Award Time again!

On January 8th, OHJA is having its awards banquet and I thought I'd just make note of some of our accomplishments ("our" meaning Triple Rise) from this year.

Open System
Lauren and Bella - 2nd 3' Pre Green Working Hunter
2nd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)
2nd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
3rd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Julie and Henry - 4th Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)
3rd 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
4th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Debbie and Houdini - 3rd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (41 +)
7th Large Working Hunter
6th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, over fences

Regional System
Kate and Titan - 1st 3'3" Pre Green Working Hunter
2nd Adult Amateur Working Hunter (18-35)

Anna and Patches - 8th Children's Working Hunter (13 & under)
2nd Modified Child/Adult Hunter
2nd Pre Child Hunter
4th Small Working Hunter
7th Pre Child Equitation, flat
7th Pre Child Equitation, over fences

Kristine and Q - 5th Children's Working Hunter (14-17)
1st Modified Junior/Amateur Hunter
2nd Open Working Hunter
1st Children's Equitation, over fences (14-17)
5th 0.95-1.00 Meter Jumper
4th Low Child/Adult Jumper

Sophie and Jackson - 3rd Children's Working Hunter Pony
3rd Pre Child Hunter
5th Pre Child Equitation, flat
3rd Pre Child Equitation, over fences

Jessie and Honey - 4th Pony Working Hunter

Missy and Keenan - 1st Large Working Hunter
1st Pre Adult Hunter
2nd Pre Adult Equitation, flat
2nd Pre Adult Equitation, over fences

Holly and Lucky - 2nd Long Stirrup Hunter
1st Long Stirrup Equitation, flat
2nd Long Stirrup Equitation, over fences

Alison and Bijou - 4th Short Stirrup Hunter
4th Short Stirrup Equitation, over fences

Tamara, Jakob and Cloudy - 5th 18 & Over Hunt Seat Equitation, flat
3rd 0.85-0.90 Meter Jumper
5th Low Child/Adult Jumper 3'

Jessie and Houdini - 6th Children's Equitation, over fences (13 & under)


We pretty much rock :)

changes

Wow, has it really been almost a month since I posted? With all this spare time on my hands, you'd think I'd find something to talk about every day!

Honestly, I'd be kidding myself if I wondered why. Not only have I not been able to ride as much (thank you morning, afternoon AND evening sickness!) but I am not thinking about it the same as I used to. I'm not working towards the same goals as I was before I got pregnant. In August/September, I was eagerly anticipating moving up to Adult Amateur classes for next year's show season - now, I'll be lucky to be back in time for Pre Adult classes at Northwest Spectacular. I mean, that's probably the best case scenario. It doesn't bother me, it just changes the way I look at my favorite activity. Now when I ride, I mainly focus on what I'm doing that day, that moment, and thanking the Lord I had the energy to climb into the saddle. I also want to be able to give Keenan as much exercise as I personally can for as long as I can so that he doesn't have to be a burden for anyone else just yet.

That brings up another transition that is taking place at Triple Rise right now. Sarah is leaving us next week. She'll be graduating from U of O this spring and really wants to buckle down and ace her last two terms - I think having a full course load on top of her job was really stressful for her this term and she doesn't need that when she's staring down the barrel of the graduation gun. After graduating, she wants to move on and work at other places around the country. When I talked to her, she mentioned some job offers in California.

We all found out about this last week and although I am MAJORLY bummed - I cried, I'll admit it - I know that Sarah absolutely needs to do what is right for her. She is 23 years old and has been in Eugene for a very long time. And, as much as I love Oregon and adore my barn, Eugene is not exactly the hunter jumper capitol of the world. Sarah has so much talent and SO much potential - look what she managed to do with me in two years! - and she really owes it to herself to get out there and aim for the big time. I think she wants to ride for some big name clients - some very fancy horses with rich owners - to make a name for herself, and then eventually would come back to Oregon to start her own barn.

As much as it pains me to lose a trainer who had become such a dear, dear friend and mentor, I am actually really proud of her for taking a good look at her life and making a tough decision that will likely turn out to be the best one she'll ever make. Again, I love Mike and Mollie and everyone at my barn. But I know how ambitious Sarah is - heck, the girl was like 21 when she decided to go pro - and I know how talented she is. She deserves a chance at the top. She will be missed, but we've all met our new trainer Rachel and she seems totally lovely. She even paid me/Keenan a huge compliment tonight when she referred to him as "one of those horses I always hoped I'd get a chance to ride and now I finally have" (she is from this area so she watched Becka compete him in the Children's classes several years ago).

SO...yeah, lots of things are changing. But, you know, change can be good. Keenan still doesn't like to be curried, Rapper still nickers at me when he hears me walking up to his stall, Sophie is still hilarious and Mike still jokes around with me. Life moves on and it's my responsibility to roll with the punches.

long time, no post

Okay, so I didn't post the entire month of October. I am a slacker. But I have my reasons, honest. Well, really just one reason. Turns out (drum roll please...) I'm pregnant! And even though I know NO ONE reads this thing, I didn't want to write about it until I'd told my close friends and extended family. They all know now, so I'll just blog away!

So this pretty much came as a huge surprise. Nathan and I were not planning on starting a family for another couple of years, but turns out, there were other plans in place! Even though we will be making some adjustments, we are very excited to be parents!

I've been given the okay from my doctor to continue riding and even jumping for the time being, provided that I listen to my horse and my body and don't do anything reckless or overly risky. He told me that since I am an experienced rider and that I'm in good shape to be doing this, that there's no reason I can't continue for a little while - as long as my pregnancy remains low-risk.

