Emily Beshear

We’re very fortunate in this part of Virginia to have numerous opportunities to compete at local level dressage and jumper shows as well as combined tests and even full horse trials.  Sometimes these competitions are easy to overlook when the schedule is based around the upper level horses and recognized horse trials.  Well this year we’ve got a fun group of young horses as well as riders with new mounts wanting to gain experience so we’ve decided to make the most of what our area has to offer.  Take a look at a few of the highlights…and if you’d like to join us close to home we’ll be heading to the Rosemount Jumper Classic in Fredericksburg this Saturday July 24th and the ODHPC CT & Derby in Flint Hill on Sunday July 25th. Then in August Kelly’s Ford will be holding their schooling Horse Trials on the 14th.  We’ll probably also sneak in a couple of Tuesday and Wednesday night Jumper schooling shows as well so just contact Emily if you’d like the specifics.

Ashley rode Viewfnder (Fiona) at her horse show premier on a Tuesday evening in June at the Summerduck Jumper Show.  Then it was on to the Plain Dealing Horse Trials.  There were a few firsts that we were all very excited about (some even blue ribbons!).  Nicholas rode his new pony “Mary” to a score of 34.5 in their first dressage test doing Intro B.  He decided that at the next show he’ll either be jumping or memorizing 2 dressage tests.  I’m not sure which it will be since the canter is a work in progress but he definitely inherited the determination gene…  Brooke Baugher and Smoke Signal competed in their first Preliminary Horse Trial which was a great warm-up for the Maryland II Horse Trials taking place the following weekend (even better that I got to make up the xc course for her..let’s just say we took advantage of all that Plain Dealing has to offer..I’m sure I’ve seen prelim courses with 3 water jumps on them..). Jeff and his new ride “Pacific Storm” brought home the blue ribbon in the novice combined test scoring in the 20’s in their first dressage test together.  And I decided to test out how it feels to try to ride in “real” boots with my brace on so I brought Quincy along to do a couple of dressage tests.  It was a good test since Quincy was definitely not “up” and required a pretty decent amount of leg encouragement.  But by the second test we managed to come to an agreement and ended up with a score in the 20’s as well.  Many thanks to Linda Wachmeister and all the crew at Plain Dealing for giving us this great opportunity to compete at such a quality venue in such a nice, relaxed manner.  And to Brian and Penny Ross who, as always, keep things running smoothly and are always so very accommodating. (btw photo credit for Quincy’s picture belongs to budding photographer Nicholas Beshear)

Now that the rings are finished we decided to put them to good use.. Whether it is a last hurrah for summer vacation or a good prep to get ready for the fall events you will truly get to cover all of your bases at the Brickland Eventing camp!  This year we are offering a shortened format that will be packed with lessons and numerous other activities and learning opportunities.  All levels are welcome.  Download the Camp Flyer Here to view all the details and be sure to tell your friends!  We’ll see you here Thursday August 19th- Sunday August 22nd.

“Zoom” is a 15.1 hand 11 year old thoroughbred gelding.

Zoom easily jumped around his first few prelims last summer.  In the ribbons at training level this spring. Very sweet natured .  Cute mover and brave, careful jumper. Very straightforward and sensible in all aspects of riding and care.  Temperament suitable for junior or amateur. Reasonably priced for a quick sale.  Recent vetting and xrays.  Priced @ 15K. Subject to increase with training and competitions.

Watch Zoom SJ and do a dressage test(with a score of 29!) below!

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The CCI* began the day with the threat of rain but fortunately it held off as the ground was already soft enough.  Carrie went 20th in the division so had to deal with plenty of chewed up galloping lanes and turns.  She and Duke had a very smooth round and added 5.6 time penalties to their score to hold on to their 17th place standing.  There were quite a lot of tired 1* horses coming into the box so Carrie made a good decision not to press for the time.  The future looks bright!

 Ashley went out early in the CCI*** and had a fantastic trip around a challenging course. 
She stuck to her plan and took a little extra time setting up for some of the turning combinations and was disappointed not to be able to make up the time at the end since the footing was simply to inconsistent.  However she came in adding only 9.6  time penalties which is really minimal over a 10 minute track. 

Both horses looked very good coming back to the barn so we’re hopeful that we’ll have them in good shape to finish the event off well tomorrow.

