Presto is officially Ocala bound as of this very moment! There wasn’t enough room for him in Megan’s trailer but another local (to her) trainer was leaving today also, so she took him over to their farm last night and they loaded up and headed east in the wee hours of the morning. He’ll get there tonight and hang out with them for a bit, then Megan will pick him up tomorrow. I’m super excited for him to get there and start experiencing all the fun things Ocala has to offer. This is his first big trip, first time leaving the state of Texas, first time going anywhere like this, traveling as part of a big group, etc etc. So many learning experiences for a baby giraffe.
We spent the week doing all the last minute preparation. Megan got Presto’s feet trimmed and a health cert issued. I Primed them a few tubes of Ulcergard for his trip, and Megan requested a fly sheet for him, so that was a new shopping item for me. I’ve never purchased a fly sheet in my life. I had a bit of sticker shock at how expensive they are, considering every one I’ve ever seen had serious shit for longevity. I couldn’t stomach spending $150 on a fly sheet he’s gonna wear for 6 weeks so he got a relatively cheap one. Hopefully he doesn’t destroy it immediately.
I’m already supremely jealous of him and wish I was going to Ocala too. I’ve done a lot of mental gymnastics trying to figure out how I could at least get down there for a weekend and see him before they come home in May since who knows if/when he’ll ever get to go again. We’ll see. There are a lot of factors to consider.
I did list a bunch of excess stuff for sale to help cover some of his Ocala bills, and all I’ve really got left is a pair of Doda boots, a show coat (size 6ish), a pair of breeches (size 30), and a pair of tights (size L). My friends came in clutch and cleaned me out pretty quick, but shoot me a message if you’re interested in anything I’ve got left.
Otherwise this week has been a bit quiet. Farrier visits, road hacks, and webinars (my favorite thing). I watched the EHV-1 one that USEF did on Monday, which was a good brush up on the actual facts and appropriate protocol. The media posting about every single EHV-1 case (which they really never do any other year when this happens) has spun a lot of people up into a blind panic with rumors abound, so it was good to get actual facts and more information on the current situation.
I’ve also been watching the “Foaling the Mare” webinar series by Sussex Equine Hospital. If you need to be scared out of breeding, I highly recommend. Just kidding. They’re really good actually, really important if you breed or are considering it.
And then of course this morning USEA announced that they’ve pulled the MER rule change proposal for now and will give more thought and consideration based on the member surveys they received. Which is great news, IMO, and I look forward to this being discussed and hashed out in more detail and with more consideration to the masses. I’m all for MER changes, just not ones that cripple everyone that doesn’t reside on the east coast.
Hope you guys had a good week. Did you see anything good this week on the interwebs that’s worth a share? Happy Friday, we made it to another weekend!
Yes, fellow breeding nerds, it’s time for the first In The Blood post of 2021!
This is “just” a 4*S, which normally I wouldn’t really cover, but it’s the first big event of 2021 and we’ve got some possible LRK3DE entries in the field alongside some exciting up and coming horses, so let’s take a look!
It’s always interesting to me with big US events to see which horses are North American-bred and which ones are imports. Seeing NA-bred horses as the top levels of our sport makes me super happy, and it’s important for people to see that we indeed can and do produce that caliber of horse on this side of the pond. It’s good strong representation for us in this field, with 11 of the 30 entrants (36%) born and bred in North America.
As is pretty typical at this level, the average blood percentage of the field is 57%, although if you drop all of the full TB’s from the equation it drops to 51%. That would be low if this was a 4*L or 5*, but not really unusual for a 4*S. The lowest blood % horse in the field is FE Golden Eye at only 23% (but who’s damsire is the extremely well-proven eventing sire Contendro).
It’s also a pretty strong field if you’re a fan of the OTTB. We’ve got 4 in attendance, and these guys really do a good job of showing how hard-knocking a good TB can be. Among them we’ve got two of the oldest horses in the field in 18yo Cecelia by Connecticut xx (Ogygian xx/Secretariat xx) out of Penny Stock xx (Spend a Buck xx/Affirmed xx) and 16yo AP Prime by Aptitude xx (AP Indy xx/Northern Dancer xx) out of Czarina Kate xx (The Prime Minister xx/Sunpower xx). Plus there’s 10yo Sorocaima by Rock Hard Ten xx (Kris S xx/Mr Prospector xx) out of Sankobasi xx (Pulpit xx/Northern Jove xx), who was also at one time a CANTER listing, that had a racing career that spanned 4 years and included 43 starts.
