Yep, its me.  Worst blogger ever!
Hmmm.
So. Jones went to Training and is now squiring a college girl around at Novice.  Revi went Intermediate and has since taken 3 other riders Prelim, and one newbie Training.  And I am shoeing full time, don't really teach much anymore, and struggle to find time to ride Gracie, Vanna's 8 yo daughter, Revi's half sister, who is about to move up to Training.  She is by Formula One and is seriously niiiiiice.

More later....

Jones moves up to Novice, Revi returns to recognized competition, etc....

So, Seattle Jones has made the "big move up" to Novice, at the Carolina Horse Park, where he won his division on his dressage score of 30. Yowza! Now, Novice isn't that big in the grand scheme of things but, he's a 4yo OTTB, so winning the dressage is kinda awesome, and he did it in fabulous style.... jumped quiet and clean around stadium, galloped and came back politely on xc, not a bit of hesitation at the biggest xc jumps he'd yet seen. He also went to a schooling dressage show and won a test at First Level! He is going Novice again at TTC next weekend.

Revi is back in the recognized events now that the season is well under way, placing 6th at the Ark in Open Prelim and 4th at VA in the Preliminary Horse division. Dressage needs work still, but cross-country is a blast! I am developing confidence in her brakes, so the next event we'll be going full speed. The Micklem Bridle with the Happy Mouth mullen snaffle is just the ticket for Ms. Sensitive.

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy....

So Bolivia's filly is a trip. She had more attitude than any foal I have ever met....










But, at about three weeks, she started shedding her foal coat, and got ITCHY. Major attitude change.....


















I wish there was a FEH for weanlings because she is FANCY.....! Yumm. Can't wait until she is old enough to show!









Skipped the AECs.... just couldn't justify the time, expense, etc. when I've got so much else going on. But we're signed up for a dressage show (wait listed, but hopeful!) at 2nd level this weekend, and then Jones is going to CHP, Revi will run at the Ark, and then I'll be deciding where Jones will move up to Novice....woot!

He jumped a bunch of Novice xc fences winning the YEH at the Ark in August (with an 81!) and I think he's ready.

I'm Melting.....

It has been some kind of crazy hot all up and down the east coast! I have hardly been riding my own horses, quite frankly.... Revi is getting kind of ticked off, every time she sees me come up to the barn she starts running around the paddock bucking and doing sliding stops. Come on mom, let's JUMP something!

I have ridden her a few times in the new Micklem bridle, which she seems to like.... we did a combined test at Rivendale and she was really good aside from spooking slightly at some birds in the covered ring during the dressage test. She jumped very nicely around in stadium and finished 2nd. She's doing very well in the year end points at this point! Time to start getting her back to work to prep for the fall season....

Seattle Jones went to another horse trial at the Carolina Horse Park and jumped around beginner novice, winning on his dressage score + one rail (barely tapped that sucker!) He is doing fabulously and so far this season has three mares in foal on first cycle, waiting on an u/s on the fourth!

Bolivia, my semi-retired Intermediate horse, had her Formula One foal early Saturday morning, about three weeks early. A very refined filly--looks like she will have Livi's gazelle-like build but shorter-coupled, and she is a handful already!

I am a HORRIBLE blogger!!

But I have wicked awesome horses!

Revi spent some time recovering from a bruised heel, and skipped the VAHT... she seems to be back on track now. We did a combined test at TTC last weekend, and that went well. Revi warmed up decently and turned in an obedient-but-not-amazing dressage test.... we were going without a flash and with the noseband loose as an experiment, and she DID seem to appreciate it. There was only one other horse in the class.... a big flashy warmblood with the requisite score! Oh well!

So we hopped over a couple of fences in the warmup. Revi felt good so we hung out, watched thh big flashy warmblood stop at the last fence in the triple--garnering 4 jump penalties and 23 time--went in, jumped around decently with one rail and minimal 'discussion' about speed and way of going from Ms. Opinionated, and won the class. Gotta say it was a big course and laid out kind of strangely, and I was grateful for Revi's "I don't care how big it is or what it looks like, I'm JUMPING!" attitude. I'll work on the dressage!

Speaking of which they had Micklem bridles on sale in the tack store on-site for $93, and there was a 30% discount for competitors. In light of my noseband-loosening experiment I had actually been thinking about trying one on Revi, so I picked one up. So far she is going well in it, but it is a trifle big so I've ordered the next size down. Madison tried the one I have on her horse Lee, who went great in it so she's bought it from me. Everyone wins!

Young stallion Seattle Jones is a ROCK STAR! He did the BN combined test, winning the dressage by 7 points and staying on his dressage score with a lovely relaxed jumping round. He did squeal at some horses in a field near the warmup while I was opening a gate from horseback (to get to the lower part of the xc when we were schooling afterwards), but oh well. He didn't move, just squealed and stomped one foot! He schooled xc great, jumped a pretty big and deep ditch, up and down banks, and cruised through the water. He even jumped in and out of the water over a bank with no problem, on the first try. We are so excited about him!

