For Father’s Day, Vicki and I rode in a dressage and 2 phase horse show. Alex and Amanda didn’t want to show and we decided that was fine. This was my first show (other than some fairs) since 2010 when I was still on King. This was also the first time I have ever actually entered a jumping class. While I was not necessarily totally ready and refined, I wanted to take Mojo to the show and see how he behaved.
King was always a great horse at home, and still is, but about 3 times as much horse once you got to the show grounds. “High energy” would be an accurate description. I was extremely pleased to find Mojo was the same horse on the show grounds as at home. I think he was actually more focused and ready to work than schooling at home. Mojo and I entered the 18″ cross-rail 2 phase division which includes dressage test Intro B. We separately rode dressage test Intro C. To get ready for the show, I did ride Mojo through the Intro B test twice in the weeks before the show. We never tried Intro C. As for jumping, I think I jumped Mojo 3 times in the month we have had him. We never actually jumped a full course. In fact, I don’t think we ever put more than 4 jumps together in a set. Anna’s opinion was I was crazy to go so under-trained and having no idea what would happen on the jump course. I figured why not give it a shot.
Let’s be honest. Dressage is boring. I’ll just summarize the 2 dressage tests with we have areas to improve on but I wasn’t last in my divisions. But Vicki did get higher dressage scores on Devil, riding the same tests with the same judges.
The jumping was much more fun. When we got out into the warm-up area, Mojo and I started working over the practice fences and it was awesome. He was ready to go, so we headed on the course and jumped a clear round. He didn’t give me any hesitation and we had a blast. Anna would not that my form requires improvement, I look down at the jumps, I sometimes catch him in the mouth, and Mojo doesn’t always get the correct lead coming off the jump. That’s why she is a better rider. I just know we had fun and he can definitely jump higher! Vicki and Devil also jumped a clear round and had a blast doing it. We want to find a jumping only show…
I would also like to note that Mojo has now been with us for 5 weeks and has been out of shoes for 5 weeks after many years in front shoes. He has been tender on his front feet (to be expected for the transition) so we normally ride him in boots. However, for the dressage show, I couldn’t ride him with boots. Last week I gave him a trim and applied Hoof Armor. The Hoof Armor worked like a champ and he didn’t take a tender step all day. I will be continuing to experiment with the Hoof Armor on my own horses before offering it to clients, but so far, I’m happy with it! The next step is to put it on the ponies and see how they do on the rocky trails without any boots.
This morning I finally returned to a triathlon after 3 seasons of no races. I chose the Mystic YMCA Sprint for my return since that is where I did my first Tri in 2010. The weather predictions for today were rain and storms, so I almost decided yesterday not to go. However, Anna said “you paid for the entry, you better get up and do the race.”
When I got up at 5 this morning, the weather looked like we would have a nice clearing in the rain. In fact, there was only a 10% chance of rain during the racing time frame. When I last did the race in 2012, there were 169 people at the race. Not large, but the venue is small so it can get crowded and parking is tight. When I arrived just after 6, it was definitely not crowded.
Transition area at about 6:15
I got a great surprise this morning that my friend Natalie Edwards decided that she would come and race as well. Natalie and I used to do a lot of cycling together and ran tris together in the past. Yesterday, Natalie did an Olympic distance race at the Rev3 Quassy and placed 11/46 in her age group. That race had 799 racers.
Natalie surprised me by deciding to join the race this morning!
The water was calm and probably in the mid 60s.
My entire goal for the day was to complete the race. I knew I was not nearly as fit as in years past, but I was sure I could complete the 867m swim, 14 mile bike, and 3 mile run. It did start to lightly rain during the swim and continued through the bike, but with air temperature in the upper 60s, it was a great morning to race. In the end, the much smaller field of only 106 competitors meant my overall time of 1:34 was sufficient for 3rd place in my age group and I got a gift certificate to Mystic Cycle Center.
3rd place in my age group
I am really glad that I signed up for the race and I am looking forward to spending more time on my bike this summer (my weakest performance of the three phases today). Natalie ended up finishing as the 5th overall female and 2nd in her age group!
