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

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The view from the MHC Horse Person of the Year Dinner and Silent Auction.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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When I'm not busy working, I can often be found at the barn with Lissell.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

MLE Welcomes New Client!

MLE welcomes Stephen S. Bradley Eventing as our newest client. Many of you already know Stephen from riding with him in one of the many MLE clinics we did with him this year. Stephen has a long list of accomplishments: 1992 Olympic team member and '93 Burghley CCI**** winner with Sassy Reason. '93 US Olympic Committee Equestrian Athlete of the Year; '96 Rolex Kentucky winner with Doctor DoLittle; '03 gold-medal winning US Pan American Championships team member and '05 Foxhall Cup CCI*** winner with Brandenburg's Joshua; '07 gold-medal winning US Pan American Championships team member with From.

You can learn more about Stephen at his web site www.stephensbradley.com. You'll see MLE placing ads for his sale horses and putting together an e-newsletter. We're thrilled to be adding Stephen to the MLE team.

Click on the below links to read recent articles with Stephen:
Gymnastics on a Balance Beam: written by Traci Bryant Donatelli, photos by Stacey Wigmore for Practical Horseman (facilitated by me)

Mastering the Ditch and Rails: written by me, photos by Emily Daily and Leslie Mintz for Eventing USA