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Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Fall 2010
A break from 95+ degrees daily has come with much needed rain! Thank goodness; the horses are so much happier with some green grass in the pasture. It was definitely feeling like Southern California for a while there.
The barn welcomes Marissa Miller, Angela Comis and Santiago. This Mum/Daughter team are looking to develop Santa as an event and dressage horse. And ideal he is! Really good on his first XC school, he has also taken a liking to dressage. Looking forward to a couple of shows this fall.
Kelly Dahlin has made her riding debut on Goodbar, and is doing super well this far.
TIe has had awesome Show Jumping rounds, but still has a block with dressage. We're working on it, as was evident on 3 8's in his trot work at Morven. See his most current SJ video below.
PJ is coming along nicely and has a great big fan in Kelly Breeze; lucky boy. They are awesome together. Copey and Laila are developing their relationshp successfully; doing over fences work and hacking out seems to do wonders for Copey's confidence. Halo is hacking out well and is coming along, finally pretty solid in the bridle. His show career this year took a back burner, unfortunately. 2011 will be his big debut. Tex is spending soem time at Linda's in his recovery mode.
The big star would be Natalie, who has exceeded all expectations of her this year. Slow in settling, when she did, she was off the charts. 3rd at her first event this fall, she ended on her dressage score. Loves her XC also and we need to tidy up her show jumping. Her half brother Cello has been as usual the backbone of the barn, consistent and dependable, he is definitely the barn favorite! Ask Susan (or Kelly, or Susan F, or etc)
We hope to see KC back at the barn, foot healed and ready to ride. Welcome back KC!
That's all for now,
Gina
The barn welcomes Marissa Miller, Angela Comis and Santiago. This Mum/Daughter team are looking to develop Santa as an event and dressage horse. And ideal he is! Really good on his first XC school, he has also taken a liking to dressage. Looking forward to a couple of shows this fall.
Kelly Dahlin has made her riding debut on Goodbar, and is doing super well this far.
TIe has had awesome Show Jumping rounds, but still has a block with dressage. We're working on it, as was evident on 3 8's in his trot work at Morven. See his most current SJ video below.
PJ is coming along nicely and has a great big fan in Kelly Breeze; lucky boy. They are awesome together. Copey and Laila are developing their relationshp successfully; doing over fences work and hacking out seems to do wonders for Copey's confidence. Halo is hacking out well and is coming along, finally pretty solid in the bridle. His show career this year took a back burner, unfortunately. 2011 will be his big debut. Tex is spending soem time at Linda's in his recovery mode.
The big star would be Natalie, who has exceeded all expectations of her this year. Slow in settling, when she did, she was off the charts. 3rd at her first event this fall, she ended on her dressage score. Loves her XC also and we need to tidy up her show jumping. Her half brother Cello has been as usual the backbone of the barn, consistent and dependable, he is definitely the barn favorite! Ask Susan (or Kelly, or Susan F, or etc)
We hope to see KC back at the barn, foot healed and ready to ride. Welcome back KC!
That's all for now,
Gina
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The horses get a summer break
The horses had a well deserved mid summer break... upper 90's for a week? Let's go take a hack! Just kidding. So my wonderful husband and I took a quick run to St. Maarten for some beer for breakfast:) And of course, my parent's 50th anniversary celebration. We laughed a bit, because if we made it to 50 years married, we'd be in our nineties! Our parents' non-chalance about it just is stunning, but then again, what can you say when you live in the islands?
Back to the horses, Tie has been awesome this spring, getting into the groove of eventing and loving it! What a super horse... after a beautiful round at Rubicon, we went through the start twice and ended up with 20 time faults and a technical refusal... but look at Tie love his job!
We plan to do three events in the fall and I hope someone has the good sense to make him his/her next horse.
Back to the horses, Tie has been awesome this spring, getting into the groove of eventing and loving it! What a super horse... after a beautiful round at Rubicon, we went through the start twice and ended up with 20 time faults and a technical refusal... but look at Tie love his job!
