somehow managed to pack all my remaining junk... once both horses are settled in and i have a feel for each of the boarding barns, i'll get serious about thoroughly reviewing inventory to split between locations. for now, it's all in the truck and trailer....
managed to fit in a last-minute dentist appt too!! gotta keep checkin off all them boxes, amirite? much better to get this done in the comfort of 'home' and not need to think about it for another 10months...
morning appts ran early so doozy spent her last 45min at this farm in a paddock with a pony friend
flash forward to a little bit later and --- we've arrived!
settled in with a little hand grazing! mare will spend a week or two in solo quarantine, so she'll need a lot of attention in the meantime
those nostrils omg haha
the farm is enormous with hacking everywhere --- see the little lane going up over the hill?
stalls are nice!
have window, will peep
two main barn aisles are connected by grooming bays in the middle and end
middle bay also fitted for washing
yep, looks like a barn!
tack room cubbies come complete with little box. this will be an adjustment after years in a full locker lol
pretty sure all my stuff can fit nicely, will just need to be a little creative! ideas welcome!
onto the riding facilities --- it's a short walk to the first indoor!
and slightly longer short walk to the second indoor
outdoor ring is cute too!! sorry just snapped a shot on my way out the driveway, but obvi we'll see more of this soon! there are also little logs and xc jumps in a back field <3 <3
Happy Monday Tuesday, folks! We had a great (and long) horse show weekend here --- finally getting back to ride the full 3 phases at MCTA's Jenny Camp at Shawan Downs, for the first time since 2017 (omg)!!
out with her ponies, unaware of the fate awaiting her!! also sad to only have a few more days with these sweet ladies... and Rosette is already gone from the farm! the group is scattering into the four winds :(
And fun fact --- we came in last place this time too, just like we did all those years ago with Charlie... Consistency, yo, we got it!! LOL
For real, tho, it was actually a great day. And I was absolutely bound and determined to not get too stuck in my head or too stressed out or anxious about anything. Bc... Ya know. This was kinda our last big outing with our longtime barn mates. It had to be a good one!
but first, one last hurrah with everybody at Shawan Downs!!
My friend Katie went over earlier in the morning and absolutely slayed the Novice division with a 17%** in dressage and clear jumping!! Which was a perfect swan song, as their plan was to move directly from the horse show into their new boarding barn. No going back, y'all.
(**More on those crazy dressage scores later...)
she was a very good girl at the trailer - even after accidentally locking eyes with Rosette across the field!!
Then Amy and I had a very civilized morning schedule for our rides in the starter division, dressaging around 10:30 and jumping around 1. Considering how close this venue is to home, it all worked out for a very pleasant cadence to the day!
Plus one of my longtime horsey friends came to visit for the weekend and was an awesome set of extra hands around the show. Also meant for TONS of media!! Even tho my ridiculous self managed to forget my helmet cam at home, whoops.
it was also perfect that Amy and I were able to do all our rides together we could see xc warm up from the trailers too, was nbd!!
So anyway, we got to the show nice and early and had a relaxed preparation for dressage. Amy and I rode at more or less the same times all day, which was nice bc we got to kinda go everywhere together. Doozy and Punky got sliiiightly attached to each other, which was a little complicated, but it was nbd.
Even so, Doozy was.... not great in the warm up. She's been making incredible progress in our rides at home, but it was always just going to be harder at the show. Esp without our martingale, gulp! So she was pretty wild and explosive. Oh well.
picture not representative of our test LOL, but she was a good girl
We managed to royally piss the judge off before even going into the ring, too. The ring was empty so I walked by the judge's car and all, so Doozy could see it. Which, the judge kinda felt like that should be illegal. At an unrecognized show. For the local club. That's already down on entries, and basically uses the starter event as a fundraiser.
But no no, no ring familiarization for the bebe horses --- it's an unfair advantage, y'all. In fact, don't even stand over here, don't even look at that ring, go away, be gone!!!
the judge was already mad at me bc she thought i was riding too close to the (empty) dressage court -- but even she had to give us a decent walk score haha
So she punished us for that by basically ringing the bell immediately when it was our turn to start circling the ring, and then proceeded to judge us a bit harshly thru the test. Which, well... honestly the scores were more or less fair. Doozy was.... tense. And we did have a few little breaks to canter, plus never quite managed to find our right lead in the second canter circle...
oh Dooz, one day we'll get all the pieces moving together
I was proud of the mare, tho. She kept it together, managed to find a few moments of true bend in the test, had surprisingly timely down transitions, and basically just clocked around the pattern. Plus slayed her free walk, as always, which even this judge had to admit deserved a 7.
