Next TWO Susan Graham White Dressage Clinics!

I've gotten the November and December dates from Susan. We're staying with Wednesdays, as this works best for Susan and Oatlands. So ... let me know if you'd like a slot (or two!) at one or both of the clinics and if you have any time constraints.

Wednesday, November 17th
Wednesday, December 1st

Remember that lesson slots are $125 for a 45-minute private lesson. Payment is due at the beginning of your lesson. If you'd like to pay with credit card, please let me know when you sign up and I'll give you directions for that.

Lessons run from 11am - 6:45pm. Lessons are at Oatland Stables in Brookeville, MD.

Questions?? E-mail me at margaret@mythiclandingevents.com.

**If you'd like to be added to the mailing list for SGW Clinics or Stephen Bradley Clinics, please let me know!

Tag, Tripp and the T3D

October means Fair Hill. And this year, MLE had one client and many friends competing. So off I went on Saturday for a day full of cross-country and, shockingly, no rain. Courtney Cooper was competing in the CCI** on homebred Who's A Star ("Tag"). While this is Tag's second 2-star, this was definitely his biggest challenge of his career. I wasn't there for his dressage, but he was right in the middle of the pack. He's been winning on his dressage score at the last few horse trials, so I'm sure the big atmosphere had something to do with the higher score. I got to see him in the middle of the cross-country course, and he looked great. What an awesome horse ... and he's only 7!

Good friend Katie Ruppel of Yellow Rose Eventing looked stellar in the CCI***. She's been working really hard with Sir Donovan ("Donald") and I'm looking forward to watching them kick ass in a spring 4-star.

Unfortunately, there were two major accidents that put a damper on the day. Sharon White had a scary rotational fall and was taken away in an ambulance. She had to have surgery yesterday for a broken hip, but knowing Sharon, she'll be on a horse by the end of the year. The second accident hit a little closer to home, as it involved former MLE client Jenn Simmons (pictured here). Her and JB's Star were contesting his first CCI*** and looked great when I saw them at the coffin about mid-course. A few jumps later he misread an oxer and both he and Jenn fell. X-rays showed a major break in his shoulder, so it was decided to euthanize him at the hospital. Jenn was kept overnight for observation but released the next day. My heart goes out to Jenn, as I know how special JB was to her.

On a light note, another MLE client is rocking out this fall. Katie Wherley has 2 horses in the barn right now that are stars for the future. Mr. Indiscretion ("Trip") is skipping over Prelim fences. Instead of cramming in an Intermediate this fall, Katie is going to spend the winter getting him really strong, and move up early in the spring. Her other super star is Miss Texas and should really be in a beauty queen contest. So gorgeous! This lovely mare is only 4, so Katie has really spent her time with her and they rocked it at their first Novice this fall. Texas will spend more time growing this winter and then move up to Training in the spring.

Finally ... the Training 3-Day. It starts this week! If you're looking for some fun, come out on Friday to watch endurance day. The smiles you'll see as riders come off course will blind you.

More MLE Clinics this fall

Just a quick post with dates for upcoming clinics:

September 22: Susan Graham White Dressage Clinic (11am - 6:45pm)

October 13: Susan Graham White Dressage Clinic (11am - 6:45pm)

October 20: Stephen Bradley Jumping Clinic (1:30pm - 6pm)

I have at least 1 space available in each clinic, so shoot me an e-mail at margaret@mythiclandingevents.com if you would like more info on riding!

To learn more about Susan, visit her web site www.sgwdressage.com.

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

AEC's Report

Courtney Cooper was the only MLE client to make the trip down to Georgia for the 2010 American Eventing Championships. Nevaeh (pictured napping in her stall) competed in Novice Horse and Who's A Star ("Tag") competed in Open Intermediate. And they were both awesome! Nevaeh led the weekend with a stellar dressage test and double clear cross-country round, putting them in 2nd going into the final phase. Remember that Nevaeh is still only 4-years-old and has her green moments here and there. Unfortunately, she had a silly rail in stadium which dropped her to 7th place overall. Argh! This talented mare is headed to the 4-year-old Young Event Horse Championships in October, so hopefully she'll have a win there! Tag was stellar once again in Intermediate. He's turning into a real powerhouse and I know that Courtney loves every event she has with him. He finished 13th out of 52 in an extremely competitive Open Intermediate division. Go Tag!

