~ Home Sweet Home! ~
After about 11 days in Kentucky, I’m finally home! Even though I had an absolute blast at the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships, it was good to sleep in my own bed last night. Chance should arrive home later this week, probably Friday or Saturday, and he will definitely get a nice little vacation after all of that traveling. The heat and humidity alone takes a great toll on the horses, especially coming from such a dry climate as Arizona. I get a little vacation myself this week, then it is back to school and work next Monday!
It was a couple days too late, but last Friday, the day after the Individual test in Kentucky, I had the best lesson in my life on Chance! I went back and watched the videos of my rides to see if I could pinpoint what I could do better to help Chance perform to the best of his abilities. I know Chance is a super talented horse, now I just need to figure out the best way to showcase it. I learned many things, including Chance and I are still very inexperienced at this level and it would do us some good to show this fall so we can learn how to keep our mindset and composure in the arena so we can perform just as well as we do at home. Chance is still so young at 9 years old and he really counts on me to be there every step of the way to guide him through the tests, but unfortunately my young age and inexperience does not always allow me to ride him as well as I could in the show ring. So, I think it will benefit us both to get some more miles in the show ring so we can really show our full potential. Next, I realized that Chance does have a bit of an attitude sometimes and he gets really angry if I surprise him with my aids or a movement without sufficient preparation or consistent reminders of his frame and way of going during our ride. That means it is my job as his rider to always let him know what is coming next and to keep him together the whole time so I do not have to scramble to get him ready for, say, a pirouette. Chance really needs me to ride him EVERY SINGLE STRIDE and a lightbulb went off for me on Friday so that I was finally able to do that for the first time in my life. This new way of riding really helped the quality of his canter and he was truly more honest and willing than ever before. So even though the show did not go quite as I had hoped, I feel I really got more out of it because it forced me to step back, look at the whole picture, and change my riding for the better. Chance is not an easy horse, but I know he will shape me into a better rider because of it. Plus, it will really help when my arm is stronger and it is recovered 100%. I was trying to convince myself that I could go back to riding and everything would be as easy as it was before the accident, but unfortunately that was not the case and my lack of preparation and strength hurt us in this competition. Luckily it is getting better and stronger every single day so it will definitely be easier when I do not have to worry about that weakness. I am so excited to work extremely hard and prepare for another great season at Young Riders!!!
Although I am very happy to be home, I already miss my teammates from the Region 5 Young Rider team Brandi Roenick, Madeleine Birch, Aylin Corapcioglu, and the Region 5 Junior team Taylor Lindsten, Devon Wycoff, Brook Santangelo, and Tali Hershafft. It was so exciting getting the Team Gold medal this year and I am so proud to have been on a team with these amazing girls! I have a feeling we will have another great team next year as many of us are trying out once again! To see some pictures from my adventure in Kentucky, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catherine-Rose-Chamberlain-CRC-Dressage/106735296078314#!/media/set/?set=a.141542869264223.38541.106735296078314&type=1.
Me, Aylin, Maddi, and Brandi
~ Cat ~
~ Settling In at the Kentucky Horse Park ~
Well, Chance and I are in Kentucky at last! He got to the Horse Park on Thursday evening, about one hour after my mom, Madeleine Birch (another Region 5 Young Rider), and I got there. Chance settled right in and made friends with Uoeri, Madeleine’s horse. It is definitely hot and HUMID here! We have all been trying to stay cool, especially in the sweltering afternoons. Luckily Chance seems to be acclimating to the weather and he’s been drinking a lot. He didn’t loose too much weight on the long trailer ride over, either, so he’s in good shape and read to show!
Region 5 Junior/Young Rider Teams
On Friday I just hand walked him around to let him stretch his legs, then I walked him under saddle for about half an hour on Saturday. It’s going to be a long week, if we make the top fifteen and get to ride our freestyle then we’ll be showing through Saturday, so I didn’t want to wear him out. I got to meet all of the other team members, too. I already knew fellow Arizona Junior rider Taylor Lindsten, Arizona Young Rider Brandi Roenick, and 2010 Junior teammate turned Young Rider this year Aylin Corapcioglu, but I got to know the rest of the Junior team; Devon Wycoff, Talia Hershaft, and Brook Santangelo. Everyone is super nice and I think we are going to have a lot of fun together this week! Madeleine and I also toured the Horse Park, it is HUGE! It’s so pretty and there are so many great things to see, so if you are ever in Kentucky, definitely check it out!
Chance Ready to Rock n' Roll!
