April 11th - Loch Moy Short Course - Who's going? :)

[Sabovee]

I'm doing my very very first cross country show type dealio on April 11th. :) Wondering what other COTHers will be there!

[Elliot]

My baby horse is entered, but please don't tell him that. He came up lame before the last two events I entered, the only times he's ever been lame. So we're keeping it a secret from him for now!

[Dr. Doolittle]

I'll be there! :)

Since T is the last division of the day, I will probably miss the COTHers who ride earlier (though I will be there a bit earlier than my ride times since I have a student who will be going Novice...)

Eliot, you and Invested should get together and form a support group! ;)

Sabovee, you will have a great time; it's a lovely facility, and they are very kind and accomodating. Keep in mind that the Elementary division 's course can sometimes cause green horses to go :eek:, even though the jumps are small and inviting.


Luckily it's not timed, so you will be able to go at your own pace.

If I don't get a chance to meet you, have fun and good luck!

[horsetales]

I hope to go to watch my trainer take my friends horse to her first event outting (shes been to a couple small hunter shows).

[Catalina]

I will be there going BN with my new guy and competing against Sabovee's 10 in dressage :lol:. I can only hope the XC makes Bruiser go :eek: ;).

[piaffeprincess98]

I'm going with my OTTB. I think we'll try out novice. He just ate up the BN course this weekend at Morven.

[Sabovee]

I'll be there! :)


Sabovee, you will have a great time; it's a lovely facility, and they are very kind and accomodating. Keep in mind that the Elementary division 's course can sometimes cause green horses to go :eek:, even though the jumps are small and inviting.


Luckily it's not timed, so you will be able to go at your own pace.

If I don't get a chance to meet you, have fun and good luck!

Thanks! I'm actually going out BN, and am getting flack for not coming out at Novice ;)

[Invested1]

Eliot, you and Invested should get together and form a support group! ;)

Seriously!! :lol:

Put my entry in the mail so I'm sure an injury is just around the corner.... :rolleyes:

[Dr. Doolittle]

SSHHHHHHHH!!!!

You shouldn't put that in writing on the BB; don't you know by now that Tedi reads the board?!? :lol:

[tarheelmd07]

I might be bringing my Training horse, but I'm not sure which of the 2 april dates we're planning on yet...

[Invested1]

SSHHHHHHHH!!!!
You shouldn't put that in writing on the BB; don't you know by now that Tedi reads the board?!? :lol:

Yah, Tedi, they now require that you send in an entry even to go watch.

:winkgrin:

[Elliot]

I don't think Charlie reads the boards....if he did, he'd only look at the ones about Rolex and Badminton anyway—or perhaps he'd read the thread about Aberjack, since that's his daddy. He's pretty sure it's all about him.

But he certainly seems to know when we're headed to an event. The last time he got on the trailer sound and walked off the trailer lame 2.5 hours later at the Virginia Horse Center.

So baby novice here we come, and Invested, if we both make it, we can have an adult beverage together at the end to celebrate!

[Invested1]

Invested, if we both make it, we can have an adult beverage together at the end to celebrate!

Awesome! :D

[rideforthelaurels16]

Tejana and I are doing the BN!

[LexInVA]

Awesome! :D

Of course you get happy about it now that free beer is involved....

[Invested1]

Of course you get happy about it now that free beer is involved....

Duh. :rolleyes:

:D

[Sabovee]

Okay...
Deep cleansing breaths.

It's next weekend.

Breeeaaath.

WHAT THE HELL DID I SIGN UP FOR.....

[Catalina]

You will be fine! You do realize that you can walk over BN jumps on foot right? They are tiny; very, very small. Speed bumps. That's all. You can trot the entire time. You will be just fine :). And if you're not, I decided I will take Root Beer and Luddington :D.

Or, better yet, I like the idea of you riding Mark and Bruiser in dressage and I will ride them XC :lol:.

[Sabovee]

LOL - RootBeer and Ludington? Very nice choices. Ludders is a doll ;)

I think our plan is perfect. Two dressage tests? Now THAT I can do ;)

[Invested1]

Ok, so no braiding for this show, right?

[Dr. Doolittle]

Ok, so no braiding for this show, right?

No, no braiding!

(That's uless you just need the practice :p)

I will be bringing some "adult beverages" to enjoy after the x-country schooling; Mr. Dr D will be driving the rig ;) If you're nice to me, I just might share...

[Invested1]

I will be bringing some "adult beverages" to enjoy after the x-country schooling; Mr. Dr D will be driving the rig ;) If you're nice to me, I just might share...

YAY!!! :D

[Invested1]

No, no braiding!

(That's uless you just need the practice :p)

Also yay!
Though Ted's mane looks like caca. I chopped it (flamesuit on! heh) because it was SOOOOO long and haven't really dealt with it since. heh.

Do they post times or send out an email?

[Catalina]

Times should be posted on the website (http://www.themarylandhorsetrials.com/times/times_sce1_09.shtml)by Thursday :).

[LexInVA]

YAY!!! :D

You're such a mooch. :lol:

[Invested1]

You're such a mooch. :lol:

I'm not a mooch--I *always* bring treats....

[Dr. Doolittle]

Yes, Invested has brought yummy cookies in the past...Hmmm, Lex likes cookies....AND has a $hitload of leftover beer that's just wasting away in storage.

Could a trade possibly be in order here?? :D

Of course now they are saying RAIN Friday and Saturday :rolleyes:

!@#$%!&

[Catalina]

Of course now they are saying RAIN Friday and Saturday :rolleyes:

That will change (the power of positive thinking and all that :)!).

[Dr. Doolittle]

That will change (the power of positive thinking and all that :)!).


EVERYBODY GO TO THE TROUBLE TO WATERPROOF ALL YOUR TACK!!

(This often works like a charm for me in terms of keeping the rain away ;))

[LexInVA]

Yes, Invested has brought yummy cookies in the past...Hmmm, Lex likes cookies....AND has a $hitload of leftover beer that's just wasting away in storage.

