upton and Munfordville, thus sparing Taco the experience of sweltering in the trailer as we inched along. But on the way north, I ran smack into the delays.

Having finally gotten free of the traffic, I was merrily motoring along when I heard a WHOOMPH! noise from behind me, and looked in my mirror in time to see my trailer's fender spinning through the air. I didn't register what it was at first, but as I continued to look in my side mirror I realized that I could a) see the tires and b) one of the tires was completely shredded. This was the bad news. The good news was that it hadn't caused an accident and I was half a mile from an exit-- an exit that had a truck repair shop, as it turned out. First I pulled into the lot of the shop and changed the tire. But then, when I asked the shop if I could air up my spare, they said that they actually had an identical tire to the other three on the trailer. So I had them take the spare back off and give me a brand new one. Taco was very, very patient through this whole ordeal. Aside from pointedly ignoring the attentions of the nice repairman, he was a perfect gentleman.


That is one jacked up trailer.

We got back on the road and reached our destination, our friend Sarah's farm, a couple of hours later than intended but safely. Taco enjoyed a night of luxury in her beautiful barn.

Taco to his host Tristan: "nah nah, I got to stay in your stall last night!"

Then we headed over to Hagyard. Dr. Peters drew some blood, which he then sent to the lab to be spun down into the PRP. Then Taco was brought to the treatment room, sedated, and re-scanned with the ultrasound. To my relief, no additional damage seemed to have occurred from the unauthorized self-turnout of the previous week. Dr. Peters carefully chose several injection sites and clipped the hair off the leg, and then Bree, his skilled technician, scrubbed Taco's leg for a very long time.

Then Dr. Peters injected some local anesthetic (as with the local for his bone marrow extraction, Taco did not like this at all). In both cases, however, he didn't seem to notice the extraction/injections themselves.

Stem cells on the left, PRP on the right

By this point, the PRP was ready and it, plus the stem cells, were combined together in five syringes, ready to be injected. Bree held the ultrasound probe so that Dr. Peters could see exactly where he injected the stem cell-PRP concoction.

He explained that research seems to indicate the two types of treatments work synergistically, with the PRP providing growth factors and "scaffolding" and the stem cells providing healthy new cells. He was very pleased with how the procedure went, and after the injections were complete, he showed me on the ultrasound how the concoction had distributed itself all along the tendon. Taco's leg was wrapped up and he went back to Barn 2 to wake up from his sedation.

I'm awake-- can we go home now?

We loaded up and headed home that night (making the aforementioned detour around the construction). Taco will be on 60 more days of stall rest, with an ultrasound recheck in 45. Hopefully, at the end of those 60 days he will be able to begin some controlled exercise. In the meantime, he's continuing his hand grazing routine. He's not thrilled about it, but he is remarkably patient. I, on the other hand, find that patience is very difficult. C'mon Taco, heal!!

Cross Country School with Doc

2011-07-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my first lesson and first cross country school on Doc. I'd already been enjoying him because of his willing and fun attitude, and both Amy and I were very pleased by how capable he was in the lesson and at the schooling. Annika has a great eye for a horse and Doc is a great testament to that fact. I'm thanking the universe for bringing his and my paths together at this point in time.

In my lesson last Friday, Amy and I were very encouraged by his willingness on the flat and over some low jumps. We worked on lengthening his stride and his neck, as I found that it's easy to shorten both. He can almost canter in place-- it's truly amazing! But he also has a lovely long TB stride, we discovered. These things make him very adjustable, which is pretty cool.

Then we went to Colonial Hill Farm in Pulaski for a little cross country school.

The owner, Eleanor Parkes, has dozens of well-built fences from knee-high to training, which was perfect for our initial xc experience together. Doc stepped off the trailer and looked around with calm curiosity. I tacked up and hopped on-- and he remained calm, willing, and interested in what we were doing. And his jump! He thought that the BN-N-level fences that we were doing were quite easy, and just skipped over them in a lovely, balanced gallop. I had a ball! Here is a video of him in action (thanks Carol!):

I felt so lucky to be enjoying cross country on a lovely horse just one month after Taco's injury-- I had thought that it might be up to a year until I next had the privilege.

Isn't this fun?

Taco himself is still recovering. There was no new heat or swelling after his unauthorized "self turnout" episode last weekend, and the swelling from the yellowjacket went away in a few days. The sore over the tendon remains, but has gotten much smaller. We got word that his cells are ready to be shipped back to the clinic this week, so we are planning a trip back to Hagyard to get them injected. The only problem is that the sore must be healed in order for the injection to be safe. I'll find out more in the next 24 hours about when we might be able to go-- it could be as soon as Wednesday, but might be later.

Today Carol grazed Taco while I rode Doc. It was a very lovely Fourth of July morning at the barn. How I wish that Taco was his usual healthy self, but how fortunate I am to have him and my supportive family-- and that includes my horsey family too.

Taco's Treatment... and mine (thanks Doc!)

2011-06-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

I've covered many miles since my last blog post: a conference and visit with family in New England, a trip to Lexington with Taco and Carol, and most recently a trip to Atlanta to pick up a temporary addition to the Team Taco family.

I hated to leave town while Taco was in the acute stage of his injury, but I had committed to a conference for work nearly a year earlier. So off I went, leaving Taco in the capable hands of Amy, Kate, and Terri. Amy iced his leg twice a day with a cold pack that we kept in the fridge that Terri generously brought to the barn. She kept the leg wrapped when it wasn't being iced, and also did (and continues to do!) Taco's extra stall cleanings. She also met Dr. Tammy Perkins, our rehab specialist who came to treat the tendon with a laser while I was away. Terri brought an extra little fridge (with a freezer!) for the ice pack, and took Taco on what she calls his "walking picnics" (hand grazing with a good bit of walking) each day. Kate took him on short hand walks at feeding time late in the day, and also does some of the extra stall cleanings when Amy is away. It truly takes a village and I was lucky to have these three devoted friends helping us out!

Immediately after I returned last week, Taco, Carol, the dogs, and I climbed into my rig and made the 4.5-hour trip up to Lexington, Kentucky, to the Sport Horse program at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. We went for a consultation with Dr. Duncan Peters, the same vet who volunteered at last fall's Midsouth T3D. Dr. Peters did a brief lameness exam (news flash: Taco was still lame) and then brought him into the climate-controlled procedure room for an ultrasound. To my dismay, the lesion in Taco's superficial digital flexor tendon was even bigger: almost 30% as opposed to the 5% that it was on Dr. Tony's ultrasound ten days earlier. Dr. Peters explained that it is quite common for tendon injuries to grow as damage continues after the first insult. I am very grateful to Amy for icing that tendon twice a day! In better news, he confirmed that there is no damage to the suspensory in that leg, putting my mind to rest.

Dr. Peters then outlined our options, and we decided to treat the tendon in two ways: with Platelet-Rich Plasma and stem cell therapy that will be grown from his bone marrow. Both of these are in addition to the rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and controlled exercise that are part of the traditional treatment for a tendon injury. Dr. Peters extracted some bone marrow from Taco's sternum, a process for which Taco was sedated and given local anaesthetic, and it has been sent off to the laboratory at Cornell to grow the culture. It will be sent back after a total of 3-4 weeks, and then we will all make the trek back up to Hagyard again so that the treatments can be injected into the injured tendon. Taco's prognosis is good, according to Dr. Peters, but it will not be until the end of this year or the beginning of 2012 than he will be back in full work.

Feeling verrrry sleepy for his procedure...

So, in the meantime, Taco is still hand-grazing. I bought him an Uncle Jimmy's Hangin' Ball, which he consumed in less than a week, and I am trying to keep him to a routine of grooming and walking. Amy has put up a small pen for him that has grass for now and allows him to spend time outside without being able to run.

This view is becoming extremely familiar to me

Unfortunately, during the time that I have been working on this blog post, we have encountered a few potholes in to the road to recovery. First, the skin just above the tendon injury blistered and developed a sore. It's needed careful wrapping that doesn't put too much pressure on that spot but keeps it protected. Next, he stepped on a nest of yellowjackets at the end of our evening grazing session yesterday. He was grazing happily, and then started frantically stomping that left hind... the one with the injury. I saw an insect flying around that leg and thought it was a bot fly at first. But then a yellowjacket landed on my arm and I realized what had happened. We beat a hasty retreat back to the barn, where he stood on three legs and dangled the left hind miserably, barely allowing me to touch it. And the front of his leg, the side with the three-year-old scarring on it, had a pink raw spot where one of the scars was. Oy, vey. Icing and wound cream and oral tri-dex ensued... and several hours later it was clear from the swelling that he'd been stung on the inside of his ankle and possibly on the front of the cannon bone.

We hit the third pothole this morning. The sting swelling seemed to have gone down, so I was feeling better. We grazed and then I groomed him and led him into his stall. Now, every pony clubber knows to turn around once she's led a horse into a stall, so that the horse's head points toward the door. I did not do this. As is my habit, I led Taco over to his hay corner and removed his halter there. He then spooked at a white milk jug that I'd placed in his stall as a toy, wheeled, and clattered down the barn aisle and outside. I had a brief, cruel moment of hope that he would let me catch him when he paused to greet some pastured horses. But it was not to be, and soon he zoomed to the top of the largest pasture on the farm. I followed, swearing copiously. I got within 15-20 feet of him and off he went again, back to the bottom of the field, where I'd had the presence of mind to latch the gate. One more brief run and then I caught him, to my relief.

Is the tendon damaged even more than before? I don't know. I did not see any additional swelling or feel additional heat. I did a couple of icings, and Surpassed the whole thing, and wrapped it. We'll see what we have tomorrow morning, and I will call our vets to let them know about this development and ask whether I should do anything else. And does anyone have ideas for alleviating stall rest boredom?

All of this has been admittedly stressful, and my usual way of handling stress is to ride. Since Taco will not be able to be ridden at all for much of this summer, and when he does return to work, he will only be able to walk for at least the first month, I was horseless. Fortunately, my friends have come to the rescue again with offers of horses to ride. Eventually it worked out for me to borrow another horse from Annika, Taco's past owner.

Meet Doc.

(sorry about the dust on the lens)

He's a plain bay, ten-year old OTTB (off track Thoroughbred) who is the sweetest soul. He was temporarily down in Atlanta with Team Taco friend Lynda, and he needed to get back to Michigan, and we all thought it would be wonderful if he stopped off in Tennessee to keep me company for a little while. He arrived on Wednesday, and so far we've done some easy flatwork and hacking with Terri and Truman. He is lots of fun. I'm so grateful to Annika for lending him to me-- he is a bright spot of fun in what have been a few weeks of roller-coaster riding.

The bay boys together again

IEA T3D Part II: Happiness and Heartbreak

2011-06-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Cross-country day was possibly the best cross country experience I've had.

Make no mistake-- I was very nervous. I worried about keeping track of all of the time on the four phases, although my experience at Hagyard Midsouth last fall was very helpful in that regard. Another thing that I was nervous about, of course, was steeplechase. Even though I had already done one, I wondered if I could go fast enough again, and whether I could balance properly before the jumps if I did go fast enough. Oh, and there was the grown-up version of the Pan Am Bank that was on Phase D. It was a double step down, followed by two strides to a tall brush. I hadn't jumped anything like that before!

Phase A started with a bang, because just about two minutes out from my start time, a loose Prelim horse came barreling down the road toward us. Luckily, a passer-by was able to take a gentle hold of Taco's bridle for me, and kept us from wheeling around and bouncing too high in the air as the loose horse passed. You can't tell on the video, but this really pumped Taco up. Where we had been a little bit behind on the first two kilometers at Midsouth, we were up on the time this time, thanks to a little extra zing in Taco's step! We arrived at steeplechase about two minutes ahead, which was perfect. As I stood there, Mary and some other well-wishers greeted me and reassured me that I was going to have a great time.

Then we were off!! We got up to speed by the first turn, and then I began to bring him back slightly with my seat and upper body and wait for the base of the big brush fence. 1...2...3...4 strides and we were over! It felt great! A grin broke out on my face. Same thing for the next two down the other side, and then we were around the first turn again and on our second lap. Taco was in what I can best describe as "the groove". He just found the ropes on the inside and galloped like he could hear a metronome. We met each fence out of stride and what felt like perfect synchrony. I can't think of a more pleasurable experience that I've had on the back of a horse. It was all over too soon and we loped off the track, triumphant.

Carol checked for all four shoes and we were off on Phase C. Because of the heat, the officials had put a mandatory ten-minute hold (which was different from the 10-minute box before D), about halfway through Phase C. Carol and a friend, Lynn, met us there with water for both of us and a bath for Taco. Then we continued on through the rest of C to the real 10-minute box. Carol, Mary, and Pam, another friend, were a splendid pit crew. Morley, the volunteer who was my timer, kept us on track. I took of my helmet, had a drink, and went over the Phase D plan with Mary. She warned me that Taco was now used to jumping out of a bigger stride and that I would have to be quite assertive about asking him to come back on cross country. Then we trotted to the start box, the starter counted us down, and we were off!

He felt great out of the box, looking for the fences and up in the bridle. The paths at the Hoosier Horse Park can be quite twisty and turny, and I worried about hitting trees. But Mary had reminded me that it is Taco's job to avoid trees, and my job to tell him where I wanted to go. When I jumped the third fence, a brush right before a 90-degree right turn into a path, Taco simply followed my eye and glided through the turn, and I knew we were on the same page. We bounded up the Pan Am Bank and skipped off the two drops and over the brush. That was easy! Over a palisade, through the coffin, then a long gallop to the trakehner and the water, a down bank in with a bending line after the bank out. Another long gallop to a three stride line, a cabin to a corner, nestled into the tree line, and then a series of four gallop fences down the long stretch of prairie. This is where Taco got a little bit cheeky and decided that we didn't have to slow down. But he was more respectful after he found himself having to put in a short quick one at a rolltop! He became easier to rate after that. Through another S-curve that I just steered him through with my eyes, over a maximum two-stride combination, over another couple of rolltops, and we were home! We had made the time (actually, I was surprised to see that we were 35 seconds fast), and he had been as game as I have ever felt him. What a horse! What a ride!

Here is a video montage of a few moments that Carol was able to get on video. It's the start of A, me galloping by on B, and the first fence of D.

Then it was back to the D box, which was the same as the 10-minute box, where we swing into action cooling Taco down. He was released back to the barn on his first recheck, and Carol walked him back while Mary ran me and our equipment back in her Mule.

Taco relaxing in the D Box (links to photos by Amy Lopez)

Cooling off

Carol headed home with the champion

We washed him when we got back to the stall, iced his legs, and then let him take a well-deserved nap under his fan.

We were double clear, and had hung on to first place.

After a few hours of quiet time, I pulled Taco out of his stall and we went for a walk. We ran into a fellow competitor, and I asked her to watch him jog. I could hear some unevenness in his gait, and she said he looked a little stiff. Hmmm. No obvious swelling anywhere, or soreness when I palpated his back and hindquarters, which might have indicated hock soreness. I decided to proceed as if his hocks and feet might be sore since the ground had been a little hard. I poulticed all four legs, packed his front feet with Magic Cushion, and re-iced his hocks a couple of times, plus administered a gram of bute (legal under USEF rules). I went to bed, hoping that some rest and the various treatments would find him feeling well in the morning.

I iced his feet and hocks while he ate his breakfast the next morning, and then put him on the lunge line. He looked OK, I thought. After some thought and consultations with people I trusted, I decided to present him at the jog. I strongly suspected I was dealing with mild stiffness from arthritis. When I did jog, the ground jury held us for reinspection. The treating veterinarian, Scott Thompson of Jannsen Veterinary Clinic in Sheridan, Indiana, conducted a short exam, and this is where everything changed. Scott palpated his left hind tendons and zeroed in on a spot just below his hock. Taco has had a small thickening there for as long as I can remember, and because it was familiar, I had not probed it further. Now Scott was getting a reaction that most definitely was different from the one he got when he palpated the right leg. Also, a low flexion test made Taco more lame, but one that flexed the hock made no change. After he finished his exam, Scott looked me in the eye and told me that he thought Taco had sustained some kind of injury that would likely be harmed by proceeding on to the show jumping.

My choice was clear. I informed the ground jury that I was withdrawing. I was incredibly disappointed and worried about the injury, and upset that I had missed it myself, but very glad to have such a proficient veterinarian give me his honest opinion. Knowing what I know now, Scott's and the ground jury's astute assessments prevented me from making the injury worse and ensured that I got immediate treatment for it. I walked Taco back to his stall, where one of the veterinary delegates, Lani Gilliam, immediately treated him with a laser. Then we iced the leg and Scott applied a gelcast for the trailer ride home.

I must say that everyone at the competition was incredibly supportive. The T3D and N3D organizer, Lee Ann Zobbe, stayed with me during Scott's exam and gave me a hug when I had to withdraw. Another veterinary delegate, Katy Ivester, sought me out once we were back at the stall and hugged me, too. The other competitors, from four-star veterans to fellow ammy riders, were very sympathetic. And I was beyond honored to receive the Five Star Tack Sportsmanship Award, a gorgeous leather halter, at the T3D awards ceremony. I literally was rendered speechless when they announced my name. Taco also won the OTTB Dressage award from Friends of Ferdinand, of which I was very proud.

We got back to Taco's barn early that evening, but his trailer travel was to continue the next day. We hauled up to our local clinic for an ultrasound around lunchtime on Monday. Tony Kimmons, our wonderful vet, unwrapped the big wrap and gelcast to reveal a more swollen tendon. Now it truly looked like something was wrong. Flexion tests revealed no real change from baseline, so he moved on quickly to the ultrasound. As he scanned, the suspensory and Deep Digital Flexor Tendon looked fine, thankfully. But there was a 4mm core lesion in his Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon, about 5% of the total area of a cross section. This injury has a relatively good prognosis, but it still means 4-8 weeks of stall rest, followed by a rehab that will last until at least November.

So our season is over, but Taco should return to competition next year. Right now he is getting iced and receiving NSAIDs, and hand-walking with a wonderful team of friends at Panther Springs Farm while I am traveling to a conference and visiting family. Next week, we'll make a trip to Hagyard in Lexington, Kentucky for a consultation about any further treatment options that might make sense. Annika, Taco's old owner, is sending us a laser to use. And we have a local veterinarian who specializes in equine rehab, Tammy Perkins, working with us.

I mused out loud the other day, "sometimes the good that comes out of a bad situation is that you realize just how many people care." The more I think about this, the more I believe it to be true. It was heartbreaking to withdraw from the competition, and to learn that my horse had a season-ending injury. But the caring from friends has been heartwarming. Thank you all, from Taco, Carol, and me.

The highlight of Taco's day, twice a day (photo by Kate Watkins)

Indiana Training Three Day: The Beauty and Sorrows of Eventing

2011-06-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

Fans of blues music will tell you that its brilliance lies in a musician's ability to hold love and sorrow-- both the bitterness and the sweetness of life-- together in the same place. Fans of eventing will tell you the same thing. The sport gives you the best feeling imaginable, and can also bring great emotional pain, sometimes simultaneously. This is exactly my experience this past weekend in Indiana.

