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Octoberfest Horse Trials
Last weekend we went to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete at the Octoberfest HT and CT. Kate and Snick got a 36.8 on their dressage test, went double clear in the stadium, and received a 4th place ribbon. Kelli and Holly had a good dressage test. Their score of 37.5 put the pair in 5th place. Her double clear stadium round kept them in 5th place. Kelli and Holly made it around their xc course with a few stops. The didn’t end up placing, but we were all thrilled they were able to jump all of their fences on their first xc course together!!! Landon was great over the weekend. Our dressage score of 20.5 was a personal best for both of us. We had one rail in the stadium, but we were able to hold onto our first place. He ran around xc Sunday like an old pro, and we ended our first show together in first place.
A great weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park!
This weekend we attended Jumpstart Horse Trials. Sara and Gus competed in their first training level as a team. They had a good dressage test and two fantastic jumping phases to put the pair in 5th place overall. Congratulations, Sara and Gus! Emily and my lesson horse Tucker did their first horse trials this weekend. They put in a winning dressage test with the score of 30 (70%) and stayed in first throughout the competition! Congratulations, Emily and Tucker! My own Landon did beginner novice this weekend with my friend Lori aboard. Due to a broken rib, I was unable to ride for 6 weeks, and Lori filled in for me. She had a great dressage ride with the score of 32 (68%). The pair had 2 rails in stadium and an unfortunate stop xc ( due to an oncoming golf cart !). He ended the weekend toward the bottom of the pack, but it was a great learning experience for him. Thanks, Lori, for riding him for me!!!
Welcome, Oliver Twist!
Oliver Twist is a 5 year old Paint-Percheron cross that we purchased from a farm in West Virginia earlier this month. We have been working with him lightly, and I hope to get him out to few shows this fall. He is a lovely mover and seems to really enjoy the jumping!
Congratulations, Kate and Kelli!
Kate and Kelli had a fantastic weekend at the dressage show. Kelli and Hollygolightly received two seconds with scores of 66% and 72%. Kate and her Lemony Snicket received two firsts with a 72.5% and a 75% . The pair also received a high percentage award. Congratulations, ladies!!!
Landon…..Woodrow’s replacement
A fantastic show at Masterson Station in Lexington, Ky today!
Today we took five horses to Lexington to compete in the Horse Aid Live combined test and dressage show. It was filled with great rides all day long. Kelli rode Holly in her first ever combined test. They did a very nice dressage test that earned them the score of 35 (65%). They went on to do a double clear stadium round gave them a spot in fourth place! Kate took her horse Lemony Snicket to his first combined test also. Snick, feeling like a new man after his long bout with an infection this spring, put in a fantastic dressage test with a score of 32 (68%). The pair also went double clear in the stadium, landing them a second place finish for the day.
Morgan and Ike, along with Emily and Tucker, competed in their first start division 2'3". It was Tucker's first time in a dressage ring and only his second show ever! We were all very pleased at how well he handled himself at the show and did a really nice test with a score of 48 (52%). Morgan showed in a different ring and put in a great test for a score of 32 (68%). Both riders had to work hard to get their ponies over these bigger fences. They each added a few points their scores in stadium, leaving them with a. 38 and a 52 respectively. Morgan and Ike ended the day in 3rd place in her division and Emily in 10th. Great job, girls!
Sara and Gus did their first training combined test today. Gus and Sara were second after dressage with a score of 30 (70%). They put in a double clear jumping round to end the day in…….first……again. Great job, Sara and Gus!
My Dad’s Birthday
Today is my dad’s birthday. He’s been gone for nearly 10 years, and it saddens me to think about all of the great moments he is missing and the grandchildren he will never have the opportunity to meet. I am reminded of my dad often, and I smile more than cry at the memories now. Whenever I eat a bowl of homemade ice cream, smell the freshly cut grass at the soccer fields, hear the bounce of a basketball on a wooden gym floor, or see an old western movie advertised on TV, I think of him. My brother’s expressions and hand gestures have become those of my father’s, which I find both haunting and comforting. My dad left us much too early….just when things were beginning to get good. We could have sat out on the patio together and watch the 5 grandkids run wild in the backyard. Dad with his Coke, and me with a Mountain Dew. He would have been terrified of them getting injured, shouting warnings from his chair. He would have marveled at Henry’s ability to hit a baseball and Evelyn’s toughness. He would have smiled at Wade streaking across the yard with his hair bouncing in the breeze and tormented Kate endlessly about not playing basketball. And little Archer (a spitting image of my brother), his future would be left to the imagination.
We all miss him, and it seems like only yesterday we were sitting around the dinner table celebrating his birthday. Corn on the cob, grilled hamburgers , and my aunt susie’s homemade ice cream………
Random pictures from the summer
Woodrow’s First Beginner Novice
It was a beautiful weekend to be at a show at the Kentucky Horse Park! Woodrow moved up to beginner novice, and I was really happy with him all weekend long. He was quiet and a bit sluggish in the dressage, and I actually had to kick him around his test. We ended up with a 60%, but I feel he will be much better than that in the very near future.
Stadium was rough…..to say the least. He was overwhelmed and distracted by the whole scene. We made it around the course with just one rail and a great deal of kicking and whacking.
Woodrow jumped the cross country course really well. We had a lot of time penalties due to the fact he didn’t want to cross the 2 water filled ravines that divided our course. The jumps themselves were great!
We ended the weekend in 12th place, and I feel that the education he received this weekend at the chaotic park was priceless. He handled all of the bikes, golf carts, tents, cars, screaming kids, and all other craziness with a completely level head. After this weekend’s success, I plan to compete him again in June at Midsouth.
Wetherbrooke Farm 
