feeding frenzy

Happy Monday, friends! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind around these parts for… hm, basically the last full month. I actually straight up cancelled all my plans this weekend to just chill out and slow down. It was super nice, not gonna lie!

doozy is obsessed with these specific leaves and legit drags me to them
srsly tho, look at those flared nostrils!

And gave me the perfect opportunity to get a whoooole bunch of random photos off my phone and recorded here in ye olde blogge for posterity, if not exactly for some sort of cohesive story line lol. So, uh, brace yo’self for the randomness!

new tailgate spot this year!! 
(purple dot)

First up, obviously my friends and I had our big annual To-Do at the Maryland 5*!! I always love making a whole big thing of it — with volunteering Thursday and Friday at the YEH Championships, then tailgating Saturday, and then show jumping / shopping on Sunday.

Allison Springer & HTS Jenson in the 3* at our prior tailgate location

And this year did not disappoint! Every year is a little different, It’s still a very young event and they tweak and change things with each running. For example, our tailgate spot of the last 2 years was absorbed into another area, so we relocated up the hill to the Sunken Road complex. 

Monica Spencer & Artist in the 5* at the new spot. not bad!

And guys, it was a fantastic spot! A super cool (and influential) combination to watch, plus a big screen to follow along with the action. AND a liquor store literally directly across the street — convenient when I realized we needed more ice + coolers. Plus, this tailgate section is on the opposite side of the ropes from the normal spectator paths, so we never had to deal with crowds. 

It was a great day with a wonderful melting pot of so many horsey friends over the years, including our core original group, friends from the last boarding barn, Charlie’s barn, Doozy’s current barn, and even some folks from the Isabel days. So fun, I’m already excited for next year!

and meanwhile, doozy <3 <3

Per usual, I did all my shopping on show jump day too. Unfortunately didn’t get pictures of everything yet, but am pretty pleased with my haul. Biggest priority was a shimmable half pad, since Doozy and I continue to be frustrated by weird fit issues related to our combined crooked mechanics.

new shimmable half pad from shopping at the 5*

Like, both saddles fit the horse. But they also both shift in exactly the same way over the course of a ride bc Doozy and I are both dynamic and moving beings who apparently don’t adhere rigorously enough to postural ideals. Womp. 

brand is ErrePlus, comparable to the Mattes pads

This particular half pad appealed to me bc it’s predominantly natural fibers — with the sheepskin lining and wool shims. But it’s also extremely non-bulky. So it can be as “barely there” as you want it to be, with a nice progressive set of shims for precision adjustments. So far, so good, I’ll keep you posted. 

also got a few new pairs of breeches at the 5* — finally, purple pants!! and green!!

Other shopping items were maybe less exciting — I got a couple pairs of Romfh breeches from the same booth I always pick up a pair or two. For whatever reason they always have the inside line on Romfh deals, legit maybe the only good “deal” to be had in the entire vendor village!

equine artist Darlene Ivey had the most incredible prints, you should follow her on insta if you’re into that sort of thing!

Tho independent small business Sona Equestrian definitely won the award for best prints used across the most inspired selection of products! I picked up a pair of socks, but was also completely smitten with her charming shower curtains, notebooks and notecards, tumblers, totes, and so many other items, definitely check her out!

all the better for our low key schooling practice on terrain in random paddocks lol

I’m also working on getting Doozy back onto the cross ties reliably in our grooming bays at home, and picked up some really really cool rapid release devices from our friends at Nunn Finer. I’ll get actual pictures + thoughts when I’ve got them properly set up.

pictured:: mare who ignored the nets when they were full….

Ok. Whew. So yea the 5* took up a lot of time and energy (and miles driving LOL), but life goes on and Doozy naturally requires her due as well! Obvi we had our big Windurra outing a couple days later, and I was slightly miffed to observe that… Doozy wasn’t really touching her hay nets in the trailer.

musical chairs hay piles!

I’d noticed the same at the Area Championships, but thought maybe it was just a funny weedy bale or something, so I filled another couple nets for the trip. Obvi the idea of a 3 hour round trip without palatable hay doesn’t sound great to me, so when she left basically all those nets untouched after Windurra, I opted to dump them all out in her paddock and start from scratch.

apparently much more palatable when not in a net…

My very first riding instructor (at whose barn I first learned chores) always said to leave a hay pile for the “invisible horse.” As in, enough piles for however many horses are in the group, plus one. Her rationale being that the dominant horses will always push around the meeker horses, and you want an obvious open spot for them to go.

good girl, eat your vegetables!

