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An update is long overdue! It has been a crazy couple of months and now things are settling down a little bit (a good thing!). We just got back from the BLM Championships on Sunday… but more on that later. KM Dressage has had some big changes in the past two months! The first really big change is location! We moved all of the horses at the very end of August to a new training facility. The owners of Crawfords Chance Farm decided to close their farm down. Although everyone was sad to leave the beautiful farm and all it had to offer, it was the right time to go. I personally had that feeling of the old saying “when one door closes another one opens”… I know it sounds cheesy, but it really was what I was feeling! We moved all of the horses (we had 8 total) to Breezy Run Farm in Church Hill. It is not too far from the old barn, so the location was perfect. The owners of Breezy Run, Lauryn and Vicky Meyer (Lauryn runs the barn on a daily basis) have been really wonderful in accommodating all of us and our needs. We had a lot of requests and needs to suit all of our horses from turn out, to feeding, to schedules etc… and they have been so wonderful in getting us what we need. It was really a seamless move and all of the horses and people settled in beautifully. Breezy Run has many individual turn out paddocks, so most of our horses have their own large individual turn outs and they are all loving it! All of the horses have put on weight and are looking wonderful, it gives me such a satisfied feeling to look out and see happy, healthy horses! Another plus has been the race track! They have a full race track with great footing and I have been working all of the horses on it, it has been great for their minds and the forward energy! I have even been riding Devon on it (if you someone have told me I would be riding him on a race track doing flying changes, I would have told them they were crazy!!!), but it really has been the best thing for him and me. I do a lot of lateral and suppling work on the track and the great thing is that there is no corner or turn, so the lateral lines are endless! I have been getting the best throughness in his back that I have ever had and I feel it is from all of the suppling work with forward energy I get from being on the track. Breezy Run also has 2 outdoor rings and an indoor with great fluffy footing (I am getting spoiled!). So overall, the move was a good one. We are also planning some fun things at the farm. We are doing a Halloween fun day on the 31st and then we are doing a Dressage schooling show on Nov. 21st with a pot luck afterwards. So if you want to come out, please do!!

It has been a pretty busy summer with shows and the move etc… We did a show in NJ in July and we did Dressage at Foxcroft in August. All of these we had anywhere from 4 to 7 horses in attendance, so they were full and busy weekends, but that it the way I like it! I seem to function better the more there is going on! Most of these shows I did not compete myself simply b/c I was so busy with students and also b/c Windsor has not been himself, I think I mentioned this in my last update. He has been feeling sticky and sucked back, no energy etc…  So after many vet visits, blood work (twice), urine tests…. the list goes on and on… I decided to treat him for ulcers. I know what you are thinking, why did I wait so long? I did not suspect ulcers b/c his behavior and symptoms didn’t always follow the normal ulcer pattern. I won’t go into specific details b/c I would be here all night writing, but my vet and I were thinking it was something other than ulcers. As a last effort (and b/c I had the BLM Championships coming up in 2 weeks), I started him on Ulcergard. People had told me that I would feel a difference in as soon as 5 days, but 5 days came and went and he still didn’t feel better and I was wondering if I would even go to the BLM’s, I surely didn’t feel as if I could ride a whole test with him feeling that way (which I had been doing all summer with decent scores) and I just simply felt sorry for him, he is such a good boy that he never would say no in a nasty or mean way, he just stops but if I ask, he will try as much as he can, he just felt awful doing it! So I kept working him a little each day, nothing hard or difficult, just enough to keep him schooled and a little fit… it certainly didn’t give me a great feeling to think I wasn’t really getting him prepared to show but I knew the training I have put into him is good and it would all be there when he was feeling as if he could try harder for me. So literally 2 days before we left for the show, he felt a little more like his old self again (I hadn’t felt that for a long time…. I first felt the beginnings of this last fall, and it was intermittent but progressively got worse as spring and summer got along). So Thursday I schooled with Scott on the show grounds and Windsor felt better and better! Scott hadn’t seen him since the spring as I didn’t feel as if Windsor could do a whole lesson and that we would get the benefit of it. Scott was happy with the work we did and my only thing to watch was the frame, I had him a little low in the poll. I also needed to trust I could let him stay there and that I wouldn’t lose him. Since he hadn’t been feeling very good in his energy and back, I hadn’t felt it was the best place for him. I had entered a test for Friday but after discussing it with Scott, we decided to scratch it and just school to save him for my Championship ride on Saturday. He felt even better on Friday! I was feeling as if every day was better and better and I was starting to love this Ulcergard stuff (except for the price!!). So Saturday at 8:16 am I rode my test (2nd 3). I felt it was pretty good, a few little bobbles here and there. The turn on the haunches were ok and my rein back was ok as well, I lost points on those. Overall I got a 66% and 3rd place! I was thrilled considering I was thinking of not even taking him 2 weeks before and also since my training with him in the past few months has been light and backed off. I keep thinking that if I had treated him for ulcers a few months ago….. but those thoughts are useless, I am just glad we are on the right track again and I can’t wait to start doing the changes again!! As for the rest of the weekend… I had another ride on Sat. (2nd 2) that he felt the best in! I just went for it and had fun. We ended up 1st with a 71%! Hilda Gurney said “nice ride, nice horse” when I was done, so that made me feel good!. Sunday morning I had another ride (2nd 4) early. It was really chilly and Windsor was up! I was happy about this since it was his 4th day at the show and usually by that time, he has pooped out and has nothing in his tank. He did a few exuberant bucks and some leaping (ok Windsor, I know you feel better, but please lets not get Kelly bucked off!) and rode an ok test for a 66%. I had a few mistakes in the trot work and the rein back was again resistant, but that gives me a score for next years GAIG Championships at 2nd level. Overall, it was a great weekend and I was very happy with my scores, but what I was most happy with was how Windsor felt. I am glad he feels good for him, he is such a great horse and I only want for him to be able to do his job and have fun doing it.

