RODE 3 HOSS'S

Mosquitos are out in force. Baby was acting like she had turretz syndrome.... running away from the bugs... stopping and then looking crosseyed and shaking her head and taking off again. Black flies arent much of a bother with fly sheets and masks on... but mosquitos drive me NUTS too if one is in the bedroom at night! Totally understand Babe... which is why I shut up the barn tight tonight and put the fan on for white noise for them. Poor things. I know I spoil them, but if I dont who will? :)

Rode Angel first. MY GOD... is he something. YOWZAAH... mmmm MMM! He is tall n handsome, muscled up and lookin' goood! Sick thing is.... I must be getting old... he looks as good as the firemen calender boyz with the six packs! SEE? Sick egh? Well, anyway... he wasnt off tonight. He thinks he is all that n a bag of chips.... with his alternating girlfriends, and junk airing out every day. Charlie, was good, headset, canter work and excellent bending. Also worked on transitions and he gets it quick :) Baby, was good too, she is just lazzzzE ... compared to the boyz, who trot right out. I needed spurs and dressage whip with her, then she is all about what you want. Her headset is perfect, but she needs to give more push from the hind. I hate to babysit her with leg, so the whip is effective but I feel bad about it. Hope that in time she will GET IT!

Wish I had pictures, but I dont. No place to set up video all by myself. I rode 2 out of 3 before someone showed up. So I didnt bother.... but some time soon I will post new vid to see how well they are all coming along.

Now that its summer, who wants to be editing video footage in the back office? NOT ME!

Rain... We Needed It

Well rain today, tomorrow, then next day and I guess it will be a wet weekend too.

Some breaks may allow for riding time if I can plan accordingly.

I rode Charlie on Monday. He went very well. Didnt even lounge him really. He just looked like he wouldnt be a problem and he wasnt. Does that mean I can read him? I wouldnt bet on it ;)

I wanted to ride Babe but she was FILTHY. Angel is still not right, hence the call to Dr Tusch to schedule the appointment to get him straight. Still waiting for a date. Guess I will have to call the office back and light the fire. I dont want to spend the money but I have to. He needs to be comfortable. I need to get there from here. I dont have any time to waste!

I gave up trying to get my website up and running with videography, therefore am just working on the Photography instead. I have a couple of websites that friends have asked me to assist them with. I have got to get mine done first before I can help others. I have misc things here and there and training horses to commit to, lessons which I have already committed to. So things are happening. This week will be a slow week, so dont expect me to talk about nothing. Next pictures posted will be of the leaves that our bursting out, and the horses up to pasture which I hope to secure on WED & Thurs this week with Mindys help. They are anxious, as I would be, to get up there and eat the green sweets! They have already broken out of the fence and took over the lawn and back lot that is trying to green up. My husband was less then impressed coming home to horses loose on HIS lawn. I was at softball practice to get a call from him stating so. OH well... it happens... at least once a year. Luckily our driveway is 800' long and off a dead end type road.

Charlie was letting me know that he was really PO'd at me at 4:15 today as it was cold and misting out. I had given a late lunch and then hit the bank and postoffice. I came back to clean stalls and then went in. HE threw an absolute fit. He was in the front pasture and from my livingroom window I watched his antics. He walked around on 2 legs, and pawed a hole to China in that front corner of the pasture and stopping occassionally to see if I were coming back to put them in. He was really really mad to hear the grain and then watch me walk back to the house... his way of saying ... WTF?!!!! It went on ... I am not exagerating... for at least 5 - 8 minutes. He was cold and I am sure that was why. But he is just fine... toughen him up. I came back out 45 minutes later... not like 8 at night. What a cry baby.... everyone else was fine... just MR impatient.

Sorry Charlie.... your not special like you think your are.

The Boyz Playing

Angel By Day ~ is the light bay

Charlie ~

Wapschocolate Moose is the brown bay.

I dont put the boyz out together because they play too rough.