Doozy is such a tyrant with her ponies, tho, that I opted to leave enough piles for **two** invisible horses LOL. And somehow, go figure, the hay was much tastier when she didn’t have to fight a net for it. Ugh, horses. 

so you can grow big and strong for our adventures!

In the meantime, I picked up a bale of timothy / orchard mix from the local feed store. At ~$14 a bale, it’s more expensive than just buying a regular bale from my barn as I’d been doing… But, eh, peace of mind, right? It’s hard to ride an unhappy belly.

i might be biased, but i think she’s extremely handsome <3

So that brings us up mostly to real time. Doozy and I had a bit of an uneven few schooling sessions post-Windurra. Not ‘bad’ rides, per se, but probably the ‘least good’ since we started using our recorded ride guides. I think my most recent version is just a little too long, making it more likely that I’ll deviate from the plan and possibly tune it out a bit. 

and so is our hacking buddy Dante! 

Plus, obvi, it seems reasonable that we might both be a little tight after such a big cross country schooling session! Fortunately it worked out that we were scheduled for another body work / chiro / acupuncture session. 

Doozy still doesn’t love these sessions as much as Charlie did, but she’s getting better. And the practitioner seems really pleased with the mare’s development and condition, so that’s always super reassuring!

good mare, always marching eagerly ahead haha

Anyway. We closed out the weekend with a lovely hack through the fields and woods. Our foliage is finally peaking and daytime temps are still super mild in the 60s, what’s not to love, right?

as a reward for making it thru all those pics, here’s my cat,
as he discovers the radiators are on for the season!

Not gonna lie, it felt super nice to have a relatively quiet weekend. This time of year I’m always so tempted to get swept up into a whirlwind of trying to do all the things bc “winter is coming!” But ya know. There’s still plenty of the fall season ahead of us!!

fun times @ Fair Hill

You may have heard that the Maryland 5*, one of only two such rated competitions in North America (and the penultimate international 5* of the year) was this weekend at Fair Hill!

early morning view from the YEH volunteer's tent

Obvi being locals, my friends and I always like to make a big to do of the event. My typical habit is to spend the leading Thursday and Friday volunteering as jump crew for the associated event, the Young Event Horse Championships. 

Anna Jones making easy work of the **triple bar** set as Jump 1 for the 4 and 5 year olds

The event holds classes for qualified 4 and 5 year old horses, with conformation, dressage, and jumping phases. The horses are judged on their potential as future upper level superstars and most entries are piloted by professional riders (tho not all!). 

omgosh look at this Doozy Doppleganger in the 5yo class <3 <3
her name is Nausicaa, owned and ridden by Daphne Soares (jc Look Up to Heaven)

The jumping phase is my favorite -- it's set up a bit like a derby, starting with a mini show jumping course, then transitioning to a short xc course with limited technicality. The 4yos compete over novice (0.9m) sized fences and the 5yos over training (1.0m) level. 

Each entry gets 3 minutes of ring familiarization (including being allowed to walk up to all the fences and through the water etc) and then complete the course -- with each individual jumping effort receiving a score, plus overall scores on rideability, gallop, way of going, and potential.  

pictured: #goals for Doozy LOL

For my purposes, I just like watching the class! It's really cool seeing the Big Name Riders out there with their greenies and then watching those same horses develop over the coming years. One of the most impressive this go-round was Blacklist, ridden by Allie Knowles. They didn't win, but he's one to watch out for in the future!

If you're curious about the format, here's a video of Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Afterglow winning the 4yo class last year. This same pair finished 3rd in the 5yos this year too!

onto the main event --- XC day tailgating tent, all set up and ready for the party to arrive!

Anyway, the other benefit of volunteering in the lead up days is that I get a free general admission pass for the rest of the weekend, including the feature event -- Cross Country Day! This is the third year my friends and I have hosted a tailgate and it's just so much fun. 

