A Filly's Best Friend

NCHTA Awards Banquet

2012-01-27T23:15:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night brought on the National Capital Horse Trials Association awards banquet. The NCHTA is a great organization that costs NOTHING to belong too, and they have a great little community formed by the more eastern region of Ontario's eventers. They take certain events, most in the Ottawa and surrounding area, some in Quebec, and tally up scores for year end prizes and bragging rights.

Two years ago Fandango had his big success by being Reserve Champion in the Pre-Entry division. This year was Archies' turn. Archie and I were Champion in the Entry Senior division for the year! We took home a trophy and plaque to show off our success.

The former Chief Executive officer Akaash Maharaj who just stepped down from the job, gave a speech that was very interesting and insightful on how changes were made from the Canadian Eventing program several years back, and the rewards and success the team is reaping now. He was candid and professional, and he explained the difference in eventing from other equestrian sports, in that you can't really "buy" your way to the top in eventing. At the end of the day, you still have to be able to ride when you go cross country. He is an incredible public speaker and I am sad that he will no longer be the head of Canadas' Equine organization.

I had a great night at the banquet, and was reminded that all that hard work and perseverance paid off. I also got jump started into excitement over this years show season. Only 3 and a half months away!

Counting down the days...

Wordless Wednesday Broo Broo Edition

2012-01-25T10:16:00.000-05:00

What's he thinkin'?

Blogging Awards!

2012-01-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have received two awards from fellow bloggers, and I am finding the time to say THANK YOU! And pass them along.

From My Life With Flyball Dogs, I recieved the Kreativ Blogger Award;

For this award, I am supposed to share 10 things you may not know about me, my dogs, my horses;

1.   I was an actress for a few years, in several movies and T.V Shows. I gave it up because it was too difficult to be on set and have horses. I have rubbed elbows with quite a few celebrities.
2. Broo is named after the English Sheep Dog on the Canadian Classic Childrens cartoon The Raccoons.
3. Archie was sold for around $50,000 as a yearling. I paid $1000 for him 6 years later.
4. I lived in Scotland and Ireland for a period of time, working at Eventing yards.
5. Broo is epileptic.
6. Archies brother is War Emblem, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness..but tripped coming out of the gate at the Belmont. He was sold as a breeding stallion to Japan for 19 Million dollars.
7.  I have been riding for 22 years, eventing for 17.
8. Broo was the result of an accident. A farmers Border Collie/Blue Heeler was bred with a loose Australian Shepherd, which was the farmers neighbours, top show dog.
9.   Archie loves having his chin scratched. I caught him scratching his chin on a tree branch in the field last week.
10. I secretly believe Broo is the reincarnation of my teenage best friend (dog), Ben.

Now, for the passing on of the award to six blogs I enjoy;

A Collection of Madcap Escapades
The Adventures of Lucy
The Chronicals of Cardigan
Two French Bulldogs
I Still Want More Puppies
Simply Horse Crazy

The other award I recieved was from Dancing Horses, who awarded me with the Liebster Award.

Here are the "rules" for this award:

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, we must do the following:

1. Copy and paste the award on our blog

2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award

3. Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.

4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs

The blogs I am passing this award on to are:

Confessions of an AA Eventer...
A Teens Dressage Dream
Bailey Be Good
Adventures With Shyloh
Contact

Please take the award and pass it on!

Obviously, I love many more blogs that I can't include. Thanks again for passing these awards onto me!

Bittersweet Enter into House (Farm) Hunting

2012-01-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

The dream...a slightly more posh scale.

Possibly the happiest moment of 2012 (not that it's been here for long), was when it became realized that Jesse and I will be able to buy a farm. I have been browsing the MLS for a long time, never thinking we were actually going to start into the actual process of house hunting. I ended up finding a property that has everything we are looking for, and is very close to where we are living now. A cute little house, a pool, a barn with 4 stalls, paddocks, a workshop, and a huge professionally installed outdoor ring. It was in our price range and absolutely adorable. We decided to check it out and after a couple of viewings, we put in an offer.

I was so excited, our first offer on a home. I was dreaming and picturing all the ways I would make it my home, and how much the horses would love their new barn and pastures. Well, what they say is true about home buying. Don't get excited until the keys are in your hand. We exchanged offers over a week with the homeowners and when we finally came to a number we could both agree on, my realtor e-mailed me to tell me the homeowner had called her to say the decided to take their farm off the market. UGH! What a monumental waste of time for all of us.

Dream barn <3

So, we were pretty heartbroken over this change of events. Hope is not lost though! We are now on the official hunt for our own place. We are into the fun part of looking at places, and discovering what we like, what will work, and what we definitely don't like. Finding a farm is even harder than finding a house. There are so few for sale in the area we are searching, and there are so many things that you need when you have horses. Some houses have land with no barn, some have nice barns with houses that need too much work, some are just a bit too far for our daily commute, then there are ones that are perfect for you, but just don't work out for whatever reason (still bitter).

I am learning a lot about this whole home buying process, and am thinking positive that our future farm is out there, waiting for us to come home.

Archie's Lesson Journal Episode 2 - Dec 17th 2011

2012-01-18T09:48:00.000-05:00

This is majorly late but still very important for my lesson journal. This lesson was my first jumping lesson with Archie in almost 2 years. I was taking lessons with Rick a few summers ago and really loved his teaching method. At that time, I just could not afford to keep going with lessons so they went by the way side.

Since getting married and being back at the farm, I've been able to pay off a lot of my debts and also reconnected with my long time friend Dana. Dana and I decided to take lessons together, figuring it would be a bit more fun. Since Archie was havng a little break, I took Ace to my first lesson and she was almost perfect. Archie was ready to start jumping again by the time we set up our second lesson. We have since then had a third but I forgot my camera (d'oh!) plugged in in the tack room.

This is Archies first time back jumping since his last horse trial, and our first jumping lesson together in a very, very long time. We start out with working on our position. Rick is a body killer. As in, after my lessons, I can barely walk for the next few days. He wants us in a position that I never ride in. It is different and very difficult for me to hold this position the first few lessons. Basically, your stirrups are jumping length, you are in almost a half seat, and your inner thigh is pressed into the front of saddle. He explains the horses need to feel you there on their back. We practice a lot of sitting trot in this position, feeling the front of the saddle bouncing into our upper thigh. This is really annoying to Archie who is so super sensitive. With sensitive horses you have to work through it, and desensitize them over time. He needs to accept my leg, my seat, my thigh, in order to be able to be ridden properly over fences.

The first exercise we did was a related line of poles on the ground. For Archie the focus was to travel straight, and at the walk. No rushing, and halting nice and quiet before the second pole. The hardest part of this exercise is to keep Archie relaxed and reaching for the bit (no holding on my part), while in the jumping position. This position takes Archie back to his racing days and he wants to just run run run. After a few times he gets the hang of it and we can trot the exercise. If he attempts to move sideways, I just straighten him out with my leg and come back to a walk if necessary.

We moved onto a bounce, which eventually became a bounce, one stride, to a bounce. Our focus through this exercise was to maintain straightness, and stay "over my stirrup". My job as the rider was to not move - at all through the gymnastic. I was to create what Rick calls the "Funnel". Riding over my stirrup, touching in my right thigh slightly (as we were tracking left), and giving with my hands, but at the same creating a funnel through the front of the horse, allowing him to only go straight and into my hands.

