2019 in Review and 2020 Goals

Another year down and man was I hopeful that the first half of this year was going to be anything but taking giant steps backward. Looking at my 2019 goals is kind of sad, but I honestly thought I'd be right back to it in February and ready to show Second in April, use the summer to put changes on, and be ready for Third by fall. Uh, no.

Finally back at the most amazing barn and enjoying my horse again

2019 Goals

- TC stays sound and sane
For the most part, yes!

- Rico stays healthy and continues to enjoy his retirement
Just last week, Rico wouldn't let my mom catch him because he was enjoying his pasture so much and didn't want anything to do with her trying to bring him in, so I'd say yes. 

- trail ride Rico
Rico went out a little bit with me, but with running my business, my commute, and my full time job, most of my free time went to TC

- ride in a few clinics, audit even more
I only rode in a couple of clinics earlier in the year, nothing fancy because I was saving for the L program anyway

- trail ride TC more often
We did a ton of this in the summer! Can't wait for this summer. 

- take TC to the beach
TC did go to the beach! He hated the waves but loved rolling in the sand, hopefully we can go again in 2020. 

- fix the corkscrew (left hind weakness)
Getting there! He's much more upright now. 

- confirm the single flying change
Not confirmed, but we are working on them!

- improve the half steps and build toward piaffe
We've definitely worked on it, but it's nowhere near a piaffe yet, I want to take him up to my friend who is excellent at putting the pi/pa on horses, hopefully in the spring!

- perfect the medium gaits
Hah, they are not perfect, but they have been worked on. TC gets a bit sore if we do the medium trot too much so Tracey said to just sit tight with it. 

- perfect the lateral work, including canter half pass
We've been working really hard on the lateral work at Second level, but I haven't been bothering with the half passes yet. In canter, he's still learning to do a bit of leg yield (using it for obedience) and shoulder-fore, so we'll eventually make our way to haunches-in and half pass

- start working on tempi changes
Nope!

- start working on the canter half pass zig zag
Nope!

- start schooling the working canter pirouettes
We're working hard on the collected canter, but I haven't messed with the turns yet. 

- earn First Level performance award
Nope, we only showed once and it was at Second

- show TC at Second Level
Wow, the one goal we did hit!

- qualify for All Breeds at Second Level
Nope

- start on Second Level performance award
I suppose, I'm not as excited about this, I know I won't be showing much until I get through the L program


Well, that was a bust! This year was tough to balance for me, between TC vs his boarding stable, working a TON, getting mono, and starting the L program, riding TC was put a little bit on the back burner. It's okay, because this is just what life is! Oh well, hopefully 2020 will prove to be much better for us than 2019.


Year in Review

We started off in January with me finishing up work at my old, awful job. I officially moved into my new apartment and TC was settling in at the new barn. As well as TC was going, he was still TC, and therefore was still struggling with the winter. I posted about how much my riding and teaching had changed over the years. TC took his first field trip of the year to the ranch and was pretty good. I also rode Rico! At the end of the month, a bunch of us attended the Mary Wanless Workshop and it was amazing.

Mary Wanless with my favorites

In February, I started to apply the takeaways from the Mary Wanless Workshop with TC. Things started to get sketchy at the barn I was at, so I moved TC to the barn where Kate trains out of. Rico came out one day ready to play and I got to feel him piaffe again. TC went to the ranch again for more off property experience. I chatted with Alexis about TC's future and whether or not flying changes were on the table or not. I started having issues with TC at the barn, but didn't know it was the barn that he hated, I mostly thought it was him being stuck in a small stall and me not riding him enough.


In March, the month started off great with our first lesson of the year with Tanya and then we had our subsequent first lesson hangover. I also chatted with Alexis and showed her videos of TC, where she said he needed more tone, so I tried to implement that. That backfired like crazy, as TC was really freaked out (I didn't realize it) and we lost brakes. Things started to get worse and worse and I finally broke down and took TC on the trail, finding that I had my horse back out there. We worked a lot on transitions and things felt at least manageable.