This weekend we had an equine massage therapist come to the barn. No, my horses aren't spoiled! As I suspected it was confirmed that Revi's issues are pretty much all tension and discomfort in her jaw and poll, a little bit in her neck. So the Micklem bridle will hopefully help with that. Jones really enjoyed his massage therapy session and in typical Jones fashion was very 'engaged' with the therapist throughout the process, just like he is in training sessions. "What are we doing and how can I help make it better?" is his attitude. His primary trouble area was tension/restriction in his left front, due to his grazing posture.

Madison did her first BN combined test at TTC, and finished in 2nd on her dressage score with Devil's Advocate (Lee), so she is real excited to go their first BN HT at Foxtrack next weekend! We have had several new students join the barn in the last month, including a new boarder who is very keen to start seriously eventing. So we are getting pretty busy, which is great! Lots of projects going on at the barn, things getting done..... which is why I haven't been posting much I guess! But I will try really hard to post again soon....!

Getting toward the end of the spring season.....

So guess I've gotten my hands on some nice young horses....

Vanity's Revenge finished 2nd at the Ark at Preliminary and is heading next to the Preliminary 3-Day in VA. Dressage is improving, we were just .4 behind a horse who has been getting low 30s all season!! Showjumping was mannerly, and cross-country we put on some speed and she flew over everything without the slightest hesitation....!

On Sunday we took Gracie, aka Vanity One, for her first show at the Ark's Future Event Horse competition. Jones went too, to compete in the Young Event Horse for the first time. Gracie was EXTREMELY good.... she whinnied a bit, but didn't act silly at all. She stood up for the judge, walked and trotted, and won the yearling class and Reserve Champion Future Event Horse out of nine competitors!! Including some very fancily-bred babies! She got a _9_ on her walk! And an 8 on correctness. She acquired a few fans amongst the spectators, too, with her personality!

Jones totally wowed me with his obedience in the dressage--I was really able to ride him through and show off his gaits and temperament, garnering eights on his walk and submission/willingness. He won the dressage section by 2 points! Then we jumped, and although he is still not terribly experienced he scored well for his willingness, responsiveness, technique and scope. He went readily into the water and barely hesitated before the drop and the ditch, which had already caused much consternation among the other young horses. And we got to GALLOP, which was pretty fun! So I was feeling pretty good as they started reading back the results.... though we might do okay for an Off Track TB. We weren't sixth. Then we weren't fifth or fourth. I was pleased! Then we weren't third, either. There was a REALLY nice grey mare, so I thought "Cool, we got 2nd!" But the grey mare was 2nd! Which left 1st for Jones! And then he was Reserve Champion YEH, just a hair behind the 1st placed 5yo Young Event Horse!

So we got a bunch of ribbons and a couple swank championship halters from Nunn Finer, and Revi won some lovely Nunn Finer boots! All in all an excellent weekend and I am really excited about having such nice horses of my own to ride! Have to say I am retooling my business plan a bit to give myself more time (and money) to do so, too..... More horse shoeing work and scaling down the lesson program.... selling surplus horses.... etc! I've picked up quite a few shoeing customers in the last couple of months, and things look good for further expansion.

The Heavenly Horse and the Law of Fences

Jones went to his first horse trial and it went pretty well. Dressage was good.... we were in fourth with a 37. Cross-country looked pretty inviting, with a couple of surprising fences for a schooling BN.... the fourth fence was two overturned metal water troughs topped by a log, with false saloon-fronts to either side, for instance! But I figured he's a good brave fellow and it would be no problem. Three fences were in fencelines between the pastures.

So if you've ever read The Heavenly Horse From The Outermost West (kind of a horsey Watership Downs) the horses in the book talk about The Law of Fences, where horses have an agreement with Man to obey fences as part of their "bargain" for shelter and food, etc. Well apparently Jones read the book or at least subscribes to the philosophy! LOL. Cantering up to the first fence, which was in the pasture fenceline, he said "What??" and stopped. We circled and I gave him a tap with the whip and he jumped it, but I could tell he thought I was NUTS! The next, oh, ten fences were great.... then we cleared a big table, galloped up the hill toward the second fenceline with jumps in it, and he started slowing down and giving me dubious ear-flicks. REALLY? A little kick and he hopped right over, down the hill to another fenceline, he just hesitated for the barest second there and went without needing additional encouragement. Galloped to the finish very happy and hopefully a better understanding of Legal Fence Jumping!!

Showjumping was a cinch, nice colorful course with turns and bending lines. He listened very well and handled it all no problem. Finished in 7th. He got a lot of attention for his good behavior as a young stallion, too.

Huggy, the medium pony I've been riding for four months, went and did his first horse trial also in the "Moving Up" division (his mum has no faith whatsoever, right Pam?). He is a little herd-bound and was NOT happy to be down in the dressage ring with no other horses in sight (it is in an isolated corner over a hill from the warmups), but he managed to pull off a 3-way tie for first. He jumped clean on cross-country, cantered quite a bit and nicely under control, and we trotted the last couple fences to avoid time penalties (275mpm is NOT very fast!) In stadium he was a little distracted and knocked the first fence, finishing in second overall.

