So I have decided that Murphy is heading to Fail Hill International Horse Trials for the CCI** October 13-17 in Elkton, Maryland. This basically means the next upcoming weeks are going to be full of long walks, sprits up the hill, and working in the 20X60. I am very excited and have even started posting sports quotes all over my room to motivate myself. 

Sorry for the long delay in updating yall (back in SC, I must use the proper language). Did I mention that moving back to school doesn’t get any easier? So the month of August was a basic whirl wind of activity with a lot of great things happening so I’ll do I quick recap. Just before school started, I heading down to Ocala, Florida and spent a week taking lessons with Jon and Jen Holling. I have ridden with Jon and used him as a coach at many events since meeting him through YR’s back in 2006. This week was especially helpful in gauging where the holes are that need to be filled in before the fall threeday. It was a fun filled week and on a side note I almost died getting struck by lightening, but I’ll try and leave the humorous situation aside. Lesson learned = children either leave your ponies inside if there is a thunderstorm or invest in a waterproof jacket! On another very exciting note, I was given the opportunity to ride a horse named Bijou Noir, owned by Cindy Burke in IA. Cindy graciously gave me the ride after a student of hers had an unfortunate riding accident. Bijou has competed through the preliminary level and is more then talented to take any ambitious rider through the levels. I am really excited to have the opportunity to ride her.

After the week at the Hollings, I finally then arrived back at school and got both ponies settled in at the Gibbes Farm. The next weekend, I took both ponies to a jumper show and both were super!. Murphy jumped multiple clean rounds and won the 3’6” class and 4' class, and Bijou was third in both 3’6” classes. The following weekend, I traveled to Southern Pines, North Carolina, for Five Points Horse Trials. I was really expecting to have a great weekend, but it turned into more of a okay weekend with some lessons learned. I guess the great thing about horses and eventing is that it is a constant learning experience. My horses were both good in the dressage with Murphy on a 38, and Bijou on a 35. There is still always room for improvement, but I was overall pretty happy. Murphy was unusually spooking on xc causing a run out at a skinny that he jumped cleanly back in March, so I was a little frustrating. I also made a poor decision on my part coming out of the water and not being organized to a corner after jumping the one stride out. Live and learn. I guess I would rather make the mistakes now and be able to jump successfully around the CCI** this fall. Anyway the horses jumped very well on Sunday and I am excited that my hard work in the showjumping this summer is paying off.

Jon and I had an interesting conversation when I was in FL about micro managing my life… interesting. He said I do it with my riding so he figured I do it with my personal life as well, hahah so I would love to hear comments on this from all my non barn friends. Today I discovered that I tend to be a bit  of a perfectionist so I tend to panic  when things don’t work out as planned which is what happened at Five Points and a couple of the other competitions this year. So I decided I need to go back to some exercises that make me ride no matter happens. 


Today I had a great jump school on “spotty” and worked on two corners on a bending line and then on an angle. He was great and I feel I need to stop worrying about making it pretty and just get it done… J So the horses are in full work gearing up for Poplar Place next weekend and I am busy with a full course load, gamecock football (yes we are ranked number 13th after our win against UGA, GO COCKS!) and lots of students to teach and ponies to ride… humm life is good! So kick on and don’t make it pretty!

Soo I am thinking I am back on track and back in action! The ponies were wonderful this past weekend at Hunter Oaks and I finally feel like my riding is back to where it was prior to some of the misfortunes of the past 6 months. But, if you would have asked me last Wednesday, there was no way I was riding this past weekend at Hunter Oaks. For a couple days my neck my really bothering me. Tuesday night I was out to dinner with some horsey friends when I finally lost it and decided it was time to seek medical attention. My chiropractor told me I have "tortalcolis" or something like that. He wouldn't give me the full name and told me not to google it. Wonder what I would have found?

Anyway so after 3 drs. appointments and lots of ice and drugs later, I decided I would have to run both horses. Friday was eventful as it always is. I had to change not one but two tires in 100 degree plus weather... ewew...
Finally got to the beautiful farm and heading directly out to walk XC. This is the first year Hunter Oaks ran a preliminary and I thought it was a great course with enough fair questions with some nice galloping fences as well.  Both ponies got a viewing of the grounds and a light dressage school at 9 pm. It was a late night to say the least.

