Monthly Goals for May, and T-minus ONE WEEK!

May begins!! And our first event? Yep, it's exactly one week away.


May Goals:


1) Practice our Novice tests for the month of May, and really focus on improving whatever weak spots we have, including work on my position
Success! Mostly, anyway :) We've been practicing bits an pieces out of our Novice tests, especially focusing on our trot-canter transitions and coming back to work after our freewalks, and it's all coming together, mostly. I think we'll be all right. I'm still really focused on my position, and I'm really happy with how it's all coming along.

2) Successfully make it out to one or hopefully two x-country schoolings
Uh, fail. I tried... and tried... and tried. I might get to go Monday... if not, I'll just have to cross myself and go at King Oak. She's fit enough, I'm not worried about that... I'm just worried about her craziness!

3) Develop our gallop fitness
This is something we've really had a chance to develop, and it's been going amazingly well. We've been galloping for a month and a half now, and it's really starting to show in her body and spirit. The gallops are coming easily and her recovery times are swift.

4) REALLY focus on our trot-canter transitions, and our stretching
Success! We've made a lot of headway over the past six months with these two things, and our trot-canter transitions are becoming smooth and quiet instead of really upright and explosive. They were never BAD per se, but they were always a 6 instead of the 7 (or, rarely, the 8) that they are now. Same with the stretching... the other day I had THE smoothest freewalk to trot to canter, same as in our test, that I've EVER had. We'll grill this next week, and then hope that it sticks for the show!

5) Make it around our first 3'3"-3'6" courses in the show ring!
Success! Some moments were a little hairy, some moments were amazing, but we're there. Our foundation is built up to this height, and now we need to solidify it here. She's one hell of a jumper, I can tell you that.


My own goals are, as always, the same, because I've been a lazy caca-head about my exercise. I've started a new attack method - just take it as slow as can be, and gradually add a little more and a little more, and this seems to be working just fine.



May Goals:

1) Attend our first two recognized events of the year, and obtain two qualifying scores for the AECs and for Area I Championships
2) Continue to develop our gallops, and my gallop position
3) Continue to develop better stretch, and trot-canter transitions
4) Start to work a little more collection into our schooling dressage work
5) Have a little FUN out there ;)

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We've had a pretty effed-up week... everything'sgone a little catawampus. We've been show cleaning the facility for the schooling show that's being hosted here today (notice how DAMN EARLY I'm up right now? blah!) We hacked out briefly on Monday to get the juices flowing again, and she was hot as hellfire. Tuesday was a pretty unproductive dressage day, with about 5 minutes of civilized trot following an entire hour of wasted time. Wednesday I was supposed to have a dressage lesson but did not, so instead I went to gallop. Once again, hot as freaking blazes and I regretted going in the snaffle for our first canter set! She eventually settled down and gave me some fantastic work, but she used up a lot of energy fighting me and was tired by the time we were through. So then of course, on Thursday when we did have a lesson, despite getting some bute and getting wrapped and having a liniment bath the evening before, she was tense through her topline and it took another entire hour to warm her up. She gave me another half-hour of pretty excellent dressage work, but jeez, an hour and a half? And Friday, again, I was SUPPOSED to have another lesson but, obviously, my dog went for a sightseeing tour and we ended up giving Gogo that day off instead of today. Yesterday we had a pretty productive dressage lesson, and I was pleased with the work she gave me. She warmed up much faster and was giving me some excellent transitions and some picture perfect square halts. By the end of the lesson, it really felt like all her energy was coming from behind right into my hands, and I could actually capture it and direct it with it being more on my terms instead of hers. Hooray!

As for today, we have our two-hour conditioning hack, if the show ever ends. It's 4:30am and I'm off to clean stalls. Ugh.....