Both horses coasted through the jog (duke definitely did not put forth too much energy) and headed to the show jumping feeling good to go.  The show jumping did prove to be influential and exciting to the end for all the divisions.  The CCI* was first to go and had a nice straightforward course with several related distances and bending lines within a fialry small area.  The atmosphere was great with spectators lining the grassy berms along the 3 of the sides.  Carrie and Duke withstood the pressure of an International event and managed to remember which order to jump the jumps in and to cross the finish line which was really the most important aspect of the day.  They did end up with 2 rails and a few time which was frustrating for Carrie but very respectable overall.  Now she gets to start to learn the art of helping a somewhat tired horse to want to jump clean…no easy task.  By the time the CCI*** course was set you could see that the designer had been holding a few tricks up his sleeve.  The course was quite busy with a few influential “option” lines especially since the time appeared to be not the easiest to achieve.  Ashley rode a lovely conservative round which did cost them some time.  Because there were very few clear rounds she ended up moving up to 7th despite her penalties.  All in all a very good finish for both!

Thursday was dressage day for the CCI* division which meant Carrie and Duke got to have their first chance at riding a test in the large arena. All in all they put in a solid performance among a very competitive field of 40+ 1* horses.  We definitely have some places that can be improved upon but for now it’s on to cross-country.   Their score of 56.3 leaves them lying in a 3 way tie for 17th.

Dressage for the CCI*** takes place Friday.  Ashley and Eric are near the beginning of the division but the early ride time seemed to suit them well.  Eric has been around this game long enough to know that the dressage is simply the part he has to deal with to get to the cross-country but he’s formed such a good partnership with Ashley that he’s beginning to see that there is a purpose to it all.  We were all pleased with the test and even more so once we heard her score of 56.6.  She was the first to earn a score better than 6o…

Both cross-country tracks look like they will provide a good challenge while being very natural and inviting for the horses.  The CCI* will keep Carrie honest since there are a few turning questions to skinnies and corners which could cause a few hiccups if riders get clinging to the inside rein rather then riding off their outside aids.  I love the look of the CCI*** track and must say the thought of jumping Quincy around it next year will keep me very motivated in my ankle rehab… There is certainly plenty to do out there with the first water being early on at fence 4 with the A element a hanging rail on top of a mound before the water and B a skinny brush at the bottom of the second mound.  Nice little wake-up call for horses and riders… Ashley and I feel that the questions we’ve been asking while schooling at home will have her well prepared for all of the turning questions since there are 3 combinations that have you jumping a spread fence and landing to turn to a corner, one of which is actually turning to double corners.  Now it’s just a matter of putting that practice to work…  I’ll be back with more tomorrow.

That’s what was going through my head the 2nd and 3rd days that I got to get on Quincy and go for a hack.  The first day not so much since I felt very crooked and awkward and could hardly figure out how to get my foot in the stirrup.  Now walking with my stirrups seems to be having positive effects on my ankle flexibilty.  So after 3 days of walking (with a few cheat steps of trot thrown in here and there) I decided it was time to try some no stirrups dressage work.  I’m not sure how long it will take to regain the flexibilty required to be able to use my stirrups while out of the saddle or jumping but I do know this will certainly help get my horses a likttle lighter off my aids..especially since I have to use a dressage whip on the right all the time. And if anyone wonders whether or not their horse leans against the bridle all they need to do is ride without stirrups every day  

With there now being a slight chance of being able to compete this fall I have taken the time to update the competition calendar.  So check it out and let me know if there are any questions or requests..  And thanks again to nutrelief for helping me to take care of myself as well as my horses. Be sure to see what they have to offer.

The weekend following The Fork was just a little more low-key for us.  We had a group of young horses and new partnerships travel to the local Touchpoint CT in Culpeper.  Several were at their first horse show and all had good, educational experiences.  Julie rode Zoom in the novice and training CT and earned dressage scores in the low 30’s for both, winning the novice and placing 2nd in the training overall.  Other highlights included Jaclyn Buseck placing 2nd in the novice on her new horse “Choo Choo McGoo” and Rebecca Barber taking home ribbons aboard her new ride, “Lord Ballyanigan”.  The most popular rider to watch was the almost 7 year old Nicholas sporting his new show coat that he received as an early birthday present from JMama and New Papa.

