The weeks and weekends fly. I can hardly believe it’s almost time to start bringing everybody home from Ocala. Things have heated up SO much there that Selena does not have a minute to type a single word. So I will do all reporting from both sides of the border.
So where were we… Colombo didn’t run XC at Redhills. He had a tiny abcess? nail pressure? bruise? on his left front. It seemed to be exacerbated by his new shoes (about ten days before Red Hills) and although he was absolutely sound, his foot was hot. Selena did her dressage and enjoyed it, Colombo was a good boy, but pulled him out of the jumping, not willing to let him jump and land on a foot that might get ouchy as they course went on. It was a tough decision, especially after not running XC at Rocking Horse 2…..sigh. They pulled his shoe right then and there, and the team vet, Christiana Ober, took a look at it. As soon as the pressure of the shoe was gone, the foot started to cool down to the same temp as the other one….phew! They tubbed and poulticed for a few days and then put a glue on shoe on in front so as not to risk irritating any leftover inflammation in the sensitive laminae with nails. Oh well, horses will do that to you, “horses is very humblin'”
Solo was not at his best in dressage at Redhills, he was way too full of his own importance. He has done four shows this year, two with the dressage we are hoping for, and two without. Redhills was ‘without’. But of course he jumped like a superstar, was absolutely amazing cross country and was fabulous in the stadium. He is like a big elegant gazelle. He moved right up and into the ribbons. We are still patiently waiting for him to pull it all off at once, I KNOW he can.
Meanwhile Crosby, our lovely little TB gelding has been running very consistently at Novice and been picking up third place at Rocking Horse 3. He was 4th after dressage this weekend but Selena had the last two rails down in stadium. She says she “just got in wrong to the line”, I guess that happens to all of us. Dudley just started back eventing this weekend, he is a horse we sold already for the breeders. He has come back to us to be sold again. In a perfect world we would very much like to keep him for Selena, he is a gorgeous horse. Dudley was 2nd after dressage and went down to 5th after an uncharacteristic rail in SJ. A clean round XC left him in 5th. Song of Songs was 5th at Rocking Horse 3 and 6th at Rocking Horse Spring. She has been extremely consistent and is REALLY jumping now, hopefully she and Dudley will sell, if we bring them home and do more competing on them, they are both ready to have a go at Prelim and a One Star this year. Heron Hill’s Wildflower made her 2010 debut this weekend. She is in 2nd place after dressage and stadium. Crosby and Wildflower do their Cross Country today….Eek….I will be rushing in and out like a mad thing.
It’s very nerve wracking to be so far away – I live online at the Live Scoring website. I do one horse, run back up to the house, rush in and check the live scoring and then run back down to the barn to get on my next horse. This whole live scoring thing is making my weekends extremely hectic, I find it completely addictive.
Solo didn’t run this weekend having done one of the hardest one stars in North America last weekend. He is going to the One Star at The Fork in NC at the beginning of April and I will be there to cheer him on this time. I am trying to arrange my life to go back down with Selena after Can Am and help get Colombo and Solo ready for The Fork.
Can Am also had it’s organizational problems – our own rig was in Ocala and the rig we were borrowing to take Ena to Can Am is still going to be in South Carolina on the day I need to use it! We were offered various other rigs by wonderful people who were willing to get trailers and trucks out of storage, and safety and certify all just to help us. In the end, we have been offered the use of a lovely horse from the London area, by well known London eventing trainer and coach, Dana Balfour. We cannot thank her enough for her kind offer. Horse people are THE most generous and supporting group in the world. I often wonder if other sports have this fantastic camaraderie that exists in the Horse World.
Selena says I am taking Solo to some dressage shows this Summer….so maybe I am 🙂 I have always rather fancied myself doing dressage oon Solo…or Ena….or Dudley..or Colombo… We argue in the mornings about who gets to ride whom when Selena is home.
‘Back at the ranch’ Cebastian has turned a corner. He went through a phase of trotting beautifully and cantering like a runaway train. Then he cantered beautifully and trotted like a runaway train for a while. This week he seems to be coping with holding his balance at all three paces….about time I have to think! For such a quiet, sweet, easy going horse, he has had a lot to say about picking up the bit and getting down to work. It occurs to me he is just a bit lazy and has now gone through his repertoire of evasions. He is one of those nice big round comfy types.
Bruin is quietly turning into Mummy’s little pet. He is SUCH a baby, with big innocent eyes that look worried if you so much as say ‘boo’ to him. He is doing a lot better with his corners on the left rein. In fact his corners at walk are now hunky dory on both reins. The left rein in trot is starting to feel straight with ears that are finally pointing in the right direction and the turns happening off my leg and not my hand. In fact, we have some absolutely lovely work now on the left rein. However….the right rein is improving… that’s all I will say – I KNOW HE WILL COME STRAIGHT IF I AM PATIENT. That is my mantra and I am sticking to it. If anyone has a magical ruse to help him understand where to hang his neck I will be very grateful. I thought about someone standing in the middle and shaking a feed bucket just as I want him to look to the inside LOL
From Can Am it feels like O’Hanlon Eventing is practically rushing out of control. Spring, with all it’s frantic too and fro always feels as though it runs away with me. I never feel as though I have control of anything again, until all are shipped, shown and home. I go down, we get ready for the Fork and drive to North Carolina, then a group of our horses from the Fork will drive back to Canada. As soon as we have had a good night/day’s sleep, we start the drive back down to Florida to pick up the rest of the horses. We are looking to see if there is an event that will suit the second group of travelers on the way back to Canada – gives us a driving break and gets another competition under their belts. From then it will seem like no more than a few days before we are ‘all about’ Rolex.
