Warren's Corner

Jump for Joy!

2009-03-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Jump for Joy is an annual jumper show put on by the Fox Hills Pony Club. It happens at the Clark County fair grounds, just on the other side of town from the barn. I decided Warren and I could use some jumping for time experience (plus the show is so darn fun, anyway) so we entered in a few classes. I also figured it would be a good outing to get back into the jumping gear.

Of course Warren was happy as can be when he saw the horse trailer parked outside the barn when I went to pick him up in the wee hours of Saturday morning! He loves going for rides! The show kicked off with the lower fence heights and the young riders. There are some tiny little girls (and ponies) that can really FLY around a course, I was quite impressed.

Warren spent most of the morning in the big white box, munching hay and pretty content. Though he did ask me every time I went out to check on him if it was time to come out yet. He really wanted to be seen. (It became very apparent later, too!)

So it was finally time to get out and warm up. One of my friends from the barn I used to board at was there with her big red warmblood mare. She and Warren were pasture mates. Warren was the only one in the barn who was allowed to boss her around and she is really the only one he would try to boss around. It was an odd thing to see coming from mister passive -easy going. Anyway, he seemed to recognize her immediately when they touched noses and any time they passed each other in warm-up he would softly rumble to her. Apparently I have a bit of a romancer on my hands...

ANYWAY - back to the jumping. We had a great warm up, Warren was on and totally eating up the crowd and spectators. (We had a few "fans" come to watch the rides and he seemed to really eat up the idea of people coming to the trailer saying hi to us as we were getting ready) Of course I was a little worried as usual about learning my course but I had been staring at it all morning so I was feeling pretty good about it. By the time we got in the arena, the music kicked on and away we went, little tail poked out and ears up looking for the next fence! He was on and ready to work! It always feels like we are going faster than we look. Going by the video, I see we are just loping around for the most part, but then I think, wholly cow, that is a plow horse! Not only is he cantering around, he is jumping, making tight corners and he even looks like he is having fun!! I laugh every time..... coming off the last fence he was still looking for more to jump (look at him coming from the white, on the diagonal, towards the camera (the last fence) he would have made the funky corner and hopped over the closest orange and purple, if I asked him to, he was having blast and ready to jump more! We ended up having the cleanest and fastest time so we got a blue ribbon in that class.

Our second class was just as fun and nice of a ride but it was an open class with all the speedy, fearless ponies and riders. We don't really hold a mark to those pairs! So a green sixth is where we landed. We had a few classes to rest and then our final ride of the day, the 2'6" jumpers. When I took Warren out to warm up again, he just didn't feel like he had the same fire he did earlier. We hopped over a few things to wake up again but they were sloppy and he was just plowing through the oxer. It was kinda bad, we had 2 awesome rides already so I called it a day. I think Warren would have gotten out there and come on again, but I didn't really feel the need to put him through that, we had two fabulous fun rides and there was no reason to push him an harder this early in the season. Back at the barn, Warren wanted to be sure everyone saw the blue ribbon he earned for his performance. That's my big ham!

A moment of AH HAAA!

2009-03-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Old habits are hard to break! I have gotten into this nasty one of "holding" Warren with my legs instead of giving him a release. While I was indeed very inspired after the clinic, I fell back into frustration as I couldn't seem to make all my cues happen all at the right time. . So I had a few lessons with Christy the past few weeks for more guidance and wow, we are back on track now! We got him moving his shoulders over at the canter and then moving around 10 meter circles with a change of direction in the middle. I really figured out how to stretch down on my outside leg to bring him around those little circles! After some work in the circles, I sent him around the arena and got the most beautiful, light, round, effortless, trot I have ever had from Warren. It was amazing and extremely inspirational. We got him to sit back on his hind quarters and I figured out how to leave him alone so he could get in a nice forward frame! It was a major AH-HAA! moment for us and now we know what we are working towards!

Another Dressage Clinic with Jessica

2009-02-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Did I mention how much I learn from just one clinic with Jessica? We had another round of lessons Friday night and Sunday morning at Wintergreen this past weekend. I seem to have gotten back into the habit of pulling on the dang inside rein again. All it does is throw Warren out of balance. Bad me! Jessica had us back on track again and then we worked on keeping quite with my over achieving right leg and staying tall and balanced in the saddle while asking Warren to stay soft in the bridle. I have been asking him to stay compressed but then releasing him to where he gets hollow again. It is a bad constant ask and give habit I have gotten into. I did not realise softening could be so subtle and still have the same reward effect without him falling apart. At any rate, we are now on the right track and I have more fine tuned home work to focus on the next few weeks. Motoring the back end up into the bridle, softening the neck and providing a release without letting him fall apart. phew. We are gonna be busy!

First Jumping Clinic of the season!

2009-01-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

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!!

Preperations for the '09 Season

2009-01-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

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" .

A Snow Situation

2008-12-24T12:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve and there is STILL snow on the ground. In fact, snow has been falling on and off the last 5 days! The Portland/Vancouver area has not had this much snow for this long in 40+ years! Of course I have not gone any where in the mess but Russ has been an absolute sweet heart making sure I get out to see Warren every other day or so. He is in excellent care at the barn where he is boarded. They are having no trouble with the snow and ice, other than having to haul water to the buckets as opposed to having it right at the stalls. Warren is happy as can be standing out in the snow when he has his stall door open. The temperatures have been hovering in the mid to upper 20s so it really hasn't been to bad since the teens we had earlier in the week. It is actually starting to warm up today, we are at 33 and snow is starting to drip off the trees! We've got a long way to go though, there is a good 10" of snow to melt through.

Russ wanted to take warren for a ride in the snow, so I obliged him. Warren got a kick out of plowing through all the white stuff! That boy needs a harness and a sleigh!!!

ARCTIC BLAST...

2008-12-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

... as the media has been calling it; cold air masses and wet air masses collide and give us snowy icy conditions.

The first few days of the week were bitter cold, but dry. I went out the the barn Monday all set to put on Warren's heavy blanket, the one I got for him when I body clipped him back in Georgia. I figured I'd not likely need it again unless I decided to do a full body clip. So it was stowed away in the trailer. With the major temperature drops at night, I decided he might be a little more comfortable in a thicker cover. (I would sure feel better knowing he had a more substantial coat on!) The lock was frozen on the trailer, and after some convincing I got it open. Then the door itself was frozen shut. So more convincing and prying and it almost came to a hairdryer to defrost it, but it finally broke lose. So Warren is now snugly warm in his blanket. Given the option he still stands out side in the cold.

