Saturday, March 31, 2012
We made it to VA!
We made it to VA! Ponies settled in nice big stalls. Now off to Morven to walk courses and pick up Ari. More updates to follow!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Bringing the Blog to Date
And now a quick recap of the activities since Full Gallop to bring us up to date (finally)!
I've been show jumping Beacon with Doug and it's been going really well, each session he gets more and more relaxed and is jumping better and better. We took him on a XC school the other day, the first time he's actually been out XC since August, and he was fantastic! I was expecting to only school the basic things his first time out, but he just kept stepping up to the plate and taking everything in stride. We schooled a bunch of Intermediate questions and strung some single fences together to make some mini related questions and he was a rockstar! Doug had some really helpful insights to riding the bigger mounds and banks so that we get to the base with enough power, and we also discussed/practiced riding more technical and exact lines through combinations. What a super outing! Go Beacon!
I also shipped over for a dressage lesson with Mara Depuy which was really great. I've never ridden with her before but I really enjoyed our session, she had some great insights and great exercises to really get Beacon loosened up and pushing into self carriage. One exercise in particular was really helpful to get him to loosen up through his topline and swing through his back. She had me ride in shoulder fore and leg yield around a 10 meter circle in the corner and then leg yield into shoulder in and ride down the long side, and then finish with another 10 meter circle positioned in shoulder fore but ridden through the leg yield. This loosened him up amazingly and I've since used it at home and was able to duplicate the results! We also played with his medium trot and he really is starting to push into another stage in his lengthenings, Go Beacon again! I finally have my horse back!!! And so he is entered at Prelim at Morven on the way home, I'm so excited!
Also this week the Valinor crew arrived, it was great to see Kelly, Kate, Betsy, and Alison! The first day of rides were just easy loosening trot sets on the track and road with everyone stretching their legs in the sunshine. The next day we took a field trip to The Hitchcock Woods and had a blast! Kelly was astride Ari, Alison galloped Grace, Kate directed Devin, Betsy danced with Diem, and I sashayed with Stew (note the alliteration, much thanks to Betsy, Alison, and Barb for helping me with that). But on a more serious note, it was fantastic that all the horses were well behaved in the large group. The Woods are just lovely this time of year and it's an amazing place for horses and people, you never know what you will see! On this occasion we ran into a horse and carriage (fairly common) that was followed by a bagpiper on foot (a first for me!) Needless to say, that caused some excitement, but all the horses settled back down and we were able to hack along and jump a good number of fences, even some fairly large brush ones! Great job to Betsy, Kelly, and Kate who all had never jumped their mounts before but figured everything out and jumped the 3"6" brush like champs!
We also met some friends for the Aiken Trials and joined them at their premiere rail spot right by the start to tailgate. It's always exciting to watch the babies run in their first race, some have trouble with the gate, some look like pros, you just never know! The main excitement for the day was when my fiend Jessie was running (and in the lead) the last race when her stirrup broke and she came off. Luckily she wasn't hurt (although rather ticked off- the grooms had put the wrong (someone else's)saddle on the horse) but her horse just kept running! He ran around the track again and then ended up off the track and galloped back to the barns. He was fast! I bet he just might win some good money this year- that guy likes to run!
Kate and Kelly sadly had to head home, but Betsy and Alison stayed for the remainder of the week and we filled it with lessons and a couple more outings. Betsy rode a variety of horses but the most exciting for her I'm sure, was getting the OK to start first walking and then trotting Keno under saddle. The last couple of days you could see her in the mornings trotting happily around the track, Go Keno!
Alison participated in her first Jumper Derby which is a mix of show jumps and XC and is judged on time. Grace took a couple jumps to get in the groove but then they settled into a very nice rhythm and finished fourth! We also went on a XC school at Full Gallop which, although we were racing a rather vicious storm, was a really successful outing. Marissa schooled a bunch of the Training and even one Prelim combination. Stew and I, Betsy and Diem, and Alison and Grace all warmed up over some basic things and then ended up also schooling a bunch of training questions. Everyone did the rolltop in the water, the double bank up, ditches, and a trakehner. Really a great school for all!
