I Think I Still Live in NC....

BUT IT'S HOT! It's like.... liiiike totally hot in March! Maybe I got my previous wish of global climate reorganization! That Genie had better come back- I've got 2 more wishes!!!!!!

It is actually quite nice to get all the horses sweating in March- it makes their coats so shiny and they love to not wear their rugs every day all day!  They think their negotiating tactics of ripping blankets have worked...clearly they are delusional- if it's 80 outside you don't have to wear a blanket ya ding bats! One day they will learn...one day....but, I am not holding my breath.

Africa!

It has been so nice the last few weeks having a bit of a quiet schedule- I needed a break, I have not stopped since the 2nd weekend in January and it was nice to be around the farm on the weekend.  My poor Mom also managed to break her ankle- so it is a good thing I have been home I suppose.  She has been cripple hobbling around, she went to the barn the other day and cold hosed Clif's knee that was the size of my face (The horse really should learn some more evasive defensive tactics by the age of 11!).  She somehow also managed to get him from the wash stall to his stall; I am not sure which I more terrified of, the fact that my mother will lead a horse on crutches with a freshly broken ankle or the fact that Clif could possibly be dying because he let someone on crutches lead him around.  Maybe 2012 really is the end of the world.
All the horses are really growing up. Aly and Africa are jumping real courses and doing real grid work; they are big kids now! They both love to jump- they were bred to jump, so it's all natural to them I suppose!  They will both be going out in May to really get their careers started, until then, it will be all about getting their education more well rounded.  I'm sure they are ecstatic about the opportunity. Who wouldn't be?!

Irish and Nic went to Pinetop this past weekend; they were both amazing.  I probably have never been so proud of both my horses- they could not have tried harder. Irish got a 29 in the Open Training, which I was so happy with! She jumped great in the SJ, even managed to save her mother once, leaving all the rails up in a very large SJ course (the TRAINING OLYMPICS :).  The most fun was that she was a total machine on XC- she did not put a foot wrong and I could not have asked for anything to be better.  She was just a blast to ride all weekend and finished 6th! Nic was also perfect, he doesn't know there is an option!  He got a 32 on the flat because he was adorable and tried so hard! He did have one fence down in the SJ, his body and half strides do not mix at the moment! He, like Irish, has already started to love getting all decked out in green and red to go blast around XC. Nic was great and finished 3rd at his first recognized show!  I have very high hopes for these two little monsters!



Shandy!

Unfortunately, I am now sporting an awesome blue cast.  I will be in it for next 2 to 3 weeks, and a brace will follow for a good while! Everyone will have to pardon the late/short blogs! It is painstaking to  "hunt and peck" type!

Hope all is well!
 H

Full February Brings March Madness!

Baby Nic learning to canter!

February has been busy!  Everyone has officially gone to high school and done their first show! How exciting!!  On Feb. 11th Nic had his very first big kid lesson off the farm with Bonnie Mosser.  He thought that was great fun! He got to jump his first real course with all the questions, he isn't sure what the question was, he was just happy to get a pat on the other side of every jump.  He is just far too adorable for his own good!

One day that trot is going to be quite fun going down the center line!

The following week nearly everyone went to Hillcrest Farm for their first ever outing; or in Irish's case, her first training of the year.  Aly, Nic and Africa did the beginner novice. Irish was absolutely super the entire time- she won the flat where she tried quite hard and was incredibly obedient and accurate in her test.  Her show jumping was quite good- we just had that "can't miss" kind of day- and as we all know, that doesn't happen often to anyone so enjoy it while you can!  The most fun, was that she was a little dirt bike on XC, she thought it was great fun and seemed to build up confidence during the entire round, she even had a giant LEAP off the drop into the water. She was quite fun to ride all day and did end up winning her division on her dressage score.

Show Jumping is Show Off time for Nic!

