New Kid on the Block...

New year, new season, new... horse? Yep! Meet Whiskey Bent, known around the barn as Bourbon. He is an '08 17.1h Thoroughbred by Storm Day out of Jenny O/Gold Case. Bred and raced in Louisiana, he just couldn't hack it on the track. Thus, his race record is definitely less than impressive but he liked the turf and was retired sound.

I acquired this horse a few months ago and it was a rocky relationship in the beginning, to say the least. This ridiculous Oklahoma winter certainly didnt help matters because it made consistency difficult. One really REALLY awesome thing about this horse though is that he retains his lessons very well. We can typically pick up our training sessions where we last left off rather than having to reschool countless times. Respect was definitely a major issue and he was quite the cocky boy! I blame the Storm Cat in him, but once I was able to channel that energy and attitude, Bourb has become an awesome partner! His dressage is coming along nicely which is good considering that it has been our sole focus for months. Jumping has recently been added to his training regime and he is taking to it quite nicely. Those big long legs of his tend to get in the way on occasion during grids but he is figuring it out. We went for a cross country excursion over the weekend and I was thrilled with how he behaved! Bourb was happy, quiet, and game to jump anything! We kept it small and positive but there is definitely room for more! This boy is proving to be a one person horse that thrives on a bond but once that is established, he will try his heart out for his rider. I love that in a horse!

I am looking at focusing on schooling shows with him for a while just to build his confidence and gain experience while staying on a budget. Holly Hill is on the calendar as his first recognized HT debut at BN. I have high hopes for this boy in the years to come!

So very much has changed since I last wrote on this blog (as usual) and to say that life got turned upside down might be a bit of an understatement. A family situation prompted me to leave Woodridge and head back home for a while, which is bittersweet. On the plus side, it allows me the opportunity to reflect on the events of last year and truly decide what I want to do in life. I have a pretty good idea though and hopefully that leads to a big announcement in the coming months!

Some of you may be wondering what has come of sweet Scottie boy lately and that is really exciting news! After lots of testing and watching and rehabbing, along with a few serious conversations with my vet, it was decided that a competitive comeback just wasn't in this phenomenal horse's future. That was a tough pill to swallow. The suspensory had healed nicely and there were no residual side effects from the EPM but something still wasnt quite right. Every once in a while a mystery lameness would pop up but it did not seem to effect him any other time. Without spending thousands of more dollars trying to diagnose the problem, with a not so promising outlook, we just couldnt pinpoint the issue and it was decided to officially retire Scottie. He had other plans and apparently "retirement" isnt in his vocabulary! I will save the details for next week, once everything is certain, but it looks like Scottie may have a new lease on life and a new job in which he LOVES! 

It has become quite obvious that thirteen is NOT my lucky number, as 2013 was a long and frustrating year, but it is what it is. I have grown to appreciate the little things in life and am working towards much bigger things than I could have ever dreamed of! Here is to a wonderful 2014, the year of the horse! More updates soon. Until then, keep kicking! 

It Aint Over Yet...

I would like to start by saying that I feel as though I owe everything to Dr. Ellison and Pathogenes, Inc. right about now. Scottie was retested at EMA on Monday for EPM and he was NEGATIVE! This horse went from being the strongest positive possible to a negative test in about six weeks. This is all thanks to Dr. Ellison's twenty years of EPM research and the resulting medication Oroquin-10. Oroquin-10 is a ten day prescription medication that kills off the parasite that causes EPM and carries a 96% success rate and it certainly worked for Scottie! I highly recommend that everyone visit her website and read her blog. It has tons of information about the disease, as well as Dr. Ellison's research and experience with it. Science has certainly come a long way... Pathogenes, Inc.

Now it is time to re-evaluate his walk work under saddle and see how he feels compared to when he was sick. Based on that and how he continues to jog we will then continue with diagnosing his stifle. Fingers crossed for a strong, sound pony!

Although my big dreams for the girls for the fall may not pan out after all, we are starting to make baby steps in the right direction and will see where we go from here. Perhaps the fall will be filled with learning opportunities and spring is always a new season. There is a cross country school at Feather Creek on the horizon at least! Horse trial or bust!!

