Last weekend I went to my first Obstacle Challenge at Turkey
Run Ranch – what a blast!
We strolled in a bit late at 10:30am which only left us 30
minutes to get saddled up and practice the obstacles. The warm up actually
started at 9am but because it was raining and a 3hr drive we were a little
sluggish getting there.
Cupid and Dreamer came for the show – Kahleesi is still
taking time off hoping she’ll be sound for Kentucky after getting a mysterious
hoof bruise while out in the paddock.
I was so incredibly proud of my horses as they approached
all of the unique obstacles.
Obstacles included:
·Kiddie pool with water and floating wood
·Raised bridges
·Sand filled tires
·Piles of pine cones
·Straw jumps
·Tarps and sand hills
·A sprinkler car wash
·Water crossing
·Narrow back through
There were really a lot of choices and I loved how they have
the are set into 3 different parts. The sand ring was all Halloween/fall
themed. One grass field area was set up Indian themed with a teepee and other
decorations. The third area was set up as the cowboy field.
The only things my boys were weary of were the rope gate –
because there was scary cornstalks on either end, yikes they might bite!
I planned out a good route to try and get as many of the 60
obstacles that I could. I rode first on Cupid and got a lot done. Cupid was so
confident and really focused on the task. It was definitely his best show so
far and I was such a proud mama.
Next up was Dreamer – I rode a very similar pattern with him
and just had to change things a bit because he knocked down 2 of the jumps
which makes it a ‘dead’ obstacle meaning you can’t do it again (otherwise you
can do them twice). Dreamer did everything with confidence and speed making him
a super star.
Results - Way to go Boys!
At the end of the day we shared an amazing potluck and got
to find out our scores. It was great to see the score sheets to see what
exactly we did. There were 19 competitors and 10 of them (majority) scored
between 67 – 106 points, with only the top 5 placings finishing above 106
points.
I was extremely thrilled when Cupid was announced as 5th
place with 121 points – wow has this boy improved! 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th went to very good rides finishing with 131-127 points which
were extremely close scores!
Dreamer and I were flying like the wind and smoked up 148
points for first place. Crikey I knew he was a dreamer, but buddy you’re
seriously an over achiever! Not too surprising that Dreamer had an admirer at
the show wanting to buy him… but not to worry big guy, you aren’t going
anywhere :)
I am super in love with Obstacle challenges and if you want
to give it a go I super recommend Turkey Run Ranch – what a lovely set up and
amazing people that are so kind and supportive… plus they know how to serve up
one delicious potluck!
Tips from this show:
·Put the focus on your foundation. Get your horse
to trust you and build his confidence in you. Then when you start to see new
obstacles it doesn’t matter that they are new because your horse knows you can
keep them safe and they can do what you ask.
·Get out there and try something new, take a
chance and leave yourself open to find new passions, dreams, challenges, and
fun.
·Really make sure you have a plan heading into
the obstacle challenge and know where you are going .
·Ride the little obstacles on your way to the
bigger point obstacles.
·Do the obstacles that you can complete quickly –
just because you can move the cows from one pen to another (which is a hard
obstacle that scores high at 5points) doesn’t
mean it’s the best use of your short 5 minutes in the ring.
·If you aren’t sure how to do something make sure
you ask. One of the reasons I scored so high was because I clarified that one
combination obstacle could actually be done 3 different ways and each was
considered a different obstacle at 3 points– this meant 3 obstacles right
beside each other could be done back to back for 18 points. Some other
competitors only rode 1 or 2 variations of this obstacle and didn’t get the
extra points.
·Put the focus on fun – I project a confident
smile to my horses and they know we are there for a good time. Then they were able to have fun
too.
On Sunday we started rehearsing for my freestyle patterns
for the Kentucky TB Makeover. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks. Thank
you so much for the team that is coming to support me and be ring crew!
Extreme Cowboy at Ancaster Fair tomorrow followed some more
TB Makeover practice. See you at the fair!
