The last great Victorian courtesan

My dressage clinic this weekend has been postponed, so nothing to report on that front. Had a rather "exciting" ride on Molly this morning, who has spent the last week sitting in the paddock and comfort eating. I threw the sidesaddle on her and off we went at a canter, except she wouldn't stop....! I pulled her left (which I now know NOT to do) and she kept cantering but was changing at the back constantly, now I also know why Robin says flying changes are a bit unsettling LOL. I had a moment when I thought I was going to hit the sand but we eventually came to a stop. My neighbour observed wrly that I was very brave, that all the horses have gone a bit nutty since the earthquake and everyone else has been chucking them on the lunge first...

Anyway... some time ago I read a book about some of the great courtesans and I came across Catherine Walters (1839-1920), known as "Skittles" to her friends. She was famous for her riding skill and she was equally renowned for the perfect fit of her habits, into which she had to be sewn. Whenever she appeared in Hyde Park, aristocratic women would rush to copy her dress, whilst their husbands would speculate as to whether she could possibly be wearing undergarments beneath her skin tight clothing...

Catherine "Skittles" Walters

 There is a book about her life and I am keeping an eye on Alibris to see if one surfaces, she sounds like a  fascinating character and I would love to find more photos of her riding out.

Since I was grumpy...

It has obviously not been the best week here in Christchurch! Petrol has run out (lucky I had just filled the truck up with diesel) and I have been trying to distract myself from the constant images in the media - so I thought I would fire off a few emails....

I sent a rather terse email to Equestrain Sport New Zealand. I pointed out that:

* Dressage NZ won't allow me to ride sidesaddle - since it isn't specifically allowed under FEI rules. 

*Dressage NZ won't even allow me to ride H/C, because sidesaddle is not allowed under FEI rules.

* I don't have an FEI Para-Equestrian ID card, which would document and allow my sidesaddle as my compensating aid. I need a second classification (which has to be an overseas classifier) to apply for one, and I can't see any coming to Canterbury for some time.

* I cannot compete until ESNZ sorts out the issue with the para-riders and their compensating aids, which unfortunately is destined to go to lawyers & the Human Rights Commission and could take months, if not years.

Then I played the earthquake card - I pointed out that I needed the distraction of training & competing to take my mind off what is going on around me. Rather underhand I know, but these people need a bomb under them to get them to do anything!

I got an email back within an hour saying they will look at giving me a temporary dispensation to use my sidesaddle. I will need to keep nagging at them, and probably draft it myself and then get it rubber stamped, but  at least I feel like I am starting to move in the right direction :)

Another massive earthquake :(

Sept 2010 we had a 7.1 earthquake here in Canterbury, that was over 30kms deep and fortunately that one occurred a 4.30am at a weekend when everybody was home with their families. Today we were not so lucky :(

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4688231/Deaths-destruction-in-Christchurch-quake

A 6.3 that was only 5kms deep struck today at lunch time. I have never been so scared, the whole house moved and shook and I could only watch as the horses galloped terrified around their paddock. Rob (my husband ) was in inner city Christchurch which has just been devastated. The city is flattened. He walked past rubble with limbs sticking out :( It took 3 hours to drive home 45 kms, which normally takes 45 minutes. I had no contact with him for over 2 hours and didn't know if he was trapped or not. Fortunately the kids were all OK at school, but after shocks are continuing.

Phone, internet and power are intermittent. I might not be on-line for awhile, lots to sort out here. We are all ok ,thank god, others have not been so lucky, there are multiple fatalities in town.

Hopes dashed....

This is the response I have had from Dressage NZ:

The latest FEI rules, effective January 1 2011, do not allow a side saddle. "ART 428 Saddlery FEI rules says:- Dressage saddle which must be close to the horse and have long, near vertical flaps ..........."  Therefore a side saddle would not be allowed. 

They will not allow me to ride sidesaddle :(

Robin, can you help? My understanding is that it is allowed under FEI rules?

We did good :)

Well I was a bundle of nerves and had to hit my hip flask by 9am. I had so many people coming to "have a look" at me doing sidesaddle I nearly baled before I got there, I thought performance nerves would get the better of me.

Molly was ok, but very tense and hot in her trot work. I figured I would just smile and have a nice day and try not to worry about it. A friend is a professional photographer and she came along especially to take photos of me. She is obviously tense in quite a few of them and I did try and find the "nicer" ones to share LOL A few others are ruined as my apron is filthy... it obviously rubbed against her then came out from under my foot, any suggestions on how to keep it in place? I think the elastic is not in the right spot.

But I will definately be ordering some of these piks, its so nice to have "proper" photos.

