The lovely and talented Lauren Sprieser, my fellow blogger and online friend, is trying to tell us all that the seasonal relocation of her barn to Florida ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
Greetings sports fans from the frozen tundra that is Vermont. I continue to hibernate, coffee cup in hand, looking out the window, thinking about going to the barn to watch the girl ride, but it’s really cold!
The girl continues to put in long hours at the barn, ever the faithful and committed young horseperson. I shamefully admit that over the past several weeks, I have only done drive-bys—picking the girl up at the end of the day, not even getting out of the car. The only real barn time I’ve put in is my regular Saturday afternoon barn chore shift.
The holidays are over and we’re settling in for our remaining five months of winter. As I read about Lauren’s seasonal relocation to Florida, I assessed my own state of mind and find that I am (surprisingly) OK. There will be no trip to Ocala this year. There are no business trips on the horizon to warm weather locales. It’s just winter as far as the eye can see. It’s cool. I can handle it. Just check on me every couple of weeks, OK?
‘Tis the time of year when people give you a gift, and you don’t have one to give to them. When you receive a pink fuzzy sweater that you’d like to exchange. And perhaps there’s a coffee maker, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine you’re thinking of regifting.
How’s a polite barn girl to handle these situations? It’s also the time of year when we want to thank the folks who work hard all year to care for our beasts—the barn workers, the trainer, the farrier, the vet. What’s an appropriate gift?
Pink’s not really my color…..
The third group of amateur adult competitors entered the exposition hall on Friday in Springfield, Mass., to compete for the NEHC Adult Medal Final in the 18-22-year-old division. The second day of competition at the New England Equitation Championships featured 84 riders from seven states.
Part Two: NEHC Amateur Adult Medal Finals 41 And Over
The second group of amateur adult competitors got underway yesterday afternoon at the New England Equitation Championships in Springfield, Mass., with the NEHC Amateur Adult Medal Finals competition for the riders aged 41 and over.
Part One: NEHC Amateur Adult Medal Finals 23-40-Year-Olds
Yesterday was an exciting start to the 34th annual New England Equitation Championships. An event with humble beginnings, the organizing committee now boasts that it hosts one of the most prestigious and well-attended equitation finals competitions in the country. With no one arguing otherwise, the four-day competition kicked off with adult equitation finals broken down by two age groups: a 23-40 division and a 41 and over division.
Our former barn manager left a few months ago to have a baby. She’s in her early 20s and has taken to motherhood like me to chocolate.
Less than four weeks postpartum, she made her first appearance at the barn, and we were on her like dirt on a gray mare. All of us barn moms were “oohhing” and “aahhing,” making the necessary comments about beautiful features, long fingers and the eternal mystery of the sweet smell of newborn baby.
Even without a horse show, it was an exciting horse-related weekend nonetheless. On Saturday, the long-awaited installation of new flooring at the barn got underway. The barn was closed for the weekend to boarders—something that I don’t recall happening in the four-plus years we’ve boarded at Missy Ann Stables. My daughter was fighting a stomach bug, otherwise, I think she would have been banging on the barn door, demanding to be let in.
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