I dont need vet bills, or need to tend to gouges, cuts, wounds,

& scratches as its bad enough they are sallys and need fly sheets and special

water based bug repellent, the tender little flowers.

BUT ... they both hold the key to my future.

They also both get alternated between the girls...

and the pastures to entertain themselves

I dont usually take my camera out but I made a special effort to do so for a short 15 minute photo shoot so that I could capture the antics without having their bug sheets and head nets on. These are my favorites out of the 300 or so I snapped off with my

NEW Canon 50 D boyz n girls! Mamma luvin her new toy!

Tack Swap Day ~ Lebenon

Overcast day apparently wasnt a deterrent for tack salers! YEAH!

I brought my truck load of misc equus articles that I am not using or dont need any longer. Some friends saddles to sell along with my own.

I brought my Dublin boots that I loved so much, unfortunately I have had to part ways with them as the last 2" of zipper is not ever going to go. :( I purchased on Ebay for $100 and sold them for $100. YEAH. Sold my Australian saddle for $100, some show close, a horse pic, another cardboard saddle, pads, all my bridles, leather goods, and I was happy to be done with it all! I walked away for $400 after I deducted my cash. I purchased a dog bed $2 and a 75 gal stock tank for $40. I was happy when I dragged that back to my truck as I needed another one for up to pasture this summer! I traded some silver pieces and misc for a Cole Haan pocketbook and a cow hide one. Intersting people to talk with for a change and a good day. 10 - 2pm and softball at 3pm so busy. Then the girls met me back at the barn after to help with cleaning and re~organizing of tack room and "stuff" so we can be all organized for our lessons that started this past saturday. Awwwwww... it was fun to see that they both actually retained some information thru the winter months and will be ready for the dressage tests this summer! Proud of my little wanna bees :) Its all in the name of fun and horses... and glad to share my knowledge with them and see that they appreciate the knowledge they have gained.

Check them out!

Kaitlyn "oh nooooo... no pictures!"

Happier now that she is riding I guess.

Side kick Haley ... Hard at work getting on same page with Baby.

Look at that bend... nice... inside rein inside leg Haley!

Keep up the good work girls... next weekend... NOVICE A TEST!

More Pics Anyone?

Thoroughbred Park

Very cool bronze life~like race horses in downtown Lexington

and others grazing on hill behind.

and crack in wall views the finish line by a nose!

NEAT!

Dapple Grey Mare on hillside somewhere carrying the next Derby winner!

Everyone for some reason brought their dogs to the Rolex...
BUT WHO would bring their GOAT>>>???!

answer: A HILL BILLY!




Another beautiful shot at the warm up ring.
LUV IT!




Pony Clubbers Gymkhana event... CUTE!

OOOOOO.... A must have if you want to spend $1000 on a pair of boots... nice!

These R Mint Juleps! Served at the Kentucky Derby.

I have to say... HOLY CRAP Discusting! I dont care how expensive the Bourbon is!

BLEK! BLEK BLEK!

KEENELAND Racetrack. Inside of the holding stalls prior to race.

Looking out on the courtyard where they display horse & riders

Jockeys that are painted every year in their complimenting silks

JOYCIE & I ... at the cross country water jump in & out.

LOVIN' d'sun and check out those soooo stylish visors!

:)

ROLEX ... what an amazing time!

IF you couldnt tell.... that's ME...

I finally made it to THE ROLEX!


OH you want pics? I GOT PICS! I had to go thru hell first.... being that my new Canon 50D didnt come in time before I got on the plane to head to KY - but my darling husband made sure to pick it up at the York UPS connection and ship in OVERNIGHT FEDX to my hotel! It made it... YEAH! I had quite the time figuring things out on the fly... and unfortunately some of the best shots didnt focus center out... :( big huge sad face... as I couldnt get into the menu to figure that out... and they all looked so crisp and sharp on the 3" review screen ... why would I question it? 2731 pictures later... YES... two thousand seven hundred thirty ONE pictures later and my battery finally died... but I had a spare... but we were headed out of the park at 4:30 on Sunday and the last 4 pics are of Joyce and I at the water log jump. Still had memory left though... blah blah blah ... enuf about my new sexy Canon ok... onto pics! 15.1 megapixel pics baby!

