NYC Visit

A walk through Gramercy Park

A big tub of MSG out on the street by a Chinese restaurant

Celebrating Saint Patrick’s day in an Irish bar

Oh New York, how I miss you.

When you want to jump online

I’m addicted to an online horse show jumping game. After playing, I realize it’s a good thing I’m a dressage rider. I can’t get through level 3!

Rochester

A couple of weekends ago I visited my dear friend, Christel in Rochester NY. We started the weekend off with a real East Coast dinner of mussels and fish and then did horse stuff (shocking!) all day Saturday. On Sunday I got the real tour of the city! Here are some pictures from my trip.

Uma, Christel and Isaiah’s big dog!

Horses wear a lot of blankets during East Coast winters!

Yum, mussels and fish in a wine, butter, saffron sauce

Christel & Dolly

End of Lesson

Towards the end of my lesson, we put the double bridle on Will because he was getting very strong. He was anticipating the flying changes. He’s a very, very, strong horse and can literally rip me in half. The double turned me in to “super rider” and allowed me to have more control in the moments deemed necessary! He felt great in the double and we ended our lesson working the half passes.

March Clinic

Just finished a great clinic with my coach, Ellen Eckstein. Here’s what I learned:
– Ride step by step. EVERY STEP (always think of the New Kids on the Block song when I hear that phrase!)
– Start my trot half passes with a shoulder-in and keep the shoulder-in feeling (I was pushing the haunches over too much)
– Prepare for each movement by riding EVERY STEP
– Be casual about the flying changes
– Change the weight in my stirrups when asking for a flying change, instead of over-asking with my lower legs.
– Keep him soft and always work towards a “falling down” neck

Happiest Horse Alive

I leave home for two days a week so I can work at our office headquarters. I enjoy being in the office but always feel guilty for leaving behind my pony ( I hope my hope my two-legged partner doesn’t read this!). Today I received this picture of Willoughby grazing, from my friend Eva. He truly looks like one of the happiest horses alive! Thank you, Eva and King Farm for taking such wonderful care of Willoughby.

Switch

Yesterday was a glorious day in CA! After a long bike ride, I headed out to the barn for a Sunday ride. After a nice warm-up, Eva and I decided to switch horses. We spend so much time watching and helping each other that we thought it would be fun to switch horses so we could understand how it really feels. I rode Eva’s horse Final, who was really fun. I love his size, he’s so compact! I didn’t try out any of his FEI moves, I didn’t want to mess him up! He really understands half halts and you can tell there’s lots of fun gears to play with! It was great to experience another horse. It’s hard to be a really good rider if you only ride the same horse for years at a time. I guess that’s what really distinguishes an amateur from a professional.

Horse Heaven in Napa

Last weekend I took a mini-field trip to visit my friend at Toyon Farm in Napa. It is literally horse heaven! I can’t decide if my favorite part about this place is the gym inside a nicely redone stall or the the fancy pond out front that serves as water trough (not pictured)!

Dogs in the Snow

Huckleberry Finn, the Chocolate Lab Mix is my dog. Dakota, my sister’s dog is a Norwegian Elk Hound. Dakota is a very devious dog and I think this expression in the last picture really captures his personality!

Horse Show Update

The February show was fabulous. It started out with some big doubts though. As I drove up to the stable in the pouring rain at night, I thought to myself, “am I this crazy? Why on earth am I at a horse show in Feb. in Nor. CA?”. My expectations for the show changed as soon as I drove past the big and scary tented arenas. If I just get through a single test ALIVE, I would be happy!

The next morning it was still raining. We woke up at 4:30 to get ready for our ride. Yes, this is my vacation time folks! Willoughby handled the tents like a pro. He really blew me away. I had no excuses, I actually had to ride my tests!

Not all 5 tests I rode were perfect but each one got a little better and we both started feeling more confident as we went. I was really proud that we were able to get 10 meter canter circles without breaking or looking like we were going to tip over! That was a major accomplishment. We got some qualifying scores at the show but most importantly we had fun and we learned a lot! Everyone else in our barn did really well too and I enjoyed spending time with all my horse friends!