Nic also had a super first outing, I could not be happier with him.  He just loves to do anything you ask, as long as it does not require too much energy :).  He was 2nd on the flat with a 34- there is SO much muscle to be built that it's nice to know he can score quite well while not yet having that muscle to really do anything with his body.  He was super for his show jumping and seemed to really get more and more into the XC the further around he went!  Nic ended up winning his BN division- such a fun feeling to have the horse you bought for $1 win his first event ever!


Baby Nic says I LOVE JUMPING!

Aly, the little grey jumping stallion machine, also had a great first outing.  He had a minor baby testosterone moment in the dressage, but still ended up with a 9 and 3rd after his dressage!  He was so much better and more ridable than the previous weekend in the dressage ring, that I could have cared less about our little "moment".  His show jumping was wonderful; you would never know he was just learning anything about jumping, he is such a natural!!!  The same goes for his XC round, he was a bit green (surprise at this first show, eh?!) at the beginning, but then settled into a rhythm and seemed to have a great time the entire time to end up 3rd in his BN division!
Africa also showed her true colors and showed everyone that she really does love jumping more than dressage!  She is quite a fancy little horse when she relaxes, she had several lovely moments in her test and overall, I was happy with how she went.  There is a lot for us to improve upon for the next time, but isn't that always the case?!  She had a great time with both jumping phases- she really thinks its all quite boring!  Little does she know....it is boring because I think she should learn more before it gets more interesting!  She and I disagree about the educational process.....at the moment I'm winning....I have no doubt that she will try to change that!


Just last weekend Irish and Nic headed to Jumping Branch Horse Trials in Aiken to get their feet wet.  Irish went to do the training and Nic to do  the Beginner Novice.  Irish was, once again, absolutely super.  She was 2nd out of 12 on the flat on a 35- I could not be more happy with her.  She, as usual, tried so hard to do what she was asked and I really tried hard too dang it!  I am working quite hard to ride her better and better to help her gain more correct muscle and a bigger step. The show jumping was actually a bit on the tough side to my surprise.  I did have a mini gulp when I went cantering around the ring!  In true Irish fashion, the more I wonder if she can do it, the more she tells me that I am in fact dumb and she can do far much than "just do it".  She jumped a super clean round.  She did the same for the XC, she blasted around like an old pro- the bigger the jumps the better she jumped; that is probably my favorite feeling in the world!  She finished on her dressage score to end up 2nd.  A blue ribbon and a red ribbon on back to back weekends- Go baby Irish- apparently my peppermint bribery has been successful.
Nic was had a good weekend as well.  He was quite tired from the previous weekend so his dressage needed a bit more energy.  He had a great time jumping- he decided that was quite fun, he loves XC.  I've decided he only loves XC because he is just so glad it is slower than the race track!  He did have a baby stop at the water- obviously, I'm really not all that concerned!  He is learning quickly and I am very happy with how we went and how much better he felt than the previous weekend.

Clif's happy ears!!

Most exciting is that I have now ridden the big, muddy, fat, grumpy, dramatic mess of a favorite horse in the world.......Clif ......people....you should know this by now!  He was soooo excited that his ears were up the entire time and he didn't even try to buck me off!  Well.....the first day.  He is now back to being incredibly happy and is up to his old tricks.  He seems to not have caught on to the fact that every time he gets hurt I am riding better by the time he gets ridden again.  Fortunate for me I think, unfortunate for him because he has yet to spend his time off plotting and figuring out a better way to get me off- silly boys, they never plan ahead! 
I hope everyone has is enjoy the great non winter like weather and the beginning of show season!
Best to everyone!
Hillary

Ready, Set, Insanity!

