Lana and I drove down to California last weekend, arriving in beautiful Murrieta on Saturday afternoon. The new truck is just amazing and pulls that trailer like a boss. Definitely made the trip down smoother and less stressful! We settled into the beautiful and relaxing environment here at Hinnemann Farms where Victor, Bolero and I have been getting some pre-show tune ups from Leslie (Reid).
My first lesson with Victor was a great study on how important the basic work is. We did walk-trot-walk transitions mostly and worked on getting him more supple and consistently in front of the leg. Yup, all those pesky basics that riders have to constantly work to improve! The work did significantly improve his ridability and way of going and he has been so much lighter and more forward since then. Today we were able to translate this work into the more advanced movements.
Bolero has grown up a lot since his first trips here to California. He is much more settled and less goofy, although he still is very nervous and spooky "hacking" around the property. He's never quite sure if something behind a rock might try to get him. Interestingly the llamas next door don't bother him at all. But a rock!! Or a dark spot on the ground!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Arrival in rainy Florida!
Yesterday Victor and I flew from Ontario to Palm Beach, Florida. The flight was relatively uneventful (once you've flown with horses, it becomes less of a "big deal"), although we did have some turbulence coming into Florida with all the storms here. Once on the ground at the airport we took a horse transport van to the show grounds, which was only about a 30 minute drive from the airport. We flew over with most of the rest of the west coast Grand Prix horses, Steffen's two horses Legolas and Rosamunde, Guenter and Zero Gravity, Charlotte Jorst and Nintendo, Kim McGrath and Winslow, and Tracey Lert and Udo. Most of the riders had grooms that flew with their horses and they flew separately although both Kim and Tracey were on the flight with me.
It has been dumping rain pretty much since we arrived. Today we even had wind gusts up to 30 or 40 mph. However, unlike the Pacific NW, it is remarkably warm outside, about 75 degrees or so. Naturally it is quite humid here and that has been an adjustment. I'm glad we had that short time in California to at least acclimate to the heat (versus Boise in December, which was a high of 23 when we left).
Victor traveled well although I could tell he was a little worried when he first got on the plane. All of the horses loaded very easily. It is always surprising how well the horses handle such a strange situation (loading up a ramp onto a very noisy plane), but even the rookie horses loaded fine. I suspect they ride better on the plane than they do on most horse trailers, once it gets to cruising altitude, as the ride is generally very smooth and quiet.
Victor ate ok on the plane although not super well. The horses always get off a long trip like that looking a little gaunt and drawn up, which typically goes away after they get rehydrated. He immediately started eating and drinking when we put him in his stall. Today he looked much better although I only hand walked him since I thought he could use a rest day.
It has been dumping rain pretty much since we arrived. Today we even had wind gusts up to 30 or 40 mph. However, unlike the Pacific NW, it is remarkably warm outside, about 75 degrees or so. Naturally it is quite humid here and that has been an adjustment. I'm glad we had that short time in California to at least acclimate to the heat (versus Boise in December, which was a high of 23 when we left).
Victor traveled well although I could tell he was a little worried when he first got on the plane. All of the horses loaded very easily. It is always surprising how well the horses handle such a strange situation (loading up a ramp onto a very noisy plane), but even the rookie horses loaded fine. I suspect they ride better on the plane than they do on most horse trailers, once it gets to cruising altitude, as the ride is generally very smooth and quiet.
Victor ate ok on the plane although not super well. The horses always get off a long trip like that looking a little gaunt and drawn up, which typically goes away after they get rehydrated. He immediately started eating and drinking when we put him in his stall. Today he looked much better although I only hand walked him since I thought he could use a rest day.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Flying to Florida tomorrow!!!
