The USEF annual convention was this weekend and they passed several important rules to note. You can see all the specifics at www.usef.org, but here's a quick synopsis as it pertains to us...
-all riders at USEF sanctioned horse trials are required to wear approved helmets while mounted at all times. This excludes FEI sanctioned horse trials at the upper levels. (Meaning you can wear a top hat in dressage at the FEI level for dressage)
-all riders Fourth Level and below are required to wear a helmet at all times while mounted at USEF sanctioned competitions
-all anabolic steroids are prohibited beginning Dec 1, 2011.
-The description and eligibility have changed in the Hunter Very Green Divisions.
There are several other things in the works, so be sure to check out the new changes.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Coming Together....
As we count down to the last two weeks before leaving I feel like there is still quite a bit to pull together. I am happy to report that Z is feeling great, and he is getting his checkup on Tuesday from Doc. We will be evaluating his soundness before ramping up for the show season and deciding if we should do hocks etc. I have been very lucky this far in that he has required no maintenance whatsoever, so now that he is coming 12 (hard to believe) I thought we should take a closer look. Everybody has had their shots, Coggins, the shipper is booked and we are almost ready to roll. I have been looking for a truck so that we can haul a few more horses around at a time, and I think I have found a pretty nice one...an F250 V10 Super Cab. Its a 2008 with around 35k miles and should do the job nicely.
I am pretty excited about the new horse in the barn and after only a week he has made startling improvements. I jumped him around a baby course yesterday, and he jumped a bit better. Tuesday is the deciding factor, so everybody cross your fingers.
Truth be told, I would like to be bringing a few more horses with me this year, but at least it will give me lots of time learning at Silva and Boyd's (hopefully) and between the eventing and dressage, we will be showing almost every weekend. My awesome sister is coming this year too, so it is going to be loads of fun!
I will be posting the show schedule on the website later today, so check it out and come cheer our riders on!
I am pretty excited about the new horse in the barn and after only a week he has made startling improvements. I jumped him around a baby course yesterday, and he jumped a bit better. Tuesday is the deciding factor, so everybody cross your fingers.
Truth be told, I would like to be bringing a few more horses with me this year, but at least it will give me lots of time learning at Silva and Boyd's (hopefully) and between the eventing and dressage, we will be showing almost every weekend. My awesome sister is coming this year too, so it is going to be loads of fun!
I will be posting the show schedule on the website later today, so check it out and come cheer our riders on!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Preparations!
After an amazing trip to Switzerland visiting my brother and his beautiful family I am feeling very refreshed and have a renewed sense of focus. I hit the ground running and am excited to announce (and congratulate) Marian & Michael Shaughnessy on their purchase of Tsjesse, a 13 yr old Friesan that has competed to I1 in Florida. I am sure Marian will have many wonderful years of enjoyment with this horse and look forward to seeing her move up the levels in dressage.
I am also thrilled to say that Zigzag is getting back to competition form and is very happy after his little vacation as well. He had a great flat yesterday, and is ready to start gearing up for the show season in February. I am hoping he will be joined in the eventing ranks by a new horse named Theodore currently owned by Rebecca Salinger. He is a top quality Canadian Sporthorse with a great future ahead of him. I think Goodman is coming along very nicely and is ready for some serious work with Silva Martin in Aiken and moving up to Fourth Level. His changes are getting very reliable to the 3s, and I am hopeful that we can get a Prix St.George by the end of the year.
We also have some new/"renewed" faces in the barn that I am looking forward to bringing to some horse shows; more about that in the next Blog. The race is on to get organized for Aiken, and we are still taking reservations for anyone that would like to come and get some focused training or just have a good time riding the vast trails! Its going to be a fun new year with lots of great stuff going on, and I can't wait to get started.
I should also take a moment to thank all our current and past clients and owners for a very successful 2010, and for all the support you have given me over the last year. I could not do anything that I do without the amazing assistance of all the clients, friends, and staff at White North, so to everyone, THANK YOU!
More to come Soon!
Therese
I am also thrilled to say that Zigzag is getting back to competition form and is very happy after his little vacation as well. He had a great flat yesterday, and is ready to start gearing up for the show season in February. I am hoping he will be joined in the eventing ranks by a new horse named Theodore currently owned by Rebecca Salinger. He is a top quality Canadian Sporthorse with a great future ahead of him. I think Goodman is coming along very nicely and is ready for some serious work with Silva Martin in Aiken and moving up to Fourth Level. His changes are getting very reliable to the 3s, and I am hopeful that we can get a Prix St.George by the end of the year.