Betsy and Alison headed out Friday, the day before Steeplechase which was unfortunate- better planning next year ladies! But it was great to have the whole Valinor crew down for a bit, next year I want to see more familiar faces down here on vacation! Steeplechase was a blast, I wore a very fancy hat (borrowed), and then we competed at Apple Tree's last Combined Test of the season on Sunday, which was a successful outing. Now it's Monday morning and we're all up to date! This week will be busy, Wed there is a jumper show which some will go to, I have to fit in one last XC school, and we need to pack and prep for Morven! Carino has to get moved to his new barn, and I also have a couple of lessons with Doug and one with Mara scheduled for this week- busy busy!
Happy Riding!
I've been show jumping Beacon with Doug and it's been going really well, each session he gets more and more relaxed and is jumping better and better. We took him on a XC school the other day, the first time he's actually been out XC since August, and he was fantastic! I was expecting to only school the basic things his first time out, but he just kept stepping up to the plate and taking everything in stride. We schooled a bunch of Intermediate questions and strung some single fences together to make some mini related questions and he was a rockstar! Doug had some really helpful insights to riding the bigger mounds and banks so that we get to the base with enough power, and we also discussed/practiced riding more technical and exact lines through combinations. What a super outing! Go Beacon!
I also shipped over for a dressage lesson with Mara Depuy which was really great. I've never ridden with her before but I really enjoyed our session, she had some great insights and great exercises to really get Beacon loosened up and pushing into self carriage. One exercise in particular was really helpful to get him to loosen up through his topline and swing through his back. She had me ride in shoulder fore and leg yield around a 10 meter circle in the corner and then leg yield into shoulder in and ride down the long side, and then finish with another 10 meter circle positioned in shoulder fore but ridden through the leg yield. This loosened him up amazingly and I've since used it at home and was able to duplicate the results! We also played with his medium trot and he really is starting to push into another stage in his lengthenings, Go Beacon again! I finally have my horse back!!! And so he is entered at Prelim at Morven on the way home, I'm so excited!
Also this week the Valinor crew arrived, it was great to see Kelly, Kate, Betsy, and Alison! The first day of rides were just easy loosening trot sets on the track and road with everyone stretching their legs in the sunshine. The next day we took a field trip to The Hitchcock Woods and had a blast! Kelly was astride Ari, Alison galloped Grace, Kate directed Devin, Betsy danced with Diem, and I sashayed with Stew (note the alliteration, much thanks to Betsy, Alison, and Barb for helping me with that). But on a more serious note, it was fantastic that all the horses were well behaved in the large group. The Woods are just lovely this time of year and it's an amazing place for horses and people, you never know what you will see! On this occasion we ran into a horse and carriage (fairly common) that was followed by a bagpiper on foot (a first for me!) Needless to say, that caused some excitement, but all the horses settled back down and we were able to hack along and jump a good number of fences, even some fairly large brush ones! Great job to Betsy, Kelly, and Kate who all had never jumped their mounts before but figured everything out and jumped the 3"6" brush like champs!
We also met some friends for the Aiken Trials and joined them at their premiere rail spot right by the start to tailgate. It's always exciting to watch the babies run in their first race, some have trouble with the gate, some look like pros, you just never know! The main excitement for the day was when my fiend Jessie was running (and in the lead) the last race when her stirrup broke and she came off. Luckily she wasn't hurt (although rather ticked off- the grooms had put the wrong (someone else's)saddle on the horse) but her horse just kept running! He ran around the track again and then ended up off the track and galloped back to the barns. He was fast! I bet he just might win some good money this year- that guy likes to run!
Kate and Kelly sadly had to head home, but Betsy and Alison stayed for the remainder of the week and we filled it with lessons and a couple more outings. Betsy rode a variety of horses but the most exciting for her I'm sure, was getting the OK to start first walking and then trotting Keno under saddle. The last couple of days you could see her in the mornings trotting happily around the track, Go Keno!
