Rocky Start Stables

Every day I'm shufflin'...

2012-02-06T20:31:00.002-05:00

Wow! Life has been a whirlwind of activity since I last posted. There are 9 horses at RSS right now, and that keeps me quite busy!

In exciting news, Bug has been cleared to start jumping and galloping and doing regular work. The abscess pocket was down to a quarter of its original size, after just 4 weeks. Bug was very happy to hear this news, as constant flatwork was starting to make him grumpy.

This past weekend, I took 3 horses to TTC in Mocksville for a Combined Test, Jumper Show, and XC schooling.

Une Grace and I waiting for our Jumper classes at TTC. Love her stripes!

Catoctin Moon, a sales horse owned by Lindsey Matossian, did the Novice CT. He was quite good in the dressage, scoring a 31.3! The judge stuck her head out of her car at the end and told me how lovely he is. Honestly, I really quite enjoy riding him, so I already knew that! :) He went on to have one rail in SJ, and he finished 3rd. He is still getting used to the way I want him to jump, so we will get that sorted. I was really quite pleased with how he was.
Golden Altar, another sales horse owned by Gina Woods, did the BN CT. It was his first real dressage test, and his first show with me. He was a bit confused about what exactly we were doing in the dressage test, so our score wasn't the greatest. However, he jumped a great double clear round in SJ. He is green on the flat, but he is quite good when it comes to jumping. With more miles on the flat, I think his dressage will catch up with his jumping soon.
Une Grace, yet another sales horse (and my favorite little mare to ride) owned by Morning Glory Sporthorses, did the 2'6" Open Jumpers and the 2'6" Jumper Derby. Gracie is only just coming 4, and she is amazing. For the first class, she did a lot of looking around but jumped everything. Unfortunately, she had a rail in the first class. In the Derby, she went in and had it all figured out. She jumped a stellar round to win the class! I love that little brindle mare!

On Wednesday of this week, I am taking Renn to the first recognized event of 2012 for RSS, Full Gallop Farm. Renn is competing in the Open Training division. I am aiming him at the Training 3-Day at Heart of the Carolinas in May, and we need one more qualifying score. I'm hoping we can get it on Wednesday and not have to worry about it for the rest of the spring. :)

I am really excited about my "string" of horses this year. They are all very talented individuals, and I can feel my riding improving, thanks to sitting on so many horses. I am very thankful to all of the owners for giving me the rides on these fabulous horses! I can't wait to get everyone out and about this spring!

I hope everyone is having a great year so far! Heels down, eyes up, kick on!

Always write in pencil...

2012-01-15T11:46:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! A lot of things have been going on here at RSS.

Unforunately, as with all things related to horses, things change quickly. Just before Christmas, Bug decided to pop a doozy of an abscess. It was bad enough, that we were worried he had fractured his coffin bone. After x-raying, I was thrilled to find out that there was no fracture. However, the abscess pocket could be seen on the xray. It went from his sole all of the way up to his cornary band. Now, it's a waiting game. I have to wait until the laminae all fill back in. He will get his shoe back on January 23rd, then we re-xray to check out what the pocket is doing. I have been saying a lot of prayers for my boy!
Of course, this means that the show schedule I had just painstakingly made up is now no longer. haha Oh well. I have made up a new schedule...and I wrote very lightly in pencil!!

Renn has been quite the good little stallion. He got to participate in the first show of the season for RSS. I took him to TTC for the schooling CT and XC schooling. He did the Prelim CT, and he was a lot better than I expected for his first trip out. His scores in his dressage test were a 9 and five 8's in a row, and then we cantered. :) We are still working on getting him quiet in the canter, but I was THRILLED with the beginning of his test and the trotwork. He was jumping super well in the show jumping, but I got stuck in letting him go too slow and didn't ride him forward enough. I have been working so hard to get him rideable, that I forget to put my leg on when he's listening. We had one rail and time, but I was still thrilled with him. Just need to keep working on myself. Isn't that always the story? My plan for Renn is to compete him at Training all spring and then shoot to do the Training 3-Day at Heart of the Carolinas in May. After talking with Bonnie, I think this is the best thing for him. I want to take a step back and really get his confidence back. His first recognized outing will be Feb 8th at Full Gallop Farm.

I am very excited about all of the sales horses that I have right now. I still have Rosarita and Fame, which are coming along nicely in their training. Due to veterinary issues, Whitfield has gone on to a new home, where he is happy and living it up. I'm so happy that he found a great home. I have two new horses here for sale. I will post more about them once I've had them a bit longer.

I also had the pleasure of helping Morning Glory Sporthorses with the sale of their 2 year old Oldenburg filly, Glenn Kinchie. Congrats to Jenn Church on her lovely new jumper prospect!

That's all for now! Head up, heels down, kick on!

Time flies

2011-12-06T15:40:00.001-05:00

Wow, has it really been a month and a half since I posted?!?! Ahh! So sorry for my lack of promptness!! There has been a lot going on here at Rocky Start. Where to begin?

Bug has been on hiatus since Fairhill. He got a few weeks of no work at all, and he is now back to work on the flat. He is so thrilled to be doing so much dressage! haha He will start back to jumping this week, which I'm sure, will make his life worth living again. haha

Renn had his big move up to Preliminary at Virginia the end of October. Bonnie and I had been schooling him hard, and we were sure that he was ready. I decided to do the Gambler's Choice jumper class with him the Friday evening before the show. See the video above! He was a superstar in the big colesium, and he even jumped the bogey fence at the end, a huge airy vertical with no ground line. Renn was pretty full of himself for his dressage test the next morning. Due to snow on the ground, they pushed XC back and we had to wait around all day to go. The course wasa pretty good move up, however, Fence 8 abc was a very tough coffin in the back of the course. The B element was the ditch off of a 90 degree turn. The ditch was also hiding behind some tree limbs. Renn thought he was going until the last minute, and unfortunately, I trusted him a bit too much. He slammed on the brakes at the last minute, and I kept going. Air vest deployed. End of the show for us. It was unfortunate, as I believe that if I could have represented, I would have gotten him over it. We will work hard this winter to be sure that his confidence is back, and he's ready to go. He'll do some Trainings in the early spring to see where he is before we decide to move him back up.
Also, on the Renn front, I am offering a discount on stud fees for 2012 if you book before Jan 15. Contact me for more information! Check out the video of Renn in a lesson with Bonnie.

We have some new horses here at RSS as well. I think I may have talked about them before, but I have more information on them now.
1. Rosarita: 2005 Hanoverian mare by Rolling Stone (who is by the great Rubenstein I) and out of MS Amelia. She is 16.2 hands and liver chestnut with a star and 4 socks. She has a puppy dog personality, and she is very athletic and willing. She was started late as a 5 year old then left for a year, so for her age, she's pretty green. However, she is coming along quickly. See the video below of her in a lesson with Bonnie. It was the first time she'd ever done any grid or real polework. I believe she will make an excellent young rider or adult amateur's horse.

2. Whitfield: 2005 Hanoverian gelding by Wildcard. He is 17 hands and bay with a star and 3 socks. As with Rosarita, he was started late and then left for a year. He is a sweet boy, but he is very sensitive. He needs an experienced rider with patience. He loves to hack out, and I am thinking that he may be best as a foxhunter. We will see. See the video below. It is also from a lesson with Bonnie and was his first time doing grid and real polework.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMYaCLAMaoE&feature=related

3. Fame de Bromont: 2002 Oldenburg mare by Walldorf. She is a 16.1 hand liver chestnut with a blaze and high socks. Fame was well trained then had an injury that put her out of work for awhile. She is just coming back into work. More information to come as she progresses into work.

In other news, I have decided to donate 5% of my income from lessons and training from Dec 5 thru Dec 31 to Cabin Creek TB Rescue. In light of the new Horse Slaughter Bill being passed, I have decided that, even though I am financially strapped, I would like to try to help the rescues who are keeping as many horses out of the slaughter houses as they can. I got my lovely Ellie Mae from Cabin Creek, and I plan to get as many as I can from there in the future. There's nothing like an OTTB!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and remembered to be thankful for everything that they have. I am very thankful to God for all that He has blessed me with. Even when times are tight, I know that I still have it a lot better than many others.

Thanks for reading!! Heels down, kick on!

When it all comes together....

2011-10-23T21:34:00.002-04:00

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen."
-Frank Lloyd Wright

And so, the culmination of my entire competition year has come and gone, and I can't wipe the smile off my face! Eventers always talk about the show where everything comes together....the show where your horse peaks at the perfect time.....that show that just goes right. Well, I got to experience that at the CCI** at Fairhill International.
My horse is amazing, to say the least. Just over a year before our trip to Fairhill this year, he was at Viriginia Tech having emergency colic surgery for the second time in his life. Being a poor up and coming professional, I was sure that I was going to have to put down my horse of a lifetime, just because I couldn't afford to pay for the surgery. As with all things related to insurance, once there's an issue, it's uninsurable. Therefore, I was looking down the nose of a huge surgery bill with no way to pay it. Thank God for the awesome vets and surgeons at VA Tech. They made it happen, and I will be forever grateful to them. Between the vets and my AMAZING support team of people, we got Bug fixed, home, and paid for. When I think back to all that my boy has been through, it makes this past weekend even more amazing!!
I also have to send a HUGE "Thank you" to Bonnie Mosser for coming all the way up to Fairhill to coach me for the weekend! She kept me mentally straight and gave me a plan to stick to. I am so grateful for all that she has done for me, and I'm looking forward to more! My riding has improved so much in the short time that I've been riding with her. She just says things the way that I need to hear them.
So, the Clif's Notes version of the show. It was HORRENDOUS weather for the first few days, though, I'm told it was nothing like a few years ago. For that, I am glad. Bug's dressage test was done in the rain with about 30 mph winds. The weights in the tails of my coat kept hitting me in the back of the head! Normally, this would have been just the thing Bug would have looked for to spook. However, we both kept it together mentally and put in our best test to date!! Yes, of course, we have tons to work on and keep improving, but I am THRILLED with how well he went. Our score was about 12 points better than it was at Jersey in the spring. That's quite an improvement! This put us tied for 30th place out of 68. I will admit...I may have done a happy dance in the stabling area when they announced my score. My goal was to break 60, and we got a 59.2! :)

The XC course was tough. It was definitely more of an Advanced test, and I was really excited to see how Bug would jump around it. I knew if I kept my head on straight, and he saw the fences, we would be good. However, I knew I needed to be as close to optimum as possible, which I have struggled with in the past. Mud makes me a bit nervous, as I displayed at Morven, so I was anxious to see if I could pull it off. I was number 57, so 50 some odd horses were going to run across the sloppy footing before I even got a chance. Bonnie told me to take it a bit easy in the first field, as the footing was sloppiest there. After I got over fence 11B, I was to gun it! haha Let me tell you, if I doubted that Bug could make time before, I'm certainly sticking my foot in my mouth now. We were only 15 seconds over time on a 9 minute course! For us, that is amazing! I think we were 60 seconds or so over at Jersey. I've finally figured out how to go fast and still be balanced and jump! If the footing had been good, I have no doubt that we would have made time. My little superstar charged around that course and ate it for breakfast. He never batted an eyelash, just kept saying, "BRING IT ON!" Our awesome round moved us up to 19th place!

