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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

Horses of My Past (Oh and a few older shots of Sparky too)

Lately I have reconnected with many childhood horsey friends via Facebook. It has been a ton of fun to see scanned pics of us from years ago. Some of these girls I have not seen for 15-17 years!

So I decided to scan some of my photos the other night to post. Luckily the scanner was in a good mood. So here are some that I posted on FB. If you have not found me there yet, come on by!

Here I am in an undated photo, but I would say 1982 or so? I was perhaps three years old and exhibiting signs of the horse bug. I honestly remember begging for this pony ride, though I do not remember much of the ride itself. I have always been such a serious rider! :D
Gotta love the no helmet and being STRAPPED onto the saddle. Safety first!

This is my first love, Joydale Jumelle, circa 1988. I miss her. :( She is full sister to Sparky. I helped train her (so really she was my first training project!) and I got to back her. She was for sale, as was all the young stock at the farm, and I BEGGED my parents to buy her for me. They did not figure I was ready for a horse, never mind a four year old mare at only age nine. So they stalled for quite a while, until one day Jumelle was sold! I never even got to say goodbye. It was a phone call.....By the way, tell your daughter we sold Jumelle. I was DEVASTATED! The first time I saw her that summer at a horse show, I cried so hard!
Then later on she was bought by someone who I knew fairly well. I told her I would buy Jumelle back without any hesitation if she was ever for sale. I was in college at the time and Jumelle had a colt who was maybe two? (No idea why this woman breed Jumelle when she never rode the horse to begin with....OH let's breed her! GRRRR...)
Anyway, I went over and rode Jumelle and worked on the ground with her colt Adam one summer. I got to school and then suddenly Jumelle is sold and the woman never returns my calls! I was so upset! To lose this horse TWICE in my life was awful!
So while I am sure she has passed, if I ever find this mare I am bringing her home. If she ever needs a home, she has one with me. I love this mare.
BTW: Cute story on her name. She was a twin! For whatever reason, the owners of the farm where I rode could not get a vet out in time and so the husband took Jumelle's tiny sister in the front of the family car to the vet's office. They got her all hooked up with fluids and what-not, but unfortunately she died on the ride home. :( So Jumelle means twin. :)

Here is Joydale Pollyanna, circa late 1980s. What a patient pony. Pollyanna taught me how to ride, and I guess she is the one I owe the credit to. This mare was worth her weight in gold...and then some. I needed a bucket to put her saddle on. LOL! I am on the left and my cousin Stacey is on the right.


Joydale Pollyanna, looking for her ice cream snack after a day of horse camp. She used to roam the yard like a dog, grazing and hanging out sometimes as a treat. The farm was on a very secluded dead end road, so no traffic. :)

Joydale Pollyanna, late 1980s. I think I was maybe 7 or 8 here?


Joydale Pollyanna, circa 1990 at a York County Riders show at Hollis Eq. Park. My first real horse show! We scored a first in pleasure and a third in eq.





Kennebec Chief, Sparky's sire. Kenny taught me how to canter. :) He was the best stallion ever.


Kennebec Chief, Sparky's sire. Early 1980s. I want to say 1988? Getting ready to ride my first dressage test ever!


Kennebec Spark, my Sparky's dam. Great broodmare, but hated being ridden.



Lottarock Suletza, sweetest Arabian mare ever! Circa 1994? Yes, I did ride other horses besides Morgans. LOL!

Joydale Tiffany, circa 1991 at a dressage show at Hollis Eq. Park. I believe this is before SMDA was even in existence, or maybe this was their first year? My first dressage show with Tiff...we scored a 4th. I leased Tiffany for 3 years before I got Sparky. She made me cry A LOT, but she taught me more than any well schooled horse ever would have.


At a Silver Heels Show at Green Acres in NH with Tiffany. We are on the left. I love this pic because we all look so grumpy but we were SUCH LUCKY KIDS! And yes, the bay Morgans are all related...can you tell? Joydale Pollyanna on the right and Joydale Venture in the middle.


York County Rider show at Hollis Eq. Park, circa 1992, with Joydale Tiffany. I am fourth from the left.


My girl Sparky, aka Joydale Sparklerslas. We won first in something at our first horse show! I think it was equitation....but I think we got a first in trail too. York County Riders, circa 1993.



I love this horse!!!! I am maybe 15 here?

Morgan Drill Team! We did drill team for years! I am second from the right with Sparky. I did drills with Tiffany too, before Sparky came along. Here is Sparky and Volo at my grandfather's farm, maybe 1995 or 1996? I love this pic.


Again, my two horses. :)



Here is one of of senior pics! This was taken fall of 1996, and I graduated from high school in 1997.


