Morning Excitement

This morning at the barn we had a bit of excitement! I let Wanda & Dublin out in to their field, forgetting I had pinned open a gate on the other side of the paddock because the manure pile is there and they hadn't been allowed out because of the rain these past couple days. So, with Wanda leading, the two went trotting down the gravel driveway towards the house and towards the neighborhood. When I noticed it, I BOOKED it across the field parallel to them on the lane, throwing off my jacket in the process (it was slowing me down!) and intercepted them before the lane opened up to our backyard. Waving my hands in the windmill motion, I deterred them both and then turned back towards the barn. Thinking all had been saved, I shut the gate to the lane and proceeded towards the barn to grab some halters so I could corral them back in to the field. As I turned from the gate, Wanda trotted past me and jumped over the 4 foot gate and back towards the lane. I think I muttered something like "you have GOT to be kidding me". Luckily Dublin's lameness prevented him from making the leap after her, and she missed him too much to continue on, so she turned back and I opened the gate for her. Of course she went trotting right in to the open field, and Dublin stood in the driveway paddock trying to point his back legs at me for about 10 minutes until I gave him the stinkeye. This all happened before 8am and I still made it to work on time :)

Year End Awards

In other news,
Brittanie Hardy & Wonderbaar are Open Novice Champions for the United States Eventing Association Area II!

http://www.usea2.net/competitions/points/190-2010-year-end-points-participant-photos

Brittanie Hardy & Wonderbaar ended 4th for Novice from the United States Equestrian Federation for their zone, and 13th nationally!

What a weekend!

It was an absolute whirlwind of a 4-day weekend, with a super successful ending to a great start.

Fridays I usually don't work so I can get my weekly errands done, so I took the day to get the barn cleaned up and rearranged for winter. Friday night a friend and I went to dinner at the Daily Grill and then to the 10:30pm show at the DC Improv. The comedian's name was Bob Marley, and he is best known for setting the World Record for longest standup comedy. The guy is absolutely hilarious, though I will admit when he first came on stage we were thinking he was a bit out of control! Overall it was an awesome show.

Saturday I had a lesson in the morning with Cathy Fredrickson, and we had an extremely productive lesson working on Wanda's movement and my body position. By the end of the lesson I was feeling much more comfortable with the tools I had to control the horse. Saturday afternoon I went wine tasting with some new friends at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. I had never realized there was a winery so close to my house! The wine wasn't my favorite. Plus they only grow one type of grape there, so their red wines are all imported-grapes. Still a fun time. Afterward, I met up with my best girl friend, and we made stops at Fat Tuesdays, Red Lobster, and Patriots Cafe before calling it a night.

Sunday was a relaxing day, and I was able to hang out and watch TV in the morning. Mom and I took a trip to Dover Saddlery to pick up a few horsey things, and I bought a new pair of body clippers to take off some of Wanda's winter coat. When we got home, I gave her a quick bath and trimmed her up as much as I could before it got too dark.

Monday morning I loaded Wanda and mom up in the truck & trailer and drove the 3 hours to True Prospect Farm for a lesson with Phillip Dutton. I hadn't been back there since I stopped working for him in April, so I was a bit nervous! Definitely had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome to see the old co-workers (Jennie, Ryan, Susanna, Emma, Silva, Sara, Phillip and Evie!) and great to get a one-hour lesson with Phillip for the first time in a few months! He had me working on a lot of the same things Cathy did, and helped me get over our little 'down-bank' issue. We also did a few more complicated x-country obstacles, like a coffin, road-crossing, and prelim log down in to water. I was surprised at how well Wanda adapted to the new questions, and felt so much better about the work I've done this summer. I was definitely not riding well when I left True Prospect last Spring, and finishing this lesson without hearing 'terrible!' or 'do this again' or 'we'll come back to it another day' made it that much more rewarding. I can thank Cathy for that one :)

Puissance, Dressage, and S.W.A.T.!

