Back to Lessons

We're very happy to report that Stormy and Rachel are back into the regular lesson schedule.  Stormy had his first outside turnout on the 16th and was ecstatic to have the sunshine on his face, a paddock to run it and an audience to watch his adventures.  It was a great day!

Horse Insurance

It's that time of year when we need to renew Stormy's Life/Major Medical Insurance.  If you are a horse owner the best piece of advice given to me and shared with you,  is that,  if you cannot afford to replace your horse tommorrow - buy insurance.

Rachel's previous coach gave us that advice when we purchased Stormy.  Her comment was, if he broke his leg tommorrow and you had to replace him would you have the funds to do so??  NOT!! that purchase tapped out our resources!  Not much different than a human policy,  it renews each year and you have the option of increasing the value (or decreasing) based on the level of training your horse has attained.  In 5yrs we've increased the value of the policy twice. 

It's expensive, but, in the world of horses what isn't ? I'll gladly pay the price for some piece of mind.

Ride Em Cowgirl!

After 8 weeks of stall rest, Stormy is finally getting regular rides but just at the walk & trot.  He still hasn't been turned out and won't be,  until Rachel can ride him at the trot without all the drama he's been displaying.  He'll be turned out in the indoor arena first, where someone can keep an eye on him. Tendon boots and a small dose of tranquilizer will make it a safer adjustment to all that freedom.

His knee is totally sound but he's a wee bit stiff  from spending all that time in his stall.  Coach and rider are working him back into his regular routine slowly.  Currently he spends most of his time at the trot, crow hopping, shaking his head, bucking and generally being very sassy.  Rachel spends most of her time laughing at his antics and hanging on!

I caught him misbehaving in a couple of shots but since we were indoors the quality is not the best.  Rachel wouldn't allow me to use the flash....hmmm, I wonder why?

Equestrian All Star Grand Prix

Saturday the 3rd, we spent the entire day at ScotiaBank Place.  Rachel and I received excellent tickets/day pass for the Equestrian All Star Weekend from my better half.  The arena where we normally see our Ottawa Senators play was converted to an indoor jumping arena for 24 competitors. I would love to know how they're going to get all the footing cleaned up and off the ice surface! One of the parking lots in back of the arena was converted to temporary stabling and a loading dock was converted to a temporary warm-up ring.

It started with the 11:00am qualifier, followed at 2:00pm by the SuperDogs which was an absolute riot and then the final show jumping at 7:00pm. Unfortunately, my camera was not allowed into the arena since the lenses are removable and considered "professional". The pictures I did manage were taken with my mobile phone. My apologies for the quality.

The course was very tight with 11 jumping efforts at 1.5M and higher. Among the world-class champions who competed were Olympians Jay Hayes, Beth Underhill, John Anderson, and 2008 Silver Medal winning Olympic Team members Mac Cone, Ian Miller and Jonathan Asselin.   Hyde Moffat was "miked" and gave his opinion on what the difficulties in the course might be.

There was a new generation of riders including Ian Millar's own family, Amy and Jonathan Millar, David Arcand and Paul Halpern from Quebec, Tamie Phillips of Alberta, Gary Brewster from British Columbia and Keean White and Yann Candele from Ontario. Other local favourites that competed included Kanata's Karen Sparkes (daughter of local hi-tech mogul Terry Mathews) and Lauren Hunkin of Kemptville.

Both show jumping phases were won by Yann Candele, a magnificent rider and friendly, quiet man. (Rachel had the benefit of sharing an aisle at the Ottawa show with Yann, his horses and grooms). Amy Miller took 2nd and Karen Cudmore 3rd.

                                                               

At the end of the competition, all the riders came back into the arena and went around the rails signing autographs and posing for pictures. What great PR for the sport of show jumping!

Angela Covert Lawrence & a fan

Back in the Saddle

September 29th seen Rachel climb aboard Stormy for the first time in 5 1/2 weeks.  It was an adventure as he couldn't believe his good fortune and tried to take advantage of it whenever possible. He still hasn't been turned out, that will probably happen early next week but in the meantime he's enjoying his walk, trot around the indoor arena.

Today we're off to Scotiabank place for the Equestrian All Star Grand Prix at 11:00am & 7:00pm with a performance by the Superdogs at 2:00pm.  Should be a fun day and hopefully I might get a picture or two!

Almost there....

We're closing in on 5 weeks of stall rest for our restless boy.  Rachel took him for a walk in the indoor arena last evening and then for some grazing outside.  He was remarkably well behaved with only a couple of "freak outs".  Rachel is a pro at reading his body language and telling him (or asking him) to behave before it escalates. 

He was so happy to be outside and checking out all the other horses that were being worked in lessons and grazing in their paddocks.  By the time Monday rolls around she'll be able to walk him mounted, which will be a relief for all involved. 

We live approximately 40 minutes from the barn so we're lucky to have a great network of friends and Westar staff who have treated his knee when we haven't been able to get out there.  Many thanks to one and all!

