A Day in the World - World Dressage Masters in FL

I have to say that I feel pretty guilty being down here in Wellington when we are supposed to get the ‘snow storm of the century’ back in DC.   At first they were saying 12 inches, and I thought ‘piece of cake’  compared to our snowstorm back in December.  But now I think we are we expecting an accumulation of 24 inches and ‘white out’ conditions.

I have such a wonderful team back home who are ‘holding down the fort’ while I take time for my professional development.  Thank you Lauren, Judi, Brian, Frank, CeCe, Jennifer, Norma Lynn,  Janice, Nancy, Susan and Crispin.

In spite of the feelings of guilt, I can’t deny that sitting in that warm sun watching Steffen Peters ride in the World Dressage Masters was a welcome respite from the winter chill! 

I have never seen this pair in person.  I last saw Steffen ride at the WEGs in 2006.  I was disappointed when he and Florianus were just out of the medals; they were such a joy to watch.  Now, seeing Steffen on Ravel, I am impressed again with Steffen’s harmony and precision in the ring.  The pair were certainly a joy to watch, and what I saw today will certainly be a picture that comes to mind when I think of what ‘dressage’ should be.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all of the pairs today.  Just a couple of days after I bought my plane ticket, the start time changed from 3 pm to 1 pm, so I missed half of the class.  Ashley Holzer and Pop Art have been a favorite pair of mine, so I was sorry to miss them. But I will look forward to seeing the freestyle on Saturday.   I was also sad to miss Isabell and Satchmo – seeing this pair at the 2006 WEGs in the GPS was the most amazing thing - I still remember grabbing Brian’s arm with my mouth dropped open as Satchmo half passed…..there was an ‘audible’ silence from the crowd as the horse lifted his shoulders and crossed over in the most incredible half pass I have ever seen.

So there will be a lot to look forward to in the next days!

I also have to admit I was feeling a bit of nostalgia – missing being here with Degas last year. 

But it was a beautiful day and I ran into several nice people, from the car rental guy (he says cool beans), to the girl who picked me up in her golf cart right outside my car at the equestrian center and dropped me at the ring - must have been 5 miles ;) , to the dinner delivery guy.  And, of course, it was wonderful to run into some old friends.

I will look forward to what tomorrow brings!

Words to Live By

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  Henry David Thoreau

Now, there is a quote to live by!  I was very excited to learn over the weekend that I had received the USDF Region 1 award for the 2009 Outstanding Achievement at the FEI Levels!  It is an honor to be singled out for such an award, given all the talented riders in this category whom I admire and respect.  I want to thank the PVDA for their submission, and also thank everyone who has supported me throughout the year - I couldn’t have done it without my team!

But wait; there’s more!  That’s right - just after I heard about the FEI Achievement award, CeCe brought to my attention that Degas and I had placed 3rd in the country at the Intermediare 1 Freestyle (Open Division) level for the 2009 USDF All-Breeds Winners (Hanoverians)!  2009 was quite the musical success for us, having won the GAIGs and BLMs in the I-1 freestyle competition, so this award from the USDF was just a wonderful culmination to the year’s events.  I want to thank CeCe & Frank Maddlone from EquiChord for all the work they have done to help make these musical dreams come true!

We are all very excited about what is ahead for 2010 - stay tuned to Team Strawson as we continue our journey to excellence. To paraphrase Thoreau, our team will be marching “in the direction of our dreams”.

Tempus Fugit

Who says winter is a slow time of year??  Many businesses may have a slow period, but that just doesn’t seem to happen here.  Turning Point Farm is hopping this January!  We have planned a lot of activities for winter fun to break up the monotony of long, cold winter days and having to ride inside.   Last weekend we had group lessons and everyone switched horses.  It was a blast and very educational!  This weekend, each rider will come to their lesson with a very specific goal and, at the end of the lesson, we will video ‘the goal’.  Immediately following the lesson, we will evaluate each rider’s video for instant feedback.  Coming up will be freestyle riding, fix a test and more!!!  Also, stay tuned to the website for the 2010 schedule.

