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We had just a wonderful day yesterday at @larkinhillhorsetrials. Huge thanks to them for putting on a really great schooling horse trials. It was such a valuable opportunity for us to get some positive miles under our belt.
Congratulations to both Megan and Katie! Megan placed first with Ellie, and Katie placed sixth with Lumos in Beginner Novice!
Tink and I had a terrific schooling experience and despite an elimination at the water, we still managed to get through it with the help of a friend (thanks for the lead Megan!).
Megan has been keeping Ellie on a schedule of varied activity and exercise this winter, with a goal of keeping things lighthearted and fun. During this time they’ve been working on bridle-less work on the flat. Today, we really put their partnership through some paces and boy are they a terrific team!
Megan jumped Ellie around patterns of jumps and they were so in tune, it was delightful to watch. There was balance, adjustability, rhythm and easy transitions throughout.
What we really found interesting, is how Ellie used her whole body and neck over the jumps and how Megan stayed quietly centered. We will carefully watch these videos and create a strategy to try and afford ellie this range of motion and freedom, while maintaining contact, with a bridle too!
These amazing animals will keep teaching us how to be better, if we can only notice what they show us! Great job you two!
This year Ella and Ranger made a switch to Jumpers.
They’ve been working really hard to make a couple of little stylistic adjustments all summer. This week, they found a really good rhythm and everything started to click! I’m so proud of Ella’s dedication and of them both becoming such a solid team together. With a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th and a reserve champion placing, they went home feeling the rewards of their hard work. But most importantly, they had an incredible few rounds that were super fun - and that is what makes me happy for them both ❤️
Fun in the sun today!!
Ellie and Megan are always game to push themselves and I can count on a smile as they take on new challenges! Beautifully done ❤️
This week I made myself a mini goal - to ‘Pony’ each of my horses from the other (ride and lead).
For a variety of reasons, I’ve not needed to do this with my horses but I think it’s a really useful skill to give them as we continue to grow solid horse citizens. Simply put, the more they can handle, the better, and you never know when you’ll benefit from them practicing this activity.
The reasons I think we had success are:
~ I know both horses well.
~ Callie and Tink get along pretty well as pasture mates.
~ They trust me.
~ They know me as their leader/teacher.
~ They know my voice and commands.
~ They lead together politely from the ground.
~ They both raced so likely were ponied during their training.
~ We were in a familiar setting.
I love achieving mini goals and adding layers to my horses’ tool box, BUT never underestimate the power of setting them up for success. We had a positive experience with each being ridden and each being led, yet a lot could have gone wrong. We will continue to practice this so that the horses get used to it being the ‘norm’.
So, set yourself (and your horse) mini goals, but try to think about the preparation you can do beforehand.
It will certainly help ensure a positive experience.
For us, we had a blast hacking around the big field together and enjoying the wildlife ❤️ I’m sure Callie and Tink enjoyed each other’s company - I know I did 😁
#celestialdream #ottbsofinstagram #newvocationsracehorseadoptionprogram #ottbs #newvocationsrachorseadoptions #puttingontheglitz
We headed to Horse Amour for their second horse trials of the season and had an excellent time building positive experiences with our horse partners. Thank you again to Horse Amour for hosting a terrific schooling event.
Congratulations to Megan and Ellie for their personal best dressage score!
Well done Katie Tuffey and her cool dude Lu for their first horse trials together - and for taking home a 3rd place to boot!
And massive smiles, hugs and pats foe Tink today as we had a respectable dressage test and double
clears, which landed us a 2nd place!
We headed to Horse Amour for their second horse trials of the season and had an excellent time building positive experiences with our horse partners. Thank you again to Horse Amour for hosting a terrific schooling event!
Congratulations to Megan and Ellie for their personal best dressage score to date!
Well done Katie Tuffey for your first horse trials on your cool dude Lu - with a 3rd place to boot!
And massive smiles, hugs and pats for Tink today as we had a respectable dressage test and double clear, which landed us a 2nd place!
Another spectacular show day in the books!
This week, Ella on Ranger, and Charline on Tina, took to the jumper ring at White Hollow for the CDHJC schooling show.
Aside from dropping the odd pesky rail, Ella and Ranger danced around their first ever jumper classes, displaying excellent turns and teamwork!
Charline and Tina laid it all on the table, quite literally flying into a first place and two second places!!!
Thanks to CDHJC for organizing local, affordable shows that allow us to enjoy riding at terrific venues i our area.
There were many firsts in our group today. Four of us headed to Horse Amour today for their first schooling horse trials of the season. Big thanks to Horse Amour for hosting a great event.
