Showjumping in Raleigh

Rocco

Mario

Collection Pass

The year has finished as it begun, jumping in the rain!! Kaden and I made the 6 hour drive south on 95 to Raleigh for the RMI Benefit Show with Canyonliegh Sirecho, McCuan Maio and Collection Pass. This was my first show on Cole and I was exciteda and anxious to see how he'd perfom. Owned by Rege Dvorsky and Jeanne Leone, he's only been in my barn a couple of weeks. After an intersting warmup that involved tarpulins and crazy horses he jumped a super first round. I'm really impressed with his talent and 'can do' attitude and am excited to see where he's headed in the future. Rocco jumped consistently and was happy to be jumping in front of a crowd, such a show off! Mario was a bit of a star jumping four great rounds with rider error (my toe kicked a standard knocking it over) to be blamed for one less ribbon. The show was a great way to finish the year, I feel as tho I'm riding really well. For the next six weeks before I head to Aiken I'll be working hard to have the horses prepared for next season.

Well both the dressage and eventing seasons are coming to a close with the Greater American Insurance Agency (GAIG's) Championships the last of the dressage and Rubicon the last of the eventing. Tony did very well at the GAIG's finishing third which was awesome. He's come a long way in a short space of time and obviously I'm very proud him! Also this weekend was Waredaca One Day Event where I had several students competing including Kaden Weaver on Rocco. This was Kaden's first event in America and he got the call up after Lisa suffered an unfortunate injury. Competing one of my favourite students horse and in front of a crowd (solicited by me..!) of onlookers provided him with enough pressure to keep him on his toes and he finished on his dressage score coming third. Another student to finish the year on a great note was Meghan Avella riding Fantastic. After a tumultuous year she ended up with a well deserved second place.

This coming weekend I am teaching a jumping clinic and the following weekend is Rubicon which will signal the end of the recognised competitions. Over winter we'll compete in some local jumper shows to keep our eyes in, so to speak, and in January head south to Aiken, SC. Hope all is well with your horses and that your year has been as fun and successful as mine!

Lisa with Rocco, Kaden on Lucy, myself and Brittany on board Parker, aka Parkman.

After winning on the first day at the BLM's we finished the second day with a 2nd place at 2nd level. First day, 1st, second day 2nd. A theme happening there..... Think I'll only ever ride on the FIRST day again! Tony was good, trying hard as he always does, he was just a little tired. Kelsey Schmidbauer had a great weekend finishing 9th at Loch Moy. Glenda Player as did very well winning Champion at the Irish Sport Horse Breeder Championship in Lexington, Va.

This week has mostly involved teaching and catching up on cross country schooling. Yesterday we had a lovely day in the ,albeit cold, sunshine with Brittany on Kiefer and Parker, Kaden on Lucy and Lisa with Rocco. Today wasn't so pleasurable in the cold rain with myself on Lois, Glenda on Catnip, Alex on Wes and Kaden on Lucy(again). As was successful with no one falling off and all the horses improving.

This weekend we're off to the New Jersey Horse Trials in what looks to be wet conditions which suits me just fine. I love competing in the rain, that's what real eventing's all about! Next week I have the GAIG dressage finals to look forward to with Tony.

BLM Championships

Tony was fantastic today competing at 3rd level (medium in Australia). He warmed up awesome and was great in his first test. Perfect rhythm, very obedient and tried extremely hard. He was first in that test and then for the next next he was a little on the tired side and wasn't active as he had been in the first test. Still has good even to finish in the ribbons and give us a victory lap! Dressage victory laps are very sedate for those who don't know. . . Today we have two more tests and I'm very excited with how they will go.

Update.

So much has happened since my last update. About 25 shows (a slight exageration!) and a lot of training. Firstly I didn't quite have the show at the AEC's that I'd been anticipating. Mario had gone beautifully at Loudoun and I was all set to take my blue ribbon in Chicago, unfortunately he had different ideas. After his best dressage test ever to leave us in touch with the leader all we had to do was finish on that score and we'd have it in the bag. Apparently Mario has an allergy to either blue ribbons or bank complexes. So long story short it was a long drive home thinking of the would have, could have beens. On the bright side my student Abby Gibbon finished on her dressage score at her first ever American Championships. So back to Maryland to figure out Mario's 'allergy' problem. Since we competed last weekend and won a blue ribbon I can only assume his problem is with banks which will be easy to fix with a little extra cross country schooling. Boo's been going well with a win at a Young Event Horse competition and Lois also picking up a ribbon.

This Friday and Saturday are the prestigious BLM dressage championshis with Tony. He feels great and we're expecting a great show. Already he's settled in and looks fired up ready to go. Please look back for updates.

This weekend begins a very busy and important six weeks. Today was the last opportunity to qualify Tony for the GAIG championships which will be held in Lexington, VA in October. And qualify he did! He scored a respectable 65% followed by an impressive 72%! Which I believe was the highest score of the day. I was so happy with how he felt. He's new to third level and still finds collection a challenge but I thought he tried very very hard today. This was also his last show before the BLM Championships in NJ in October. Alex McLeod sits her A rating test tomorrow (Sunday) as the youngest rider (the only still in her teens!) in the group to be tested. It's extraordinary the riding skills required for this level but I really think she'll be fine. If she is, it's because of my teaching, if she's not, it's because she went on holidays over summer!!!!

We leave on Tuesday for the American Eventing Championships in Chicago, IL. I'm riding Patrick McCuan's Mario and am feeling confident. Last weekend we competed at Loudoun Horse Trials and I was over the moon with how great he felt. Good dressage, super cross country and clear show jumping. We had a few time faults on the cross country which cost us first or second place but I was very happy with my decision to look after him for next week. I am taking him on Monday to a racetrack to do a little galloping, a skill he's yet to master! Abby Gibbon with her lovely bay mare Prima is also coming to Chicago with us and should be fairly competitive. After the AEC's we have Plantation CIC at the end of September. Buddha was has been impressing me more and more. His cross country is amazing and he's great in the show jump arena. For such a young horse he's showing a lot of maturity. Joe and Krista Hubschman's Lois is also another horse I'm really impressed with. Clear cross country and show jumping at her first novice start and only her second time out. Her dressage needs some work, but as a four year old she has time for that! I will keep you updated on our progress as we go!

Rachel and Payday

Between eventing I've kept very busy in the last few weeks. Boo made a very successful jump up to training level at Fair Hill with clear show jumping and cross country. He followed that at Waredaca with a 4th, finishing on his dressage score. Lois Lane made her debut finishing on her dressage score. Definately an eventer, she LOVES her job! Rachel Berlage with her horse Payday have had an awesome few weeks by placing in all three of her recognised events. They have certainly overcome their fear of ditches! Abby Gibbon also stepped up to training level with a 2nd at Loch Moy and a win at Difficult Run. Amy Gaynor has been doing well with Jake showjumping him over the summer. Her hard work is paying off with a much more rideable horse.
Tony, the wonder dressage horse, had a very good weekend by qualifying for the BLM's at third level and in the process winning yet another blue ribbon. I love riding this horse and am very excited for the championships we have coming up in October. Next on the schedule is eventing at Loudoun with Mario, Lois and Boo, then it's dressage with Tony, AEC's with Mario followed by Middleburg Horse Trials.
Thanks for reading and have fun with your horses!