Check Up

Today its been 3 weeks and a couple of days since Stormy strained his knee at the Ottawa Capital Classic. A checkup was scheduled for 9:00am today, so down the road to Kemptville and the OVLAC for an assessment.  Some friends think its hilarious that we would take our horse to the vet...instead of the vet coming to us. (not like putting your dog in the car and zipping down the road).

The advantage we have with taking Stormy to the clinic is we get instant results from the x-rays and a copy on CD to keep for future reference.

BIG improvement, still a little bit of swelling in the joint but nothing major.  X-Rays were taken again and the diagnosis was 75% healed, NO arthritis and little to no pain.  So, another 2 weeks of stall rest and hand walking only.  We're taking it slow and easy even though its frustrating for horse and rider. Its better to be cautious and ensure everything is well healed. 

Passing the Time

This week Rachel has been riding several different mounts in the barn.  One is the cutest large pony which arrived on Tuesday evening, a grey Welsh x QH who goes by the name "Martini". Make mine a double!!

Today Rachel attended a Silver level show at Ashland farm and rode "P Spice" for Westar Farms.  A lovely mare with just a wee bit of attitude!  (the horse and ok, sometimes the rider).  Rachel had one of her riding friends grooming for her, so Dad and I arrived when we wanted (not the ungodly hour of 6:30am) and watched 2 classes before departing for the golf course. 

The speed class was exciting with 8 riders advancing to the jump off.  Rachel and "P" won the class with a blistering pace of 33 seconds - a full 4 seconds faster than the 2nd place competitor.

It's Official!

It's official! Rachel posted the ad today to bigeq.com.  Mixed feelings all around but we're hoping for a good home for Stormy and a new challenge for Rachel....


My horse "The Perfect Storm" on Bigeq.com

Have a Ball!

Found in this month's Practical Horseman magazine - Have a Ball!  Reduce your horse's boredom or vices in a stall or run-in with the Equine Distraction Aid.  Slide carrots, apple slices or other favorite treats under the rope "sling" that encases the 10" diameter plastic and rubber ball to keep him entertained for hours.  Bungee cords allow you to hang at eye or mouth level.

I've got to find one of these because there's an angry and bored horse wanting desperately to get out of his stall and race around the paddock.  It hasn't even been a full week of stall rest yet and still another 2 to go!

Made with love by Dad

Early in the spring of 2005, my husband decided to attempt the project of making a "tack box" for our daughters equipment.  The barn she was in at the time,  had small cubbies for their day to day needs but larger amounts of space for tack boxes. He researched online for plans and consulted with the rider to make the final decision about the type (upright or chest), wood to use, color etc.  It was a big project but one he thoroughly enjoyed.  The box is made with oak which does make it a bit of a brute for moving around, however, it is on wheels.  I expect this box will last a lifetime and be a wonderful reminder of her father's love.

It's not always about the horse....

If you're thinking our life revolves around the daughter and her horse, you wouldn't be far from wrong. However, we do find time to watch our son play baseball or hockey, (he's totally NON-horsey) and occasionally we'll find something fun to do with the dog.

We try to travel in the "off season" or before show season starts so that usually means someplace warmer than Ottawa which is not too hard to take!  

Home from the show

For those who might be wondering, Rachel & Stormy left the show on Thursday (20th) after doing the 1.30M class. The class went beautifully with one rail down but after some "chill time" in his stall, Stormy seemed a little bit off. He's a precious commodity and not wanting to take any chances we packed him up, took him home and paid a visit to our vet - Dr. Larry Butler at OVLAC.

A knee strain was diagnosed which requires nothing special except for some R&R for a couple of weeks. We were greatly relieved because we were thinking of all the possibilities that could be wrong.

So, now the question is, how to entertain an athlete who is suppose to take it easy for 2 weeks?  Nothing more than hand walking for exercise allowed ....... I'm sure this will be good fodder for the blog, stay tuned!

CSI ** National Tournament

We're back at the Nepean Equestrian Center for the 2nd week of the National Capital Show Jumping Tournaments. Yesterday (19th), Rachel started with 1.20M Table A class to "warm up" and finished 11th out of a competitive field of 66 riders! In the afternoon the team competed in the 1.30 Jr/Am Table A and finished the course with 2 rails down. Coach and rider were very pleased with the result!

Today is the 1.30M, Jr/Am Table A Speed in the morning and a 1.20M, $2500 Table A Speed CLC in the afternoon.

$3500 Jr/Am 1.30M Classic

Today was the $3500 Jr/Am 1.30M Grand Prix. All week horse and rider have struggled with rails (at one point Rachel referred to herself as a "lumberjack" for all the wood she was laying down) but today it all came together. Although not a clean round, it was very well ridden and the effort put in by the little guy with the big heart was second to none. We couldn't have been more pleased with the result.

Rachel & Stormy received tips from Gillian Henselwood which were much appreciated and special thanks to Jeff McKessock for laying the groundwork with his ongoing coaching and support.

Kudo's to the show organizers who excused jackets because of the extreme heat and humidity.

We've gone back to the farm for a few days of R&R but will be back at the show on the 19th!

Did you pack ....

