The show must go on

I, like most competitive people in this sport, show my and my clients' horses on a frequent basis. It means like everyone else I have to scrape money together to get five minutes in front of a judge to get scores for what goal du jour I have that year.

It's tough but it's apart of the job.

It's a tentative, balanced relationship between organizers, who put on recognized events in a waffley economy and with a scattered population, and the people who show and expect things like nice ribbons, low entry fees and reasonable scores. 

Recently, Region 2 lost a local show venue. It was a small Regional Qualifier show with just two arenas that ran a total of three weekends a year - six shows total.

I competed at this little venue on again and off again. I've taken my horses also to school there occasionally. It's not bad, but it's not the best. The footing was average, the stabling was alright, the warm up in one of the arenas was sketch city, and the secretary wasn't exactly all there somedays. You go there when you need a last minute score or just need to get a green horse out there for miles. It's quiet and it's about 20 minutes from my farm. It's not my favorite, nor is it my least favorite, it's just average and served a purpose.

Over the years, the organizers have poured countless hours, dollars and ideas into the show series. It's endured for better or worse, secretarial changes, horrible weather, and a few other items only to really see an overall decrease in population with rising costs. 

In other words, the ROI sucked and it became the white elephant. It had to go. With the show gone it leaves one host and venue in the state to dominate the area. Kentucky showing for dressage, and some parts of eventing has become a monoculture.

Not soon after Eventing Connect put out a piece on organizers not stepping up enough to do for competitors.

The timing between the closing and the article struck a small nerve for a variety of reasons, but mostly it's serving as a personal wake up call as an organizer that the business has irrevocably changed. 

I've been on both sides of the fence, as competitor and organizer. I frequently organize large-scale clinics, and I've been apart of show management before (both local and international). I respect that hard decision to cancel or not host. It sucks. However, if it's a choice between fiscal solvency and being a community player, I choose the money.  Every time. 

Because I run large-scale clinics, I'm privy to the numbers and to people's wishes. I'm literately a one man band when it comes to running things.

 

It's a point of huge pride for me to be able to give twenty something people at my largest clinic a goody bag of stuff (valued by the way at: $300-$500 per bag), an even larger point of pride that people; riders, sponsors, staff, facilities come back and invest their dollars into my program, business and trust the quality people I bring in.

 

But at the end of the day, this is a business. I need to earn a living, and at minimum break even, and I'm not shy about saying I need to keep a roof over my head and food on the table.   

If you run the numbers, at minimum to host a recognized show is $8,000 (for reference: large scale international clinics you're looking at closer to $10-20,000, for schooling you're looking at $3,000).

That's $8,000 before a single competitor (or sponsor) steps foot on property. That's your licensing, officials, travel, accommodations, food, prizes, advertising, et all., that an organizer is taking the liability on.

It's a huge gamble to take responsibility of that checkbook.

It takes at minimum, a three month lead up time, and an average of 60-100 hours to pull off a recognized event. Again, before the event ever goes off. That time, an organizer will most likely never see a penny for those hours, or if they do, they make the child labor in India look rather well-off. 

So to break even at a show, at $35 a ride (going price in Kentucky for Intro - 4th level), you need roughly 115 rides over two days (at worse case scenario assuming everyone just does two rides over the two days and no FEI rides). 

This cost and volume has also lead to an increase in schooling shows and the USDF Opportunity Classes, which show a stronger ROI and lower base costs associated with hosting. 

This forfeiture of the dates, alongside of the outrage of "why isn't my show organizer doing more and giving me more free stuff?!" has caused a big community outcry.

Which really makes me wonder, if the show and it's venue was that important- why wasn't there more done on the competitor side to assure the success and helping underwrite the costs of doing business?

Do you want free things in your packet, better ribbons, prizes, et all? Then volunteer to sign on sponsors. A lot of them. Or donate your own money, goods and services to buy the ribbons.

Do you want to help lower show entry fees? Volunteer for any position with management, not just the during show operations. 

You want a friendly, non-stressed out staff? Become apart of it. 

You want more regional/national qualifiers? Organize.

The answer is, and always was if you want the show venue to continue, if you want the organizers to keep organizing, support them. Not with words but with actions. We know we will never be millionaires and a thank you, alongside an appreciative crowd that pays its bills on time, goes a long way to keeping the population in ribbons and scores.

Show business is a business, and businesses aren't run off of wishes, they're run off of numbers and facts. If you want to support the economy of showing, clinics or any event then become an active part of that economy and put your wallet where your wishes are before they become relics of nostalgia.

