I must say, I am pretty stoked about last year and looking even more forward to this year. My resolution last year was to get more involved with the events around here and get out and about. I did just that! We had an outing every month during the season and made some eventing friends in the area. We even went to the beach with the gang for a camping trip!
This season's goal is building on last year's and to go to at least one recognized event. My lofty reach for the stars goal is to qualify for the AEC's. How cool would it be to take a Belgian to the Championships!? I think a strong recognized event performance or two is certainly within our range. Warren is so dang steady in Dressage and he has been developing some serious top line and shoulder strength since I have been lunging him in side reins. He can carry himself in a whole different fashion now under saddle. He is most certainly capable, as
long as I leave him alone and let him do his job. I still tend to want to micro manage the fella. So my event season has started sooner this year, with more jumping and dressage clinics. I have a stronger horse and a more confident mindset, we have the opportunity to go far this year.
In preparation for the season and all the hard work we will be doing in the months to come, Warren got a sporty hair cut... As a friend said, "I unzipped his coat" .
We, meaning the entire family (dogs, horse, Russ and all), loaded up and hauled down to Springfield, Oregon for a 2 day jumping clinic with Karen O'Neal this past weekend. We had a wonderful time!! The clinic was held at a a beautiful facility on the Willamette River. A nice new barn and a fancy covered arena with luscious sand footing. The original plan was that we'd camp out in the trailer Saturday night, while Warren enjoyed a comfy stall at the barn. However, even thought the weather for January was uniquely sunny for this time of year, the temperatures were still the usual cold bitterness at night. 
Russ and I opted for a dog friendly hotel instead. It was a much more comfortable decision for all. The organizer was kind enough to accommodate us for a Saturday afternoon lesson so we did not have to leave ridiculously early on Saturday to make the 3 hour haul and a morning ride. It worked out very well. Warren and I rode in a group of 4 in the afternoon. We practiced riding forward to fences and establishing rhythm and balance. Sunday's lesson was to focus on some cross country riding out in the field. The day started cold but clear in Eugene, where we were staying, but in Springfield, along the river, the fog was dense. We 
knew just above the ground hugging clouds there was beautiful blue sky. The fog dissipated just in time to to give us that clear sky for our mid morning lesson. While we warmed up, we talked about cruising position and sending our horses forward out into a gallop and then using our body to balance them back and set up for a jump. We practiced this a little bit in the arena first then went out 
to the cross country field to fine tune our techniques. My new jumping saddle made the riding so much easier! I have been jumping in a very comfortable and secure all purpose saddle but I found a deal on a new close contact Wintec. Between the new saddle and the shorter stirrup length, I can get out of the saddle better to allow Warren to get forward. I was surprised how responsive the big fella was when I asked him to go and come back, it is amazing what balance will do for a horse, huh!? We had a great time and learned a bunch from our outing. Russ was a star too, not only did he drive the rig down and back, he took pictures, took care of the doggies and helped me do those odds and ends for Warren too (haul water buckets, move hay, etc). What a man!! He also found some time to keep himself entertained driving his new RC rock crawler over some random rock piles around the farm. Again, it was a positive outing and another great way to get our event season started!! 
