Tally~Ho Farms

2011-08-24T11:46:00.001-07:00

2011
It seems as though there is never enough time to keep things updated! Blogs, websites, facebook, the list is endless. 2011 is more than halfway through. It's been a relatively quiet year with just a handful of events for the THF team. In June, we made the trek to Corvallis, Oregon to attend the Inavale Horse Trials. With just 2 horses in tow, this was the first event of the season for Izzy ("Cimply Spot On") and the second event of the season for Oliver ("Rendition"), with his owner in the irons. His owner Cynthia purchased Oliver last fall as a late 4yr old. He's a handsome grey Hungarian warmblood gelding that was unbroke to ride when he came to us. It has been a delight to watch his grow through the past year.

Both horses put in solid performances at Inavale with no jump faults to finish on their dressage scores! Izzy and I were 3rd in the Open Novice on a 28.3, while Cynthia and Oliver brought home the blue! A wonderful weekend.

Most recently, we attended the Woodside Summer HT (August 12-14th) with 4 horses. I rode Oliver in his first Novice where a solid dressage, a clean x-c, and just 2 rails in sj, put us 8th in a very competitive division. Fellow THF rider Catie, and her lovely mare, Mamma Mia (previously owned and trained by me) had a phenomenal dressage. A 26.5, a clean x-c, and just a handful of time penalties in stadium to finish 2nd in the Jr. Novice. A new eventer, Anne, competed in her first event with 3 solid phases in the Beg. Novice and finished 8th as well. Lastly, Jordan and her horse Everett were sadly forced to withdraw after the dressage due to a hot nail. Jordan and Everett have worked very hard this summer and I'm looking forward to their next event.

The next event on the schedule is Woodside in Oct, where I hope to finally get Izzy back out on the competition scene. Until then....
-Meg

2010-10-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

October

I'm not sure how it is already October. Where did the summer go? 2010 has flown by! The summer has been spent teaching lessons and summer camps at California Riding Academy, a lesson program based out of the Portola Valley Training Center. I am teaching there for those students who do not own there own horses. In addition, I'm happy to report that I am teaching and training several clients at Portola Pastures. Please contact me for more information on lessons or training at either of these places or at any other facilities in the bay area. I am willing to travel!

The summer show season had it's ups and downs. I was fortunate enough to take my young horse, Izzy, to Inavale (Oregon), Rebecca Farm (Montana), and Woodside. We began the year with a 3rd place at Ram Tap in BN and finished the year with a 3rd place at Woodside in the TRAINING HORSE division! Needless to say, I am very proud of my young girl. Izzy is now enjoying a winter break in Washington state where she's in pasture with her mom and baby brother.

A big congratulations to all of my students for a great Fall Woodside. Becky and her mare were 3rd in their first ever event, Tricia and Somer 4th (also their first event), with Pam rounding out the BN in 5th, and Cynthia making her Novice debut with a clean x-c.

Additionally, Cynthia purchased a new horse just 2 weeks ago. A 4yr old Hungarian Warmblood who I'm very excited to work with. This young horse has only been ridden a handful of times so the winter will be spent establishing solid basics. He will be one to look for in the show ring next year.

Congratulations to all on a successful season.

- Meg

2010-05-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

Clermont Equestrian Center!

Now offering lessons at Clermont Equestrian Center! They've got plenty of lesson horses and ponies plus summer camps and horses/ponies for lease. Covered arena, lights, mirrors, big paddocks, pasture and MORE! Very excited about this new opportunity!

Check it out www.clermontequest.com

2010-05-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

General Updates...
Just a few quick notes on the happenings at Tally Ho Farms. Spring is well under way and while rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, it's already May and the Woodside Horse Trials are just around the corner.
THF took a trip the first weekend in May to Twin Rivers for a hunter/jumper show on Saturday, followed by x-c schooling on Sunday. All the horses and riders were great and there are plenty of pictures and videos posted on the Facebook page, be sure to check it out!
3 THF riders are entered in the Woodside HT, Inavale is less than a month after that, followed by Montana! I don't know where the time goes but I am excited about the new group of horses and riders and there is more in the works...
If anyone is looking for lessons, training, needs horses ridden, conditioned, you name it, contact me.
Enjoy the sun!
-Meg

2010-05-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Ram Tap Recap!

Izzy competed at her first event this weekend at Ram Tap in Fresno, Ca. Friday's dressage was better than I could ever have imagined. She was so relaxed and steady in all her gaits, gave me the best free walk to date, earning us several 8's in our test. We finished the dressage with a 33 to put us in 1st!
I was most worried about stadium, as Izzy has had very little arena jumping in her very short career. Leading up to the weekend we'd not even done a whole course. I was lucky enough to get some help from Heather Bailey (of Phoenix Farms) and she helped us both relax in the warm-up, giving Izzy lots of confidence. Once on course Izzy was all business. She never even looked at the fences! We had fence 3 down, got in a bit deep and I picked at her, taking her focus away. I should have just let her do her job :) The rail down dropped us to 3rd.
X-C came soon enough and Izzy happily galloped around the course like a champ. She thought nothing of the fences, went through the water bravely, and made the jumps all feel easy. The grin on my face could be seen for miles as I crossed the finished. I have finally brought along one of my own from birth to competition and couldn't be happier. Looking forward to a FUN summer of showing. I know Izzy will keep surprising me with how much she already knows.
- Meg

2010-04-27T14:14:00.001-07:00

Rain?

Don't forget that this unseasonable wet weather can cause our horses to not drink enough water. Try adding electrolytes to their grain or give them a sloppy bran mash as a special treat. Be on the lookout for signs of colic!