For those who want the short version: Taco was perfect all weekend, and for once I feel good about how I rode. We had a nice dressage test that scored well (26.3) and put us in the lead of the division, and we maintained the lead through a wonderful cross-country day that I will never forget. Heartbreakingly, Taco got injured, most likely on Phase D, and we had to withdraw at the final jog. As of this writing, we have not yet completed the diagnostics to know exactly what happened, but I should know more by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Taco is comfy and safe in his stall at home. He is a winner to me, and the real prize of the weekend was the seamless sense of partnership that I experienced with him.

For a more detailed version, read on:

We left Panther Springs Farm on Wednesday morning, with a great sense of anticipation and adventure. Carol rode shotgun and the two dogs had the luxurious crew cab back seat all to themselves. All went smoothly except we hit some traffic near Cave City, Kentucky, and then I closed my left index finger in the truck door when we stopped for lunch south of Louisville. Ah, the intelligence and coordination of eventers! (Well, at least this one.) The upside to the physical pain of this mistake was that I was spared the emotional pain of braiding all weekend. I was forced to hire two braiders, both of whom did a great job.

We rolled in to the Hoosier Horse Park and got Taco nicely settled in and ready for the activities of the next day, Thursday. The educational component of the 3D (three-day) started with a briefing by the officials over lunch, followed by a tour of Phases A through C (Roads and Tracks and Steeplechase) by one of the volunteer clinicians, Melissa Miller. Then it was back to the barns to primp for the first jog. I must say, Taco looked great. He has been building muscle and his coat is glossy, thanks to the Pennfields Fibregized Omega that he has been eating and the APF herbs I have been giving him. Carol helped me shine him and his bridle up, and then we were ready! I was so proud to lead him down the jog lane.

We were accepted and moved on to the dressage. I wasn't able to bring Amy to Indiana with me to coach, but I was extremely lucky to have Mary Fike fill in. Those of you who know Mary know that she is truly an encyclopedia of eventing knowledge, and I also found out that she's great at sports psychology too. Even though she wasn't familiar with Taco and my riding, she had some very helpful pointers as we got ready for our test. And then we went in! Taco felt fantastic. He wanted to show off, it seemed, and he gave his all to responding to my aids brilliantly. Our practice really paid off and we put in an accurate and energetic test.

I think that went Ok!

Next was the steeplechase school, which I really needed, it turned out! As at Hagyard Midsouth last fall, veteran 4-star eventer Dorothy Crowell was our clinician. She is a huge supporter of the classic format and, with Melissa and Cathy Wieschhoff, was generous enough to donate her time to us. She had us practice moving from a gallop to a preparation position several times, and then had us gallop to a triple bar, which mimics the shape of a steeplechase fence. These first exercises went well for me (especially after I made a bigger effort to get OUT of the saddle at the gallop and then SIT in it on the approaches). Then we were to jump the triple bar again and move on to the practice steeplechase fence. This is where I had some trouble. First, I made too short a turn to the triple bar, and never had the right pace. After I fixed that mistake, I proceeded to jump ahead of Taco at the practice steeplechase fence. Dorothy helped me fix that, too, and then she was satisfied we were ready to go.

Ready for steeplechase school (practice fence in the background)

I had already walked the Phase D (cross country) course twice by myself. I was impressed. It was truly a championship-level course, with five combinations, which was one more than the AECs had had last fall. It was also in the somewhat twisty-turny terrain of the Hoosier Horse Park, with a variety of wooded paths and open meadows, and it was to be run a maximum Training speed, 470 mpm. Mary and I walked it again, and she helped me puzzle out the questions. One of the most helpful things that she did was reminding me to be assertive with Taco. Yes, he knows his job, and he knows it well, but he must take his directions on pace, line, and balance from me. She showed me places where I would need to make my instructions loud and clear, and places where I could let him work out what he needed to do. I felt much more confident after our walk, and ready for the next day. Another quick bike ride around phases A through C, and it was off to bed to rest up for the Endurance Day.

To be continued...

Way Overdue Poplar Post and T3D Teaser

2011-05-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting until the arrival of the photo CD before posting about Poplar Place/ Area III Championships on the first weekend in May, but that means that this post is 3 weeks overdue.

To cut to the chase: it went fairly well. We ended up fourth in a decent-sized division.


Dressage: better energy, still needing more uphill balance. All photos by David Mullinix.

Good boy Taco. 33.2

We ran cross country next. This was my first time running at Poplar, and I loved the feel and layout of the course. The championship course added a few extra combinations, which Taco ate right up. I was much better at adjusting the pace in preparation for jumps and getting to the base (as opposed to Chatt Hills, where I didn't bring him back enough and had some long spots). I had a couple of time penalties, for being a little too slow this time as opposed to too fast.

Little corner

The boat after the water

Showjumping was our best round since the AECs last September. As with dressage, I still needed to improve Taco's balance at times, including to the first fence, where I had a rail. But for most of the round we had decent energy and balance. Taco jumped great, for his part.

Overall, it was an improvement on our last time out, and I was delighted with how lovely Taco was. He is so consistent and professional, and a joy to compete!

Next Wednesday, June 1, we travel to Indiana for the Indiana Eventing Association T3D. We did our last gallop today, and we will do one more dressage and one more showjump school before we leave. The goal this time is to finish-- and to continue to build consistent pace and balance, in all three phases. And enjoy ourselves, of course!

Ask Taco Special Edition: Ask Questie

2011-05-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today's blog post comes from Taco. He decided to interview Our Questionnaire, a recent Rolex and Jersey Fresh competitor owned by Kathleen McDermott and ridden by Heather Gillette. Instead of the usual advice column, Taco is the one asking the questions this time. Enjoy!

Dear Mr. Questie,

Although we have never met, our humans are friends and I have heard a lot of good things about you. I understand that you are a top-level event horse and possess great intelligence and athleticism. As part of my ongoing venture into online journalism, I am writing in the hope that you will consent to answer a few questions. I will put them in my "Ask Taco" column on the Team Taco blog-- it will be a special edition because I will be the one asking the questions this time.

Best regards,
Taco

Questie and his human, Heather, preparing for cross country

Hi Taco. I would be happy to answer your questions. I met your person at Rolex this year, she was very nice and loves you a whole bunch. She tells all sorts of stories about you. You are a lucky guy.

Where were you born and what kind of horse are you? I am a New Zealand Tb. I was born on the North Island of NZ, all the way on the other side of the world from where I live now.

How and when did you get into Eventing? I started eventing after I stopped racing in NZ. I wasn't a very good racehorse so my people brought me home and then decided to let me try jumping. I LOVED it right away!

When and why did you begin your partnership with your current human?
I met my current human when I got off a Fedex plane with my friend Gerry in May 2009. It was very strange being on a runway with super huge jets at a big airport in Newark NJ, USA... what an amazing place! I went on a trailer ride to a wonderful place called Pottersville where I now call Merrywind Farm home. It is horse heaven with big fields and lots of grass! I met Heather because my people in NZ had an agreement to find me a new person after the Olympics in 2008. You see I was supposed to represent NZ but got very sick from eating too many dandelions. It took me a long time to get better, but my people took very good care of me. I continued to improve and get stronger once I got to the US and with Heather. Now I am as good as new! I am a very lucky horse to have always had such good people to look after me.

What do you think about your job? Do you like it? If so, what part do you like the best? What part are you the best at doing?
I LOVE my job. I am so fortunate because I get to travel and go lots of places. It is always a big adventure! Sometimes I go with my friends from Merrywind, other times just with Heather. I like the cross country the best. I get to run fast and solve lots of puzzles. You never know what you are going to find out there on xc. It is so exciting. I am getting much better at doing dressage, we work very hard on that!

Did you like going to Rolex and Jersey Fresh? What competitions will you do next?
Rolex was a big adventure! There was a huge stadium with thousands of people in it all clapping and cheering me on. But before that all my friends and I hung out with some reining horses in a big arena when a tornado went by. I didnt even know what a tornado was, but we all ran for shelter! We don't have those in NZ. There was so much rain in Kentucky that the xc was very muddy and sticky. I didnt feel like myself while on course and Heather decided to take me home early. I was sad to not jump all of the jumps, but just didn't feel like it was safe. Jersey Fresh was good, though I was a bit rusty on xc. I did a very lovely dressage test and worked very hard to show off all that I have learned in the past year. I hadnt done a whole course since March and it took a few minutes to get into the groove. I will have a little vacation time now and then get back to it. I think we will go to Millbrook and then out to Richland Park. I am not sure what we will do in the fall. Whatever it is I will be happy to run and jump some more.

What do you like to eat, and who are your best friends?
I really enjoy eating clover, I search all around for it. Carrots and apples and anything that comes in a crinkley wrapper! My best friend is Gerry, we traveled all of the way from the other side of the world together. I have a new friend Groovy that I hang out with too and Dragon comes with us on our travels sometimes too. My old NZ mom came to visit last year and said she could see I love my new person very much, she could just tell by how I looked at her.

How did you achieve the extremely fashionable dappled look that you are sporting this spring?
I do look like a super model with my dapples, don't I? Just kidding! Though the girls at my vet's office call me Brad Pitt... whoever that is. I have to wear a special coat because I am allergic to flies. It covers most of me so I don't get sun bleached at all. That and my person uses a shampoo that has all sorts of good stuff in it. It makes me super shiny and my skin and coat are perfect. It has olive oil, honey.. all sorts of natural stuff and nothing that hurts my eyes. It smells good too, so the girls like it! It doesn't bother the environment either, which I think is very important.

Questie's dapples

Do you have any advice for horses who would like to become excellent Event Horses?
My best advice is find a good person who you can trust and form a good partnership with them. Then work hard to learn all of the skills you need to solve all of the different puzzles you will come across. You have to do dressage, even if you don't like it. You aren't allowed to go xc if you dont! Be brave and be careful.

It has been fun answering your questions! I hope I get to meet you sometime. Take care and happy eventing!

I hope you enjoy reading my interview with Questie as much as I enjoyed doing it. He is a Most Excellent Event Horse. I will be rooting for him later this season and I hope you will too. -T

Rolex Interlude

2011-05-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a full, exciting weekend at the Rolex CCI****! This year I worked in the stabling office for the first time, which was a job I really enjoyed. The stabling office is a very busy place during Rolex-- it is the main liaison between grooms and competitors, officials, and show management. Our team of six was led by Mary Fike, president of MSEDA, who has been doing the job of running the office since 1982. We were tasked with an assortment of jobs, including making coffee (not my specialty), dispensing information (results, orders-of-go, credentials requirements), assisting with some quarantine monitoring for foreign horses, taking messages and items to riders and grooms in the stabling, handing out XC pinnies and the famous gift bags to competitors, and welcoming riders, grooms, and their guests into the office to watch the live feed or use the fabulous massage chair that the event provides. It was a busy place but I liked the nonstop action and wide variety of tasks, and I was delighted to help the riders, horses and grooms do their jobs.


Me with "Fast Betty," the preferred golf cart in the office

I also cheered on my friend Heather Gillette and the lovely Our Questionnaire (aka Questie) during their first attempt at a CCI****. After a steady test in the notoriously electric stadium at the KHP on Friday, her groom, her husband, plus one of her other friends and I saw her off on cross-country on Saturday. She didn't feel that Questie was quite his usual self, however, and pulled up after Fence 10. I was so proud of her for making the right horsemanship decision and saving her wonderful horse for another day. Look for an edition of Ask Taco featuring Questie sometime in the near future!

Heather and Questie getting ready for XC

Now that I'm back at home, final preparations have begun for the Area III Championships at Poplar Place this weekend! I finally got to jump again-- between seemingly nonstop rain and a couple of lost shoes, a jump school has been a long time coming-- and I've already started packing our essentials. My goals for this weekend are to strike a better balance (literally) and correctly manage Taco's energy in my approaches to fences, and to be straighter in my body. He feels fabulous and ready for anything, although we are having some cosmetic difficulties: lingering baldness issues. I have started him on APF Pro after a conversation at Rolex with Mike Van Noy, the vet who developed it. I'll update here when I determine whether it helps with Taco's allergies and resulting hair loss.

Oh yes, and we got our entry confirmation for Indiana T3D! Woo hoo! It is only one month from this weekend...

First Event of 2011

2011-04-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post! Last weekend Taco and I did our first event of the season, at Chattahoochee Hills. But the weekend before that we also did a combined test at Walnut Trace here in Nashville. And about two weeks before that I got Taco a new truck. Oh yeah, and amidst all those happenings Taco went bald.

There are many potentially boring details associated with all of these things, but I will go easy on the words and heavy on the photos.

First, the truck. Her name is Stormy (after a certain book), and she is a 2006 F250 4x4 Powerstroke 6.0 diesel.

As you can see, when I picked her up she had some stupid big wheels on. I have since replaced these with factory wheels. I wanted Taco to ride in style, but not blinged out, if you know what I mean.

Around the same time I got the truck, Taco ate or came into contact with or breathed something that caused him to break out into many hives. We dealt with this problem last year, but this year was even worse. Even after being treated with dex and washed with Microtek he still looked like a plucked chicken, covered in bumps, because the hives had scabbed over and turned to rainrot. Dr. Tony gave us something called "Miracle Spray," which is purple and smells like lavender. Lo and behold, the bumps were gone after a couple of applications... but then his hair fell out. So I had a bald horse. Well, just on the midsection of his body, and he sure smelled terrific. But still bald, with his black naked skin showing.

Bald or no, we had the show season to get ready for, so Taco, the new truck, and I made our maiden voyage to Walnut Trace for the combined test. The only four entrants in the Training division were Amy, Megan, Lauren, and me, so we called it the "Panther Springs Farm Training Challenge."

PSF Training Challenge participants!!

I was extremely glad that I had the 4x4, because the farm had just put in a new road and it was verrrry slippery up one particular hill! After a slightly stressful mixup with the directions, I arrived just in time for my dressage test and we scored a respectable 34.6. Taco was still a little sleepy and I never quite got him in front of my leg, but I was pleased with it for a first test of the year.

Then we did the showjumping. This was my first time jumping a stadium course since I embarrassed myself at MTPC last October, so I was a little apprehensive. But there was no need-- Taco was thrilled to be back in the ring and I made sure we had enough energy. It felt great, and it was a clear round!

Beautiful photos by Leslie Vancil

The next day, we went to Percy Warner to practice galloping over some things. Taco hadn't forgotten a thing, of course, and I was pleasantly surprised that I seemed to have kept my XC skills over the winter. We felt ready for our first event.

The next weekend was the truck's first real test: the 300 miles to Chatt Hills. I cannot say how much easier the truck was to drive: the longer wheelbase, diesel engine, and tighter suspension all made the ride very pleasant! As a result, both Taco and I arrived fresh and relaxed at Chatt.


The pictures are from a very young rider, who send good luck to all of us PSFers. Thank you Peyton!

The venue was very different from the way it had been at the American Eventing Championships last fall-- no temporary stalls, and a spacious, relaxed feel. It was so much fun to be there, and fun to be competing again!

Our dressage was decent, with a few moments where I didn't keep him connected as well as I should have. But I was pleased. Everyone was scoring a little high, and our test scored a 37.7, which tied us for second.

You can see part of his bald spot under my leg. Photo by www.hoofclix.com

Stretchy circle (scored an 8!) www.hoofclix.com

Starting the lenghtening www.hoofclix.com

Cross country was, well, fun! Actually, I had so much fun I got a speeding ticket. It seems that going steeplechase at the T3D last October did get me thinking a little more forward! I had a problem that I never thought I'd have at Training: speed faults. 1.6 to be exact, and I ran it at slightly over 520 meters per minute. Amy said that she was pleased with our speed between the fences, but that I needed to bring him back more on the approaches. The Training-level jumps did not back him off at all and so I need to make sure my half-halts are more effective. Setting aside the piloting issues, Taco was simply perfect. He sailed over everything, and gave me the most incredible feeling.

All xc photos by www.hoofclix.com

Here is a video taken by Lynda, longtime Team Taco friend (on Facebook, but should be viewable by all).

Showjumping was the next day and I sure was nervous. Despite the successful dress rehearsal at Walnut Trace, I still hadn't jumped at an event yet since MTPC. In the warmup, I was finding it very difficult to wait for the base of the fences. Amy helped me tone things down a little, and I was able to start out my course with the right energy and balance. Then I got a bit frantic and rushed through fences 6-8, though I did pull myself together again for the last line. Also, as you can see from the photos, I reverted to drawing my right leg back in the air. We dropped one rail and wound up 4th in the division.

I was so pleased with my guy! He was generous and fun and lovely all weekend. The Panther Springs crew had a great time together over the beautiful courses and footing at the event. It was a great start to the season. Next stop: Area III Championships at Poplar Place!!

See you at the next event!

We finally got to jump again

2011-03-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

The jump field dried out enough after Wednesday's and Thursday's rain so we could have a jump lesson! I felt really rusty (we last jumped right after New Year's) but I soon remembered how awesome Taco is over the jumps. The flatwork we've been working so hard on has definitely improved our performance together. I'm slowly getting more proficient at maintaining Taco's balance while not taking away his energy.

We did a little of everything: we warmed up over a little gymnastic, and then moved on to courses that included turns both ways, bending lines, angles, and skinnies.

Thanks for taking video, Carol!

More friends of Team Taco news:
Rugie, Taco's young friend, is wearing a bridle now! He is so grown up! You can see some pictures of him on the Panther Springs Farm Facebook Page.

Not in Aiken

2011-03-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well...

Many readers of the Team Taco blog were eagerly awaiting news of our Aiken exploits this year. Unfortunately, we had a casualty on the team: Beast the truck declined to cooperate with our plans. Last Saturday morning, we had packed up and started south on I-65, and at the first big hill Beast started to overheat. By the second, it was way in the red zone. We miraculously found an open mechanic, who diagnosed a faulty thermostat. But on the way back to the barn (by then it was too late to make the trip that day), it overheated again. Given the extensive repairs that were probably necessary, and its advanced age, Beast has since been sold at a steep discount to cover the down payment on a new(er) truck. But in the meantime, we were left high and dry with no way to get to Aiken!

So we stayed home to ride and look for a new truck. The weather has been less than cooperative, but we managed to fit in a very productive dressage lesson on Tuesday. Amy's persistence in trying to explain the concept of connecting my aids is paying off a little.

Here is some video. Does anyone have any tricks for keeping one's hands still at the canter?

In other news, an old friend of Team Taco (well, from before there even was a Team Taco), has sent in her entry to Rolex! Heather Gillette has entered Questie (Our Questionnaire), so fingers crossed that all preparations go smoothly (they are at Red Hills this weekend) and everyone stays sound! When I lived in New Jersey some years ago, Heather helped bring my confidence back after it reached an all-time low, and for that I am very grateful. She has worked so hard at this sport for many years and is a fun, kind person to boot. You can like her Heron's Landing Event Team page on Facebook to show your support!

Reposted: Letters to Taco

2011-03-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Reposted from The Many Adventures of Lauren:

My guys told me today that they wanted to write a letter to their pen pal, Taco, so I obliged them.

Dear Taco,

You look very handsome in your new suit. I am also naked now, I'm not sure what happened. First I was cold and wet, then Aunt Megan came over and I went to sleep. When I woke up I had a spiffy new hair cut and mom gave me lots of cookies. I thought you might appreciate a photo of me with my new "do." Thanks to Aunt Megan for helping mom give me a shave down. I'll be much more comfortable without my yak hair. Unfortunately, you can't see the nifty clip Aunt M did on my face. They "compromised" and clipped only half my face because I wouldn't let them clip my ears or nose, even while I was sleeping!

