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Showing posts from November, 2011

"How Good Riders Get Good"

Denny Emerson's book How Good Riders Get Good is a must-read for any equestrian. People who are new to horses, and those that have been riding for years will gain valuable insight from Denny. Personally, I enjoyed his straightforward writing style, and his obvious knowledge and wisdom about horses, horsemanship and so many of the disciplines we all participate in. Reading How Good Riders Get Good was more like having a conversation (although one-sided!) with Denny. My favorite parts of the book were where he used personal riding experiences to highlight a particular point. For those of you unfamiliar with Denny, he grew up in New England, won a gold medal with the United States Eventing team, won a Tevis buckle in the 100-mile Western States Endurance Race, with all sorts of other equestrian accomplishments in between. In addition to Denny, there are also interviews with other good riders - explaining their journey to the top (because as Denny points out - we are all individua

CT Morgan's Turkey Trot

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Last week, I helped Connecticut Morgan Horse Association (CMHA) with their Annual Turkey Trot at Bluff Point in Groton, Connecticut. You could not have asked for better weather - it was sunny and warm, and I think everyone had a great time. I know I did! The money we raised through registration fees at the Turkey Trot funds CMHA's Sue Brander Sport Horse Scholarship. To find out more about CMHA, visit their website!

The English Countryside

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I've always wanted to visit England. When I was traveling with the National FFA Organization, we went to Scotland, Ireland and France, but missed England. Its on my to-do list. I've also always wanted to go on a horseback riding vacation, thats on my to-do list too. Today, Secret and I made our own little "English Riding Adventure." We were riding through one of the fields, and came across some of my grandfather's sheep, who were also enjoying the unusually warm and sunny November morning. It took them a little while to notice us, I was trying to sneak closer to get a better picture, but then we scared them. The surprising part of meeting the sheep, was that Secret was not afraid of them. She checked the other pasture, to be sure the cows were not out, and then gamely walked toward the sheep. The sheep were not so convinced, and took off. We let them go. For a couple seconds there, I pretended we were riding through the English Countryside instead of at ho

Happy Thankgiving!

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I hope that everyone has a very happy and safe Thanksgiving with their friends and family. I think this time of year spurs everyone to reflect on the past year, and what we are thankful for. Today I am thankful for: - My wonderful horses, they are athletic and talented, but also have great personalities! I am very lucky to have three horses to ride. - My family and awesome friends. Without the support of everyone, I would not be able to achieve many of my dreams. - I am thankful that my parents have a barn where I can keep my horses (otherwise I couldn't have them) and that they take care of my horses when I am off on adventures. - It goes without saying that I am glad to be healthy! Knock on wood, I will keep cancer as a distant memory! - 2011 has been a year of adventure for me. I rode my horse in Acadia National Park, went whitewater kayaking in Montana again with First Descents , and ran the two-hundred mile Colorado Relay on the First Descents All-Camper team. Plus I rode

Jersey Devil Part 4

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On Friday night, only two people had slept in the bunkhouse at the gun club. Saturday night, the bunkhouse, with around 30 beds, was filled. I was one of the people who moved inside! Sunday morning dawned with a clear sky; you could see all of the stars. I went out to feed the horses at six and they were both happy and dry in the trailer. Later in the morning, we headed over to the vets to trot-in for the 25-mile ride. Both horses were cleared to go. As we tacked up, John had the strangest expression on his face. He was pretty sure we should be headed home. We never rode two days in a row at a competition. We rode out of camp around 9 am, and knowing we were doing the same 25 miles we had ridden on Saturday, made it pretty low stress for Meg and I. The fact that the sun was out and it was not raining did wonders for our spirits. The trails still had decent footing. Of course, there were tons of puddles, but we could trot along with few issues. I could tell John was tired, not

Jersey Devil Part 3

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The picture was taken on Sunday - you can see how nice the trails were. Now imagine those with the weather report below! Because of the winter storm and our southern location, the weather we were seeing was interesting to say the least. It was a mixture of cold rain, freezing rain and hail. At one point I looked down at John’s mane and there were ice balls covering the top. I glanced over at Minnie and her mane was also covered in ice. We kept riding. After 15 miles out on the trail, we arrived back at the gun club for the 20-minute hold. We pulsed down and did our trot outs immediately after arriving back at camp. I was worried that when we started standing still, John would get cold again and have problems. Both of the horses got through the vet check fine, we threw their other blankets on over the tops of their rump rugs and tack, and they stood there eating hay. Meg and I stood there for twenty minutes shivering. One of the volunteers, a veteran rider, brought us chicken so

Jersey Devil Part 2

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For those of you in New England or the Northeast, I think it is important for met to note that the dates of the Jersey Devil were October 29th and 30th. The weekend of the snowstorm. The picture of Meg's truck was taken after we had finished riding Saturday. The rain started on Friday night/Saturday morning between 2 and 4 AM. When I got out of bed at 6 Saturday morning, the horses were both wet, but seemed okay. I fed them and watered them and they seemed perky. I checked John’s blanket and it had soaked through, but his hair was dry. I decided to take it off, figuring he would be okay. I came back awhile later and he was shivering! I felt awful. I quickly layered him up in the anti-sweat sheet (to let the wet hair breathe) and then a waterproof winter blanket on top of that. I wondered whether I should pull him from the ride – he was really shivering and we needed to ride out in awhile. I threw more hay at him, trying to get him warm and kept a really close eye on him.