We couldnt wait for the dressage to start so we sat at warm up arena and took shots!

OK... so arrived on WED to scope the place out. Took pics with my trusty Sony Cybershot before my camera arrived... Ya... but no... WALMART screwed that up... memory disk full after that day so we went to download 1hr onto CD so that I could delete all on camera and start fresh in a.m. Didnt find out until arriving at home on MON night - NO pics on Walmart provided CD! I cried and cried... luckily there werent anything we couldnt possibly get again in the future.... but still may never replace them again???? SAD but true... lesson learned - NOTE TO SELF... always have extra memory cards and do not OUTSOURCE!

DRESSAGE started Thursday after NOON inspections, then continued all day on FRI.

RINGWOOD COCKATOO riden by Bettina Hoy of Germany

she took second at the end of the weekend & seemed quite pleased!

Hildago De L'ile riden by Nicolas Touzaint of France didnt do so well ...

although looks nice here...

... as he had overzealous changes....

.... the chap pictured below... also had trouble with his trusty stead throwing his head!

HEY ... we all have those days dont we? For some reason it does my heart good to see the PRO's having the same issues I do ... especially at this level! HEY ... there IS hope for me!

WOOOT WOOT!

CROSS COUNTRY JUMPING

was next on SAT. Boy that drew the crowds!

There were awesome jumps that riders made and I caught....

& then there were not so nice pictures caught on my camera .... woah!

& then some great shots.... with perfect landings....

& then again...

not so perfect landings which cost riders an elimination!!!!! OUCH

third and final day was

STADIUM JUMPING!

& I shall not bore you with those pictures as I am sure you have seen enough...

so the winner is....

Lucinda Fredericks from Australia

riding Headley Britannia

& boy was she happy~ crying tears of happiness with an $80,000 check and a ROLEX watch (which is probably at a retail cost of $15,000 or $20,000 !!!!

ALL IN ALL

a fabulous time with tons to see and do and money to be spent! I did find some great deals... as I got a $250 dressage bridle for $79, a stock tie for $6, dressage gloves for $13, working dressage pads $10 each, and a set of brown eventing boots for Baby $15 for hinds & $19 for fronts! I KNOW ... crazy deals! Wish I had more to spend -

... NEXT TIME!

OFF TO ROLEX.... WOOT! WOOOT!

ME & ANGEL! ... I KNOW! Looks like him doesnt it?

Hey and I lost a ton of weight too! CoOL!

KIDDING!... Not me... or Angel.. THIS TIME... but soon!

That would be Missy Ransenhousen on Critical Decision

Well I have been busy getting in my last rides to hold me over the 5 days I will be gone. Cleaning, organizing and making sure I have grain and bedding and the fencing is up and troughs are filled. I am sure I will not remember everything but all is done outside, raked and mulched and organized so now I can concentrate on packing. The weather forecast calls for 70-80 degree weather. Its raining right now and good that KY is getting that out of the way, because aparently ROLEX is known to have less then fair weather conditions. That be the reason we chose the covered premium seating. What a great time we are going to have! I will miss my riding time and most of all morning walks to the barn with my two Schnauzers but I am sure I wont have time to think about them while I am there soaking up the sun and all the goings on!

The youngest ROLEX rider being 18,

Madeline Blackman on Gordonstown

Phillip Dutton on Connaught

Buck Davidson - Bruce Davidson's Son on My Boy Bobby

Allyson Springer on Destination Known

I will have my NEW Canon 50D Camera in hand tomorrow! PHEW... but really doesnt leave me much time to make sure all is in working order before hitting the turf! All those new buttons and gadgets and settings... AIIIIIIKE! But the plane ride will hopefully allow me time to familiarize myself with it to get me by... ONE and ONLY chance to get great shots of great riders at the GREATEST event... NO pressure Naw... nahhhh ... uh uh.... really no dont worry about it ... I got it covered... huh... puuh... yah...