Being the best on the trail

In April, we started hitting the trails more often. In the mean time, I stopped riding him and started long lining him more, working on his pressure aversion (and not realizing that the facility was causing trigger stacking). TC moved to a bigger paddock, that I hoped would help but it didn't. I started riding him again and at first things were okay and we had an okay lesson with Alexis, but then things got bad again. I, at least, got to experience some fun outside of TC with a trip to Pinnacles with my family. I also started talking about the L program this month, which would start in October. I pulled away from dressage as things just got worse with TC, which made me sad.

TC also turned 8 in April!

In May, we started off the month with a bang, and by that I mean I was diagnosed with mono and didn't ride the rest of the month. Well, I made it 18 days without riding before I rode Rico again. I also managed to visit TC a bit and turn him out a few times. But he for the most part just hung out. By the end of the month, I was feeling better. What a stupid illness.

What we did for all of May

In June, I went down to San Diego to visit L with Peony, Nicole, and Kate. I then returned and was able to ride TC again! On my first day back to riding, I also took Flounder on the trails to a beautiful facility, so beautiful that I then took Rico and TC on it later that month. TC continued to be really difficult for me despite looking good and I decided to bite the bullet and go take a lesson with my trainer. TC was totally chill there and it showed me (finally) that this was an environmental issue. I had another lesson at his home barn right afterward where the trainer basically told me to leave the barn. I immediately began making arrangements and figuring out what to do in the mean time. I began taking TC to the ranch to ride him, where he was better but not perfect. We had another great lesson too.

Best friends!

In July, I found out that TC would be getting into his old barn in August. In the mean time, TC moved to his breeder's barn temporarily and I immediately had my horse back. TC enjoyed his time at his breeder's barn where he grew up, we even went on the old trail we'd gone on a ton when he was a baby. I dug deep into the L program materials and wrote one of my favorite posts of all times: Quality of the Gaits, where I evaluated TC's gaits for quality based on what the materials described. I continued taking lessons, which were so much better now that I could practice at home without TC losing his mind. At the end of the month, my family and I took our every-other-year traditional trip to Michigan, we even went to Mackinac Island for my birthday!

One of my favorite places in the world

In August, I started off the month with a lesson with Tracey, then flew down to San Diego for a dope ass wedding, then moved TC back to our old barn! He settled in great and we were both really happy to be able to work. Well, he was, I was mostly annoyed that he tore down his fence nearly immediately. We continued taking a ton of lessons from Tracey, which were great now that we were settled in at the new barn. We looked into showing this month, but I posted about why I was going to wait until October to show him again. This month we continued to trail ride a fair amount (leading me to realize that TC had taught himself to self load), which led to us having a very odd trail ride at one point and sent us to the beach another time! This month was also the month where I posted how annoying the boarding situation in the bay area is. I also wrote about why it seems like I'm a way more patient person than I actually am. And at the end of the month, one of my students came down to ride TC!

The beach with Riot!

Back in lessons!

In September, TC and I celebrated four years together. The month started out with a trail ride and then we continued plugging along at Second level with some work on counter canter. I noticed a similarity in my hobbies. TC saw the chiropractor for the first time in a while, she said that he felt great! We had a REALLY tough lesson with Tracey where I had my own CTJ moment. I may or may not have made myself feel better by getting TC a new bridle. Tracey and I started to really work hard on some of the stuff that I had deliberately not worked on yet with TC due to his behavioral issues: the halt and the self carriage in canter. Honestly, September was a huge teaching month for me, so I'm surprised I got any blog posts written given how busy I was.

After a lesson, I love this picture lol

In October, I worked hard to get TC to utilize his hind end more while also preparing for the show I'd signed up for at the end of the month and also for the L program, which began a week before the show. I also low key took over Kate's job while she was injured and that led to this hilarious post about how terrible a pep-talker I am. The lesson before the show, I had a fascinating lesson about shifting TC from a rhombus to a rectangle. Then I zipped off to the first session of the L program and quickly tried to apply the information before we went to a show in a windstorm! Honestly looking back on October, why did I do this to myself?

It's blurry but it shows how proud I was of him

Especially after he did this in warm up

In November, I started out by being overconfident about TC in the winter. TC and I continued to have great rides, which made me take that overconfidence and clip all TC's hair off with it for the very first time. We then went to ride with Tracey and we worked on my organization as a rider (again). We relaxed by going to a working equitation play day! Meanwhile, I also switched TC's bit and immediately had a completely different horse to ride, who required me to be more stable to combat the new weight in the reins. I headed out to the second session of the L program and then immediately came back and went to Thanksgiving. Over the break, I had some extra time, so TC and I played at liberty and I set up my tack room!