Christmas Ode to Dressage

On the first day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Remember to stabilize your core."

On the second day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Follow with your arms"
"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the third day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the fourth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the fifth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the sixth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the sixth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And Remember to stabilize your core."

On the seventh day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the eighth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Ride all your corners"

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the ninth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Outside rein is crucial"

"Ride all your corners"

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core.

On the tenth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Keep your horse forward"

"Outside rein is crucial"

"Ride all your corners"

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Always keep a smile"

"Keep your horse forward"

"Outside rein is crucial"

"Ride all your corners"

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

My trainer said to me:

"Straighten out your horse"

"Always keep a smile"

"Keep your horse forward"

"Outside rein is crucial"

"Ride all your corners"

"Keep your body straight"

"Proper use of half halts"

"Inside leg to outside rein!"

"Always ride the rhythm"

"Keep your heels down"

"Follow with your arms"

"And remember to stabilize your core."

©2009 EquiChord and the Elves at EquiChord

Happy New Year!

As 2009 comes to a close, I am sitting here reflecting on the past year as well as the past several ones.  It is sometimes hard to imagine how quickly time goes by.  I so often get caught up in a busy life and getting things done, that I forget to reflect on how grateful I am for what I have.  I forget the importance of each moment and living it - not just for the sake of getting it done so I can move on to the next.  I remind myself that each and every moment are the things that carry us through life, whether they be successes or disappointments.  When I experience disappointments, I try to remember that where one door closes, another one opens.  When I celebrate successes, I try to be mindful of how blessed I am and how many people were involved in making them happen. 

This holiday season, while it has been very busy, I have tried to be mindful of how grateful I am for this past year, as well as feel excitement for the coming year.  We loved having our family over (all 35 of them!) for Christmas at the new farm.  We also had plenty of help on hand to take care of the horses on Christmas day!  We are so lucky to have so many wonderful family and friends, as well as a barn full of amazing horses after just a few short months here (as you can see in the attached photo, we are getting a lot of riding done - Jennifer cleaned all those bridles by the way, so Lauren could take care of the rest of the barn on Wednesday). 

I would like to take this moment to thank all of you who have been an integral part of making this happen, and I look forward to seeing everyone reach their riding goals in 2010.

To inspire you with reaching your goals, Equichord asked me to share the riding tips that my students have been working on. From that, they wrote everyone a new Christmas carol.  We hope you will all be singing this merry tune throughout the year!  Happy New Year!

A White Christmas

We survived the first snowstorm at the new farm! We had a dedicated crew that got to work in spite of the snow.  Many thanks to Crispin who helps with the morning horse care, Charlotte who is visiting us from Germany, and Brian and Lauren for helping us through the weekend.  On Saturday morning Brian, Charlotte and I made our way down to the barn - bundling up as much as possible.  You can see a photo of Charlotte and I before we headed out.  This is when it looked like any ‘ole snow storm.  Crispin made sure the horses were fed and stalls cleaned, Charlotte and I spent the whole day helping to shovel out and exercise the horses, and Brian spent the day into the evening plowing the barn and house driveways! And the next day he went out for more, helping to plow out several of the neighbor’s driveways. The horses are loving the snow.

We are now ready for the freezing rain that has been forecasted for tonight on Christmas Eve……………..bah humbag

Surprises, Galore!

With the sun shining in the picture here you can't really tell how cold it is, but we are starting to have some really cold days!!  Degas and I are here imagining we are in the Florida sunshine. I will get some photos of the new farm up soon, but you can see a little in the background.

We also got a nice surprise in the mail today.  There was a package from the Eastern States Dressage Association Garden Classic Horse show. This was the show that hosted the BLM Championships this year.  Degas won the Winslow Therapeutic Riding Unlimited Perpetual Trophy for having the high score at
Intermediaire I for the entire show. It was a wonderful reminder of the fantastic season we just had.  And great inspiration for moving on to piaffe, passage and one tempis......

We're Baackkk!