On the road again

For the last two years, my summers have been relatively quiet.

Yes, we did travel a little bit, taking trail rides and going to clinics; but for the most part my herd and myself were homebodies.

It was for a variety of reasons. Sinari needed to then concentrate on the GP work, Danzador needed to grow up (or get over cellulitus) and the dynamic duo of Flair and Haiku weren't around yet. The homefires were strong and the trailer was regulated to it's parking place at the house.

The homefires are put out and we're already off to a running start for the summer season. The season is steadily going forward with the girls working about six days a week, and trying to keep the appointments on schedule.

The trailer this year has barely been unpacked and remains a consistent fixture on my hitch some weeks. Good, bad and otherwise, I've missed the travel. 

Flair, for now, going out more frequently than Haiku, who had some unintended time off due to rolling in an ant pile. Both girls are again steadily progressing within the work. It's amazing how far they've come.

I know I'm bias, but Haiku is just flat out pretty and exceptionally mature looking for the age. I was so lucky to have found her and receive the backing to bring her along. While I'm itching for a four year old bid with her, I know that she will probably sell by the end of this year.

Flair who has been nothing but a joy to bring along, is more of a power ballad than anything else. She's my cup of tea. She has about thirty or so rides under tack and already has a steady balance point with a very powerful canter. Sometimes she just doesn't know where to put everything, but at the same time, she comes out and works 110 percent everyday.

The focus for both mares really has been the materiale and to see if we could make them land in the year end standings, and then later in August, the IBOP at the KWPN keuring tour in Indiana. We have been focusing on the tests, and ultimately it's where we will most likely end up this fall.

This July we're heading out of state to do one of my favorite dressage shows- Dressage At Lexington (just Flair, Haiku is staying home). I missed this show for the last two years for a variety of reasons. But namely just didn't have a horse peaking at the right time to send over.

Because of the required three scores, from three different judges from three different shows the goal to land in the year end awards is a tricky one.

The problem that we're facing with the materiale is that the majority of shows do not have it, or if they do have it, it's not being judged by sport horse breeding judges, which leaves us with some weird feedback or the class being judged more as a dressage test. So that leaves us scrambling for the scores on a local level (more oddly the new local USDF BC qualifying breed show doesn't have a materiale?) and spending more miles on the road.

Flair's schedule is Dressage at Lexington, Dressage at Devon and one more TBD show (either Virginia or Ohio). Haiku's is tentatively Devon, and then probably the Ohio shows. We are invited to the Spy Coast Championships (non rated), and most likely will qualify for the USDF BC in the Midwest. But doubt that we will attend simply because of the timing of the clinics I host and that I feel that we need to reserve the horses for Winter.   

If this was five years ago, there wouldn't be so much travel. But the economy and several other factors have really done away with the shows.

Breed shows, no pun intended, are a dying breed. They're expensive boutique shows that are highly contingent on economics, how good the organizer is, timing and how liquid/available the young horse market is. 

The other problem we're facing is time.

The normal season runs from October to September. Which, if you have an older horse doing tests isn't bad. You have plenty time to gain your necessary scores and qualifiers.

However the focus with the young horses, it becomes tricky because of the some of the age requirements (you have to be 36 months to be allowed in the materiale-- which leaves the the population starting to show in May/June/July), and the majority of the breed shows are either late summer (read: very hot, very flat horses) or fall (cutting it close to the deadline).

If your focus is the Young Horse Championships, like what ours will be come next year, qualifiers run from January to July, due to World Young Horse Championships. You also have to declare no later than April and then guard your average and hope that you make it to the top ten or get shipped out.

Combine with lets say, having a bad winter, inevitable growth spurts, real life items on your to-do list, getting training so you have guidance in development and your season gets pushed back or shifted around.

Despite all of this my group continues to push on and we'll see where we all end up. 

Living like we're renegades

May and now most of June was just completely non-stop with sales, lessons, clinic planning, personal items and shows.  I may have gotten a day off, but I couldn't really tell you otherwise.

I finally got back to my desk in May and put together Ulf Moeller's details and sent out. I adore this clinic because it focuses exclusively on young and developing horses. It's also held at one of my favorite facilities, High Point Hanoverian in Maryland. Ulf, who is popular as a teacher is such an asset to have in the program, and finally I have a few horses to go in the arena with him. I also have a lovely local clinic with Elly Schobel on the books who I'm looking forward to hopefully having out regularly as well.

