Chris and I got ready relatively early on Saturday, August 8, 2020. We made the short trek to Longview with her camper and my tiny 2-horse trailer in tow- it looks so silly! We arrived in the late morning on Saturday with enough time to get Dezi settled in her stall and watch some of the group before me before I had to start getting ready. They were doing XC. It was supposed to be the beginner novice group. Lainey had them jumping primarily novice & training questions. I was secretly shitting my pants. I thought I had signed up for novice. If I signed up for novice and this was the BN group, I was screwed. I've never schooled the prelim questions at Longview! We'd just have to see what happened.
While I was getting ready, I was talking to Jessica, one of the other members of my 4 person group, and she reminded me to let Lainey know that we had only competed at the BN level when we were introducing ourselves to her. Apparently, Lainey is known for pushing riders past their comfort zone. We got ready and proceeded down to the XC area. Dezi and I had a good warm up- we didn't jump anything, but we had good, forward gaits at the walk, trot, and canter. We were ready. I even practiced my introduction speech in front of Chris. I was sure to mention that we had only showed recognized shows at the BN level and schooled some novice questions during XC schoolings. She remindedter ling me to mention my difficulties, so I talked a bit about making sure Dezi was forward and I didn't jump ahead of her. I mentioned that we typically have more trouble with stadium than XC. I take jumping more seriously when I'm a bit nervous. I need to work on keeping her at a consistent, forward pace on the approach to the fences.
Our first course was the BN mulch ramp to the novice barn to the new novice table to the training house to the training chevron in the typcial warm-up area around to the novice cross country warm up jump and ended with the training level step jump. Jessica went first and killed it. Tough act to follow. So we went for it. Dezi was incredible. She jumped everything I pointed her at without question. It was so freaking cool. We came back to Lainey when we were finished and she had nothing but good things to say. She said that we looked incredible and that our pace was good, I rode well, and she complemented us in every way. She the proceeded to remind me not to peak too soon. Little did she know what she had coming for her when we got to stadium.
Our second course involved the water. We took the training house the opposite direction into the water complex with the novice roll top out, across the field to the training level barrels and back to the novice roll top, through the water and out over the training roll top. Dezi did great. This time I remembered to start my go-pro, which my fiance was very happy about. Again, Lainey didn't have much to say in terms of correction except that I should have anticipated the line out of the water to the training roll top a little more quickly with a better line through the water. But overall, Dezi was being incredible!
Our third course was at the bank complex. We jumped the starter training log to the BN/N up bank to the novice bench, left turn around the corner to the ramp up the bank complex, off the bank to the novice hanging log, across the field to the novice white step at the top of the hill, around the outside of the filed to the training pheasant feeder followed by the training black roll top. We finished with the bank up, two stride, bank down, two stride hanging training log. On our first attempt, Dezi trotted at the top of the bank complex and got the 2 strides to the hanging log but Lainey wanted us to maintain the canter even on top of the bank complex, so we tried it a couple more times before we were both too tired to try again. We got some time to think about it before we finally mastered it. And no one got video of that attempt, unfortunately (except Bridget, who has no way to send it to me), so basically, there's no photo evidence.
Our fourth and final course was at the ditch. We were supposed to take the ditch at a trot. If that went well, we were supposed to turn around and take the ditch at a canter followed by the BN house up the hill. If that went well, we were supposed to turn around and take the BN house down the hill to the ditch to the novice house going up the hill. Dezi and I did everything well on our first attempt.
Day one with Lainey was a success. Dezi and I killed it. We had confidence for days. She had us jumping plenty of training level questions and it went well! I couldn't have been more happy!
Dezi got a good hose down, a good walk around the property, and I left her to chill in her stall while I watched some of the other groups ride. Chris and I went to the dinner that the pony club put on and then headed back to take care of Dezi and call it a night. I went to bed early. Chris stayed in her camper at Longview. Overall, it was a good day. I was very happy!
On Sunday, our group was supposed to ride at 6:30AM. SO EARLY! I set my alarm for 4:30AM and headed to the horse park only to find it locked. I eventually got the combination and let myself into the park. I wanted to have time to put in some quick braids before stadium to show Lainey my respect for her. I fed Dezi and started braiding. Braiding the dark is soooo difficult! I should have done it the night before! Our braids were OK, but nothing too fancy. I forgot that the sun doesn't rise until about 6:30 and couldn't find my head lamp, so the braids happened completely in the dark.
We were on and ready to go at 6:30. Jessica mentioned that Lainey had still been very complimentary towards me and Dezi on the ride back to the hotel last night, which made me feel readlly good. However, stadium has never been our strong suit. I had just been telling Anthony that this would be the day we needed. Lainey would help us today. Stadium day. This was where we were really going to learn all the things. I didn't expect that the first thing she would have us do was a grid- one stride to 2 stride to one stride to 2 stride. I also didn't expect that it would take us like 6 times and minimal tears shed by me and a dressage whip over every jump to actually figure it out. I was so frustrated with myself. I couldn'd figure out how to get her to move forward with impulsion while still keeping my posture up and back. I was dropping her to the fences, for absolutely no reason. To this day, I don't understand why I can do these things in the XC field and not in the stadium arena. It's a constant struggle.
We finally got the grid figured out, when it took everyone else in our group about 2-3 times to get it correct. Oh well. Then we moved onto 3 big oxers with 3 strides between each. Dezi and I were able to master that more quickly for some reason. Maybe we had the impulsion and rhythm figured out after all our attempts at the grid. Then we had to do the oxers to a 4- loop serpentine exercise with canter poles and oxers at each centerline around to the original grid. It's amazing how once we got the grid the first time, we were able to get it every time. It just stinks that it took so long (and so much emotion on my part) to get there. We were even able to get all our correct leads during the serpentine exercise. A first for anyone in our group (oh yeah, we had moved from second in the group to last because I didn't want to slow anyone up). The lesson ended on a positive note, but we definitely have a lot of stadium exercises to work on. We have a lot of improvements to make. If only I could mentally figure out how to make a stadium jump look like a big XC jump in my mind... I'm willing to take suggestions if anyone has them!
We got our picture with Lainey and I got my selfie with her! I took care of Dezi while it was raining for some of the other groups. I got her loaded in the trailer and Chris took her home for me while I watched the rest of the classes and helped be jump crew. I feel like I learned a lot. And even with out mess ups, Lainey still commented on my social media posts about the weekend with Dezi and me being the #VIPoftheweekend. I'll take it. She mentioned prelim goals for Dezi and me. She said that we're a good pair and need to work on fitness (lol go figure #draftcrossproblems). But it was cool to have a clinician who doesn't know us watch us and tell me that she has high expectations. Hopefully we can live up to those expectations.
I learned a ton. Lainey was incredible. She was encouraging yet challenging. She didn't make anything easy. Everyone had some sort of trouble, and she was great about capitalizing on the troubles and using them as learning moments. I went into the weekend shitting my pants scared about what she was going to ask us to do and finished with confidence coming out the butthole. Now, I look at cross country jumps and think "that's nothing bigger than what I jumped with Lainey." It was a huge confidence booster and yet I learned a lot. It wasn't easy. It was never easy, mentally or physically. But I figured it out. And that's what's most important. I walked away from the weekend feeling like I could accomplish anything I wanted if I work for it and put my mind to it.
I would recommend that anyone I know ride with Lainey Ashker if given the chance. I got so much out of our lessons, and I plan on making her very proud of us next year when she comes to KC!
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