Since he seemed to be so comfortable in the weather, I decided I'd take him for a ride on Tuesday. The footing in the arena was frozen, but it wasn't rock hard, just crunchy, I figured it'd be good to get his blood moving. It was after work, the sun was going down and the temperatures were rapidly dropping to the teens (no moisture yet, just dry cold air) I bundled up in my awesome warm and toasty fridgaware suit and got him tacked up and lunged for a good long while to get him warm and forward. When it was time to get in the saddle, I reluctantly peeled off my suit to my fleece lined riding clothes underneath. I rode for about 20 minuets until I started not being able to feel my fingers and toes. As long as you stay moving, the cold isn't too bad, but when you stop you cool off pretty quick. Warren was very content to be plunking around the arena, but I wanted to keep the feeling in my fingers (it is really hard to untack a horse with numb fingers!) so I called it a night and got back into my warm fridgeaware suit.

I must say, Warren was very light, responsive and quite willing through the entire ride, this really is his kind of weather!

Wednesday brought wet to add to the cold so we had some snow and ice and the southerner in me refused to go anywhere. Thursday was more of the same so Russ took me out to the barn and we were greeted with a happy looking fuzzy Belgian standing in the snow with practically a grin on his face. I lunged him for a little while and again, super forward and very nice carriage for being free lunged. He is developing some different types of muscles enabling him to move and carry himself differently. It is exciting to see his development!

Winter ICK!

2008-12-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am glad I got the turnout sheet. This fall and early winter has been unseasonally dry. However, the winter weather has arrived at last. This week beacme wet and then teperatures dropped and are contuing to drop as I type. The HIGHS for next week are only in the 20's... brr! Yet I am sure I will still find myself out at the barn riding.

So I finnaly therw on Warren's new turnout sheet, this week, which was difficult as I new it would promptly get disgusting. But that is okay, it fits well and truely is as it claims; made for the "big fella."

Huge Imporvements!

2008-12-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks I have started my rides with a lunge line session to get the big guy warmed up am moving well, without my interference. I have been using side reins to encourage him to stretch into contact and move up behind. He has also been improving in his balance and self carriage as he is better able to carry himself around at the canter. We have also been doing lunge line work over ground poles to work on that hind end and back development. It has all been paying off as he is moving quite well under saddle. I have been working very hard at stretching tall and staying light with my hands, seat and legs. All bad habits I have developed from riding a horse I always thought I had to push forward. Not the case anymore!

Another weekend with Jessica

2008-11-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Jessica came for lessons again this weekend; this time I singed up for both days. Let me just say, I have quite a horse! He was just fantastic!! Jessica evaluated what where we were since last month. Warren was much more responsive to half halts, moving off my leg and staying straight. He even moved rounder and more correctly collected at the trot. We continued to worked on my position; getting longer in my leg and thigh by dropping my stirrups and staying light and not clamping with my leg. I also got corrected in my seat, to rock forward more off my pockets and more on the jean seam, so to speak. The analogy of a string on my head pulling me up towerds the celing helped me think about stretching tall. We continued to work on Warren getting straight in his body by using some counter bending exercises as well as the "nose to the wall" exercise and asking him to leg yield down the long side while using the outside rein to keep his shoulders straight and using the inside leg to ask him to step over. We also worked on making the square to get him to use his hid in more in the corners. The canter work is progressing; he is no longer loping around the arena with a lathergic sometimes 3 beat canter, he has a true 3 beat now; it just needs to be developed, but it will come. I feel like I have much more direction now and a more developed plan of how to achive my dressage goals. I am quite encouraged and motivited in my riding. And I had a tired horse at on Sunday afternoon! We have much homework to do before next month when Jessica returns... But as I said; I am much more confident anc clear in my schooling objectives.

Warren needs raingear too!

2008-11-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

The rain is here and given the option of a dry stall with a roof over his head or a wet, rainy, no cover turnout, Warren will chose to stand out in the rain! I pull up to the barn in the afternoons and all the way down the line, I see horses standing nice and dry in their stalls with their heads poking out their doors looking into their paddocks - yeah choosing to stay inside! All except Warren. I see his big ol body hanging out his stall door and his head poking in!

After only a week of sopping wet towels, saddle pads and excessive squeegeeing I have broken down and decided I need to put a sheet on Warren for the winter if he is going to continue to enjoy the great outdoors (he and I are alike - we rather be outside, no matter what the weather!) I have been adamant about not blanketing him as he has a marvelous thick winter coat that keeps out the elements very well. Plus the fact I haven't found a good turnout sheet that fits him well enough to wear for long periods of time. However, the constant wet and his affinity for standing out in it is getting to be a major issue with my riding time and our (washing machine and dryer). I decided if I can find a good lightweight sheet that fits him properly, I would give it a shot. With extensive searching, I have a found a specially -designed- for- draft- horses turnout sheet, it is called a "big fella"; what a great name! I am anxiously waiting for its arrival!
In the mean time, I deal with this....

Jessica Wisdom Clinic the start of soemthing good...

2008-10-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

Jessica has enough students interested to come to Western Washington (and the Vancouver area) to teach lessons on a regular monthly basis. Several of those students are at Wintergreen. I have heard great things about Jessica and her mighty Welsh cob pony so I decided to take a lesson with her. All those great things were made evident in our lesson too. Warren and I have homework, lots of it! I need to ask for more straightness, as he tends to fall to the inside, yet he also has a tendency to throw his shoulder out if I ask too much with my inside rein. So think straightness, and think balance. Also, position is bad, I am glad Jessica nailed me on it. By sitting taller and riding with a longer leg and a lighter seat, I will improve his way of going . That should be motivation right there to correct myself! He also tends to run through his shoulder ins and leg yields so she gave me a nose to the wall exercise to work on keeping his straight while moving over. I would also like to develop better half halts and a more responsive horse by asking with my seat and insisting on a response if one is not given right away. No more casual riding! We are going to get more technical and more correct.