Returning to the barn all smiles, I realized that now, my nemesis of the year, show jumping was staring me in the face. Yikes! Could I pull off a good round with a huge crowd? I tend to let my brain shut down. Show jumping has been MY nemesis all year. My horse is an AMAZING jumper, and he is very adjustable. He can and will jump from ANYWHERE. People say...what's the problem?? Well, the problem is, that makes it very hard to get your eye tuned to what's correct. However, I knew that I had put in many hours with Bonnie, and I COULD do it. I just had to step up my mental game and get it done.
After walking the course with Bonnie on Sunday morning, I knew it was tough, but I also knew that my horse could make it look like a child's game. I bucked up my brain and put my big girl pants on. Let me tell you, as I jumped the last fence, I definitely threw my fist in the air! It was the BEST round of my LIFE! Foot perfect. Amazing. I sooo wish I had it on video! The cheer from the crowd was amazing! The announced commented on the fact that I must be a crowd favorite, and that I was thrilled with how my horse went. I guess he could tell because I was grinning from ear to ear.
We finished 16th out of 68. That isn't too shabby for Fairhill! Our entire score was still 5 points better than my dressage score at Fairhill! I am still grinning. I love my special pony. He is definitely my once in a lifetime horse. I cherish him every day. Just watching him in the field as he bosses around his pasture buddy makes me happy.
Bonnie says to start studying the Advanced and 3 star tests, as we're going big next year! Bug says, "I really belong at Rolex, but Advanced will do for now, I guess." :)

In other news, baby Renn is doing his first Preliminary this coming weekend at the Virginia Horse Trials! Wish us luck! :)
Also, I have gotten a sponsor!!! Snider's Elevator (www.sniderselevator.com) has graciously offered to sponsor myself and my ponies! I'm so excited! I worked there through college, and they carry a large selection of riding supplies. Check out their website! Sending out a big "Thank you" to them!

Mud, Sweat, and....er...Cheers!

2011-10-09T21:52:00.004-04:00

Hello, hello!

Things have been super busy since I last posted. Bug, Renn, and I made the trip up to Morven Park last weekend. Let's just say, I'm very glad that my mom got me a set of Frog Togs for Christmas last year, as I got to put them to good use there! The weather was abysmal. Cold, pouring rain, and wind were in abundance on Saturday. Renn competed in the Open Training division A in a field of 15. With the horrible weather and the cross country running right by his dressage arena, I was worried that Renn might be less than attentive. However, I must say, he was very strong, but he was willing and listening for the most part. He ended up with a 35.9 which put him in a 4 way tie for 5th place. The weather only got worse as his jumping phases were upon us. I am soooo proud of my boy for the way he went in the horrendous conditions. He jumped double clear around a tough show jumping course and went on to put in another double clear in the XC around a tough course with very slippery footing. Baby stallion ended up 4th in that huge division that included a lot of big names!! After talking with Bonnie, we have decided that Renn has earned his way to a move up to Preliminary at the Virginia Horse Trials!! Yay!!
Bug was in the Open Intermediate A division with a field of 16. He put in his best dressage test to date in the indoor arena with a 39.6! We finally broke 40! That was even with an accidental flying change. He was quiet and relaxed. What we really lacked was brilliance in the trot for better scores. I was THRILLED with him. All of the hard work that we've been doing with Bonnie is paying off! He went on to jump a double clear round in the show jumping. The footing had gotten even worse by the time that we went, and Bug felt it was neccessary to overjump everything by 3', so I was a bit discombobulated, and I didn't ride as well as I would have liked. There were some great fences, and there were some not so great fences.
Bug's XC was on Sunday, and the rain had let up some, but the footing was still horrendous. The weather was very cold, though the wind wasn't as bad. I decided upon walking the course that I wouldn't be trying to make time. The footing was horrible, and with it being so close to Fairhill, I didn't want to risk him. During the warmup, Bug was jumping huge, and upon jumping a big warmup rolltop, he landed hard and got his feet stuck in the mud. We almost had a tumble. I think it rattled both of us, as we just weren't ourselves out on course. I wasn't going forward enough to the fences, and Bug was being extra careful in the mud. He was all about adding the stride.
We ended up in 7th place in the division, which made me really happy. We made it around, and even though there are still things to work on, I feel like we're making progress.
Fairhill is upon us, and we leave on Tuesday at 5 am! The jog up is on Wednesday, and the dressage fun begins on Thursday. We won't find out any of our times until after the first jog.
I hope people will come out to watch us!!!

I will try to keep everyone updated as much as possible at Fairhill.
All thoughts and prayers are much appreciated! :)

My own worst enemy...

2011-09-28T09:45:00.001-04:00

I know that it's been awhile since I last blogged. I hope this all finds everyone well!

After Waredaca, I went home and started to work hard with the boys. I've been riding in what I like to call, "Bonnie Bootcamp" every week that I can. We have been working hard on Bug's dressage and my show jumping, as well as Renn's show jumping. I am determined to learn how to ride! :) We also had a XC schooling session with Renn, and he was a superstar. He jumped a lot of difficult combinations like a pro.

I took Bug to the Five Points Horse Trials the beginning of September. I had a plan for our dressage, and it seemed to really work. He was the most relaxed and supple that he's ever been in a test. There's always more work to be done, but I felt like it was a big improvement. As far as the judge goes, though, we only scored about 2 points better than Waredaca. Oh well. The XC was a big, gallopy course. The optimum was just under 7 minutes, so I knew this would be a good test of whether we could make time on a longer course or not. Bug was a superstar! He was forward and bold. We had one sticky moment going through the sunken road, as we've never done a proper one before. I got a bit zoned on the A, B, C, D...lots of flags to overwhelm me! Bug was great though and packed me through. Other than that, we had a great round. We were only 13 seconds over time! If we had been more forward through the sunken road, that would have saved us even more time. I was thrilled with him. This put us in 6th place!

I walked the SJ course on Sunday with a bit of trepidation. It was a very forward course, and I was already worried about making the distances without the chip stride. This led to me not quite finding my mojo in the warm-up and just running at things in the course. We ended up with 3 rails, which is unheardof with Bug. I was actually a bit worried that he was sore somewhere. So, this dropped us down to 8th place.

I was very bummed, but it definitely gave me more to work on. I also learned that I need to really learn how to acquire mental toughness.

Bonnie and I have been working hard on the boys ever since. We are headed to Morven Park this weekend, where Bug will do his last Intermediate before the CCI** at Fairhill, and Renn will do Training.

Also, in other news, I have 2 new consignment horses in. Whitfield is a 2005 Hanoverian gelding by Wildcard. He is 17 hands and a lovely blood bay. He is a bit more of a sensitive being, but I think he will make someone a great horse. Rosarita is a 2005 Hanoverian mare by Rolling Stone. She is 16.1 and a lovely liver chestnut. She is bold and very sensible and willing. I also think she's going to be a lot of fun! There will also be another horse arriving sometime in the near future. Fame de Bromont is a 2001 Oldenburg mare by Waldorf. She is 16.2, I believe, and also a very lovely liver chestnut with a lot of chrome.

Hopefully, this fall will be a great time for Rocky Start Stables and its students! I'm excited to work hard and see how things pan out.

Until then...heels down, head up!

The Good, The Bad, and The...uh...Handsome?!

2011-08-17T16:39:00.000-04:00

It has been an action packed month since I last blogged.

1. One big, exciting piece of news... I have started taking lessons from Bonnie Mosser in addition to my lessons with Kim Severson. Kim is over 4 hours away from me, and it is difficult for me to get to see her more than once every 3 or 4 months. For someone that truly wants to be competetive in the big leagues, this just wasn't cutting it. Bonnie has recently relocated to NC, and she's very close. I have taken 2 jump lessons on each of the boys and a dressage lesson on Bug. The change in myself and my boys has been amazing!! It's sooo incredibly nice to have eyes on the ground on a regular basis. I plan to continue riding with them both as much as I can.

Bug and I at the MDHTII (photo by Mike McNally)

2. Bug ran the Open Intermediate division at the Waredaca HT this past Saturday. I can tell that all of our gallops are paying off, as he was a bit too big for his britches for the dressage. He was quite frisky in the warm-up and never really chilled out. To make it even more exciting, the arena was right next to the concessions stand, so there was smoke billowing over the fence from their oversized grill. Bug was pretty sure it was the smoke from a fire breathing dragon. haha In his defense, he DID chill out for the last part of the test, and his canter work was much better. I was definitely disappointed, though. We ended up with a 44.
However, in typical Bug fashion, he went on to redeem himself in the jumping phases. Our show jumping round was the best round I've had since early this spring. He was soft and listening, I was riding up to the fences, and I wasn't panicking and just running him off of his feet. It was the best feeling. We had one rail, which was totally my fault (as Bug will tell you!). However, I was more pleased with that round than I was with most of my double clears this year! I hope that I've finally got my groove back!
The XC was a very gallopy, very hilly course with a lot of good questions. I was determined to be within 15 seconds of optimum, as I have really been struggling to make time at Intermediate. I know that this is because of my underriding and backing up to fences. We went out there and ROCKED around that course. Every time I wanted to slow too much, I kicked more. Bug never backed up to a fence, and he never had one of those suspended in mid-air moments over a fence. It was an amazing round. He was CRUISING! We came in just 12 seconds over time. This was our fastest Intermediate round yet. I couldn't stop smiling. We ended up 7th out of 23 in a field of some big names. Awesome boy! *pat, pat*

Renn at the MDHTII (photo by Karen Wurster)

3. Renn also ran at Waredaca in the Open Training division. He was such a good boy for his dressage. He was very obedient and submissive. He lacked some of his forward energy, which probably cost us some points. He got a 36, which isn't too shabby, but it's definitely not the best he can do.
Renn and I have been struggling in the sj, as he either pays too much attention to me and ignores the jumps or grabs the bit and runs hellbent for election. I know that he is capable of jumping well. With Bonnie's help, I have been trying a new style with him. He jumped great at Waredaca! He had one rail where he probably wasn't paying quite enough attention, and I had one rail. However, the rest of the round was quite lovely! I was so happy with him.
Unfortunately, the XC was quite large for Training, and I was a bit worried that the ghosts of that bad XC school would come back to haunt us. I was right. He ended up getting eliminated late on course at the HUGE ditch at the coffin. Otherwise, he was quite bold and brave. I'm disappointed, but as things go with horses, you just have to keep training. There's always something. He'll be going XC schooling this weekend at The Fork to see if we can get that bold horse back.

4. I have been accepted into the American Horse Trials Foundation, which means that I can now accept tax deductible donations!!! If you want more information on how to sponsor me or have ideas to help me along this financially difficult road, please contact me! There is a sponsorship proposal with more information on my website as well.

I think that's about all for now! Bug and I will be heading to Five Points in a few weeks.

Thanks to everyone for their support and for checking in! Heels down, Chin up!

The nature of the beast...

2011-07-17T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is been a very exciting past 10 days... I LOVE being back in my element in "the North." It's so nice being near "my people," the ones that I love. To make it even better, my two most favorite pony boys were along for the ride!

Renn post Novice XC, ready to strike a pose.