On Sunday I did a little trot and canter for the first time, and boy was he forward and ready to go! Hopefully my stragedy of saving him for the competition will pay off. Chance felt really good, we worked all the kinks out and it felt good to be really riding him once again. Monday afternoon my trainer Ashleigh will be arriving and we will have our first lesson here. Then we get to go to a presentation made by the USDF Youth National Coach and a small party afterwards. Tuesday we will have another lesson, then we have the jog so they can make sure all of the horses are fit, healthy, and ready to compete! Wednesday, we have the team competition! I’m so excited! I will keep you posted on how everything goes, wish us luck!!!
The Rolex Stadium where we will show
~Cat~
~ Final Preparations ~
Chance and I have less than one week left to prepare for the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships! I can’t wait to represent Region 5 on the Young Rider Dressage team! I have dreamed of being a Young Rider ever since I was twelve years old, so four years later it is great to finally be stepping up to the “big leagues” after competing in the Junior division for the past three years. It is especially great since I thought I was going to miss this year’s Championships because of my elbow. It has definitely been a tough recovery and I am not 100% yet, but I am ready to go out, do my best, and have a lot of fun!
We had a great qualifying season this year, scoring consistent 64% and 65%’s. As Chance and I are both new to the Prix St. George level, I am very proud of our accomplishments. We have been together since he was only five years old and I was twelve. I have loved growing up with him and moving up the levels together. I hope our strong bond will shine through once again this year in Kentucky. I am so grateful to this horse for everything he has taught me, so no matter what happens I know it will be another great learning experience. At least we have the drill down now after attending the past two NAJYRCs in Kentucky, so I definitely feel less stress and nervousness this year. That being said, I can’t help feeling excitement and good kind of butterflies!
My trainer Ashleigh Luca Tyson was able to keep Chance in great condition for me during my month of recovery while my elbow was healing. I’ve been back in the saddle for almost three weeks now, and our training is right on track! Since we both know the movements by now, we have been focusing on correctness, rhythm, and quality. Just what we need to up our game! Ashleigh is great and she really knows how to get the very best out of my horse and I. I can’t wait to see what we have improved in the show ring from this past season. Chance feels better than ever and I am ready to test our limits and see just how good we can be! I’m also really looking forward to catching up with old friends and seeing how much they have improved from last year. One of the best things about the NAJYRC is that you get to be on a team, as well, so it should be great fun cheering on all of my teammates!
Well, that’s about it for now! Chance will be loaded on a trailer and I will be boarded on a plane very soon, so look for an update in the near future and wish us luck!
~Catherine Chamberlain~
P.S. Check out this website about the NAJYRC! http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/NAJYRC2011 They will have great info and results up during the Championships, plus my blog is featured on here as well!
What a Month . . .
Hi everyone, sorry it’s been so long since my last post. You see, I had some unwanted drama in my life this past month and I’ll share the details with you soon, but first I wanted to share this short video of Chance and I. We were filmed a few weeks ago for the “Story Tellers” segment on the AZ Central website. You can find the finished product here: http://www.azcentral.com/storytellers/video.php?vid=991502727001&tcat=st-animals,st-kids&tname=Girlandherhorsecompeteindressage.
Now back to the good stuff. So, Chance and I finished our last qualifier for the North American Young Rider Championships in April and I was second in the standings for the team, so preparations were in full swing to go back to Kentucky for the championships at the end of July. Then, I was lunging a horse on May 30th, a typical day at the barn, when he spun around and kicked me in the right elbow. I didn’t know the magnitude of the injury at first but, after a ride to the hospital in an ambulance, a X-Ray, a CT scan, and finally surgery, I found out that my elbow had shattered into seven or eight large pieces and several other small fragments. The surgeon had placed six screws and a plate in my arm in order to piece it all back together. Then, a week later, I had to go back for another surgery because one of the screws was too long and it was impairing my movement. I was told it would be months until I could ride again. Although devastating, I accepted the news and set myself down for a long recovery. Well, the thing is, that’s easier said than done. I threw myself into physical therapy, working over five hours a day in order to get back the range of motion I needed to ride. I’m not going to lie, it was not easy. But, all I could think about was getting on my horse again. On June 27th, after one month of excruciating work, I was able to get back into the saddle. I cannot describe the way it felt, but I knew I was exactly where I belonged.
Now, preparations for Kentucky are once again in full swing! After a month out of the saddle, I have about twenty training days to get ready for the biggest championship in my career so far. This has definitely been the roughest road to the NAJYRC for me so far, but I sure hope it pays off!
~Cat~
P.S. Check out some pictures from my adventure below!
Right After the Accident
Visiting Chance with my cool brace!A couple of weeks after the surgeryI got myself some Sketcher's Shape-Ups, a thigh toner, and ankle weights to keep in shape for the month I couldn't ride!
~My Young Rider Years~ 