Inavale Fall Jump Clinic and Derby

2008-09-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

Of course I will jump on another opportunity to ride at Inavale!!! The weekend was set up for x-country pacing clinics all day Saturday and a derby on Sunday. The interesting addition to this pacing clinic was to practice the steeplechase phase of the long format 3-day events. That means a race track with fences on it. Well, that would be a new one for Warren and I but I was willing to give it a go. Sounded like fun!

I headed out at ridiculous o'dark thirty Saturday morning, I chose not to haul through Portland, at traffic time or through the unfamiliar countryside in the middle of the night so leaving early was the option. My clinic ride time was at 9, I had a good 3 hour haul to get there and I like to arrive at horse events with plenty of time to unload, learn the surroundings and get settled.... So yeah, to count backwards, that means I left the barn, loaded and ready to go about 4 AM, eegads! No worries, Warren and I arrived with tons of time to spare.

I got Warren out and started to brush him off and realised there was air gushing out of my trailer tire. Drat - I realised I caught the gate post on the way in and put a nice hole in the side wall of one of the tires. Well; the good news is I was already parked and not planning on going anywhere for the weekend so I had lots of time to fix it. I decided I would trow a jack under the trailer and deal with the flat later. I focused on getting Warren tacked up and warm for our clinic. The first part was to learn your horse's pace by going a measured distance on the track with a timer. Warren figured out pretty quickly that I wanted him to stay on the track and gallop. Though I did have to remind him a few times we were not running back to the trailer by pointing his nose back around to the inside of the track instead of around to left. With only one or two reminders, he got the idea. The Kimberwck is a great attention getter for the big guy. Once we got around the first corner of the track, Warren settled into a nice big canter, it was a good pace for him. It turned out to be actually 20 seconds fast for BN. However, I figured once you add in the fences, it would be about right.

After our track sessions and figuring out the speed we would needed to hit optimum time, we headed out to the cross country course to practice riding terrain and fences. We rode water, ditches and hills, again focusing on rhythm, balance and riding to the base of the fences. All the things I need practice on. Warren was an absolute joy over everything I pointed him to. And when I stay up tall, he is able to do his job. He is confident and willing, I need to do a better job helping him get over the top. By the end of the lesson, we were doing great, I felt on and quite prepared for the derby the following day. And was ready to give Warren the afternoon off and remedy the "holy" trailer tire.

Sunday's derby was a two phase deal; a steeplechase and then the jumping derby; similar to the last June derby, x-country with stadium fences intertwined but scored like a stadium round. The steeplechase was the same track we practiced on but with brushy fences set up around them. The brush was set with the idea that the horse would brush through it. The look un nerved both Warren and I. The hedges looked very high; and I got rattled so of course Warren backed off too. I worked really hard at warm up to stay focused and jump them like I would anything else. I did so so and then I was on deck. Deep breath and away we went. Warren kicked off with a fantastic pace, we cruised along beautifully and we approached the ominous first fence Warren felt me waver so he did too and ducked to the right. We can still make up the time, circled back sit tall squeeze, kick, "we are going!" and over we went. And canter on, quickly, we were 1/3 done, another lap to go... this fence looked scary too; again, he read my mind and dove out to the right again. I should have learned my lesson hear. No way to make up time now. Lets just do the best we can. We got over it and then off again to the last fence. The last fence, I finally learned my lesson and stayed tall, it was not pretty though, I did not keep my leg on and he paused and launched. Sure we made it over the last one, but my goal of riding him forward and correctly went by the wayside. I was so concerned about the fence heights, I did not give him the best ride I could have. I jumped ahead of him, through him off balance and he saved my tail. So I know what I need to do for the next phase.

We had a 30 minute period to walk out and cool off before the next phase. Warren was pretty sweaty, it was shaping up to be a hot afternoon. Fortunately, one of my event buddies was standing by with a bucket of water and a sponge to help Warren cool off. After a refreshing rinse, we walked off to the cross country course. My friend met me there to help me school a few fences and then it was time to head out on course. The first 2 fences stadium and were on a loop headed towards home. Again, I am thankful for my bit choice of the weekend, that Kimberwick got his attention and helped me get him back on track with only a minor discussion on which direction we were going. We did end up entering the combination on a funky angel but he got through it clean. Then he got his jumping brain on. We were moving out at a nice rhythm I sat up and worked at keeping him forward and guiding him to the next fence. I remembered to stay tall and keep my leg on but not always at the same time. We had a clean round and made good time but I decided since I am pretty sure we incurred penalty points for our steeplechase I would take the "bonus fence" to complete our cross-country round. It was a scary skinny barrel jump with a crazy zebra cut out on one side. The advantage was the sense that it was pointed towards home. If you attempted it and pull a rail or had a refusal, you received points against you, but if you make the fence, you got 7 points knocked off your final score. Just like golf; smallest score wins. Warren was still in jump mode and feeling great after our final fence, so I didn't even slow him down, after our final table on the course, I sent him on to the bonus fence, and he cleared it without batting an eyelash. To him it was merely one more fence between him and the trailer.

It was a fun, though very long weekend. I spent some time with some fellow eventers and got to play on a beautiful cross country facility. I even came home with a pink ribbon. It was a fun way to wrap up the season, and it helped me realise new new goals and plans for the upcoming year.

Reflecting on the weekend, Warren was terrific as usual, he showed great stamina for the hot day and I was quite pleased to see that all of our conditioning work payed off. However, I am seeing there are still some important riding elements that I forget to implement when I am wrapped up in competition mode. Now that it is the end of the season, I have the opportunity to evaluate the issues this season and will be able to address them over the winter and set new goals for the following season.

After the weekend, I see I need to develop a stronger leg and jumping position. I would also like to maintain a more consistently upright and balanced approach to the fences. I think going to school a local x-country course would be beneficial as well but that will have to wait until next season when the mud dries up again. It feels good getting back into the event world.

Can't do it without them....