Could a trade possibly be in order here?? :D

Of course now they are saying RAIN Friday and Saturday :rolleyes:

!@#$%!&

I will be at a wedding on the 11th so I will not be at Loch Moy. Loch Moy is a bit of a drive from where the wedding is as well as from my home so I'd not really be able to fit both in. Frankly, I'd rather be at Loch Moy than be fed to a bevy of marriage hungry single women looking to tie me down but it's a friend of the family so I really have no choice in the matter.

[Invested1]

EVERYBODY GO TO THE TROUBLE TO WATERPROOF ALL YOUR TACK!!

(This often works like a charm for me in terms of keeping the rain away ;))

:lol:

[Tazzie]

Good luck to everybody competing, I'll be there volunteering all day. :D

[toeknee]

just a shout out to all the volunteers last weekend, everyone was so nice! thanks for your time:)

hope everyone has a nice weekend, loch moy is such a nice place!

[Tazzie]

just a shout out to all the volunteers last weekend, everyone was so nice! thanks for your time:)

hope everyone has a nice weekend, loch moy is such a nice place!

I was there scribing for Ring 2. I was convinced that we would be witnessing some "airs above the ground" due to the high winds, but the horses were amazingly well behaved! The wind was a bit of a disaster though, both dressage rings and the entire stadium course were knocked down and we were all scrambling at 8am to get everything up and running. We had to bury all the dressage letters and stands and put sandbags on every single stadium fence! I was so happy that everything remained standing after that! :D

[asterix]

ha, Tazzie, I asked the parking guy about the advisability of using the portapottie, and he grinned and said "we've got it weighted down pretty good" :lol:
I was amazed at how well everything stayed put, although fence 5 did sort of blow into pieces as I approached fence 3...as I got closer it looked jumpable (the top rail was in place, picket fence beneath sort of artistically arrayed on the ground), so decided to go for it. The munchkin hopped right over it like it was something he did every day, so a good schooling for him!!

Have fun this weekend everyone! We are really lucky to have Loch Moy so close by!

[happyappy]

[QUOTE=Dr. Doolittle;3982636]I'll be there! :)

Since T is the last division of the day, I will probably miss the COTHers who ride earlier (though I will be there a bit earlier than my ride times since I have a student who will be going Novice...)

I will be bringing my kid over, as she is Dr D's Novice Student. She had a nice schooling at Morven with Dr D a week ago, was at her dressage rally this past weekend, so I hope for "no rain", so she can spin around the XC course in preparation for Loudoun Hunt Pony Club HT at the end of this month. Humm.. I have some beverages to bring as well, and some goodies :-).

Lex, most guys would love all those single women at weddings :-)

[LexInVA]

Lex, most guys would love all those single women at weddings :-)


That's easy for you to say! You're not the one dealing with the jury that wants to give you a life sentence without any chance of parole for good behavior! :lol:

[Invested1]

Yes, Invested has brought yummy cookies in the past...

I'm debating on making cookies or rice krispie treats......

[Tazzie]

Times are on the website already. I'm so excited for the 2009 show season to start! Good luck!

[Elliot]

Hooray for the times! I didn't realize beginner novice would be at the beginning of the day, but that's cool. I'll be done by noon. Is that too early to start on the tasty beverages?

I'd love to meet COTHers there. I have a green GMC truck and a ratty blue Monarch trailer. There will be one very excited chestnut horse tied to it as well as a better behaved bay one. Stop by!

[Invested1]

I'll be done by noon. Is that too early to start on the tasty beverages?

Don't be silly.
Of course not!!! :lol:

[Catalina]

Darn Sabovee, we're not in the same division :winkgrin: :lol:.

[Invested1]

I'd love to meet some new COTHers--let me know what your times are and if I'm there when you go (my times are awesomely late!! :D), I'll come find you to say hi!

I'm at 12:18 and 1:36pm. Will be riding a big bay (assuming he's not reading this and injures himself between now and Saturday!) with a star. My truck's plate says 2TowMy. :D

[Catalina]

I am riding at 11:48. My horse is a tall but refined dark bay with a star and two front white socks. This is our first show together, so I have absolutely no idea what to expect from him. We are going XC schooling for the first time today; nothing waiting until the last minute ;).

[Dr. Doolittle]

Yes, I would love to meet some new COTHers too; including say hi to the ones I already know...:)

My student and I (HappyAppy's daughter) are riding dressage at the EXACT SAME TIME, 12:30! :eek:

(Obviously they are running two rings, otherwise we would have to do a pas de deux...)

Let's hope we don't get much rain overnight into Saturday--but if the x-country is too sloppy, Carolyn said they would allow everyone to do two stadium rounds instead...

We will be getting there at around 11:00 so that I can walk the Novice course with her--her x-country time is less than 30 minutes after dressage!

(For those who don't know me, I am a short middle-aged blonde with a loud, booming cackle. I will be with a 6'4" surly Italian fellow with graying hair, who will be scowling and "cracking sarcastic". My student is a slender 5'7-8"ish 15 year old with long dark hair, and her mom, HappyAppy, is about the same height and build with shorter blonde hair. We both have white Hawks: her is a gooseneck with a big white and tan deisel Ford attached to it, my tow vehicle is a burgundy and silver Suburban with the licence plate "LEEWAY". And my horse is a pretty orange mare with a huge star :))

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Who else is planning to school x-country? (weather permitting, of course...)

[Invested1]

Muy student and I (HappyAppy's daughter) are riding dressage at the EXACT SAME TIME, 12:30! :eek:.

I could switch times with you if you want (and if the organizers don't care)...