Anyhoooo onto other news.... Charles was riden today. He did beautifully with his headset and understanding inside rein inside leg... NICE! And wasnt too bad to lounge or work with tacking up. Hmmmm... there is a connection here... WORK = NICE.... & NO work = DINK.... oh I get it! :) But really... the kids are well.. Angel is still "off" and upon my return I will make sure I have a commitment to 3 sessions with Tusch for Chiro/Acup to right the poor man. I know that Tusch will get him right so we can continue on with our progress.


Baby on the other hand... a little handful on the lounge and then... badaboom badabing... beautiful goer. Haley offered to ride her for me while I am gone as she has done such a great job with her the last two times, I have faith in her to CONTINUE her education with INSIDE REIN INSIDE LEG and not allow her to trot around the arena with her nose out... RIGHT HALEY! Thank you again ... you know that all that work will come at a price right? The price is get it RIGHT or forfeit your special gift from ROLEX! So I know you will do it all so perfectly while I am gone and I will be ready for my first dressage test in May ... and SO WONT YOU! :)


Lastly this will be my final post until April 28th as I will be checking out my competition in KY and taking notes on what motivates me to getter done and GET OUT THERE!

Cant wait to post my next post with all the wonderful things I will have to say.

YOU ALL WILL FEEL LIKE YOU JUST GOT BACK TOO!

It will be like you went without leaving and didnt spend a dime!

LUCKY YOU!

:) until then keep it on the rail and tune in next time!

TWO THINGS....

First off... I ordered NEW DUBLIN Aristocrat Field boots as I needed to replace my Mardens special Effingham field boots... they are not the new "high style cut" and certainly dont fit my calves the way they used to. NICE quality boot... unfortunately... not for me any longer so to EBAY they go and I found the new ones on EBAY for $99 including shipping. NICE quality... gel heel insert... WOWSY... surprisingly nicer thank expected and ratings on reviews were high for these boots too... couldnt wait to get them out of the box after UPS delivered and to my dismay... my calves are APPARENTLY NOT REG.... WTF? They are not fat BUT Dublins may run tighter than expected... OR I need to come to the conclusion that I should have ordered WIDE... but that is like ordering a size 16 or 18 in womens... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! :(

Nice anyway... and I must work towards getting into those babies too!


Secondly, TOMMY GIRL needs a forever home. Percheron Mare... broke to ride by Mike Benson but hasnt had consistent time spent with her. Quiet mare, in need of attention. Would love someone to love on her & shed her out! See ad:


Tomorrow is riding time... have given ALL the horses a week off hoping that would help whatever has been ailing them and get back to RIDING! I have spent all week on my iron hoss enjoying the weather and getting my friend her permit time desperately needed.

OMG! HEART POUNDING.....

almost cant type honestly.... I mean really! Skip the gym and do bidding on ebay and your heart is going to pound out of your chest! CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I am sitting here cool as a cuke and just watching the last 26 seconds tick by when refresh ... refresh... still the highest bidder then ... WHAM... ugh oh... the other bidder realizes and YIKES... shit she is onto me! and she starts bidding ... but with only 12 seconds left... my fingers are crossed that she wont dump it up another 10 bucks and I will be free!


AND .. it pays off... phew! I MEAN PHEW! I cant afford it which is why I wait until within the last minute an then put in my highest bid... and then cross my fingers! UUUUUUUUUUGH


Heart is pounding! and my hands are shaking! What is up with that!

HEY it was worth it though! Check out these babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and now I am going to bed as it is 11:49 and counting!

