Horse Updates

Sheila Wickstrom and I took a trip this week to Rocking Horse to play at the fabulous facility. Sheila owns Karla, a.k.a. Farelka, pictured here. Karla is a seven-year-old Hanoverian mare by Feiner Stern out of Wakajama. She began her training in straight dressage in Wellington, but I have been working with her since November. This year we plan to take Karla to her mare inspection hosted by the American Hanoverian Society. She needs to show correct conformation, rideability, quality of gaits, and versatility on the flat as well as over jumps. To this end I have been introducing her to cross country jumping, which she seems to enjoy! Mares generally only get tested once in their life, and that is the score that they keep. The goal is to achieve a score over 7.0, which would rank Karla as an elite mare candidate. She would then become an elite mare, like her mother, when she produces her first papered Hanoverian foal.

Monte has continued to compete at the preliminary level this winter and is conditioning for the Ocala CCI* in April. Our achilles heel currently seems to be show jumping. Monte is seven this year and continues to develop. He still shows the young horse quality of inconsistency in his work. Some days he is fabulous and other days he struggles both mentally and physically. As he becomes stronger and more experienced, though, I have confidence that he will be solid in all three phases. He certainly has the talent to do it all!

After the Ocala CCI*, we will come north for Jet, who will compete in the Jersey Fresh CCI** in May. Jet is nine this year and almost ready to move up to advanced. He had a heroic finish at the Fair Hill CCI** last fall. In very difficult conditions, he finished 14th out of 73 starters. He is a very eager horse and an amazingly hard worker, but I would like for him to do one more CCI** to solidify his confidence at the intermediate level. He will need that confidence when he moves up to advanced. Jet is not the best mover or the biggest jumper, but he has amazing heart. Jet came off the track in 2006 and has been with me since 2007. I have had him through the whole process of his eventing career. It is very exciting for me as his trainer to see him prepping for advanced level. He is truly a special horse.

I have also been bringing along my mom's horse Gavin's Glory, another off the track thoroughbred. I rode and competed Gavin a little bit last winter, including placing third in his first horse trials at the beginner novice level. He then had the summer off in Florida while I went to Pennsylvania. This year Gavin placed second in his first outing at the beginner novice level. We then moved him up to novice where he has been steadily improving. I hope to finish his winter season at training level before heading back north to Pennsylvania.

Last but not least there is Doc. Doc is happily back in work, and even more happily not having to work too hard. We have done one preliminary competition already this winter and plan to do a second one next weekend. These are more or less a walk in the park for Doc. After the show next weekend I have somewhat evil plans of taking Doc to Pennsylvania in May and competing him in straight dressage shows. If he would ever get over his intense disdain for the white rectangle, he would be a lovely third and fourth level horse. Aly Cat helped me get my USDF Bronze Medal. I have a thought that Doc might start me on my way to the Silver Medal. Time will tell!

Until the next time!

Ashley