[tarheelmd07]

I'd love to meet other COTHers as well - and we're pretty hard to miss. Rusty silver truck with giant rusty blue goosneck trailer...18h bay horse wearing hot pink and dragging around a tall blonde, also wearing hot pink. We're running T - dressage at 12:48 and xc exactly an hour later...but our buddy is going Novice so we'll be there early :D

Looking forward to meeting folks!
Hannah & Surf Guitar
(and Dr. D...yes, it is THE Surf Guitar :D)

[Dr. Doolittle]

I could switch times with you if you want (and if the organizers don't care)...


Hmmm, that might be a good idea *only* as long as they don't mind leaving my x-country time later...(I want to have time to be able to both watch *her* go AND walk my own course...)

OTOH, we are figuring that her horse (who is madly in love with mine) will be "comforted" by the proximity of Her Majesty, as long as she is able to keep his attention on her...(He gets agitated when my mare is "within his sight line", but far enough away to make him feel anxious, in which case he wants to whinny to her...they are fine when warming up together, or in the same ring. I will just have to coach her from the back of my horse during warmup! :p)

[Dr. Doolittle]

I'd love to meet other COTHers as well - and we're pretty hard to miss. Rusty silver truck with giant rusty blue goosneck trailer...18h bay horse wearing hot pink and dragging around a tall blonde, also wearing hot pink. We're running T - dressage at 12:48 and xc exactly an hour later...but our buddy is going Novice so we'll be there early :D

Looking forward to meeting folks!
Hannah & Surf Guitar
(and Dr. D...yes, it is THE Surf Guitar :D)

Hey Hannah,

I saw you and Surf Guitar among the entries, and thought "too cool--I will get a chance to meet yet *another* of my equine icons from literature!" :D

The hot pink will be hard to miss, as well as the fact that he is HUGE! (Bigger than Hughie!)

[Invested1]

I really, really hope it doesn't rain (doing the anti-rain dance now!) as I'm looking forward to playing on the xc course after the short course is over..... :yes:

[piaffeprincess98]

I'm riding at 12 and 12:58 in N-B. I'll get up there pretty early since my guy needs to just chill and hang out for awhile before his test. Probably around 10. My dad will probably be holding him while I walk XC. He is big and black, but right now, his unclipped area over his back and saddle area is turning an ugly brown color. He looks quite funny.

[Sabovee]

This is going to be my very first xcountry show with my dressage horse.
I'm still debating weither or not I'm ACTUALLY going to do the cross country portion. EEK.

I have a gold Ford with a texas hauler bed, big rusted grey and navy trailer. My horse is a bay with a ! shaved on his ass, I'll be showing dressage in my grey coat and xcountry in burgundy and white.

Lord help me.

Kimberley Saylor and Tabernack

[Invested1]

This is going to be my very first xcountry show with my dressage horse.
I'm still debating weither or not I'm ACTUALLY going to do the cross country portion. EEK.


From what I've heard, this would be the perfect place for you to give xc your first go!! :yes:

[Catalina]

From what I've heard, this would be the perfect place for you to give xc your first go!! :yes:

It absolutely is! Which is why I am taking my new guy there :). The XC isn't timed, so you can walk, trot, canter, take your time and get a feel of what your horse is going to do.

And Sabovee, you are going XC if we have to strap you into the saddle and point Bruiser at the first jump :lol:. You will be fine :).

[Catalina]

Oh joy :no:. Dr D, start waterproofing!

Saturday, April 11

Rain

Cloudy with rain. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 30s.

hi 59
lo 39

Precipitation 80%

Wind Speed

12 mph N

[Invested1]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:cry:

[LexInVA]

I can't wait for better weather. I need sunshine and warmth. Hopefully it won't be as hot when I'm at Loch Moy as it was the last time. That was...unpleasant!

[Ishi]

I have 3 going. Donut (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/FlyACK/Training%20Horses/donutxc3.jpg) the Chincoteague Pony (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/FlyACK/Training%20Horses/donutxc4.jpg) will be going for her first time. Then an OTTB that I want to keep more then anything will be making his first outing as well as my new mare who needs to see as many water complexes as possible! So 1 at BN and 2 Novice horses going. I can't wait but hope it doesn't rain too much!

I guess I'll be easy to spot. I'm 5'10 and I'll be riding the large bay paint Chincoteague Pony, bet you can't miss us! The other two are dark bays, much more incognito :lol:

[Dr. Doolittle]

Yes, Ishi is indeed impossible to overlook on that adorable pony! ;)

I'm looking at the Weather Channel forecast right now, and it looks like rain on and off tomorrow, all night overnight Friday :(, and into Sat, (No word on how much, but remember--we *can* at least make it a CT!) Of course that doesn't help those of us who want (and NEED!) to do x-country...:sigh:

[LexInVA]

Well, at least I can't complain that you guys are gonna be having more fun than I will at this point.....:(

[Dr. Doolittle]

Well, at least I can't complain that you guys are gonna be having more fun than I will at this point.....:(

Even with crappy weather, it's *always* more fun to be on a horse than to be at a wedding--or at least that's the prevailing sentiment if you happen to be a "whack job horse person" ;)

[yellowbritches]

Even with crappy weather, it's *always* more fun to be on a horse than to be at a wedding--or at least that's the prevailing sentiment if you happen to be a "whack job horse person" ;)
While normally I would kinda agree on this point, I do recall being EXTREMELY glad to be going to a wedding last summer over Rubicon weekend (Rubicon! Not just any ol' HT, but Rubicon). It was soooooooo hot that weekend, I couldn't even imagine riding. I was plenty happy with getting dressed up like a girl (and it was a white tie wedding, so I was REALLY girly), sit in the AC, eat good food, drink heavily, and admire the groom's good looking West Point pals. :yes: I didn't regret it at all.

[Dr. Doolittle]

Yeah, Rubicon was pretty brutal last summer--ugh!