Last Saturday, Renn got to have his confidence boosting run at the Maryland Horse Trials. He was in the Open Novice division against a lot of big name riders. I have been working very hard on Renn's dressage. He has world class breeding in dressage, so it is quite ridiculous for him to be getting 40's in the dressage! Well, I was THRILLED after my dressage test. Baby stallion was quiet, rideable, and quite forward and floaty. He was so grown up! I couldn't wipe the smile from my face. He ended up with a 33.5!!! His best score ever. He went on to jump a very rhythmic, quiet double clear show jump round. I'm glad that I decided to back him down, as he was a bit green and worried on xc. Mostly, he was just squirmy to the water complexes. He was still double clear, though. :) Funny thing is, even ending on a 33.5, he was still only 9th!
I spent the week doing a lot of riding and teaching. The boys were both super in their flat and jumping schools. I had a lot of fun teaching all of my new students up north. :)
Yesterday, the Maryland Horse Trials II was my big day of riding both horses (Bug in the Intermediate and Renn in the Training) in a one day, plus coaching a student! It was my first time with all of that in one day. Thank God for my friends, Elaine Ohler and Katie Douglas. They helped me juggle everything and took care of the boys when I had to move on to the next thing. They were soooo much help!! Thank you, Ladies. :)
I have been schooling Bug in the double bridle some, as I feel like it helps me really get him where he needs to be. I decided to try it at the show, though it's not something I want to use forever. I felt that he had one of the best tests of his life. He was quite good. Unfortunately, the judge did not agree. We got a 41.6. I was bummed. I'm so frustrated with our dressage. I KNOW this horse can get good scores. I WANT to work my butt off to get it right. I think I make progress, but the scores never show it. *sigh* Oh to be a natural dressage rider! The superstar went on to jump double clear in the show jumping. Though my show jumping woes are not completely fixed, I felt that it was a much better round than we've been having, even if it wasn't perfect. I still have to learn to go forward to my distances. Luckily for me, my superstar of a horse saves my butt when I mess up. He is just SOOO scopey. He went on to rock around the Intermediate XC like it was nothing. Unfortunately, as always, I didn't push him enough to make time. The biggest problem is, I don't ride at a true gallop to the fences, and he hangs in the air for soooo long. We lose a lot of time from being in the air. We had 14.6 time penalties. We ended up 10th in our division. I am so disappointed. I KNOW that we can do so much better than this. I am determined to work hard, take lessons, and get this straight. I have every intention of going to the CCI** at Fairhill this fall and holding our own with the big boys!
The baby stallion, Renn, had yet another lovely dressage test! Actually, it wasn't quite as good as his test the week before. He spotted the horses galloping xc next to the dressage and got a bit more "up" than the week before. However, he still had some super lovely moments. His score was a 34. His excitement carried over to the show jumping. Unfortunately, he was a bit wild and ADD. haha He was m ore worried about getting to the galloping part! He had FIVE rails. He went on to ROCK AROUND the xc. He wasn't squirmy or backed off at all. He was such a star. Now, to figure out how to have that boldness but to still have a rideable horse for the show jumping! I'm still really happy with him.
I have to send out a big congrats to my student, Catherine Schumak, and her horse, Mr. Secretagentman. They competed in the Junior Novice the first week and placed 3rd on a 33.9. They went on to complete their first Junior Training with a 37.7 in dressage, one unlucky rail in sj, and a double clear xc!! They ended up 8th in a big division of 19. So very proud of them! They're on the road to their big goal of the Training 3-Day in May 2012.
I'm spending the day with my parents, then back home to NC tomorrow. I will back up north next month for Waredaca.

Thanks to everyone who has made all of this possible for me. I feel so blessed with love and support. I just hope that I can start bringing home some big finishes and making people proud! :)

Heads up, Heels down!

Just be quiet and listen...

2011-07-07T14:15:00.000-04:00

Time is flying by as usual, and we're already here in July. I can't believe it! Tomorrow, I pull out with Bug and Renn for Maryland. We will be staying up there from July 8-18. I'm excited to be teaching some lessons, riding extra horses, and competing the boys. Best of all, I get to see family and friends!!

Originially, Renn was supposed to do Training at the first Maryland Horse Trials and Prelim at the second. However, after having a less than stellar XC schooling session, I have decided to listen to what Renn is telling me. He's just not quite ready to move up. He wasn't acting like himself, and he lost a lot of confidence. This isn't normal for him, so I've decided to take a BIG step back and try to gain back my "oh so confident" boy. He will be doing Novice at the first Maryland and Training at the second. Renn is only 7, so he has plenty of time to move up. We will see how Maryland goes and then go from there.

Bug is feeling great and ready to go! He will be doing his first horse trial back since the CCI** at Jersey. His dressage is steadily getting better. He is jumping like a champ. I've been working very hard, and I have big plans to do well this fall! :)

I want to send out congrats to a RSS student, Leigh Ana Castillejo, and her horse, Top O' The Hill. They did the BN combined test at TTC earlier this month. They showed a lot of improvement in their dressage, and they had the best show jumping round I've ever seen them have! They ended up 4th in their division. I'm very proud of them. :)

Well, that's all for now! I'll check in during our big trip.

Heels down, head up! Stay cool.

So Blessed...

2011-06-16T15:55:00.000-04:00

I know, I know! I just blogged a few days ago, and I'm back!

Here are a few pics of Bugger doing his thing at the Jersey Fresh CCI**. Love that horse!

Congratulations are in order for Rocky Start student, Maddie Whisnant! Her parents bought her a new horse for her 13th birthday. His name is "My Daddy's Cash," and he's a 10 year old Appaloosa/TB cross. He is quite fancy, and we are excited to help Maddie with her progress with Cash!

Check out this article that was written about Renn and Rocky Start Stables!!
Equine Globe, June 2011

We are doing a lot of work in preparation for our big trip north to both of the Maryland Horse Trials. Catherine Schumak and her horse, Mr. Secretagentman, will also be making the trip. We are very excited.

Until next time!! Enjoy this break in the heat!

Love what you do...

2011-06-08T22:48:00.000-04:00

Wow, I have really been remiss in my blogging! Life has been full since I last posted, but I will try to be short and sweet. :)

1. Bug and I got our CIC** qualifying round at Fairhill International the end of April. His dressage improved vastly from the CIC at Poplar. He skipped around all of the questions on XC, though I did go very slow due to the muddy footing. Our show jumping left a lot to be desired. We had one rail, which should never happen with this horse. I rode very backward throughout the course. I left Fairhill with a mission to improve our show jumping quite a bit.

2. Bug and I completed our first CCI** at Jersey Fresh! Our dressage was less than stellar, as I got a bit of a case of nerves and didn't really ride at all. Add that to less than forgiving judges, and you get a not so spectacular score. :( However, Bug went on to conquer the VERY TOUGH XC course. It was over 9 minutes long. I was worried about Bug's fitness, as I had never run anything this long. Also, I find that I really haven't gotten a good feel for 570 yet. I think I'm flying when I'm really not. haha Anyway, Bug jumped through everything with ease. I definitely crossed the finish line with a HUGE smile on my face. He definitely has what it takes to compete at the top levels. He LOVES his job. We experienced a LOT of rain the night before show jumping, making the footing less than stellar. Combine that with a bit of nerves, and you have some backward jumps at the beginning of our show jump course. However, unlike at Fairhill, I realized what was going on and kicked on to a great last half of the course. We were the first double clear show jumping of the day, and one of only 7 total double clears out of 30+ rides. We completed our first CCI** in 18th place. I am so thrilled. Now, it's onward and upward to kick some butt in the CCI** at Fairhill this fall! I have a lot of work to do. My goal is to start completing in the top 6 at everything I do. I truly believe we can get it together and make this happen! He got a vacation after Jersey and is returning to work now. His next outing will be the second of the Maryland Horse Trials. Check out his XC video from Jersey!

3. Renn completed two Training events at The Ark and the Virginia Horse Trials. His dressage is improving daily, and he is a machine on the XC! Unfortunately, our record shows a "20" at The Ark. He jumped into the water with quite a leap and landed on all 4's. He jolted me on landing, and I had to circle before going to the rolltop out of the water. However, he's such a great ride on the XC. His show jumping has been a lot better, though, he did have quite a few rails at VA. I believe that was mostly because of great distraction in the coliseum. The plan is to do Training at the first Maryland Horse Trials and move him up to Prelim at the second. I am very proud of my baby stallion!

4. I am excited to announce that Renn is being bred to 3 outside mares this month. Elaine Ohler, one of my best friends from college, is breeding two of her lovely mares, a TB mare and a Paint mare. Also, Carrie Hatfield of Michigan is breeding her lovely Trakener event mare, Tiki. I love to follow the progress of Renn's babies, as I believe they are quite talented!

5. Speaking of Renn's babies, "Spicy Rendition," owned by Paula Giammatteo, made her debut in the Hunter in-Hand classes at the Sandhills Classic. She placed 1st in the 2 year olds class! I am so thrilled to have one of Renn's first babies out and about in the show world already. Congrats to Paula and Pepper!

6. In more Renn baby news, congratulations to Catherine Schumak on the purchase of "Fuerst Love"! It will be a lot of fun to assist Catherine in the training and competing of this very special Renn baby.

I think that is the majority of the big news from Rocky Start. :) I would like to remind everyone to give their horses a big kiss and hug. After hearing about the fire at True Prospect, it makes me realize that no matter what happens in the show ring, we must always remember that we are just so blessed to be around these incredible animals. I thank God every day for blessing me, and I pray that my ponies will stay happy, healthy, and sound!

Until next time! Stay cool!

You can stick a Fork in me....

2011-04-15T08:53:00.000-04:00

.....but I am NOT done. :)

So, once again, my competition weekend did not live up to my hopes and dreams and expectations. The Fork is a lovely place. It's one of my favorite events. The facility is gorgeous, the show is well-run, and it's just one of those venues that makes you feel big time.

As usual, Bug was great for his dressage warm-up. He felt really good, and I was determined to get the test done.   I was NOT going to panic if he misbehaved. As per his usual, Bug went in the arena and started to get a bit fresh. However, instead of having a panic and forgetting to ride, I just kept putting my leg on. I rode every corner and tried to be as accurate as I could. He actually settled right away if I put my leg on instead of panicking. I left the arena knowing that the score wouldn't be stellar, but proud of myself for not shutting down. We ended up with a 41, which isn't great, but compared to what we've been getting, it's an improvement. We're making headway.

After walking the XC course with Kim, I was feeling like the course was tough, but that if I kept my head, we could get it done. Unfortunately, I had a panic at one combination that led to a 20. :( It was a large open oxer at the top of a small knoll, landing in 6 to a very real triple brush on an angle. I didn't quite have Bug in hand enough, and he decided to jump the oxer HUGE (the photographer got a picture of it, and he's jumping at least a good foot over it). Instead of landing and putting him on his feet to go forward to the triple brush, I panicked and just rode to the triple brush. He never even saw it. The rest of the course was quite good. We are really starting to work as a team and get the right spots. I was so disappointed that I caused that run-out. Otherwise, it was one of our best runs.

Unfortunately, my brain fart moments carried over to show jumping. All those that know my horse, know that he wants to jump around clean. If there are rails involved, it's all my fault. Well, we had 2 rails....and I totally forgot where I was going on course and had to circle. Thus, 12 sj penalties! I was appalled. My mind was so out of the game. I couldn't seem to concentrate on what I was doing. My horse put in a huge effort, and I failed.

If nothing else, this has renewed my determination. It was the kick in the pants that I needed. I am working hard, and I WILL do well at the CIC** at Fairhill. Poplar and The Fork were learning experiences, and I will take the knowledge that I obtained and put it to use. I WILL NOT let my horse down.

We are heading to Kim's next week for lessons and a vet check-up for Bug. After that, we head to the CIC** at Fairhill for Easter weekend.

Thank you to everyone who supports us!! Bug loves having fans, and I love having the support. Knowing there are people out there routing for you makes the determination even stronger.

Chin up and leg on!

Taking a tumble...

