My Favorite Olympic Memory-Part 1

Since the Summer Olympics are being held in London this year, I thought I would do a few blogs about my favorite Olympic memories. Here's a shocker: most of them are not horse-related!! Most of them are inspiring, some of them are funny, and some of them are just plain unforgettable! So, without further adu, let's check out my first video:

It's funny to think about where you were in the summer of 1996. There was no such thing as youtube or facebook, so this must have been someone's VCR recording of the TV footage. Where was I? Well, I was still an undergrad at U of Illinois....getting ready to start my junior year....probably still working at Party's Galore, blowing up balloons or helping people choose napkins to go with their cake plates or something else life changing like that. But could you just imagine what it would feel like to have all that pressure on your shoulders...an Olympic Gymnastics Team Gold Medal....and the only event that is left in the vault, your best event? And you are just 19 years old?? AND after a disastrous first vault that surly shook her confidence and was later found to cause a third-degree lateral sprain and tendon damage, you had to pull off another top vault? ON ONE FOOT? There is no other word for it other than AMAZING!! If you don't feel THAT in your soul, you might want to check your pulse.

In a related story, Kerri's fame opened many doors for her in other ways, including this little video:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/kerri-and-kippy-strug/274196/


A quick update on being back in the saddle: I'm trying to get back in shape, both overall and riding-wise, so lots of trotting, changes of direction, over poles, etc. Boring, but necessary until my strength returns in my legs. I've also joined a local rec center and have been doing Pilates to help with my core strength and balance. I might try some Zumba as well so I can pick up some new dance moves!! Oh, and Smokey showed me his left lead yesterday while we did a little canter work. Good pony!!

Let me know your favorite Olympic memory! I would love to share more this summer leading up to London!

She's baaack!

Let's get right to the main part of this blog post-I have officially been released by my doctor to ride!!!  Actually, I have been released to do everything again, but most importantly RIDE!!!  So, what did I do today?  I RODE!!  How did it go, you ask?  Let me tell you.  The thing that I thought would be the most difficult (my arm) was fine....the thing that I forgot about (my legs) were not.  It only takes 3 weeks to "de-condition" your muscles, so technically I have "de-conditioned" 4 times over.  Not that I was in peak riding shape when I originally broke my arm being it was February...but I digress.  Everything below my knees felt like a foreign object, flapping like they were not attached to the rest of my body, and quickly turning into jello.  Fabulous.  My poor horse tolerated it pretty well considering he was basically doing most of the work with no support or guidance from his rider.  Lots of work to do to get back my strength, but it felt great to actually be back in the saddle!

Now, we need to backtrack a week.  Last Saturday we took Smokey and his good buddy Dorado to Masterson for some cross country playtime.  Both were really good and had a great time!  Adam and I were in charge of capturing all of the moments on film, so here are a couple of cool shots.

Super Dorado, he's so cool!

Good Smokey!  He said "I kinda like the cross country thing"

Smokey says "Hm...I'm not sure how to get down from this thing so here we goooo!"



Lastly, I had the opportunity to do an article for Horse Illustrated (http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-magazines/horse-illustrated/horse-table-of-contents/horse-illustrated-2012-june.aspx) in a section called "Horse Tales".  My good friend, Holly, is the Senior Associate Editor of the magazine, and the article took portions of this blog and put it into a little story.  Check it out!  I have had friends from all over the place contacting me because they saw the article, so that was pretty special. 

So, to sum everything up....I'm back to riding, my legs are going to be really sore all week, and I see a lot of trotting in our near future.  Boy, have I missed this!!

PS-I want to thank everyone at Bittersweet Acres for being super suportive of me, Krista for keeping me laughing when I wanted to cry, and of course, Miss Lacy, who is just awesome.  Love you all bunches!!

My Derby Wrap-Up

I'm sitting here watching the pre-Derby action and it occurred to me that I should blog while the action is taking place.  I have been watching all the coverage on TV all day, and I always wish I was able to watch from Churchill Downs Millionaires Row some day...what are the odds of that happening?!  Hey, a girl can dream, right?

So here are my random pros and cons as we wait for the race to begin:

Pro:  Bob Baffert.  After his heart attack in Dubai this year, he has a new lease on life, and although in the past I haven't cared much for his "better than you" attitude, I honestly got a little teary when he talked about his son Bode.  Go Bodemeister.

Con:  Hansen's trainer, Dr. Hansen.  I don't think anyone should follow his lead and bet on horses to pay for med school.  And don't act like a little child when your trainer makes the smart decision and dyes your horse's tail back to its original color in order to keep your horse in the race!  Drama queen.

Pro:  Union Rags.  Yes, I picked another horse, but Union Rags is adorable.  Love Michael Matz too (mostly because of his eventing background).  Although

Pro:  Laffit Pincay III.  Isn't he a cutie?  Yeah...I like that.

Pro:  John Calipari calling Riders' Up!!  Awesome!

Con:  Donna Brothers' horse.  I don't like him this year.  Usually she is on something cute, but the grey she was on wasn't appealing to me at all.

Con:  The silks on Litte Mike's jockey, Joe Bravo.  You look like Tony the Tiger on Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.  Fashion Fail. 

