Overdue!

Life has been a bit crazy since returning from my little vacation to Virginia, and I am just finally settling in after getting caught up at work and life!

I didn't have ANY cell phone/internet reception at Hunter's Rest so updating in a timely manner was just not possible.

The trip was incredible. I went with a couple of horse friends I know from Pegasus, one of B's students, and a lady that flew in from Washington State (who is an event rider and a vet -- she was awesome). The driving portion was super fun and I had created a trivia game (horse themed) to keep us entertained on the boring 3.5 hour drive. We loaded up with refreshments at Total Wine in Delaware to sustain us for the vacation! For anyone who has visited Middleburg, Va this is not news, but it is just gorgeous...rolling hills, mountains, stables everywhere, and it would appear that EVERYONE who lives there rides...EVERYONE. We stopped at a little bakery/sandwich place so our motorcade could unite, called Upper Crust. They are famous for their cookies (they even have horse shaped ones) so we bought one of each and chomped on fresh sandwiches. We regrouped and walked around the various tack shops near by...including the Middleburg Tack Exchange, where I would have been happy to spend the day. For those of you that don't know, it's a HUUUUGE used tack shop. Rows and rows of used (and some new) breeches, coats, bridles, hunt stuff...everything...then, you go downstairs and the basement is filled with saddles and boots...all used in great condition and cheap! Sadly, none of the boots fit, which was a disappointment, but slightly expected, and I am pretty sure I rubbed my face on a few saddles down there! I did get a nice pair of ultra thin devon-aire summer breeches for $29! And finally, a martingale stay for Kiki (I have been using a hair tie - so ghetto). I loaded up on rain-maker at another tack shop and we headed off to Flint Hill and Hunter's Rest to get settled in.

Betsy and her mother Jackie live on a beautiful farm on 25 acres of hills that back up to miles and miles of hunt land, essentially giving her place infinite property lines. We were originally supposed to be paired with a particular horse for the entire weekend, but that changed quite quickly (which I was happy about because I wanted to ride lots of horses)...so we got assigned a horse to go for an afternoon hack. I was assigned Tip...a dark bay who is an experienced fox-hunter. A sweet horse indeed, with a VERY light mouth, which is fine, because I have light hands. I think altogether there were 8 of us that day heading out into the woods. Betsy instructed everyone to ride on the buckle...and she meant it. Her horses are all well schooled and understand what is expected of them at all times...not kick-a-longs by a long shot, but seasoned to say the least. Around her farm are loads of hills (that would be excellent for conditioning) and miles of galloping paths with nice footing. One of the best parts about where she lives is that because it's in the middle of hunt country there are coops separating everyone's fields...so you can jump in and out of properties, or use gates of course. We didn't do much of anything but walk and trot a little and at one point the mare that was following Tip decided to get too close, he let out a well-placed kick (a big no-no for a hunt horse) and she (a new arrival to the farm, and an event prospect), swung around in a millisecond and double-barreled him...it was all totally chaotic for about 5 seconds. After that settled down we cantered a little through the woods, but one or two of the girls decided to let their horses go, which just caused problems for me and the mare following me. All in all it was a nice ride.

*I am going to refer to the schedule I posted a few weeks ago so I can tell you what we did and didn't do on the trip.

We did not end up having a confirmation lesson that night, we were all pretty exhausted after a long drive and what turned out to be a 2.5 hour trail ride! We had a delicious dinner, settled in and watched a hunt movie based in Ireland -- it was completely nuts watching these little kids hunt!

Friday we had a cross country lesson, which I was super excited about. I rode a quarter horse (who looked like a ISH/quarter horse cross) named Frosty. Also an experienced hunt horse, Jackie assured me I was in for a really fun ride. We started off pretty easy since a few of the girls with us are fairly new to jumping, much less cross country. Everyone had a brave face on though and that made everything more fun. Vicki and I led a lot of the ride through each element, and I got to cheer the other girls on and watch! At some point we got to an area of huge hills and one of the girls suggested we go cantering up it, Besty didn't think that was a good idea, but after some pestering she agreed to let us trot up and if our horses cantered a little to get their balance that was ok...well, off we went, and as soon as the lead horse cantered the others followed suit...I had a pretty good feel on Frosty who was getting pretty amped up, but he was still under control...the horse next to me bolted (but Vicki was quite capable and brought him back easily), and then I felt thundering hooves coming up the hill...I turned around and everyone seemed to be flopping off of their horses left and right. Three horses were loose, and three stunned girls were laying in the grass...Betsy (now at the top of the hill) and my instructor (at the bottom) were shocked...what the hell happened? Well, one of the horses (who was next to the horse that bolted) started bucking...the two others lost control of their horses and abandoned ship. At least one of these riders is used to riding in a group with horses going fairly fast, but never has full control of her horse, and it definitely influenced the outcome. I am all for going fast and having fun, but I always need to be in control...I don't need the horse making decisions for himself, or getting caught up in herd mentality and losing the plot. Everyone got back on, and bruised body parts and egos aside, we headed onward. The girls recovered pretty quickly but they were all pretty reluctant to try any of the jumping elements initially. I really wanted to do everything I could and tried to make the most of each challenge. Frosty was more than game...what's odd about a hunt horse is their eagerness to follow another horse over a jump...I guess since I have never really hunted and we don't school jumps that way, it was a little unsettling at first, but once I trusted him and just sat up and rode I was in good shape. We did a really fun combination of logs that had a one stride in and out to 3 logs (one stride in between the first two and 2 or three to the next one) around a tree to turn back towards the group, over a hanging log and then to a little bounce that could have also been ridden as a corner. We rode over to a neighboring farm where they had a huge field filled with stadium and natural fences!!! We rode a couple of combinations there including a really fun coop heading up a hill. I think the highlight of the ride was getting to jump on of the hunt coops from a big field into the woods (and complete darkness) where the landing was a little downhill. It was super fun!

