Here is Part 2 of Heidi Bartlett's experiences at the recent Area VI Adult Riders Clinic at Ram Tap. After this encouraging weekend we look forward to hearing how Heidi and Jonny fair for the rest of 2008.

“To Ride or Not to Ride - That is the Question” Part 2

The next day dawned and it turned into a sunny day as I was walking round in my t-shirt - warm and happy. Again the question, should I ride? Was the cross country schooling too much for my horse? Is he sound, should we ride? All systems were go, and it was time for the first phase of the combined test - my nemesis dressage. I’m a perfectionist by nature and the discipline of dressage makes me focus as much or more than any other type of riding. By focusing on perfection and trying too hard, that “perfect” picture is elusive. Only by relaxing and letting things flow can it be the effortless vision I hope it to be - not a bad philosophy for life either I suppose. I got my horse ready and headed out to the warm-up ring and once again, Shannon, a kind trainer helped me warm up my horse so I could do my best in the ring.

We remembered the test and stayed on course! First hurdle accomplished, yippee! I’m just learning lengthenings, and of course I had none in my test, so we got a very fair score by Vicky Matisi. I was hoping for less than a 50, and we were 10th out of 11 riders with a 42!  With all that can happen in eventing, I was pretty happy for our first time out at this level. What was cool, is that this is the first test where my remarks changed - a sure sign that the homework is paying off.  I didn’t get any mention of being behind the leg, or lack of impulsion - progress! In the afternoon as a rare treat Vicky, the dressage judge who marked my score, was available for the second half of the adult clinic - a 30 minute dressage lesson! Vicky was very kind, helpful and encouraging. Vicky asked what my horse and I were working on, and tailored the session to our needs. My issue has always been that I can either get my horse to give with his head, or move up with his hind end, but not both at the same time. Vicky helped me get the engine going and encourage Jonny to be round by encouraging with my inside hand, kind of like messaging the bit.

It’s funny, it’s so hard to get to the next level in riding, but once you feel what the movement is supposed to be like, it almost feels easy. I guess when you’re riding right it feels more comfortable. Next we worked on riding the right size circle, since I’d never done an 18 meter circle before Vicky helped provide landmarks and practice what it should look and feel like. Finally, we practiced our lengthenings, and for me, since I have a sensitive horse, Vicki suggested I try to quiet my upper body and ask for more impulsion with my legs. I was driving so hard with my seat and upper body, I was pulling him off-balance. Quite a bit of key take-aways from a 30 minute session! By improving the lengthening scores, Jonny’s roundness, and the right circle we have a shot at being competitive! That’s so encouraging when trying a new level. Now I know what I need to work on, I know it’s within my capabilities, and we can have fun and be in the running! Again, thanks so much to Vicky and Dayna Lynd-Pugh for working so hard and making this happen. I love my current trainer and barn, and this clinic was a perfect supplement to give me the roadmap and tools for the upcoming season. I just can’t wait.

After the horses were fed and put to bed, I attended the Active Rider and Trainer meeting with Gina Miles. She spoke about how important it is to support the upcoming Twin Rivers CIC so that we can keep it on the calendar in our region. Gina also mentioned the upcoming requirements in 2009 for people to move from the lower levels to the upper levels. At the training level, riders need to complete four horse trials with a 50 or below in dressage, clean jump penalties in cross country and no more than x stadium jump penalties to qualify for a preliminary event. This is part of the initiative to make the sport safer for competitors.

After the meeting concluded, it was time for the festivities and awards program. The event was held in a tent that had hot air blowing in from vents, and it was quite comfortable. It had the rustic down home feel with wood shavings covering the floor. The food was quite tasty, and the portions were amazing - I ordered the beef and got a steak which would cover three meals on a normal day for me. David Adamo hosted the ceremonies and many, many beautiful trophies were presented. One memorable one was a sportsmanship award for the preliminary team competing at Fair Hill - what an honor. Not only that it was an amazing trophy that was so heavy the girls could hardly hold it up - it was an intricate beautiful bronze statue of a horse jumping a brush fence. It was fun to see everyone and meet such a friendly and welcoming group.  It was nice to see the riders rewarded for their hard work during the year. Since I’ve lived in California just over a year, all the names were new to me, and it was fun to see all the new faces who I hope to befriend in the upcoming season.

Overnight the heavens opened up with hard rain - it looked like water was just pouring out of a bucket from late evening until the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, the next morning broke without rain, but there were definitely signs of the deluge at Ram Tap. The stadium warm up was a bit mucky, and everyone was waiting for the officials to arrive and make the call - should the event continue? The warm up arena was a bit soft, but in walking the lower jumping ring, the footing was solid.  There were a couple of puddles, but it wasn’t slippery at all. Again the question, “to ride or not to ride?” Footing acceptable...check.....horse sound....check. Okay, we’re going to make a go of it. Since we were waiting to see if the show was going to go on, we’d postponed our course walk. Now that it was a go, with the number of scratches ahead of me, by the time I got out to warm up, there was one rider ahead of me. This was my first time riding in order of go, so this is good practice for the future. Gulp! I haven’t walked the full course yet - rookie mistake! Ali, the kind soul who gave me a ride to the show, offered to go in front of me so I could at least watch one course - whew! She had a great horse, similar to mine, so she showed me the course and the strides between each fence. So, trying to keep my dyslexia at bay (I’ve been known to ride the mirror image of my course in lessons),

I’m focusing on my course. I head into the ring, and have a stop at the first fence. We double back around, and all the practicing we’ve been doing at home with my hunter/jumper trainer is paying off. The stadium course just flows, of course I have one flyer fence, and then got way too deep to another, but all the jumps stayed up and my confidence is coming on strong. The course was very fair, there were two combinations - a one stride and a two stride. All the lines were flowing and generous, the strides were very rideable, so it was a great confidence building start to the season. Everyone who’d adopted me cheered me on to the finish flags and my heart was soaring. Oops, the ring steward told me that I’d forgotten to wait for the whistle, so we end the day with a big E - eliminated. I didn’t care, we’d survived cross country with butterflies in my stomach. Then we found out my homework list for dressage, and we sailed through stadium. Quite a successful weekend that so many times came close to not becoming a reality.

Not only was the riding so much fun, the friendly and helpful people I met throughout the weekend was what made the experience so priceless. This was a great way to try out training level, and set my hopes for a successful season. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the weekend, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

Heidi Bartlett & Jonny

Heidi Bartlett on Jonny at Woodside in 2007