CANTER MIDATLANTIC

So, I've been stalking Canter USA's site for the last couple of days. Knowing that Emily got both of her horses from there (directly from the trainer, I believe) and that she has a couple of people as resources to find good horses off the track has kicked my possible search for a horse into high gear. I am beginning to determine a criteria for the kind of horse I'd like, though it's not refined enough to share just yet. Obviously, I'm not going to get one right now...a year from now? Well, yes...maybe. Unless of course another project comes my way between now and then. Above all things, it doesn't hurt to look...right?

The canter site has pretty strict rules regarding distribution of their photos, etc...so I can only post links. But if you find yourself bored enough to read my blog, you won't mind clicking on a link or two...or three.

First up:

Stormy Eclipse

*She's a little more than I'd like to pay for a horse with no real under saddle training, but...she's REALLY nicely put together. She's got a lovely shoulder and I like her big bodied confirmation. I'm only 5'6" and 15.3 is actually a perfect height for me as long as they're not scrawny.  It doesn't hurt that's she a dapple grey mare either;) She's 8 and she raced which would make me a bit more concerned...but certainly worth watching.

Next:

Love on a Wire

*There is something very special about this horse. After looking at so many and gathering what you can from the internet, certain horses just seem to stand out. He's got a real look of intelligence and with some time off and new muscles, he's going to look incredible. He's got some great looking legs too! Swooooon.


Finally:

Laduska

*She's the youngest of the bunch, and under that woolly coat I can see lots of potential. She's a little less flashy than the first two, but there's something sweet about her. Again, she's got that bigger bodied shape in a smaller height. I'd love to see some spring time photos of her!

Ok, back to regular life again...

Prime Time Charlie

Here he is: 16hh, big-bodied, 4 year old OTTB -- lower level event prospect!

Emily is 5'11" with legs for days!

Baby shoulder-in

picking up some vibes...

Yesterday was proof that horses are incredibly adept at sensing and reacting to vibes in the air. Emily and I arrived to the farm around 12:30 or so and it was eerily quiet. She mentioned that Sundays are generally low key days there, but there was something a bit unique about that way the farm felt when we got out of the car. We both looked at each other and commented on it. We went inside and a young girl with shorts, half chaps and a helmet came into the tack room and told us that just before we had arrived, a woman who had been riding in the indoor took a nasty fall. Her horse spooked at one end of the arena (I found out later she has been thinking of selling him due to constant spooking) and she landed really hard on her back. She didn't get up right away and emergency services were called. According to the girl, two fire trucks and a few ambulances arrived and quickly assessed that the woman needed to be airlifted out of there. The only field available for a helicopter to land was filled with horses in turnout and there were several horses in private turnouts nearby. Everyone on the property scrambled to get each and every horse inside before they could land the chopper. The girl was still out of breath and covered in sweat when she recanted the story to us so it was hard to believe with how quiet the farm seemed, that only moments before had been utter chaos. Hopefully the woman involved will be ok. She and her horse were scheduled to go to HITS Saugerties in the next week or so.

We got the boys out and Emily checked Jacks leg (he had cut it open a few weeks ago and it's healing nicely). She wrapped him in some polos and put him in a small round pen to stretch his legs and eat some grass. We groomed Charlie for his photo shoot and took him to one end of the barn aisle to set up the shot. After a few minutes of shooting, Emily peeked around the corner to see if Jack was keeping all his feet on the ground...um, not so much. He was rearing and walking around on his back legs, practically climbing out of the round pen. She handed me Charlie and ran off to bring him in. This is a horse you have to draaaaaaag behind you when you're leading him and he acted like a wild eyed colt as she tried to get him into the barn without incident. I yelled down the aisle that he looked ready for the "jog". Something in the air? I'll say.