Alison participated in her first Jumper Derby which is a mix of show jumps and XC and is judged on time. Grace took a couple jumps to get in the groove but then they settled into a very nice rhythm and finished fourth! We also went on a XC school at Full Gallop which, although we were racing a rather vicious storm, was a really successful outing. Marissa schooled a bunch of the Training and even one Prelim combination. Stew and I, Betsy and Diem, and Alison and Grace all warmed up over some basic things and then ended up also schooling a bunch of training questions. Everyone did the rolltop in the water, the double bank up, ditches, and a trakehner. Really a great school for all!
Betsy and Alison headed out Friday, the day before Steeplechase which was unfortunate- better planning next year ladies! But it was great to have the whole Valinor crew down for a bit, next year I want to see more familiar faces down here on vacation! Steeplechase was a blast, I wore a very fancy hat (borrowed), and then we competed at Apple Tree's last Combined Test of the season on Sunday, which was a successful outing. Now it's Monday morning and we're all up to date! This week will be busy, Wed there is a jumper show which some will go to, I have to fit in one last XC school, and we need to pack and prep for Morven! Carino has to get moved to his new barn, and I also have a couple of lessons with Doug and one with Mara scheduled for this week- busy busy!
Happy Riding!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Success at the last Apple Tree CT of the season. Marissa won her very first Training (wahoo!), Devin put in a very respectable 37 at Novice and a confidence building jump round (two stops, one at the very scary barrels and one in the in and out, both she jumped beautifully on the second go) to finish in eighth, Stew finished on his dressage of 36 and placed second (SO much more relaxed than Full Gallop!), and Beacon had some tension but still finished second in his first outing of the year at Prelim! What good ponies! Diem and Ari enjoyed a Sunday off at the farm, now for the last week of our Aiken Adventure (so bittersweet!)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Blogging on the Highway!
Ok, so we are all enroute to a HUGE tack shop in Camden SC and I am using my phone to power the internet on my computer so I can FINALLY do a blog update! On the highway! (I'm so high tech savvy!)
Aiken has blossomed into full Spring, it's just beautiful down here. There are so many colorful flowers and new growth on all of the fields and trees, and the floral aromas in the air are delicious! The days are longer and the sun is HOT. I love it here, but things are starting to wrap up, only one week left, and then I get to experience Spring all over again in New England.
The important update that everyone keeps asking about: Full Gallop Horse Trials! Diem, Stew, and Ari all did their debut Novice outing of the 2012 season, and Carino and Marissa competed in their third Novice HT. Full Gallop has a bit of an electric environment with all three phases going on at once on Saturday, it's quite a lot for the greenies! Our guys all did Dressage on Saturday and Show Jumped and ran XC on Sunday. Ari went first and had a tough time focusing in the dressage warmup and an even tougher time in the arena. It was a bit disappointing since her flatwork has improved so much at home, but it's just going to take some mileage for her to keep focused off property. Stew had a very energized test; he tried to focus REALLY hard but the electricity in the air had him so jazzed that we piaffed the whole test! The judge had nice things to say about both of them though because they both had some really lovely moments. It's just going to take some time and mileage to pull it all together.
Diem and Carino both had really excellent tests. Marissa had one of her best tests to date, and had some fantastic moments. They are starting to be much more consistent and Carino is really beginning to step out into the bridle, they were seventh in their class after dressage in a very large and competitive class! Diem was the most attentive and workmanlike I've ever seen him at a show. He stepped off the trailer and was all business right of the bat in the warmup and carried his focus all through his test. He had some really super light flowing moments and played a very accurate and attentive game. What a good boy! He was also seventh in a large and competitive class after dressage; a huge step for Diem!