Caroline and teaspoon, Ella and ranger took part in their first 2 1/2 phase - adding a shortened cross country course to dressage and stadium - gave them a taster for the eventing discipline. They walked away with big smiles, a hunger for more and a 1st and 3rd place respectively.
charline and Tina whizzed and whirled around the Puddle Jumpers to scoop up second place. While Tink and I were thrilled to improve our dressage scores, complete the cross country course,
and finish 5th at Tink’s first horse trials in the Puddle jumper division.
Sorry not sorry for a long video 😁 it’s fun to capture memories from the day and put them together for us to enjoy for years to come.
Hopefully, others enjoy watching snippets from our day too!
It was an absolute scorcher today, but Megan and Ellie weren’t slowed down by the heat at their first recognized event at Larkin Hill Horse Trials. They had an incredible dressage test, followed by an outstanding clear round in stadium jumping.
With a little hesitation at the water, this pair returned home from the cross country course smiling, satisfied and safe!
Eventing had been a goal (or dare I say, dream) of Megan’s for some time. To see them enjoying this adventure together is such a treat! Well ridden Megan! And well done Ellie!
Thanks to Megan’s media squad for getting snippets of her ride for us to thread together in this video
Practice, practice, practice - and have fun doing it as often as you can 😁
Nicely done Ella and Ranger!
Just so impressed with Megan and Ellie! They completed their first horse trials today at Hitching Post Farm. This is a dream of Megan’s for some time and she has stayed focused on her goals. She is patient and hardworking - building on her partnership with Ellie everyday and her results speak for themselves. Congratulations on your first place Megan! It is very well deserved and I am very proud of you both! You can watch the video to see highlights of their performance.
Huge thanks to Hitching Post Farm for an excellent event - It was run like clock work, and everyone was friendly and supportive.
It may have been blizzard like conditions at times, but the girls took advantage of the better footing to get a solid ride in.
We call this masterpiece ‘shoulder-in the snow’ 😂
I can always count on these two riders to have a good sense of adventure.
Teaspoon was not in the mood to smile for the camera, however.
I hear spring will be here in 29 days!
This year was special to say the least. Every one of my students had some sort of goal that they wanted to work towards, yet they varied greatly. For some, they wanted to get ‘back on their horse’ - literally and figuratively. Others had training milestones they wanted to meet, jumping dreams they wished to accomplish or competitions they aimed to enter. I have been so proud to witness the journey these amazing equestrians have taken. I can’t describe the amount of joy it has brought me to be present as they each met their targets, one by one. My intention has been to support my riders and help them grow, but I had no idea the amount of happiness I would gain along with them. With heartfelt thanks to every rider and horse I’ve worked with this year, I hope you enjoy some of the memories I’ve compiled in this video. As I put it together, the thing that stuck me most, is how much fun we had and how many magic moments there are to celebrate.
The video is lengthy (a bit like this post) but I got almost all of you in there!!
Happy Holidays to all the Content Equestrians out there! 🎄🎉🥳
Feel free to tag yourself or others in the video.
Many of my clients experienced great achievements this week, that made us all smile, but I want to share this one as it’s a little different.
I’ve been working for some time with this sweet pony, toward a goal of bringing her back into her role as a driving pony. This week, we took a big step in that direction! This pony is very well trained in the job, but it’s been a few years since she last was between the shafts. We spent weeks preparing for this day, and were ready to back off the pressure at any point. However, with careful reassurance and teamwork with her owners, we took our first spin! It was pretty magical watching her put the pieces together and grow in confidence.
It’s been years since I last drove and it was an absolute blast! It’s incredible how much these fine animals trust us and I will always aim to respect that great honor. And huge thanks to this awesome pony’s owners for sharing this little adventure with me 😍
Step by step, day by day, learning more every ride.
It’s hard to feel all the small changes that come when training a horse to do new things. But, boy it’s fun to see how different they look and how much progress has been made over time. The small lessons add up and while I have no set timeline or agenda for Tink, I’m thrilled with how she is developing and handling all that I’ve introduced her to.
Callie's gifts ❤
I love learning from this incredible mare. She has made me work harder, think deeper and ride better. I am so grateful for all that she has taught me and it makes my heart happy to see her share the gift of 'feel' with my students
Congratulations to Maddie, Wendee and Ella on another successful show last Friday! Each of them made improvements and it showed in their results. Ella won reserve champion in a new height division, Wendee placed in every class she did and Maddie really hit her rhythm, placing in most of her classes at a new height too!