As The World Turns at Birch Ridge Stables

Well... boring I must say. Except.... expensive too? FIRST: I had the vet come and do shots. So we all know how expensive that can be with 3 horses right? Secondly, the findings of the vet to include what we knew all along ~ Angel has an unlevel Lumbo Sachral and will need Chiropractic as well as, acupuncture to hopefully help his balance to allow us to move forward with training. LUCKILY - I wasnt able to send the check in for the VT Adult Eventing Camp, as I was waiting for my Coggins to come in. Luckily I say because Angel seems to need far more work than I had anticipated. The vet asked me to commit to at least $320 for 3 visits of chiro/acupuncture and then we can go from there. THEN: MON the farrier came and while he was trimming Angels pasture buddy, Angel was defiant by tear assing around the pasture in deep footing which I would later determine why he was"off". That evening I took him in for a curry and to ride, but noticing that he was holding himself in a manner that resembled being impacted? He was also not putting much weight on one rear hind. Farrier? Pulled muscle? I decided to massage him and do several back stretches on him and between sets... then pulling slightly on his tail, just enuf hoping to release muscle tension. Well the next morning showed me he was WAY off, and he really didnt want to walk to the pasture. Watching as he placed his rear hooves flatly and softly as he exited the barn.... ??????? He was sore. I buted him tonight and took note of his movements on the way in the barn. Then I brought the youngsters in ~ Charlie and Baby in from the front pasture. I happened to be behind Baby as she walked toward the barn... and she is OFF TOO! WHY? It must be the trim job. He didnt take much off? Maybe Dry dry pastures? They do have alot of "hang nails" on the heels... so I decided to goop them all up with Hooflex on their coronary bands and massaged it in hoping to add moisture to their feet. One 4 and One 9 and both with same symptoms? Weird. I will call the farrier tomorrow and ask his opinion. I will then make a call to the vet to see what he has to say. I know my horses, they are off. I will take note of their stalls in the a.m. and see how much they moved around or if they were irritated overnight also.

Sunday Charlie had a swollen knee but he moved out fine so I rode for 15 minutes. Baby hasnt been riden in a week?... and neither will Angel until this is resolved.... unless the Bute and/or the hoof oitment did something overnight. We shall see.

Its the never ending saga of having ONE horse to ride out of 3 or 4. NO wonder Phillip Dutton is taking 4 (FOUR) horses to the ROLEX!

Which BTW is only 7 days away now! WOOOOT WOOOOT!
Truthfully it will be hard to leave them unless this is resolved!

Note: I will not be using the loose snaffle on Angel as recommended by Tom Davis... Angel hated it and I feel it is undoing all the gain that we have made in the last 4 weeks. So I am going back to a regular snaffle. Secondly, I have purchased a figure 8 noseband to allow for less interferrance around the bit. I have also ordered some nice leather Dublin boots that will fit my calves! I have some awesome Effingham boots but the calves are NOW too tight and all the leather wrinkles at the ankle and caused blisters. I cannot continue to ride in my Danskos with 1/2 chaps...my small toes are crushed by the outside iron! I am not comfortable ...and my riding therefore sucks.

I am actually still up and its 11:23 p.m. in hopes to outbid some YANKEE on some awesome tendon boots, leather ... and of course BLACK! Nice looking ones... and comes with matching rear fetlock set! Dreaming and hoping to use them someday and give me a reason to sell my other black ones... and upgrade! Sooooooo

Fingers crossed everyone...

wish me luck...

10 more minutes....

DRUM ROLL................................................

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kaitlyn!

A post!
Especially for you!
WOW... arent you the shizzznit!


Just to keep you in the loop... Lessons start May 2nd!
You are more than welcome to trailer in for your 60 minute session.
Hoping if and when you do

we can pick right up from where we left off!
Well of course after a special initiation test.

Be ready!

Your test results will be posted for all to see! :)
Contact me for more inforamation!
Hope to see you both in the arena soon!

I say lets do MOUSAM again this year!

Good date to work towards! :)