2 Hour Presentation Reflection

I feel that my presentation went really well. My set up was exactly how I wanted it to be, and I really like that everyone noticed it when they walked into the room. My activities were definitely a struggle to create, but in the end I think everyone enjoyed them and understood their purpose. I received a commendation from Mr. Pang saying that I was really knowledgeable, and that was exactly how I wanted to come off throughout this presentation. There wasn't anything I would have done differently.

I think I deserve an AE on this presentation because of my setup. Making people notice is a big deal, and I'm really proud of myself for that. I also think I deserve this grade because my timing was right on.

Service Learning

• I didn't do an actual log with my Service Learning mentors, but I went in 3-4 times a week and counted over 60 hours total.
• Rainbow Canyon Ranch (Candise Pipkin) 

1. (626)334-9480

• The most important thing I gained from this experience was being able to apply my best answer to every horse that I rode firsthand. I communicated with all of the horses every day that I was there for Service Learning.
• Like I stated above, no other component besides my Independent Task really allowed me to connect with my best answer directly. I was able to think on all of these horses, "is communicating the most important thing?"

2 Hour Presentation Rough Draft

• I have really been thinking of what to do for my Sponge Activity.  I can't quite decide what to do because for pretty much everything about Show Jumping you need to have some prior knowledge, and I know this activity needs to be right when everyone walks in. I was hoping Miss Melogno could help me out because she has great ideas.
• Intro:

1. Personally introduce myself and my topic, explain why I chose this topic.
2. Explain my EQ (what successful means in this situation, what a round is, what a horse show is, and what the show ring is)
3. My plan for the day (Foundation, Answers to Activities, Sources, Product then Conclusion)

• There are 3 different disciplines in Show Jumping that are necessary to understand for my answers. So I will be explaining these in my Foundation. I can also explain how you become a professional, junior, or an amateur rider but this will be if the timing is right.
• My answers: Walking the Course and Developing a Plan, Finding a Distance, Communicating with your Horse
• Activities:

1. Walking the Course... :I am going to have 6 different posters around the room with horse profiles on them. Each profile will describe a horse that likes a type of jump or is afraid of a certain jump (Ex: Finn, a bay gelding, has good form over jumps with white flowers, but he does not like striped rails. What jump would you make him?) The groups will decide together and will draw the jump they would design for every horse. I will have them rotate to each poster until we are done.
2. Finding a Distance: I am still working out my activity for this answer. The distance is how far you are away from the jump. I am not quite sure how the students can do an activity that relates to finding the distance to the jump. I do not want to give them videos and ask them if the distances were good or bad because I am already giving them videos for the 3rd activity.
3. Communicating with your Horse: I plan to play a video of someone using their natural and artificial aids and have everyone write down which aid they just saw (I will have just taught them the aids). I will then replay a couple of the videos and draw popsicle sticks to see what they came up with.

• Conclusion:

1. I plan to summarize my answers real quick, Give my best answer
2. Give my 3 sources
3. Give my product

• I'm putting my trophies all over the front table. I will angle the projector up I little bit so everyone can see. I want to put something on the group tables, but I haven't decided what I'm going to put there yet. 
• Supplies: Markers, Posters, Projector from Pang, Laptop from me, Videos, All of my trophies, Popsicle sticks, Two people jumps, Poster for my EQ, there are probably more things that I will want to add.

I just want everyone to see my passion for my sport. That's why I changed topics...so that everyone can see how much time I put into riding and what I get out of it.

Independent Component 2

1. 3/5, 3/6, 3/12, 4/9, 4/10 

This is what I ate on 3/5 for lunch.

I had some downtime so I took a picture of my trainer's dog on 4/8.

Complete the LIA:

• "I, Sierrah Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work."

• Every day I had a horse show, I would bring my notebook along with me to journal my day. I would take pictures of stuff I did and saw at the show. I called it "A Day at the Show". I also had my mom record my rounds so I could watch them later.
• Although the rounds are about two minutes long each, the preparation that goes into every day of showing is evident throughout my component. I had to get to the shows hours before to make sure I was on time, set a plan for myself and Finn for the courses, make sure Finn was prepared to show, and the whole time I had to make sure I was not getting tired before my rounds!
• All of my answers played a part in this component. I may not had to walk the course for these round, but I definitely developed a plan. I planned my time until my classes and I planned how my rounds would ride. Finding a Distance is what you see in the video. I had to tell my horse the distance from EVERY jump in every course and where to leave the ground from! We have to be on the same page or he will not have the confidence to jump the fences. Communicating with my horse was the most important thing I did throughout the video. I had to tell him where to go and at the end of every round I give him a treat so he knows he was a good boy.

Creative Expression Idea

• For my Creative Expression project, I plan to photograph a rider jumping. I'm not sure if I want to do a close up of her face, the horse's face, or just show the whole image. I know I want to do this technique called "panning" with the rider so the background will be blurry and the subject will be in focus.
• This connects with my EQ because it will show the concentration on the rider and/or horse's face while practicing or competing.

Fourth Interview Question Approval

I am planning on interviewing one of my trainers,  Kim Tasker. Although she does not usually go with me to the horse shows, she makes sure I am ready to tackle any feat at a competition.

1. How much do you think having a plan factors into a successful round?
2. What do you think is the best thing a rider can learn from their horse?
3. When working with a rider, what part of the position do you usually work on first? Why?
4. When working with a horse, what do you usually focus on first? Why?
5. What is most important when preparing a rider for competition?
6. The competition becomes more tough every year. How do you think riders can keep up with their competitors?
7.  How do you come up with the jumping courses for your lessons?
8. What are your favorite type of exercises to teach that benefit the rider?
9. What are your favorite type of exercises to do that benefit the horse?
10. When the horse bids at the jump, what are some things you can do at home to prevent that?
11. Out of all of the rider's aids, natural and artificial, which do you feel is the most important? Why? 
12. What do you think about riders "showing off" their horses? (ex: trotting down the length of the arena if the horse is an exceptionally good mover.)
13. Why do you think the horse's movement and "way of going" so important to the judge?
14. What is your favorite style of horse? Why?
15. What is your favorite style of rider Why?
16. In the show ring, many riders make mistakes that they usually wouldn't make. Why do you think that is?
17. I think that impulsion is the most important factor to finding a distance. What do you think is the most important factor?
18. What do you tell people when they think that horseback riding is an easy sport?
19. What is one piece of advice that will work for every rider?
20. What do you feel is the most important element to a successful round?

Independent Study 2 Approval

1. For my second independent study, I plan to document every day at a horse show. I have to wake up very early each day of competition and prepare for the day's events. I also have to plan my classes that I am competing in and actually compete! This is what every competitor has to go through.
2. I am documenting what it takes to become a champion. Last semester, I watched other competitors and practiced a lot. This semester, I will compete myself and document the hardships of the days of competition.