One down, one to go!

Our riders -- young and old(er) -- all had a great time at the Gymkhana event.  We are looking forward to this Sunday and the Spring Show.  Linda is finalizing horse assignments and it looks like we will have a big group of riders. If you want to ride and haven't let Linda know, please do before Wednesday. 

Zeus was fabulous for his first show.  Really did stay chill.  Buck gets rarin' to go at the site of the barrels but had an experienced rider (see pic ... ) who was able to control him and it sure looked like fun.  Made me realize I have to do quite a few more lessons though before I can ride Buck in an event!!  Reno was the most out of character -- seemed very distracted by all the activity.  His rider, although a beginner in his first event, did a tremendous job of staying focused and brought home quite a few ribbons.  And, Hercules was his dependable and wonderful self.  Really did a great job.

Thanks to all the parents, riders (those who rode and those who helped and cheered us on!) and fans -- and thanks to everyone who prayed for the rain to stay away.  Unlike most of the area, we never had a drop.  Now we have to start hoping for good weather and good humor for Sunday.

Gymkhanna tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the annual Gymkhanna event at Oak Hollow farm sponsored by Equus.  With the spring horse show next week, we only have 5 riders and four horses entered tomorrow.  Lizzie will be entering with Zeus -- his first show as a Cobble Hill horse.  She practiced the barrels, poles and flag events today and Zeus is doing great for a young horse.  His overall demeanor is pretty chill, so we are hoping all goes well tomorrow.  Also, it will be the first official event for Jacki's kids so we are hoping the rain holds off and a fun day is had by all.

The 3 day riding program this week was a smashing success.  Besides the smiles on the riders who jumped or cantered for the first time, the next best outcome was how great (and groomed!) our horses look.  Dixie looks about 10 years younger and quite svelte with the loss of all her winter coat and the nice trimming.  I am told that Jay was groomed for almost 2 hours straight ... not sure if that is totally true but he is looking shiny!

The only odd-man out is Buck.  I am in deep doo-doo around here for chopping his tail a wee bit too short.  I had an inspired idea of making braiding 'boards' so that the younger riders could practice their mane and tale braiding on a piece of board before working on a real horse.  Buck happened to be in the runway last weekend when I appeared with scissors and the rest is, as they say, history.  I am sure Krissy will capture a picture of it for posting soon.  I still think it was a great idea even if the execution was a bit flawed.

Pics and results tomorrow!

Featured Rider: Amy

Promised the riders in the barn that I would begin a new item occasionally on the blog: a featured rider. They all filled out questions for me and our first featured rider is: Amy! (Her barn name, not her real name....)

Amy has been riding for two years. This summer, she and her mom are sharing a lease on Sweet Pea so she is getting to ride quite a bit. During the school year she tries to ride once a week.

Her favorite lesson horse is Hercules, but for a show give her Sweet Pea! Great choice -- he cleans up nice and doesn't get too rattled.

Amy hasn't done a trail ride yet, but her choice for a trail ride is Buck. Buck has a well deserved reputation as a great trail horse!

Amy hopes to become a professional rider one day. And she keeps coming to Cobble Hill for the FUN and the HORSES!

Horses!

Haven't done pictures and a post lately only about the horses! Now that I am riding a bit, I can actually talk about my impressions of the horses. Looking forward to my lesson tomorrow.

The three horses that beginner adult riders use (for the most part) are: Sweet Pea, Buck and Dixie.

Dixie is a really interesting paint horse. She is older and very well trained. She is a complete witch when it comes to getting her out of the pasture when it isn't feed time. In fact, many months ago when I was out in the big pasture trying to catch her, she stomped on my foot. It was a good reminder of why you wear sturdy shoes around horses, but it still hurt. Dixie can also be a bit hard to bridle. Yet. the minute you ride her, she is the most gentle, predictable and well behaved horse we have. A real steady-eddie. The biggest challenge when you ride Dixie is to keep her moving, especially at the trot.

Sweet Pea is another contradiction. He would be just as happy being in his stall all day. You have to be really careful not to bother him when he is eating as he gets a little aggressive. Yet, put a saddle on him and again -- he is well-trained, and a really fun ride. He consistently performs well at the little shows the riders do. He will keep moving better than Dixie.

Buck is really 'forward' and responds best to short reins. Buck was a barrel racer and I have aspirations to do a barrel race some day. When Buck is trotting I think he has the nicest, smooth trot. I haven't been cleared to canter him yet as he is really fast, but he really is a comfortable and fun horse. I think/hope I am riding him tomorrow.

The Fun AND the Work ....

Big farm day for me today. I actually rode a horse! Jacki and I had a lesson from Linda and it was great. My first time on Buck and I loved him. I could 'keep my seat' in the sitting trot and once I got the rhythm it was really enjoyable. We must have done well because Linda let us walk them out down around the track. It was one of those truly glorious afternoons and the horses were great and the company was fun ... couldn't have been a better summer afternoon.

No sooner were the horses put away then the hay wagons were filling up from the hay Kim cut in our field this week. It has been a harrowing hay season so far. So much rain that the fields are high and ready to be cut, but you can't get two or three days in a row to cut, dry, bale and put it in the barn. If hay gets wet it is ruined. The economics of hay and their intersection with weather are really interesting. Because the weather pattern is basically the same over an entire region, everyone has the same hay challenge which restricts supply and starts to drive up the price. Also, if you don't cut your field the first time (it is actually called 'first cutting hay' and you don't mix first and second cuts when you are feeding horses because they are different) early enough, you won't get a very significant second cut. That is what folks were starting to worry about. Optimally, you'd get your first cutting in the barn before the 4th of July.

Kim decided to cut Wednesday night -- taking the chance that the scattered showers would miss us. I sweated it out (especially yesterday with all the black clouds and light rain in Pittsfield) ... but it never did get wet and we now have about 750 bales of really nice hay. My hands are blistered from putting it in (even though I wore gloves!) and I am EXHAUSTED. And the daunting reality is we probably need a total of 4 or 5 THOUSAND bales of hay this year.

But right now I am a good tired ....