Everything is pretty much set for our flight to Florida tomorrow. After riding this morning I repacked everything and got it all organized for our trip. I try to pack as minimally as possible when on a plane ride, partly because they don't like you taking tons of stuff and partly because I don't like having to keep track of that much stuff anyway. I managed to condense my saddle, bridles, various blankets, wraps, extra towels, various grooming equipment, my show clothes, and other miscellaneous items into one large tack trunk. I also have a small container with pre-made grain baggies for the trip, a couple chairs, my boots, a large tote with saddle pads, another tote with my show coat and helmet and a spare set of boots (in case of zipper crisis), my braiding box, a muck bucket packed with a feed bin, a couple water buckets, various small buckets and washing equipment, a manure fork, my whip, a couple suitcases with clothes and toiletries and a partridge in a pear tree LOL. I also make sure to bring a list of everything I put on the plane, so I can check it off and make sure I pick everything up.
We are supposed to arrive at the airline gate tomorrow at 5am, so Amanda and I are planning on leaving W Farms at 4:15am. Ontario is actually pretty close, only about 30 minutes away, but it's a good idea to plan in some extra time. The weather is going to be cold on the plane, once we get in the air, so Victor will travel in a cooler topped with a lightweight blanket. I always put a pair of bell-boots on him although I'm not sure it's really necessary. Makes me feel better though.
We should arrive in Palm Beach International around 3:30pm. According to Lana it is hot in Florida right now (about 80 degrees) and very wet. It is forecast to rain quite a bit over the next few days, but it's supposed to hover between 70 and 80 most of the time. Yuck!! Hot, humid, and raining! Good thing we had a few days here in California to at least get used to the heat again, if not the humidity. Yesterday it was 23 in Boise!
My next post will be from (sunny, or not) Florida!!
We are supposed to arrive at the airline gate tomorrow at 5am, so Amanda and I are planning on leaving W Farms at 4:15am. Ontario is actually pretty close, only about 30 minutes away, but it's a good idea to plan in some extra time. The weather is going to be cold on the plane, once we get in the air, so Victor will travel in a cooler topped with a lightweight blanket. I always put a pair of bell-boots on him although I'm not sure it's really necessary. Makes me feel better though.
We should arrive in Palm Beach International around 3:30pm. According to Lana it is hot in Florida right now (about 80 degrees) and very wet. It is forecast to rain quite a bit over the next few days, but it's supposed to hover between 70 and 80 most of the time. Yuck!! Hot, humid, and raining! Good thing we had a few days here in California to at least get used to the heat again, if not the humidity. Yesterday it was 23 in Boise!
My next post will be from (sunny, or not) Florida!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Day 1 of brief CA stay en route to Florida
Yesterday Todd and I drove to California from Boise in one straight shot. For those of you familiar with the Nevada routes we took 93 south through Wells and Ely, dropping into Las Vegas to pick up the 15, then to Chino Hills. The trip had a very cold start, with temps in the single digits (we even hit -1 at one point!!) all through eastern Idaho and much of northern Nevada. There was a ton of snow on the ground in that area as well (from a storm that went through 4 days ago) but none on the roads. It was a very smooth and uneventful trip, always the best kind!
Today Victor and I had a well-deserved rest day at W Farms. Thanks again to David and Alisa Wilson and Amanda Olson for taking great care of us and allowing us to stay at their farm for a few days!! Although Victor always travels well I could tell he was tired. 15 hours in a trailer will do that to any horse He spent much of the day napping although I did hand-walk him a little so he could stretch his legs. Tomorrow I will put him back to work.
The weather here in Southern California was fabulous today, with highs in the low to mid 70s, sunny with a light breeze. Such a change from up north!! It's also a nice transition for both of us to the much warmer (and more humid) Florida climate.
I'm feeling better about the whole trip now that the first travel leg is over. Trips like this are a huge, stressful undertaking with all the logistics, expenses, and travel, not to mention getting the training were you want it and keeping the horse healthy and fit throughout all the training, travel, and intense competition. I worried about the trip down to California for a while because weather this time of year can be very dicey. Now that it's over at least a partial load has been lifted off my shoulders!
We fly out of Ontario on Friday morning. So we have a few days to rest up before we make the trek across the country. Luckily this part of the trip will be at 35,000 feet, so although it will still be very cold (like our trip through Nevada), at least it will be quick relative to its length!