I will tell you this is the hardest thing to master. Doing the Funnel and not moving an inch through the whole gymnastic, while trusting your notoriously exuberant jumper that he won't run through the whole exercise. We did manage to jump the ENTIRE final bounce in once jump, but were able to correct it the next time through.

We finished with some small courses, focusing on straightness and me riding over my stirrup and holding the Funnel. If we lose straightness, we go back to trot or even halt. Archie had some good rubs but he just needs to learn how to jump straight, at this point he only knows how to jump sideways (in his mind anyways). I have some video, filmed via le tripod;

Ladies and Gentleman We Have Ice...Let's Make Margaritas

2012-01-14T00:52:00.000-05:00

I think we are all experiencing it. The weirdest weather to hit the winter since that time I moved overseas and forgot winter existed for a moment. Up here in Ontario (Canada in case you didn't know ;), in my region of Eastern Ontario, the average temperature at this time of year would be around - 6c to -25c at night. The temperatures we have been experiencing the past few weeks have steadied around 2 to 5 degrees above 0, up to almost 10 degrees (50f). This is UNHEARD of around these parts. People are confused, but loving it. I myself, HATE snow and winter...but like I said before, I can't help but be worried by this warm weather.

Well, have no fear, the ice is here;

Just the beginning of ice to come...

my car at work...iced over.

The gargoyles were not pleased.

Trees were down everywhere, most people within a 60 km radius lost power and the roads were a mess. Lucky for us, my parents are on solar so we had enough power to get us through the night. Nothing too serious, just a change from our unseasonably warm weather. That is...until today. There was an insane blizzard, it snowed all day, and we now have almost a foot of fresh snow!

I guess winter was coming sooner or later. The good news is the fields are snow covered so no more ice or mud...and the dogs absolute love playing in it. It's supposed to go back up above zero next week....the weather is anything but dull this year. :)

A Libra Looking Ahead to 2012

2012-01-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to make yearly goals for myself. I more or less dream towards the future and just know that what I want will become reality some day. I do however, think it is good to have goals to aspire to. To help keep you focused and give you drive. This year I will jot down some ideas of what I want to accomplish and maybe what some of my bigger, long term goals are.

First and foremost I want to pay off all my debt! I am almost there, getting so close I can taste it but not quite there yet. I don't have much left (besides my car but I don't count that). I have been a good girl and paying off anything I owe at a steady rate and that has definitely helped.

One of the bigger lifestyle changes for me will be my attempt to become a vegetarian. I have succeeded from my start date of January 1st so far. It is amazing how hard it is to decide what to eat when you aren't eating meat. I am not a true vegetarian as I will still eat fish and seafood. I do obviously love animals, but my real reasoning is the stomach pain I experience a lot of the time. I read quite a bit on how hard it is for the body to digest meat and I just got the idea to give it a try. So far I have been feeling better. It will be interesting to see if I can stick with it and if it will help.

Horse wise, I am planning on upgrading Archie to the Pre-Training (3ft) level here in Ontario at our first event pending things are going well when show season starts. My ideal scenario would be doing a couple of training levels before the fall but that all depends on how the jumping is going. The height and fear factor are not a problem. Straightness and control are our number one enemy that I vow to defeat. This is my big goal with Archie. I would love to be in the top 3 for the province again this year but that is more a bonus of a good show season. As any eventer would hope, I hope to maintain our clear cross country record and improve our dressage score.

As for William, my goal is to have him going consistently and start him over fences by the summer. I want to get him to at least one event, and a few schooling shows. It is much to soon to predict whether this is doable but I am going to give it my best shot. I mostly want to make sure he has consistent, positive training throughout the year.

Blogwise, my goal is to post a little more often and stay up to date on all my favourite blogs I follow. I really REALLY want to get a nice camera this year. We will see if the funds allow for this in the future. I also want to keep my lesson journal current and up to date. I think that could become valuable in looking back on progress over the years.

In my personal life, I want to pursue my writing a bit more, and possibly take some online courses later in the year with the long term goal of finishing my degree. My biggest dream, that I have had for who knows how long I can't even remember - is to lose my property virginity and become a first time farm owner. This dream may becoming a reality sooner than expected, but I'm not counting any chickens before they hatch.

It's a good month to be a Libra!

Looking Back on 2011

2012-01-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

2011 Started off with a crazy night as we hosted a New Years Party at my place. I wasn't blogging again at that time, and we were still living in the city. I dressed up as JEM for the party after seeing Kandee's makeup tutorial. It was really cold at that time, and I was commuting an hour to work every day and riding my boys at 6 am every morning on the way to work. Tiring times.

February didn't bring much change, but I was looking for jobs within the city we were living. I was still riding Archie and Fandango every morning and spending my nights tucked inside keeping warm and walking the dogs late at night. Probably the most exciting thing to happen in February was that I sold my beloved Acura Integra who was very good to me in my early 20's, and bought a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The change was centred around the notion on saving money on gas, as gas was 1.38 a litre at that time and I was driving almost 200 kms daily. It was the best decision to make, as my little Jetta (not so little, actually) has saved me hundreds of dollars in gas money. She gets around 1000 kms per tank and runs like a dream.

The Teg

work life...

we have our methods ;)

my newest wheels..

March involved a lot of work functions, Jesses B-Day, and cold, cold air. I did a lot of morning riding and a lot partying. March was also significant as it was the first time Broo Broo had a seizure. It was the scariest moment in my life and I will never forget the panic and hurt I felt. I really wished I was blogging consistently at that time as I was very confused and worried about him. I will say the internet was a big help. We googled what happened and were able to find other videos of dogs having seizures and knew immediately what it was. He had a second seizure on Earth day and we realized this was something we would have to deal with for life with our Broo.

April came and I made the decision to sell Fandango. I love that pony dearly, but he was maxed out at the level I had taken him and really was just being wasted at our farm. I found a great home for him where he would be ridden by young children and fawned over, which is what he loved. I saved that pony from what would have been a horrible life, or trip to the slaughterhouse and gave him the surgery, training, and experience he needed to become a valuable show pony. I feel I did my best to give him everything and I know he is happy today. One of the hardest decisions of my life.

Fandango at his first show.

At our first event.

Canterdown 2009

May was the month that changed everything for Archie and I. I took Archie up to Ottawa to ride in the Sinead Halpin clinic and it was a defining moment for us. I was on the brink of giving up on Archie before we went, and I decided I would ask her opinion on whether there was hope for him and I or not. Also, I needed to know whether it was him, I, or both, causing the issues. Turns out it was BOTH of us, but she also told me if I was willing to dedicate the time, he would be trainable and he would be able to event. She showed me a different riding style and gave me the re-assurance I needed that my horse was NOT crazy. Things progressed from there. I also started to build a few cross country fences!

The other notable thing that happened in May was my return to blogging! (Yay!) Thank God for that, because it's much easier to remember what happened when I can look back on my posts! LOL Also in May was my change of job. I went from commuting over an hour to commuting 10 minutes. My life was getting easier and money was becoming more plentiful (not THAT plentiful), but better.

Quartzie

Archie at Sinead Halpin clinic

schooling at home....needing a tan.

June was a big month with Archies first show and me not knowing how it would go. It was a success thankfully, and I took him hacking with my mom that same weekend where he proved to be a real gentleman off property. This all seems so long ago and hard to believe that taking him off property used to make me very nervous. Archie also did his first jumper classes and jumped clean and fast to place in both classes. These were milestones for us to be able to perform off property and I will never forget the overwhelming joy I experienced.