Madison and her new horse, Lee, had a decent first show. He got spooked by a golf cart running right up behind him and was a bit tense in dressage, and as he was circling the start box for cross-country, the horse before him went flying across the course with its saddle under its tummy! So he was a little hyper! But he jumped around clean for cross-country and stadium and finished ninth out of 19. So, ribbons all around!

All's well at the barn.... new boarder coming in a couple weeks, a playmate for Gracie! Breedings starting to roll in for Jones as well, Vanna is at the vet's hopefully getting bred to Future Illusion (BSH eventing stallion by Fleetwater Opposition, the sire of Summersong, Opposition Buzz, etc), new training horse Sassy (Dutch cross 4yo) is w/t/c and trotting ground rails after less than four weeks work....

Revi says, "Is that all?"

So this last weekend we ran Preliminary at Southern Pines I. Last year, the xc courses there were pretty soft.... Revi ran her 2nd Training there and it was a total yawn. Well, they beefed it up this year!! There was a bank/bounce/skinny rolltop, huge hanging log, skinny/big drop/bending skinny combo, average coffin, average Prelim water, a good sized corner and a big trakehner.

First though we had to survive dressage. Revi warmed up decently but was a little fussy in the bridle during her test; however, she scored a 37 and ended up about midpack. I was not thrilled, she could do better, but she continues to improve so that's fine....

Warm-up for xc was uneventful, and we started out at a good clip over the first few fences but once we got to five (the bank with the bounce to the skinny) I slowed up a bit because I wanted to be prepared in case she had any hesitation at the more technical stuff (or that huge log that was next!) Revi had it handled, though! She sailed handily over the huge log and then we galloped down toward the skinny/drop/skinny. I slowed WAY down for that, which was probably a wasted effort.... she was all over it! The next few fences were simple, although the turn to the coffin was a yucky s-line, really blew rhythm to heck. Then a skinny, a log in the small water, and then I totally missed my path to the next fence (another weird course deviation) and had to loop around a couple extra plots of trees to get there, wasting some time. Water was uneventful--boathouse, drop in on an angle, out over a boat--then into the infield for the Big White Table (yawn, says Revi) and a good-sized corner ("Wait!" sez I.... "Fifth board from the edge toward the 2nd post over from the light colored one on the steeplechase rail! Gotta be accurate!" Sez Revi in response: "Hang your line and your spot, I see a JUMP JUMP JUMP YEEEHAAAAAHHHH!!!") Corner, check. Then there was... something, possibly a table?.... and a big trakehner (WHEEEE!!) and a house and done, much to Revi's disappointment.... So, clean jumping, with some time because I didn't expect her to make such light work out of the course on her 2nd "real" Prelim and rode conservatively. Considering she made a distinct effort to drag me to each and every jump, it was unnecessary and next time I'll put the hammer down and ride for time, too.

Meanwhile Melanie and Drayco had an excellent test--a 33 on their 2nd Training, for sixth place out of 33--but had miscues at two simple fences on xc. The first, coming up a hill, Mel just couldn't see the jump over the hill and was off her line enough to confuse Dray... the second was a faux corner next to the Prelim corner, and it looked like he got distracted by the decorations and wasn't paying attention until too late. He went through a similar phase when he started out at Novice, and I think he will get over it pretty soon and get a little more focused.

Sunday the hotel didn't provide the promised wake-up call, so I literally trotted around the warmup three times, jumped the cross-rail, heard them calling me, jumped the oxer, and went in the ring! Revi jumped GREAT--listened well, tapped a couple of jumps but left all the rails up! Due to time faults on xc, we ended up waaaaay down the results, but I was pretty excited that she handled everything so well. All we need to do is go a bit faster.... I think she'll be happy to do that!

Drayco turned in his usual flawless showjumping round. Once he gets back in the groove on cross-country, he will be really, really hard to beat!

Next stop with these two is the FENCE Horse Trials in Tryon, first weekend in April, then Longleaf a few weeks later.

Not this weekend but the next is the TTC Schooling HT. Jones is going for his first horse trial, as is the training pony, Huggy, and Madison with her new horse Lee! Carrie and Pickles are hopefully going to get an entry in for Novice so they can join us. There are so many quality schooling events in our area that it is nice in terms of stress AND budget.... you can really stick with them until you're about ready to go Training, like I did with Revi. Unless you're doing USEA points/awards, of course! I will probably hit one or two recognized events with Jones, just to have him "seen", but mostly we'll be doing schooling events for a little experience while he finishes growing up.... he IS only four!

Spring is here, yay!

Ah it has been soooo nice out. Except this weekend when Revi ran her first recognized Prelim and it rained..... but at least it MOSTLY waited until after we were done.

Revi ran another schooling Prelim at Jumping Branch, and did well although still having some dressage tension. Cross-country was a blast! That was the weekend before last. This last weekend we ran the recognized event at Sporting Days, which had beefed up cross-country a bit! I was very happy with how Revi handled that. There were lot of skinnies, a coffin with a huge ditch and skinnies at A & C, a one-stride of skinnies, a huge drop into water, a corner, assorted large tables, etc. and she just cruised around. I am so not worried about skinnies now! Or ditches for that matter. Or water. Stadium and dressage still need work. We have been having a bit of a dressage boot-camp, though (for myself, riding with a crop across my hands to work on improving my position, and for her, working on improving her throughness) and I could definitely tell a difference in her test. Although she was a bit quick, her connection was a lot steadier! As a reward, I bought her a $$ Nathe snaffle for dressage.... (Gee, thanks mom! Revi says--NOT!) It has a thinner center than the Happy Mouth, which should better accomodate her fat tongue, while still being nice and thick at the bars for comfort. And it is a bit more rubbery.