Today Victor and I had a well-deserved rest day at W Farms. Thanks again to David and Alisa Wilson and Amanda Olson for taking great care of us and allowing us to stay at their farm for a few days!! Although Victor always travels well I could tell he was tired. 15 hours in a trailer will do that to any horse He spent much of the day napping although I did hand-walk him a little so he could stretch his legs. Tomorrow I will put him back to work.
The weather here in Southern California was fabulous today, with highs in the low to mid 70s, sunny with a light breeze. Such a change from up north!! It's also a nice transition for both of us to the much warmer (and more humid) Florida climate.
I'm feeling better about the whole trip now that the first travel leg is over. Trips like this are a huge, stressful undertaking with all the logistics, expenses, and travel, not to mention getting the training were you want it and keeping the horse healthy and fit throughout all the training, travel, and intense competition. I worried about the trip down to California for a while because weather this time of year can be very dicey. Now that it's over at least a partial load has been lifted off my shoulders!
We fly out of Ontario on Friday morning. So we have a few days to rest up before we make the trek across the country. Luckily this part of the trip will be at 35,000 feet, so although it will still be very cold (like our trip through Nevada), at least it will be quick relative to its length!
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Leaving tomorrow for CA en route to Florida!!
So tomorrow is the start of the grand journey. Fifteen hours south through Nevada to W Farms in California, where Victor and I will stay for a few days before we fly to Florida. And not too soon, as the last couple days highs here in Boise have only reached the mid-20s. Yuck. My toes and fingers are frozen. It will be quite the shock to be in 80 degree weather!
I've taken care of a few loose ends as far as logistics go (aka, I should probably stay somewhere while I'm in California!). Today Lana and I packed up the trailer and figured out what all needed to travel to Florida versus what would be used in California, etc. I loaded up some extra hay and shavings yesterday and made a few notes about arrangements to make while I'm in CA (namely, order hay and shavings for Florida). I also went through my wardrobe and tried to figure out what to pack. I'm going from mid-20s here in Idaho (and just as cold through most of Nevada), to upper 60s-low 70s in California with a "frost-warning" (whatever that is, from my perspective in Idaho it seems silly), to a cold flight to Florida (those cargo planes are freezing cold), to highs in the 80s-lows in the upper 60s in Florida itself. So I pretty much packed everything I own LOL.
Victor has been doing very well. Some issues that I've spent the past year trying to resolve have all the sudden come together in the past week. Good timing I suppose! Not to say I will be able to translate that into a significantly improved test but we will give it out best shot. The piaffe has been a little hit or miss lately although everything else is significantly better. I did discover his piaffe is better when he is well connected versus when I try to ride him longer or looser within it.
The journey tomorrow should be pretty easy. Luckily for us there are no major storms going through Nevada or California and the last snowfall was last Wednesday. So plenty of time for those roads to clear out. Looking forward to making it to California safe and sound.
I've taken care of a few loose ends as far as logistics go (aka, I should probably stay somewhere while I'm in California!). Today Lana and I packed up the trailer and figured out what all needed to travel to Florida versus what would be used in California, etc. I loaded up some extra hay and shavings yesterday and made a few notes about arrangements to make while I'm in CA (namely, order hay and shavings for Florida). I also went through my wardrobe and tried to figure out what to pack. I'm going from mid-20s here in Idaho (and just as cold through most of Nevada), to upper 60s-low 70s in California with a "frost-warning" (whatever that is, from my perspective in Idaho it seems silly), to a cold flight to Florida (those cargo planes are freezing cold), to highs in the 80s-lows in the upper 60s in Florida itself. So I pretty much packed everything I own LOL.
Victor has been doing very well. Some issues that I've spent the past year trying to resolve have all the sudden come together in the past week. Good timing I suppose! Not to say I will be able to translate that into a significantly improved test but we will give it out best shot. The piaffe has been a little hit or miss lately although everything else is significantly better. I did discover his piaffe is better when he is well connected versus when I try to ride him longer or looser within it.