Sunday's showjumping went well with Diem and Carino both putting in lovely clear rounds. Ari and Stew both had a rail in the beginning, but settled nicely into a rhythm to finish well. The second half of Stew's round was like a hunter- good boy! XC was a bit challenging for everyone's first run of the season, fence 5 was a true trakehner! Carino and Diem, who had luckily both schooled them, took a little look but then sailed over and had very successful courses. Diem was super bold XC and didn't even take a glance at the drops and banks! Ari, who is a bit ditchy still, racked up two stops at the trakehner but then settled into a good rhythm and finished really boldly. Stew, who has never seen anything even remotely close to a trakehner, took a big look with our first attempt, but then pricked his ears after looking at it as if to say "Oh, it's just a ditch!" And was successful on the second attempt. He was actually the easiest ride out on XC once he settled into a rhythm- it was all point and shoot and just a little balance before the fences. Not bad for a pony that had just gotten down here from MA!
At the end of the day Diem was the allstar, taking home fourth and finishing on his dressage score in a big class- go Diem! Really a huge success for him not just because he was so competitive, but because he stayed so sane! Stew's day was also a great learning experience, he is going to be a fantastic event star once he puts together all the pieces. Ari was good, but needs to be a bit more rideable off property so she will have lots of field trips to warm up rings in her future. Marissa and Carino really had a near perfect outing but were unfortunately tagged with time penalties that weren't theirs. This knocked them out of the ribbons which was a real bummer because they were in third, but was still a true success for their riding- they are solid in the novice standings and looking to start moving up! Training is in their near future!
Happy Riding!
Aiken has blossomed into full Spring, it's just beautiful down here. There are so many colorful flowers and new growth on all of the fields and trees, and the floral aromas in the air are delicious! The days are longer and the sun is HOT. I love it here, but things are starting to wrap up, only one week left, and then I get to experience Spring all over again in New England.
The important update that everyone keeps asking about: Full Gallop Horse Trials! Diem, Stew, and Ari all did their debut Novice outing of the 2012 season, and Carino and Marissa competed in their third Novice HT. Full Gallop has a bit of an electric environment with all three phases going on at once on Saturday, it's quite a lot for the greenies! Our guys all did Dressage on Saturday and Show Jumped and ran XC on Sunday. Ari went first and had a tough time focusing in the dressage warmup and an even tougher time in the arena. It was a bit disappointing since her flatwork has improved so much at home, but it's just going to take some mileage for her to keep focused off property. Stew had a very energized test; he tried to focus REALLY hard but the electricity in the air had him so jazzed that we piaffed the whole test! The judge had nice things to say about both of them though because they both had some really lovely moments. It's just going to take some time and mileage to pull it all together.
Diem and Carino both had really excellent tests. Marissa had one of her best tests to date, and had some fantastic moments. They are starting to be much more consistent and Carino is really beginning to step out into the bridle, they were seventh in their class after dressage in a very large and competitive class! Diem was the most attentive and workmanlike I've ever seen him at a show. He stepped off the trailer and was all business right of the bat in the warmup and carried his focus all through his test. He had some really super light flowing moments and played a very accurate and attentive game. What a good boy! He was also seventh in a large and competitive class after dressage; a huge step for Diem!
Sunday's showjumping went well with Diem and Carino both putting in lovely clear rounds. Ari and Stew both had a rail in the beginning, but settled nicely into a rhythm to finish well. The second half of Stew's round was like a hunter- good boy! XC was a bit challenging for everyone's first run of the season, fence 5 was a true trakehner! Carino and Diem, who had luckily both schooled them, took a little look but then sailed over and had very successful courses. Diem was super bold XC and didn't even take a glance at the drops and banks! Ari, who is a bit ditchy still, racked up two stops at the trakehner but then settled into a good rhythm and finished really boldly. Stew, who has never seen anything even remotely close to a trakehner, took a big look with our first attempt, but then pricked his ears after looking at it as if to say "Oh, it's just a ditch!" And was successful on the second attempt. He was actually the easiest ride out on XC once he settled into a rhythm- it was all point and shoot and just a little balance before the fences. Not bad for a pony that had just gotten down here from MA!
