Page 72 - 2302

already had two shows, so there are just three to go. I am close to acquiring enough points to qualify for Zones, and hopefully the next few shows on my IEA calendar will be successful. Since I made it to Nationals last year, I would love the opportunity to compete again. During my IEA lessons, we practice as if it were a show. We do a quick fat class to warm up the horses (and to make sure that they are all rideable) and then it is on to the jumping. We jump one course on the horse we came out on and then we switch horses to do our next course. By the end of the lesson, we usually end up riding all of the horses that came out into the arena.

It’s a good thing Petey isn’t an IEA horse. He might actually behave better since he would be wondering what was going on, but he would be super confused about showing in the winter. Part of Petey’s problem is that he gets bored easily, but during a show there is so much going on. Between all the cameras fashing and programs fying, there’s nothing like absolute chaos to test a horse’s patience. If I were ever to bring Petey to an IEA show, he would behave for the frst few people, but after that he would just get frustrated with having to do the same thing over and over and over again.

So while Petey stays at our main barn, having the two places to ride has defnitely improved my riding. Petey and I have access to amazing trainers at our barn, but at the IEA lessons, I learn more about catch riding and how to fgure out different horses. Fighting the winter chill on these dark days of back to basics month will make me a stronger rider when it is all over; I just have to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Back. To. Basics. One of my least favorite phrases because it entails a lot of hard work. Since it is the “off-season,” my trainers are focusing on all those little details that slipped by during show season. This means smaller jumps, no stirrup work, and of course LOTS of poles. I don’t mind the no stirrup work so much, even though it is tiring and painful it will improve my riding. But the poles are defnitely my least favorite part of back to basics month. My horse Petey gets much more excited going over a few poles than he does jumping 3’6”. Sometimes when we are just cantering nicely along, I decide to head to a pole and see if I can maintain our nice rhythm. Once Petey catches sight of the pole, his ears go forward, his pace gets more energetic, and then he just soars over the little pole. Luckily I won’t have to go over any poles at the shows…

But during night lessons, poles are the least of my problems. Since it gets darker earlier and it’s almost always cold, Petey, like most horses, tends to be a little fresh… When I ride early, we go around in his nice little frame and he stays calm and relaxed. But come 4:30, when it starts to get the tiniest bit dark, he turns into another horse. He thinks that it’s time to go home, and I have to tell him that is not the case. He tries to stop listening to me and do his own thing, but that wouldn’t work at all! Since it is back to basics month, we usually do pole courses with an crossrail or two. Petey and I start off at the trot, establishing an even pace, and then it is up to the canter. We head toward the frst pole, and I fght to keep his paces slow and easy. After we pass the pole, it’s on to the crossrail, usually at the trot. This is always interesting; Petey has a strong but controlled trot headed toward the jump and when he is about two strides away, he will either pick up the canter or try to jump it from there. And of course after the jump he will gallop away. My winter lessons are never dull!

While it is back to basics at my main barn, the exact opposite is true of my IEA (Interscholastic Equestrian Association) riding time. The show season is in full swing and my team and I are working super hard to be competitive this year. We

Page 72 - 2302_full

Page 72 - 2302_full