So ya know. We'll get there eventually. And in the meantime, our 45% is fiiiiine and fair lol.
for now, tho, this was good
Tho, this judge... I know y'all probably get tired of me complaining about dressage judges. But some of them are real pieces of work. This one seemed to think she could choose the winners and losers at a horse trial all by herself, the jumping be damned.
One rider in my division got a 9.7% final score. Not a typo there, guys. An actual 9.7%, in the starter division. Scores in the teens abounded, too. Plus ya know, a whole bunch of scores in the 20s and 30s, and then those poor souls among us who managed to hit the 40s. Silly me, I thought it wasn't just a dressage show. But what do I know anyway, right?
(For the record -- that 9.7% horse was LOVELY OMG, and ridden by a very nice professional who has always been a wonderful human. The horse did have a stop on xc tho... which obvi bc of the crazy scores only dropped her a little bit down the ranks....)
and this was better!!
But eh. We were NOT here for the dressage lol.... No no, we are here to JUMP!! And after a little break, we went ahead and did just that!
The show jumping ring is set up in the same field as the dressage, so Doozy seemed a little more at ease out there for being her second time over in that area.
not a lot of screen shots from the jumping bc somehow almost every single jump was blocked by another jump in the video whooops!
And she handled her warm up fences quite nicely! Tho... it occurred to me as I observed the show ring... I've never actually schooled the mare over 2'3 show jumps, let alone 2'3 oxers. Like, she's jumped the height before, particularly that height and dimension of xc fences... but not show jumps. Uh, oops?
she was a good girl, tho, and jumped around pretty much ok, aside from the scary nature
So we jumped our first real oxer in the warm up LOL, but obvi it was fine. She's a nice jumper, she's bold and brave. Kinda likes it. Nbd.
Even so, I was a little tentative through our round. The course started with an oxer, set on a straight line that was fairly long enough to be unrelated, but barely. I opted to whoa! immediately back to trot in the middle of the line, tho we ended up having the rail anyway.
Next two jumps were kinda on a line across the diagonal too, and we did end up cantering the whole way down, tho Doozy got a bit squirrelly on the way out.
good over the finish next to the spooky judge's tent
Then we trotted by all the scary grass omg along the rail over another jump, then sharp turn to an end jump by the crowd. I again brought her wayyyyyy back down for the turn to this end jump... which, idk, maybe was unnecessary. Except that I honestly think we might have had a runout if I'd let her just plow forward.
As it was, we were good over that one, then had a nice little circuit back across the ring over another oxer, then up to another vertical at the other end of the ring (which we also knocked, whoops), and then finished strong despite a little wiggle over the last.
It's easy to watch the course and think maybe I should let the horse canter on more, since she seems a bit happier jumping from a canter... But, eh, honestly I think this was probably the right choice for where we are right now.
It's not hard for her to end up getting a little ahead of herself, ya know? Like remember at Thornridge when she sorta skittered out the side when she arrived at the jump a little forward and out of balance and didn't quite have an answer?
So ya know, we're still learning and growing LOL. And honestly I'm pretty happy with the round!
then onto the BEST part!!
It was also a useful experience to have before the cross country, too! We had a little bit of a hack over to the xc fields, and just jumped the little telephone poles a couple times as prep, then headed to the box. Doozy was actually a bit sticky about leaving the group, tho my friend helped us into the box.
She was a little sticky out of the box too... which you can see in the video, but it was nbd. Leaving the box is honestly one of the hardest things for young horses, I think. And it always seems to catch a lot of riders off guard -- with lots of silly refusals at the first couple jumps.
easy and brave over the big box!
Luckily Charlie trained me well about the importance of not taking those early jumps for granted haha... and I was ready to keep Doozy pushed up to the fences. She jumped 1 fine enough considering it was a log, and then was pretty wiggly to the second but jumped it well enough.
I eventually got her back down to trot for the 3rd, which she also jumped fine... But then when I tried to get her back to trot again for the 4th, she kinda just like declined lol, and instead offered up a very balanced polite canter. So like, ok cool. Fine. Let's just go with that!
tiny dot jumping beautifully at this gorgeous iconic venue!
And we just proceeded to canter the whole rest of the course! At first a little tentatively, but then sorta eased into a rhythm and I was able to start trusting her more and more as we went along!
I'm honestly sorry not to have the helmet cam from this trip bc I think it would have been really helpful to study... But she really just clocked right on around!
finishing strong over the barbie dream house
Not every jump came up perfectly out of stride, but nothing was uncomfortable or chippy or gappy either. Like clearly still just learning how to jump from a good balance, but honestly was just so so good!!
I was proud of myself too for being a little more trusting of her, and just focusing on keeping her straight. Once we were out there, it really felt like she was interested in each of the jumps, focusing on them, drawn to them.