We plan to do three events in the fall and I hope someone has the good sense to make him his/her next horse.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April the Glorious
Emma, Gina, Alexa and Dan at Hunter Pace
Training is maximized this April, as we have Redland Horse Trials and MCTA coming up. Dante, Nattie and Tie are in the line up for showing. Tie has been doing so well in dressage; the effects of which are evident in his show jumping. His form over fences has developed in leaps and bounds despite the winter time off. Alexa is as well prepared as one can be for a first recognized; hmmmm, let's see what happens with Nattie!
However, Tie was not the best candidate for Hunter Paces (and as a hunt horse!), as Saturday's outing proved. We had a marvellous hack out, thinking we would win the Pace, so together. Then the meltdowns..... Dante was also overwhelmed, and Alexa and I left with new perspectives on our wonderful horses. Nattie was incredible on the hunter pace, as was Cello, both handling a new scenario without ado. Thanks to Dan and Emma for baby sitting.
Halo and PJ have been coming along nicely with consistent work. PJ has been really good to work with as he already knows the ropes and needs the muscling. Lovely gaits and jump in this horse, I have high hopes for him. Halo has been, let's say, adolescent. Testing the boundary lines is fun for him; more work I say. I might break the rule of 4 days a week for four year olds, after his lenient winter training.
We expect a new addition in the barn; Copenhagen and Laila. Cannot wait for them to come into the program. Laila wnats to event her six year old Copey, and both need to know the ropes. Farewell to Pat, Betsy and Alle; wishing them all the best in the future. Max and Goodbar are living the good life; plenty of pasture and hanging out. Goodbar has been under the wing of Emma and Chelsea and I may give Max a whirl this week, to see what is up with him.
Training this month with Jaralyn FInn for dressage and Boyd for jumping, I hope to go to Redland with a well prepared horse. Let's see if Tie loves eventing as much as last year!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
March is here!
The weather has broken; the days have been glorious. It's March and time to XC School!! Settling nicely after the roughest February in the record books, the horses are coming into spring with decent girth size and muscling. The plan is to get lots of outdoor work in this month, as we have literally been closed in an indoor for weeks.
April is the beginning of the show season for us, as we plan for Redland with Tex, Tie and Natalie. Emma has been doing a really nice job on Natalie, who is finally not looking quite as portly. The work ethic is definitely starting to come along as well. I am taking pictures of the horses this month so all can share in their appearance without blankets, finally!
Goodbar is on Jeanette's radar as a potential lease and Harley is coming along nicely after his infection episode. The outdoor will soon be useable, as the stubborn residual snow takes a shot of spring weather. The barn is holding up nicely with the wear and tear of winter, now passing gently into warmer weather.
Lessons are on and everyone feels the success of their hard work; though I am sure we all questioned the validity of outdoor activities with true concern at some point this winter. Welcome to spring; let's event!
April is the beginning of the show season for us, as we plan for Redland with Tex, Tie and Natalie. Emma has been doing a really nice job on Natalie, who is finally not looking quite as portly. The work ethic is definitely starting to come along as well. I am taking pictures of the horses this month so all can share in their appearance without blankets, finally!
Goodbar is on Jeanette's radar as a potential lease and Harley is coming along nicely after his infection episode. The outdoor will soon be useable, as the stubborn residual snow takes a shot of spring weather. The barn is holding up nicely with the wear and tear of winter, now passing gently into warmer weather.
Lessons are on and everyone feels the success of their hard work; though I am sure we all questioned the validity of outdoor activities with true concern at some point this winter. Welcome to spring; let's event!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wow, winter wins!