Ace had her debut in the hunter ring and that was to be only a peak at what her hunter talents really are. The biggest moment in June was undoubtedly Archies first event which went off without a hitch. It was a very long winded dream come true for me, and proof that hard work and patience does pay off.

Double Trouble

happy moment!

Since we succeeded to make our eventing debut, July was filled with shows and events. We started off with the Canterdown Novice Event where Archie and I placed 4th and 5th in our two divisions. Ace did her dressage thing with my mom, and continued to learn the hunter thing with me, which she seems to excel at. We won over $180 that day! She officially became known at the ribbon hound. My best friend Dana also cleaned house in her divisions that day. A memorable one for the books. Jesse and I also planned our move out of our money eating (but gorgeous) downtown apartment, onto my parents farm with the hopes of saving for a down payment for our own place.

Dana and Quartz

August brought Archie and I's second recognized event at Equus Horse Trials where we placed 5th our first time at entry level. We went to Oakhurst Horse Trials where we jumped clean and ended up 11th. I tried out a new braiding style and my mom kicked butt at her dressage show with Ace. Archie and I went to Canterdown Horse Trials for the last time and placed 5th overall. Lots of showing, lots of fun.

September brought on the county fairs. I took Ace to the Quinte Fair where we had some success...and some spooking. I took her to the Kingston Fair also and she did really well and we won a bunch of money and a blue chair! Archie and I went to the Ottawa Horse Trials where we jumped clean cross country and ended up 8th overall!

October is my favourite month of the year. Maybe because it includes my birthday, and this year my birthday was extra special with the arrival of William! My mom and I went hacking, and to the beach on a gorgeous October day, and Archie and I did our last events of the year. I started my other blog NeighFlix, and gave the first update on William.

William's here!

November was unseasonably warm and enjoyable. I judged my first ever hunter jumper show which I really enjoyed. The equestrian world stopped for a moment when the passing of Hickstead was announced. This fell dear to my heart as I have been a long time Hickstead fan, and an even longer Eric fan. My family and I had some fun at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. I gave Williams week 3 update, and followed up a week later with my young horse frustrations. William didn't do much else as he cut his leg badly on Remembrance Day.

All our hard work came to head when I attended the OHTA awards banquet and got my trophy for being 3rd in the Open Entry Division overall. Archie also won the top Thoroughbred in his division and $100 for the prize. Even if I did get totally obliterated drunk, it was a night to (try) to remember. The other landmark was the Third Blogiversary of A Filly's Best Friend.

In December I started lessons again and began chronicling them. I have more to add soon. I also updated Williams progress again. Christmas and New Years Came, and now we are through 2011.

2011 was a great year for me and Archie, and I feel I put a lot of time and energy into what needed to be done to make us ready to go out and compete. 2012 will be a year of improvement and I am focusing on lessons and schooling to get where I want to be. 2010 was a really bad year for me, and 2011 was just what I needed to feel whole again.

Oh Hey...Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T19:25:00.000-05:00

I took a little break from the computer for the last week, and I have to admit, it felt kind of nice. Not as nice as getting back into the worn out computer chair though. Since I have almost two weeks holiday happening at the moment I have been taking some time to do nothing but veg out and spend some time with the hubs. It has definitely been a good refresher for my mind and soul. I was not riding much either, giving the boys some needed time off...to be honest I just have not had the time or energy from all the chaos of the holidays. It was nice to see and spend time with family, but it will also be nice to get back into my normal routine of work - ride - blog - sleep!

I have downloaded a few apps on my iphone and have been kind of obsessed with editing and trying out all the features. I want to share my last week and a bit with you - through pictures.

A friends rescued setter at a Christmas party - so sweet!

Gavin - he's blind in the right.

Happy dogs after opening all their prezzies.

Love. Of. My. Life.

Sweet little sophie.

Biiig yawn.

Jesse's sisters dog Oliver, a Maltese.

Careful, those crabs are unpredictable.

Ya, I met Ironman last week...no big deal.

A little too much fun at Toys R' Us.

The ultimate girls ride...besides a pony.

Lots to blog about in the new year, and really looking forward to 2012. Hoping for a year of good changes, happy and healthy family and friends, and new discoveries. The best thing about being on holidays, I forgot today was Monday. Happy Monday everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

Only a few more hours and Christmas is here! Since we don't really do gifts in our house, we have a nice relaxing day with the family, ponies, and dogs to look forward to. Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a great weekend filled with love, and Holiday Cheer.

Wordless Wednesday Warm December Edition

2011-12-21T13:37:00.001-05:00

William 8 Weeks In < 3

2011-12-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

I have had William a little over 2 months now. We had a set back in our work as William cut his foot pretty bad about a month ago and it is still healing. It worked out since I have stopped riding him for the meantime and am focusing on ground work. I have been absolutely swamped at work and stressed with the holidays so he has been getting more time off than I would like. That good thing is his foot is healing, and he is getting a lot of daily handling and grooming which is helping to relax him I think. He is also still so young and we are in no rush so I am not worried about him not doing a whole lot.

He had his feet done yesterday and they are looking better with each trim. He is a pretty healthy boy now and seems to really enjoy the attention of grooming and hugs. As you can judge from the pictures, he needs the grooming often, too. He is very patient on the cross ties and will stand quietly as long as necessary. He is really great while I clean and change his leg bandage also. I think the daily routine is helping him adjust to the world of being a (future) "show horse".

Dirty Boy!

I'm still using the western saddle and have been taking it on and off more times than I care to remember. The good news is that he has been excellent when saddling the last few weeks and has not been doing his "scooty butt" attempt to buck thing at all. He has been walking away quietly and looking at me for commands.

I use the towel for desensitization..

I also noticed that when a time comes when he may have run off bucking in the past, he now halts himself and waits for me to tell him what to do next. This is a really good step for him and a promising result. He is learning to trust me, and look to me when he is afraid instead of running off like an idiot. This is the one thing you want to teach a nervous or spooky horse. It's ok to be afraid, but it's how they manage their fear that matters.

I also started doing some ground driving with him and he seems to be really enjoying it. At first he was a little apprehensive with the ropes touching his side, and me behind his bum, but I actually think he enjoys it now. He walks along happily, changes direction, circles, and moves over from pressure. I think this is another good exercise to desensitize him more before I get back on him.

The plan is to do a little more ground driving with him. I think I will try ponying him around a little bit with Archie and then once we have done a bit of that I am going to tackle the mounting and unmounting until he is bored to death, and shows no signs of tensing. Since I have a few weeks off coming up that should give me plenty of time to work with him more. I have a very short video of a bit of our ground work;

Until next time! xx

Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop - Ho No No Campaign

2011-12-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

From our friends at Two Little Cavaliers;

This year Dogs Trust the largest dog welfare charity in the UK is launching the “Ho, No, No” campaign, to target Harrods (the same London Department Store that sold Christian the Lion in the 1960′s) to get them to stop selling Christmas Puppies. Dogs Trust is asking supporters to send a FREE* Christmas Card to Harrods to ask them to stop selling puppies at Christmas.

The charity is concerned that the cute fluffy little puppies will fall prey to boredom once the novelty wears off and lives return to normal after the holiday season. It is then left to animal charities the world over to pick up the pieces when Christmas present pups are dumped at shelters.

For over 33 years Dogs Trust has been saying that “A Dog is For Life, Not Just for Christmas” yet so many children and their parents still consider a puppy as a suitable present.