The journey tomorrow should be pretty easy. Luckily for us there are no major storms going through Nevada or California and the last snowfall was last Wednesday. So plenty of time for those roads to clear out. Looking forward to making it to California safe and sound.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Pre-trip preparations continue
Today we had the joy of our first snow here in Boise. Temps have been in the high 30s, low 40s during the day and into the 20s at night. It's supposed to get even colder over the next few days, with lows potentially in the single digits and highs in the low 30s. One of my concerns with this trip to Florida is the drastic weather change. Boise is very arid (low humidity) and right now pretty cold. Florida is very humid (I think around 80 percent, depending) and yesterday the high in Wellington was almost 80 degrees. That's fantastic if you're going on vacation but not fantastic if you are making a long-distance trip to compete in a horse show that requires tremendous amounts of energy from horse and rider. We do have the advantage of going from 2500 feet to sea level (although I've never actually thought of that as that much of an advantage).
To compensate I've been working the crap out of poor Victor. Past couple days have been majorly intense, so that hopefully we can ease up a little when we get to Florida and (outside of the necessary acclimation period) things will be much lighter and therefore easier. After two days of super intense work, I expected him to be a little tired today so I only lunged him. Instead he was spunky and full of himself, which is a very good sign that his fitness levels are quite high (I'm sure the new snow helped too).
Also, in addition to his usual grass hay 3 times a day, I added 1 flake of alfalfa at lunch and I've also started adding a second flake at dinner. Plus he gets a large scoop of Purina ultium at lunch (in addition to 2 cups of rice bran). I also give him 2 cups of beet pulp (soaked, obviously) and another 2 cups of rice bran with the beet pulp around 3pm. I suspect I could even add another flake of alfalfa at breakfast. If he were sedentary he'd gain weight so fast he'd look like a thelwell pony!
Ernie came out to the barn on Monday to spot Victor and I and give me some pointers, as I've been a little nervous about heading down there without my usual ground help. You have to understand that the man is not even a week out of knee-replacement surgery (last Tuesday). He is the epitome of tough. And supportive!
I am pretty much ready for my trip outside of packing everything. I have a coggins and health certificate (for both Florida and California), my FEI passport is up-to-date (and with me), I have my musical freestyle CDs (although I should probably run through that one more time), I have my wardrobe figured out, I have my flight and drive to California planned, I have my hotel, groom and rental car for Florida arranged. Horse is clipped, although I should probably pull his mane to make him a little more presentable LOL. Mostly I just need to get everything put together that needs to travel with us to California and then on to Florida.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I've not been thinking much about the holiday itself, although I will spend it with friends this year as I can't make the trip back to Portland when I leave Monday for my trip. As I go through this Thanksgiving weekend though I am thankful for the ability to do all of this silly horse-show related stuff that I do. I am thankful to my support crew, including my fantastic clients, vet, farrier, trainers, and of course, my mom and dad, without whom none of this would be possible. Even though they think it is silly LOL.
To compensate I've been working the crap out of poor Victor. Past couple days have been majorly intense, so that hopefully we can ease up a little when we get to Florida and (outside of the necessary acclimation period) things will be much lighter and therefore easier. After two days of super intense work, I expected him to be a little tired today so I only lunged him. Instead he was spunky and full of himself, which is a very good sign that his fitness levels are quite high (I'm sure the new snow helped too).
Also, in addition to his usual grass hay 3 times a day, I added 1 flake of alfalfa at lunch and I've also started adding a second flake at dinner. Plus he gets a large scoop of Purina ultium at lunch (in addition to 2 cups of rice bran). I also give him 2 cups of beet pulp (soaked, obviously) and another 2 cups of rice bran with the beet pulp around 3pm. I suspect I could even add another flake of alfalfa at breakfast. If he were sedentary he'd gain weight so fast he'd look like a thelwell pony!
Ernie came out to the barn on Monday to spot Victor and I and give me some pointers, as I've been a little nervous about heading down there without my usual ground help. You have to understand that the man is not even a week out of knee-replacement surgery (last Tuesday). He is the epitome of tough. And supportive!