Up at 5:00 at braiding horses. I walked the cross country course again and my wonderful groom Nicollete helped me get Murphy and Shadow ready for dressage. Both horses put in beautiful tests. Murphy scored a 36 which is his lowest score to date at Intermidate and I was very happy because the places where we usually get 7 and 8's were not up to par so I know there is so much more room for improvment. Shadow (Erin Melloy's Catch me if You Can) was doing his 1st novice and put in a very solid test moving him into 2nd. Murphy was perfect on cross country reconfiriming that he is ready to be going Intermediate and on his way to putting in a solid performance at the 2star this fall. All the prelim riders had problems cross country, no one had a clean round. There were 3 clean rounds in the IP. Most of the problems occured at the water. We jumped a large duck three stride bending line to a long drop into BLUE water and then a s turn to a skinny wedge out. I think most of the issues occured with the skinny out of the water and riders not holding their lines. Shadow was also very good cross country. I had a great ride on him at area IV yr's camp with Sinead Halpin and so I was able to take a lot of the forward thinking riding over with him as well. Besides looking hard at the BLUE water (did I mention it was really blue) the pony was great. He is so much fun to ride and I am so happy I have been given the opportunity to help Erin this summer.

So Sunday morning I was sitting in 1st in the IP and 2nd with Shadow going into Showjumping... where my demons tend to come out. Well finally I feel like my hard work is paying off. Murphy jumped the best he has jumped in a very long time. He had the first rail down in the course but I  am attributing that too not having the right canter yet. The course was set in a hilly, shady area under some trees so it was quite a challenge. Murphy was so adjustable and I was able to keep riding the entire course. We have been jumping him in a hackamore and he is completely different and is holding his shape over the fences. I am really excitied to keep moving in this direction. Shadow was also great in showjumping. He did spoke a bit at the planks under some of the fences, but man that pony can jump! He was great and jumped a clean round to hold on to his 2nd place. I was so pleased with both horses and I really couldn't have asked for better preformances from either of them.

These nexts weeks are a bit crazy for me, I will be back in Columbia, SC to move into my new house then it is off to YR's to watch some of my friends compete. Area IV what?? Too bad I am to old to be riding :( I have faith though that we will represent well and best of luck to everyone riding. Until next time happy riding and hug your ponies  :)

Everyone knows summertime is full of activities including beaches, city visits, family BBQ's, play dates, and most importantly lots of  time to spend with our lovely four legged friends. I have been super busy in Chicago this summer working for Oracle. Unfortunely some of that takes away from my riding time, but for the most part Murphy is still getting his twenty minutes of daily currying( finally he lets me) and time to wipe down the tack after a ride. For any of you who have never had a "real persons" job, it is very different then mucking stalls, tacking horses up, and jump lessons. I now know why people are so attached to their cell phones!!!!

But anyway Murphy got some time off after Otter Creek and a clinic with Jon Holling. He has started back into work, now that I have returned from a forced family fun in Mexico! Don't worry it actually was SURER FUN! I have attached a picture with my future rolex mount that I laid eyes on in Mexico. Funny story. Sooo none of the brady bunch on both sides of the family ride but me. So it is a rare occasion that I can get them to come to a horse show or the barn, let alone sit on a horse. Well I think my family has  a new love for my sport. In Puerta Vallarta, we rode MULES to the top of a Mountain to go ziplinning. I also found out I am afraid of heights, but that is another story. Anyway my stepbrother Scott, is not small boy, he played football at Cornell, so he is kinda large, and the mules were simply not. But somehow they managed to trek all 7 of us up the mountain at a GALLOP! Yes, you heard correctly. It was not a nose to tail trail ride, it was a kick and hold on type experience. Clearly the mules knew where we were going because it was a race to the top. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard watching my Mom and Scott gallop there small like 13 hand mules up a narrow path in the rainforest. Clearly no control. My little brother Johno got run into a tree, his mules thought he was ready for the derby. So although there was no cross country jumping in Mexico, I still got to "ride!" Anyway it was a blast and I wish I had pictures. 

So the plan is now that Murphy will do the IP at Hunter Oaks and Catch Me if You Can will do his first novice. I am very excitied to have both of these lovely horses at the event and am expecting a great weekend. Hope you summer is full of as much fun as mine has been... ! Oh and go to Puerta Vallarta, you'll love the riding!