We've got our system down, we like our location (Timber field for the curious), and it's a great opportunity to meet up with all our horsey friends that we don't regularly see otherwise!

friends from Charlie's barn joined the party too <3

This year was particularly special bc obvi a lot of my horse friend group scattered into the four winds this past summer, with the mass exodus transitions from the last boarding barn. Obvi we all try to keep in touch and talk regularly, but this was a really fun reunion party! PLUS -- changes in everyone's boarding situations meant there are a lot of NEW faces in the friends group!!

legit the only video i took from XC day, this is the 5* course

Having the tailgate location is particularly useful at a venue like the Maryland 5* too, bc it's VERY spread out. Like the distance from the main arena to Sawmill Field is very very far. It's nice to have a meetup space replete with food and water for the weary! 

We typically hang out and mingle during the 3* competition, with folks wandering around to nearby jump complexes and the shopping zone... But once the 5* starts, we're on the move! There weren't many entries in the 5* this year, and even fewer finishers... But we saw a lot of great action -- including Tamie Smith and Mai Baum making tidy work of the tricky angled tables in Hay Field before opting to call it a day after climbing the big hill into Sawmill.

Sally Cousins & Wizard in the 3*

Finally, tho, after all the xc is finished, we usually gravitate back to the tailgate for a little rest / snacking / drinking before packing it up for the day. Bc there's still more to do! Final day of the weekend is yet another whole new flavor -- show jumping day!!

Sharon White & Jaguars Duende WINNING the 3*

The nice thing about the last day of the event is that all the action is much more centralized, for anybody who may have been a bit weary (or blistered and/or sunburnt) from a lot of walking on Saturday. 

Show jumping obviously happens in the main arena, surrounded by grandstands (pro tip: definitely splurge for the covered ringside stands bc you never know what the weather will be!). And all the shopping encircles the whole area. We like to arrive early to shop, then catch the 3* show jumping in full, then shop* some more, and then obvi watch the 5* jump. 

(*I was super boring this year for shopping, tho, and only just got a pair of Kerrits paddock boots to replace my falling-apart Blundstones).

Buck Davidson & Sorocaima, the highest place US pair in the 5*

Again, being local means a lot of the riders are familiar to us -- like Sally in the 3*!! -- so it's really fun cheering everybody on. Plus, lots of cheering for the top placed American in the 5* -- another local, Buck Davidson!! 

Obvi it would have been even cooler to see the title go to an American, but overall it was an awesome event from start to finish! Every year gets better and better as the organizers fine tune and tweak the set up and arrangements, esp including logistics like shuttles and parking etc. It's still a relatively "new" event (it's organized by a different group from Fair Hill's former Fall International 4* and 3* events), so still working out some kinks, but overall a really fun time. 

We'll definitely be back at it again next year ;) Have you been? Or are you planning to go? 

Mondeuse goes to school!

Big nooz in Dooz land! We had our first lesson, finally ha. It was actually a very long time coming working with this particular instructor at our farm. I tried to get her to give me and Charlie jump lessons way back ago, but she always seemed a bit reluctant, maybe bc we've primarily been peers and riding buddies, plus she typically teaches small kiddos. 

lol apparently Doozy made it to the 5* after all!

But, from my perspective, she's extremely accomplished, is pretty familiar with me as a rider (meaning, my goals, opinions, styles, shortcomings, etc), and I trust her judgement. I really just need reliable eyes on the ground, someone who can be practical and realistic in giving well-timed corrections / observations, and help prioritize training plans. 

So, finally, after months (and months) of persistence, not to mention a whole new horse, she (let's call her KW, bc wow, so many Trainer Ks in the history of this blog....) finally agreed to fit us in for a 30min private lesson this weekend. 

guys our tailgate spot did not suck

And it was perfect. 

This was actually the first time KW has seen me ride Doozy, tho she's been around for some of the mare's more.... chaotic moments hand walking around the dressage ring. So it was good to get her fresh take.

Piggy March & Brookfield Cavalier Cruise at the Sunken Road

It was also useful bc... It was one of Doozy's more reactive days. Do y'all remember Doozy's first and second rides, how she was sorta in two very different emotional places for those two rides? One was a bit stressy, and the other was pretty relaxed. 

What I'm finding is that the horse has a broad spectrum of "moods," and that she's pretty consistent within that mood on any given day. Meaning, if she's stressed in the barn, she's going to be stressed in the ride. Ditto if she starts relaxed, she generally stays there. 

beautiful Fair Hill

Importantly, however, even when the horse is tense, hot and reactive, she still colors inside the lines. Which, naturally, she did very nicely for this lesson, even tho she was way less relaxed than she had been for the ride I wrote about yesterday.

these birds are 100% my favorite

So I basically put Doozy through her paces, walk trot canter in both directions. And KW asked questions, made observations, provided real-time feedback, and then summarized key takeaways and focal points for moving forward. 

