Making a Comeback

Last weekend, Esso and I had our debut into first level. We competed at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on Saturday and Sunday.

Rison and I inbetween rides at the horse show
Photo By Barbara Bella

On the first day, Saturday, I rode twice and both of my rides were very conservative. I ended up getting good scores but my trainer, Kristina Harrison, wasn't happy. She said it was boring, she wanted me to really go for it. She wanted me to "wow" the judge. I went home that evening feeling disappointed. When I woke up the next day, though, I just felt determined. Krisi always says that if you want to do better, you have to ride better, and that was exactly what I was going to do. I was going to ride harder than I had ever ridden before, and deliver my best performance yet.

After I finished my first ride on Sunday the judge (I had the same judge on both days) yelled out to me from her booth that my ride had been a great improvement from the day before. Even Krisi was more than happy with it. I ended up getting a 77.5%, by far the highest score I have ever received. I couldn't have been more excited. Did I already feel like my legs were going to fall off halfway through my ride? Yes. But it paid off!

Krisi and all of her clients also did very well at the show. I was especially happy that my friend Rison  and her horse Etsie, who rode the Prix St. Georges for the first time, did great in all of their rides. More than that. They killed it. Congratulations Rison!

I will post a video of my ride as soon as I have it!

From Sunny Skies to Snowy Rides

I'm always cold. I'll be at the barn at 8 am shivering in my down jacket, complaining about how freezing I am. People laugh and say that I live in Southern California, I don't even know what cold is. That's where they're mistaken.

When I was ten, my parents and I moved to Vienna, Austria. We hadn't even moved into our new apartment yet when I started barn hunting. It didn't take long until I found the perfect place; The kids were nice, the teacher was great, and the horses were fun. It didn't seem all that different from the barn I came from.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Needless to say, our first winter in Austria came as a bit of a shock to me. At first, I loved the cold. I loved the rain and the snow. My barn had two indoor arenas, so I didn't see how it could be a problem. After about a month, however, I started missing California's blue skies and sunshine.

Riding in the cold presented more challenges than I expected. Grooming and tacking up was made difficult by the fact that my fingers were numb, and I could hardly hold on to a hoof-pick let alone actually pick a horse's feet. The horses were always frisky in the cold, and the loud noise of raindrops on the tin roof of the arena didn't do much to calm them down. Every now and then a crack of thunder would ring through the sky, causing all the horses in the arena to take off galloping in different directions.

That wasn't even the worst part though. The worst part was getting off. Your body would generally warm up pretty quickly riding. That is, every part of your body except for your toes. I remember dismounting my pony and trying so hard to land gently on the floor. Every now and then, however,  I would swing off with too much force, and land hard, right on my toes. I remember feeling sure every time that happened that that was it - one of my toes had fallen off. My eyes would fill with tears and I would bite my lip in pain. Then it would go away, just like that. I would later on discover that all my ten toes were still, in fact, all attached.

The hardships of that day were soon forgotten, and an hour later I was already looking forward to my lesson the next day.

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

This week it rained. Most people I know love the rain. I did too, until I started riding. We don't have indoor arenas, so when it rains, we don't ride.

I always hear kids at my school talking about how happy they are when volleyball gets canceled, or they don't have to go to soccer practice. Or how they're so glad that the season is almost over. I'm the exact opposite when it comes to riding. There is never a day when I don't look forward to going to the barn, to riding my horse. When I don't get to ride for a while, I usually get grumpy, irritable. Riding is my passion.

When I'm sitting on my horse, I get to forget about everything else. How much homework I have, the test tomorrow, everything. I am completely in the moment, thinking of nothing but the task at hand, whether it be riding a good leg-yield or improving our trot-canter transitions. For one hour every day I get to escape from the usual hustle and bustle of life.

I'm very lucky to have a passion like that. So many of my friends play a sport or an instrument because their parents make them, but don't really enjoy it. Or maybe they like whatever they do, but not many love it. Even I used to try a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I played soccer and volleyball. When I was very young I did ballet. A little later I took up the violin, and then the piano. I had fun doing most of these things, but eventually I'd get tired of them. A couple of years ago I decided to quit everything else and devote myself entirely to riding. I have never gotten tired of it, and plan to ride for the rest of my life.

All Dressed Up

Last Sunday, I attended the annual CDS LA Chapter Awards Brunch at a country club in Tarzana. I received two awards in the Jr/YR category: the over-all high point award, and the individual level high point award for training level. A friend of mine who also trains with Krisi received two awards as well. Congratulations!

This awards brunch is an event that I look forward to every year, in large part because of the delicious food provided for the guests. There is an open buffet with all types of foods, ranging from sushi to an omelet bar. This year I went back not only for seconds, but for thirds (don't worry, I worked extra hard the next day at Pilates). Another reason I love going is because I get to see all the people from my barn in "civilian" clothes. They trade their breeches and paddock boots in for dresses and fancy shoes, wearing their hair down instead of tied back and covered up by a helmet.