Jersey Devil Part 1

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The first picture is of a truck we followed for awhile before getting to ride camp in Pemberton, New Jersey. No, the road was not tilted, this truck was just slightly broken and slightly overloaded. He didn't move very fast. The final two pictures are of the cranberry bogs we passed on the way into ride camp. After the Maine 25 ride, I was feeling bummed that our competitive trail ride season was over. It felt too short. I missed the Fryeburg ride in July when they cancelled it due to minimal entries. I skipped the Stamford Stampede in August to visit family, assuming I would be riding at Fryeburg two weeks earlier. I intentionally skipped VERDA, thinking that I would be riding at Tessier the next weekend. Then John jumped a stonewall, making himself lame and we missed Tessier. With all of this rummaging through my brain, I pulled out the ride calendar to stew over it one more time. The only rides left on the calendar were in New Jersey – the Jersey Devil Competitive Tra

Quarter Sheets

As winter weather approaches (maybe not this week, but it is coming) I wanted to take a moment and share my thoughts on quarter sheets. For those of you not familiar with them, quarter sheets are a partial blanket that cover the horses hindquarters while you are riding them in the colder months. They are great for keeping the muscles warm and allowing the horse to perform to the best of their ability. In some advertisements, you see riders with the quarter sheet covering the rider's legs as well. I heard a personal account from a rider, that has led me to advise against this situation. This particular rider was riding with the quarter sheet over her legs - there is velcro to attach it. Her usually reliable horse spooked, and she knew she was going to fall off. However, since the quarter sheet was around her legs/waist, she had a few precarious seconds before the velcro let go, when she was not sure how the fall was going to go. My advice to any of you who ride with quarter shee

2nd Annual Turkey Trot

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Connecticut Morgan Horse Association is hosting their 2nd Annual Turkey Trot next Sunday, November 20th at Bluff Point State Park in Groton. This is a fun trail ride, bundle up and come join us! The trail at Bluff Point is between four and five miles, with some ocean views. Coffee and lunch are provided and there are some fun prize donations again this year. Prizes include: - Morgan hitch covers and stickers from American Morgan Horse Association - A necklace, stall name card, stationary etc from Dana's Doodles - A Breyer set from the Traveling Tack Room - An English saddle bag from Indian Hollow Stables. Cost is $25 for adults and $15 for youth, the Turkey Trot benefits the Sue Brander Sport Horse Scholarship Fund. All breeds welcome! For the registration form or more information, please visit: www.ctmorgans.org

Product Review: Marigold Spray

Last year, I got a bottle of EQyss Marigold Spray and really can't say enough good things about this product. For any of you horse owners out there looking for some extra help with your horse's coat, this may be the solution. If you read EQyss' website , it says the spray is great for repelling dirt, adding shine, etc. I'm sure that it does all of these things, but I have specifically used it in problem areas. Remi had some crud (a bug bite that turned into a bigger problem when I didn't notice it) in the crest of her mane. It bothered her terribly and she itched at it - rubbing out a piece of her mane. Fortunately, she has so much hair, that you can't really tell. After cleaning up the spot, I sprayed it daily with the Marigold spray and it helped relieve the itching. I like to believe that its making the hair grow back faster too - but I think her hair grows fast in general. I've also used the spray on some dandruff spots on John's hindquarters, a

Fun In The Forest Trail Ride

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The 3rd Annual Fun In The Forest Trail Ride to benefit First Descents (www.firstdescents.org) was held on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the Silvermine Campground in Natchaug State Forest in Eastford. Thirty-four riders from across Connecticut gathered to ride trails in Natchaug and Goodwin State Forests. This year’s trail included dirt roads, woods trail, and airline trail. Riders had the opportunity to stop at a boat launch in Goodwin State Forest and water their horses before continuing on the trail. Riding on the airline trail was popular with many riders. The Fun In The Forest Trail Ride also has great prizes. Our 2011 sponsors were: Dover Saddlery, Absorbine, Horse Zens, Every Equine, BiSaddular, Knight Equestrian Books, Tamarack Hill Farm/Denny Emerson, Barnmice, Herbsmith, Alltech, Nicole Cloutier, Live For The Ride, Chaplin Farms, and Hosmer Mountain Bottling Company. Thank you again for your support. The trail ride is a benefit for First Descents (www.firstdescents.org). F

Maine 25 Continued

Finally our start time came. We walked out of camp. John wasn't nearly as cantankerous about leaving camp as he had been at Pine Tree, and I took this to be a good sign. We were riding alone, and I knew the other riders were two minutes ahead and more would be coming two minutes behind, I just hoped that I could stay alone long enough to get John calm and focused. I kept him at a walk. Unfortunately, the group of six riders was not walking, and soon caught up to us. We heard them long before we saw them. And composure John had been gaining, quickly went out the window. I rode off trail, continuing straight instead of turning right, so that they could pass me. They yelled to me as they went the correct way to make sure I knew to turn around. We fell in behind them (a good distance back though!) and John calmed down a bit. Soon, the Lasher's caught up to us. I let them pass, and stayed behind them for awhile, but couldn't get my pace right. I was always having to st

Maine 25

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Its been almost a month since the Maine 25 mile competitive trail ride, so its about time I blogged about it! We drove up to the North Waterford Fairgrounds (home of the World's Fair) on Saturday, October 8th. The Pine Tree Endurance Ride in June was also held at this fairgrounds, so we were very comfortable with the trip up and our destination. Most riders had already arrived when we got there - they were also offering a 50 mile ride, so a lot of riders rode on Saturday too. We settled the horses into their stalls and then went to vet in (after a quick grooming - see the photo above). Sticking to my tendency to worry and overanalyze, I was nervous about the vet in. This was John's first event since he leaped the stone wall and injured his leg, and I never had the vet out to look at the leg, I just took care of it myself. I worried about pushing him and re-injuring the leg. I was also slightly nervous about being back at the North Waterford Fairgrounds. Our last ride at t