Sorry everyone for not posting more consistently. I could make excuses about our busy lives, but I know the rest of the world is busy too, so I won't even try. I don't have much time left on this library computer, but I'll do my best to compress our update!
July 10-23 we had seven horses up at a huge horse show in Dorset, VT. There are 16 tents with 90 stalls each, plus truck-ins for the day, so each week there are over 2,000 horses from around the country (and some from Euroupe too) at this show. We had a lot of young ones, just getting used to the show atmosphere, as well as some more serious competitors. I showed the first week, placing 6th, 7th and 6th in three of our five classes with a horse who was just coming back to showing after a long break, so we were very happy. Galen did very well on her pony as well as several of the farm's ponies that she rode for Jamie (you have to be under 18 to show ponies). We are going back on Monday for the last two weeks, although we'll only have five or so horses there this time. You can see pictures on Galen's website - click on "Competitions" and then "Vermont Summer Festival."
My job has changed a little bit to focus less on management and more on horses, which I am very happy about. Currently I am doing 25 rides per week, which keeps me very busy, but is a lot of fun. Right now I have five young ones that I am starting. They range in age from 3-6, and none had ever been ridden before. I have about 10 rides on one, 4 rides on another, 2 rides on two more, and the last one I haven't ridden yet, as he's taking a little longer. I'm also still riding Annie and she continues to do well. We thought she was sold, but unfortunately the woman decided not to take her. :( I'm also working with a young thoroughbred mare, "Rosie," who Jamie rescued 1 1/2 years ago off the track. She's very pretty, and we took her up to the horse show so she could just learn how to deal with all the other horses and still be calm, realize she wasn't at the races, etc., and she did very well. We might show her sometime in the next two weeks. There are also several other training horses that I ride once or twice a week just to keep them in shape, and I'm enjoying and learning a lot from the wide variety of horses I get to work with.
Jamie and I also have a whole load of young training horses coming mid-August when we get back from the show, so we'll have plenty to keep us busy. Perhaps the biggest news that I can finally let out is that I'll be doing most of the riding with them, because Jamie is pregnant! She'll be 20 weeks at the beginning of September, so won't be able to ride much after that, so we'll be working together with her on the ground and me in the saddle.
Well, time to get back to the farm! I'll try to be better about updating.
Take care all,
Erin
