Pine Top Horse Trials Recap - Feb. 12-13

Both horses were quite good this past weekend at Pine Top Horse Trials in Thomson, GA. Murphy was in the open preliminary  and finished 7th and Bijou was in the preliminary horse and finished 6th. Both horses added just a few time pentatlies to their dressage scores! I am a very happy girl right now. It was great that my week in Ocala last week with Jon Holling is paying off. I usually talk about how I need to work on the jumping phases but I think these next two weeks are going to be focued on working in the sand box! I was so impressed with Murphy. It was his first run since fairhill and the horse came out like a champ. It was great to feel my very confident, cross country machine back and know that moving up to Intemdiate at the next outing is probably a good decision. He tends to canter over fences sometimes instead of jumping them. Hopefully the little bigger questions will encourage him to actually jump the fences.

Bijou was great as well and she came out better then last weekend at Full Gallop. There was little hesitantation if any around the course and I was able to go a little quicker. She is so easy to ride cross country because you just raise your shoulders about 4 strides from the fence and she is right there balanced and ready to jump. What a cool little horse. Hopefully she can find a great home and someone who will let this little horse shine.

In other news, I have a horse rigth now in training for the month named Bogart and he is doing wonderful. We are hacking around the farm quietly and working quite well in the dressage ring. He isn't even scared of Otis! For all of you who don't know Otis, he is a large pig at the Gibbes. All of the other students are getting back into lessons and I am excitied to see what the spring shall bring us. The weather in South Carolina has been quite fantasic. I am enjoying riding in a polo shirt or a light jacket everyday. Thank you sun goods. To all my friends back in Chicago, I am not jealous of the artic you are living in right now.

The next two weeks we will be taking some lessons and just working on some small things before the Advanced Pine Top. Murphy will be in the Intermediate and Bijou will be in the prelimimary again. Thank you to Kate Samuels for her photography skills for the SJ pictures. The other picture is of the Hollings statue decorated for superbowl... we all know how that turned out.