Rock Hard Ten
As usual it’s the warmblood jumping lines that dominate the majority of the field though, particularly the Q and C jumping lines. That’s… to be expected by now I think? Irish Sporthorses have some good representation, with one stallion, US-based Irish Sporthorse Formula One, having two offspring in the field – full siblings Landmark’s Monaco and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. These two brothers were bred by Jackie Mars and are out of a full TB mare, making them 88% blood.
While we don’t have any others that are quite that closely related, a few stallions do pop up in more than one pedigree within the first few generations. Dutch stallion Mr Blue is the sire of Qorry Blue D’Argouges and the damsire of Rubens D’ysieux. Irish stallion Puissance is the damsire of two horses in the field – Fernhill Limited Edition and K.E.C. Zara. Puissance’s TB sire Imperius xx is also the damsire of Jack of Diamonds, who is represented by offspring Islandwood Captain Jack.
Mr. Blue
Several horses in the field also come from widely talented performance families, with a mix of dressage and showjumping success. Quidproquo’s sire jumped through 1.50m showjumping. Fidelius 35’s sire showed through Grand Prix level dressage. Global EX’s dam jumped through 1.30m showjumping. Magnum Martini’s sire jumped through 1.50m level showjumping. Flower Girl’s sire competed through 1.50m showjumping. Ruben’s dam competed at 1.60m showjumping. FE Golden Eye’s sire showjumped to 1.60m level. Prophet’s sire Tatendrang, a US-based Trakehner, sire competed through Advanced level eventing. Vermont’s sire Van Helsing competed through 1.60m showjumping (and is sired by Valentino, who stands at stud in North America) and Vermont’s dam also produced two other FEI level event horses (both by – guess who – Contendro).
Van Helsing
Vermont isn’t the only one with a good-producing mother: Dutch Times has a whopping 7 full siblings, including one competing at PSG dressage. K.E.C. Zara’s dam produced two other FEI level eventers from different sires. FE Coldplay’s dam also produced a 1.35m showjumper. Voltaire de Tre’s dam also produced a 1.30m showjumper and a 1.40m showjumper. Ms Poppins’ dam has also produced two 1.30m showjumpers.
Someone should cut off my Epplejeck access. Why to the European tack stores always have the best, cheapest stuff? It’s unfair. Back in January I convinced Hillary to go halfies with me on an order because there were a few navy glitter (#navyglitter4lyfe) things that I had been wanting but needed a good “excuse” to pull the trigger. A sale plus splitting shipping was a great excuse, if I do say so myself. I nabbed navy glitter gloves, navy glitter tights, and a navy glitter helmet.
It was all either on sale or really cheap anyway so I didn’t feel too bad about it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect really, you’re always guessing a bit at sizing and quality with unfamiliar brands, especially when it’s inexpensive, but… navy glitter. Worth the risk. And luck was on my side (or the universe approved of my purchases?) because everything fits and I like it all. I was skeptical that the glove size chart had me in a medium because I have big ol’ man hands and long fingers – I wear an 8 or 8.5 glove. But indeed, the medium does fit, and they’re delightfully glittery but still relatively subtle about it. They’re in the Roeckl style which is quite nice, the only thing they’re missing is the touch screen fingertips. A slight bummer, but they were also 1/3 the price of Roeckls, so I’m not complaining too much.
The next item was the navy tights. I waffled on these forever, because 1) tights are a hard one to get right, I dislike way more of them than I like, 2) they only had silicone-dot full seats. I’m generally not a fan of full seat unless they’re REALLY not sticky at all, and not being able to see them in person, it was a tossup. Plus their stock photo is so dark you really can’t see any details at all. But in the end the idea of dark navy glitter fabric won me over and I said what the hell, and chucked them into the cart. Again they were cheap, cheaper than pretty much any other pair of tights I own, and I figured I could always sell them if I didn’t like them. I also had to completely take a stab in the dark on the size, which is always fun. At least tights tend to be a little more forgiving than breeches.
