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AJ Dyer
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AJ Dyer

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About AJ Dyer

Visionaire is one of the foundation writers of Eventing Nation from the very early days in 2010. She has ridden up to Advanced level and spent six years as head groom for Dorothy Crowell. After a few years in the Thoroughbred industry, she now spends her time writing for EN, riding a few nice OTTBs, and working with her husband's hay business, A.T. Acres Farm.

Latest Articles Written

The secrets of driving on the wrong side of the road

By on Apr 18, 2012 8:58 am -
EN favorite Colleen Rutledge is busy in England preparing herself and Shiraz for Badminton.  Lucky for us, she’s taking the time to write down all her adventures!  Keep up with Colleen and read the latest updates on her site at colleenrutledgeeventing.com.   Thank you for writing, Colleen, and thank you for reading.

 

Colleen and Shiraz at The Fork CIC***, photo by Samantha

 

I kinda like driving on the wrong side of the road. It’s not too bad when you remember that you sit closest to the center. And the cars coming towards you will probably try to hit you anyways. The most exasperating thing for me has been finding third gear. I can drive a manual transmission, I’ve done so for years (off and on, never for extended periods of time). But here, I get in the car, on the right side, reach over my left shoulder for my seat belt, then remember it’s on the right, put the key in the ignition (same side as home), start the car and off we go. The pedals are still the same, so that’s good there. The gear shift, I thought, was going to be tripping me up forever. I’m great in first and second, but then try to shift to third, nope. Fifth. So my shifting goes like this, 1,2,3?nope-5,crap,4,crap,3,finally!,4,5. If I don’t think about it, I’m generally fine. Meanwhile, the traffic is slowly starting to pile up behind me due to my inability to rip through the gears in a lightning fast pattern. Oh, well. At least it wasn’t me who hit a pedestrian today! But that compounded my real problem. I only know one way to and from the barn. So when there was an accident that blocked the whole street, I then got to put my ‘let’s try this way!’ to the test. I did manage to make it home without major incident. (Only one illegal u-turn, but I figured the police had more to worry about with injured pedestrians than arresting me and everyone else had already done so.) Excellent!

 

This is the best part, the directions to the barn. In order to get out of Banbury, I go through the cross (center of town circle), turn right at the Three Pigeons, go through three circles (stay straight each time) and then after you are out of town (the sign says Shakespeare country) look for the second turn. But the first road is called Second Turn, the second road is called First Turn. So that conversation went as such, “turn on the second turn, but not Second Turn, it’s the first turn, you want First Turn, which is in fact the second turn”. Definitely a ‘Who’s on first’ moment. Then through the village of Shotteswell, which is a one lane road up and down blind corners and you’ve reached your destination safely (hopefully). It really is quite fun to drive though.

 

Our gallop today went well. I had to postpone it a day due to the weather yesterday, and then again this morning, but this afternoon it was fantastic! Or so I thought. Get HRH tacked up, and in that process, there’s a quick shower (read: deluge). Welcome to England! Sun comes back out and I hurry up to get the gallop done up a great hill in back of the yard. Go on our initial trot, and as we’ve crested the hill, we get hit with another rain shower. This one is very cold, and wait…..quite solid. Crap, it’s hailing or whatever it’s called over here. Ohhhh, this does not please HRH. Especially as we are only trotting. The craptastic storm passes as quickly as it came up and we get back down to our gallop. Finally, what he’s been looking forward to all week! RUN AWAY!!!!! Only a few minor discussions about speed and direction and avoidance of badger holes, and we danced all the way home.

 

Tomorrow, dun dun duuun, FLAT WORK and hacking!

 

-C

Shannon Lilley: Six Weeks Later

By on Apr 17, 2012 1:48 pm -

Back in February, we introduced Shannon Lilley as EN’s newest guest blogger.  With Ballingowan Pizzaz, Shannon represented the USA at the 2011 Pan Ams, helping win the team gold medal.  Unfortunately, just after her EN debut, Shannon had emergency back surgery to repair her L5 disk in her spinal column.  Doctors expect her to make a full recovery but she could potentially be out of riding for up to 6 months.  Despite the injury and resulting change of plans to her competition season, Shannon remains in good spirits with a healthy perspective on life…something we should all keep in mind.  Thank you for writing, Shannon, and thank you for reading.

 

 

Shannon and Mango, photo by Kate Erickson
 

Greetings from the west coast!

 

I realize it has been a very long time since my last post but I am back.  John wrote about my situation six weeks ago and while I have no desire to talk about my situation, I do feel that being injured forces a person to go through a period of reflection and we should all be so lucky.  As riders, or moreover, professionals, we live our lives for the horse and the sport of Eventing allowing ourselves to get very caught up in reaching the competitive goal for that season or doing what’s right to impress selectors, coaches, etc that we forget about the fact that we are so lucky to make our living doing what we love to do.  With that comes a special kind of journey to get to those goals and the people that surround you in life have everything to do with you getting through the journey.  Sometimes that journey takes you down a path where you are on a team with four fantastic people and you win a gold medal; other times you may not have such a fortunate path but no matter what there is an equal amount of good that will come out of it.

I find myself thinking the same thought Boyd Martin thought, “It could be worse.”  Day in and day out I often think things could be worse.  At the beginning of February I was debating the path my horses and I should take this spring, and questioning what was right.  Do I goes east because that is ‘what will look good’ or do I stay out west and be competitive while still being a part of our business, which is really important to me. I felt conflicted for awhile but decided what the right thing was and was ready stick with my plan.  Eight days later I woke up and had a much larger predicament on my hands.  Later that evening I was rushed into emergency back surgery.  Let’s just say, I now realize that plans are definitely meant to be broken and there are so many other important things in life that what my spring schedule is going to be.

I wake up every day and feel very fortunate that I can go to the barn, walk around, brush my horses(the top half), teach all our wonderful clients, and yes, I actually get to go to a horse show this upcoming weekend.  So things could be a lot worse… I will someday get to ride again, hopefully sooner rather than later, and hopefully will be able to function through my day like I used to but, if not, it’s okay because it could be a lot worse.

After hearing the devastating news of Amy Tryon this past week, I am also reminded how so very important it is to have this attitude.  Amy was an inspiration to us all.  She was an incredible competitor, horse woman, and person and will truly be missed by the Eventing community.  I hope she enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed watching her.  The great Jerry rice expressed his sentiments in his hall of fame speech when he said, “I was always so busy training hard, running routes, studying film, practicing all the time to be better that I never took the time to enjoy the experience or the victories.”  We, as riders, may always think it is about winning and, although it helps, it is about the journey.  We don’t always get to choose our path but no matter what, there is a way to enjoy the experience of traveling down it.

Like I said, I get to go to Twin Rivers this weekend to help Dayna coach and cheer on our Area VI Young Riders as they prepare for their last qualifier this spring so you will be hearing more updates from me!

Go Eventing!

St. Johns Event Report

By on Apr 16, 2012 2:32 pm -

Many thanks to EN reader Pam Bennett-Skinner for sending us her event report from St. Johns HT in St. Johns, Arizona.  All reader submissions are encouraged!  If you attend an event as competitor, spectator, or volunteer, please send us your recap and photos at [email protected]– we love seeing events across the country (and throughout the world).  Thanks to Pam for writing, and thank you for reading.