(So if I had had my druthers in that case, I may have preferred getting dressed up and going someplace with A/C--especially since food and drink are provided! :D)

I actually enjoy going to weddings for many of those reasons (though I have to DRAG the hubby :lol:), but still--I figure I have only so many more competitions in me; as a result, each one I am able to do becomes more special, and is therefore prioritized over other things that I will still be able to do when I am even *more* elderly...;)

[Sabovee]

It absolutely is! Which is why I am taking my new guy there :). The XC isn't timed, so you can walk, trot, canter, take your time and get a feel of what your horse is going to do.

And Sabovee, you are going XC if we have to strap you into the saddle and point Bruiser at the first jump :lol:. You will be fine :).

Now that's just MEAN! ;)

[piaffeprincess98]

Well, the good news is that weather.com is saying 30% chance of rain now. Keep waterproofing that tack!

[Catalina]

Looking better :).

Scattered Showers

A shower or two possible early with partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
hi 60
lo 38

Wind Speed

15 mph N

Precipitation
30%

[asterix]

Although I am not going this weekend, this is warming my heart. Normally I have to put up with mr asterix ridiculing my obsession with the weather as a competition or schooling date nears. :D
And I find myself saying things to the neighbors like "well, the footing is holding up well..."
Needless to say they all think I'm a nice, mild mannered whacko. The kind you wave hello at and wonder whether you will see on the evening news, being sheperded into a courthouse....;)

[Invested1]

Looking better :).

Where are the "fingers crossed" and "rain dance" icons when you need them???? :D

[Invested1]

What are you guys wearing for dressage? Coats? Long-sleeved shirt?

[Sabovee]

I'm beginning to wonder why I signed up for this.
DEEP CLEANSING BREATHS.....

AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Invested1]

Sabovee--I just made rice krispie treats and will bring beer. All you have to do is HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Sabovee]

I was thinking tonight I should go pick up some beer... Would definitely increase my chances of actually doing the xcountry portion.

I am excited to meet some other CoTHers! :) :)

[Dr. Doolittle]

Although I am not going this weekend, this is warming my heart. Normally I have to put up with mr asterix ridiculing my obsession with the weather as a competition or schooling date nears. :D
And I find myself saying things to the neighbors like "well, the footing is holding up well..."
Needless to say they all think I'm a nice, mild mannered whacko. The kind you wave hello at and wonder whether you will see on the evening news, being sheperded into a courthouse....;)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

This is HILARIOUS! I can SO relate to it...ALL of it! :lol:

[Dr. Doolittle]

What are you guys wearing for dressage? Coats? Long-sleeved shirt?

I will be wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, will bring my jacket, and hope that it will be casual enough so as to be able to go without it ;)

(Which has generally been the case in the past; I've competed in about 6 of these things...)

[Dr. Doolittle]

I'm beginning to wonder why I signed up for this.
DEEP CLEANSING BREATHS.....

AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:lol:

You will be FINE! This is a very low-key event at a *beautiful* facility, they are extremely kind and accomodating, and you will enjoy yourself--I promise! (They even allow "do overs" for people who are having trouble--not to count, of course--but they are really "rider and horse friendly" there. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself, and by *all* means, have a beer if you need to ;) And yes, deep breaths also help...)

I am bringing some beer too, as is HappyAppy...Poor Mr. Dr. D! He is now grouching about the "extended social hour at Loch Moy" that he will have to endure--and he spent his whole day off today schlepping me to Wingreen to school x-country--he also walked around and videotaped me. Then we got dinner at Sheetz! :D

(His consolation will be that he gets to go play poker with some work buds tomorrow night--so he can't really say anything if I want to have a beer of three with COTH buds...)

[Dr. Doolittle]

Oh, and yes--very encouraging about the weather! We may get that x-country in after all :)

(Luckily my mare got her Legend shot last night, so two x-countrys in a row should be fine and dandy...and NO Trakehner issues at Wingreen today whatsoever, Woo Hoo!

[yellowbritches]

We were up there today at the schooling field, and the footing was good (some of the take offs and landing were REALLY chewed up, which was surprising. We noticed small notes on a lot of the jumps and were wondering if their was a PC thing going on recently). The footing up top should be GREAT, even with a little rain (if not perfect).:yes:

[Sabovee]

:lol:

You will be FINE! This is a very low-key event at a *beautiful* facility, they are extremely kind and accomodating, and you will enjoy yourself--I promise! (They even allow "do overs" for people who are having trouble--not to count, of course--but they are really "rider and horse friendly" there. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself, and by *all* means, have a beer if you need to ;) And yes, deep breaths also help...)


THANKS! :)

[Invested1]

I will be wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, will bring my jacket, and hope that it will be casual enough so as to be able to go without it ;)

(Which has generally been the case in the past; I've competed in about 6 of these things...)

I'll bring my coat just to be sure.

Would a black or maroon long-sleeved shirt be ok or does it have to be "neutral"?

[Sabovee]

I'm a hard core DQ, so I'll be rocking it out in my gray jacket. :)

[asterix]

And, Dr D, HOW ABOUT THOSE TRAKS, eh??
congrats! You snuck that in there very quietly.

I'm so pleased to hear it!

I wanted to post the pic for Invested of my pony leaping (and he is leaping -- obviously thought This is Really Big Better Jump BIGGER!) that prelim oxer so she has a pic...but my dvd came in some format that I can play but can't seem to do anything else with...no still shots, no loading to youtube....

[Snapdragon]

So, I'm thinking driving rain and big wind gusts are the keys to dressage success! We did BN this morning, and while I was doing D, the rain was blown by the wind so hard a couple of times, I could barely keep my eyes open. Little pone just trucked along, and I have to say it was our best test ever!

Dressage is my nemesis, and often I want to cry as we're going along. Today, I was laughing! Literally! Not only was it miserable, but I paid good money for the experience!

Hope everyone else had a good day!

