The Porcupine Hill Chronicle Archive

December 4, 2003:

It's been a very long time since I updated this webpage - I apologise for that to all of you who regularly log in here to see what's up on The Hill. I have been very busy with clinics in Quebec and Nova Scotia, as well as a short (but much appreciated!) holiday in Sanibel. The barn is pretty much full, and we have so many wonderful people coming and going on a regular basis!
First, a warm welcome to our newest resident, Cheryl Roberts and her Hannoverian gelding "Sergeant". Cheryl and Serge have settled in so well, it seems as though they have always been here.
Many thanks to Kaitie and Laura, as well as stable owner Lydia Early, for the great organization and warm hospitality I found in Nova Scotia. We had a super clinic, and it was lovely to meet new people and see some nice horses "down east". Hopefully I will be able to go back there in the early spring. Kaitie and Laura both also rode in the clinic, and these two young ladies are developing into lovely, thoughtful riders and trainers. So nice to see :-). Wolfridge Farm is a beautiful facility, and everyone there deserves a lot of credit for the hospitality and great atmosphere.
We also had a short but nice visit with Reg and Dalyce, and Wendy and Josh at the airport - it was super to finally meet Josh and Wendy and to see Reg and Dalyce.
Our longtime client and friend Joanne Brooks, of Wynbrook Farm, is back for a few months with her lovely Oldenburg mare Nova. Most of you will remember that Joanne is the genius who spotted Mikayla as a two year old and brought her to Porcupine Hill for training as a four year old, for which I am eternally grateful :-). Nova is a darling grey mare and I am so looking forward to working with her and Joanne to help them get ready for the upcoming show season. Together, they are proof positive that good things really do come in small packages.
'Tis the season, of course, and we have birthdays aplenty in December, as well as the usual festive season. Aliy and Ruth both get to wear birthday headgear this month, and preparations are underway for our SEVENTH annual Chistmas Party. We would be very pleased to see you on the evening of December 20th, and share a cup of cheer and a few laughs. Hope you can make it! If not, our very best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy, safe holiday season, and new year.

October 12, 2003:

Congratulations to Virginia Carson on her purchase of the Selle-Francais/Rhinelander mare "Fable". Virginia and Fable are looking forward to the upcoming show season, and I know they will do very well together.
We are pleased to have the 3 year old mare "Wild Honey", owned by Sue Thompson, at the farm for a bit - this lovely filly is receiving her first basic training, and is showing all the promise of her outstanding bloodlines. Look for Sue and Honey in the show ring next year.
Last Wednesday, I had a chance to go up in a small plane, owned and piloted by my friend Mike Beverley. There were only a few heart-stopping moments for me, but I survived, and might even go again! Here's a picture of Mike and his plane, and a picture of the farm, taken from the air.

I hope everyone is having a nice Thanksgiving - we haven't been able to complain about the weather, and, in so many ways, that is the least of the things we have to be thankful for :-).

September 10, 2003:

Congratulations to Kim and Kat Matthieu of Maine, USA on their purchase of our Oldenburg gelding Daneel. I know that Kat will learn so much from this great schoolmaster, and I hope that she has a wonderful time progressing to the FEI levels with "Bear".
I am off to Virginia today to teach for three days in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, working with a great group of adult amateurs who have become great friends over the years.
Have a great week and enjoy the fantastic fall weather.

Bear and Kat, off to new adventures! Good Luck to you both.