L Program!

In December, I wrote about the lesson I took with Alexis on Thanksgiving and how I was applying what I had learned. Things were fairly quiet as we worked on all these things despite the winter weather starting to bum us out. I began planning for Part 2 of the L program next year. And then TC decided to quickly colic one morning and got himself a few days off. We continued working on the changes when TC recovered and they got better and better, until I decided to break them by asking for them in different places. We lost Stretch a few days before Christmas, which was really sad but he lived such a good life. Christmas was fun and quiet before we headed out to spend New Years in Seattle!

Here's hoping 2020 is great! I have a job I love, a horse who is quickly learning to be a mid-level dressage horse, my same amazing family (and a niece or nephew on their way in February!), a great group of friends, and a wonderful boyfriend.

More beautiful drives ahead too I hope

2020 Goals 

- TC stays sound and sane
- Rico stays healthy and continues to enjoy his retirement
- earn the rest of the scores necessary for All Breeds at Second Level
- confirm the flying changes
- improve straightness and collection
- perfect the half pass in both trot and canter
- begin piaffe and passage training
- start schooling the pirouettes
- lots of trail rides
- graduate with distinction from the USDF L Program
- (stretch goal) debut at Third Level
- (stretch goal) qualify for All Breeds at Third Level

Here's to a new decade!

The Traveling Hippo 2019

Another year another 365 days trying to get my horse to be good at traveling. This year it was less about getting him experience in new places and more about me wanting to use my trailer! At this point, I feel like I'm just keeping track of these things for fun.

Still the best picture I've ever taken of TC at the trailer

Here were our trips:

January
1/27 - haul to the ranch
Total Hauls: 1
Distinct Places: 1

February
2/12 - move to LO
2/18 - haul to the ranch
Total Hauls: 3
Distinct Places: 2

March
3/1 - haul to AB for a lesson
3/16 - haul to the ranch
3/23 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
3/31 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
Total Hauls: 7
Distinct Places: 4

April
4/7 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
4/21 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
Total Hauls: 9
Distinct Places: 4

May
5/4 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
Total Hauls: 10
Distinct Places: 4

June
6/8 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
6/13 - haul to ASH for a lesson
6/18 - haul to the ranch
6/20 - haul to the ranch
6/23 - haul to Henry Coe for a trail ride
6/25 - haul to the ranch
6/27 - haul to the ranch
6/28 - haul to ASH for a lesson

Total Hauls: 18
Distinct Places: 6

July
7/1 - haul to the ranch
7/2 - haul to the ranch
7/4 - move to breeder's barn
7/6 - haul to ASH for a lesson
7/13 - haul to ASH for a lesson
7/19 - haul to ASH for a lesson
Total Hauls: 24
Distinct Places: 7

Just don't ask me how much I spent in gas (or
how I managed to fit my rig into this tiny gas station)

August
8/1 - haul to ASH for a lesson
8/5 - move to WMF
8/10 - haul to ASH for a lesson
8/17 - haul to STCP for a trail ride
8/18 - haul to Salinas beach
8/25 - haul to ASH for a lesson
Total Hauls: 30
Distinct Places: 10

September
9/2 - haul to HBR for a trail ride
9/7 - haul to ASH for a lesson
9/14 - haul to ASH for a lesson
9/28 - haul to ASH for a lesson
Total Hauls: 34
Distinct Places: 10

October
10/13 - haul to ASH for a lesson
10/27 - haul to Greenville for a show
Total Hauls: 36
Distinct Places: 11

November
11/11 - haul to ASH for a lesson
11/16 - haul to RR for a Working Equitation Clinic
Total Hauls: 38
Distinct Places: 12

December
NONE! It's been rainy and my trailer needs to go into the shop anyway (just a check up and because it has a leak). We haven't had a month off yet so we took one.


Distinct Places:
The Ranch
LO*
ASH
Henry Coe*
HBR
STCP*
AB*
WMF
Breeder's Barn
Salinas Beach*
RR*

* = never been there before this year

So good at hauling (also he stopped rearing at the trailer this year!)