its so hard to get a good pic of these
Once again though, the stars aligned, and they fit! Plus they’re really beautiful. The glitter is pretty subtle so I’m not even sure you’d notice from more than 15′ away, but up close there’s a ridiculously satisfying amount of twinkle in the sunlight. I keep staring at them. If it’s overcast you’d have to be right up next to them to see it, really. I’m relieved that they aren’t too in-your-face. They wouldn’t give too many trainers heart attacks, I don’t think. Plus the fabric is nice and thin which is good for Texas, and the silicone dots are just about the least sticky thing I’ve ever seen. They don’t feel any different from any of my knee patch breeches when I’m in the saddle, which to me is a plus. I’ve basically been living in these things. glitter
Last but not least in that package (subtle foreboding) was the helmet. This one was another thing I waffled over forever, but it was on sale for under $100 and it was just… really pretty. I always did dressage in my navy Samshield but that one is now past its expiration, and I killed my navy Traumavoid when I fell out of the tack room last year. My only navy helmet left is my MyPS, which I wear daily at home, thus its kinda been scratched up from low-hanging branches and the like. Plus, I love that helmet, but it lacks a little… show ring pizazz. You know what has pizazz? This.
I’ve never tried on the BR brand before so I had no clue if it would fit me, plus I was kind of in-between shell sizes, but… what the heck. That thing was gorgeous. Plus sale. Have I mentioned sale? Worth a shot. Miraculously it fits me pretty darn well (it could be a teeny smidge more oval, but it’s soclose) and it’s gorgeous. Like even more gorgeous in person.
3 for 3. That’s some luck right there.
The only disappointment is that they still didn’t have those navy glitter boots in stock, the ones that pulled me into Epplejeck in the first place last fall. I’d tried to go order them about a hundred times but the sizes I needed were never in stock. When I inquired about restocking dates, they said they weren’t sure. I gave up a bit, honestly, but I still checked back regularly.
And then a couple weeks later I got another email about another sale… this time a buy 2 get one free. I’m very much into that. This was just a few days after I’d had that dream about the rainbow box, which was still nagging at me, so I meandered over to the site thinking “Ok universe…” I do this a lot, where I declare things to the universe and leave it to fate as if that somehow absolves me of decision-making or responsibility “if they have the boots in stock, and the rainbow box in stock, AND all of them qualify for the BOGO sale, I’ll know that I’m meant to have them.”. And, well, hell… what do you know. After 4 months of checking for those boots, they were FINALLY in stock in M and L. Tossed a front pair in the cart, then a back pair, then meandered over and tossed a rainbow box in too. Then I went to the cart to see if it qualified for the BOGO and damn, y’all, it did.
Now I should say, this was before I decided to keep Presto in training and battened down the hatches on non-essential spending. I wouldn’t have done a lil’ mini splurge if I’d already decided that. So I’ve spent the past couple weeks waiting for the package to get here (seriously Chicago customs, 10 days?) feeling really guilty about it. Then I opened it, was greeted with sparkles and rainbows, and honestly… don’t feel that guilty anymore. If I was gonna get one last package of fun to get me through the next however many months of strict budgeting, this was definitely the box to do it.
First the boots.
They are, without a doubt, the most perfect shade of navy. I love that only the straps are glittery, I feel like they’ll wear better and it’s a little more subtle. They fit Henry perfectly, which makes me think they might be a little small on Presto (which is who I really bought them for) but whatever. I’m obsessed. Dear all equestrian companies: this is the navy I want.
As for the box. Y’all. I understand now why I dreamed about it. This thing is magical. From 10+ feet away, it looks like a normal metal grooming box. Nothing fun to see here.
But then you get closer and you start to really see the holographic effect and it’s like bam.
Then real close: BAM!
It’s so pretty.
I’m still deciding what I’m gonna put in there. I think probably my braiding stuff and all my little show-specific things like boot polish and green spot remover and sharpies and safety pins and hair nets and sunscreen etc etc etc. It’s a pretty good size and I love the mirror in the top.
So really, no regrets here. It was a good last hurrah that’ll last me a while I think. What are the odds that I would like all 6 things? I won’t question my luck on this one. Next time we’re in Europe, if/when they ever let us back in, you can bet that a visit to one of the Epplejeck stores will definitely be happening. I feel like they really get my navy glitter/subtle rainbow aesthetic…
Man, Henry is really feeling himself lately. Presto leaving changed the herd dynamic for sure… he used to mostly just tolerate Presto’s antics and occasionally join in a little bit,but for the most part he was the buzzkill big brother that was much more serious. These days Henry is Captain Yeehaw out here doing laps around the field and airs above the ground.
Um, ok
it’s a REAL BUCK
It’s like taking away the big brother role also took away all of his (apparently fake) maturity. Which to be honest is okay with me. He’s 14 now, I won’t complain if he’s feeling good enough to act like he’s 4.