I hope everyone has been keeping busy outside with this non-winter like weather we are having at the moment! I am all about the 60 in January and the 64 in February, it's like a little chunk of Florida moved north! I'm all about global climate reorganization. I happen to like the mountains covered in snow, I just want to see them from 2 miles away where it is 70 degrees! And yes, I do want my cake and to eat it too!
The last few weeks have been a bit intense.  All the babies headed out for their first XC schools- which you would never have known from the way they acted! They loved it!  Ramble went to Full Gallop the first week of February as well.  He was super on the flat, tried very hard in the SJ, and had a great XC round- he is a little stallion xc machine, batteries not included!  Cookies are his re-energizer.
Last Saturday all the babies- Irish, Nic, Aly, and Africa- went to TTC for their first show!  Aly and Africa did the combined test, they scored a 31 and 29 on the flat and jumped super.  Not a bad way to start out their little careers I'd say!  Nic and Irish just went along to do a jumper show class; both of them were quite good as well; Nic is still trying to do some weight lifting so he can actually carry that big ol' body of his around! We need to get him a personal trainer- oh wait, I think that's supposed to be me! Cut off shirts don't look good on me though. Bummer.
Most recently, Irish went to Full Gallop last week to do the novice.  She was actually quite good- we had an unfortunate shoe pulling in front of a fence that didn't work out so well for jumping the fence the first time....but she was super every where else- I am trying very hard to ride her like I would want her to go if she ends up going advanced.  No reason to have to retrain them later---so Irish leaps into the water.... jump or no jump! 
This week Aly, Africa, and Nic are all heading to their very first event on Saturday at Hillcrest Farm.  They are just so excited, they are squealing! Squeals of excitement ....anger....one in the same I'd say.  Irish is also bumming a ride so she can go do the training.  It will be a great place for everyone to do their first real events/real events back.  Irish is looking forward to being the experienced one of the bunch! She will probably tell all the babies to do bad things so that 1- she gets more treats, 2- people tell her how great she is compared to everyone else, and 3-so she can watch me nearly falling off out the trailer door when she has finished her day (Hillary is for entertainment purposes only1)! 
While all these fun, happy things have been happening there has been a major upset to my plans and my daily routine.  Tess has managed to break herself yet again! It really is quite impressive, we should be the world record holders at this point.  So, in true redneck fashion, Tess will become barefoot and pregnant real soon ya'll, real soon.  She is actually quite sad not to be getting the attention- however, her stall rest seems to have made up for her lack of normal attention, so she is quite happy to sit there with a full hay net and clean stall all day and night!  She sleeps more than any horse I have ever seen- she will have shavings in her ears, up her nose, and covering her ENTIRE body several times each day...I"m waiting for the snoring to start!
I will update everyone after the big debut this weekend, and after Irish and Nic head to Jumping Branch Farm for another unrecognized event the following weekend. Busy times for all of us here, except for Tess....little does she know what is to come....
Hope all is well.
Hillary

Resolution......Fail.