He's really settled down about hauling! It's also worth noting that this was the first year he didn't rear himself calm every time I left him tied at the trailer, good boy TC! Rico still rules as the best traveler, but TC is coming up on the same age when I bought Rico, and Rico wasn't perfect at hauling when he was 8 turning 9. So TC is ahead of the game!

Next step is doing more trail rides with friends and hauling with other horses. He's been lucky to have his trailer all to himself, but I have a friend at the barn who wants to go all the places this coming year and I told her I'd toss her horse in my rig whenever I left the property. So there we go! She gets her horse some exposure and TC gets to get used to sharing his trailer (and being sane when we head away from friends). Plus I'm excited to trail ride with my friends and hopefully with my parents some more this year now that TC is a good boy!

Nine Fabulous Lives

Last Sunday I taught a clinic, then at the end of the drive home, I got really bad news.

My dad needs to call me more. Luckily for me, my boyfriend was driving, so when my dad called, I picked up after telling him "my dad never calls me, this is not good." The last time my dad called me was when Cooper died.

Stretch, who had been running and playing in the pasture all day Saturday, laid down Saturday night and wouldn't get up. He never lays down. So the vet was called and they gave him banamine and steroids and he still wouldn't get up. He told my mom it was time and she let him go.

He was the best boy

Best little pony club paint (except he was a nightmare to keep clean)

I was, of course, devastated. I was already exhausted after teaching all day and hadn't had the best week at work leading up to the break. I'm still sad about it, but you couldn't have asked for a better life or a better way to go. Stretch truly had nine lives and every one of them was fabulous.

Stretch began his life as a very adorable baby and was broke at 2. His previous owner told a story about how he was show sheened too much before being tacked up at the Cow Palace where he had been brought to be shown in some baby classes. His saddle slipped, rider fell off, and he went galloping around the show grounds.

He then competed in the Junior Hunters until his previous owner bought him and turned him into an eventer. He evented through Training and never made time, so she leased him to me while she bought a new horse with Prelim+ potential.

He was a great novice horse!

When I began leasing him in 2001, I was scared to jump. I had been riding my old thoroughbred who had bucked me off quite a lot. We were looking for a packer to take me around the low level hunters and do pony club on. He was perfect. I showed him in all three rings and passed my C1 pony club rating, all in one year.

After that one year, it was apparent I had outgrown him, though he was ours now and I ended up teaching lessons on him, leasing him out to a client, and then my mom began trail riding him.

He was my mom's horse for way longer than he was mine. He lived at TC's breeders in 2009 when my parents bought their property and then moved to the ranch in 2010 when they built their barn. He lived there for nearly ten years.

Hey I do this on the flat too, Stretch was a saint

He got internal pigeon fever and nearly died several times. It was revealed to us that he had liver disease from the pigeon fever, so he was put on a supplement and special diet. But he came back to riding and I even jumped him a bit at the ranch for fun while my mom trail rode him with my dad and his horse, Riot.

He got a bit neurologic in 2015 and the vet said that the only treatment was steroids, which could give him laminitis and then he'd need to be put down. We opted for it and he recovered spectacularly, galloping around in his pasture, though we stopped riding him just in case. Over the next several years, he needed more steroids (he had narcolepsy and we thought that sometimes he'd fall and hit his neck pretty hard), each time we held our breath and he recovered.

He figured out how to sleep over the years (pressed up against the wall of his stall) so he wouldn't hurt himself. He hadn't been neurologic in a while, I even sat on him once or twice (he loved being ridden) and my mom longed him while he went nuts just weeks before he died.

Not the best dressage horse but then again,
I was not the best dressage rider

Just earlier this year, I saw the vet who had treated him for pigeon fever and dealt with the neurologic stuff too. She's now TC's chiro-vet. I told her Stretch was still galloping around in his pasture getting really possessive over the neighbor's mares. She said she was so happy to hear that and that my mom truly does an amazing job with her horses. I'll be sad to tell her he died, but he lived probably about five more years than he should have.

He was born in April 1991 and we lost him in December 2019, he lived a really amazing life and gave my family and I so much. I'm sad, but I couldn't have asked for a better life for such a great horse.