 It seems as though things may be starting to look up, a least a little bit, for team UAC Eventing. Hopefully we can continue on THAT path! Eventers are very skilled at plan B, as well as plans C through Z, and that is what sets us apart. We always keep on. We always keep kicking. It ain't over 'till its over and it certainly ain't over yet. Scottie's career is not over, in fact I have faith that it is far from it, but Im sure his struggles aren't yet over either. My struggles aren't over. In the end, Im sure it will all be worth it and until then, keep kicking.

Progress and Research...

On the brighter side of life, Scottie seems to be improving. We are almost four weeks post treatment and about ready for our retest. He is getting stronger every day and keeps packing on the weight and muscle. His toe dragging is virtually eliminated. His tripping is gone, except for the random hole here and there. I am still trying not to get my hopes up too high just because sure as I do, it will end in heartbreak, but my fingers are crossed nonetheless. On the not so brighter side, now that his EPM is residing it is becoming evident that he has a stifle problem. We are unsure at this point if it is injury or aging joints and I do not really want to pursue that until after his EPM test. Dynah is now referring to his case as "peeling away at an onion" while trying to resolve his issues and piece together his history. We are definitely still in agreement however that this project is worth the time and it will all work out. While speaking with the vet, the subject of joint injections came up and I was a big unsure of exactly how they worked so I did a little research on my own... The AAEP has a wonderful short article that clears up ALOT about joint injections, and all types of joint medications/supplements actually, so if you are like me please check it out! AAEP Lameness and Joint Medications

Scottie is not the only horse in my life that is improving by leaps and bounds... The Woodridge Farm girls are doing wonderful as well! Allouette III, or 3Lu as we call her, has recently been started over fences and she absolutely loves it! This horse has jumper or eventer written ALL over her!! Her canter is coming along surely and she gets more confident in herself and me as her rider every day. Today we actually hacked out around the property, by ourselves -Shock and Awe- with only one tiny spook! Such a grown up! Wiebella, aka Wiebit, has been working on her self carriage and is coming along nicely with that, thanks to some help from Laurie Hedlund. She gets a little lighter and more sure of herself every day. We are still working on collecting her canter while in self carriage but it will come with time.

3Lu exploring the property on our morning hack

Overall, I am very happy and content with life and horses right now. Things seem to be looking up and heading down the right path (for once!) and that is a huge sigh of relief. Look for a new post shortly regarding Scottie's test results and any other random happenings! Until then, always remember to keep kicking!

Time Heals All Wounds...

Oh, wow. So so so very much has been happening around here and I am just praying that following my gut won't get me in too deep! First off, Duelly was sent back to his owner after long collaboration between my trainers and myself. His heart just wasn't in his work and it is hard to build a relationship on that. Talent can only get you so far in this sport.

Moving on, I decided to take a chance on another horse and what a chance that is turning out to be!

Meet Scottie, otherwise known as Sir Prescott. Pictured above is just about all Scottie does as of right now: hand walk and eat. This is because he has a mildly strained suspensory in his right hind, but he was free so I figured I would give it a go. Why you might ask? Scottie is a seasoned training level packer that has evented all over area 4 and 5 with a few riders, most notably a junior in which he placed very respectively at some big competitions. Oh yeah, and he was free! Right about now you are probably thinking that I have lost my ever-loving mind. Well, jump on the bandwagon and know that I don't give a damn! Scottie has been given an 85% chance of full recovery and everyone that knows me knows that I do this sport on a shoestring budget. I don't have the financial means to go buy a $15,000 horse. Here's to hoping that a little time and TLC will get me there!

 

Cue more issues, as always. Upon Scottie's follow-up visit to EMA it was discovered that he has EPM. Luckily we caught the disease before it progressed to horrible proportions. His test results from before I got him (which I did not know about at the time) indicated an elevated inflammatory response and low titer but now his numbers were through the roof. He has been started on a cycle of Dr. Ellison's product Oroquin-10 and is wrapping up that round tomorrow. We know in 4-6 weeks, upon another retest, if the treatment worked. In the meantime, his lameness is getting better, his toe dragging has reduced, and his tripping is nearly eliminated. All good signs! If the treatment doesn't work, well... I just don't know but I cant think about that right now. Right now, I have to be strong for myself and for my horse who seems to have had a fairly rough life.