2008-09-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

I went to a recognized event today- not to ride just to volunteer as a jump judge. I realized I had never been to a recognized show and for some reason I have always thought of them as unobtainable for the Lisa and Warren team. Ya know after watching today, they aren't too far out of our expeariance level, maybe Warren and I will shoot for one next year; clearly he is ready; it's me that needs step up to the plate and not be so wishy washy!
So back to volunteering; I had a great time!!! It was the Lincoln Creek Event (where we competed at our last schooling HT, so it was familiar venue) and I was (un)lucky(??) enough to be out at the water complex. I had anywhere from 1 to 3 fences to judge, at a time, depending on the level. I learned the technical rules very fast in terms of stops, circles and approaches. I have a even higher level of appreciation for the jump judges, for the time and the patience they commit to our beloved sport!!! I could not believe how many falls there were in the BN level! The course was the same as the schooling HT I attended last month. Same funny elevation changes on a few approaches that threw quite a few off balance over the jumps and ended with spills on the landing. I learned a lot at the event and I will put volunteering on my schedule every season after this. The events can't happen without those precious volunteers!

Beach Trip!

2008-08-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Warren and I met up with some NWHTA members at the coast for a super fun camping trip on the beach! I took along firend of mine from the barn who is teatering on the edge of getting into eventing with her 3 y.o perch/arab mare (I am working really hard at getting her to dive in!) We had a balst playing at the beach! Warren really got a kick out of thundering down the beach at full tilt. Specail had to learn how to get her feet moving the right way to keep up! But she seemed to like it too. Both horses were a little leary of the surf coming up to meet their feet, but once they figured it out it was pretty fun to splash in! Phoenix, my trusty little red dog had no hangups whatsoever about the water; she plunged right in in true Phoenix - wallowing fasion when she needed to cool off. I had a feeling Warren would want a good roll in the soft sand one morning after breakfast, I was't off on my instincts. As soon as I got him in the sand, he was rolling back and forth!! The post roll picture is pretty fuuny, he looks all handsome and dignifiedposeing for the picture until you see his the sand coverd nose! What a ham!
On a schooling note; I had a very AH-HA! moment in Dressage at a Jessica Wisdom clinic the week before the beach. It was two simple things; riding through my seat in the downward transitions and stretching tall and opening my upperboddy, well okay 3- asking for more canter.... Those 3 things we focused on this week and what a diffrence they have hade in our riding!! Warren is way more responsinve to my seat, our canter is already improving and I seem to be able to feel him underneith me better all the way around!! I like Ah-ha moments!
I am going back to Inavale next weekend for a clinic on timing and rating speeds and then a little jumping derby the following day. I have been to so many schooling shows lately and not paid attention to time, I need to start practicing! (A recognized event might be a goal for us next year.. see next post on my inspiration!)

Lincoln Creek Horse Trials, Centraila, WA

2008-08-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

We had another very successful outing at a schooling HT last weekend. This was another 3 phase that was a good 2.5 hours north of us. The climatic history of the event put on by the Chehalis Valley Pony Club is always very hot and humid for the first weekend in August. I was a little concerned for Warren and I. However the weekend blessed with cool over cast temperatures when we headed out Saturday morning and eventually gave way to partly cloudy warm but breezy afternoon. We'll take it!!
The Senior Beginner Novice Dressage rides did not even start till 2. Warren and I had a ride time of 2:30. I got to the site around 10:30 giving us plenty of time to get settled and walk around. I am glad I got there when I did! The cross country course was a LOOOOONG walk and had lots of questions I wanted to look over. There were a total of 15 fences running along a creek and up through a recently cut hay field. Most of the fences were pretty honest and straight forward but there were a few that were put in odd places and many of the horses thought so too. There was scary water (a narrow approach and lots of plants growing in it) and a fun ditch and even a steep up and down hill. Again, I was worried about Warren's stamina, which I should know by now isn't a problem...
So after walking the course I met up with some friends, watched some jumping rounds, watched a little dressage and then got Warren ready. I am working really hard at staying long and tall, he seems more able t o move forward that way. I am also working on getting him to use more hind end through the turns and corners. He's always been a letter weaker on his right side and lately picking up his right lead canter has been more of an issue so I was a little nervous about blowing a lead, but in warm up he popped into it well. So I was able to think about all of these things in warm up and focus on my riding. Which is good because in the past; all I used to do was get worked up and nervous and agonize over remembering the test. So I'm up and we ride into the ring very smartly and have a just a lovely test, he does all I ask him to do, exactly when I ask him, including riding across the diagonal at K when we should have gone down the long side. I made the turn and realized my mistake, durn that's 2 points. We got back on track and finished nicely. The judge was super impressed by him, she told me how lovely of a horse he is, I couldn't agree with her more. (as I was talking to the judge and not paying attention, Warren the goon tries to take a step over the dressage fence and out the arena - I caught it at the last minuet and we made the proper exit - but his antics are on video- eek!)
Stadium was next, and they were way behind. We were to ride our stadium between 3:30 and 5:00. (My x-country time wasn't till 6:38 - yeah did I mention it was a LOOONG day!?) So I get over to warm-up about 4:45, after finding out they were running late and also getting my dressage score of 34 and putting us in 6th place. At this point folks had already gotten on the list to jump so I was 27 away. That's a long time to hang out! So I try to keep track of how many have gone and keep Warren awake and next thing I know I am 10 away and I figure I need to work on getting his attention and focus a little bit more so I canter him around and hop a few fences but, he's not really getting serious and coming together, but in the back of my mind, I don't want to get him too tired either cause we still have a long x-country course to run. Anyway, we stood around a little bit more, thinking I'd turn him up a little bit right before we go in but suddenly we are in the hole. We make one more lazy fence and then it is time to get in the ring. Well at least there was a crowd of spectators and horses hanging around the fence. Warren likes a crowd. Once he got over the first fence his jumping brain clicked on and he was the jumping horse that always surprises me. There were some funky turns and a even a triple line, but he took them all very cleanly. He did run out of juice down the line but that was my fault I didn't send him into it with enough forwardness to get through the other end. It wasn't pretty but it was clean. He's always been so clever with his feet! So after a clean round of stadium we bump up to 4th place and then hang out some more till x-country. I didn't do much warm- up at that point he got his jumping brain on pretty quick and pretty soon we were in the start box and then off on the go. Warren never likes going away from the herd. It was zig-zaggy to the first log but he got over it and cantered on and then fizzled out to the freshly painted roll top. That's a refusal, so much for our standing. I wake him up, send him forward and he is on again, we head off to the ditch, he cantered right over it, what a star, then it was that hard left turn to the awkwardly placed table above a sunken spot of ground. The grass was greener in this area and Warren was more worried about eh color change than the jump. He hopped over it at the last minuet. I am really pleased at the pace he had settled into at this point but I was catching up to the gal in front of me, her horse was having lots of water and everything else issues. I know I am entitled to pass if there are issues for the one ahead but we weren't being timed as it was a schooling show and I was trying to take it easy so I was half thinking about slowing him a bit to a trot but at the same time I wanted to push him some too, to see what he could do. And he had just a lovely pace so far! We hopped over another flowery table and then into the water, out again and over a log. All going well, the gal in front of us picked up steam again and was getting out of the way. Warren and I kept moving along, he was doing great, very forward very responsive and looking for the next fence. The next few were straight forward then to the ditch and another hard turn to the right and then to the hill. There were tons of folks spectating from the hill and the approach is nice cause it gives the horses a good look at all the commotion. Warren was quite intrigued and cantered almost all the way up to it then I asked him to slow down for the little climb up, a look around on top and a sit on the hunches to get back down. I haven't really ridden anything like that before that I can remember, but he did very well. (Of course I was coaching him through the entire thing! - I tend to talk to him a lot out there). We had a few more fences and we were headed to home and done. He took them all in stride but the last two I could tell he was running out of steam. We crossed the finish line with only one refusal and running around the longest course we have ever done at a fairly nice pace. I was quite pleased with the day all the way around. I stuck around for scores to be posted, I really wanted to see where we ended up; it turns out only 2 people had clean rounds x-country out of the entire senior BN group. Warren and I actually moved up to 3rd place - woo hoo. I'm pretty proud of our work. I've decided that was our last 3 phase for the season. There are a few more recognized events, we might try one next year, but I don't know, that's pretty high stakes and really, he's just a big ‘ol plow horse.
Our adventures are not over for the season. We are going to camp on the beach for a few days with some of the NWHTA gang in late August and there is another schooling opportunity in September back at Inavale. It is a pace setting clinic and then a jumper derby the following day; I am all over that. It has been a long time since we have thought about our times and if I'm considering a recognized event we need to take it a little more seriously. In October there is an ODS Dressage show and that will wrap us up for the season. So there is plenty more to come!!