None of the surroundings were spooky to her either, and she was super up the hill to the last jump heading back toward home and the warm up -- what a good feeling!
what a superstar <3 <3 <3
Obvi we were never really gonna close the gap up the leaderboard with the dressage scores being what they were, plus our added 8pts from show jumping... But if you had asked Doozy, she would say that we won and she's Champion of the Goddamn Universe LOL... And I have zero intentions of telling her any different haha!
All in all a solid day. Bittersweet in some ways because things are changing and I'm sad to part ways with my barn mates who have been such great friends over the years... But new adventures and friends lie ahead of us too. It's possible that by the time you read this, Doozy will be settling in at her new farm. Cha-cha-cha-changes, y'all!
Buckle up, y'all! And brace yourself for like two dozen pictures of jumps that.... if all goes well, you'll see again very very soon.
it's the most shawanderful time of the year!
Because Amy and I took our horses for a cross country schooling session at the iconic Shawan Downs yesterday!
This is important for a few reasons. First of all, our local association, the MCTA, only runs 2 events at this venue each year: a recognized HT and then a starter trial on back to back weekends. Natch, with schooling open the full week between events.
I also started designing the lower level xc courses for their events here a few years ago, but with all of Charlie's soundness issues never actually rode anything I set before now.
lot of pictures today bc this was a ride for the memory bank with one of my best barn friends! hopefully not the last hurrah, but a good one for sure!
Maybe most important, tho, among all the reasons why I was excited for this ride... Was that, ya know, it would be another special outing with one of my longest and bestest barn friends --- Amy, and her gelding Punky <3 <3
jump 3: mojo dojo casa house (jump 2, apparently not screenshotted, was the man behind the tan)
Guys, the feelings about moving barns are extremely strong. In every direction, everywhere, all at once. Our current barn is BIG, I love big boarding farms. And I'm nosy AF and in everybody's business and have strong attachment personality traits... Plus, ya know, I have a trailer and have been eager to cultivate friends over the years who wanna share adventures with me.
jump 4: "beach"... just... beach
But Amy is an OG around here. We've been through a LOT together. Ups and downs for both our horses. And... As soon as it became clear that I had to move on, my focus shifted to having the best possible end run with Amy -- including lessons and xc schooling, and, hopefully (ugh so superstitious these days) an awesome grand finale at this weekend's starter trial.
punky <3's beach!
So. Obviously we'd go schooling together! Actually we were supposed to go the day before and catch a lesson with Sally... But, eh, timing got tricky... and then a goddamn thunderstorm from hell blew thru, complete with all manner of tornado warnings... And, eh, we opted to just wait another day LOL.
jump 5: get in the box, you jezebel!! for real, tho, this was maybe the biggest seeming fence on course but it rode great at the event, probably bc horses were just relieved to have a plain brown jump LOL
And I think it worked out perfectly. We had the place to ourselves, the footing was soft after the torrent... And ya know. After all these years, we both have a good feel for what we need to do, what we want to do, and how we wanna get there.
jump 6: weird splits (it's split rails, guys, c'mon, we tried hard with the names!)
So we proceeded in a fairly straight forward manner to essentially school the full course. Which, it's worth noting, is not really a "normal" thing in this area.
girls night water option, woot woot!
Actually, it's downright RARE around here to be able to school a venue's jumps from start to finish in advance of a horse trial. And, not gonna lie, it kinda felt a little bit like cheating.
nice little stack-o-poles if water ain't your thang
But, eh, fuck it, right? It was fun! And that's the whole point lol... Plus it made me feel confident!
jump 8: just allan...
Doozy was, obviously, a super star. Don't tell anybody my secret but... When I set the course, I did it with the explicit hope that I'd ride it with Doozy. Not to say I made it easier or harder, per se, but I did set it hoping to ride it.
jump 9: it's better than bad log, it's good log! (yea yea not a barbie reference but iykyk)
Most of these starter jumps are brand new too -- and omg SO CUTE!! The gal** who built us 9 new starter fences this year absolutely slayed in the construction --- straight up well built jumps, and also each of them unique in profile and style. And all built exactly 2' dimensionally -- perfect for setting to fit!
(**Fun fact: it's a very female-forward event, with lady organizers, ground jury, designers, judges, and even one of the builders now!!)
punky knows!
Doozy hasn't actually done any 2'3 classes yet... But, eh, I figured that these are very nice jumps, and should therefore jump well. And ya know, she's brave and seems to enjoy the job!
not gonna lie, it was really useful to FINALLY get to actually ride jumps i set
So we went out and jumped 'em all. Doozy had about a month off from jumping after Thornridge, when she got kicked a couple times, and we've kinda eased back into it. I haven't really let her out to go canter courses again yet.
jump 10: stereotypical bench
And I didn't for this schooling, either, even tho she made it a bit clear that she felt somewhat constricted at times. But actually, weirdly --- I like the way she's telling me she feels constricted. Bc she's being so honest. So genuine. Even as she's like, "ugh this fucking trotting everything is bullshit!1!", she's .... still getting better at it!
jump 11: barbie dream house!