Like the majority of people I attempted to make some New Year resolutions.  I said, "I will try to eat healthier"; unfortunately, I put the word try in there.  My thought process goes like this: "Hillary, eat better, you are going to hate sitting trot if you bounce any more"...when eating lunch..."I can't find anything healthy....Oh well, I tried!".  I might or might not be very good at finding the loop holes in my resolutions.   I do need to eat healthier; if I eat better then I feel better (not that my healthy is a normal person's healthy, but you get the idea).  I LOVE prime rib, bagels, pasta, cheeseburgers, pizza, ginger ale, fruit juice, chocolate oranges, nerds and garlic mash potatoes! If I could cut all those out I would quite literally die-- I would have nothing to eat and that would be so sad.  So I am trying to slowly learn to like things like lettuce, tomatoes (not ever going to happen), and spinach. Vomit.
Other than my epic failure of keeping my New Year's resolution, I have been working on sitting a bit straighter, using my "weight" aids better, keeping my body slower when jumping, and making my horses really use their hind ends all the time.  At the moment everyone is living in a grid; if they are on their best behavior they do a line in different striding each time- even the babies, they have to learn sometimes, guess it should be now!  Everyone is heading out the first week of February for their first shows of the season- that week is going to be INSANE! Tess will head to Full Gallop I Feb.1, Irish/Nic/Africa/Aly will head to TTC Feb.4, I am teaching a clinic Feb.5 and Tess will head back to Full Gallop II Feb.8.  Anyone betting on when I collapse? I'm betting Wednesday at 5 pm.  Luckily, I am escaping for 2 days the next week with some friends- it will be my first actual day off since my Christmas vaca! So Exciting!!!!!
This week I saw a facebook status that said "life's hard, get a helmet".  After I stopped laughing, I went on reading, but kept thinking about that quote.  SO TRUE.  It does you no good complain- somebody has it worse, always, so just give it up (because in reality if you have a horse your life cannot truly be that bad!).  Things never go as planned and sometimes they do just smack you right on the head as they are crumbling around you.  When you think you have it all figured it out your wrong, and no matter what it usually turns out just the way it was supposed to.
I also recently saw something that Will Smith said- "even if your in the right lane, if you don't move, your going to get run over".  I have decided that I love these quotes (along with "if you don't have time to do it right the first time, when do you have time?")- I have put on my helmet and am going in a lane, I might not be speeding on the Audubon, but damn it I'm driving--your supposed to enjoy the process right?!
So as this season really starts to take off I'm going to make like Nemo and just keep swimming.  My horses will get better and stronger everyday; I will get better everyday, and attempt to eat healthier...maybe; I will make an effort to have more in my life (genuine laughter=happiness=healthiness), people are incredibly unique and is good to keep yourself surrounded by them, you can learn so much; the more you know the less you know, so start working harder (at least in my experience; maybe I should wear one earplug so info can only go in one ear but not out the other!!)! These are the things that I am going to center myself around for the year, with the ultimate goal at the end of the year being: My horses are better and I am better. This is as serious as I get and I thought writing it down would force me to really work on it!
I hope everyone has found something to work towards this year whether it is to curry your horse more often, keep your thumbs up, see better distances, actually clean your car....or your house, or just in general live life a little more like a "normal" person :), so I wish everyone Good Luck with those resolutions...and remember your greens!
Hillary

If it IS the end of the world, you've got nothing to lose!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and an awesome New Year.
I was lucky enough to escape to Florida for a few days around New Year with Tess and Irish and my family.  We were all just SO excited for 60's and 70's- who doesn't love some sun and sweat!? Irish had not been back to my grandparent's farm since they brought her to me as a 3 year old- I think she was a bit nervous she was being returned, so she was on her very best behavior for the week! Good thing she hasn't figured out how much I like her and she still appreciates her life, maybe she should explain to Tess that that would be a great attitude of her to adopt as well!!!!

The Family On New Years Day

All the horses are super, everyone is growing up and is a year older now. Clif is having a WONDERFUL time being outside- but I'm sure that will soon grow boring and he will then want to be ridden, (this is when I want a working student- a poor soul that I can say "hey, that's my best horse, he's a blast to ride" --I will inaudibly mumble that he's a blast to ride when he is fit and in work and that when he is unfit he's an absolute monster- what you don't know can't hurt ya :)).

Baby Irish

Ramble and Nic also had their first outing of the year.  Ramble went to TTC to do a Preliminary combined test.  I know he has been getting stronger, more correct and more connected, but I have to say I was a bit surprised that he got a 21.9 on his test! He was VERY good; he was very obidient, polite and happy the whole time, and he tried so hard.  He really is an incredibly special stallion.  There are still several things I thought could easily be fixed in the test, so we will work on those and hopefully come out doing some fun stuff at shows this spring!  Ramble was also super for his show jumping-I, for the first time, did a good job of keeping his feet moving, which for him is so key.  That was the positive, now to work on all those pesky finer points. The devils in the details right?
Video of Ramble's dressage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXpfQRKixLs&list=UU64ZZkHK9YGpc4RpBpOyKeg&index=2&feature=plcp
Nic also got drug along because I had room on the trailer and he needs to know that a racetrack is not lurking around every turn.  He was SO good, he was a completely different horse than when he went last month.  He hacked around on a loose rein, xc schooled on a loose rein, and didn't ever seem to get nervous--he even hung out on the trailer by himself!  By now, it is not really a secret that I adore this horse, maybe it's the fact that we are both a bit of an old soul or we both have decided there is far too much to do to worry about everything.  I'm not sure what it is, but he is an incredibly neat horse and I have very high hopes for him.
Baby Nic's first XC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uGarZ7oBCQ&feature=related

Jac on his pony! SO CUTE!