Friday night a friend and I went to the Washington International Horse Show at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. We made it in time to watch the Puissance competition, which went for only about 45 minutes because they only made it 2 rounds to 6'1". Afterwards we ate at Fado's outside of Chinatown, which was an amazing meal since we were both pretty hungry! It was a pretty fun night!



Saturday took Wanda to Morven Park in Leesburg, VA for the Morven Park Benefit Dressage Schooling Show. I had originally entered this show to ride the Training eventing tests in preparation for moving up to Training, but due to recent refusals at Seneca and Middleburg and an elimination at Waredaca, plans changed. So, I used it as a schooling just to see where we were in our dressage work. I had entered in Novice B (as a warm up), Training A, and Training B, but scratched from Training B because I didn't want to over face her with all the lengthening and such. The judge was Evelyn Susol, a widely known dressage judge in the Virginia area. For the Novice B test, we got a 36.5%, best movements being 7's on my trot and canter circles, and lowest movements being 5's on my turns and medium walks. We tend to swing wide and lose momentum from her hind legs. For the Training test A, we got a 39%, which isn't terrible for our first time riding this test! We got an 8 on our stretch-down trot circle, and a few 5's on a 15meter canter circle and a trot lengthening. All-in-all I thought it was a pretty successful day, and I was really proud of how relaxed she was being there. I was even asked if she was for sale, and told by someone that they wished they had a horse that was "easy to ride". (I said, "me too!")


Saturday night I got together with my friends (dressed as a banana, disgusting feminine pad, chicken, and a kissing booth), and we jumped on the Vienna metro to the Clarendon Bar & Grill in Clarendon, VA. I pulled together a home-made S.W.A.T. team member outfit, and it worked out perfect. Unfortunately, I hadn't eaten beforehand, so my night was spent thinking about how I could sneak away from my friends to get some food! We left D.C. around 12am and hit up Taco Bell on the way home. It was pretty hilarious sitting in the metro looking across the tracks to see a bull & matador, mario & luigi, chilean miner, fisherman, gumbi, orphan Annie, and numerous other oddities. There were about a billion people dressed up as miners. I'd say that was the most common costume this year. Gotta start working on next year's costume!!

The Unfortunate Waredaca Horse Trials

So Wanda and I have been having hiccups at our events lately. It's frustrating because we started off in the Spring winning everything, and lately we haven't been able to complete an event without a run-out.

This past weekend was pretty busy for us. On Friday I trailered Wanda to Millwood and had an extremely productive jump lesson with Cathy. Saturday morning Christie rode with me to Waredaca to walk my xcountry course, then I competed Wanda at the Sandstone Farms Schooling Show in the Novice division to ride through a dressage test. With Lucy Eddins as our judge, we placed 1st in our class with a 26.9%, which is really good. We didn't do the jumping portion (I didn't want to jump her 3 days in a row), so we ended with a no-score finish. I was really proud of her though.

On Sunday, I competed Novice at the Waredaca Farms Horse Trials in Laytonsville, MD. My parents refuse to attend this event, because I have always had a rough time there. I'm pretty sure I've been eliminated or had major penalties every time I've been there in the past. Unfortunately, this time was no different. Our dressage test was unfortunate, because it was on grass footing on a slope, and Wanda was feeling kind of stubborn. We ended with a 39.5% putting us in 11th. Our worst score ever. ShowJumping went ok, but we were fairly unbalanced through a lot of the turns and I was lucky she was being good with her feet. We went double clear. Once we got to the xcountry, I was feeling pretty nervous about things and I guess she was, too. It felt like we were drifting left the entire first couple fences, and then we had a dirty run-out at a drop bank fence. I was able to circle and trot her down, and we kept going until we reached another drop bank two strides to water, and she stubbornly ran out left 3 times, eliminating us. I almost ran over the jump judge during the first run out because I was trying to avoid falling off, but she was extremely nice about it and even let us try again after we had been eliminated, just for schooling purposes. Unfortunately, Wanda wasn't having it. Stubborn mare!

