Loudoun HTs: Good News/Bad News

Just a quick little update about the Princess Lissell.  Her first competition back from summer vacation was this past weekend at Loudoun Horse Trials (held at the Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg).

I tried a new technique with Lissell for dressage warm up.  We hacked down, worked for 15 minutes and went into the ring.  And this is where we start the good news / bad news portion of this blog ...
Good news: Lissell was great.  Stayed with me the whole time.  Stayed in front of my leg.  A little fussy, but I was happy.
Bad news: The judge hated it.  We scored a 49.1!
Good news: We weren't in last place.  Actually not even second to last.  Sweet!
Lesson learned: Extend the warm up a little bit longer until Lissell takes a breath, then just do stretchy work until we go in.

Next up was stadium.  The course was on the side of a hill.  No biggie.
Good news: Lissell felt great!
Bad news: Warm up fences were all up hill.  Ugh.  This is not mine and Lissell's strong suit.  We're still working on getting her to engage her (rather large) hind end uphill to fences.  Frustration does not even begin to describe my emotions as we punched out rail after rail.
Good news: I put the craptastic warm up behind me and went in ready to rock.
Bad news: I lost my stirrup twice and tried to fall off in the triple.
Good news: My horse is saintly and saved my patootie and we only pulled two rails.
Lesson learned: Don't go 2 months without going to a horse show.  You'll be seriously rusty in the ring.

The next day we went back for cross country.  Only good news this time ... Lissell is AMAZING!  Seriously!  She just locked on to every jump and was machine like.

Love, love, love this horse!

September Clinic Dates!

Stephen Bradley on Wednesday, September 5th  (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 hose and rider make him a hit with riders of all levels. When training with Stephen, you can be confident that you will receive expert instruction for your level of riding. You can learn more about Stephen at www.stephensbradley.com.


Format: 1.25 hour group jumping lessons (3 persons maximum)
Cost: $110/per rider

Susan Graham White  on Monday, September 10th  (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.

Cute pony award!

Ready to start!

All Stephen Bradley, All the Time!

Don't forget that there's still time to sign up for next Wednesday's clinic with Stephen Bradley at A Bit Better Farm (Brookeville, MD).  Lessons are $110 for small group (no more than 3 riders).  And we should have time for a few private lessons ($125 each) for those wanting dressage lessons.

E-mail me at margaret@mythiclanding.com to sign up!

Also, Stephen will be at Playland Farm this weekend teaching both days.  Lessons start at 9am and remember that auditing is always FREE!

Welcome Tara Shegogue!

I'm so excited to welcome a new member to the MLE family!  Tara Shegogue is going to be a great addition to the team as she has a lot of experience with marketing (specializing in Search Engine Optimization) and is also an accomplished photographer. Keep reading to learn more about Tara ...


Tara, a native of Delaware, graduated from James Madison University with an undergraduate in Marketing & Advertising and holds a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from Wilmington University. With a fascination for the vast world of Google, Tara began focusing her efforts into learning SEO (Search Engine Optimization). A horse enthusiast since the beginning, she has been riding for over 15 years. She rode for JMU's equestrian team in college and did the jumper circuit while working as a horseback trail guide on Massanutten Mountain. Now she focuses most of her efforts on riding Thoroughbreds off the track and dabbling in eventing and dressage. While not working on marketing, Tara can be found behind the lens of her camera, as she is also a professional wedding and event photographer.

August Stephen Bradley clinics ... sign up now!

Saturday/Sunday, August 4th-5th @ Playland Farm (Union Bridge, MD)


Wednesday August 8th @ A Bit Better Farm (Brookeville, MD)

Stephen's August clinic dates are quickly approaching!  All lessons are $110 each (cash, check and credit cards accepted).  Groups are limited to 4 people for 90 minutes at Playland, and 3 people for 75 minutes at ABBF.

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 hose and rider make him a hit with riders of all levels. When training with Stephen, you can be confident that you will receive expert instruction for your level of riding. You can learn more about Stephen at www.stephensbradley.com.

To sign up, e-mail margaret@mythiclanding.com!