cast of characters: a web of clarity?

Do you guys remember how every book in the Saddle Club series started with the same introduction of all the riders and horses? Every time? And how you could kinda skip the first couple pages of each book bc dammit, Bonnie, we already know who Carole, Stevie and Lisa are! Starlight, Belle and Prancer too, let's be real.

I've tried to take a similar approach to identifying my trainers and their respective barns. Lately tho it's admittedly gotten confusing despite my efforts, given the number of new equine faces thrown in the mix.

So, to clarify what I'm doing with the horses these days, and where and with whom (and maybe by doing so, showing why it's felt like such a hustle haha), here's an overview of the cast of horses, trainers, and barns in my playbook this summer.

Pay attention, there will be a quiz!

plus gorgeous scenic sunset barn door vista :)

Isabel & Her Home Barn, GE

My lease mare Isabel lives at a small quiet farm that has historically been mostly a trail barn with an english/western/natural horsemanship lesson program (that has grown substantially in the last two years). The farm has a medium sized outdoor arena, an outdoor dressage court and lots of trails.

There aren't any pro trainers here - the resident lesson program is dedicated predominantly to children and beginners. When I decided to start formal lessons and training with Isabel in the Spring of 2014, I had to buy a truck and trailer to make that goal a reality.

This is also the farm where my friend and eventing partner in crime, Brita, leases her horse Wick (who is privately owned, like Isabel).

The growing lesson program has brought opportunities for extra rides. Like good ol' Bali, whom I desperately adored. Bali was a lesson pony flunk out at GE, bc he was just a bit too advanced for most of the students. And the students who could ride him ended up getting their own horses. Like Krimpet - a privately owned green pony who also gets used in the lesson program.

These horses all live at GE (well, except Bali who has since found a new home), tho I've trailered each to other farms for lessons. For instance:


OF, site of weekly lessons with Trainer P

Isabel and I have been hauling out for weekly jump lessons with trainer P at eventing barn OF since before I started blogging. After just under a year of going solo to these lessons, Brita and Wick started accompanying us in Jan 2015. OF has a large outdoor arena, an outdoor dressage court, a small indoor, and a cross country field.

I've continued lessons here since moving on from training with Isabel, and have ridden Noel and Gogo, both technically privately owned horses as OF's depth chart for schoolies is a little weak. It's honestly mostly ponies.

ST, the latest h/j barn with new trainer M

This is the latest addition and perhaps what's gotten things a little confused. I actually rode at this barn years ago but stopped after questioning the program director's motives and ultimately deciding to pursue eventing with Isabel.

Since then, the program leadership has changed to trainer M, tho they still have an awful lot of familiar horsey faces. Plus the facilities are just as lovely as ever. So I've returned for weekly lessons as a way to keep riding interesting horses - to keep learning and developing my own skills and abilities until I can figure out what my 'new normal' will look like.

This barn has a spectacular outdoor (complete with picturesque gazebo, natch) and a medium sized indoor. So far I've ridden Casanova and Remmy (who was only mentioned briefly but was a very good dude for my eval lesson).


TM, site of dressage lessons with Trainer C

Next up is the trainer I haven't been able to see very often lately: dressage trainer C. Her barn is fairly close to Isabel's home barn and we've enjoyed hauling out for regular dressage lessons over the last year and a half. The farm has a gorgeous indoor large dressage court, full of mirrors, windows and fancy footing.

Since discontinuing training with Isabel, it's been tricky to get anything on the schedule as C doesn't have lesson horses. I brought Krimpet that one time... and C let me ride one of her horses Cole, whose lease rider was on vacation... But generally it's been hard to hustle up a horse worth the time effort and cost of getting over there for a lesson.

Other Notable Characters

Obviously no list is complete without mentioning trainer Dan. For the past few years, he's traveled down to GE to teach me and Isabel. But obviously that ended with my choice to discontinue training with Isabel. So we've been in a holding pattern for lessons with him.

A couple weeks ago I made the drive up to his farm (a 3hr round trip) for a lesson on his prelim horse, Lion. I will try to ride with him whenever possible, tho obviously making that drive is quite the time suck. It's much easier having him come to me... but it's hard to justify that expense for the Krimpets of the world haha.

Driving out for clinics with Stephen Birchall at Austen's barn is an equally long ordeal. It was always totally worth it with Isabel, and I made ends meet well enough to catch a ride on Shen (who lives at that farm). But this definitely constitutes a 'special occasion' type outing.

****

So that's a brief summary of the 10 horses I've ridden since July (plus a pic of Bali bc I <3 him, and minus one Rico {see below haha}). Maybe that's not a lot, but it's honestly been a bit of a slog making some of these rides a reality.

And perhaps the most confusing thing about all of these different trainers and barns is that... well, we've seen a lot of the same horsey faces at EACH barn haha. Because dammit: Have trailer, will travel!

OF indoor, outdoor and xc field

Like at OF, where we see clockwise from top left: Krimpet, Noel, Wick, Gogo, Isabel, and Bali (with Noel cameo haha). I mean... the farm is easy to get to and the lessons are affordable. Why wouldn't we haul all our horses up there all the time? lol

ST indoor and outdoor

You might not think the new h/j barn ST looks particularly familiar - except if you've been around long enough, you might remember that Brita and I took Isabel and Wick for a little field trip to the indoor two winters ago for schooling.

the indoor at TM

And of course, at dressage barn TM you've seen me ride Isabel plenty, but also Star, Cole and Krimpet.

twinsies at Austen's barn

The indoor at Austen's barn should probably be recognizable in its own right, with those gorgeous vast windows. You've seen Isabel there for clinics with Stephen Birchall (and for trail rides too!), and you've also seen Shen, who lives there.

goofy boys. also these are the only farms that i *haven't* trailered a horse to haha

Then to round out this summer of riding whatever fate puts in my path, we've gotten to see the two horses who EASILY top my list of the most well schooled horses I've had the pleasure of riding. That would be Megan's grand prix horse Rico, and Dan's prelim stallion Lion.

Phew. Even just writing it out feels like a LOT of horses, a LOT of barns, and a LOT of trainers. And just... wow so many lessons. Which is odd bc I really simultaneously feel like I've barely been riding. Funny how that works.

We'll see how this weekend shakes out but it already feels like it's going to be another one full of even more new horses. Maybe. We'll see. Whatever the case I'm seriously looking forward to the day when I can just go back to a more normal riding routine!

Hope you all have a great weekend too - filled with lots of fun horsey things!