Pony Power!!! 05/17/2010
This past weekend was an excellent showing for Baythorne Farms at FRVPC mini event. I was fortunate enough to ride Erin Melloy's Catch Me if You Can in the novice. He was great, ending the weekend on his dressage score winning from start to finish. I love getting to ride "Shadow" and was thankful for another horse to compete. He such a cool little pony and a blast to ride. The Fox River Valley Pony Club mini though is no easy feat. I call it mini rolex. IT's CRAZY! The organizers and staff do a wonderful job, but we all know kids running around on those darn cute ponies is sometimes a little wild. But it does always make me want one of those little devils, I think I could bring it in the house :) It was great to be back in Chicago and see all my old friends and all the "kids" who are no longer kids running around the event. I was so impressed with everyones riding and the overall quality of horsemanship and strength at the farm. Matt Trynoski has done a great job bringing everyone along. I believe we had 17 horses or something close to that at the show between the two days. Here are a little recaps hopefully I don't miss anyone. Jaclyn Burke Catch Me if you Can -1st Matt Trynoski- Tori's Run - 2nd Kyra Trynoski- Lazer Ridge- 2nd Taylor Smith- Push my Buttons- 6th Danielle Sebastian- Dressed to Kill- 7th ( This is a horse I sold to her in January.. it was her first event!) Sandi Sebastain- Appily Ever After- 5th Nicollete Fennille- Pop Rox- 5th Judy Lichten- Avita- 6th Pam Gorham- Tooka- 6th I think thats everyone who ribboned (sorry if I missed you), but defiantly for the rest of the farm, it was a great weekend and people really had a great experience and positive learning experience. Were currently getting ready for Otter Creek and we have 6 horses going, 5 in the novice and Murphy is doing the intermediate. I had a great jump lesson last night and think I have finally figured out what is going on. Here are some pictures. Till next time... happy riding! oh and eat a donut you deserve it    1 Comment Ohhh The Learning Curve 04/26/2010
This is a very bittersweet post that has been long overdue. As many of you know, horses never follow their plans. Were lucky if we get to plan c, because we all know that plan A is 99% likely to NOT happen. Well plan A, B, C, D, who knows even E and F didn't work out for me this spring. After two disappointing showjump rounds at Southern Pines and The Fork, I decided that I need to do some homework and figure out what is going on with Murphy's showjumping. Falling off is never fun, but I think it has taught me a lot. There is always going to be another CCI and I just need to do what is best for my horse and give him the confidence he needs again. So unfortunately we didn't go to the CCI** at Florida. These last couple weeks, I have watched hours of video footage of my riding over the past year or so. Video tapping is great, you should all try and video yourself at least every month or so because it can really be beneficial to go back and look at what is going on, what has changed, and what you can still be working on. I have found that my horse just seems less and less confident in the showjump ring. If I don't get him to a perfect distance, he will stop. I am human, with only one horse, so I will miss. His canter also seems to change in front of the jump and thus he is not 100% off the ground. My reins have also become increasing shorter and I need to remember that Murphy really needs to feel like he can use his neck. Soooo off I went to River Glenn in TN and had a really good confident weekend in the preliminary. After talking with my old coach, Matt Trynoski, he gave me some good advice and I have been working hard at home since. Murphy even won two 4ft jumper classes :) Yesterday, I had a WONDERFUL jump school on the Smurfmister and he felt like my old horse. He was confident, I kept my reins longer while still having a lot of adjustability, and kept the canter even and rhythmical. I am hoping that over the next couple months we can put together all the pieces Bonnie has given me without the pressure of competing and hopefully we can start to be competitive again at Intermediate come fall. He is going to run Otter Creek horse trials at the end of May and we will go from there... Until then, watch some videos, pat your ponies, and remember we only learn if we make mistakes. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming! 03/30/2010
Last weekend was Southern Pines horse trials. What a great event! The cross country course this year was designed by Tremaine Copper and he really gave the course and new look with lots of galloping room. Murphy was in the intermediate and was a really good boy. After a few bobbles in the dressage ( he reared, he thinks he should be part of the spanish riding school) he managed a 38. I am really please because his flat work is really coming along. THANK YOU BONNIE! Cross country was a BLAST. I love this horse. He was very bold into the water, which was a big drop in, three stride up a bank, one stride off the island, three strides up a bank, and then one stride to a skinny. He was awesome. I had to circle him once on course at fence 7 abc two palisades to a corner. The ground jury made the decision to allow up to circle due to the challenging nature of the question. Since it was the first combination, Murphy was a bit strong so I opted to circle to avoid a 20 giving me some time