When the scores don't reflect how truly awesome the day was ...

Where to begin.  Sunday was Lissell's first recognized Training event, and only my second one (with the first being almost 3 years ago!).  When I walked the course on Saturday with Kelley and Katie, I was only slightly nauseated by fence 3, a bit more by 4 and wanted to crawl into the ditch at 6.  By the time we got to the massive ramp at 8 or the log into water 11 or the 1-stride angled brushed at 16/17, I figured "whatever will happen will happen."  Not only was the course big (in my new-to-the-level opinion) but it was also long.  Lissell is fit, but I always worry.

So anyway, dressage went SO well on Sunday morning.  Jane was able to come over to warm me up and that was just the thing I needed.  Lissell was so wonderful in her test, and I was really hoping it was a 39-40 test.  I guess the judge saw what I felt, and we got a 39.6!  Now I just need to work on keeping her forward, forward, forward into the connection.  I must say that the Micklem bridle has been a god send.

Next up was stadium.  I was so thankful to have Kelley there to warm me up after the disaster at Loch Moy.  Her reminders of keeping Lissell straight between my legs were just what I needed, and I would say that we redeemed ourselves in stadium this week.  We did pull two rails.  I'll take blame for one of them.  ;-)

Then we were off to cross country.  Kelley had to go get her horses ready, so I was left with warmup instructions.  Thankfully Sue was there to babysit me, take me to the start box, etc.  All my worries about the jumps being too big were put aside after the first 3 fences.  I guess all the fitness work is paying off, because she absolutely springs off the ground now.  I do wish she didn't get quite so close to them, but that's something we'll just have to work on.  Anyway, galloping to fence 4, I had Kelley's directions clearly in my head.  Ride up to it!  I definitely didn't have enough gas in the tank and we had a silly stop.  I came around to it again, popped over it and off we went. (I did later find out that fence 4 was causing problems all day which made me feel a bit better).  The ditch at 6 was a non issue, and the jump into water was fine (the growling was probably unneeded).  The angled line was awesome.  And then my dumb ass made a dumb ass move at the corner and softened to it, and Lissell was exit stage right.  Argh!  So very frustrating!  I could have kicked myself right then and there.  But we jumped it nicely the second time around and finished up with plenty of horse still underneath me.

So lessons learned ...
1) Don't get cocky at the end of the course.  I honestly can't remember ever having 2 stops on cross country.  I think that's because usually after one stop I get so mad, that I make sure I don't have another one.  But this is Lissell, and I can't get mad at her.

2) Lissell likes it if you give her a pat and tell her she's a pretty pony after fences.  I could literally feel her take a breath with each pat.

3) Lissell is pretty bad ass!  And it took my very non-horsey dad to put things into perspective for me yesterday.  After cross country I was of course a little disappointed in myself for having two stops, he turned to me and said, "Margaret, your horse is TWENTY years old ... she jumped everything you pointed her at ... what more can you ask for??"  Thanks dad!

4) Without Grantley to snuggle with post-cross country (their times were much later in the afternoon), Lissell gets a little wild at the trailer.  Hopefully they'll be reunited at Seneca in two weeks.

All photos courtesy of Christie Baker.  Thanks Christie!

June Clinic Dates ... Reserve Your Space Now!

Get ready for the summer season with Mythic Landing Enterprises!  We're continuing our popular clinic series with three dates this month.  Keep reading to learn more about each clinic opportunity with instructors Stephen Bradley, Susan Graham White and Katie Wherley.

Katie Wherley Clinic on Saturday, June 9^th (Bennett’s Creek Farm in Frederick, MD)

Stay tuned up under Katie's expert guidance!  Top professional Katie Wherley, of Rock Solid Training in Middletown, Maryland, will be coming to Bennett's Creek Farm again in June. Katie, a graduate "A" pony clubber, has trained and competed horses to the Advanced level of eventing, and has significant experience in the jumpers, hunters, and dressage. You can learn more about Katie at www.rocksolid-training.com.

Format:

1.5 hour group jumping lessons (4 persons maximum)

45-minute private (dressage and jumping) lessons

Cost:

$65/group lesson or $80/private lesson

$5 discount for current Pony Club members

Stephen Bradley Clinic on Wednesday, June 13^th (A Bit Better Farm in Brookeville, MD)

Stephen enjoys teaching all levels of riders from beginners to the advanced competitor. His enthusiasm, talent for communication, and ability to inspire confidence in the horse and rider especially make him a hit with the pony clubbers! When trianing with Stephen, you can be confident that you will receive expert instruction for your level of riding.  You can learn more about Stephan at www.stephensbradley.com.