When we left Waredaca, I called mom and we decided to take her to Frying Pan Park to school some banks so she didn't get it in her head that she could get away with not completing them. She balked a few times, but eventually went on, and then it seemed like they were no problem at all. I wouldn't normally go schooling after an event, but I felt it was necessary for the both of us, so it didn't turn in to a confidence problem. We just walked down the banks a few times, then packed up and went home. It was a very long weekend.

This weekend we are competing in 3 dressage tests at the Morven Park Benefit Dressage Show. Hopefully we can get our dressage sorted out, because the next weekend is our final event for the season, Rubicon. I'm also going to start her on a mare supplement to see if I can get some of her moodiness out. Stupid woman hormones!! We'll see how it goes :)

UPDATE!!!

Here's what we missed:

August:

• Drove to Canandaigua, NY with mom and dad, stayed at the Acorn Inn Bed & Breakfast, and passed my United States Pony Club 'H-A' Rating!!!
• Totaled my 2004 Mazda 3 "Craig" (ouch)
• Went to the DC Improv with a horsey friend, then ended up running in to Jennie Brannigan who just happened to be in DC for the night
• Started a new job as a public affairs intern at Weber Merritt, LLC
• Went to the motorcycle races at Summit Point, WV to watch a friend race.. bonus was when he won one!

September:

• Bought a 2011 Mazda 3 "Charlie"
• Competed novice at the Seneca Valley Pony Club Horse Trials with Wanda and had a refusal at the very first jump xcountry
• Went to a Toby Keith concert with a friend and ran in to a friend I haven't seen since high school
• Took a friend horseback riding for the first time at the Marriott Ranch for his birthday
• Went dancing in D.C. with my best girl friend
• Attended a Mary Schwentker xcountry clinic at Wingreen Farm with Wanda
• Family from England, Marion & Terry came to visit
• Aunt Bev & Uncle Reinhardt spent the night one night
• Competed novice at the Middleburg Horse Trials and had a refusal stadium. Ended 10th.

October:

• Jump-judged at Morven Park Horse Trials and got to see Sully run Prelim with Melissa Hunsberger
• Went to a birthday party at Marvins in D.C. and ended up at U Street Music Hall dancing the night away with Tristan's friends!
• Finished my Television Broadcasting class and got my diploma from the Columbia School of Broadcasting
• Dublin was having lameness issues, so we took him to the vet and found out he had worn the cartilage out from between his pastern joints, so we decided on a regional profusion of Tildren to see what would happen
• Went to the Virginia Gold Cup Steeplechase Races with Tristan, his gf, and my parents

So hopefully we're all caught up now :) I'll try to be better at updating!!

Catherine Haddad

This past weekend I got to ride with German-based dressage rider Catherine Haddad. She's in the US trying to qualify for the World Equestrian Games this summer, so my dressage trainer Patrick set up a clinic for the weekend. I couldn't afford two days of the clinic (it was REALLY expensive!), so we settled for Saturday only, which I think was better in the end! Saturday was about 100 degrees and Catherine worked us for 45 minutes straight with 2 walk breaks!!
She was an extremely good trainer. I would recommend her to anyone needing help with position and correctness. In the first 10 minutes, she had us warm up like usual and then push in to a very forward working trot. She decided that my leg position needed some improvement, so we switched out of my Passier dressage saddle in to a Stubben that she had designed. It had extremely flat panels but a very deep seat, allowing my leg to drop down and around the horse without being stuck in place by my saddle's big knee blocks. After we worked on changing saddles, we spent the next 30 minutes working on me being able to sit the trot (Wanda has a HUGE trot) and by the end I was sitting correct!! It was like, "learn to sit the trot in 40 minutes with Catherine Haddad". Fantastic!

