Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy

Z laying down a 27.30 in dressage

 It was time for some Eventing after a month of dressage shows, and the Maryland Horse Trials did not disappoint!  Beautiful weather and fall beauty abounded with gorgeous horses galloping cross country over the exquisite course, outlined by the changing colors of the hills in the background. 

The weekend began and ended with excitement, starting with Rose locking me out of my friend Mary's truck as I attempted to pick up Mary's horse Vinny and make it to White North for my first lesson of the day at 9am.  Realizing that the keys AND my cell phone were in the truck with Rose, I resorted to stupid human tricks trying to get Rose to jump on the unlock button located on the arm rest.  While she can do lots of tricks, this apparently wasn't one of them, and she looked at me licking the window, saying, "Open the door dummy!"  After a few minutes, I decided to go into Mary's house and locate a phone (of course there was no LAND line) and instead woke/scared to death her sleeping college daughter Hilary.  Hilary had a phone, but unluckily for me no spare truck keys.  SO, the Kirtland Police were on the job and an officer was dispatched to unlock the truck.  This was no small feat as the handle does not open the door when locked and the only way to open it was to press the button.  Half an hour or so later, he finally got it, saving me from having to go to Mary's husband's work to get the extra keys.  An hour and a half later, I finally made it to work, and thank you to all my wonderful ladies who understood and went for a trail ride in my absence.
The morning continued to be harry scary with an unexpected delivery of 300 chairs and 20 tables for an event at the farm this weekend, horses to ride before leaving, lessons, and a sundry of other tasks that required my attention.  Mary (my friend, not my sister cuz she's in Chile with her new hubby)  arrived and helped me finish packing, and by 1:30 we loaded the horses and were on our way!  We arrived at Loch Moy about 7:30, and were greeted by Rex, the stable manager, who kindly showed us to our stalls, and commandeered us a prime trailer parking spot right next to the stable, and directly behind Buck Davidson!  Finally, with the horses settled in, some yummy food and a beer, we checked into the hotel, and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Z double clear stadium

The jump into the water

Saturday dawned crisp and bright, and I walked cross country before getting ready to do dressage.  Z warmed up great and we laid down a pretty good test.  There wasn't a whole lot of time, so we headed back to stabling where I put his studs in, took braids out, and got suited up for stadium and cross country which ran consecutively.   The stadium course looked nicely flowing, but was catching people with lots of rails.  I went in and buzzed him around the outer track, making sure he got a look at the liverpool and culvert fences.  He had a great forward rhythm throughout and jumped double clear so off we went to XC.

 After catching the roll top in the XC warm up a few times it was our turn in the start box.  I love this part, because Z always gets that "look of eagles" thing going on, and you can just feel him ramp himself up as we wait for the 10 second mark.  He lifts his neck and grows about 5 inches during the count down and off we go.  He ran around the course great with one sticky moment at the first water, incurring no jump or time penalties.  There is really nothing better than getting off cross country with a happy, blowing horse, and a double clear run. After arriving back at the stalls, Mary said to me, "Do you know where you are in the standings?" I said no, that I hadn't had time to look, and she said, "Well, I think YOU JUST WON!"  The beauty of LIVE SCORING!  I had been in first after dressage and with clear rounds stadium and cross country, we just waited for the official results.  Besting a field that included the likes of Sharon White, Stephen Bradley, and Phillip Dutton was crazy (it is only Training of course) and made for some fun phone calls.

Tiffany and Cisco in dressage

Tiffany and Cisco Cross Country

Tiffany arrived with Cisco later that afternoon, and we helped her get settled and I gave her a dressage lesson.  She had some light bulb moments so we were pretty pumped for Sunday.  Mary was first to go and after some wild moments in the warm-up (Vinny thought he should race the Prelim horses from their gallop lane that was located next to the dressage show ring) she kept him together and put in a great test all things considered.  Tiffany was next and rode a brilliant test putting her in sixth out of 17. Mary jumped clear stadium and cross country, moving her up to second in her division!  Tiffany had an unlucky draw being the second last ride of the day, but cruised around the stadium leaving all the rails in the cups, and staying within the time.  She caught a couple fences in the xc warm-up, and went out and had an awesome XC round, jumping all the jumps right out of stride.  I was so proud of her and Cisco because they have been working very hard in all aspects and its great to see the results pay off with a move up to third place.  They also got their last qualifying score for the AEC's NEXT YEAR, and I am sure we will see them topping the leader board at Novice next year! 

Mary and Vintage Stadium

Mary and Vintage XC

By 6:30 we were packed up and headed home, arriving at the farm by 1am.  I gave "Z" a kiss goodnight, and was home by 2, finishing the weekend the same way it started...with a sigh and a smile.

