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!