Quick Update & Quiz!!

I hope everyone is having a lovely week!  Here's a few things to catch you up on and keep you on your toes:

• I want to welcome a new member of the Janicki Family!!  My brother, Craig, and his wife, Erin, went all the way to Washington to pick out little Kody, a 8 week old Karelian Bear Dog.  His big sister, Wrigley, cannot wait to meet him and teach him all about life on a farm. 

• Smokey had a meeting with his friend, Michele Haman (http://www.equi-libriumtherapy.com/) today.  We all know that if your horse is lame, you call the vet to have an evaluation done to find the source of the problem.  However, when you feel your horse is hurting but not obviously lame, it's a tough call as to what course of action will work for your horse (and your pocketbook).  I have used Michele before and really like how she works with the horse, from the evaluation to the therapy to the follow up, and I knew that the first step in figuring out Smokey's issues was to start with her.  He was definitely sore for mid-back over his croup, and very sore over his poll.  Additionally, he had a few ribs and vertebrae out of line.  But, Michele performed her magic and he is now a new horse!!  Michele thinks that everything is where it should be now and he feels much better, so I am going to have Lacy ride him tomorrow see how it goes! 

Now, I know you all have been waiting for my big announcement that I teased you with in my last post.  So, I am going to give you a picture as a hint.  This is just part of the annoucement, so more details will come!  Good luck...and may the odds be ever in your favor!

The Long and Winding Road

Hello everyone!!  This week has been unusually busy for me.  I don't know why this is so shocking to me, because April seems to sneak up on you and then over-whelm you with insanity.  Working in the feed business, April means Keeneland racing, 2YO Sales, events at the Horse Park, Masterson,...oh and don't forget ROLEX!  But, let's focus on one thing at a time for today.

This past week was a blur, more or less, and with several things burdening my mind, I felt that I was just overwhelmed with non-work issues.  I did, however, get to visit my Alma Mater, the great University of Illinois, as I have been asked to sit on a board of other alumni to advise on Student Affairs.  So, Friday morning, I drove 4 hours to be on campus by noon.  I had a great time, and it was so good to be reconnected with my school.  There are a lot of changes going on to U of I, and I feel extremely lucky to be able to be a part of a school I loved so much. 

At meeting's end, roughly 6pm CST, I drove 4 hours back home in order to be ready for Smokey's show at the Horse Park.  He was entered in the first innagural Thoroughbred Horse Show Association show at the KY Horse Park, an event I was very adament about supporting being the owner of an OTTB and because several very good friends were organizing this event.  I would like to thank all of the organizers and volunteers for putting together this event and future events, and it's a great idea to showcase these athletes.  I'm looking forward to the future of this association.

Lacy thought Smokey was ready for Beginner Novice so he was entered in that Combined Test, along with his friend Dorado and Erica.  So, after about 4 hours of sleep, I was off again to pack up the trailer and head out. 

The days before the show, Smokey hadn't been his normal self.  He seemed tense and out of sorts, but nothing obvious was bothering him, so off we went to show.  His dressage test was tense, but he picked up both leads when asked and was very good despite his lack of giving to the bit.  I entered him into an In-Hand Dressage Suitability conformation class just for fun, and he ended up 2nd overall out of about 8-10 horses! 

Smokey's friend, Dorado, was a super star this weekend!!  He ended up 5th in a big Beginner Novice division of several nice horses.  He was such a good boy, and Erica rode confidently all day. 

And, Dorado found his long lost twin brother, Dundee, who happens to be owned by my friend, Jill Stowe.  I call them the Disconnected Stripes, hehehe!

The rest of the show was kind of a bust.  I won't go into details, but something is bothering my little grey pony and my mission this week is to figure out what it is.  He's scheduled for a massage on Thursday, so hopefully we can figure out what is bothering him.  Until then, he has a few days to recoup after this weekend's activities.

So, what did I learn this weekend?  Well, several things:

• I do not work well on 4 hours of sleep.  I must remind myself that I am not young anymore. 
• If you are waking up early, and especially if you haven't had a full 7 hours of sleep, remember to eat breakfast.  And lunch.  And donuts do not count as a meal.
• Smokey has so much to learn.  He is at the very beginning of his career, and he's only 5.  He is learning new things with every new experience, and all of that will make him a better horse in the long run. 
• Long shows days are new to Smokey.  He is not used to being ready to show in top form from 8:30am until 6pm.  In fact, neither am I and I wasn't even riding!  His days are filled with grazing, napping and grazing some more.  This is a total change to his schedule, and sometimes he might just not be interested in what we had "scheduled" for him. 
• Supporting the THSA and my friends is important.  I am just as glad to be a great cheerleader as I am to be a competitor.  Without the pom poms.