So we are still in dressage boot camp and I'm pencilling in some showjumping boot camp now, mainly just doing more coursework so we are a bit more in tune with each other all the way around. "Head up and run" seems to have disappeared for the most part, so now we can smooth things out a bit more, instead of spending all our time on gymnastics and "just pay attention!" exercises. I am making a point of scheduling time to ride MY horses not just the training critters! Next for Revi is Southern Pines HT this next weekend.... a lot of events in a short span, but then she has a few weeks off.

Jones is doing very nicely, he placed 2nd in the Ark's BN Combined Test in February, and he will make his HT debut in two weeks at Beginner Novice at TTC. I am getting a LOT of inquiries about breeding to him via shipped semen, so I may have to investigate getting access to a phantom and teaching him to use it.

We have two training horses at the moment: Huggy, the 13+h pony making his HT debut in two weeks before heading back to his owner's barn, and Sassy, a 4yo Dutch WB cross who arrived last week and is here for basic manners on up. She had her first longeing lesson today and since she only just learned last week not to ignore and/or run over people, I thought she did quite well! Walked, trotted, and stopped on a circle both ways wearing a saddle.

We presently have one stall open at the barn so I should get organized and put the word out, but it is very nice to have a little extra space so I'm not in a big hurry, either.

I moved to NC to get away from this ()&#*(&$)(#$>>.....

So snow AGAIN! last week. We got something like six inches between Sunday and Monday, then rain and freezing temps hung in there so Tuesday everything was still frozen SOLID. Main roads were "iffy" but back roads were horrid. Dwayne did a couple of shoeing stops that were not too far into the worst of the snowzone, just so we wouldn't get TOO backed up--by Wednesday we were able to get out decently, in 4WD. So we only had to work half a day on Saturday to get caught up. Thursday I got home early enough to run the bobcat around the arena and break up most of the lingering ice so I could ride, and I had really good rides on Revi, Huggy, and today on Jones. Saturday I stopped at Victory Canter on the way home from shoeing and bought some goodies.... including a sliding gag snaffle for Revi, since I feel like that is less harsh than the 3-ring fixed gag, and also I needed a gag with a thinner mouthpiece since she has such a small mouth! Wrapped it in latex and tried it on her Saturday afternoon jumping and she felt really good. Yay!

But seriously, there is still ice everywhere A WEEK LATER. I moved down here to get away from snow!! I want a refund! I have been wanting to get to Southern Pines for a lesson for the last two weeks.... could have gone last week, it snowed.... wanted to go this week, but looks like I may be hauling a horse on my day "off" when I could have gone. Hmph! Might have to be next week, but if so I'll get a bunch of riding in meanwhile so that I can take Jones too.....

Winter Break??

So I misspoke. This has been a very busy month! Not so much on the lesson front, thanks to the weather.... but, thanks to the weather, lots of de-icing, arena dragging, etc. etc. I've also been very busy shoeing, and am really thinking hard about reducing my personal herd so I have more time for Revi and Jones!

Been keeping Revi exercised but Jones has been on a bit of a break with the weather and all; riding Huggy, the training pony, mostly. He is doing very well, much more consistent in his frame and tempo on the flat, and jumping small verticals quietly. This weekend he will do his first-ever oxer! I'll have to get some pix up....

Gracie is the most fabulous weanling ever... very correct and sensible, wasn't a bit phazed by her first snowfall, and I LOVE watching her trot and gallop, she is so fancy! She is always first at the gate to come in, doesn't let Stormy or Livi push her around. She will be six months old on Saturday. Thank goodness I have Revi and Jones to ride while I wait for her to grow up!

Only taking a couple of horses to the January Ark show, since the NCDCTA banquet is that afternoon. Mel and Drayco won the Jr. Novice division and Revi was second at Training for Horse of the Year so we have to go collect our prizes! The Sporting Days HT is February 5th!

Winter Break starting today!

So yesterday was the last show for a whole month! Next event isn't until January 8th! Don't know what I'll do with my time....

Dressage was wretched in the lower ring.... apparently the sight/smell of the camel in the next pasture was freaking some horses out (Drayco cantered down the first centerline and then did all his trot work in passage, Scamper spooked and bolted) and the footing in the is deep and uneven despite the reported removal of some of the sand. Revi got an uncharacteristic 41 (though to be fair, the majority of scores were quite high). I would have thought it was a mid-30s test. Then we had to wait several hours for showjumping, during which I watched some Third Charm riders warmup, do their tests, and showjump the lower levels.

Melanie and Drayco did their first Training and performed fabulously, clean sj and clean xc, just 2 seconds over optimal! Drayco was quite pleased to be able to go faster I think.... Marshall and Tempe, the FL mare rescued from starving to death in a chainlink doglot, finished 2nd at BN with a more-relaxed dressage test and showjumping round.