Both mares are excelling. It's so nice to be back in my regular grind. It feel different this year with the majority of my barn being under five, it's a low key situation that allows for breathing room to keep things light but progressive.

Haiku looks just wonderful. Even through young horse moments, she's proving to be mature, capable and very level headed. Which is unusual for the breeding between Jazz and Ferro. The mare is such a good egg. She rides three to four days a week currently and another lunges two to three. She's also had some time off from time to time to keep her mentaly fresh. Physically she's very fit for the age, and beyond what we're doing currently there isn't much we can do.

So it's just a focusing on how good we can make the basics. With Haiku it's easy to fall in love with her gaits. For a three year old, she's developed easy 8 gaits all the way. Her next outing is in August, a schooling show, a clinic and the IBOP, with schooling outings in July. I wanted June to focus on development.

But, while we're in it to do well in the young horse classes, the real goal for her, no matter with who she ends up, is the Grand Prix.

For now, we focus on the tedious details that will pay off in about eight years.

It's hard to think down the pike when your focusing on somedays getting through an awkward growth spurt.

It's days spent on the ground stretching or doing things under tack that just mind little details, like how straight we can make her on non-supported lines, how clean those transitions can get or how square the halt can be or can she really follow the connection where ever we put it. Strength comes from the details- and with young horses it's all about making the details fun.

Flair is skipping right along.

Under saddle she's powerful and does whatever you want her to do, no matter how green.  For a mare that has had about 30 rides at this point, she's incredibly straightforward. She picked up changes (really accidentally) easily, and is schooling good lateral work. She's been off property a handful of times now, most recently to Meadow Lake and  Masterson Station to go school in the arenas some of the cross country, go see the dressage arenas, start thinking about tests and go for a walk.


Flair is on a similar schedule as Haiku, three days of riding and three days of lunging, which has been upped from her bare-bones winter schedule, and she's blossomed for it. 

 It's easy to forget that while physically she's older, but in reality she has less rides collectively than her three-year-old counterpart. The focus really has been to get her up to speed for the age group while developing strength. Her focus and capacity for work is huge, but because of the heat, and lack of strength she tires out. So we're especially careful not to burn out and create negative experiences. 

 We know this year is out for the FEI five year olds, so the focus is the six with a large late summer and fall schedule.

Only looking up when my head’s down

We've been on the struggle bus since coming back from the show.

My horse trailer looks like it's had a bomb set off in it. I have laundry up to my eyeballs, my tack wasn't cleaned until Monday, I still have hay in the back of my truck, and a stack of emails and paperwork I've been ignoring (sorry) since last week. I was also not the smartest scheduler- I did 8am lessons the day after, and then had an 8am farrier appointment the day after that. Tuesday was the first day I "slept in" until 7am and then promptly went to yoga.

I also found out that my supplies from the trailer need to be replenished. I normally carry two of everything around in that trailer simply because I don't like packing and repacking. Over the year I used up things or repacked them elsewhere. The inconvenience of trying to find extra treats, the spool of wax thread or my cleaning supplies during a show just kind of added into the small chaos.

I also will happily pay that price again if it means I could have every weekend as well-done as that one.

The quality of the show was really high, with several people trucking above five hours in, and the horses reflected the investment of the time spent putting them on a truck and bringing them down.  

Haiku pulled out an early monster score of 8.64 for her first show for the three year old materiale with the highlight being 8.5 for rideability. Her in hand class was also highly competitive, and was overall second, despite being flat from working earlier in the day, she came away with an 8.7, second out of 15 horses and a fanbase.

Flair followed suit, pulling a 7.6 - a huge positive considering the show was her 15th ride under saddle, and was behind the winner of the class by two points. Her canter work was the high point- 8.5.

The judge was kind enough to take me aside and not only give the mares huge complements on their breeding, training and manners but also give some ideas towards development. This was a lot of personal validation of what I've been doing over the last months from a very respected source. 

What's even more impressive is that both mares were exceptionally professional about the job. Yes, they had green moments, but went in with no lunging, or calming supplements in their systems. They went in and knew what they were supposed to do. The cherry is that they are both qualified for the finals in November at Tryon and depending on how that weekend will run, we might just attend. 

Which leads me to the next show schedule. It's very tempting to throw them in again and just keep pushing for year end awards.

My focus on Haiku is more or less just one more show, at training level, before going to IBOP and quitting for the year. To me the three year old year is a learning curve. Yes, they need a record. Yes, they need to do stuff, but they don't need to be trucked from here and beyond to show extensively and potentially develop a bad reputation. Haiku has already answered a lot of questions for us, and continues to mature beautifully. 