A background video of Christian the lion in his younger years. I am not sure how someone screens a potential adopter of a lion but apparently this was considered due diligence on the part of Harrods. We obviously know the ending of the story and his owners did the right thing for him bringing him to a Sanctuary when he got too big releasing him into a pride and hoping he would be accepted and able to fend for himself. But I am sure most of the exotic animals purchased from Harrods were not as lucky as Christian. And so too those who buy puppies there and decide they no longer want to keep them.

Pet Bloggers Blog Hop brought to you by Two Little Cavaliers, Life with Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume! Welcome to all of you joining us for the first time we are so excited to have you and welcome back to our regular Hoppers.

Here’s how you can join the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop celebration:

* Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add you link once to be seen on all the Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week.

** Grab the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop button that our friends over on Life with Dogs made for us and include it in your Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop post so that your readers will know what is going on.

*** Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool and comment on their blogs to say hello!

**** Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like

***** Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

****** Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

Please be considerate and do not link directly to a giveaway post. Doing so does not allow others to comment on the post and forces them to look around your blog to find an appropriate place to post. One link per blog please!

Wordless Wednesday Warriors

2011-12-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

I will squish you Brewster

you're stuck now!

What?

Nap time :)

December 2011 is My New Best Friend

2011-12-11T12:04:00.001-05:00

We have been having way above normal seasonal temperatures so far this month. Average temperature of about 3 degrees C. Barely any snow, and a lot of rain. Next week we are looking at 5, and 6 degrees all week. I'm not complaining. We normally have 5 months of FREEZING temperatures, snow storms, and ice. We have come this far with this fabulous weather that if the bad weather does come soon, it will only be a few months of it, which I think I can handle.

I am a bit worried as to why the weather is changing so much, but that's a whole other issue. The boys have been enjoying the weather too. They are still grazing on their pasture - unheard of for this time. It's been very English the last few weeks, with little sunshine and lots of drizzle.

Mikey and Archie look out off their little mountain.

No snow, and grey skies.

Mikey is a 17.3h Selle Francais, he's 24 years young.

Archie loves Mikey. They are best buddies.

I brought in one of the little trees I dug up in the back woods and decorated it for the main window. It's a cute little thing. I found the Breyer Stablemate decorations I made a few years ago. I kept some for myself and made a bunch for all my riding friends. They made great gifts!

Spindly little thing.

I was a huge 101 Dalmatians fan growing up...

Of course, the top of the tree needs the king of jungle, DK.

Lovin' this December xx

Product Review - Kity Lake Yard Boots!

2011-12-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

As an eventer, you just can't escape the fad of the Dubarry boots. As a young woman working my way through my life to support my love eventing, you just can't escape the price tag of those Dubarrys either. I know they are probably worth it, but I just could never convince myself to shell out my hard earned coin on a pair of muck boots. So, when the good people at Equestrian Clearance offered me a trial pair of Kity lake Yard Boots, I jumped at the chance.

I patiently waited for them to arrive from the UK. Once here I took them out of the box and examined them Just like the web site said "The Lake boots are made from nubuck leather and feature a lace up detail at the top of the boots. The leather has been treated to be water resistant and there is also a waterproof yet breathable inner membrane. They have a durable yet lightweight rubber sole with a comfy padded insole. The boots also feature a small elasticated gusset at the top for extra flexibility."

I was a bit worried whether the boots would fit, as I have really big calves and usually need a wide or extra wide. They pulled on nicely, and were snug, but fit with jeans and riding pants underneath. You can tell they are high quality as they were a bit stiff to being with and took a few weeks to break in, like any good leather boot. They have the most comfortable sole, and I was in immediate boot heaven with these boots.

I have worn them to muck stalls, bring horses in, hiking in the woods, to the store, and even riding. They have held up perfectly from everyday use. I find them very warm, even with the temperature dipping to -5 C the last few nights. I have not had cold toes yet, and I haven't had the need to whip out the wool socks either!

I have tested out the waterproofness of these boots many times. Including walking into the lake at beach when I was leading Archie in to get his feet wet. They have kept my feet exceptionally dry. No water has gotten in and the boots have not been effected at all from being submerged. Major plus! I also have been riding in my Kity Lake Yard Boots almost every day and they are actually a joy to ride in. I don't notice much difference from them and my field boots.

Overall I give these boots an A++ and I would recommend them to any equestrian, but not only riders - any one who spends time in the outdoors! I can not tell you how many compliments I have received on how good these boots look. They are the ultimate in function and fashion, without losing an arm in the cost.

Thanks, Equestrian Clearance! You can "Like" them on Facebook too :)

Archies' Lesson Journal: Episode 1 Dec 2011

2011-12-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start a journal of my lessons with Archie. Something I can use to easily look back at what we have worked on and learned over the years. We are doing back to back lessons once a month for dressage as my coach only comes down my way that often. Jumping lessons should commence in the New Year.

It feels good to be back in lessons. I hadn't been lessoning all summer because my jumper coach was always coaching elsewhere when I could schedule a lesson, and I couldn't afford the lessons with the dressage coach I wanted to work with. There were no other options in my area I trusted to work with with Archie. Now that show season has winded to a halt, I have some extra funds to focus towards lessons. I enjoy lessons as much as I enjoy competing. Even more so when I have a competent instructor who I actually learn from.

Having watched my moms lessons all last year I knew I really liked Daphnes teaching style and the steady improvment my mom was making was reassuring. I also knew Daphne had trained a Thoroughbred to Grand Prix and competed succesfully with it. I knew I needed a coach who could understand my horse. Riding and training a Thoroughbred is just so different from riding and training a warmblood.

We worked in the first lesson strictly on Archies rhythm. Keeping the same one-two beat for the entire ride. I was told to sit heavy and deep if I wanted to slow Archie down. Make him trot to my beat using my posting only. It worked. We then worked on having Archie learn to accept the leg, and not run off from it. I did walk and trot circles, pressing him over with the inside leg to spiral out, then using the outside leg to spiral him in. I did this and only this for a month. I am not to worry about Archies head carriage at all. Archie does not have good balance at this point and needs to learn to balance on his own and not with my hands.

There was a noticeable improvement in his balance and rhythm in this lesson. I was able to ask him for more trot and he is bringing his head into a nice frame on his own. It will still be a few months until he is able to have self carriage and hold a steady frame with out balancing on my hands for support. Doing things this way and correcting him will mean he can go a lot further in his training down the road.

I have basically learned how to ride Archie and get what I need to from him, but what we need to do is retrain him so he can be ridden like a normal horse. This way we will be able to get much more out of him, and he will eventually learn to relax and accept the leg and hand. This lesson we worked at the trot. I asked Archie to move away from my inside leg to carry himself straight. When I did this he would bulge with his outside shoulder so I was to hold the outside rein and move his shoulder back so he was straight. When he does this correctly I give a scratch and praise. Daphne explained he needs to learn the diagonal aids - outside rein - inside leg. He needs to find comfort in the outside rein. This exercise works very well when he becomes tense. As soon as I feel tension, I ask him to move away from my right leg. When he does I release the leg immediately and ask his outside shoulder to move back onto the straight (of the circle). As soon as he does this he relaxes and breathes out. Eventually, this will be the aid we give when we need to relax Archie.