And another.....



And here is the one I used for the yearbook.


Off to college! I worked at the horse barns, of course. This is from one of the summers I lived at school. I am near the middle. The horse is Jetsetter, a sweet little Morgan gelding!


UNH Rocky. I know he had a different registered name, but it escapes me. Rocky was the first horse I rode at UNH, and this pic was taken that fall 1997. Rocky had the worst confirmation ever. He taught me how to sit the trot no matter what! :P


UNH Quill. I LOVE QUILLER! This is at my first Little Royal, spring 1998. We placed second in our class. I was the only person who competed in the Little Royal on her own accord, just for fun....everyone else was required to do it for a class! LOL! I also rode Quill that semester. Oh and this is my first braid job ever!


UNH Minuet, circa 1999. I learned a lot from this mare, even though she made me cry. This was from my second Little Royal. Minnie shied the entire class and I we pinned 3rd out of 6 or 7 horses. The judge said the horse did not win the ribbon, I did! LOL!!! I rode Minnie a few times, but we were not a good fit.


Millbrook Flashman. I drew Flash as my Little Royal horse in 2000. We won the entire thing...our class, the Equine division, and then were named the UNH Little Royal Champions Premier Showperson 2000! I loved Flash....he was my project horse during my Advanced class spring 1999. I helped him overcome his "fear" of groundpoles (he was a park horse before arriving at UNH) and by the end of the semester we were jumping a 2'6" course! :) I hear he went on to a career as an event horse after his time at UNH. His confirmation looks horrendous here, but it is just the angle. He was a very typey old style Morgan.


UNH Advanced Class, spring 2000. I am on the left with Marcy.

Millbrook Marcy. I LOVE THIS HORSE! I was going to buy her that spring, but they wanted a lot more money than Dad was willing to loan. Then I stayed at school that summer to ride her as an independent project, figuring I could at least be with her (and get one credit!) and she popped a splint in late June! So much for that. :( I had nearly convinced my father to loan me the money, but he could not fathom spending money on a four year old with a popped splint.

I took care of her every day that summer. :( I miss her!!! She had just been backed the previous semester. Here we are competing in the Thompson School Combined Test 2000. We scored a 17 on our dressage test!!!


Here I am going HOLY %&#*, that was the best test I have ever ridden! We scored 9s and 10s and had it been scored in percentages it would have been an 83%!!!!!



Aw, another of my mare Sparky. She is here with Zip the Goat! I love Zippy and if I ever felt the desire to own a goat, I would want it to be exactly like Zippy!

Schooling in 2001.

Riding while pregnant! Spring 2004.




Here we are at Granite State Morgan, 2005. We never got any pics from 2006 because I forgot the camera. I figured, what the heck, I will just buy some of the professional ones. WELL....that year they decided NOT to have a photographer for the carriage division, just one in the main ring! I WAS BOILED!!!!!!! Oh well.


So there is my trip down memory lane. :)

Comments

  1. OMG I lOVED THIS POST! That was so cool to get a walk down your memory lane. You were so lucky to be able to ride so young! I often blame my parents that the reason I such is because I didn't get to start until I was 12. I don't think it is true, but still. Your pictures are so cool and you didn't seem to go through the rust breeches phase which is even more impressive! I loved the walk down memory lane...and I didn't know you went to UNH...I was trying to rack my brain to see if I remebered you, but I don't think the IDA started until 2001 and I didn't go to UNH unless it was to show!

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  2. LOL, glad you enjoyed. I have more, but it is such a pain to scan them all. How did we live without digital cameras??? No rust breeches! We were expected to have either tan or white. :) And I never did a lot of hunter/jumper stuff anyway. It was mostly for fun. I never got to do IDA because it did not start until I was graduated....of course!!! I did not realize you went to school in the northeast.....that's cool!

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  3. Aw, it's so cool to see early pictures! I have only one or two from my early riding days (at 11, like OTB my parents didn't let me start until then) because no one ever wanted to take pictures. :(

    I'm jealous, because EVERYONE else besides me seems to have senior pictures with their horses. Our school was no fun!

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  4. Hi, I go to UNH now, and Quill is still there and retired at 32 years old and Marcy is still there and working in the program soon. They will be retiring her soon too. You should go visit her!

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  5. Hi, I go to UNH now, and I thought I would let you know Quill is still there and enjoying his retirement at 32 years old! Marcy is still here too, and still used everyday. You should stop by and see them!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, I go to UNH now, and Quill is still there and retired at 32 years old and Marcy is still there and working in the program soon. They will be retiring her soon too. You should go visit her!

    ReplyDelete

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