A Compulsion for Solving Puzzles

So, I play a video game called Opus Magnum sometimes. And when I mean sometimes, I mean very rarely because I'm fairly busy right now. But I do really like it and made time for it on Labor day.

Opus Magnum is a puzzle game. You're an Alchemist tasked with making machines that create certain chemical elements. It's a really beautiful game and is pretty simple to start, then it gets more and more complicated, like most games do.

The point of the game is to obviously create the chemical you need to create (or whatever the story line asks you to do), but it also measures you on how cheap you can make it (more complex machine parts = more expensive), how much surface area you take up, and how efficient (how many turns) it is.

One of the early levels (not my solution btw) 

Jesus Christ I'm not looking forward to this one

I spent what felt like WAY TOO MUCH TIME on a level that at first didn't look too difficult. I'm far enough in the game to know that it's getting hard now and that things sometimes look easier than they actually are and it's not til I'm 40 minutes into any given level and have started over at least five times and stared at it, wondering if it's even possible, that I realize how hard it really is.

Then I finally finish the level and it's not as pretty or as efficient as I'd like it to be and I'm stuck with either redoing the level to see if I can make it more efficient or just moving on knowing that the next level will probably go about the same way.

And I had this moment like... oh god this is just like dressage... and then I quit the game and had a long moment wondering what it is about activities like this that get me mildly obsessed with them (I have several other video games like this, am obsessed with crosswords, and my job is basically all problem solving). Then I went to bed and went about my day thinking about the game and how much I wanted to get back to it.

A relatively simple solution (again not mine)

If you were expecting a longer post detailing something I learned about myself or something I learned about dressage as a whole, you'll be disappointed. I did not learn anything, I merely discovered another outlet of mine for this weird addiction to solving puzzles that don't even make me feel satisfied when I solve them.

I have no time to learn anything from this compulsion, there are more puzzles to be solved in the world. At least I have a hobby that satisfies this addiction AND gets me outside (thanks, TC).

Progress with the Counter Canter

TC and I had a great couple of rides last week working on some Second level work. We're now about six weeks out from the last show of the season and I'd really like to feel ready to sign up for it. 

Looking at some garbage cans across the road

On Wednesday morning I was sitting super weird. I rode TC and noticed it, and Wednesday mornings I also ride a *very* sensitive client horse so I quickly shifted my focus and did a more stretchy ride while working on my biomechanics. It was a good ride, just not much to write home about, but worth mentioning lest you think that all of my rides are working on things other than getting myself to sit on my right seat bone. 

Thursday was when we really looked at the Second level stuff, which is coming along. 

I'm taking advantage of having a court (and having the guys ALWAYS watering/dragging the covered with mirrors when I want to ride) to practice movements and geometry (lol one of my kids told me she hadn't taken geometry yet when I told her that her circles were absurd, nice comeback). This day, I tackled the counter canter. 

No covered arena riding for us in the mornings,
oh well :( 

The 2-1 counter canter is super easy, it's the same as it used to be (across the short diagonal from the corner, then hold it down the long side and transition at the corner letter) BUT it now is a trot transition rather than a walk transition. No complaints, I think it makes the test way easier than 1-3, which is good because Second has been such a big jump in the past. 

The biggest challenge was not botching the canter to trot transition. Those are rough on TC generally for some reason and I have yet to smooth it out. It's really dumb, we'll fix it, nothing like a Second level pattern to point out your Training level issues. 

Other than that though, the pattern rode really well, although I immediately reverted to weird left hand behavior on the right lead, so I'm going to go into my lesson tomorrow with that request. 

Still thinking about how pretty it was on that trail ride last
weekend

I didn't want to look up the 2-3 pattern but I was 99% sure that it was the three loop serpentine with no simple changes. Either way, a good movement to ride to solidify his counter canter work. And it turns out, I was right.

The first time I rode it, TC saw a bird shadow and all was lost. Sigh. I thought he'd be over them by now but I guess not (earlier in the ride he pounced on a leaf and I laughed at him so we're not the epitome of maturity over here, let's just be clear). After that, it felt really good! Solid enough where I don't think we're in danger of breaking and precarious enough where I don't think I'm too screwed when I go to put changes on him. 

Best gray nose

We schooled some of the trot work after that (and after he tried to lawn dart me because he was super amped) and that all felt great too. His shoulder-in feels way easier and his medium trot is terrifying getting bigger. 

The medium is tricky though, because if I ride it at 80% (which is what I tell my riders to do for development - never ride at 100% of what your horse can do because they're not going to develop properly, it's like lifting your 1RM deadlift all the time and wondering why your back hurts), I still lose his hind legs. I almost have to school it at 50-60% of what he's truly capable of to get the quality (uphill tendency and hind leg activity) that I want. The more he goes (and man can he go), the more he unloads the hind legs. 

I don't like schooling it a ton because I think it's not great for their legs and it's only two movements in the test (worth as much as ONE walk pirouette), but it is worth it to get a good one on him. 