GAIG Region 2 Championships

The beautiful thing about attending a Regional Championship is the opportunity to watch some of the best trainers in the area compete their best horses, and witness the stellar riding and development from the warm-up to the show ring.  I always find it fascinating to observe people like George Williams, Jochen Hippenstiel, Kathy Priest, and others start the horses in the warm up and see how each progresses as they prepare to go in the ring.  To have the ability to see the "system" they employ and how it develops to competition level is very valuable in one's own skill set.  I should say that this also carries over to several AA I watched, as well as coaching by trainers such as Charlotte Bayley-Schindelholz, who I had the pleasure to work with over the course of the weekend.

Mary and I were lucky enough to have two horses with us; Buenos Noches (aka Goodman) competing at Fourth Level owned by Angela Hambrick, and Tsjesse owned by Marian Shaughnessy competing in the Prix St. George.  I really owe both of these ladies a huge heartfelt thank you, as they have been long time supporters of mine, and have given me the opportunity to ride fabulous horses.  They constantly help me add to my training arsenal through sending their horses to clinics with me, training in Aiken, and the countless other things that make competing on a regular basis possible.  Thank you for being stewards of the sport!

Goodman did a good test on Thursday in the 4th 3, garnering himself a 5th place in the Majestic Farm Championship, and then an even better test on Fri to earn a 7th place finish in the Region Final.  The class on Friday was extremely competetive, with just 4.25 points seperating first to seventh.  I am so proud of this little horse who has overcome so many obstacles and is becoming a true blue competitor.  He had his game face on the whole weekend and never gave a spook or startle in the show ring, and was very rideable.  We unfortunately had technical difficulties with our video camera, so I should have a video of his final ride posting soon from "Another Point of View" the videographer once I get the disk.  We did post some cute pictures of him being very proud during the awards ceremony to Facebook.

Tsjesse, despite some shoeing problems, was also very competitive, finishing fourth and fifth on the first two days, and then a respectable 11th in the final.  I must give a big thank you to Charlotte, who helped me develop the horse through the weekend, enabling us to put in our best test on Sunday.  Unfortunately I was a bit late in asking for the first change in the line of fours, and subsequently had two counting mistakes due to bad timing.  We nailed our threes though, and had we not had the previous mistake, probably would have been in the ribbons in a super tough class of 19 top professionals. 

While I would have liked to finish in the top five on both horses, I am going home with a good sense of where to go in our training so that we come out closer to the top.  Mary and I had a great time watching and hanging out with our friends Cindy Bank (Reserve CH Training Level), Marlene Knopsnider (Champion AA I1), Jennifer Kick, Holly & Jeff Taylor, and Jamie Gunyula, who had top finishes with their horses as well. 

This picture was taken by Mary... As I was coming out of the indoor, this little one was carrying her stuffed horse and with big eyes told me "Congratulations, I like your horse!"  It was so sweet I asked her if she would like to pat Tsjesse.  With huge eyes and a wider smile she reached up and gently touched his shoulder.  She stepped back and said, "I have a horse shoe at home from a Clydedale that's almost as big as his."  It was so cute, and made me think of when I was a little girl.
So now its a little vacation for the dressage boys, and time to switch gears as we have two horse trials left for the event horses, and also need to start firming up our plans in Aiken.  Off to do some trot sets, jump schools, and set our sights on the Maryland at Loch Moy HT the second weekend in October, hopefully giving these eventers a good last couple runs of the season! Until then....

Aiken anyone?

The Rollercoaster goes up...the rollercoaster goes down...

I knew when I set up the summer schedule that it was going to be a wild ride, but little did I know that it was going to be a freight train careening nearly out of control through the months of June and July!  We were pretty ambitious, setting up dressage shows or events nearly every weekend in those two months, and boy did it get crazy!

I need to thank all my awesome customers who have generously given me amazing horses to ride, or continue to go to horseshows and take lessons, because without them we wouldn't exist! The dressage horses had a good couple of shows, with Goodman owned by Angela Hambrick continuing to hone his skills at Fourth Level and coming second or first in almost every class.  He is schooling everything in the PSG, and with a little sit in the canter and more practice on those pirouettes, we will be right there.  I am hoping to bring him out at PSG in the Fall, or in the Spring in Ocala.  Tsjesse, owned by Marian Shaughnessy afforded me my debut in the FEI, earning me my silver medal on our first two tries.  I am proud to say that we even won a few of the PSG classes we entered, and I couldn't be more thankful of the opportunity to ride this sweet guy.  Marian also made her debut on him at Grand Haven, and I am excited to help them continue moving forward in their partnership.  Rollercoaster UP!

