showmom.com Blog

Foal Watch

it is March and we are on foal watch, checking our two mares daily. One is due March 10th and is waxing up.  The other mare is not due until later in March so she is just starting to bag up.  Now we start with the daily watch. 

Our reining mare is due first.  She is a new mare and since I do not know her foaling process, she is at the vets.  They have a computer chip sewed into her rear end so when contractions start, the vets cell phone will go off and he will be present for delivery.  I also will get a call for a quick drive to the vet so I can be with my mare and foal as soon as possible.

We are now working on names.. both show and barn names.  It is quite a proess.   

I always worry at this point as it becomes more real.  I want mare and foal to be healthy, with an easy delivery and then the right conformation for their sport.  More to follow…

Horse Showing in the Snow

Okay, so I had thought I had done everything – wind, rain, mud, hail, lightening and thunder, tornado’s, Fourth of July fire works, but never snow.  Horse showing in the southeast gives one limited experience with snow.  As a former Iowan and Minnesotan – I have done cold and snow but the last 10 years have been in Georgia with very little snow.

We went to HITS in Tucson for our Winter Circuit Horse show thinking dessert, sand, cactus, mountain views.  We got all that but we also got 30 mile winds, drenching rain, mud and then snow – big huge wet flakes. See the link below to watch her do a hunter round in the snow. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yivT89dpXbc

I am the one filming while shivering and sniffling from the cold.  My hands were numb by the time she did three rounds of jumping. 

So who really shows in the snow.  Most people were crowded in the office – where there was heat.  Kids who had never seen snow were either walking around with their tongues out to catch it or had camera phones going to take pictures.  Not us- we were horse showing.

My daughter laughed the entire way through her rides.  Her feet and hands were numb.  (Yes, they waived jackets so she has her winter coat on).  We were wet from the rain the previous hour but it was her turn at the ring and she schooled in the schooling ring and then went on with the show.  Never missed a beat.   This was her first A Circuit horse show in a while and she was determined to show since she missed it so much.

Have a good laugh with us.  Snow and horse showing just do not go together. 

Gulf Coast Winter Classic – Harrison County Equestrian Center, Gulfport, MS

Okay folks, I’m new to this blogging thing but I thought I would share a little information for all those families that are heading down to the Gulf Coast Winter Classic in Gulfport, Mississippi. 

 This event begins February 9, 2008 and is scheduled to run through March 16, 2008. 

 The winter series is supposed to see changes and improvements in its schedule and prize money offerings for 2008.  Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers will see more cash up for grabs in both the Low and High divisions.  The Lows will now have two classes at $500 each and the Classic prize will jump to $2,777.  The High Junior Amateur Owners will feature two classes at $1,500 each while its Classic will increase to $7,777. (How’s that for some Godly figures?)  Of course, all those figures are playing off the “Lucky Sevens” theme the Gulf Coast is famous for.  Also gaining extra cash will be the Open Level 5 Jumpers, now at $750 per class, and the Open Level 6 Jumpers at $1,000 per class.  Overall, Jumpers will be eligible for nearly $6,000 more in prize money.  Another incentive this season for the jumpers will be the lowering of the Welcome Stakes to a level 6 height thus allowing more to participate in the dash for bigger cash events.  There is a strong junior contingency moving up the ranks and this will allow those fine young people the opportunity to grow as riders and compete with some of their favorite professionals giving them a taste of what they’re all looking to accomplish.  This is the beginning of the show year and there should be many first-time Grand Prix horses making debuts.

And speaking of debuts, this year the Gulf Coast Winter Classics will plays host to a $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Style Derby class during week III. “That is going to be one of the most exciting classes of the entire series!  Another addition this season will be the warm-up classes for the Young Jumpers and perhaps the biggest news will be for the Pre-Green Hunter competitors, as prize money will now be offered in those divisions.  It’s said that each year this event’s competition grows stronger so they want to reward the riders hard work, and what better way than to increase prize money.  ING to them. Throughout the new season we’re supposed to also see more changes and more fun coming into the events.