Mia Farley & Phelps

There are three main items on our Homework To-Do List:

- Hands. I already knew this, and was thrilled when KW lasered in on the dumb / weird things I'm doing with my hands (specifically the left one). She encouraged me to utilize a wider hand set to help get more control over the weirdness, and help Doozy stay centered in my contact. 

- Legs ON. We've all heard a million times before: legs OFF a dull horse, ON a hot horse. I've spent actual YEARS learning to get my legs off Charlie lol. So, obvi, now I'm going to have to learn to customize my style for each horse haha. 

- Body Control. Doozy was a bit erratic in her trot, and KW hit a steady drum beat of reminding me to slow my post in trot, and use more of my position and body to start communicating rhythm to the horse.

William Fox Pitt & Graffenacht

So let's talk specific details, yes? YES. 

When it comes to the structure of a ride, KW was on board with my approach of high frequency / low intensity trot sessions. As in, don't just push up to trot and then stay there forever. Do little bits at a time, small repeats. Always looking for moments of softness and relaxation / steadiness in tempo to take a walk break. 

In this way, we get more transitions, help Doozy learn in the 'releases' from pressure how we want her to be, and start building what will eventually become our 'half halt.' Similarly, I still need to keep looking for moments to release the contact in both trot and walk. Doozy is a bit exploitive right now (lol), but that's ok, we'll keep giving her chances and she'll learn. 

Erin Kanara & Campground

Particularly in the walk, I should think about spending more time on longer reins while introducing more of the rest of my body as cues: legs, thighs, etc. I want to be able to introduce thighs particularly as a way to regulate forward pace. As a part of this, I should practice picking up and releasing the contact more often than we do transitions up to trot, so she doesn't associate shortening the reins with spurting forward. 

For canter, KW advised not getting bogged down with 'getting the correct lead.' Doozy was actually spot on perfect for both leads in this lesson, mostly bc she was so tense that I didn't really have to do anything beyond "allow" for her to break into canter. Which kinda further proves that the lead issues are more "me" than the "horse." 

Red & Reddier for dinner

KW's point is that, until the horse understands how to move off each of my legs independently, the leads are gonna be more or less 'luck' anyway. She said it's more important that we canter, generally, and that the leads will come. 

So this gets us back to being more intentional with riding with my leg ON. Instead of trying to use the tiniest most subtle aids right off the bat, I actually wanna start with ensuring Doozy accepts the legs on --- so that she doesn't end up too reactive later. KW suggested using circles and figures as opportunities to increase leg pressure and start helping the horse move off each leg, including adding thigh pressure and control from my abs / seat. 

omg Doozy is growing in a micro - snip on her muzzle with her winter fuzz!

Generally, in terms of the 'training pyramid,' we are going to be in 'rhythm and relaxation' for.... a while lol. And that while we're working on these fundamentals, it's up to me to really improve my body control and position. 

KW's impression is that Doozy is basically an athletic and capable horse who, even when tense and reactive, still just goes about and does what I ask. She 'colors inside the lines,' so it's my job to keep clarifying and redrawing those lines to continue refining our work. 

Which, I'm not gonna lie, was a bit like music to my ears. It's been a long time since I've really felt like I'm developing as a rider. Part of my hopes and goals with this new green horse is to just keep pushing my own boundaries, keep learning and challenging myself to grow my skills. 

So. First lesson is in the books with Mondeuse. I don't know what the schedule / cadence will be going forward, or when we'll make our first off-property lesson adventure. We'll just figure it out as we go, there's no immediate agenda other than --- get going! Feels exciting, y'all!

a tale of two rides

Happy Friday, y'all!!! I'm still in the thick of things at the Maryland 5*..... But ya know, the schweet thing about local shows is that.... I can still go home and ride afterward! 

Caroline Pamakcu & HSH Afterglow, winning the 4yo Young Horse Championships

So I spent the day jump crewing the 4 year old Young Horse Championships, hanging out with Sarah, Fair Hill's perennial in gate steward. 

We were privileged to watch a very wide spectrum of horses presented. A really really nice spectrum. Everything from "holy shit talented, but Green AF // Hard to Ride" to .... "Oh yea, this one is gonna be useful wherever it goes!"