Now I'm just reaching back into the archive, I really need to
take advantage of having a phone with unlimited photo storage

Generally I am super happy with where the movements are currently. I think right now there's no major weak points in that we wouldn't be able to get through the test. I do want the simple changes to be more clear and through, and honestly just easier. I feel like I can get them clean in the test, but they'll be clunky because he isn't stepping under. Granted, they're only on the short diagonal and only in the 2-3, but still. Bleh. 

I also want to get the haunches-in more solid for the 2-3 pattern. I haven't schooled it much and I keep schooling shoulder-in instead of haunches-in and I need to stop defaulting to that movement. So that's on my list too. 

Other than that and the mediums (which I have to be careful about going for in the show ring because he's such a dingbat, I doubt I'll trust him in the extended canter for another couple of years), I feel pretty good! Everything should be solidly 7s except some of the canter work and the mediums, and those should be made up for by the 8s I'm hoping to get on the walk pirouettes... although I could ruin them before then. 

Getting ready to erase some of this stuff that I
think has been there for months... 

Fingers crossed I leave my lesson tomorrow with some good homework (I know we will) and more confidence about this show. I'm still feeling like showing 2-3 is incredibly daunting. That's one test below Third level and we're really not schooling a ton of Third level just yet. This winter we sure will since it might be lead change time, but for right now, we're very much going to be showing at the level we're schooling, yikes.

The Longer Loop

This weekend was a long weekend, so while I spent the actual weekend part of the weekend away, I spent Monday with TC! 

After riding a client's horse, I zipped over to my barn and tossed TC in the trailer. I was debating where to go, but ended up at my favorite trail facility anyway.

The views were insane

About a third of the way up the awful hill

At the top of the ridge! You can see over to the reservoir on
the other side

Trees at the top of the ridge

I was determined to do something different though, so we went on our longest trail ride yet. And about half way through, we determined that we are not long-trail-ride kind of people.

There was a giant hill right at the beginning to climb, it felt like it was never ending. By the time we were up that, my left hip was absolutely done with riding horses and my horse was absolutely done with doing anything but standing still. And we were only a couple miles in. So we stood still for a while before slowly (very slowly) meandering back the rest of the like, five miles.

But it was a really nice time even if my left hip and my horse weren't having it. I got to listen to my favorite podcast (which I save for trail rides) and enjoy the amazing views. TC got some good hill work and some time outside the arena.

My left hip is fine by the way, I think this goes back to when I pissed it off jumping off of TC at the beach. I keep randomly feeling it in high volume deadlifts and if I'm in the tack for too long. I'm keeping an eye on it but it's good to know what irritates it.

At least there was some shade at the top

Such a good pony

Hanging out in the shade with a good view

The creek is green in the summer but everything else is dead

Once again, have to say how impressed I am with the horse. He doesn't care about bikes, cows, or hikers. He cares enough about other horses to scream at them but not enough to do anything else. He... he does seem to care a lot about large rocks, but there were only two of them and he merely slid sideways off the path to give them the hairy eyeball.

When we got back to the barn, he got a quick bath and actually seemed to enjoy me washing his face for once. My rule is that since he will be white, he needs to be a good boy about getting his face washed. Sorry pony!

Four Years

I've owned this weirdo for FOUR YEARS where the actual hell does the time go and also why haven't we accomplished more?

Oh well, we've had a lot of fun and plan on continuing to have a lot of fun! He's taught me so much and while Year 4 was not super productive in terms of showing, it was great. Hopefully we're back on track in the dressage and we'll be trotting up centerline soon!

Oh the things he can do with that neck wth

Still fluffy from the winter

There was a lot more turnout pictures and a lot less show pictures
this year, oh well 

Also lots of trail riding pictures!

I miss when everything was green 

Turned 8 this year!

Kept me entertained when I had mono

Best circus animal

I do put him on a pedestal lol

Being a nut at one of our first Tracey lessons 

Trail ride

More trails

Moving to his breeder's

Trail ride, again!

Figuring Second level out

Slowly but surely achieving throughness in canter

FINALLY moved home

Bareback walks

Love this place

Medium trot 

More canter work

Beach trip!

First hack in the double last fall 

Getting fancy last year

 

When I got my new phone and nonstop took
pictures in portrait mode 

I like this one

Halloween! 

Playing with a barrel on a windy day

Winter wanderings

Had to go see the minis

I'm hoping this next year goes even better! I'm so glad to have this horse in my life, he makes me laugh every day.

A Little Bit Sideways

Today TC gets to see the chiro vet! I'm really excited to get his back in gear (his little roach area popped up recently) and then ask her other unrelated questions.

The weekend was relatively light TC-wise. On Friday afternoon, I drove north to move in with Peony for two nights. Saturday was an event (I'm the dressage trainer but I coach at events on occasion, I don't mind) and then Sunday I taught some lessons. The event went well and it was super fun to see Nicole too! We all went to eat delicious dumplings and noodles before going to bed super early that night. Lessons went pretty well too!

This is the cat that adopted Peony, she's really cute!