Yes, I know I have been off the radar for 3 months now!  But our team has been accomplishing some very important things!!!!  Within the last 3 months I have moved my house, my business and the horses, won 3 championships and 2 reserves, taken 4 new horses in training, hosted another clinic with Nicole Uphoff, taken Degas in his first Intermediare II and taken Jennifer and Furley to a special USEF Jr/Yr clinic with Michael Barisone AND in addition to all this, my husband has taken a new job. Talk about good stress!!!

I am so excited with the new changes in my life.  My husband and I are leasing Turning Point Farm in Clarksburg, MD.  It is wonderful to be living on a farm once again.  For years I grew up living in the country, and always lived on a farm until my return from Germany in 2005.  We enjoyed living in the small town of Poolesville, where the grocery store is 1 minute away.  However, living on the farm again, in the most cute, rustic log house with a beautiful view of the pastures and barn has made Brian and I the happiest we have been in a very long time.

The horses also love it here.  They are so relaxed and really seem to enjoy the cozy atmosphere.  The people at the barn are also very relaxed and are having a great time. I feel very lucky because Lauren, in addition to her riding talents, is lending her talent as barn manager to help me keep the farm up and running. 

At Turning Point, we are looking forward to having some fun educational events, working on some cool projects and in addition having some plain ‘ole fun. 

Our first educational event was with Nicole Uphoff-Selke.  She came for a 3 day clinic. She loved the facility so much, that she plans on bringing her family for a 2 week vacation this summer, while also teaching and training here.

Several students here at the barn rode in the clinic.  First though, I have to brag about Degas, who Nicole thought had improved immensely in all of his work, especially the piaffe and passage.  Grand Prix here we come!  Jennifer and Furley also made huge strides in just the few months since Nicole was here last  -  she said to keep up the good work we have been doing in recent months.  Judi and Zivona both looked like a ‘million bucks’!!   Nancy also asked me to ride Sundance in the clinic for an evaluation. Nancy said the weekend was ‘magical’.  Several of our trailer-in students also rode in the clinic.  It was great to see Doris and Whispy, Dona and Gracie and Kim and Coco join us for the weekend.  Our students Paulette with her horse Donna also joined us from Ohio as well as Paulette’s husband Andy with his horse ‘Z’.  We had other clinic regulars join us coming from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. 

It was a great inspirational weekend and a great kick off clinic at the new facility!

Just one week later, Jennifer and I ventured to New Jersey for the USEF Youth/Pony pilot program clinic with Michael Barisone.  Jennifer was selected to ride in the clinic based on her scores at first level this year.  We had a great weekend with lots of fun, education and inspiration from Michael. He is filled with educational facts and fun stories that really make the learning process fun. 

So as you can see we have kept ourselves very busy over the last 3 months.  Stay tuned for more excitement from Team Strawson’s Excellent Adventures.

The Journey to Excellence Reaches a Turning Point and Wins

JOURNEYtoExcellence

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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Journey to Excellence Reaches a Turning Point and Wins

Clarksburg, Maryland - December 14, 2009 - On the heels of relocating to her new training facilities at Turning Point Farm in Clarksburg, Maryland, Barbara Strawson, FEI Dressage Competitor and Trainer, went on the road to garner three prestigious year-end championships and two reserve championships.  Within a two week span, Strawson won the Intermediare 1 Freestyle Final at both the Colonel Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championships, as well as the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships (Region 1). At the CBLM she also brought home the Intermediare 1 championship. Strawson was Reserve in the Prix St George Final at both the CBLM and GAIG/USDF Championship.  Aboard Degas, the impressive 18-hand Hanoverian owned by Marianne Campano, Strawson also capped off the season by receiving the “Most Elegant Rider Award” for the second year in a row at the CBLM. 

In a recent DNN (DressageNewsNetwork) interview, Strawson commented on her Freestyle success. "EquiChord has been practicing with me for a whole year on this Freestyle - I had never ridden a freestyle before, so the progression was really nice to see. To have taken him along and then to end up winning at the BLMs and GAIGS was very rewarding."  Strawson also credits the support of her team and the overall philosophy of her training system - a program she recently brought to her new location.  