2010-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Twin Rivers h/j show May 8th!

I'm going to the Twin h/j show on May 8th. May stay overnight for some x-c on Sunday. If anyone is interested in going or just needs a ride let me know! I have made a hotel reservation (just in case).

2010-04-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Conditioning!

There's a great article about conditioning in the latest issue of "Eventing" (USEA magazine). Check it out!

2010-04-09T16:42:00.001-07:00

Ram Tap schooling April 17 and 18th

I'm going to Ram Tap for some much needed fun cross country schooling on April 17 & 18th. It feels as though this winter just won't end, I am so ready for a good gallop! I still have space in the trailer and am happy to trailer, teach, or offer training to anyone interested, contact me for more details/info and a special weekend pricing package! - Meg

2010-04-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

California Trail Ride

Izzy and I hit the trail today with Tricia and her horse Somer. This was Izzy's first trail ride in California and she handled the bikes, hikers, dogs, and traffic like a pro. Looking forward to many more rides with good friends this summer!

2010-03-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

"Just One More" aka Ian

Spending a few days at the farm. Bought grain, did some spring cleaning, and took a few minutes to play with my horses. Ian, aka "Just One More", my 2009 Formula One foal will be 1 on March 29th. He's certainly a typical boy, into everything, and follows his big sister around like she's the best thing since bran mashes!

2010-03-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Changes!

2010 has started off with a bang! Lots of winter training in Ocala, Fl, and then Aiken, S.C. Lucky doesn't even begin to describe how I feel for having had these opportunities. When I returned home in February, I realized that there were some key elements that weren't being focused on in my training program. With all of that in mind, I'm refocusing my business and will now be teaching/training from a variety of facilities, vs running my business exclusively from Stanford. I'm also going to do my best to update my blog on a more regular basis so please check back for updates soon! I'm excited for the 2010 season to begin. Be sure to look for "Cimply Spot On" in the show ring.

2010-01-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sunny Florida!

I've been in Florida for 2 weeks now and the experience has been amazing to say the least. I've been very fortunate in my riding career to have a great support system, one that allows me to call upon old friends, no matter what. Eleven years ago, I worked for Cathy Wieschhoff in Lexington, Ky, as a working student. At the end of 2009 I felt the need to improve and refresh my own riding skills. I called Cathy and without hesitation she graciously offered for me to come to Florida for some winter training with her. Cathy trains from the beautiful Longwood Farm, located next to Karen and David O'Connors winter training facility. I've been spending my days helping care for Cathy's horses, getting lessons, galloping in the fields, and the best part, watching riders of the highest caliber take lessons. I'm looking forward to the Ocala Eventing clinics this week, which will be held at Longwood where Cathy is based. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had this experience and am so glad I've got the best clients in the world who encouraged me to go and do this.

- Meg

2009-11-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

FLORIDA!

2009 has been a year full of changes and challenges. While the horses and riders are all making progress, I've found myself wanting more. So after some long conversations and soul searching, I've found an opportunity to increase my own skills, as a rider and trainer. This winter I'll be taking some time for myself so that I can become a better rider and trainer. So that I can bring everyone up another level and so that I can refocus to help myself and those around me achieve their goals.

My flight has been booked and I'll be heading to Florida for 2 1/2 weeks of training with Cathy Wieschhoff and her trainers, Karen and David O'Connor. I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to ride with some of the best in the country. I'll be taking lessons, riding, watching, learning, and absorbing all that I can during my time there. I will be leaving January 18th, returning February 4th. Stay tuned for more updates and my Florida Blog! - Meg

2009-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy year and the 2009 show season has finally come to an end. We finished the year off with a trip to the Ram Tap Championships in Fresno. Holly (riding Rigs) and Gill (on Cash) were both qualified for the Novice Championship class. Both riders put in competitive dressage tests, Holly with a 32.5 and Gill with a 35.5, however x-c day wasn't meant to be. Holly had a very good go until about 2/3 of the way around the course when a small down bank into the water surprised Rigs and they had a very uncharacteristic stop on course. Holly made a good recovery to finish with just the one stop. Holly did have a fabulous sj round on Sunday, but finished out of the ribbons. Cross country day never came to be for Gill and Cash, when Saturday morning Cash came out of his stall very lame. Luckily after some probing by the show vet, it was determined he had an abscess. So Cash was withdrawn before the fun even began. Look out for them next year!

The best part of the show was Bob riding his own Lady Claire. Despite a few minor spooks in the dressage, Bob rode Claire around x-c and stadium with determination to finish on their dressage score! This was their first recognized away event and the first time Bob has completed a recognized show. I am so proud of Bob!

The summary of the event is for me very indicitive of the way the year has gone. A pleasant surprise, a hiccup, and an unavoidable lamness. I am very much looking forward to 2010!

2009-07-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

BOYD MARTIN CLINIC (Meg and Allison Hulme's "Georgie" tackle the corner during the Boyd Martin Clinic)

Tally Ho Farms hosted a clinic taught by Boyd Martin on July 4th and 5th focusing on stadium and cross country. The whole of the THF family is thankful for such an incredible opportunity to ride with one of the best in our sport. Despite a few unintended dismounts throughout the weekend, everybody had fun and we are all well on our way learning how to “ride better”. For more info on the clinic, visit Boyd's blog http://boydandsilvamartin.blogspot.com/

2009-07-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

After an incredibly successful event, we spent an extra day at the farm letting the horses enjoy some well deserved down time.

Kelsey and Ian, June 2009. What color is he?