 

 

The road to St. Johns
 

By Pam Bennett-Skinner

 

St Johns has got to be the only place where the directions to the Cross-Country course are, “Go across the race track, around the runway and past the graveyard.” It’s a no-frills event: no vendors and no food on site. There is indeed a runway for small aircraft and the horses don’t seem to mind their activity. St Johns (pop 4000) is a desert town about twenty miles from the border with New Mexico.  It doesn’t have much in the way of amenities (I think there’s two places to eat) and the next town is thirty minutes away.  This lack is a good thing. It’s a great weekend to get away with your horse and forget about the rest of the world.

 

The graveyard beyond cross-country warm up
 

This weekend it was a very frozen world, much different from when the event used to be held at the end of June. The last time they did so, in 2010 (my first event,) it was over 100 degrees. This weekend we had 45 mph winds, blowing snow and freezing temps. Spirits were good though, even as snow collected on dressage coats.  Spectators were sparse and were either huddled together or sitting in truck cabs. The Stadium jumps just couldn’t stay up, so they had to postpone that phase until right before XC on Sunday morning. Walking XC required a little more brain power than usual as the signs kept turning around and blowing down.  Fortunately, all was well Sunday morning. While still chilly the wind had slowed and everyone was able to get their stadium and XC rounds done.  By the time trailers were being loaded the sun had come out and layers were coming off.  Today it’s supposed to be 66 there, but that’s desert weather for you: snowing one day, shorts the next.

 

Ingrid George and Drunken Lullabies finish their dressage test in the blowing snow
 

Woodpile jumps on the cross-country course
 

For me, the best part of the St Johns horse trial (other than getting to compete my pony) is the Competitors’ Dinner on Saturday night, specifically the cobbler.  Baked in dutch ovens in coals, the peachy goodness is something I dream about all year.  I’m craving it right now.

 

The famous peach cobbler
 

Many thanks to the organizers, officials and volunteers for running a great event and keeping us all safe in challenging conditions.

Colleen Rutledge: En Route to Badminton

By on Apr 14, 2012 3:33 pm -

EN favorite Colleen Rutledge returns today with her latest installment as an EN guest blogger. Needless to say, Colleen needs no introduction on EN.  We wish her the best of luck and safe travels on her way to Badminton.  Keep up with Colleen’s adventures and read the latest updates on her blog at colleenrutledgeeventing.com.   Thank you for writing, Colleen, and thank you for reading.

 


Colleen and Shiraz at The Fork CIC***, photo by Samantha
 

From Colleen:

 

Here I sit, beginning my 12 hours of waiting for our flight. Okay, well my day started much earlier, like about 3 am, when I was questioning my sanity for getting up that early and trying to figure out ANY excuse to go back to bed. After a boiling hot shower (nothing like 2nd degrees burns all over your body to wake a girl up), a ‘quick’ run to McDs for my egg Mcmuffin (20 min and a full on argument with the order taker about the special: 2 sandwiches for $3), a quick finish loading the mound of equipment that HRH requires (we are smarter this year, I hope) and off we go.

 

So far so good, we aimed for a 4 am departure time, and left by 5. In my world, that is pretty close to on time! Unlike last year, when we aimed for 5 and left at 9. Why so early, you ask? Well, mom still has to drive the rig back and go to work for the rest of the evening. Have I mentioned lately that my mom is the best and I could never do this without her?!! The drive here was, wait for it, almost totally traffic free!!! Even through the Burroughs!!! Only one short stint on the NJ turnpike. My husband gets all of the blame for it, though. He made the cardinal error of calling me and mentioning the word traffic, while I was driving, therefore, angering the traffic gods. I appeased them by calling him back and blaming it all on him and promising them they could ensnarl him the whole time I was gone. Just after that, the roads opened back up! We actually managed to get here without getting lost this time (see, smarter! Or dumb luckier). Unloaded HRH, my mountain of equipment, and now we just nap and wait and wait and nap and wait and maybe another nap.

–C

Ocala XC scoring update

By on Apr 14, 2012 1:23 pm -

Preliminary and Intermediate horse trial, and CCI** cross-country has wrapped up.  The CCI* is still ongoing, as well as the lower level horse trial divisions.  See full Live Scores Here.

 

CCI**

It appears there was a good bit of trouble on xc, with 13 (of 28) horses having one stop or more on course.  Michael Pollard was eliminated with both DV8 and Jos Calfun; two others were eliminated and four retired on course.  Three of the top 5 after dressage will not move on to Sunday.

1.  Callie Judy – Call on Me  41.6

2. Nicole Parkin – Lexus  43.7

3, Eliza Farren – Bantry Bays Dublin  53.0

4. Jonathan Holling – FHF Blue Rondo  55.3

5. Caitlin Calder – Jolliyat  57.1

 

Open Intermediate 

No riders made the time; Buck actually was the fastest (3.2 time) but picked up 20 penalties somewhere, moving him from first to seventh place.

1. Kylie Lyman – Garrison Flash 45.6

2. Robin Walker – Florenz  48.0

3. Jennie Jarnstrom-LaManna  – Cape Town  50.0

4. Rick Wallace – Ultimate Victory  52.4

5. Jessica Phoenix – Erodium  52.8

 

JYOP

1. Kacie Dannehower – Fable  33.9

2. Amanda Csoltko – Big Bad Tattoo  40.0

3. Jenny Caras – Fernhill Fortitude  41.8

 

Open Preliminary

1. Andrew Palmer – Cardinali  33.8

2. Joe Meyer – Lough Rynn  34.4

3. Ashley Leith – Tactical Maneuver  34.8

 

Preliminary Rider

1. Hayley Lofgren – American Rhythm  42.7

2. Mary Hollis Baird – Private Banker  46.8

3. Cristina Barbour – Don’t Look Back  50.0

 

 

 

Neptune Collonges wins the 2012 Grand National

By on Apr 14, 2012 1:00 pm -

Neptune Collonges, photo via Wikipedia

 

After more than four miles, it came down to a photo finish.  The gray warrior, Neptune Collonges, won by a nostril over Sunnyhillboy.  Sea Bass, ridden by Katy Walsh (sister to Ruby Walsh) finished third.  It was a thrilling race, but marred by falls for much of the field.  Sadly, there were two fatalities: Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised, and According To Pete, both fell at Becher’s Brook.  Synchronised had an eventful start before the race, as he dumped rider AP McCoy and had a light gallop loose.  The jockey remounted and a vet cleared the horse to compete.  I bet the rider and trainer are seriously second-guessing the decision to run, now.

 

The field was weeded out rather quickly, but a core group made a good race of it at the end.  At the second-last, it was anyone’s race: six horses jumped in line, and made for a great finish.  Sunnyhillboy looked to have the advantage in the long run for the wire, but a gutsy Neptune Collonges ran him down to win on the nod.  Neptune Collonges is 11 this year, and adds this victory to his wins in the 2007 & 2008 Punchestown Gold Cup, and the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup.  According to the Racing Post, he is the first gray to win the Grand National since 1961.