This past weekend I went to two different horse shows. On Saturday September 12th I went to Glenaura Horse Farm for the Obstacle show, and Sunday I went to the Uxbridge Fall Fair Gambler's Choice Horse Show.
Obstacle Show On Saturday morning it was pouring rain, dark, and cold when we headed out with the horses at 6am so we could arrive on time to Honeywood. By the time we got there the skies had cleared, the rain had stopped, but it was still pretty crisp in temperature.
We unloaded Cupid and Khaleesi and discovered Kahleesi was ouchy on her front right. Not horrible but not perfect. I walked her around a bit, assessed her legs/hooves, and determined it is either an abscess brewing or she stepped on a stone and bruised her foot. There was no heat in her leg, but seemed to be a little heat near her coronet band.
We tried wrapping her and putting hoof boots on and that helped. She was walking nicely and willingly but occasionally would take ouchy steps. I decided to keep Kahleesi walking because walking is good if it's an abscess, as well she seemed comfortable.
The competition started with an online obstacle class. I decided to keep Kahleesi in the class because it was going to be all walk and the exposure to new obstacles would be good for her. I competed in the Intermediate (they had two levels: Beginner & Intermediate).
The obstacles were fun and included:
Tarp
Barrels to circle around
Pool noodle car wash
Tunnel made out of a tarp
Pushing a ball off a tire
Pool noodle standards
A swivel obstacle where you had to get the horse to push a piece of wood (watch the video because I don't really know how to describe it)
Narrow bridge
Pedestal (giant one)
Caveletti jump (on a low height that you can walk over)
Kiddie pool with water and an inner tube around it
Teeter tauter
Cupid and Kahleesi were awesome. They did everything pretty easy except they had a good sniff at the pool.
Kahleesi finished 1st and Cupid was 3rd out of a lot of people (they placed ribbons to 10th and there were more people than placings).
After that we competed in Liberty, which was the same course but no rope. The horses were awesome and Kahleesi was 1st with Cupid 4th. There was a lot of impressive liberty work from the competitors. Kahleesi got top marks because I could send her through many obstacles from a distance.
Next we had riding obstacles. This was walking (trot was optional, but with all the obstacles there wasn't room for a lot of trotting). This time Cupid came 1st and Kahleesi was 3rd.
After that I decided to scratch Kahleesi from the Trail challenge because that would involve some jumps, trotting, and cantering. I didn't want to push her out of her comfort, and at the trot she was more ouchy.
Cupid competed in the trail class which was outdoors and in a big back field.
The obstacles included:
Logs to cross over
Flag that you had to move from one round bale to another
A squeeze to ride through (hay feeders lined up in parallel rows)
Brush jump with brush on the sides (similar to pool noodle standards but with brush)
Jump with a car wash over top
Brush jump with brush facing up towards the horse's belly
Pick up a water bucket and move it
A pole drage
Water crossing
Ditch
A tunnel made out of tarp for a floor, round bales for sides, and a tarp for a roof
A gate
Bank jump
Giant tires filled with sand to cross over
Gate
It was a lot of fun - Cupid wasn't super relaxed so we need to work on finding relaxation at the obstacles so he can stand still better at them. He thought the ditch was scary and took about 5-10 minutes to cross it the first time. I was just patient and insisted he look/try but wasn't forceful. Our gate wasn't super pretty either because he was a bit anxious to stand beside it calmly.
He placed 4th in the trail class and then when it was all done I spent an hour with Cupid at the gate building his confidence to stand calmly at the gate. Eventually he relaxed and did the gate beautifully so I hopped off and loved on him. It was important to give him so much comfort in the right moment because it was such a big challenge.
Watch our show:
Gamblers Choice on Sunday
On Sunday I went to the Uxbridge Fall Fair for the Gamblers Choice. It was a bit of a drizzly cold day but Kathy and Larry Bonehill did an awesome job setting such a fun obstacle course.