Izzy and Mia meetMy Washington Herd

Ian meets the THF girls, he gets all the girls! THF on the trail. Washington June 2009On the lake at our Farm

2009-07-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Alexa Wolf & Kalypso's Page WIN the T3D at Inavale!

I can't even begin to express just how prous I am of this pair, all the hard work has paid off in spades! Alexa and Kalypso not only took home the blue at this incredibly tough event, but also brought home a new saddle, piles of prizes, and the award for Best Conditioned Horse. Congratulations Alexa, you have finally learned to "Ride Better"

2009-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

(Julie, Danielle and Meg hanging out in the tent at Inavale)

Inavale Horse Trials:
Four THF riders and horses traveled some 600 miles to Oregon for the Inavale Horse Trials. This was THF’s first time at this event and the facility and the competition certainly did not disappoint!

Emily had a last minute swap of horses due to her horse’s sudden lameness. Having only ridden Mia the night prior to leaving, Emily stunned us all by pulling through and taking Mia around her first novice. The pair scored a respectable 34.5 in dressage, made it around a large novice course despite a couple stops, and finished the event with a double clear stadium. She couldn’t have done better. Way to go, Emily!
Holly and Rigs put in a good test, earning a 35.5 in dressage. Holly’s riding is really starting to move into a new level. They got around cross country double clear and made it look easy. The pair put in a double clear stadium round to move them up to a second place finish in her novice division.
Alexa and Kalypso also rose to the occasion in the training half star. Alexa earned a 32.5 to put them in 4th out of a HUGE field of riders including several professionals and also earned an 8 on rider in her collective marks. She rode aggressively around the entire cross country course with just 0.8 time penalties to move them into 3rd. After being double checked by the vets in the 10 minute box for an unusually low temperature, Kalypso was cleared to return to his stall. The following day, Alexa rode a double clear stadium to move them into first place. In addition to winning the half star, Kalypso was awarded for being the best conditioned horse.
Danielle and Ash rounded out the THF group with some awesome riding. Danielle has been working really hard on the flat with Ash and the work is beginning to pay off. While their score was a 43.3, she nailed her halt and rein back and the quality of all the gaits has been so greatly improved. The x-c course was big, sharing many of the fences with intermediate. Danielle and Ash attacked the course, skipping around double clear! They have moved up 9 places to put them into 5th. Danielle was one of only a couple riders out of all the preliminary divisions to finish cross country without any time penalties! She and Ash put in a double clear stadium to finish in fourth.

Danielle and "Fen Cera" 4th, JYOP

Holly and "Ragazzo", 2nd Jr. Novice B

Emily and "Mamma Mia" THF Superstars, Jr. Novice A

Inavale Final Results
1st – Alexa and Kalypso’s Page, Training ½ Star and Winner of Best Conditioned Horse
2nd- Holly and Ragazzo, Junior Novice B
4th – Danielle and Fen Cera, Young Rider Open Preliminary
THF Super Heroes! - Emily and Mamma Mia, Junior Novice A

2009-05-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Meg and Claire Alexa and Kalypso Danielle and Elmer

Danielle and Ash

2009-05-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Bob and Claire

May Galway!

We made the long trek down to Galway for the 2nd time this spring with 4 horses in tow. Danielle and Ash finished their 3rd prelim and even got past the scary down hill hanging log that they were afraid of! Alexa and Kalypso were in their finest form, finishing on their dressage score and taking home 3rd in the Jr. Training! Alexa has finally learned to growl and I think "K" is scared.

I competed Claire again for second ever event and she was a true star, coming home with 5th and a blue ribbon for winning the BN team competition :) Claire felt even better than Ram Tap and was much more settled about the jumps, though the scary stuff around the jumps is another matter... a work in progress as always. Bob got a chance to do a dressage and jump round on Friday for schooling and I do believe there may be some progress :)

Noah has had a tough month with something clearly bothering him physically. We had a jump school with Gina Miles the week before the show and while he had some great jumps, there were definately moments where he wasn't himself. I did 2 practice rounds on Friday in hopes of working out the kinks, to no avail. Saturday's dressage was my best EVER earning a 28.2, good enough for second place. However when doing a final check of his jump boots before our stadium I discovered some slight swelling in his knee. Had to make the tough call to withdraw as something just wasn't quite right. We've since returned home and had Wayne out twice. I'm happy to report that Noah will be just fine! He had some iritation in his knee and an old splint had acted up causing him to be sore. I am so thankful I listened to the horse and pulled him out when he was hurting. He's good as new and will have a relatively easy outting at Woodside with Xander in the Training division as we want to ensure he is 100% before moving him up again.

2009-05-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Updates?
I just can't keep up! Here's Everytime I think about doing updates I realize just how far behind I am which makes me put off updating:)

March Galway:
Danielle and Ash-pants made the move up to Prelim this spring! They got around and had some awesome moments.
Meg and Noah finished 4th in OT
Meg and Kalypso had a discussion about going FORWARD, Meg won :)
Sophie and Cooper successfully made the move up to Novice despite running x-c with a temp (Sophie, not Cooper)

It's a BOY!
Kelsey gave birth to a healthy colt while we were on the way home from Galway! "Just One More" aka "Ian" (after Ian Stark, of course) is by Formula One.