"Our goal is to provide each horse and rider with a balanced and consistent system based on individual goals," says Strawson.  "We offer quality care and attention to detail in all aspects - horse care, training, teaching, relationships. The team is always available to attend to the needs of horses and owners alike.  We will be experimenting with a mix of programs at our new location, spanning from our basic full training to short term training for people who are in need of a tune-up or an intensive training period.  For horses and riders alike, we provide a program that encompasses a variety of integrative methods to enhance the learning process.  For example, riders will receive an evaluation and, in addition to traditional lessons, may receive lunge lessons, Balimo™, Pilates, or massage work, and/or workshops in developing their freestyles, goal setting, etc. Horses also receive a variety of cross training and body work." 

Barbara Strawson, LLC, a corporation established in 2005,  offers 20+ years of experience in training and competing horses from USDF Training Level through FEI Grand Prix.  Earning her USDF Bronze and Silver medals as well as her USDF Silver Freestyle Medal, Barbara continues to seek out and provide excellent levels of education.  Through her degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware and her certification in Balimo™, Barbara exceeds the expectations and the varying training needs of both her riders and horses by providing each the necessary tools to achieve their goals.  As an active competitor, Barbara has studied and competed in Europe under the tutelage of four-time Olympic gold medal winner, Nicole Uphoff-Selke, and is working towards representing her country internationally.

For more information, please contact: 

charlie@equichord.com 

888-229-8975

Nicole Uphoff-Selke Clinic for August 2009

We had a fantastic weekend with Nicole!!!

We are usually lucky to make it from the airport to the house though. The weekend started off with a latte for Nicole and a hot tea for me from Starbucks, which is outside the International terminal at the airport. I usually bring ‘Nicole’s’ truck – the F350, which is still a novelty for her since there aren’t many of those in Germany.

Once fortified with coffee and tea, we needed to make the trek home.

This time, I told her we couldn’t talk until we got onto the correct highway. Back in April, we were talking so much I wasn’t paying attention to the road --- and we had a nice sightseeing tour of Virginia. We didn’t feel like another tour, so this time we behaved ourselves until we were on the right road. Unfortunately, we got distracted on the Ferry ride, and forgot to get off the ferry right away! Luckily, everyone was patient, and we didn’t end up taking several trips.

The rides went fabulous, as tends to happen when Nicole is ringside. I really needed her help though. Since the last clinic, we were going through a remedial stage – it was as if I had never done one tempis before. When I told her this on the drive from the airport, she knows me so well, that she knew immediately what my problem was.

Once I got back into the correct rhythm, we had it nailed. And I have been able to repeat them this week! We also had to work on keeping the correct rhythm in the piaffe - sometimes it’s hard to get all the pieces (mine) coordinated.

On Friday of the clinic we had a lunch discussion, which was a question and answer period, and on Saturday evening we had a barbeque at the farm.

This weekend was the perfect way to finish the summer. We are looking forward to Nicole’s next visit, which we hope will be Thanksgiving weekend. Stay posted for the confirmed dates.

You can see some pictures of everyone enjoying the barbeque. Here also is a picture of the new Kerrits breeches that I am test wearing.

Summertime Fun!

We are having NO Summertime Blues here in hot, hot, hot Dickerson, MD. Today, Degas, in spite of his monumental size, had plenty of energy and was ready for more (I however, was looking forward to a cold drink). Everyone is hanging in there though, and preferring the heat to the extreme cold winter temperature (well, maybe not everyone).

The summer is just flying by, as usual. We are all eagerly preparing for Nicole’s visit in 1 ½ weeks (Aug 28 -30). Nicole has full lesson days with 9 – 11 riders each day! Friday’s riders, auditors and boarders at Dominion Stables will get to enjoy a question/answer period with Nicole during lunch on Friday, as well as a barbecue on Saturday night.

This past weekend, the Goal Setting Clinic was a ton of fun. It was great to do another format! We had a discussion and workshop on Friday night and the riders set their goal for the following day. The next day’s lesson was focused on the goal for the day and how to carry that out through the warm up, training phase, and cool down portion of the ride. Thanks to Dona Ruth and Ships Quarters Farm for hosting and organizing the clinic!