Because Kahleesi was still looking ouchy, I made a last minute swap and brought Dreamer (one of our lesson horses) instead. This meant I had Dreamer, Cupid, and Thetis. I brought Thetis because last year I competed with her and didn't place, so I wanted to do better this year. Cupid and Kahleesi were entered because they needed more exposure to obstacles before Kentucky.... so I had 3 horses to show.
My round one was on Thetis. I carefully planned my route and executed it pretty well except our first obstacle she didn't want to let me get off onto the mounting block, and I dropped the ball on an obstacle soon after that (literally). After that we found our groove and aced all of the obstacles we attempted.
Cupid was ride two. He entered the ring calmly but then the Merry Go Round started going and he had a bit of a melt down. I had to change my plan and avoid that corner of the ring because it was too big of a distraction that he was actually starting to go catatonic. We continued to other parts of the ring and he did awesome, once we were out of that corner he aced all of the obstacles we attempted.
Lastly I rode Dreamer, final horse of the day. By now I had a strategy worked out and I rode a pretty efficient pattern. Dreamer was super awesome and aced everything except one water box he jumped over instead of stepped through.
I was super happy and very thrilled with our progress.
I was even more delighted when Cupid was announced as 8th place, Thetis as 2nd place and Dreamer as 1st place. Dreamer did pretty awesome as a back up horse and I definitely did better than last year!
Some tips I learnt from the weekend:
Be ready to have a plan B, and C
When plan B and C don't work, take a deep breathe and focus on what you can do
Practice relaxation at the obstacles so your horse can approach with confidence
The show ring is a place to show what you excel at, not what you are working on. If you don't think you can do an obstacle, don't try it during gamblers choice - do that during warm up, or after the course, or try it at home
Make a plan and ride your plan
In gamblers choice think about riding the obstacles that are close together rather than wasting time going all over the ring. For example do the 1 point jump that is just slightly out of the way between two bigger point obstacles.
Watch the gamblers choice:
I had a super amount of fun and can't wait to do it again!
Last weekend was all about the Natural Horsemanship
Association (NHA)- well except for Friday evening when I spent a couple hours
with my centered riding coach Esther Johnson to start work on my freestyle
routine for Kentucky. That was a lot of fun getting things figured out – we still
have a lot of work to do, but we are putting together a nice routine for
Kahleesi – Cupid you are next!
I was lucky to have a couple volunteers to help me set up
for the NHA obstacle show – our gamblers choice had over 40 options so it was a
lot to set up. We were blessed with good weather for the show and the best
turnout for classes yet.
The horse agility classes seemed to be popular with
12 in the novice! The liberty classes still only had 3 entries, so perhaps this
will condense to be just one class next year. Our judge, Shelley, gave some
tips for scoring well in the class.
Tips for Scoring well in Horse Agility:
-Find a way to get your horse motivated, even if
that means using a treat as a reward after some obstacles so that your horse
looks keen, interested, and has a little spring in their step.
-Be careful to set your horse up nicely and
straight to the obstacles so that they can complete them accurately.
We moved into the riding classes and there was a lot of fun
to be had. We received a lot of great feedback about enjoying the Finesse,
Speed, and Gamblers Choice classes because of the variety.
Having prize money
for the gamblers choice seemed to go over really well too - I guess everyone likes money? A lot of people
stayed to enter the money class at the end of the day with 100% of the class entries going into
prizes. We were happy with 14 people in that class, a good turnout for it's first time.
It was fascinating to watch the different ways everyone
completed their gamblers choice, with more than 40 options there was a lot of
variation to how you could do it. It was also interesting to see who dared
master the big bridge for 15 points, and who was able to do the gamblers choice
obstacle of the splash box worth 20 points.
The splash box is a box filled with water, with a floating
piece of wood with holes in it. It looks solid to the horse but when they step
on the floating wood, it sinks with water gushing up through the holes. You can
imagine that a lot of horses find it intimidating at first.
