Team Players=Life Lessons

The hardest part about being on a Dressage Team is being on a Team. Learning to share, support and encourage one another, demonstrate leadership, compassion and empathy...these are tough attributes for adults, let alone 17 and 18 year old young women! The NAJYRC is a crash course in sportsmanship and I will tell you this, it is a successful program! Our Region 3 girls are friends, but not everything goes smoothly here...and learning to communicate your frustrations and disappointments is how we learn to be good sports. It is also how we learn to be supportive of our fellow human beings. Life lessons!

Teamwork. Who would be with Jess when she was schooling in the main arena today? Karen arrived at 11:35 this morning and the Region 3 schooling time in the main arena was from 11:45-12:30. Hmmmm....this was going to be complicated. Stacy Jenkins, McKenzie's mom, stepped in as "mom" while I picked Karen up at the airport and Trainers Tami Crawford and Melissa Taylor kept on eye on Jess and Coda to make sure their schooling was going as planned. Karen arrived with 10 minutes to work with Jess and Coda before their time in the Show arena expired!

The "Jog" has everything to do with presenting your horse. Hand walking the horses to the lower arena took 10 minutes and upon arrival, the the girls and their horses were put in a holding pattern, much like what the airport does with airplanes when they don't have a gate for them or there is bad weather...they had to circle...circle...circle until their "go" time! Coda was fabulous until he had to line up for his "go" and then he started up with the "bad horse" behavior. Jess was getting frustrated with him, which only made him act up more. We gave Jess a break and had Lauren Knopp's wonderful groom, Alberto, walk Coda until he calmed down. It worked, and when Jess took over she did a fantastic job "jogging" Coda for the Vets. He passed!

Following the Jog, the Chef d'Equipes get together and do the "Draw" for the ride times. It seemed like it took an eternity (and in reality, it did!), but finally our "Chef", Sue, arrived to report the outcome. Our order of go was a tough draw with the Junior Team riding first beginning on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. No one wants to be the first rider out for the judges...Ever! However, Ellen Wall was randomly drawn to ride first in the competition. She is confident, a tough competitor and, bolstered by her team, can do anything she BELIEVES she can do. Competition is 1/3 confidence, 1/3 skill and 1/3 luck! Go Ellen!

One final thought before I (finally) take a shower and crawl into bed:

Teamwork is all about putting your needs behind someone else's needs. It is recognizing that achieving YOUR goals depends on your team mates achieving THEIR goals. Sometimes the "winners" are the ones who learn the lessons along the way...

Monday's photos

Coda (Ragtime V) staring down "the enemy"...plant material in the center of the new Show arena!

The Kentucky Horse Park's new Show arena

Young Rider, McKenzie Jenkins and Jess

Teresa Knopp and her Junior daughter, Lauren

Region 3 Chef d'Equipe, Sue Bender and her Juniors

"I've walked 10,000 miles..."

The Kentucky Horse Park, with roots dating back to 1777, was established in 1978 and is the only "living" museum dedicated to the relationship between man and horse. It is a beautiful facility with on-going renovations due to be completed in 2010, just in time for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Today, the girls from Region 3 (and many other riders from other zones and regions) got to experience one of the new arenas...a huge stadium with covered seating! And to many of the horses...Coda (Ragtime V) included, it was a scary place! My stomach leapt into my throat on several occasions as he spooked at the plant material in the center of the wide open arena (no dressage arena was set up, yet), spun as he trotted towards the stands, or just decided not to go forward and backed up instead...I'm sure these shows shave months, if not years off my life, as well as adding to my growing collection of gray hairs! And, of course, Jess handled the entire adventure like the seasoned rider she is, with grace, confidence and maturity. She has her trainer, Karen Lipp, to thank for that! Hopefully, she has gotten over my pleas to, "take him back to the barn", and is now just a little annoyed at her mom's anxiety!

Our entire Team of Juniors and Young Riders are now here in Lexington with the arrival of Ellen Wall and Kati Dagge, just after lunch. The girls got into the spirit of being on the team by handing out many of the logo-ed items they received from sponsors, and began the decorating of their shared tack stall and golf carts. They even discussed and planned what they will wear as a team tomorrow for the in-barn inspections in the morning, their first warm up in the arena and of course, they already selected their outfits for the Jog. Jess and I got adorable sterling silver "3" necklaces for each of the Juniors, and after Kati got here, gave them to everyone. The number "3" RULES this week!

Our Chef d'Equipe, Sue Bender, also was in full swing today figuring out warm up and schooling times, the location of the warm up rings, the requirements for the new health cards each rider must have on their person when he or she rides, as well as attending a continual string of meetings. Sue is the girl's advocate and our liaison with the FEI staff. Over the coming days she will work very hard for our riders.

Why did I title this blog, "I've walked 10,000 miles"? Because it sure feels like it! As I mentioned previously, the Kentucky Horse Park is a HUGE facility and until you get a golf cart (Boy, do you need a golf cart!), you walk EVERYWHERE! It is easily a 15 minute walk from the barn to the Show Arena...a longer walk to the warm up ring, and a 20+ minute walk to where the trailer is parked! And, since I am always in a hurry, I do my "Airport Walk", as Jess calls it, which further exhausts me! I'm looking forward to a great night's sleep with my feet propped up on a pillow!