Jennifer Foulon and Hilary were actually able to get away from the heat. They took the long drive up to New York for Lendon Gray’s Youth Festival. Jennifer and Furley again did an awesome job. Thank you Hilary for taking the long drive and coaching them there! I remember taking several young rider’s there when I was the assistant trainer at Hilltop. It was a great experience for the young riders, and something I wanted Jennifer to experience as many times as possible. I believe Jennifer had a great time, as she is already talking about next year! Her final standings were overall 4^th in the training level and 7^th in the first level division in her age group. Quite an accomplishment for the first time out Jennifer! Congratulations! Jennifer shared a couple of pictures, which you can see here.

On The Road Again

Have to brag about Jennifer and Shannon one more time, they got a 81.45% in their pas de deux last weekend at the Youth Team Competition. We are all so proud of them!!! Here are a few pictures.

I will be signing out for a week! Yes, there are still places in the world where you have no cell phone or internet access.

I think it is about time for a vacation..... Today on our drive I was on the phone to the USPS trying put a hold on our mail. I was following all the instructions just like I was supposed to do, and after about 10 min (at least it seemed like it, or 20 min), I finally lost it. I could feel it welling up, that terrible, terrible feeling of uncontrollable...... LAUGHTER. I am sitting

on the friking phone having a (seems like) 20 min conversation with a COMPUTER! When it finally asked my name, I could barely squeak out the letters... B (ha ha) A (ha ha) R (ha ha). When the computer asked if the name "BAR" was correct, she/it got SO frustrated with me when I couldn't say "NO", that she had to connect me with...guess what? A REAL CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE!

I finally had to put Brian on the phone to make sure we knew what was going to happen to our mail.

OK everyone, have a good week!

Summertime, And The Ridin' Is Easy

Ok…..so you have to have a little fun right???? Judi and I decided the other day to take the horses out to ‘work’ in the field. As we were ‘playing’ one of the boarders comes out with her young daughter and said “we are coming to watch the big girls”, and I looked over and said OK, that’s great, the ‘big’ girls are playing ‘Simon Says’ today!!!! So then the big and little girls continued playing Simon says out in the field together.

Meanwhile, the not so big girls as us, young riders Shannon and Jennifer, were at the Youth Team Championships having a blast! You can see their results in the twitter column to the right. We are ALL so proud of them.

We had two great weekends in a row, with Lexington and then the Youth Team Competition. It has been a great summer so far.

Greetings from Lexington!

The weekend in Lexington has been fun but busy. I'll have some stories to share soon.......in the meantime, check out our progress on Twitter!

Photos from the Ride for Life

Here are some more photos I promised. As you can see, Norma Lynn, Jennifer and Shannon were busy at the Ride for Life, in addition to volunteering for the Dancing Horse Committee. Shannon, Jennifer and I also made an exchange - I coached them for their pas de deux before the show, in exchange for doing all the feeding, mucking

and watching over Degas at the show. As you can see in one of the pictures, they had some early mornings (and/or late nights??)

They also pitched in when Norma Lynn hurt her ankle (yes, she rode and won with a hurt ankle!!). They braided Floete and took care of her. Norma Lynn appreciated this with sponsoring them for Debbie McDonald’s Fireside Chat! Thanks everyone for all of your hard work and generosity. Go Team!

Norma Lynn on Floete

Shannon on Secret

Shannon on Secret

Jennifer on Morgen

More from the Ride for Life

The Ride for Life was such a special event! This year, we were honored to have Debbie McDonald as the guest speaker. She is incredibly generous, something that was wonderful to learn about her while organizing the Ride for Life activities with her. First of all, she donated a one day clinic, all proceeds going to Johns Hopkins. We decided to auction off the clinic on eBay. This turned out to be a great idea! The auction brought in $8500!!!!! The best part is that the clinic will be used for para-equestrian riders.

