I took my first trip to the U.S. Dressage Finals presented by Adequan with one of my longtime students Becky Salinger. Becky and her horse Ted have been with us on and off for the last 5 years or so, and over the past two years Becky really turned up the heat. Ted has been a tricky horse and taken ALOT of time to realize his potential. He originally came to me to be sold, and we had aspirations of turning him towards eventing. While he loves to jump, it became apparent that he might not be brave enough so Becky took the reins back over and really set her mind to riding this difficult horse. He can be a tough horse to ride for even the most talented professional, as he is quite a big mover, spooky, and sometimes cheeky. Becky has worked hard to develop a relationship built on trust and forward riding to instill confidence in Ted. She had great success last year and decided to develop a freestyle set to Neil Diamond. Becky did all the homework on the freestyle, hiring someone to help do the music and choreography, with the two of us putting our heads together to make suggestions on how to highlight his strengths. The result is a fun to watch freestyle that earned her a place at Regionals and then the Finals. Becky rode bravely as Ted was very worried and took the atmosphere to the extreme, making his big gaits BIGGER. She kept the lid on it throughout the test, never got frazzled, and kept smiling and patting him throughout the test. Her score of 69% earned 5th place in the 2nd Level Freestyle and it was pretty emotional for all of us knowing how much she has gone through with this horse to get here. I am so proud of both of them and how they have developed as horse and rider. There is nothing better than being a coach and watching someone have hard earned success. Congrats to Becky, Ted, and everyone (and there are many) who has helped keep this horse happy and healthy. I feel lucky to have been a part of it!
VAHT closes out our year of eventing!
We had a wonderful last horse trial at the Virginia Horse Trials in Lexington Virginia this past weekend. The Virginia Horse Center is nestled in a stunning setting between the mountains, affording picturesque views and amazing sunsets. It was quite something to see the light on the mountains beyond the horse center as you hacked your horse or rode over to cross country. Our horses were in fine form with Clover Joe putting in a tense but obedient dressage test, and a scrappy showjump round with one rail (my fault for not being straighter). He was going along nicely for his 4th time at Intermediate until he sprung a shoe that sunk into the sensitive part of his foot heading to fence 10, that caused quite a bit of bleeding. Huge thanks to Tyson Rementer the course builder who was there quickly to help remove the shoe, and the vet that patched him up to get him back to stabling. I am so proud of what this horse has accomplished this year moving up to Intermediate, and I can't wait for next season!
Margot Luria and Truly Fernhill showed great improvement cross country and showjumping, and with a little dressage boot camp over the winter will be ready for a move up to Prelim in the Spring. Valerie Lopez and Master Finnegan get the most improved award for battling it out over the 3 phases... Valerie is my new hero for jumping more than half of her Novice showjump round sans stirrups when she got jumped out of the tack at fence 3! Huge props to that girl!
Beechfield's Skyfall was fabulous, delivering one of his best dressage tests to date, a solid showxjump, and confident cross country round. I can't wait to move him up to Preliminary in Aiken, where I think his consistency and carefulness will really start to shine.
Massive thanks to our team at home for keeping things going and to my coaches who help me tirelessly to improve.
Lastly, our hearts were very heavy for our friends at Windurra and the owner of Crackerjack at the loss of this indomitable little horse. Its so hard to fathom, and coming from someone who rides with Boyd, there is no one more concerned for his horses's welfare than this man. I was at the farm the day before they left for Pau, and witnessed Crackers getting extra special care along with ALL the horses at Windurra; for those of you that think big operations are "cookie cutter" machines spitting horses in and out, I'm here to tell you thats absolutely wrong. Each horse is treated with the love and care of a family member, with training detailed for that particular horse that day. The staff is meticulous to leave no hair out of place, watch horses in the pastures (I saw more than 1 head turn when a horse would start running in the pasture), aisle ways clean and raked (no small feat in shed row stabling) and tack cleaned and hung neatly in the tackroom. Just because a place runs like a well oiled machine doesn't mean they treat horses like one. It means it has great leaders like Silva and Boyd who care about the best for their horses and demand excellence from everyone around them. Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of your training program. I am so proud to call you my coach for ALWAYS doing what is humane, kind and best for your horses in the best times and the most dire and heart wrenching of situations. Peace and love to all.
USDF Region 2 Dressage Finals a Success!
We had a great time at the USDF GAIG Region 2 Dressage Championships this weekend! Student Becky Salinger and her horse Arriba had a fabulous showing to finish 9th in the 2nd level Test 3 Final and 7th in the 2nd Level Freestyle Final. I have to give Becky a TON of credit for her dedication and determination...hauling in for lessons on a twice weekly basis, and helping
"Ted" through a case of serious ulcers in order to still compete. Hats OFF to you!
Marian SHaughnessy's Flambeau and I contested the Prix St. George on the weekend finishing 4th in the "warm up class" and 12th out of 35 in the Final missing the ribbons by only a few points. A couple uncharacteristic bobbles (tripping out of a pirouette) and some tension in the canter marred what started out to be a great test. Considering this is only our 3rd show doing the PSG together I am thrilled with his composure and willingness this weekend. I am excited for his future, and while he is for sale, I plan to enjoy continuing our partnership to wherever it may lead!