I.Love.My.Mare!

I really do.  I just love her.  I was finally able to do trot sets outside yesterday, and she was just great.  Typically I don't do trot sets for horses going Beginner Novice, but I've found that now that Lissell is older, we need a little help with the fitness work.  So we just do easy ones.  Three 5-minute trots followed by two 3-minute canters.  I decided to do them in her hackamore in an attempt to help me learn to just let go out there.  Well ... what I learned is that a hackamore is not the proper bitting choice for a headstrong mare that hadn't been outside in weeks.  Let's just say Lissell was feeling a bit fresh.  The trotting wasn't so bad, we even did some of it on a loopy rein.  The canter sets were more of a gallop set, but we were both having fun, so whatever.  We even have a log in that field, it's about Novice size.  I couldn't help myself and we popped over it a few times.  I was only planning on doing it once, but I was jumped so clear out of the tack the first time, that I decided to repeat it a few times until we were both in sync.  The good news is, that my mare was totally game.  So I'm now officially excited for Southern Pines.  Woohoo! 


That's me with Lissell back in the day. She was so incredibly patient. It must have been hard for her to adjust from being a 5' jumper to a Beginner Novice event horse.

Spring 2011 Stephen Bradley Clinic Schedule

MLE is thrilled to welcome Stephen Bradley back for a clinic series this spring. If you're interested in riding in any (or all!) of the clinics, just e-mail me at margaret@mythiclandingevents.com.

Dates:
Wednesday, March 30th at A Bit Better Farm
Sunday, May 22nd at Oatland Stables
Wednesday, June 22nd at A Bit Better Farm

Cost:
A Bit Better Farm clinics: $110 for 3-person 75-minute lesson OR $125 for private 45-minute lesson
Oatland Stables clinic: $110 for 4-person 90-minute lesson

To learn more about Stephen, visit his web site: www.stephensbradley.com

Other helpful links:
A Bit Better Farm www.abitbetterfarm.com
Oatland Stables www.oatlandstables.com

Mastering the Ditch and Rails with Stephen Bradley (published in EventingUSA): click HERE
Gymnastics on the Balance Beam with Stephen Bradley (published in Practical Horseman): click HERE

The Road to Southern Pines I

I'm a planner.  I plan everything.  If you come to my office you'll see a dry erase board where everything is organized.  Each client has a box, plus this week's "to-do" list.  My calendar is color coded.  My horse has a calendar where everything is recorded.  You get the idea.  Well the one thing I don't like planning is my show season.  I'm not a hugely superstitious person, but I think writing down your show schedule is just a recipe for disaster.  So instead I have a mental list of shows that I would like to go to.  If we get there, great.  If we don't, oh well.  While I like competing, my horse life doesn't revolve around it.  I'm sure I drive my sister absolutely crazy, because we share a truck/trailer.  And I never like telling her what shows I'm planning on.  But at some point, you have to just say it out loud.  So today is the day.

Lissell and I are entered at Southern Pines I (March 12-13).  Nothing too excited, just Beginner Novice.  But for those that have been following Lissell's story from the past year or so, you'll know what a big deal this is.  But really, it's not a big deal.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  We're just traveling 8 hours for 5 days to jump 2'6" jumps.  Ok, maybe I'm officially crazy.  But it sounds like a lot of fun.  A bunch of people from my barn are going, and maybe their stories from last year's sunny weather, combined with the dismal forecast for the next week, pushed me over the edge and I entered.  Lissell's first competition since 2005.  Oh yea ... we haven't jumped cross country since then either.  But no biggie.  One quick school while we're down there, and we'll be set.  Right?? 

Seriously though.  I'm having the best time with Lissell right now.  She's just awesome.  The dressage is what is it, but is getting better all the time.  And the jumping ... well, there's nothing like it.  She's just the best.  That's a picture of Lissell charging through the water back in the day.  

Ok, enough gushing.  We still have a few weeks before we leave and a lot can happen between now and then.  Especially when your horse is 19.  But here's hoping all goes well.

Work-less weekend??

My weekend started on Friday evening, where I was once again found at the Verizon store.  A little negotiation later and I was able to do an early upgrade and get the Droid 2 Global.  I spent the weekend trying to figure out how to use my new phone ... it's much fancier than I'm used to!

But what I didn't do this weekend, was open my computer.  As a business owner, I tend to work a lot ... A LOT.  I'm famous for sending, "just one more e-mail."  Poor Scott, I'm not sure how he puts up with it sometimes.  But this weekend, the computer stayed put and I did horse stuff, family stuff, and fun stuff.  I'm not saying this will happen every weekend, but it was a nice change of pace.  

Harry the Hunter

I just received word that my old horse Harry was Reserve Champion in the Thoroughbred Hunter division at HITS Ocala yesterday. This included a blue, red and yellow ribbon in the three classes. Yay Harry! Yay Hillary! Yay Marylisa!

That's a picture of me and Harry that was included in an issue of Dressage Today a few years ago. My co-worker, Stacey Wigmore, had come out to my barn to do a photo shoot about eventing gear, and she caught this awesome shot of me and my Harryman. A few months later, Dressage Today needed a photo for a story on knowing your horse, and viola ... Harry became famous.

When technology fails you.

I had a plan for this morning.  I was going to wake up early and get right to work.  I knew that I would be meeting the vet later today, plus Thursdays are my day to feed the barn.  Instead I wake up to my phone telling me that my gmail and phone are no longer connected.  Great.  So after deleting and then re-downloading gmail, everything is communicating again.  But now if I open something on my phone, it also opens it on my computer.  Which is really not good.  Because that's how I'll lose track of things.  So instead of actually working this morning, I'm dealing with technology.  Ugh!  

--
Margaret Rizzo
President, Mythic Landing Events, LLC
301.502.8929
margaret@mythiclandingevents.com
www.mythiclandingevents.com

Follow me at http://mythiclandingevents.blogspot.com or http://twitter.com/mythiclanding