We also have some new/"renewed" faces in the barn that I am looking forward to bringing to some horse shows; more about that in the next Blog. The race is on to get organized for Aiken, and we are still taking reservations for anyone that would like to come and get some focused training or just have a good time riding the vast trails! Its going to be a fun new year with lots of great stuff going on, and I can't wait to get started.
I should also take a moment to thank all our current and past clients and owners for a very successful 2010, and for all the support you have given me over the last year. I could not do anything that I do without the amazing assistance of all the clients, friends, and staff at White North, so to everyone, THANK YOU!
More to come Soon!
Therese
Monday, December 27, 2010
To Switzerland or Not to Switzerland?!
To Switzerland of course! Well, maybe. Thanks to Mother Nature, Jakob and I had a lovely stay in Cleveland Hopkins Airport today. We spent good quality time chatting it up and people watching, while waiting in line to confirm our rebooking at Continental. When we finally did get to the ticket counter to confirm our new flights to Chicago later this evening, I had the distinct pleasure of being told I needed to be confirming the ticket at United. What?! So, we "hurriedly" waited in line at United. When they called our flight number to the desk, the clerk informed me that I needed to be in the Continental line. Right...the one I just stood in for over 2 and a half hours only to be told I was supposed to be in this line. Hmmpf! In the meantime, our seats got given away, and they would not even allow us to fly stand by. So, after a fun six hours we went to dinner at Olive Garden, where Jake fell asleep on the couch waiting for our table. He was a real champ and I am truly blessed to have a great kid. Undaunted he informed me that we should try again tomorrow, so, here I sit on hold with Continental yet again waiting, waiting, waiting.....
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Fun in Frigid Florida
Monday and Tuesday I had the pleasure of taking one of my clients from the cold North to sunny Florida to do a little horse shopping. We arrived at the Orlando airport to find that the temperature was a balmy 40 degrees, and the wind was blowing up a gale that would have sent Dorothy clicking her little red heels together for Kansas.
We arrived at Iron Spring Farm in Ocala and met up with Alex Robertson, who showed us a beautiful Friesian named Tsjesse. He was a real doll (Tsjesse of course!) and pet of a horse, but no slacker as he has shown successfully up to Intermediare I. Iron Spring is impeccably kept, with immaculate grounds, barns and buildings, and everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We both had a great ride on Tsjesse, saw a few younger horses, and then began the trip back south to Mt. Dora and Apopka to see our third horse.
In Apopka, we met our friend and trainer Nancy Smith, who was instrumental in setting up the remainder of our trip. She arranged for us to try Donatella, a stunning Westphalen mare that she competed to Grand Prix. Unfortunately, due to daylight we had to cut the riding short and decided to overnight in Mt. Dora instead of making the drive to Wellington, in order to give her a second try on Tuesday.
The day dawned clear and cold with temperatures hovering just above 25 degrees!!! Poor Dolly was shivering as I got on to warm her up even though she had a nice toasty quarter sheet on. I feel so priviliged to have had the opportunity to give Dolly a try...she is one special girl!
We continued on to Wellington, where it finally broke into the 50's by midafternoon, and saw several lovely horses. The best was waiting for last though and it showed up in a gorgeous chestnut Hanoverian mare named "Who's That Girl" aka "Gorgeous" to her friends around the barn. Gorgeous has the most amazing walk, a super trot and lovely canter. She is very kind and really tried her heart out for both me and my student.
Despite the cold weather and a misadventure or two, (WHERE's the tollbooth?!!) we had a great time and made it safely back to Cleveland around 10:30 pm Tuesday night. Now the real work begins, watching video and deciding which horse is the best match, and arranging second rides and vettings. Thanks to everyone who made this trip a success and everybody cross your fingers for "Gorgeous"!
I'll keep you posted. Literally.
Till then,
T
We arrived at Iron Spring Farm in Ocala and met up with Alex Robertson, who showed us a beautiful Friesian named Tsjesse. He was a real doll (Tsjesse of course!) and pet of a horse, but no slacker as he has shown successfully up to Intermediare I. Iron Spring is impeccably kept, with immaculate grounds, barns and buildings, and everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We both had a great ride on Tsjesse, saw a few younger horses, and then began the trip back south to Mt. Dora and Apopka to see our third horse.
In Apopka, we met our friend and trainer Nancy Smith, who was instrumental in setting up the remainder of our trip. She arranged for us to try Donatella, a stunning Westphalen mare that she competed to Grand Prix. Unfortunately, due to daylight we had to cut the riding short and decided to overnight in Mt. Dora instead of making the drive to Wellington, in order to give her a second try on Tuesday.
The day dawned clear and cold with temperatures hovering just above 25 degrees!!! Poor Dolly was shivering as I got on to warm her up even though she had a nice toasty quarter sheet on. I feel so priviliged to have had the opportunity to give Dolly a try...she is one special girl!