I hope everyone is enjoying this unwinter like weather and getting back in the swing of daily life that does not include the holiday chaos!

Hillary

Red and Green is just sooo popular this time of year!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is going to have a wonderful New Year!
Everything is going well here- all the horses had a few weeks of very hard work so that they could have an easy holiday week! Such skillful planning on my part, I know. 
All of the babies are little jumping machines; they have all cantered their first little course and are ready to be four year olds so they can learn some fancy new tricks. Africa and Aly are great- Africa really wants to learn and Aly is such a little freak to jump, it could not be much easier (Don't forget to check out Wits End Eventing if you would like to learn more about them!) Nic is just so wonderful- he is starting to stretch and he LOVES to jump.  He made his first visit to Sharon's a few weeks ago- he was a superstar! He jumped the baby logs and the baby ditch, and thennnnnn the big ditch- he thought that was pretty awesome and nearly bucked me off with his emotional outburst!  Little Doby is getting ridden now too, he is pretty cute and is going to be very fun soon.
Clif is now going out all day with his friends, Nic and Doby, and the love of his life.... Sammy- he and Sam stand with their noses touching, it is a bit odd to be completely honest.
Irish is coming back into work well.  She has now jumped a few times and is most excited that she finally feels a bit less neglected!  Her time off did her good, she feels much stronger in her body in her flatwork and, the best part, I can catch her again! The little brat!
Ramble is going quite well.  His flatwork is really getting stronger and I am starting to ride him a bit better when jumping.  He says FINALLY!  Little Rambles is the best behaved horse I have ever had, how he is a stallion I do not know.  He is a lot of fun just to have around the farm.
Tess is also getting back into the full swing of things- she had a lesson with Linda Zang and then a jump lesson with Sharon the next day. She still hasn't completely forgiven me for that one.  Linda helped Tess quite a bit- Tess thinks Linda should be locked in a tower far far away.  The next day Tess had a super jump lesson with Sharon.  Sharon loves Tess and Tess loves Sharon--she always has such good insight into what I need to do to make the princess happier and more cooperative!
So this holiday season I am thankful for my awesome horses- my great family- my wonderful friends- my crazy dogs and everything else I have in my life. Clif wanted to remind everyone just how lucky I am to have him, even if he is just sitting in the field being demanding and unreasonable. 
Also a quick Happy Birthday to Nic, Africa, Aly, Doby, Clif, Tess, Irish, Ramble and Sam--I will now have 3 four year olds, 2 five year olds, a nine year old, a ten year old, an elven year old and Sam will be 23! That seems like a pretty full house to me!
Enjoy your New Year and eat some good luck food!
xo
Hillary

Special Treats.

So, as a horse person, I know I am weird.  It is a fact, I have come to accept it, I no longer try to fight it.  I would rather be at the barn than out at a party, most of my best friends have 4 legs and weigh more than 1,000 pounds (for the ones that don't- thank god because you wouldn't fit in my little Saab if you did!), and I can tell you the weather 5 days out because I have already planned out everyone's blankets for the week.  It's a bit insane, kind of strange, very unique and makes people wonder exactly how hard you were dropped on your head as a child- apparently I was dropped repeatedly or else I fell off one too many times.  Over the years you tend to get all kinds of comments about horses- I think these are some of my favorites:

---"Is there someone there" ? No, that would just be me...by myself.... talking to the horses.  I didn't forget to take my meds and no, I do not expect them to answer.  I just like to pretend they understand me, it makes me feel better.  And being alone for 10 hours a day can get kind of lonely, so I try to not lose my ability to speak by talking to them.  I usually am yelling at someone, dog or horse...or cat, and telling someone else that I'm not yelling at them just because I am closest to them.  I'm sure they understand.  They know all my secrets by this point.  So if they could talk, I would paying them not to.


