May 25, 2005
- The first show of the season
was held at our "local" showgrounds, the Nepean National
Equestrian Park. The four day combined CDI*** and National show
had a very good turnout for such an early show, and we were there!
Miki and Tali both showed in the CDI***, competing in the Prix St.
Georges and the Intermediaire 1. Miki was super in her first
attempts at this level in a CDI, finishing 7th in the I1 and the I1
Freestyle, with great scores from the European judges. Tali was a
good boy too, finally starting to relax and just do his job. Ruth
had also a very good outing with Sambuka in the CDI Young Rider
division, finishing 5th in the Team test, 6th in the Individual and 3rd
in the Freestyle.
- My students all made
me very proud: Aliy piloted Christel Klock's big horse Plato
through the National level PSG and a fourth level test, with an
acceptable result for his first try at this higher level. Arianne
and her horse Deimos also rode the PSG and several fourth level tests,
with good scores to the mid-sixties, and some very nice results in the
top three. Karen and Elvis had super rides in the Open 2nd Level,
and Sandra and Falcon were 2nd Level AA Champion. Roberta and
Einstein were Reserve Champion in Training Level AA. So
congratulations to all on a very successful first show of the
season.
- Spring has finally
sprung, and the grass, flowers, weeds and trees are all out of
control! Looks like we will have to get another lawn mower!
- Our next shows will be at Evergreen
Farm in Kingston on May 28th, and then off to Palgrave
for the first Cornerstone Farms show.
- Congratulations to Aliy on
her purchase of the 3 year old Canadian Sport Horse "Shaq".
This lovely young horse is a full brother to Karen Capron's Elvis, and
is already proving to be a great prospect for Aliy to develop.
- Congratulations to Ruth on
being accepted to St. Lawrence College for September. Ruth and
Blitz will move to the Kingston area, which is fortunately not too far
away!
- We said good-bye to our staff
member Tammy this month, and are currently looking for
someone to fill her part-time position. If you are interested,
please email me.
- I am also looking for a working
student, so if you are prepared to commit to a fairly long stay
(6-12 months), and would like to have the opportunity to learn the ropes
in a busy dressage training facility, please email
me.
- Hope everyone is having a great
spring. Good luck in all your shows and other endeavours!
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- Spring is just
around the corner, and we are busy getting ready for what promises to
be an exciting year of competition. The horses are all working
very well and our many students are also right up to speed with their
horses. 2005 will be a great year, I think!
- I attended a super clinic
at the end of January with Norbert van Laak (GER), at
Belinda Trussell's lovely stable Oakcrest Farms. I rode Mikayla,
and learned lots, not just in my own lessons, but also through
watching a number of Canada's top riders in action with Norbert.
Norbert is terrific to work with, very focussed and very picky about
basics. Miki was super, really improved with Norbert's help, and
we are looking forward to returning for more lessons later this
month. Word on the street is that Dressage Canada is the process
of engaging Norbert as our National Team Coach - let's
keep our fingers crossed that everything works out and we can finally
have a national coach for our top level riders.
- Speaking of Dressage Canada,
it appears that I am once again involved with sports administration,
as I have accepted the position of Chair for Domestic
Development within Dressage Canada. Just 'cause I had
nothing better to do with my free time! Seriously, this is a
subject dear to my heart, and I hope I can bring some much needed
energy and enthusiasm to the domestic scene here in Canada.
There is so much to do to build a strong base for dressage across our
country, and I am pleased to be working with some really dedicated
volunteers for the next year or so. Look for updates on the Dressage
Canada website in the next few weeks.
- I just returned from a great trip
to New Mexico, where I was pleased to visit my
Grandmother Nadine, and my Aunt Cille. Although the weather was
not fantastic, it was a very enjoyable visit, and it was great to see
my grandmother in such good spirits and still playing a wicked game of
bridge. Ryn and my mum went with me, so it was a real
family affair.
- We are very pleased to welcome Sandra
and Dana to our stable, with their two horses this month.
- I am busy with clinics
this month, and will be in St. Lazare, Vankleek Hill, and Montreal's
south shore at various points.
- Huge congratulations going out to
long time student Lyne Joly and her wonderful horse Flower
King D. Lyne and "Flo" are long listed for
2005, and will travel with me later this month to work with Norbert in
Toronto. This is a huge achievement for Lyne and her lovely
stallion.
- We are also looking forward to
seeing Zach Ball and his pony Rudy over
March break. Zach and Rudy will be making their show ring debut
this year, and I know they are going to do extremely well.
- Recently enjoyed books
include a funny novel by Connie Willis, entitled To Say Nothing of
the Dog, Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels (set in Edinburgh,
Scotland), and two books by Edward Rutherford: The Princes of
Ireland and Sarum, both historical novels in the style of
the late, great James Mitchener. Adam gave me the first three
seasons of Kiefer Sutherland's TV series "24"
for Christmas. We are currently only halfway through season two,
but I can tell you, this is gripping TV at its best, as far as I am
concerned.
- I hope things are going well for
you this spring, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the shows
this season.
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