Of course, she gave in other ways besides taking up 3 days of her time to come to the Ride for Life. The Fireside Chats were a big hit, and everyone seemed to love having some personal time to learn more about Debbie, Brentina and her philosophies. It was also an honor to hear about the little girl who came to Debbie through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and to hear how instrumental Brentina was to her recovery.

Debbie is such a down to earth person. She was so friendly to everyone, and seemed to have a good time being part of the gang. Here is a picture of Debbie, Me and Mercedes (who was the ‘Debbie Minder’ for the weekend). As you look at the picture, I just want to let you all know one thing….. long legs are not always what they are cracked up to be….but Nicole never took this as an excuse from me for not having my leg on the horse (yes, sometimes your legs feel too long for the horse)

You will also see a photo of the Dancing Horse Challenge committee with Debbie. Unfortunately the whole committee couldn’t be there on Sunday during the photos. However, Degas made it and seemed to enjoy being part of the gang and gave Debbie some extra kisses.

The next photo is of the Caravan for the Cure with Debbie. Those of you who don’t know, the Caravan is from North Carolina, and come up every year for the Ride for Life. They raised over $20,000 by themselves!!!! As a thank you for all their dedication and hard work, we arranged a private ‘chat’ with them and Debbie. When I walked out of the Fireside Chat room and found them all waiting in their Caravan t-shirts it was such a great sight!!! What an energetic, positive and fun group of people! Their group inspired many of us during the year as things got busy and tiring.

Look soon for more photos of the Tribute ride.

Pictures From An Exhibition

As promised, here are some pictures from the Dancing Horse Challenge. As you can imagine, there were many details to be tended to prior to the show! In this first shot, Brian is helping me get ready for the tribute ride. Part of the fun is being able to dress up in costume for the performance - something we never get to do in competition!

Of course, my arena companion, Degas, had quite a costume fitting of his own for the ride! Here you can see the wonderful touches done by Lauren to make Degas look perfect for his ride during the tribute's "Fields of Gold".

Finally, here is Lauren Sirrine proudly displaying her ribbon awarded from the Dancing Horse Challenge - we are so grateful to her and the other wonderful riders who helped make the evening a special and unforgettable one!

Memories from the Ride for Life

There were so many memorable events during this year’s Ride for Life. I want to share a few special moments from the horse show. We had a few students showing this year in addition to us all organizing the Dancing Horse Challenge.

Norma Lynn won all of her Intro classes! But the special one was the last class on Sunday when Norma Lynn and Floete had their best test ever. Congratulations Norma Lynn! It is so great coming out of the ring with this feeling!

The other really exciting class was ridden by Jennifer Foulon on Janice Alperin’s Morgan, and Shannon Zik, on her own Secret. Yes, they performed their first pas de deux! I felt like a proud parent watching both of them perform. I got all teary eyed when they nailed all their transitions. I walked out of there not caring what score they got, but thought it had to be good…………and it sure was - they got a 78%!!!!!!!!!!!! How exciting!!!

The weekend ended with a flourish as both Paulette Ziegler and Donna Fortuna each received a 64% in the Second level test 4 and placing 2nd! We were all so excited. Paulette joined us from Ohio for the whole week before the Ride for Life and came with us to the show. We had such a good time having her with us and it was great to see her rewarded for all her hard work. With that performance hopefully she had enough adrenalin to help her make the 7 hour trip home that night.

The Ride for Life

The Ride for Life and in particular, the Dancing Horse Challenge, was a night to remember. It is amazing to have months of work play out in one short night.

As hard as I could have imagined, I would never have guessed how much hard work and

dedication went into organizing something like this. At each turn I was amazed at the people on my committee - amazed at their dedication, tenacity, patience and creativity. My deepest heartfelt thanks go out to everyone on our committee who made this evening possible.

As much as we planned, we could not have imagined what things could possibly happen. Up until minutes before show time, everyone on the committee was coming up with new plans…. We had gotten to plan Z, and then started the alphabet again with plan AA! As with horses and life in general, anything can happen, and we feel like everything was thrown at us! Up un

til the day before the performance, we had injured horses, riders and much more. But with the creativity, dedication, and generosity of many people, we were able to put on a great performance.