Every time we go to a show, there's a plethora of "stuff" we take along. For the next 2 weeks we're showing in our own backyard at the National Capital Show Jumping Tournament, which is approximately 20 minutes from Westar Farms. Distance from home didn't seem to matter as we managed to bring just about everything except for the kitchen sink. Here's an abbreviated list, no wonder we needed a truck!

For the horse;

• 40kg grain (Stormy eats approx 5kg of grain per day)
• 5 bales hay (more will come from the farm tomorrow)
• 4 bags shavings (another 2 will come tomorrow)
• 2 water buckets
• feed bucket
• bath supplies – shampoo, sponge, scraper, Ventrolin
• wash bucket
• 8 saddle pads
• 2 half pads
• 2 bits (loose ring snaffle & Sprenger KK Conrad Ultra Universal bit)
• 2 types of reins – rubber and woven
• martingale
• bridle
• saddle
• 2 different style of crops
• 2 pair of spurs (different sizes)
• corks
• 2 different pairs of horse boots
• fly spray
• grooming supplies (brushes, show sheen, hoof pic, hoof oil)
• 2 fly veils
• fly sheet
• sweat sheet
• towels
• 2 lead ropes & halter
• saddle rack
• tack cleaning equipment
• 4 prong tack hook
• S brackets
• zip ties
• stall guard
• horse treats

Almost all of the above fits very nicely into a "customized" large Stanley tool trunk. Great trunks which are lightweight, durable and customized with horse & riders name and the Westar Logo. Once the horse is looked after then there's the riders necessities!

• 2 helmets
• hairnets
• 2 pair of gloves
• boot socks
• tall boots
• sunscreen
• change of clothes
• lawn chair
• water, water & more water
• snacks
• wet wipes

And of course, must not forget the skip and pitchfork for mucking the stall!

National Capital Show Jumping Tournament

The end of the season is drawing near but not before two weeks showing in our own backyard. Hayes Co. has brought show jumping back to the Nepean Equestrian Center for the 2nd year and we're thrilled to have such a quality show just down the road. A great place to visit not only for the competition but also great shopping and dinning. If you get the chance, stop by the park for some great entertainment! Pictures will follow shortly.

We're enjoying a long weekend in Niagara and are very excited for our trip back to Ottawa tommorrow. We have appointments at two farms in the King City area. Kingridge Stable & Gimcrack Equestrian Center have young horses which may be a possibility to replace our current horse. I hope to have pictures and video uploaded over the next few days.

Horse Transport

At the end of last season, after paying for transport to 13 shows we thought we'd take the plunge and purchase our own trailer. Might as well be paying ourselves for shipping, putting the equity back into our own investment. We had several requirements and being totally new at this, we did our research.

1. Must be light weight enough to be pulled by a V6 (cost of gas in 2008 was ridiculous)


2. Had to be easy to tow - no or little swaying from passing transports.


3. Easy enough for me - a total "newbie" to hook up, load the horse and unload.


4. Reasonably priced , since we also had to upgrade our vehicle for towing.

In the end we decided on a Bockmann Duo which is suitable for a horse up to 17h. We're absolutely thrilled with our choice! All of our criteria was met and the folks at Maple Lane Trailers were exceptionally helpful. We always have people stopping us at the shows to ask about the trailer and we're quite happy to give our recommendation and a tour. So if you see us, don't be shy about asking for more details.

Time to Shop

It's a bittersweet time. The decision has been made to look for a new horse capable of taking the rider to the higher levels. The goal of reaching the 1.30M level has been reached with a double clear and a 6th place finish at Classique Internationale de Blainville. Horse and rider will maintain at this level but he's just a little guy (with alot of heart), so its time to shop around.

Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day I received a Gift Certificate which entitled me to,

One (1) lesson on "The Perfect Storm", authorized by Rachel.

Of course it came with conditions:

• 
  
  Lesson to be taught by Rachel and will consist of exercises and instruction pre-approved by Rachel.
  
  
  
• 
  
  All of Rachel's instruction must be followed at all times to ensure safety for horse, rider and instructor.
  
  
  
• 
  
  The outfit to be worn during the lesson must be approved by Rachel.
  
  
  
• 
  
  The lesson will take place on a Sunday during nice weather.
  
  
  

Unfortunately, for those of us living in rainy Ontario, nice weather just wasn't happening so we used the indoor arena. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was nervous I might "break" Stormy and Rachel was nervous he might break me, but all in all it was a great experience. Notice his white eyeball trying to figure out who the lump is sitting on his back !

Thanks Rachel & Stormy!

Success is Sweet!

1.20M Jr/Am Champion

BEAULIEU'S SUMMER CLASSICS II was a sweet weekend for success. Not only was the horse and rider Reserve Champion in the 1.15M division, they were also Champions of the 1.20M Jr/Am division, 2nd in the 1.20M Speed Derby and a 4th in the CET Medal class.

Good Company

Half the fun of going to a horse show is the company you keep. We're very fortunate to have some great families and friends doing the "A" circuit with us. We commiserate, celebrate, help one another with morning feed, night feed, mucking and generally have an awesome time together!