After slacking on my blog, here is an update (finally!)
The horses are doing very well. I have been able to work little Dixie pretty consistently for a month now. No signs of a sore back of right hock! YAY! I think she is almost fit to start jumping again. Shhhh....don't tell my mother! Duellsa is still at Infinity Farm working 6 days a week and progressing fast! We are really focusing on our dressage work. The jumping part is no issue, she loves it, is good at it, and is brave. It's our dressage work that's an issue. She is getting pretty steady now in walk and trot, and now we are strengthening her hind end and back so she can canter with out being totally out of balance all the time. It is getting SO much better. I hope to do her 1st show (May 26th) which is a two phase, at Novice. I think that is a pretty realistic goal! :)
Now on to important news!!! On the second weekend in April I went to a Show Jumping clinic with Sandra Low-Mitchell, which...to say the least was amazing. Although Duellsa was not totally herself on the 1st day, it was still good. I have not ridden with Sandra before so it was a great new set of "eyes" for me. On the 1st day, we got to Safe Haven farm a few hours early so Duellsa could chill and such before our lesson. Once my lesson time came around and I got her tacked up the nerves started to kick in a bit. Not about the jumping, but about what Sandra was going to say about Duellsa. I walk in the arena and introduce myself and Duellsa, and then warm up a bit. Of course, Duellsa is her flinging headed, forward self. So Sandra stops me and checks my saddle, and it doesn't fit. Which was not a surprise because we were looking for a new one anyway. Then she takes my bit off and puts a regular snaffle on, which was also okay because I meant to put my dressage bit on and forgot. Silly me. Then she takes Duellsa's figure 8 off. Her explanation for that was that Duellsa cheeks and jaw are so big that it actually prohibits movement in her jaw. So, we looked like a western pony for the day! Yay! Even though Duellsa was a bit of a nut that day, not listening to my leg or seat, and flinging herself over the jumps. I did learn a lot from the lesson. Sometimes I don't mind when the horse I am riding acts crazy in a clinic because then I learn ow to ride it so if I am at a show, I know how to fix it. Sandra had me working on staying up out of the saddle through my whole course, even through the approach. Which is weird for my because with Dixie I had to sit three strides before to push her on and stay off her shoulders. After taking care of Duellsa, Jessie Flynn and I watched the rest of the lessons for the day and then headed to the Dinner and Lecture with Kat Bailey! Can we say best wedding soup ever? I swear I could have had eight bowls of it, but I held myself back to two :) After eating all the delicious food, we had a Q & A lecture! It was really good! Sandra is wicked funny in her own way. At first when you meet her she seems dry, but once you start to get to know her she cracks jokes when you don't even notice. :) Jess, Kat, and I headed to her sisters to stay the night. (Thank you Margaret and Jason!) Then up in the morning to do barn chores with Juice and a bagel in hand! That is until Kat opened her trunk and my bagel fell on the ground :'(. Hahah. Jess and I helped with chores at the Bailey's then at Safe Haven. Our lessons were not till the afternoon anyway :) I am always surprised how calm Duellsa is when we bring her somewhere and she goes in a stall. She neighs for a bit and then notices she has food. :) My second lesson went MUCH better! I kept the snaffle, the new saddle, and put a regular nose band on for the lesson. :) I had a group lesson with Kat and her gelding Remmy, and Mary and her mare Rosie (who reminded me a ton of Ryn). This lesson we only changed two things! Sandra had me put my stirrups up two holes and we converted my running martingale into a standing. I was really skeptical about the standing martingale because Duellsa has a tendency to rear when pissed. She actually responded really well! Duellsa would start to try to fling her head, felt the tension and then gave. Yay progression! After doing some warm up, which consisted of my standing in my saddle over the pommel for a while, we did some courses and Duellsa was great! I have not been able to canter full courses with her getting the right pace and leads in a while. In this lesson she could keep a steady rhythm and got the correct lead most of the time. If not she has finally got her changes. :) We love when she is balanced! I was so happy with my weekend and it made me more confident for this coming show season. Plus, something......great happened. After Jessie's lesson we got our horses set, and walked them up to the arena to get pictures with Sandra. Sandra is a total goof just like the rest of us. She put Jessie and I in headlocks, then held our ponytails up behind our heads. After our mini photoshoot she talked to Jess and I and offered us to come work for her in Scotland! Yes, big deal. Very big deal. Jess and I are going to try as hard as we can to go. It would be an experience of a lifetime. Let's see if it comes true!! :)
Holy paragraph. So, as of now life is pretty freaking great.
Oh, I've got to mention that...Keiko Keiko is sold!! Amy and Mark Leiberman bought her for their daughter Trishh! They have come up a few times and ridden Keiko and love her right to death <3 I'm excited to see where Keiko and Trishh will go! They'll do big things I'm sure! :) Congrats Keiko and Trishh!
Now to stalk Rolex photos and videos of Rolex, and be jealous of the Bean's and the Ginn's who are there! :)