We continued on to Wellington, where it finally broke into the 50's by midafternoon, and saw several lovely horses. The best was waiting for last though and it showed up in a gorgeous chestnut Hanoverian mare named "Who's That Girl" aka "Gorgeous" to her friends around the barn. Gorgeous has the most amazing walk, a super trot and lovely canter. She is very kind and really tried her heart out for both me and my student.
Despite the cold weather and a misadventure or two, (WHERE's the tollbooth?!!) we had a great time and made it safely back to Cleveland around 10:30 pm Tuesday night. Now the real work begins, watching video and deciding which horse is the best match, and arranging second rides and vettings. Thanks to everyone who made this trip a success and everybody cross your fingers for "Gorgeous"!
I'll keep you posted. Literally.
Till then,
T
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fasten your Seatbelts Gang!
Fall has come and well, gone, and its been a whirlwind! We started out by taking Angela Hambricks horse Buenos Noches to USDF Region 2 Championships, where he placed 7th in a very competitive 3rd level division. He did a great job, and Angela treated us like queens in Traverse City, MI, wining and dining us to our hearts content! We had a great time with my amazing super groom of a sister and her fiance keeping me (and Goodman) in line, and were very proud of our team!
We also hosted WEG Event rider Boyd Martin for a clinic over two days in October, and had a blast with our friend! He always brings so much enthusiasm, joy, and excellent info to the table. Everyone learned a lot, and thanks to everyone who attended! It was great to see some of the local event riders and trainers come audit and ride. Sarah and Chris had South Farm looking beautiful, and we could not have had a more picture perfect day for schooling cross country! Thanks so much to Boyd for making the time to come to Ohio and coach all of us! On a personal note I was able to ride Kathy Henry's horse Exklusive, and had a great time. Boyd hopped on to straighten out a few of the kinks and it was fun to watch the horse go around with a pro on his back.
We followed the clinic up by taking four horses to the Chagrin schooling dressage show. Tracy Baker, Tiffany George-Kete, Cindy Pordon, and Marian Shaughnessy competed and got some great experience and we all had a fun time. Thanks to Quinn (Tracy's daughter) for grooming, and Christy Maschke for making the all important Dunkin Donuts run!
Finally, we took Angela's horses DP Lidcombe and Buenos Noches (Goodman) to the LEC Dressage show this weekend. We couldn't have finished the horse show year off better if we had tried. Lidcombe led the way winning his first class on Friday, garnering another blue ribbon on Saturday with a whopping 70% and Second on Sunday, earning him a qualifying score for Regionals next year on his first show out with us. Goodman was no slouch either...he won his class Saturday with a personal best score at 3rd level of 67.4%, and was second on Sunday, also earning himself a qualifying score for Regionals. He was Champion at 3rd level for the weekend. This horse has really turned up a notch, and I am excited to take him to Aiken and bump him up to Fourth Level. Dare I hope for a Prix St. George by the end of the year? Only time will tell.
On a side note I am happy to report that Zigzag has made a full recovery and is back in full work. He is feeling better that ever, and I am looking forward to getting back on a regular competition schedule with him. While we have to re-qualify for Prelim, it will be great having him back on the horse show roster.
Best Wishes,
Therese
We also hosted WEG Event rider Boyd Martin for a clinic over two days in October, and had a blast with our friend! He always brings so much enthusiasm, joy, and excellent info to the table. Everyone learned a lot, and thanks to everyone who attended! It was great to see some of the local event riders and trainers come audit and ride. Sarah and Chris had South Farm looking beautiful, and we could not have had a more picture perfect day for schooling cross country! Thanks so much to Boyd for making the time to come to Ohio and coach all of us! On a personal note I was able to ride Kathy Henry's horse Exklusive, and had a great time. Boyd hopped on to straighten out a few of the kinks and it was fun to watch the horse go around with a pro on his back.
We followed the clinic up by taking four horses to the Chagrin schooling dressage show. Tracy Baker, Tiffany George-Kete, Cindy Pordon, and Marian Shaughnessy competed and got some great experience and we all had a fun time. Thanks to Quinn (Tracy's daughter) for grooming, and Christy Maschke for making the all important Dunkin Donuts run!
Finally, we took Angela's horses DP Lidcombe and Buenos Noches (Goodman) to the LEC Dressage show this weekend. We couldn't have finished the horse show year off better if we had tried. Lidcombe led the way winning his first class on Friday, garnering another blue ribbon on Saturday with a whopping 70% and Second on Sunday, earning him a qualifying score for Regionals next year on his first show out with us. Goodman was no slouch either...he won his class Saturday with a personal best score at 3rd level of 67.4%, and was second on Sunday, also earning himself a qualifying score for Regionals. He was Champion at 3rd level for the weekend. This horse has really turned up a notch, and I am excited to take him to Aiken and bump him up to Fourth Level. Dare I hope for a Prix St. George by the end of the year? Only time will tell.