 

Riding is never an easy sport, for anyone. It comes with ups and downs of epic proportion. As of late I have been questioning myself and my dreams. Why do I do this? Why do I put myself through this? Is it really meant to be? Is it even &^*#!%@ worth it? But then I walk into the barn and hear that loving nicker and my heart melts. Instantly I know exactly why I do this. I do it not only for the love of the sport but for the love of the relationship between horse and rider. Scottie is a loving, sweet boy who really brings back memories of Stretch. I miss that horse more than anything and find myself staring at his pictures every night thinking "what might have been" but I know I made the right decision for him. Scottie is my chance to move on. With him, I get that familiar nicker when I walk in the barn. A knowing nuzzle when I have treats. A random lick across my arm or face just because. It touches my heart and I know this horse is what I need right now. This WAS meant to be. I need this horse and this bond just as much as he needs me. I am confident that it will all work out in the end and we will be unstoppable! Time heals all wounds, all doubts, all fears but you cant just sit and wait for things to fall in your lap. Take a chance. Take a risk. Make a change. Follow your heart.

 

More updates to come but until then, keep kicking!

Never Let Go...

Wow, I've really got to get better about updating this thing!

For starters, I would like to congratulate Jamie Aldrich of Ill. on her purchase of Stretch. He has found himself a wonderful home with her and her young daughter. It makes me so happy to know that he is with a family that loves him and that values his skill set and abilities. Best of luck on the show circuit this spring!

Next on the agenda is the fact that I DID IT! I graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelors of science in animal science production in December of 2012! Upon completion of my degree, I accepted a position at Woodridge Farm and Duels and I made the trip to Claremore at the end of December. I will keep y'all updated on this endeavor, but so far it has provided me with plenty of hard work, good foaling experience, and some more quality horses to ride.

Moving on to Duelly... He definitely keeps me on my toes! He came back from his little vacation (aka my injury) in top form and ready to conquer 2013, but then something began to change. He began getting more resistant to work, more cranky about tacking up, more unhappy overall. He didnt want his grain, he began dropping weight, among other things. We suspect ulcers. I took him to the Mary D'Arcy clinic at Feather Creek the beginning of February and that was when we knew something was wrong. He schooled really well overall, for being a green youngster with little cross country experience. Mary loved him and confirmed what we already knew about him having serious upper level potential. However, throughout the weekend he kept acting out in ways not typical of his "get'r done" attitude. While trying to figure out this puzzle he has had a couple of weeks off since the clinic. I am trying him on a couple of different supplements and we will see what happens. Hopefully I will be able to get him out to a local dressage schooling show in two weeks, but that is completely contingent upon whether he is up for it or not.

(Very) Tenative 2013 Schedule:
March 17: GCC Schooling Show - Claremore Expo
April 14: SHRA Schooling Show (beginner novice) - Okemah, OK
April 20-21: Holly Hill HT (beginner novice) - Benton, LA

I suppose this post is about remembering the past and never letting go of the future, no matter how dark it may seem sometimes. Things will always get better and tomorrow is another day. Horses really have a way of teaching us to slow down and take things a day at a time, even when we may want to plan two years in advance (spring 2013 BN, fall 2013 N, fall 2014 T). Well played ponies, well played. Until (hopefully a much sooner) next time, keep kicking!

Rough Waters

Since my last post several events have happened, many of those leading me to the decision to put Stretch up for sale once and for all. The upper levels just aren't in the cards for him and it is in his best interest to pair him with a rider that accepts that and has other goals in mind. It hit me today when I loaded him in the trailer that I am about to say goodbye to one of my best friends of nearly six years. I realize that I have to look at this as a business decision and that it is best for him, but it is still difficult. Thus far two families are very interested and hope to look at him soon. I believe that he would be very happy in either situation.

