Adventures in Scribing

I love to scribe. It's a complete toss-up as to whether scribing or jump judging is my favorite volunteer activity - though really, I can't think of one I really dislike. Jump judging on a clear day might have the edge; nothing like hanging out with gorgeous horses and reading poetry all day.

Sunday, I scribed for one of the biggest recognized dressage shows in the state. I did Training through Third Level tests for an S judge from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. It was a long day.

We saw an awful lot of really nice horses, and a few really nice riders. The judge was hilarious, and had a really keen eye. I was tired and stressed and not as engaged as I usually am, and it took me a long time to get into the rhythm of the day. 

If you've scribed a few times, you know that there's an adjustment period with each new judge: you spend a little while learning when and whether they like to be reminded for scores, what comments they make frequently so you can anticipate them, whether they like to be kept on track at all, etc. I just felt like it took me longer than it should have to start clicking with the judge, but by late morning we were rolling. I was subdued enough through the day that she actually referred to me as "quiet" and "sweet" which...is not usually how people describe me.

My favorite pairs were rarely the typical ones, with the big flashy gaits and the perfect tests. (We didn't see many, if any, perfect tests.) They were the ones where there was clearly a lot of hard work and love behind the test. There was an older woman who was smiling in a way that told me she was terrified underneath, riding a huge 17hh horse, and I was nervous when I saw them circling the ring - and then they entered and the horse just took care of her. He loved her.

There was a little girl on a Welsh pony whose nose was stuck determinedly parallel to the ground the entire time but who trotted around with such determination that I couldn't help but crack up. There was a young woman on a Morgan horse who looked like an incredibly complicated and tricky ride but who handled every moment with such tact. There was a young girl with a messy ponytail, skull cap, off-kilter helmet cover, and half-chaps riding a big leggy Thoroughbred who did.not.want. but my God the fierceness of that girl as she firmly and clearly got the job done. There was another young girl who was clearly green and learning but the bare bones of her basic teaching were so good, and so evident, and the horse she was on was educated and precise and just pleasant, and there were moments in the test that were like looking ten years into the future into the blooming of a truly lovely rider.

I had agreed to scribe way back in the early spring, and I was not looking forward to it with everything else that was going on, but I was so, so glad I went.

Scribing at Vermont Dressage Days

I spent this past Sunday scribing in one of two rings at one of Vermont's bigger recognized dressage shows, Vermont Dressage Days. I'd been to the show in the past, when I lived in Vermont before, but this year I was asked to volunteer. One of the longtime organizers is a former co-owner of my barn and a friend. I said yes, of course - I am a sucker for any kind of horse volunteering, and scribing is close to the top of my list of favorite things to do. (It's probably a three-way tie between scribing, jump judging, and ring stewarding.)

Tools of the trade: order of go, tests, blue and red pens, water, tea, watch, and the wrapper from my breakfast burrito.

I was coming down with a bad cold, and it was a very long day: tests right from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. I've never scribed so many tests above Training level in my life, and once you get past Second level those movements come fast and furious. I had to take several breaks to shake my hand out.

What an absolutely phenomenal day, though. I have never scribed for a better judge, on so many levels. She was right on top of the game, and I can count the number of times I had to remind her to give me a score, or got mixed up because she gave too many scores at once, on one hand. I've never scribed for such an efficient, knowledgeable judge.

She also knew those tests cold. Many other judges I've worked with have had to take a minute or two when we switch test. Not this judge! All I had to do was give her the test, she flipped to her spot in the binder, and bam, we were good to go. Amazing. She gave a full range of scores (first time I've ever written a 1.0!) and I loved how she adjusted her expectations for the test in front of her. It was definitely the first time I've ever written "poll too low" on a Training level test!

I was also impressed and thrilled when a judge in training approached and asked to observe for the day. So not only did I get the judge's comments - which were insightful and spot-on - but I got the conversation between the judge and the student after and sometimes during each test as they compared the scores they had given. I also learned a TON about the inside track of becoming a USDF judge. Fascinating stuff.

Lunch was fabulous, and the show had rented an RV so that judges and officials could have a quiet place to relax. I got to eat lunch with the judges. Spoiled. Not only that, but there was a cooler full of cold beverages and a basket full of snacks at our booth all day and I got an awesome t-shirt. (Photo of that forthcoming.)