I am pretty much ready for my trip outside of packing everything. I have a coggins and health certificate (for both Florida and California), my FEI passport is up-to-date (and with me), I have my musical freestyle CDs (although I should probably run through that one more time), I have my wardrobe figured out, I have my flight and drive to California planned, I have my hotel, groom and rental car for Florida arranged. Horse is clipped, although I should probably pull his mane to make him a little more presentable LOL. Mostly I just need to get everything put together that needs to travel with us to California and then on to Florida.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I've not been thinking much about the holiday itself, although I will spend it with friends this year as I can't make the trip back to Portland when I leave Monday for my trip. As I go through this Thanksgiving weekend though I am thankful for the ability to do all of this silly horse-show related stuff that I do. I am thankful to my support crew, including my fantastic clients, vet, farrier, trainers, and of course, my mom and dad, without whom none of this would be possible. Even though they think it is silly LOL.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
The Road to the Festival of Champions
Victor and I capped off his first year at International Grand Prix with an invitation to the Festival of Champions, to be held December 9-13 in Wellington, Florida. This is one of the most prestigious dressage competitions in the United States. For many years this competition was used as the selection trials for the major championships (WEG, Olympics, Pan-Am games, etc), although they have altered in the selection procedures in recent years. Scores have to be earned at CDIs throughout the year, and then riders are ranked and the top 15 riders are invited. Just to earn an invitation is a HUGE honor.
However, I was originally going to sit this one out because of the distances and logistics (and finances!!) involved. Boise, Idaho, to Wellington, Florida?? In December? That's probably about as far across the country as one can travel (it would only be further if I lived in the Seattle area) and during a really horrible time of year for traveling (with winter encroaching). In the end my ambition and sense of adventure (??) overruled reason and I decided to make the trip.
Victor and I leave a week from tomorrow (Monday, Nov 30) to drive to Southern California with our chauffeur Todd Fears. Normally I just drive myself (and when I say myself, I mean ME) but this time I was pretty worried about the weather. Nevada can be fine in the winter or it can be downright nasty. Todd was chosen for this job because he is a bad-ass truck driver, who runs the night-shift 5 days a week, driving a triple-trailer Semi for FedEx back and forth between Boise and Hermiston. All year long. If you've ever driven down the famous Cabbage Hill at any time of year, you know it is really, really horrid and especially at night. In snow and ice. And wind. In a triple trailer. So he's ok to drive my horse trailer LOL.
We'll have a few days layover at the ever-wonderful W Farms crew (thank you David, Alisa and Amanda!!) who have so graciously allowed Victor and I to stay at the farm before our flight leaves Friday, December 4th. Victor and I will fly out of the Ontario airport at o-dark-hundred and arrive in West Palm Beach later that day. From there we'll be trucked to Global (the show facility). The jog is the following Tuesday, the GP on Wednesday, the GPS on Thursday, and the GP freestyle on Saturday. Our flight returns Sunday, December 13 and Todd and I will drive back on Monday the 14th. So it will be a whirlwind trip!
I decided to fly him because it is much, much easier on Victor and I, plus I got some financial help to make it more feasible. I actually looked at driving to Florida, and even had a route penciled out. I knew there was NO WAY I was driving across Wyoming in the winter (I've heard far too many horror stories to even consider it), so I mapped a route south through Nevada, into Arizona, through New Mexico, Texas, right through the deep south into Florida. The theory being that the weather would likely be better on that route (of course, right after I looked at this Hurricane Patricia happened and Texas flooded). It was a 5 day trip, with 10-12 hour days. That's assuming you drive straight through and don't stop for a day or so to recover. I looked at that and said "NO". No way. I wasn't going if I had to drive there. Particularly not during the winter!
The past few weeks have been crazy-busy with pre-trip preparations. As far as the training goes I've been getting Victor back up to full-intensity GP mode (he had most of the month of September off and was ridden lightly in early October). I want him super fit before leaving because I know the travel and show will take some out of him. Although luckily he's generally a very easy traveler. I've also beefed up his feed to try and put some extra weight on him, since he will inevitably lose some in transit. Today he also got rid of the yak costume that disguises the International GP superstar. This time of year he puts on so much hair that I sometimes call him my dressage yak. Thanks Aly for clipping him! Victor looks much more the part now after his clip job and he probably lost 50 pounds. Time to feed him more LOL.