The Unexpected Obstacle
What we didn’t expect, is that as everyone was splashing
through the box, there was more and more mud created around the box which
actually became more of an obstacle to some horses.
Being Impressed
I was super impressed with the riders and horses at the
competition – I was also happy to have competition for the first time in the
extreme division… the last two shows it had just been my horses and I, but this
time there were 7 entries. It was great to see talented riders and horses
competing at that level.
In particular a few things that impressed me –
-Andrea and her ability to ride a gate in a few
seconds. She made it look so easy and inspired me to practice the gate to
master this skill better… I am still not as good as her at it, but now I can
ride the gate with Kahleesi!
-Dave with his horse that would walk on water if
he ask or jump to the moon. He’s raised such a willing partner.
-Cody with his young horse that he did just the
right amount to progress his young horse without pushing him too hard.
Everyone really did a great job and I was super thrilled
with everyone’s horsemanship and sportsmanship at the show.
From watching & riding gambler’s choice, here’s some tips I
picked up:
-Ride the high point obstacles first to make sure
you get the big points
-Only attempt the obstacles you are sure you can
do pretty easily/quickly because the seconds count down fast
-Have fun and smile! The horse can feel your
tension, so if you smile and have fun your horse will do better.
All in all it was a great show day!
We want to know what you like to see in the shows!
– or email us any feedback (good or bad) you are willing to share to nhassociation@gmail.com because want
to do this again next year, and want to make it better for you.
Sunday Wrap Up
The day after the horse show we had a fun trail ride out to
the pond – it was a nice day to take a quick dip with horses – thank you for
everyone that came out!
Also a big congratulations to the PHH riders that showed at
Oak Ridges Equestrian Centre, we had a few riders come home with champion and
reserve champion ribbons. Well done girls and thank you Caileigh-Anne for being
our show team coach!
What's up Next?
Tomorrow the fun continues with our Partridge Horse Hill Show
– we have hunter, jumper, obstacle, and speed event classes. We hope to see you
there! More information at http://partridgehorsehill.com/HorseShowClinic.html
I was super excited heading into this past weekend – my first ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association - https://www.actha.us/) competition. This is the same type of competition being offered in Kentucky when we travel down in October for the Thoroughbred Makeover Competition – which is what I am planning to show Cupid & Kahleesi in.
The Planning
This all started with a long weekend trip to our family cabin in New York – a typical venture for James & I over the Civic long weekend. It became slightly more complicated when we realized that not all our Corgi puppies would be picked up by their owners yet, so two of them would be coming with us to New York along with our 3 dogs.
Then I was doing some reading about the trail competition that will be part of the Thoroughbred Makeover Contest – I have been preparing with Extreme Cowboy and Mountain Trail Clinics because we don't have ACTHA events here. Then I realized there was one in New York the same weekend we would be down there. I googled the address and it was only about 2.5hrs away from our cabin.
I okayed the idea with James, booked the appointment with the vet for the horse’s paperwork and then signed myself up for the competition. Then we confirmed our farm sitter and helpers (thank you so much!) and made the rest of our plans.
I didn’t stop there… days before we were set to leave, I found this adorable fluffy Corgi female that was available in Illinois. We’ve been looking for a fluffy female for a very long time, so I okayed the idea with James and put a deposit. The plan included a side trip for me to drive to Illinois for the puppy.
The Trip
We packed everything up Friday – our things and the things for the 2 horses, 3 dogs, and 2 puppies. We strolled into the Cracker Box Palace at around 10pm. I put Cupid & Kahleesi into a round pen with food and water, we let the dogs have a potty break, and slept in our trailer for the night. It’s so nice to have a trailer with a bed!
The Show
The Obstacle Class
I was so excited I woke up extra early. The first part of the show was the obstacle course in the outdoor ring. It looked very similar to obstacles we’ve had at the NHA horse shows – a tarp, pool noodle standard, a low bridge, mail box, and a few very similar things to what we’ve been practicing.