I'd volunteer for them again in a heartbeat, and I'm glad I did this weekend. What an absolutely incredible learning experience!

Vermont Moonlight 100

As I mentioned, this past weekend I crewed at the Vermont Moonlight 100 for Hannah.

I'll let her tell the whole story of the ride (so watch her space), but here are a few photos and thoughts from my POV as a crew member.

First, I am sad to report that Hannah did not let me put one single, solitary flake of glitter on Tucker all weekend. I offered repeatedly. I believe I offered just about as often as I offered food and water. Denied, every time. Siiiiiiiiigh.

Vermont Moonlight is a ride with a couple of neat features. First, it is meant as a ride that finishes in the dark, and riders (there's a 100, 75, and 50 mile race; Hannah did the 50) depart so as to finish late in the night. I sat at the finish line for about 45 minutes from 11:15 pm - 12:00 am and people came in every 2-3 minutes. They light the trail with glowsticks, and for the final path, glowsticks in water jugs that create a sort of runway feel.

Second, it's run alongside a 100 mile ultramarathon run. Yes. Endurance horses racing alongside people who are running 100 miles - and not just any old 100 miles. Twisting, hilly dirty roads up and down the southern Green Mountains. Many of the runners doing the 100 mile race also had pace runners, who would come in and do 25 or 30 miles with them. You know, for fun. Holy mackerel.

Ride camp, looking up toward the tents.

Milling around before the 50 mile start.

Some more hanging around before the 50 mile start.

50 mile start. ZOOM, off and down that long hill.

My nest for the day - not that I spent a ton of time in it. The back seat of my truck.

The first hold (or 4th hold for the 100 milers). Very crowded, very busy! The guy to the left and I made good friends over the course of the day - his riders were on a very similar pace to Hannah's.

More of the first hold, basically my view across. Perspective is a bit forced here - it's only barely 20' across from me to the buckets.

My hold setup, looking at the timers. Horses went in and out there.

Unbelievably gorgeous farm for the first hold.

Heading out for the second hold. You can see my pass on the dashboard and Hannah's number on the windshield. They were being VERY careful and strict about crew vehicles, in part because the holds were so small.

After this hold, everything started moving very quickly. I dashed down into Woodstock to get some dinner for myself and more water for both of us, then made it to the second hold in time to get everything set up just as it became dark. So, no more pictures after that.

I was very glad to be there to support Hannah and really did have fun meeting people. I did not expect to be quite so busy, though! On paper, it all made sense that I would have time to hang out and read at each hold but in practice that was soooooo not the case. I had the most break time before the first stop & go, which was in ride camp, but after that I was either cleaning up, driving, getting lost, driving incredibly slowly (5mph) around horses or runners, setting up, fetching water, helping other people at holds, or watching for and then helping Hannah and Tucker. All the holds were pack in, pack out, and I had to set up a ways away from the truck, so there was a lot of back and forth with many buckets.

I met some amazing people and horses, learned a TON, ate myself sick (I bought a truly appalling amount of food and seemed dedicated to eating 100+ calories for every mile Hannah rode, good grief), saw some gorgeous places, and I am in absolute awe of everyone who even started the race, on horseback or on foot.

The weekend was not without its complications and adrenaline rushes (see Hannah's write-up for more) but I am glad I did it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If I had the right horse, I'd do the ride myself.

Adventures in LD Crewing

I have been holding off because it is not my story to tell, but if any of you are curious about how I spent my weekend, crewing for Hannah at a 30 mile LD ride, she tells the story of it here.

Helluva weekend, is all I have to say, and thankfully with a good ending!

In the meantime, have a few pictures of ridecamp/hold/scenery.

King Oak, Day 2

The second day of fence judging started out overcast and cold as we drove into Northampton for breakfast. Because we'd done the briefing the day before - and innumerable times before that - we cleared it with the coordinators to join them in time to pick up our assignment and head out.

Breakfast was excellent and we arrived back on the farm to find that we had an excellent Prelin fence: two offset, slightly narrow houses, not huge, but a good rhythm and straightness question.