Overall, it was a bittersweet weekend.  Just when I thought the weekend was a total bust, I was informed of this:
http://eventingnation.com/home/the-thoroughbred-horse-show-association-kentucky-horse-park-show-2.html

Yep, that grey horse in one of the photographs is my one and only Smokey.  This made my entire weekend worthwhile, as I am an avid reader of Eventing Nation on a daily basis.  Go Smokey. 
(figures that the one time I do get a photo in EN that it is of my hindquarters!!).

More to come on Smokey's prognosis soon.  Hopefully he will be back to his old self soon!

A New Chapter Begins!

I truly feel like a new chapter in my life has begun.  We have much to cover since my last blog, so let's get right to it!!

The Arm!
I got my cast off last Monday, YAY!!  That's the good news...the bad news?  I still have a few weeks in a brace, and won't start physical therapy for about 4 weeks.  So, I'm shooting for the first week of May to be back in the saddle.  I'm just greatful to be out of the cast and moving in the right direction.  And I can feel that I don't have the strength back in my arm, so I just need time. 

The Horse Show
Smokey and Lacy were entered in this past weekend's Paul Frazier Memorial Combined Test.  His 1st time at the Horse Park, and 1st jumping show.  Erica and Dorado joined us so we had lots of support.  In addition, Krista and Lynn (and Chase!) met us out at the show and helped out with course walks and tacking and just being good company. 

Honestly, I was more nervous as a spectator than I would have been riding.  I guess it was the fact that I wanted him to do well in that environment and give Lacy a great ride.  The school areas can be quite intimidating with several riders/trainers/friends/family/dogs present, and this is the biggest show of Smokey's short career as a show horse.  But, the good thing is that he takes everything in stride, always has, and although he was a bit tense, he showed a pretty workmanlike attitude all day. 

Considering the circumstances, I thought his dressage test was fairly good, but alas the judge did not agree.  Upon further investigation, it seemed that most of the dressage scores were on the high side overall.  The thing I like and appreciate about dressage is that you get a "report card" from the judge to show where you performed well and what you need to work on to increase your score.  Homework! 

On to the jumping phase....finally, as all eventing riders basically tolerate dressage to get on to this phase.  This was Smokey's first time seeing jumps with actual decorations around them...although we tried to imitate this at home with adding orange cones in various locations on and around the jumps...so it was inevitable that he would need a bit of encouragement from Lacy to jump them.  However, he has been so confident lately that Lacy though it wouldn't be a big deal.  And he did not disappoint!!  Not only did he bravely take on each obstacle, he cleared them with room to spare.

The Possibilities
Now, these fences were max 2'3", but the way he is jumping them makes them look tiny!!  Let us now pause to define the word "scope".  Scope is the horse's ability to jump over fences in proper form (bascule) with the body, front and hind legs.  The front legs should be parallel to the horse's body to the knees, and the feet cleanly tucked underneath.  Yeah, I don't think that is going to be a problem for him.  In time, he will learn to "rate" a fence, and will have the ability to judge the height and width of a jump with experience.  But, this picture just makes me wonder...how far can this horse really go?  It's obvious to myself and Lacy that he is absolutely in his element over fences.  Smokey thinks it's basically the coolest thing in the world and loves to show off to everyone his neat new tricks.  His confidence has shot through the roof lately, although he still has a long way to go.  But, the possibilites are endless, and the best way to figure out if he IS capable of bigger things is to get an "expert" to advise us on his abilities.  Someone who is in the eventing world, competing and training horses of his/her own at the highest level of the sport.  That's all I'm going to say for now, but you will want to stay tuned, trust me!

The Future
So, what's next for Smokey and Lacy, until I am back in the saddle?  He is entered in Thoroughbred Horse Show Association's inagural show at the Horse Park on April 14th.  He will be moving up to Beginner Novice after careful consideration of abilities lately. 

Right now, this horse just continues to amaze me.  Before my fall, I had a carefully laid out plan in my head for his progress that included being able to jump by the end of this year.  However, he has by far exceeded my expectations.  We are beyond my plan, and it feels great not to have any set plan for him because his talent will steer us in the direction he can go.  For the first time since I have owned Smokey, I'm letting go of my "plan" and letting him guide the way. 

Everything happens for a reason, right?  I knew that when I broke my arm that the "reason" would present itself...and it has been worth the wait!