The weather has been good so I’ve been able to ride him 6 days a week. I can’t decide if he loves or hates having all the attention back on him. I’m not sure that he’s quite decided.
the sassiest and most emotional horse on the property is not the mare
I have to admit that having extra time to spend with my OG Best Boy isn’t such a bad thing. I can’t complain. I don’t have to rush through “the easy one” in an effort to have time for the young one, and it’s kind of nice. We can take the time to go on longer hacks, or wander aimlessly around the property before or after a ride and enjoy the nice weather.
if you give him a loose rein he will make a beeline for the t!ny h0use, I have no idea why
It helps too that the days are getting longer. God I hate winter with it’s short days. There is nothing cool about being dark at 5pm, it makes the day feel extra rushed. Now it’s light from about 6:40am to 6:40pm, which helps everything in general. I can get chores done earlier, and I’m not rushing to squeeze horse stuff in at the end of my work day. I can get up and do a spin class when it’s still dark (y’all, I might be addicted to the spin bike, I’ve had it for 14 days and I’ve ridden it 12 of those. At least I’m getting my money’s worth?) and be walking down to the barn right after dawn, clean stalls, and still be back in front of my computer before my 7:30 meeting.
he snorted at this turtle for a long time
I’ve been leaving the horses out a bit longer too, since they seem quite content out there on all the spring grass. Both of the chubbers have had no complaints. Henry also got a couple new hanging treat balls from Horse and Herd (a Montana-based business!) so he’s kind of just rotten 24/7. Technically one of these was supposed to be for Presto but I don’t think it’ll be much of a hardship if Henry ends up “having” to eat both of them himself. Luckily he’s slow about it (not a freakin shark like Presto who can demolish one of these in 2 days) so we’ll see how long this first one lasts. I let him pick which one he wanted first and he went for the Pink Salt one.
Otherwise we’re just kind of plugging along. I wanted to get Henry more fit before the hot weather hits, and he’s pretty on track for that. We’ve been doing conditioning rides a couple days a week, flatwork a couple days, a polework day, and a jump day. He’s… quite spunky and full of himself pretty much every single day despite the increased work load, so that’s a good sign. Maybe later on in the spring we can get out to a couple jumper shows and XC schooling, before it’s 100 degrees.
staring at literally anything
At some point I should set the Pivo back up and actually get some media from my Henry rides but I’ve admittedly been kind of lazy about it. We’re just kind of having fun enjoying ourselves with no pressure and without having to rush.
Hope everyone else’s weather is starting to take a turn for the better too so you can get more (pleasant) riding time in. Spring is my favorite!
Sorry for abandoning the blog on Friday. Partly it was because I didn’t have much to say, but mostly it’s because I was busy going through and editing all the pics Michelle got from when we went to visit everybody’s favorite nugget baby last Thursday!
that’s a cute kid
Which means I have a lot of media, which means I’m forgiven right? Good.
If I had any lingering reservations about Presto being away at college, they’re gone now. I wasn’t sure how he’d settle into the hustle and bustle of a busy boarding facility (he looked bored), or how he’d feel about having to be a bit more of a grownup rather than a half-feral pasture kid (he’s met the raised expectations). I knew all of this would be good life experience for him either way, but still I just wasn’t sure how he would process it all. Turns out there was no cause for concern, because not only was he half asleep munching on his lunch hay when I got there, he looked at me, sniffed my hand for a treat, and promptly returned to his hay when he realized I didn’t have one. Ouch. No loyalty in this horse. I see how it is. He doesn’t even have the decency to pretend like he misses me or cares about me at all.
Aside from a little scratch on his face (which, he’s been there a month and that’s the only new wound? pretty miraculous) he looks just like he did when I dropped him off. Or, really, better. He’s starting to get a little bit more topline I think, and he’s got more of an air of confidence or relaxation about him, like he thinks he knows some things now.
And indeed, he does know some things. Megan got him out so we could see her work with him, and she started out doing a little bit of work on the ground. The big thing she’s been working on is getting him more supple in his body and getting him to actually bend through his whole body and move both his front and hind end, so she can access all his different parts and ride him properly from back to front and around her leg. He had a tendency at first to want to drop his shoulder and resist or pull against the bit, so she made it clear that he needed to stay up through his shoulder and soft on the rein. She started teaching him that concept on the ground and then under saddle, but right now since it’s still sorta new to him she checks in on the ground for a couple minutes first to reinforce that she can indeed move all his different parts and he’s paying attention. I like that she broke it down to it’s most simplest form for him so he could clearly understand what she wanted on the ground first before getting in the saddle. The expectations were clear to him from the start.