I would like to congratulate Belinda Nairn-Wertmann who was the Land Rover Trophy first place winner, and Jennifer Sirrine, who was the Dover/Nutrena People’s Choice winner. I would also like to thank and congratulate each rider who made this the best Dancing Horse Challenge Performance yet. Many thanks to Courtney King-Dye, Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel, Lauren Sprieser, Jules Anderson, Becky Langwost-Barlow and Jaralyn Finn. Also many thanks to Betsy Steiner, Michael Barisone, and Cathy Morelli who were scheduled to perform and for reasons out of their control were unable to attend. We appreciate that Betsy and Jessie Steiner were able to attend without their horse!

My special thanks go to those who worked together to create the tribute. It was such an honor to perform the tribute with Degas and also with our very special guests, the dancers from Bowen McCauley Dance. Degas made new friends in Dustin Kimball, Alicia Curtis, Brooke Urguhart, Suzanne Creedon and their choreographer Fran Ichijo. We hope to see them again soon! It was amazing how Degas took to the Dancers. He seemed to love every minute. It was such an inspiration to work together with these artists. Of course, my very special thanks go to Frank and Cece Maddlone of Equichord who created such an awe-inspiring tribute.

This quote sent about the tribute says it all…….” The tribute was stunning and something I will always remember. Maybe because I am a person of faith, the spiritual aspect that the dancers brought made it so special. To me they were angels or spirits and represented those gone to a better place. The symbolism of Degas acknowledging and saying farewell to each of them is still replaying in my mind. I'm sure that many - as I did - mentally placed their lost loved one in that circle. As Degas rode between the dancers it was a great joining of one of God's greatest creatures with man and angels.”

I am posting what pictures I have for the moment. Please come back to see more photos and hear more about the Ride for Life Weekend!

The Twitterverse

I have joined the Twitterverse! Frank sent detailed instructions on how to join, so it was very simple to do. When I found out I can update it with text messages from my phone, I got really excited (I like text messages). So we have started. In Twitter, all you have to do is fill in the box that says “what are you doing”. I have to admit that it was quite fun tweeting while I was at the TV station telling everyone ‘what I was doing’. You can now see my most recent "tweets" right here on my blog (over there, on the right). Or, if you'd like, you can join me over on Twitter - see you there!

One Week Until the Ride for Life!

I can’t believe it is less than one week until the Ride for Life! Everyone is working so hard to make it such a great show, their dedication is just amazing.

We had the Tribute practice today with the dancers. Degas proved once again just what an amazing being he is. He watched them perform with such curiosity. When the dancers showed him their lifts, Degas just perked up his ears and started to walk toward them like he wanted to join in.

We watched the dancers perform before we did it all together. I have to say that I just lost it - the song is so beautiful and the dancers looked so beautiful performing it. It looked like they were acting out the song. Degas joined in with them like a champ.

Hopefully you will be able to join us at the Prince George's Equestrian Center on June 27^th!

Barb's TV Blitz!

Frank and Cece and Hilary have been working their hearts out marketing the Ride for Life. They have set up all sorts of things for me to do - you can check out my news page to see the busy schedule that they have me on! Thank goodness for them and everyone else in the barn who have prepared me and given me pep talks about being on TV.

You might have already read about my first interview with HorseGirlTV, and now it is up and running! It is strange to see the finished version. I think Angelea did a great job.

Our next adventure was Channel 25 in Hagerstown. I have to

admit I was pretty nervous. Frank and Cece ‘held my hand’ the whole way through, except of course when the cameras were rolling and then I had to be on my own. Well, it sounds a little like riding a dressage test doesn’t it????? They said it sounded great (good answer), but we will know for sure this coming Tuesday (June 23rd) at 9:55am - don't miss it!