On the other hand, I would like to welcome Dance Of War, aka Duelly, to the Up A Creek Eventing team! Duelly is a 9yo warmblood gelding out of a Seattle Slew mare by Der Radetzky. Needless to say, athletic might as well be his middle name! Duelly has joined the team on a two year free lease and I can now proudly say that I have my first "owner", the wonderful Ms. Linda Dany. It makes me feel so professional!!! Duelly came to me as a blank slate after only 30 days with Lee Johnson and a week with Dynah. We have been paired together for nearly three months now and have both improved by leaps and bounds! He is a completely different ride from what I am used to and nothing could be better for me at this stage in my career. When we first started together, Duelly had never seen more than trot rails and had to learn all about that darn stadium thing! I can thank grids for that one!! We have since completed two schooling shows with incredible results. Duelly's first outing was the Lily Pond CT in which we ran green as grass and finished on our dressage score of a 33.0 to land us in first place. Second on our list was the Gallery Farm CT where we ran in the starter division and finished on our dressage score of a 31.5 to finish in second. Duelly was quite the show stopper at Gallery and had the entire xc warm-up sitting on the sidelines watching him school! I am so proud of my new little grey pocket rocket! He is turning into such a super star and I cannot wait to see where the two of us go in the future!

The down side is that the future has been temporarily put on hold. About two weeks ago I was kicked in the knee while working with a three year old filly and have been down for the count since. Two sets of xrays and two weeks later we have determined that there are no broken bones and we are in the process of scheduling a CT scan to evaluate any possible tendon damage. Unfortunately, the only thing I have been riding is the couch! The fall plan was to aim Duelly for his first recognized event at Texas Rose HT the first weekend of November, but he needed the full two months prior of heavy schooling to be ready to run beginner novice. Scratch that plan. Now I am just hoping that I will be back in the saddle in time to run him in a schooling HT at Southern Hills in mid November and would like to attend at clinic at Feather Creek in either December or January. Only time will tell if these will be possibilities and hopefully we will have more results this week.

Today has been a particularly hard one and I have never missed being on the back of a horse this much. Im not sure why, but it seems as though every time my dreams are finally within grasp something terrible has to happen. Nevertheless, if there is one thing that eventing has taught me it is that things don't always go according to plan and that we must make the most of any situation. I will keep kicking! All this down time is at least giving me the opportunity to step back and evaluate some things in my life and really think about some decisions. Not yet sure what the future holds in that respect but expect to see great things from the little grey come spring because I can't stay down for long!

New Year. New Season. New goals...

I have successfully completed a few more chapters in Denny's book and continue to be inspired by the rider profiles and his advice. All of this has also made me start thinking about what I want to get accomplished this year with Stretch. This time I am definately taking into consideration his best interests and mine.

After talking with a good friend and judge, KC Campbell, I have decided that I am going to drop back down to beginner novice for a little while and work on some issues that really became evident with our move to novice. Stretch can easily jump height and has become very competitive in the dressage ring, but he still lacks alot of experience required to successfully and consistently jump clean around cross country. Thus, that brings me to some new and improved goals for 2012. I want to successfully complete a few more beginner novice horse trials, preferably winning some along the way, and want to earn a USEA medal with Stretch. If all goes well, I would like to move him back up to novice in the fall. That move will only be made if we can consistently go double clean xc, place well, and he tells me that he is ready to move up.

Looking back, Im not exactly sure what possesed me to make the move up a level. Especially considering that we had only done well in one horse trial, which we won. Both of us definately need to get some additional SHOW experience under our belts before we again try our hand at novice and ultimately the novice three-day at Heritage.

I have officially circled February 28th on the calendar. You might be wondering "What is so special about that day?!" and the answer is, other than my cow/calf exam, the closing date for the Meadowcreek Horse Trials. I am planning on moving Stretch back up to Stillwater next weekend, the first of February, and have full intentions of getting back to work! The idea is that I will be evaluating him for a few weeks and have an idea of whether I can have him ready or not by mid month. If he remains sound and willing, he will be entered into the Spring Social at Meadowcreek at the beginner novice level. Fingers crossed that on March 16th we will southbound and down to Kosse, TX!

"I wasn't a naturally gifted rider... But for some reason I always had this inner drive to succeed in the sport." -Mary King

Getting Good...