Following Touchpoint we went on to Fair Hill with a few horses competing at Training through Intermediate Levels. Unfortunately a single corner on the intermediate course led to 20 penalties for the intermediate riders. And a couple of rails in show jumping left the preliminary horses out of the ribbons.  Back home with some work to do…

Loudoun was next up and I was unexpectedly sent to the hospital on Friday and therefore unable to attend.  I guess one positive to take from my troubles this spring is that everyone has gotten more comfortable being independent..  All went around well with a few ribbons to boot-
3rd Beginner Novice- Rebecca Barber & Lord Ballyannigan
8th Beginner Novice- Sherri Booye & MC Endless Echo
2nd Training- Julie Wolfert & Buenos Aires

We skipped MCTA this year in leiu of my first trip to the Kentucky Derby…I really wanted to go home with a wash bucket that had the roses on it but unfortunately they don’t have those in the gift shop. 

Next up was Jersey Fresh.. Jeff attended to take care of a few horses but I did not.  Hopefully Ashley will write a recap in her own words but from our point of view things could not have gone better.  Finishing 3rd in your first CIC***, not much more you can ask for!

The Virginia horse trials was a popular destination for our riders as usual.  Brian and Penny do a great job year after year and we’re all very fortunate to have a venue like the Virginia Horse Center so close to home.  Our new puppy, “Theo”, got his first horse show experience and held up pretty well considering the number of times we had to walk up and down “the hill”.  My ankle proved that its’ strength has improved since I was able to handle all of the course walks and warm-ups on foot this time.  We had riders at 4 of the 5 levels offered so there were plenty of courses to walk…Ashley got to use the intermediate level as a schooling weekend for Eric before heading to the CCI*** at Bromont.  Carrie is also heading to Bromont so she used this as a final tune-up for Duke before heading to her first CCI*. Kate and Nyls are getting back into their form of last year with hopes to make a move to Advanced in the fall and looked to be headed in the right direction.  There were a few that had “move-up” weekends including Jade & Rafiki who had a successful first outing at Training Level.  Jaclyn also did her first training with new partner Chooch and made it look easy in the jumping phases.  All of the training level horses had the worst of it as far as the weather and footing go.  That took it’s toll on the scoreboard as far as adding on time penalties but they all rode around safely and confidently.  I believe the deep mud even made it so Brooke hardly had to remind Gilly to slow down…  Rebecca and Bally got the low score award among all of our riders by earning a 22.4 at the beginner novice level.  And Sherri and Echo had their top placing to date at a recognozed horse trial finishing 3rd in the beginner novice. 
Final standings included:
1st Beginner Novice- Rebecca Barber & Lord Ballyannigan;  3rd Beginner Novice- Sherri Booye & MC Endless Echo; 9th Beginner Novice- Cheryl Haas & Brewster O’Malley; 2nd Intermediate Rider- Kate Samuels & Nyls Du Terroir; 5th Novice- Jen Wolz & Boston No Sox; 7th Preliminary- Carrie Meehan & BlueDevil; 9th Training-  Brooke Baugher & Smoke Signal; 9th Training- Jade Cooling & Thank You; 10th Trianing- Jaclyn Buseck & Choo Choo McGoo

Felix:    

6 y.o. 16.2H TB Gelding by Austin Powers(IRE) Talented event prospect, he has 3 fancy gaits and a great mind. Very well mannered, quiet at shows. Hacks out alone or with company. Brave and willing! $5,000 Competed schooling HT at BN. See videos of Felix doing flat and jumping below!

Legolas:

“Leo” is a 3 y.o. 16.2H Holstiener TB cross, by Love Affair(Landgraf x Cor de la Bryere)

Leo is an impressive prospect for any discipline. Quiet willing temperament, affectionate and FANCY. Very brave, W/T/C  under saddle. With a great brain, top bloodlines, and four matching socks, Leo isn’t one to miss! $30,000

By the time we left for The Fork I was starting to feel a little more useful since I could now stay on my feet long enough to help in warm-up and even set fences so I figured the weekend would be much easier on me physically than the previous two.  However I hadn’t considered the possibility of not being able to golf cart around the cross-country since the weather and footing seemed perfect… but I soon found out that is precisely why the footing is great at The Fork.  There are no exceptions.  Needless to say I did not finish the event as sound as the horses did.  But the horses did go well.  With Julie having her two Wondaree horses in the Intermediate and Advanced divisions, Ashley having her two in the Intermediate and Advanced, and John running in the Intermediate as well.  The first phase went well for the most part with two personal bests achieved in the Advanced ring.  Ashley and Mazetto had a consistent and clean test to score in the mid-30’s for the first time.  Julie and Merlin really stepped up to the level were able to add a little flare to their consistency bringing in a score of 30. 