[piaffeprincess98]

Well, my guy was fabulous jumping, but the novice course seemed more like BN height. He warmed up great for dressage, but the minute I went to trot around the ring, he just freaked out; meaning a few stupid spooks and just so tense. I really don't know what else to do at this point. He got a 6 on his movement when he is clearly an 8 on any other day. He just turns into a different horse. I guess the only thing I can do is keep going to dressage shows until he lets it go. I do the best I can, I don't get hear-pounding nervous or excited like for XC, but sometimes I think I stop riding a little bit and get passive. Today, I felt happy with the way I was riding, and it still went horrible.

[Elliot]

That's too bad piaffeprincess. I saw you warming up and the big guy looked fab.

My baby horse was a good boy. We had some steering issues in dressage, as the end near the judge was SCARY! And then he was pretty backed off for show jumping, but he went over everything, so that's a big bonus. I think we have a bit more homework to do, but it was still a positive experience.

Big thank you to the volunteers who stood out in the pouring rain. I had to clean everything I owned after Morven, and I'm going to have to do it again this time around. It had better NOT rain for MCTA.

[Ishi]

We had a ton of fun. The Chichoteague Pony got a 32 in dressage and was tied for 2nd. NOT bad for being less then 4 months under saddle! I was so proud of her, she's come so far since the first time I sat on her. Then we had an unlucky rail which bumped her down to 6th. We were all wicked proud of her, she really nailed it. She is more then ready for her first recognized HT!!!

Simon literally had 4 minutes to warm up, he was tense for the first 1/4 of the test then tried really hard. He got a 42 and jumped XC clean, he was third! He is also 4 months under saddle. I can't tell you guys how proud I am of him too! He wants to please so badly, and he's mine so he's one of the last to be worked, and often given the day off instead of being ridden. He was supposed to be a resale but I'm holding onto him a little longer, I enjoy him so much!

Carmen wasn't too pleased with the weather, I didn't try hard in dressage, I just wanted to get in and out of there, I was so soaking wet. She got a 34, it was a very blah test. She then decided that she LOVED the water (had a big old water issue at Morven), but was scared of the ditch, so we got eliminated at the ditch, but got to school it a bit. So now she'll be seeing evry water complex AND ditch in NoVA until she rewires her little WB mare brain about it :winkgrin:

All in all what a GREAT show it was, they are so accommodating, NO pressure, it's just really cool. I had a blast, although I'm glad to be home now, and finally dried off. Donut and Simon are tired, Carmen didn't work too hard, she's still full of herself ;)

[Invested1]

Big thank you to the volunteers who stood out in the pouring rain.

Seriously!!! And almost all of them were chatty and friendly, even with the weather! :yes:

So, as it must, the day started out with some drama. I got to the barn earlier than I had planned (just waking up early) and went out to get Ted. He was soaked (duh) and had rolled in mud. :rolleyes: Figured I had time so I'd give him a quick shower with warm water. Well, just as we were finishing up his shower, he caught a chill and couldn't stop shaking. I dried him off with some towels and threw a blanket on him and about 15 minutes later, he was happily munching his hay with a "hey, what's up" look. But the damage was done, I was freaked out. I started wondering, "is he sick (even took his temp!)? is this a sign?" Ugh. And it was pouring rain. I stood there for, no kidding, an hour trying to decide whether or not to make a go of it today. Finally I decided that a) he was sound and b) I wasn't going to start the season on an unnecessary scratch, so I packed up and went, figuring that if it was *that* bad, I'd just turn around and come home.

Of course, in my tizzy, I didn't think to change out of my wet clothes for the drive (figuring the heat in the truck would dry me off) so I arrived with my hands shaking and my teeth (literally) chattering. HUGE kudos to the awesome Secretary who gave me a cup of hot chocolate--that, along with changing into my dry riding clothes made me good as new.

Turns out that I had a great day! And I need to preface that, um, due to the cold snap we had last week, I, uh, didn't ride. heh. So, boy had all week off. Additionally, the last time that we rode a dressage test or jumped an actual stadium course was at Difficult Run last August. :eek:

Anyway, pony was awesome! Walked down to dressage warm up about 25 minutes before my go; as we walked in, the steward said, "Hey, 64, there's no 63 so you can go on up if you're ready." Ack! Um, no, not ready!! Usually Ted and I warm up for about 30 minutes--the first 10 minutes of which are just walking on a loose rein letting him look around. Well, apparently none of that today! We started warming up immediately and he was all tense, wondering where his strolling time was, but I felt like I would be holding things up if I didn't just go, so I went. :sigh:

Test actually didn't go too badly! I felt like it was slow but he was listening, so I was happy enough. Turns out we got a 35, which put us in the middle of the pack--7th out of 13.

Jumping. Due to all the yuck rain, we were given the option of just running a stadium course if we didn't want to brave xc. Well, in the past month, we've had 2 xc lessons and another one next weekend; as mentioned above, we need to practice stadium.

Again, pony was awesome! We were working on me being still and quiet and my goal was to just have a nice hunter round; we got that about half the time. :lol:

Ran the course twice (I just did whatever course they had set up, so I did Novice--as did a couple others in my division-- instead of waiting for them to raise the bars so I could go ahead and get moving. Pony was great both times; listening and quiet (for the most part), so I was beyond happy.

The awesome stadium steward offered to let me go more (if I wanted to wait around for him to raise the jumps) but I felt that, especially since we had come in so unprepared, it was best to just call it a day on a high note. :yes:

Also, got to see Ishi, Dr. D, and Snapdragon, and got to meet HappyAppy (and her daughter) and TarheelMD07.

