A got rained off - next tuesday now. Not sure if thats a good thing or bad thing!!

I'm on several email mailing lists for my region and thus I hear about all the eventing clinics that way.... as for other clinics, word of mouth most often, sometimes if i'm browsing around online i'll see something. But yeah, the only clinics i'm really interested in are eventing, and I hear about those via email.

Hey everyone...just wondering where you all check to see about clinics. I'm really in this mode of wow I really don't know much and really want to get out there and audit a few. I'm game from everything from healing, training, competing, etc. Not sure why I have a bug up my butt, but winter is pretty dull around here and learning something new is fun. I checked my area website for training clinics but where else do you all go. I checked local large barns and nothing is posted yet.

Good luck with the A test Pip! And have a blast at the event!

Whoot whoot - I'm finally competing - this WEEKEND. Gawd I'm so excited and its not even a HT, its just a small town (2 hours away) running a small Pony Club ODE. They don't even have a open class - highest height is 95cm.... don't care lol. I heard about it by chance last night, rang up and got a late entry. I'm so excited that 3months into the season I finally get to go compete in eventing - doesn't even matter that its not prelim or the 1* its going to be so much fun (I'm probably going to have a crappy xc score because I will be a bit uncaring about how we approach i.e I won't ride it very well because its smaller than what I'm used to)

Also wish me luck - I have my assesment for my A tomorrow -rather nervous.

Sorry to hear that Em - its never a fun thing to go through/realise.

Rosewood, school for this year (09-10) is done and paid for, no worries there. I'm really hoping to keep a 4.0 gpa so that I can get some good scholarships for next semester. Also, the job position I'm moving into as of Jan 1st will give me 6 free credits per semester at CSU (gotta love being employed by a university! )

I'm not too worried about school, it's the day to day and month to month expenses that I'm worried about, that'll be tight. YAY for penny pinching

On the bright side, went and checked on Buddy yesterday, he's almost 100% sound! YAY! He'll take an off step about every 10-15 yards or so. If he stays this way i'll probably start light light light riding around Dec 1st. He also no longer reacts to any sort of palpation. I'm taking it very easy with him, but man I can't wait to ride again!!

Idlewild...sending good vibes your way. Are there any scholarships you can pick up? Seriously they could be worth your time. Hope you dad finds a good job fast!

As a total side note and mini brag. I went up to the cottage (1 hr away) with the horses this weekend. My mom's horse Deek and Rosewood. It was awesome weather! Mid 40's and very light breeze and that sun was a cookin.

We road down a snowmobile trail and into a small town. LOL we thought about riding into the mcdonalds drive thru but realized mcdonalds on horseback may not sit right exactly. We crossed two bridges with boarded bottoms...horses were pretty unsure at first. Gotta admit I was too. My mom after a while let me burn down the trail on Rosewood. I must say I've NEVER let my horse open up fully...it's always scared me. SHE WAS FLYING. This was a first and probably won't happen again for a while. Realized how stupid it was...all i needed was a bird to fly up and I would be on my head.

We then took the horses down the beach and put putted in the water. I jumped Rosewood over some small drift wood and some large boulders. I talked myself out of a half burried picnic table. We then did a nice collected canter in the water...it was so nice.

With all my wooes in life this totally cleared my head and eased all of my troubles. Gotta love just trail days...so good for the horses too. Rosewood's spark was lit again. She's been kinda depressed lately and doing this woke her right up. Fun to have my spunky attitude mare back.



Anyone that reads this deserves a cookie!

I had thought that that half-circle to half the ring counter canter movement was there before, I seem to remember Bouncer doing it this fall. I agree though, it would make more sense to do a regular 3 loop serpentine before starting round the ring.

I rode Bouncer today, I guess barely doing any work for almost a month has done him some good, he had so much energy. And oddly enough, I think I've finally figured out some stuff on the flat with him. Time off is not all bad I guess.

I was looking at the new Prelim tests when I heard about them.

Prelim B has a lengthened canter on the 20m half circle from E to B, working canter between B and M, immediately followed by a 10m half circle to the left, then COUNTER CANTER (get this) from BAE!!! That's the entire half of the ring! We are now asked in Prelim A a loop to only the quarter line, then a huge jump to the entire half of an arena? Ouch!

Aw, Em, I'm so sorry--hugs! I can offer lots of advice on watching the season go *kersplat, but not much of it actually will make you feel better. Just know that we are thinking of you and let us know how we can help. Best wishes for your dad, too.