One rider on a greener horse glanced off the B element, and a few others scrambled over the first, but overall it rode well.

We then relocated for SIX Novice divisions. Whew. We were at the second fence, a fairly straightforward roll top. Several horses veered off or refused: inexperienced horses who weren't locked in on course yet. Most jumped it just fine.

Everything finished up on time and with no major incidents - almost boring! In te best possible way.

I was home by 8pm for long desired shower and Game of Thrones. Good end to a good birthday weekend!

Ahhh, King Oak

Where else would I spend my 30th birthday weekend than jump judging and cheering on friends at King Oak Farm's spring horse trials?

Uneventful day and only one refusal at our jump, last BN rider of the day.

Here's the morning Training jump, just after the water:

And the afternoon Beginner Novice fence, logs with mulch between them meant to mimic a ditch:

The rain held off until the last few riders, and then it started coming down pretty good. We hopped the fence to the Opa Opa Steakhouse for a filling dinner and I had a martini with vodka, chambord, and white chocolate liqueur, because on the extremely rare occasions I drink, I like it to taste as little like alcohol as possible.

Prelim and Novice and my actual birthday, eep.

Volunteering at a Competitive Trail Ride

On Sunday, I spent the day volunteering to take pulse and respiration at their spring 15 mile mud ride. I'm always up for learning new things and volunteering at horse events, and Hannah had come up from Massachusetts to volunteer at the ride to learn more about the sport, so I went along with!

We arrived a few minutes before the riders left, and were taught how to take pulse using a stethoscope and to count respiration by watching the horse's flank. I picked up the knack of listening for a pulse pretty quickly, though the heartbeats were both quieter and slower than I had expected. Respiration was much harder! It took an immense amount of concentration and focus to watch a horse's flank and discern an actual breath as opposed to huffing, or quivering, or just shifting weight. I was not expecting that to be the trickiest part.

Riders set off not long after we arrived, at about 9:45, the four drivers first and then riders in 2-3 minute intervals.

Rider staging area looking down toward the barns.

Riders setting off.

After they set off we were briefed a little more fully on the mechanics of doing p&r and met our fellow volunteers - in yet another indication of just how small the Vermont horse world is, one of our fellow volunteers worked at my college (in another part of the state) and knew many of the same people I did.

The hold was all ready with buckets of water for cooling out, larger tubs for drinking, and some people had come ahead and left hay for their horses. Everyone at the hold had brought their dog, it seemed, and the pack played around for a while until the first horses arrived and then we got down to business.

Drivers watering their horses soon after arriving.

I got to do the p&r on the first riding horse that came in, a very professional little chestnut Arab who was hardly winded and way at the front of the ridden pack. Horses came in a few at a time, and then there was a great rush as many came in at the same time. I didn't quite have the knack of approaching riders and talking to them - I kept feeling like I was interfering, though that was clearly the way to do things! I tended to haunt the edges and wait until a horse and rider pair looked like they were ready, then volunteer myself.

Hold area getting busier!

At one point while we were waiting, one rider who had pulled her horse up due to a sudden onset lameness invited me to p&r her horse, who was out of the competition but was a tricky horse to get a heartbeat on because he had an atrioventricular block - a heart murmur, basically. A normal heartbeat has two parts, lub-dub; this horse would have 4-5 regular heartbeats and then a lub with no second half, followed by a long pause, and then lub-dub normally again. It was disconcerting to listen to, and I'm sure the rider was very used to explaining it to people, as if I hadn't known what I was about to hear I would have been seriously confused.

Riders jogging their horses out for the vet check at the hold.

Once the trickle of riders slowed down, we were among the first to hop in the car and get back to the starting area, where riders had 20 minutes to get their horses's p&r back to acceptable levels. There was no disqualifying pulse, but anything over 42 beats per minute meant they lost points, and any "inverted" respiration (ie anything more than once a second) meant we had to call the vet.

Again, I was not great at seeking people out, but I did enjoy the horses I worked on. One man who was clearly very serious about his final check out asked me to come into the stall with the horse several minutes before he was due, and he stood with the horse's head in the back corner, talking to it and stroking it, while I talked to him as well to get the horse used to me. He was also apparently a bit picky about who did the check; I'm not sure what qualified me, but I liked talking to him and his horse was lovely and exceptionally well-behaved, so I was fine with it.