Full video of Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Afterglow

Obvi, inspiring as always. Considering.... The horses were all FOUR. And I happen to have a 5yo at home who may or may not (hint: may not) be capable of even hand walking in that sort of environment... 

link to video of doozy schooling

legit the same day as Caroline's 4yo did the above

So obviously I went home and enlisted the help of a friend to nab some quick video of me and Mondeuse --- not least bc this was the final day of our (extended) saddle trial. And it's been a while since we've had any footage. 

Obvi, lol, it's pretty funny/stupid to compare footage from my mere mortal self to a US Team rider winning a young horse futurity class... 

But... Ya know... I'm also stupid proud of my silly red mare who 100% appreciated the extra gravity of a second warm (equine) body in the ring (for the first ((real)) time) with her. 

Small, but also important steps y'all! Full ride recap probably to come later... but for now, just enjoy the vids! TGIF!

friday foto finish

TGIF everybody!! It's chilly wet and gray around these parts right now, so let's liven things up by reliving some fun events from the last week or so, yes?

And sure... I probably could have broken this up into like three separate posts. Buuuuut.... I didn't, so, eh, enjoy lol.


Let's start with Carolina International!! I drove down to Durham last week to meet a friend, then we hustled over to Raeford to catch the Saturday and Sunday happenings at the Horse Park!


Guys..... I've been to a LOT of horse shows, and in particular a LOT of FEI events. But the Carolina Horse Park kinda stole my heart, not gonna lie.


It's super beautiful and easy to navigate, and all the jumps were wonderfully presented and decorated. Obviously, there's a ton of video if you're into that sort of thing!

Clips from the 4*, filmed on my 'good' camera lol (4:15min)

3* Clips from my cell phone (1:53min)

super short clip of Tim Bourke beasting the Modified water with Electric Quality

Also, there was live streaming --- and naturally we kinda stalked all the videos afterwards trying to spot ourselves in the background. Like normal people do.


Anyway, one of my favorite things about the horse park was that everything felt... Close. It was nbd to get back and forth to the car for snacks and refreshments throughout the day. So it was easy to stick around longer than we might have otherwise without spending a ton of cash.


All told, we saw the 3* and 4* cross country and Training show jumping on Saturday, then watched the Advanced show jumping and a bit of Modified xc on Sunday. Then headed back to Durham, where we checked out an absolutely charming new winery and did normal people things like take pictures of each other taking pictures of our wine #meta


"cool story, bro"


Anyways, tho, after all that it was a return to Charlie Mikey Land.


Wherein I yet again impulsively went at my poor beautiful horse's luscious mane with scissors, after seeing all those impeccably groomed horses at Carolina. Obvi, I missed a few spots.


"Fight me." - Charlie, probably


Oooooh I also got to try out some bargain bin QHP tendon boots I picked up at the show too!! Aren't they cute?? Definitely cheaply produced, but I like how soft and flexible they are, and the proportions are perfect for Charlie's tree trunks.


Speaking of Charlie --- it's been great to be back on a normal riding schedule. Tho, uh, the horse is fresh. As evidenced by the decidedly whacky hack I attempted the other night. Spooky shenanigans ensued -- thus the blur.


We lived to tell the tale, tho. Plus omg spring is coming!!


And obvi it's necessary to post pictures like this as proof that, yes indeed, we do go walking on hills. Often haha.


"Good angles only, please!"


But omg we also started reintroducing jumping again, too!! The last time we jumped was that fun arena xc schooling day at Loch Moy back in December, so it's been a while. Charlie feels great tho. Obvi super unfit (again, plz see actual literal photo of walking on hills as proof that we are working on it!), but pretty sound and rarin' to go.

We just dabbled with trotting this little exercise (poles set at 9' on takeoff and landing, ridden in both directions), first as a cross rail and then as a little vertical. It's simple, but good footwork stuff. Charlie was perfect, obvi. Then we cantered another little vertical off both leads a couple times and called it a day <3


So I'm feeling pretty excited and optimistic about where Charlie is right now. We've got a lot of rebuilding work ahead of us, but honestly that's part of the fun for me anyway.


We've got a few more lessons on the books with dressage trainer C in the near future (like, tomorrow omg! don't tell Charlie!), and I'm still working out what sort of jumping solutions might be available to us. We'll see. In the meantime, hope you all have a great weekend too!