Jumpers

I think that what I'm struggling with most right now is that Rico is now the oldest horse at the ranch, the one we'll lose next. But I know he's living his best life right now at nearly 24, still running around in his pasture just like Stretch. I hope he has another five or even ten years there because he deserves them. Either way, I am still very happy to be giving Rico the retirement he deserves and I'm glad that Stretch had all the time with us that he did.

This Decade in Photos

I, of course, got this idea from May as Well Event and everyone who followed. I can't do just one picture a year though, that's just too difficult.

My horse life and my non-horse life can be separated in two this decade. The first half of the decade was about education. Coming up to 2010, I had been dropped out of college for a few years and was working hard running my business and was also an assistant trainer at an eventing barn. Rico was on rehab for a suspensory after getting me my bronze in 2009. I was riding 8+ horses every day and was generally enjoying life alright.

Rico in 2008! So young, so patient with me

2010

In 2010, I showed in both eventing and dressage. In dressage, I showed Leo and earned my USDF Silver Medal and in eventing, I showed a friesian stallion at the lower levels.

Earning my USDF Silver Medal

Walking out of the ring with Leo, knowing I just earned my Silver

Novice debut

He was super fun! I loved sitting on those hamstrings 

2011

In 2011, I snagged the first two scores to my USDF Gold Medal on Leo and made my first Grand Prix attempt before Leo was retired from the FEI levels. I began riding Rico again and headed back to school to finish my undergraduate education. I quit my job as an assistant trainer and just ran my business. It's also worth noting that TC was born this year!

Grand Prix on Leo

2012

In 2012, Rico came back to work fully and we showed 4-1 again at Greenville!

Oh young Megan and her terrible riding

2013

In 2013, I started riding with Tracey on Rico and we showed at 4-2 a couple of times before competing at PSG three times. I graduated from my undergraduate and headed straight into graduate school. At the end of the year, we went to an Alfredo Hernandez clinic and Rico learned the piaffe and passage.

Graduation

Rico and I at PSG

2014
In 2014, we showed I1 once, I2 once, and then earned my USDF Gold Medal at the end of the year in two shows at Grand Prix. Rico was retired and I began riding TC at the very end of the year.

Rico and my first Grand Prix 

Rico and my second Grand Prix and Gold Medal ride!

What we did after earning my Gold medal

The second half of the decade has been more about establishment. I've found a career I love and have been developing my wonderful horse despite a few setbacks.


2015
In 2015, I took TC to a bunch of schooling shows at Intro and also graduated from graduate school. I got my first job outside of horse training (and my teenage job at a tack store) and then bought TC. By the end of the year, TC hurt himself and left for rehab just after Christmas.

Good boy, baby horse

I look gigantic on him in comparison to now!

2016
In 2016, TC spent half the year in rehab while I hated my job. I quit that one and entered a new industry that I am still in now and adore. TC came home and we continued his rehab, dealing with some behavioral issues on the way.

Ultrasound, I don't miss my wizard vet (so please, TC, let's
not hang out with him any time soon)

Trotting out to see soundness

Swimming!

2017
In 2017, TC and I debuted at Training level and even won All Breeds! We also did some bombproofing clinics. I continued working in IR and loved it.

You win some, you lose some, sometimes
your phone falls out of your pocket in
the show ring

Best pony in the show ring

Bombproofing clinic!

All Breeds!

2018
In 2018, we spent the majority of our time in Sacramento, winning All Breeds at First level. I restarted my business at the end of the year when I moved back to the Bay Area.

Still love this picture of his stretch!

Also I bought my trailer!

2019
In 2019, we had a few setbacks early in the year (me getting mono, TC hating his boarding facility) that delayed our show ring entry until the end of the year. But we did make it into the Second level ring and he now has clean changes on him so we can play catch up in 2020.

Lots of trail riding in the beginning of the year

Then we started riding with Tracey

And it really paid off!

If you told me at the end of 2009 that in ten years, I'd have earned my USDF Gold Medal on the horse that was at the time sporting a career-ending injury or I'd have gone to graduate school and be working a job I adore... I probably wouldn't have believed you. But such is life. I can't wait to see where the next decade takes me.

Reaching for the Stars

After reading Jen's blog post on the Dressage Rider's Journal, I decided to impulse buy it. 