The Gulf Coast Winter Classic is a five-week United States Equestrian Foundation AA Rated Hunter-Jumper event that showcases some the sport’s finest equine athletes from across the nation.  Spectators are invited to attend free of charge with competition running Wednesday through Sunday of each week beginning at 8 A.M. until approximately 5 P.M., with the highlight being the Grand Prix events, which will begin at 2 P.M. each Sunday afternoon.

 And if you are looking for lodging in the Gulfport/Biloxi area while you are down there check out the condos down there.  They are offering fully furnished 2 and 3 bedroom luxury condominiums with all the ammenities for not much more than the price of a single hotel room.  I can personally vouch for a couple of these management companies so those are the ones I will mention here.

Legacy Condo Rentals (334) 285-1816 is a company that offers some fine condos for rent by owner and their website is http://LegacyCondoRentals.Com

Another stand up company is Biloxi Beach Resort Rentals and you can find them in the Legacy Towers and they also offer some absolutely beautiful condos in the Legacy, Beau View and the Sea Breeze and all these complexes have wonderful views of the Gulf.  Their website is http://biloxibeachresortrentals.com/?equine and you can book online.

Hope to see you there!!!

Two Weeks into Starting the Young Horse

So, we are two weeks into our 30 days of training for the 2 year old Appendix QuarterHorse.  She turns out to be a quiet very laid back mare who is easy to train but with a somewhat limited attention span.

She has been under saddle for two weeks.  The focus now is on ground manners, taking the bit but not grabbing it or holding it with her mouth and learning about transitions.  The work sessions are about 2 hours long.  We are now encouraged to come everyday we can as the training I think is swifting to us and how to continue the training.  We plan to spend the weekend getting our training on how to continue her lessons at home while we wait the two or three years before we will jump her. 

I am thinking breeders deserve a medal.  It is a lot of work and responsniblity to correctly start a young horse.  I hope we all pass the course.

Starting the Young Horse

Today, I took our 2 year old Appendix filly for training and starting under saddle.  I will always remember this day when I encounter a well behaved horse and silently thank a breeder somewhere who took the time to effectively start a new horse.  Too many horses in our hunter jumper world lack good ground manners and I am determined to see if I can start mine with better manners.  I am investing my time and money to see if I can produce a better horse for some future show person.

I was very worried as my first baby was about to go off to kindergarten.  We quickly pulled her mane, brushed her and cleaned out her feet and then loaded her on the trailer for the ride to the farm where they train horses.

Of course, she got off the trailer nicely and then became what they called a rude horse but pulling and not listening to use as we walked her to the barn. 

We stayed as to watch as they worked with her on ground manners for over an hour teaching her to lead, bend, move without stepping in your space and get used to things around her waist and back.  She was at times confused, frightened, and generally wishing she could figure out what was happening. 

After a couple of hours of this, they put a saddle on her – no bridle yet but a saddle.  We watched as they rode her around at a walk, trot and then cantor in both directions.  I held my breath for the big buck which never came. 

We as breeders taking starting a horse very seriously.  We will be going each day for 30 days to participate in her training so we are ready to bring her home and continue the work.   We will see what tomorrow brings.

Taking the Young Horses to a Show

This weekend we took our three young horses to their first horse show.  A local show was being held at the International Horse Pack and stalls are much less expensive than an A show.  We decided to take our yearling, a two year old and the four year old who is in training. 

To my amazement, they all loaded and unloaded very nicely.  No problems at all.  I credit my daughter and her trailer loading exercises with all young horses.  There was a lot of screaming when we arrived as they settled into stalls.  A flake of hay solved that problem.

Each horse got worked in the round pen, took a walking tour to see the golf carts, tents and horses.  They got lunaged and the one in training got ridden in the schooling ring.  They survived 100 degree weather and a downpour on tin roofs. 

I can just image they are out in the pasture telling all of the other horses about their adventures to this strange place full on horses that were jumping something that had sticks. As to the Show Mom, she is tired to the bone from handling a bunch of babies, cleaning stalls, and worrying if all would arrive home safely.  Thanks to a friend for helping out. 