The event horses had a bit of a slow start, but were making some great progress.  After lots of great therapy, Z is in fighting form, and competed at South Farm winning his Novice division on a 20, and competing in a big Training class at Fair Hill.  I knew going into Fair Hill that I needed to have no expectations because it was going to be more of a "training" ride, and that there might be a few hiccups.  We were second after dressage with a 30.5, and went around stadium with 8 penalties.  He came out of the start box a little cheeky, but settled right into a rhythm and was running like a top.  I took it a little to much for granted that we were "back to normal" and got caught with my pants down at the jump into the water.  Our second try was successful though and I was cursing myself for letting that 20 creep up on me.  Lesson learned...again.  I look forward to redeeming myself at South Farm in a couple weeks!  Tiffany George Kete and her sporty horse Cisco rocked the BN at South Farm, but had an unfortunate E at the water at Gemwood.  This horse is as honest as the day is long, and the new water at Gemwood is how do you say, "uninviting?".  We saw horse after horse have trouble there, and hopefully the organizers saw it too, and will improve the entry for their next event.  Tiffany is not disheartened and is going to have a spectacular run at N this coming weekend at Erie.  Jessica Hart and her new gal pal Zophie had two outstanding starts winning the Starter at South Farm, and winning the BN at Gemwood.  This pair was looking to be super competitive going into the end of the season, and then the rollercoaster went DOWN.  Zophie came in injured from the pasture and unfortunately will have to be laid up for 5 or 6 months, but should make a full recovery.  Hmmm I think that means we get to leg her back up in AIKEN...ROLLER COASTER UP.  In all seriousness, this is a tough time for Jessica who was just forging a partnership with this lovely mare, and it can be frustrating to be sidelined.  I am optimistic that we will find a great horse for her to lease so that she can finish up the year on a positive note.

I am pleased to say that we have a new eventing recruit coming into the farm in September, and I am thrilled to have a new horse in training from Pauline Jeanette named Fernando who is going to be a super dressage horse.

So much change is happening right now that its hard to remember what's normal!  Our long time farm manager (and friend) Tracy Baker has decided to take a new direction in her life, and has moved to Columbus, leaving some pretty enormous shoes to fill.  Tracy has been the backbone of so many things at White North, including helping me get Evans Eventing up and running.  She is and always will be an integral part of our team, and its hard to know where to start trying to find such an important piece of the puzzle.  Super groom and sister Mary is filling in for the time being, and it sure is fun having her at the farm every day!  I can't pull any crap with her around!

With several horse trials coming up for the event crew, and regionals and possibly Dressage at Devon for the dressage horses, we are going to wind the competition season down with a bang, and hopefully chalk up a few more wins!  Until then...
ROLLERCOASTER UUUUUUP!!!!

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times



Becky and Arriba



What a wild month May has been!  Trips to Virginia eventing and horse shopping, dressage show in Cincinnati, combined tests, and Silva Martin in for a clinic; I don't think we could pack in much more!  Lets start with the good:

 

The Combined Test at South Farm on Mother's Day was a big success, with Kim McConnell and Middleburg did their first dressage tests garnering a 68 (!!!!!), winning their first class, and coming second in the 2nd class. Tracy Baker and her mare Cant Tallya were fourth in the BBN division, and showed some real improvement in the rideability of this horse.  The star of the day though was Becky Salinger's Arriba (aka Ted) who won his BN division on a 26.7!!!  Congratulations ladies! 



Kim and Middy



The Silva Martin Clinic was a success, with everyone coming away from it in a great place.  Her quiet classical system is always positive for both horses and riders, helping to bump them to the next level in their work.  Hopefully we will start having her come to Cleveland on a more regular basis.

Now the Bad:
We had a mediocre show in Cinci...Goodman was a good boy, with a few mistakes in each class (some mine).  It was a good first time outside, and I know he can do better, so we are looking forward to Grand Haven in a couple weeks and hopefully rock out some scores.  Lidcombe had a bit of a "baby" weekend, and showed that he was really excited to be outside at a horse show.  This is a lovely horse that the judges really like, and I am sure he will have it together for Grand Haven.

The Event at Morven Park in Va was a bust.  Zigzag was winning the division with a 28 and after jumping through the entire stadium course decided that he was done at the last triple combination.  I guess its back to the drawing board.  Then on the eve of leaving for the Plantation Field event he colicked, and was sick for four straight days requiring two rounds of fluids and tubing.  This from the horse who has never been sick a day in his life!  The good news is that we started lightly riding him two days ago, and he seems to be on the mend.  Hopefully he will be back up and running for the Boyd clinic and the Event at South Farm.  Jessica Hart's little mare Zophie was also supposed to go to Plantation, but had a muscle strain so she was also a scratch. 