penalties. Otherwise he was foot perfect. I am so pleased with our cross country. I feel very confident in the job placed before me and my horse has never felt better. Unfortunately showjumping is still a battle. I was having actually a really great round jumping clean and forward. Towards the middle of the course we had a triple bar 6 or 7 strides down the line to a wall, like you see in the bareback jumping classes. Well I think I stalled about half a second after jumping the triple bar and never rode down the line for the six strides. Well Murphy put on breaks and off over his head went. I guess it was time calling since I have never fallen at a horse show in my 11 years competing. I know the mistake I made and have had two great jump schools since. I am really looking forward to the Fork this weekend in North Carolina as a last run before the CCI** at Florida and to improve upon my showjumping performance. I have been told you can't learn if you don't make mistakes and Im glad I made the mistake at Southern Pines verses the threeday. Hopefully my mistakes will have taught me the skills I need to keep getting that much better. SO MUCH TO TELL! 03/16/2010
SOO MUCH TO TELL, SO LITTLE TIME That feels like my life these days. I live, eat, breath horses, and still work and gallop 6 racehorses a day, oh and attending college. :) Not sure how I do it, but it gets done. Since last time, Murphy has done three more events, Pinetop in the Prelim where he was 2nd, Pinetop again OI and was 10th and I want to say, had some time and a silly spook in stadium, and then Redhills in the OI as well. Redhills didn't go as well as I was hoping but what a GREAT event. He started off swell getting the best dressage score to date at Intermediate a 37 with some bobbles, so I was actually quite pleased. Cross country was almost foot perfect. IT WAS HUGE!!! We shared half of our tables with the advanced, I thought I might cry. We had three open oxers, and three ditch and walls and a HUGE ditch and wall bank. And to add to all this, throw in 20,000 spectators. What a great learning experience for the big man... He had one stop xc at jump 7 the first combination, we came around the turn and there was a LARGE crowd standing there. He had already locked onto A which was a squirrel, one stride, drop three stride up and down a hill to a log with a pretty large drop on the back. Bonnie had told me not to go for the first thing I saw, so I grabbed a hold of him to get his attention and he saw all the people and literally ran into it... rookie mistake.. Anyway I was so happy because he was a saint everywhere else and really feel like he became so confident and brace jumping around! Showjumping was another day. Bonnie has been trying to change his way of going somewhat, so we are having some difficulties and I rode him like he was going to stop. He had rails and they we all me but one where I just sat on him over the fence causing him to drop them behind. If the horse is going to have a rail it is going to be upfront so I blame myself. But now it is all better as I have also come to find out that my saddle was broken and needed some repairing. I am going to blame the jumping problems on this and now mentally prepare myself for the CCI** in Ocala in April. Here are some random picture from past events including snowy pinetop and redhills... all Ashley Adams (She is my new favorite person) since the camera died, but you get the idea!     First outing to take the rust off... 02/11/2010
So things have really gotten crazy. Last weekend Ashley Adams, Marley Stone and I headed to Aiken for sporting days horse trials and combined test. We went down on Saturday and walked around xc with Bonnie and watched Ashley in both the intermediate and advanced combined tests. I had a lesson last week with Bonnie and I think I am really figuring out how to ride Murphy cross country. Basically Im going to not fight with him between the fences and not really take a hold until 4 strides out. All Bonnie said was "Jaclyn don't pull here... Jaclyn don't pull here" well it paid off. After an respectable test in the dressage with a 32.7, I had a great crosscountry round. The bigger fences actually did all the adjusting for me so I felt like I was actually really riding!!! We had some really nice fences and I kept saying to myself this is what Rolex is going to feel like :) One day... We had one rail in the showjumping, I forgot my contacts... stupid me and couldn't see a distance for crap. I guess it is a mistake I won't make again this year! But we finished third and I was pretty pleased. A great way to get the rust off. Sooo then on Sunday evening George and Ethel had us over for a AWESOME supperbowl party! Everyone brought food and it was DELICIOUS... as Ethel said the best grazing I have had in a long time... :) We had buffalo dip and queso (compliments of myself) Rebecca made the best guacamole I have ever had, Marley and Ashley brought pigs in a blanket and corndogs and Ethel made the best vegetable soup and little cheese sandwiches! WOOT it makes me happy just thinking about all that wonderful food!!! This week I have had some excellent schools and tomorrow the three of us (we need a nickname any suggestions?) are heading to Pine Top Horse trials! Hopefully we will improve from last weekend... Till next time, happy riding!!! Back in Action! 01/28/2010