With Flair it's get her into the regular tests as quick as possible. She can do training level tomorrow if we asked but I would like to see more condition from her at first. I also don't necessarily want to put the investment toward the lower levels, a mistake I made with Sinari. My focus for her is in honesty, next year for the six year olds. So we're focusing on Virginia to get some miles under her belt with me in the irons. Dressage at Lexington is on her radar because of the nature of the show and my clients who go.

So the focus is really on the fall and winter seasons, with the eye towards Dressage at Devon, IBOP and other fun items. But for now I think we have all the right pieces in the right ways. 

Geronimo

Getting back to the grind has been going well, minus one or two weeks where life was interrupted by Rolex and Kentucky Derby, everyone has been getting back into a more committed schedule.


It's finally nice to have everyone in a singular place again. Steeple Pointe Stables did a great job keeping everyone in order, and my student did a nice job hacking and keeping some order in the face of horrid weather and random schedules; but in all honesty there's no place like home.

Having everyone home also means being able to focus on the immediate of re-establishing a full six day week, and attending to the details. Needless to say my trailer got ripped through and the unpacking, rearranging and organizing is still continuing. My truck looks like it exploded with blankets, wraps and stuff everywhere. I spent the majority of Thursday just cleaning both of them out and giving the truck and trailer a solid wash.

Adding to the stress was someone stole my purse, the entire thing, out of my truck last Saturday. The purse I don't mind so much- it was just a canvas one. But the contents were a tad bit more important. All my ID's, major cards, license, passport, and alot of memories are now just gone. The week prior my accounts were flagged for fraud, so if there's any silver lining to any of this its that I at least have one debit card that escaped, and I don't have to wait around another five days. Compounding the issue is my only final form of ID was in NJ. It's disappointing and ultra frustrating that I now have to deal with four notoriously slow government agencies (DMV, Passport Control, and Social Security office) and their paperwork.

If there's anything to look forward to this upcoming weekend, it's showing. I've been wanting to show Spy Coast now for years. It's a fabulous show with excellent footing and drop dead gorgeous facilities. However bad timing on my end or having a horse that's not in the right age group or going through a weird growth spurt really stifled those chances.

The girls look the part, the weekend is free and so I dropped the entry in.

Haiku is especially ready to do something. A full hand bigger and mentally ready enough to step out, she needs to stretch out and get some miles without getting permanent ink on her records. She's stellar, and very fit for the age group but still hasn't filled out width-wise quite yet. She's business like about her work, she's handled change very well. The goals are pretty much to just have a solid first show, and to hit in the 7's-8's consistently. 

Flair looks equally as good. She's not as fit, as she's started three months after Haiku, but needs to just go out and start thinking about larger concepts. I really don't care about scores, I just want her to go out and have a positive experience.

It's easy to look at Flair and go she's ready to do something more. She can easily go zero to FEI in her balance points, she's easy on the eyes, offers things up and is exceptionally trainable. She's very mature in her looks. But as fast as she's developing and giving, you can't put topline on overnight.

But Flair has been getting the baptism by fire the last three months.

Her entire world has been flipped, reversed and changed. She's in a program, she's worked, she's getting fitter, she's handled every day, twice a day. Every day she looks better because it is an aggressive, everything including the kitchen sink program, that addresses a lot of different things. I think some part of her goes, I'd rather be barefoot and pregnant, and the other goes this is rather neat. She's got the best temperament, goes out and tries, doesn't make the same mistake twice. She's straightforward, but green, but lacks the carrying power to sit under saddle correctly to do anything beyond what a three or four year old is required to do. She's not ready for a test, she's not ready for anything but straight materiale, but needs to go out and learn what being a show horse is without the world judging her. 

So, Spy Coast is really an ideal place for both of them. They've done an excellent job developing something for all young horses in a quality environment. The series has a number of things going for it- like prize money, inclusive handler fees, great judges and year end series championships. They understand babies are going to be babies, and allow them to act that way accordingly. There will be plenty of other opportunities to get them to the larger rated shows, but for now, they need to stay in the kiddie pool.

My type

I was raised with the idea and notion that European horses were superior sport horses, and that the baseline quality was, and still is to some extent, much higher than that in the US.

How could I not? I was raised with the ISF adverts and being around people who purposely bred with those lines, and constantly imported ones who were added into the genetic and talent pools.

While I will dispute some of that notion (there are a number of North American breeders who in my opinion are out producing Europe- including the one I work for [see SunShine Meadows]), after visiting Holland and starting to develop in Germany, I think for the most part it's accurate.