2011-03-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, my weekend going to Georgia for the Poplar Place Horse Trials was not all I had hoped and dreamed.
The day before I was supposed to leave, the fun began. I went out to feed the boys, and Renn's right hind leg, from hock to fetlock, were skinned and swollen. The theory is that he got down to roll in his stall and kicked out a low board and got his leg stuck in the hole. I was sure that the injury was mostly cosmetic, but nonetheless, he was out of going to Poplar. Bug would be going the journey alone.
I'll keep the Poplar recap and short as I can. Our dressage was less than stellar. His outline was good, though he was a bit more into my hand than he has been. I did not pay attention to detail and accuracy, and it cost me big time. We ended up with a 68.3, which is barely a qualifying score. I was hoping to break 60, but yet another dressage disappointment this year. This solidifies my thoughts that I need major dressage boot camp with Kim. If anyone can push me to make it happen, it is her.
I walked the XC three times. It was a stiff course that asked a lot of good questions, though it was very rolling and gallopy, which I was excited about. My time was early afternoon, and I was not excited about waiting around being nervous all day. What didn't help was that the Advanced XC was going very badly. There were multiple horse and rider falls. Buck Davidson lost a front tooth when his horse fell in the water. Michael Pollard's horse randomly broke her leg galloping on course. I send out my thoughts to the rider and owners of that special horse.
I made my way down to XC. Bug warmed up great. I was seeing my distances and feeling good about going. Out of the box we went! He jumped the first two perfectly and in sync. He came down a large hill and got up a bunch of steam. In hindsight, I probably didn't have him quite enough in hand as we went up the next steep hill to the panda bear at the top. Bug was a bit strong and started to take off, then peeked over the side and thought, oh wait, that's not what I thought it was. He hung his right front leg, but his hind end had already pushed off. He had to twist fiercely to get over the fence and not fall. This ticked me off of the side, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on all of the way down the hill. I was determined not to fall at the two star! Unfortunately, there was no way for me to pull back on, and I had to drop to my feet and hit my butt.
Wow, talk about a bummer! Falling off at the third fence of your first CIC**. Nice. I have a lot of bruising on my arms from trying to hang on, a lot of sore muscles...but my pride has the biggest bruise of all. After I walked my xc, and I would talk about the fences that worried me, I kept getting, "Ooooh, don't worry! You're on Bug!" I kept saying, "I don't want to take anything for granted." It just goes to show that unluckiness doesn't play favorites!
I thank God that it wasn't worse. Bug had a bit of swelling and soreness in his right stifle, but he seems to be almost 100% today. Luckily, we have a Plan B, and we'll be heading to the CIC** at Fairhill the end of April.
Our next outing will be at The Fork next week.
This weekend, I'm heading to my alma mater, Wilson College, to teach an eventing clinic on Saturday and Sunday. I'm really excited about that! I hope to get to see a lot of my college friends.
Thanks for reading! Keep your eye on the next jump!

Counting my four legged blessings...

2011-03-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

I must start by saying that I am TRULY BLESSED. I have two of the coolest horses on the planet! If I didn't know it before (which I'm pretty sure that I did), I definitely know it after my weekend at Full Gallop Farm.

I went down Friday to Aiken to have jump lessons with Kim. Renn was having a hormonal day and was pretty wild. However, I did the best that I could, and once we had a good moment or two, we quit while we were ahead. I was praying that he would calm down for the show! He's normally very well behaved, but you springtime can do crazy things to the boy's hormones!

Bug's jump lesson was much better. Kim really has me working on knowing where I am on the course at all times. She also has me riding more forward in my show jumping, as it helps to keep Bug from adding a chip in front of the fence and jumping way up over it and landing steeply. He's so athletic, that I can place him under the jump, and he'll still jump up over it, but it's so hard on his legs. I've been trying really hard to tune my eye in and tune myself into the rhythm of the forward that he needs. It was quite a good lesson, and I was very happy with him.

Bug was entered in the Intermediate, and Renn was entered to do his very first recognized Training. My student and friend, Naomi van Yperen, volunteered to tag along to groom for me, as this was my first event of the season running both horses and coaching a student, and I wasn't sure how it was going to work. Thank God she decided to come! Even though there seemed to be a lot of down time, my boys' times seemed to be really close together.

Bug's weekend was a great one. After walking the XC with Kim, I was mostly concerned about two combinations on course. The first was a cabin- 2 strides, down large bounce banks-3 strides to a large corner. In order to get to the corner, you either had to take a direct 3 but jump the corner at an angle with a great chance of a runout, or you could take it on a bit of a bending line and jump the corner squarely. However, you would have to be quick to make the turn. The other option, due to the way it was numbered, was to circle out after the bank and come back to the corner. My plan was Plan B, to take a bending 3 to the corner. The second combination that worried me a bit was a sunken road. You jumped in over a rolltop drop, 3 strides across the bottom and up to bounce out over a wedge. All of this was set up at a slight left to right angle.

Finally, Bug was very quiet for his dressage! I was so amazed that I forgot to really push him for brilliance in the test. I just sort of rode around the pattern. Oh, and lest I forget, I definitely halted in the wrong spot, earning me a -2 for an error. :( We ended up with a 42.3, which was not what I was hoping for. I plan to really buckle down before Poplar and get this dressage thing together! We were sitting about 18th or so out of 22 after dressage. Disappointing.

The show jumping was by Marc Donovan, and as usual, it was a great course with a lot of questions. The show jumping at FGF is on terrain, so that always adds for some extra excitement! I had walked the course with Kim, and I knew all of my striding. Bug and I went in there, and we had yet another great show jumping round. I feel like we are really starting to get it together. He is getting a lot more rideable instead of just overjumping everything by 3' and shooting me out of the tack! :) We moved up to be tied for 12th with our double clear round.

Cross country day was filled with nausea and apprehension. haha I BELIEVE in my horse 100%....but not always so much in myself. My goal was to jump around clean and be within 20 seconds of the time. I'm still learning how to go Intermediate speed and still take the jumps without riding too slowly. With the CIC** at Poplar looming on the horizon, I knew that I really needed to try to get it done.

Bug was a superstar! He answered all of the questions with ease. He did the step combination like a pro! I later found out that I was one of very few to make it through the combination, and I was one of even fewer to do it without circling. He made it feel so easy! He tackled every challenge with style and athleticism. Also, we ended up just 20 seconds over the time, which is exactly what I was shooting for! It's tough to make the time at FGF due to the twists and turns and hills, so I'm very happy with that. We ended up 6th out of 22!!

Here are the links to Bug show jumping and the steps combination on XC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyGB95reIdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UTWBtyLiZo

Renn's weekend was pretty exciting as well. I walked the Training XC the first day that I was there, and I was definitely rethinking FGF as a move-up! It was a TOUGH course. The questions were very tough and seemed more like a mini Prelim. After walking his XC, I was thinking I might be more nervous to go Training than Intermediate! haha He had a full coffin on a bend that was hidden in the woods, a water to water jump, a house to a set of 2 stride down steps to a double chevron, a drop into the water then up a mound and over a rolltop, and another down bank combination.

Renn was very good for his trotwork in his dressage test. He was pretty wild for the cantering, thus giving us a 46.8. This put us second to last in his division of 20. He went on to jump around the Training XC like a superstar! Yes, he was very green, and there was some bobbing and weaving, but he jumped around clear and only 1 second over time. His clear round moved us all of the way up to 8th! There were so many stops and eliminations. I was THRILLED that my baby stallion got around and with confidence! He grew up as we went around the course. Unfortunately, he is still very green in the combinations in show jumping, thus causing us to have 3 rails on Sunday. However, we ended up 10th out of 20, and I am so pleased with him. I told him that after that Training XC, they would all seem like cake from here.

Check out his videos of SJ and the second water of XC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y43_UEVeOys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-ghlI91OQc
I am so happy with my boys. I have two horses that I believe are going to make top notch upper level horses, and, hopefully, international stars. :) I must thank everyone out there who has helped me on my journey. I've been working my entire life for this. I've never had the big bucks to just do it. I've had to make my horses and take things one step at a time. I'm just hoping that the road will keep going for me! I would love to make the Developing Riders List, as I think that is a pretty cool accomplishment.

I am seeking out sponsorships of all kinds at this point. It is very difficult to make it all happen when you own your horses yourself. If anyone has any ideas of places to send my proposals, or advice, etc, please let me know!!

Our next stop is Poplar Place Farm in Hamilton, GA the weekend after this one! Bug is doing the CIC** and Renn will be doing Training again. Say big prayers and wish us luck!

Thanks for reading and keep kicking on!!

Learning lessons and moving on.

2011-03-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

Wow, once again I have failed at keeping up with the blog. I hope I can remember everything!

Back in mid-February, I took both of the boys to the Frostbite Series at Why Not An American Ark. Bug did 3 Prelim dressage tests back to back to try to get him to behave better in the arena. He LOVES to warm up really well and then go into the arena and be wild. He went from a 43 in the first test to a 35 in the last test. He also competed in the Prelim Horse Trials. He had two double clear jumping rounds. I was thrilled with him. This day was all about kicking off the rust again, and I felt like we did a great job!

Bug doing his dressage test at The Ark

Renn was competing in the Training Horse Trial. This was his first time out since November, so I was sure there would be some major rust. He surprised me, though. He was very very well behaved. His dressage test had some issues, but on the whole, I felt it was a lot better than we were given credit. I think he got a 38, but the test felt more like a 34 or 35. Oh well. He went on to jump a very green but double clear show jumping round. There were dogs penned at one end of the arena, and they were barking wildy. Renn found that to be very scary! However, he kept it together, and we got it done. He went on to jump a very big boy XC round with just a few time penalties. Once again, I was THRILLED. My boys were great, and I felt like I had knocked the rust off.

Renn show jumping at The Ark

Two weeks after The Ark, I packed Bug up, and we headed to Thomson, GA for the Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials weekend. This was to be our first Intermediate of the season, and I was very excited. I wanted to have a good weekend, where I felt like I rode my best, and we got around safely. I walked the XC with Kim, and I felt like it was a nice, straight forward course. Yes, it was Intermediate, and I still had to be "on," but it wasn't trappy or scary.

Bug warmed up like a pro for his dressage. I was sure he was finally going to behave. Alas, I was wrong. He was a wild man. I have to figure out how to be able to have the conversation with him in the arena and keep riding him forward. We ended up with a 43.2, which should not be happening. I was frustrated yet again. Due to the close timing, I had to bring him straight back and tack up for show jumping.

The course was a tough one, and I knew that I had to keep riding forward to make all of the striding. Bug was a superstar. I felt like it was the best round of our lives. We were together, forward, and hit every stride perfectly. He jumped around a lovely double clear round. This moved us up to like 10th out of 22. I was thrilled.

For XC, I knew that Bug was going to be a bit wild, as he LOVES his job. He started out the course quite well and listening, but he got a bit fresh in the middle of the course. He was leaving some strides out, and I was letting it get to me. Unfortunately, this cost us a lot of time, as I got discombobulated after launching a big table and went down the wrong path in the woods. I had to turn around and go back. :( After that mishap, he really started listening a lot better.   He was great for all of the combinations, but he just thinks that he can launch the gallop fences sometimes. However, I think we were on the same page by the last half of the course. We ended up with 22 time penalties which dropped us way down the rankings. Unfortunately, he had been pretty close to his minute markers, and would have been in the top 8 had we had just a handful of time.

Bug jumping into the water at Pine Top

I have tried not to kick myself too much over the loss of direction, but I'm competitive, and it's hard not to do.

Our next stop is the March Full Gallop Farm Horse Trials this weekend in Aiken, SC. Bug will be doing Intermediate again, and Renn will be doing his first recognized Training!

In other news, my student, Catherine Schumack, and her horse, Mr. Secretagentman, won the Novice combined test at Hillcrest Farm the end of February. I'm very proud of the hard work she's done with him. They will also be going to Full Gallop to compete in the Novice division.

That's all for now! I'll check back in after Full Gallop. :) Keep kicking on!

Kicking off the rust...

2011-02-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

This has sure been an interesting winter, as far as the weather goes. I have been trying very hard to keep up with riding, but it sure hasn't been easy! I know that we have had it pretty easy compared to other places, but it still hasn't been a good winter for riding! I have had to get pretty creative. I'm hoping that spring is right around the corner, because I think I can speak for myself and the ponies when I say, "We're sick of this!"


Win the War has gotten too big for his britches. :) Sammi braids Firedrake.

