What an improvement!

Oct. 18, 2011, so if you are doing things different while practicing than you are when you compete, don't expect the same results. AND-when you compete, if you don't make any changes how can you expect your run to get any better. These are things that I have been learning during this whole process of trying to better my competition runs. Last night was THE best night I have had and THE best run I have made in quite a while. there was no competition, it was only time only's at Larkyn, but I changed one thing I was doing and it made a world of difference. Let me explain: Skippy, my trustee partner in this quest, is big! He stands 16.1hh and is longer in the back, kind of like a Thoroughbred. He can stride out very good, but not real good at rating. So for a few weeks we have been working to get him to rate better and he has been doing well during practice runs. It is when I add additional speed that I cannot get him to turn the 2nd barrel very good. I was still having the same problems of him over running the 2nd and the 3rd for that matter. Those turns were costing me alot of time. So on Monday of this week I added a little kick to the inside girth area to get Skippy to give me more bend going into the barrel. this worked really well during practice, but often times what works in practice does not help to stop the clock in a run. Last night it was my plan to run Skippy a couple of times until we could get it right. My first slot at the time only's I felt it was disasterous because Skippy just thinks he is supposed to run when all I want to do is trot up to the barrels and get him to rate. so it is almost a fight with him to settle down. the 2nd time I went in, I just went for it. I didn't push, but at the same time I didn't slow him up. going to the 1st, I used a little inside rein, a little inside leg and outside leg and he snapped around so good we cut around really close to the barrel. Heading to the 2nd I used more inside leg, bumping him a couple times, lifted the inside rein and and pulled out to the side also using outside leg.His turn was text book, just beautiful! I stood up in my stirrups holding onto the horn with my right hand and rode one handed to the 3rd. Halfway there I sat down, bumped the inside leg again a couple times, lifted with inside rein and used outside leg to finish. It was AWESOME. This is what I have been trying to get all summer. I wasn't even pushing and our time was 18.7??. Not even pushing! Keep in mind this is not a standard pattern, but I ran this same size pattern for the NVSC on Sat. 10/15/11 and got 19.7 and I was pushing. So you can see I improved by 1 second without pushing. It is not the in between that gets you better times, its the turn around the barrel. Now my plan is to stay consistant in how I run and see where Skippy and I can go. this weekend I plan to go to the AWPRA at Horse Lovers on Sunday. I was only going to run a exhibition run because if I am only running 20's there is no since donating my money. But now if I can actually be competitive, I will enter and compete. Wish me luck!!!!