Caber Farm Horse Trials

2008-07-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Caber is about an 2 hours north. It was another little one day 3 - phase put on by the Chehalis Valley Pony Club. I invited a fellow boarder to come and bring her mare along too as she is new to eventing and has a 3 year old Perch-Arab mare who needs some exposure. So Special came along for the ride. She was actually really good for a youngster who hasn't been out too much.
So apparently in Area VII the higher levels go first. So Warren and I didn't ride til 2. That made a nice easy morning of hauling up there, but it sure does make for a long day. We pulled in about 11 and got settled. There were lots of trailers and horses, I was surprised at the size of the event! The dressage was in a grassy field near the trailers and the stadium and x-country were on the other side of the woods. I decided to check in and then go scope out the stadium and x-country before my dressage, as my rides were all very close together.
The stadium course had lots of twits and turns and it covered a large area. The x-country was on pretty flat terrain and again was quite spread out, I began to worry a bit about Warren's stamina. (In retrospect, I should have thought about mine!)
Warren was pretty good in warm up, for dressage, once I got my self focused. I think he thought he was warming up for x-country as we were on grass and out in a field, I had a very forward horse! When we were up for our test, we went to the other end of the field where the dressage arenas were set up. He got very worried about the horses warming up at the other end. And I had a hard time getting him to come back to steady and compliant and round. So our dressage was interesting, there was no shortage of forward of impulsion. There were moments of somewhat niceness but lots of bad geometry and conterbentness in between. Ah well.
It was a quick tack change and warm up for stadium, I was a little worried about memorizing my course as I am not very good at that, but after watching a few rides, I felt pretty confident. Warren warmed up great and was on for stadium! He moved around the arena with all kinds of speed and was very clever with his feet and placements. I was quite proud of the fella! Though after the ride I was feeling a little queasy, I am not sure if I breathed through the ride or not. That got me a little worried about x-country and that long course but since it wasn't timed, as it was a schooling show, I could take my time a little bit.
Again it was time for another tack change and off to cross country. I didn't warm up at all as I was a little worried about myself now and also had a feeling he was already on for cross country. That might have not been the best idea. As we came out of the start box heading away from home and approached a small log, which he was a little wormy on the approach but cleared it fine. However, he still didn't have his jumping brain on as I didn't either. (warm up fence would have been a good idea!) The up coming roll top I didn't keep my leg on and stay committed too so we sort of came at it wobbly again then he just stopped! That really surprised me. Warren isn's a stopper. But was probably a very smart decision on his part as he felt I wasn't committed to it and it would have been ugly for both of us if he popped over it. So we circled back and cleared it then it was to another large log stack after a hard left. Again, I wasn't committed, and he stopped again. It was another circle a growl to him and over we went. Then there was a long alleyway along the woods to a table top. Here I was worried about my stamina and his too so we had a nice big trot all the way down the line and then opened him up for a canter a few strides out from the table. He took it nice then it was another long canter to another open field with a coop and a log stack then back down to the main field again, he was headed toward home and of course feeling good at that point. His jumping brain was on. And I was feeling pretty good too. We had another large roll top that he cleared nicely then to some logs and into the water, he slowed a little to look but splashed in and marched though then it was out to the logs and then I couldn't find the next fence amongst all the others levels towards the end, but fortunately it was a long way off and after some quick scanning I found that yellow number 13 and we cantered towards it. The last fence was an easy log and we were done. No queasiness for me and Warren was still had some energy in him.

Overall it was a really fun day even though I wasn't completely on my game. Warren did a wonderful job taking care of me and doing his job. I am looking forward to our next horse trials in a few weeks! In the mean time it is more conditioning for me....