Love,
Brandy

Dear Taco,

Please have your mom teach my mom how to clip better. She took a really long time and left a big fuzzy patch on my butt that everyone likes to touch. It feels weird when they touch it, but they keep calling it a cactus, so it must have a purpose. She also yanked my mane out, so she says I look handsome now, but it stung a little.

I also tried to express to her that I don't appreciate loud buzzing things near my head, but she told me I was silly and tricked me into letting her clip my bridle path and head, so I'm also totally hairless! I have a neat new suit as well, mom bundles me up cozy and warm when its going to be chilly.

Mom says I'm going to my first horse show in about six weeks! Will I see you there?

Your buddy,
Ari

Spring Starts Now!

2011-02-28T17:55:00.000-08:00

Although the month of February brought terrible weather and a pesky hoof abscess for Taco, within the winter doldrums have been opportunities to prepare for spring.

Take, for instance, the MSEDA annual meeting in Louisville, where the educational session speaker was Daniel Stewart. He took us through a day-long program that began with sports psychology strategies and ended with a series of fun balance board exercises. He taught us all how to simulate various gaits and positions on our own two feet, and took volunteers to help demonstrate how to unite our minds and muscles in mock dressage tests, stadium rounds, and, finally, a cross county course. I really wanted to try the XC course so I overcame my misgivings about embarrassing myself in public and gave it a shot.


XC dancin' with Danny... I look like a fool, but it was fun! (photo by Hannah Hubsch)

The weekend ended with a lovely awards dinner at the Kentucky Derby Museum and an interesting meeting of members. And I won the Alta Vista Farm XC schooling door prize-- thanks Mary Lowry!

Then Taco's new saddle came. It is a Black Country Tex Eventer, the same one as our old one but a size larger. Oh, and it has a gold stripe on it. It is extremely pretty.

I ordered it through Trumbull Mountain Saddlery in Vermont (which, coincidentally, has our old saddle for sale). After I rode in the new one a little, Kate Wooten came out to adjust the flocking so it is sitting on Taco's back perfectly. So far, I love it! I don't think my lower leg is swinging back nearly so much, which was the point of getting the new one.

Then Taco got a haircut! The weather is warming up, but his coat is still thick and we want to avoid his staying wet and getting chilled. So I de-furred him.

Notice anything on his butt? Look closer...

And, because he is now more nekkid than the day he was born, he has a special suit to wear.

Why me???

Finally, I got myself excited for the season by making my annual volunteering trip (my 5th!) to Pine Top Farm Advanced Horse Trials, February 25-27. Readers of this blog might remember that my trip last year did not go smoothly. After years of an excellent safety record, the event logged several serious accidents on one day-- two of which were rotational falls at fences where I was judging. I was deeply shaken, as were the wonderful organizers, Glenn and Janet Wilson, and many others who were present that day. Like the riders who were injured, however, I felt it was important to go back this year as part of acknowledging that my enjoyment of the event can continue even after an uncommonly difficult weekend.

The Frog Pond at Pine Top

I am so glad that I returned this year! The weather was perfect, the horses were impressive and beautiful, and, as usual, I learned so much. On Friday I scribed the Advanced dressage tests for Sandy Osborn ("S") and jump judged at the coffin complex. I scribed for Intermediate and Preliminary all day Saturday, and then jump judged all day Sunday. The courses rode very well and the few partings-of-company did not lead to injuries. I enjoyed visiting with the Wilsons and friends I see there every year, and I left feeling excited about the start to the season.

Tools of the XC fence judge's trade

Next week we go to Aiken for Spring Break! I will update as much as possible. And, as usual, send your questions to Taco!

Ask Taco: Getting Oneself Fit

2011-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco-

I've been in event horse training now for about three months and I have heard that I will be entering in the N3D and T3Ds in the future.
From what I understand the long format takes quite a bit of strength and endurance. I'm feeling a little over whelmed and fear that I might not be fit enough. What do you do to prepare yourself for the A,B,C, and D portions on XC day? How many hugs and cookies do you think I could earn if I do very well in such an event?

I've been told there is a strong possibility I will get to see you in Sept. Fingers Crossed!!

from, Toby the Cow Pony
APHAwesomeness

A. Dear Toby the Cow Pony,

Yes, you are correct that the long format takes strength and endurance. But there are two consolations in this, my friend. First of all, you are a cow pony for goodness's sake, and you were bred for those long days. Endurance Day at a classic format event is nothing compared to long days riding the range as your family has done for generations.

Have your rider read this book.

Second, once you go through a conditioning program, such as the one in this post from last August, you will be so strong and fit that all of the other work your rider asks you to do will seem easy. You'll be able to trot Roads and Tracks all day! And you will have done the speed work to make Steeplechase a breeze (that's a horse racing term, which you might not know because you are a cow pony).

I hope that the above reassurances put your mind at ease. But if you are still concerned, there is something you can do. I have my very own exercise routine, TacoCize (TM)*, that I do in my pasture, when I'm feeling like I need to work out. My pasture is about 6 or 7 acres, and it is longer than it is wide. I'll do sprint sets several times back and forth. I just start at one end, cover the length of it, and start back again. Lather, rinse, repeat. I get an extra cardiovascular workout by shouting to my neighbors as I run (this has the added benefit of getting their attention). Sometimes I'm getting ready to TacoCize right when Stacy arrives and wants to bring me in, but she understands when I go ahead and do it anyway. She acts mad but I know she's just kidding.

You can see me in the middle of this picture with my pasture stretching out behind me.

So don't worry about all the hard work, and you can always add in the workout I described if you wish. I know you will be a great Event Pony! I look forward to seeing you this fall.

Best wishes,

Taco
P.S. If you do well in one of those events, or even just try a little, the hugs and cookies are unlimited. Really!

For Sale: Black Country Tex Eventer (Magic Taco Dust included at no charge)

2011-01-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

To my dismay, last fall I discovered that my beloved Black Country Tex Eventer is slightly too small for me. It is 17", but it has extra-forward flaps and I thought that was enough to accommodate my very long hip-to-knee measurement. Saddle fitter Kate Wooten, however, burst my bubble. She thought that having a larger seat size would reduce my tendency to pivot on my knee over fences.

Fast forward to now, when I have ordered the exact same saddle in 18", and with gold welting around the seat (can't forget the gold welting!). As much as I adore my current Tex Eventer (it came to me via a dear friend), I must rehome it so that I can afford the new one. So here are the details:

Black Country Tex Eventer (non-monoflap), 17", medium wide with extra-forward flaps. Perfect for long-legged riders. Wither gussets, trapezius panels. brown Vintage leather. Excellent condition. Asking $1700.

And here are some photos:

I've enjoyed many spectacular rides with this saddle between Taco and me. Who knows, it might be infused with Magic Taco Dust!

Drop me a line either on the comments section below or at cookiepony at gmail dot com if you are interested.

Ask Taco: What are competitions?

2011-01-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco,
I am 2 years and 7 months old. Everyone says that I will go to something called a "competition" one day. What is that?
Love,
Ruger

Rugie: only 2 years and 7 months, but big! (With mentor Star in the background)

A. Dear Ruger,
Since I love you like a son, I want you to have a very good life. Competitions are hard but I have found that all of the work is worth it. The kind of competition that you will go to is called eventing, and you have to be very good at several things when you do eventing. You will have three rides: dressage, cross country, and showjumping.

The humans do competitions for very complicated reasons, including competitiveness, having fun, being with their human friends, and getting their picture taken (I'm not sure why this has so much appeal but they seem to really like it). We do it because they ask us to, and because many of us (myself included) enjoy it very much.

I must admit, however, that I do not love every single moment of competitions. Take dressage, for example. I am very good at dressage, and I enjoy pleasing Stacy when I do it well, and I love to look fancy while I do it. But after a while I get a little bit less enthused, because it seems a little bit repetitive to me. I know that you will be good at dressage because your dad is Routinier, and he has mad dressage skillz.

On the other hand, the other two phases are both jumping. I really, really love to jump. I bet you will, too, because I heard that your mom Goldie is a daughter of Galoubet, and he was a really great jumper. On the cross country, you will be asked to jump a variety of things that look different, but they are really very similar to each other. Mainly they are round, loglike things, or sloping, rampy things, or up a step, or down a step, or into water, or out of water, or over a hole in the ground, or on an uphill slope or a downhill one. And then all of these things can be combined with each other. But you just remember that they are all the same things that just look different. And Amy will never ask you to jump over one that you cannot make it over, so trust her and jump them all, and go as fast as she asks you to go.

Showjumping is the other jumping part. The trick with the show jumps is that they can fall down if you hit them as you are going over. So pick your feet up when you jump! Also, they might have different colors but they are all just painted poles. You do not have to be afraid of them. Size up the jump from bottom to top and then go as high as you need to to make it over. As I said, jumping runs in your family, so don't worry about making it over any of them. Just listen to Amy as she helps you get ready to jump them.

Doesn't all of that sound fun? Furthermore, I happen to like the hustle and bustle of the show grounds, and seeing all of the different horses around me. Sometimes I even get to see old friends. But the best part is actually at the end, when the humans are happy that you have done a good job. You can get pretty much as many carrots as you want at that point.

Finally, I know that she gets a little annoyed with you sometimes, but Star, your neighbor and pasture-mate, also knows a thing or two about competitions. If you ask her nicely (remember, she is a distinguished elder), she might tell you some stories, like how fast she can read the options in a water complex, and just how fast she could go.

Love,
Taco

Ask Taco: What Do You Eat?

2011-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco,

Could you tell me what you eat? My mom is on a quest to find food for me that gives me energy, keeps weight on me, doesn't make me overly exuberant, AND... doesn't make me fart! We do NOT like horse farting at Run For It Farm as it means my stomach is not happy. I didn't fart at Aunt Lellie's farm, but started it again once I came home (though I must say, I have been an absolute prince about everything!) We share similar traits as do our Moms, so please reveal your daily diet!
Many thanks - I wish you lots of carrots!
Rasta Mon

A. Dear Rasta,

Humans are constantly trying to figure out diets for us that do all of those things, especially the part about providing energy without wildness. While we enjoy feeling our oats, so to speak, they get a little worried about staying on our backs.

The other problem is making sure that what we eat provides the right nutrients and is good quality. It is hard to know this sometimes, because every horse is different and just about every feed company says that their product is high-quality. Also, it is often very difficult to find out important nutrition information from major feed companies, such as the exact ingredients. This is because many of the companies only guarantee the amounts of certain nutrients (protein, fat, and fiber), but not the ingredients themselves, which allows the companies to vary the ingredients depending on what is cheapest to purchase at any given time.

So, after a lot of research, Amy decided that she did not want to feed a commercially mixed feed in addition to the nice pasture and hay that we eat. She decided to feed a combination of soaked molasses-free beet pulp and steam rolled oats to us.

-The beet pulp is delicious. It is the product left over when the sugar and molasses are removed from sugar beets, and is mostly pectin. It has been called a "super fiber," because it contains a fairly high amount of easily digestible calories but not a lot of starch or other non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), and it holds lots of water and thus helps us regulate hydration. NSCs are not so good for us in large quantities, because they can disrupt the acidity in our hindgut and they tend to make us a little excitable. I wonder whether your farting problem might mean that your hindgut is not working too well. Beet pulp is a great way to add energy without adding lots of NSCs-- it has about 36% NSCs. It has the added benefit of increasing water intake when it is fed wet (some people feed it dry but it is much less tasty and much more likely to cause choke that way).

- The oats are also very delicious. They add additional calories to the diets of those of us who are working harder, but they contain some fiber as well as some energy and not as many NSCs (46%) as other grains (such as corn, at 64%). Rolling them (so that they look like Quaker oatmeal) slightly increases the availability of the nutrients, but it also means that they should be fed fairly soon after rolling or the nutrient value drops.

Because neither the beet pulp nor the oats contain balanced micronutrients and very little fat, I also get a multivitamin (SmartVite Performance Grass Pellets) and some Omega Fatty Acids (SmartOmega). I also gets lots of carrots, and sometimes apples and peppermints.

Recently, however, Amy has been consulting with a representative of Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies. Although she has avoided commercial feed preparations because of inconsistency and uncertain quality, she has been very impressed with Pennfield. They always keep the ingredients the same in each batch of feed, so that digestibility and nutrient availability stays the same. They make nutritional information very easy to find on their website. And they are very committed to each ingredient being extremely high quality. They have impressed Amy, and Amy is very difficult to impress when it comes to feed! She also would like to feed something that does not require supplementing added vitamins and trace minerals. So she has decided to start us on Pennfield.

First, we will start eating Phase V Senior's Energized Choice, a textured feed that contains our old friend beet pulp, plus barley and two more super fibers: soybean hulls and alfalfa meal. Even though this feed is called "senior," it is good for us competition horses because it is high in protein, fat, and fiber and is very digestible. It is 25% NSC.

This is what Senior's Energized Choice looks like (photo from http://www.pennfieldequine.com)

When we are heavily conditioning and competing, we will also get some added Fibregized Omega, which contains the high-fat foods flax and rice bran. Fat is a good way to add more energy to our diets.

I am excited about our new food. I tasted some a couple of weeks ago and it was really good. We will be in great shape for the 2011 season!

Best wishes,

Taco
P.S. If your mom wants to talk to Amy about our food she should call Amy-- email Stacy (cookiepony at gmail dot com) for her number!

Further reading:

Joe D. Pagan, "Carbohydrates in Equine Nutrition," in Pagan, ed., Advances in Equine Nutrition (Nottingham, UK: Nottingham University Press, 1998), 29-41. Downloadable PDF

Lori K. Warren, "Super, Fantastic Fibers: Find Out Which Fibers Might Benefit Your Horse," Equus Caballus Fall 2007, 10-13. Downloadable PDF

Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday Taco!

2011-01-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

Taco has a birthday today! All Thoroughbreds in the Northern Hemisphere turn another year older each January 1. Taco's actual birthday is not until March, but in the eyes of the American Jockey Club, he is 15 years old today.

He spent 2010 teaching me more than I could have imagined I could learn. Here is a slideshow of our activities together from last year:

2010 was also the first year of the Team Taco blog. I started the blog as a way to keep our friends and family updated and the blog has caused that group to grow! We have gotten more readers since Taco first started to offer his Ask Taco column. We were honored with a shout-out from the US Eventing blog a few days ago, too!

It is exciting to be planning 2011 (and yes, another T3D is in the works), and I am so looking forward to another year with my wonderful partner and friend. Happy New Year, everybody!

Ask Taco: Christmas and Living with Fame

2010-12-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco,
What was in your stocking?
G.H.

A. Dear G.H.,
I was lucky enough to receive organic carrots and four beautiful Macintosh apples in my stocking. But I also received other gifts. I got a brand new, big chunk of Himalayan salt to lick, a Newmarket fleece, some new bell boots, and a jelly scrubber. Carol got me some Premier hind boots. The Curwood side of the family (Jeni and Steve) sent me a whole bunch of peppermints. Also, because of the VTO Saddlery sale, I am getting a belated Christmas gift of a new Rambo blanket with a neck cover. Finally, though this is not really a Christmas gift for me, Stacy is going to order me a new saddle. The thing about the saddle is that I am very happy with the one I have now, but it is a little too small for Stacy. So this is perhaps more a gift she is giving to herself.

The bottom line is that I am very happy with my gifts, and I humbly offer my own gifts of generosity, spirit, and honesty to my family during this holiday season and beyond.

Best wishes,
Taco

Q. Dear Taco,
Given how famous you’re becoming of late, how do you keep a level head on your shoulders? Are you getting a big head, or are you still the same down-to-earth guy you’ve always been? How do you deal with success and fame?
Elizabeth

A. Dear Elizabeth,
I do love admiration and attention-- it is part of my nature! But my first priority is to live a life that I can be proud of, whether it brings fame or not. On the first level, this means participating in the world fully and appreciating the basic things like a long drink of water, some tasty oats, tender grass shoots, or a good roll followed by some fun bucking in the field. That is how I stay connected to my place in the universe.

On another level, I also conduct myself as best as I can with my humans. I genuinely like human contact and the day-to-day interactions with them please me. I could just stand for hours while Stacy curries and brushes me and feeds me treats and talks to me. And I feel it is my duty to give all of my effort to what she is asking me to do under saddle. If there is a jump in front of me, I do my absolute best to get to the other side. If she asks me to lengthen my stride, I make my steps as big as I possibly can in that moment. If she wants me to run fast, I go fast until she asks me to slow down. I am very proud of my abilities and my responsiveness.

On yet another level, I think it is important for me to express my personality. I am confident in my abilities and very aware of my environment. I hold myself with dignity, but I have a sense of humor too. That is why I can give "the look of eagles" one moment and then let someone play with my tongue the next. I have been through a lot in my life, including a close brush with death, and I have come to appreciate both the mundane and the extraordinary.

When I am relaxing in my pasture, soaring over a big jump with Stacy, or majestically trotting down the jog lane at a three day event, it does not matter how many people read about me on the internet. I revel in what is before me. So to give a short answer to your question, I like to think that fame has not changed me at all.

Best wishes,
Taco

Fame or no, I just enjoy being myself.

Ask Taco: Come Again Eventing Camp 2011 and Straightness

2010-12-26T15:41:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco,
Mom says that she might take me to eventing camp this year instead of Flo. Whatever. I was wondering if you were going. That would be cool, I guess.
Later,
Mia

A. Hey Mia,
I hate to tell you this, but eventing camp at Come Again Farm is a lot of hard work. I was ridden twice per day for three of the days, then once the day after that, and then Stacy rode me twice at the combined test at the end of the week. In order to do all of this riding she was doing trot sets and fitness work beforehand. Not that it wasn't cool and fun (my personal favorite was the pace lesson around the galloping track), but you will get tired. I think you are the kind of horse who doesn't mind that, however, so you will have fun.

As for me, I am not sure because Stacy is not sure. I will have done another Training Three Day Event the month before, so it could be a bit much for me. But we had such a good time last year and we heard that Becky Holder has already been confirmed as a clinician. Stacy will have to decide soon since registration opens soon.

Best wishes,
Taco

Peter Atkins teaching us at the clinic last year. I am the one all the way to the left.

Q. Dear Taco,
Mom has been doing some work to develop what she calls my topline- really, i think she just has a fancy word for my butt and back- we have been walking hills 3x per week and spend at least 30 minutes walking during our working days. I'm on a 14% feed and in good weight. Do you have any additional suggestions? She said my topline looked really good when we were doing a lot of cantering (I LOVE cantering and galloping!) but it also caused me to get REALLY hot and stubborn since my breed also contributes to that (I'm half spirited arabian and half firey thoroughbred).

I also can tend to have some issues with straightness. I tend to want to either over-bend and lean and twist my neck (especially while cantering) which isn't really bending at all, or over-compensate when she asks me to straighten out by popping my shoulder out the opposite direction. I'm not sure she's communicating correctly with me, or maybe she can do something to help me stay straight and not be a wiggle-worm. We don't have an arena with a rail to work on or really any flat ground next to a fence. What ideas do you have?
Sincerely,
Boston

A. Dear Boston,
In my experience, the trick to both a good topline and straightness is quality of practice, not quantity of work. I get fit very easily, kind of like you. But it has taken longer for Stacy to figure out how to ride so that I develop all of my muscles correctly and how to make sure my body is aligned properly on turns and straight lines. I always do my best, of course, but I must admit that I will not reach my potential without Stacy's insistence and correct riding.