I rode TC on Sunday night and he felt great. I've been focusing a ton on the quality of the gaits recently and I decided on Sunday to see how some movements rode.

His gaits are feeling really good, I've been working hard on his canter and it's definitely getting easier for him to collect it and transitions in and out, both from walk and from trot, are getting better. And the trot itself is feeling great most of the time. I'm getting pickier about the quality of the throughness and his responsiveness to all the aids and he's stepping it up big time.

I decided to make it a lateral work day at both trot and canter, so here's the breakdown.

View from what we did the next day

Shoulder-in at the trot is feeling good, but it's definitely not as big and fancy as it was last year at times. I believe that it's because I'm asking for a more uphill balance and he can't be fancy and uphill at the same time just yet, he has to stay coiled and learn that impulsion is more than just pushing himself over the ground, it's pushing himself upward too. So that will come, I'm sure.

As an aside, I can't wait to get a passage on this guy because I think it will help us out a lot in terms of the fancy shoulder. But if I put it on too soon, I'm going to lose his hind legs out behind him. He is the epitomy of needing a solid piaffe first before I get the bamboo out. If I teach him passage now, he'll never piaffe.

Haunches-in at the trot felt okay, though he struggles with the amount of angle necessary sometimes. It was easier one way than the other and I can't for the life of me remember which. The biggest issue I'm facing is one I faced on Rico: he struggles to give me the angle so to get it on the tracks I want it on, I'm letting him fall out through his shoulder. This is extremely apparent in the half pass.

He is the best trail horse

He's still very green at half pass, I can count the number of times I've really worked on it. I'm not as strong at half pass as I am at other things (I like to think my strengths are connection and impulsion, also walk pirouettes apparently, maybe I'm wrong) so I can't seriously say what *his* issues are without relating them right back to me. Like Rico, he struggles with the bend in half pass, it feels like it's either a diagonal line or haunches-leading at this point. We'll work it out. Tracey will fix us right up!

None of these weaknesses inspired me to not try the movement at the canter. I find half pass in canter to be a much easier movement for me. The horse does not have any crossover at the canter, it's just pushing the horse sideways during the moment of suspension. So I revved him up and did just that.

He's quite good at it to the right, I think that's because I naturally sit better at the canter that way. To the left, we struggled a bit but we did get some good moments in between him thinking that he might attack the shit out of two pigeons in the corner we were riding it from.

Looking out at the valley

I think this weekend at my lesson, I'll ask Tracey about the haunches-in. I do want to be able to do 2-3 this year if possible, and that plus the counter canter are all that are missing in my lessons. She's given us a ton of info on the shoulder-in, a good lesson on the simple changes, and she told me his walk pirouettes were 8s and I am still on cloud nine about that.

I'm getting excited to show at Second not because it's Second and I wasn't sure if we'd make it, but because I think we might actually do pretty well. My goal is always to walk out with 68%+ and I think there's a chance we may nab that at least at 2-1. But hey, a couple of 8s on the walk pirouttes at 2-3 and I can botch all kinds of other stuff. Like the medium canter, which I am not sure I'm going to actually ride, and the medium trot, which is still terrible.

August Crossfit Post

Alright another month, another below par gym schedule.

My business absolutely exploded last month and the gym is taking a back seat unfortunately. I've blocked out Mondays for my powerlifting class because I love it, but after that, it seems random if I even get to go back to the gym. I now teach on Wednesdays and Fridays, so that leaves Tuesdays and Thursdays to gym, but I keep having stuff to do on those days. I've been supplementing with some work at home and some running at the open space near where I teach, but I don't ever push myself as long or as hard when I'm on my own. Luckily my work gym opened last week so I'll be able to get there sometimes too.

But the powerlifting, I'm loving it. I love Crossfit, don't get me wrong, but Crossfit manages to piss off my wrist with the olympic lifting, the push-ups, the hand stands... but my body loves powerlifting. I mean, I'm not built for it at all and I don't lift anything close to an impressive weight, but my wrist thinks that it's great. And I can't believe how much more fun going to the gym is when there's no nerves that my wrist won't be able to handle the workout.

So my thought for this month is to back off to just dropping in once a week for that class, then supplementing with my work gym at least once a week for lifting and then run, either at the open space or at my work gym.

I've been riding a LOT more (I have two client horses I'm riding right now, plus TC, plus random other catch rides) and sitting TC's trot every day, so I think my fitness can be maintained with less gym work. Hopefully that's true, we'll find out!

From powerlifting this month

For this month, no major PRs because I have just been working to perfect the big three lifts. I haven't PR'd my bench but I have added a lot of volume (so more reps per set, way more actually). My back squat is feeling terrible and my coach thinks that's leftover from mono, so I'm working really hard on form to force my glutes to fire. And my deadlift remains my strongest lift for now, I haven't fully gotten back to my last 1RM because I've been fixing my form, but I did get back up to bodyweight for 3 and that felt great, super easy with the new form.

Fingers crossed that next month goes well for all this. I'm looking forward to doing more bouldering too!