feb-21It’s been awhile since I blogged, but I can’t believe how much we have done in that time! Time has this way of going a bit funny in Florida and I am never sure what day it is and whether time is going super fast or super slow.

I still haven’t gotten over Woody winning on the weekend. He was such a good boy and has certainly started the season off right. I have to say that having never taken Brian to a show before he was very well mannered. I know everyone is excited he finished on his dressage score, but I’m happy he’s good for his studs!

The weekend before Riley and Zephyr competed at the Florida Horse Park. Riley was a very good boy and finished on his dressage score, which is especially fun since I can remember him being backed and his very first show! He is going back up to Prelim this coming weekend. He went training for a nice gentle start to the season. Zephyr had a bit of navigation trouble, but was very much on form otherwise. His owner Kelly Damp is coming down this week to visit, which I am very much looking forward to! Thunder’s new owner Marta is also coming down, not only is it fun to have friends visit, but Ocala is a great place in the winter and it’s fun to show it off specially to people who haven’t been down here before. Speaking of which, we had a visit last week from Paula Doyle, she was able to have some lessons with Selena while she was here and also was a big help to me to the barn! No lazy vacations for friends of OHE 🙂

I was lucky enough to go to the Grand Prix today at HITS. The Nations Cup was here earlier in the week so many of the bigger names from Wellington stayed to compete today and Scott Keach won, which is especially exciting as he has many connections in eventing having competed himself at the upper levels, sold many horses into eventing and of course his girlfriend Max Corcoran. Basically he’s an honorary eventer and, oh yes, he’s also just down the road from us!

So this week we have schooling at the Florida Horse Park. They have schooling days on Wednesdays where you can do “fix a test” with a dressage judge, practise show jumping as well as of course XC schooling. Then, on the weekend, Riley and Zephyr will head out to Three Lakes, which is a new venue here in the Ocala area. Will update more soon 🙂

Anne-Marie (Ocala)

The photo is of my two charges at Rocking Horse last week. John and Judy Rumble’s ‘Foxwood High’ and Megan Wood’s ‘Derg Boru.’