There's no question that the US has a lot of the same lines within its borders as breeding technology advanced (frozen semen, embryo transfers) and we've come a long way since a lot of the first horses were inspected and approved within our boarders. But still there is a decisive lack of knowledge among riders about pedigree and we may have the sire lines, in general we lack quality broodmares to support those sires.

Compounding things is the idea of breeding itself. It's the idea of breeding is generational versus immediate results. The former instead of the latter is the core philosophy with the people who I was around. They aim for sensational, but at the same time, they have to put the sensational back into the breeding pool to reproduce itself for future generations.

There's also very little sentiment in breeding in Europe, yes, they do have favorite mares and stallions, but it's a practical application on limited resources. You will not find many, if any, Cinderella crosses competing successfully.

In short, pedigree matters, and in Europe it's a very large part of the sport.

To the riders, it's more than a pink piece of paper, its the basic roadmap where quality develops and gives a timeline of how horses develop, it helps price horses accordingly at their raw state, make black and white decisions, and decisions on who gets to reproduce or go to approvals.

There are nicks, lines that cross consistently well, to produce above average and there's a wild amount of access and support to develop horses from in utero to under saddle. It's also hugely political in many ways with the influence of the foal market and who is stamped as a breeder on the papers.

Europe is special in a few ways as well. There's the population, where you can see 50-75 of a stallion's offspring within a few hours' drive, in many stages of development (everything from just born to some cases international horses), there's government sponsored breeding stations (Celle),  there's shows, exhibitions and things to do with your young horse, in addition to coming to know stallions that aren't popular or even represented within the American market (Don Index, Detroit, Destano, Saleri, Sarkozy, United, etc) and how they, and they're offspring have developed.

You don't have a huge frozen market (it's expensive to develop the facilities to freeze), instead there's a lot of fresh-chilled which can be more consistent than frozen and more widely on-demand.

But for the most part, there are a few principle dressage lines within both the Dutch and German books, with repetitive nicks that have produced very consistently over the generations.

While the two countries have developed differently the end goal is always the same, produce good horses for top sport. The irony of it is while they are both very competitive with each other, because of how each of the books have developed, they need each other for outcrossing purposes, which is seeing another generation of sport horses that are realizing the best of everything.

Until recently, my barn has mostly been KWPN. Partially because I work for a breeder, but the other part is I love dutch horses. To me they're very consistent and taking the sport to a different level. The book is very forward thinking, which is sometimes good and bad.

My background with German horses has been the American representation, which I haven't found too appealing for the end goals I want. Are they pretty?, Yes. Are they nice to be around? Sure. They're great horses in their own right. It wasn't until I went to Germany and was in a barn and with a breeder who has that same ideas, did I end up finding the horses I want, and even then, the barn was the exception rather than the rule.

In the Dutch books, the focus has always been on progressive gaits, and more recently adding good rideability. The four stand outs are Jazz, Flemmigh, Oscar, and more recently Ferro. Ferro and Oscar (who bred Uphill) are known for hind ends, producing piaffe/passage/pirouettes, and Jazz, and the Flemmigh offspring are known for front ends. Flemmigh is especially known for temperament.  You see them all crossed very consistently for the upper levels. They're not necessarily horses for the young horse classes or amateurs, but they do have good batting averages for the Grand Prix.

In the German books (Hanoverian, Oldenburg, Westphalian, Holstein, Rhineland), its more about tradition and regionalism. Each book has their own aims and goals, but the overall effect is producing horses for the top level that pretty much anyone can be around. The idea of German breeding is traditionally towards German farmers, versus the Dutch book where it was really the first book to focus in on the FEI sports.

German horses, in general, were bred for every person. A horse in Germany has to be sound, rideable or workable by your average rider, but still have the ability to do the sport at a very competitive level. It really wasn't until nearly two decades ago, did the focus change from producing for everyone to producing specifically for sport. The idea of sticking to tradition, has caused some degradation in the books for dressage, but for jumping, the Holstieners and Hanoverian are still exceptional.

In the Hanoverian and Oldenburg books (what I'm based out of) there's the A (E), F, D, G, R, S and W, lines. You see Donnerhall, Sandro Hit, Rubinstein, and Fidertanz, Weltmeyer, Laurie's Crusador (thoroughbred) very frequently crossed for the sport. Of the lines represented today, the modern D, F, R, S with a background of A (E) is most prevalent with hints of W hanging back.

