Goals for Joey & I in 2012

Actually have decided on setting goals for Joey and I for 2012:

1) Get my horse trailer road worthy again.
2) Compete with Joey at a horse show. (planning on the english pleasure trail horse classes)
3) Ride in at least one hunter pace.
4) Ride as a capper with our local hunt at least once.
5) Win one prize with Joey - doesn't matter what it's for or what placing.

Seems very attainable. Will certainly keep posting here as we attempt each one!

In a perfect world... just reminiscing

Just wandered through some of my old posts this morning. In a perfect world, This is what I would be doing at this time of year...

A Good Horse: Picture Proof from Hunter Pace: "Okay, I couldn't wait to post so here's one of the proofs from the photographer. The photo is © Leslie Wilson, Photographer. I will order co..."

I miss my friend Monty so much...

Bargain (fox) Hunt!

I cannot resist a good deal. Today, Tack of the Day has Fox Hunting clothing on sale! A new, ladies Melton hunt coat for $129.00? Ohhh boy. I may not see the hunt field for who knows how long until I feel secure enough with Rugby's training but I had to have it. It's made by Ovation and I can't find a detailed size chart for them anywhere, even on their own site. So I'm taking a chance at the size I picked based on my other hunt coats that fit. Hope I'm "crazy like a fox" on this one!

Meadowbrook Hounds Pony Club Hunter Pace 2008

Here's the photo of Monty and I at the last jump. Kind of an awkward moment in the takeoff for that jump. A split second later and it would have been a brag-worthy shot. But I bought a 5x7 anyway because every picture is precious. The pace was held on November 9th. (I'm kind of behind in my riding blogging)As you can see from the photo it was a bright, brisk perfect day!

My pace partner's horse got injured in turn-out, and about a week before the pace she called to say she didn't thnk he'd be sound in time. It always seems something happens before I ride one of these paces, lately. I figured I was out of luck unless someone could add me and make a team of 3 when my partner called again to say she was renting a horse from the local hack stable for the day and she'd be able to go after all.

When I arrived with Monty, there she was with this big, dorky, grade, paint gelding. We both had a laugh and were curious to see what this guy could do. With Monty leading we set out and found out "Phil" as he was named, was not bad, even if as she said, he felt as if all 4 legs were borrowed from different horses. He would pop over the smaller jumps when Monty led and could keep pace nicely.

I spent most of the ride in "whoa". Monty has been so sluggish at home I figured I'd be nice and let him do the pace with his new "B" ring baucher bit. Usually I ride him with an elevator type jumping bit on these paces. Yep, big mistake, he found his giddy-up and was eager to gallop the ride. I also have the feeling he knows what his job is on the paces, he gets out in the woods and wants to canter as much as possible. But I was not in the best shape this time out. My arms were hurting from holding him back after the first 15 minutes out. And as much as he wanted to go and my partner wanted to go, I begged to slow it down because I had nothing left to hold him with. We were not competitve and it was my fault.

I'm wondering if I can do this anymore. I have no time to properly prepare for these paces and I don't like feeling like I haven't ridden enough. Monty is in better physical shape than I am, what little riding we do seems to be about adequate for him but zero for me.

What Have I Been up To?

LOL! Okay On The Bit, you got me there! I have been AWFUL about keeping up with my posting! Yes, I have been busy to my eyeballs these weeks. My kids are mostly to blame, hello - who knew doing homework with 2 kindergarteners would be as time consuming?! My boys are in a dual language immersion program so they are learning Spanish and English at the same time. It's really cool and they are taking to it so well but it's homework from 2 teachers for 2 kids and it all adds up!

I have my next hunter pace coming up November 9th. Hoping just the weekend riding is enough to keep Monty fit for it. I had to pass on the Dressage show and stop the dressage lessons. I was having some difficulty fitting the lessons into my schedule and also things have been getting tighter with funds around the household. I really enjoyed riding with Miss D, I feel Monty and I both benefitted greatly from her input. However, I decided to direct my lesson money solely for the boys right now, they really LOVE the riding and look forward to their weekly lesson.

Their big day is approaching. November 1st is their first horse show! The stable where they take their lesson is having a little schooling show. My boys will be doing the leadline Walk and Walk/Trot. It's such a weird feeling to watch them riding with my long-time H/J trainer. I remember how tough he was with me, yet he's having FUN with them! I switched them from the stable where they first started riding when I saw how much they were taking to it and my trainer said he would take them - but only because they were my boys. My H/J trainer, who I'll refer to as "the Master" from this point on (LOL) doesn't take on little beginner kids but since the Master and I have been together for over 30 years and are more family than business he agreed to it.

I think my kids have surprised him. I also think they amuse him. The best was when he was teaching Harrison on the longe line. Harrison started watching a girl on her pony in the ring. The Master called him to attention and told him he must pay attention to his trainer, not others in the ring. He then jokingly told Harrison, "you know, your mom never listened to me when I told her what to do". And to that Harrison answered, "Oh, I know, she never listens to me, either."

Thanks kid.

The Master burst out laughing at that one. He came over to me and smiled and said, "I love little kids who toss their folks under the bus. He's gonna do great!"

