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