The biggest difference with this type of competition was we had to stop and wait for the judge to be ready at each obstacle – also the idea was to keep the same pace for the course/obstacle. So when I trotted the pole/barrel pivot obstacle I actually lost marks because I changed my cadence.
I loved how it was similar to the NHA shows – a focus on calm horsemanship and riding the obstacles on a loose rein. People were English or Western just like at the NHA shows and I met a couple Parelli people there who were working on their Level 3!
There were 7 competitors at different levels, and I was the only person in my level (Pleasure Competitive), so I decided to bump up to the hardest level (Open) so that we wouldn’t be competing against ourselves.
We got to do the course twice – the second time was the ‘gamblers choice’ because if you chose to do the second round it would replace your first score… so you had to decide if you would do better the first or second time.
I did the course the second time with both horses because despite the obstacles being similar to home my horses hesitated at a few of them and I thought we’d do better the second time.
One of the obstacles was a real chicken we had to side pass to the chicken and then away from the chicken! Good thing we have lots of them roaming free on the farm at home!
We placed 2nd and 3rd in this class – 1st place went to an awesome cowboy with a beautiful relationship with his horse. He told me they’d been doing these competitions for years and they definitely looked the part!
Tip for success: before you compete remember to read all the rules and ask the judge any questions before your pattern – make sure you know what you will gain points or lose points for
The Obstacle Trail Ride
This was the most fun competition ever!! There were 13 competitors on the ride and we left in groups of 3 or 4. My group was the first to go in a group of 3. I led my group onto the trail for the first mile. There were 6 obstacles on the trail. Each obstacle was a mile apart.
The obstacles we did at each mile were:
1.A labyrinth of poles – we have to navigate through the poles, zigzagging our way through without hitting the poles.
2.A natural water crossing of about 60ft long with a steep bank on the opposite site.
3.Backing through an L shape of poles.
4.Taking a camera off of a stand and taking a selfie with a goat
5.Riding through fake vines and halting right after them
6.Riding around a scary pool noodle and balloon obstacle
I rode the course with Cupid and when we reached the water crossing he looked around and hesitated. I took a deep breath with him and then asked him to try - he walked right across and I was so proud.
The horse behind me was having trouble with the water so the judge told us to ride on ahead to the next obstacle without my group. This was my first solo trail ride ever with Cupid (I actually never ride solo on trail rides because its always safer in a group). I gave Cupid the cue and he marched on.
What an incredible high I was on – it was so rewarding for my horse to trust me and go. We rode walk, trot, and canter on a relaxed rein through the forest, apple orchards, peach fields (or is it a peach orchard?), open fields and across the road. It was amazing… knowing that all the time and effort I put into training my horse from the ground up… putting the right amount of love, language, and leadership in so that we could get to this moment and succeed. It felt amazing.
After I got back with Cupid I went out with Kahleesi to ride the trail course au concours. I had the same incredible experience of my trusting equine partner to carry me through the trail completely solo for the first time. It was so exciting and rewarding. She was super awesome with the obstacles and the scariest part of our ride was the mud which she figured out confidently by the end of the ride.
Cupid was super awesome and aced all the obstacles finishing with 1st place in our level…. But it was only us in our level. I was still super proud because we did everything really well and at the more advanced level.
The Big Surprise
The best part of the competition was at the end when they were awarding the Judge’s Pick. This is where you actually get a hoof pick and it’s to represent the judge’s pick. The judge gets to pick their favourite horse & rider team that represents a great partnership. Cupid and I were chosen.
I was super thrilled that our partnership that we have been working so hard on was showing through to people who had never met us before.
It was a fantastic experience and now I know what we have to work on for Kentucky, but also what we are doing well and that we are on the right track.