He looks like a real horse. A very attractive one. WTF.
She explained everything she was doing and why, which I really appreciated. And I completely agreed with her assessment of the things he needed to improve.
Once she got on she repeated the same things at the walk that she’d just asked him to do on the ground – making sure she could move both his front end and his hind end, get him stepping across, put his body in the shape she wanted, and change that shape easily. Access to his whole body, basically, and getting his brain tuned in.
After that they moved to trot. They’ve been working on rhythm and getting him bending in a nice shape around her leg. Without dropping the shoulder of course, which is definitely his favorite go-to maneuver. She changed directions a lot, making sure she could change the bend and still keep the shoulders up, allowing him to come more from behind. He’s gotten way steadier in the contact, although sometimes he wants to default to dropping a little bit behind the vertical. That’s not unusual when they’re first learning, so she just keeps asking him to take the bit more forward again.
she’s very quick to reward when he does the right thing, which I LOVE
As you can imagine, the canter is a bit more of the same. She noted that when he’s relaxed his canter is pretty nice and he’s able to hold a nice rhythm easily, but when he gets a bit tense he tends to get stuck and the canter goes more up and down. I’ve observed that exact same thing. She just keeps pushing him up to a light contact and really allowing him and encouraging him to be forward and relaxed, but without letting him drop that shoulder (which he tends to want to do more to the right – his weaker direction – than the left).
After some flatwork they moved on to some jumps. With the winter storm she’s really only had a few weeks to work with him at all, so she’s only jumped him once before, in a grid. This was his first time doing a little course, or trying to canter fences without guiderails to help him. Overall he was really good. As he’s learning to carry his body more correctly you can see the improvements translate to the jumps too, he’s coming off the ground with more power. There’s a pretty good jump in him I think!
By the end he strung together a little mini-course at the canter, which was adorable. Not bad for a few weeks of a work and a second jump school!
I am honestly really impressed with how good of a job Megan does with the young horses. She’s very cool, calm, and collected, and approaches different concepts with a lot of intelligence. Presto was very clearly not stressed at all, and seemed happy to work for her and calm about everything. Is he still a goofy young horse? Absolutely. But even if/when he got unfocused she just kept riding, diverting his attention to something else that would occupy his brain more. That’s exactly the approach he needs. Plus she likes him, which counts for a lot.
He’s a TRAITOR
Now that I’ve gotten past all my initial panic about having him away from home, I’m really loving the changes I’m seeing. Enough so that I’m convinced he’s exactly where he needs to be right now, and I think it would benefit him greatly to stay there for a little while longer. The complication was that Megan is about to leave for Ocala for six weeks, but after a chat and some creative planning, it’s been decided that Presto will be going to Ocala with her. I just think he would get SO MUCH from an experience like that, where he can see a lot and do a lot and there’s everything right there on his doorstep. He can get more experience there in 6 weeks than he could get in 4 months here.
When he comes back we’ll see how we all feel about where he’s at mentally and physically and progress-wise. If we feel like he’s happy and doing great and has an actual shot at this YEH stuff, he’ll stay on with Megan for a bit longer and we’ll give that a try. If not, he can have a break and then revisit things later on. Absolutely no pressure.
I have to be honest, when I signed him up for the Futurity it was mostly just for fun and to showcase the kind of horses that WTW is producing. Just looking at Presto, I really wasn’t convinced he was that horse. He’s still awkward and gangly and wouldn’t turn any heads just standing in the barn. But you put a saddle on him and a rider like Megan in the irons and holy shit, y’all… this horse is nice. Like… nicer than I realized. I want to give him a fair shake, and no matter what he ultimately ends up doing, I want him to have the absolute best start to his eventing career that I can, so that he’s a better horse in the long run. I think Megan can give him that. So my budget will be absolutely LOCKED DOWN for the foreseeable future (and all my excess stuff that I’ve been meaning to sell for a while will actually be posted now to help fund Presto’s Ocala trip) but I feel like this is 100% the best thing for him. Seeing him there with her, all I could think was “how do I keep him here longer”. They get along great, and though I definitely do miss him at home, seeing him thrive like this makes it a whole lot easier.
breedrideevent.com 