I had a great time at Pati Peirucci's looking at dressage horses with Cathy Christopher and we found one each at Pati's and Charlotte Bayleys, but had to walk away from both horses due to problems in the vetting.  So, we are off to Silva's and Courtney Cooper's in Pa next week, and hopefully third time is a charm. 

The Ugly:

ok, there is no ugly... It just seemed appropriate!

We have lots of upcoming events to look forward to, like the Boyd Martin Clinic June 28th and 29th, the Grand Haven Dressage Show, The South Farm Horse Trial, some shopping trips, and a few charitable events at the farm.  I am also looking forward to a few new young horses that will be hopefully joining the ranks in our event program, one being Haven from my long time friend and client Beth Lose.

No matter how much that gray cloud tries to rain on us, we will keep looking up and counting the blessings that we get to work with these amazing animals and people everyday.  What could be better?



Tracy Baker, Quinn, Dave and Tallya



Swing into Spring!



Arriba owned by Rebecca Salinger



We attended the Lake Erie College Winter Dressage Show with three horses Angela Hambrick's DP Lidcombe & Buenos Noches (Goodman), and Becky Salinger's Arriba (Theodore!)  All the horse's put in outstanding performances the entire weekend.  Goodman started it off with a 61 at Fourth 2, and also garnered himself a qualifying score for GAIG Regional Championships at Fourth 3 with a 64.5!  Lidcombe didn't disappoint either, winning his first two classes, and coming second in the third, also earning a score of a 69% at Training Level 3 for a qualifier too!  He captured the Reserve Champion title at Training Level and only missed being Champion by a few tenths of a point. 

DP Lidcombe owned by Angela Hambrick

 Arriba (aka Ted) was on his game, and was itching to show off his new improved self since coming home from Aiken.  He certainly did it in style by coming second to Lidcombe the first day, and winning the class with a 70% on the second day to clinch the Championship at Training Level.  He also got a qualifying score for Regionals.  It was fun seeing everyone so excited!  While Mary's abscense as show groom was apparent, we introduced our new groom Marcy Gussenhoffen, who did a fantastic job with all the boys.  She had them all shining and tack sparkling for every class!  Thanks to our group of supporters... Jessica Hart, Tiffany George Kete, and Sanae and Akio Tanebe for coming out in the cold to cheer us on!  Next up...HORSE TRIALS!

Buenos Noches owned by Angela Hambrick

Aiken Wrap Up

After a long hiatus, I have finally found time to update our blog! We wrapped up Aiken in style with an event and dressage show, as well as enjoying the last warm weather days we would see for awhile. The horses travelled home and have settled back into work in the frigid north, hitting the ground running with a dressage show 14 days after their arrival. It seems like winter just does not want to let go of its icy grip!

To summarize our Aiken experience this year, I would say it was a season of great learning and meeting fun new people. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Kevin Keane and his team to assess Zigzag and Goodman, and get them feeling their absolute best heading into what we hope to be an important year for both horses(debuts at Prelim for Z and PSG for Goodman). I also got great insight from the legendary Boyd on jumping Z and working through some of his little demons, and Jimmy Wofford on starting the youngsters. While in Florida, I had the pleasure of meeting Jodi Ely, and her friend Mary, and Cheryl Holekamp with whom I had dinner. Jodi's hospitality was second to none, and it was so wonderful to be welcomed in a place where I thought I wouldn't know anyone. At our home base, Sandy Hills, in Aiken, I also met some exceptional individuals in BJ, Bee Ruane, Gina Reidmuller, and Leslie Davis. These ladies are the nicest, hardworking horsewomen, and I look forward to continuing our friendships! Also, thanks to Bubba Forrester for making our stay a great one!

I also need to extend a huge thank you to Di and Steve Toth who graciously rented their guest house to Mary and I for the duration. They thought of everything in appointing our apartment with snacks, waters, and even made us dinner the first night we were there. They kept a great sense of humor with all our packages that showed up day after day for the new horses, and even took Mary out to dinner while I was at the last show in Florida, as well as treating Bee and I to dinner at O'Charley's the night before I went home. They have a beautiful home and we are so appreciative that they shared it with us!

If there is one thing that I learned, its that the PEOPLE make the PLACE, and generosity knows no bounds. I hope that I can be that person for someone else in the future,and look forward to returning next year!

Introducing Zophie!

After much anticipation, I would like to take a minute to introduce you to Jessica's new horse, Zophie. She is a 6yr old, rose grey, Tb cross mare by none other that Salute the Truth. She has a lovely temperment, and goes nicely on the bit not to mention that she can really jump! She has been with us for a week now, and is settling in beautifully. She schools perfect cross country, taking on the tough things like water and banks with ease. She is going to be a blast for Jessica to ride, and I am sure they will be giving everyone in Area VIII a run for their money.

Congratulations to Jessica on the purchase of such a terrific mare!