At the end of the day Diem was the allstar, taking home fourth and finishing on his dressage score in a big class- go Diem! Really a huge success for him not just because he was so competitive, but because he stayed so sane! Stew's day was also a great learning experience, he is going to be a fantastic event star once he puts together all the pieces. Ari was good, but needs to be a bit more rideable off property so she will have lots of field trips to warm up rings in her future. Marissa and Carino really had a near perfect outing but were unfortunately tagged with time penalties that weren't theirs. This knocked them out of the ribbons which was a real bummer because they were in third, but was still a true success for their riding- they are solid in the novice standings and looking to start moving up! Training is in their near future!
Happy Riding!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Fantastic xc school with Beacon!!
Fantastic xc school with Beacon!! His first outing since the August GMHA and he ate it up! Thanks Doug!!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Long line at the New Moon Cafe this am, wish I had brought in my computer so I could update the blog! So we'll have to settle on texting from my phone :) Full Gallop was a success this past weekend! Everyone had a good go, but I'll detail all that later. Last night the rest of the Valinor crew arrived and Grace and Keno are doing well after their long journey. Beacon is finally starting to jump like a normal horse again (yay!) And the search for the perfect horse to bring home for Emily continues. Tonight is the USET fundraiser party and the plan is for us all to go (dressed up!) And the it's the first of the Aiken Triple Crown this weekend with the Aiken Trials where all of the 2 year olds run their first races. Busy week! Keep tuned in and happy riding!
PS- it was close to 90 degrees here yesterday! Rider's tan is underway!
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Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
After a whirlwind visit with Emily and her Mom from Monday through Wednesday I was thinking the week would settle down a bit- I couldn't have been more wrong! I'm taking care of Doug's herd while he is down at Red Hills which bumps our number of six up to eighteen!!! Tomorrow Carino, Ari, Diem, and Stew all run Novice Dressage at Full Gallop; Sunday hosts both jumping phases. They have all been working really hard all week in preparation and everyone had an excellent xc school on Thursday; good positive first steps for the season! Check back for tomorrow's updates!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Yummy breakfast at the Track
Yummy breakfast at the Track Kitchen this am, now off to Full Gallop to take a second test ride on potentially "the" horse!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
This past week has been super busy, but all the horses are going really well. Diem and Carino went on a XC school at Sandy Hills where they both jumped fantastically, Ari Devin and Stew have been working hard at improving their canters and have been achieving some really good quality work, and Beacon's really getting back into the swing of things. Tuesday I hosted Eric Horgan for a clinic at our farm and that went really well. Marissa completed her second sanctioned Novice this weekend at Sporting Days finishing in seventh and looking like a pro out on XC.
Our secret conditioning hill isn't so secret anymore! We've had all kinds of people starting to ship in to use it for gallops. One working student might have even got her picture taken with her favorite rider in front of our barn (even if she turned three shades of red!) I've also been working for Doug quite a bit, I even got to sit on Running Order the other day; kind of fun to sit on a celebrity!
Emily and her Mom are in town taking in all that is Aiken. I have a bunch of horses lined up to look at and Emily even jumped some Training XC on one yesterday! Go Em!
I'm hoping to squeeze another lesson in with Doug before he heads to Red Hills early Thursday morning, and I'm trying to get Diem and Ari entered at Full Gallop to run Novice- they're ready!
The weather has been pretty good, but a bit chilly- that crazy tornado filled storm skipped over us, moving on to the sunshine!!!
Happy riding!
Our secret conditioning hill isn't so secret anymore! We've had all kinds of people starting to ship in to use it for gallops. One working student might have even got her picture taken with her favorite rider in front of our barn (even if she turned three shades of red!) I've also been working for Doug quite a bit, I even got to sit on Running Order the other day; kind of fun to sit on a celebrity!
Emily and her Mom are in town taking in all that is Aiken. I have a bunch of horses lined up to look at and Emily even jumped some Training XC on one yesterday! Go Em!
I'm hoping to squeeze another lesson in with Doug before he heads to Red Hills early Thursday morning, and I'm trying to get Diem and Ari entered at Full Gallop to run Novice- they're ready!
The weather has been pretty good, but a bit chilly- that crazy tornado filled storm skipped over us, moving on to the sunshine!!!
Happy riding!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
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