That made his day... kind of made mine too!

Picture Proof from Hunter Pace

Okay, I couldn't wait to post so here's one of the proofs from the photographer. The photo is © Leslie Wilson, Photographer. I will order copies of this and the other proofs and then post the other two.
This is from the first fence. Monty looks super-cute, I look like I need to drop a few pounds and take few refresher jumping lessons. But we sure had fun!

Ed Wrigley Memorial hunter pace - a great day!

The Ed Wrigley Memorial Hunter Pace held at the Muttontown preserve was a fun event!


The day began overcast and soggy. The rain was an intermittent, light misting drizzle, adding to two previous days of the same so I knew what kind of footing we'd be in for. I called my pace partner early to see if she was still up for it. She said she didn't mind the rain, as long as it wasn't a downpour or cold. We were going!(Actually, she turned out to be a much more aggressive rider than I had expected!)


My husband helped me hook up the trailer and I left to pick up Monty, who had already eaten his breakfast and was lounging in his turn-out when I arrived. Thankfully, Monty did NOT roll in his favorite muddy spot and we were loaded quickly and on our way.


The preserve is very close to my home and the stable and we got there in good time. So good in fact, that the very next trailer to pull in was my partner's and she parked right next to us! We tacked up and headed over to the starting box where about a half dozen teams were already milling about awaiting their call to start. It turned out that there were about 35 teams entered which was a great turn out even with the yukky weather.


When they called us to the start, we were expected to jump a cross rail right before entering the woods. I wanted to try it since the photographer was there. (I'm a picture junkie) My partner said to go ahead and she'd follow. Monty trotted up and over. I, however, was in less than perfect form and I know when that proof arrives I'm gonna groan and vow to never let my trainer see it! (of course, if it's not TOO awful, I'll post it here to share!)


My partner's horse is a sweet old soul. He's about 15 years old so he and Monty are close in age. The two geldings got along well, and when we left at the start, they were most compatible and it didn't matter which horse had the lead, although I admit I kind of hogged the front. The footing was what I expected, it was slippery and even a bit treacherous in some spots, so we did more walking and trotting than we would have liked. We knew we were going to be out of the ribbons but our horses would come home safe and sound. If you want to be competitive in a hunter pace, the ride has to be done at a canter and working trot. The more you walk, the more you have to flat out gallop to make up the time.


Along the ride were some nicely maintained, natural log jumps of varying heights and almost all had go-arounds. Some we jumped, some we simply bypassed.


Of course, there was one "jump" that was a bit of a surprise for both of us.


We were galloping down a nice, open stretch of trail when ahead of us was about a 3 foot wide puddle, spanning the width of the path. As we approached, I felt Monty speed up. I had a feeling he was going to try and jump the puddle.


He did.

I prepared for the take off but he didn't jump the way I expected. I thought he would jump across the puddle, in a more flattened arc. Instead, he popped up in a big leap and landed hard on the other side. I got jumped out of the tack and even though I stayed with him, on the jolt of the landing, I bit the inside of my lower lip - really hard. OUCH! At first I didn't feel much, I wasn't even sure it was bleeding, then I wiped my mouth on my glove and yep, blood. My partner rode up and as she asked if I was okay I told her - "I'm gonna have a nasty fat lip". She looked at my face and said, "ohhh, yeah".

Well, no use worrying about it when you are out in the woods and not anywhere near an ice pack. So off we went with me sucking my lip and thinking maybe I need to brush up on my jumping.

The rest of the ride went smoothly. We were fast but fair to our horses. We were pleased that all our horse shoes stayed on, even with the mud, as we passed 2 shoes lost by earlier riders. We finished up heading back into the field where the trailers were parked and jumped the last fence, also with the photographer at the ready. Hopefully, that jumping shot will be a little more brag-worthy. ;)

Once we finished and took the horses back to the trailers. We hosed them down and loaded them. Both horses were tired and glad to rest in their dry trailers out of the now increasing rain. We riders headed over to the lunch buffet and enjoyed grilled burgers and hotdogs, salad and some tasty baked goodies. The rain was quite steady by now, we sat at a table under a tree and ate in a fairly dry spot. Then it was time to head for home.

I appreciate all the work the organizers put in to this hunter pace. The path was well marked, the course was interesting and even challenging in some places and even with the less than perfect weather, it was easy to see that all who attended were having a great time. I hope this becomes a yearly event!

Hunter pace on Sunday

I have been awful about keeping up with posting. Ever since the boys started kindergarten everything has been turned upside down. Add to that a big load of work on the job and some family responsibilities and it's been head spinning for me.

The hunter pace is this Sunday. I wish I felt more prepared and that my horse was in better condition. My only consolation is that the rider who is filling in for my usual pace partner (B.P.) isn't a really aggressive rider and she doesn't feel her horse is in the best condition, either. So I doubt I'll be competitive but I'm hoping for a good ride.