Tip for Success: When you make a goal for yourself (and your horse), try making a plan to help you succeed. In your plan include when you are going to practice, what skills you need to accomplish and the steps needed to get there. Then you can budget your time wisely and work towards your goal.
Whatever your goal, make a plan, write it down, and check off the steps along the way to measure your progress.
Tip for Success: Goals can be as simple as learning to master walk to halt transitions, or as complex as planning to compete at the Kentucky Makeover Competition.Pick a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and has a time line.
Tip for Success: Remember that horses need Love, Language and Leadership to be trusting willing partners. Too much love without leadership will lead to a fearful horse that doesn't believe in you, too little appropriate language will lead to a confused horse, and no love will create a sour horse. The perfect combination creates the perfect partner.
At the Cabin
After the show we went to our cabin in New York and settled in for the night just at dark. The next morning we woke up and went for a quick hour trail ride before I headed off to pick up our new fluffy puppy from Illinois while James took care of all the animals.
Picking up Puppy
What an incredible drive - just over 1100km. After I got back I realized the GPS was set to no toll roads... so I probably didn't need to drive through Kentucky lol, but one look on our new little fluffy face and I knew it was worth the drive!
I stayed the night in Indiana at a hotel with puppy (now named Eevee) and headed back the next morning. The drive seemed faster on the way home. I got back around 7pm and we headed out for another trail ride.
Check out this hilarious video of when we introduced our new puppy to the other ones: https://youtu.be/pk7469ReOkc
Finally a Day of No Long Driving
On Tuesday we decided to call our bosses to ask for one more day of vacation - luckily they were okay with that. This meant I could have one day without any long driving trips... the only driving I did was into town for food. We were able to relax and do a lot of trail riding, playing with the dogs and a swim in the pond.
We took turns riding Cupid and Kahleesi and explored some trails - there are thousands and thousands of acres of trails in the mountains at our cabin so we had lots of fun exploring :)
Heading Home
On our last day we went for another quick trail and then packed up the gang... which took a bit longer than I thought - I guess 3 puppies, 3 dogs, and 2 horses come with a lot of things! We headed home around noonish and didn't have trouble at the border... but we did hit Toronto traffic so we decided to stop at Pet Smart and got Eevee a new dog tag. Then made it back by 9ish. It feels nice to be home but it sure was a fun long weekend!!
Some Fun for You
If you're interested in trying out obstacles for yourself, be sure to come to our Saturday August 29th NHA Horse Agility and Obstacle show - there will be A LOT of obstacles (and some new ones!) - learn more here http://nhassociation.ca/horseagility.html
We also have our PHH schooling show that has some obstacle classes as well as hunter, jumper and western speed events classes . Learn more about the PHH show here http://partridgehorsehill.com/HorseShowClinic.html
On Saturday May 30th, Natures Run Equestrian
hosted the first horse agility and obstacle challenge show by the NHA. A lot of
work went into the show and the show series – deciding on classes, judging
criteria, obstacles, organization, etc. The NHA really wants to promote a fun
and supportive place to show horses using different obstacles.
Partridge Horse Hill (PHH) took a group to the show. The morning started with a bit of glitch when I
slept in past my alarm, and then one of the two horse trailers popped a tire!
Somehow we managed to arrive at the show before it started, our optimistic and resilient attitudes shined through as we were still full of positive thoughts throughout the day.
The day started beautiful and sunny, and the horse agility
classes got to compete outdoors in lovely weather – except at the end when the
rain started. Luckily NRE has an indoor arena so we were able to move
everything indoors after the first Essentials class and continue with the show.
I was very proud of the PHH students and their success. They
were very supportive of each other. Kim brought Shawna, Yvonne with Allure, and
Laurie with Cheyenne all for their first offsite show – it was also Allure and
Cheyenne’s first offsite show. They all participated in the starter and first
level of Horse Agility which are friendly introductory classes. Then they rode
in the Essentials division for the obstacle challenge which is a walk/trot
division. Everyone was very nervous but the nerves settled after a 1st
place for Kim in the first class, 2nd for Laurie, and Yvonne finished up with reserve
champion. All that hard work and practicing paid off.
