Before I start in on the events of the weekend I would like to send out my condolences to Michael and Arden who both lost a horse this weekend. I cannot even imagine what they are going through and I hope they know they have the support of the whole eventing community behind them. Warm thoughts go out to both riders and all connected with their horses.
Southern Pines took place this weekend and let me start out by saying what a fabulous show it is. I had heard it was nice but they really exceeded all my expectations. We got there Thursday and Chloe was fantastic to ride! Friday rolled around and so did the bad weather. It was cold and overcast and that did not suit Chloe and her newly clipped coat very well. I did not ride dressage until three so I took advantage of all that time and gave her a nice long pre-ride. She was really misbehaving but I had hoped she got it out of her system. Three rolled around and her warm up was fantastic. Allison was there to warm me up and she seemed equally as pleased. Unfortunately once we went around the ring she completely lost her cool. It was unfortunate but I was proud of how I rode her and we also got two clean lead changes which is exciting since we have been working so hard on those! Got to find the positive right? I think I see some dressage shows in our future.
After dressage Allison and I walked the cross country course and it was definitely an eye opener. It asked every question possible and it asked them all the way up to the second to last fence. It was technical but all of it called for an aggressive forward ride. I felt prepared for it and the more I walked the better I felt. I was the very last rider of the day which I personally do not like. It gives me all day to get nervous and it gives me all day to sit in the barns and listen to the problems people were having. The course was riding tough and maybe riding last served me better, knowing the problems people were having made me ride that much tougher. By the time I went it was raining pretty steadily which made the footing that much better. Chloe went out of the box and I quickly realized that I was going to have to throw the kitchen sink at her to get around this course. She was jumping huge and standing off the jumps a bit more then I would like. I was thankful this course called for a forward ride because thats exactly what she needed. The first real question was a narrow plank like fence and two forward strides to a rather angled corner. I worry about having technical questions early because she over jumps so much at the beginning. This makes a lot of the striding short for her and I have to adjust accordingly and I have to do it quickly. Thankfully she is (usually) pretty adjustable.
After that question we had our first real gallop stretch and I let her pick her pace. Mark had told me making time should be the last thing on my mind and so it was. The course had a lot of big gallop fences and I worked hard on not interrupting her stride to much. Our next big question was the first water. It was a house seven strides to a rather large bounce in to an up bank and two strides to a narrow corner. Again it called for a forward aggressive ride. I had heard there had been some problems here and at Pine Top Chloe had that unfortunate stop at the water so I came in and rode tough; pony club kicks, growling you name it I did it. She jumped in huge and I made a quick decision to option out. She did the option fine which was an up bank and wrap around to another corner. After our next big question was the coffin which was a coop on an angle going down hill to a ditch one stride out over a narrow coop. We had a gallop stretch before that so getting her back going down hill and turning to the angle was a little more difficult then I had anticipated. None the less she did it fine. We had some more turning questions with some angled brushes then was our sunken road which was a large log bounce down a bank one stride up a large bank to a large log. I was worried about her launching off the bank and making that one stride even shorter. It was a huge effort out so I wanted to help her out as much as possible. I jumped in and I under rode the down bank hoping she would just drop down which she did but then I don't think I rode out hard enough. She did it fine but it was definitely a huge effort. We then had our second water which rode great. After that our last and final question came at our second to last jump it was a large up bank bounce to a big narrow house. Talk about huge effort on our now tired horses. Allison had reported to me that there had been some problems there and I had to be extremely aggressive. She did it beautifully. We came through the finish flags and it was such a proud moment for me. Chloe had jumped around a a really tough course and she did it well. Sure she was a little green but that is to be expected. This is only our second run this season and our first advanced this season. She grew up a lot out there and really tried for me. Allison also had a good day having a clean go in the advanced and intermediate.
Show jumping was the next day. I usually look forward to it but after Pine Top I found myself rather nervous. I watched the intermediate go and rails were falling left and right. The course called for rails having a lot of turns to big verticals and square oxers. I did not jump a whole lot in warm up. Chloe was feeling fresh and jumping well. I went in the ring and she was fantastic. Trying really hard for me and making all the stridings easily. We had one unfortunate rub to one of the square oxers out of the corners. I think I overrode it causing her to jump a bit flat. Other then that I was extremely pleased. Driving home that night all I could think about was how lucky I am to have this horse. Southern Pines was overall a very successful trip. Allison came home with a good amount of ribbons and I came home with a sound, happy advanced horse.