Twin One Day:
We brought plenty of horses to the Twin One Day. The results!
Jennifer and Jamaica 1st Elementary CT
Emma and Matilda 4th Elementary
Tricia and Toby 2nd Beginner Novice
Caroline and Bodie 3rd Beginner Novice
Bob and Claire 5th Beginner Novice
Emily and Bodie 4th Novice
Sophie and Cooper 1st Novice

April Ram Tap:

No Rain! Really nice to finally have a Ram Tap with no rain :) Alexa and Kalypso finished the Jr Training in 7th, Nikki and Patton conquered the down bank and coffin, finishing 6th. Danielle and Ash completed their 2nd Prelim and went CLEAR! Finishing 8th. Meg and Claire made it through their first Beginner Novice together and were 6th and Emily and Bodie finished 7th in the Jr. Novice.

April Twin HT:

The Twin HT went well with everyone riding strongly in all 3 phases. Meg and Noah finished 7th in Open Training, Sophie and Cooper were 9th in the Jr. Novice, Kyana and Seeker made their Novice debut and were 6th in the Jr. Novice, with Sydnee and Zara finishing 9th in the Jr. Training.

2009-02-15T17:15:00.001-08:00

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!
Ram Tap this weekend was wet to say the least! There seemed to be a black cloud over the THF team from the beginning. Syndee's mare Zara came down with a cold the weekend before the trials so we withdrew her from competition. The day we were to leave Alexa spiked a temp of 102 so I took over the ride on Kalypso, making that 2 open training rides for me (I was already scheduled to ride Danielle's mare Ash as Danielle is heading to Hawaii for winter break.) The team was down to just 3 riders (Sophie, Nikki, and Meg) and 4 horses. Thursday's weather held out but Friday we weren't so lucky. The rain began just as we arrived at the barn to feed the horses and made my first ride on Ash "challenging". I can honestly say that this was the first time in my competitive career I've worn a rain coat into the dressage ring. Despite the downpour, Ash was a trouper and put in a decent test. Kalypso was not quite as happy about the mud and while he found his brain about halfway through, it was definately not our best effort. Nikki's gelding Patton was very consistent and Sophie's boy Cooper was his usual workman-like self. We finished the day with all 4 horses scoring in the 30's.

The rain let up on Friday but left the cross country course un-rideable for Saturday. The organizers re-scheduled the weekend, moving the show jumping to Saturday and cross country to Sunday. Saturday morning we headed up to the show jumping ring for a team evaluation of the ring The arena was not quite as wet as it was for the Combined Test we attended last month, however it was the same course. So after a quick deliberation, we made the decision to withdraw our horses and head home.

The horses and riders are home safe and sound. Although it was dissapointing to come home without getting a chance to run the course, it was in the best interest of our horses. I'm hoping we'll get to go for a schooling weekend in March and we're looking forward to Ram Tap in April when things are bound to be drier.

2009-01-05T13:16:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Sophie and Cooper, Area VI Jr. Beginner Novice Champions!

Sophie and Cooper placed in the top 3 in every horse trials they entered this year, with a 5th place finish at the Championships in November. Sophie and Cooper came to THF in 2006 from a local riding school where jumping a cross rail was a challenge. Not only are they coursing around 3' easily but they're doing it against some tough competing and winning. It's been a joy to watch them grow, keep up the good work Sophie!

2008-10-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Woodside/Mudslide Horse Trials??

Rain came early this year and made the Woodside Horse Trials a show we won't soon forget. I had thought my Burghley wellies wouldn't come out quite so soon, boy was I wrong. The whole team was so incredible, not only as riders, but as good horsemen and even better, friends to one another. I am proud of you for all for “riding better”!

Photos: http://rickncheryl.smugmug.com/gallery/6155586_jPmQG#387676982_ai3bQ

The results:

Training Team, "Ride Better", 1st place! Danielle, Karina, Sydnee, and Alexa
Danielle and Ash 1st Place Jr. Training
Sophie and Cooper 1st Place Jr. Beg. Novice
Alexa and Kalypso 3rd Jr. Training
Alexandra and Noah 5th OPEN PRELIM! =)
Holly and Rigs 7th Jr. Novice
Gill and Cash 7th Sr. Beg. Novice
Karina and Memo 9th Jr. Training
Emily and Bodie 11th Jr. Novice
Sydnee and Allison B both had incredible moments, but wasn’t to be their weekend. Toby and Zara were good ponies, let’s get those memories workin’!

2008-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Twin!
The September Twin Event is already over. It was more than a 100 degrees but I'm happy to report we all made it through. Claire and Fable, and Karina and Zara both made the move up to Training Level and put in clean x-c rounds. Karina rode incredibly well and earned a well deserved 4th place while Claire was out of the ribbons this time around. Nikki and her horse Patton joined the THF team for the first time and I'm really looking forward to helping this team move forward. Patton is still a bit unsure about ditches but I'm confident we'll work through that this winter. Danielle and Ash earned the 6th place ribbon with solid jumping rounds. This was to be Cooper's first Training level and while we had some great moments, it wasn't our weekend. We took off long to a big table and Cooper didn't have quite enough in him to clear it cleanly, knocking me out of the tack. I couldn't be happier with his stadium performance, as he put in a double clear round in the ring and he tried so hard in everything I asked of him. Falling off is part of the game. We'll get there next time.

2008-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Burghley!

Lora, Allison and I got to spend an INCREDIBLE week in England August 31-Sept 8th to watch the Burghley Horse Trials and spend a few days sight seeing in good 'ole jolly England. It was to be the wettest Burghley in history, but that didn't change how just how great the trip was. It was an experience I'll never forget.

2008-10-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Woodside- August 2008
The August event at Woodside happened waaayyy too quickly after we got back from Montana. Congratulations to everyone on another successful THF weekend. I am proud of you all for doing such a wonderful job this weekend, and for having such a supportive group of showing and non-showing riders.