We finished Charlie's photo shoot and we got him tacked up. I was really excited about riding him again and Emily wanted to see me jump him (I was admittedly really nervous about jumping in front of her). So we headed straight up to the jumping field (it's a big, beautiful field with rolling hills and lots of neat jumps everywhere). I got on and he was antsy to say the least. Emily went off to start setting some jumps and I started warming him up. There was some head shaking (uncharacteristic of him) and he seems a bit more tense than the day before, but I figured he's work out of it. I wasn't about to tolerate silly behavior even if he is only 4! The bugs were REALLY bad and we had forgotten to fly spray him, so Emily ran off to the barn to grab some. She suggested I do some walk-canter-walk transitions to get him light on his forehand, so off we went. I got a beautiful walk-canter from him and I immediately got into a light seat (Emily's saddle is a VERY forward XC saddle that's a bit big for me) and then I sat a little, and then got back into a light seat. I was about to ask for a down transition when...was that a BUCK? Buck...BUCK...holy shit he DOES have a buck...BUCK (I saw his hind quarters out of the corner of my eye)...I'm going to fall off and Emily is now a speck on the horizon almost at the barn...don't lose it now Niamh...I sat deep, looked up, pulled his head up and kicked him forward. Phew! I was curious if Emily saw any of it (she caught either the beginning or the end of it)...and I was proud of myself for not losing it or falling off -- how embarrassing that would have been. We walked around until she got back and I told her what happened. She mentioned that he tried a little buck with her sister-in-law but nothing major, but that she has seen him buck wildly on the longe line. I got off and she hopped on, I just wanted to see if she felt the same tension/agitation that I was getting. His bucks almost suggested a tack issue...but there was no evidence to suggest that...We think it was likely the bugs so we took him back to the outdoor arena away from the long grass. He still seemed quite tense and bratty, and I was slightly relieved that it wasn't something that was just happening for me. She trotted him over some ground poles and he cantered/hopped and nearly offered a buck. Odd. I mentioned that perhaps all the commotion on the farm earlier probably created a bit of an electric atmosphere and she agreed. He was even wild-eyed in the wash stall -- which she said was completely out of character...

Oh horses.

I'm sad he's leaving because I would have loved to ride him a few more times with Emily and Jack (now that he's nearly better). Once Jack's 100% sound and mostly sane she said I can try him too! In the meantime she's going to keep an eye out for any potential projects around the farm. There's an adorable 16h dark bay mare coming off stall rest that would be perfect for me. She's a little OTTB, 3, and just as sweet as can be. Has a walk, trot, canter and has gone over a cross rail or two. I poked my head into her stall to say hello, and she soooooo wanted to go do something. We shut the door and squealed and bounced around her stall! I may take some jumper lessons with a trainer there to get my sea legs back over fences too!

Follow up post to come, complete with photos!

eye opening

I can hardly describe what a different experience I had riding with Emily yesterday. The barn is gorgeous, home to around a hundred beautiful horses (mostly hunter/jumper types). Though the farm itself doesn't have a manager, there's a staff and three trainers that more or less run the place. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and I didn't feel out of place for a second. I was worried that at a hunter/jumper barn I might feel a little odd. I was soooo excited to meet Charlie and to see Jack again. He has really blossomed and looks fantastic. I'm still in awe of Emily's ability to see Jack as a 2 year old on the track and understand that there was something really special about him (potential to be an upper level event horse). One of the neat things about her two horses is that they have dramatically different personalities on the ground and under saddle. Charlie is a ham on the ground, a bit pushy and opinionated. Jack wants you to hold his head in the cross ties, and you practically have to drag him out of his stall (he was laying down knee deep in straw when we arrived -- co cute). Under saddle, Charlie is ALL business, and completely unflappable. Did I mention he's 4??? She picked him up off the track in November and has been working with him since then. He just completed his first little horse trial and won his dressage division. Jack, who's coming off of a month on stall rest, was pretty amped up. As soon as I got on Charlie I relaxed...he trucked me around quietly while Jack danced around a little. At one point we were going in opposite directions and as we went to pass each other Jack came unglued, leaped away from Charlie squealing. Both Emily and I started laughing...silly pony. Oh, and Charlie? Didn't flick an ear. His best buddy in the whole world just bolted away screeching and he didn't miss a beat.

What's special about Charlie is that he's green but sane. I loved riding him because he's had great training so far, but he still needs lots of education. He's exactly the kind of horse I would want if I was looking for one. Sadly, he's leaving on Tuesday for Virginia to be sold out of Phyllis Dawson's farm. He's going to make someone a very nice lower level event mount.

The truth is, riding at a great place, with an awesome rider was inspiring and at one point Emily looked at me and said, "you need a horse of your own". Sigh...I know.

Best news? She invited me out again today to ride Charlie and dun, dun, dunnnn...she's going to set some jumps for me!!!!!!

Time to go throw on my riding pants!

short-lived horsey hiatus...sorta

I've been working hard on getting the annoying things (responsibilities) under control in my life. Much progress is being made on that front, and I have to say the momentary reprieve from riding has been welcomed and appreciated. I've been utilizing my time effectively and followed through on some small promises made to myself over the last few weeks.