On another note Chloe and I got asked to ride in the training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday of this week with show jumper Katie Prudent. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to do this! I will definitely write about how that went. If you are in the Aiken area the lessons will be taking place at Plantation Farm.
Lastly, Donnie Steele from SmartPak has been so kind to put together a video from the training sessions so here it is!
http://vimeo.com/21299452 - Just copy and paste it into your internet search bar. It has some cross country footage and dressage footage.
I will post pictures from the weekend as soon as they are online!
Xoxo
Kelly, Chloe and Buckleigh
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
March Madness!
Wow do I have a lot to update you all on! I cannot believe that March has gone by so quickly, it has been a great month though! First off my birthday was on the 15th and I was lucky enough to have my mom fly down to be with me. Seeing her reminded me of how much I miss home! It was great having her here and I know my riding benefited from it as well! She also cooked an incredibly good birthday dinner for me and about 15 others who stopped by to help me celebrate! Thanks mom! That night I also was introduced to the SmartPak crew. It was fantastic meeting them and spending time with them. Not only have I ordered SmartPak supplements for my horse but I am in the process of ordering breeches from them, an eventing bridle and stuff for my new dog. (I will get to that in a little!)
So, not only is the SmartPak crew fun, they also have a fantastic product that I am so excited to be using! Thank you SmartPak! Check out their website. www.smartpakequine.com
Next on the list of things to talk about; new dog! While Grace and Allison were in Florida a friend of mine Jordynn had come across a dog who needed a home. He had come from a bad home and Grace had been looking for a dog so naturally she called dibs. While Grace was gone I had fallen in love with this pup. Like literally in love. Well Grace decided to torture me and make me think she was still going to take him, it was torture! Then my birthday rolls around and Jordynn had brought the pup with a bow on and they surprised me with him! It was perfect! SO to make a long story short, I have a new dog and we have decided Grace is the godmother.
Training Sessions took place with Mark Phillips on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. The first day Mark had requested that I cross country school. I was excited to do this, Paradise is a great place to school and there was a fairly large turn out including SmartPak who got some good footage of Chloe and I, I will post it as soon as I get it! Chloe was super schooling. Mark worked with me on my position bringing me a bit more forward in my seat. I think both him and I were equally pleased with the lesson. When I asked if I should flat or jump the next day he said "I don't need to see your horse jump again, if you have a rail I will know its your fault." Flat work it is. So the next day was kind of a nightmare. First Chloe would not load in the trailer and then of coarse leave it up to my mom and I to get lost. I showed up a tad bit late but luckily Mark did not seem to mind. Chloe was a bit behind my leg in this flat lesson. We spent some time on a 20 meter circle and then he got on her which I was very excited about. It was good to see what he wanted. When I got back on her I was able to get it a lot easier. I think it is a lot harder to do cross countrty then get a flat lesson the next day. One day you ask your horse to be stretched out and galloping and the next you want her collected and sitting down. It is not the easiest transition for them. SmartPak got some footage of this too which I will post as well! I was not scheduled to ride the following day but I wanted to and Mark was willing to make it work. I was given a 7 AM ride time I think as torture for being late. This time around Chloe and I got what he wanted us to get a lot quicker. We worked on changes and I was pleased with how it all went. Another lesson was definitely beneficial for both Chloe and I. Overall the training sessions were extremely successful!
Unfortunately my mom had to go home. It was sad saying goodbye, I had so much fun with her and I was not ready for her to leave! I am already trying to plan her next visit, hopefully the next one will include my dad too! I am lucky to have such great relationships with my parents and lucky to have their support!
Chloe is doing super. She looks and feels great! I have Southern Pines next weekend where Chloe and I will be running Advanced. I will be sure to post next week to let you all know how it went!
Buckeliegh! He is named after the farm where I currently am.