As Granny Rita used to say:
"Man proposes and God disposes"
As competitive as I am, I put my head down to the wind and said to myself, "That's it, I am GOING to get this tractor unstuck...". Little did I know that I was going to say that six times easily this week. The last of course being today, in the blizzard of Maryland blizzards. Miraculously, each time, that tractor screamed itself out of the 3 or 4 feet of snow predicament it was in, thanks to the tutelage of my precious husband. I am actually really amazed by the truck as well, as it has yet to fail, even when roads have not been plowed. Humility has befallen me in a way that I have not felt in a long time. Happily, the horses are munching away and not at all in awe of the present situation. Content expressions on their faces, they are obliviously nickering at me, "Where's the food?"
This has been the story of life over the past five days, shovel in hand and grim determination from the core. Stall cleaning and turning out have become so arduous that I dream of my roots in the Caribbean island of Trinidad, which has not been in my conscious thoughts for a while. No offense intended to my wonderful Trini counterparts. Either way, the job gets done and it's on to the next day. If there are any holes in the construction of the barn, any window missing caulking, any door not shut all the way, it is suddenly apparent in a very offensive way; a foot or two of snow piled up on the inside of the barn. Otherwise, the barn is holding up well and warmer than expected. There is still electric and water so that the horses get what they need.
Extra Special Mention:
Emma Evans, the barn manager at Great and Small, has been stellar. What a determined spirit we have here. I have to say, having someone watch your back is priceless. Kudos to you, Emma, you portray the finest of human qualities; positive attitude, fortitude and conscience. Thank you.
"Man proposes and God disposes"
As competitive as I am, I put my head down to the wind and said to myself, "That's it, I am GOING to get this tractor unstuck...". Little did I know that I was going to say that six times easily this week. The last of course being today, in the blizzard of Maryland blizzards. Miraculously, each time, that tractor screamed itself out of the 3 or 4 feet of snow predicament it was in, thanks to the tutelage of my precious husband. I am actually really amazed by the truck as well, as it has yet to fail, even when roads have not been plowed. Humility has befallen me in a way that I have not felt in a long time. Happily, the horses are munching away and not at all in awe of the present situation. Content expressions on their faces, they are obliviously nickering at me, "Where's the food?"
This has been the story of life over the past five days, shovel in hand and grim determination from the core. Stall cleaning and turning out have become so arduous that I dream of my roots in the Caribbean island of Trinidad, which has not been in my conscious thoughts for a while. No offense intended to my wonderful Trini counterparts. Either way, the job gets done and it's on to the next day. If there are any holes in the construction of the barn, any window missing caulking, any door not shut all the way, it is suddenly apparent in a very offensive way; a foot or two of snow piled up on the inside of the barn. Otherwise, the barn is holding up well and warmer than expected. There is still electric and water so that the horses get what they need.
Extra Special Mention:
Emma Evans, the barn manager at Great and Small, has been stellar. What a determined spirit we have here. I have to say, having someone watch your back is priceless. Kudos to you, Emma, you portray the finest of human qualities; positive attitude, fortitude and conscience. Thank you.
Friday, January 29, 2010
We've Landed
Happily settled in our new locale, the horses are happy and healthy. The tack room, a little behind schedule, is finally coming together. Everyone agrees that the new barn is a delight; now it's back to the routine. Cannot wait for the ride time to equilibrate already. Jump days will be Fridays, for those of you who would like to jump in the indoor.
Brian has been my champion. He has made this all happen for the future of Riedmuller Eventing. He and his guys, Nathaniel and David, have laid pipe for waterers, bluestoned the barn floor and driveway, laid mats, reinforced the stall fronts, built insulated feed and tack rooms, laid concrete for room flooring, fixed hanging barn doors and countless other tidbits.... thank you, thank you, thank you.
Gosh, will return with more.
Brian has been my champion. He has made this all happen for the future of Riedmuller Eventing. He and his guys, Nathaniel and David, have laid pipe for waterers, bluestoned the barn floor and driveway, laid mats, reinforced the stall fronts, built insulated feed and tack rooms, laid concrete for room flooring, fixed hanging barn doors and countless other tidbits.... thank you, thank you, thank you.
Gosh, will return with more.
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