 

It’s difficult to accept the fatalities that come with this sport.  Perhaps the field should be limited to fewer horses… 40 starters is a huge number, and means interference is impossible to avoid.  Of course the risk of danger is always present when running and jumping horses; but a fall with 15 horses perhaps has less dire consequences than falling in a pack of 40.

 

Dressage scores from Ocala

By on Apr 13, 2012 7:37 pm -

CCI* dressage leader Robin Walker and Someday Never Comes (photo by Samantha, at Midsouth Three Day Event in 2011)
 

Dressage has wrapped up for the day at the Ocala Horse Properties International Three Day Event.  Here are your leaders moving on to Saturday:  [Live Scores]

 

CCI*

1. Robin Walker – Someday Never Comes  43.1

2. Leslie Law – Kool Aldo  48.4

3. Lauren Kieffer – Ron Reagan  48.8

4T. Buck Davidson – Santa’s Keeper 49.7

4T. Jessica Phoenix – Patras VR 49.7

 

CCI**

1.  Callie Judy – Call on Me  41.6

2. Michael Pollard – DV8  42.9

3. Nicole Parkin – Lexus  43.7

4. Hawley Bennet-Awad – Splendorofthesun  44.2

5. Michael Pollard – Jos Calfun  45.3

 

Advanced CT

1. Michael Pollard – Driving Ambition  45.5

2. Clark Montgomery – Loughan Glen  46.5

3. Karen O’Connor – Mr. Medicott  50.0

4. Diana Burnett – Shigatzi  52.5

5. Clark Montgomery – Universe  54.0

 

Open Intermediate

1. Buck Davidson – Ballynoecastle RM  31.2

2. Jordan Linstedt – Revitavet Capato  32.8

3. Robin Walker – Florenz  34.8

4. Rick Wallace – Ultimate Victory  36.4

5. Dana Carlin – Domestic Dispute  37.2

Rebecca Howard looks back on The Fork

By on Apr 13, 2012 11:12 am -

We introduced guest blogger Rebecca Howard a few weeks ago, and today she’s back to catch us up on her home event at The Fork.  Rebecca and Riddle Master (“Rupert”) had a fantastic weekend, finishing in 2nd place on their dressage score in the CIC***.  She was the highest placed of the Canadians, who had a super weekend overall– Hawley Bennett-Awad finished 6th with Gin N Juice, Jessica Phoenix was 9th on Exponential, and Diana Burnett rounded out the top 10 with Shigatzi.   Check out Rebecca’s website, and The Fork’s website for much more. Thanks for writing this Rebecca and thank you for reading.  Go Canada!

Rebecca and Riddle Master, photo by Samantha

The week after…

 

Well another Fork Horse Trials = done!  And I think it all went quite well.

I could not be happier with Rupert, he was great all weekend. Our dressage focus paid out this week with our best score in a FEI test.  We Canucks have been working with Canadian Team Dressage Rider Jacquie Brooks and been delighted with her approach.  This spring in Florida Jacquie was up from Wellington every couple of weeks for some tag team coaching with DOC and In February I went and spent a few additional days in Wellington’s Dressage Land.  The Fork HT was the first opportunity for Jacquie to coach us at competition.  I had two great lessons Wednesday and Thursday followed by a Jacquie pre-competition warm up.   It is always an experiment having someone else on the side lines during a final warm up.  I usually have a plan of what I need/want to do, and David doesn’t tend to say too much unless it is seriously going sideways.  Actually David shifts to more of a sign language, or “miming” the message he wants to get across… which works quite well for Rup and I…from the corner of our eyes.  Although Jacquie is likely not familiar with “DOC code” or sign language – she has an extremely effective way about her.  She did not try and dictate the ride, but certainly added some very constructive guidance.   I think what is so good about her help is that she recognizes and respects what we already know as riders and she understands what other jobs our horses have do on Saturday and Sunday.  So her way of teaching keeps the horses happy, moving better and building on the existing technical knowledge of the rider.

Cross country was just pure fun and he really did not put a foot wrong.  Rupert feels much stronger in his body this year, giving me a softer feel jumping.  Sunday he came out fresh and feeling good show jumping – to finish on his dressage score.

I am regularly asked what it is like competing at my home stable… difficult or home advantage? I think the answer is different for each horse but I am yet to find the home advantage, as our normally quiet home is completely different than the other 51 weeks of the year.   Rupert has competed at the Fork Trials every year for the last 4 years and he feels basically the same in the arena and on course as he does competing elsewhere.    The biggest difficulty was moving up to the competition stabling from his regular bedroom. That hack to and from the arenas???… was nothing short of “creative” (aka: terrorizing) until he understood the new routine.

As a rider however, it takes conscious effort to switch from organizer to competitor.  It is a shift from making sure the arenas are set, the xc course is flagged and numbered correctly … to actually riding in those arenas and looking at those jumps in terms of how to ride them as opposed to placing flags on them!

I have to say we felt better prepared this year with our Horse Trial duties, purely due to the great crew we had on deck this year.  Dana Cooke simply does not stop; the working students Jessica Meckes & Katie Shiplett – plus side kick Kaylin Medlin (the busiest 14 year old I know!) don’t stop until Dana stops (see earlier statement).  We had Sinead’s super crew as work party, Dana’s mom – Marcia – on the grandmother’s sewing machine making SJ flags, and My Parents in their usual ultra productive mode… Thank you thank you!

And now you would barley know there were 400 horses, 5000 people and 10,000 dogs here only 3 days ago.  The cleanup crew is as efficient as the put up party. The only thing that seems to be missing is a pink wooden pig…it’s particularly valuable …has a health condition (needs it’s medications) and does not travel well. ……so if anyone knows of its whereabouts….  Pennsylvania or otherwise?!  Last, but not least, I want to give a thanks to my sponsors Arenus, Ecogold, EquineLite Mats, FITS, Five Star Tack, Haygain, Hit Air, Omega Alpha, RevitaVet, and Stack House Saddles.

What Rolex Means To Me

By on Apr 13, 2012 9:15 am -

The first trip to Rolex was a magical experience for many of us: inspiration, awe, and hope.  Then it becomes something like a religious pilgrimage, as eventers and horse lovers alike descend upon Lexington, KY each spring.  Amy Wells was the first reader to send us her impressions of that first Rolex; today, Sally Spickard shares her revelation.  Thank you for writing, Sally, and thank you for reading.  If you have a Rolex story to share, please send it to [email protected]. 

 

What Rolex Means to Me

by Sally Spickard

 

I remember my first Rolex. I was 15 and a sophomore in high school, and two friends from the barn invited me to go with them. I am not sure that I knew what eventing was at the time, but it involved a weekend with no parents and lots of horses so, obviously, I was game! I was hooked from the start. Coming from the hunter/jumper and equitation realm, this was a completely foreign environment for me – apparently there was life outside the hunter ring! This was when the long format was still in effect, and I will never forget the image of Karen O’Connor galloping Prince Panache on steeplechase. I fell in love with Gina Miles’ horse, McKinlaigh, and to this day I promise you I have never seen as beautiful a liver chestnut as that horse, except maybe Arthur. I have a love and respect for every aspect of equine sports, but never have I experienced the sheer goosebumps that accompany watching a cross country course. The partnership that an event rider has with his or her horse is something that is unmatched, and this is something that I wanted to experience.