Now, the big round of applause goes to Gill and Cash, who not only completed their first real horse trials together but did it in style, taking home the blue! 1st place is a pretty good start to your eventing career Gill! =)

Kalypso was out of the ribbons in the Training division, but gave me super rides in his first training level competition to finish 12th out of 25.

Karina and Memo made it through their Training level debut. Hard to believe this pair had trouble over a BN log less than a year ago!

Danielle and her mare, Ash, finished 6th in the Jr. Novice. This was Danielle’s first show with us and she fits right in. I’m happy to have them on the team and look forward to seeing how far they can come.

Rachel Harnish and Bodie put in their best dressage test together, earning a well deserved 5th in the Sr. BN division. All the hard work on the flat is paying off.

Kyana and Seeker had the biggest cheering section by far and did a superb job of making it through her first ever event.

Allison and Kelsey were awesome to watch, finishing on their dressage score, good enough to earn them 2nd! Now if only Allison actually had time to practice!

Lastly, Mamma Mia and Julie had a clean x-c! Julie rode Mia around the course beautifully and gave Mia a confidence building first event. Mia has only been in training for 5 weeks and jumped her first course just 2 weeks ago. Go Mia! =)

2008-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Montana...

The updates are long over due. I'm not sure where to begin except to say that Montana seems so long ago and I can't wait for next year. It was a brilliant trip with Alexandra and Noah taking home the blue in the Jr. Training division. Cooper was consistent as he always is, and him and I took home 6th in the Open Novice. Karina and Coco Puff were 6th in the Jr. Novice. This was their last time competing as a team, as Puffy will now be hitting the trail and enjoying a well deserved semi-retirement. Claire and Fable were 8th in the Jr. Novice, making it just one second off the optimum time without a watch! Holly and Sydnee finished 14th and 15th respectively in their divisions. All together, there were 6 double clean x-c rides, I couldn't be happier with the team.

Links to photos on Rick's website http://rickncheryl.smugmug.com/gallery/5590555_8oCap#343079488_o8oGU

2008-05-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Safety Summit:
With all of the recent tradgedies in the eventing world, the USEA and USEF has responded by organizing a safety summit to be held in Kentucky June 7th-8th. I will be attending the summit in hopes of learning what we can do to ensure horse and rider safety. In order to help pay for the trip I'll be holding a "clinic" on Sunday May 18th, focusing on pace and course work.

FROM USEA/USEF
In recent months, there have been a number of accidents to competitors and horses participating in our sport. These incidents have united all eventing riders who care deeply about the horses, their welfare and the image of the sport. All of us are now in a quest to better understand what might be contributing to these occurrences and what might be done to prevent them.
To that end, USEF President David O'Connor and USEA President Kevin Baumgardner are calling for a USEF/USEA Safety Summit to be held in Lexington, KY, June 7-8, 2008.
We invite you all to join us as we work together to seek solutions that we hope will result in a safer sport. Click here to register for the Safety Summit.

2008-05-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

ROLEX!

The THF team headed to Kentucky in late April to watch the Rolex four star event http://www.rk3de.org/ . I can't even begin to describe the level of horses and riders. What an inspiration! Not only did we get to watch some incredible riding, we took a trip to Dr. Wayne Browning's farm, toured my old barn, and made an early morning visit to Keeneland where we watched the horses gallop, followed by breakfast at the track kitchen. Look for the Rolex photo CD to be coming soon. Above photo, Rolex Winner Philip Dutton aboard Connaught.

2008-05-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

April Updates
It has been a while since I've updated the blog. The year has been full of lessons, shows, and traveling. April was the busiest month of all with horse shows every weekend. Some of the highlights below...

Twin Rivers One Day: The Rusty Mables made their group debut with Lora Quinlan and Memo taking home the blue ribbon! Gill Ward and Cash were just as awesome, earning second place. Allison Hulme and Kelsey also placed 2nd (there were 2 divisions) despite the fact that Kelsey thought they should have been jumping higher, and Bob Garcia and Claire rounded out the group with a 5th place. Not only did everyone earn ribbons, they all stayed on AND remembered their courses! The Jr. Members of THF were all in fine form and gave solid performances in all 3 phases. Kyana and Seeker made their debut after being together a month and took home 3rd. Holly and Rigs moved up to Novice and Karina took Sydnee's new mare, Zara around the course easily. A big Thank You to Twin Rivers for holding this clinic!

April Ram Tap: Just a few days home and it was off to the Ram Tap Horse Trials the following weekend.
The trip consisted of 4 riders, Danielle Chou (riding Toby), Alexa Wolf (riding Kalypso), Sophie Hulme (riding Cooper), and Alexandra Chou (riding Noah). Danielle had not ridden in an event in almost a year, and it had been even longer since she'd done an "away" event. Her and Toby made it all look easy despite a "dismount" on the x-c and finished 2nd in the Jr. Novice. Alexandra and Noah made their way around the Training Level course and put in one of their best stadium courses to date taking home a well deserved 4th place. Alexa and Kalypso are showing huge improvement and a confident smack off the down bank gave Kalypso the push he needed. They continue to improve every time out. Lastly, Sophie and Cooper were the stars of the show not only earning a 23.5 in the dressage, but maintaining that lead all the way to the end, coming home with the blue ribbon and lots of cool prizes. Sophie and Cooper have made their way from cross rail classes to Beginner Novice in record time and will be an exciting pair to watch.