She was quite resistant in her trot work and against my hand and just wanted to motor off on the forehand, and that is something we need to work on more. Her canter work was fantastic compared to how it was 6 months ago. We got the correct strike off both times as soon as I asked for it. So I was rapt with that. We also need to work on bend and straightness as she is starting to tend to drift, particularly on the right rein.

We ended up scoring 70% and came 5th out of a field of 25 starts. Onwards and upwards :)

Waiting our turn

Trot entry

trot 20m circle

Canter left

Canter right

Final halt & salute

What a clever pony!

Dressage tomorrow!

Well tomorrow is D-Day - our first dressage aside start! It is only training test 3 and Iam riding H/C but it is a start. I have been told off by a few people for not doing the level 1 tests, but one has movements that specifically state they have to be done at the posting trot (which we need to work on, as Molly thinks rising sidesaddle = go faster) and the other level 1 test has extended trot and way to much canter. 

Plus the last 10 months have been disasterous, at one dressage day she nearly bucked me off, at others I have had to scratch as I knew in the warm-up it was going to go badly. Then if we make it into the arena she has been so crooked/tense & on the forehand that I got sick and tired of coming last every single time. 

So I changed instructors and things have been slowly coming together over the last few months. This is the test we are doing, it's nice and simple and should set us up for a positive experience:

We ride at lunch time. Hubby is bringing the kids and a picnic lunch to have while we wait for the test sheets to come back. Hopefully I will have some photos to share tomorrow night and will let you know how it went.

I'm a wee bit excited...

I have a lesson booked for 27 February with quite a high level dressage rider from the North Island, who travels to the South Island occassionally to take clinics. I have now realised that riding astride is just too painful and was working myself into a lather about should I, or could I, email the clinic organiser and ask to ride aside.

So I put my SSDQ tiara and big gal panties on and emailed off a query. The organiser forwarded it to the trainer who sent me a personal response saying she has no problem with me riding sidesaddle & she is looking forward to our lesson!

Fingers crossed now that it is a productive session as I would love to have a decent trainer in my corner :)

HALLELUJAH... a canter break through!

I had an astride dressage lesson on Tuesday - my trainer *hates* sidesaddle and won’t even contemplate it unfortunately. My first lesson in 8 weeks and first time astride this year and boy did my body scream in protest and my ankles gave out by the end of it :(

Anyhoo... my trainer is happy with how Molly’s trot is progressing so we worked on canter transitions. She wanted inside leg only and just *thinking* pop into canter. It was hard work and Molly threw her toys a number of times (she gets quite fizzy and winds herself up once we start cantering) but we seemed to make some progress.

The last 2 days I have ridden aside, used inside leg for canter departs and she has got them every time. Why did no one tell me it is so much EASIER to use that phantom right leg when you clench your buttock as you think inside leg by the girth and a scoop with your right hip bone? Canter departs left are not as snappy as I would like them but it is a work in progress. I am so happy, it feels like we are finally talking the same language :) 

So now we just have to refine it, and Molly has taken it as proof that she is indeed a very clever mare.. roll on our first dressage start next weekend!

Things that make you go "hmmmm"...

I had my first ride today in a month. It nearly didn't happen as Mr 5 threw himself on the floor this morning and screamed "I'm never going to school again!" This is after only 2 days of school, so he hasn't even lasted a week. I replied "Oh yes you are". It doesn't pay to mess with a mum who hasn't ridden in a month and has had 2 boisterous boys home all summer! lol

Molly has her shoes back on so I was able to walk next door to use the neighbour's arena. I lunged her with the sidesaddle on and I noticed that it slid quite noticeably to the right on the lunge. I loosened off the balance strap which helped, but should it move that much? It also looked like it was bouncing a bit at the back when she moved. I'm not sure if I should be worried about that or not?

Second thought for the day - her trot is really starting to develop now. My trainer rode her a few times before Xmas and Molly seems to have had a lightbulb moment that she can actually use her back and track up instead of doing the horrible, anxious little pony trot. We actually managed about a third of a 20m circle that felt fantastic! She has moments of 4-5 strides where it feels like I am riding a balloon, she is so soft, light and round. Then it all goes to crap... LOL

Left canter lead is a disaster however. I need to re-read and burn into my brain Robin's post on the phantom limb. I am 99% sure the problem is me, as I haven't decided what my aid for left canter is. Right seems sorted -  a wee lift of the right rein and a quick "swipe" with my left leg and she pops into canter. I just can't get my head around what to do on the left. I *need* to keep my left leg still, as I am confusing her by making the same swipe with my leg and she is popping into counter canter :) I need to figure out what I am doing with my whip. Do I tap, swipe, nudge? Molly is a smart wee mare and as long as I am consistent in what I do, she will know that it means left canter. So I need to get that sorted. 

We have just over 2 weeks until our first dressage competition for the year, and our first dressage aside outing against astride riders. No pressure *GULP*