I'm an addict

Which is better? Beast jumping or the groups reaction?

I have a head ache right now.

For the 3rd time this year, I am quitting coffee. It really makes me cracked out and I am already cracked out enough on my own.

I have had great success this year with eating only vegetarian (thanks for the push Kellen M.)

I swear I can actually feel my body is healthier, happier, but more important I am so much more aware of what is going on inside of me and around me.

That is why I have become painfully aware that I have a new drug of choice.

Lessons with Sharon White.

(I have other lesson addictions but we are tackling one problem at a time)

We did the coolest exercise. It is the one in the video. We had to do an "open" 2 stride to an "open" one stride. We had to shift our weight and our horse in the air to make them jump side to side.

What I mean is aim for the right side of the first fence, in the air shift left so the horses move left, two strides, jump the left side of the fence, shift right in the air, one stride, jump the right side of the fence.

Beasty was a good girl.

Callie tried her little heart out for me (I didn't wear spurs...she is a fan).

One of the times, I didn't make it over to the small side for the last jump when she did the same exercise that Beast did. The good news is, I know Callie can jump very high (rail at second to top hole), and does not seem to concerned (even if I aim her at the standards).

Fiesta jumped a liverpool!

Not only did she jump a liverpool, she jumped a little course which included a rather large oxer and a larger vertical!

Dave came and watched Beasty and then took Beast and Callie home while I finished on Fiesta.

He's the best. I love him!

Maggie came also, and kept yelling "leg".

Such a good little instructor.

Sharon and Cappy looked amazing. Sharon is also a very efficient trailer parker.

Katie and Grantley looked amazing as well. They were in the Intermediate group with Beasty. Grantley jumps like a praying mantis upfront.

Katie Cindric had a great lesson on the big WILL.

This horse cracks me up.

Dr. Laura Reick got Beasty's body feeling good. Beast is very sensitive to the acupuncture. She love, love, loves the chiro, but as Laura says has a love hate relationship with the acupuncture.

Callie's body was feeling good, but she got a neck adjustment.

Today Maggie and I will watch Bambi 40,000 times.

My girls all have the day off, then walking tomorrow.

Morven is this weekend, praying for good footing!

Baby trashes bar in Las Palmas

Take a look

Last week I took all our old rails up to the top of one of our hills.

I set up a "maze" for the kids to practice through.

Their was no option but to be straight.

I also had a couple different exercises set up and would send everyone down one at a time.

They would canter up the hill to an exercise that would be a surprise. About 11 strides out, they would see what it was and have to put their horse in the appropriate canter.

Super Mare Fance!

Hannah Jo

Hunter is plagued by small gnomes that run along side him and his horse and call out his name when he is in the air.

I have them also, but only on my left side.

The girls.

Hannah and Buckshot

Megs and Bandit

Pipes-Star

Hannah Jo

The cutest best baby on my planet

Pipes again, showing them how it's done.

Damn Gnomes

Summer

Speaking of Summer, I love her.

I can't believe I can compete her in eventing next year!

She will be doing a little dressage schooling show in a few weeks, and will be getting used to the "scene".

I am amazed every day by the raw talent of this horse.

She is a Bugatti

http://www.bugatti.com/en/home.html

Everyone else is doing well at Darenth.

We are trying to pick a date for our fall show!

(We will keep you posted!)

Tomorrow I have the accupuncturist/chiro.

Then a few lessons, Then off to visit the lovely ladies at "A Bit Better".

Sharon White will be teaching there tomorrow, and I will be riding Beasty, Callie, and Fiesta.

Yay!

On a non horse related note.......Dave and I saw "Contagion" on Saturday night.

(Thanks to babysitter extraordinaire Elizabeth)

I give it one star, not the four that it got.

It was fun though. Dave and I snuck in Subway.

Then on Sunday Maggie went to "Port Discovery" in B-more ( Believe).

We hung out with cool older cousin August, awesome younger cousin Ally, and funny aunt and uncle Robin and Chuck.

Fiesta first xc school

Please turn the volume all the way up and listen to the commentary!

Non -Horse people will still like this one!

Baby (fiesta) and me (Mary)

Mom (party) and Melissa

The last few Days!

The instructor.

Friday was a great day.

Both Alexis and Katie had flat lessons.

Alexis made incredible strides. Packer looked like a million dollars!

Katie looked good also. I had ridden Willis on Wed and he blew me out of the water. This is a super nice horse with a HUGE trot.