Stacy has figured out that she cannot learn all of this herself so she has enlisted help from Amy. I like Amy but she tells Stacy things to do that make me work harder in dressage. She rode me a few times last week and I had to work fairly hard, and then she worked with Stacy in a lesson this week to help her create the same quality in my gaits. All of this exertion was worth it, I must say. I look extremely fancy when I power up my hindquarters and float over the ground, and I feel like a million bucks!

You might be having trouble with straightness because your mom is doing some things inadvertently that might keep you from going straight, or she might not be doing some things that would help you align and push from your hindquarters. Either way, some eyes on the ground will help her identify what she needs to do. Yes, coaches and trainers do spell more hard work for us, but they also help us perform to our best abilities!

Best wishes,
Taco

Ask Taco: Hair Care and 2011 Plans

2010-12-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Q. Dear Taco,
How do you keep your mane and tail so glossy? What horsehair products do you use?
And my friend wonders what Lifetime Movies you watch.
Does Stacy treat you well? Do you like soft shoes or hard shoes?
Please answer any or all of the above!

Best,
Gina

A. Dear Gina,
Thank you for noticing my lovely mane and tail. I am very proud of them. I especially like my mane when it has grown a little bit too long and wild, like it is now. I know that Stacy will thin and shorten it in a month or two to get ready for the event season, but in the meantime I like my rakish appearance.

My hair care regime is very simple. I do not over-wash it, first of all. In the winter it does not get washed at all, unless my tail gets too muddy while I am running in my pasture. That way the natural oils are allowed to condition it. In the summer I often get both my mane and my tail rinsed out when I have showers after my workouts. Year round, Stacy brushes my mane frequently but almost never brushes my tail. Instead, she sprays Show Sheen into it to keep it detangled. Some people say that Show Sheen is drying but the benefits of keeping my tail tangle-free outweigh that problem. No tangles and little brushing add up to a nice, full tail that I am very proud of.

For competitions, Stacy washes both my mane and my tail. She uses a shampoo called "Quic-Black" on my tail to enhance the color. Then she works Mane n' Tail conditioner into my tail and lets it sit while she washes another part of me. Finally, she rinses it with cool water (this helps the hair shaft slick down and look shiny) and then sprays Show Sheen into the wet tail. Finally, once it is completely dry, she does the only brushing that she ever does on my tail. She then makes a straight cut across the bottom, braids my mane, and we are ready!

A nice tails shows off a nice hind end. (xpressfoto.com)

As for my Lifetime movie preferences, I don't want to hurt your friend's feelings but I don't really like Lifetime. It is marketed toward female people and I'm male and a horse. One time when I had insomnia in the winter, I was in my stall and turned on my TV and got sucked into a series of Lifetime movies. I could not tell you the titles, though. I was in a fog all the next day.

Stacy treats me very well, thank you. I like the carrots that Stacy brings and how much fussing she does. She scratches my itches and I don't mind the kisses too much. She understands my needs very well, for the most part. I get a little bit frustrated when she goes away on trips, either for work or to visit her family up in New England, which seem to happen every few months. I really prefer to have regular work and consistent attention. But she leaves me with Amy, who runs a pretty tight ship. Sometimes Amy even rides me, like today. Also, I keep telling Stacy that I do not like static electricity in the winter and she has not addressed that problem, but it is minor. The shoes she has on me are OK, I guess-- they feel fine and I have never had a different kind except I remember that when I was very young I did not have any shoes at all. I like the new food that we are eating, and my hock joints in my hind legs feel pretty good right now. All in all I have everything I need.

All my best,
Taco

Q. Dear Taco,
My mom says that she has a vicarious eventing life thanks to you and your mom. I don’t know what “vicarious” means and I’m not really sure what “eventing” is, but since Destiny says eventing is really hard work, we’re both against it on principle.

So we think that maybe if my mom hears a lot about your eventing career she’ll not even THINK about making us do it. I think my mom would like to know what your plans are for next season. What events will you be going to? Plans for clinics? Another 3-day? Please tell her in great detail b/c Destiny and I want to keep her happy for obvious reasons.

I think you’re pretty hot, BTW. For a gelding, that is. ;-)

Your fan,
Maggie

A. Thanks for your kind compliments, Maggie. I do my best to keep my appearance attractive, and it's nice to know that folks notice.
Vicarious simply means that she isn't doing the eventing herself but is instead experiencing the eventing through my participation. It is nice to have her cheering Stacy and me on, I must say. I do enjoy having fans. But I will also say that I don't mind hard work at all. If it involves running and jumping I just love it. I guess you ladies will just have to be vicarious along with your mom. As long as you are my fans, I think that's great.

As for our season, Stacy recently talked to Amy and the rest of the Panther Springs Farm riders and they made a schedule for 2011. As I understand it, the first half of the year is to be a preparation for another Training Three Day. As it stands this involves:
February Combined test, dressage show, or clinic if possible
March 5-13 Aiken (March 12-13 Full Gallop Farm Horse Trials)
April 9-10 Chattahoochee Hills Horse Trials
May 6-8 Poplar Place Farm/ Area III Championships
June 2-5 Indiana Training Three Day Event

After the T3D we will probably enjoy ourselves at some more events later in the summer:
September 2-4 Kentucky Classic
September 23-25 Poplar Place
Oct 21-23 MidSouth Team Challenge (this is where we did the T3D this year but next season we want to be on a team!)

We will also add some clinics and dressage shows here and there. You can be sure that Stacy or I will post them on the blog. It will be fun! I love eventing!

All my best,
Taco

Ask Taco: Preparing for the New Season and Half Halts

2010-12-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Q.
Dear Taco,
Well, I've been on a break for at least the past year, but I've learned a lot and I've been working on new ways to use my many talents in different ways (for instance, I never knew that if I reached forward through the bridle and stepped up under through my hind-end that I had MORE power than if I just pull forward and bulldoze on my forehand!). Now that my mommy and I have worked on better tools for using my body to improve our riding, she is ready to put us back to work and hopefully get out to some competitions this spring. As we start to leg back up in January and February, what types of jumping exercises do you work on to get yourself ready for the upcoming competition season? My mom is really keen on something she calls "gymnastics," but I just think they're a bunch of poles all crammed together, so I get through them as best I can. As long as mommy doesn't fall off, though, I figure I'm ok. But, in order to make mom happy in the long run, what type of jumping work do you all start off with at the beginning of the year? I will try to take your advice and be good, but sometimes I just can't contain myself. I know that will make me sorry when I get in big trouble for launching my mommy, so I probably need some guidance from an eventing professional. Help me, please!!!!
Your buddy,
--Eddie

A. Dear Eddie,
That is great that you are going out to some competitions this coming year. You will have fun. I love competitions because I get a lot of attention and fussing over me, and I get to see places that I like and, best of all, jump over things.

It is understandable that you are excited about jumping again. I have been known to get exuberant myself. I can jump over much bigger things than what Stacy attempts, but that is OK with me. I can just jump as high as I want to no matter what the size of the fence is. She does not mind too much if I only do it a few times here and there.

I have found that I can jump the best when I have been able to build up my stifle muscles, especially if I have not been working so hard for a while. Walking up hills and trotting in straight lines help my quads grow very strong. I have had to do the gymnastics and I have to say, I like them because they are like doing puzzles. Do you like doing puzzles? If you think of it like a game you might discover that you enjoy gymnastics!

Another thing that helps me with my jumping is... jumping! If I get to do a little bit fairly frequently, I can concentrate a little better and I am not so tempted to jump very high or do some little bucks. I am very happy when Stacy just canters over a few smaller jumps here and there between jumping lessons. If you can convince your mom to do the same, and she lets you jump low things on many of your rides, both of you will get more out of your lessons for sure.

See you at the shows!
Best wishes,
Taco

Q:
Could you in VERY elementary terms explain the half-halt. Second, how we can tell if our half-halt has been effective?
Thanks, K.B.

A. Dear K.B.,
I know who you are. You bring apples to Rugie's mom, who does not like me very much. I like you, however, because you often give me an apple, too.

A half halt is when I shift my balance toward my back legs. If I want to do that I have to step farther forward with my hind legs, which means that I have to round my back a little and bend the joints in my hind legs a little more. I have to say that I am very good at this, except when my left hock is bugging me. Even then, I can still do a pretty good job. And I look pretty handsome doing it.

xpressfoto.com

I had to learn how to do the half-halt, though. Actually, to be more precise, I had to learn what the signal was for the half halt. Now I know that when my rider asks me to go forward, but then keeps me from going faster, I am to do the half-halt. The way Stacy usually asks me to go forward is with a squeeze or bump from her legs. The way that she keeps me from going faster is by holding with her core muscles and the outside rein. If I get stiff or turn my head to the outside, which sometimes happens, she supples me a little with her inside rein. Then she relaxes all of these pressures.

I can tell if the half halt worked because I will be working harder! I think the way that Stacy can tell is that it feels like my energy is cycling from her legs through my hind legs and back through the bit and the reins to her. Also, both of us feel like we could do anything together! I have to admit, even though it is harder work it feels nice.

Best wishes,
Taco

Ask Taco: Cross Country and Conditioning Success

2010-12-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

Q. Dearest Taco,
I have long admired you and your sexy legs...I mean athletic physique and bold attitude. I can get kind of scared going XC, especially when my rider, Megan, tells me to take off too long at a jump. Can you give me some tips in how to be an excellent XC horse like you?

Your admirer,
Flo

A. Dear Flo,

Thank you for your kind comment about my legs. I honestly thought that you had lost interest since you did not pay much attention to me this summer when we were in Indiana together. But I am happy to help you out.

It is easy to be an excellent cross country horse if you follow three rules.
1) First, pay attention to absolutely everything that is in your path, so that you are prepared to handle it. Study the terrain in front of you, the obstacle itself, and where the flags are (the darker one goes on the right). Know where every bump on the ground is and whether there is just one jump or another one after it. You will not have much time to do this so you always need to be paying attention, and this will make time seem to slow down. This will help you with rule number two, which is:
2) Always jump if it is is safe to do so. Notice that I do not say that you should jump no matter what. You should only jump if it is safe. This is the vast majority of the time. Sometimes your jump might not be pretty, but that is not a good excuse not to jump. For example, you might be coming to a jump and you are pretty sure that your rider is going to ask for a long spot. At that point, you should slow things down in your mind like in #1, above, and check to see whether you can add another stride. It might not look pretty, but you will be safe and your rider will be happy that you jumped over the fence. The only good excuse not to jump is if you just can't make it over the obstacle and land on your feet on the other side. Always try your very best to make it work.
3) Pay close attention to where your rider is looking. If you think about it, you can usually tell where she is looking, right? That is very important information, because that tells you where to go. If your rider makes some other mistakes on the way to the jump, you can stay on the line that she was riding and ignore the rest of her flailing around. Again, your rider will be very happy that you jumped even though her riding was not perfect.

I hope that these tips help you out, and I hope that I see you again soon. Would you like to jump with me sometime?

Kisses,
Taco

xpressfoto.com

Q. Dear Taco,
I don’t want to be an eventer and neither does my mom, but she says I need to work on “conditioning” b/c it will help my dressage. That sounds like a lot of work to me. Anyway, she begged me to ask you for advice about this, so even though I have no real interest in it myself, I’m asking. I love my mom even if she’s sometimes nuts.

We used to have access to more trails, but some crazy people cut down the trees up there, and since the trees make horses’ feet sick, we can’t use the best trail anymore. My mom thinks we should go over to your place and do this “conditioning” over there. So what would you recommend, exactly?

Thanks (sort of),
Destiny

A. Dear Destiny,
Yes, conditioning can be a lot of work, but it helps get you fit, which feels really good. It allows you to do anything you want to do without getting tired. You will have more energy and vitality, and you will look great. So those are all very good reasons to do conditioning.

As for where to do the conditioning, it is nice to have a large field or a trail. It is possible to condition in a small arena, but that gets boring very quickly, and you will be tempted to throw in some spooks and bucks to make things interesting. This will likely have the effect of angering or otherwise upsetting your mom. Therefore, encourage her to find a nice area in which to condition. Panther Springs Farm, where I live, does indeed have a nice track for conditioning. Usually Stacy has me walk up and down the hill in one of the pastures, and then she does some trotting and cantering around the track. When we are getting ready for a three day event we will do sets of trotting or cantering in between walking breaks. This is called interval training. Now that it is winter and I am not in regular work, we just do a few minutes at each gait but mostly walk around the farm. The hill work is good for my hindquarters, the intervals are good for my cardiovascular system, and the walking is good for my bones, tendons, and ligaments.

I invite you to come over and do some conditioning with me. Try it-- you might like it!

Best wishes,
Taco

Ask Taco: Saddles and Movie Viewing Preferences

2010-12-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

These just in! See Taco's responses, below.

Q: Dear Taco,
I've noticed that your mom is trying out new saddles. How are you weighing in on her decision? Which brands and saddles have you liked most and which least...and WHY? I value your opinion, Taco.
L. C.-B.

A.
Ah, yes, the saddle search. I hope that Stacy gets it settled quickly, because I don't like to have a bunch of different saddles on me. I like to have a couple that fit well that I wear all of the time. The three saddle brands that I have liked the best are Albion (Annika had one of those), Passier (my dressage saddle is a GG model), and Black Country (the jumping saddle that Stacy has is their Tex Eventer model). All of those saddles are well-made and good quality, but the most important part is that they match up to my back very well so that I am comfortable. This does not mean that I could not like another kind as long as it fits me. I have heard that Stackhouse saddles feel really good when the maker comes to measure the horse and rider, for example. Stacy says that they are very expensive but I do wish that she would get one of those.

An extra-forward BC Tex Eventer-- my current saddle

I have a typical Thoroughbred back in that I have a reasonably high wither and a slight curve to it, but I don't have shark-fin type withers like some other Thoroughbreds. I also have a medium wide angle to my back, although I got a little bit narrower when I was really fit for my T3D. Our main fitting problem is my rider, Stacy. She is not too tall but the top part of her leg (from hip to knee) is very long compared to the rest of her. So when she is sitting in the jumping saddle with short stirrups, her knee goes over the front of the saddle if the flap is not forward enough! Then when she rides me over the jumps I can feel her leg slipping back in the air. I am very patient so I let it be unless she happens to bump me with her spur. Then I let her know that she is poking me!

We tried a Frank Baines Extreme last week and right away I could tell it was not wide enough for me. Stacy did not seem to pick up on this fact at first. She can be a little bit slow sometimes. She rode me in it and it wasn't terrible, but I did express my reluctance to leave the barn for the trial ride. Luckily she figured out something was not quite right and sent some pictures to the saddle fitters, who told her that it was too narrow for me and too small for her. Now it sounds like she is going to try another, bigger Black Country and then get a flap that is customized to be more forward.

By the way, she is working with Trumbull Mountain Saddlery and Kate Wooten and they are very helpful, so I am reasonably hopeful that she will get it right. Otherwise I might wind up with one of those Western saddles like the one Tidbit had to try on last week!

Poor Tidbit.

Q. Dear Taco,
I am curious about your movie viewing preferences. Do you have netflicks and do you watch on TV in the barn or do you go to the movie theater? Do you bring your own carrots and do you ride there in your car if the movie theater is your preference?
Love, Grandma

A. Hi, Grandma.
Yes, I do have Netflix. I just have the two-DVDs per month plan. I have a home theater in my stall, because most theaters discriminate against horses. This is actually a pet peeve of mine, because all kinds of destructive humans are allowed into the theaters, but not respectful horses like me.

I prefer hay to carrots for movie food because I just like to munch on something without ingesting a lot of carbs in one sitting.

I watch a lot of drama, suspense, art films, and even some mainstream comedy. I also like horse-themed films although the horse parts have to be reasonably realistic. We don't all neigh compulsively for no reason, you know.

Ask Taco: The Color Pink and Taco's Favorite Film

2010-12-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Taco has already had some questions submitted for the "Ask Taco" column. He has cheerfully answered them. Enjoy!

Dear Taco,

My mommy dresses me in something everyone calls "pee-ink." I don't really understand what it is and why everyone makes a big deal over it. I can't see what this "pee-ink" looks like, but I think it is probably very bright. Since I look smashing in everything (much like you), I can't imagine it looks bad. Could you tell me about this "pee-ink" and if I should be worried about wearing it? Maybe I have to wear "pee-ink" because I have only one eye? I don't think people should discriminate against me for having only one eye, in fact, I think I should get bonus points for doing everything two-eyed horses can do with only one eye. So anyway, my mom always says her "pee-ink" is very tasteful and "real men wear 'pee-ink.'" What do you think?

Fondly,
Arizona

A. Thanks for writing, Arizona. This is an excellent question.

What you are referring to is the color pink. A color is the hue that we perceive when we look at an object. It is caused by how an object absorbs and reflects light. Some colors you might be familiar with are green (grass when it is alive) and blue (the sky and the ribbon for first place here in the US). There are three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. Pink is a less saturated form of the color red.

Pink has an illustrious history as a color. It is often seen as the color of love, so if your mom is having you wear it, it means that she loves you. Sometimes it is also seen as feminine, but this is entirely culturally constructed. In Japan it is seen as a manly color, for instance. In India, a whole city, Jaipur, was painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1853. Many pink buildings remain there today.

So yes, your mom is right, real men do wear pink and in fact whole cities wear pink. I have seen plenty of handsome geldings with two eyes wearing pink. I have seen you in your pink outfits and you look handsome too.

Best wishes,
Taco


A beautiful pink flower

Q. Taco, what is your favorite movie?
Carol S.

A. Thank you for this question. I love films. Recently, I very much enjoyed Julie and Julia (Columbia, 2009). I am a gourmet and a blogger, and this film combined two of my interests in a virtuosic recipe that was beautifully-shot and well-acted. I highly recommend it.

Perhaps my favorite classic film is All About Eve (Twentieth Century Fox, 1950). I enjoy anything with Bette Davis, and the amazing repartee throughout the film will always be unparalleled. Being a very talented horse, I am happy to mentor others (like Rugie), but I must keep a lookout for those who would like to steal my fame. This film reminds me to do so.

Best wishes,
Taco

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!

Taco on Life These Days and New "Ask Taco" Feature

2010-12-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Stacy has been very busy lately. Two weeks ago she did not come ride me at all! She said that she went somewhere called Texas for a conference. Just as I have a job, she apparently has a job too. It is a very lazy job, however, because it does not involve any running or jumping. She just sits there at a screen and sometimes talks to people who are sitting in a room with her.

Anyway, I didn't mind less riding at first, because I was pretty tired after my T3D. But now that the weather has gotten cooler, I am ready to go again! I really liked the T3D. Stacy let me go as fast as I wanted to on the steeplechase and she did not interfere with me too much when we had a jump. After that I had a nice break but I wasn't really tired, so I was thrilled when I got to go again and jump a regular cross country course. When I got back to my stall and rested, I had plenty of energy but my hind legs felt really sore. I would have done the showjumping the next day anyway but Stacy talked to some vets and she decided to just take me home instead and let me rest. She said we can do another T3D next year, and I am really looking forward to it.

At least I have been able to jump a few times recently. I have been very excited to jump and I am very good at it. On other days I have had to do a little bit of dressage or trot and canter around the track a few times. It is not hard work but that little bit of exercise makes me feel good. Some horses really like to have 100% time off-- no riding at all. However, that would make me very bored and if I don't get work I exercise myself in my pasture and sometimes get a little bit agitated when I am being led in or out of the barn. I don't mean to but I can't help it sometimes. It is just better for everyone when Stacy rides me.