Twin Rivers: The Twin Rivers event April 18-20th was a small group, with just 3 horses going. I rode Alexa's Kalypso, Holly made her official Novice debut on Rigs, and Emily made her eventing debut with her horse Bodie. Kalypso put in his best performance yet. I felt it wasn't our best dressage but it still managed to score fairly well. The half halts are a work in progress =) Kalypso went around the stadium like a hunter and I feel confident we have the correct bit on him for each phase. Cross country was great, with him really listening to my hand and leg equally. Alexa's ride the weekend before at Ram Tap was just what he needed. He kept himself together throughout the whole weekend and came away with a 5th place. Holly and Rigs made their first Novice look easy. They had a respectable dressage and continued to climb up the placings with a double clear stadium. Holly rode a little conservative on the x-c which earned a handful of time penalties, moving up to 400mpm is a big step at this level and takes some getting used to. I am really proud of her for riding so well in all 3 phases and for being a smart, safe rider on course. Holly and Rigs finished 7th. Emily and Bodie were the least experienced of the group. Bodie has only done 2 horse trials previously and Emily is an eventing newbie. They showed their greenness in the dressage by forgetting to salute, oops! Emily took the quick way around the stadium but managed to keep all the rails up. Bodie's strong suit is definitely the cross country, being a former fox hunter it's clear that this is the phase he loves. Emily rode well throughout and they took home 6th place.

A great month for all the horses and riders. Watch for the THF team at the May Woodside, we'll be there in FULL force with 10 horses/riders!

2008-02-26T21:52:00.001-08:00

Makenna (aka “When I Dream”)
June 6th 2007-February 26th 2008

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. Today, my little filly Makenna passed away. She was only 9 months old and was a very special girl to all those who knew and loved her. Makenna had already proved to be a tough girl, pulling through a septic hock at just 3 months old, she was truly her mother’s daughter. Today, Makenna colicked, and despite the attempts by the wonderful vets in Washington, was unable to pull through. I will miss my sweet girl, who is now galloping in greener pastures with her big brother Tucker. Remember to hug your loved ones, especially your animals, their time with us can be so limited. - Meg

2007-12-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

I took a few photos while at the farm this past week. Izzy has grown and looks less akward than when I left her there in Oct. Makenna has however taken Izzy's place in the akward department and I think she now looks more like a burro and than a horse! There are more photos here... http://community.webshots.com/album/561723235kZmBXC?vhost=community
Happy Holidays!
Meg

2007-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

Ram Tap... Go THF Super Mables!
The November Ram Tap outting was by far the biggest THF event to date, and what an event it was! With 6 horses in tow I can't be more proud of the group who not only earned ribbons, but put in 5 double clean jump rounds, with just one x-c jump penalty in the whole group. The placings in no particular order are...
Julie Mandle and Coup De Vill 6th, BN Championships
Sydnee Hyman and Fly Fox, 2nd JNR
Karina Quinlan and Mr. Amor (aka Mr Armor=) 5th, JNR
Alexandra Chou and Hurricane, 8th ON
Holly Wenzell and Regazzo, 8th BNR
I had such a wonderful time with all the parents and participants. What a wonderful group of people. Thank you all, Meg

2007-11-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

Washington!

Izzy and Makenna are now settled in their new home, aka my Dad's Farm in White Salmon, Wa. The kids arrived safe and sound after a 13hr trip. I received a call last week that Izzy is boss of the herd (which consists of Makenna, Bubba, a large QH gelding, and Rainbow, a loudly spotted Appy mare owned by the caretakers.) Izzy has already attempted to jump a 5ft+ fence (unsuccessfully) while Makenna is still the sweetheart of the farm. I'm scheduled to visit them next week and will be sure to take a few photos, until then here's a shot I took just before leaving them last month... - Meg

2007-10-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Busy, Busy, Busy...
Congrats to all on a fabulous show. Not only did Chloe and Nipper win their division (on their dressage score!) but Holly and Rigs placed 6th in their first ever event, Karina and Coco Puff came in 4th on their dressage score of 31.1 (their best EVER score) and Cooper was Super to earn 3rd in the Open Novice. Sydnee and Sly had their moments and finished just out of the ribbons and last but not least, Alexandra and Toby came in 6th. With 6 horses competing it is no small feat that we had 6 horses complete the cross country with no penalties! Go THF =)

The rest of the month is going to be busy. I am teaching for the Woodside PC on Saturday Oct 13th. I leave for Ram Tap on Thursday Oct 18th, returning home late on the 21st only to leave again early on Oct 22nd for Washington. I’ll be back Oct 25th and 26th, and then we’re off to Twin Rivers on Oct 27th and 28th. Please plan your lessons accordingly. - Meg

See photos from Woodside on Rick's site...thanks Rick! http://rickncheryl.smugmug.com/Horses/238832

2007-10-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Twin Rivers!

Congratulations to Karina and Coco Puff on a successful event last weekend at the Twin Rivers event in Paso Robles. While the dressage continues to be a work in progress, Karina put in solid performances in all 3 phases to finish in 10th place. Congrats!

Look for the THF team this upcoming weekend at the Woodside event with 6 horses/riders competing. Go Team Super Mable! =)

2007-10-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Makenna is feeling better.

After more than a month of vet bills and medication Makenna finally seems to be on her way to being healthy. As you can see, she's totally gray now and I am a little worried about training this filly in a few years as she can BUCK! Thank you to everyone for all your good thoughts.

