I have bad a$$ students!!!!!
Team Red Hawke went to Loch Moy yesterday for a little XC school.
Alexis and Packer looked perfect. Literally perfect. It was a great school to prep them for Waredaca.
I think I am more upset about not being with Alexis at Waredaca then Alexis is! Her and Packer looking that good though, made me know they will be amazing competing this weekend.
Willis lived up to every hope and expectation I had. He and Katie had a blast and jumped all of the Intro/Elementary XC with a smile on their faces (yes Willis smiled also)!
Willis is super brave, smart, and LOVES water and jumping!
Alison and Buckshot could have been making a video of the ideal way to look while schooling XC. No joke.
And then there was Kari, the biggest bad ass of them all.
So when I read my sports psychology books, it talks of mental toughness. How you can learn it. How it is training yourself that when the going gets tough, the winners keep going and the losers quit.
Now normally you won't find my blog posts so aggressive and I try to avoid words like "ass" by cleverly camouflaging the word with symbols like $'s (I bet you hadn't noticed), but sometimes you need a little swear word, a little oomf, a shot of tequila.
Kari's lesson started out great.
Kaliente is an AMAZING horse. She is a super good jumper and likes to be on a soft loose connection.........in the show jumping........... XC not so much.
This is one of those mares that you can tell grew up with a trainer/rider and loved the way that person rode her, and wanted to be ridden THE EXACT SAME WAY.
So when Kari presented missy mick mickerson Kaliente to a bank two stride log question and got there on two and a half (lack of straightness) and Kari floated the reins and closed her leg, Kaliente turned her face into a question mark and stopped.
Kari fell off, and fell hard.
She didn't let go, she didn't get emotional, she didn't get crazy, she didn't get (outwardly) pissed. She got up.
She got back on, we talked about it, she rode Kaliente with the steady heavy connection that she wanted, and those two bitches rocked it.
It was the coolest thing to watch.
I know that that mare loves Laney. She clearly loved Sally (her old rider) and after yesterday, she loves and respects Kari.
Kari is as tough as they come. She is a sports psychology book all wrapped into muscle and skin and funny randomness, and signing her checks as Snooki.
She is a real horse person and gained more respect from me and that horse then words can express.
It was a great thing for me and the other three ladies to see.
Sometimes I truly know what the saying
"If you love your job, you won't work a day in your life"
means.
Another exciting ride yesterday was the one I took on Fiesta!
She came over in the morning to jump with me. I love this mare. I love this mares saddle.
I jumped missy over all the verticals, hogs back (my current obsession) and liverpool perfectly on the first go.
Fiesta did angled lines, shortened, lengthened, and focused.
It was great.
Our ring is great. Thanks again to the Dawson's for that. The best farm owners ever.
Beasty and Callie are doing really well.
Both are having a spa day. They did their chiro-acupuncture this morning and will be getting baths and basking in "back on trackness" this afternoon.
Summer can't wait til it is her turn.
Maggie is running wildly with her little friends Erin and Aiden. So I am going to take some time for a little yoga now.
Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines. -Leroy Satchel Paige
A problem is a chance for you to do your best. – Duke Ellington If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? - Unknown
Make your face hurt.
Two more things to clarify what a bad ass is...
This
And this
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