Now that May is coming to an end, our schedule is calming down a little. Things have been non-stop with music concerts and horse activities. This weekend, Alex and Vicki participated in the local Pony Club eventing rally at Mystic Valley Hunt Club. At a Pony Club rally, the parents can help set up the area first thing in the morning, and then the rest of the day is up to the kids. We arrived at MVHC at 7 and didn’t leave until about 5:45 that evening. The kids had horse management inspections (including verifying all required equipment was present and labeled), a written test, formal inspections of rider and mount, dressage tests, stadium jumping, and cross country jumping. Parents are not allowed in the areas at all, so it is all up to the kids.
Eventing Rally Team L-R Alex, Nina, Vicki, Christina, Alexis
It was a long and hot day, but the team managed to keep their spirits up and had some good rides. Alex and Nike had great jumping rounds. The jumping Steward (keeping track of which rider was next and sending them into the arena) turned to me after their first jumping round and said “Is he your son?” I said yes. She replied, “I was not prepared for how well he would ride. They are a really good team.” It perfectly captured Alex. He was moping around during the course walk and acting like he hated everything. But as soon as they enter the jumping course, it’s pure business and Alex had a huge smile on his face.
As good as Alex’s day was, Vicki’s was even better. She rode the best dressage test I have ever seen her ride and it was reflected in her 69 score. Then on the stadium and cross country courses, she had clear rounds and loved every minute of it.
Vicki warming up for dressage
Vicki riding her dressage test
Vicki riding her dressage test
Alex waiting for dressage
Alex riding his dressage test
Vicki and Devil jumping stadium
Vicki and Devil jumping stadium
Vicki and Devil jumping stadium
Alex and Nike jumping stadium
Alex and Nike jumping stadium
Alex and Nike jumping stadium
Alex and Nike jumping stadium
At the end of the day, the team won 1st place in Horse Management and 5th overall.
Yesterday was wet and still hot, so we gave the horses a break. This evening, we decided to head out for a trail ride. Alex really didn’t want to go, so he got a pass (I’m sure Nike didn’t mind). For those who have been following, King had EPM over the winter. We have been bringing him back into work slowly and are cautiously optimistic that he might actually make it back to competitions this summer. This evening, Anna rode King, I rode Mojo, Vicki rode Dakota, and Amanda rode Huey.
Amanda loves to ride the trails with her Momma
Dakota and Huey consulting about the best tasting leaves along the trail
Anna and King
Amanda is becoming quite the trail rider. We only rode 5 miles over 1:15, but Amanda was constantly announcing when we needed to trot or walk based on the terrain, although her default is always more speed. They did plenty of trotting and cantering. She and Huey are a great team. Mojo was great. I love his trail demeanor and he is very level headed. He is definitely powerful and loves to race, which makes him a great match for me.
Hands down, the best part of the ride tonight was watching King back in work. King was the first horse that was “my horse”. We bought him in 2002 for me and he has been a rock star. The last 2 years have been rough with injuries and illness, but tonight he had every bit of his power back and was moving great. I look forward to his return to hunter paces.
After a couple of cups of coffee yesterday afternoon, we completed unloading the trailer from the NEATO ride and started prepping ponies for the TriState Horseman’s Association Dressage Show today. We were taking 4 ponies (Nike for Alex, Devil for Vicki, Ace for Alexis, and Huey for Amanda). Amanda was very excited that she was finally allowed to wash her pony too. She also kept reminding us that she needed to clean her saddle, bridle, and polish her boots. Who am I to argue with such motivation?
A couple of weeks ago, the kids all ordered new sleezies for their ponies from Just for Ponies using allowance money. For you non-horsey readers, a sleezy is a stretchy hood that covered the horse’s mane and neck. The primary purpose is to keep the mane clean and all the braids intact once a pony is prepped for a show. Amanda had chosen one for Huey and was very excited to get to use it.
Huey sporting a new sleazy from Just for Ponies
Amanda loves her pony
Once all 4 ponies were prepped and tucked into stalls, the trailer was loaded, and kids were washed, we were ready to crash. 5am came awful early, but we had to hit the ground running. We were at the show grounds by about 7:40 and discovered we were the first to arrive, which was fine since we also had the second ride time in one of the rings. We got our crew set up, ponies tacked up, and headed to the warm up field. Amanda was doing a lead-line dressage test, which means she is responsible for directing Huey and following the preset pattern, but I got to keep a line on his halter to make sure he didn’t try any funny business. After about 5 laps around the warm up field, I wasn’t sure about Huey, but I was definitely warmed up.