Meg

2007-08-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Woodside Success!
A HUGE congratulations to the big winners, Julie and Claire, who both finished on their dressage scores, winning their divisions! Julie rode Cooper superbly in his first ever event, and Claire and Caz put in their best rides ever, remaining calm and THINKING throughout the WHOLE weekend =) This was Masha’s first Novice level event and she piloted Sly around like a champ and earned 6th place (green IS Sly’s favorite color after all). Chloe and Nipper did so well in dressage and stadium but had a disappointing stop on x-c, resulting in an unplanned dismount. Chloe was a true star as she got back on to finish the rest of the course beautifully. I am really proud of how well she handled her disappointment, cheering her teammates on and most of all for picking herself up and getting back on.

And finally, Cash N Diamonds…he’s become a jumping machine. Brave at all the jumps he went clean yet again earning us 2nd Place! Thank you Gill for letting me ride your big boy, he’s so much fun and he really does make my butt look small =)

It was such a wonderful weekend! ALL the horses and riders were great, not just in one area, but at everything. I am proud of the whole group and am so lucky to have such wonderful friends, family, and clients! Thank you Julie and Avery for all your hard work.

You’re all awesome!
Meg

2007-08-05T21:48:00.001-07:00

Makenna is growing, and greying!

2007-08-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

SMCHA Show, Go Team THF!

What a wonderful day! A HUGE congratulations to all the riders, everyone took home ribbons! Holly and Gill made their showing debuts with THF, and they sure made me proud. It was so nice to have parents and friends there to cheer the crew on, the food was amazing, and the THF team sure looks strong. While h/j shows are a little outside our normal focus, we were a force to be reckoned with. I’ve posted the photos I took today on a wedshots site, here’s the link.

You’re all awesome,

Meg

http://community.webshots.com/album/560171555ebXCkQ?vhost=community

2007-08-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

Montana Recap!

Hi All!
We’ll we made it. The trip took almost 24hrs drive time EACH WAY, a total of 2400 miles roundtrip. Horses, riders, and grooms all made it back safely and while it wasn’t quite the trip we had hoped on the riding front, it was a ton of fun and I hope we’ll have even more horses to go next year. The recap….
We left promptly at 4am on Sunday the 22nd. Our first stop was in Northern Ca, where we pulled into a gas station off of highway 5 only to pull in and see fellow Woodside trainer Liz Hall walking towards us! It turns out her and another California trainer, Mathew Brown, also left the bay area at the same time we did. I think we all had the same idea to leave early in an attempt to beat the heat. We made it to our first stop Sunday afternoon, White Salmon Washington, where we put the horses up at my dad’s 100+ acre farm. Noah and Coco Puff were turned out into a 50acre pasture, complete with cows and a pond for the evening. They enjoyed a 3am gallop around the field, and I think the layover and turn out helped keep them happy.
Day two took us through Idaho and into Montana. According to Mapquest the drive would be 9hrs, however with the road work and heat (100+ degree temps) it took closer to 12hrs.
We pulled into Montana Monday night, settled the horses into their stalls, and made the last part of our trek to the Sunde Cabin which is located right on Flathead Lake, approx 20mins from the horse show in Kalispell.
Tuesday was a day off for the horses and a day in the sun for the THF team, which we all got plenty of! Julia Sunde (Stanford Teamer Jane’s mom) is the most gracious host! We spent the day jet-skiing and "super mabel-ing" a raft which is pulled behind the boat at more than 40 mph. Karina, Alexandra, and Sydnee LOVED Mabel, while Julie and I turned green within the first 5min. The evening was compete with a BBQ and s’mores at the campfire.
Wednesday we ventured to Herron Park, a riding facility 20min from Rebecca Farm complete with a cross country course. Both horses and girls had a fabulous cross country school! We spent another afternoon on the lake, followed, by a late afternoon dressage school back at the horse show.
The show began on Thursday for Novice and Training level riders. Karina and Coco Puff put in their best performance, the most consistent I’ve ever seen them, I was really proud of how far they’ve come since joining the THF team just earlier this year. When scores were posted we were disappointed, while it was so her best test to date, it scored poorly, the judge was hard on their performance. Although it’s always a disappointment to receive a bad score, Karina took it very positively and was pleased with her ride. Alexandra’s ride was later in the day and she too had a good test. While I thought she rode the medium canter conservatively, it was an accurate performance. The judge liked the pair and gave them a "9" on their halt! They landed in a 6th place tie after day one.
Friday was cross country for Novice and Training levels, while all other levels (Prelim, Intermediate, and Advanced, CCI*, CCI**, and CIC***) ran in the traditional format. The day began early for Karina, with a morning ride time. Her cross country ride was fabulous and Puff was a star. Karina stuck to her plan and made the ride look easy, galloping across the green fields and beautifully decorated jumps effortlessly, posting a double clear round. With Coco Puff poulticed and wrapped we began prepping Noah for his afternoon performance, only to find his front leg very swollen! A quick jog out and it was clear that Noah was off in that leg =( A trip to the office in search of the vet and our fear that he would not be competing was confirmed. Noah was Withdrawn from competition. I can not say enough how proud of Alexandra I am. It is never an easy decision to pull your horse from the middle of the competition, especially when you’ve traveled 1200miles and worked countless hours to get there. Alexandra didn’t think twice about the safety of her horse and was a true sportsman throughout. I think she HAS to go again next year so she can ride that course =) I know they would have dominated the competition.
Bute, ice, and a wrap was all we could do Friday afternoon. When we returned that evening for barn chores, Alexandra saw a spot of blood on Noah’s wrap that hadn’t bene there before. Further investigation provided us with some answers to Noah’s mystery lameness. A puncture wound on the back of his left front. How a horse hurts himself in a well bedded stall is beyond me, Noah is a very clever boy. The wound (missed by the show’s vet) was treated with a sweat wrap and we left for the night. Back on the lake Julie mastered waterskiing, while I finally got my turn on the skis. Dinner out with Jane and her family completed the long and exhausting day.
Saturday Noah’s leg looked better! Although still slightly off, the sweat wrap seemed to do the trick so I stuck with my plan of treating the wound. We spent the day watching the upper level competition and shopping at the trade fair. That evening we had a great BBQ with Jane and her family, celebrating Julia Sunde’s Birthday and hanging by the fire.
Sunday came way too quickly. Enjoying a late morning we got to the show and began the morning routine while Karina and Alexandra took the horses for a walk. While making up grain for the horses I heard rider numbers called and began to worry that the schedule I’d seen the night before had been wrong and that Karina was supposed to ride earlier than we thought. I sent Sydnee on a mission to find Karina and Karina on the run to find out when she was supposed to ride, we were LATE! We all scrambled to get Coco Puff ready, Karina threw on show clothes, didn’t even have time to put her socks on, and was up and on in record time. We made it to the arena a few minutes late, her ride time had passed! Luckily for us, the judge granted Karina permission to ride out of order, but not a mistake I ever want to repeat! The pair entered the arena and made it over the first part of the course. Coming to a combination Puff slipped, knocking the rail underneath his legs. Karina felt him stumble over the rail which was trapped between his front and hind legs and pulled him out from the second part of the combination. The whistle was blown and fence reset. Karina started up again and headed for the second element of the combination while we all watched helplessly from the sidelines. Karina earned her first ever Elimination as in stadium you MUST retake the whole combination after a runout/refusal and she only retook element B. A very tough way to learn the lesson but I know she’ll never make that mistake again.
Sunday afternoon was spent packing and getting ourselves ready for another early departure. While the trip was not the riding high we would have liked it to be, it was a great experience and I enjoyed having all the girls there. The competition is one of the toughest there is in the West coast and the girls showed me they were more than ready to take it on.
The return trip home took us back to my dad’s for the night. The horses were put in a paddock for the evening (so that Noah wouldn’t put his injured leg in the pond) only to have the horses escape through an open gate. They got a good romp in before we captured them, and while it wasn’t planned, I think the horses really needed that run. Pizza and a movie competed our last night together. I got a much needed good night’s sleep and woke rested Tuesday morning, ready for the 13hr drive through Oregon and back home to the Bay Area. Driving through Northern Ca Tuesday afternoon the temps climbed to 109 in Red Bluff. Pulling in at 7pm last night seemed surreal. The 10 day trip came to an end. I got some much needed sleep last night and will begin lessons again this afternoon. The Woodside Horse Trails are just a little more than a week away!
Montana in 2008 anyone?
Meg

