Orchard Hill Schooling 3 Phase

Lucy went to a schooling 3-phase at Orchard Hill Equestrian Center in Berlin, MA last weekend and kicked butt.

Things were a little hectic in the morning so the only warmup she got for dressage was 3 minutes of trotting. That's it.

Well she went into her test and had one of the most lovely dressage rounds ever. I have no idea what her score was but to me, she looked really wonderful.

Morgan was thrilled with how things went!

Then she went into her jumping round and had a bit of a flail fest. She really needs studs to jump out on grass. She refused the B jump in an A/B combination and Morgan brought her back around, jumped the B jump perfectly, and then was dq'd for not jumping the A and the B jumps. Apparently you have to jump the whole combination again, not just the jump you missed.

Here are some shots from the warmup:

all 4 feet off the ground, and game faces on

This whole venue is on a massive hill; here Morgan was explaining how
to get to the actual jumping ring from the warmup ring

Lucy is a hot tamale warming up, then walks through the woods on the buckle
by herself to get to her jumping round. Go figure.

On course!

They were able to go out and do XC as a schooling opportunity and Lucy was the best she has ever been on XC. She ran out of one jump that was up a steep hill but cruised around the rest of the course. She was in her element!! Morgan was thrilled with her performance. Yes it was a bummer they got disqualified, but they made the best out of the situation and everyone went home happy.

I was really pleased that I got to watch her go at this event. I was in the area visiting my parents and my mum watched Hannah for me so that I could go baby-free. I took Cairo instead, who of course was perfectly behaved, and we had a nice time spectating.

Another cool thing about this event is that Morgan took her new pony, Zen, whom she found chilling out in someone's back yard. Zen is loving her new life as an event pony. This was her first event ever, and her rider's first event ever, and they completed and had a great day! Here they are warming up, though Zen thinks she's warming up for prelim, not elementary:

Grinding my Gears

Boy, horses sure do keep us humble, huh?

After Lucy's super XC schooling round that I last updated about, she went to an unrated schooling 3-phase at Azrael Acres in Uxbridge, MA. In true Lucy fashion, she walked right out of a hind shoe getting on the trailer, but the foot looked perfect and she didn't seem to care, so they opted to go ahead with the show plans. Dressage went better than it ever has, with some beautiful moments. Overall still kind of a tense test, but miles ahead of where she came from.

I was very worried about both jumping phases. Lucy's division was first, so the ground was still quite wet from the night before, and they were both on slick grass. I know how sensitive she is about her feet and I was worried she wouldn't feel secure with one missing hind shoe and not a lot of traction.

Sadly, I was spot on. She had a very tough time getting around SJ and after three XC jumps, told her rider that she was done. We were all so disappointed, but not really in Lucy, just in general.

One XC jump from faaaarrr away

Morgan went back to basics that week, rebuilding Lucy's confidence. They went to Apple Knoll to school in the jumper show on Wednesday and did 2'9" and 3'. Lucy jumped very well. She has never jumped under the lights but she did that day, and it didn't phase her! She had a rail in the jump off in the 2'9" class and just missed the ribbons because of it, and the height in the 3' class surprised her a bit so she pulled two rails very early on, but jumped clean the last half of the class (funny how you actually have to pay attention at 3', horse!) so overall I was very very happy about all of that.

The day after that, they went XC schooling and while it started out great, Lucy got combative with her rider, E, and E kind of decided enough was enough, and got off. I don't blame her. Morgan got on and schooled Lucy and Lu did a lot better. They made the decision that Morgan would ride her at Valinor this weekend, not E, and they dropped her from Novice to BN. I was totally on board with that idea. BN set Lucy up for success, not failure. I was very hopeful that it would be a great event. Plus, it was set to be her first rated show!

Then Morgan found her in her stall with a giant swollen knee this morning. UGH how frustrating!!! So she's scratched for the day and Morgan cold-hosed her. She's a bit ouchy at the walk but sound at the trot. Morgan thinks it may be a bee sting or other insect related injury. Fingers crossed that it goes down asap.

On a happier note, have some Hannah and Cairo pictures:

This week's Lucy update

Lucy has been a busy girl. She went to a schooling two-phase over the weekend. The dressage "left a lot to be desired", as Morgan put it. I laughed...I speak Lucy-ese well enough to know that means Lucy was a bad girl. Morgan said it just wasn't her day and she felt very tense. However, in the jumping phase, she was excellent and the most rideable that she has been over a course. So that's great news!