Xoxo Kelly and Chloe
So, not only is the SmartPak crew fun, they also have a fantastic product that I am so excited to be using! Thank you SmartPak! Check out their website. www.smartpakequine.com
Next on the list of things to talk about; new dog! While Grace and Allison were in Florida a friend of mine Jordynn had come across a dog who needed a home. He had come from a bad home and Grace had been looking for a dog so naturally she called dibs. While Grace was gone I had fallen in love with this pup. Like literally in love. Well Grace decided to torture me and make me think she was still going to take him, it was torture! Then my birthday rolls around and Jordynn had brought the pup with a bow on and they surprised me with him! It was perfect! SO to make a long story short, I have a new dog and we have decided Grace is the godmother.
Training Sessions took place with Mark Phillips on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. The first day Mark had requested that I cross country school. I was excited to do this, Paradise is a great place to school and there was a fairly large turn out including SmartPak who got some good footage of Chloe and I, I will post it as soon as I get it! Chloe was super schooling. Mark worked with me on my position bringing me a bit more forward in my seat. I think both him and I were equally pleased with the lesson. When I asked if I should flat or jump the next day he said "I don't need to see your horse jump again, if you have a rail I will know its your fault." Flat work it is. So the next day was kind of a nightmare. First Chloe would not load in the trailer and then of coarse leave it up to my mom and I to get lost. I showed up a tad bit late but luckily Mark did not seem to mind. Chloe was a bit behind my leg in this flat lesson. We spent some time on a 20 meter circle and then he got on her which I was very excited about. It was good to see what he wanted. When I got back on her I was able to get it a lot easier. I think it is a lot harder to do cross countrty then get a flat lesson the next day. One day you ask your horse to be stretched out and galloping and the next you want her collected and sitting down. It is not the easiest transition for them. SmartPak got some footage of this too which I will post as well! I was not scheduled to ride the following day but I wanted to and Mark was willing to make it work. I was given a 7 AM ride time I think as torture for being late. This time around Chloe and I got what he wanted us to get a lot quicker. We worked on changes and I was pleased with how it all went. Another lesson was definitely beneficial for both Chloe and I. Overall the training sessions were extremely successful!
Unfortunately my mom had to go home. It was sad saying goodbye, I had so much fun with her and I was not ready for her to leave! I am already trying to plan her next visit, hopefully the next one will include my dad too! I am lucky to have such great relationships with my parents and lucky to have their support!
Chloe is doing super. She looks and feels great! I have Southern Pines next weekend where Chloe and I will be running Advanced. I will be sure to post next week to let you all know how it went!
Buckeliegh! He is named after the farm where I currently am.
Xoxo Kelly and Chloe
Monday, March 7, 2011
Training Sessions!
Okay so first let me update you all on Chloe. The day she was scheduled to go to the vet her legs broke out with fungus. THANK GOD! It explains the legs going up and down and it also explains the stopping, poor thing was in pain :( So I have been treating them and riding her with out boots and it is definitely getting better!
This past week has been a little crazy for me so I apologize for the delayed posts! The Pro Derby Cross took place this past week and Allison and Grace (Her groom and my roomie) made the drive to Florida with three horses and took part in the very successful derby cross. The pictures looked fantastic and made me wish I was there! They will stay there through the 14th for Red Hills Horse Trials. This means it has been a busy couple days for me and will continue to be but I am enjoying every minute of riding all these horses!
This past Friday and Saturday I had training sessions with Captain Mark Phillips over at Plantation which Is a lovely facility. I was nervous, last time I rode with him Chloe was not wanting any part of it and well it just did not go very well. So naturally I was nervous. The first day I rode dressage because that is our weakest phase and any extra help is appreciated. It was a fantastic lesson and Mark was pleased with what he saw and I was so proud of Chloe. I really pushed on her and she let me. He worked a lot on my canter transitions which is definitely something I need to work on. I also had tried putting an ear bonnet on her to see if that would help her spookiness. I think it did! CMP was holding a water bottle during our lesson and when he squeezed it she did not spook! I know it sounds silly but normally that would have her flying across the ring. I was so pleased with the whole day and felt like I could sleep easier that night! I asked if I could jump the following day, and he said that would be fine. That alone let me know he was pleased enough with my dressage to not want to do two days. The following day my lesson was at eight and it was raining, yuck! He watched me jump around a bit and was very complimentary of both my horse and my riding. I felt my eye was a little rusty but Chloe was jumping super and he was very encouraged with what he saw. We discussed my plans for the year and I left feeling on top of the world! It just made me feel like all my hard work is paying off and it made all of this feel a little more worth it. I also feel so lucky to have found a working student program where the trainer is really invested in my horse and myself. My dressage lesson shows that Allison is really putting a lot into helping us and I cant thank her enough for it.
