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!

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

Dressage Day was very exciting. I was pleased with out test for the most part because he really started to come through, especially in the warmup. I had some 8's and 9's in my tests, and then some 4's where he broke and was tense in the walk work. I learned a ton though on how to get the best out of him, before his dressage tests. So I am really excitied for next year to start putting everything together. Still wet and rainy :(

I think the jog is the most stressful part of the whole threeday because there isn't much you can do besides hold on the hope the horse jogs straight and foward. :) Well Murphy did just that and was accepted. Fair Hill is like my Rolex. ITS AWESOME! There are over 160 horses here all competing at the top levels of this sport. I feel like a rockstar.


Today I went for a little Hack this morning with Coren, and then the jog, and then had a dressage lesson with Bonnie Mosser. Murphy felt good, still somewhat tired from his trip. AND MAN IS IT COLD! OMG... I have become coldblooded living in the South. Coren and I then walked around a very LONG course and I can't wait to jump around. It absolutley beautiful. I am excitied... oh to bed but here are some pics from today!

So these last couple weeks have been CRAZYYY. I have been so busy getting Murphy ready for Fair Hill, teaching and school, I feel like I haven't had time for anything. But everything has been going great and a wonderful learning experience. We have been galloping twice a week up the hill at the Gibbes farm and Murphy is getting super fit. A couple weeks ago I went to Poplar Place horse Trials in Hamilton, GA and finished tenth in the CIC**. Overall I was pretty pleased, but defiantly came home with some things to work on. I was not satisfied with out dressage score, especially how well he has been schooling at home. I still can't seem to find the line of when to start and finish our warmup. We had some nice moments thought. I was very pleased with out canter serpentines and lengthenings. I was really trying to show him off in the lengthening, and he was a good boy. Cross country was a blast. It was a  tough course, constantly asking questions. Our 4th fence was a skinny house two strides to a log one stride to a house into water with a pretty large leap (this is all downhill). We had a tight sunken road, three corners, a 2nd water with a bank complex in the water, and this drop where I thought we were jumping into space. Murph was quite strong at the beginning so I really had to take a feel of him earlier in front of the fences then I wanted to, to make sure he was paying attention. We finished with a couple time penalties, but I was very pleased.

What  a wonderfull weekend in Wayne, IL. My roomate and I, decided to head to Chicago late Tuesday night and experienced quite the roadtrip. Between meeting racehorse trainers, getting lost in KY, and a 16 hr. trip it was definatly an experience. We arrived in Chicago and changed our plans because Revitavet was going to work on our horses for free, and I love free stuff. So Murphy got a massage and went for a little hack around the showgrounds. Finally Ali and I made it home to get a quick nights rest before dressage for me!

Dressage Day: Murphy looked great and felt wonderful. I had a great warmup and a think he was just a tad tired from our trip. We ended up with a 36, not his best score, but I was happy because the shoulder Inn and lengthings impoved. We were sitting 4th after dressage.

Cross Country: The course looked really fun with a lot of skinny, accuracy questions. In warmup I knew I had to jump clean and fast to move up, as many people wern't making the time. Murphy exceeded my expecatations. He was super quick, and really easy to ride. Im not going to lie, I really just have to point and shoot. Guess I did a good job training him, and we just have that bond that clicks. I ended up with 1.6 time penalites adn moved into 2nd place. The only issue I had on course was at the first water, fence 5, we had a rolltop drop in, 5 strides up a mond to a roll top, 5 strides to a skinny brush out of the water. Well we got to a good distance at 5A and when he landed he jumped right, and there was a moment I thought I might fall. Thank you to pony club I k ick and finished the combination without stirrups or reins. I was very impressed with my riding skills :) So im pretty sure I lost my 1.6 time penatlies there regaining my stirrups and reins. After an afternoon of icing, I was getting pretty nervous to showjump.

Showjumping was WONDERFUL. Thank you so much to Craig Thompson who has really helped me with my confindence and adjustablility on course. He jumped clean, and I managed to stay very focused on my task at hand. I rode backwards a little to fence four, and was pretty lucky. After that I knew I had to ride forward. Clean through the triple and I knew we were going home with reserve champion.  Murphy and I recieved a ton of prizes for SSG Gloves, Saratoga Horse works, FITS breeches, Nutrena, and Bit of Britian. Thank you so much to John Nunn and Bit of Britian for getting all the prizes together, it was a fantistic event and I can't wait till next year!!!!

(Pictures to come!)

WOW.... plans always change with horses. So basically I have been super busy riding and teaching lots of students... and getting ready for Fair Hill. I feel like I live out of my trailer, I am going to gallop 2x a week and then usually a jump or dressage lesson. Its NUTS!

I must say I am very impressed with my students lately. Taylor and Morgan have really done a great job working on there positions and really starting to understand the concepts of inside rein to outside leg. Im excitied to see what the rest of the fall will bring....

But the good news is, is Murphy is all better. The abcess cleared up pretty quickly. I have decided to go to American Eventing Championships.  He is qualified for PH, JYOP, and OI but i deceided to run the JYOP as I think we can be the most competitve and will be a great confindence booster. We leave tonight and will be trenching toward Chicago on a 14 hr. trailer ride.... Wish us luck!

