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
On August 11, 2013, Snappy and I headed to Scarborough Downs for a day of marshaling the races. It was her first time back to the track since she retired in December of 2012. I knew she would be a little nervous and "up", but I also knew that she is a good level-headed mare and we would have a great time. Snappy spent the week mulling over her wardrobe selection. In the end, she chose her racing colors... ;-) When we first arrived, she was jumping out of her skin a little. She was a bit antsy while tacking her up, but I was just super no nonsense and got into the saddle as quickly as I could. I took her immediately out onto the track and we jogged around the outside back mile track to get her mind on straight. She was super looky and forgot most of her good dressage basics, but that is OK. The funny thing about taking a Standardbred back to track, at least in my opinion and experience, is that they are usually "confused" about what they are ex