I don't compete until the end of the month over at Southern Pines in North Carolina. My mom comes to visit in a few short days and I am SO EXCITED! I will be turning 21 on the 15th and i'm excited she will be here to celebrate with me :) I think we are going to try to cross country school some and I will let you all know how it goes!
Lastly I would like to thank RevitaVet for there sponsorship I just got word that They would like to sponsor me. They have such a fantastic product and I use it every day as a preventative maintenance on my horse and Allison uses it on all her horses as well. I really notice a difference I feel it essential especially for upper level horses in keeping them happy and feeling good. http://www.revitavet.com/index.html Check out there website for more information!
The pictures are courtesy of Kate Samuels and the videos which I will post later today are courtesy of Kaitlyn McMorris. I have to thank Kaitlyn for being such a fantastic friend and coming to the training sessions and videoing for me. :)
xoxo Kelly and Chloe
This past week has been a little crazy for me so I apologize for the delayed posts! The Pro Derby Cross took place this past week and Allison and Grace (Her groom and my roomie) made the drive to Florida with three horses and took part in the very successful derby cross. The pictures looked fantastic and made me wish I was there! They will stay there through the 14th for Red Hills Horse Trials. This means it has been a busy couple days for me and will continue to be but I am enjoying every minute of riding all these horses!
This past Friday and Saturday I had training sessions with Captain Mark Phillips over at Plantation which Is a lovely facility. I was nervous, last time I rode with him Chloe was not wanting any part of it and well it just did not go very well. So naturally I was nervous. The first day I rode dressage because that is our weakest phase and any extra help is appreciated. It was a fantastic lesson and Mark was pleased with what he saw and I was so proud of Chloe. I really pushed on her and she let me. He worked a lot on my canter transitions which is definitely something I need to work on. I also had tried putting an ear bonnet on her to see if that would help her spookiness. I think it did! CMP was holding a water bottle during our lesson and when he squeezed it she did not spook! I know it sounds silly but normally that would have her flying across the ring. I was so pleased with the whole day and felt like I could sleep easier that night! I asked if I could jump the following day, and he said that would be fine. That alone let me know he was pleased enough with my dressage to not want to do two days. The following day my lesson was at eight and it was raining, yuck! He watched me jump around a bit and was very complimentary of both my horse and my riding. I felt my eye was a little rusty but Chloe was jumping super and he was very encouraged with what he saw. We discussed my plans for the year and I left feeling on top of the world! It just made me feel like all my hard work is paying off and it made all of this feel a little more worth it. I also feel so lucky to have found a working student program where the trainer is really invested in my horse and myself. My dressage lesson shows that Allison is really putting a lot into helping us and I cant thank her enough for it.
I don't compete until the end of the month over at Southern Pines in North Carolina. My mom comes to visit in a few short days and I am SO EXCITED! I will be turning 21 on the 15th and i'm excited she will be here to celebrate with me :) I think we are going to try to cross country school some and I will let you all know how it goes!
Lastly I would like to thank RevitaVet for there sponsorship I just got word that They would like to sponsor me. They have such a fantastic product and I use it every day as a preventative maintenance on my horse and Allison uses it on all her horses as well. I really notice a difference I feel it essential especially for upper level horses in keeping them happy and feeling good. http://www.revitavet.com/index.html Check out there website for more information!
The pictures are courtesy of Kate Samuels and the videos which I will post later today are courtesy of Kaitlyn McMorris. I have to thank Kaitlyn for being such a fantastic friend and coming to the training sessions and videoing for me. :)
xoxo Kelly and Chloe
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