Inavale Jumper Derby

2008-06-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

The Inavale Jumping Derby was a BLAST! Warren and I headed down to Philomath, Oregon on Friday afternoon. It is a good 3 hour drive with truck and trailer and I was still debating if it was worth the drive for a little one day derby when I pulled out Friday afternoon. I got down to the farm Friday evening where I met up with some new friends from the NWHTA. Cynthia and I got our ponies saddled up and went out for an evening hack. I had heard that Inavale was a pretty awesome place, but I had to see it to believe it. It did not take long to be in awe and very thrilled that I came down for the Saturday event. Every time we turned a corner on the trails, the woods opened into another field full of cross country jumps in various levels of complexity. There were coops in the woods, huge logs along the path and fields of roll tops, ditches, banks and anything else you could want in a course and any height. There was even a clever table built like an airplane! The field with the water complexes was closed because they were setting up for the next day, but that one was just as beautiful and amazing as well. Apparently Inavale is the only place left in Oregon for USEA events. So they are pretty popular and really well run. That night, Warren stayed in a roomy open paddock and after a fun potluck dinner with the gals, I stayed in the trailer. The morning started early for some, I did not ride until 2:20 so I just ran around taking pictures and holding horses for the rest of the gang. The course looked super fun, since it was a jumper derby, the format is dressage first and then a cross country course with elements of stadium intermixed. The field had gently rolling hills with 2 water complexes, ditches, a sunken road, trekaner, logs, tables, role tops, coops, and more. The beginner novice course started with a stadium fence, a sweeping turn to the right to another stadium oxer then a roll top and then another stadium fence, another long sweeping turn back to a combination, then right up the hill to another vertical down a hill then up to a coop/barn, down hill to a ditch, across to a hanging log, then a table, then splash into the water and out to another table and the finish line. The great thing is everything was max height, and time did count. I have been to so many schooling shows where the BN courses were very watered down this course is great timing for us as we are ready to step up our game a notch. As my ride time approached, I tried to keep myself calm and collected. I tend to get a little nervous before my Dressage test. I took my time getting ready and made a conscious effort to not get ready to early. I still got in the saddle with 30 mins of warm up time. Our warm-up was great, I had a very willing, very light and forward (and pompous, hamming it up for the spectators) horse in the open out door arena, but the test was indoors in a dark open arena that has barn aisles and stalls surrounding it. Not too different from home, but still distracting since it is a new place with new faces. We were actually able to enter the arena early to hack around as the judge went on a break right before my ride. It was a great opportunity to allow Warren and myself a chance to settle. After a few looks down the long side, Warren was ready to go to work. The dressage judge came back in and when she was settled the bell rang and in we came at A. I was thrilled with his forwardness and his softness, it was a lovely test! Well until we got to our canter circles, I think I went into auto pilot because it was all going so well and I was trying not to micro manage. I didn't keep him together and even though the canters were round, they were an ugly four beat mess. Though we ended our test with a beautiful halt that I found out later landed us an 8!! (Warren says I can do the stopping, that's the best part!)
The jump field was a beautiful setting, freshly mowed field, water complexes, stadium jumps, ditches, hills, flat open spaces. The course consisted of a back and forth weaving pattern with one combination. It looked like a very fun ride! And the best part was they are all max height for BN, so they would actually be something more than a step over for Warren. After a few warm up fences Warren let me know he was quite ready to take the field. The whistle blew and away we went. The first two were stadium fences, with a loop towards the barn between them. I was so proud of Warren, he didn't even think about trying to run back to the barn, though his second fence over the oxer he was a bit flat, it wasn't a pretty fence be he got over it. The third fence was a roll top, I forgot to keep my leg on and send him forward so he did a beautiful slow and launch over, all I could do was laugh. The next fence was another stadium fence then to the combination, they rode better, I kept my leg on! Then it was up the hill to the top over a stadium fence then a curve back down the hill and up again to the coop. Both rode nice. Then down a hill to a ditch, which Warren slowed down a lot to look in but did not stop and then a hanging log, then to the big ol table. We were on the home stretch and he was picking up steam, I got left behind of that one. Then it was into the water. Again not enough leg so he slowed down to get a good look and carefully waded through. Then it was off again to the final fence. We had a super fun ride but we were a little bit on the slow side. We landed a fourth place ribbon, which really overall isn't too bad!!! I'm glad I made the trip down and I will absolutely go again next year! It's already on the calendar!!
Here is a link to some of the pictures from the event, we are down towards the bottom. As you can tell, we were having a good time! http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbPage.aspx?e=3853928&g=02&s=75

Cross Country Clinic with Jean Moyer

2008-05-31T21:30:00.000-07:00

I took Warren to a cross country clinic out in Hood River, Oregon. That is out east a spell, towards the Cascade Mountains in a beautiful place called the Gorge. It is scenic area where the Columbia River charged through the cascades carving out the gorge in it's path.
The clinic was hosted by a generous North West Horse Trials Association member who opened her beautiful farm to us members in this amazing area. The clinic was arranged for the folks of the NWHTA and was a series of dressage and jumping sessions. Since my dressage was going so well, I opted for a session in jumping with Jean Moyer. Warren and I were put in an interesting group of "BN riders" We started the basics of the session with going over the important elements of cross country emphasis on balance and rhythm. Then we spent a big chunk of time schooling the water complex. After a brief encouragement, Warren went right in, leading the other two in the group, the Perch mare was not real excited about getting her feet wet so we spent a lot of time convincing her the water was okay (Warren stood in the water and stared at her, splashed, and stood on the opposite bank trying to convince her it was okay. Inch by inch, she finally made her way in) By that point, Warren was a water pro, he could trot and canter through with no problems. So we did some more course work, riding tall to the base of fences (I tend to want to want to jump for Warren) and learning to keep my leg on! Over all it was a great outing and a beautiful fun place to ride. At one point when I was riding the course, I had to take Warren away from the group, around the outside of the pond, between the barn and pond and windmill and then through the water. Warren was not super thrilled with the windmill, it was a little mesmerizing, but he coped and carried on with a big forward trot. He seemed quite proud of himself to be charging through the water too! After we did a mini course we also schooled the bank both up and down. The jumping down is pretty scary, it feels like you are reaching the edge of the world but Warren took it all in stride.
The clinic was a fun way to meet some more NWHTA folks and get the event season kicked off. It was a great refresher course and really helped us get focused for the year.

