I haven’t posted in forever, so I am trying to catch up and keep you all in the loop.

April-

16 C1 Jumping and C2 HM

20-22 Asia Thayer Clinic

 HM on Friday, Jumping on Saturday, and Dressage on Sunday. The theme of the clinic was straightness and it really helped. Asia loved her, and commented on how she really thinks Tonks will take me through the National Level Ratings! At one point during the grid Tonks threw in an extra stride in a short 4 stride. Asia got a kick out of that. Since then we have been working on straightness and Tonks has really began to develop a topline. What a great way to start the season.

May

5 Flying Colors Mini Event @ BN , Missoula      

This was our first BN together, and Tonks was great! We ended 2nd after dressage with a not so great test with a score of 39.

The goal of xc was to get around and help install some confidence in Tonks. The first two jumps were great, but then the third obstical on course was the water. New white gravel had been put in the water jump, and the water was super murky, so we had a stop. Afterwards, the rest of the course was great. We finished xc with 20 jumping faults, and 4.4 time faults.

 The wait for stadium was very long and miseralble, as it was very cold and windy. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that was wind burnt afterwards. Since we have been schooling novice height, the novice course looked like something we could have tackled with a problem. This helped make the bn course look like a peice of cake. There were some bright colored jumps and it was windy, but she was great, finished under time, and went double clear.

Sadly we were the only ones to have a stop xc so we took home last, which turned out to be 4th place in our tiny divison. Next time I will make sure to not try to gallop her through the water, and trot her through it so she has time to look without stopping.

Here are some pictures from the mini event:

http://singsinthetimber.smugmug.com/Sports/Mini-Event-05-05-12/22853860_nJ6vnJ#!i=1838982204&k=z95Lbv2&lb=1&s=A

http://singsinthetimber.smugmug.com/Sports/Mini-Event-05-05-12/22853860_nJ6vnJ#!i=1838994533&k=bq39VG5&lb=1&s=A

http://singsinthetimber.smugmug.com/Sports/Mini-Event-05-05-12/22853860_nJ6vnJ#!i=1838995938&k=sdQDjm3&lb=1&s=A

http://singsinthetimber.smugmug.com/Sports/Mini-Event-05-05-12/22853860_nJ6vnJ#!i=1839005197&k=dTJzT3j&lb=1&s=A

I don’t know what the hell is going on with my mouth when I ride. Definitely need to work on that.

12 MDCTA H/J Show , Missoula                                                                                                                 

It was an utter and complete disaster. Seriously. My friend/mentor/trainer did all of the same classes, as she has a young horse she is bringing along. The 2’6″ Hunters, where we pinned 5th in the HUS in a huge class. Our first 2’6″ Hunter class was awful, we were excused after having a stop at the white coop and green roll top. What happened to by big, brave eventer?!  Up until the very last second she felt forward and like she was going to jump them, but stopped at the last second. Ugg. Our second 2’6″ was better with only one stop. I was hoping for our last class the 2’9″ Hunters that she used up all of her stops and we were going to be fine. Wishful thinking on my part, woops. We were excused from it as well. I think it came down to me over thinking the whole Hunters thing, and wasn’t riding her forward enough, which would have been a very forward show jumping canter. We were both very tired from waiting in the sun for atleast 4hrs. It just wasn’t our day. Funny thing is that she has only stopped for my once before. Moral of the story is that when in doubt, do the jumpers. We did get some nice pictures though.

 

26-27 Peter Grey Clinic at RF                                                                                                                  

   We were planning to go, but after reading some mixed reviews and limited funds, decided not to go. Thank the good lord that we did. My friends went and I guess he would just through out a “good job, come again” out every once in a while. I feel bad that they spent so much to go, and braved the rain and cold to ride with him. Hopefully they will bring someone else in next year.

June

8-10 Arrowhead HT’s, Billings

We were planning on running novice, but because it is our first sactioned event together (and my first ever), and we have never schoole there, we are going to run around at bn, where I know we will be able to get around and maybe even place well. I will keep you all updated on how it goes!

Some time between Arrowhead and camp we are going to go school at Rebecca Farm, hopefully more than once.

18-21 NE Sali Gear C Prep at Juniper Hill, Helena                                                                                  

I didn’t get to ride in the prep last year, because I had only had Tonks about a week, so I didn’t think it was fair to take her to camp without getting to know each other better. So this year I am really excited, plus it will be a great thing to ride in before our debut at novice at The Event at Rebecca Farm. I am also prepping for the riding portions of my C2 and my HB, so it will be very beneficial to work with her.

23 Herron Park Derby, Kalispell                                                                                                               

I am not sure if I will do this or not, because it is just two days after camp, and I there is a seperate clinic with Sali that weekend at my barn. It would be nice to go around novice once before Rebecca.

23-24 NE Sali Gear Clinic, Missoula                                                                                                            

 I rode in this clinic last year and I was great.