 

I was not one of those fearless teenagers who thought they were invincible, which is the type of person I always associated with eventing. I dabbled in some local events when I was in high school, but I was never fortunate to have a horse that made me feel confident on cross country. After a few hairy incidents, including but not limited to knocking my throat so hard on my mare’s neck due to her goat leaping a coop that I lost my voice, I found myself questioning if this sport was right for me. But I attended Rolex the next year as well and couldn’t shake the feeling that this was MY sport. I felt an attachment to the sport that I had never felt before, and I knew that I needed to set the bar high and find a way to compete there at some point in my life.

Fast forward several years, and I find myself preparing for what has now become my annual pilgrimage to Kentucky. For me, it’s an educational experience. I call myself a student of the sport because I am. I devour every word on Eventing Nation, I’ve appointed Denny Emerson as my guru even though he may not know it, I pore over videos from various events around the world and study positions and techniques. For me, Rolex, or I guess I should say eventing, is a way of life.

 

Recently, I lost just about everything that meant anything to me, and all due to my own poor decisions and lack of responsibility. A very large part of those losses was my horse. My horse came to me quite randomly and without much pomp and circumstance. Rather, it was an opportunity to ride something while I was between lease rides. He had just recovered from a lengthy bout of strangles, and he was skinny and scrawny and in bad need of a mane pull, so he wasn’t much to look at. My first ride on him was very lackluster, and I couldn’t help but internally curse my trainer (who I’m sure is reading this as we speak) for putting me on a project horse when I wasn’t sure that a project was something I wanted. But I kept at it, grateful for the opportunity this afforded me to learn about training and conditioning a horse almost from scratch. After a few months, his energy and fitness was renewed and his personality began to shine. Before I knew it, I would see him pop his head out of his window when he heard my car and whinny for me. That horse was everything to me, even though I knew that he may not be a Prelim+ horse for me in the future. I took him to his first baby event (which he rocked and won on his dressage score) and had big plans for this show season. However, I fell onto some very difficult financial times and as everything snowballed, I saw everything I loved and had worked for melting away. He is still very well cared for (fat, from what I hear!), which was the only thing I wished for, but he is no longer a horse I can call my own and my heart breaks every time I tell myself that.

 

I approach this year with renewed energy and motivation, though. I read stories of people like Jessica Bortner-Harris, who produced her OTTB from a 4 year old to become her Advanced horse, and find that eventing truly is my sport. Eventing is a sport in which you can create your own destiny. Yes, as with all disciplines, it is beneficial to have sponsors and buckets of money, but the grass roots that are evident even at the highest level are so inspiring (I mean, those carrots I bought to help send Henny to Badminton made me feel so cool!), and the attitude of each and every event rider, famous or not, is something that anyone can learn from.

 

I have very high ambitions for myself, and while I find myself not in a position to achieve them at the moment, I have a plan that includes a big move East to Eventing Mecca. In the meantime, you can find me on the cross country course, studying my idols and fine tuning my plans for the day when I will finally hear “5..4..3..2..1.. have a great ride!” coming out of that fabled start box in Kentucky.

Best of Craigslist

By on Apr 12, 2012 12:57 pm -

And now, it’s time to christen the new server with its first episode of Craigslist crazies.  Frequently a source of entertainment, and sometimes a source of pity, surfing Craigslist is always sure to expand your horizons and lower your expectations for the progress of mankind.

 

 

 

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WTT A POLIMINO MARE 18 MOTHS OLD – $1 (OLIVE HILL)

Date: 2012-03-13, 12:42PM EDT

Would like to trade this horse for a riding mower. She is a very friendly horse but not broke yet. She will make some a good riding horse. If interested call 606-286-****.
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Polomino moths for a riding mower.  I guess the horse wasn’t cutting the grass well enough?

 

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Blue Roam Stud – $400 (greeneville tn)

Date: 2012-03-22, 1:42PM EDT

SkyWalker is a Blue Roam TN walking horse, but he has stifle and will never be able to be riden. Im selling him cuz he can be used for breeding or a pastor buddy…he is a great horse, halter broke and will come to his name..im asking $400 obo willing to trade for a good broke racking horse or quarter. I took him to the vet and he told me all i had to do is ride him and he will get better but thats not the case at all. so if intested n serious calls only!!!!!!!!! 423 329**** call or txt

  • Location: greeneville tn
  • it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
image 1

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Now this is one I just feel sorry for..poor horse.  Unsafe, loose, barbed-wire fence, and an owner who seems well-meaning but a bit lacking in equine knowledge.  Sadly, a common trend on the CL.

 

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“Speak Animal” language series cds – $10 (Grandview)

Date: 2012-02-27, 9:17AM EST

I’m looking to sell or trade the following “Speak Animal” language cds (with booklets):
Speak cat – beginner
Speak dog – beginner, intermediate vol. 1 & 2
Speak oxen – intermediate
Speak parakeet – advanced

Each cd is 10$ or I will trade for other volumes. I’m especially interested in any of the
reptile series or Speak horse (intermediate) or Speak bear (beginner only).

 

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“Fluent in Parakeet and Oxen.”  Now that would look good on a resume… might even get you a job at EN!

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Breyer Horse Collection – $1 (Christiansburg)

Date: 2012-02-27, 9:12PM EST

Contact me for prices, or make me an offer. I need them gone, so all reasonable offers considered. Email me or call/text 540-312-5967. I have pictures of every model. I will also trade so let me know what you have.. Lookin mostly for horse tack, motorcycle tires, handlebars, saddlebags, guns, archery stuff.. But let me know what you have cause all I can say is no. 🙂

All are Traditional sized models:

1. Running Appaloosa Foal
2. Midnight Tango- Minature Black and White Paint
3. Boone’s Little Buckeroo- Minature Buckskin
4. LTD’s Red Cloud and Magic Man’s Grand Slam- Set of two, black and white paint and sorrel and white paint minatures
5. Twin Palomino Foals Amber and Ashley- set of two, palomino, one standing, one laying down
6. Black Tie Affair set- set of three, all three black appaloosas, stallion, mare, and foal
7. American Saddlebred- black and white stallion
8. Family Saddlebred trio- set of three, grey stallion and mare, black foal
9. Chubasco and Charavette- set of two, chestnut and white stallion and foal with ribbon
10. Ruffian- dark brown running mare, with stand
11. Misty and Stormy- set of two, paint mare with foal
12. Chestnut Appaloosa- western pleasure stallion
13. Indian Pony- Buckskin appaloosa mare, rare edition
15. AA Omner- grey Arabian, does not stand because front hoof is slightly crooked, if a piece of cloth was glued under it he would stand
16. Party Shoes- palomino pony, white spots on rump
17. Sunday Silence- black thoroughbred stallion with blanket
18. Commander Riker- chestnut gelding
19. Afleet Alex- Bay thoroughbred
20. Blue Suede Shoes- Blue roan stallion, rearing
21. Madison Avenue- buckskin mare
22. Silky Keno- black and white paint
23. Lavrador- Buckskin Stallion
24. Majestad- Grey Stallion
25. Bluebell- Clydesdale foal
26. Buckskin American Pinto
28. Family of Deer
29. Summer Doe
30. Western Parade Saddle

 

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Who knew you could trade Breyer horses for “guns and archery stuff?”  Let’s see that deal on PawnStars…!