I miss riding, it's true...all the horse blog reading and Youtube video watching won't change that. So in an effort to keep that flame alive, I reached out to a friend (the girl responsible for introducing me to my instructor) to see if I could catch a ride out to the farm to see B and the ponies. We're figuring out a good day to arrange it and I am super excited to see all the familiar faces again. Then, last night I got an email from Emily (the advanced event rider I mentioned in a previous blog post). She asked if I wanted to go riding on Saturday! She's excited for me to meet Charlie, the horse she's co-owns and who's leaving for sale soon and her horse Jack. I met Jack when he first came off the track as he was let down and rehabbed at my instructors farm. At that point he was throwing himself on the ground when he'd get turned out and freaking out everywhere else being completely nuts. He recently just finished his very first pre-baby-novice HT!!!!

So on to tomorrow, riding with a an advanced rider and her two lovely prospects and hopefully learning a thing or two:)

Yay!

counter balance

Songs I would love to ride a freestyle dressage routine to (in no particular order):

I especially love the last song because there's a great part for a free walk. I am such a nerd.

Final Results

Rolex Final Results:
1. Mary King and King's Temptress (GBR) +0  47.7
2. Mary King and Fernhil Urco (GBR) +0  49.7
3. Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville +0  53.1
4. William Fox-Pitt and Neuf des Coeurs (GBR) +0  54.0
5. Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest (AUS) +4  57.0
6. Oliver Townend and Sonas Rovatio (GBR) +0  58.2
7. Jessica Phoenix and Exponential (CAN) +0  60.0
8. Hannah Burnett and St. Barths +8  61.3
9. Boyd Martin and Remington +0  61.4
10. Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (CAN) +0  68.5

I'd say my guesses were pretty good, with 3 of my 5 picks in the top ten!

I got to spend most of my weekend watching the live feed (thanks USEF network) and only missed the first 9-10 riders go XC on Saturday. The course was really well designed this year with plenty of questions throughout. No one jump seemed to be causing problems but there were a few spots where if the horse was getting tired or the rider lost focus gave a few repeat run out or sticky occurrences. Even a few seasoned riders seemed to have trouble at the hollow which appeared to demand precise riding of all three elements.

Tiana Coudray seemed to ride Finian so boldy around the course. He's such a big, impressive horse that makes the jumps look quite small. It seemed as though her youth and inexperience at the 4* level got the better of her at the farmyard complex, and as Finian twisted over the large table, jumping left, he landed on the other side unaware of the incline, losing his footing and stumbled. My heart broke as Tiana popped out of the tack and was thrown clear. She'll have so many more runs at Rolex and other big events I'm sure that she felt the whole trip was worthwhile and educational. She's one to watch, she made that very clear.

 It was awesome to watch Ollie guide his "green" horse around the course. I was watching the rides with someone who knows very little about riding (much less eventing) and it was interesting for him to see the little differences between horses and riders. I commented on Ollie's ability to ride ANYTHING...and in the moments that his horse bobbled or got nervous he kept quiet and confident and the horse went around beautifully, getting stronger with each jump. I must admit I am a sucker for the British style of riding...it may be a little less pretty, but it really seems to allow the horse to make good decisions lets the rider stay out of the way. 

Boyd's ride was impressive, but was certainly expected from him and his beautiful mount Remi. I would have liked to see them climb the leader board a little more but it wasn't to be.

R-Star and Kristi Nunnink started off quite strong and looked lovely bouncing around the course. The double corners started giving quite a few pairs problems along the way with Kelly Sult and Hollywood crumbling the second element earlier in the day (side note: that horse looked EXHAUSTED half way through the course and like his heart wasn't in it that day -- after the crash there I worried he wouldn't make it around). It seemed as though Rosie didn't read the first corner well at all and had quite a dramatic crash on top of it. They both flung the ground with a bit of a thud, R-Star getting up a little dazed and Kristi laying on the ground. It was heart-wrenching to see and Rolex would scorn them once again. I think some riders feel a bit jinxed by the Kentucky Horse Park and perhaps this pair is one of them. I simply love this mare and Kristi really deserved a top finish. Luckily they were both ok (I think Kristi broke her collarbone).

And that leaves Mary from my predicted list. What else can be said about her at this point? She rode Fernhill Urco around his first four star track like he's been doing it for years. He gained confidence with each jump, and never let him get overwhelmed when he had a less than perfect jump. A perfect example was when she let him come back to a trot at the water. He got a bit of a wiggly jump over the vertical in and she brought him back, let him regain composure and hopped over the B element and the second duck like it was no big deal. What a fantastic horse woman. I was showing my friend how much further behind the motion she stays over jumps and explained how helpful that can be with younger, less experienced horses. It was also quite interesting to see how Mary and the other veteran out there really supported their horses on the landing of some of these fences. KHP's rolling hills caught some riders and horses off guard and a few horses really struggled with the landings.