After the horses got their p&r checked at 20 minutes, they had to report in to a vet check, where they jogged out in a line and in a circle, had their backs palpated, and the vet did a general check-over that included listening to gut sounds. I've seen less involved annual physicals - it was really impressive!

Final vet check,; the chestnut is having its back palpated.

When we'd done all the p&rs we could find, we turned in our supplies and sat down for the competitor lunch, which was fantastic. I'd let myself get hungrier than I thought and absolutely demolished a huge plate of food - I nearly fell asleep on the drive home as all the adrenaline crashed at the same time all the food started  digesting!

Overall, it was a great learning experience and a really terrific community of riders to work with. I'd do it again in a hearbeat!

Area 1 Scholarship Program

I'm part of the Area 1 Scholarship Committee, which awards four people each year with a small grant to pursue educational opportunities in the sport of eventing. It's all Hannah's fault, really; she emailed me with instructions to talk her out of volunteering to help create the program, and that ended up sucking me in too.

It's been an amazingly rewarding experience. I was deeply humbled by the applications we received: so many dedicated, brilliant, talented people who shared their lives and their dreams with us. I cried at more than a few.

As Hannah just posted, our first two recipients have written up their experiences [PDF]. We have our two fall applicants picked and confirmed. It's well and truly off the ground and I couldn't be prouder. Eventers helping eventers: awesome.

King Oak Fall Horse Trials

I had every intention of taking photographs with which to illustrate this post, and...forgot. Ah well.

I scratched Tristan from the Beginner Novice, but still had friends going, and already had the day off, so I helped pack and load ponies on Friday, then drove out to King Oak. We arrived in plenty of time to do the course walk, and my heart did hurt a little bit - we could've handled it just fine.

In bed by 10pm after some pizza, and by "in bed" I mean an actual bed! For the first time in years we weren't sleeping in the truck, thanks to R.'s very generous offer of sharing her hotel room. It was lovely to have air conditioning and a proper bed and a shower. Unheard of for horse showing!

I helped clean tack and hold horses until my jump judge briefing at 8:15, and started to get a bit nervous during the briefing - the wind was picking up, and it was quite cold and cloudy. I told my jump partners that I'd walk out and meet them there, and went back to the car for my jacket.

I was sitting with two young girls and their babysitter, and so ended up doing the recording and radioing in myself, explaining eventing to the non-horsey babysitter (who was very nice and interested, and really picked up on things through the day) and answering questions for the girls. We were at a decently large Training fence for the morning, a sort of squared off stacked logs rolltop with some airy spaces in between. Fairly straightforward. It jumped just fine all morning, as it was soon after the water and usually by then horses were going.

Problems started when it started raining. Basic rain - not so much a problem. I mean, it was wet and miserable and the girls were not thrilled, but so it goes. I mostly kept my sheets dry and during a break ran to put my bag with my Kindle and cell phone in a dry car, and then resigned myself to getting soaked. The girls headed off, leaving me to judge the Beginner Novice fence with another set of jump judges, and at the end of the first BN division it started getting ugly. We heard thunder in the distance, and the wind and the rain picked up, and they called jump judges in when the radar showed a big, nasty storm cell close by.

I ran up to sit in the truck with J. and whew, the skies opened up. We waited an hour, and then they called off cross-country for the rest of the afternoon due to the forecast. I walked back up to the volunteer tent to drop off my things and stayed for a bit to help sort through forms to get them ready for tomorrow, then checked in to find that they were running BN in the morning, and R. was staying over in order to run her horse. King Oak was able to provide stabling, so huzzah for them!

I hung out at the volunteer tent and ate dinner waiting for that decision, and then was able to get back to the barn, soak Tristan's foot, wrap it up (more on the wrapping adventures later), and be home and in bed by 10:30. Whew.

Soaking, soaking, soaking

Not much new to report. Tris is now off at the walk as the abscess processes. He's definitely draining - if not always visibly, there's always a stain on the hoof to indicate goo. It seems to be coming both from the coronet band and from the newish hole a bit below the coronet band.

