We finished the year strongly with another terrific Hyde Moffatt Clinic at Noble Touch Stables.  Hyde further improved my position and I felt Super Dandy truly carry me to the fences.  Super Dandy was brave and felt happy to go around.  Hyde mentioned how he himself was 'self taught', getting help when needed but figuring things out largely on his own.  I smiled as I realized that's my situation, too.  It is always wonderful to get out and see horse people I know, admire the beautiful creatures going around together, and help everyone gain a little more understanding.  

We lost our dear old barn cat Frank, after 14 years together both in Timmins and here in Pembroke.  We figure he was near 20 years old, being an adult already when we adopted him in 2010.  I still look for him in the corners of the tack room, and will miss seeing him 'sleeping rough' out in some sunny corner of our fields.  

A photo gallery for November since we took a bit of a break to rest and accommodate deer hunting season!

New boarders settled in beautifully and a gorgeous weanling colt arrived.  Welcome Haley and her Tabe & Franklin, and our new young Rhett.  As it happens, everyone came from the East Coast!

I signed up for the autumn jumping clinic with Grand Prix Show Jumper Hyde Moffatt at Noble Touch Stables.  This was a triumph for me as I had only hoped to be ready for Spring 2025, if ever.  It seemed to take Hyde about 10 minutes to isolate where I needed to improve my technique, and as Supe got better and better, my confidence grew.  Feeling inspired, we committed to the next one in December!

I do not want to write this entry, but life has never been about expecting positive experiences all the time.  We lost my good friend Ehren in September from a pasture accident at age 15, and it's taken me months to sit down and back-date a few words.  We had so much fun together as he took me to my first fox hunts and competitive trail rides.  He clearly loved children in the barn. He happily raised 2 weanlings for me.  He was simply the finest horse I ever rode out on, and I will miss him forever.  

In August we watched Super Dandy take Reserve Champion in his Open 2'3" Hunter Division at the busy Wesley Clover Horse Park, among 18 other competitors.  A couple of weeks later he won the Senior EV60 Division at the Stevens Creek Horse Trials.  We warmly thanked Moira De Ste. Croix-Laframboise and the team at Stevens Creek for all their help giving Supe such wonderful experiences, and then welcomed him back home.

I like performance; ease of handling and responsiveness.  Much of my hands on experience is with building and refurbishing domestics, but I have a real appreciation for the imports and I've had some good success in building my own from scratch.  Living rural, it's hard to get all the tools and exposure I need so I took my ride to the big city shop to get some help and keep moving forward.  I'm really excited about my next two projects; they look terrific and have everything they need under the hood.  I've never been one 'to be seen' at the shows all the time, I'm more interested in the work that gets done so we can really enjoy being behind the wheel, even on a country road with no one else around.

Part of the work is converting front wheel drive into all wheel drive, smoothing out the transmission, adding gears and more power.  This will take years, but the timeline is easy with a great team and exposure to different tracks early on.  I put a talented driver in and listen to what she tells me so I can drive better, too.  Getting tuned up is part of good maintenance and prevents breakdowns.

This past week included scribing for Senior Dressage Judge Ron King at the Ottawa Dressage Festival, and I thoroughly enjoyed sharpening my eye in the booth.  A few days later I helped a candidate for the Equestrian Canada Rider Level 4 prepare for the Practical Knowledge examination, including such horse care topics as bandaging, taking temperature-pulse-respiration, and presenting a horse to be jogged for a veterinarian.  I also taught a new young rider her very first riding lesson.  The next day, I went to ride Super Dandy in our weekly lesson with Eventing Champion Moira De Ste. Croix, and this past weekend I audited a clinic session with National Champion Hunter/Jumper trainer Taylor Brooks.

Lifelong learning and a well rounded resume are parts of our core values.  

On May 18 Super Dandy did his first dressage tests at the Stevens Creek ESD Dressage Show.  He performed two EV85 tests for Basic Judge Anne Galt and earned over 74% and 76%, including a 9, and High Score Champion of the day.

Go Supe, indeed!

I read a book once that asked the question: Do you really have a problem, or do you just need to make a decision?

My latest xray was delayed till the end of March, and I'd already signed up to ride Super Dandy in the spring jumping clinics with Hyde Moffatt and Jen Hamilton.  The image was disappointing; healing well but still a jumble of bones under the plate.   Supe was feeling completely normal underneath me: happy to express himself through movement and a little unsure in new situations, but my well of confidence was running low.  

I saw a message a few weeks ago that Moira De Ste. Croix was back from Florida (galloping racehorses!) and was available to take a young horse on for the season.  I remembered first seeing her present a young horse at the Westar Development Show last summer, where I was judging, and I was charmed by the simplicity of her skilled presentation.  Her performance actually inspired me to get Supe to his first show last July!  We trailered to Moira at Stevens Creek Farm in Ottawa for a few sessions, and it was easy to hand over the reins and watch the embodiment of what I've been trying to create: a competent rider on a fine sport horse in calm unison.  No matter that it can't be me up there, right now.  Supe needs to get strong and fit by going forward and build resiliency by being exposed to new things.  It will make him fun and safe for years and years. Moira was happy to take over the ride at the clinics and I remain very happy with my decision.  Supe will stay at Stevens Creek for a few months and I'll go for lessons.  Maybe for next year's clinics I'll be back in the tack, and that sounds like a plan.

On March 9, in collaboration with Winterfell Stables in Cobden, we hosted Senior Dressage Judge and Competition Coach Specialist Ron King for a full day of dressage together.  This was my first clinic with Super Dandy, shown here executing a fine stretching trot.