I still haven't packed anything yet but I did make a list of stuff to bring. On an airplane they generally don't like you bringing tons of stuff (not that I do anyway), plus since I'll have to keep track of it without my horse trailer I like to pack as light as possible. My trusty groom Lana has helped immensely by researching hotels, making reservations, and taking care of some logistics. We're unfortunately staying near the Palm Beach airport (about 20-30 minutes from the show grounds) because Wellington is amazingly expensive. It should work out just fine, although I'd rather be closer.
However, I was originally going to sit this one out because of the distances and logistics (and finances!!) involved. Boise, Idaho, to Wellington, Florida?? In December? That's probably about as far across the country as one can travel (it would only be further if I lived in the Seattle area) and during a really horrible time of year for traveling (with winter encroaching). In the end my ambition and sense of adventure (??) overruled reason and I decided to make the trip.
Victor and I leave a week from tomorrow (Monday, Nov 30) to drive to Southern California with our chauffeur Todd Fears. Normally I just drive myself (and when I say myself, I mean ME) but this time I was pretty worried about the weather. Nevada can be fine in the winter or it can be downright nasty. Todd was chosen for this job because he is a bad-ass truck driver, who runs the night-shift 5 days a week, driving a triple-trailer Semi for FedEx back and forth between Boise and Hermiston. All year long. If you've ever driven down the famous Cabbage Hill at any time of year, you know it is really, really horrid and especially at night. In snow and ice. And wind. In a triple trailer. So he's ok to drive my horse trailer LOL.
We'll have a few days layover at the ever-wonderful W Farms crew (thank you David, Alisa and Amanda!!) who have so graciously allowed Victor and I to stay at the farm before our flight leaves Friday, December 4th. Victor and I will fly out of the Ontario airport at o-dark-hundred and arrive in West Palm Beach later that day. From there we'll be trucked to Global (the show facility). The jog is the following Tuesday, the GP on Wednesday, the GPS on Thursday, and the GP freestyle on Saturday. Our flight returns Sunday, December 13 and Todd and I will drive back on Monday the 14th. So it will be a whirlwind trip!
I decided to fly him because it is much, much easier on Victor and I, plus I got some financial help to make it more feasible. I actually looked at driving to Florida, and even had a route penciled out. I knew there was NO WAY I was driving across Wyoming in the winter (I've heard far too many horror stories to even consider it), so I mapped a route south through Nevada, into Arizona, through New Mexico, Texas, right through the deep south into Florida. The theory being that the weather would likely be better on that route (of course, right after I looked at this Hurricane Patricia happened and Texas flooded). It was a 5 day trip, with 10-12 hour days. That's assuming you drive straight through and don't stop for a day or so to recover. I looked at that and said "NO". No way. I wasn't going if I had to drive there. Particularly not during the winter!
The past few weeks have been crazy-busy with pre-trip preparations. As far as the training goes I've been getting Victor back up to full-intensity GP mode (he had most of the month of September off and was ridden lightly in early October). I want him super fit before leaving because I know the travel and show will take some out of him. Although luckily he's generally a very easy traveler. I've also beefed up his feed to try and put some extra weight on him, since he will inevitably lose some in transit. Today he also got rid of the yak costume that disguises the International GP superstar. This time of year he puts on so much hair that I sometimes call him my dressage yak. Thanks Aly for clipping him! Victor looks much more the part now after his clip job and he probably lost 50 pounds. Time to feed him more LOL.
I still haven't packed anything yet but I did make a list of stuff to bring. On an airplane they generally don't like you bringing tons of stuff (not that I do anyway), plus since I'll have to keep track of it without my horse trailer I like to pack as light as possible. My trusty groom Lana has helped immensely by researching hotels, making reservations, and taking care of some logistics. We're unfortunately staying near the Palm Beach airport (about 20-30 minutes from the show grounds) because Wellington is amazingly expensive. It should work out just fine, although I'd rather be closer.
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