We have some exciting new to share in the next few months… I won’t elaborate right now but as soon as I can, I will fill everyone in!! Happy riding!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post another update!! As soon as the weather got nicer, things got crazy as they always do and sitting down at the computer gets harder (I am not complaining!!). Lets see, where do I begin? We had our first show May 2/3 at Morven Park and it was a very fun time! The weather was not the best (big surprise!), Saturday was good, a little chilly, but mostly dry. I brought Devon to school him and have Scotts help and I had 2 students showing, Mike and Chelsea. It was Chelsea’s last show with the horse (Zeno) she had been leasing for over a year, so it was a little bittersweet. Zeno is getting older and the training and showing was getting hard on him, but she did great and has learned a lot from him. She is now leasing a lovely Dutch mare that she will begin showing this month, so we are very excited. Mike did great as well, it was his first time doing first level and he did great! We had to contend with steady rain on Sunday and very wet, soggy footing, but we got through it with style and good laughs! We also had our 4th (or 5th-I have lost count) Kentucky Derby Party in our stabling area. This is always a highlight at this show; we get lots of good food and drinks, a tv (always interesting how we rig it up so that we actually get reception!) and good friends. We had another good turnout again this year, with about 30 or so people.

The next show was again at Morven Park in mid May. I showed Windsor and Bennefield and had one student riding, Beth with her TB Murphy. We have to do the shows in shifts with all the horses as we have limited trailer space. I think I need a bigger trailer! Windsor was good, but we always manage to do something in our test to bring the score down, whether it be silly exuberance or leaving our rein back at home, which is what happened this time. It has been very good at home, but for some reason, Windsor did not feel as if going backward was something that he needed to do (I think he thinks it is silly, forward it much better! That is what I have been telling him all these years!). Overall, I am really excited about him, b/c in between the little hiccups (not sure how to spell that one), he is feeling super. He feels stronger in his back and I really get a lot of push from the hind legs when I ask for it, this was something that was still developing last year, so I am thrilled that it is getting there now. He still gets tired by Sunday of the show and then he feels as if someone let the air out of him, but he gives me what he has, so I can’t ask for anything else. I see glimpses of the future with him and its a really exciting feeling! I am still figuring out the best plan for him at shows, Friday before he is always excited and a little too playful and then Saturday he can go from playful to tired very quickly. All of this depends a lot on the weather too, as he is not so fond of the heat and I have had the issues with him not sweating as much as he should.