Format:

1.25 hour group jumping lessons (3 persons maximum)

Cost:

$110/group lesson

Susan Graham White  on Monday, June 18^th  (A Bit Better Farm in Brookeville, MD)
Not only is Susan an active upper-level dressage competitor, but she also judges at many of the area shows where you compete. Susan is an FEI dressage rider and trainer based at Wolfhaven Farm in southern Maryland. She has been an active instructor, trainer, and competitor in dressage for 25 years, and has successfully trained and coached students through the Advanced 3-day level in eventing, and to FEI levels in dressage. Learn more about Susan at www.sgwdressage.com.

Format:

45-minute private lessons

Cost:

$125/lesson

Please contact Margaret Rizzo at margaret@mythiclanding.com or (301) 502-8929 to sign up for any (or all!) of the clinics.  Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

A full list of activities for the year can be found on our web site (http://mythiclanding.com/activities.htm) or facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mythic-Landing-Enterprises-LLC/231445710243540).  Be sure to check back often for updates.  Or just tell Margaret to add you to our e-mail list.

Red Hawke Eventing Joins MLE!

Red Hawke Eventing Joins MLE!

Everyone here at MLE would like to give a warm welcome to Mary Macklin and her Red Hawke Eventing team!  We look forward to assisting you on your path to success!

Mary is now accepting new students from Intro-Prelim. Coaching at schooling shows & Area 2 events. Trailer-in for lessons at her home base or inquire about traveling rates to your farm. mary.macklin1@gmail.com  

Hands down, best mare ever!

This weekend was the big move up.  We were finally going Training!  I can't even begin to describe the emotions going in to this day.  Life has been so insane lately that I wasn't really able to stress about it, which is probably a good thing.  I've been crossing our t's and dotting our i's.  Lissell got checked out by the wonderful Dr. Scullin, got her teeth done by the awesome Dr. Lewis, and her feet done by super farrier Mike Poe.  In between all these appointments we've continued our lessons with Kelley Williams and Jane Seigler.  With monthly visits from Stephen Bradley and Susan Graham White.

To say the least, I love this horse.  Going into Saturday's event at Loch Moy, I had reasonable expectations.  I knew the dressage wouldn't be great, but I prayed for something passable.  I figured the first few stadium fences would be a bit sticky until she realized the jumps were bigger.  And on cross country, I was just hoping that she didn't find the large tables/rolltops/etc too hard.  The horse is fit and sound, but she's still 20 years old.  And the biggest disservice I could do to her would be to ask her to do something that is physically difficult for her.  But there's only one way to find out if all your hard work is working ... so off we went!

Dressage was a bit more dramatic than I was hoping for.  Lissell had a hard time settling, and threw in some lovely drama mama mare behavior, which did nothing for my nerves.  But on the other hand, were my nerves causing the drama??  Probably.  In any case, I just kept Lissell working and did about a million and one canter transitions until she was doing them quietly.  Of course all this work makes her gaits a bit dull, and this test has 2 trot lengthenings, 1 canter lengthening and a free walk on the short diagonal.  But I figured an obedient test was better than leaping.  Mission almost accomplished, but I still came out of the ring a bit disappointed.  I know that Lissell isn't a dressage diva, but I know that we're both capable of more than what happened in the ring that day.  After a quick pep talk via text from Scott, off to our course walk!

The course was a great move up.  The first 3 fences were small Training/large Novice.  Then we had our first complex.  Garden gate, a few strides to a down bank, then right turn to a skinny log.  There was plenty of room between the bank and the log, so I wasn't too worried.  Then, there it was, a big 'ol table thing.  My nausea began here and didn't really stop until the day was over.  The rest of the course looked doable.  The only thing I wasn't happy about was the large bank out of water.  But whatever.  We had to get through stadium first.