If you're thinking about taking a lesson/clinic with her, I would definitely recommend it. No question. She will work your tail off, but it is worth it. Just make sure you're fit and the weather isn't ridiculous! She's also very nice, but stern. She takes her training very serious, and she expects you to feel the same about it. Hint: Do not ever ride with Catherine without spurs and a whip!! She loves weapons. Don't be caught without them!!

MDHT at Loch Moy

Today was the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy I, and Wanda and I ended 8th! I had the opportunity to be accompanied by Cathy Fredrickson, who really helped out a TON during the event. It's so odd to actually travel to an event with your trainer and have them help you the entire time! I'm so used to a few encouraging words and then not seeing them again until the end (they usually have a bunch of horses to ride themselves!).


Our dressage went OK, even though we scored a 37. Definitely our worst score ever at novice, but I felt like she was much more together and correct. Just have to work on our softness a bit in the poll. I can definitely tell she is moving more underneath her back end, though! Unfortunately, that put us in like 6th after dressage, then we pulled two rails stadium (completely my fault, of course!). Cross country went clean, but we have a few things to work on!! It was also really crazy to run in to the TPF and Windurra crew! Phillip said hey to me and it totally boggled my mind. I'm so happy to have made such connections while in Pennsylvania!

The 66th Annual Judy Family Reunion

Today was the 66th annual Judy family reunion in Franklin, West Virginia. It's about a 2.5 hour drive over a very scary, very curvy mountain to get there. This was my mom's dad's family, so we represent his side with my mom's mom (my grandmother), my mom's brother Jerry, my mom, dad, Tristan, and I. It's always a good time, but also a very long day! This year was my Uncle Dick's 80th birthday, so we had a big cake with his face on it for him. We also do an egg toss every year, and I was dad's partner. Unfortunately, my eyes aren't quite as adjusted as I thought they were, so I took a few too many steps to get an egg smashed down my arms and shirt! It was good to see everyone this year!

Birthday, Lasik, and a Wedding!

Been a very busy couple of weeks around here and Millwood!

June 13th was my 23rd birthday, and it was awesome. I got to see Nick Thune at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (he has a show on Comedy Central) which was pretty cool! Sunday was spent kayaking on the Potomac River, then home for some champagne and cake with the parents, and then the season premier of True Blood! Couldn't have been happier :)

Getting older the birthday gifts get more mature and less fun. This year, instead of asking for cd's and money, I asked my parents to contribute to my getting Lasik eye surgery. They thought it was a great idea, so June 24th I had it done. I could not have chosen anything better! Unfortunately I had to put the riding on hold for a week, but in the end I think it will all be worth it. The procedure was painless and quick, took about 15 minutes! It was quite expensive, but the cost is nothing compared to being able to see without contacts or glasses. It is so weird waking up in the mornings and being able to see everything without having to scramble to find my glasses. I still have a bit of recovery to go, but it is so much better already!!! Just have to keep putting drops in for the next 8 months or so!



And finally, Saturday was my cousin Jessica's wedding to her fiancee Rob, who has been with the family for quite some time now. I can't even remember a time before they started dating! They had their wedding at our family's farm (Millwood) in Boyce, Virginia, and it was gorgeous! All our family was able to come out, from California to Florida (and even Germany!). It was fantastic to see everyone together all at once. Congrats to Jessica and Rob Johnson!!

My date and I at the wedding


Now it's time to study, study for my H-A Rating!!!! 1 month to go!!

Up, Up, & Away!!

This weekend I got a special surprise when a friend took me hot-air-ballooning! At my family's farm in Boyce, VA, we used to sit outside and wave to the balloons as they passed over during the balloon festival at Long Branch. Now, I actually had the opportunity to experience the other side of it!
We rode with pilot Reed Basley, who was a very cool guy. He told us the balloon we were in was an old advertisement balloon, but they had replaced most of the ads except a Citgo one at the very top. We went up to about 700 feet and touched down in a field and at the Winchester-Fauquier airport. We even got to grab some leaves off of trees as we floated by. Even with my huge fear of heights, Reed made the trip feel really safe. All in all it was very neat!!