I recently purchased Denny Emerson's book How Good Riders Get Good and it finally arrived today. After only a couple of hours of forced multi-tasking, I am already through chapter three and my mind is spinning. Denny is constantly mentioning choices and how they impact one's future and opportunites; I can't help but to reflect on mine.

I have been fighting for what I want to do with my life for as long as I can remember. I have been told by several people that my dreams of becoming a trainer, instructor, and breeder are nothing but pipe dreams. That it will never happen. That one can't make a living doing that. I have never had the several-thousand-dollar horses. Everything that I have ever rode I have trained myself. I have never had the financial means to compete extensively. My show schedules are fairly carefully planned out and oftentimes I just have to roll with the punches. On top of those things, I have hit many other bumps and snags along the road. Luckily with some hard work and determination I have been able to make childs play out of those.

I am slowly chiseling away at the other major issues on the list. I have a group of wonderful people standing behind me currently and I am so thankful for that. I have a great opportunity to begin pursuing my dreams at the Frederiksborg Horse Farm by training dressage horses and learning the ropes of the breeding side of things. I have a fantastic coming six year old that I am so proud of and am looking at breeding my mare this spring for an event horse prospect.

All in all, things are looking bright and falling into place nicely. I cannot wait to see what 2012 holds for me and how it influences my future. I am also looking forward to finishing Denny's book soon and hope that it continues to impact my life and my riding career.

"Don't let the highs get too high and the lows get too low, or you will never make it." -Karen O'Connor

The Ups and Downs...

I would like to start this post by asking everyone to keep Liselotte in their prayers. Hans found her in the pasture Sunday with a severe puncture wound in her left hind leg. She is currently not bearing any weight on it and is on alot of medication to help fight infection. To top all of this off, she injured herself shortly after someone called to inquire about her and wanted to come try her out. We are all pretty upset about it and are hoping that she will pull through to at least be a broodmare. Sound for jumping would be a small miracle from what Rebecca told me. As horrible as this situation is, it pretty much sums up life with horses.

On a brighter note, I have began to work with Meka and she is coming along extremely well! I could not be more happy with her progress. She went from being very timid and not even letting a human get close enough to touch her to being caught fairly easily and letting me start to lay over her back. All of that in a little over a week! Meka is a gorgeous chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail and of course her lovely roman nose. That trademark characteristic tells alot about her personality, and thus, her problems. She is a very noble and intelligent horse which leads to some issues with respect and pride. It was difficult for her to submit to someone and I had to earn her submission. That meant alot of join-up! It actually took me three days to get a true join-up with her and taking that time meant a world of difference. I love working at the Frederiksborg Horse Farm because every day I learn something new and with each step of progress I become more confident in my abilities.

As for my personal horses, they are doing well. Stretch's feet are great and the recent rain helped out alot! He is no longer sore and his feet are not chipping at all. This barefoot thing may work after all! I am still greatly looking forward to spring and seem to be getting more antsy by the day. Also, I have considered pulling Spot of his temporary retirement and begin seriously riding him. It would be fun to actually see him go to a recognized event, after all, he is a very fun ride when he enjoys his job! To top it off, I already paid for his limited USEA registration years ago and might as well put it to use! It is looking like 2012 is going to be a fantastic year. Just remember that with horses there will always be trials and tribulations, you just have to perservere through the downs and cherish the ups. Until next time, kick on!

The Saga Continues...

First off, I want to address how these more recent posts pertain to the road to the classic. It is something that has been on my mind because there have been times that even I think that I'm just randomly writing about my life now. I have come to the conclusion that everything that happens in my life, good or bad, Stretch related or otherwise, leads me to the classic three-day event. It alters my life and the things that happen in it, which ultimately affects that one big show.

Moving on to an update on the Stretchy pony. I decided to pull his shoes for the winter and am working closely with a farrier to monitor his feet and to stay on top of things. He is a little sore right now, but here's to hoping that it gets better in a few days! If he cannot handle the barefoot road then we will slap some cheap basic shoes on him through the winter and go with a quality set in the spring. Unfortunately I am unable to ride him much due to my school schedule, money issues, trailer issues, and tack issues. In the end it is probably best for him to continue his much needed and deserved time off. The goal is that by spring I will have a trailer and at least a dressage saddle and will be able to bring him to Stillwater with me, where he will reside at my wonderful place of employment, the Frederiksborg Horse Farm!