May Madness

2008-05-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well I was griping about the cold wet weather we have been having and I got my gripes answered last weekend with a few days of HOT 90 degree weather! And it was just in time for our the Fort Vancouver Chapter of the Oregon Dressage Society's big all weekend Dressage Schooling and League shows.
I entered both the Saturday Schooling Show and the Sunday League Show for Training Tests 3 and 4.
Marcia and I loaded up Friday to haul 12 miles down the road to the Clark County fair grounds. Her 1/2 Lipizzaner 1/2 Arab is no little guy but Warren always dwarfs any horse on the trailer next to him.
It was hot Friday, the local weather was saying by late afternoon Vancouver was hitting 97. That is outrageous for this time of year in the Northwest! Anyway, we were mostly concerned for the horses; the plan was to haul them over Friday night and overnight them at the fairgrounds Friday night and Saturday night. But there is not much air flow in the barns and the huge indoor arena we were going to school in that night is like a giant oven in the heat.
We took our time getting over there. After work, I gave Warren a bath, the first one in many, many months, MAN he was dirty!!! With a refreshingly cool coat and clean leg wraps on, we headed over to the fair grounds with hopes that if we dragged our feet long enough it may cool off enough to be somewhat decent in the arena to school Friday night.
I wasn't too worried about Warren getting in the arena and being spooky, he was just in that arena last month for Jump 4 Joy. He had seen it and been just fine with it's big, open, echoy, pigeon cooing atmosphere. The common talk in the Clark County horse world is if your horse can perform well in the fairgrounds arena, he can do just fine anywhere- apparently it is a horse devouring cavern of a place in the minds of many Clark County horse residents.
So we arrive Friday late afternoon to the grounds get signed in at the office, meet some of Marcia's friends and get our ponies all settled and decide we are going to go ahead and ride even though it hasn't gotten as cooled off as we had hopped. I promised Warren it would be a short ride if he cooperated and that he would get a good hose down afterward. I was actually surprised how forward and energetic he felt for being so warm. I guess it was the bath. We were able to ride on the dressage court after it was set up. I think Warren remembered the last time he was in that arena! He came marching in looking around for fences and then when he saw nothing challenging except a low white fence, he kinda lost the flare in his get up. It was pretty humorous. So we just cruised around the arena looking around being forward and bending in the corners for a little while and called it a night. I get the sense that Warren was a little disappointed and board with the flat work. I did have to remind him twice when cutting across the middle in warm-up that there is NO part of the dressage test stating "exit arena at E by jumping over fence" Silly horse. It wasn't that naughty "I am trying to runaway" fooy that many of you who know him in his younger years used to do. It was more a "I am focused on what is in front of me, and I see something to jump and that must be what you want" sort of attitude, he actually realized that I was asking for a bend at the last minuet and did not really jump, but he sure did get forward like he wanted to jump!
Saturday morning came pretty quick and there were promises from the weather folks for another hot day on the burner. The boys slept pretty well Friday night bet were ready for some activity Saturday morning. I took Warren for a walk and a graze. My fist test was not until almost noon so we had some time to hang out. I was thankful it wasn't as cold as last time I was there! I really enjoyed soaking up some of the summery warmth!!
So my goal for the weekend was to conquer nerves. I tend to have lovely schools and then freeze up in front of judges. I always get anxious. If I could make a test over 60% I would be pretty happy too. But that is details. Mostly just to overcome the nerves. So the great thing about riding a dressage test is that you can have your test called at any level which means I don't have to worry so much about memorizing my test, just remembering to give Warren some direction. By almost noon we are ready to enter the arena for our Training Test 3 and it is 96 degrees. Warren is feeling pretty darn good despite the heat. In we go and it all goes pretty well. I have gotten into the bad habit of micro managing Warren a bit. I am still trying to find that line between riding him and leaving him alone. If I don't ask much of him, he falls on his face and gest heavy, if I ask too much he wiggles all over the arena. So I worked on those aspects in the arena and tried to have a calm relaxed ride. I felt pretty good about it, the canter circles were a little sloppy and he got heavier than I would have liked in the trot circles but over all a consistent steady test that landed us a with a 59.8. Oh so close to that 60. The Training 4 test was a little bit worse, it was later and the day and I think he was not too thrilled to be under saddle in the hot oven of an arena again. His forwardness was still good though but again he got heavy in the corners when riding our test. We rounded out the day with a 2nd and 4th place ribbon, not quite reaching the 60% goal we were striving for but I was defiantly feeling more confident about the riding in front of judges thing.
Sunday rolled around and it was a few degrees cooler and Warren greeted me with a happy rumble after breakfast so I took that as a good sign. After casual morning, we started our warm up and I was surprised that Warren wasn't feeling the slightest bit tired. I thought for sure that after a hot busy day and sleeping 2 nights in a strange place he would be starting to feel the stress, but he wasn't showing it in his performance.
I felt way more relaxed about the two tests I rode on Sunday and it showed. I got the 60% I was looking for in Training 3 and still some work to do in regard to bending and moving the hind end more in Training 4, but really, not to bad for a big huge draft horse up again a bunch of Warmbloods. Overall a great weekend we had! Next weekend we are changing gears and going to a Clinic in Hood River to work on some x-country and stadium jumping, I know Warren will be thrilled to get his jump on.
On a side note - after the hot weather last weeked, I got all inspired and put my tomatoes in the ground thinking it was going to be nice and warm. Yeah, we haven't gotten above 57 degrees all week and its been rainy wet! Ugh! Lets get the summer here!! It is time for all those x-country courses to start drying out!! Warren and I are ready!

Is it spring time yet?

2008-05-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Warren thinks so. He started the process of getting rid of his winter wool back in January. Unfortunately the weather in South West Washington seems disinclined to acknowledge that the animals living here are indicating that is indeed time for spring and warmer weather. I must admit we have had a few days, even consecutive ones, that were warm and sunshiny, but the ratio of those days to cold wet ick that is called winter at this point is very miniscule.
Ya see, spring in the northwest is truly spring, the flowers come out, the birds make themselves known and it warms up. The rainy cold days change to rainy warmer days then sunny cold days then warm sunny days of summer. That's the way it goes around here and it usually starts turning in late March or early April. Well April was pretty darn wet cold and we even had sleet and snow in the late days of the moth! It is now May and it has been all grey and cold all this week.
The weather has not stopped Warren and I from riding and preparing for the event season (thank goodness for covered arenas and fleece lined riding pants!) We still find breaks in the wet to get over to Battle Ground Lake to do conditioning work and of course we school dressage regularly. But I am ready for spring, darn it! It is time!