Okay so to begin, this is SO LATE! Im very sorry, just been crazy trying to get started back to school. So to start I will recap my last two weeks:


Wayne Dupage- Was defiantly I learning experience. I didn't score as well in the dressage as I would have hoped but I stayed on Murphy in warm up too long. It been like walking a tightrope trying to polish his warmup and it didn't help they were running behind. But I would again say we are working toward where we need to be. Cross country was fantastic. we had a lot of questions, but the course rode beautifully. I would say the little pony is finally becoming a REAL horse! We had a corner 5 stride bending line to a max drop in the water to a skinny log, which was very exciting. I was a little worried about the bounces steps two strides to a toothbrush skinny, but Murphy locked right on and jumped in like a pro. The other water was a drop in bending line bounce coops where we had the problems at Maui, but it seems as though Murphy has put that experience behind him. So overall he was wonderful. His rider on the other hand, had a little pilot error. I have also been working on trying to go a little quicker, so after fence four I kicked and came around a turn and opps jump right in front of me. Murphy is a very smart horse because he won't just jump if he doesn't feel safe which trying to jump the simple house would have probably turned into a ugly problem, so we picked up twenty but continued on our way. I guess I need to pay a little more attention to where I can go fast and where I need to continue with what I got. Guess I won't make that mistake again.
To top off the weekend, Murphy was PERFECT in showjumping. He jumped one of the nicest rounds in his life going forward with plenty on attention on me. Unfortunately had a rail at the first element of the triple, but I was proud regardless. We finished 8th and won come horse treats and a saddle pad from Fleeceworks. It is so generous of companies to donate prizes, I just really want to say thanks from all of us in the eventing world, we really do appreciate it. To finish the weekend, I loaded up my stuff and heading on a 14hr adventure back to South Carolina.


So there is a quick recap and now I am finally settled in at school and have finished my barn duties working for Craig Thompson. I had the luxury of taking care of hundreds of turkeys, 5 horses, and 4 dogs for a week. It was very exciting. 


So today was the first day of Full Gallop horse trials in Aiken, SC and it didn't go as planned... I warmed up for dressage and Murphy felt a little sluggish, but I was just thinking he was tired. I went over to the dressage rings and came down center line, halted and saluted, which was very nice, and then turned right and had a lame horse. I ended up pulling up pretty quickly in my horses best interest and asked to be excused. Turns out I think Murphy is abscessing. So we pulled the shoe and we went home to soak in Epsom salts. I am a little disappointed because the course looked like a blast and I was really looking forward to getting another intermediate under my belt but there is always tomorrow. Hopefully Murphy will be back in work next week and we can continue the trek to Fair Hill ! 


Here are some pictures from Wayne. As you can see Murphy likes Cheetos.

So the last week has been somewhat stressful. Traveling across the country with horse in toe in hard enough, but with a competition and school starting, its CRAZY! But luckily I starting packing way early so now I can really concentrate on preparing for this weekend  at Wayne Dupage.


Murphy had a great dressage lesson yesterday working on every little aspect of Intermeidate test B. Not as easy task. We really worked on slowing down the turn on the haunches and adding a little bit more expression in my canter work. Cantering down the centerline all the way to G with a halt is quite a difficult task. 


Then today we had a GREAT jump school. Matt is great because he really sets up the questions I want to work on. We worked on bending lines with skinnies off the bank and he set up a very similar exercise with our sunken road to mimik the Maui Jim Water. Murphy felt wonderful and if he jumps anything like he did today... Rolex 2012 here we come. :)


Hey a girls gotta dream right? Ohh and funny story. So I have always been told I am good at training slaves... just kidding, but really I got my brothers and cousins to sponge murphy and graze him for me for 3o mins! Mind you they are all between 4-7. It was awesome. I think that one more of these outings and they will be ready for the vet box. :)


Her are some pics from today...

So Matt, Lucia, and I packed up four ponies this weekend and heading off to Penny Oaks, in Edinburgh Indiana. After a seven hour adventure down there ( should have been four) we arrived to uppack, walk courses, and then still ride. It was crazy. The preliminary course was very straightforward but proved to be exactly what he needed.

Dressage was bright and early, Murphy put in a very good test. I was a little disappointed in my score, but I was still right up there in third.  I feel like this year our dressage has been teater tottering between scores with very consistent tests. Sometimes can be a little frustrating. Some judges like to see a very forward test, and some conservative... but we will keep on trecking.

Cross country was great. He was quick, eager, and didn't blink at anything. I guess the watch I was using wasn't working so I was a little disappointed but had the fastest xc of all the preliminary only adding four points to my score. Showjumping was a very akward twisty, turny course without any flow. There was only one double clean round in the prelim so I wasn't too dissapointed with my one rail. I ended up second and very far ahead of 3rd. Hopefully this trend will continue to next weekend at Wayne were Murphy will do the open intermediate. Congradulations to Lucia Menozi for winning the JNR and Matt Trynoski for finishing 8th on his mares first training. :)  Keep checking out Twitter as I am trying to update it almost everyday!