It's official...the 2011 show season has begun! Bug and I headed off to Aiken this past Tuesday for a dressage lesson with Kim Severson in preparation for the Full Gallop Horse Trials the next day, Feb 2nd. Bug's dressage has been getting steadily better. Kim was happy with how much progress I've made both in my position and with Bug. I am not a natural dressage rider, nor have I had strict instruction in it for very long. Bug would much rather be galloping around and jumping than trotting around in the arena. We still have much work to do, but isn't that always the case?
My good friends and adopted NC family, Jenny and Sammi Majors, also made the trip down to SC with me. Sammi and her horse, Firedrake, were competing in their first Training together. Sammi is an excellent rider, and her mom, Jenny, is an excellent eye on the ground. She's been helping me with my dressage, as I don't get to see Kim as much as I'd like. I am determined to get my flatwork up to par!
Wednesday's performance at Full Gallop was definitely useful for knocking off the rust! Bug and I were entered in one of the two Open Prelim divisions. I had assumed since Bug hadn't gone XC since last fall, that he would be a bit fresh. Fresh was an understatement. haha He warmed up beautifully for dressage, and when we got in the arena, that fell apart. He was so exuberant to be at a show again, that everything fell apart. He went on to show his excitement in the show jumping as well, costing us 2 rails. Everyone that knows Bug, knows that he is not a rail taker. He just decided that Prelim was too small, and he didn't need to pay attention.

The first fence of SJ. He was being a star at this point. :)

I decided before ever entering the start box, that I was going to go very slow. I wanted Bug to pay attention and get the job done. I did NOT want to be the scary person on XC. We were almost a minute over time, but I was pleased with his round. He was very ADD, but he answered all of the questions and was much better about coming back to me.

Getting our gallop on!

I think we have successfully knocked the rust off, and I am looking forward to the next outing! Both he and Renn will be going to The Ark Frostbite series on Feb 12. Bug will be doing 2 dressage tests plus the Prelim horse trial. Renn is doing the Training horse trial. It should be exciting!

Some more exciting news! Rocky Start has acquired two new horses. Valid Adventure, "Avery," is my new resale project. He is a 2007 bay TB gelding. I'm very excited about getting started with him. His grandfather is Fappiano, who is known for producing event horses.

Valid Adventure, fresh off the track.

I also acquired, Pine Island Girl. She is a 2006 bay TB mare. I am planning to breed her to Renn this spring and have a beautiful baby in 2012!

Pine Island Girl the day after leaving the track.

All in all, I'm very excited about the start of 2011. I hope everyone has a great year as well!

Until next time...kick on!

A New Year is Here!

2011-01-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

When I was little, all of the "grown-ups" would say, "Cherish your youth, because as you get older, time will fly!" Wow, they weren't kidding! I can't believe that we are in 2011!

The year has started off well so far. Duncan C's Waterford, aka Newton, went off to his new home with Alex Harvey in Maryland. They are getting along great, and he promises to send me pictures soon! I'm so happy to have found such a great match for Newton.

This past weekend, I had the great opportunity to ride with my coach, Kim Severson, at a local clinic. The weather was horrendous, from pelting us with ice balls (think Dip N' Dots ice cream falling from the sky!), to 50+ mph winds, to 11 degrees in the mornings. However, being the tough, dedicated eventers that we are, we all rode in the clinic and learned a ton.

Bug is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! I show jumped him with Kim both days, and let me just say, that horse is sooo amazing. With the help of the vets at VA Tech and some of my close horsey friends, I came up with a new feed and supplement regime that seems to have been the perfect choice for my superstar boy. He looks and feels better than ever! Kim was very happy with how he looks and how well he is going. I am still working on getting my eye back, but by the second day, we were totally in sync and getting every spot.

Renn was also an amazing boy! Once again, Kim was very happy with how he looks and how he's going. He has become a completely different horse in the past year. We also show jumped both days, and Kim had him jumping some BIG BOY jumps. He rose to the challenge, though, and answered every question. I am so thrilled with how well he's doing. He definitely seems ready to go!

The next excitement for Rocky Start Stables will be the addition of another resale project and a new mare to breed Renn to! Stay tuned for pics and information!

The 2011 show season is just about upon us, and I must say, the boys and I are very excited! Bug will head out to his first event on Feb 2nd at Full Gallop Farm in Aiken.

I hope to keep everyone updated regularly from now on!

Thanks for reading! Kick on!

Time flies!

2010-12-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it's December and almost Christmas already!! Wow! I haven't blogged in forever. I am finding that life is getting in the way of my updates. :)

Let's see...

1. Bug is back in action and BETTER THAN EVER! I can't believe how good he looks and feels. He looks better than he's ever looked, I believe. The change in supplements and feed has really made him bloom. I can't wait to get back to competition with him!

2. Renn has continued in his superstar ways! He did his first schooling horse trial at the Training level this fall. It was a bit chilly for the dressage, and he was freshly body clipped, so that didn't go quite as well as expected. However, he jumped a bold XC round and a great SJ round to end up 2nd. I am thrilled with his progress, and he will come out in the spring doing Training. He is also making leaps and bounds of progress in our dressage lessons. He's turning out to be quite the baby stallion.

3. Duncan C's Waterford, aka Newton, my Conn/TB cross did his 2nd schooling horse trial this fall as well. He was in a large 2' division and ended up 4th! He was a super boy. He put in a very workmanlike test for a baby, and he went on to jump 2 double clear rounds. I was thrilled with my little man. Newton had some visitors this past weekend to try him, and he passed his vetting yesterday, so he should be moving to his new home in MD within the next week! What a good boy!

4. Rocky Start now has Rocky Start Stables gear! We have polos, sweatshirts, and jackets. I'll post pics when I get the first shipment! I'm really excited about it.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope to be better about keeping the updates coming next year. :)

It's been a long time......

2010-10-19T09:39:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's about 3 months since I've posted! The time has flown by. There is a lot to cover, so I'll try to remember it all and keep things as concise as I can!

1. Most of you probably already know that my Bugger had to have emergency colic surgery the end of August. This was heartbreaking to me, as this is the second time we have completely lost our fall season and plans. HOWEVER, I am THRILLED that Bug made it through the surgery and is doing great. He is counting down until November 1st when he gets to return to work. I'm going to take things SUPER slow, however, and have decided not to shoot to do any shows until May of next year. I want to make sure he's well rested and brought back slowly and correctly.

2. My student, Catherine, and her pony, Dreamin' Up a Thunderstorm, made their way to the American Eventing Championships in September. They competed in the Junior Beginner Novice Division and brought home 8th out of over 60 starters! I'm so proud of them! Catherine has worked very hard with her pony. Thunder is a super fancy pony that now has another little girl to teach. Catherine will now begin competing her newest horse, Mr. Secret Agentman, at the Novice level, with the hopes of competing at the Training Level 3-Day next fall.

3. Renn has finally made his appearance back to the competition world! He is going great, and I am very impressed with how he is maturing and changing. I took him to a schooling dressage show the first weekend in October with great results. We did Novice Test B and Training Test A. He received seven "8's" throughout both tests. I was thrilled with him. We then set off to Why Not An American Ark on October 10th for his first recognized event since March and only his second recognized Novice ever. He was a superstar! He had a great dressage test filled with "7's" and only one "5" giving us a 34.8. He jumped a great show jumping round and a brave XC round for two double clears! He ended up coming home with a pretty red 2nd place ribbon! I could not be prouder of him.

4. Newton, a 5 year old Connemara/TB cross, did his first ever event with me at Hillcrest Farm in September. He did the 2' division, and he was such a star. For a boy that had never been to a show, he handled it all with greatness. I am very excited about his future!

5. My husband, Father, and Uncle put in 2 days of hard work to get my barn looking fabulous. It's not done yet, but it's starting to look more and more like the real thing! I'm super excited.

Well, I guess that the condensed version as best I could do it. I hope all is well with everyone, and I'll try to be better about keeping up!

Thanks for reading.

More pics!

2010-07-27T18:38:00.000-04:00

I finally got the pics I ordered from the MDHTII!

Bug wanted to jump Advanced instead...

Bug didn't think the 5'(ish) drop wasn't big enough...he wanted

The Head of the Lake! haha

Where have we come from?

2010-07-26T21:37:00.000-04:00

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Edison

I know, I know, it's been way too long since I've posted. I was hoping to have Bug's new pictures from the MDHTII, but they haven't come yet. I'll have to post them next time!

Hmmm...where to begin? Well, let's go way back. The way life works, sometimes, we've come such a long way in a short time, but we never really realize it until we turn around and look back.
Yes, I've been riding since the ripe young age of 6 months. (Yes, I count being held on horseback!) However, if I'm honest with myself, I didn't start down the path to eventing until January of 2003. I set off to Wilson College with my crazy OTTB and big hopes of someday doing big things. I started in the Novice II class at Wilson. I'd never jumped, and I barely knew a thing about dressage. I could stick a lot of things, but I didn't have much finesse.
Cut to May 2006... Three and a half years have gone by. I am graduating with honors and the recipient of the Equestrienne Award for Dressage & Jumping. I went from the Novice II riding class to having my very own Eventing riding class in such a short time. I am thrilled, but I know I still have a long way to go.
Cut to July 2010.... Who would believe it?? I just started jumping a mere 7 years ago, and I'm competing my self started OTTB, Win the War, at the Intermediate level! Yes, I still have a very long way to go, but I just have to look at where I've been to remind myself that it can be done!
I think that a lot of us focus so much on where we have to go, that we forget where we've been. Yes, there is always much to learn, but you have to remember to pat yourself on the back now and then for all of the things you've accomplished!!
Okay, enough of the reminiscing. Now for the updates!
Let's see....
I left July 8th with Bug and Renn and headed to Charlottesville, VA for 2 days of butt kicking by my coach, Kim Severson. She worked us hard, and I learned a lot. I always come away with plenty of homework to keep me busy! From there, I headed to Taneytown, MD to settle the boys into their home for a week at my friend, Elaine's. It was to be a week full of shows, friends, family, and horses. It was nice to be back home in "The North" for awhile. I got to see a lot of people that I haven't seen for awhile.
On July 10th, I got up early, bathed and braided Bug, and we headed for Adamstown, MD and the Maryland Horse Trials I. Bug was competing in a rather large division of professionals in an Open Preliminary division. After his awesome Intermediate run in Erie, we wanted to be sure he had his confidence up by dropping him back to Prelim before his next Intermediate. Of course, I'm not sure that Bug ever needs a confidence booster! His head barely fits into his halter some days as it is! haha
Bug and I put in the best test we've ever had! He was quiet, obedient, and quite round. We ended up with a 35.9, which definitely can be improved upon, but I was thrilled. Unfortunately, I was so happy with my newfound show jumping skills, I forgot to hold my shoulders in the triple, and we had an uncharacteristic rail. If one thing's for sure, if we have a rail, it's ALL MY FAULT. Bug does not like to touch the jumps! He went on to run a pretty difficult XC run with no jump penalties and 8 time penalties. I was thrilled with him, as there were quite a few problems on course with other riders. We ended up 6th, which I was very happy with.
I spent the next week working the boys and enjoying my "vacation." The following weekend, Bug was to run the Intermediate on Saturday, and Renn was running Novice on Sunday.
I have to say, I truly believe that Bug is my once in a lifetime horse. He has so much athleticism and intelligence, it's insane. He LOVES his job, and he is pretty sure that he's running Rolex every time he goes out. haha
It was sooooooooooooooooooo hot on Saturday. I must say, I suffered a mild run-in with dehydration. It was super hot and humid before the day even began! Bug and I put in a good dressage test. He was super obedient with lovely medium trots (which both scored 8's!). Unfortunately, we're still not quite up to snuff with everyone else, so we scored a 40. However, this is 4 points better than we did at Erie, so I was happy. Yet again, I messed up in show jumping, costing us a rail. I came out of a very squared turn and never put my leg on to a very upright vertical. He got way to close and took the rail. GRR! I'm still beating myself up over those rails! Anyway, besides that, it was a good round. I have a lot of work to do, but we're getting there. On to XC! Bug was stellar! I knew that I was going to have to ride very accurately and keep myself in very good balance. Kim walked the course with me, so I knew how to ride every single thing, and I was determined to get it all right. The course rode sooo well. Bug was a superstar.   He is glad that I finally got the hint that he wanted to jump bigger and more difficult things! :) I didn't push for time, as the heat was ridiculous, so we ended up with 20 time penalties, but he jumped clear! We ended up 7th out of another big division!! I was thrilled.
Unfortunately, after hauling Renn to the event that Sunday, he ended up being extremely lame in the dressage warm-up. He seems to be lame on his LF again, which is quite depressing, as we couldn't figure it out last time. It just got better. It seems to be a mystery going on.
Anyway, Bug's next stop is the Fairhill Horse Trials the first weekend in August. We'll be running Intermediate again. I have been doing my homework from Kim, and I'm working very hard on our dressage as well.
I hope all is well with everyone else.
Kick on!