I brought three of my off the track Thoroughbreds to the
show – Kahleesi and Cupid are the two I bought only about 3 months ago for the
Retired Racehorse Project TB Makeover for Kentucky. This was Cupid’s first
horse show and Kahleesi’s second show. I also brought Thetis who is my Parelli
certified Level 3 horse. Despite Cupid and Kahleesi being very inexperienced I
still entered by horses in the most advanced classes because of my level – we did
Intermediate (for Cupid & Kahleesi not Thetis), Advanced, Liberty (two classes), and
the Extreme division. I also took Thetis in one Exciting class (Finesse) so that
I could try a class with no bridle.
In the intermediate we competed against other people and I
was very happy at how my horses excelled and completed tasks like a pivot on the
pedestal and sideways over the pole with relative ease. I was so proud of my
horses and how calm they were in the ring. This was a milestone because Cupid
and Kahleesi at the trade show in April were very tense and upset in the ring
by themselves, and during the show they showed me just how far they've come in their training and now are completely different horses.
Even when it started to rain and everyone was hiding indoors
or in their trailers (so no horses were around the ring) they were still very
calm and connected to me which made me so proud. One of the things I’ve been
using to build the motivation are treats. I don’t use them as a
bribe, but when they do something well I give them one cookie (I use roughage
chunks that are a health tasty treat). This helps give them another reason to try extra hard.
For the most advanced classes of the day I was the only one
entered (Advanced, Liberty, and Extreme division). This was a bit odd to
compete against myself using my 3 horses, but it was the experience my horses
needed. Cupid and Kahleesi have a lot to learn before Kentucky and it was great
they could have a good show experience.
Because the show was running late I offered to drop my
classes from 10 obstacles to 5, and reduce my gamblers choice from 3 min to
1min to help speed things up – which kept my horse’s experience short and
sweet. As you can expect I was both champion and reserve champion of that
division, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd in my classes.
This raised an interesting reflection – was it wrong or
right for me to compete in classes where it was only me entered?
Keep in mind there was another class with only 3 people, and
one other class with only 1 person (some people left because of the rain) that did
run.
My thoughts are that I had paid to trailer my horses there, had
supported everyone else, waited my turn, and shortened my classes to make it
quick, so it was reasonable to want to do my classes too- but what do you
think?
In any event I was proud that my horses could complete the
most advanced classes despite their inexperience, and thankful for the chance
to give them show experience offsite.
For liberty I left the halters on Kahleesi and Cupid because it was their first time, but my goal for the last NHA show is to feel confident taking the halter off so we are completely at liberty (instead of just no lead rope).
A quick tip:
- Remember your horse needs a pay cheque. Think 'why is my horse showing up to work?' This doesn't have to be food, but food can certainly help when used properly to build that extra motivation.
Today we went to Trillium. ...hunters.... and discovered Sabio needed a clipping because of how sweaty he got. The clinic with Beth Underhill coming up I thought he would appreciate being cooler for exercise.
James decided to help out - take a look.
Sabio did well at the show. 4, 5, & 5 in the hacks...and we only went so we could ride in an indoor ring (because really we're jumpers) with good footing ....we cant wait for our indoor ring!
There is so much starting to happen at PHH now that the
weather is warming up. If everything goes according to plan, this will be the
last winter we need to survive without an indoor ring J
We are still awaiting final timelines, but it looks like we
will have a 250x80ft indoor arena going up and we will give you details as they
become available. It’s been a goal and dream of mine to have my own indoor
arena, and I am super excited for the building to start.
Easter Weekend is coming up soon – and we’ll be at the Can
Am Equine Show at the Markham Fairgrounds (http://canamequine.com/).
