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