Then it was on to the biggest challenge of the weekend…walking the Advanced and Intermediate courses.  The good news is that both courses basically run alongside one another so we were able to walk both at the same time with only mild confusion.  The bad news was that it took nearly 2 hours!  Thanks to the patience of the 3 competitors that never got in a hurry..I think the heat wave we were endurring did help my case in that respect.  All of the courses looked fair but as anyone that has ever competed at The Fork knows they are not meant for the faint at heart. The advanced even shared the same intense question with the CIC*** at the last water.  There were plenty of big square tables and corners with the added excitement of all the critters they turn into jumps… My favorite part of cross-country day at this level is seeing all the horses and riders finish safely.  All of ours did with a couple of unfortunate technical miscommunications along the way.  But at the end of the day we were all pleased with the performances and had a good idea of where to tweak things to make it better next time. It was time to take care of the horses and get them ready for show jumping the next day.  The final day showed that our horses were up to the challenge with good clean rounds and a couple of other rails spread throughout.  All in all a good weekend with Julie and Wondaree Barger moving up after the jumping phases to finish 6th in the Intermediate and John finishing 9th in the same division with Everest.

After our long, drawn out winter here in Virginia the event season finally got underway with 3 consecutive horse trials in March; Southern Pines I, Southern Pines II, and Morven Park. 

Southern Pines I was chosen as a “schooling event” for those wanting to get out and get the rust off in order to make plans for the rest of the spring.  Therefore most started off a level lower than where they finished last year just to play it safe and that plan seemed to pan out well.  Since I was just 10 days post surgery I decided it best to stay home…it was either that or get carted around with a plastic bag over my enormously bandaged leg all weekend. They must’ve known the only way to keep me down was to wrap my foot in a completely awkward position so there was no weight-bearing possibility. Fortunately all of the horses were very agreeable and had a good weekend.

Next up was Southern Pines II which I did attend since I was able to get my bandage removed.  However the biggest stress in my preparation was trying to decide what to do if it rained since I was not allowed to get my sutures wet..the garbage bags were brought along but we had a beautiful sunny weekend so all was well in that department.  I owe a big thank you to the organizers for allowing us to take the golf cart aound to check out the upper level cross-country courses.  There were still not too many in attendance from our camp since most were still just getting comfortable riding in an open field again… Those that did compete went well with the highlight being the always consistent Julie Wolfert and Wondaree Merlin.  They finished 2nd in a competitive Intermediate division.  John Thier and Everest were back in action having a nice quiet cross-country round in the preliminary that left them with a few more time faults than planned.. And Ashley Kehoe met up with us since she’d been in Ocala for the winter.  She had Mazetto in the Advanced and Magic Man in the Intermediate.  Mazetto proved himself to be a great partner for her to get some solid Advanced mileage as they galloped easily around the cross-country to complete for their first time at that level (you can ask Ashley about their encounter with beavers or some sort of burrowing wildlife at Pine Top…).

After Southen Pines II came a busy week of preparation getting many riders ready for their spring debut at Morven Park.  Morven proved to be a good place to start as the lower level courses were very straightforward and fortunately in one large field since I was not yet ready for walking across unlevel terrain.  I didn’t luck out with the ability to drive around since they had gotten quite a bit of rain in the days prior.  Even though I was able to get away with course walks that consisted of pointing across fields and hobbling along to a few of the preliminary combinations that were near the access road I do not believe that I will ever be able to feel I’m doing a good job coaching that way…and part of me is a little bummed about that   It does appear that the hectic week paid off as there’s quite a roll call from this one…
Julie Wolfert & Wondaree Barger – 1st Preliminary
Carrie Meehan & Blue Devil – 5th Preliminary
Huxley Greer & Octavian – Preliminary
Brickland homebred “Phinneus” travelled from OH with owner Colleen McBride to win a Training division!!
Julie Wolfert & Peter III – 4th Training
Julia Reynolds & Port O’ Call – 1st Novice
Brooke Baugher & Smoke Signal – 3rd Novice
Jade Cooling & Thank You – 4th Novice
Julie Wolfert & Buenos Aires – 6th Novice
Brittany Schneider & Cousteau – 8th Novice
Karly Bilotta & Special Edition – completed 1st Novice
Carrie Meehan & Cruisin’ On – 3rd Beg Novice
Julie Wolfert & Zumanity – 6th Beg Novice