2007-07-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Montana Here We Come!
The Montana trip is just about a week away! Making the trip this year will be 5 humans, Me, Julie, Alexandra, Sydnee, and Karina, and 2 horses, Noah and CoCo Puff. The trip will take approximately 2 days, with our overnight layover taking place at my dad's farm in White Salmon Washington. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to keep in touch. - Meg

2007-07-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Makenna!

"When I Dream" aka Makenna, is getting big. She had her first day of clipping, haltering, and leading today and was a champ. She's a very special little girl. Photos is of Makenna at 3weeks old. - Meg

2007-06-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
It’s been a fun (though exhausting week!) at camp. Please let me know ASAP if you want lessons this weekend. I am here! I’ll be posting the info from these emails on the new blog so use that for reference, you can leave comments there too! Also please let me know what your riding plans are for next week, Wed is the 4th of July so lessons earlier in the day are preferred.

Shows- Here are the upcoming shows. Please let me know if you want to go. If there isn’t enough interest I WONT go.
July 23rd-31st Montana trip (Rebecca Farms)
Aug 5th SMCHA schooling show
Aug 10-12th Woodside Horse Trials
Aug 26th Springdown Show
Sept 7-9th Murieta Horse Trials
Sept 23rd Stanford CT
Sept 28-30th Twin Rivers (no BN division)
Oct 5-7th Woodside
Oct 19-21 Ram Tap
Oct 27-28th One Day Horse Trials at Twin Rivers
Nov 16-18th Ram Tap Championships

Camp..
There is another camp July 9-13th. I have Emily and Martina on the list. Who else is joining us?? =)

Meg

2007-06-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Shepherd Ranch Recap...
June 21st Karina, Sydnee, Julie and I headed to Santa Ynez for the Shepherd Ranch Horse Trials. The weather couldn't have been much better and we enjoyed a fun weekend with great rides all the way around. The show began with Noah and I putting in a good dressage test (33.0), earning a 9 on our centerline! I was really pleased with his ridability, as he can be an opinionated beast =) Sydnee and Karina both put in good tests with consistent scores, placing them in the middle of their divisions. Cross country day the THF team shined, with clear round for all 3 horses and riders. Karina has now learned the importance of the count down, I think it's safe to say she'll never leave the start box early again! Noah was bold and brave, giving an impressive leap into the water complex, he jumped boldly to say the least. Karina and Sydnee both gave very nice steady x-c rides, making the Novice look like a piece of cake.
Sunday's stadium started early with the show ring starting at 7am! Noah was again brave, although too much so, we took one rail to finish in a respectable 6th place in the Open training division. Sydnee and Karina both rode really well and put in rounds that they should be proud of, I know I was!
The trip was a success. I am so pleased to see all the horses and riders putting in such consistent rides, the teamwork is fantastic, and I am looking forward to Montana! - Meg