July

11-15 The Event at Rebecca Farm, Kalispell                                                                                          

 We will be making our debut at novice! Cross your fingers…..And toes! Hoping to be schooling some training level.

28 Flying Colors Mini Event, Missoula                                                                                                

Going novice on our home turf.

August

July 31- Aug 1 HB Rating in Jerome,ID

7-10 USPC Pacific Coast Champs, Washington State Horse Park, Cle Elum, WA                           

 I have qualified in Senior C’s as a C1, for Quiz, so I am not sure if I will go or not.

10-12 Stanton Farm HT, Deary, ID                                                                                                    

Going novice. Same course designer as Arrowhead and the mini events here in Missoula. Hoping to be schooling training.

16-19 D Camp West at RF                                                                                                                 

Instructing D camp at the beautiful RF! Hoping to take Tonks so I can school in the evenings.

Heading off to school around the 23rd! UM Western, here I come!

September

14-16 UMW Benefit at J & S Sporthorse, Dillon                                                                       

Equestrian Team benefit show. Planning on joining the team and showing Tonks!

So here is the schedule as of now, may add a show or two 🙂

     Here is an update from my trip to NOLA for my first ever USPC Annual Meeting! It is pretty late, but I hope you all enjoy it all the same!

     In November I received a partial scholarship to attend the USPC Annual Meeting in New Orleans! It took place January 25-29 in the middle of the French Quarter. I flew down to NOLA with friend, instructor and the Big Sky Region’s RIC, Molly Rennie.

   I hadn’t gone on a real trip or flown in over 7 years, so I was a little anxious. We had a little turbulence on our first flight to Denver, but the rest was smooth sailing.

   When we got there is was like we landed on whole different world, because we had just came from Montana where we had just gotten over 2 ft of snow. It was green, warm, and not a speck of snow or ice on the ground.

   Our hotel was in the middle of the french quarter. The view from our window was amazing.

 

  As soon as we dropped off our stuff in our hotel room for the night (we squatted in our regions RS’s room the first night, thanks Char and Jill!), we hit the town. First things first, we found a great little place to eat. I can’t remember the name of it for the life of me, but they made a mean muffaletta. Yum!

 Molly and I then went on a search for the perfect Mardi Gras masks for the Saturday night banquet. After going back and forth from several shops we found the perfect masks. We all looked smashing with them on, at the banquet, and then proceeded to parade them down Bourbon Street afterwards. What a fun night!

Before the fun on Saturday night we went made a mad dash to Cafe’ Du Monde. It was quite the walk from the hotel, so on the way we got sidetracked. The purple dress in the picture above that Molly is wearing caught her eye in a little side shop, and lucky for her she needed a dress and they had one left in her size. We managed to go to Cafe’ Du Monde, and if you have ever been there before, it is pretty much always packed and have Molly try on and buy a dress with plenty of time to spare before the banquet began. Pony Clubbers sure know how to get-er-done!

 

Back to Friday night. We met up with Sarah Broussard Kelly, and Lynn the DC of Herron Park PC. Sarah acted as our personal tour guide through NOLA and down Bourbon Street. She took us to a great hole in the wall that had the best jambalaya I had ever eaten. We got a little private room at the back of the restaurant, where you could just feel the culture seeping out of the walls. It was stepping into a whole other world. I could definitely move to NOLA without any gripes. All the food that we had while we were there was amazing; from the poboys to pulled pork eggs benedict to beniets.

We all then went scouting for a place call the Bourbon Cowboy, that was rumored to have a mechanical bull. If we can deal with our sometimes crazy horses, no doubt we could deal with a mechanical bull, right? Sadly LA has different rules regarding how old you have to be when entering a bar, than MT does. In MT you only have to be 18, while in LA most places required that you had to be at least 21. Sadly three of us are just a few years shy of 21, so we had to watch the festivities from the outside.

On a somewhat opposite note, I was a little disappointed with the variety of food. My dad immigrated from Haiti with his family in the 70’s, and since a big population of creoles are Haitian, I do eat a lot of Creole/Cajun style meals. So lets just say I wasn’t impressed to see all of the different variations of red or black beans and rice, as I eat a lot of that already at home. Speaking of my dad, he also grew up with grandparents that practiced voodoo. It is also said that you could see my great-grandfather sitting on his front porch in his rocking chair smoking a pipe, in the form of a goat. Pretty neat, huh? I dad totally believes in this, so he wasn’t very happy when I brought home some voodoo dolls as souvenirs. Heehee.

All in all I am pretty sure I can speak for all of us when I say that we had an amazing time. Next time, and there will be a next time, I go to NOLA I plan to spend at least a solid 7-10 days there compared to our 3.5 days. I hadn’t gone on a trip in the last 7 years, at least, so this was a great way to get back into see what else is out there besides my little piece of Montucky.