Katie and Willis will be getting all 8's and 9's in no time!

Beasty did her last Canter yesterday until Morven.

Callie went to Loch Moy to school.

I love this freaking horse.

She is too funny. When I started schooling the Training level fences, I would sit back and put my leg on and get all serious. I swear she called me a dork.

She thinks it is hilarious that I get serious at such little stuff.

So proud how far this horse has come since last summer.

And on top of it, she is happy, relaxed and confident.

Log before the water

Into the water

Out of the water

Over the gate!

Little Ossi and Cappy looked great.

Cappy would be a labrador if he was a dog.

He is very happy about his job and will do whatever Sharon tells him to do (as long as she tells him to).

Cappy is jumping so well!

Two crazies

Little Ossi jumping the half coffin (weird striding)

Little Ossi pretending to watch me, but secrectly thinking obsessively about Cappy.

How being a mom to Maggie is like being a drunk celebrity's personal assistant

1. I wake up to crying
2. I constantly have to follow someone around and clean up their mess
3. Food and drink are always all over Maggie's face that I have to wipe up.
4. I am constantly battling a hot mess on Maggies hair. Pulling out bits of wax (in Maggies case from crayons....god only knows where famous people's debri is from), and untangling knots.
5. Maggie is always trying to make phone calls and I have to try to stop her. (Like drunk dialing)
6. I can rarely understand what Maggie is saying
7. All though I can rarely understand what Maggie is saying, I agree and smile encouragingly!
8. Maggie is moody
9. When we go in public places, I worry about her running off and breaking/stealing things
10. We watch the same movies over and over (because she forgot she just saw them)
11. Maggie whines and pouts to get her way (I truly understand why adults stop hearing high frequency noises as they age. It is a defense mechanism)
12. Maggie will spontaneously fall down, and I have to help her up
13. Maggie does not care that she spontaneously falls down
14. Maggie has no regard for personal space and often tries to sit in strangers laps
15. Maggie needs assistance to the bathroom, but rarely makes it in time
16. Maggie can not drive for she has no license
17. Maggie would like to drive, and would if I let her
18. Maggie can not write clearly and often "misses" the paper
19. I love Maggie very much and hope she does not fire me

Great Blog Post

http://korizzoinc.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/steps-back-can-be-steps-forward/

A good day for Mags (and Callie)

Callie had a blast at Morgan Run! (On Monday)

Where I found this super cool stick bug!

Today Mags and I got up bright and early and went to Home Depot!

I don't have any photos of Home depot because I had a two year old attached to all four of my limbs at once. Maggie kept asking where Daddy was?

I guess she figures Daddy's are always at Home Depots.

Then we went to Petsmart!!!!

Like the Zoo

Then we went to Subway. Yummy.

It doesn't take much to make a 2 year old have the best day ever!

I think I am more exhausted then her!

Emily and Jazz's show jumping Training at Marlboro:)

Emily likes to pat her horse a lot.

What a long way these two have come! Super proud!!!

Photos of Star Pupil Em riding Jazz at Marlboro

All Photos taken by the amazing Hannah Youngblood!

No really, it's not you....

It's me.

I have been working on my homework.

I did my exercises to work on Callie's straightness.

One of my students has a horse that crank's off to the right on take off (like Callie), so I paid close attention to her. I will be damned if that little left leg wasn't just doing it's own thing. Much to the owner of the left legs dismay, it was kicking with out her knowledge.

We took her left spur off and her horse went straight as an arrow.

Hmmmm.

I always struggle with my body and it's straightness. (My parts have a mind of their own sometimes also) I think part of it comes from an old hip injury.

Anyways, I took off MY left spur and when I did, Callie was as straight as an arrow herself!

More then that, she was happy.

No ear pinning, kicking out, etc.

So this prompted a whole new train of thought...

I remember when one of my friends went to start dressage lessons with Mara.

The first thing they worked on was her not using her spur so her horse wasn't hollowing against it.

Listen, learn, don't have an ego, and screw any "noun" that isn't worth it.

I took Callie and Beasty to Vanessa's today.

The angels sang.

I needed this day.

Callie is becoming so strong, we really got some amazing work from her.

I rode with no spurs and she was happy as a clam. She actually had better upward transitions, I think because she wasn't bracing.

Now am I saying I am going to stop using spurs? No

I just think it is fascinating that taking a tool away, is a tool in itself.