August 21, 2003:

Congratulations to Fran Sirsly on her successful competition at the North American Young Rider Championship. Fran and her Oldenburg mare "Dancing Queen" competed as an Individual for Quebec - the culmination of many years of ambition and hard work.
Congratulations also to Alison Brebner, who, with "Daneel", narrowly missed a place on the Ontario Young Rider Team. For Aliy, it was her first attempt at this level, and she had some great rides and learned alot!
This is an exciting time for Canada, following the two medals at the Pan-American Games in the Dominican Republic and our recent qualification for the 2004 Olympics. Congratulations to our Teams at both the Pan-Ams and the Open European Championships who did so very well, and helped Canada back onto the international stage in dressage. Also kudos to the organization behind them - the Board of Dressage Canada and the High Performance Committee, led by Kim Goodyear. These results are truly a validation of your hard work to put in place an infrastructure within which the riders can achieve great things.
White Socks is for sale - please check out her ad on the Horses For Sale page if you are interested in the rare opportunity to purchase a super horse for the future. This outstanding young mare has all the talent and brilliance to take you to the top, as well as the bloodlines, conformation and quality to breed beautiful babies. If you are looking for a top prospect, this is the one!
Congratulations to Deb Trojan of Ottawa on her purchase of Kayleigh, our homebred 6 year old Trakehner mare. Good luck, Deb, I know you and Kayleigh are going to have fun and do great things!
Hope you are staying cool and enjoying the summer.

July 23, 2003:

Well, Blainville, was, Blainville, in all it's glory and excitement.
I so pleased that my friend Sandy could be with us this year - we had a great visit, and lots of laughs, and I am SO glad Sandy was here. Besides, she helped out a lot, and I don't think we would have made it without her. Sandy was also the official Porcupine Hill photographer, and some of her snaps are here.
We had a good show, all around. Sambuka was the star of our group, winning two classes at Second Level with our junior Ruth. Mikayla continued her steady performance at Third Level, with two thirds and a second, and very good scores. White Socks was also a good girl in her tests, with two third place ribbons. Beth, with Oksana, and Doris with Landis, also showed in their respective divisions and had good rides and scores.
Tali went to Blainville just for the outing, and ended up doing two tests - and I was so pleased with him - he was pretty nervous, all alone out there in Ring 1, but he was a good boy, and completed all the requirements in the Prix St. Georges, and got some nice encouraging comments from the judges.
The Freestyle Gala was spectacular this year - probably the best ever at Blainville, and we were privileged to see some very high quality freestyles at both Intermediaire and Grand Prix.
The CIDRA party came off extremely well again this year, and the legend grew again, as we auctioned off the judges as a fundraiser, and saw some hilarious entertainment. Many thanks to the FEI judges who participated in the singing - you were fantastic!
Congratulations to Canada's Pan Am Team - Leslie Reid/Mark, Evi Strasser/Quantum Tyme, Ashley Holzer/Gambol and Jacqui Brooks/Gran Gesto. Best of luck in the Dominican!
Hope you have a great week.

July 8, 2003:

We had a pretty good show at Palgrave this past weekend, in spite of the extreme heat! Ruth and Sambuka were Champion in the Junior Second Level, with some very nice rides and good scores from FEI judges. White Socks was Reserve Champion in the Open Second Level, and Mikayla achieved some very nice scores in Third Level for top five finishes in this very large and tough division.
Regular clinic participant Louise Palmer rode her homebred Hanoverian mare Risky Business to the Reserve Championship in the First Level AA division - a very notable accomplishment - congratulations Louise!
Lyne Joly and Flower King D had lovely tests and great scores to place well in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1 tests.
Beth McKibbin and Oksana competed as well in Training Level and achieved some personal goals, and generally had a good weekend. We very much enjoyed the "RVQ" at their camper on Friday night!
Sandra and Falcon had consistent rides and good scores in First Level, and were always in the placings - another good result for Sandra.
Aliy had some tough rides on Bear, but learned a great deal and will go forward from here to the CDI at Blainville.
Some people have asked me where Taliesan has been this season - well, he's been at home, doing really well, working at the advanced level, getting ready to hopefully make his debut at Prix St. Georges the end of this month. Here is a picture of him working at home:

In support of the Canadian Young Riders, I had the winning bid for the Young Rider auction, and will be welcoming eight of these outstanding young athletes to my farm for one day in August. They are supposed to work for me for the day, and there is certainly lots of work for them to do! But we will try to make it all fun and enjoyable - I'm looking forward to seeing them all at my place.
Our next show is Blainville, July 16-20, and if you only make it to one show this year, this is the one. It's really a great show to watch, and the CIDRA party promises to be even better this year, as we honour the PAN_AM Selection Trial Finalists, and enjoy the camaraderie.
I am also very fortunate to be welcoming my good friend Sandy next week, when she comes from Iowa to spend some time with us and travel with us to Blainville. No painting this year, Sandy!!!!
Have a great couple of weeks!

June 27, 2003:

Today is Adam's birthday - we'll have a nice dinner and enjoy some festivities!
I thought you might enjoy seeing some photos of the fabulous "girls", Mikayla and White Socks:

June 25, 2003:

This past weekend saw us competing at our "local" show, the Ottawa Dresage Festival, held at the Nepean Equestrian Park in Ottawa. It was a busy weekend for us, with eight horses from the Hill and numerous other students in attendance.
We did have some great achievements, however.
Bear and Aliy, in only their fourth Young Rider Team test together, did a lot of things right to score 64% and place second. They also placed second in the Young Rider Individual test with another qualifying score, which moves them into real contention for the Ontario Young Rider Team, and gave them the Reserve Championship in the Young Rider Division.
Fran and Dancer also achieved qualifying scores in both the Team and Individual tests, and their 62% in the Individual test put them in first place. A big win for Fran and Dancer, who also move into a contending position for the Quebec Young Rider Team.
Ruth and Sambuka also did alot of things right and put in some lovely tests to win the Junior Second Level Reserve Championship, including a beautiful winning ride in Second-2 that scored 65% from FEI judge Lorraine MacDonald.
Judi Carter's White Socks continued to dominate her division, with three wins and the Open Second Level Championship. This wonderful mare is turning into a real superstar, having been Champion or Reserve at every competition this season so far.
Mikayla had good scores and showed more maturity at Third Level, narrowly missing the Reserve Championship.
Lyne Joly and Flower King D competed in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1, and achieved good scores and placings. Lyne and her beautiful Oldenburg stallion will be a pair to watch for in the future!
Students Doris Robichaud with Landis and Beth McKibbin with Oksana both competed well and gained valuable experience. Aliy showed her own horse, the 6 year old Hannoverian gelding "Riz" to several placings in his first competition.
Other students in attendance included Christel Klocke with Plato, Dani Decarie and Taiga, Sandra Lowenstein and Fandango, as well as regular clinic participants Karen Capron and her four year old Elvis, who took the Reserve Championship in the Open Training Level. Everyone rode well in the heat and achieved personal goals, so it was a good show.
Thanks to all the people who made it possible for us to attend this show - the unsung heros, if you like ... Jessie who looks after the home front for us, Michel, Wolfgang, Stewart, Tim and Rob, valiant test callers, coat holders, drivers and general support. Carney the Water Boy :-). Lee and Lois-Anne, suppliers of drinks, food and good cheer. Beth for everything, including an emergency run to the health food store :-). Pat for the "Irish Luck" and optimism. Aliy and Ruth for all their hard work in between their good riding. Judi for her generosity, help with Sox and wonderful moral support. We sure couldn't do it without everyone's contribution.
This weekend I will be teaching clinics in St. Lazare (Ferme Mercedez) and Ottawa (NEP), so there is no rest for the idle!
The following weekend we will be at the last Cornerstone show in Palgrave.
Congratulations to the eight riders who have qualified for the head-to-head trial for the Pan-Am Team. This should be an exciting competition in Blainville - if you only go to watch one show this year, Blainville should be your choice!
Hope everyone is staying cool and coping with the recent hot weather. Drink lots of water and take care of yourself. Have a great week!