Archie is learning to find comfort in the circle. This is sort of like a security blanket for him. I ask him to move down the long side but I take the first step of the circle. I continue to ride that line down the wall (otherwise known as shoulder-in). They key is to not hold the inside rein. This is outside rein, with inside leg. This is the hardest thing for me, not using my inside rein. Archie and I have learnt to compromise with this inside rein. Wehn Archie tenses I simply put him back on a circle. Move him over with my inside leg and he relaxes into my outside rein. Once he is relaxed I continue onto the long side in shoulder-in. We repeated this exercise several times. This exercise will build, straightness, strength, and eventually teach Archie to fins comfort in these more difficult movements.

We did a little bit of canter work focusing on the same principles. Archie was not responsive to the half halt so I was instructed to halt immediately if he did not come back for me. Once I pick up canter again try the half halt. Did it work? If it did then release and let him canter. If not then we halt again. Release at the halt also. He must learn that giving the reins is not an aid to move forward. The leg is the aid to move forward. This is my homework for the next month until my next back-to-back lesson weekend.

I also have some of it video'd:

Pretty excited to learn how to ride my horse properly <3

December Kick - Off ! (Getting in the Spirit :) )

2011-12-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

Sooo good lookin'.

November was absolutely amazing weather wise, and so far we have been very lucky in December too. My mom and I had a dressage lesson today, and another one tomorrow. This is a new coach for me (this is my second lesson with her) and she has really changed things for me and Archie already. Finally, someone who can teach me how to TRAIN my horse to go properly, relax, and be normal, instead of just how to ride him and deal with it!

Archie waiting - impatiently.

Faking good behaviour.

Archie was absolutely super and since we are going back tomorrow, we get to make sure what we learnt sticks. Then I have a months worth of homework to do before she comes down again next month! My moms horse is going really well also, but she always does!

Learning that half halt is called halft halt - and not half walk, for a reason.

Gorgeous arena.

After we got home Jesse and took the dogs for a hike in the back trails to pick out my Christmas Tree for the barn. There are so many cute trees I always see when I'm out hacking and last time I went out I spotted a few that would be really sweet for the barn.

A man with a purpose.

Brewster is unimpressed!

Showing his hatred of posing by sticking his tongue out!

We found some antlers that have dropped off a buck. He must have lost these to make room for new ones. We have a lot of deer on our property. I think they come here to hide from all the hunters :) I took them home, I want to make something out of them, or put them somewhere...not sure what yet.

a 6 point right there!

He wanted to eat them - not wear them.

We continued on and found the perfect tree! Jesse dug it up and also a smaller one for in the house. These trees were so precious and perfect for Christmas. I am going to put them in planters and if they survive until spring we are going to plant them in the yard by the house.

The chosen one.

The bling!

I cut the roots down and put it in a planter with some very good soil. We'll see what happens over the next little while.

Once the tree was planted, I took the solar Christmas lights we have hanging by the pool and decorated the tree. To-da!!

So - this tree sits outside our barn entrance. Nothing too elaborate but the solar lights keep it from getting too scary at night and is helping put me in the Christmas spirit. I don't want to put anything else on it as it has been really windy and I figure it will all just blow away, meaning I have to spend an hour picking up everything off the yard. It's supposed to be 10 degrees (50 f ) tomorrow and normally we would be about -5 with snow, we need all the help we can get to get in the "mood" for Christmas this year!

Broo: "WANT!"

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering The Gwen

2011-11-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Gwen was my Catahoula Leopard dog, who my mom took in after quickly learning she hated city life. She became an incredible farm dog, and sadly last year was struck, and killed on the road on a very erie misty morning. The world was just not strong enough to contain Gwennie! She was truly something special.

We always miss you Gwennie!

Frustration Station - All Aboard

2011-11-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Frustration. "A common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more the frustration is likely to be. Causes of frustration may be internal or external. In people, internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. Conflict can also be an internal source of frustration; when one has competing goals that interfere with one another, it can create cognitive dissonance. External causes of frustration involve conditions outside an individual, such as a blocked road or a difficult task. While coping with frustration, some individuals may engage in passive–aggressive behaviour, making it difficult to identify the original cause(s) of their frustration, as the responses are indirect."

This is what I feel at this moment. You know that feeling when you are working with a green horse and you take two steps forward, and take one step back? I hatttte that step back. I am taking a few steps back. I decided to go back to square one with William. I thought long and hard about his scootie butt - try to buck move and decided there was a training block missing somewhere. He goes great once he gets going and does not do the scoot nor attempt to buck, but getting on and starting off is always a bit sketchy. I don't like that sketchy. I don't like being the most nervous that I might die at the beginning of the ride. Kind of takes all the joy out of it. And trust me, I am NOT a nervous rider. I just stress a little bit over whether or not I am wrecking a perfectly good baby. Perfectionist some may say. Neurotic, I say.

By chance - or fate you may say, my old John Lyons book - Lyons on Horses appeared the other day. I started reading and realized my thoughts were probably right, that William is missing some key building blocks in his training. He is flinchy, he is insecure, and not trusting. He is a good boy and stands still but I can see nervousness in his eyes. I am taking the steps back and following the John Lyons way. I have been sacking him out for the last week and it's been going pretty well. I can rub him all over with many things; towels, saddle pads, coats, and even giant plastic bags (you know the kind horse blankets come in).

My western saddle concoction.

What IS this thing?!?

Alright I will accept this...for now.

We graduated from the sacking out and moved onto the saddling. I decided to go western for this and have been using the western saddle. I have been saddling and unsaddling, saddling and unsaddling. Standing on the mounting block and saddling and unsaddling. Saddling and tying scary things to the saddle and making him walk around the arena with all this contraption on. Things were going really well. I had not seen the scootie butt - almost buck in 2 weeks....that is, until tonight.

I stand perfectly by the mounting block now :)

Since he was being such a good boy I planned on moving onto the mounting and unmounting - repeat - portion of the training. My mom was riding in the arena while I was in there tonight and I think that gave big Willy an opportunity to pretend he forgot all about his special training. I started him out how I have been with rubbing him all over with the saddle pad and letting him relax. I put the saddle on and let him relax. I tightened the girth and let him relax. I asked him to walk forward and BOOM! Bronc horse wanna be scooting his butt and almost running me over. I stopped him, reassured him, and repeated the process. He did it again the second time but much less effort. By the third time I unsaddled him and saddled him he just walked away completely relaxed and no bucks.

Who me? I'm a good boy :)

I guess we aren't quite ready for the mounting - unmounting portion. It is so frustrating when you think you are improving so much and then you have a night like this. I just keep telling myself that last spring I couldn't even get Archie to go over a jump, and look where he is now. I need to whip out the patience and take as much time as it does to make sure William is comfortable and confident before I get on his back again. There is no rush, and no need to ruin a perfectly good horse. If we do it right, it will be great when we get there. :)

Patience, forever! xx

Happy Third Blogiversary to A Filly's Best Friend!

2011-11-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

Amidst all the drama rolling around my parts these days, today is the day my blog turns 3! I have never really kept track of the start date before but I am going to start now. No time like the present! There were a few times in there where I took a hiatus from writing here. Whether it be from personal business, no time, or just no internet connection, I continually find myself coming back here. I foresee no hiatus's in my future. I am enjoying writing more now than ever and really appreciate having somewhere to express my thoughts, adventures, photos and videos.

I began to think what I would do without blogging. I would definitely spend more time being bored, going out is inevitable. With going out comes drinking, and with drinking comes spending money. I just may have turned into a poor drunk if it weren't for blogging. I wouldn't have the inspiration in life I get from all the blogs I follow and read daily. I might just feel a little lost.

