Join the Fun at our Farm!
7/9/07
Left to right: Taren on Classy, Morgan on Jake, Leandria on Holly.
At our farm, we train hard and work hard to produce successful riders and horses. Our horses are always training, and our riders are working at becoming better all the time. With so much work going on, it is THEN that it is most important to realize why we got involved in this stuff to begin with: TO HAVE FUN! We try to remember that here at Halliea's Horses, and I make sure our enitre family of students, even the weekly lesson goers, get to have a chance to have fun. Taren and Leandria are fixtures at the barn - Taren is there at least 5 days a week, and most of the time Leandria is with her. They have the pick of the litter just about any day - do they want to work? play? swim? just groom? Other students don't have this luxury. Morgan is one of our students that comes out every week or every couple of weeks, so she doesn't have the opportunities to run around bareback like the other girls. Well, we gave her one just yesterday!
Morgan swimming Jake.
The "regulars" took Morgan under their wing to show her the ropes of swimming, riding bareback, and in general goofing off. They had a lot of fun cruising around the pasture and swimming through the lake. There was even a little excitement as Tater ran around like an idiot - she wanted to play too. Tater is notorious for harassing you while you are riding in the pasture - she just wants to come along too!
Tater follows the girls into the lake. Can you say "Water Hog"?
By the end of the day, Morgan wanted to know what she had to do to come out to the barn 5 days a week like the other girls so that she could, "Ummm. . . work?" The desire to come out and breathe horsey air is contagious out here. During our lessons we work hard to instill correct training and basics for both horse and rider, but at the end of the day it is that take-your-breath-away feeling for a horse that nurtures your desire to continue and press on. And if I can inspire just one little girl to feel that heart in your throat, teary eyed joy - well my mission is complete.
She Calls Me Tater RESERVE CHAMPION at Local Hunter Show
6/20/2007
Last weekend was the monthly Rolling Hills Saddle Club show at Wills Park. The Rolling Hills show is a great schooling show to take green horses and get them in a new environment over different obstacles and just in general get them used to the hubub of a larger show. There is so much activity going on with three separate arenas showing simultaneously that it is a lot to take in and makes it a great learning experience for horses. The show is geared for schooling horses and beginners alike, and the Hunter Ring and Beginner Ring Chairpersons are doing an amazing job in their respective arenas. For the Hunter Ring, the jumps are very nice this year, thanks to our chairperson. There is a great variety of fences, flowers, plants, and fabulous courses for the jumpers.
Of course, we headed over with Tater in tow, but my student Taren brought out my best friend Classy to show this time. Our schooling on Friday evening was very uneventful - with one exception: Classy was a little hot! She was so excited to be at a show after so long she got a little energetic! Not to worry, we worked her down and she did just fine for Taren. Tater on the other hand, she was nice and consistent acting like an old pro at the situation already. She even got a hairdo - we braided her for the next day!
On the morning of the show I do not school Tater - she loves to jump so getting over the fences is never a problem, however she gets lazy as the day goes on, so I try to save all of her energy for her classes. I actually came out of one class and said that she was getting sluggish on me to which a bystander jumped up and said what a nice thing to hear! A thoroughbred getting sluggish! I guess she wasn't too sluggish - the course was nice and consistent with only one lead change being called for, and landed us 3rd. Of course, we didn't know that yet considering that there were 15 people in our class and the judge was running an open card for the warm up and both over fences classes. But we thought it was a nice round and made a few adjustments for the next.
Our second course was dynamo, again with only one change called for. I try to teach Tater to pick up the correct lead while going over the fence. I do this by applying the canter aid while jumping so that we land on the correct lead. It just makes a prettier course than having the changes in there. Either way, the judge liked it and we again placed 3rd. The flat class was huge and I took the opportunity to show Tater off by taking the inside track most of the time. By this time it was well into the 90's and we had been showing for hours. No matter, she stayed nice and consistent placing 4th and earning us RESERVE CHAMPION of the day.
If you want to get noticed for being on the most beautiful horse on the grounds, take a look at Tater. I had a hard time learning my courses for all of the people wanting to talk to me about her. My trainer told one person that she was for sale, and all day long I had people inquiring about her. One lady fussed over her profusely saying that she was "just lovely" several times. I have to say, I love to hear the spluttering.
Taren also did well, even though the judge did not use Classy very much. The one class that Taren placed in however was in the equitation class. Mind you, there were about 17 or 18 horses in the division - so it was packed, and she came out with a SECOND PLACE in equitation. I was very proud! It took a lot of hard work for her to win that class, but it was well worth it! Look for us next month at the Rolling Hills show - you will more than likely see us there!