If you're interested in balloon rides, you can contact Reed Basley, Pilot. or visit the website at www.virginiaballoonflights.com

Horseology!

Just returned from the 2010 Virginia Region Show Jumping Rally in Manakin Sabot, VA. It was held by the Deep Run Hunt Pony Club, so we got to play on their turf :) I'm too tired to write a lot about it right now, but our kids did great!! I was the captain of the 'Horseology' team, which included 3 younger riders and a stable manager. We struggled a little with the horse management, just in the learning process for those guys, so we actually ended 18th in horse management!! Not the best, but I think we all learned a lot (as always!!). Overall we did a lot better, and ended in 9th. I think all the teams did great! The officials also made a comment at the end of rally about how the vet on call thought the horses and ponies all looked very well cared for, so that made me pretty proud.

Individually, Wanda was an absolute ANGEL this whole weekend. Her ground manners were perfect even being stuck in a small stall, and her jumping was very good. We only had one clear round, but only one rail in each of the other three. I knew exactly what I did wrong (don't you hate that?!?). Our 'take your own line' round went a bit odd when I forgot my pre-planned course, but somehow we made it over each jump and through the finish! Also, it was pretty neat that I was the highest rated (B) and oldest competitor at the rally. One kid asked me if I was married!

Also, Wanda did her thing again and won us the Dancing Weather Memorial Equitation trophy. It's given out to one competitor each year by the judge who thinks the horse/rider are a good-looking pair and do well during one of the rounds. Just so happens that one round she jumped clean and got all of her leads :) I'm very proud of her again!!

(FYI: The “Dancing Weather” Memorial Equitation award is presented to the rider exhibiting outstanding skills in position, control, and horsemanship. This trophy is given by the Reistrup Family in memory of Gordon and Catherine Reistrup’s horse “Dancing Weather”. “Dancer” anchored numerous regional and national rally teams throughout the ‘80’s in Show Jumping, Dressage and Combined Training. The recipient is determined by the Riding Judge with input from the Chief Horse Management Judge.)

Our team ribbon and the Dancing Weather Memorial Equitation Award


Complete results, once posted, should be at this website:
Virginia Region Pony Club Rally Results

DRPC Spring Horse Trials

Wanda and I had the opportunity to compete in the Novice Horse division at the Difficult Run Pony Club horse trials for the first time as a team. I've been there a MILLION times with previous horses, since Frying Pan Park is my 'home turf' for all pony club activities, but this was a first for Wanda :)

Saturday I fulfilled my volunteer duties as a scribe for Helen Brettell, a VERY interesting British dressage judge. I have never had her as a judge before, so it was great to hear her comments about the rides. This was also my first time ever scribing, so it was a pleasure having someone who was patient enough to work with me!

Sunday was our ride day, and Wanda was a super star. Our dressage test went quite well, and we ended with a 27.0%, putting us in first place! We had a slight setback when I noticed her hind shoes 'clanking', so after a quick run to the farrier things were good again. Stadium went great with Gegi Winslett as our judge, and we pulled out a double clear round despite our very forward warmup session! She was a bit backed up cross-country, but jumped everything clean and pulled out the win for us :)

Dressage

Stadium

Cross Country


I was extremely lucky to have a huge group of supporters during the event. My mom, dad, and brother came, as well as my grandma, and two best friends! Plus, since it was the horse trials that my pony club puts on, the volunteers were all cheering for me. Overall it was a great time and I thank everyone for coming!!