June 16, 2003:

We attended the second York Equestrian Centre show this past weekend, and our efforts met with resounding success.
My longtime student Sandra Lowenstein and her dark bay Selle Francais gelding Fandango (known to us as Falcon) achieved high scores and first place in 5 of her 6 tests, to win the First Level AA Championship. Bravo, Sandra!
Working student Ruth Crawford rode Gail Dickinson's bay Trakehner cross gelding Sambuka to the Reserve Championship in the Second Level Junior divison, with some nice scores and eights on her medium trots!
Aliy and Fran both met some of their goals in the Young Rider tests and once again made big steps towards real success in this level.
Judi Carter's chestnut Hannoverian mare White Socks once again distinguished herself in the Open Second Level, winning the Reserve Championship with some nice scores and many admiring comments. This stunning mare is really going to be something special.
Mikayla was wonderful. I made the decision to move her up to Third Level, and she justified my confidence by winning three 3rd Level tests, and the Open Third Level Reserve Championship, all with nice scores.
Aliy also took her young horse "Riz" along for some sightseeing, and we were all delighted that he behaved admirably and worked with confidence in his schooling.
I had a minor accident in the warmup ring, and I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who was so kind and supportive, particularly the medic Alison, Joanne Mintz, Jessica Costello, Kim Goodyear, Nancy MacLachlan and Alan Young, as well as all the other people who expressed concern and offered their assistance. It does give a lovely warm feeling to think that people really are concerned and caring, and your generous support was greatly appreciated. (I am fine, by the way, no lasting damage, but it did look serious for a few minutes.)
We are off to Ottawa on Friday, for the Ottawa Dressage Festival. If you are in the area, please stop by to say hello. Have a great week!

June 2, 2003:

Well past time for an update on this page!
We have already been to two horse shows in 2003, and I couldn't be more pleased with the two lovely young mares that I ride. At the first York Equestrian Centre show (May 16-18), Mikayla was excellent in her first Second Level tests, scoring consistently in the sixties, and winning the Reserve Championship. White Socks, Judi Carter's wonderful Hannoverian by Weltmeyer, went to York just for the outing, and did not compete. She was a good girl and gained a lot of confidence just from the trip. At the Cornerstone Farms show this past weekend in Palgrave, Sox competed for her first time, and trotted off with the Open Second Level Championship, with scores ranging from 67% to 70%. Mikayla was Reserve Champion in the same division, with scores from 65% to 69%. It was very exciting for me to have two such lovely mares to compete, and I was completely satisfied with their performances.
Aliy and Ruth both showed at York, and gained some valuable experiences in the FEI Junior and FEI Young Rider divisions with Daneel and Gail Dickinson's Trakehner cross Sambuka. Aliy captured a 3rd place in Fourth Level with Daneel, as well. Aliy competed with Daneel at Palgrave also, and edged her scores up in the Young Rider tests, as she gains experience and ringcraft.
Our dear friend Beth competed at York with her new horse, the Swedish Warmblood mare "Oksana", and won a few ribbons and gained lots of valuable ring time. Both Beth and Oksana were pretty tired by the end of the show, but we were all quite pleased with their results.
In other news here, we have been extremely busy this past few months, with many horses in training and lots of clinics. We are very pleased to welcome a new permanent resident, Kathy Murphy and "Allowishes". Kathy and "Al" will be in full training at Porcupine Hill, and are looking forward to a summer of hard work and fun at the shows.
We are also looking forward to the arrival of our new working student, Brittany Rose, who will be joining us at the end of June. Brittany and her horse Sailor are making the big move from Edmonton to Ontario, and will hopefully be with us through next year.
Aaron and Carolyn both successfully completed their respective years at university, and Aaron has been accepted into an Honours program at Queens in Philosophy.
I hope you are having a good spring and early summer (even if the weather isn't too co-operative). Our schedule includes shows at York, Ottawa and Palgrave in June, so if you are there, please drop by and say hello.