*The thoroughbreds running Saturday certainly showed their endurance around the hilly course and it was clear that some horses coming out of the start box too fresh got fatigued early on. Nearly every Tb coming through the finish flags was still full of running.

**If I could ride any horse that I saw go round Saturday it would without a doubt be Olivia Loiacano's Subway. That thoroughbred made the course look like a complete blast and what a fantastic gallop!!!

I held my breath while each rider negotiated the showjumping Sunday and I was ultimately really pleased with the results. I definitely teared up watching Sinead's round and the look on her face when she went through the finish flags was priceless. Again, I think her skill on XC and poise in the showjumping phase are directly related to her investment of time and energy under William Fox-Pitt in England. I wish more of our young riders could spend a few years over there. It's clear the Brits know what they are doing and we would be remiss in not trying to learn from them.

Rolex Update

Here's how I am fairing so far after dressage:

Tiana Coudray -- Ringwood Magister [1st place]
Oliver Townend -- ODT Sonas Rovatio [26th place]
Boyd Martin -- Remington XXV [9th place]
Kristi Nunnink -- R-Star [13th place]
Mary King -- Fernhill Urco [2nd]

Out of a field of 54, I'd say my guesses are pretty good!

I got to see everyone but Mary King's test. Of course I knew she would only improve on her first ride (and boy did she). Watching Tiana ride such an accurate and expressive test was inspiring. I definitely felt myself tearing up when she finished her final halt, saluting with a huge smile on her face. She rode the test of a lifetime. There was some commentary that it was a safe test, but that aside, she rode Finian to the best of his mental ability in the grandstands and atmosphere without allowing his energy to boil over (where many people pushed and lost their horses here and there). I hope the rest of her weekend goes as well as today. Oliver rode his relatively green mount accurately (and certainly on the safe side)...while the horse isn't a flashy mover or particularly expressive, he rode each movement precisely and seemed quite happy with his test. I felt like Remington missed out on a few points and he's just a gorgeous horse in the dressage arena. I am excited to see them go tomorrow! Kristi's test on Rosie was just gorgeous. The horse exudes personality and class and Kristi rode each movement squeaking out as many points as she could. They both really seemed to be having a fantastic time and I think it showed in their expressive test.

Fingers crossed for more good luck tomorrow and safe rides for everyone in Kentucky!

USEF Rolex Coverage

Just loving it right now (ahem, at work)...

I'm going to make predictions (or my wish list for winners):

Obviously Mark Todd is favorite to win for everyone, so I'll leave him off my list...I cannot wait to see him ride this weekend!

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister:

Young, talented, and what an extraordinary horse!

 

Young and hungry, I watched these two climb the ranks over the last few years kicking ass and taking names along the way. I think they are well prepared and I would love to see them have a great weekend!

Oliver Townend and ODT Sonas Rovatio:

Such a scrappy, smart rider!

I have a soft spot in my heart for Ollie. I grew up in the same area as he did in England and something about his mentality with horses hits close to home. I feel like he could ride a giraffe around Rolex if he had to. He's had some tough falls in the last few big events and he deserves a top finish.

Boyd Martin and Remington XXV:

What a handsome pair!

 

Boyd is such a stand up horseman all round...This horse has so much potential and it doesn't hurt that he's stunning. I think they have a chance of a top placing if they have a good dressage day.

Kristi Nunnink and R-Star:

Gorgeous little mare!

The back story of Kristi and her mare Rosie are what makes me enjoy watching them go. They've worked incredibly hard to get to this level and it shows in their beautiful partnership. An unfortunate fall last year kept them out of the competition, but I think they'll have a good weekend.

Mary King and Fernhill Urco:

I'm seeing a trend in my favorites

Mary King is simply a legend. She's got two gorgeous horses going around the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend and I think her experience will help her get to a top 5 spot. Both horses exude talent and she seems unflappable. It will be a good weekend for the Brits (again!). I chose Urco over temptress because I'd love to see one of the Fernhill horses win big!