A break from the horses for OUR WEDDING!!

2008-04-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

So I had to schedule Warren and I's outings around the wedding. It would have been a logistical nightmare to have all the animals we wanted to be involved in the big day; as they are on the west coast and the wedding took place on the east coast. Warren and my little red dog, Phoenix have made the 2,000+ mile journey before, but to haul them back and forth again would have been just a little too much. (ya think!?) They were certainly there in spirit, and we still managed to incorporate horses into the wedding anyway. We have a friend in the valley who has a herd of work horses and a selection of buggies. He was extreamly generous in letting us use one of his horse and buggies to drive in which to drive away.

The night before the wedding Russ and I were down in in the barn cleaning tack and trusty 'ol Diamond, the wonderful TWH gelding who proudly carried us away from our wedding celebration. The barn was of course a soothing retreat from the wedding commotion. I had to get creative in doing my normal grooming rotine without getting dirt under my freshly manicured hands.

Jump 4 Joy!

2008-04-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Warren was AWESOME at the jumper show Saturday!!!! (nevermind the cold miserable weather we had to stand around in to get there)This was a show put on by the local pony club - and schooling to boot- so that means lots of little ones with little horses.. but that's okay, they came later in the day. The morning was mostly adults and exp. riders; 3' to 3'9" classes; super fun to watch. Though I started to panic cause my first glance at the course my thoughts were "holy crap, Warren can't make those TIGHT roll back turns and then set up to jump again that fast!! eeeeek!!!" we had signed up for 2'3" and a 2'6" class.... heights are easy, its the turns I was really worried about!
So I set out to memorize my courses and just plan on having a clean round, time didn't matter to us any more besides, it is a schooling show; we are there to school and learn, right?well... it turns out my classes did not come till WAY after lunch the 2' to 2'3" 13 yrs and under classes were HUGE! they took awhile so there was LOTS of standing around. I am really thankful for the big huge roomy you can see out trailer we have. Warren was pleased as can be standing on the trailer eating hay and watching everyone pass by.So 2:30 rolls around and its time to start thinking about warming up (did I mention it was a REALLY long day?!) We had a super light warm up (wanted to conserve his energy; ya know) and then went in for our 2'3" class.Well Warren must have been watching the other jumpers and decided he was a jumper too. HOLY COW! The whistle blew and he was off at a strong pace; looking for the fences, everything I pointed him to, he was there and ready. He made the corners with no problem; in fact I had a hard time finding the course and keeping up with him! I did not do to well finding my next fence. So due to my lack of preparedness, I did not set him up to welland commit to the #3 blue oxer and so he ran out, we got 4 faults but circled back and did the rest of the course very clean, no problem.
And I still had TONS of horse left. he was just getting warmed up!So back in warmup I practiced taking tight corner, doing roll backs and LOOKING for the next fence, and riding AFTER the jump; what a difference! Warren was just perfect. So in we went for 2'6" and then it started hailing. It was so incredibly loud on the indoor's metal roof; I somehow managed to hear the whistle and then we were off to our first fence! After that the noise was silenced for us; we were focused on the course! We had an amazing ride, tight turns, funny angles and all, he never broke stride and kept a beautiful pace! I am so proud of him; we rode the course clean and 61 seconds, (optimum time was 57). I was cheering him on and apparently so was the crowd; we had quite the following at that point.we even brought ourselves home a blue ribbon. I must say I was thrilled. The ribbon I could care less about, it is the learning experience we had; Warren is in way better shape than I expected and he really ENJOYS jumping and I don't have to baby him so much; he is perfectly capable of making the turns and moving out at this level. I need to get better at LOOKING for the next fence and staying with him and continue to ride after I have cleared one - we aren't done jumping till we get across the finish line!

De-Greening on St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have a pretty busy spring coming up. My goal this year was to get more involved in the horse community. And I have jumped in with both feet! I am a member of the Oregon Dressage Society (ODS), a member of North West Horse Trials Association (NWHTA) and soon to be a member of the Clark County Executive Horse Council (CCEHC). Phew. and it is only March.... Not only am an active member of these organizations, I have also singed up for some local events learend about by being involved with these groups. A local pony club group is putting on a jumping competition this weekend that Warren and I will be doing a few courses in. The following week is an Event Derby in Mt. Rainer. After I get back from my wedding at the end of April, we have planned to go to a couple of Dressage shows and then the summer should be getting underway and x-country courses drying up so then it is off to more schooling 3 phase events. YIPPEE!
So to be able to get to all these fun places, the transporter which I call the horse trailer must be in good mechanical and somewhat presentable status. Allow e to elaborate on the presentable status; The northwest stays wet for 7 months of the year and doesn't get too cold; so lots of things like to grow here. And grow they do. Moss on trees, moss on roads and moss on trailers. Oh yes. The trailer has slowly been making the transition from white to gray to green the past year or so. I decided in celebration of St. Patty, I'd take off the green. Between rain and hail; I scrubbed all afternoon and low and behold there was a white trailer under all that grime! My dearest fiance took care of the mechanical aspects for me and now we are ready to get our competition season underway!

Warren and me.. 10 years and counting

2008-03-15T00:41:00.001-07:00

It all began 10 years ago in Georgia, when I met this big goofy guy as a young 2 year old, he captured my heart and has never let it go. After high school, I hauled Warren off to college with me where we were introduced to the world of eventing. Not only did Warren and I discover his affinity for showing off to crowds and cameras, we even determined that the dressage work and the jumping business was really pretty fun. Warren carried me through school and then I hauled him again with me out to Washington to start a new chapter in my life. We have continued to have adventures and fun experiences and even managed to keep our foot in the eventing world since we have been out here. We have gone to a few little shows the past few sesons but this is our year to step it up a notch! We have been schooling hard this winter to prepare for a busy eventing season. I love sharing our stories and pictures and I figured creating Warren's Corner would be a good way to keep track of them. Enjoy!