Vicki (right) and Alexis (left) warming up on Devil and Ace
Amanda and Huey warming up
Amanda on Huey waiting for her dressage test
Alex and Vicki each did a dressage test (Introductory C) and competed in the 18″ 2 phase class which included jumping and the Introductory B dressage test. Neither of them had their best performances in the dressage ring, however, they both did very well jumping. Vicki did have 2 good rides without Devil trying to leave the dressage ring.
Vicki doing a dressage test on Devil
Alex doing a dressage test on Nike
I was able to shoot video of the kids riding their jumping rounds.
In the end, the kids brought home a few ribbons and had a good day on their ponies. It was another busy horsey weekend for the farm. Luckily, next weekend only has 1 horse event.
This morning, Anna and I rode the NEATO 25 mile Limited Distance Endurance ride at Arcadia in RI. Anna rode Dakota and I rode on Mojo. Since Mojo only arrived on Sunday, this was a bit of a gamble. He has experience in LD rides, but the longest I had previously sat on him was about 45 minutes. We took the horses over yesterday afternoon and vetted them in. We set up some corral panels that were tied to the side of our trailer and the horses shared the space (Dakota and Mojo get along great). Alex hung out with me at horse camp while Anna took Vicki and Amanda to their music concert. The girls stopped by on the way home to drop off a few things forgotten in the barn and to pick up Alex; I really like the 15 minutes from home rides. I camped over with the horses.
This morning, we had a sitter at the house at 6 so Anna could get back to the ride. We tacked up and waited a few minutes to head out after the ride started at 7:15. I had been warned that Mojo tends to be strong and hot for the first few miles. I was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t crazy, he just wanted to go. We held back some and worked on patience and listening. After the first 4 miles, we had been averaging a 7 mph pace which was faster than we planned. We slowed the horses and made sure we didn’t overdo it. Anna was concerned that Dakota was not as fit as at the GMHA ride last fall. We also had some technology issues. While we love our Garmin 310XTs for tracking distance and speed, we also use them for watching the heart rates on the horses. Today, we didn’t have good connections and Dakota’s heart rate reading was running about 35-40 bpm higher than it should have. There was a lot of discussion during the ride about whether or not Dakota was in distress. Of course, every time Anna put him in front and let go of the reins, he started trotting at 12+ mph. I voted that he was fine.
When we came in from the first 15 mile loop, Dakota actually pulsed down to under 64 bpm (the required level) faster than Mojo. That ended the concerns about his fitness and proved that technology isn’t always great. I ended up riding the second loop without the heart rate monitor recording on Mojo because of the bad data. It is just a distraction that isn’t needed and I think Anna and I are both going to shift to using heart rate as an occasional training tool, but compete without it. Maybe.
After our 45 minute hold we headed back out. We ended up averaging about 6.2 mph on the first loop which was fine. We took it easy on the second loop of 10 miles. In the end, we completed the 25 miles with a ride time of about 4:15 and averaged just over 6 mph. Both horses cleared the vet check at the end and were deemed fit to continue, which is the criteria to be awarded a completion.
Mojo and I had a good ride together. We have a few things to work on, such as personal space. Mojo likes to be in my space and stood on my feet more than once. He also likes to use me (and Dakota) as a scratching post for his head. Despite these minor things, he moves out very nicely on the trail and has a powerful trot. He had no problem holding a trot up to 12+mph.
I do have a few things I want to change before another distance ride. Anna and I have both been somewhat unhappy with the halter/bridle combos we bought last year. She has recently switched to using a rope halter and adding a basic trail bridle. I think I’ll be making the same change. Also, I got a few rubs from my clothing (like sock tops on my calf where the calf and saddle touch) that require fine tuning before going up to any longer distances.
In the end, it was a good ride, but now we have to get ponies ready for the kids to show tomorrow!
May 18 is Amanda’s birthday. This year she turned 6. She is still a petite little girl at a whopping 35 pounds, but she certainly holds her own.