We are also trying out new saddles. Stacy needs a new saddle because she found out that hers is too small.

I would like to help out all of my fans so I am starting an "Ask Taco" column on this blog. You can send in questions about anything and I will give you the answers. I am extremely intelligent and I can answer anything you ask me. You can ask horse questions or also fashion or history or etiquette or home decor questions or questions on any other topic. Send them to Stacy at cookiepony at gmail dot com, or post them in the Comments section on this blog post.

Best wishes,
Taco

T3D! Part 2

2010-11-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your patience, Team Taco fans. Here is the promised entry on what happened at the actual competition!

As you might recall, I left you in a little bit of suspense about whether or not I would stay on for hacking R&T and getting over to the steeplechase school. I must admit that it was this question that worried me the most going in. I imagined that Taco might get so excited about the other horses running around that he would jump in the air and chuck me on the ground. Hey, I had to put my anxiety somewhere, right? But on the other hand, I had to have some way of getting over to the very far end of the Kentucky Horse Park to meet Dorothy Crowell.

At first I had decided to hack over by myself, but then Kerry and Chase, some P3D competitors from Georgia, were heading out at about the same time we were. So we decided to hack together. And it turned out to be great! After we had been out a few minutes Kerry thought that we should trot, and we did. Chase is a little horse with a big stride, and Taco stayed pretty busy keeping up! He was fresh but it was nothing I couldn't handle, and I arrived at the steeplechase school with a sense of triumph.

Taco scoping out the steeplechase field upon our arrival

The school itself had been a source of anxiety too. To add to my trepidation, one of the riders in the previous group fell off just when I got there. But I knew that if I just held on, I could ride as fast as Taco could run. I asked Dorothy to encourage me to go faster should I need to, since I thought I might probably err on the side of going too slow. And I was off! First we did a 260-meter marked stretch, which we were supposed to do in 30 seconds. We then proceeded immediately to a triple bar showjumping fence. Taco and I did both quite respectably. Yeah!! Next, we got to practice accelerating from a standstill and jumping the first steeplechase fence on the actual course. Here is what happened:

To quote Dorothy, woo hoo!

Then I did hack back to the barn, back along Phase A, all by myself. As I was trotting along under the blue sky, amidst the fall foliage, through the park that only recently had held 700 of the top horses in the world, and on the back of the horse that I feel is the best one in the world, I thought about how unbelievably lucky I was.

The next morning was our dressage test. Hoo boy, was it cold! My numb fingers re-braided Taco (a slightly better job this time) and we tacked up and hacked over to the dressage complex. Amy helped me warm up, making sure that I got the engine going at a hot enough temperature. My dad and my stepmom Jennifer arrived while I warmed up, and then I headed down center line! It was a respectable test. My connecting half-halts were not as effective as they needed to be during the canter lengthenings and he tossed his head at the end of each one. He broke from the canter in the corner after the right-lead lengthening. My trot lengthenings were adequate but suffered from a similar inconsistency in the connection. But he was forward and very obedient, and I was very pleased with him. We scored a 36.4, which was good enough for 7th out of 34 starters.

Photo by xpressfoto.com

That afternoon, I went over Phases A-D thoroughly. Amy walked me around Phase D (the regular cross-country phase) and we made a good plan. Out of concern for the hardness of the ground, I decided to "ride" Roads and Tracks on the bike. It took me a minute to figure out the route, but I eventually got my gates and kilometer markers figured out. On the advice of my friend Jennifer Joyce, who is an old hand at this classic-format stuff, I got a second armband and put my little Phase A-C time chart into it. I wrote my Phase D markers underneath it on my arm with a sharpie, and then took off the extra armband in the ten-minute box. It worked a charm!

The next morning I woke up with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. This was it! The day I have been preparing for for three years! I was worried that I would screw up, but also excited and feeling like I was about to embark on a fun adventure. And that is exactly what it was.

My whole Team Taco crew had met the night before and come up with a game plan for the day. It consisted of Amy, Carol, Lauren, Dad, and Jennifer. Although I only needed one person to send me off onto Phase A, and one person to be in the assistance area after Phase B, the whole crew was at each place, cheering me on and excited for me. Lauren walked me out to the Phase A start, where the others met us. And then I was off, making Taco trot as fast as he could! He is not the world's fastest trotter, and he was spooking at all of the gate judge's cars, so we were slow meeting our first kilometer marker. No matter, we put in a little canter along the way and it was easy to make the time. He also perked up a good bit as we trotted alongside the steeplechase course and a horse raced by!

Phase A. Photo by xpressfoto.com

Then it was steeplechase/ Phase B. Oh, my. I have never gone that fast on the back of a horse in my life. But I was determined to make the time, and I did, with some to spare, even. Once we got up to speed, I felt like everything went very still up on Taco's back, and we sort of skimmed along the ground. He was very careful at each fence, setting himself up just as everyone said he would. Wheeee! What an exhilarating experience! Lauren handed me a water bottle for a quick drink and then we were off on Phase C.

Steeplechase! Photo by xpressfoto.com

Phase C was supposed to contain some walking but Taco was really not too into that. Dorothy had said that it was OK to trot if this happened, as long as the horses were not rudely running away with us. Taco trotted along very happily and politely, so I let him.

In the ten-minute box.

My team was fabulous in the box! Beth joined us, so that we had plenty of calm people to put cold water on and scrape it off. Taco's vitals came right down and he jogged well. Amy and I went over the course one last time. before I knew it, we were off on Phase D again! It was a great round. Taco was forward and confident, and so was I. He was also very, very rideable. We made time easily and I went through the finish with a big smile on my face! It really is true that doing Phases A, B and C before D make the last phase even more fun.

Photos by xpressfoto.com

With the help of my expert sponging-and-scraping team, Taco's temperature, pulse and respiration came down so fast that Dr. Duncan Peters asked me whether Taco had even worked that day. We were released to the barns very quickly and I set about taking care of his legs. We had moved up one spot and ended the day in sixth place!

Later that afternoon, Dr. Peters had generously agreed to do an optional jog for T3D and P3D competitors. I pulled Taco out and jogged him along our shedrow. Uh oh. He was a little uneven. But he jogged better the second time, so I thought he might be stiff from standing in his stall for a while. I went over to Dr. Peters to get his expert opinion.

Waiting for our turn to see the vet

Dr. Peters suggested icing his hocks and light, gentle exercise. Because it was a national competition, Taco was also allowed to have a gram of bute that evening and then 12 hours later. The next morning, I iced again, and then showed him to Dr. Peters again, who was cautiously optimistic that continued gentle movement would loosen Taco up. Since my efforts seemed to be helping, and Taco felt fine during a light ride, I decided to present him at the jog. However, the ground jury sent us to the holding area, where the treating veterinarian palpated his hind end and found it to be quite sore. The hard ground of the day before had, it appeared, taken a considerable toll on his hock joints and he was also quite muscle sore as a result. At that point, I made the difficult decision to withdraw him from the competition. Even if more exercise has been able to loosen him up enough to satisfy the ground jury, I hated to jump him when his hock joints and hindquarter muscles were making him uncomfortable.

So we drove home. I cannot say how very proud I am of my horse and my team, and so very grateful that I had this opportunity to participate in this wonderful event! I got much more confident riding Taco in the open, more confident at speed, and more confident on cross country. I learned how to prepare for a jog, and how to take care of Taco better afterward. And I learned more about how to keep him sound and comfortable for our next T3D. We have an improved game plan for keeping his joints and muscles happier through the training and competition season next year. Indiana Eventing Association T3D is in June 2011, and I plan to be there!

Hagyard MidSouth Training Three Day! Part I

2010-10-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! Or, sort of. We made it to the T3D at Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge and Three Day Event, and through the all-important Endurance Day, but I withdrew Taco at the final jog. It was a letdown not to finish, but there will be other three day events. I am thrilled with my horse and I had a truly fantastic team of folks helping me all weekend.

In the lead-up to the event, I had some great help from Amy. She got me confident over showjumps again (forward, forward, forward!) and gave me some really great comments on my dressage test. She also rode Taco when I had to go to California for a couple of days for work. Talk about trying to pack it all into my schedule—what was I thinking?

Anyway, when we pulled out Wednesday morning I felt that I was as ready as I would ever be. Taco, of course, was born ready, so I had not worries on that score. His recovery times on his last gallop had been ridiculously short. He had also been checked out by Dr. Tony, who found that Taco was dragging one toe a little after a flexion test. We decided to treat that hock with Surpass and to try Equithrive, which contains resveratrol and hyaluronic acid. By the time we left, he was feeling and looking good.

We had a smooth drive to Lexington and went through the first in-barn exam smoothly. I had to hurry to get Taco settled and bathed before a lecture by Dorothy Crowell, the main clinician for the T3D, and Dr. Duncan Peters, who was the veterinary delegate. They spoke on care before and after Endurance Day. Much of what I heard was familiar, but I took careful notes and heard several helpful things. After the lecture, I let Taco graze on the lovely green WEG track for a while, and then tucked him in for the night. As I moved around the Kentucky Horse Park, I kept thinking that the competition I had been working toward for the last three years had actually arrived. My task at this point was, I thought, to put all of my preparation to the best use possible.

The next day was completely packed with activity. It started with the mandatory briefing for the T3D, P3D, and CCI* riders, continued with Dorothy's lecture on timing A, B, and C and a steeplechase walk, then the jog, and finally a steeplechase school. I woke up pretty nervous, thinking about doing all of these things and managing to braid and clean up Taco, too. But my strategy was to make a good plan and then just to concentrate on whatever task was before me. This turned out to be a helpful strategy all weekend. Whenever I found myself getting jitters, I asked myself, "what do I need to concentrate on now, at this very moment?"

The briefing and lecture left little time for braiding and primping for the jog, but just before the jog my number one groom and sports psychologist, Carol, showed up. She had brought the shoes and jewelry that I planned to wear for the jog, and she also did her magic on the buckles and clincher browband of Taco's bridle. She has become an expert metal polisher, poor thing! There was a scary moment when I realized that the hoof polish I planned to use had comfrey in it, which is not USEF-legal (although external use is probably fine). So off I went to find some hoof dressing. I arrived back at the stall some minutes later (the vendor had been very talkative) with pine tar. Big mistake! It was cold and went on like molasses, and then proceeded to pick up every speck of dust his hooves encountered.

So it was a hurried pair that made our way to the jog lane—but once there, it was wonderful! I stood Taco up for Dr. Peters and the ground jury, and then we jogged down the lane (the same one used by world-class horses at Rolex and the World Equestrian Games!). Taco floated along beside me and I felt like a million bucks. We were accepted easily and went back to the stall. On the way back, we met poor Carol, whom I had delegated to find a dressage whip for the jog. She had rummaged through the trailer and come up with both a long jumping bat and my Wonder Whip, but by the time she found me again I had already jogged! Note to self: jogs always go faster than you think they will!

Handsome Face

Jogging

Will Stacy stay on during the hack to the steeplechase school? Stay tuned for the next episode!

Wake-Up Call

2010-10-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the annual Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials. The short version of our weekend is that we won the dressage and then I fell off in stadium. I am unhurt except for my pride.

The longer version: I had an amazing weekend at the World Equestrian Games eventing competition a week ago, got totally behind on sleep and grading, put in a long week of teaching, writing, and meetings while I tried to get caught up on the sleep and grading, squeezed in some rides, and peeled myself out of bed yesterday morning to go braid.

Despite my preoccupations, Taco went quite well last week. Amy had ridden him while I was at the WEG, and I came back to a newly tuned-up Taco. When I had a lesson on Thursday, she showed me how to do the suppling work that she had done and then we had a productive jump school. So I felt well-prepared coming into the show.

I should have known I was in trouble when I woke up and was not excited about the day. This is very unusual for me on the morning of a competition. I am usually nervous on show mornings, but I have a spring in my step and a sense of purpose. Not so yesterday. I kept catching myself thinking negative thoughts.

I got to Brownland Farm, which is where the dressage and stadium are held, in plenty of time and made my way over to the warmup area. Taco felt a little "stuck." I felt overheated and ineffectual. But Amy talked me through it and by the end of my warmup we were looking credible. I made a few mistakes in the test (breaking in a lengthening, walking at C instead of H, doing my signature flub of a canter transition), but we scored a respectable 31.8, which put us in first place.

Taco looking handsome during the canter lengthening (Palmer Photo)

I walked the showjumping course one more time and then tacked up, all the while lacking concentration and focus. Longtime Team Taco member Elizabeth expressed concern over my mental state, and started pushing the Powerade and encouraging me to think more positively. I drank the Powerade and tried to get my head in the game. In warmup, I was on my own because Amy's dressage time was at the same time as my showjumping, but she had given me instructions. I tried to work on Taco's adjustability, get him in front of my leg, and ride in a powerful rhythm to the jumps. However, I did not get the job done. I let myself get distracted by a dispute between two trainers and never established that forward ride that I would need for the showjumping course.

The result was an underpowered ride all the way around until the third to last, which was the final element of the triple combination. As I jumped in I thought that I would be OK-- I knew that it was a one-stride to a two-stride, and I started to count my way through. Unfortunately, because Taco was underpowered coming in, he landed close to the second element, took two strides, and was still too far away from the final element to jump safely. Rather than take off from that distance, he wisely chose to stop. The thing about Taco is that he (almost) never stops, and the very few times that he has stopped have been when he has felt that he absolutely cannot jump safely. Anyway, I fell off the side of his neck and landed on my feet, holding the reins. I left the arena in a cloud of embarrassment. What is that saying that Jimmy Wofford likes? Experience is what you get a moment after you need it. I immediately realized that I had not given Taco the ride that he needed that day.

After some soul-searching, I decided not to ask the Ground Jury for permission to ride XC the next day. I was obviously not 100 percent, and I did not want to risk my horse's and my safety over solid obstacles. So I loaded Taco on the trailer and took him back to the farm, where he gratefully ate his dinner and went out to his field. I went home and got into bed until nine this morning.

I just hate that I let my horse down in this way, and we have now missed our final gallop, but there are some positive lessons to take from this:
1. I can't do everything that I want to all at once. I need to have appropriate amounts of sleep and rest in order to be at my best in competition.
2. It is imperative that I ride forward in showjumping (and in all phases). If this requires recruiting a ground person for my warmup who is willing to yell at me until I move my @$$, so be it.
3. We missed a gallop, but Taco is incredibly fit already and the ground was hard this weekend. Not running XC reduces wear and tear on him in advance of the T3D.
4. If I'm going to screw up, I might as well do so at a local horse trials than the T3D. Now I have gotten *that* out of the way. I will be on my toes more at the T3D.
5. Taco is an extremely safe horse. Not only is he a lovely jumper, and extremely honest, but he will also decline to jump should I get us into a problem spot. I am so lucky.

I went out to the barn and clipped him today, then hacked him around the fields. Carol came with me and did some bike riding with the dogs. It was a lovely, restful afternoon. I was happy to be with my wonderful horse and my wonderful family.

Losing some fur

Showing off the new haircut

After adding some dust

Quiet Weekend at Home

2010-09-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

It is the calm before the storm of my trip to the WEG, MTPC, and the T3D, all of which are happening in the space of the next four weeks. Oh, and I will be making a quick work-related trip to CA in there, too.

In the meantime we are continuing our horse and human workouts. And we got some wonderful news today: Dorothy Crowell is going to be the main clinician at the T3D! The event secretary sent out an email today to tell us the rough schedule for the briefings and inspections.

We also got a pleasant surprise in the mail: Taco's and my Training level USEA Silver Medal. I am going to wear it on my jacket lapel.

In very sad news, Team Taco friend Hilda Donahue lost her wonderful partner Extravagance at the Poplar Place CIC*** today. They were a lovely pair and I am heartbroken to hear this. Rest in Peace, Extravagance.

More training...

2010-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Since the AECs, we've continued to prepare for the T3D. Taco's fitness is great, but mine needs work, so I have been doing some additional workouts at the gym. I've also started a Rider Fitness Accountability Thread on the COTH BB to keep me motivated.

It's been summer-like for the past couple of weeks but we've gotten in some trot sets and a little gallop (more for me than for Taco). We had a jump lesson last weekend that reminded me of the importance of committing to a rhythm (not a distance) on the approach to each fence. Here are some video clips, taken by our friend Elizabeth:

There are 34 entries in the T3D at Midsouth! Wow! I am so happy for the T3D program and it will be a great group of people there, I am sure.

I also got some AEC pictures from the professional photographer Mark Walter Lehner of Hoofclix.com. They are gorgeous-- his team does a great job! Here are a few of my favorites. And you might have noticed that I have posted a new picture under the title of the blog, too.

AECs!

2010-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the American Eventing Championships, or AECs. Or, as it might be appropriately called, the American Eventing Clinic-- for it was an extremely positive educational experience for me! We finished in the middle of the pack (22nd out of 50+ horses), but on top of the world in terms of developing our partnership and confidence together.

We had expert, encouraging help from the peerless Hilda Donahue. When I initially realized that Amy could not come to coach me, I did despair somewhat, but then I was lucky enough to arrange coaching with Hilda. I had met her while she was volunteering at Pine Top Advanced HT during the infamous rainy 2009 event-- yes, she was volunteering at an event where she was riding! In the rain! Then I had heard great things about her from my friend Seema, and when I asked Seema whether Hilda might be a good coach for the AECs, I got an enthusiastically affirmative response. Hilda fortunately agreed to coach me, and we had a wonderful phone conversation the week before the event in which I told her all about Taco and me.

The week before we left, Amy worked with me on both our jumping and dressage. In both disciplines, we concentrated on me riding every moment, and responding to what was going on underneath me instead of relying on a formula of what I thought I "should" be doing. I decided to set riding in the moment throughout all three phases as a goal for this event. We also worked on angling a three-stride line, a practice session that I was very glad to have done come cross-country day! All in all, Amy did a fabulous job of preparing us, both last week and throughout our partnership. Hilda was very complimentary of my preparation.

When we arrived at Chattahoochee Hills I was instantly blown away by the magnitude of the event. I believe almost 700 horses started! The trailer parking alone was a ginormous area.

The trailer parking was surrounded by the circle of road dubbed "I-285" by some participants.

We were fortunate enough to be stabled in the rear of the property, in one of the lovely permanent barns. This is the nicest show stabling I have ever seen. Each stall had rubber mats, and was slightly deeper than it was wide so that the horses could retreat to the back of the stall to get some peace and quiet.

The beautiful barns in our section (ours was the one to the left).

Taco just after arrival.

Dressage went very well. Hilda had me practice each movement of the test in turn, and emphasized correct bend and energy. We practiced lengthenings with well-timed half-halts, and the turn in the center of the 15 meter figure-8. Then it was was showtime! Taco pumped up a little bit when we entered the arena, and he put in a lovely, fluid test. I could have changed the bend in the figure-8 better, and done a better job preparing for my left canter depart, and kept the energy in the transition from free to working walk better, but all in all it was nice. The judges agreed, and my two scores came to a 28.2, putting us in 2nd place out of those 50+ horses.

Hilda discussing our performance after the test.

Cross Country (click here for photos of the jumps and a course map) was more technical than anything I have seen to date. But when I walked it I thought that Taco and I were ready for it!