I think it's great that the CDS Chapters put on these awards. They're a fun way to bring the dressage community together, and nicely tie up the show season before the next one begins. Speaking of which, Esso and my next show will be taking place at the LA Equestrian Center in just over two weeks... Hopefully we will be able to collect our first points for next year's awards!

Love At First Sight

Exactly one year and two days ago, I was sitting in an airplane on a direct flight from LAX to Amsterdam.

Meeting Esso

Ever since I started riding, I wanted a horse of my own. For seven years, every Christmas and every birthday, a horse was always the top item on my wish list. My parents, however, made it clear to me that a horse of my own would not be a part of my immediate - and even not so immediate - future. That is, until about a year and a half ago. Around that same time I started riding with my current trainer, Kristina Harrison. When my parents told her that we were looking to buy a horse, she immediately suggested that we fly to Holland, and find a horse there through international Grand Prix rider Bert Rutten.

So, there I was, about half a year later, anxiously awaiting my arrival in Amsterdam. When the plane finally did land, my dad, who happened to be near Amsterdam on a business trip, picked me up from the airport. We drove to our hotel in Weert where we would be spending the next two nights, dropped off our luggage, and headed straight to Bert's stables. There we met up with Krisi who had arrived in Holland about one week before I did. She immediately told me about this amazing horse she had in mind for me - talented, willing, and good-natured. Oh, and there was just one other little thing she thought I should know. Esso was three years old, and had only been under saddle for sixty days.

We weren't looking to buy a baby, but Esso and I were a perfect match. It was love at first sight. He was the first horse I rode in Holland, and might as well have been the last. It's been a year since I got Esso and not a day has gone by that I don't feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have him.

A Small Girl With a Big Horse: How It All Began

About ten years ago, my mom and a friend, who also has a daughter my age, went on a walk to the San Pascual Stables in the Arroyo. They sat down on some rocks and watched the goings on of the barn, when my mom's friend wondered aloud whether we (her daughter and I) might decide to take up riding one day. My mom replied that I better not, it's much too expensive of a sport.

Two years later I took my first riding lesson, at no place other than the San Pascual Stables. I rode there for three years (until my family moved to Austria) with "Cowboy Dave", my first trainer. Before I mounted my horse for my first lesson, Dave held up his closed fist for me to see. That, he told me, is how big a horse's brain is. Dave would tell me this over and over again. He encouraged me to not be afraid of the horses, constantly reminding me that while they might be a whole lot bigger than me, I'm still a whole lot smarter than them.

I immediately fell in love with riding. I started taking more and more lessons, spending as much time at the barn as I could. After three years of jumping I discovered my passion for dressage, and I haven't looked back since. I go to the stables almost every day, and am working as hard as I can to become a professional rider. My mom, despite her former aversion to the sport, is now my number one supporter, right next to me every step of the way.

Professional Tips and Polo Shirts: A Clinic Weekend

Photo by Christina Schweighofer

This weekend, Esso and I participated in a clinic with Judy Harvey at the Paddock Riding Club in LA. I love clinics because I get to spend the whole day at the barn, watching rides and hanging out with friends, but more importantly because they offer a new perspective from somebody you otherwise wouldn't train with. Every professional rider has their own tricks and techniques. Some might work for you and your horse and some might not, but you always leave a clinic a little wiser than you were before.

On Saturday, we focused a lot on our lateral work, as Esso is just learning movements like leg-yields and shoulder-ins. First, Judy had me do them in the trot. Then, she had me come down to the walk and repeat the movements that were difficult for us. After we mastered them in the walk she had us pick up the trot and do the whole thing again - and it worked! By the time our ride was over our shoulder-in had improved immensely.

On Sunday, we worked on getting Esso to move away from the "baby" frame (somewhat horizontal in the body and neck) to a more "grown up" frame (more uphill with his hind legs reaching further under him), which we eventually achieved through a series of exercises.

After the clinic, my trainer asked me to list two things I got out of it. The answer was easy:

1. When we are having trouble with the lateral work, it is a good idea to bring Esso down to walk and repeat the movement.
2. By keeping Esso straighter through his neck and body I can achieve more suspension and a higher degree of collection.

Oh and I almost forgot... On Sunday, my friend Rison and I showed up in matching polos (see top right)! We got them last summer when Rison made the Region 7 team for the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships and we both traveled to Kentucky - she the competitor and I her groom. Rison ended up winning the team silver and individual bronze medals, and we both came home with NAJYRC T-shirts!

With the help of my trainer and many more clinics, I hope to make the team myself some time in the not too distant future!