Green is a lucky color!

2010-06-21T18:09:00.000-04:00

There are times in your eventing career, where you stop and take a look back at all that you've done. You remember all of the horses that you've had, all of the heartbreaks you've endured, and all of the highlights. It has been a long up and down road for me, just as it's been for most riders! There are a lot of heartbreaks, but I must say that the highlights stand out the brightest. I have been BLESSED with truly amazing horses, and Bug definately tops that list. He's truly a once in a lifetime horse!
This past Friday, my husband, Jeremiah, and I woke up around 3 am, loaded up Bug, and we headed up North to Erie, Pennsylvania. It was a long, boring drive, but I was very excited. We were heading to the Lost Hounds Horse Trials, and Bug and I were going to compete in our very first Intermediate. Lost Hounds is held at the Erie Hunt and Saddle Club, which is a lovely little place with a very laid back atmosphere.
I walked the course on Friday for the first time. The optimum time on course was 4:45 which included 31 jumping efforts! It was a very windy course, as they had to make a lot of loops to make the distance. I was pretty sure that making time was not going to be an option. There were a lot of good questions, though it wasn't a HUGE course by any means. I definately thought it was doeable, but I was going to have to be good about keeping my eye and my shoulders. I was also giving myself "the talk" constantly that I was going to have to set him up and then leave him alone. I couldn't be picking at him to the fences. There were two different corner combinations, a bounce into the water with a one stride on the way out, an interesting pimple jump with a huge downside into the water and bending line over two skinnies on a one stride, another log with a huge drop hill straight to a bank up one stride down then skinny, coffin on an angle, etc. I knew there would be plenty to keep Mr. Smarty Pants interested.
We have been working very hard on our dressage. Bug is not the most uphill of horses, and he has always struggled with his roundness and rideability in dressage. However, I can confidently say that we have been making leaps and bounds in his work. Granted, we still have a lot to do, but he has been soooo much rounder and more rideable. He struggles to hold the roundness during his lateral work, etc, but he's getting there. He was very rideable in our test. It was definately the best test we've had at a recognized event. We had two bobbles, but he came right back to being good. There wasn't any spooking or acting silly. He was great. We ended up with a 44.8, which was a bit disappointing, but this put us 13th out of 22, so I don't think the judge was giving away many scores that day. I was still very happy with how my boy went, and I was looking forward to jumping on Sunday.
Bug has really started to know his job. He's always been a pretty cool cucumber in warm-up for XC, but he has started getting a bit excited. He was jigging in the walk, trying to veer toward the start box, and getting worked up when other horses would gallop past. All I could do was laugh. He wasn't bad about it, he was just showing me that he was ready. When we left that start box, he shot out of it like he was shooting out of the starting gate! He was ready! My horse was AMAZING! He jumped everything out of stride and was perfectly rideable! There was no time on course where I felt like he wasn't listening to me. It felt like the best ride. I had one moment at a super skinny between trees where I got ahead, but he saved my butt. The rest of the course rode great! I didn't push for time, but I let him go at a pace that he felt comfortable and safe. He was such a star. A lot of the horses had trouble at both waters, but Bug handled everything like a champ. I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face!! He jumped around clear with only 8 time penalties!! There was only one horse that made time, and that was a horse that had just run Rolex this spring. haha I was more than happy with him. This moved us up to 9th.
I walked the show jumping course with the realization that it was very big, and it was going to be tough to make time, as it was outside in the grass in a big area. I knew that I needed to ride forward and in balance to everything. The SJ courses are known to be tough there. I had my plan, and Bug and I went into the arena. He was such a star again! There were two places where I needed to push him a bit more to the base, but in true Bug style, he jumped way up over everything. I was more than thrilled. He was one of only 4 double clear rounds!!
All of this hard work placed us 6th out of 22 in our very first Intermediate!! I am sooooo happy with my superstar boy. He is such a blessing and an amazing horse. I am so happy and thankful!!

Here are the You Tube links to the video that I have now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMmzW1SPm3I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3opUDDtl3fI

Thanks for reading our story! Kick on!!

Insert Creative Title Here

2010-06-07T21:43:00.000-04:00

I'm just dropping in for a quick update.

(pic is Bug showjumping at The Fork)

Bug and I have been working very hard and gearing up for the Lost Hounds HT and our first Intermediate! Our dressage has gotten pretty amazing for us...at home. Can we repeat it at a show?!?! That is the question! I'm sure going to try to keep it all together. It's amazing what this little horse has in him. I ride around with a big grin on my face, as he's definately the coolest horse in the world! Not that I'm biased... We have also been working on our straightness and accuracy while jumping. I don't have a very big arena yet, but I figure that if we can make turns to jumps in my little space, we can make any turn! I'm so proud of my boy.
In the fitness area of things, I have been trying to do some different things with Bug to keep things fresh. It gets a big boring trotting around in circles, so I've started taking him to Stone Mountain State Park to do his trots. They have lovely manicured trails and the shade of the forests eases the heat a bit. They also have a huge creek that runs through the park as well, and Bug LOVES to trot and play in the water. He thinks of it as a play date rather than fitness work! We have also started going to the Yadkin Valley Hounds (www.yadkinvalleyhounds.com) Timed Trail Rides (they're basically Hunter Paces) for our gallops. Bug LOVES these. I think he will be plenty fit and ready for Lost Hounds.
We will be hitting up Hillcrest Farms Schooling Combined Test (www.hillcrestfarm.blogspot.com) next Wednesday to do an Intermediate Combined Test and run through our dressage test an extra time. We will be leaving Friday for Erie, PA!

(Bug up the bounce bank in the rain at the Virginia HT)
As for my other boy, Renn, I took him to the vet today for an ultrasound of his leg. He has no tears or lesions on the suspensory or the suspensory branches! He can go back to light work starting Friday. The vet said that he must have just had a strain, but we're going to be very careful and start him back slowly. I'm sooooo happy! I've been praying that he would be okay. Thank God! I was prepared to hear bad news, but I got the news that I wanted. I'm very excited to get back on my boy.
That's all of the news for now. I hope all is well with everyone. Heels down and kick on!

Plan changes can mean more open doors...

2010-05-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

I feel like this year has been a lot of ups and downs and changes in plans. Either I'm sick or hurt or something's going on with my horses. That said, I'm still very happy with it all. The bad things have ended up leading to something good. I have great faith that things happen for a reason, and God somehow makes it all work out.
Last week, after finding out about Renn's injury, I was all geared up to try to make the most of things and head to VA with Bug to do the CCI*. However, last weekend, we had about 4 days of horrendous storms with pouring rain and hail. Monday morning, Bug seemed to have a bit of a belly ache and didn't want to eat his breakfast. He wasn't in any distress, just not interested in eating. For everyone that knows Bug, this is definately not like him. To make a long story short, I gave him Banamine, not really thinking about anything except making him better. He was fine about 10 minutes after I gave him his meds, but I then realized that I'd probably just messed up my chances at going to the CCI*. The FEI is very particular about drug testing, and Banamine stays in the horse's system for 6 days minimum.
Once again, another change in plans. However, I could still switch him over to do just a horse trial at the Preliminary level. I took that option. Renn went along for the ride, as Jeremiah is not good with leg wrapping and medicine giving. He was a perfect gentleman stallion all weekend, though, even after all of that stall rest. I was very proud of him.
I learned yet another lesson with Bug... He warmed up beautifully for dressage on Saturday morning. As soon as I went into the dressage arena and put my leg on to trot, he squealed. I knew I was in for it. However, instead of being patient and just pushing him through, I got frustrated. This is something I need to work on. I need to just push him forward instead of getting frustrated and making him more tense. Lesson learned. We ended up with a 45.2. Not impressive, knowing what this horse COULD be getting.
After walking the XC course, I knew that it had a lot of really good questions. The jumps weren't huge, but I felt like it was a decent Prelim course. I told myself that I wasn't going to take anything for granted.
Of course, just as I went out to warm up for XC, the rain started coming down. I had a hard time seeing through the rain, and the ground was pretty mucky in places, so I decided not to push too hard for time. Bug jumped like a champ!! I was thrilled with him. We ended up with 7.2 time penalties which was pretty average for our division.
Show jumping was a very cool course with a lot of turns and interesting lines. I walked the course with Kim, and I was determined to try to ride the lines just as she explained them. I made the mistake of using Bug's KK bit for show jumping, as he was feeling a bit wild. I thought that I would take it easy on his mouth after XC the day before. Apparently, Bug wasn't tired at all! We jumped around double clear and way up over everything, but he was definately not in as much control as I would have liked! However, I was very happy with myself that I stayed on the lines Kim wanted us to take, and I stayed with him in his exuberance. We were one of only two double clears in our division.
Thanks to Bug's phenomenal jumping, we ended up with a pretty yellow 3rd place ribbon! I'm very happy with my boy, even though we definatley have more work to do. :)
The next big stop is the Lost Hounds Horse Trials in Erie, PA, June 19-20. Bug's going to be making the big move up to Intermediate!! The plan is to spend the next month getting lessons and competing in some schooling combined test and dressage shows at the Intermediate level to get ready!!
Renn seems to be doing a lot better so far, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was just a minor strain, and he'll be back to work soon.
Hope all is well with everyone! Kick on!

Rolling with the punches

2010-05-14T15:55:00.000-04:00

We're coming down to the wire for the CCI* at Virginia next week. Bug and I have been doing dressage boot camp hardcore, and he is feeling very fit and ready to go. His jumping has been great and spot on, if a bit exuberant. I am using this last week or so to really nail down our test and make sure our jumping is accurate and straight.

Of course, there has to be some punches thrown at me...that's life with horses, eh? Renn was all signed up for the Novice Horse division at Virginia. He's been going really well and starting to really get his transitions down, and he's getting much better at staying relaxed and lovely in his flatwork and jumping. Enter mysterious lameness.... No heat, no swelling. VERY lame on his left front. The farrier tried to find an abscess with no luck. Off to Davie County Animal Hospital to see Dr. James Meeker we go! To make a long story short, we're dealing with some level of suspensory branch strain or pull or worse. Due to the nerve blocking that we did on his leg today, we could not do an ultrasound (the fluid from the block will show up as fluid on an US, and you can't tell if it's from the tendon or from the blocking). The X-rays showed no bony problems, but you could see some abnormalities around the suspensory branch insertion (attachment).

What does all of this mumbo-jumbo mean? Renn will be on stall rest with hand walking for the next 2 weeks. Intensive wrapping, sweating, poulticing, and medicine for the next 2 weeks. If all of this helps? Just a strain. If he's still lame after 2 weeks? Back to the vet for an ultrasound.

Renn will still make the trip to VA with me, as I have no one to care for him while I'm gone. It'll be good for him to get more exposure, even if he doesn't have to compete. He will go along and route his brother on!

Countdown until VA is on! I will be saying big prayers that it goes well , and Renn heals quickly!

Thanks for reading. Hope all is well. Kick on!

Wake up and smell the reflexes!