The ski jump bank down to the angled cabins. Lots of people decided to circle here, but I correctly thought that we could handle the straight route!

Hilda had really emphasized correct line and balance when we walked the course together. She always looks back from each fence to the one before it to check the line that she plans to ride. This helped me tremendously. In the warmup, she had us do a variety of rides to the fences-- off of turns and angles, and also working on getting him out in front of my leg. I was nervous leaving the start box, but I knew that we had done everything possible to set ourselves up for success. Taco came out ready to do his job, as usual. He jumped clear around over everything, including the combinations at the water (a rolltop on a mound, down a bank that looked huge to me, and out over a very tall skinny brush), the ski jump to angled cabins (thanks for the angle practice, Amy!), and the coffin. He was very careful and patted the ground a few times in front of the drops, so I just tried to support him with my leg and let him do what he needed to do.

I rode at a pace that felt comfortable to me, which turned out to be over 20 seconds slow. I wanted to make sure I jumped around safely, the ground was hard (remember we have a little thing called a three day event coming up!), and my riding at speed is definitely still a work in progress. I thought we were going pretty fast, but on the video it looks like we are just loping around!

Our time penalties dropped us down to 20th place, so we had little pressure going into showjumping. Still, I wanted to ride a good round here. Taco was definitely a little stiff after XC and standing up in a stall for several nights, so with Carol's help I got him out and walking as much as possible and our Aunt Lynda brought us plenty of ice to soothe his feet and ankles. He felt good in the warmup and Hilda once again gave us exactly what we needed to get ready for our round: some jumps off of a shorter turn to give me the feeling of revving T's hocks up underneath him. The course was maxed out (the concession to making the first fence a little softer was to not max out the oxer's width!) and very gallopy, with several long approaches. Then we went in, and Taco just jumped out of his skin. I felt like we could have jumped anything-- he was so elastic and responsive. We had one rail after I rode a less than stellar turn, but I really felt that I pushed through to a new level of eliciting Taco's best jumping. Big pats for him! I told Hilda when I came out of the ring that I felt like the event had been a very productive clinic for me.

We drove home in the heat, as I relived my favorite moments of the weekend. While each phase had room for improvement (watch out for us next year, folks!) I was tickled that we had put in three very solid phases that built confidence in each one. I loved spending time with Taco in this way, and seeing friends, and getting to know Hilda and her lovely fiance (thank you so much for the taco dinner!!), and having the devoted help of Carol (she is getting really good at picking stalls, poor thing). Thank you to the USEA and the AECs organizers and volunteers, and to Carol, and Hilda, and Seema for the lovely, unexpected gift, and Lynda for the golf cart rides and ice and water, and Dad for my fancy new helmet, and Mom for the camera with which the above pictures were taken! Thank you Team Taco!! We could not have done it without you!

This is what it's all about.

Quick Notes on the Dressage Show

2010-08-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Taco and I went to a recognized dressage show last weekend. We entered the Opportunity classes, which do not require USEF and USDF membership or nonmember fees! They are a great deal for eventers. However, they were not heavily subscribed because, I am guessing, people do not yet know about them. We were the only entry in one class and one of two in another. We won both tests. ;)

Blue ribbon for first AND last place in First Level, Test Three!

I rode First 3 first, in the Miller Coliseum at Middle TN State University. The atmosphere was a bit electric in there and our test was a bit tense. People applauding for the rider in the other arena did not help. It scored a 60.5, which was generous.

Our next test was First 1, in the covered arena, and was much better. Taco felt lovely and fluffy and forward. However, the judge said that she thought Taco looked uneven on his left hind. So our score was not great- 61.3.

I had Dr. Tony check Taco out early this week and he found nothing except for a mild reaction to flexing Taco's hock joints, which was not new. I am already giving Legend before competitions (except for dressage shows!), and we are also trying Cosequin ASU. So I am hopeful we can keep the guy comfortable.

Lastly, we had a long time to wait between tests at the show, so we had to entertain ourselves somehow. This is what Taco had a good time doing:

Thanks Elizabeth for coming and cheering for us! And thank you Carol for videoing everything. It is good for me to be able to see the tests.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-12T19:04:00.001-07:00

My friend Megan has a photo of her dogs lying flat-out in front of a fan at the barn. That's about how I feel. I went to Rhode Island on vacation and I had thought that getting a week away from the Tennessee heat would make it easier to come back, but it's worse! It's very difficult to motivate. There has been little rain and things are starting to get brown.

Fortunately, having goals supplies motivation in these kinds of situations. I have worked out my conditioning schedule for the T3D in October, since it is about 11 weeks out, and now I need to execute it. Nobody pointed out to me that doing a fall three-day means conditioning in August!

Taco is fairly easy to get fit to begin with, and he has a nice baseline. He recovered in the blink of an eye, it seemed, after our XC run at Penny Oaks. Admittedly, we were treated to mid-80s and low humidity that weekend. His resting temperature is barely 99 degrees (normal for a horse is 99-101), his normal heart rate is 36-40, and he recovers quickly after exercise.

Today was yet another hot day, and I decided to try a conditioning ride with the idea that I would pay close attention to how he was doing. It was the first week on the schedule and it was a pretty light workout: 3 sets of five-minute trots and a couple of two-minute canters at 350 meters per minute. He does more than that in many of our dressage schools. To make a long story short, he seemed to find this quite easy, although I myself really felt the heat! Ten minutes after pulling up from the second of our two short canters, his temperature and heart rate were only slightly elevated, and after his shower they were normal again.

As the workouts get longer, the weather will get cooler, or at least I hope so. Here is our plan. If you, dear readers, have some feedback about it, please tell me! It contains elements of several conditioning schedules, two of which have appeared in EVENTING USA magazine (by Nancy Koch and Gina Miles).

T3D Conditioning Schedule- Taco

1. Week of 8/8 3x5@220; 2x2@350

2. Week of 8/15 3x5@220; 2x2@400

3. Week of 8/22 3x5@220; 2x3@400

4. Week of 8/29 3x5@220; 3x3@400

5. Week of 9/5 AECs; 1x5:30@470

6. Week of 9/12 3x5@220; 3x4@400

7. Week of 9/19 3x5@220; 1x6@400; 2x1@500

8. Week of 9/26 3x5@220; 1x6@420; 2x2@500

9. Week of 10/3 1x10@220; 1x2@520; 1x20@160; 10 min rest; 1x6@450

10 Week of 10/10 Taper—hack and normal dressage/jump schools

Week of 10/17 Midsouth T3D

Each week:

Day 1 Dressage plus walk

Day 2 Jump plus walk

Day 3 Hacking out/Hill work OR rest and add hills to 2^nd dressage school

Day 4 Dressage plus walk

Day 5 Jump plus walk

Day 6 Conditioning/Canter

Day 7 Rest

Penny Oaks: We're Qualified!

2010-08-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

Taco and I made the trip back to Indiana for the Penny Oaks Horse Trials last weekend. To relieve the suspense, we wound up 5th... and by successfully completing our fourth Training HT together, Team Taco is now qualified for a Training Three Day Event!

At home, we had a couple of lessons with Amy where she was very adamant that I insist on enough energy from Taco. He is such a lovely horse that he can give much less than he is capable of and still be able to do everything I ask of him. Amy wanted me to draw out more of his capabilities, which makes our dressage more brilliant and our jumping more consistent. I was really pleased with the results of this at home so I was excited to try it in competition.

Taco at the Hoosier Horse Park, ready for action!

Penny Oaks was a dress rehearsal for the American Eventing Championships, to be held Sept 9-12 at Chattahoochee Hills near Atlanta. We had not been to a HT since March, so we needed to check that all systems were go. We started out with what I felt was one of our most energetic tests yet, on a par with our good ones from last fall. I even got real lengthenings! I tipped forward a little bit and his poll got a tad low in places. But it was a vast improvement from Full Gallop HT, where I rushed him without half-halting enough and got him running on his forehand. I was a little disappointed, therefore, when it scored a 38.3. However, scores were high across the board, so no matter.

I was expecting a slightly softer cross country course, since this event has been that in the past. It wasn't, really (surprising a couple of my friends who moved up there!), but the great thing about walking it was that I felt that we were quite capable of everything out there. Overall the course was challenging, but there was no one spot that really made me nervous. And I like the corridors through the trees at the HHP-- it makes galloping fun and interesting. I was a little late for warmup because I had heard that the show was running late and then the schedule got caught up. But this was actually fine, because it made my warmup very economical. Amy did her job of reminding me to keep up the energy very well. And we were off! Taco was absolutely fantastic, and I feel that I supported him and helped him do his job. I was up on the clock about 10 seconds after the first half of the course, and I let off the gas pedal somewhat on the second half. We wound up about 4 seconds slow with 1.6 time penalties. Oops! Oh, well, it was a super run and I could not have been happier with my horse.

In showjumping, I again needed plenty of prodding in warmup to ride forward enough, as the course was a very forward-riding one. When I did, I could really feel the difference! Taco had come out of his stall in the morning looking very fit, and he was ready for more action. We trotted in and I concentrated on keeping energy through the corners and my leg on up to the base of the fences. I did tend to let my body collapse forward in the turns a little bit, and in the pictures I can see that the short crest release that I prefer is not giving him enough freedom, so I need to graduate to an automatic release. Other than that I was pleased with my performance, and more than thrilled with Taco's. Double clear, and one of our better rounds! Taco strutted out of the arena, knowing that he had been a real star.

So, as I said we were 5th (out of 20) but, more importantly, we are qualified for our big goal! AND we had a confidence-building run. I rode fairly well in all three phases, and Taco was simply amazing. Bring on the AECs!

Camp Wrap-up-- Friday and Saturday

2010-07-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

This week has just flown by and we are already getting ready for Penny Oaks next weekend! In the meantime, I promised to post about the last two days of camp. This will be short but sweet.

Friday

I did a Ride-a-Test on Friday morning with Jennifer Conour, a dressage trainer and rider. For non-horsey friends, this means that I rode a dressage test (prescribed pattern at different gaits and in different figures), then she worked with me to imporve my weaknesses, and then I rode the test again. I quite enjoyed it. In my first test, I didn't quite get the connection I wanted. So she set about helping me rev Taco's engine and get straighter, especially to the right in the canter. She said she would rather I overdo the energy than underdo it (sounds familiar). On the second run-through, the test was much more energetic. I enjoyed the lesson-- Jennifer is a fun teacher!

That afternoon, most of the campers left, since camp was technically over. Susan, Sharon, and I had signed up for the schooling dressage show/ combined test the next day, so we stayed over. We had a great time that evening finding a lovely Italian restaurant in Carmel, IN. If you are ever up there and need a recommendation for a great place to eat, try Mangia!

Saturday

I spent most of Saturday morning packing up and getting organized. Then I tacked up for my dressage. I tried to re-create the wonderful energy I had in my lesson with Jennifer the previous day, but didn't quite make it. Also, I forgot the stretchy circle part of my test and got an error. My score was 38.6, which is well above what we are capable of. A little past my sell-by date, y'think? It had been a long week. But I was glad to ride in the show as a rehearsal for going back to events this fall, and now I am very determined to ride with energy and finesse.

I was fairly pleased with my jumping round. Besides getting overexcited about the last fence and forgetting to ride the last line (sorry Taco, good boy), I thought our energy was good, and I wasn't trying to jump ahead! I tried to think "next" as I landed off of each fence, and kept my body up as I had done with Peter.

Then we loaded up and pulled out, waving goodbye to our home for a week. The trip went smoothly until we got to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. My truck's temperature gauge was inching higher and higher. Hmmm. I stopped for gas and got back on the road. It started out cool and then got hotter again. I decided I had best pull over and look at my options. I got off the highway onto a quiet side road.

I had delayed the start of our trip when I had noticed the truck running warm as we were leaving Nashville and I got some coolant to put in. Adding coolant had immediately fixed the problem, and I had merrily driven up to Indiana. Now, when I opened the hood of the truck, the fluid in the reservoir was boiling. Not good. I decided to call AAA (my US Rider had just run out), and found someone who would tow both the truck and trailer to Nashville (the truck for free but the trailer for $$$). Kate (to my immense gratitude) was willing to drive her truck to Nashville to tow Taco the rest of the way home.

Then one of those traveling miracles happened. A mobile diesel truck mechanic on his way home from a job drove by, and stopped to help. He opened up the radiator cap and had me start the truck. There was an air bubble in the radiator, he theorized, and he thought that he had been able to release it. We ran the engine for a while and the temperature seemed normal. He said that he thought I could keep driving. Yay! So I did. The gauge did inch up again, but stayed on the good side of the red. We arrived home late but safe. The truck went in for a coolant flush, new thermostat, and new radiator cap, and is now running cooler again.

(Taco says" "Wow, that was a looong trip. I am really grateful that Stacy gave me some wet beet pulp while we were waiting for help, but I was incredibly bored. At least I was pretty tired and I got some good napping in. I was so happy to see my friends when I got back! I had a lot to tell Rugie about and he got really excited about going to eventing camp someday.")

Taco's sleepy face (at camp on Friday afternoon)

I slept for half of the next day and I'm sure Taco did too. He was a complete star all week and I was so pleased with him!

My confidence is high and I am looking forward to Penny Oaks next weekend. I had a dressage lesson today and we worked on more of that good energy, despite the junebugs that like to dive-bomb Taco's face. We jump early next week and then we are off to Indiana again.

Camp- Wednesday and Thursday

2010-07-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday

At home in his stall at camp

Taco and I reported in for our cross-country pace lesson with Dorothy Crowell at 9 AM. It was held on the lovely galloping track at Come Again Farm, to Taco's OTTB delight. As we waited for the previous group to finish, we stood watching in a group in a pasture next to the track, where Dorothy gave us a mini-lecture on the five gears of XC riding (5 being flat out and 1 being a coffin canter). Our first exercise was to ride around the track at about 350 meters per minute at around 3rd gear, one at a time.

When we all moved out to the spot where we were to begin the exercise, Taco fired right up! Four other horses riding off together was very exciting. When I first got Taco, Annika was very clear that I might wish to avoid foxhunting and large group rides, and I was reminded of her admonition at this moment. Megan was there watching and put a hand on T's bridle to help get us to where we were supposed to be with a minimum of jigging and jumping sideways. Then we were off, and met the pace easily, despite a couple of little bucks.

Then Dorothy taught us the in-between fences, exercise-jockey position. Wow, it felt weird! Stirrups all the way home, toes down, very short double bridge, elbows straight. This is useful, she explained, because it requires the horse to use very little energy in the topline and can help preserve both the rider's and the horse's energy around a longer course. Even at Training level, it is possible to be fatigued at the end of the course, and conserving a little bit of energy helps. First we practiced this position at the trot and canter, and then we added it to a longer exercise: gallop position along the back side of the track at about 450 mpm, "come back" aids (moving the hips under and doing a little hop in the saddle to change the position of the stirrups) around the curve, and then the sitting C approach position to a little triple bar halfway down the next stretch, to be jumped in 3rd gear.

I failed at this exercise the first time. I did the galloping position and the come back position OK, but I never tucked my hips under enough as I approached the triple bar. As a result, Dorothy explained, if Taco had done anything but jump the fence in his usual honest way, I would have been in danger. So she made me do it again. This time I was better BUT, she pointed out, I have little flexibility in my lower back and my sitting C was barely a "C". She recommended stretching my lower back before riding.

After I managed to pull Taco up (he was having way too much fun), Dorothy changed the jump to an ascending oxer, to be jumped in 2nd gear. I had the sitting C concept down a little better and managed to accomplish this fairly well. We ended with that.

That afternoon, it was on to our showjumping lesson with Lauren Kieffer. I watched a couple of lessons before mine and saw that she was doing very basic stuff. Everyone warmed up over a crossrail and then moved on to practicing adjustabilty and winding up over a little course. When I got out there, our warmup fence was an oxer. I got a little nervous and asked Nancy if I had somehow gotten placed into the Prelim group. She said she didn't know, but that she guessed we both would have to step up if it were a Prelim group. I decided I could do that and, what do you know, everything was fine.

Actually, it was more than fine. After our warmup, we were instructed to ride a six-stride line in seven strides to work on our thinking skills and adjustability. Then, in Lauren's words, we played a "turning game." Three fences on a sepentine, basically. I was a little skeptical that I could do it, but when I followed Lauren's instructions and concentrated on the next fence in the air over the previous one, it was actually much easier than I expected. It was fun! I was pleased because I have been having trouble focusing on what's ahead instead of what I just did in my jumping.

We ended over a course that included some more turning questions, plus the original question of putting 7 strides into the 6. This last one caught me out and I had to repeat it. Horses do tend to get longer as the course progresses, I learned, and this line was headed back toward the barn. But I nailed it the second time. Taco was perfect through all of this and Lauren gave him a nice pat when we finished up (as did I, plus many carrots upon returning to the barn). One of the other people in our group told us that we made the exercises look easy! And a little bird told me that Lauren said our group had been fun to teach.

On Wednesday night we were the guests of Janssen Veterinary Clinic, where we were fed in grand style and treated to a lecture on soundness in sport horses. After fruit parfait, several glasses of lemonade, and cookies, I was on a total sugar high. Egged on by Megan and Nancy, I was an active audience participant. My favorite part of the lecture was a series of three case studies that allowed us to follow along the diagnostic trail of bread crumbs to diagnosis and treatment. We three geeks in the front row had a great time, and then we got a personal tour of the facility (wow!) afterward.

Thursday

Thursday was cross country day with Peter.

Peter helping me buck up my courage-- it worked!

The lesson was a continuation of what we did in our gymnastics session two days before. He was very adamant that we stand up at the point of takeoff (up, up, up!), thinking of putting our belly buttons in front of our chests (we used a different word but this is a family-friendly blog). Because the front of the horse jumps (the back end provides the energy, but it is the front end that must get out of the way first), we need to free it up as much as possible. Legs under us or a little bit forward and squeezing to the base. Then hips continue to push forward on landing. Hallelujah, it worked. I felt really confident and I'm sure Taco appreciated more freedom from my lumpy self weighing down his shoulders.

We got to do a lot of jumping, and after working on ditches and banks, we moved on to some Prelim questions: skinnies! First we did a little palisade, down through a swale, and around a turn to a skinny palisade. I had to do this twice because the first time I didn't ride straight (i.e. forward) enough after I made the turn.

LAZ's beautiful palisade skinny (she built this one herself!)

Up and over (mutant right leg starting to look a little better here!). Megan's photo.

Then Peter asked us if we were "happy" to jump the skinny Prelim rolltop chevron thingy (see below).

I gave him an honest answer: no. He said that was fine, and had me watch the others. Of course I got antsy and decided that I could do it. On the video (below), you can hear Megan and Peter debating over whether I was going to jump it or not. In fact, I believe Peter was taking bets. When I finished the exercise, he gave me a big hug!

We ended by doing a terrain exercise (one downhill fence followed by an uphill one) and then at LAZ's brand new water, which is not finished yet but had a nice bank for us to jump off of.

Here is the video (thanks Megan!)

I was then scheduled for a steeplechase lesson with Dorothy, to begin right after XC, but we had jumped more than I'd expected to with Peter and Dorothy assured me that I had gotten the skills I need for steeplechase in the pace lesson with her on the previous day. I do want to do a clinic with her someday, though, because I'd like to work more with her on jumping.