Donnerhall, and secondly Fidertanz and Rubinstein, is especially represented in a lot of modern pedigrees, with the majority of German horses carrying him at least once or twice within their papers and crossed on everything. Donnerhall, like Ferro, produces hind ends, but he also produces really wonderful temperaments, walks and canters.The F and the R lines lighten them up without loosing the temperament behind the horse.

The last ten or so years both Holland and Germany have been outcrossing more to introduce more blood and variety into the pedigrees. This has been done with varying amounts of success, and it's a trend that I think that will continue on, especially for stallions and mares who don't meet criteria in one book and can in another.  

In the end, the lines and the use of the lines are personal as well as performance based, there's history, and effort to get the horse that you sit on to you. 

Feels like home again

I made it home Monday after three flights. The highlight of it was being stuck in Atlanta for a few extra hours and getting to roam around trying to find a good milkshake (no dice) and my new Timbuk2 bag's wheels getting knocked off by Delta (jerks).

I was technically scheduled for more travel this week to Vegas World Cup.  I've had numerous people ask me to go, and while I initially committed to going for another business, I'm happy the obligation was canceled. There's so much that needs to be done, and things that I've been ignoring- such as the clinics, need to be dealt with. So I'm home for at least a month before I adventure out again.

Being home is strange after being away for so long. In one way the familiar comfort of my house and everyone with it is lovely, on the other hand, the mentality I got into while in Europe is something that I don't want to give up, it just simply doesn't exist prevalently in the States on a consistent level.

So, my heart is now on two continents. I find myself in the old routine from Germany, and for the moment, less population.

The competition season is just starting here, and I'm eager to really to start it. I have my first entries printed off and ready to go out this weekend, hopefully the US postal system won't repeat their mistakes last year.

Despite my absence from the show arena several of my sales graduates have already started competing. Reba's Song MF (Rotspon) is back in action after an extended period off due to rider injury, she was out competing at Novice and was once again in the sub-30's for dressage, Sincere G (Savant) has been out on the jumpers with Emily Williams in Ohio as well, producing solid rounds with minimal mistakes and Danzador MSM (Apollo III) is out at the Region 2 schooling shows pushing mid-60's to 70's at Training level.

I'm also reminded I need to do a lot of other things associated with the business (taxes, answering the mail, updating the website, making sure the truck still runs...) and playing catch-up. This first week back feels more like I'm attached to my cell phone more than anything else.

Flying in to Lexington was also a little surreal after leaving at the start of a horrid Winter. I was somewhat expecting to see a more decimated town from UK's Men's Basketball team's loss in the Final Four, and also from what looks like the flood-like rain the region has experienced. While there weren't any fires lighting the runway, we definitely have new lakes. It's also delightfully warm.

My first stop before I even went home was to look in on the pony.

To no surprise, she's fat, happy, shaggy and hard to catch. My first order was to make her look less of a wild pony and more civilized. Slowly and begrudgingly she's reemerging from the winter woolies and embedded dirt. She was ridden, washed and will probably do a lot of that until her new lessor takes over the reins.

I went up to see Flair and Haiku on Wednesday.

Haiku grew another hand and a half, and sports a strong topline and is swimming right along in her progress. Despite looking good, she needs some more calories due to the amount of growth she's experiencing. She's not thin, but honestly she just needs that much support. The Pennfields line has been helping her out tremendously in developing her growth while not creating a hot horse. The spring grass should also help her out. Her attitude is still the same, willing, straightforward, workmanlike. She's not even three, and she's just ahead in so many ways.

Flair arrived back in January after I left. Like many things with her and I we just keep missing each other. She arrived about 200lbs heavy from post-baby and in no shape whatsoever to do much of anything. So seeing her 200lbs lighter, under saddle, and developing with about 40 days under tack is really neat. It's a shame that February in Kentucky was a total loss and parts of March were even worse. Essentially, she is where Haiku was when she started. Give it three months of good work, and things will be fine. But still, there's a long way to go from nothing to our tentative goal of Devon's Five Year Old division is a big leap, but one that I'm really sure that she'll do well to progress towards.

On top of keeping up all the horses there's also catching up with the calendars. My business has started to expand to include teaching clinics around the US. I like to teach, and this allows me to keep up on the daily training of my horses and keeping a serious base of home clients. I will be out in VA in June and August. Plus a few other places as I start setting the calendar for the year.

Also per reader suggestion, I will talk more in depth about all the German breeding, riding, training and all the other things over the next few posts. I just couldn't type out as much on an iPad as I would like. But for now, I'm home.