Beth had a good weekend with Murphy; we basically had him at this show to give him some experience. This was his first Dressage show and first time away from home for the weekend. Anyone who knows Murphy knows what a talented but challenging horse he is! He was not blessed with the best conformation, but he has a heart of gold and has surprised even me! He is a very tricky horse to get up in the back and correct, but Beth has been patient and given him the time to get strong. We spend a lot of time on the basics! The really cool thing is that we are getting some really great movement from him. When I first met Murphy, I thought he was a cute horse, but he was sort of short strided and an ok mover. But now, he has really changed and it is amazing to watch him transform from the beginning of a ride to the end. He looks like 2 totally different horses once he is using himself correctly! Its very cool to see! So our goal for this show was to get a little bit of that brilliance in a different atmosphere. We were successful in the warm up, but it was more challenging in the ring as Murphy got a little distracted and tight, and then he gets really tricky to ride! He is sort of like 2 men in a horse suit, with the butt going one way and the front end the other! But I have to give Beth much credit here, she rides him great! I could not ride him myself as well as she does, it is a very fine line of timing and tact! So although their scores were lower than we would like, we were both thrilled with him as he got a little more rideable each time in the ring. Beths main focus with Murphy is eventing and he is going to absolutely shine in that field as he will jump the moon and then the stars on the other side! She has already evented him this season and won her first time out!! This is probably a good time to mention one of my other event students, Amy Nizolek who won her event this spring as well. Both Amy and Beth won on their Dressage scores! Thats what we like! I am going to try and get some pictures of them up.

At this same show, we had another party. I know, seems to be a trend with me…. but its not just me, I swear!… but I do stress to my group that we need to have fun at shows. We take it very seriously, but we also have fun. This one was a Preakness party. We got another TV and the way we set it up to get reception this time was even funnier! I got a couple really great shots of it with the camera, so I will post those. It was another fun weekend with lots of success!

Our next show is the PVDA Ride For Life at PG Equestrian Center at the end of June. This is a fun show that we all look forward to going to! We will have 6 horses going to this one, so its going to be busy! Hope to see you there, stop by and say Hi!

Saturday’s weather was beautiful!! Everything is a little nicer when it is warm, especially after a cold winter and the snow we just had! I taught some lessons at LG Equestrian Center in Port Deposit in the morning and it was so nice with the warm sun coming in the indoor. It was still a little wet to ride outside, but all of the big doors in the indoor were open so we could feel the sun’s warm breeze. It really gets me excited for spring and show season! Once the warm weather hits, it has a way of bringing in waves of excitement for things to come, the world starts to come alive again after being still for the winter.

Speaking of show season, I am really excited for it to begin. We are going to have a fun group this year (not that we haven’t in the past, but we are adding a few to the show crew that are going to be good additions!). Everyone in our group already knows that I strive to have everyone have a good time and work together for a positive experience at shows. Most of all, it has to be fun, or why else do we do it? We take it very seriously and work hard, but we also keep our perspective close at hand. It is important to both the people and the horses that the time spent at shows be a positive one, I believe this is one of the keys to success! So if you see myself or one of the team at a show, please do not hesitate to say hello, we would love to meet you!

After my lessons at LG, I drove to Scott’s to ride Devon. Scott had mentioned that they were going to take some of the horses over to the new facility (still in the process of being built) to ride on the Dressage Track which was mostly complete. I got there a little late and missed their trip over, but I took Devon there to ride on the track. I actually passed Scott and Eliza as they were on their way back…. Devon and I continued over to the new facility, which is an amazing ride all on its own! Devon and I were enjoying the warm breeze and the open space, he is quite the trail blazer, walking as if he is on a mission at all times! He was so eager on the way that he kept trying to trot, but I told him we had to wait until we got there. He was quite good going past some of the construction equipment, he will make you think he is not scared of anything, but he really can be a chicken at times! When we got there, we took a moment to just look around and take it all in. The new barn and indoor were right there and the only word that can even come close to describing it is, MAGNIFICENT…. and even that word sometimes seems small and not worthy. The majesty of it all is really like nothing I have ever seen, but I don’t mean the size of it, it is the beauty and attention to detail and the obvious love that has gone into the entire project, from the outline of the barn and how it relates to the trees and nature surrounding it to the way windows will frame the beauty of each horses head as they look out upon their kingdom. I think the most wonderful thing of all is that there is a certain feeling that goes along with Scott and Susanne, and with whatever they are involved with. I had felt it for many years when I would go to Hilltop for lessons, symposiums and other events. There is really no other way to describe it as something sort of magical. They give you a feeling of family and friendship and comfort without even saying a word, and you get a feeling that you are part of something bigger, even if it’s just for a day.

Devon and I worked on the track a little bit. Let’s just say, I had a lot of horse! I think he thought it was his time at the track (I could hear him saying, “finally, you have figured out what I was meant to do”!). He was energetic but very good! He stayed with me and let me ride him and help him when he had trouble. Sometimes when he is a little unsure of his surroundings, he is with me more b/c he is not so sure of himself. We had a blast! I cannot wait to go again!

Scott is coming to Crawford’s Chance tomorrow in the afternoon to teach. So I will head to his place in the morning to ride Devon and then I get to have another lesson in the afternoon on Windsor. Does life get any better?!