Wow, we were tired at this point. Taco and I spent the evening relaxing. Here we are chillin' in the barn with Peter.

(Friday and Saturday posts to come...)

Camp- Monday and Tuesday

2010-07-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, as regular readers doubtless know, was a highlight of 2010: Eventing Camp at Come Again Farm. I was unable to post comprehensive descriptions of Team Taco's daily activities while I was there, so my little mini-posts had to suffice until now. It was a whirlwind week! I barely had time to call home and check on my family, let alone write real blog posts. Plus I had to carve out a little time to go over the page proofs of Stormy Weather (have to pay the bills somehow). But I loved having four entire days to ride, hang out with Taco, and soak up as much information as I could from watching lessons. All in all, it was a great week for having fun and building confidence!

Monday

We arrived at camp in the early evening, having caravaned up with Megan and Flo. Taco was bright-eyed and interested in his new surroundings. The farm was beautiful! It is on 40ish acres and Lee Ann Zobbe (LAZ) has been doing a ton of work on turf and fencing, not to mention a bunch of cross country jumps. We got the horses settled in and moved into our quarters over one of the two indoor arenas, an air conditioned big room. We were first to arrive so we got to choose corner spots for our air mattresses.

One of five barns (LAZ only uses one for her teaching/training/boarding business-- the rest are only used at camp and shows). Megan took this. Taco's stall was the first one on the right.

The West indoor with entrance to the air-conditioned lounge and our quarters to the right of the Airstream (it belongs to some friends/students of LAZ). Megan took this, too.

Then we helped LAZ move jumps for the next day's lessons, and fired up the grill for burgers (veggie burger for me) and fresh corn from the farm stand at the end of LAZ's road. Delicious! It was also at this point that I realized I had forgotten the six-pack of beer that I had promised to LAZ. Ooops.

We chatted for a while with Susan and Sharon, fellow students of Amy's, and Nancy, a COTHer from Ohio who also stayed in the indoor with us. I had exchanged emails with Nancy when she shared her conditioning schedule for the T3D to appear with one of the EVENTING USA articles I co-wrote, but we had not yet met in person. Then we went to sleep in air-conditioned splendor.

Tuesday

I had a dressage lesson with Mary Lowry of Alta Vista Farm in Kentucky and a gymnastics lesson with Peter Atkins of VT and FL.

Megan and Flo during a break in one of their lessons with Peter.

Mary and Amy know each other well, as they have both been students of eventing legend Ralph Hill. With Mary, as I wrote in my quick post from camp, our lesson was about 1) straightness and 2) setting ourselves up for success in jumping. Regarding the first, she was very adamant that the horse's chin should remain between the shoulder blades, and warned us to stay off of the wall of the indoor to ensure that we did not allow the horse to run through our outside aids. She immediately picked up on Taco's and my overbending to the right. To the left, our stiff side, she had me use an opening rein to ask for more bend. Regarding the second topic of the lesson, she introduced us to a favorite exercise of hers, the canter-halt-turn on the hunches- canter series. It is designed to build more "jump" into the canter. During the turn on the haunches, the inside hind leg in one direction becomes the outside hind leg in the new direction, and it is the outside leg that strikes off into the canter. Engaging it through the turn allows it to be ready strike off into canter and usually yields at least one stride of nice jumpy canter. We got some great transitions and canters that way. Then we added canter lengthenings into the mix. She had us add leg in the phase of the stride when the horse moved our hips forward.

After a short break, I put Taco's jumping tack on for our gymnastics lesson. Peter immediately asked us to warm up with high-quality working gaits. He reminded us that muscle grows stronger with use and that correct muscle strengthening will take some of the load off of the horse's joints, which tend to degrade with use. Then he worked on teaching us two things: remaining very present in the moment to what the horse is doing underneath you and lifting up out of the saddle on takeoff. He set up trot poles in a pick-up-sticks pattern that forced us to support our horses as they figured out where to put their feet. Then he added some fences and instructed us to literally stand in the stirrups at takeoff. The rider's keet must be at the girth for this to be possible (and we all know how my legs like to swing back...). This was completely new to me and felt strange at first, but Taco liked it because it allowed me to be much more still over his back. This technique would become even more important during our XC lesson with Peter on Thursday.

Here is one of our run-throughs:

Wow, I'm still only on Tuesday. Well, I will have to post a Wed/Thurs and Fri/Sat account later. So watch this space.

Two days, four instructors

2010-07-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

This will be a very short post as these tired bones are headed to bed! After my lesson with Mary yesterday I had a gridwork lesson with Peter. He told us to lift ourselves up out of the saddle on takeoff-- not forward, but straight up. It felt different but I think I liked it. I will ride with him again for xc tomorrow, so I will get more practice. Today I did a galloping / pace lesson with Dorothy Crowell and a showjump lesson with Lauren Keiffer. Both were very different from each other and both were very helpful and interesting. I'll have to post later in more detail. I'm taking notes!

DressageLesson

2010-07-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

We just finished our dressage lesson. Mary taught us one of her favorite exercises, canter-halt- turn on the haunches- canter off. I loved how springy it made his back legs! Mary got on my case about my left hand creeping back and allowing Taco's neck to overbend. Gridwork next...

At camp!

2010-07-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

We arrived last night after a long drive. Taco traveled very well, as usual. He has a nice big stall next to Megan's Flo. I'm watching their dressage lesson with Peter Atkins right now. Earlier I watched Susan and Tate's gymnastics lesson with Mary Lowry. They both did great!
I ride dressage this afternoon with Mary and then some gymnastics with Peter. I'll try to post tonight!

Safe Speed

2010-07-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about riding safely at speed. It's a hot topic these days in eventing in general, because of the increased attention to safety in the last several years. But I am thinking about it even more because I co-wrote an article about riding the steeplechase at a Classic Three Day event. My friend Holly and I interviewed upper-level eventer Pam Wiedemann, the steeplechase clinician at Waredaca. She gave all sorts of tips about preparing for the steeplechase, which you will be able to read in the August issue of Eventing 2.0.

The most important preparation, it seems, is to learn appropriate speed by marking a track at various distances and trying to cover those distances in a set amount of time. As many times as I have gotten the advice to do this, I never have (hanging head in shame). Until this week, that is, when I measured out the track at Panther Springs. I measured out to 220 meters (should take one minute at a brisk trot), 350 meters (should take one minute at a nice forward canter), 400 meters (should take one minute at an easy gallop), on up to 420 (the lower limit of Training level cross country speed), 450, 470 (the upper limit of Training level cross country speed), and 500 and 520 (the range of speeds for the steeplechase phase).

The 400 meter marker (orange cone)

Then I tacked up and hopped on. I did my trot sets (220 is indeed a brisk trot) and then tried some canters. My idea was that I would do what felt like an easy gallop and see how far I got in one minute. So I did that, and found out that I was going a whopping 350 meters per minute. I was a little surprised since I thought that it was more like 400. Lesson number one—I was not going as fast as I thought. I was riding with the hand brake on—partly because I did not want to set off a green horse that Amy was riding, and partly because I was wondering whether Taco would go nuts and take off. Both concerns were unwarranted. But I felt it was a good session because I know what I need to do next time—take the hand brake off! I can't wait.

This has been a challenging week in other ways since I took my truck in for a leaking brake line. I went to a garage in Nashville, which specializes in heavier-duty work than my usual garage. The mechanics discovered major work that needed to be done, including brakes (pads, rotors, and drums) and the front end (tie rod ends, ball joint, radius arm bushing). Ouch! Apparently the garage that I have been using for oil changes has not been lubricating the chassis properly or inspecting the brakes, and thus missed some developing problems. I am angry with them, to say the least. I am just grateful that I had the brake line problem when I was not hauling so that it was discovered before I was on the road with my precious cargo.

I am out of town (again) for July 4th, and then I return for about a week before eventing camp at Come Again Farm in Indiana. I will blog as much as possible from camp to update on everything I'll be learning!

Taco says: "C'mon! Let's go fast!"

Taco Blogs Again

2010-06-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have to say, the past week has not been that interesting. The end of the previous week was OK because I got to do some jumping and show off a little bit. Also, I really appreciate Stacy sitting lighter on my back when I am headed toward a fence. But then she left for almost a week. She went to a place called Brook Lin Nooyurk, I think. I don't know. She said is was for work, which for her does not involve running and jumping but instead means "reesurch". She says she has to do it to buy me carrots. This sounds flimsy to me, but I put up with it. What I do know is that I got a little bit bored.

I am really grateful for Amy, I must say, because while Stacy was off ignoring me, Amy helped get some of those ticks off. I really hate ticks. They make me very, very itchy. She found some of the horrible creatures in my mane and got them out. Amy is pretty great. She feeds me every morning and most nights, and she brings me out to my very nice field when it is evening and then brings me in before it gets too hot in the morning.

Anyway, Stacy came back yesterday. She had lots of carrots, so I guess she got them from working in Brook Lin Nooyurk. So it is OK that she went. I was happy to see her and she gave me a whole body massage with that nubby tool and then she scritched my tailbone (another hangout for the awful ticks) and yes, I had to go back to work but I was so bored I was ready to do something different besides stand in my stall under my fan.

Now it is supposed to be hot this week so I think I will have to work in the morning before my nap and then have my nap afterward.

Oh yeah, here are some pictures of me with my favorite guy, Ruger. He is a lot of fun-- can you tell? One time he even busted into my pasture from his own so that we could hang out. He is a lot younger than I am so I tell him everything that I know about life.

In Which Stacy Takes Living in the "Volunteer State" Literally

2010-06-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Team Taco has still been going strong-- but for the past two weekends I have been out of town, volunteering at events. On Memorial Day weekend I was at May Daze Horse Trials, hanging with Amy and the Panther Springs Farm crew, grooming where I could and doing three different jobs (dressage steward, scribe, and XC starter) at the show. Then last weekend I was at the Indiana Eventing Association T3D, again wearing three different hats there (10-minute box timer, Long Format Club event representative, and USEA reporter).

In other news, I finished a scholarly article that I sent to a journal... so I have been a busy bee at work too!

I do love volunteering, for two reasons. Well, three, actually. First, I always learn something. Always. I can watch what works or doesn't work for other riders when I am stewarding or jump judging or starting, get in-the-moment critiques from dressage judges on the test in front of us, or find out how a horse trials actually runs. These are just a few of the lessons I've had while volunteering. Second, I get to meet and talk to people who care at least as much about the sport of eventing as I do, and make new friends. Event officials are just people, and some of them are great fun to hang out with! And my co-volunteers are some very generous and likable folks. And, finally, I get to help make the sport happen. That feels good and easily trumps pouring rain, freezing wind, and baking sun.

Taco has been very patient when I have been away, and has greeted me with his wonderful little nicker when I arrive back at the barn. He has also been going so well for me and has been quite a joy. Here is a nice view of what I see from his back.

On the flat, we've been working on more lateral work-- shoulder-in. I've also kept playing with the counter canter. I've been using my trot sets to practice my two-point and get that right leg lengthened and wrapped around him instead of gripping with the knee as it likes to do. Over jumps I have been practicing staying up in my two-point and making the adjustments I need to up there--which is very hard for me! But he seems to like it better so I persevere.

I continue to feel grateful for the luxurious stretch of time in which I've been able to work on basics. The lack of pressure of an upcoming competition helps me take each moment at a time and appreciate just being with my number one guy. When we go back to competing at the end of July, my goal will be to ride as well as possible and meet any specific goals I have for that event (hint: they will probably have to do with riding forward).

Message from Taco:

A handsome man like me needs lots of carrots to stay good looking! Please send some.

Taco Cookie

2010-05-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

The title has no particular meaning; it's just something I call him sometimes. Taco has been his lovely and adorable self, and I always smile when I walk in and see his face pop over the stall door. He has been a superstar for the past week or so. The hives made a very brief appearance last week after some rain (hmm.... pattern here...) but I am pulling my hair out less. I am still considering doing an allergy test.

Why yes, I do know that I am cute!

One thing that I have noticed, now that I have experienced a stretch of not competing, is that I am concentrating on the quality of my riding and training more, for their own sake. Since last winter was so harsh it felt like we never had that nice downtime in which to ride a lot and make some progress. So, now that the weather is good and the semester is over, I have felt like I have paid better attention to our development as a partnership. I hope that this work transfers over to the shows when we go again.

I've actually been enjoying dressage schools. Why is it that the best dressage rides happen when there is no one watching but the dog? I've been playing a lot with leg-yielding and counter canter, and both really help supple him. Then I try some lengthenings at the end of the ride and get some nice ones! It wouldn't be a bad idea for us to visit a dressage show this summer.

Our lesson last weekend was really challenging and interesting. Amy wants me to try sitting lighter on Taco's back during the approach to fences. So the trick is to teach myself that I really can be effective with my aids in two-point. Taco responded by jumping well, we thought. What do you think?

I am going away this weekend to volunteer at the MayDaze horse trials at the Kentucky Horse Park. I'm looking forward to the trip and to seeing many friends ride by as I fence judge, but I am not wanting to leave Taco. I'll also be gone the following weekend at the Indiana T3D, where I will volunteer for both the event and the Long Format Club. And then I will spend six days in mid-June in New York City doing research. So I'll be missing my number one guy a lot over the next few weeks, but it makes my time with him all the sweeter.

Watching Paint Dry

2010-05-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Although there can be thrilling, transformative moments, teaching and learning can be like watching paint dry. Every day brings practice and incremental improvement. I feel that I am learning every day from Taco and Amy, but it is a slow process that takes place over time.

I had a good jumping lesson this week. Earlier in the week I did a short jump school on my own, practicing a figure 8 over a slightly narrow, small vertical and getting pretty good at influencing which lead we landed on.

In my lesson, we started with that vertical and then added a course, turning either left or right on a bending line and continuing on. I was pleased that I kept thinking throughout, adjusting what I needed to in the moment. I felt like an active partner for Taco. The difference, Amy thinks, is probably my short jump schools on my own. I don't need to do much in those sessions to get a positive results in lessons.

Message from Taco:

I'm hungry!

Guest Blogger: Taco Himself

2010-05-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

The following is what Taco dictated to me. I told him that some other horses have been writing their own blog posts and asked him whether he wanted to write one. He agreed, so here it is.

First of all, I would like to thank all of the humans who have taken such a keen interest in my well-being. You are all very kind. I live a very active, adventurous life and I sometimes manage to acquire injuries. I would rather live life to the fullest and take the risk of getting hurt, but I know that this causes great distress to Stacy and it also used to worry Annika a lot, too. So I will try to avoid getting hurt but I cannot make any promises.

Last week was a pretty good week. Stacy came to the barn on Sunday and put me on the lunge line. I showed her that one of my legs was sore (I had done some delightful galloping in the mud the night before) and she untacked me and gave me a bunch of carrots. Then she went home.

The next day, I had to jog on the driveway a bunch of times, and then Stacy tacked me up. She put me back on the lunge and my leg still hurt a little bit but she couldn't see it. Then she got on me and trotted a couple of circles, and finally realized that my leg still hurt. She got off and took me back to the barn for my carrots.

The next day the Needle Man came to see me. He poked me with some needles and then I had to trot on the lunge and jog back and forth for him a bunch of times. It wasn't so great. However, then the really nice part of the week began. Stacy would show up and brush me, and then she would take me out to eat grass for a really long time! It was immensely enjoyable.

But it got boring after a while and then the weekend was exceedingly boring. The place where I live now, Tennessee, got a lot of rain. It rains a lot here in general but the rain last weekend was very heavy and there was thunder and lightning. I heard Amy say something about a "tornado warning." As a result, I was forced to stay inside for one night. I was incredibly bored and that is when I started to think about blogging.

This week, my leg feels better, but I had something really bizarre happen to me. I got lumps all over my body. I do not know where they came from. But Stacy got all worked up about it. She kept squeezing my left hind leg, the one with the scar, and she hosed me off with cold water. She made me wear a strange thing on my head when I went out to my pasture. She also gave me some food that had medicine in it, but I did not mind because it did not taste bad. The next day, I felt a lot better.

I am not sure why I have to wear this.

For the last few days Stacy has been riding me again. I had forgotten that I like working. Sometimes when I think about working, I don't want to do it. But then I get started and I like it again. Stacy said that we could jump over a few things this weekend, and that is something that I quite enjoy. It is better than "dressage," which is what we did today and tends to get a little tedious, I must say.

Stacy says that we are not going to do a lot of traveling this month, but we will travel more in the summer and go to a "camp" in July. That sounds OK to me. I like going to new places.

Jumping, Rolex, and Now an Unplanned Break

2010-04-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Things have been going fairly well in Team Taco land over the past two weeks. As Amy suggested, I upped the frequency of my jump schools and I have definitely noticed a positive difference in my focus and Taco's rideability. They are just short sessions of cantering around over different fences, but it is so much more productive to jump when both of us are more relaxed and ho-hum about it!

After about a week of regular jumping, we had a lesson in which we just jumped a crossrail BUT I really concentrated on untwisting my body from its usual right-shoulder-forward contortion. At one point, Amy asked me to lengthen my reins so that I could exaggerate bringing my elbows (especially the right one) back. Wow, that felt strange! Amy took a video with her cell phone and guess what-- I looked perfectly normal. I understand that this is par for the course when trying to break a bad habit but still, I was amazed.

Last weekend I decided to travel to Lexington to watch part of the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. I was a little bit apprehensive about going since I was worried about seeing more falls. As it turned out, I did see Dorothy Crowell's fall directly in front of me, and it was completely terrifying, but both she and the horse got up and walked away. I am grateful beyond words for this. Dorothy is a lovely person and I had the good fortune to enjoy her company a couple of times last year, at the Indiana T3D and at the USEA Convention. Had she been seriously injured, I would have been devastated.

But enough about falls and fear. I did enjoy going to Rolex with Lauren and Megan, and it is always fun to see the Kentucky Horse Park in all of its Rolex glory.

I soaked up as much knowledge as I could. I got a lesson on how to warm up for dressage from William Fox-Pitt on Saturday (below)-- I was very impressed watching him and then, lo and behold, he won the dressage (and the whole event!).

I stayed for cross country and the Sunday morning jog, and then raced back to Nashville to ride Taco. He was rather muddy.

It was fun (cough, cough) getting the mud off.

Then I tacked up to lunge and ride. But when I asked Taco to pick up the trot to the right, he was definitely off, seemingly in the left front. No obvious heat or swelling. I lunged him to the left and he looked OK, and then tried the right again, but he was still off. So I took him back to the barn and untacked him, and got down to the business of going over his left front leg with a fine-toothed comb. All I came up with was a tiny cut under the cuff of his bell boot, perhaps caused by a speck of remaining mud. I removed the bell boot and scrubbed the area, then tried lungeing again. He maybe looked a teeny bit better, but still not sound.

I thought that perhaps the cut was stinging him so I slathered on wound ointment and decided to check on him the next day, which was yesterday. When I got to the barn he was sound jogging in a straight line, so I tacked up again. Unfortunately, when I got on and picked up the trot, I could definitely feel that he was off to the left. It clearly wasn't the small cut, since it was healing very well and he did not react when I manipulated the skin around it.