I read all sorts of blogs. Horse blogs, dog blogs, funny blogs, creative blogs, writing blogs. My blog is sort of a mash of all these things, but I think it represents my personality well. Looking forward, I hope to write a bit more often than I do, and share more of my experiences. I am really hoping to get a better camera in the new year and have a lot more and better quality photos.

I want to thank everyone who stops by to take a look at A Filly's Best Friend. It never ceases to put a smile on my face when there are new comments, or I get to comment on other blogs. I feel lucky to have such a great community to share all my passions with. Here is to many more late nights of blogging!

XXxx

Where Friendship Ends and the Doormat Begins

2011-11-27T22:06:00.000-05:00

They just want me to support them. Support their decisions in life. (Not the greatest decisions in my eyes). I am a good person. I bend over backwards for my friends, go out of my way to help them, to help strangers. I always put others before myself. I do it to help people out, and because I like to be a generous person and be there when needed. I enjoy it. I know I would appreciate it if I needed help and someone was there for me. I have been that person before, and have met some amazing people who have helped me through times when all I needed was a lending hand.

At what point, do you stop being a good person, a reliable friend, and become a door mat? How many times can you go out of your way to be there for someone before they take that for granted and it becomes expected? How about those times when you want a friend, need a friend, and that person you have supported through all those times turns their back on you because they have something better to do? At what point do I stop being the good friend, the reliable shoulder, and stop wasting my time with those who are so unappreciative?

Why is it that there are certain events in life where everyone expects you to be agreeable and supportive? This all stems back to me expressing my opinion the other day. Yeah, I said what I actually WANTED to say and they didn't like it. Now they just want "my support".

Why should we support things in life that we don't agree with. Because it's the "right" thing to do? Says who? We have to be there and comfort those who are making bad choices in life BY CHOICE. We have to support welfare cases who eat up our tax dollars and what do they give back to us? To anyone? I am supposed to be happy people are doing stupid ass things because if I don't - then I'm a bitch. Well you know what, in that case, I guess I'm a bitch. Better than being an enabler.

I'm so tired of being told to "be the bigger person", or that I should push my feelings aside and "just be there to support them". Why am I the one who has to shove all my feelings and opinions aside? I am not asking these people to take my advice, I am just expressing my opinion and why I can not support their decisions. Is everyone happier burying their head in the sand to avoid the uncomfortable outcome that may occur? Are we really happier to watch everything to go to hell over the next few years and pick up all the pieces then? Regardless of what the situation is, I am tired of myself and all of the others out there who are the constant supporters getting grief for choosing to not be there for someone, because they are standing up for what they believe in. Why are we the bad guys when we trust our gut?

I have gotten where I am today because of my hard work, good friendships, and believing in myself. If you give nothing back in this world, you will not get very far. If you are constantly looking for support, and just take take take, you will run out of people who are willing to give. I will never turn my back on a friend, but friendship to me is not a one-way street.

Xxx

Last Saturday Night...

2011-11-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

TGIS? Wow, last Saturday night was quite a time. I say that for a few reasons. Reason number one being it was the OHTA (Ontario Horse Trials Association) Awards Banquet, and reason number two being that I drank somewhere between 7-10 glasses of both red and white wine and well, the ride home was quite a ride.

Let me just say that I was really REALLY excited to go to the banquet since I have never been, and also for the fact that I knew I was getting an award but I wasn't sure of what exactly. I was a little nervous too, since I didn't know anyone else going and I get anxiety in public situations sometimes. Enter the wine.

I love wine, I really really love wine. I drink wine on a regular basis and a bottle is nothing for me to drink on a Friday night and get up Saturday and feel completely fine. We had 2 bottles of wine on our table and we were sitting alone for the first bit of the night...so the bottles were fair game. I had several glasses and felt great. After dinner, they had a presentation by Jessica Phoenix who told her story of her Gold medal experience at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara. She brought her medals and passed them around all the tables. They were really heavy! Jessica is the most amazingly humble woman, and noted that 15 years ago she was winning the Training Junior award at this very banquet and that everyone should be proud of their awards no matter where they are at. It all has to start somewhere. So very true.

The awards came and Archie and I were 3rd overall for the Entry division in Ontario for 2011. I can't explain how it felt to have some recognition of far we have come this year, and how proud I am of Archie and myself for making it out there this year! On top of that, we won the top Thoroughbred award for our division and a $100 cheque came with it. I think I was more excited about this award because of my love for Thoroughbreds and Archie representing the off the track Thoroughbred community.

Shortly after the awards the dance started, and we headed home. We drove about 3 hours to the banquet and it was getting late (and I was getting very drunk). I didn't realize just how drunk I was until I stood up and started walking around. Good thing we were heading home. I passed out as soon as we got in the car...but the fun wasn't over. I woke up about 30 minutes after and spent the entire rest of the ride getting sick in my car. A nice little celebration present to myself. I spent the next day comatose in bed.

The moral of the story is; when celebrations are in order, don't drink 2 bottles of wine simply because they are there waiting to be drank.

Also, if you persevere, you can achieve your goals.

I'm off booze for a while I think :)

Wordless Wednesday Winter Welcome Edition

2011-11-23T21:59:00.001-05:00

First snow fall/ice storm of the year!

I Have An Opinion

2011-11-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

On almost everything... I have continuously struggled in my adult hood to know when to offer my opinion, and when to keep it to myself. I hate to think I am a know - it - all, but realize I might come across that way to some people. In reality I like to offer my opinion because I am genuinely trying to help, and think I can through personal experiences I have gone through on my own. You see once upon a time my life was pretty chaotic. I have had some major blows, made some major mistakes, and climbed my way back up to where I am now. I have gained a lot of things I have always strived for and I attribute that to learning from my mistakes - and the help of close family and friends. I sometimes think I would hate to see someone go through all the pain and stress I have on occasion to get to the place they need to be. I would like to just tell them - there is a way to skip it all if you would just listen to what I'm saying. No one ever does. It's human nature.

When you express your opinion and that person does not want to hear what you particularly have to say, you can create some major conflict. This is what I did today. How do you know when to speak up; and when you just need to shut your mouth and mind your own business? I have really been struggling lately watching people who are close to me making seriously bad choices. Do they think they are bad choices? No, I do. What gives me the right to judge their situation and make an opinion on the matter, and then go ahead and relay that opinion to them? I don't think I have the right to. I just think I HAVE to, because I want something to smack these people back into reality and get their heads on straight. Do they appreciate this? No. Why oh why do I do it?

Back in those days when I had some interesting times, I had a close friend who one day voiced his very strong opinion to me about one of the choices I was making with my life. I didn't want to hear it, but I knew inside he was right. He and my roommate both sat me down and told me to smarten up, stop being blinded and see that I have become a different person and I NEED to make a change NOW. I saw the truth in their eyes, they were genuinely worried for me. I never felt mad at them for expressing their opinion about a certain someone to me. I appreciated their honesty and how much they cared to tell me. I changed my life forever that day and still thank them in my heart for that.

I find it impossible to sit on the sidelines and watch my friends make decisions that I know are bad bad bad and going to cause nothing but heartache and ruined lives. Sometimes I speak up, sometimes I don't. Today I did and I may have lost a friend forever. I am not trying to get people to do things I want them to do, just trying to show them the situation they are in and how it effects the people around them and the hard truths they will eventually have to face. If that makes me a bad person then I guess I am. I am only trying to be a friend and protect them.