 

*****************************

 

Nice Appy Mare – $8 (Florence, Al)

Date: 2012-03-15, 11:09PM EDT
Reply to: see below [Errors when replying to ads?]

I have a great Appy mare she is between 14.3-15hhs and 9/10 years old. She was bought for my grandson who was going to make a heeler out of her and he ended up working two jobs and a girlfriend. This horse has a lot of energy and IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS. We bought her with understanding that she had been to trainer for two months (what everybody says) but grandson was working on reining and finishing her out. I’m asking $800. for her that is what I paid , however, I need a horse grade or registered no older than 15 that anyone can ride kids or beginners. Horse must have good feet, in good health and not a complete dead head. I would trade if I like it. call 256-349-2696 two pictures below make her look like a buckskin and I have no idea why her head shot looking thru gate is color of her body will take new pictures this weekend.

PLEASE READ POSTING CAREFULLLY. I WILL NOT TRADE FOR ANOTHER HORSE THAT IS READY TO DIE, NOT HEALTHY, BAD FEET OR ETC. I KNOW WHAT I HAVE NOW AND THE HORSES I’VE BEEN ASKED TO TRADE FOR DON’T REACH MY EXPECTATIONS.
I ALSO WILL NOT SELL THIS MARE TO ANYONE THAT IS A BEGINNER OR CHILD AS THEY COULD BE HURT. MARE IS FAST AND NEEDS CONTROL.
THIS IS LAST TIME I WILL OFFER THIS MARE AT THIS PRICE AS SPRING IS COMING AND WITH IT BEGINS THE TRAILS AND EVENTS SO I WILL BE GETTING HER READY. THANK YOU

image 3
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I personally have never sold anything on Craigslist.  But I suppose the disclaimer “I will not trade for anything ready to die…” is a justified and necessary statement.  Looks like a cute Appy and an honest seller who at least cares about the safety of beginners and children.  Kudos to you, Appy Grandfather.

Reminder: Contest Deadlines!

By on Apr 11, 2012 3:39 pm -

 

Today is Wednesday, April 11th.  Which means the deadline for the Tack Of The Day Contest is quickly approaching!  Get your horse-related funnies in by midnight Friday, April 13 for a chance to win $250 of TOTD merchandise.  Videos, photos, quotes and stories are welcome!  Send yours to [email protected].

 

 

 

 Also, don’t forget our new monthly series from SmartPak: “Stuff My Trainer Says.”  Jot down your favorite training advice (or whatever you/your trainer happens to be yelling these days), and include photos, video, or diagrams of the exercise if possible.  The best tip will be published each month on EN and win a $150 gift certificate to SmartPak.  We’ve had some great advice so far!  Deadline for submissions is the last Wednesday of each month (that would be Rolex Jog Day, or April 25 for this month).  Email to [email protected] with “SmartPak” in the title.

 

 

 

Meg’s Recap From The Fork

By on Apr 11, 2012 11:08 am -

Last week, Meg was busy with preparations for The Fork. Now that the event is over, Meg and crew have finally made it home to New Jersey.  It’s been a busy spring season for the SHE team, and we’re grateful Meg has let us in on all the fun.  As always, thanks to Meg for writing and thank you for reading.

 


From Meg:

 

I am reporting LIVE from my bed for the first time since the 2nd of January. I figured I would spenda few post-road trip exhausted moments reflecting on the past couple of weeks in Norwood. (or Nasty Norwood as I like to think Dr. Dre would call it).

First off, I am very excited to soon start editing what will be the next and most epic Eyewitness Report of all time. Thank you to everyone who participated willingly, against your will, or without your knowledge.

Life at the Fork during the 14 days leading up to and during the horse trials was pretty much ridiculous…in a good way. But the time spent making new friends and hanging out with old ones left me about 89 hours short on sleep, enabled me to consume about 345 more drinks than I expected or wanted, led to making at least 3 bad decisions and ultimately gave me S.A.R.S.

Competition wise the weekend was amazing. The course was beautiful as usual, and the weather was pretty much unbeatable. Saturday – Advanced XC day – left Dana Cooke and I with that excited and nervous pit in our stomachs. To keep busy we stalked one of the course builders for rides around the course while our horses ran. Having said that, Manoir de Carn-vizzle fo shizzle had one of, if not, the most exciting and successful run to date. It was a good day for a lot of pairs. And what better way to end a successful day of XC then getting into a cardboard trashcan and having a dance party?

On Sunday, Tater went double clear and finished 2nd. Adrienne Iorio’s Outfoxed had a top ten finish in the intermediate, which is an exciting finish for this relatively new partnership. Shortly after, King bounced around the preliminary like a Boss. And around 2pm while people started packing up and leaving the Fork, the Training Fun was just beginning. Most notably, Big Baby Sarah and Convict fought and clawed their way up from 16th to 4th by weekends end. Sunday evening everyone remaining on grounds were socializing all over the farm in various locations eating and toasting and chatting and thanking and planning and laughing.

So recap: Sinead and Sarah had great rides this weekend… and I danced in a trashcan and got SARS.

Monday morning we said our goodbyes. Sarah left first as the lead car. Followed by the SHE Mobile an hour later, and finally after a final swoop, my car (The Slayer) and I left the Fork in search of NJ, and within the first 1000 feet I got distracted, pulled over and stole the hand carved wooden pig sign from the Course Builder’s Cookout.

Enter: Pig.

10-12 hours later and a few extra stops for Pig to see the sights, everyone arrived safely back in NJ.

 

  
 

Life down on the farm (or D.O.T.F. as my friend Dellsie calls it) is slowly beginning to resemble the normalcy we had sometime last fall. We will have one or two quiet days here, and then full force lessons, training and competing starts as we head towards our next outing  – Fair Hill International in a couple weeks.

So this is where Pig and I must leave you.   Until next time….

JER: Pentathlon Nation, NORCECA edition

By on Apr 10, 2012 1:40 pm -

JER is our resident expert in the sport of Pentathlon, and we are happy to share her updates as the London Olympics draw closer.  Last month, we followed Team Canada through a training session and onto the World Cup event in Charlotte, NC.  Today we catch up with the North and Central American and Caribbean Championships in Guatemala.  As always, thanks to JER for writing and thank you for reading.

 

From JER:

Pentathlon Nation, NORCECA edition – Gold for Donna!

 

A few months’ back, I posted a video of my young mare Niina doing a Novice dressage test.  The video was clear, steady and focused; the real-time narration by Mike Plumb was insightful and wise.

 

Today’s video is nothing like that one.

 

What you’re about to watch might be the worst riding video ever in the history of modern pentathlon, and it’s not the riding that’s the problem here.  See for yourselves.  (Careful with those volume controls.)