Today has rained a lot and the weather is tucking in to be pretty lousy for Saturday. So I'm guessing there'll be muddy footing to deal with. I don't think this rider will be as game to get out there in the rain, either. I'm crazy enough to go if it's raining lightly and so is B.P. or I could talk her into it but again, I don't think this woman will go there. If the weather system doesn't move, we may get a wet start to Sunday and I wonder if she'll decide not to go, in which case - I'm out of the hunt - so to speak. We'll see.

I have to clean up my horse, too. Monty needs a visit from the clipper fairy, to have his mane pulled and a good grooming. We had a dressage lesson this week. After a stiff start, his motor got running and we got some nice moves, including a top-notch turn on the forehand that even left Miss D surprised. She wants to practice Training level tests next week. We are still thinking of getting to the last dressage show at the stable down the street in October.

Hunter Pace - Must Just Do It!

My usual hunter pace partner, "BP" emailed me yesterday with a conflict of scheduling. Seems her daughter really wants to ride at a horse show on the same day as the pace. It's a show where she'll be with all her barn buddies and they have a sleep over the night before. BP didn't want to disappoint her daughter but she also hoped to find some solution to honor her commitment to me.

She thought maybe I'd change my mind and bring Monty to the show instead. I just don't have my head around horse showing right now. True, I'm still not writing off the dressage show but my biggest reason for not wanting to go to a hunter/jumper type show is that I know I'll be there all day. Waiting. When will my class start? Have my kids driven my husband nutty, yet? Oh, Lord, I really need to be getting home, soon. Whereas, in dressage and at the hunter paces, you get a start time. So you can pretty much plan your day from there.

As a mom, I told her since this was important to her daughter, she should go, that the child will need her there. But I was still bummed about losing her as a team mate and possibly having to cancel the ride. I figured I'd ask around, maybe call the organizers of the event and see if there were any teamless riders wanting to join me or a team of two willing to let us join to make it a trio. By last night I had an alternate plan. I had emailed another friend who usually rides the paces in the fall and has a whole crew of buddies who also like to pace. She asked around for me and sure enough, one of her friends was looking for someone who wanted to go. We connected through email and we are set!

I'm such a passionate pacer that in the past I've even posted an open request for a partner on a local message board. The one and only reply I got turned out to be a great gal with many common horse show acquaintances and we had a lovely ride. I like to be competitive if possible but I will take what I can and if my partner needs to go slower for whatever reason, I'll be happy to oblige. I'm someone who has no problem riding with one friend and all we do is take a leisurely walk/trot trail ride and with another we are hell bent for leather galloping and jumping whatever obstacles we encounter!

Ed Wrigley Memorial Hunter Pace - I'm There!

Cool! Got my time for the upcoming Ed Wrigley Memorial Hunter Pace on Sept. 28th. My first hunter pace of the season! So excited!!

I posted earlier this year about the passing of one of our local horseman, Edward Wrigley who gave so much to our enjoyment of the sport. The Muttontown Horseman's Association has put this hunter pace together and I hope it turns out to be a great event!

And, don't think I'm writing off my dressage delusions just yet. The first dressage show I may attend will be October 19th. Had another lesson with Miss D last night. Not as progressive as we have been but due to me losing time from being sick and Monty getting to hang out, it took us longer to get "connected" this time than before. However, we did have a good breakthrough in that his canter to the right was balanced and soft, whereas that's his usual side to get stiff and fall through the shoulder. Miss D was most pleased that we got that out of the lesson. We both agreed that sometimes when you find a movement that needs work, you work it, correct it and then have to almost "catch up" a bit with the things you didn't work as intensely during that time.

A Pacing We Did Go!

We made it to the Hunter Pace on November 11th! Yes, my partner (who was going, then not going, then undecided, then finally going for it) and I had a great ride. The weather was crisp and sunny, perfect for the event and the footing was excellent. The horses, though not as fit as they were last year, were so enjoying the adrenaline of the ride that we were more competitive than we thought we'd be able to be and we managed to bring home a 3rd placing! Monty proved once again what a super sport horse he is. He hasn't seen an exciting or colorful jump in over a year and yet he never hesitated over any of the fences and even was tugging on the bit to get to them. There's nothing like a good horse.

Fade to a Gray

Meet Solitaire (a.k.a. Monty), my horse. This is a photo from a Hunter Pace last autumn. Hunter Paces are one of the more fun events an English style rider can participate in. What I love is that it is competitive and there is a dress code but so much less formal than showring competition.

You have to ride as a team of 2 or 3 riders, so the social and teamwork aspect adds to the fun. When you find the right partner(s) to ride with, with compatible levels of competitiveness (or lack of same), it makes for a wonderful day. The event is timed, you have to come closest to the predetermined optimum time to win. If you go too slow, obviously you won't win but you also won't win by going too fast. The point is to set a pace much like that when actually foxhunting. I like the Paces also because you get to see new surroundings on a marked path and have the experience of riding cross country with a goal in mind.

Maybe someday I will return to the showring. I do miss it sometimes, more often than I thought I would. We were just beginning to become consistent showing in the Adult Amateur Hunters when I met my my husband-to-be, got married and very quickly became pregnant and had twins! As you can guess, not much time to devote to training for shows now. Not to mention the reduced amount of funds to do it with. But I still school him, and like him balanced and strong for the rigors of the Paces.