Denise O'Keefe, riding Third Charm-bred Answer That, aka Tibby, brought him out for his undersaddle debut. Tibby is a rising 4-year-old TB gelding by my late stallion, Lose That, out of our late mare Miss Ansorian (Spring). He was Spring's last foal and the last TB colt by my stallion and he is one flashy dude, bay with four high white stockings and a blaze! Other than jumping around a little when Denise got on, Tibby was a good boy.... for the most part he kept his head down and trucked around, and they stayed in the ring and circled in appropriate places.

Revi was NOT amused when it started sleeting just a couple of rounds before we were scheduled to showjump.... she started prancing around, quite miffed. I was not expecting to have a good ride! But she was a pretty good girl in her latex-wrapped bubble gag.... I didn't have to use the gag rein much at all, she tossed her head a couple of times to protest having to listen but she did, in fact, listen, and we jumped around clean with only a couple of so-so spots.

Not that "winter break" means much.... lots to do! More work on dressage with Revi, more mileage for Scamper so spooking doesn't involve idiocy, need to get in some xc schools before the spring season arrives (end of January! not really spring!), need to get Stormy going or sell her, need to get Jones ridden so he is ready to go Recognized in the spring.... very excited about that! And we have a new training horse in, a pony named "Huggy" who is a little bit naughty, apparently, but hoping for a low-level eventing career.... he is very cute, which is part of his sweet and innocent schtick according to his mum..... ;-)

Brake! Brake!!!!

We did the Jumping Branch Farm Schooling HT yesterday. Great ,great event, I really miss their 3-day horse trial that used to be in March.... it was so well-run, nice move-up courses that asked all the questions without getting anyone in too much hot water.... and the Powers That Be (USEF) had to start a stink about "upgrading" the courses (more max fences, etc.) and JBF just said "no thanks, we'll just do schooling HTs and you can just kiss the money we made you bye-bye". Seriously, this event was so popular that you had to make sure your entry was postmarked on OPENING DAY and PRAY that you would get in....! As a schooling one-day event they run FOUR dressage rings and had IIRC 137 entries. Yikes!!

Got up at 3:30 am to drive down and make my 8:18 dressage time for Revi's first full Preliminary HT. Arrived in plenty of time and had a decent warm-up and test, though Revi was a bit tentative.... she really does not like doing dressage on grass, I need to do more flatwork out in the front field! I also forgot the halt at the beginning of the test, had to restart, and then was a little tense myself! We were in third after dressage with a 37....

Walked cross-country which was just as I remembered with maybe two fences changed. Which was fine! Came back, warmed up for showjumping... and about four horses before we were to go, cross-country started.... and fence 5 is right next to the back of the showjumping warmup. A fact which did not escape Revi's notice! She was a bit hyped up when we went in the ring. Fence one was a big dark brown oxer with the sun behind it.... I think it was just a big dark mass to Revi and we rolled off the front rail. The second fence was a big oxer, then a turn downhill to a VERY vertical vertical. Several horses had run down the slope, propped/added at the last second, and knocked the HECK out of it. So I half-halted and Revi really listened, got a nice spot and cleared it. But at fence five, the combination, I got her too close and she had a rail (but most horses would probably not have jumped!) and got out cleverly over the second element. I did notice she was jumping a bit left, but the chiropractor is coming Tuesday which will probably take care of that!

So we had two rails in showjumping but so did a LOT of people. Cross-country went great, except I had to spend too much time arguing with her to get her to set up before the harder questions. She just wanted to treat everything like a fly fence! But she was GREAT at all the harder stuff.... there was a skinny chevron, a lovely coffin in the woods, some big tables, a triple at the water (ascending rails, wall/drop into the water, skinny out), a bank/ditch/skinny combo, a ditch with a rail fence behind it, and a corner with options. The ditch in front of the rails was waaaay wider than I remembered (of course, last time I jumped it my horse was 4" taller....) but Revi didn't bat an eye. We took the short option at the corner, and Revi jumped a little crooked and racked my knee on the left-hand flag. That stung! But, finished with just a handful of time faults. We ended up in 2nd.... the horse who was leading after dressage had a stop on xc. Not bad for her first Prelim HT! But, lots of room for improvement.

Doing the CT at the Ark in two weeks to work on stadium and dressage.... today I schooled her in a latex-wrapped bubble gag, only had to touch the gag rein a couple of times for her to realize the gig was up and brakes were now mandatory. She is a smart little brat!

Revenge is sweet....

Hah, just couldn't resist the title.....

Vanity's Revenge aka Revi is really coming along. Last weekend she won the Training and Preliminary Combined Tests at the Ark with a 32 and a 34 in dressage....

This weekend we did the Preliminary/Training horse trial at TTC. I haven't been to TTC in a few years, but since we're prepping to move up and they had the P/T division, we decided to go. Melanie and Drayco went too since they had never been to that facility and Drayco needs to see 'new things' since he's movin up to Training soon.

Dressage was in the spooky lower ring (you have to walk past several paddocks, an occupied dog kennel, the ring is cut into the side of the hill with a dropoff and woods on two sides). Revi was obedient but slightly distracted--she really WANTED to look in the woods, and ended up with a 38, leading the division (3 horses). Drayco was also distracted in his test and got a 34, still in the top few though.