I’ve been selected to ride in a demonstration lesson with Olympic Show Jumper
Beth Underhill April 3-5 at the show. This is so exciting for me because I’ve
been a fan of Beth’s since I was a little girl watching her win the Shell Cup Derby
at Spruce Meadows many years ago aboard her 22 yr old gelding named Monopoly.
I was so inspired I even painted my Barbie horse like
Monopoly – it is so exciting to be riding with Beth many years later. If you
want to come watch you can expect to see me riding Sabio around lunchtime in
the main ring all 3 days of the show.
For an exciting seasonal goal, I’ve purchased two off the
track Thoroughbreds for the Retired Race Horse Project’s Throughbred Makeover
Contest (http://www.retiredracehorseproject.org/2015-thoroughbred-makeover).
This is a show that is hosted at the Kentucky Horse Park in Kentucky, US. This
is also a dream of mine to ride at Kentucky Horse Park – I visited there on a
family trip when I was younger. I found it an amazing place and can’t believe I’ll
be showing there later this year! The show has over 330 horses entered already
and is only accepting a few more – it is going to be a busy event!
The horses I will be bringing – Kahleesi and Cupid – have begun
some natural horsemanship foundation training and are making great progress
despite the challenges from weather. Kaheelsi is a super smart 8 yr old grey
mare that I think is going to excel in jumping, and barrel racing. Cupid is a 7
yr old chestnut gelding that is super laid back and pokey… despite being
purchased fresh off the track from Ohio in February. I think he is going to do
well in hunters and trail class. Either way I am excited to take them to
Kentucky and am so thrilled that several students have already booked their
hotel rooms to come down and cheer us on for the events.
On Friday November 9 a bunch of us from PHH headed into the big city for the tradition of the Royal Winter Fair. There were many changes and a lot to see and do.
There was also a lot of the same... my annual favourites of the Rossti potato food booth, pumpkin pie fudge from the Nutty Chocolatier, leather cleaner from the bees, Bucas blankets from Picovs, belt buckles, and fun horsey jewellery from Wellingtons.
This year I also picked up a reflective quarter sheer from Pleasant Ridge for safer trail riding, new turquoise gear (polos and boots) and a new fully adjustable Genesis saddle from Wellingtons! Among some other cute things like horsey pajamas and socks.
There is always so much shopping but also a lot to watch and learn. We enjoyed the evening horse show which had some demos for trick riding and Guy McLean which was fun and wet our appetite for more. They also had 2 jumper competitions, indoor eventing and Shetland pony steeple chase!
The event was entertaining but also a bit scary....2 kids fell off in the pony steeple chase and one horse flipped over in the indoor eventing. This begs the question. ...is fun and entertainment worth the risk that speed and jumping can mean?
Although unfortunate for the event rider, it was my first time seeing an inflatable safety vest in action. It was very interesting and looked like a very worthwhile piece of safety equipment since you never know what may happen...her horse willingly jumped the table drop fence but the horse's leg didnt quite clear the top rail so the horse did a somersault. It also is an example that if the jump was made for the top rail to drop, the incident would likely have been averted.
What continues to upset me the most at the Royal is the display of hackney horses/ponies in carts...it in my opinion is so focused on manipulating horses and making them something they aren't rather than a sport like jumping or dressage that emphasizes a skill the horse naturally does... the hackneys are kept with heavy shoes to make them lift their legs high and because of the shoes they cant have turn out so they are mostly stalled and secluded, they crank their heads unnaturally high to the point of straining their backs and they put contraptions on them to lift their tails so they become deformed. I dont understand it and it seems very much like an awful life to live. Can anyone shed something positive on this discipline? Am I misunderstanding something?
Sorry thats my rant....
We didnt have much time to look at the other displays or the animal theatre. ...it just goes to show you that the Royal is a big place where you need lots of time because there is so mich to see!
At the end of the day all people and horses were okay and it was a good late night!
I hope you have a chance to go check out the fun.
#rawf
#rawf2014