I guess people need to learn these things for themselves, and go through the lesson on their own to learn from it. It's just so hard to sit by and watch.

William Week 3

2011-11-11T21:26:00.001-05:00

Time for an update on William! William has been going under saddle for about 2 1/12 weeks now. I probably have around 12 or 13 rides total on him by now and we have progressed to walking, trotting, changing direction across the diagonal.

Things are going pretty well. The story behind William is that my friend started him under saddle and it just didn't go so well. She had a few bad rides and then sort of lost motivation to work with him. She has several other horses and didn't feel a connection with William, so he was put at the back of the to-do list.

Basically, he tried to buck her off and when she pulled his head up he whipped it up and smacked her in the face. Then he freaked out and she went off, he fell down and just laid there. That was one of the incidents. Another incident involved him broncing down the aisle way when he was being tacked up. She thinks he might have a cold back and let me know all this before I agreed to take him. He is very unsure and a bit nervous of everything, but he seems to internalize that fear and just stand very still with wide eyes. You can see this in the pictures.

love his light nose highlights.

Things have been going well. He does do what I like to refer as the "scootie butt", where he scoots and acts like he is about to buck, but I pull him up or kick him forward to stop it. I have been using a De Gouge on him which I think has been the key to success for this guy. The De Gouge prevents him from throwing his head up, but allows him to keep his natural head carriage. It only puts pressure on the poll when he raises his head. It became evident this would work the first time I rode him. He scooted his butt under him to buck, I grabbed the reins, he threw his head up but could not do much with the De gouge on. He stopped immediately. Survival. Score.

Most of our rides start out with a few tries of the scootie butt, but he quickly relaxes and we get into a nice groove. I have just been letting him move forward and figure his own balance out, working on keeping a nice consistent rhythm. I have two videos, one is from the first ride, and the other from last week.

Isn't he cute??!

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

2011-11-09T08:32:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we headed to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair downtown Toronto to watch the indoor eventing and do some shopping. Let's not forget to also check out all the animals and neat showcases they have!

The entrance to the coloseum

Saddlebred in the horse feature ring.

The Master leaves his mark at the OHTA booth.

Trying on new hats for the barn!

Fjord pony in the showcase ring.

Large veggies.

HUGE!

Jabba the pumpkin.

Add caption

Butter sculptures.

Archies favorite display Im sure.

I want one!

Actually I think this would be Archies favorite...

LOVE this llama!

Petting zoo.

Jersey love.

Weird shaped veggie competition.

Wool judgeing

I also posted a bunch of videos over on my other blog from the show! Neighlix. Until next year :)

Hickstead - We Will Miss You Always

2011-11-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

I will never forget that summer day in 2008. I was at work, streaming live the final round for the individual Olympic show jumping medals in Beijing. My heart was absolutely racing, suspense reeling me, but I couldn't bare to look away. I knew inside that Hickstead would not let me, or any of the Canadians watching down, and he didn't. He never did. I had tears that day watching the most amazing horse I had ever seen, come together with the most talented rider I have ever seen, make history. Canada had never won a gold medal in show jumping, until that moment. That was one of many, record breaking days for Eric and Hickstead.

Hicksteads success was not so much a surprise to me, as it was only a matter of time before Eric came into the greatness he was always destined for. I have always been a huge admirer of Eric. Even before Hickstead, when there were all those troubles, I was his biggest fan and supporter. I knew he was an incredible horseman, and he just needed the right horse to get him where he could be. Hickstead was that horse.

Hickstead came into Erics life when he was 7. The unconventional type some might say; too small, too hot, too unmanageable under saddle. None of this, was too much for Eric. Eric took what he had and turned it into the unbeatable, unbelievable, unforgettable, Hickstead. Hickstead was a champion, there is no doubt about that. It is not the loss of a champion that has devastated the horse world though, it is the sympathy we feel for Eric and for all those who love Hickstead, who have supported team Lamaze from the beginning.

How can you begin to breathe again when you lose your horse, your partner, your best friend? When you have come from the depths of anguish and no one believed you could do it. When critics would do whatever they could to prevent you from getting there, when you have beat all olds and become the absolute number one in the world. How do you get up in the morning knowing that one thing that has turned your whole world around for the better, isn't there anymore?

I guess I am hurting more from the loss of Hickstead than I can explain. I want Eric to know that the entire horse world is crying for him over this loss. Hickstead brought our equestrian community together again. He gave us all hope that no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, we can achieve our dreams. Never lose hope, never stop believing in yourself, and never, ever, give up. We may never see another Hickstead in our lifetimes, but we will see Eric at the top. That is where he belongs.

Stay strong Eric, and all those who love Hickstead. He is in horse heaven, where the pastures are eternal, and the days are made of clouds and carrots. You are a legend Hickstead, thank you for showing us there are no limits to what we can achieve, when you truly love.

Champions are not made, they are born with greatness. Equestrian champions are even rarer, as man and horse must find each other and see the same dream. My heros. R.I.P Hickstead

Some tribute videos on Neighflix.

Happy November!

2011-11-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

I spent my Sunday judging a local schooling show, my first time judging! I will say, it is definitely not an easy job, especially at the lower levels with most of the riders being beginners and having it be their first show. This was an in house show at a stable not far from my house, with over 30 kids riding! The lady who runs the place was a big eventer when I was younger. She gave me a call to see if I would be interested in judging, so I thought I would give it a try. In the over fences classes, all the riders got to do an unjudged round and I gave them feedback on how to improve their ride. It ran really well, the weather held out for us, and the kids all seemed to have a great day. I want to add that all of the schoolies and riders horses were amazingly behaved all day.

At the end of the day they had a costume class, just in time for Hallowe'en!

3 Musketeers

Hula Pony

The Pony JR is actually wearing a grass skirt.

Native American

Pinata! My favorite

Stunning details

Gypsy girl and pony.

Bride and groom.

Crowd favorite, Icabob Crane

On Saturday afternoon my friends came over for a hack, and after they left Jesse and I took a walk in the woods with a couple of the dogs. We have this creepy well hole....we wanted to look down it and see how far it went. Luckily, it was full of water. Unluckily, it stunk the high hell.

Gavin

Somehow my log jump has been turned the wrong way!

Spooky woods! Love it!

Happy Broo Broo in the back of the truck,

All in all a great Hallowe'en weekend! Looking forward to a busy November :)

Wordless Wednesday - Apple Tree Edition

2011-10-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

Vote For Broo at the Fido Casting Call!!

2011-10-24T14:04:00.001-04:00

I have entered Broo in the Fido Casting Call. Broo is the absolute perfect poster boy. He has a unique, quirkey look and tonnes of personality. He also LOVES to talk, which is what FIDO is all about. You can click the picture to see our entry page, and if you like, you can vote for Broo! You can vote once a day until the contest ends on November 17th. Also, every vote donates $1 to a good dog cause! So vote away (for Broo or whoever you like) :)

Vote for Broo!

Beach Day!

2011-10-23T23:26:00.000-04:00

My mom and I went for a beach ride this afternoon. The weather was perfect, it was a most glorious October day. Both our horses have come so far in the last year, they were both very relaxed and having fun on the beach together.

Mom had to get her feet wet to get Ace in the water...

Stunning beachery!

Mom and Ace - Trail pros now

I like this shot.

