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Wentworth Hunter Pace - June 6, 2021

After Margaret and I had such a fun time at the fall hunter pace, we opted to go again this spring! This time, while I rode Rejoice again, Margaret rode her horse Jester and had a friend ride Ladyhawke. All Kennebec Morgans!! Jester and Rejoice have the same dam and Jester and Lady share the same sire. Unfortunately instead of a lovely late spring day, we had one of the first intensely hot and humid days of the year. It was definitely a bummer, but the ride was mostly in the shade of the woods and we had a great time!  most of the fences were 3' coops but we found a small log and this hay to jump haha Until we didn't. 😑 We brought along a third friend who rode Margaret's older mare, Ladyhawke. She's a good rider but hasn't known Ladyhawke for very long and didn't realize how much of a cranky boss mare she could be at times. She kicked Jester right in the front leg just about halfway through the ride, and while the cut itself ended up not being a big deal in the

2009 Plans....I think!

Well, the omnibuses (omnibii??) are not even out yet, and here I am digging through websites finding dates. LOL! The stressful part about putting together a show calendar in Maine in January is that I can't ride right now! OK, I can ride, but not train. But hey, I have shown horses for many many years and always done fine with my conditioning schedule and making it to early spring shows despite no indoor. Long slow miles on the road. That is why it pays to live in the middle of nowhere on a quiet street. :)

Anyway, here is what I think might happen this year:

April 19 SMDA schooling show (might be too early, need to play it by ear)
May 9/10 NEDA Spring (MA)
June 26-27 UNH USDF dressage show (NH)
July 11-12 Issac Royal USDF dressage show (ME)
July 25-26 Issac Royal USDF dressage show (ME)
Aug. 1-2 UNH USDF dressage show (NH)
Aug. 28-30 National Standardbred Championship show (NJ)
Sept. 9-13 NEDA Fall Festival (NY) This is the Region 8 championships, but I probably will not qualify, but do the open show.

There is also GMHA (VT) in both June and July. That is tentative though, and realistically I think it will be unnecessary to do GMHA at all. I love that place though! :) It stinks that there are not many USDF dressage shows here in Maine. And the ones out of state are far away. It is actually closer for me to go to UNH than to go to the IR show in Maine. Crazy! And UNH is the closest show at 1 hour, 20 mins. IR is over 3 hours away! And NEDA Spring is about the same.....NEDA Fall is nearly 6 hours. Good god!

I might decide to skip NEDA Spring and do an SMDA schooling show on May 17 instead. (Not only are the schooling shows cheap, they are only 30 mins. from the farm). It might just be too early in the season and doing a schooling show might be the smarter thing to do. Again, it depends on so many things. Also, if I just want to get out and do something, but I do not feel she is ready for NEDA, it would save me a ton of money to just do the one SMDA show as a warm up for the year.

Also I want to fit one event in this year. I will probably do one at Green Acres in NH and maybe one at Hilltop. I did one at each last year. I used to call myself an eventer who did dressage shows "for fun", but I have come to the conclusion, with my now 18 year old mare, that I am becoming a dressage rider who does events "for fun". And because I want to keep my mare sound and happy, I think a heavier dressage focus is my best bet. We will still school over jumps once a week and do the one or two events, but I do not want to do 4-5 events with her this year. I wanted to try Snowfields, the one USEA event here in Maine, but honestly I just don't know that I want to. She is comfortable and confident at 2'3". She is not the most talented jumper, but she is safe. While she can certainly go 2'7" to do Beginner Novice....I just don't know if that is the best plan.

We shall see. :) My mare will tell me what is right.

Now the decision must be made about which tests I will ride this year. I am thinking I will try Training 2 and 3.....and attempt 4 at some point in the later part of the year. But maybe I should stick with 1 again and........ This decision is harder and will have to be decided after we are back in full work this spring, along with lots of input from my instructor. :)

I hope now that I have posted this my plans will not all go to hell. :P

Comments

  1. Plans plans plans. where is the show in Mass? How far from RI, cause you know you always have a place to stash yourself and the Dream Girl.
    I haven't even started thinking about what we are going to do this year. I really do not want to do a ton of NBHA this year I really want more for the big guy, as we have discussed at length. I guess time will tell here.

    That said, there is NO footing at our barn we have like over 3 inches of ICE under some snow and more snow and ICE due in here tonight and tomorrow. don't ya just love winter in New England?

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  2. You have got to start training 4 right away if you want to qualify for Championships because you need 2 scores and at two different shows I think...is that right? So what if you have a great day and are only showing training 3 because you are worried about moving up? I say go balls to the walls baby! I am doing it so you should too! And Standardbred nationals are early this year so hopefully I can come by and meet you! And if I go crazy...like totally crazy I will see you at Region 8s. I don't think so though. I think my goals are much cheaper! I love it though and I hope you can get a national USDF Standardbred breed award!

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  3. Anon - The show in MA is at the Marshfield Fairgrounds, in Marshfield MA. I don't even want to think about what we are supposed to get for winter weather tomorrow. It is too depressing!

    OTB - I do need 2 scores at T4 at 60% of above to qualify for the All Breed Award. I was thinking of doing it in July or August....but I don't know. I need to see what I have this spring underneath me....she might be ready to do it, she might not be. It is really about what she is ready for......but also I want to know what my instructor thinks after I have a few lessons. Time will tell.....but ya, balls to the wall it very well be! :) I hope you can come to the STB Nationals this year!!!!!!!! :) :) :) I would love that! Friday is dressage all day, Sat is battle of the breeds (TB and STB) and then Sunday is the STB-only show. I am so excited I can barely wait!

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  4. Can we join you this summer? Thinking of trying a dressage show, always willing to try someting new. Hey, we made it almost clean thru our 1st ever jumping class:) Maybe I can be your groom for the day.

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  5. Hey Mc! :) You can CERTAINLY join me! I think you should do an event with me and choose to either do the dressage test only or do a combined test with dressage and stadium. Both places I like to event at have a walk trot division with 18" crossrails! That would be so fun!!!! McKeever could certainly do it!

    Or you can certainly come along as my groom. :)

    YAY! I am so excited for this summer!

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