Selena riding the Swedish Warmblood mare, Kailee at Grandview Horse Trials. Photo by Paige Talledo
Another weekend has flown by. Selena left Friday for Grandview and got back here around 10:30 on Saturday night. There is no such thing as a short day in an eventer’s life. Grandview was very successful. Our first timer, Paige Talledo’s lovely Warmblood mare, Kailee, was second in her division. Zephyr, Kelly Damp’s lovely little gelding by the Advanced eventing stallion, ‘Rather Well’ out of a two star Hanovarian cross mare that used to be ridden by Fran Warwick. This little guy is bred to do the job, and he was first in his division on Saturday. Thank you Paige Talledo and Kelly Damp for giving Selena the rides on your lovely horses. Our working student Tori Morgan and her horse Bentley were having a great time….until they went off course….ugh. We have all been there, and as Tori says, she won’t be making that mistake again!
This morning Selena and Anne Marie Duarte, our international show groom, started early so that Selena could load the trailer (still warm from last night) up with the ‘big boys’ and take them to a friend’s farm to gallop before she and Anne Marie head off to Montreal this afternoon. No rest for those that ‘live the dream’.
Brewing thunderstorms apart, the weather has finally warmed up enough that riding is the best life there is. There are moments in January and February where I wonder what on earth I am doing here, but in May, riding is just a joy. I much prefer worrying about grass cutting than snow removal.
Our neighbor Charlie Foreman gives us the bad news on the lawn tractor.
Grass cutting on my little lawn tractor with an audiobook on my headphones is really rather a restful, pleasant task. Sad to relate, I recently chewed up the washing line in the blades….how was I to know it was hiding in the long grass round the bottom of the tree? Anyway, I did a real good job of it and now it has to go to have the blades removed and the drive something replaced….sigh. JUST when you NEED a lawn tractor. I kind of wish someone else had done it so that I could be grumpy and throw ‘looks’ in the culprit’s direction. As it is, I have to get the push mower out now, I have a feeling I am going to be very sorry indeed that I ran over that clothes line. The ‘mending shop’ says they are backlogged this time of the year with people’s lawn tractors and it might take them two weeks!
Next week is another busy one. Selena has a dressage lesson with Gina Smith in Brockville on Tuesday, a training session in Orangeville on the Friday and the Monday, a dressage show in Ottawa on the Saturday and we both do a Pony Club clinic together on the Sunday in Brockville. The week after that is Bromont!