Beast shook a brilliant tail feather today.

It took a few minutes for us to loosen up, but I had the most amazing work out of her ever.

It was brilliant, to know that that is indeed in there.

I love my mares. (And other peoples mares).....

Summer is planning on doing a schooling show in October.

She was pretty excited when she found out, but she is to cool to act like it.

She just acts like she doesn't know.

We will see how she feels on the big day.

I expect big movement with a dash of "whinny".

Hunter, Hannah, and Ameriah looked good yesterday. They had a torture, I mean dressage lesson. Then they did work with no stirrups. Piper (7) supervised, along with Hannah's mom (who travels with banana peppers and empty snake eggs), and Hunters mom (who likes to give sleepy toddlers ponies that look like lions).

This evening Pipe's is practicing dressage and Willis is going to get a little work.

Tomorrow is Maggie and Mommy day.

Then T Gordon is taking a lesson in the pm.

For those of you with monoflap jump saddles that want a BROWN schooling girth like the ones you can get for regular saddles?

Check this out...

http://www.longridersgear.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=dressage+girth&x=0&y=0

I found it!!!!

I ordered a brown short "Tokalat" girth for schooling.

Persistence pays.

Stuff

Summer had her first dressage lesson at Vanessa's!

She loaded, traveled, and behaved like a champ!

I could not have ever dreamed that she would be so good! She was not phased by the indoor or its mirrors.

She moved like a million dollars, and with Vanessa's help we won't settle for just six zero's.

Her mama was very proud!

Saturday A.M. brought another fabulous lesson from Vanessa.

Fiesta was really great. Her brain is so much like Beasts, but she has a different way of moving.

Then Court jumped and looked picture perfect (of course).

Sat P.M. I hung out with my two favorite people.

We ate chips and ice cream for dinner.

By we I mean me.

Maggie is really into bracelets and hats.

She does not like Mayonnaise.

She says excuse me, you hurt?, and other little sentences.

She is in need of a little leadline saddle if anyone knows someone who is selling one.

Sunday, Emily competed at Marlboro and looked like a rock star.

It is the best I have ever seen her ride, and the best I have ever seen Jazz look.

They ended in 7th after a great dressage, awesome sj, solid awesome run XC while being a good horseman and mindful of the footing!

Hannah will send me some video or photos when she is able.

Here is a photo she took of Alexis at Loch Moy

Catching my breath and watching Cinderella.

Mags and I are watching Cinderella.

She sang the alphabet, all by herself this morning. The whole thing, correctly. No joke.

The last two days were crazy.

I flatted my two mares with Susan G White on Tues.

They were both stars. Riding with Susan is very intense and she explains often what it looks like from a judges point of view.

Well, I guess I already knew that my mares looked tense, but we worked on it and she gave me some very useful tools.

It is all the same. The same things Vanessa says, Sharon, Stephen, Jimmy.

It just is worded different, and put together in different order and DAMN, it really is coming together.

What a year this has been. I am so thankful that my husband is so supportive, and that my home barn has the best owners in the world.

I must admit I am so happy that everything is growing, expanding and getting busy, but I could never do this with out Darenth, Dave, and of course my wonderful students.

I really appreciate the intense work that Susan provides, and the "do it, do it correctly, and do it now attitude". Tuesday we did the usual, but for some reason it was all different. I would move my hands forward, and my horses would stretch, and I would get it.

So then yesterday, I jumped the coolest grey horse on the planet, and my two mares with Sharon.

The same thing happened. I really get it.

It is hard not to get it on a horse like the grey horse (Fiesta) or Summer. They are just so damn nice and built so well, that when it feels right it feels unbelievable.

I am super fortunate to have the opportunity to ride these mares, and I will give them the time, attention and the best that I have, because that is what they deserve.

Fiesta is a dressage product of Vanessa (the owner rides with her) and her base is just so correct.

I am so looking forward to riding her in a flat lesson on Saturday with Vanessa.

Double awesome, Summer gets to go to Vanessa's on Friday!

If I take a step back I realize I have created a program for myself.

I have Vanessa Swartz, and Stephen Bradley as my trainers. People that I feel close with, that I will always ride with. I also will include Gretchen Butts in that mix. All though recently I have not ridden with Gretchen as much as I would like, she will always be a person I will go to.

These three are my home base.

Then I have Sharon White, Jimmy Wofford, and Susan G White.