The Long Drive

Yesterday we finish our long drive from Atlanta to Las Cruces New Mexico.  Twenty six hours of driving through slice of this country.

Northern Georgia and Alabama were full of thick green forests and small towns with their own Sunday morning flea markets.  People were out shopping for treasures and each town or yard on the highway seemed to have their own verison.  Mississppi seemed to have lakes and people out fishing.  Arkansas and Tennessee has lush green hils with billboards for your recreation in the Ozarks.

Oklahoma has rolling praire with large herds of steers and a few oil wells in the fields.  We waved as we passed Amarillo and the national Quarter Horse Museum.  No time to stop.  Texas seemd to have small towns with large grain processing plants and feedlots of steers. New Mexico became dairy and pecan farms finally giving way to desert mountains.  We ran into a number of dessert storms with rain and huge fluffy white clouds ful of thunderheads.  We watched the clouds for hundreds of miles before we finally entered the storms.

We saw horse farms and breeds of every type.  There were backyard and even a few front yard horses.  We went pass huge racing farms full of broodmares and babies.  There were saddlebreds and arabians.  Once we hit west, there were ranches with herds of horses grazing in fields or acres of land.  Some herds looked to be over 40 horses all crazing and batting away the flies.

At last we reached our destination.  Twenty six hours is a long drive.  Hats off to all of the parents driving cars and kids back to college. 

Tomorrow we head out to see our boarded horse that we have not seen for three months.  It will be great to see one of our own.

The Horse Accident

Well, it finally happened… I got kicked in the ankle while moving a horse between pastures.  Not the mares fault or mine – she was trying to scoot out of the way from another horse who was heading for her rear with teeth bared.  I was in the way as she kicked up to take off at a gallop from the approaching horse. 

A trip to emergency room and several hours later… no break, just tissue damage and a very swollen ankle.  Five days later still not able to walk.  The doctor had no sympathy when I explained this was not on my schedule for the week.  Hoping to get out on crutches with a boot brace. 

So 10 years and no accidents due to being very careful but my record is not over.  It hurts, is swollen and a pain in many ways  (also the week I am having the wooden floors installed in three rooms so I am locked in the bedrooms.  Timing is everything.)

when do you push a trainer

Hi all,

I try to stay in the stands while my daughter shows and only give her positive comments- but a couple of days later I will start to bring up things I think she could improve on.  For instance: it took her 3 strides to go from her trot to a canter during her opening circle.  When I mentioned it to the trainer she agreed that my daughters circle was sloppy.  When I mentioned it to my daughter thinking that her trainer had gone over it- she disagreed with me and said that since her trainer didn’t mention it it must have been ok.  Well, my question – do I mention this to the trainer and tell her that my 11 year old thinks that she is God and if she doesn’t mention something was not great it must be ok.  I don’t want the trainer to think I am a interfering pain in the butt but at the same time I have been riding my whole life and do see things that my daughter needs to improve.  Maybe the trainer is aware of her faults and is getting to it in her own time- I guess I won’t know unless I speak with her.  Where do you draw the line on telling the trainer what you think your daughter needs to improve on?   

Training Clinic

Great weekend watching a hunter jumper clinic with Archie Cox as the trainer.  Had not ever watched a clinic before – my daughter has done several but I was always busy or out of town so this was an opportunity to watch one. WOW

Kudo’s to Cox who is a great clinican.  He had 2 hour classes – 4 classes each day and remembered each person name.  Gave personal instruction to each rider and kept his humor and energy going throughout the day. 

My daughter said it was a great technical refresher.. best she has had in years with a focus on flat work and jumping that got her really focused on improving her riding not just good showing skills.  She rode a borrowed horse which was a challenge but gave her even better experience.  Fun to watch her do a jumper course and keep her good humor with some challenges at some of the higher jumps.

Everone had trouble understanding – we were in Omaha Nebraska, came from Des Moines Ia where she is interning for a US Senator, live in Atlanta Georgia and she goes to school in New Mexico.  No wonder no one could figure us out. 

Watch for clinics at www.ushja.org.  Well worth the effort if you can do one of these with a real pro.  Too bad more trainers do not attend as their own refresher.