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She's Not a Baby Anymore!

Early spring saw some immediate changes in how Ellie carried herself and our dressage work started to truly improve.  There had been times last year where flat work felt like a fight and I wondered to myself if she was ever going to just relax and listen to me haha.

Thankfully, as the title suggests, Ellie has suddenly grown up in front of my eyes.  We have had some really stellar lessons lately, where I feel like I am suddenly able to make things click.  We also had an incredibly frustrating dressage lesson a few weeks ago where Ellie was in rip-roaring peeing heat (not normal for her) and we worked through 45 minutes of her refusing to bend right.  So, ya know, as much as she is improving, she is still an opinionated redheaded mare!  ;-)

But, I have to give her credit because she is really working her little butt off for me!  Sadly, I had not been able to schedule in a jump lesson before our first three-phase, which led to me riding her ridiculously backward at a slow trot the entire …
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RECAP: 2010 Goals

Here is a look back to my goals I set in January 2010.  Some were met and some were not.  But overall I am very happy with how our year progressed!

Sparky - ALL GOALS MET!  Yay!
  • Keep her healthy, happy, and sound
  • Ride/drive her lightly
Dreamy - Almost all of our goals were met!  Just never got a chance to try team penning.  :(  That's for 2011!
  • Keep her healthy, happy, and sound
  • Continue to show at recognized dressage shows, a few of the MHA hunter shows, and perhaps a three phase event or two
  • Compete for the third year in a row at the Standardbred Nationals in August
  • Take at least 2 lessons per month with Judy, preferably more if possible
  • Attend as many clinics as financially possible
  • Marshal at the racetrack for MSBOA and SD as needed...maybe one day at Cumberland with Shel??
  • Go team penning and/or try cowboy mounted shooting (I am being serious!! LOL!)
  • Continue to work on the connection to the bit at the canter, the stretchy trot, and begin to ask for increased collection/impulsion
  • Score consistently in the 60's at Training level
  • Strengthen my core (This is obviously a goal for me, but I will be achieving it when riding Dreamy, so here it is.)
  • Have fun at WEG
Reva - Again, met all of our goals except for one!  I think we are ready to compete in 2011!  LOL!
  • Keep her healthy, happy, and sound
  • Continue the excellent under saddle work started last July-Oct
  • Work on balance while walking and trotting, reaching for the bit, and bending ribcage
  • Continue to work on in-hand cues (for showing in 2011)
  • Introduce canter in late summer/early fall (maybe)
  • Attend at least one clinic
  • Attend at least one SMDA schooling show, not to show, but to "school on the grounds"
  • Take her to a few lessons at Judy's, mostly just to get her off the farm
  • Be ready to compete in Intro level dressage and walk/trot hunter classes in 2011
Overall, 2010 was an incredible year!  I owe my little black mare everything and she owes me nothing.  Because of Dreamy, 2010 was fabulous.  My biggest goal (though I never explicitly wrote it down, as I was too afraid to actually put it in writing) was to earn a USDF All Breed Award with Dreamy.  And we won two, the adult amateur and open medals!!  They were both championships!  And I got to actually GO to Florida to be on stage at the USDF banquet to receive them!  WOW!  


We scored consistently in the 60s at our USDF rated shows.  We even earned scores at Training level up to a 68.214%!  The July day at UNH when we earned that score was the best feeling ever!!!  :)  Yay for dressage Standardbreds!!!


We rode at WEG 2010!  OMG!  That was far and away the best equine experience of my life.  I will never do something that awesome again, I just know it.  It was outrageous, fun, exhausting , thrilling, exciting, did I mention FUN, and so worth it.  :-D


And of course, Dreamy earned a ton of other ribbons and year end awards.  :)  But that was to be expected, right??  ;-D

Overall, 2010 was a huge year for me and Dreamy in competition.  I am proud of her and still a little overwhelmed about it all.  

I am not 100% sure what 2011 is going to look like just yet.  I need to see what the various show calendars look like, decide who is going to do what (Reva is going to debut in 2011!), decide if I want to try more USDF shows or stick with schooling shows (or BOTH), etc, etc.  There is still much to be decided for 2011 goals. 


But I know one thing.  I am healthy, happy, and excited.  And my lovely mares are happy and healthy.  Not so sure about the "excited" part!  LOL!  ;-D
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