Wednesday morning Amanda opened up her presents from mormor and morfar. She got a Breyer winged horse and story, some riding pants, a shirt from us, and a doll riding outfit. Then we told her we were going on a field trip to the American Girl doll store in Boston. There she would get to pick out her own doll and an accessory from grandma and grandpa. She was very excited!
After chores we all headed out. Amanda is not very patient in the car, too say the least, and I believe she asked every ten minutes if we were there yet. An hour and a half later we finally arrived.
Alex sat down on a bench and started reading. He finished two books during the day!
The girls explored the store and made plans of what to bring home. They brought McKenna and Saige and I treated the girls to hair styles for their dolls at the doll salon.
Then we headed to the bistro for lunch. The dolls get to sit at the table in their own hang-on-the-table chairs. The dolls got their own tea cups. The food was kid-friendly.
After lunch we picked up the doll Amanda picked out- a truly me doll with long wavy red hair and green eyes. I guess she secretly wants to be a redhead! She also used her money from grandma and grandpa and some allowance money to get a new doll horse (the girls play horse with their dolls-duh), It’s an appaloosa.
Vicki used some of her allowance money to purchase a few new things for her dolls.
I had promised Alex a trip to the LEGO store inside the Natick mall, a whopping two minute walk from The American Girl Doll store. He had been patient all day while the girls browsed and quickly set his eyes on a big LEGO Technic truck. Lucky for him, his allowance account still had enough funds in it. He was happy. He started building it the minute we got home. The instruction book has 471 pages. It might take him a day or two to complete.
Vicki made Amanda some cupcakes and decorated them with Rarity, Amanda’s favorite My Little Pony. It was supposed to be a cake, but Amanda agreed Vicki could make the real cake for her “friend” party.
Last night about 9:15, I unloaded a new horse from the trailer into the barn. He had spent 6 hours getting hauled in from VT. Since we took this one sight unseen, Anna and I put him in the cross-ties and checked him over. At the end of the barn, there was a 10 year old girl sneaking around in the shadows trying to catch a glimpse of the new pony. When we spied her, she darted back into the house. I went inside and told Vicki it was ok for her to join us in the barn, so with a huge grin, she grabbed her jacket, slipped her boots back on, and happily followed me back out.
He was a little lonely today, turned out in a paddock alone, so Devil got to join him. They made fast friends and spent the afternoon mowing any new shoots of grass.
After work, I had a few trim appointments and then finally got home to get to know my new mount. His shoes were just pulled this weekend, so the first order of business was to get him fitted with boots. One benefit of being a dealer (and having 6 other horses on the farm using boots) is I can usually fit a horse with something we have on hand. Once that was taken care of, we tacked up and headed to the arena.
Introducing Mojo! He is a register Half Arabian (the other half is Dutch Harness Horse) and his registered name is Money Shot. Mojo is owned by a local farrier who has been following our story and thought we were the right match for her horse. Mojo is 10 years old, 15.3 hh, and 850 lbs. He has long legs, a long back, and a narrow barrel. He spent the early part of his life as an arena/show horse and has spent about the last 3 years as a trail, endurance, and CTR mount. He seems very well matched for our desire of a versatile horse for some dressage, eventing, and endurance. We are a little concerned that Vicki may try to claim him.
As the light was fading fast, I did manage to get about 30 minutes of saddle time on him tonight. This weekend we are doing a 25 mile Limited Distance endurance event with NEATO, so that will be a true test of our compatibility. We have him on an extended trial, so stay tuned for more Mojo!
How show season officially kicked off this weekend for Sawyer Family Farm. Friday evening was spent in the barn trimming hooves, kids clipping fetlocks and bridle paths, washing ponies, braiding manes, and loading the trailer. The kids elected to spend some allowance to buy a sleazy for each pony to keep the mane a little nicer overnight before a show. Devil didn’t seem to care about his purple sleazy as long as it had a hole to eat through. Nike was less impressed with his green sleazy, although I believe he has likely worn one many times before.