You need special treats to be so cute!



--In the 8th grade I got made fun of constantly for riding horses- most of the details can be left out because they are just too ridiculous to write- but, it somehow ended up that I was going to have "Hillary's Horses" when I grew up and ride in the Kentucky Derby.  Sadly, no one realized that by the 8th grade I was already too big to be a jockey- and I was not insane, 6 to 14 horses going 35 miles per hour 4 inches from each other- No Thank You I will not have another. However, they did seem to have get the Hillary's Horses right- I like it better as Hillary Irwin Eventing, but you take what you can get I suppose. 

--"You missed Homecoming for a horse thing?".  Yes.  I mean really? It's a gym that smells like sweaty feet with a few decorations to make it magical, filled with boys who still haven't figured out they need more deodorant if they are going to attempt to dance for that long and girls crying because their boyfriend broke up with them for the girl in the shorter dress.  So yes, I passed up that magnificent opportunity to take my 4 year old to his first show (Clif at the time) and my horse to a training (Monty--which he won on a 24!).  I did go to prom twice though, so that was all good fun. I went to my senior prom by driving back and forth to The Fork- my poor mother actually did the driving, surprise!-I was late for the pictures and complaining by midnight that I had to be up in 4 hours. I was a charming date I'm sure.



Monty, my homecoming date! ( I was the senior attendant and.....yeah...I have no

other excuses for this picture existing)

---"You do that thing with the hurdles?" I will be so happy the day a random person calls them jumps, but I have, for the most part, given up all hope of that.  So, usually about every month I end up explaining to someone that I do jump those hurdles and the horses do enjoy it (because as much as I like to think I'm big and tough, I am far too small to make a horse do much of anything they don't actually want to do--but I will win any battle- just ask them :) ).



--"Were you in a car wreck?".  No, I got stepped on because I fell off.  A car wreck would have been far less pathetic and more dramatic, instead I apparently just land like a dead body rather than rolling away from the 1200 pound animal throwing feet around like he is doing a line dance.  So, I graduated high school with a cast covering my entire right arm arm and bandages covering my left hand that had been split open due to a nice hoof stepping on it.  My dress was black and white- I like to think the white matched my pale white appearance and black matched the bruises. I coordinate so well.



Clif- 5 Points Int.

--"Here are your special treats." This would be the UPS man every month when he delivers the horse's Smartpaks.  He hands me to huge boxes and says " here are your special treats for those horses- they sure are lucky."  Special treats? Seriously? Do I look like the kind of person who order gourmet treats for my horses? Don't answer that- because you will probably say yes, and let's not add insult to injury.  I laugh and say Thanks, because I am not about to explain that they get electrolytes, some get omega, some get calming aids, some get joint supplements, some get tendon supplements and some get none because they are just not that special at 3 years old to warrant a monthly bill...... yet. 



Clif- 5 Points, XC Int.

 Everything is going well here.  All the babies had their very first outing.  They were all surprisingly well behaved. Africa, Aly, Nic and another horse in training all went- they all came back happy and with a good experience.  Poor Nic could not figure out why there were so many horses and no race track--he's so sweet.  He wanted to absolutely explode so badly, but he held it together- it's so nice when they trust you completely and you've only been riding them for 2 months...
Ramble and Tess went as well to get off the farm and do some flat work. (Tess also got her first set of back shoes in a year and a half, so she was pretty excited about her new Steven Maddens). They were very good as well.  Most all my horses are now going the Micklem Bridle- I think it's about as great as nerds (which I eat religiously).  Everyone who goes in it LOVES it. So for now we are the freaks in the strange looking bridle, but we are happy about it!
On the exciting news front Clif is all healed.  He is starting to go out with his friends next week, he is just so excited he is actually being nice on occasion!
I hope everyone is keeping warm and getting that Holiday shopping done!
Hillary