It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, but I’ve been sort of non-stop since I got back from Italy. I’m still working on a blog post about that (procrastinate much?), but for now, let’s talk about the horses!

I finally got my new Black Country jump saddle two weeks ago and I’m loving it so far. Miraculously, it works on both horses. For Bear, it goes straight on over the saddle pad and Oh So just needs a shim pad, like he does for every saddle, no matter how good the fit, due to a hollow behind his withers.

I’ve had a couple of cross-country schoolings in it with Bear and he seems to like it. He was very good in our school with Lisa a week and a half ago at Gordonsdale. It had been a month since he’d been out due to his bruise and he picked right up on it.

I took him again on Sunday to Morningside and even though he was alone, he was very good. We popped over a few jumps, a ditch and went into the water and over a log into water without any peeks.

I felt like I had a better feel for him up and down the hills too, which the saddle is definitely helping with.

I’ve been really busy over the last 2 weeks because my parents were out of town and I had to take care of everything at home.

I decided to take Oh So to Morningside on the 19th and do two first level tests, but that was a pretty bad idea! He’d had a couple of bad rides before and I’m not sure why I thought it would be better at a show?

He warmed up ok on the polo field, but once I got up to the ring and had to disrupt our rhythm to wait for our turn, I lost him. Add the fact that we were the last ride of the day and there were no horses left and it was pretty awful. The judge appeared in a rush, so I just scratched my last test and schooled in the ring a bit, but he was pretty wound up, so I didn’t really have him where I wanted him by the end.

I have him entered in an evening schooling show in a couple of weeks, so I’m hoping that will be a bit better.

My plan for the weekend is to take Bear to a jump lesson and take Oh So for a moderate cross-country schooling and hill work.

Here’s a video of Bear warming up over some jumps at Morningside on Sunday and Oh So schooling at home yesterday.

Last week I took Tuesday off to go to Warped Tour in Columbia, Md., at Merriweather Post Pavillion. It was my 11th year going and I felt really old, but I always have a good time!

On Saturday and Sunday I covered the World Equestrian Games Prep Trials at Great Meadow. I drive by Great Meadow twice a day everyday and it’s been ages since I competed at the CDCTA Horse Trials there, so it was fun to see eventing return.

Memories came flooding back of my time there with Sam and the places were we got eliminated! Everything looked a little smaller though for sure, like the stone wall/coffin area and the main water jump.

I remember going to watch the old CCI** there and the 2002 WEG Selection Trials with David O’Connor on Custom Made and Amy Tryon on Poggio.There’s a lot of history there and I guess if I’ll never be able to ride there again, I’m glad that future team riders will be.

It was fun to see all the team riders together in one place and the atmosphere was electric with thousands of fans.

Here’s my coverage – Dressage, Show Jumping, Cross-Country.