30 May, 2012

Summer has arrived!

Well summer is here, reaching a balmy, humid 95 on Tuesday. Penwick is in full swing, Regal and Rex are getting ready for Plantation next weekend and then the NJ Horse Park at the end of the month. Regal will do his first Novice, still planning to move him up to training level this year and look at prelim next year if all goes well. While Aston, Spidey, Quest, Noble, Digger, Shadow and perhaps Marbles are getting ready for Oxbow on the 24th. For several of the riders this will be their first full 3-phase so lots of excitement and nerves.

Rides on Regal have been going well, I am still playing with the right bit for stadium jumping, he is still not where I want him to be when we are doing course work. I have increased our fitness rides, with the onslaught of heat I am more worried about the Cleveland Bay in him. So far he is doing well, but the boy is big and filling out!
A few weeks ago I did a quick jaunt to North Carolina to pick up a blue Doberman puppy.  “Dimmu” has settled into his barn/city life well. He has a good natural horse sense, except for his LOVE of chasing tails, I am actually convinced he is part cat….Meet Dimmu:

Not long after I took a quick trip to Switzerland, no riding this time but a long trek up a mountain on a bike, then a lovely dinner over looking Lake Thun for Reto's dad's 70th birthday.



This Friday I will take the lovely Noor for our first XC school and Leigh Ann will bring Valor, should be exciting times, if we both mange to not eat dirt and have some working breaks, I will consider it a success.
This week we also welcomed a new horse, I am debating calling him “Rafiki” he came to me through a childhood riding friend who thought he may enjoy the life of an eventer more than a hunter.  So far so good, he is very sweet and I am thrilled to add him to the growing herd. I may show him myself a bit this season and hopefully one of our riders will call him their own at some point in the future.  Or if he turns out to be a rock star he can stay one of my own rides J Meet “the new kid”…

23 May, 2012

Rolex Kentucky 2012



I am long overdue for a Rolex recap and as result its going to be shorter than it should. Leigh Ann, Reto and I drove down (which was actually not a bad drive) and arrived in great time, meeting Leyla and Elizabeth and Myles who flew in separately. We hit up the race track and in the first race picked the winner who had long shot odds, she also was a favorite to try and fit in the back of Leigh Ann’s Prius to bring home as an event horse, go figure. But back to Rolex, it was pretty awesome. It was refreshing to see four star horses have their bobbles in dressage and spook at the judges or crowds to and from the ring. It was breath taking watching Allison and Arthur in their test, that horse is just LOVELY, cannot say it enough. Cross country was wonderful to watch, the weather was great for trekking around. The slow start, with several riders failing to make it to the second half of the course, was a bit disconcerting, however it was a fair course from where I sat watching. I think what I was most impressed with was the sheer technicality needed for some of the combos, especially the coffin.  Show jumping looked pretty straight forward the fences you would expect to give some problems did, what stood out to me was the horses that were really fit showed it and were all in the upper half of the field, those heading in first you could really see their horse was tired etc. I know obvious but there was a clear line between the top 15 and the rest. Fitness is what seemed to set the final placing.
Came away from the weekend very inspired, my poor horses felt and are still feeling my renewed vigor . My students had fun when I re-created some Rolex style fences at home. Onward and upward, the future looks bright!
Regal is entered in his first Novice and I am having some break throughs with Noor, so hopefully she will be on the show docket sooner than later...