Not that this blog isn't a great way to record things, but I feel bad going on and on about how all my rides are the same. So I've now got something to write down all my boring rides and can save the blog for the less boring moments. 

Anyway, the journal starts out with a fun exercise for setting goals, evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, and going over actionable tasks for each goal. I figured I'd share some of the things I wrote down. 

You know who I am okay, this was inevitable

The goals have been broken down into three-month goals (so by March), one-year goals, three-year goals, and lifetime goals. 

I didn't have a tough time with the three-month goals (flying changes, do well in my first Part 2 session, have fun at the Mary clinic, improve my riding/TC's basics). I didn't have a tough time with the one-year goals (debut TC at Third, graduate with distinction from the L program, get on the r waiting list), and I didn't even have that much of a tough time with the three-year goals (PSG for TC, go to championships, enter the r program). 

But man, the lifetime goals, I have no FUCKING idea. My lifetime goal was to compete in the FEI levels and I did (2010). Then it was to compete Grand Prix and I did (2011). Then it was to get my Gold and I did (2014). 

So I've decided to write some lifetime goal ideas down and start figuring out what I actually want to do with the rest of my dressage career: 

Produce another Grand Prix horse

I'm not sure if this will be TC or not, but I do want to get another Grand Prix horse under my belt. 

Become a dressage judge

I hate to say "become an S judge" or "become an R judge" because I don't know how much I'll like judging and/or want to spend the money on it. But if I do like it, I'd like to become an S judge. If I don't, doing the r program or even just the L program is good enough. 

Compete regionally 

This is on my three-year list, going to regionals. It's never been on the docket because of how expensive it is and how competitive it is. I'm competing open against mfing Steffen Peters, Hilda Gurney, and the like. But I'd like to make it a goal for me.

Compete nationally

If in my lifetime I'm able to afford it (I'm on the west coast so traveling across the country is tough), I'd love to go to some form of national competition. 

He looks majestic like this

Compete internationally

I suppose this could be doing a CDI, which is probably more easily attainable than the above. But it'd be extra special cool to do something really fancy. 

Get all my freestyle bars

I thought TC would be my freestyle horse, but I've been so all over the place with him. I'd rather wait until I have the money to pay someone to do my music/choreography too, I'm just not that kind of a creative person. 

Buy a pony from the New Forest 

I'm kind of currently obsessed with the idea of buying an unstarted pony/small horse. First, I'm horse shopping for a client who needs a small horse and there just AREN'T that many fancy, smaller horses with good training on them (who aren't FEI ponies, who are usually told never to do lead changes). Also, the experience of going to the auction sounds really cool. Plus, the New Forest Pony is a really fabulous pony and I'm becoming more into them. 

Have a client get their Gold Medal

I don't know how much teaching I'll really be doing in the long term. I'm considering moving into management in my career and/or taking on a different type of job which would provide me with enough money to not need to teach AND a less flexible schedule so I couldn't teach anyway. BUT if I keep doing the part-time horse trainer thing, it'd be super fun to bring someone through the levels.

Compete in a Trail Trial 

They look like so much fun! 

He's kind of weird looking but I love him

You might have noticed some things missing from my list! Here are some goals that are not on my lifetime goals list:

Owning horse property

It seems like a dream but I value having my life outside of horses and I feel like there's a certain amount of passion/obsession/craziness that you have to have to own your own property. Unless I can hire someone to do all the chores I don't want to do when I don't want to do them, I have no interest in owning property

Going to the Olympics

I just don't want to have my riding on the television, let's just be real about my dumbass anxiety disorder and how I would not survive under that much pressure. 

Any Jumping Goals

I love jumping and would consider jumping again, but not in any sort of organized way. Eventing is so fun and I used to love it, but there's this compulsion for dressage that I don't have over fences. So while I'd love to jump for fun, I don't have any real goals for it. 

Horse related vacations

I don't do these, most of the time I'd rather ride my own horse. The only two I'd consider are fox hunting in Ireland and riding Icelandic horses in Iceland. 

He saw a dog, same

What is on your lifetime goals list? This was SO hard for me and I'm sure I've forgotten some of them. I don't tend to think more than 5-10 years out in terms of my riding goals so this was tricky. Dream big, right?