On a side note I am happy to report that Zigzag has made a full recovery and is back in full work. He is feeling better that ever, and I am looking forward to getting back on a regular competition schedule with him. While we have to re-qualify for Prelim, it will be great having him back on the horse show roster.
Best Wishes,
Therese
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Onward and Upward. I hope...
After a tumultuous month of "stuff" we look to be slowly getting back on track. Due to several deaths in the family we unfortunately had to scratch the WPDA show in order to spend most of the week going to funerals. More on that later. Much to my behest, Goodman will have to man up and go to regionals without a "primer"...I know he is just the horse to do it. He is all tuned up and ready to show his stuff in Michigan next week. We are all very excited for him and his owner Angela Hambrick!
As for "Z" he thought it might be a good idea to kick out and get his leg caught in the stall at the Erie Pa Horse Trial, while I was walking Cross Country. He scraped himself up pretty good but appears to be sound. He really does not like being on stall rest though, and is starting to become a handful to hand graze. He is getting a 12 day check up from the vet tomorrow, so hopefully she will have good news, although I am not convinced. I had to scratch the rest of Erie after being in 2nd in my division, as well as not entering at South Farm.
I was thrilled to get a call from my old trainer and mentor Kathy Henry to see if I would like to catch ride a fantastic horse for her. We took him to Erie and he had a lovely dressage and stadium, but needs a little confidence in the cross country. As this is a new horse for me and I have only ridden him a handful of times, I am sure he will come along just fine. A neat side note is that I helped to break this one in with her and Alison Kroviak when he was just a baby, and he was always my favorite! I even had an email at one time that was his name! He unfortunately also decided to sabotage himself and cut his leg so had to also be scratched from the South Farm horse Trial. Unbelievable!
Before he so timely hurt himself however, we were able to participate in some PR for South Farm's Horse Trial this weekend. Kenny Crumpton from Fox 8 News came to South Farm and did an informational piece on three day eventing and what would be going on at the Horse Trial. Sarah and Chris had the place looking amazing, and gave a great interview! Holly Shine was the demo rider over fences and did a spectacular job over the Weldon's wall and Stadium, and I was the dressage demo rider. It aired Thurs 9/2 at 5pm and was a great piece! I hope that it generates some public interest for South Farm, the horse trial and eventing throughout our community, and I thank Sarah and Chris for letting me and Kathy be a part of it with such a wonderful horse.
Go check out the horse trial at South Farm this weekend beginning Saturday...they have picnic baskets pre-made, so take the family and have fun watching some real athletes at work!
As for "Z" he thought it might be a good idea to kick out and get his leg caught in the stall at the Erie Pa Horse Trial, while I was walking Cross Country. He scraped himself up pretty good but appears to be sound. He really does not like being on stall rest though, and is starting to become a handful to hand graze. He is getting a 12 day check up from the vet tomorrow, so hopefully she will have good news, although I am not convinced. I had to scratch the rest of Erie after being in 2nd in my division, as well as not entering at South Farm.
I was thrilled to get a call from my old trainer and mentor Kathy Henry to see if I would like to catch ride a fantastic horse for her. We took him to Erie and he had a lovely dressage and stadium, but needs a little confidence in the cross country. As this is a new horse for me and I have only ridden him a handful of times, I am sure he will come along just fine. A neat side note is that I helped to break this one in with her and Alison Kroviak when he was just a baby, and he was always my favorite! I even had an email at one time that was his name! He unfortunately also decided to sabotage himself and cut his leg so had to also be scratched from the South Farm horse Trial. Unbelievable!
Before he so timely hurt himself however, we were able to participate in some PR for South Farm's Horse Trial this weekend. Kenny Crumpton from Fox 8 News came to South Farm and did an informational piece on three day eventing and what would be going on at the Horse Trial. Sarah and Chris had the place looking amazing, and gave a great interview! Holly Shine was the demo rider over fences and did a spectacular job over the Weldon's wall and Stadium, and I was the dressage demo rider. It aired Thurs 9/2 at 5pm and was a great piece! I hope that it generates some public interest for South Farm, the horse trial and eventing throughout our community, and I thank Sarah and Chris for letting me and Kathy be a part of it with such a wonderful horse.
Go check out the horse trial at South Farm this weekend beginning Saturday...they have picnic baskets pre-made, so take the family and have fun watching some real athletes at work!
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