One final thought before I let my head hit the pillow...

Each and every rider here has worked incredibly hard to achieve this level of performance from themselves and their horse. And, they have had a lot of folks "lifting them up" along the way...very dedicated moms and dads, trainers, fellow barn mates (who often give up days of their own training with the trainer),vets and farriers, boyfriends and girlfriends, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends. So to all of us "behind the scenes", congratulations on helping YOUR rider achieve a dream...I've personally never been ranked at any thing in my life! But it sure feels amazing that my child is...

Kentucky Horse Park history link: http://www.kyhorsepark.com/sub.php?pageid=31&sectionid=2

Jess and fellow Junior, Lauren Knopp enjoying dinner Sunday night.

It's the journey not the destination...

It's the moments like these I cherish the most...6 hours trapped in an F-250 with my 17 year old daughter! Seriously, they are some of the most fun-loving, care free moments I have with her! 

Picture this...I'm driving this HUGE truck and hauling a goose neck trailer with a 1500 pound very expensive, very loved horse it in.  Meanwhile, as I am clutching the wheel, white knuckled that I may blow a tire, swerve into the seemingly endless array of concrete construction walls (is this our bailout money at work???), or worse, hit a pot hole and upset the equilibrium of the horse...I'm rocking out to the likes of Li'l Wayne, The Beach Boys (remember them?), The Black Eyed Peas, Ziggy Marley, David Bowie, Feist and Kanye West, accompanied by none other than the likes of Lady Gaga!  (A big thank you to Elizabeth Kane and William Bell for the awesome CD's!) Am I a "hip" mom, or what? Seriously, I'm having a BLAST!  I get to hang out with my kid and talk and sing at the top of my lungs...crazy, seriously crazy, lyrics!  When and where else can I do that???

As you can imagine, given the amazing fun we were having, the six hours passed very quickly! Kentucky is an absolutely gorgeous State and The Kentucky Horse Park is a beacon in the midst of a beautiful green sea of grass.  We quickly found the Region 3 stalls and were greeted by our wonderful Young Riders who arrived yesterday and today...hugs and laughter and lots of excitement!  

This is going to be a super week!

Jess rides for the Equestrian Aid Foundation

Jess and her trainer, Karen Lipp, recently had a discussion about how fortunate Jess is with her success in riding.  For the third year in a row (on a different horse each year) she has qualified for and been invited to the National Championships and for the second time is participating in the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC).  Jess and Karen decided it was time for Jess to give back to her Equestrian Community.  

So Jess wrote a letter to family and friends and her fellow riders and asked them to donate to the Equestrian Aid Foundation in recognition of her participation in the NAJYRC.  (You can read more about EAF at their website:  www.equestrianaidfoundation.org.)  

To date, Jess has raised $1000 for EAF!  

If you would like to donate, please send your check made out to EAF to Jess (so she can write you a thank you note!) at:

92 Golf Circle NE

Atlanta, GA 30309

2009 NAJYRC: Heading to Lexington

It seems like yesterday we were trailering home from the Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey...where did the month go?  

Jess and Coda have worked hard since arriving home...lots of attention has been paid to fine tuning their movements.   Karen has tirelessly coached Jess to improve the connection with Coda, perfect the walk pirouettes and transitions and focus on lots of little details that translate into  higher points from the judges. Jess was fortunate to ride with Michelle Gibson in her clinic, too.  Michelle and Jess have a fun-loving relationship and Michelle really likes to push Jess to find solutions within herself that translate into a better ride with Coda.  I think Jess and Coda have never looked more in sync!  

There is lots that goes on between the National Championships and the NAJYRC.  The girls were each required to obtain sponsors and sponsorships.  Our four girls each wrote letters, made phone calls or cold called individuals and businesses asking for donations.  It is a hard thing for any one to do, especially the first time you do it...but, the process of raising money and in kind donations really strengthens you individually and, especially, as a Team.  These girls now KNOW they can do it!  They received fantastic donations...including very generous financial support and in kind donations including Gum Bits and saddle pads, fabulous shirts and warm up outfits, coolers and stall guards, show gloves, stall guards and hat boxes! 

I think being involved in this level of competition also encourages the girls to become more independent and self reliant.  This past Thursday I was running late to meet up with Jess and help load the trailer, so, on my way,  I called to check in with her.  I turned the car around and came home...Jess had already loaded the trailer.  For the first time since we have been trailering ourselves to shows, my baby didn't need my help after all...

Jess was in my bedroom one evening this week.  We were talking about the upcoming Championship and I told her I thought she and Coda were "magic" together and that they had a real shot at placing this year. Jess told me (emphatically) her only goal was for her team to medal...any thing else she accomplished would be icing on the cake!  I could barely speak...pride and emotion got the best of me.  

I think that's what the NAJYRC does really well...and especially well for the 2009 Region 3 Junior Team.  Ellen, Lauren, Kati and Jessie all care about each other as friends, team mates and fellow riders.  Any achievements at the NAJYRC will truly be icing on the cake.