2010-05-03T11:59:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was full of learning experiences! It's rather a long 7 hour drive through Atlanta, GA to get to Poplar Place Farm in Hamilton, GA. (www.poplarplacefarm.com) However, upon arriving, I realized that it is a pretty snazzy place. For those who have never competed there, it's GORGEOUS. The show is really well run, the people are really nice, and facility is top notch.
Bug and I were going to be doing the Preliminary division with the hopes of having a great run up to the CCI* at VA in a few weeks. My student, Catherine Schumack and her wonder pony, Dreamin' Up a Thunderstorm (affectionately known as Thunder) was competing in the Junior Beginner Novice.

Bug and I have been working very hard on our dressage, and it definately paid off at Poplar. Our score didn't necessarily reflect how well I believe he went, but sometimes that's the case. He was consistent in the connection, balanced, and listening to really well without all of the extra movements and spooking he sometimes likes to add to our tests. We got a 37.3. The judge really liked us, however, she said the Bug is "A very elegant horse that just needs to relax more over his topline." Well, at least there weren't any comments about how inconsistent he is in the connection! That's a first! He got a 7 on his "Gaits," and I got a 7 on "Rider." I was thrilled. There was even an 8 on our first centerline! We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we are definately on our way. This put us tied for 8th in our division.

The show jumping course was quite big and twisty. It was a very forward riding course. I watched a lot of the rounds, and I knew EVERYONE was having time penalties. Anywhere from 5-10, depending on the round. I had decided coming into this show, that I really wanted to have a nice controlled ride with Bug. He can tend to really be over exuberant in his jumping. We have had plenty of double clear rounds, but thinking ahead to the CCI*, I wanted to be sure that I was setting him up for a controlled, spot on ride at VA. I didn't push for time in the show jumping, and it cost us 4 time penalties, but I was THRILLED with his round. We hit every spot perfectly. He didn't overjump and hang in the air forever. He was just lovely. I was very happy with my riding as well. I've been working very hard to keep my upper body quieter and staying with him in the air (which isn't always easy!). Even with our 4 time, we moved up to 6th place.

The XC course was big and gallopy. There were a few good combinations, including a bounce bank, a tough turn to a corner leading to another combination, and some great combos in the water. It was also a very long course, at 6+ minutes. I thought it would be a great chance to see how Bug faired on a longer course. Once again, the course was riding BEAUTIFULLY. He was getting every spot, making every minute marker, and I was really happy with my body control. However, we came up to fence #15, the corner off of a turn with a very narrow place to jump. There were burlap bags filled with sand stacked on the corner. We were on the perfect stride, and I took for granted that he was going to leave the ground, instead of keeping my left leg on. IN that split second, Bug spooked, and we had a run-out. My reflexes weren't quick enough. If I hadn't taken for granted that he would jump, my left leg would have been on, and it never would have been an issue. He came right back and jumped it perfectly.
I'm a bit disappointed with myself, as this is going to eat at me until VA. The good thing is, I will be practicing corners, skinnies, etc like mad until then! It was my wake up call, and I plan on not repeating it. Life is full of lessons, and I'd rather I be taught this one at the horse trial rather than the CCI*. Disappointments are the fuel that make you work that much harder.

As for Catherine and Thunder, they had a decent dressage, but it wasn't quite up to their normal standards. They are usually putting in low-30's to high-20's and this test was a 36, putting them in 6th. She was a bit disappointed. We made a plan for her show jumping to make sure her little pony made the time. She took all of the super inside turns that no one else was taking, and she pulled off a double clear! I was very proud of them. Their handy little ride moved them up to 3rd. Catherine also rode a very lovely XC round with another double clear that gave them a pretty 2nd place ribbon! I'm very proud of them. When I started with Catherine, she hadn't done much jumping or dressage with her pony. Thunder has been great with picking up the dressage, but he hasn't always been very brave with the jumping, even though he can jump very well. They have just started recognized events within the past year, they have a pretty good BN record! Two thirds and a second! They are planning to head to the AEC's this fall.
Well, I'm going to be hitting the training schedule hard in the next few weeks. Bug has a CCI* to prepare for, and Renn is going to VA to do Novice!
Hope everyone is doing well!! Kick on!

Flying through the air with the greatest of ease!

2010-04-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted... Things have been a bit crazy for me lately! After my week+ of illness, I got back to work with the boys. I have been getting some dressage help from my friend, Hillary (www.hillaryirwineventing.blogspot.com), who always seems to have lovely tests on her horses. She lives close, and she has a great eye, so she's been my drill instructor for dressage bootcamp! Bug has really been making leaps and bounds in his dressage work, and I feel like I'm FINALLY starting to get it.

Renn and I have been working on relaxation in the jumping and the flatwork. He's really starting to come along as well.

Of course, when all is going well, another wrench must fall into the gears. To make a long and gory story short, I got double barrel kicked in my upper thighs, sending me flying about 10-15 feet into an old barrel which decided my left arm looked mighty tasty. The result, two very badly bruised thighs and thirty stitches in my arm. That happened Sunday, April 18th. Luckily, I was able to keep Bug going with lunging and hacking one armed. Hillary, from earlier, was also kind enough to jump him for me last
week. I was able to do some dressage work last Thursday as well, just to test out the arm. Fortunately, it hurts to do just about everything with it, except hold the reins. I am getting my stitches out on Thursday, so Thursday evening, I'll be jumping Bug. This week will be filled with a lot of dressage work, which is just what we need, anyway.
We leave Friday morning for a 7 hour trek to Hamilton, GA for the Poplar Place Horse Trials. Bug is competing in the Preliminary division, and Catherine and Thunder are taking on the Beginner Novice division!
I am hoping that myself and my horses can manage to stay healthy for the rest of the season! haha We'll see.
Hope all is well with everyone!

Sometimes you have to make the big girl decisions....

2010-04-13T09:31:00.000-04:00

I am the typical horsewoman... I push myself to the limits, even when I'm feeling crappy or under 100%. I always try to push through the pain. haha Well, sometimes, that's not always the thing to do....

After my return from The Fork with Bug, I came down with the flu from the darkside. Coughing, sore throat, congestion, body aches, fevers.... I felt like death. I kept thinking that I would feel better the next day, but I kept feeling worse. Unfortunately, Jeremiah was busy with his two jobs all week, so that meant that I had to do all of the daily work around the farm. There was no rest for the weary. I was supposed to be taking Renn to The Fork II that approaching weekend, so I kept riding the boys every day as well. You wouldn't catch this eventer wimping out!

By Thursday night, I had myself so sick, I had a high fever, night sweats, and was generally looking like death. I had also had a call from the doctor that my white count was low, probably due to my sickness. Jeremiah put his foot down....Friday was a rest day, whether I liked it or not. Bless his heart, he got up at 5 on Friday and fed everyone before he had to leave for the day. I was determined to rest all day, so that I could take Renn to the show on Saturday.

One thing resting does....it gives you time to think. I was thinking about all of the hard work that I've been doing with my boys. Renn has been getting quieter and going so wonderfully, and Bug, well, we have big plans for him. The more I thought, the more I realized that going to the show and making myself worse was probably not the option I should choose. I would never feel well enough to give Renn a good ride. I would hate to give him a bad experience after all of the work I've been doing. I would also hate to make myself so sick that I mess up my health for the season.

I made the big girl decision, and I stayed home. I'm very happy that I did, because I wasn't feeling very well by Saturday.

However, I do need to congratulate Catherine and Thunder for going to The Fork and coming home with a 3rd place ribbon from their Beginner Novice division! That makes two 3rds at BN, so they are not qualified for the 2010 American Eventing Championships! I know Catherine is very excited. It's been a very long road with that pony of hers, but she's stuck with him!

I'm finally feeling pretty close to 100%, and I've ridden the past 2 days. Bug will be going to the Yadkin Valley Hounds Hunter Pace this Saturday for some fitness work, which I'm sure he will enjoy!

Hope all is well with everyone! Kick on!

Ride.Every.Step.

2010-04-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Bug and I embarked on a long weekend to The Fork CIC3* and Horse Trials in Norwood, NC. It was my first time attending this particular show at The Fork, and I was very excited for the big weekend.
Our dressage was Thursday afternoon, and I was hoping that all of my hard work would finally pay off in a great dressage score. However, Bug had other ideas. He warmed up great, just as he had at Southern Pines, however, when we entered the arena to do our test, he livened up again. He was very difficult to ride in the test, and I tried very hard to push him through it. We ended up with a 40.4 which is not great, and it's definately not competitive at a show that size. I was bummed. However, after watching Kim Severson ride her tests and listening and watching while she coached others, I definately learned a lot more about test riding. I got some great advice from her, that I am putting in my toolbox, and I'm taking it with me. Ride. Every. Step. Don't let it get to the point that you can't fix it. Dressage has never been my strong point, but I have come a long way from where I used to be. I am confident that with a lot more hard work, I can get to the point where I can ride Bug through a great test. He has the capability of bringing in great scores, I just need to learn to ride him to them. I let go of the disappointment and vowed to have a great rest of the weekend. I'll have plenty of time to work on the dressage before the next one!
Friday was a free day. I spent it watching Kim ride and coach and walking my XC with she and her other students. The course wasn't as big as I had expected it would be, but I thought it was one of the more technical Preliminarys that we had done. I was very excited about jumping the Canadian goose in the water! I just hoped that I could keep my position the way I had been working on, and I really wanted to be able to make time safetly. Bug and I have come close many times, but we had yet to make time at Prelim. With all of Kim's comments tucked away in my toolbox, I went into Saturday mulling over my plans.
Saturday was show jumping day for me, while the rest of the levels were doing XC. Luckily, I had show jumping early in the morning, so I would be able to see the best of the best doing their XC rounds later in the day. I walked the course with Kim, and once again, I tucked away all of her comments, with the hopes that I could ride it just like she said. My main goal was to ride the whole course each jump at a time, without getting overwhelmed. I wanted to see every distance and not throw my shoulders. I had been working hard at home. The course was decently tough with a lot of turns and a lot of thinking involved. Bug jumped well, as usual, putting in a double clear round. I was so thrilled with him!! However, I was very happy with myself too! I felt like there were only two distinct fences where I threw my shoulders. Now, my goal is to make it none on the next course! Bug's jump is so big, it's not always easy to stay with, but I am working hard to try to pull it all together. Here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYtcC-GQBy0
After giving Bug lots of cookies following his stellar show jumping round, I headed out to XC to watch the best of the best go XC. I mostly watched the big water, as their approach to the second portion of the water was similar to ours, but with narrower fences and shorter distances. I took in the good and the bad, and I tried to make a plan for myself. I got to watch Kim and Paddy do their Advanced XC, and their ride was foot perfect! If only I could ride like her! I tucked away more information to add to my plan for Sunday's ride.
Our cross country round on Sunday was so great. Bug was ready to go, so much so, he was trying to take me to the start box while we were warming up! He jumped everything like a pro. I felt like I rode the course as closely as I could to all of Kim's suggestions. He was such a star! I tried very hard to balance him correctly before each fence without slowing him down too much. We had one bobble at the next to last fence, where he didn't quite balance enough, and I should have balanced more. However, I got him back after, and told him that wasn't acceptable and went on to the last quite nicely. I believe it was the BEST round we've ever had. We came in 10 seconds under time, and Bug was still ready for more!! I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Here are the links to two short clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY7cPNvefoo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlNthTam2EU

Our double clear jumping rounds moved us up from 22nd to 12th out of 30. Bug is jumping so well, now, we just need to buckle down and ride each step!!

**Special Thanks to Elaine Ohler, one of my besties from college!! She came down and helped me at The Fork this weekend, and it was soooo nice to have someone with me at the show!!**

Next stop, The Fork Horse Trials this coming Saturday, where Renn will do Novice.

Determination

2010-03-28T12:43:00.000-04:00

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” -Gail Devers

Ever since Southern Pines, I have decided that I need to go back to the basics with my boys. I have a lot of position problems to fix with Bug, as his jump is so huge, I find myself throwing my upper body all over the place. I also needed to work on slowing my brain down and focusing on one jump at a time. With Renn, I have been trying to learn to "let go." He goes so much better in as relaxed a rein as I can give him. I have been working on jumping fences from the trot, to help me get my position and riding where it needs to be. I have also been working very hard to get Bug to be softer and more through in his dressage. This has always been a struggle.

