Drivers Ed is the death of me.

FINALLY! I started Drivers Ed (a year late) on the 15th. It has been o.k. it's just the classroom portion is so boring. Also it is three days I cannot ride :(. We are trying to smoosh it into 3 weeks so it gets wicked time consuming. We are almost done I just have tomorrow (the 30th), Saturday, then the next Wednesday and Thursday. It will feel good to have my permit. I am hoping to send in for my Licence in March if it all goes as planned :).

Enough about me, It's the horses that matter. Like I usually say....all four of my mares are doing great. After King Oak, Keiko got a week off. I  rode her after one week and she felt ten times better. It is amazing what a little down time can do. I'm also trying to keep in mind not to push her too much. She is only 5, and a 5 year old Draft cross at that.

Duellsa is doing great also. She is really "Clicking" onto what to do, and what not to do. The past couple times she has loaded she has walked right on with no hesitation. I took her to a Judy Westlake lesson on the 25th. (Which was also Duelli and I's year anniversary.) Boy, did she show it. She was fantastic. I have been working with Judy &Gail on not using my hands as much. I can get kind of "Handzie" at times. Not bad, just a little bit. So we worked on that, and worked on her trot. We realized that if a cannot lengthen out her trot with her still staying though then she is not ready to canter. Which makes a lot of sense. When I canter when she is not ready she almost scares her self. It is kind of hard to explain. (Lesson Video and yes...I know I am on the wrong Diagonal the WHOLE time. Another flaw with my riding. I explain it in a comment) I took her schooling XC yesterday and she did fantastic. OH, and she loaded on a totally unfimiliar trailer!!!! It's such a big step for her. Her next debuts are the Stepping Stone Farm Equitation show,and Lincoln HTS. (Beg. Novice!)

Ryn has been doing great also. I have been working on jumping with her and she is "Different" but a good different. She is getting it! :D Her dressage is coming along so well. Finally she is gaining muscle and a top line. (Thank you Back On Track)

Dixie has been worked a little bit. Not as much as I want to be :(. She has been going sore off and on again. I'd really like her to be better so i can really work on our dressage again. I really miss riding her. Her Back On Track sheet is really helping. She is on Vit. E for her deficiency. I think it is going to just take time. She really loves one of my students, Kaya, and she also does fantastic with Dixie. :)



Possible Stuart Pitman clinic?!?!? I think yes :D

Four Incredible Mares.

Why yes, my title does mean what you think it does. :)

   Lately Dixie, Keiko, Duellsa, and Ryn have been doing fantastic. They're learning movements, and where and what to do with their bodies (the right way) too fast it is hard for me to wrap my little mind around it!

Clay Brook Horse Trials: (Home of Epona pony club!) Like I said in my last post, Clay Brook was postponed due to Hurricane Irene's fierce attack. (especially in Vermont!) So it was postponed till the 4th of Sept. After 3 hours in the car, Keiko and I finally arrived at Clay Brook. She was fantastic in warm up for our dressage test. She only needed a 10 minute warm up. She proceeded to have the best test ever! Or at least it felt that way. The judge thought so too, we got a 29.5! We were then off to Stadium. She was super pokey and didn't want to move! She knocked a rail, no biggy :) We got around and that's all that matters. Then came cross country. Well, lets just say if it had been timed we would have had slow faults. She was cantering as slow as possible till about jump #6. Who ever said a forward horse is harder then a slow horse is wrong! When you have every possible "GO!" aid on and she still doesn't want to go forward. Oh, Keiko. Anyway, she went clear and jumped the last 9 jumps at a forward canter. We ended the day with a very unexpected 1st place! (I actually WON A TIE!) Haha...

King Oak Horse Trials: Here we go Keiko!  We headed out on the road on Friday afternoon. After the longest 7 hours ever, we finally arrived at King Oak at 8:30p.m and got Keiko settled in and all my stuff set up :) Then we went to dinner with Jessica Flynn and Kathy! (Jess's blog.) The next morning we went over to the farm to bathe and braid Keiko. Then walked courses with Jess.  While walking courses we both lost track of time and ended up having to get ready in 10 minutes. Thank GOD for my mother being there and knowing how to tack up Keiko. Jess and I went down to the dressage ring with 10ish minutes to spare for warm up. After a few excited bucks from Keiko she settled down and had in O.K test. She was a little squiggly, and abrupt in her transitions but overall it was a pretty decent test! About an hour later we went to the stadium ring. Her warm up was slow, pokey, and she barely moved. Once getting into the "On Deck" warm up her inner Swedish WB came out and it felt great! We pulled off our course great. It was not "Equitation Pretty" but we got in time and no faults. Including me jumping jump #3 and #4, which were two oxers on a tough turn, with no stirrups. ( I was thanking Audrey Bean and Gail for those no stirrup jump lessons!) It was great. Once Jessie got done her course we got our XC equipment on because they said they were going to start XC quite a bit early then they thought. Well, that didn't happen. We ended about walking around XC warm up for at least and additional hour. That tired Keiko out completely. Once warmed up for XC we headed out to the  start box. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, have a great ride! We went to the first jump at a very nice........Lope. The whole course was at a nice (Or not so nice?) lope. I almost thought of retiring half way, but she got a little spurt of "GO!" and we finished in time with only one refusal at jump #3, which was a simple maxed red coup but and was off the road and in the shade. So it was a little spooky, plus it did not help that we had absolutely NO impulsion to that jump. She went through the water at a Champion walk, and cantered over the faux ditch with no problems. She was tired. We ended the day with a dressage score of 38.5 and 20 penalty points for the refusal and a beautiful 6th place ribbon! No big deal. I am so proud of this mare, with having someone that actually believes in her, it's amazing what a horse will do. They know when you don't believe in them.



Next on the Agenda is Lincoln HTS for Duelli (Or Ryn, still undecided) and Keiko! It's not till October 9th. It is also the last show! AH! Not winter again! Someone take me and my four horses south please! :)
There might be a possibility of a Babette clinic with Duelli! :D I hope so!


-Ashley.