 

 

This is what I get for sending my video camera to Guatemala for the NORCECA Modern Pentathlon Championships.  (NORCECA stands for North and Central America and Caribbean.)  My good friend Bob was assigned to coach the Canadian team that weekend, and he assured me he could take some EN-worthy videos while guiding the Canadians to pentathlon glory.

 

And one of those things actually happened.  Canadian girl Donna Vakalis took gold in a competition decided only in the last seconds of the final run/shoot combined phase.  After a perfect 1200-point ride, Donna started first in the combined, just four seconds ahead of  the USA’s Suzanne Stettinius.  Donna outran Suzanne but Suzanne outshot Donna.  The two girls traded places through the first two laps.  Going into the final 1km run, Suzanne held a sizable lead.

But Donna got to the finish line first.

 

Donna on the podium with Suzanne Stettinius (USA) and Marines Garza (GUA).

Runner-up Suzanne Stettinius with a young volunteer.

 

 

The NORCECA victory gives Donna a healthy number of points towards her goal of qualifying for London, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for her in the final two World Cup competitions.

 

PS.  Perhaps that’s not the worst modern pentathlon video ever.  I’m not really sure what this is, or how it relates to modern pentathlon, or why these girls aren’t wearing pants.

 

Congratulations to Success Equestrian Contest Winners

By on Apr 9, 2012 3:01 pm -

Success Equestrian Contest overall winner, D. Lee

The voting has ended and the results are in.  Congratulations to D. Lee and Lauren R. for winning the Success Equestrian contest, with 33% and 25% of the votes, respectively.  Thanks to all who participated, and of course thanks to our sponsor Success Equestrian for the lovely saddle pad prizes.  Please check out SuccessEquestrian.com for their high performance saddle pads in jumping and dressage styles.

 

 

Success Equestrian Contest runner-up, Lauren R.

 
 
 

Reminder: the Tack of the Day Contest ends this Friday! Enter to win a $250 gift certificate for TOTD products!

Olivia and Subway in England

By on Apr 9, 2012 10:42 am -

California’s Olivia Loiacono and her super jumping Subway (eat fresh!) stormed onto the 4* scene with a 15th place finish at Rolex last year that would only surprise those who do not know Liv and Subway.  Olivia has been hired to work for William Fox Pitt this year–the same riding position that helped propel Sinead Halpin to the top of the upper echelon of US eventing.  Today Liv checks in with us from William’s yard; click here to read her first blog entry and introduction.  Thanks for writing this Liv and thank you for reading.

 

 

 

From Olivia:
Well it has been only a few weeks since I have moved to England and the main thing I would have to say about this sport for me at this moment is that the learning curve is absolutely continuous, and I mean this in the most broad meaning possible. As far as the riding goes, even the top professionals in the sport continue to take advice and lessons.  The pros look up to the old pros, the young riders to the current pros, the juniors to the young riders and so it continues.

 

I was fortunate enough to watch Yogi Breisner (Team Manager and Coach to Team GBR) teach William on several of his top horse last week. Mary King also came along with a lorry load which meant I had the opportunity to watch the World’s No 1 and 2 working some of their best horses together – something I feel very privileged to have witnessed.I was intrigued to see the depth that goes in to teaching even the top riders in the sport. They are all after perfection and willing to receive criticism in order to reach it. The depth of knowledge that Yogi has is outstanding, always bringing new ideas with no session being the same as the one before. Even though I am new to Fox-Pitt Eventing I am made to feel very much part of the team and Yogi quickly includes me in the the lessons to be a part of the learning.

 

One substantial difference I have noticed is the support that goes into developing the next generation of riders in the sport in the UK. The Lottery funded World Class schemes at every level within British Eventing means that any rider who is determined and looking to be a part of a team receives adequate coaching, mentoring, and support. Not only are the British coaches wanting to help their team but they are looking to develop the quality of their riders across the sport. This support network became apparent to me at Somerley a few weeks ago, I had run Subs in the OI and felt happy enough about how he had gone.  I was then shocked to receive some very valuable feedback from Yogi about how I had ridden across country.  I was shocked that he had bothered to watch me, let alone take the time to tell me his thoughts and advice. Being a ‘foreigner’ and having only met him the once, I can only imagine the support the British riders receive based on this simple moment.

 

Now in terms of life, the sport teaches patience, persistence, dedication, and most recently for me, flexibility. I had plans of competing at Badminton this spring, which all falls in place quite well for coming over to work for the season. Unfortunately life has its way of throwing curve balls and sadly I have been wait listed for the event. I have continued preparation for Badminton in terms of fitness and horse trials but am also prepared for the disappointment of not being able to compete there. I have come up with a few alternative plans, including Bramham under 25’s continuing on to Burghley in the fall, or possibly Luhmuhlen in June. That is the one of the huge benefits of being in England , there are several options to reach competitive four stars, even if it’s not the one I originally had planned.

 

As a whole, I am really enjoying my time here at Williams’s yard, the horses are all of top quality and the people are extremely kind and knowledgeable. I feel privileged to have this amazing work opportunity this year, it is already exceeding my expectations in terms of learning. William is extremely helpful, giving constructive criticism when I’mon his horses as well as my own. I am eager to soak up every ounce of knowledge and technique to be able to grow as an elite competitor in the sport.

 

Subs has settled in well and seems to be loving life in England also. So far I have run him at two events, both just local Intermediates. Our first outing was quite exciting in the dressage which is what I expected since he hadn’t competed since Galway Downs three star last November. Sub was his usual self in the jumping phases although he thought I was being quite tedious as I made him gallop slowly around the track. I am entered to compete at Weston Park horse trials next weekend where we will run the Advanced. After that I will be crossing my fingers and knocking on wood hoping to move up the waitlist for Badminton, I will keep you all posted and look forward to the next time sharing with you from the UK.

 

-Liv and Subs

 

Thursday dressage recap from The Fork

By on Apr 6, 2012 9:15 am -

This report brought to you by the always-amazing Samantha Clark.  Follow Samantha on Twitter (@Samathalclark) for frequent live updates as the competition continues.  [Live Scores]

 

 

Marilyn Little-Meredith slotted into third place right behind Karen on RF Demeter, “Demeter was fantastic today, I’m still in a phase where I’m getting to know her, she’s a new ride since December, but I’m just finding the buttons, learning not to push too many at the same time, let the horse do the work, she was great, I was really pleased.”

 

 


Karen O’Connor sitting in second place on Veronica, “I was really, really happy with my trot work, she’s been coming on very strong for the last six months and I’m really excited about her, her movement’s stepped up to another level, her trot work I was really thrilled with. I felt like I lost connection with her in the canter and she got quite crooked so I left a lot on the table in the second half of the test and I’m excited about that, to improve that for Rolex, but I was delighted with her and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

 

 

Emily Beshear did an accurate, positive test on Here’s To You for 47.1 and lies in 5th place in the CIC***

 

I only caught glimpses of Indie and Jennie Brannigan, lying second in an intermediate division to Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM, but they both looked super.

 


Jolie Wentworth is here representing The Fork for the West Coast, and is in good company. Good Knight made some errors, but also had some nice moments, his changes were perhaps a bit ‘expressive’.