I took the boys down to Aiken this week for lessons with Kim Severson. I've been riding with her for about a year now, and she has helped me improve a lot in the lessons I've been able to get. I would recommend her to anyone. She's got an incredible eye, and she pushes you to get it perfect. I always come away with a wealth of knowledge.

Anyway, I had jump lessons on both boys the first day. She had me working on the same things that I've been doing at home, which really made me happy that we were on the same page, even if there was still work to do! Bug's jump lesson really had me grinning. I made some mistakes, and she helped me to fix it. The last course I did with him was super. He's jumping soooo well. Renn is really coming along. 99% of his problems just stem from me not letting go enough. I ended up jumping him both days, just so I could really get it through my head what I needed to do. I think he and I learned a lot. My dressage lesson with Bug was a big frustration for me. Kim really wants me to push for that softness and rideability with Bug, and I have such a hard time getting all of my parts to work together. It's so frustrating feeling like I just can't get it done. However, I was pleased by the end, that I was starting to make it happen faster. We still have miles and miles to go, but I feel like we're definately making baby steps. I returned from Aiken with a lot to work on but feeling like I had made a lot of progress as well.

This past Saturday, I took one of my students, Catherine, to the Thoroughbred Training Center in Mocksville, NC (www.ttcmocksville.com) for their Spring Schooling Horse Trials. Catherine took her pony, Dreamin' Up a Thunderstorm, to have a confidence building BN run, and she took her horse, Mr. Secret Agent Man, to do their first Novice together. She did an awesome job with them both and ended up 2nd in the Novice division and 3rd in the BN division!!! I am very proud of her and all of her work. TTC ran a GREAT show with a lot of new jumps and changes in courses.

This week, Bug and I head to The Fork CIC3* and Horse Trials to compete in the Preliminary division. I'll check back in after that!!

Enjoy the warm spring weather! Happy Riding!

Expanding our horizons....

2010-03-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

I recently sold a great young horse, Solid Gold Coin, to a wonderful woman near Charlottesville, VA. She bought him to be her next foxhunter. Due to life circumstances, I took the horse to her to try, so I got to hang out with her and talk to her a lot. To make a long story short, she suggested that I contact my local foxhunting club to meet new people and try new things in the horse world.

Our local hunt is the Yadkin Valley Hounds. www.yadkinvalleyhounds.com I contacted their secretary, who happens to be a sortof neighbor, and got all of the logistics of joining. She invited me to come out to the "trail ride" they were having this past Saturday. I thought, well, it will be a good long walk for Bug to get his fitness day in.

Saturday morning arrived, and I loaded Bugger up and headed out. Bug was very confused when he stepped off the trailer to find lots of other horses and trailers, but he couldn't seem to locate the arenas and XC course.

We rode for just under 2 hours!! And boy, this wasn't like any trail ride I've ever been on!! We were on trails, but we were not just walking along. Bug got some serious fitness work in!! He had a blast! He wasn't sure why we were going XC with a group of horses, or why we were changing gaits so much, but he was SURE he was winning whatever we were doing! haha If you've ever met Bug, you understand. :) We went through creeks, over real ditches, up and down real banks, up HUGE inclines. Honestly, there were times where I was terrified, but Bug never thought twice about trailblazing. I have some face scratches to prove it! haha I wasn't getting out of the way of the branches fast enough.

All in all, Bug and I had the BEST time. I met a lot of really great people. We are definately planning to become more involved with the group and trying our hands at Timed Trail Rides (basically Hunter Paces) and Foxhunting when the season begins again. I think the horses will really enjoy this new work. I like to keep it interesting for them, especially because Bug is so intelligent. He gets bored rather easily. I think making his fitness work exciting will really keep him happy.

I was also very glad to see how fit he really is! After almost 2 hours of galavanting around the countryside, he was still fit and ready to go! He barely broke a sweat on the 70+ degree day!

I'm glad that I decided to take a chance and try new things! I learned a lot about myself and my horse.

I hope all is well with everyone else! We'll check in again soon.

A weekend full of learning experiences...

2010-03-15T12:25:00.000-04:00

I hope this blog finds everyone well! The sun is shining, and it's a beautiful day here in NC. The ponies are enjoying a lovely day off after our show weekend.

On Friday, March 12th, we packed up Bug, Renn, and Thunder (Catherine's pony) on the beast of a trailer and headed to Southern Pines. Bug was competing in Prelim, and Renn was doing his first Novice!

Renn was the first star up for Rocky Start. We have been doing a lot of work on relaxation in our dressage and jumping. I have been trying very hard to keep him calm and relaxed on a loose rein. I think all of my hard work is starting to pay off! Renn had the best test that he's had yet! He went into the arena very relaxed and calm. Yes, we still have a lot of work to do, but I definately think we are on the right road. He scored a 38, which was the best score of the weekend for us. He warmed up very well for show jumping with only a few spooks at on-coming horses. He's afraid someone might take him out! He went into the arena and jumped like a pro. We had some moments where I flubbed the distance (he and Bug are soooo different, I'm still working on getting the distances correct on both of them), and he handled it like a champ! The majority of the course was very in sync and lovely, though, with only one miscommunication on a bending line where he wasn't quite paying attention! We got it back together, though, without mishap! We had a double clear round! This moved us to 16th out of a division of 32 professionals! I was thrilled with my baby stallion.

This brings us to Bug... Bug had the best dressage warm-up that he's ever had. He was soft, connected, light, and lovely. I was sure we were finally going to break 35! However, Bug had different ideas. As soon as we started our test, he got very full of himself, and he decided to add movements where he thought they might fit in nicely. Needless to say, we didn't break 35.... We landed a 41.1. I was very disappointed. Lesson learned....more dressage work, and more relaxation in the test.... Preliminary did XC on Saturday, so we geared up to go jump 'round the lovely new gallopy course at CHP. Tremaine Cooper did a great job with the courses, making them all very gallopy, yet still asking the horses questions without trapping them. Unfortunately, Bug was very happy to gallop and not quite so happy to come back to me for the first combination. Of course, I completely blame myself for the run-out that happened, as anyone that knows Bug can tell you...if you get his eye on the fence, even if you're way off line, he'll jump it. I never hit the line in my attempt to get him a bit more in hand. Lesson learned....never take your superstar horse for granted. He came around and jumped the corner beautifully, and he finished the course like a champ. We only had a handful of time penalties. I have been working hard at getting better at making time, so I knew I would have been close without the refusal.

Sunday made for a beautiful day. Bug started out the day with show jumping. We warmed up great and felt very in sync. He jumped a lovely double clear round. He is still not as adjustable as I'd like.....another lesson learned...more adjustability between fences work needs to be done. However, I was very pleased with our round. We ended up 16th out of 27.

Renn and I geared up for our first Novice XC ride together. He warmed up great, and he felt like he was ready to roll. We had the BEST TIME together on XC. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! He jumped everything like a champ. He has the greatest gallop, and he's so light off the ground. He was such a star! We did have a pause at the water before we went through, but it was just to double check that the murky water was, in fact, water. Even though his score shows a stop, I am still really really pleased with him. He has come so far!! He was a joy to ride!!

Unfortunately, sometimes the scores don't reflect how our horses did. However, they reflect that I have a lot of work to do before the boys go to their next competitions. We will, hopefully, be headed down for more lessons with Kim Severson in the next week or two. She can whip us into shape! She's amazing!

Well, thanks for reading!! I hope everyone is getting the chance to enjoy the lovely weather. I think spring has arrived!

Welcome!

2010-03-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world of Jessica Bortner-Harris and Rocky Start Stables. I thought I'd use this first blog to introduce Rocky Start to those who aren't informed. For those that are....you can skip this one and wait for the next blog. :)

Rocky Start Stables is an up and coming eventing farm in Thurmond, NC. We are nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our farm has been in my husband's family for years, so there was and is a lot of work to be done. The atmosphere is laid back and the scenery is beautiful. We are not an upscale facility, but that doesn't mean we don't have good things going on here!!

I (Jessica Bortner-Harris) am originally from Dallastown, PA. I have my B.S. in Equestrian Studies from Wilson College. I have been riding all of my life, but I didn't start eventing until I went to college. I immediately fell in love with the sport, and I have been doing it ever since. I have a passion for the off the track thoroughbreds, and I have owned quite a few so far. They are such tremendous athletes with so much to offer.

And now to introduce the stars of the show:

Win the War, aka Jitterbug, is the superstar of the farm. He is a 2001 TB gelding by Entropy, out of Jitterbug Mary. He had a brief race career before I found him at the Charles Town racetrack. He's been the horse of a lifetime ever since! He never ceases to amaze me with his athleticism and love of eventing. Not only that, but he has way more personality than any one horse should ever have! He's always playing practical jokes and antagonizing the other horses. He did his first season of Preliminary in 2009, and he has a very successful year. He had a first at the Lost Hounds HT in Erie, PA and two 3rds, one at the Virginia HT in the spring and another at the Full Gallop HT in August. He competed in his first CIC* at Plantation in the fall, and he was in 9th after XC. Unfortunately, he had to be taken to New Bolton for colic surgery that afternoon, thus putting his '09 season to an end. He is now back and better than ever! I thank God every day for his quick recovery. He came back in 2010 to do Prelimiary at the Pine Top Advanced HT the end of Feb and came home with a 2nd place ribbon! Not too shabby for his first event back in action.

Fuerst Rendition, aka Renn, is a 2004 Hanoverian stallion by Fuerst Heinrich, out of Gueldenstandt. He is a gorgeous mover and loves to jump. He is making his debut in the eventing world this year, and I hope that he will do as well as I know he can! I started Renn myself, and it has been a joy to bring him along. He's such a cool horse with a lot of personality as well. He and Bug can be seen playing over the fence every morning before breakfast. Renn has 3 foals on the ground thus far from 2009, and I am hoping that he will have many more beautiful babies in the future! So far, he has proven to stamp his babies. They are all a little bit different, but you can see him in every one.

Mr. Lincoln, aka Abe, is a 1992 off the track TB by Blue Quadrant out of Always Out Front. He is the old man of the farm, and he loves being retired. I rescued Abe in 1999 from Lost and Found Horse Rescue in PA. I went on to do lot of rehab work with him, and eventually, he made it through Training level in eventing. He even qualified for the American Eventing Championships at Novice in 2007. However, Abe's personality is not well suited to a high stress show career, so I made the decision to retire him to schoolie. He loves his job of toting around little kids, teenagers, and adults. He has a lot of personality as well, and he makes sure everyone that is near him is used as his personal scratching post.

Me Fuerst, aka Mia, is a 2009 1/4 Hanoverian, 3/4 TB filly by Fuerst Rendition, out of Jet to Party. She was orphaned at 24 hours old, and it has been a whirlwind ever since! Her name could not suit her more! She has an incredible internal clock, and she can tell you when you're late with her food by more than 5 minutes! She can be heard yelling across the farm trying to remind you to hurry it up! She loves to be scratched and petted. Mia also seems to have gotten her daddy's lovely movement and super laid back personality. I am hoping for great things from her!

Fuerst Love, aka Amore', is a 2009 1/4 Hanoverian, 3/4 TB colt by Fuerst Rendition, out of Raja. He was born late last year, but he keeps up with his sister pretty well. Unfortunately for him, we plan to have him gelded within the next month or so. He is super smart, and he has also acquired his daddy's lovely movement. I believe he's going to make a lovely hunter/jumper in his future life.

I know, I know, that was a lot of horses! We also have 3 dogs and a cat too. They're all our children, and we have a lot of fun here at Rocky Start.

I'm sure I've bored you all enough for now. Check back in later!!

Thanks!