As for things at work, they are going great! Pete is doing fantastic! He is working w/t/c in the arena, going over cavalettis, and is safe to hack in the field. He is also reaching for the contact consistently at the walk and trot and he bending well. Cannot wait to start him over fences soon! Kristiana is coming along nicely as well. She is starting to relax under saddle and is beginning to reach for the contact at the walk and trot. Paint Design is gaining confidence with every day and that is the most rewarding of all. He was afraid of everything a month ago and is now wearing a saddle, going on the walker, exploring scary barns, loading in trailers, and ground driving without a fuss.

Every day that I go to work I am reminded of what magnificent creatures we have the priviledge of working with. I love my job and everything it entails, whether it's a good day or a bad one. I live for the "lightbulb effect" that a horse has when something that you have been working on and struggling with for so long finally clicks and I get to witness it every day. Life is good, and only getting better!

Never Admit Defeat...

I know that it has been a while since my last post and that a new one is long since overdue. To be honest, I just haven't had the heart to write lately. To say that things have not gone according to plan would be an understatement. Stretch's first novice event was Feather Creek Farms in Norman, OK. He was such a trooper and, despite the trials and tribulations of the weekend, I could not have been more proud of my baby. We were sitting fourth after dressage on an extremely respectable score of a 31. Cross country presented some issues, with a stop at the bank up and a run-out at part B of the ditch, along with quite a bit of time. The ditch and time were certainly my fault and the bank up was just too early on course for being maxed out with scary bushes. Stadium went well with only one rail that was, again, my fault. Needless to say, we did not recieve our first qualifying ride.

After Feather Creek, we returned home and went back to work to try to improve upon our performance before Mill Creek. It was then that every horse owner's nightmare occured. If you are one of those "show and go" riders that never spends time with your horse and does not partake in their day to day training and care, then you probably will not know what I am about to mention. However, if you are the rider that knows your horse inside-and-out and has that unspeakable, unbelievable bond with him, then you will fully understand. Stretch never took a lame step, and really was never "off" either, but he certainly wasn't right. I could tell in the way his stride fell and the way that his ears would twitch or his head would toss that something was not right, but to the naked eye on the ground, or even someone on his back that didn't know what to look for, everything seemed fine and I was just overreacting. Come to find out it was a mildly strained suspensory. Scratch Mill Creek.

As every horse owner knows, despite your rider catagory, when things start to get bad, they always get worse. Due to reasons that are not exactly up to me to make public, I then lost access to some rather neccessary items. IE: trailer and saddles. Thus the long road to trailer shopping has begun. With financial limitations and size obligations (that's what happens when your horse is 16.3hh and weighs 1,300 pounds!), finding an appropriate box with wheels is easier said than done! We won't even mention saddles right now. That pandora's box can be opened at a later date. The trailer must be conquered first!

Back to the Stretchy pony, rehab has since begun. However, about two weeks in, a shoe goes missing. It just so happened to take half of the foot with it. For me, this was the equivalent of "Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200." Great! Six more weeks off and two farriers later, Stretch has a somewhat normal foot, two new shoes, and a fabulous new farrier that I would highly recommend *cough*Arlo Bruesch*cough*. Rehab continues. Up to 25' walk, 10' trot, 2' canter, 5' light dressage work. Cue 115 degree heat! I suppose I owe a rather sarcastic thanks to Oklahoma's crazy weather for kinking my plans yet again. It is suicide to work in this heat, so on nights that the temperature drops back into double digits work ensues, otherwise nada.

I guess this post was the long way of saying that when life hands you manure, make fertilizer. My plans for the summer, and in fact the entire year, have more bullet holes in them than a wild west saloon but I just keep trudging on. Things will get better. Stretch will get sounder. The weather will get cooler. The bank will get a little bigger. Okay, well maybe not that last one because horse's certainly have a way of draining it! The bottom line is this: never admit defeat in your goals. There will be another year for the novice Classic and there are some exciting opportunities just around the bend!