 

Brittany Kart on Llewellyn.

 

Kelli Temple on Veelion, lying fourth in the CIC**.

 

There were a few stunning tests today, the majority from riders we expected them from – Allison, Karen, Michael Pollard, Becky, but there were a lot of tests that were on the verge of being stunning, and lots of lovely, very fit horses with riders tweaking their programmes and tests in preparation for the big run in a few weeks time. I talked to Colleen at the course builder’s pig roast – roaring success by the way, more props to Travers, what can’t this man do?! – and she shrugged, and told me Friday she’ll plait Shiraz, put on her tails, and ride her test again, and again, and again, as many times as it takes, for coach Linda Zang. Colleen wished she’d had an extra 20 minutes in the warm-up, she said he’d gone so well the morning of the test and the day before, but such is life.

 

Clark Montgomery did a forward, flowing test on the gorgeous Loughan Glen, but ever the perfectionist tweeted after,

 

Equally, Leslie Law’s lovely young horse Zenith ISF who hasn’t put a foot wrong yet showed some lovely trot work before losing concentration in the canter and it took all of Leslie’s considerable skill to coax the test he did out of him.

As always, though, it is a three day event, even though it isn’t, and cross country day will be influential. Thursday night brought rain and thunderstorms which will do nothing but improve the going even more. A full day of dressage again on Friday, and lots more ridiculousness still to come, thanks for being a part of Eventing nation, and go Eventing!

The Fork CIC** Quick Dressage Update

By on Apr 5, 2012 12:37 pm -

From Samantha Clark:

 


Mandiba made a sensational return to the international stage on the first day of The Fork Horse Trials taking a significant lead in the dressage phase of the CIC** with a score of 43.3. First to go, he looked calm, very obedient and accurate, and soft and supple. Some 8 points adrift in second place is stable mate RF Amber Eyes who spoilt an otherwise lovely test with moments of tension. Marilyn Little-Meredith on her Red Hills CIC** winner RF Smoke on the Water lies in third place with 53 and change.  Karen and Marilyn discussed her test afterwards.

More pictures and reports to come. Live Scores available here. Go Eventing!

Follow Samantha on Twitter (@samathalclark) for up-to-the-minute news and pics.

IDCTA Leslie Law Clinic

By on Apr 5, 2012 8:49 am -

EN would like to thank Julie Poveromo for sending us this great clinic report from Area IV with Leslie Law. Julie and her friend Nora Endzel have contributed to EN before, with an article from the ICP Symposium in Ocala.   Thanks, Julie, for writing and thank you for reading.

 

From Julie:

I was lucky enough to ride in the annual Illinois Dressage & Combined Training Association Leslie Law Clinic at TopLine Equestrian Center this past weekend.  This clinic fills quickly every year, so I only got to audit last year but I made sure to get my entry in early this year!  My horse is No Trouble, a 7 year old OTTB who I’ve had for about a year, and we were in the Novice group.  I also stuck around to help set fences for the other groups and audit – once again I was very impressed with Leslie.

 

He started out watching each group warm up on the flat and made adjustments to rider position as needed – overall about a 15 minute warm up consisting of trot & canter with 10 meter circles and half circles thrown in to help supple the horses from the inside leg.  On the first day, he took the time to go over the training scale with each group andexplained how it relates to the way we should be training our horses.  The exercises that were set up for Saturday were relatively simple, yet difficult to ride well!  Here is a short video of one of the exercises:

 

 Videos by Nora Endzel and Jenna Sack

 

On Sunday, we worked on Cross Country related exercises.  We cantered through a bounce on the short side of the arena, which caught a few horses off guard initially.  Next there was a corner set up on centerline, then a coffin-like exercise with 2 one strides and a Liverpool as the middle element.  Several horses were not a fan of the Liverpool, and Leslie helped each one work through their particular issue with it, breaking down the exercise so the horses could understand it better.  Finally, we jumped an oxer on a five stride line to a very narrow skinny.  Leslie stressed that even though we won’t see exercises like these on lower level courses, it is never too early to start introducing them to our horses.

 

Videos by Nora Endzel and Jenna Sack

 

Leslie rode several of the horses to help their riders understand how to make small changes that made the horses go better.  He explained that many riders sit at the canter to encourage their horses forward, but this actually sets them off a bit and makes them more “buzzy”.  He encouraged a position with the seat out of the saddle, yet shoulders only slightly in front of the vertical, and never in front of the knee.  He talked about making the horse settle to your position and rein, instead of letting the horse dictate the position.  On a green Warmblood that was having trouble with staying on the contact, Leslie stressed following the horse’s mouth with the height of his hands, whether his head was up or down, not taking the pressure off until the horse relaxed and gave.  Another horse he rode was quite forward for the rider, so Leslie stayed very quietly off the horse’s back and let the horse settle into a rhythm at the canter.  The horse found the perfect distance to the jump every time when the canter was more rhythmic and relaxed, to the point where Leslie was talking to and looking at the rider without looking at the fence as the horse jumped!

 

Some of the other points I took away from various groups during the weekend:

 

-don’t change the canter in the turn and again a few strides out from the fence, “set the canter” & rhythm and make one small adjustment to the length of stride if needed.

 

-the horse does what you tell it, make corrections if needed to show them what you want (asking them to land on correct lead after a fence, make it a habit so you don’t have to think about it, especially at shows when the pressure is on).

 

-stay in the center of balance, the only time you should be behind the horse driving is at a show if the horse is backing off from a jump.  If you have to drive the horse forward at home, it’s not responsive enough to your leg.

 

-the horse’s center of balance is more towards the withers than people think.  Sitting too far back hurts the horses’ backs and makes them hollow and run.  Sit more forward towards the pommel or out of the saddle to help the balance.  He used the example of Show Jumpers moving the saddle forwards a bit before their round to help the horse.

 

-for tighter turns, use a neck rein feeling to help the horse turn and block from falling out, don’t pull back in the turn.  Keep the impulsion from the inside leg in the turn so the horse turns and keeps going forward.  i.e. reining horses using neck reining and how they are able to spin from rein pressure.

 

-use the wall of the arena to stop if you need it, this will teach the horse that you are serious about stopping!

 

-press your knuckles into the neck when galloping, don’t stay against the horse with your hands and lock arms down.

 

-using a bridge is helpful on horses that tend to pull, cross your thumbs over top of the bridge for more support.

 

A group from the clinic enjoyed going to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner on Saturday night, and we all had questions for Leslie.  When asked how he met his wife, Lesley, he responded that they met a Rolex, and he had just won the Individual Gold Medal at the Athens Olympics, so it made things much easier for him!  It was a wonderful experience and I’d highly recommend riding with Leslie to anyone!

 

Mary King gives up the ride on Chilli Morning

By on Apr 4, 2012 9:12 am -


Nick Gauntlett with Chilli Morning at Burghley
 

Mary King had just taken over Chilli Morning to start this season.  The chestnut stallion was previously campaigned by Nick Gauntlett, but was moved to Mary’s yard by owner Chris Stone. This past weekend, Chilli Morning competed at Belton with Mary; after leading the dressage, the pair was eliminated on cross-country for three refusals.

