Are you ready?

Are the horses ready? Are they riders ready? Have we forgotten anything? Yes to all three ... but we hope if we have forgotten anything that it is minor. We have packed the saddles and bridles, our dressage and jumping attire, the beverages and bug spray. The jack russell terriers are loaded into the car. This can only mean one thing ...

We are on the road to King Oak Farm for our 2009 Season Opener!

During our one and only stop enroute to Western Massachusetts, we saw one of our eventing friends who was just as excited as we are. This was just one of many eventing friends we hope to reunite with during this busy weekend of eventing.

Sue will be pushing Hershey (The Game Plan) this weekend at Preliminary in preparation for his first Intermediate Level Horse Trial in 2 weeks.

Emily will pick up where she left off on Billy (Bully for Billy) at Training Level as she gets ready for the training level 1/2 star, 3 day event at GMHA in July.

Once we arrive at King Oak we'll still need to prepare the stalls, walk the cross country courses, and set up camp before dark. Sure hope the riders can settle down enough to get a good nights rest before the 7:30 AM dressage test begins.

Great Bay Riders - HAVE A GREAT RIDE at King Oak Farm!

Season Opening: Training at Ledyard

As the riders of Great Bay Farm take the 2 hour ride to Ledyard Farm in Massachusetts to school cross country for the first time this season, the excitement of the upcoming show at King Oak Farm grows! It's a beautiful day and the footing should be great for practicing the basics: banks, ditches, water, galloping on terrain, and doing what event horses & riders LOVE!


With the squatty squad (which includes 2 children under the age of 10 and 3 Jack Russell Terriers) in tow, we left Great Bay Farm on schedule at 9:45 AM so we would be back before the "riders up" of the Kentucky Derby. The dedication of the riders and their "supporting crew" is undying and we are all looking forward to the day - the first show at King Oak - and the excitement of the 2009 Eventing Season.

UPDATE:
At 3:30, we are all headed back toward Maine after a very thorough day of schooling. We started out trotting smaller jumps, advancing to larger jumps and working with related distances. All the horses were brave and the riders feel they are ready for the season opener next weekend at King Oak Farm.

(photos and video to be loaded upon our arrival home!)

Now we're racing home to see the start of the Kentucky Derby! Until next weekend ...

HAVE A GREAT RIDE!

The Game Plan: Completing His First CCI*

Time always goes so fast during an event, especially at a 3-day event.

Hershey (The Game Plan) was the perfect gentleman on cross country. He did everything EXACTLY as I told him too. Unfortunately, I didn't slow him down enough as I approached a combination and I caused a run-out. It was my fault ... sorry Hershey.

It was jump # 17 (A & B); we were having a great, clean round on the entirely flat course designed by Captain Mark Phillips. 16 of the previous 18 jump efforts on the course were BIG oxers. Not having any terrain or technical issues to negotiate earlier in the course, I got caught up in the moment and the moment got away from me.

It's hard to travel this far to be reminded of the important lesson ... ALWAYS RIDE EVERY JUMP. Preparation for each jump has got to be based upon the obstacles both preceding and following, as well as the terrain. I realized my mistake as soon as we left the ground over 17A, but it was too late to negotiate the turn safely. That is the personal responsibility that we are hearing so much about these days.

We didn't take home a ribbon, but we left happy eventers. Here's why:

1. Hershey (The Game Plan) was willing and fit enough to easily complete this one star event.
2. We got to visit with our old southern eventing friends.
3. We were reminded of the all-important lesson: ride every jump.

As black jack (the newest Great Bay Farm JRT in training) and I head back north for a winter break, Hershey will stay down south to continue working toward the goal of an Intermediate Horse Trial next Spring/Summer.

Until then ... HAVE A GREAT RIDE!

From The Florida Fall International 3-Day Event & H.T.

Hershey (The Game Plan) and I are down in Florida, where the weather is very warm. There are 40+ competitors in the division as we start Hershey's first CCI* event. After dressage, we are sitting in 6th place. He was definitely up for this challenge and we are excited about the cross country phase tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on this blog as the event continues.

5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... HAVE A GREAT RIDE!

Area 1 Season Comes to a Close

As our Area 1 Season came to an close here at the UNH Fall Horse Trials, we are happy to report that it ended with a ribbon for everyone! Despite the rain the the impending threats of a hurricane off the Atlantic Coast, the Great Bay Riders rose to the occassion - and beyond the muddy cross country course - and had a fantastic 2 days! Congratulations to Team Great Bay on a fantastic season! From here, Emily & Billy will enjoy some down time while Hershey makes a trip down south for the winter. Watch for the Gameplan in November in the Area 2 & 3 circuit ... one of which will be his first one star event in Florida.

Until then ... HAVE A GREAT RIDE!

TD - A Thankless Job

One thing we don't think about often enough is the difficult job the Technical Delegates have at the USEA Sanctioned Events. I was surprised to observe the TD today in action with multiple riders approaching her with disputes during the 30 minutes after initial posting of results. Not to say you shouldn't dispute something if you feel there is an error - you should. But some of these people were attacking the poor woman! We all take our sport very seriously and it is a very emotional, adrenalin filled weekend. We all should keep in mind that the TDs are there to help us. They are always more apt to listen if you are kind and appreciative rather than going in and immediately pointing a finger. As the old saying goes - you get more flies with honey than vinegar. So this team of eventers would like to THANK all the TDs that watch over our sport, to keep it safe for horse and rider, and for doing the best they can at keeping a fair playing field.

OK - so enough with the lecture ... on to the important stuff ... WE WON!!

The Game Plan (Hershey) and Susan took home a 1st place ribbon and award in the Open Preliminary Division. This is only Hershey's third preliminary event and he performed like a veteran. Right from the start of dressage warm-up, Susan felt it was going to be a good test. Sure enough, with a 32.1 they were at the top of the pack. A couple of rails in stadium didn't stop them from going clean and fast on cross country to bring home the blue ribbon.

See you at our season close event - UNH!

On The Road Again

Finally! The posse is back together and we are on our way to an event. It has been TOO LONG! We are on our way to the Fall King Oak Horse Trials with 2 riders and their horses, 1 show mom and 3 squatty dogs in tow. After Great Bay Farm's unscheduled break due to truck issues, weather issues, and family emergencies, we're looking for a great ride, even with tropical storm Hanna threatening to hit the coastline this weekend. With the price of gas going up, we are camping at the show. Emily and Debbie will try a tent while Sue will stay in the trailer. Watch for our blog on the way home to see how it all turns out.

Have a Great Ride at King Oak!