So next up is stadium.  Lissell warmed up like a dream.  As soon as she pinged over the first large vertical, I didn't stop smiling.  She was tossing in lead changes when appropriate, and I knew she felt good.  Then, we went into the ring.  And I'm still not sure what went wrong.  She was very backed off, and behind my leg (same thing that happened the last time we were at Loch Moy).  Which of course makes me want to chase her to the fences.  Bad!  This finally resulted in a stop at the in and out, and I honestly didn't know what to do for a moment!  I have never, EVER had a stop on this horse in competition.  But I re-grouped and finished up.  At this point, I kind of wanted to go home.

Quick pep talk from Katie and Mary, plus a little strategizing, and off we went.  I gave Lissell a crack with the whip out of the box, and I think that was the best decision I made all day.  She attacked that course!  Oh how I love this horse.  You just put your hands down and she does the rest (hmmm ... maybe I need to do more of this in stadium!).  The bank complex wasn't perfect, but we made it through ... even angling the skinny log.  The giant table ... no problem.  Corner, trakhener, coffin, giant oxer in the woods.  Check, check, check, check.  The bank out of the water was a bit hairy, as Lissell climbed up it a bit.  Lissell tends to back off in the water, so I was so focused on keeping a forward pace through the water, and we came to the bank on a half stride.  Lissell shook it off, and charged towards the next fence.  Love, love, love.

I of course burst into tears at the finish line.  This mare has been through so much, and just keeps stepping up to the plate.  What more could you ask for!?

So what was my favorite part of the weekend?  Watching my awesome boyfriend trot my awesomely sound and happy horse for me the next morning.  I iced her once more for my own sanity, gave her a few more carrots and turned her out.  Today we'll go for a hack if it ever stops raining.

Thanks to everyone for everything.  Katie, Mary, Lauren and Katie's parents for babysitting all day.  Kelley, Jane, Stephen and Susan for all the great prep work.  And the countless texts from friends checking in.  The icing on the cake was seeing that Lissell was 9th (out of 13) after dressage.  Not being last or second to last after dressage ... on a bad day ... I think I can die a happy woman now.

Next up ... Waredaca!  With Kelley's supervision this time.  :-)

Don't Forget, SGW on Tuesday, May 29th!

Just a friendly reminder that Susan Graham White will be returning to A Bit Better Farm on Tuesday, May 29th!

Not only is Susan an active upper-level dressage competitor, but she also judges at many of the area shows where you compete. Susan is an FEI dressage rider and trainer based at Wolfhaven Farm in southern Maryland. She has been an active instructor, trainer, and competitor in dressage for 25 years, and has successfully trained and coached students through the Advanced 3-day level in eventing, and to FEI levels in dressage. Learn more about Susan at www.sgwdressage.com.

Format: 45-minute private lessons; Cost: $125/lesson


Please contact Margaret Rizzo at margaret@mythiclanding.com or (301) 502-8929 to sign up for any (or all!) of the clinics.  Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

A full list of activities for the year can be found on our web site (http://mythiclanding.com/activities.htm) or facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mythic-Landing-Enterprises-LLC/231445710243540).  Be sure to check back often for updates.  Or just tell Margaret to add you to our e-mail list.

A few videos from yesterday

We all enjoyed another great day of lessons with Stephen Bradley yesterday at the awesome A Bit Better Farm.  Here are some videos from the first lesson:

ABBF's Pat and super pony Darby!

Playland Farm's Glenda and her lovely homebred Darby.

SAS's Shera and her greenbean Coby.

Glenda and Darby's course work.

Next clinic is Wednesday, June 13th!  E-mail me at margaret@mythiclanding.com if you'd like to sign up!

Fun visit to C Square Farm

Scott and I had a rare weekend off from horse activities this past weekend when we went up to Chadd's Ford, PA for his grandmother's 85th birthday celebration.  Since we were so close to C Square Farm, we stopped by for a visit on our way home on Sunday.  We got to visit with Courtney and Neal's latest homebred "Grover," who at a week old, is so stinkin' cute!  Then we stuck around to watch Courtney jump Tag (aka Who's A Star) for the first time in since his colic surgery in January.  I was expecting more excitement on Tag's part, but he was ever the professional.  What a cool horse!  I also got to check out some of Courtney's sale horses, and she has some good ones!  Persia June is absolutely gorgeous.  And Lazer Lavender makes you want to hop on bareback and go for a gallop.  It was a fun visit, and I think that Scott even enjoyed himself.  :-)

Grover checking out his momma's feed bucket.
Photo courtesy Courtney's facebook fan page.