We walked cross-country and I was pleased to see that there were a fair number of pretty big fences so it wouldn't be dull. I forgot how big the banks/drops at TTC were! We also checked out stadium and as always the fences were colorful, nicely decorated, and the course was big and winding, with two big combinations and several changing bending lines, really a true representation of the level.

Went back to the trailer, changed my helmet cover, put on my stock tie, got my jacket on and was stuffing my hair under my helmet when Mel said "Isn't cross-country before stadium?" DUH!! Changed helmet cover back, hunted up my blue cross-country shirt, etc. etc....

Ran cross-country, came in right in the middle of the speed window. Revi jumped great and is still listening really well in the Happy Mouth snaffle.

Mel ran cross-country and had a great round EXCEPT for the big drop.... Drayco came up on it a little quick and looked surprised when he got there! Circled on top of the bank and hopped right off, so hopefully next time with a slightly slower approach and a little tap/lean back from Mel he'll be fine!

Stadium was about an hour later so we watered the ponies and then let them chill out tied to the trailer while we got some lunch. Fabulous chicken salad sandwiches I have to say!! Concessions at TTC are always delicious.

We went first in stadium. The first fence was very vertical, and we rolled the top rail. I thought "Well, now we're in second." Revi apparently thought "Oh, these are bigger!" and jumped the bejeebers out of the rest of the course! Then the other two horses went. The big chestnut had the first jump down (now I didn't feel bad!) and then stopped at the final swedish oxer. The black horse had the first jump down also and pretty much went through the final element of the second combination. So we moved back up to first! We got a lovely big ribbon, a purple cooler, and an etched vase.

Mel and Drayco had their usual lovely stadium round, but due to the stop at the drop didn't get a ribbon. Still a good experience and ready for the move-up to Training, with a couple of schools over big unfamiliar drops perhaps....!

Onward and upward.... Revi will run in her first full Prelim at Jumping Branch, which has a nice move-up course, and Mel will run her first Training at the Ark's December event. I was going to run Revi at Pine Top, which is recognized, but JBF is about $200 cheaper.... plus I can go to Dwayne's speedskating meet now, which is the same weekend as Pine Top....!

Job number two

So of course mostly I write about my horses and I run a boarding barn and teach every day, but along the way I have picked up a little part-time gig....

So it's 6:30am and I'm heading out with hubby Dwayne to shoe horses all day. I think at the first barn we have eighteen (10 shoeings, 8 trims), our regular stop, and two extras at a barn after that.I learned to shoe and got certified so I could do my own horses and not have to inflict badly-mannered new horses on Dwayne all the time.... I already knew the theory and conformation and biomechanics, horse handling, etc., so it was just a matter of application. Very handy skill. Then I started helping Dwayne when his last helper moved away, and now I help him about 13 days out of his 20-day (five week) shoeing rotation.

Fortunately we get along pretty well, not many couples could work together that much! A couple weeks out of the schedule we pull long days and then I come home and teach and there's no time to even look at my personal horses, but with the economy I'm sure not going to complain! It is certainly helping with getting to shows and making improvements around the barn....

So today my horses won't get ridden but next week the new paddock fence WILL be going up!

Well October WAS busy! We ran the Foothills HT... Revi finished third, would have won on our dressage score except my watch stopped so i had a few time penalties. Melanie and Drayco won the Novice division on their dressage. Drayco is turning into the little xc machine! And his dressage and SJ were already excellent.

The Lucinda Green clinic was fabulous. Lucinda had us try a couple of different bits--the Myler was a bit strong and wasn't letting her finish her "magic" jump (Lucinda said that my horse was magic!) So for xc we were in a big fat latex-wrapped full-cheek snaffle and Revi was A) loving it and B) behaving herself. Less head-tossing AND brakes, too! And, at the end of day 2, Lucinda said I might as well buy our tickets to Rolex because Revi has "no limit". She thought Revi just didn't like metal in her mouth and that she would despise dressage less in a plastic-type bit.

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnnZ4g7jrv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAo3gsfGAno


The next day (high as a kite) I took Jones to the FEH at the Ark and won the 3-year-old class with a 77. Nanci Lindroth, the judge, was extremely complimentary.

So Monday I wrapped Revi's bit in latex and she went great on the flat, but of course that is illegal in dressage. Lucinda had suggested a Nathe, so I ordered one, and of course it was backordered and had not come by the time we went to Tryon. So I grabbed a Happy Mouth mullen d-ring that I was using for one of my other horses; and Revi LOVED it. She was happy and relaxed, the judge stood up at the end of my test and complimented us on a lovely job. When I checked the score sheet, we got a _25_ and were in first. I about DIED! In showjumping I took a standard down with my foot trying to be clever and angle a big oxer, but Revi jumped great in the Happy Mouth. I was a little nonplussed not to have to check her up in front of the jump, where she usually sticks her head up and charges from three strides out, but I'm sure I'll get used to that!