I was very lucky that Dr. Tony of Franklin Equine was already scheduled to come today for some other horses, so I called the clinic and told them to add a lameness exam to Tony's list. I had to teach this morning, but Amy was gracious enough to hold and jog Taco for Tony. He tried hoof testers (negative), a navicular test (negative) and low diagnostic nerve blocks (no change). His thought is that Taco must have tweaked a soft tissue structure by somehow landing wrong on that foot. The plan is to bute and rest for five days and on Monday we will see how he is doing. He can have normal turnout until then.

I am relieved that Tony thinks it is not something major and I certainly hope he is right! When Taco is not 100%, I am not quite 100% either. So everybody keep your fingers crossed that he is all systems go come Monday.

And now, a word about the Training Three Day

2010-04-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Some readers of this blog are eventers who are very familiar with the Training Three Day event (T3D), but others may be wondering what a T3D is. There are some links to the right of the screen that explain in great detail, but the short version is that a T3D is a Training (1 meter jumps) event in which dressage, cross country, and showjumping are on three consecutive days and in that order-- AND the cross country day includes four separate phases. There are two phases in which the average speed is a brisk trot, one phase of steeplechase, at a gallop over brush fences, and one phase of the usual cross country course, with varied fences in combinations, done at a more moderate gallop. In addition, veterinarians monitor the horses throughout the weekend and determine how well the rider has done at preparing the horse's fitness. Finally, all T3Ds have an educational component. Experienced eventers give lectures and clinics to the participants.

About four years ago, I decided to make a 2010 T3D my goal. In order to make sure that the competitions were still around in 2010, I began volunteering and trying to help promote and support them. Somehow I came to the attention of Cindy DePorter, the Chair of the T3D Committee, and she drafted me into being on the committee. I am happy to serve in that capacity, because I do care so much about the competition and want to make sure it is still there even after I have met my goal.

Part of my service on the committee has been to write or co-write educational articles about the competition. My most recent endeavor features Doug Payne and Gina Miles discussing how they feel the T3D (and Preliminary Three Day/ P3D) help to educate horses and riders. They were both tremendously helpful and down-to-earth when I spoke to them, and I truly enjoyed writing the article.

I am also the regional rep for the Long Format Club to the MidSouth Three Day Event, which means that I will promote the T3D and P3D at the event and serve as a liason between the organizer and the Long Format Club, a grassroots organization that provides financial support to Classic three day events. If you care about the Classic three days, make sure you send a few bucks their way! It is funded entirely by small donations from people like you and me.

Why do I want to do the T3D? First, it will further my education in all of the ways that Doug and Gina mention. Second, it is a goal just far enough out of my comfort zone that it will feel like a real accomplishment when I complete one. Last, but most certainly not least, it will bring Taco and me even closer together. And what better reason is there?

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

2010-04-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since my last post, mainly because my job (yes, actual history professoring-- I have to pay the bills somehow) has kept me quite busy. In addition to the usual teaching prep and grading I've gone over the copyediting for my book (Fedexed out today!) and gone to Washington, DC for a conference. But I digress...

Taco is his usual gorgeous self, and is full of energy in the spring weather. Ideally, I'd be preparing for the Area III championships right now. However, I probably don't need to tell the readers of this blog that competing is expensive, and my competition budget is rather tiny at the moment. We have big competitions planned for later in the year, including the American Eventing Championships (AECs) and of course our Training Three Day. I also want to do an event camp in early July at Come Again Farm in Indiana, with Peter Atkins, Dorothy Crowell, and Holly Hepp Hudspeth. So I am having to make some hard choices about shows in the immediate future, including the Area III Champs.

Given the revised show schedule, then, I need to concentrate on practicing, practicing, practicing. I need to keep a consistent connection in my flatwork so that I don't rush him in the test. Jumping, I'm still working on my *&$%! right leg and the same connection that I need in dressage. As Wofford is fond of saying, "practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect."

The problem with this is that I am far more easily distracted at home. Without the pressures of a competitive situation, unwanted thoughts and anxieties show up. Witness, for example, the I hate wind post from a couple of weeks ago. I got over my fear of Tidbit the miniature horse, but there will always be something for me to fret over (today it was having my right stirrup tied to the girth again). My task is to focus in on my job despite the distractions, just as I would at a show. I feel that I have made some progress, but if anyone has suggestions or experiences to share on this topic, please comment!

Tidbit doesn't scare us!

Despite the above challenges, my practicing has been going fairly well. On Easter Sunday I decided to try jumping again. This time it went better. We conquered the crossrail...

(See that right leg? Damn!)

and then a few other little fences.

I've felt like we've done some good flatwork in the last week, too.

I had a mini-breakthrough when I realized that I've been riding with my right hip always cocked forward, which is sending my right leg back. I go to the chiropractor on Wednesday and will ask her about this. In the meantime I've been bringing my right hip back every time I think about it, with some good results.

Today I had a lesson and, as I mentioned above, my stirrup got tied to the girth again. And I broke the string three times! I think Amy was a little annoyed, especially when I freaked out each time she tied it up again. But I freaked out far less than I had in our previous lesson, so that was progress. Taco was plenty fresh, since he hasn't been jumping so often in recent weeks, so she suggested that I jump over something twice a week, preferably at a balanced, rhythmic canter. I find that it is helpful for me to pretend I am in an equitation class and that I have to make smooth, but effective, adjustments between fences.

I know that a few Team Taco fans will be disappointed about Area III Champs, but look for an improved Team Taco at shows this summer and fall! Until then...

Remedial Lesson and Many Adventures With Lauren

2010-04-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

This week, we finally had some spring-like weather. We seem to have skipped the 60s and gone right to the upper 70s and low 80s, and it has gone almost a whole week without raining. The change is welcome, I must say!

In Team Taco land, we've gone back to basics. Amy (Provost) read my last blog post and decided that I needed to jump in this week's lesson. We walked up to the jump field... and had a walk-trot lesson. I was a remedial student this week.

What happened was that, after a short warmup, Amy tied my right *stirrup* to the girth. As I have mentioned before on this blog, my right leg has a mind of its own and tends to slip back and up. By tying it to the girth, Amy was hoping to give me the feeling of where that leg should be.

However, instead of absorbing the sensation and practicing using that leg in the correct position, I panicked. My body has gotten so used to riding with it too far back that it felt incredibly strange to have it where it belonged. I felt like I couldn't ride at all, and that Taco was on the verge of flying out of control. Not a good feeling!

This exercise and my subsequent meltdown exposed a key problem. Amy got on to show me that Taco was not wild and out of control, and she said that he was far from wild but that he did think that he was in charge. That translated into heaviness in his forehand and rushing, which was what I was feeling and interpreting as "wildness." She worked for a few minutes on his lightness and adjustability, and then had me get back on and try it for myself. I had to use my core muscles much more than I had been doing-- instead of riding defensively and collapsing in my chest, I had to engage my back and abs and become much more stable. And, surprise, surprise, I got some lovely, light movement from him. End of wildness.

Here's the thing: Taco is so athletic and capable, and he has a terrific work ethic and willingness every day. My job is to channel the willingness and talent into brilliant work. Even though Taco supplies so much, I need to ride and not sit there on top admiring him and being a passenger. On some days, he adds some spicy salsa to the taco, and if I have been coasting and not riding, I find that my aids do not work as well as they should! This is what happened the other day. It was a good reminder of the necessity of checking in on the basics. Even on the mild salsa days, I need to check in that my aids are working, and add half-halts and practice adjustability.

After that hardworking session, yesterday was a play day. I took Taco and Crescent to Southern Promise Farm, headquarters of Lauren and her many adventures, for a nice long hack. We went out for about an hour and 40 minutes. It was excellent for Taco's ligaments and tendons, and for all of our mental health (Crescent has a doggy friend there, Bandit, who came along too). We can hack around the track at Amy's, but it is lovely to go for miles through the fields, across streams, and up and down the hills. I am going to try to get over there every few weeks this summer for long rides.

First I had to get out of the driveway at Amy's. Boyfriend the dog was in the middle of his nap.

Boyfriend eventually moved. Here are some pictures of us after our fun ride. Thanks, Lauren!

Have I mentioned that I hate wind?

2010-03-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've gotten better, but I still hate wind. When I was a kid I don't remember caring about it. Now that I'm older and more cautious, wind blowing up a horse's tail causes a chill to go down my own spine. I did manage to have a nasty fall a couple of years ago on a windy day, and sometimes the memory returns unbidden. So on windy days I really have to be smart and focused. Taco will instantly figure out that I am anxious and will add his own editorial comments about what we should do that day.

Well, today he got plenty of comments in. The wind was blowing at around 25mph, according to Weather Underground. Maybe it would have been smarter to work on long lining or something else. But the footing was perfect, and in this wet winter and spring that is a rare commodity! And-- I hadn't jumped since Full Gallop. And I felt like such a big shot at Full Gallop, riding around that Training course. Hah!

So I tacked up...

Ready, Stace?

And went up to the jump field. Right away, we ran into problems. The neighbors (the same ones that honked at me from the other side of the fenceline when I was galloping past one day) have a new dog, and they cannot seem to keep the dog on their property. He came joyfully bounding over, and my constant companion Crescent was thrilled to play. That did not last, however, because Amy's dogs had seen him from the porch of her house and came whizzing down to the jump field in an outraged pack. Taco jumped into the air and scooted away. My heart did a tap-dance. I decided that I had better dismount while the dog situation resolved itself. The neighbor did come and scoop the dog into the back of his pickup. Amy saw me standing on the ground and came to check on me, and I assured her I was fine.

Round two: I got back on and picked up trot right away. I thought we had done enough walking, thankyouverymuch. At the trot it is of course much easier to focus for me and therefore I can insist that Taco focus too. We did some passable trot work, and then I picked up canter to the left. And found myself shooting down one of the sides of the field! Taco thought that would be fun, or he was worried the dogs would burst out of the treeline on that side. One of the two. Yeehaw.

At this point I was thinking that maybe I should quit while I was ahead. But I am the pilot, not a passenger, dammit. And I am a Virgo, and I do love symmetry, and I needed to canter the other way. So we went to the right. Not bad-- I maintained the focus and he felt pretty good. So I talked myself into doing some jumping after all. There was a little crossrail I could try.

I trotted toward the crossrail and committed a fundamental error: I decreased my speed and impulsion on the way to the jump. He was still fresh and spooky, and in the back of my mind I was afraid that he would land in a bucking spree and toss me like a ragdoll. No, he has never done this to me before. But I was not being entirely rational. What ended up happening was that he reached the crossrail with nearly zero impulsion. And I thought to myself, "well, I am getting Taco, who never stops, to stop." Wrong! The most honest horse I have ever known jumped from a near standstill, I landed in a heap on his back, and he jogged away from the jump, with a look of exasperation on his face, I'm sure.

Lesson learned. The horse MUST have sufficient impulsion to be able to jump. You will get a far worse jump if you pick down to the base than if you keep your leg on and your hands quiet. With that knowledge fresh in my mind, the second attempt was considerably better. He did overjump it with a good bit of enthusiasm, but the feared bucking spree never occurred. Same with the third and fourth. Then I called it a day. Carrots for Taco and reflection for me.

I get frustrated with myself for not fearlessly riding through whatever happens, as I recall doing when I was in my teens and twenties. Not only do I need to work on my technical skills, but there is this whole other mental layer that I must deal with. I didn't make wonderful choices today, but I learned some things and lived to think about them.

By way of conclusion, here is Taco enjoying the spring sun. We still have to feed hay outside, but you can see the greening grass in the background-- and not a moment too soon!

Rainy Day Learning

2010-03-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's raining today, and Taco has had a light week. He had two days off after getting home on Monday. I did some light flatwork on Thursday and he felt really good-- nice and supple and happy. But the last two days have been just walking for him, since he seems to have banged one of his front ankles with the other foot, leaving it a little swollen and painful to touch. He is a very exuberant guy in his turnout and did this very thing last summer, only to the other ankle. So he has gotten some Surpass and cold therapy and easy walking to get keep the circulation moving. He was sound on it yesterday and the swelling had gone down but today it is raining sideways so he gets another day off.

In the meantime, then, I have been doing some studying. I came across this series of two Lucinda Green clinic videos on Horse and Country TV(a UK site). Each of them is a little under half an hour, so they were easily digestible. None of the concepts were brand new to me, but she explains them in a very vivid way.

Lucinda and Regal Realm at the 1984 Olympics. Image: http://www.olympics.org.uk/

In the first episode, Lucinda teaches a group of riders on fairly inexperienced horses. Two of her points were very useful to me. First, cross-country training is about increasing your horse's ability to read and answer progressively harder questions. At first they take a long time to puzzle over a simple question. As time goes by, they are able to process far more difficult questions far more quickly. While Taco is not green by any stretch, it helps me understand what makes him tick. And I also understand my job as presenting him to questions in a way that allows him to solve them correctly (there is that energy, line, balance thing again-- which, by the way, is a concept that Lucinda constantly emphasizes).

Second, she explains that horses initially get up in the air to jump by lifting their front ends. Then the back end propels the horse upward and forward, but it is the lifting of the front end that is the crucial function at the moment of takeoff. So... it is really counterproductive for the rider to allow her body to tip forward onto the horse's front end at that very moment. Again, another concept that I already was aware of, but the way she put it is so commonsensical and crystal-clear.

Here is the first episode itself:
http://horseandcountry.tv/episode/lucinda-green-clinic-episode-1

In Episode 2, Lucinda uses two groups of demonstration riders to further explain some important concepts. "Fundamentally," she says at the beginning, "a horse that goes eventing has got to believe that wherever you want him to go, he can go and he's not going to get into trouble." This is exactly how Annika trained Taco, by the way. She always asked him to do things that she knew he could and would do. That is, I am sure, one of the main reasons he is so honest and confident today.

She also has good ways to explain the use of aids. I really liked how she explains the use of the legs in steering and supporting the horse. When steering, our legs are like cling film (Saran Wrap) around a sandwich-- not too loose and baggy, but not squishing the sandwich. Or in my case, not squishing the taco! But then when the horse hesitates before takeoff and/or we're jumping something difficult, those legs can go ahead and squish the sandwich (or taco) in order to make sure the horse keeps going and support during takeoff.

At the end, she works with the riders to put together engine, line and balance over some straightforward gallopy fences.

I'll leave the rest of it for you to discover yourself:

 http://horseandcountry.tv/episode/lucinda-green-clinic-episode-2

Enjoy!

Team Taco Leaves Aiken via Full Gallop

2010-03-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

We're all home again in Nashville. I am just now blogging last weekend's event because Taco and I were on the road for much of yesterday and today was a long day at work. But now I can reflect on our first outing of 2010.

Our dressage was on Saturday, fairly early. We warmed up *fantastic* and then got in the ring and... I got tense. I am glad that, in my tension I thought Forward instead of shutting him down, but I dropped the connection and as a result he was uneven in the bridle. Then in the lengthening he broke to the canter. So I need to keep practicing my half-halts and balancing. The score was 37.3, tied for 4th.

Both showjumping and cross country were on Sunday afternoon, back to back. It took some effort for me to get Taco rolling in the warmup and develop that positive canter that he jumps so well out of. But Amy kept after me and eventually I did it. I went into the arena and Taco was fabulous. I was OK-- I rode well to some things and not so well to others. I gunned him into the two combinations (a two-stride and a one-stride) a little bit, and did not have enough canter for one oxer, but I rode a good track and I was able to tell when I was riding supportively (energy, line, balance!) and when he had to step up and help me. We added one time penalty to our score.

Then it was off to wait for my XC time. I walked around for a few minutes and then jumped a couple of last fences before heading out of the box. Taco was thrilled! He did one of those sproings!! out of the start box and we were over the first fence before I knew it. He flew over everything I pointed him at, including the corner after a turn in the woods where I could have had him between my aids better and given him a better warning about what was coming. The course was very nice and had quite a few jump-into-space fences, so I was glad we schooled those at Jumping Branch during the week. I also did my first double banks up! I felt myself jump ahead at a few fences, but most of the time I felt like we were a team working together. Taco's fitness seemed great and he was barely breathing when we got off the course.

We finished on a 38.3 which put us in 5th place. It was a good first run, and now I have more information on what I need to practice. Waiting to my jumps (yes, again), and a solid connection between my aids in all three phases.

Here are the Hoofclix photos of the weekend. Any votes on ones to buy?

And here is Carol's video. Unfortunately she did not get showjumping (technical problem) but she did get some of the warmup. You can see that I did not ride perfectly... but Taco was perfect!

Since Amy did not ride until late on Sunday (Baby Flo was 6th in her division!), we made a stop at Lynda's Run For It Farm in Covington, GA. It was fun to catch up, if only for a quick moment. Lynda's Jack Russel Arlo got to meet Amy's beagle Supah Tex. Arlo was a little bit more enthusiastic than Supah, I must say. The horses and people slept very well tucked into their comfy stalls/beds. Then it was on the road again, through Atlanta and Huntsville. We finally arrived back at Panther Springs in the late afternoon yesterday. Taco took off as soon as I let him go in his field. I feel the same way. It's good to be home again.

Aiken: Friday Videos

2010-03-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our first event of 2010: Full Gallop Farm Horse Trials! My goal is to have a positive first outing. I want to improve my lengthenings in dressage while preserving suppleness and forwardness. In the jumping phases, I want to continue to improve my role in creating energy, line, and balance to the jumps.

We did a short jump school today to review and fine-tune. I was having some ridiculous problems changing leads, but other than that it was a great session.

Then Taco had a lovely roll in the paddock. Back by popular demand, here is Taco in the sand-- this time showing off his athleticism.

The dogs had a great day. Crescent found a new toy: a pine cone.

And finally, Amy jumped her homebred mare very successfully. She goes Beginner Novice this weekend. She's a six year old Percheron/ Thoroughbred, sired by Karsh (CAN; JC name Secret Secretary).

Midweek Report

2010-03-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we are already at the midpoint of our Aiken adventure. Although I must say that everyone is sleeping well because we are all so tired!

Taco has fallen in love with Flo. They are not terribly friendly at home, but they seem to be having a vaction fling, so to speak. Taco is usually quite unconcerned about other horses coming and going, but when he is separated from Flo he is very sad.

As promised, I will update on my lessons with Amy. Yesterday we worked on my dressage test for Full Gallop, Training Test B. Since the tests were rewritten for 2010 it was a new one for me. For some reason I started out with a lot of tension in my shoulders that I never quite overcame. I think it is beginning-of-the-season nerves. I revert to that defensive position when I am tense. However, it was a productive session. We ran through the test twice and the second time, while not mistake-free and still featuring my hunched shoulders, was considerably better. Amy emphasized elasticity in my arms and creating some bounce in his step.

Then today we did a cross country school at lovely Jumping Branch. It now seems obvious that our technical skills are up to the task. We did the first half or so of last year's Training course and the number of times when Taco has to step up and fix my mistakes was very small compared to a year ago! My main problem is-- surprise-- nerves, and I was very anxious before the session. So the point of today was to build my confidence and get me galloping over things. I'm happy to report that it went quite well! By the end of the session I had done several things that had looked scary to me, and Taco made it clear that he is still his wonderful bold self. We warmed up, then did an assortment of gallop fences, then some downhill/ terrain questions, and then wound up at the water practicing a four-element combination. Amy wanted me to really work on keeping Taco between my aids and I felt a wonderful connection on the approaches to the fences. I felt silly for having been so nervous at the beginning, and ready for whatever is on the course this weekend.

We barely beat the rain today, and tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, too. We'll try to get a light ride in in the morning. Now to bed-- and I am sure I will be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow!