Clover Ledge Farm

Still not much excitement around here. LOL ! :D The past weekend was fairly warm and sunny, so I was able to ride. Unfortunately I felt under the weather so only rode on Sunday. I had time (and had planned) to ride all three mares. I rode Dreamy first and still felt icky, so I ended up just grooming Reva and Sparky. Truthfully, I don't think they mind hanging out. :D I did do more in-hand training with Reva, and I must say I am proud at how quickly the big mare has figured out how to stand square. :) Smart girl. Sparky pretty much just wanted the cookies, though she does like a good curry session. LOL ! Anyway, the sun was out and there was fresh snow in the field, but the footing was still excellent. It was deep, so I limited our ride to about 25 mins . We walked, trotted, and cantered with only a bit of "energy" when first cantering to the left. ha ha ha ;-D Dreamy was obedient and easy to ride, which was nice. Her canter was bouncy and SLOW. I know

So, just printed out Dreamy's Pathways report at USTA. I have never actually printed out a report for her before. So much to share.......which I will do later. But how crazy is this........my friend Helene's husband, Jeff Gregory, drove her in July 1993 in the New York Sire Stakes at Saratoga! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there is not much going on around here, hence the lack of posts. It is tough to blog about riding and training when you are not doing much of either! :( The temps have been just too cold to ride. I am sort of wimpy about cold, to tell the truth, but really I cannot justify riding a horse with COPD in below freezing temps. If my "normal" lungs hurt, I cannot imagine what her COPD lungs might feel like. So the last three weeks have been pretty much cleaning stalls, checking blankets, feeding, and running like hell back into the warm house. :P When the day starts a -2 degrees and warms up to 18, why bother doing anything?? But thankfully it finally got about freezing ( yay , it was 33 degrees!) on Friday. And then yesterday (Saturday) was GORGEOUS. It was around 45 with the bright sun out, which made it that much warmer. Dreamy and Reva got to go NAKED for the day once the sun started its climb! Yay ! I love being able to take off blankets and let them roll in

I am super excited for 2010! I have a lot of fun things planned, and I am looking forward to being able to use my own truck this year for lessons, shows, etc! I have many goals and ideas for what I want to accomplish this year. I am just writing down the basic equine goals.....that is really all I want to share here on the blog. :) It seems like a TON now that I write it down. I have to remember that not all goals HAVE to be met by December. LOL! There is always next year! Sparky Keep her healthy, happy, and sound Ride/drive her lightly Dreamy Keep her healthy, happy, and sound Continue to show at recognized dressage shows, a few of the MHA hunter shows, and perhaps a three phase event or two Compete for the third year in a row at the Standardbred Nationals in August Take at least 2 lessons per month with Judy, preferably more if possible Attend as many clinics as financially possible Marshal at the racetrack for MSBOA and SD as needed...maybe one day at Cumberland with Shel

Wow, this past year went by so fast! All in all, despite some rough spots, 2009 was not a bad year. Dreamy and I made the leap to rated dressage shows, and while I was super nervous, I am very pleased with how we did. It was a huge step, and perhaps we were not quite ready for it, but I am glad we did it. If Dreamy's recent rides are any indication of our readiness for 2010, I would say we are going to do quite well. My older mare Sparky had a wonderful year. She looks great and is feeling good. I rode her bareback on Christmas (as is our tradition...) and she was frisky and eager to be out in the snow. She bucked and played at the canter in the beginning, which tells me she feels good. Every time I look at her I am proud to have an older horse (she will be 28 in 2010!) who looks so good for her age. I know it is my careful husbandry and attention to detail that keeps her healthy. And of course, 2009 brought the arrival of the Super Filly. I adore my big girl and she has found he