**Disclaimer: These are my sophomoric guesses and predictions -- there's no serious eventing education to back up my thoughts!

blogging hiatus

I'm still here...I've just been busy. Busy with life, work, dentist appointments, roommate departures,  trying to be social, reconnecting with old friends, making plans and trying not break plans. All this, and I am the kind of person who needs A LOT of alone time. *sigh*

And yes, I've been riding and spending time with Kazi. Not as much as I have wanted to due to things stated above, but I've been making my pilgrimage there at least a few times a week to kiss his nose, throw on his tack, and put him to work. He's had a little bit of a bee in his bonnet the past few weeks. Due to D's knee injury she's been doing strictly ground work with him (*see: trailer loading) and he's been making some forward progress. It's still unclear if we're going to be able to get him on the trailer Saturday for the Parelli clinic, but I believe we are going regardless...Hopefully that puts less pressure on her to get him loaded. I have a feeling that the other lessee is letting Kazi get away with all sorts of stuff when she rides. I feel like every time I get on him I am riding him for the first time and he feels green, not goofy green, just like he doesn't understand how to bend or yield to my leg. I swear my right leg is going to wind up wayyy more muscular than the left one. That's cute.


Sunday he pulled a whole bunch of BS with his owner when she was working with him on the ground. We gave him a well needed bath after he lathered himself up freaking out and I hand grazed him in the gorgeous 80 degree weather while he dried off.

Here's how his mind works when asked to do an activity:

*he's asked to walk in a circle around D
*we put a barrel and mount block about 3-4 feet apart and ask him to walk through on the circle
*he does it once or twice at a walk, no spook, no bolt
*D asks for a change of direction
*Kazi loses his mind, stops sniffs barrel, plays with the fixtures on top of it
*finally after some persuasion he starts through and bolts pulling at the end of the 20 ft line
*each repetition of the activity sends him into bigger and better bolts/spooks
*he can hardly turn to face the question before bracing and shutting down
*D gets after him for being a butthead and he rears (halfheartedly) and pulls against her trying to change direction or just get away from the question at hand

We wound up spending wayyyy more time on this activity than either of us would have liked, but it was interesting to see how his brain was working. We need to figure out a way to get him re-focused when he gets like this. Even after removing him from the activity and working on something else, his anxiety was still there.

Today I rode him in a PACKED arena. There was a lesson going on and 3 other girls riding around. One on a dead quiet small horse that seriously reminds me of a carousel horse...another on a super cute pony that I want to kidnap, kinda zooming around without a care in the world...and the other girl was riding a newish horse at the farm, and beautiful blue roan rocky mountain horse who is a ball of nerves...The weather has been crazy all day and I debated even going out there between thunderstorms but I had a terrible day at work and I have another dentist appointment tomorrow so I needed some horse therapy. The horses were clearly being influenced by the barometric pressure (thoroughbreds seem particularly sensitive) and the rocky mountain horse, Bonnie and Kazi were losing their minds. I rode him for around an hour and much of it was spent walking and doing lateral work to keep his brains intact. We did some walk-trot-walk transitions focusing on encouraging him to move out when heading downhill (the arena has a slight grade and he protects his legs by shortening up which leads to him tripping). He just felt stubborn and sticky. I cantered him a few laps to let him stretch out and he was much more forward after that. But then the wind picked up Bonnie started spooking and bolting and Kazi felt like that was his green light to freak out. For the first time ever I had to one-rein stop him into the rail. He kept gathering up his hind end to bolt and I stopped him dead in tracks before he got too much momentum -- I think I really surprised him and he knew immediately he was in trouble.

We finished the ride with more lateral work...bad behavior = hard work time.

someone feels guilty

**Oh yeah, he tried to bite me when I was saddling him...

Blast from the past!

I started riding at 4 when we lived in the Bahamas. This was taken when I was 6 riding a little chestnut mare (old habits die hard) named Cleo. She trucked me around my very first shows and offered me a maiden voyage on a nearly upright rear (when I clung to her neck and stayed on). Cute little thing with her roached mane and all.

I think my Mom made me push my helmet back for a good photo!

The other girl in the photo was my best friend Christina who was responsible for getting me involved with horses in the first place...simply stated, I had to do anything she did too.

Let's see your silly childhood horse photos!

A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!

I am sure I've mentioned before that I work as a photographer for a rare book company...the largest in North America to be exact...my work week varies day to day, I have an assistant and I more or less arrange my workload (unless we have a big catalog coming out -- fall is our busiest time of year). One of the best things about my jobs (and why it suits me as a self-proclaimed nerd) is that I am surrounded by rare and valuable things all day lone. Even better than that, I get to handle each and every one as they come through the studio. Things that most people will either never see, or may stumble across in a museum or famous library. The owners just returned from a huge book fair in NYC and acquired some really beautiful and expensive new things for our inventory. In the last two days I have handled over a million dollars worth of books split between 8-9 different titles. Crazy.

Today, while photographing Shakespeare's Fourth Folio (ahem, $250,000) I highlighted a few passages for use in the upcoming catalog. I thought I would include one here...work life + horse life meld in the blogosphere!

fondling rare books -- it's how I pay the bills