Devil in his new sleezy
Nike in his new sleezy
Saturday morning, everyone was up by 5:30 for breakfast and to load ponies. We were at the CT 4-H Horse Show by about 7:45 and spent over 9 hours on the show grounds. It was a bright, sunny day and great weather for showing. The Barnyard Buddies 4-H Club was represented by Alex on Nike, Vicki on Devil, and Alexis on Ace.
L-R Devil, Vicki, Nike, Alex, Ace, Alexis
The 4-H Horse Show starts with Showmanship. All exhibitors must do Showmanship to participate in mounted classes. There was a bit of waiting around since Showmanship is one at a time. Vicki got the highest score of the three in Showmanship, but in reality, none of the three enjoy it or put much effort into Showmanship. They prefer to ride.
Alex is bored
Vicki showing Devil
Alex showing Nike
Alexis showing Ace
Throughout the day, Alex and Vicki were competing against each other. Vicki only moved up to walk/trot/canter classes for 1 show last year. There were 9 junior (under 13 as of Jan 1st) riders in the English W/T/C classes for Equitation (judging more of the rider position), Pleasure (judging more of the horse’s movement), and Discipline (correctly executing the movements within a specified time). Alex got 5th in all 3. Vicki got 6th in all 3. Alex was simply happy to beat Vicki. Vicki was disappointed, but I think it finally made her realize it is harder to show in those classes than she expected.
There was a fair amount of waiting in between classes while the senior riders did their classes. Devil and Nike were both extremely well-behaved. Nike is a seasoned show pony at 23 years old, so I think he was explaining it to Devil. One thing about Nike is that so many people recognize him. At this show, an instructor we had never met recognized Nike from when she taught the girl who owned him more than 10 years ago. He is one of those gems that makes the rounds in the local barns teaching kids how to ride.
“Listen kid, here is how this works…”
Happy to be at a show
Bored, but willing to smile
Vicki chose to enter the English Trail class. In that class, the kids must ride a specified pattern that includes various obstacles such as a wooden bridge, weaving cones, and ground poles. One obstacle was to stop the horse in a box made from jump poles with 2 front hooves outside the box and 2 rear hooves inside. Then side pass the horse keeping the pole between the front and rear hooves, including a 90 degree turn around a corner. Vicki gave it a noble effort, but Devil just didn’t understand what she wanted and they didn’t complete that obstacle. However, the next obstacle was to back your horse through 2 cones, make a 180 degree turn around a 3rd cone, and continue to back out between the original pair. They completed the series flawlessly and the gate attendant mentioned Vicki did better at that than any other rider she had seen. In the end, Vicki was thrilled to learn she won the class!
Backing around the cones
Throughout the day, Amanda was very well-behaved. Her favorite event is the cake walk, which she looks forward to all year. She is very outgoing and always manages to find a new friend.
Sitting by the arena, waiting patiently
Sporting her new cap she bought with allowance money
Cake walk time!
Amanda and her new friend take their cake walk winnings to share
At the end of the day, the Gymkhana classes were held and included Bending Poles, Arena Race, and Barrels. This year, the W/T/C Gymkhana classes had 6 entries: all juniors and all riding English (which is a little different). It was nice to see some kids entering just to have a fun time. Devil was the smallest pony in the class and it showed in his times. The short legs make it hard to outrun the bigger horses. Alex was the most experienced in the class and as a result, got 1st in 2 of the events and 2nd in the 3rd event. That was good enough to win the Gymkhana Division (and gave him 6 total wins over his sister).
Alex and Nike running bending poles
After a long day, we headed home. Luckily Chinese takeout was on the way home. We unloaded ponies and ate a quick dinner. After dinner, the trailer was unloaded of some items and reloaded with others, because Sunday was the 1st West Greenwich Hunter Pace for the season!
One really nice thing about the WGHA hunter paces is they are close. Since it is only a 15 minute drive, we can get up at 7 and still make it to the ride with plenty of time. Today, Anna rode Dakota with Alex on Nike, Vicki on Devil, and Alexis on Ace.
