Busy, Busy, Busy

For pretty much having come to terms with letting the fall event season go, I sure have found myself busy the past few weeks!  Katchi is doing absolutely fabulous, and we finally made it to our 3rd jumping lesson with Phillip for 2012!!  Phillip definitely had his hands full polishing off our rust, but we ended well and I feel like we're just about back on track.  I'm already eyeing a few more jumper shows for this fall.  And I was extra fortunate to have a camera crew along for Phillip day, so I've got pictures to share (THANK YOU Sharon!!!).

Kerry & Atticus getting ready to be Duttonized!!

Kerry & Atticus storming through the water - no more water "issues" !

Katchi & me - VERY happy pony to be out of the show jumping ring and jumping some proper fences!!!

And I even have a video clip too!  Katchi and I were both a bit keen going XC, and you can hear Phillip saying, "slow down, slow down" - this was after we'd already zoomed around the course once apparently a bit too aggressively!



And while Katchi didn't make it to Seneca Valley PC Horse Trial this fall, I had a wonderful day coaching, catching up with friends, and enjoying their lovely event!  Kerry had a wonderful day finishing in 6th with one of her best XC rides to date and just one rail in show jumping - on a course that was plagued with rails falling all over the place!  It's going to be a great fall season for these two!

And I had the privilege of watching the lovely pair of Anna and Abe complete what will likely be their final event together.  I met Anna about 10 years ago when she was riding a little pony in group lessons -- I would have been there the first time she saw Abe for sale, except I was stuck in a total shut down of I-70!!  I rode Abe around his first "cross country" course at Full Moon Farm just to be sure that WILD OTTB wouldn't run off with his little girl.  And over the years, I've watched Anna and Abe grow up together - and her family has taken me in for more than a few holiday meals!  As Anna prepares to leave for two years with the Peace Corps in Africa and 18 year old Abe prepares for semi-retirement, it was such a hi-light to my year to watch Anna and Abe earn a 2nd place Training level ribbon at their final event.  And check out the awesome comment she got from her dressage judge "I loved the correctness of your training."  What a compliment!!!  Congratulations!!!

Meanwhile, my juggling act continues with the upcoming Marlborough Horse Trials!  Last winter, after a morning at riding Phillip's and teaching a afternoon lessons, I was handed a beer... then another... and then I was propositioned.  "Will you join the Marlborough Horse Trials Board" ... and I said Yes!  I'm that easy.  After taking the USEA course design training a couple of years ago, I have really wanted to find an opportunity to get more involved in the course design side of eventing, and it seems I found my "in"!  As the new Cross Country Co-Chair, my spare time has been more than filled the past few weeks unscrewing and screwing numbers onto posts, learning about installing safety flags, clearing sticks, clipping limbs, and I was delegated the "authority" to create the Intro course this year.  It's been great fun getting a glimpse into how experts like Roger Haller and Tyson Rementer work their magic, but wow - what a lot of work!  I will never look at a XC flag in quite the same way.  It's not just insanity in the middle. Those flags are insane too.