Thank goodness I had done this taped interview before I had to do the live one on Channel 9 in DC! This was pretty nerve-racking, but I survived. It was kind of like a roller coaster ride - you don’t want to do it, you do want to do it, you’re scared, and after it is all over you say…”that was kind of fun, let’s do it again”. Hilary had the interview organized, and Judi came with me as my consultant. You know, she had to tell me a million times that my shirt was in place, my lipstick was ok, my hair was in place etc… etc…. etc…. It had to be a tough job. She got me there on time and kept me calm….even when my phone broke and I wanted to send a text message with a smiley face. Well, I couldn’t get the smiley face to work and I was getting upset. Judi assured me it was fine to send the message without the smiley face, and of course I assured her that “I want the da___ smiley face!”

We actually had a great time. The weather man Howard was bouncing around being friendly to everyone. We met Andrea Roane as soon as we arrived, and she and her assistant seemed happy to meet the dressage ladies. Andrea was so nice before and after the interview. She loved the Ride for Life pin I was wearing and mentioned it on the air. Afterward, she took time to talk with Judi and I about a few things, especially some of the breast cancer research.

It was exciting to see how the news room worked, with everyone running around and cameras running around by themselves. It has to be a pretty exciting, but pretty stressful job. I felt like a kid on the school field trip.

It was also fun to hear that people we don’t know saw it! Yesterday, Janice told me that she was talking to someone about the Ride for Life, and they said, "Oh, I just saw a woman on the news the other day talking about it……………!"

Summertime is Here!

It’s the longest day of the year! I always love summertime..…especially the warm weather and extra daylight. The summer is getting off to a great start.

The show season is continuing to go great. We are all really excited because, at the last show at Morven Park, Hilary and Furley won their First Third level class ever! (Furley’s first, not Hilary’s). As a matter of fact, with this score, Hilary has gotten her USDF Bronze Medal! You go Hilary! I am very proud of them both.

That weekend Judi rode Zivona and got

her first qualifying scores for the regional finals; she also did a fantastic job of riding Zivona - and

she has just barely turned 5. I also rode Norma Lynn’s horse, Floete; she got her first qualifying score for her mare performance test, in addition to qualifying for the BLMs. We hope she will get more 70% at Lexington in July!

Final Results from the NC CDI

The weekend ended with a bang! We got a 69.650 and 3rd place in the Intermediare I Freestyle.

I was excited about this, especially after our Intermediare I ride on Saturday, where Degas had a very uncharacteristic spook and we blew two scores. Our full pirouettes also weren't what I would like (nor the judges). We ended up getting a 63% in this class, and 9th place.

After studying my videos of the clinic with Nicole on Saturday night, I was happy we were able to refocus our efforts, improve our pirouettes (7s on both sides) and have a really nice freestyle.

Here are some pictures of the awards ceremony, as well as the best groom of the whole weekend!!

It was a great weekend overall, and I was really happy to have another chance to get out there on the 'small tour'. We ended the day with a celebration dinner with my Dad and sister.

You Never Look at a Tree the Same Way Again

We had a great night that I just had to share. Brian and I were on our way to the competitor?s party before the Grand Prix competition tonight, when we ran into THE CARAVAN FOR THE CURE!!!!

The Caravan for the cure is an awesome group from North Carolina who are raising money for breast cancer research in support of the Ride for Life. They are doing all kinds of fund raisers. For example they have had a schooling show, sold t-shirts and more!!! As you will see in the picture, we are all wearing Caravan For the Cure armbands which they are selling here at the Raleigh CDI. One woman said she made $106 from the armbands today. They wholeheartedly welcomed Brian and I and gave me an armband. The good groom that he is, Brian bought his own armband.

Later in the evening they found us, so they could give us the Caravan for the Cure T-Shirts. You will see those in the pictures also - front and back. If you were wondering what the pink writing is, you will have to buy a shirt. Just kidding?.. well, not, please buy a shirt!

The shirt says "Maryland is for Breasts"? oh, I mean crabs?The best part, is when we went back to the barn, and asked our neighbor to take our picture, she was so happy to see what we were all doing, that she shared her story about being an 11 year cancer survivor.

She told us several times through the story that after you go through that, you "never look at a tree the same way again". A good reminder to all of us to cherish each moment. She also encouraged all survivors to tell their stories, to give people hope. Giving people hope was the reason she loved this year's Ride for Life theme the "Celebration of Life".