Amanda and I hung out at the trailer and I worked on changing out the interior trailer lights to LED lights while they were gone. They rode 11 miles in about 1:54. As soon as they got back, I could tell it hadn’t been a relaxing ride for the group. The fatigue from showing on Saturday had a definite impact causing some melt downs (Vicki) on the trail. Compounding the problem, Devil is in the best shape of his life and was full of energy and giving Vicki some trouble because he wasn’t tired at all. After a filling lunch, everyone was feeling better. Anna scored 3rd in her division and the kids placed 4th in the junior division. It was amazing to see 14 junior teams at the hunter pace today! Next time, maybe we won’t schedule the kids for 2 days of events. Maybe.
4th place in the Junior Division for the kids and 3rd in the Hilltopper Division for Anna
Tonight, I will be picking up a new horse for a pre-purchase trial. It will be after dark by the time we get home, so stay tuned for new pictures later this week.
This afternoon, we headed to the Mystic YMCA for some swimming time. All the kids did lessons over the winter, but with our summer horse schedule, we decided not to do lessons right now. Instead, we will do 1 or 2 evenings a week at the pool as a family and I will coach the kids. The kids have an event coming up in June that we are specifically training for, so stay tuned.
After plenty of lap work, we headed out and stopped in Mystic Cycle Center so I could replace me helmet (the padding was worn out from age, not damage from an accident). On the outside rack, there was a used bike in awesome condition that was a good size for Alex. Just a hair large, but he will fit it great in a month or two. Alex had seriously outgrown his previous bike and the price was unbelievable based on the condition, so we decided to get it. By the time we were done, everyone was hungry and we didn’t have anything planned for at home. Five Guys was on the way home. We all worked out. Five Guys uses real potatoes for their fries, so it’s healthier than McDonald’s. We love Five Guys and to quote Amanda “Five Guys has THE BEST hot dogs.”
We finally got home and it wasn’t dark. What do you do when you bring home a new bike? That’s right. Alex, Vicki, and I went out for a short ride while Anna fed the horses and Amanda watched a show (swimming was enough for her). I meant to do a short loop. I underestimated the length of the short loop and how long it would take with Vicki on a small bike. I missed a turn, realizing it as we cruised by the turn. The kids were doing fine, so the “short loop” got a little longer than planned. However, light was fading fast, as in, the sun was well below the horizon. We made it back to the house just before dark. The limiting factor on the ride was definitely the bike Vicki was riding. She was working at least twice as hard as Alex. So now we are watching for a used bike upgrade for Vicki. In the end, we rode 7.7 miles in 55 minutes. They should sleep well tonight.
Along the way, I spent time teaching the kids about safety when riding along the road. We talked about safety in a bike group, marking hazards for other riders, maintaining your line when cars pass, announcing passes, etc. We did have 1 scare when a large SUV decided to fly around us on a curve, into a blind hill, with a guard rail on our side and high bank on the other side. As the SUV came around, a car crested the hill and discovered the SUV in his lane. Now, the car appeared to be speeding as well (common on our road) and instead of hitting the brakes, he swerved to the side and hit a large rock on the embankment. The sound of the loud pop was his tire blowing out. Of course, he was well over 1/4 mile down the road by the time he was able to slow enough to stop and check the damage.
The incident highlighted for the kids the fact that you can never trust drivers to do the safe thing and you have to be vigilant on the roads.
Vicki warming up before the ride. Her bike had a leaky tire so she switched to Alex’s old bike
Alex figuring out the new range of gears and brakes
Almost ready to head out
Alex spent a lot of time cruising with the low effort on the new bike
Last weekend was family trail riding. Amanda rode Huey for 6 miles, including about 3 miles of it by herself, off the lead line.
Amanda riding Huey without help
Amanda riding Huey without help
Anna and Dakota
This morning, Alex and Vicki had a jumping lesson with Pony Club. It was a nice cool morning and they both did great. Both pairs, Alex/Nike and Vicki/Devil are very well matched and we hope they will have a lot of fun together this summer.
Alex on Nike
Vicki on Devil
There are no photos, but King went back into work this week. He has recovered better than we expected from his EPM. He has definitely lost a lot of fitness over the winter, so it will be a long, slow conditioning program. We are cautiously optimistic that he will be in the 60-70% that are able to make a complete recovery from EPM and resume full activity.
Today we said farewell to Echo. While we loved his personality and got along great with him, he just wasn’t quite the right match for what we are looking for. So, our search for the next horse resumes.