Which, honestly, is the whole point. I want her to keep getting better at arriving to her fences. And patience is a key to that. I expect that at the actual horse show, I'll let her roll on a bit more. And hopefully it'll mean we can find a good rhythm together... But at least with this "pre-work" she should have a good idea about what we're doing out there!
Charlie moved to his new farm yesterday. I'd be a big fat liar if I didn't admit to having pretty complicated feelings about it all.
homeboy hasn't stepped onto a trailer in almost exactly one year... still a pro tho <3 <3
Sadness at leaving.... leaving a lot of happy memories (for both me and presumably Charlie); leaving friends; leaving familiarity...
was slightly suspicious unloading across the street from the new neighbors tho!
Sadness at facing the reality that this is probably Charlie's official transition into at least semi-retirement. (Bc the denial** has been very strong with yours truly for a very long time...).
(**Tho he's actually looking pretty sound right now, even tho we pulled his hind shoes a couple weeks ago! Like, maybe sound enough for some toodling around!! Probably not ever sound again for "work," but ehhhh toodling would be nice!)
was immediately right at home inside this nice traditional barn. they even made him a fancy nice new name placard!
But I also feel relief. Like a burden has been lifted. For years, now, I've had to be a ruthless and zealous advocate for my horses in the face of frankly indifferent management. If I wanted my horses to receive a basic minimum level of care, it was up to *me* to make it happen. Going more than 2-3 days in a row without a trip to the barn was absolutely out of the question.
stalls are BIG
That has all changed for Charlie, now. His new barn has the most wonderful and relaxed vibes. They were ready for us, and Charlie settled in immediately.
got to chill in his new stall with a snack and some hay for a few minutes before turnout
In some ways, the barn reminds me a lot of where Isabel lived (minus the lesson program). It's small, intimate, laid back --- with a lot of people who basically just love their horses and enjoy horsey pursuits, in a whole variety of flavors.
charlie and avi moved together, which is nice bc they've already lived together for years
Obvi most of my decision to move Charlie here revolved around general lifestyle for him -- like turnout. I've always tended to prefer large group turnout for Charlie, but it's increasingly difficult to find (land prices being what they are). And where you can find it, it's often done at the expense of the land itself.
instantly at home <3 <3
That's honestly the biggest reason Charlie stayed where he was for so long --- straight up access to large tracts of grassy pasture.
The new place is different in that it's predominantly paddocks instead of pasture, tho the paddocks are HUGE. And the number of horses kept on the grounds is an explicit function of what the land can support. For example -- there are at least another half dozen empty stalls in the barn. But mgmt will not fill those stalls bc the *paddocks* are already at capacity.
these "paddocks" are unbelievable. relentlessly managed to ensure continual grass
Paddocks are rotated carefully, with 1 of the 7 always vacant and resting at any given time. They keep 2-3 horses in a paddock at any given time, and in this way manage to continue growing grass through the season.
all this, plus automatic waterers and a run in shed
That attention to detail, that careful planning and management.... It all honestly kinda hit me like a ton of bricks LOL, after years of... well... the absence of any of that haha. I was basically like, "Woweee, who do I make the check out to??" lol...
obvi they were quite interested in their mare neighbors, but even more interested in #datgrass
It is, in fact, a working riding barn, too. Charlie might be the only semi-retiree here. So you can expect to get a tour of the new riding facilities eventually.
They are relatively humble in scale, but quite nice and complete. There's an attached indoor with nice fiber footing that gets dragged regularly. And the outdoor ring is actually pretty generous in size -- I estimate it's about the same size as the outdoor dressage court at the old place.
i haven't moved all my stuff yet, but the tack is transferred. just in case!
There are apparently trails, too. And every time I've been there so far -- whether for tours or actually moving in -- there have been a variety of people all out and about doing things with their horses.
then back to doozy's barn for a bittersweet schooling ride
Honestly. I have high hopes. I have a good feeling. This farm is farther from my house than either the old place, or Doozy's future place -- but it's triangulated fairly conveniently between the two, such that if I'm already at one barn, it's quite easy to get on over to the other. So that's the plan for now.
she's still got a little time left at this farm, but these strolls are numbered....
It was easy enough to get back to the old place after tucking Charlie in for the night, and still have time for a wonderfully pleasant (and pleasantly productive!) jump school on the redhead.
The times, they are a changin', folks! Still a little more time tho before I rip the bandaid off completely....
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