Mary told Horse & Hound: “He’s a top-class horse, but he’s not the right horse for me. I’m not strong enough to ride him without a stronger bit, but he’s used to a soft bit and a strong man and he doesn’t like a stronger bit. That’s what went wrong at Belton.

“From the horse’s point of view, he needs someone else on him because he is a really good horse. It’s the first time I’ve given up the ride on a top-class horse, but I can’t do him justice.”

Read the full Horse & Hound article here.

Kudos to Mary King for doing right by the horse and putting her own ego aside. That’s what good horsemanship is all about!  Chilli Morning has been offered to William Fox-Pitt to ride, as reported from WFP’s site.

Meg Kep: checking in from The Fork

By on Apr 3, 2012 10:44 am -

It seems like only yesterday Meg was sitting on the side of the road in Ocala. Since then, the Tate Team has landed safely at The Fork in North Carolina. Preparations are underway for the big event. Thanks for writing, Meg, and thanks for reading.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 8 – The tough life at the Fork continues. . . .

Hola EN. I am glad you all survived the server meltdown and April Fool’s Day. Thought I should update you on what has been happening in fast town of Norwood, NC.

Last you heard from me, we were parkouring at Southern Pines.  Since then our days have been filled with rolling grass, manicured dressage rings, good wine, and a whole lot of Canadians.  The Fork is definitely a unique place, and beautiful in every way. Most people don’t realize how much hard work goes into producing a top event, (not to mention managing a facility of this caliber day in and day out) but the staff at the Fork is way ahead of that game. I (seriously) joke with Sinead’s mom about if I were an employee at the Fork, I would be fired by my first week’s end. Every time I get a phone call from Dana Cooke or Rebecca Howard I answer, “What did I forget to do?”.  These ladies (and gents) have true dedication to turnout from horse to barn to kitchen to parking lot to rings, and while their jobs are tough, they work together like a well-oiled machine from top to bottom.

Somewhere along my studies I realized I would never be that disciplined, but I definitely strive towards their example of excellence in barn management. If there is one barn in the country I would entrust Taterball with, it would be the Fork.  So my hat goes off to you Fork… but I promise it won’t be left on the floor.

Now while at the Fork for these extra days, no pair of idle hands goes unnoticed. Everyone pitches in cleaning dressage rings, flagging and decorating, scrubbing, folding, power washing, etc. There is even a client currently putting up Easter décor and a working student on a large ladder polishing the stalls. Sinead is out to town getting jumps for flowers, Rebecca’s parents are running every last errand known to man, and Dana’s mom is feeding us all. Its like one giant family reunion. Family reunions aren’t QUITE vacations, but they most certainly are memorable. I think I am the creepy cousin that probably shouldn’t have had that third glass of wine.

As far as the SHE ponies, they are all VERY excited to get some top notch turnout. Taterball gets a babysitter (me) every day for three hours, and while he has remained face-to-grass for every last minute of that time, I am increasingly paranoid the second I walk away he will hurl at Mach10 through the fence screaming “SERENITY NOW!” I have yet been able to walk further than 20 feet away. I am pretty sure everyone is judging me.

People and horses are slowly trickling in from all walks of life, and every day the driveway more closely resembles the Golf Cart and Gator Autobahn. Tomorrow begins the US training sessions with a fairly light day, but Wednesday will be chalk full of lessons morning to evening. I believe by Wednesday I will have gone completely dark, and will be swallowed whole by the 2012 Fork International Horse Trials to be spit out again somewhere in NJ on Monday. I hope you all get to see this amazing place at some point on your journeys.

For all of you that are going to be here this weekend…. Don’t forget to come to the 2nd Annual Course Builders cookout on Thursday at the Henson House. BYOC (chair).

Success Equestrian Contest: Top 5

By on Apr 2, 2012 3:47 pm -

Success Equestrian sponsored this contest, in which two lucky winners will receive a Success Equestrian saddle pad.  The theme of this contest was “How do you spell SUCCESS?”  Once again, EN readers prove their creativity and cleverness.   Here are the top 5 photos:

 

1.  D Lee

 

 

2.  Lauren R.

 

 

3.  Gail S.

 

 4.  Jeanna E.

 

5.  Bailey S.

 

Please CHOOSE TWO (2) photos in the poll below to determine the saddle pad winners!  Voting ends Wednesday.  Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to Success Equestrian for sponsoring the contest!

 


 

Working Student Diary: Home Sweet Home

By on Apr 2, 2012 11:14 am -

In the last edition of our Working Student Series, Kaylin returns home from Florida.  As always, thank you for writing this Kaylin and thank you for reading.  Previous entries: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

 

The greatest view in the world: Home!

 

Home Sweet Home

By: Kaylin Medlin

Sorry its been awhile since my last blog. I would like to say it was because I was being stalked by people who read my blogs, but sadly, it was because I had a concussion.

I had a pretty interesting last day in Florida. We went to Longwood Farm for a schooling show. Dressage wasn’t too shabby, we got a 34. When it came time to do stadium I made the stupid mistake of not staying forward as I sat through the turn to jump number one. We came up to the fence, he stopped and off I went. Instead of jumping the fence together, I “jumped” it first and he followed. Apparently I flipped in mid-air so I landed on my back and hit my head pretty hard (wearing my brand new Charles Owen JR8 no less!). I actually knocked myself out and gave myself a concussion. Guess this is a great reason I didn’t stick with vaulting – I’m sort of clumsy and accident prone.

I didn’t know that I had gotten knocked out at the time, so after the EMT cleared me, I got back on and the very nice people at Longwood allowed me to go back and try again. Harley of course totally hated the moose and all of the “monsters” on course, but we made it through the course – with lots of coaxing from me.

The day after I arrived home, I went to see my doctor who fussed at me for getting back on and “returning to play” after getting knocked out. I explained to her that I really didn’t know and that I had not experienced any typical symptoms. My only symptoms were a brief headache when I first laid down at night and some motion sickness from riding in the car. But hey, Florida is a 9 hour drive. Who isn’t going to suffer from some motion sickness?

I was sent home with strict orders to do nothing. No TV, no school work, no computer or cell phone. UGH! Talk about B-O-R-I-N-G. The worst was, I couldn’t ride Harley and I was strongly encouraged not to even go to the barn just in case Harley (or another horse) decided to play and head butt me.

Long story short, I ended up seeing a concussion expert the following Monday. He gave me a series of tests which I failed miserably. I was once again sent home on strict, do-nothing-or-else orders. I missed my horse terribly and I was literally bored to tears. When I returned to the concussion expert at the end of the week, he gave me the same series of tests which I passed with flying colors. He said I definitely had an acute concussion, but that I was now recovered enough to return to play. Those were the magic words I had been waiting to hear for a week so I begged my mom to take me to the barn straight from the doctor’s office.

I’m glad to be home and to finally be riding again. My next competition is this weekend at Southern Pines 2 followed by The Fork in April. One more qualification and I will be able to compete in my T3D event at Southern 8ths in May.

Thanks Eventing Nation for reading about my adventures this winter. I hope John will allow me to write again for EN (it’s way more fun than writing regular English papers for school!).