At first I was shocked. It sounds selfish to say, I know, but my first thought was: well, there's next show season down the tubes. It was really hard for me to take at first, especially since Sarah had Keenan and I working up to 3' and making plans for the Adult Amateurs next year. But then, of course, common sense kicked in and I realized that there will be plenty of people to help me keep Keenan in shape and maybe even show him a little next year. Then there's the fact that he's not a young guy who needs a lot of show experience to keep him seasoned. He's been around and a light year is not going to hurt him. Finally, I am due May 30 so there's even a chance I could be back in the saddle for Northwest Spectacular at the end of August. Maybe wishful thinking, but right now, I'm optimistic.

Everyone at the barn has been so supportive. Some days I feel great - I could ride all day long - and some days it's all I can do to brush my guys and collapse onto a tack trunk in exhaustion. But being there never fails to bring a smile to my face, even if I'm just watching from the sidelines.

*sigh*

Sometimes I still can't believe it...everything is going to change now. Sometimes I don't feel ready, other days I think "bring it on." One thing's for sure, there will be no shortage of horses and ponies in this little one's life!

beach details and what's coming up

Don't have pictures of the beach, yet - Kate took them and she's a super-busy architecture student, so I understand the delay. I just can't wait to share! We had such a great day at the coast!

I'd been really nervous to take Keenan, because, unlike many of the other horses, no one seemed remember a time when Keenan had gone to the beach. And after my falling experience this summer after his several weeks off, I'm more aware of what Keenan is capable of when he's not 100% on board with something. I had visions of him bucking me off and taking off down the beach, never to be seen again. But Sarah assured me that everything would be okay, and the younger girls finally talked me into it. So I put a stronger bit on his bridle and prayed for the best! And it worked! Granted, he was definitely frisky, and not entirely convinced that going in the water was a good idea, but he seemed to really enjoy himself. We trotted, we cantered, we even made it into the ocean up to our knees! We chased sea gulls and stepped over driftwood - all the fun stuff that comes along with a trip to the coast, haha. And when it was time to leave, Keenan just stared wistfully out at the dunes - like he was saying "Why don't we just live here?" Can't wait for next year's trip!

But in the meantime, it's back to work...

We have a lot coming up this fall - schooling shows in early October and late November, a vet clinic with Lisa, Halloween Fun Day, the list goes on and on. Sarah is going to have me jump 3' at the November schooling show so that when Spring Hunter/Jumper rolls around next year, the height is not so scary. So needless to say, I have a lot to work on in the off-season!

beach day!

Went to the beach.

Took Keenan.

He rocked.

Exhausted.

Details (and hopefully pics) to come soon.

life is getting back to normal

Shows are great, but it feels good to be home. Back to evening lessons, watching kids learn how to tack up ponies and hearing Rapper nicker for me as I'm crossing the arena. One of the post-show things I love most is discovering how much the experience bonds Keenan and I. He always seems a little more attentive and snugglier after a show.
Tonight was a good solid night at TREC. Kristine and I were the only ones in our lesson, which was kind of nice. I love riding with Kristine - she's a good rider and watching her always helps me, even if we're working on different things. She works super hard and is really dedicated to what she does. Not to mention, she's working up to 3'6" right now, so if I'm good and work hard, too, I might get to jump her warm-up jumps, haha. Seriously, though, Sarah is planning on Keenan and I moving up to 3' next year. Not that that's anything new to Keenan (he's a pro), but I am really excited about it. We jumped 2'9" today in our lesson and it felt really good. I've actually jumped 3' a handful of times, but not consistently, like in a course or anything. The thing I was most pleased about was hearing Sarah say that my position is right where it needs to be, given what I am working on right now. I feel like I'm starting to develop more of an independent seat, release better over fences and not carry my hands too low. I still resort to kind of a schlumpy, hands-down position when I'm tired or we're working on something hard, but I feel like I'm getting better.
In other news, I think I discovered part of Rapper's recent problem. I know I didn't write about it or anything, but Rapper has been in this stage lately where he prefers that I not have any contact with his mouth while I'm riding. Anytime I'd try to connect with him or put him in a frame, he'd toss his head straight up in the air. Today, I put Keenan's double-jointed D-ring bit with the plastic mouthpiece and it was like night and day. He's still resisting, but not in a painful way. I'm really looking forward to working him harder now that I don't feel like his bit is hurting him.
*sigh* Glad to be home and back in a routine!

Spectacular results

Fancy and Kate: Reserve Champion - Modified Child/Adult Hunter
Henry and Julie: Champion - Adult Equitation, Champion - OHJA Adult Medal
Lucky and Holly: Reserve Champion - Long Stirrup Hunter, Reserve Champion - Long Stirrup Equitation
Jackson and Sophie: Reserve Champion - Pre Child Hunter Pony
Patches and Anna: Reserve Champion - Pre Child Hunter Horse
Keenan and Missy: Champion - Pre Adult Hunter, Reserve Champion - Pre Adult Equitation, 5th - OHJA Mini Medal
Q and Kristine: 7th - OHJA Children's Medal
Keenan and Jessie: 3rd - OHJA Children's Medal
Bella and Lauren: 6th - OHJA Adult Medal

And major congrats to Tamara and Jakob who got 4th (out of 14) and 5th (out of 20) in two of their jumper classes; and to Allison and Bijou who competed in their first 'AA' rated show and did a phenomenal job!