We headed out for XC (meanwhile Melanie and Drayco posted a 23-something in dressage to take the lead in Novice--mercy!!), fully expecting to come back and find "corrected dressage scores" posted for Training. Nope! Came back from a clean xc run (and, in the Happy Mouth still, mannerly!) to find we had the lowest score at Training and were the NCDCTA Training champs. Melanie and Drayco had two double-clears and were NCDCTA champs at Novice, with the lowest score of the show. So a great weekend for Third Charm!

The next weekend was the Parade of Breeds which went well. Although Spirit is apparently TERRIFIED of Paso Finos which was a bit of a shocker! Who knew she had it in her?? Wish I'd gotten pix!

Then I decided to skip running Revi at Training at VAHT, since it is a pretty easy course and she is clearly getting quite bored at Training.... I ran Jones up there for the FEH championship, where we came four points behind the three-year-old champion.... who we had beaten by six points a mere three weeks prior. There is something to be said for having long legs and big feet--which I emphatically do NOT--in deep sand footing when you are trying to keep up with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred! Oh well! Poor Jones was so frustrated with me, hanging on him like an anchor!

So next weekend Revi is doing a Preliminary CT... then running a P/T schooling HT.... then a weekend off, as it appears the Phillip Dutton clinic will cancel for lack of entries.... then moving up to Preliminary at Pine Top! So November is going to be busy busy busy as well!

October is time to CRAM!

Just came off a win at Training with Vanity's Revenge at the Hillcrest HT.... finished on our dressage score of 32. After the Tryon schooling HT, where she was a bit of a freight train on xc, I tried Livi's old jumping bit (a myler with lifters) on her. Worked a treat--we were able to gallop and go for time at Hillcrest because I had fingertip brakes! Other than a kamikaze-ish leap into the water (at least she didn't think abou stopping, and my position stayed good!) it was a great xc run. She also jumped clean in showjumping again! Her dressage felt MUCH better, though looking at the pictures it is obvious that she is a bit tight in her neck at the canter still, and my right hand KEEPS POPPING UP at the canter. Ugh!

So this weekend we have the Foothills HT, with Revi running Training and Melanie and Drayco running Novice. Next weekend Revi and I are going to a clinic with Lucinda Green in GA, which is exciting.... I've cliniced with Lucinda before and she is GREAT, and she doesn't come around that often so I'm really looking forward to it.

The weekend after the clinic is the Tryon Horse Trials which is also the NCDCTA Championships. Following that I have a couple of students doing the FRC schooling HT on the 24th.... the day after the Parade of Breeds for which I think I may have committed to providing Irish Sporthorses and Thoroughbreds.... better line up some handlers for that.... and then the NEXT weekend is the Virginia Horse Trials!

Busy month, so hopefully will have lots more updates soon!

The leaves are turning.....!

I noticed the other day. Actually I thought they were getting scorched by the bonfire Dwayne had started in the paddock after he knocked down the old broodmare shed.... but then the next day I was riding in the ring and noticed some maples NOT in the vicinity of the fire had gotten yellow too! How time flies!

Vanity's Revenge has a full schedule of events at Training this fall, then moving up to Preliminary.... dressage is going well, and Dr. Robin and Dr. Karla (vet and chiro) are working with us to address a physical weakness that becomes a training problem.... left hip sticks, left hind has more trouble coming through, gets hollow in the right rein, compensates, left hip sticks..... which really came first? Who can say? We ran Training at Tryon a couple weeks ago and despite not running xc since Virginia she ate up the course, bringing about a switch to Livi's old jumping bit--a myler d-ring with lifters.....! Brakes are nice and jumping has been going GREAT.

Seattle Jones, our young stallion, is doing fabulously well. I only ride him a couple times a week for about 20 minutes to avoid the temptation to overdo it, since he is so smart and sensible. We did go on a little xc school last week, hopping over a couple of BN fences but mostly just going for exposure to the "Big Three": ditches, banks and water! None of which phase him in the least. He made a brief attempt to recall his racing days which lasted about 20 strides and was halfhearted at best.... then he was back to his usual mellow self cantering about. He is ridiculously EASY to ride..... light, responsive, balanced, clever, patient to the fences.....! He is so mature and definitely overall one of the nicest horses I've ever ridden. I can't wait until he starts real work next year!

Erin has been riding Dwayne's Irish gelding Scamper (aka Kildalton Splash), it is good that he finally has a job! He's done his first combined test successfully and will be doing his first horse trial soon! He is a very fancy fellow and is starting to develop a really pleasant manner.

We have a project horse, Bates.... he's gone Intermediate but his dressage is a bit of a train wreck, might have broke 50 once or twice in his career....! So he's in Dressage Boot Camp. Carrie is helping me keep him exercised and he's coming along. Mostly it is his left lead canter, and seems to be a matter of strengthening his back and hind end....! He is a big impressive looking fellow, dead honest to jump, so he'll be fun once he's 'cleaned up'.

Stormy has, alas, fallen by the wayside.... I'm so busy I just tell myself she's getting "growing up time" as she is a much less mature 3-year-old than Jones....!