-Brittanie

Home from Aiken, Bittersweet

As you have probably noticed from Facebook/Twitter updates, Wanda and I have returned from Aiken to my parents' home in Fairfax Station, VA. There is a point in time when being a working student starts to wear on you both mentally and physically, and I think ending things was the best option. PD and I are going to continue working together in PA, as I am planning to drive up for lessons when he is in the area. True Prospect is definitely a bustling place to be. I kind of wish I had started my working student career in a smaller operation, because sometimes I felt sort of like a number in that busy place. Since I started working there with an unsuitable horse and am now beginning again at novice with a new horse, I was never able to get the attention of an upper-level rider, and was therefore destined to remain a "backdoor" working student. I did learn a TON about the eventing world, and hope to return to the craziness once Wanda is ready. Emma is an amazing groom, and I wish her and the rest of the TPF team good luck in the coming years. They definitely have their hands full with everything going on there. I'm just glad I got to be a part of it when I did!

As for me, I am doing well back home with Wanda and Keana :) Dad's not too thrilled about having another dog in the house, but since she's the most well-behaved it helps my case! Hopefully I will be able to find a place of my own soon. Wanda and I had our first real dressage lesson with Patrick Thursday, and he was really excited for us. Patrick wants me to train her up as a dressage horse, but I couldn't do that. I'm a cross-country junkie!! Yesterday mom helped me jump school Wanda over a single fence, and it was incredible how relaxed and easy it was. I guess I get really stressed out when I have a lesson with PD, and so it makes her stressed as well. Lately she has been rushing the fences and making me nervous about a potential "Sully" situation, so it was nice to be able to get her back so easily. As for Sully, he is currently awaiting a vetting at Phyllis Dawson's Windchase Farm. I sent him there for the winter to get some training and be sold, as I couldn't afford to take him with me to Aiken, and mom had her hands full with all the snow!! Fingers crossed he passes the vetting and gets sold this week!

Hope everyone has a great Easter!!

-Brittanie

Aiken Plague!!

We've been hit! Jennie was the first to get it, and now I have been brought down by the plague. It's a pretty weird illness which starts as a headache at night and gives you a horrible achy feeling in the morning. Unfortunately my day off wasn't until Friday, so I was pretty down-under this morning. Today at work Susanna graciously offered to switch days with me, so now I have tomorrow :)

This past weekend was pretty amazing. Wanda and I competed in our very first event at Sporting Days Farm going Open Beginner Novice. She was a bit tense in the dressage, but was able to crank out a 30.5% which is so much better than tests I had with Sully!! We had one rail in stadium but jumped around cross-country clean. I was so proud of her!! We ended up 2nd :)

Jennie had a very successful event as well. She ended 1st at Training with her new project, Walkabout, 1st at Novice with a young sale horse named Chase, and 3rd at Novice with a young sale horse named Roosevelt. Kali had a frustrating day, but still ended 7th going Training with her horse Arvy. And, Amy Ruth competed Santa at Prelim, and ended 5th!! All-in-all, a very good weekend for all :)

Phillip's barn in Aiken


The inside courtyard of Kevin Keane's barn (where Wanda lives!)



Kevin Keane's barn

Ohhh Aiken!

So we've relocated to Aiken, SC for the winter, and things are going pretty well! The work here is definitely more tough and the days are longer. I'm actually running out the door but wanted to give a brief update.. will do more later!!


What happens when you get in hot sun with no lotion after being in cold weather for a long time?

Burn blisters!

10 days till Aiken!

There are 10 days until the official move to Aiken! Emma's been crazy trying to get all the horses clipped and all the stuff together to take down with us. I'm actually heading home to northern VA this weekend (Friday to Sunday) to attend an HA Rating retreat at Millwood. This is totally unrelated to TPF, but the knowledge I gain from this weekend should definitely help my work with the horses here. When I get back from that, I'll be making the first trip with Emma down to Aiken on Monday, setting up the barn on Tuesday, then driving back to PA on Wednesday. One day of work, then back to Aiken for the move on Friday. Busy week ahead!! All in all, it's about 35 hours of driving for me!

The other news, is that I may have finally found a horse! I recently tried and vetted a very talented dutch warmblood mare, so I am just waiting on the word from the big man to find out if she should be bought! Pretty exciting....