T Minus 17 hrs!

Well, we are one day from departure for Aiken, and I sure am glad that we waited until Sunday and Monday to leave!  The northeast and down into the mid south has been covered in a blanket of cold and snow, and I for one can't wait to get to SC and be able to actually get some riding done.  This cold spell has allowed me to get really organized before my hiatus from home, and by the time night falls tonight, I think I will be leaving my boys fairly well prepared.  I think the hardest part of the trip is not being with Jake and Ivor...it struck me last night as I tucked in Jake that I would miss out on that goodnight snuggle for the next four weeks.  What a great family I have to make it possible for me to do this!

Speaking of boys being ready, Captain has been steadily improving, and Dr. Miller came out and did a final acupuncture session with him so that he would be ready to travel.  I am hopeful that I will be able to start jumping him again when we arrive in Aiken.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how the stress of travel will affect his condition, but our shipper Ridgewood Horse Transportation is making every effort to ease his stress level by giving him his own personal box stall!  The other dressage boys Tsjesse and Goodman are ready to rock and I am excited to be bringing Angela Hambricks other two horses Lidcombe and York with us as well.  York will be hanging out with Angela in Brays Island SC and hopefully joining us for some intermittent training in Aiken as time permits.  We already have a few lessons scheduled with Silva before she leaves for Wellington, and I am hoping that she has a few cancellations so she can put me in for a few more.  I will also be working with Charlotte on Tsjesse and Goodman, trying to up their game and prepare Goodman for the PSG and Marian Shaughnessy's Tsjesse for the I2, something I'm really looking forward to.

 I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to give Lidcombe some professional training for a full 30 days and see where he would like to take his career.  Angela purchased Lidcombe from Janet Mudge through Boyd and Silva Martin a few years ago as a dressage prospect, and he has been slightly plagued with injury after injury since then.  We finally have him very sound and in great condition and while he has already told us he doesn't LOVE the flat work, I am interested to see if he would like to get back to eventing or perhaps do a little jumpers.  I can't thank Angela enough for entrusting me with the sole training of this horse for the full 30 days, and I am excited to see the results.

I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome Kyle Smith to our team this year.  He will be travelling with his horse Jack, and helping me keep all our ponies clean, beautifully turned out, and ready for exciting adventures.  I am delighted to have such a knowledgeable and hard working individual as part of the staff this year, and look forward to a fun month.

Lastly, I couldn't go without the support of  our farm manager Jami, and the other trainers at White North Liz and Mandy.  Mandy will be making sure that our dressage ladies are ready to rock and roll for the Lake Erie Dressage show in March, as well as teaching all my lessons on Wed and Sundays.  I'm excited for her to have the opportunity to do a bit more, and I know Liz will keep all our jump riders and horses tuned up and ready to go for the March schooling show. 

The next time you hear from me will be from beautiful Sandy Hills Farm in Aiken, SC. Until then I'm looking forward and kicking on to tomorrow's gifts.