Vanna had her Formula One foal, who is now the biggest 2 month old filly I've ever handled! She has an attitude but she has quickly learned the value of manners (courtesy a wee little CTJ meeting at two weeks of age) and loads, hauls, stands quietly, gives her feet, and even trots in hand already. She is still nameless, though Dr. Smith calls her Pita since she didn't appreciate her vaccinations as a newborn.....

We have quite a few showing this fall: Dana, Marshall, Laura, and Heather all starting out, Iris, Carrie, Erin and Melanie with their established mounts..... (hope I'm not missing anyone!) In October we have shows and clinics scheduled every weekend and November is not lookng much different! Go team!

Dwayne is off for the weekend (Mopar Nationals) and I'm waiting for it to cool down a bit.... bit of a quiet season for us Southern eventers. No shows planned until a schooling show at shady Foxtrack on the 31st! Doing a couple clinics with my fave dressage trainer, Jennifer Baumert, to work on Revi's dressage skills..... that is going well.... and doing gymnastics with the horses at home. Of the three horses I had in for 60 days training, one went home to her owner's farm and hauls in for weekly lessons now that she is civilized w/t/c/small jumps, and the other two are now boarders and take lessons. One, Tide, is starting his eventing career at Foxtrack.

Working student Ashley Nee decamped for Boston but is back in NC now, may start taking lessons again. We have a new girl, Elizabeth, doing AM chores but she's moving to VA in August. Dana Carpenter will be taking over most mornings at least (Dana owns Tide) and we are looking into her converting to full-time on-premises w/s status this winter.

Our young stallion Seattle Jones is doing very well, bred three mares so far and still very well behaved, doing great under saddle, and has developed a killer jump! Vanity Fair, my TB mare who has gone intermediate, foaled a chestnut-turning-grey filly by Formula One and we are working on the logistics of breeding her back to British stallion Future Illusion (by Fleetwater Opposition). My Intermediate Hanoverian mare I am planning on breeding to Formula One as well.

Stormy, who I acquired from the same trainer as Seattle Jones, is finally back u/s after two months off (while I was concentrating on training horses) and is doing great. She is not as naturally bold as Jones, but we shall see. She jumps very cute.

Training updates....

Got back yesterday afternoon from the VA Horse Trials. My little 6yo TB mare, Vanity's Revenge, showed a lot of improvement.... despite all the "atmosphere" at the VA Horse Center, she was pretty chill all weekend, was much improved in dressage in her throughness and straightness (just not consistently!), and showjumped well (just tapped one jump down) . XC was Saturday, and the downpours all day left the footing in the warmup extremely deep and chopped up, so I warmed up w/t/c in the dressage area and went xc "cold". The galloping lanes were deep but they had put down a fair amount of screenings around the jumps so those weren't too bad. Revi was great! I thought the course was a little harder than some of the training courses I've ridden there, which suited me down to the ground with the way Revi is going.... there was a 3-stride downhill bending line at four... no problem... a one-stride with a faux corner at seven.... no problem.... coop, bank, off over a log drop.... no problem! I didn't wear a watch as I didn't want to be tempted to chase the time with the condition of the footing, so we had about ten time penalties, but she handled the footing so well that next time I will go for it!

Melanie and Drayco had a great dressage (first place), an uncharacteristic jump down in stadium (he was surprisingly attentive in the coliseum, but there were only two clear rounds in her division so she only dropped to third!). On cross-country, he warmed up nicely but Mel was ready for his usual fireball antics on xc... which didn't happen, and she is so used to him being "hot" that she was a bit at a loss!! As a result they had stops that knocked them out of the ribbons, but next time he comes out of the start box like he's going for a Sunday hack she knows to give him a couple of pops to wake him up!!

A lot going on at home.... training horses are doing well, although there is one so hard-headed that I told her owner this morning "If a human told her to eat, she'd starve to death for spite!" But we're going to give her a while longer before deciding what to do with her, she is a very spoiled mare who raced lightly then sat in a pasture for four years so she has some definite OPINIONS. I'm confident she'll be a nice horse (the tough ones usually are!).... but maybe not for her owner, who is not a very 'insistent' sort. Ah well! Tide is coming along nicely, Tessa is doing GREAT w/t/c and going over poles, chasing the ducks from next door out of the arena (a month and a half ago it was a challenge to get her IN THE RING, now she thinks she is the bomb!). I am back to working Scamper and he is getting over his idea that whenever things aren't going his way he can buck his way out of it. He's going to make such a nice horse when he learns to think about his options first! It will probably take quite a few more Come To Jesus incidents before that really clicks..... (repeat, the tough ones usually are the best in the long run.....)

Rode Jones, my 3 yo colt, for the first time since the xc schooling a couple weeks ago. He was fabulous, of course. Oh, about the cross-country schooling.... that went so well! Heather and Christine and Laura went for their first-ever schooling and had a great time. Drayco went and he and Mel jumped mostly Training and Prelim stuff very nicely. And Jones trotted and cantered around like a perfect gentleman, walked and trotted through water, over ditches and tiny banks, and cantered a few Maiden fences.... a great start for his eventing career!

Upcoming we are going to the CHSC show at the Ark to do Jumpers, then the schooling HT at the Ark with all the greenies and Revi and Drayco, then Jones has a FEH show in Virginia. Summer is going to be busy!