Turned out to be a good day... :D

[Ishi]

It is so much fun to go to events and shows and see so many COTHers. Ivensted1, Dr D, Catalina and met Tazzie, who also met the pony and got to see Simon and Carmen go. Ouch on Carmen's final halt :o totally deserved that score though! Donut's Mom was there, of course, in the soaking wet, so was her Dad. Her 12 year old owner was smart and stayed home and stayed dry! Somehow I missed Sabovee :(

[Sabovee]

It is so much fun to go to events and shows and see so many COTHers. Ivensted1, Dr D, Catalina and met Tazzie, who also met the pony and got to see Simon and Carmen go. Ouch on Carmen's final halt :o totally deserved that score though! Donut's Mom was there, of course, in the soaking wet, so was her Dad. Her 12 year old owner was smart and stayed home and stayed dry! Somehow I missed Sabovee :(

I saw you a couple of times - walking with Donut down for dressage and when I was in the lineup for jumping - first time you looked busy, second time I was trying very hard not to freak out. We'll hook up at the next one!!

[Dr. Doolittle]

Good to read everyone's reports, and I had a good day too--though (in spite of the optimistic forecasts from local meterologists; they are ALL full of crap--every man Jack of 'em!) the rain did NOT relent until after 3:00, ARGH! :(

I got to meet Surf Guitar (TarheelMD07 was riding him--he is HUGE! My 6'4" hubby stood next to his withers, and could *just* barely see over them ;)), and like Hughie, he is one of my "icons" from Julia Wendell's wonderful, wonderful, inspirational book...Very cool! (And from what I saw, he traipsed around the course like it was a literal walk in the park...)

Great job, both Invested and Ishi--I saw part of Ishi's dressage, and that mare is *super* fancy: WOW! This is one to watch...Good to hear that she is embracing the x-country, though like many "careful athletic mares", she apparently needs more time to get comfortable with certain aspects thereof ;) It took me a good while to get Her Majesty to do ditches and water-now she loves both, and is totally chill!

I'm always amazed at how quickly you are able to get these green horses going well and confidently (which is why I am planning to send Her Majesty's offspring to you all to get started U/S--you guys are the bomb! Of course we are talking a few years down the road.)

I unfotunately missed seeing PiaffePrincess go, but I can feel your pain :rolleyes:, sometimes their head is simply not in the game, and there's nothing you can do. :sigh:

(BTDT, have the T-Shirt, etc...:p)

I saw Catalina on her very attractive dark bay (with the distinctive two front socks), but I was on my way down to dressage warmup as she was finishing her test, so it was impossible to intercept her!

Invested's horse did *great*--especially considering how long it had been between his last official stadium outing and today! Really relaxed and focused, and like it was "no big deal"; you will *rock* Loudoun, girl! :D

The weather was NOT conducive to people hanging out and drinking beer and socializing, unfortunately--I did have a Corona (okay two) at the end (we were one of the last to leave after collecting my dressage test), but apart from Invested's Rice Krispie treats (and she gave Mr. Dr D a doughnut), we were unable to find each other and share food and drink...Mostly we were all trying to stay dry and huddling under raingear! Plus we were all parked up on the hill, and not really near one another.

HappyAppy's daughter's horse (who is in love with my mare) SAW her in dressage warmup, and was a right asswipe in his test as a result :rolleyes: Said daughter held it together, though, and got a respectable 40%--then warmed up well for the Short Course (with my help; I made sure the boy was RESPECTFUL while she was tacking up--no distractions ALLOWED, thank you!--and we had put Her Majesty back in the trailer, far away from theirs), and so the two of them rocked the Short course (with studs to help his traction), and wound up second in the Novice division :)

My mare was her usual hilarious self :p, but was pretty darn good, and warmed up well for dressage (without her usual histrionics--she really has been *much* better behaved lately--could she be maturing, finally?? :eek:), and then I went down center line, and for the second time (at Loch Moy), went off course in Training test A. I turned the WRONG DIRECTION at C :uhoh: :lol: I've been riding Prelim tests for the better part of a year now, never going off course (but hell, in competition, I did a bunch of T level tests even last year), but apparently I now have a brain fart when it comes to USEA T tests...Sheesh, how embarrassing! I apologized to the judge, re-grouped, and put in a servicable test--apologized again at the end, and the judge said "it's okay, it was a nice test!" which made me feel better. Good enough for a 30.50, and 3rd in the largish division after dressage. (She even wrote on the test" "sorry about the E!" with a frowny face :lol: What a nice judge!!)

Anyway, I opted to do the stadium rounds instead of the Short Course because of the wet footing (even though the SC was *very* easy--Carolyn had said that she was going to make it REALLY simple so as to minimize the challenge under those wet conditions): T was pretty much N, and N was pretty much BN...My decision was easy, considering that A) my horse is barefoot (and the hubby was asking everyone who came off the course at N "How was the footing?"--fine, IF you had studs, was the answer from everyone),and B) the girl had gone x-country at Wingreen the day before, and was fantastic. So really, the stadium rounds were VERY useful, since they allow you "do overs", and Carolyn's hubby put the entire course up JUST FOR ME to first Training, then Prelim height--and not only let me do certain lines twice, put also placed himself as a "cone" so that I was able to better line up the turn to the bending line 3, 4, and 5. :D

Too cool! These folks are just the best, really...LOVE Loch Moy and Carolyn!

The girl was a bit fussy (and I was laughing at her), so I pulled her up after a few combos/lines so that I could chill her jets, and also circled to get a better line to the next jump or combo. This was a HUGELY useful schooling opp. She jumped GREAT (just watched the video), and is finding all of this stuff wicked easy :yes: How I LOVE that horse, despite and because of her ipersonality, her melodramatics, and her big heart (and ability.) Now IF only *I* weren't holding myself together with glue and duct tape and baling twine (and Robaxin and heating pads and myofascial release and chiropractic and pain killers and alchohol and stretching and determination and a wing and a prayer :sigh:), we could have a GREAT season.

asterix, YAH, damn, the girl was the BOMB yesterday at Wingreen; totally calm and confident (I had her do a nice little gallop first, and then made sure I was being *really* soft with the reins over the initial small stuff--letting her sort it out, and not getting in her way at all, but just relaxed and forward--and then she was wonderful, wonderful over everything. STEPPING over everything, actually...I am over the moon with her right now, and my confidence has been restored :yes: NOW I just have to keep MYSELF healthy, which is the hard part...