These are my a$$ kickers. Now don't get me wrong, my lessons with home base instructors some times make me want to cry, throw up, or both at the same time, but I always feel comfortable.

It is all very interesting.

It means nothing and everything.

I want to get to a certain point before I would present my self and my horse to Jimmy.

I would need to get to a certain point (for me) before presenting my self and horse combo to Susan.

Sharon White would just kick my a$$ and get me to what ever point I needed to be, regardless of my thigh objections, panting like a fat kid running up a hill, or mental instability.

I am so fortunate to have these instructors in my life.

I am so happy to have ridden with Stephen for so long, and really look forward to my upcoming lessons with him.

I am so thankful to Kristen Parris for giving me Vanessa's number last winter.

I really credit Beast going Intermediate right now to Vanessa.

(Beast and I will get our shit together in the dressage ring and make her proud I swear)

In my jump lesson yesterday we did an exercise in which we had to have a connection.

I was able to do it for no reason other then Vanessa Swartz.

Beasty is a mare that used to toss her head so bad, I would have to duck. She has a phobia of movement, and sees dead people. She has a loin area like a board and a heart as big as her warm red mare chest.

I don't think another instructor could have gotten us to this point of success, and so much possibility to come.

I wish Stephen didn't have his farm so far away from me.....

But between that and noting Kelley Williams obvious success with Sharon White, I am so glad that I made the decision to ride with Sharon also.

You can tell she love, love, loves her job.

She can figure a horse out with one blink of an eye, settles for nothing less then perfection,and obviously is an incredible rider. These are all ingredients for an amazing instructor.

As for Jimmy Wofford. I consider him right up there with Gandhi, William Steinkraus, and any one else amazing.

I also think Susan is amazing. She reminds me of the quote "are you going to lay there and bleed or are you going to cowgirl up?"

This may sound really bizarre.

Especially because she is super kind, and very in touch with the arts, and nature.

Also because she is very proper.

But she is one tough lady.

I am very grateful to be able to ride with her and that she genuinely cares about me and my mares.

Susan (like the others listed) is the best of the best.

I am also so happy that I feel "able" to be able to ride with her now.

And I don't mean in a status sort of way, but I feel like before sometimes it would kinda go over my head.

And by before I don't mean that long ago.

I would recommend any one of these instructors, and put them in the category "amazing".

And then on to my upcoming horse star...............CALLIE

Callie continues to get stronger and more brilliant. She is turning into such a big girl, what the hell happened?

I feel like it was just yesterday she was practicing cantering on a circle and now I am thinking of her move up to Training?

I may just hold off for a bit. My girl try's so hard for me. I want her hind end tighter and her jump straighter.

I just love Callie to pieces.

Callie is such a beautifully odd mix.

Callie bites. For real bites (humans), like OMG broken skin bites.

Callie also lowers her head so Maggie can pet her and feed her hay.

Callie is scared of nothing.

Callie also gets bit, at least once a day, by Beast.

Callie is going to Rolex.

Callie is going to Rolex and finishing in the top ten, with me and a big smile.

I had a blast at "A Bit Better" the last few days.

Kim looks like a million dollars riding right now, and holy crap her horse can jump!!!!.

Katie Murphy and Grantley looked literally perfect, and Little Ossi looked the best I have ever seen her! That Cappy sure is jumping well.

Today Em is doing a SJ school to prep for Marlboro.

Ameriah will do some work with Bandit.

Alexis and Annie will both be jumping.

My girls are walking, and I have got to do some Yoga.

(Any time you cry because you can't find the bagels you just bought, it's a sign you need a time out)

Anyways, all is well. If you are reading this I hope you have a great day!

P.S.

Standing, staring and watching someone back up a trailer -Fail

Super Busy!!!!

I will post soon, and tons of people are suppose to be emailing me photos!

My girls had a slumber party at "A Bit Better" farm, and today they will jump with Sharon White!!!

Summer is doing great.

Hannah and Hunter had a fab lesson yesterday!

Redland Ponyclub was a blast to teach!

Maggie has forgotten she is 2 (she is back to her happy happy self!)

I will catch up soon!

My timing its atrocious, but here is Alexis on her way to the last fence, on her double clear course!!!!
Mary Mack

Courtney Swartz on her way to a double clear and ending in 4th!!!!

Way to take a young green mare around her first Beg Novice!!!! Courtney is the best!

Mary Mack