Yesterday I went to Apple Knoll again to see her jump in their jumper night rounds. Morgan decided to skip 2'3" and go straight to 2'6". She warmed Lucy up just lightly, and then let her chill out while they waited for their turn in what ended up being a monster of a class. Seriously, it took over an hour and a half to get through all the 2'6" rounds. Lucy stood there half asleep on the buckle, a hind leg resting, not caring about anything. It was good for her to relax because when it was her turn, she was very chill (for her) and did a super job. Morgan was very pleased!

Here is the video:



They didn't place but jumped clean and Morgan felt that was one of her best rounds so far. Check out that super handy turn during the jump off. FANCY!

Next was 2'9"and thanks to just doing the 2'6", Lucy was quite awake. She sure enjoys herself when jumping lol. Morgan did a great job. One thing I can clearly see improving is Lucy's willingness to come back underneath herself if she gets strung out. When I tried jumping her, she'd get so strong and strung out and when I tried to package her back together a bit, she would just get pissed off and that's when the tantrums would happen. I saw none of that at all this week, which was refreshing.

She is also getting very careful with her feet; not like she was disorganized before, but it's like she's making a connection between speed and her ability to get her feet out of the way of the poles in time.

This was another big class with some very competitive horses, but Lucy took home 7th place!! I was so happy for Morgan.

Jumper Night

Lucy went to Apple Knoll Farm for their weekly jumper night, held every Wednesday throughout the summer. I used to go to it with Dreamer way back in the day, probably around 2002/2003. It was always a lot of fun and I was excited to take a trip down memory lane when I went to watch!

Kenny, Hannah, and I got caught in a bunch of rush hour traffic, which meant we got there just in time to watch Lucy walk out of the ring after she jumped :( I was so bummed, but then we caught up to Morgan and she said I had only missed the 2'3" class, and she still had the 2'6" and possibly 2'9" to do!

Lucy had been kind of a huge brat in the 2'3" class so Morgan took her up to the schooling area to work on a few things. Lucy did improve slightly, but she got hotter and hotter, and in the end Morgan decided to just let her chill out for a while, since schooling her to quiet her down was having the opposite effect.

in the schooling ring

bad horse...

just chillin' as dogs, kids, strollers, 4 wheelers, and other horses go by

They hung out and waited for their turn in the 2'6" and then Lucy went in and kicked butt. I was beaming from the sidelines watching her cruise around. Was it the most beautiful, fluid jumper round ever? Hell no, but she was fairly obedient, was totally game for the jumps, and clearly had a great time. Morgan rode beautifully and I was just so pleased. She had figured out very quickly that she couldn't hold Lucy, because then Lu would get very ticked off very quickly, and that's when the antics started. I knew exactly how Morgan felt...when riding Lucy to a jump, it's basically barely controlled chaos. I always felt like I was handing my life over to this horse, who hadn't exactly proven to be the most trustworthy animal ever, but if I tried micromanaging her, she was way worse. Morgan said exactly that; that she had to just let go and trust that Lucy was going to make the right decision. It's scary to let go like that but that just goes to show you that I truly sent Lucy to the right place.


Lucy and Morgan in the 2'6" class

2'6" jump-off

Morgan's student was also jumping so we watched her 2'6" round, and then they both hacked around on a long rein before the 2'9" rounds. Morgan told me that was her favourite part about Lucy. No matter how bonkers she is when she's working, all you have to do is drop the reins and let her walk around and she will do so with happy floppy ears, not a care in the world.

just walking around the parking lot waiting for 2'9"

The 2'9" class was even better than the previous one, probably because the height prevented Lucy from bombing around like she wants to do. She had to actually think a bit, and use herself over the jumps. She jumped clean and aced the jump off, and ended up in 7th place in a rather large class! Again, I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. I was so proud!

Overall, the day went better than I could have hoped. The icing on the cake was watching Lucy calmly walk on the trailer with absolutely zero hoopla. You go girl.

girl power!

Lucy has a girl crush on her travel partner, MB. MB is not pleased.

by Lu! I will see you soon.