Bleah, I just need to find a time machine and go back 20 years! :p

[Catalina]

Well, I guess the rain was better then the wind last weekend ;)!

I wish I would have seen you Dr D. One of these days we will get to meet other then in passing. The dark bay with the front socks is Mark, my new guy that I got from Sabovee a couple of months ago. This was our first time out and we had never done a stadium course before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. He has major tense issues, but he was far more relaxed then I expected (good pony :)) and we got a 32 :D, which put us second in our division. Mark was good in stadium, and in spite of ignoring some half halts and getinng under a couple of jumps, he still went around clean.

I got to meet Donut (the cutest pony ever) and the glorious Carmen. Ishi has the nicest horses!

[Dr. Doolittle]

Well, I guess the rain was better then the rain last weekend ;)!

I wish I would have seen you Dr D. One of these days we will get to meet other then in passing. The dark bay with the front socks is Mark, my new guy that I got from Sabovee a couple of months ago. This was our first time out and we had never done a stadium course before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. He has major tense issues, but he was far more relaxed then I expected (good pony :)) and we got a 32 :D, which put us second in our division. Mark was good in stadium, and in spite of ignoring some half halts and getinng under a couple of jumps, he still went around clean.

I got to meet Donut (the cutest pony ever) and the glorious Carmen. Ishi has the nicest horses!

Yes, that would definitely be a good thing ;); and sometimes it's difficult in these show situations! Mark is lovely, and it sounds like he has a very promising future ahead of him...

(Agree about Ishi's horses :yes:)

Sooooo....we are still waiting for a report from the elusive Sabovee!? :D

[Ishi]

OK it's official, I'm blushing :D

I am so lucky that Donut A) isn't ready for a kid (who would fit her much better!) and B) has the best owner in the world! I am so tickled with this pony, we are seriously hoping to go Training at some point in the fall. Who knows after that, she just rocks :cool:

I was supposed to 'fix' and then sell Carmen. Got the fixed part down but totally fell in love with her during the selling process. She is the first horse I've bought myself in a long time and I am so smitten with her. I worked with Catalina's Holsteiner mare (I LOVED her), who was one of the main reasons that Carmen and I clicked so well. Now I blame Catalina for me falling for all these small mares! And she does have that distinctive head, only I call it her Smart Bump :lol:


Dr D If or whenever Her Majesty's babies have 4 feet on the ground and are ready, I'd consider it an honor to start them. She is a gorgeous mare, and I adore her, be it from a far. I now know why some people love some mares so much!

[Snapdragon]

Ishi, I think I saw you on the pony walking down to the rings. I'll just say, I noticed because he definitely commands attention. What a super-looking pony! Just watching him walking, you can see he's a real athlete.

Also want to add my thank you to the volunteers. It was so icky in the morning, and the only thing worse than having to ride in that would be having to stand around in that, helping all of us.

I signed up to do a XC school afterward, and obviously didn't. Does anyone know if we'll be credited for that at a later time?

Editing to add, I didn't know pony was a mare! All the better!

[Sabovee]

Yes, that would definitely be a good thing ;); and sometimes it's difficult in these show situations! Mark is lovely, and it sounds like he has a very promising future ahead of him...

(Agree about Ishi's horses :yes:)

Sooooo....we are still waiting for a report from the elusive Sabovee!? :D

I got schooled by the eventers ;) Didnt get the best ride for dressage, he warmed up great though. The judge dinged us when he decided the diagonals were extensions (I managed to eek him back into more of a medium). We ended with a 40.5. Not our best performance! Then on to xc.... only there was no xc..... and Ive never jumped this horse on a full scary stadium course. I alllmmooost didnt do it, but Catalina can be very convincing. Something about "get your ass out there..." ;) He did very well in the stadium, despite the drunken monkey on his back, we pulled a rail at the 5th or 6th fence. Ended up 8th overall. Not the shining performance I was hoping for! BUT....

I lent a horse of mine to a friend, she had her horse entered for yesterday and he got a nasty puncture wound and is on stall rest. She came out and rode my horse twice, once on the flat and once over fences. He got a 30 in the dressage (her best score ever) and a clear jumping round and won their division :) :) :) So I got to experience the "proud owner" moment.

Now I have to enter him in the rest of the short courses! Not sure if I will be doing the next two or not.

Catalina and Mark did very well!! So I got to experience the "happy former owner" moment ;)

I had fun though, even in the pouring rain.

[tarheelmd07]

I got to meet Surf Guitar (TarheelMD07 was riding him--he is HUGE! My 6'4" hubby stood next to his withers, and could *just* barely see over them ;)), and like Hughie, he is one of my "icons" from Julia Wendell's wonderful, wonderful, inspirational book...Very cool! (And from what I saw, he traipsed around the course like it was a literal walk in the park...)



People are always surprised at how big Surf is...he doesn't look that big from a distance, but when you get up right next to him, it's a different story :D

I was parked next to Invested and Dr. D, and got to meet HappyAppy as well - always nice to put faces with Coth names!

Surfie put in a much better than usual dressage test...finally broke 40 in a Training test, and was excited about an 8 on the stretchy trot...a big breakthrough as the big guy is not so much into stretchy, and much more into giraffe impersonating. He was super for the xc portion, but seemed a bit confused about the whole stadium jumps in the field aspect. The lack of a true start box was much appreciated by Surf, who has some irrational fear of getting in the start box. Really, what's so scary about a start box? Whatever it is though, Surf is not a fan...it's a bit embarrasing when your horse starts spinning and hopping on his hind legs and the starter has to lead you into the box :lol:

Here's hoping for better weather at Redland next weekend...I've been rained or snowed on for 6 outings in a row now...so I'm ready for some sun!