Archie was brave enough to go in this time!

making faces :)

I love fall! I hope it stays extra long this year :)

William After Week 1

2011-10-23T02:38:00.000-04:00

I thought I would do a weekly update of how my new guy William is coming along, so I can look back over the months/years and reflect on what we have done. If you recall, he looked like this when he first arrived;

Day 1

Since then he has had his feet done, been wormed a double dose, and I have re-backed him and ridden him a handful of times. I will talk more about that later, but for now I want to show you the video from the first and only time I went to see William before I got him.

My friend was the one who gave him to me. She just has too many horses, and not enough time. She has quite a few youngsters that need to be started and William was just not on her priority list. She has backed him but had a few bad happenings and it sort of put him at the bottom of the motivation list. She starts horses for the track on the side, and with that, a full time job, and her other babies she just didn't feel like she had the ambition to work through Williams issues, so she offered him to me. I went to see him and took some footage. Here is the video;

What you don't see in the video are the first few jumps William took which were ever BIGGER, and he lifted his end end so high he was practically vertical to the ground. I looked at my friend and said, "HOW do you even ride a jump like that?!" LOL. What I really liked was his super duper abnormal quiet nature. He lives outside, has had a few months work on the lounge a few months back but that is it. He's dragged out of the field, thrown over some 4' fences and thinks nothing of it. He has a nice natural gait, a great eye for a stride and pace, and of course, his ridiculous carefulness. You just can't train that type of form over fences. Needless to say I decided I would take him then and there.

So he has been here about two weeks and this is what he is looking like now;

Week 2

Much improved already! I have video from my first ride on him which I will share on the next update! Going to be a fun winter :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T08:04:00.000-04:00

"Dinky", the cutest dog in Santa Lucia Cuba.

NeighFlix

2011-10-17T22:08:00.000-04:00

I was bored searching around on YouTube the other night and got an idea for another blog. I have started my second blog, calling it "NeighFlix". The idea of this blog is just to have a huge library of horsey videos that I like and want to share. Every day I will post one or two videos relating to absolutely all types of equines. Competitions, training, funny, inspirational, all disciplines and breeds will be show cased. I want it to be the sort of the place you go on a daily basis to get a dose of horse videos without having to search around on YouTube, or even worse, get stuck on there for hours like I sometimes do.

Go on over and check it out, tell your friends! Also, if you know of any good videos to feature let me know and I share them there.

Happy Monday everyone!

Blog The Change - Aviva Community Fund - Building Spaces: Teaching Children Compassion for Animals

2011-10-15T17:42:00.000-04:00

Today is the Blog The Change, this is my first time participating and what better cause for me to support but one that encompasses my career and my love of animals, and passion to protect them and educate society. The Insurance company AVIVA has a competition for people to try and win money for their "cause". I chose a local cause which has been entered by the sister brokerage of the brokerage my mom works for. The Lennox and Addington Humane Society and George Grant Insurance are working together to teach children compassion for animals. You can visit the AVIVA Community Fund and Vote for their cause, helping them win the funds to complete their dream.

We all know what the Humane Society can do for animals in the community, let's support one of the greatest organizations out there who find homes for abandoned and unwanted animals, and give them a second chance.

To learn more about Blog The Change, visit their website http://btc4animals.com/blog-the-change/. Or, join the conversation on Twitter; BtC4Animals, Jealoushe.

We've Come A Long Way Baby - Touch A Rainbow Fall Horse Trials

2011-10-13T23:22:00.000-04:00

Much improved style.

We certainly have made improvements over the summer, from our first event of the year at Touch A Rainbow. We went back to the show grounds for their fall addition. Archie has completely changed into a mature show horse, standing quietly by the trailer all day, not sweating or demanding to walk in circles. A far cry from the shaking sweat out scared beast he was only a few months ago.

We put in our best dressage test of the year. I switched him over to a drop noseband and I think he is a lot more comfortable in it. Although we had a good test (minus our attempt to walk), we got a total crap score. In fact, the same score we got at the first event of the year. How that is ever possible I will never know. Watch both the videos to compare and tell me I'm not crazy in thinking there is a huge
improvement.

Aside from this, Archie was fabulous and jumped clear in both the stadium and cross country. His stadium was still very energetic but not nearly as explosive as it has been. It was a big improvement, and it keeps improving every outing which is very promising. We ended up in 7th out of 15 riders. The improvement in Archies temperament and confidence at the shows has been uplifting and a huge relief. I feel like the hard part is over this year. Just seeing if he can go out and DO it. Now we know he can, and this winter we are going to train, train, train, and be ready for bigger and better results next year. Go Archie!

Mixing Business With Pleasure...

2011-10-12T12:45:00.000-04:00

Last week I took the day off to spend the day with my mom and some insurance company reps. Sounds very boring right? Wrong! My moms friend who works for one of the Companies used to ride hunters and exercise racehorses, however she quit riding years and years ago. My mom offered to take her riding the next time she was in town, so we made plans to go for a nice trail ride.

Since our horses aren't exactly beginner friendly, and Archie is having a few weeks off to rest after his busy show season, we were lucky enough to be offered to ride my moms other friend Kims horses. Kim has many lovely Appaloosas who are all impeccibly trained. I myself got the ride on her pony, Tuffy (who is my new favorite pony ever!!). Tuffy is a paint, with two beautiful blue eyes and a typical pony personality.

We were blessed with an absolute gorgeous October day. The temperatures were in the 20's, it was sunny and warm. We started off into the woods and through a local conservation pond where they have built embankments you can ride or walk on.

Dixie, 4 year old Appy mare.

Absolutely stunning day!

Very interesteing vegitation around the marsh, I love these ones.

Tuffster into the jungle...

The first water crossing....Tuffy was great with water, my mom had to unfortunately get her feet wet to get Ace into the creek, but she did go right in with her leading her!

Sun kissed bean field.

Mum and Ace

Approaching a sod farm...oh so tempting!

This was a steep bank into the water. My mom led Ace through this also, and almost got run down in the process...it was pretty funny actually. They made it across unscathed.

Some very Canadian landscape.

Grabbing a snack along the way.

Love at first sight.

3 hours later and still don't want to get off!

We successfully got the riding bug back into Lindseys life. She wants to take up weekly riding lessons again. I guess not ALL work days are bad. :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-10-09T14:27:00.000-04:00

Today is my 28th birthday. This has been a great year of getting my life back on track, and everything has been slowly but surely falling into place. My greatest achievements were making it through my first year of marriage (1st anniversary 2 days ago), and finally being able to get out eventing full time this summer, with Archie at that. It really has been a fabulous summer.

For my birthday I decided to get myself a nice present, a winter project if you will. The best part about my present is that it was given to me from a good friend of mine with the whopping price tag of FREE. I know what they say, never trust a free horse, but my instinct is saying go for this one. Oops, did I give away the surprise? :) Without further ado, I introduce the newest member to our family, William.

He's just turned 4.

Sure he's scragly....

Sure he has a massive wormy looking belly...

sure he is majorly in need of a trim...

and sure he has no muscle tone or training whatsoever...

But he's got a great pedigree....

An adorable face....

An enormous appetite...

and a very kind and quiet temperament.

With a little grooming....

and lots of love....

he just could be something really special...

and boy you should see this little guy JUMP! He's 3/4 Thoroughbred and 1/4 Trakehner, registered part Trakehner with the ATA. His sire is Tagaelen, a very nice looking guy here in Ontario. So this is my winter project, if he works out then I will have another potential event horse on my hands, and if he doesn't go that route I may end up selling him down the road. I have a feeling he will be staying for a while though :)

Found this guy in the field...

Big Mike.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family! XX