I'm soaking with epsom salt and betadine. Two days ago, I poured epsom salts, betadine, and hot water into a diaper and then did a wrap of that diaper, vetrap, and duct tape over the two holes. Last night, I did a sugardine painted directly onto the holes followed by the diaper, vetrap, and duct tape, and dried off the hoof and tried to get the duct tape to attach directly, in the hopes that it would last longer.

I did chat with the vet the other morning, and despite my valiant efforts to get him to spend my money, he said there was nothing to do but wait it out. Sometimes abscesses just hang around in the hoof and keep channeling around. I forgot completely to check in with them about the gassiness, too, in the hopes of preventing future colics, so I will have to call back this afternoon and at the very least order another tube of banamine for Monday.

I also want to check in with the farrier to see if he can just put eyes on Tris's foot during his regular rounds on Friday, and call Smartpak to see about doing a digestive supplement. Most of them look formulated for hard keepers or nervous horses - neither of which is a good description of my horse! We'll see what they have to say.

Tomorrow is a day off to make a Smartpak run to pick up some Animalintex poultice to wrap Tris's foot with, some assorted supplies for friends, and then to pack up the ponies and head out to King Oak. I am sort-of grooming for Hannah on Friday, then volunteering at King Oak all day Saturday. A bit bittersweet that we won't be running after all, but with the continuing problems I know I made the right decision, and I have plenty of friends to cheer on.

Volunteering at Fitch's Corner

Fitch's Corner is one of my favorite events of the year. It hosts the Area 1 Championships alongside a regular horse trials, right on up through Preliminary. That particular area of upstate New York is especially gorgeous, filled with farms and old houses, and the rolling hills and valleys make the drive scenic (and slightly terrifying for those of us with trailer driving panic attacks). For the second year in a row, we camped at a lovely little state park about 25 minutes away, saving on hotel costs and giving me an excuse to break out my beloved tent.

We arrived Thursday, and on Friday, as last year, I took the day to do some sightseeing. Last year I went west, to Hyde Park; this year, north, through the Hudson River Valley to hit a few museums and combine business and pleasure. I also had lunch at the Eveready Diner which was tasty if a bit overpriced (much fancier than the "diner" label would suggest...).

Saturday, I fence judged for cross-country. Briefing was at 6:30 a.m., which worked out well since Hannah had to feed & prep Tucker for their 8:08 start time anyway. Fitch's is a fabulous, really high-end event, and their attention to detail is phenomenal. They don't have the organization of King Oak - which remains my gold standard for military-like precision in the running of its XC - but they have style and are incredibly generous. For my services, I got a great new hat, good food all day, and an insulated lunch bag.

I spent my first shift at Training fence 14, a big hay feeder that jumped well all morning. After some years of totally uneventful fence judging, I had to stop someone for the first time. A rider had clipped a flag earlier on course in such a way that she hadn't actually jumped the jump, which meant she was eliminated when she jumped the next fence. I was asked to hold her up and take her off course. It went well - there was a nice big gallopy stretch leading up to my fence that I could stand in to flag her down.

My next fence was a Prelim coffin, offset and while not huge, quite technical. I enjoyed watching that one, as you got a clear sense of the different styles and techniques involve in navigating it. I also picked up my second hold of the day when a fence later on course broke and I had to stop a rider after my fence, complete with timing. I stopped the rider, started my stopwatch, and then realized it was Bruce Davidson. So that was a moment! It was only a few minutes of hold and then I sent him on his way and reported in the time of the hold. New experience, nice adrenaline rush, but I was glad that it went perfectly.

Third fence of the day was a v. straightforward Novice rolltop before a bank, and for that I got to sit under some shade for the first time. I lost my radio as the fence judge after me reported for the whole bank complex, and it was by far the most relaxing of my fences. I didn't have a BN fence, which worked out neatly, as unfortunately Hannah and Tucker had retired on course earlier that morning and we ended up going home Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday.

I love being a fence judge, especially when I'm stationed by myself. It's low key but very important, and it lets me be in control of my own private kingdom, ordering my things about my chair, taking down information, listening in to the activity around the course, and doing some reading and relaxing, all while watching horses go cross country. Perfectly lovely way to spend a day.