So I am one of the luckiest girls in the world... my day consists of riding 7-10 ponies a day and for the most part its SUNNY AND WARM! I love it... Everything is going great. Murphy is back in full work and feels amazing. I think his little vacation was really good for his body as well as his mind and he is FAT! I love it. I had a great 2 jump schools so far, and am looking forward to a jump lesson with Craig Thompson tomorrow. It is weird to think that I will be galloping a cross country course next weekend. I am excited!!! I have also been really busy teaching my students again and everyone has seemed to do their homework over Christmas. And last but not least I sold my mare Renn last week to a friend of mine, Danielle Sebastian. She came down to USC and tried her for the weekend and fell in love. It was a quick sale and I can't wait to see this pair competing! Look out Area IV. Right now Renn is still as the farm and is working on flat work and doing some grids so I have enough to keep me busy! The other fun thing I have been doing is galloping race ponies down the street. Every morning I gallop about 5-8 a day and man its getting me in shape. Its been quite entertaining so far. The first week the horses were flying sideways, week three they are leaping in the air. Hopefully the will begin to behave soon. It is great because they are all 2 yrs olds and just learning how to really use thir bodies. I was riding a little chestnut mare the other day and she spooked and went to take off and I don't think she realized she could run that fast :) Oh children. Andd now the farm is offically busy! Ashley Adams, Bonnie Mossers assistant trainier is down at the farm and Bonnie comes next week! Everyone will be keeping me on my tip toes!!! 2010 here we are!     Christmas is my favorite time of year!!! 12/22/2009
So I love Christmas time, going home to spend time with family and friends, and 2010 being right around the corner. Murphy is enjoying his vacation in a nice big pasture with his new friends Wally and Nick, an old brunco horse, and a donkey :) He will go back to work after I get back. I have been very busy teaching and riding some training horses. I had a lovely mare at the farm for four days and am hoping to either find her a home or I will be taking her till she gets sold. I always love working with the babies. Watching the learn how to do things they have never done before. It makes me think about the first lessons Murphy learned and I smile in how far he has come in such a short time. One fun one I like to tell everyone is after about a week at Baythorne as a coming 5 yr old, Murphy and his buddies were running around in the paddock and Murphy literally flipped over the 5ft gate. They were running so fast, I don't think he new how to stop and he tried to leap and boom, dent in the metal gate. Luckily he has turned into a little better jumper since then, but I remember thinking, what am I getting myself into. Now I laugh and smile. I hope 2010 brings great successes, and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! Goodbye 2009 11/18/2009
A very bittersweet ending to 2009. Looking back on everything I am very disappointed in my perfomance at Poplar Place CCI**. I felt that Murphy and I were more than prepared to complete a CCI** but Murphy decided it would have to be another day. It actually was kinda a humorous weekend thinking about everything that happened. Driving down to GA, I got stuck on a bridge that was over-flowing with water, so we had to back up and find an alternate route. Fridays dressage test was very steady and consistent and I thought the best two star test I have done all year. Judges didn't think so. I ended up with a 65, a horrible score, and was not pleased. I guess I just dont' understand how one judge can give you a 5 on a movement and another an 8?? Confusing, yes but I do know what we need to improve on. I am hoping that after a little break we can really hound the dressage and get Murphy more through and up in his frame. Poplar Place CCI** -- here we come 10/27/2009
Well I feel a little sick today, but I have decided that the murph man is going to run at Poplar Place Nov. 12-15. I have already spent so much time, effort, and money I need to get something out of it. So more lessons, jumper show this weekend, and hopefully we can work on that dressage test! Fairhill - XC day 10/18/2009
Well mother nature just didn't have it in store for us this year. Unfortunately we had inches of rain and being the 2nd to last horse to go in the two star, I decided not to run. I am hoping I can convince some of my teachers to let me miss class so I can go to the CCI** at Poplar. I watched some horses go in the morning and it looked like the horses were sticking to the ground. I didn't want to scare Murphy, so I thought I would pull him. He is young and still somewhat inexperienced at this level and hopefully he will be my advanced horse, so why ruin him. I came her for the real test and with many fences pulled out of the combinations it was about how could jump out of the mud. So I think I made the right decision many horses looked very tired going home and sore later Saturday. Oh well, welcome to the horse world, I think I may now be on plan F | Jaclyn BurkeAnyone who knows me, knows I love to tell stories. Follow Murphy and I on all our adventures of traveling around the country and competeing at the upper levels of eventing.... Im sure it will be a treat :) ArchivesJanuary 2012 Categories |
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