Later that day we had a polo lesson and I opted to ride a green bean named City. He was afraid of the balls (we were using dodge ball size ones), the mallet, the mallet's shadow...but we pushed through and we was very brave in the end. We played referee for a little while so he could watch and we got to hit the ball back in when goals were made. Sometimes he would see the mallet and start backing up to get away from it, which was more funny that anything. We did win the long ball contest we had, because as it turns out, I have a pretty good swing!



Saturday we had a side saddle lesson! Since there was only one saddle (and one very tolerant side saddle horse) we all rode different horses while each person got to take a turn...then we were allowed to either stick with our original mount or swap with someone else...we played a game where my instructor pretended she was a client looking for a horse and we had to get to know enough about our horse to give her a description of why he/she would be good/bad for her...I rode PB to start, who is a lovely, huge homebred grey thoroughbred. He's young, but very willing and has a puppy dog personality. Riding side-saddle was awesome...Betsy said I was a natural!

It's a very strange experience and you feel of balance the whole time, but once you figure out how to lock your right calf against the saddle, you feel very secure. I even trotted a little! I got to ride a few other horses, but really just wanted to play around on PB. We headed to the Upperville Horse and Colt show to watch the side saddle hunter division! Super impressed!

I may have the details a bit mixed up here, but we went to the Old Dominion hound puppy party later in the afternoon. Each season they introduce the new pups to the huntsmen...mostly, I just wanted to play with puppies...and I did...rolling around in the grass getting them to chase my camera!


**The trip took a bit of a turn here and some of the girls started fighting with each other over horses and silly things...I started to separate myself a little from the group because I just wanted to have a good time and make the most of my experience there (this plan really worked out for me). we headed back to the farm for evening chores, where I climbed into a hay loft, via a stall in my nice clothes...I am always going to be a tomboy at heart, sigh. We grabbed a picnic dinner on our way to polo and set up on a hill to watch a twilight match! It was arena polo (I have only ever seen it on grass) but it was quite incredible! During the first match someone broke a mallet and half of it went flying across the arena. I discovered that there was a ledge on the opposite side near the entrance, so I walked over and perched myself there with camera in hand to get some action shots! Now I can say...you're not getting the full polo experience unless you're getting hit in the face with dirt with the mare waiting for the next chukker rubbing her face against you.


Sunday, we had a jumping lesson...and I got to ride my favorite mount of the weekend! I have to say she's probably the closest I will to riding a horse like Ms. Go-Go and although this horse was a thoroughbred, you could have sworn she had something else in her...she was a massive 17.1 dark bay...bought as an event prospect for someone looking to go advanced. She's pushy on the ground, but just a dream to ride. After spending the last 4 months almost exclusively riding a green, feisty, small mare, it was like driving a sports car. She had big, forward movement, asked for contact with me and was bold to the jumps. She didn't want you hanging all over her, but she wanted you to ride her, to stay with her. We worked on some fun courses and then I got to take her along the "Aiken line" which is a long strip of small cross country fences (maybe 10 jumps in a row) a few times, including partnering up with a little girl on an impossibly cute dark bay pony! It was bittersweet walking the horses into the river for a drink to finish our last ride at Hunter's Rest...and that mare...well, getting to ride her made the whole trip worth it! We spent the final hours of the trip at the Upperville Horse Show to watch the $150,000 jumper classic.


***I cannot wait to go back. I'm sure sure if everyone that went on the trip feels the same way, but I got so much out of it. In fact, my instructor has been suing the confidence I gained while being down there to push Kiki and I each lesson. It was nice to be reminded that I CAN ride...somehow riding a green horse that you feel invested in can consume you with feelings of self-doubt...and that has no place on an inexperienced horse!

I would really like to go back in the fall and hunt! Also, it would be great to bring Kiki there for a change of scenery and some new training!

****Oh yeah, I DID manage to find field boots, new breeches, a show coat, and show shirt...so you know what that means for Kiki and I?????