Their GRRREEAAT!

Pro:  Gary Stevens.  He's so hot.  That is all.

Con Again:  Dr. Hansen....you and your harem of women are weird and disgusting.  What are you, a pimp with your Ho's?

My Derby Pick-Undefeated Gemologist!

The track is fast and the field of 20 are ready!! 

And, the winner of the 138th Kentucky Derby is......


I'll Have Another with Mario Gutierrez.  From the 19th Post Position! 

Go Doug O'Neill.  It was hilarious watching how excited he was about his horse.  I love a long shot!

And speaking of having another (and I don't mean cookies), I'm off to have a few with some friends!  Great Race!!

Now, where were we?

Hello everyone!  It has been a few weeks since I have blogged, but only because I have been super busy with work.  I have a lot of exciting things to tell you about, and I'm going to try and keep it short and in some sort of orderly fashion...so let's see what happens.

Quiz Answer
In my last blog, I gave you a hint on something very exciting that was supposed to happen with Smokey and a certain professional 3-Day Event rider.  But due to the need for Mother Nature to blow up a big snow storm on the East Coast and Smokey's back problems (more about that later), it didn't get to happen.  Those of you who guessed Allison Springer were correct!!  I know, I know...that would have been super cool.  It just wouldn't have been fair for Smokey to get evaluated for his potential without being 100%. 

Cool Stuff I Get To Do And Call It Work!
As you may or may not know, I have been working as the Performance Horse Nutritionist at Buckeye Nutrition (Mars horsecare us, inc.) for about a year and a half.  I love my job and I love helping people feed their horses better.  Last year in September, I had the opportunity to sit down with Allison Springer about working with Buckeye Nutrition and she is now sponsored by the company. 

Allison & Destination Known, AEC's 2011

Of course, we knew that the Rolex KY 3-Day Event held each year here in Lexington would be a big event for Allison.  It is the only 4 Star International Event that takes place in the US, and this year, it happens to be an Olympic qualifier.  Allison was coming off of a win in the Advanced Division at Red Hills with her Irish Draught Horse, Arthur, and Rolex was going to be key to her chances at making the team.  My "team" (Amber and Sara) joined me for the entire Rolex weekend to serve as the official Buckeye cheerleaders for Allison & Arthur.  And what a weekend it was!  Those of you eventing fans probably saw the results, but Allison & Arthur ended up 2nd overall (only to William Fox Pitt of England), received the Pinnacle Cup from the USET Foundation for highest placed American Rider, and most important to us, Best Conditioned Horse!!!  Now, there are many factors that go into the conditioning of a horse, and one of the factors is GREAT NUTRITION...shameless plug for our products will now commence.  Check him out!!

Alright...so, besides being super excited for Allison, and crying about 3 times that weekend because I was so happy for her, we did get to do some pretty special things, like meeting Arthur!! 

The Superstar!!  Arthur, Grace (Arthur's groom) and me!

I was giving Arthur a little pep talk about cross country...I'm sure it made all the difference!

It was a wonderful weekend for everyone, and I have my fingers' crossed that she is chosen to represent the USA for the Eventing Team this summer.  This is a really special pair-Allison bought Arthur when he was 5 years old and brought him up through the levels, so they are truly a team. 

To top off that wonderful weekend, I then HAD to travel to Middleburg, Virginia to check up on some pretty special horses this past week-the Mars horses.  Talk about an awesome place!  It's like the summer home for all eventers in this cute little quaint town (Upperville and The Plains as well).  The coolest thing Amber and I got to do was to check up on retired Upper Level guys, and I think we counted 5 Olympic medals between the 4 horses in one field!  Am I the luckiest girl or what??

Last, but not least, the official Smokey update
So, when I last blogged, Smokey was getting ready for a massage with Michele for his sore back.  After that, he didn't show any improvement in his comfort level, so I had Dr. Cook from Woodford Equine take a look at him.  He was basically in agreement that his muscles over his topline and hindquarters were really tight, and prescribed a bit of stall rest and muscle relaxers.  I bought him a Jolly Ball in case he got bored, but had no idea if he would play with it or not.  Well....this picture says it all!

Hehe, I threw my Jolly Ball out of the window!!

I guess that is how he feels about stall rest!  Don't worry, there wasn't any glass on the window originally.  He is much better after those few days of R&R, and should be back to work next week.  However, now Texas has caught the "sore back" issue, at least I think that is what is ailing her at the moment.  It must be contagious!  Her and her mom, Krista, had a very successful show last weekend at Lakeside Arena, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of those 2.  They have come so far since first showing and it is just fun watching them work together. 

Texas and the Texan!

Right now, there isn't anything on the schedule in terms of shows, and I'm okay with that for now.  I'm anxious to get back to riding and hopefully will be able to do so by the end of May.  Yes, this is later than I originally planned (and I did argue with my doctor about this), but after seeing the x-ray for myself, I agreed that it still needed time to heal.  So, 3 more weeks of "stall rest" for me. 

Next big thing for Smokey-some cross country schooling!!

The Kentucky Derby
Happy Derby Day tomorrow!!  Who is your Derby pick?  I love LOVE Tiznow, and I have to go with his son, Gemologist. 

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!