Lessons Well Learned...

Saturday was the learning day, put on by Oklahoma Eventers and hosted at Woodlands Equestrian Centre. The high for the day was 34 degrees and the wind was bone chilling, but being the dedicated horsepeople that we are, there was a decent turnout. I had an 8 am dressage lesson on Stretch with Chrissy Pappas. Although she didnt really tell me anything that I didnt already know was a problem, she helped me put it all together so that I could work through the problems which is exactly what I needed! It was a great ride and despite the cold, Stretch and I had both worked up a good sweat. Throughout the day were unmounted sessions pertaining to eventing, and of course lunch was provided. At 3:30 Alex and I went out on cross country for a lesson on O'Malley and Stretch with Meg Ferguson. It was a great school! We did all of the training jumps, and several prelim. Stretch also schooled the water great, which included jumping a bank in and cantering through and off the prelim bank! That was my goal for the day and anything beyond that was a bonus. We had a minor mishap at the steps into the second water, and luckily there was no water at the time! It was a prelim question jumping a series of three banks down into the water. Stretch made it halfway down the first one before changing his mind, sending me flying through his ears to land on the bottom step. After a quick body checklist, I shook it off and remounted. After a bit of an argument and several attempts, we made it down the banks in one piece. We also jumped our first trakehner, brush fence, and ditch and bank. All in all it was a good, worthwhile, and productive day! Those rides certainly give me a new bout of confidence going into the Spring season, which kicks off Feb. 4 with the hunter/jumper schooling show in OKC doing the .95 and 1.0m jumper classes.

Learning the Ropes...

Today was the New Years hunt with the Harvard Fox Hounds at Flint Creek. What better way to bring in the new year?! My bestest friend was nice enough to drag me and my dingy baby along with her and we had a blast! This was the second time that Stretch and I have been hunting and it was much improved. This hunt began at a much faster pace than the last and it fried the baby's mind at first. However, our brakes were better from the get-go! Other than randomly flying to the left when he wanted to go, he was fantastic! I love watching a horse figure out new things and I certainly got to witness that today. Everything seemed to click and I left the hunt with a much more confident, quiet, mature horse than I had when I started. He finally learned that the hounds werent going to eat him and quietly galloped alongside two of them on a trail. He figured out what the horn meant, which ones to ignore and which one meant lets go! He also learned to rate himself with others in the field, which made stopping alot easier! Despite all of the positive aspects of the day, there was a negative one as well. Stretch's breathing has gotten worse. Perhaps it was a change in altitude or just galloping up the straight cliffs, but its a problem nonetheless. The noise got much louder but he still caught his breath and returned to normal quickly. After discussing it with Alex, we decided to schedule an appointment to have him scoped asap, which happens to be February. Hopefully it is not a major issue that can be managed by a simple lifestyle change, added equipment, and/or supplements. Not sure what this means for the three day, but we will push on and I will continue to hope for the best as we work out this unfortunate situation. Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy new year filled with the ones you love doing things you enjoy!

The beginning...

Alex and I discovered that Heritage Park is going to host a novice three day and training three day in August 2011 about two months ago. We decided right then that that was going to be our goals for next year. However, this is the first novice three day to be held and qualification requirements had not been posted. After much anticipation on my part, it was announced the other day that qualifications will be the same as for the training division: 4 qualifying rides. That consists of a dressage score under 50, no cross-country jump penalties, and no more than 16 show jumping jump penalties. Last night we sat down with the 2011 omnibus and a calendar to map out our plan of attack:

Go Schooling Show - Feb 6-7
Corona HT - April 16-17
Mill Creek HT - May 14-15
Briar Fox HT - May 28-29
Queeny Park HT - June 11-12
Briar Fox HT - July 28-29
Heritage Park N3D - Aug 26-28

Unfortunately, a slight kink may have been thrown in our plans. We discussed Stretch's loud breathing with the vet today during the annuals and decided that we need to scope him. Originally we weren't going to worry about it unless it starting bothering him, causing exercise intolerance, but it is turning away buyers and we need to know whats going on before going into a three day. Fingers crossed that it isnt anything that cant be easily managed by Flair strips and a good conditioning program!