Not to be left out, Katie Wherley's student Lisa Warnock made the trip to compete in the Training Amateur division. If you're from Area II you're familiar with seeing Lisa's name on top of the leaderboard at events. While she didn't win, she had a great showing and is now gearing up for the Area II Adult Rider's Training 3-Day later this fall.

CONGRATS Courtney and Tag!

MLE client Courtney Cooper of C Square Farm and her homebred gelding Who's A Star (aka "Tag") have had a very successful summer season! They've been in the top 5 after dressage at their last three events, and ended up winning the Intermediate division at Waredaca in August. Tag will continue at Intermediate this fall, and is aimed for the CCI** at Fair Hill in October. Go Courtney! Go Tag!

Recently Courtney was asked to blog about her experience at Waredaca for the Professional Riders Organization. You can read those here: Saturday and Sunday.

Quick Horse Update

So a lot has happened since my last blog post. Moosetracks did his 2nd USEA Horse Trials at Waredaca. Lo and behold, the horse was awesome! I took him over to friend Julia Beamish's Mayadinya Farm on Friday for a flat and jump school in her lovely arena and it was just what he needed. I was only planning on jumping a few fences, but he was rocketing over everything like it was Preliminary height. So we just kept on jumping until it wasn't quite as exciting and called it a day. After a small mishap while lunging before dressage, he gathered himself together, and put it a solid BN test. I definitely rode quite conservatively, and my coach Kelley Williams (of A Bit Better Farm)told me to really go for it next time. Hopefully this good behavior continues, as after 2 double-clear jumping rounds, he moved from 16th to 7th in a very competitive division of 23 horses. Go Moosetracks Go!

The next Friday, owner Holly Erdely took over the reins and brought him over to a Stephen Bradley clinic I organized at Oatland Stables in Brookeville, MD. The horse did me proud and took care of Holly like a veteran. Woohoo!

Lissell is battling a nasty skin infection that's required daily (if not twice daily) attention. She's such a princess. But she's getting stronger and stronger, and more balanced with each passing day. She even voluntarily cantered out on the trail! Love this mare!

Mid-summer review ...

As the summer progresses, I'm taking a moment to review all my equine charge's progress.

First up we have Moosetracks. The big appy is still going through a bit of a rough patch. His jumping keeps getting better and better, but he's decided that dressage is for the birds. *sigh* One thing I'm learning about this appy/draft-cross is that he has a stubborn streak a mile long. Lucky for Moosetracks though, my stubborn streak is 2 miles long. So after a marathon session in the wretched humidity last night, I think we have progress. He's scheduled to compete at Waredaca next weekend, and after that will probably take a break from competing to re-focus a little.

Next up is Lissell (aka Mythical, aka Pretty Princess, aka Queen B*tch). I won't get into Lissell's full history, but here's the brief version: I got her when she was 11, evented her for a few years, then she hurt herself so I leased her out as a broodmare, that went sour after a few years, and now I have her back at the age of 18). Lucky for Lissell, she's my only horse right now, so she gets to re-enter the world of the working. Lucky for me, she doesn't seem to mind and actually seems to enjoy the attention. The rest of the summer will be spent trail riding, and then we'll see what happens. To say I missed this mare is an understatement. People keep asking me how she's doing, and my standard response is "perfect."

Finally, The Ponies! Once or twice a week you'll find me at a neighbor's farm exercising their ponies. The ponies are meant to be for the family's children, but thus far the kids don't have much interest in riding (I'm hoping that will change this fall!). In any case, Pony #1 is named Swift (paint pictured). Swift was a champion games pony and I'm guessing his age to be at 30+. Naughty is his middle name, and I approach every ride with him expecting to fall off. Thus far, I haven't actually fallen, but I figure I should keep my expectations low with this one. His latest trick was flipping his tongue over the bit, resulting in the addition of a flash to his little bridle. Pony #2 is named Snowflake (grey pictured). Snowflake is 90% lovely. But she is a pony mare, so if she's having a bad day, WATCH OUT! I could go on and on about these little guys, but work is calling. More later!