[Dr. Doolittle]

OK it's official, I'm blushing :D

I am so lucky that Donut A) isn't ready for a kid (who would fit her much better!) and B) has the best owner in the world! I am so tickled with this pony, we are seriously hoping to go Training at some point in the fall. Who knows after that, she just rocks :cool:

I was supposed to 'fix' and then sell Carmen. Got the fixed part down but totally fell in love with her during the selling process. She is the first horse I've bought myself in a long time and I am so smitten with her. I worked with Catalina's Holsteiner mare (I LOVED her), who was one of the main reasons that Carmen and I clicked so well. Now I blame Catalina for me falling for all these small mares! And she does have that distinctive head, only I call it her Smart Bump :lol:


Dr D If or whenever Her Majesty's babies have 4 feet on the ground and are ready, I'd consider it an honor to start them. She is a gorgeous mare, and I adore her, be it from a far. I now know why some people love some mares so much!

That's so kind of you; now *I'm* blushing :p

I think we who own and ride mares should form a support group (of course I am already on an unofficial COTH clique for mare lovers...;))

[Dr. Doolittle]

I got schooled by the eventers ;) Didnt get the best ride for dressage, he warmed up great though. The judge dinged us when he decided the diagonals were extensions (I managed to eek him back into more of a medium). We ended with a 40.5. Not our best performance! Then on to xc.... only there was no xc..... and Ive never jumped this horse on a full scary stadium course. I alllmmooost didnt do it, but Catalina can be very convincing. Something about "get your ass out there..." ;) He did very well in the stadium, despite the drunken monkey on his back, we pulled a rail at the 5th or 6th fence. Ended up 8th overall. Not the shining performance I was hoping for! BUT....

I lent a horse of mine to a friend, she had her horse entered for yesterday and he got a nasty puncture wound and is on stall rest. She came out and rode my horse twice, once on the flat and once over fences. He got a 30 in the dressage (her best score ever) and a clear jumping round and won their division :) :) :) So I got to experience the "proud owner" moment.

Now I have to enter him in the rest of the short courses! Not sure if I will be doing the next two or not.

Catalina and Mark did very well!! So I got to experience the "happy former owner" moment ;)

I had fun though, even in the pouring rain.

Well, not only did you survive, but it sounds like a good experience for everyone (and every horse) in your circle! (You see? Catalina was right :winkgrin:)

[Dr. Doolittle]

People are always surprised at how big Surf is...he doesn't look that big from a distance, but when you get up right next to him, it's a different story :D

I was parked next to Invested and Dr. D, and got to meet HappyAppy as well - always nice to put faces with Coth names!

Surfie put in a much better than usual dressage test...finally broke 40 in a Training test, and was excited about an 8 on the stretchy trot...a big breakthrough as the big guy is not so much into stretchy, and much more into giraffe impersonating. He was super for the xc portion, but seemed a bit confused about the whole stadium jumps in the field aspect. The lack of a true start box was much appreciated by Surf, who has some irrational fear of getting in the start box. Really, what's so scary about a start box? Whatever it is though, Surf is not a fan...it's a bit embarrasing when your horse starts spinning and hopping on his hind legs and the starter has to lead you into the box :lol:

Here's hoping for better weather at Redland next weekend...I've been rained or snowed on for 6 outings in a row now...so I'm ready for some sun!


So, other than Redlands, when is your next event with one of these "iconic" horses?

Woe, SIX outings in a ROW?!?!? You *certainly* deserve some dry and sunny weather! (At Redlands, you never know...everyone start the "obsessive weather watching" ;))

Now I have to make the hard decision to put shoes on my mare :sigh: so that I can use studs; I really hate to keep scratching x-country because the !@#$%! weather won't give us a break....:(

[tarheelmd07]

So, other than Redlands, when is your next event with one of these "iconic" horses?

Huey's going to Redlands, then I'm taking both Huey and Surf to MCTA (since it's 10min down the road from us...and N and T run on different days, so I only have to deal with 1 horse per day).

After that the schedule gets a little fuzzy...I'll probably take Surf to Fair Hill. I might skip waredaca (since we all know it will rain at least 1 day...) and take both to Rubicon...or take one to rubicon and one to Seneca...or both to Seneca...or if I really wanted to tick off my husband by traveling 3 weekends in a row, take Surf to waredaca, Huey to rubicon, then Surf to seneca...

[LexInVA]

Good to know everyone enjoyed themselves.

[Dr. Doolittle]

tarheel, thanks for the schedule! You MDers have a slightly different bunch of HTs to target closer to you; I won't be riding at any of those (though will be coaching and probably volunteering at Rubicon, so hopefully will see you there!)

(I know that if I DON'T enter Waredaca, it will NOT rain--got rained out of the one last fall...:()

So Lex, how was the wedding??

[asterix]

no, no, Dr D, it mainly rains on Waredaca FALL, not Waredaca spring. That one is usually ok. Um. But, you know, don't blame me or anything if it's not right.

[Dr. Doolittle]

no, no, Dr D, it mainly rains on Waredaca FALL, not Waredaca spring. That one is usually ok. Um. But, you know, don't blame me or anything if it's not right.


:lol: :lol:

But we have to blame SOMEONE!?!?

[LexInVA]

So Lex, how was the wedding??

The wedding itself was nice, such as weddings are in their own little unique ways, but I really felt like I had no business being there in the first place since I hardly knew the bride and certainly didn't know the groom. I cannot say I enjoyed myself because I didn't in the slightest but I stuck through the whole thing to make sure that my parents got home okay. Unfortunately, the morning after has not been pleasant at all despite the nice weather.

[rideforthelaurels16]

Tejana and I (and all the rest of the Windchase crew!) had a blast despite the miserable weather to finish fourth in BN-A. I'm kind of glad we did stadium instead of the short-course thingy because it was raining so hard when we walked the course that I didn't take any of it in! Oops! Looking forward to a VERY warm (87!!!) Loudoun this weekend though! :) Ishi, I saw you on the way to the ring with the pony, what a cutie!