Melissa Taylor on Chicco
Lars during the victory lap
Lars in his Grand Prix for the freestyle
Lars in his Grand Prix for the freestyle
So it was just another day. I am steadily adjusting to the routine and find myself settling in to this new situation. I don't really have a life other than work but again I really just felt that I needed to submerge myself into further pursuing my passion and developing my career as a trainer. Today was just another pleasant day, the weather was warm and it was truly a beautiful day. There are times when the sun rise or sun sets are so stunning that I almost feel as if I am on vacation to a tropical location. I so dearly miss everyone at home, all of my friends and family. I include my students on this list. We had all developed such a close relationship and I feel that everyone really cared about one another. I think that this is something really special and a habit that I want to continue throughout my life. Life is too short not to stop and smell the roses! So as I find myself longing for these friendly relationships and warm familiar faces I try to bury myself in what I'm doing for that moment and the day carries on.
I have been able to build new friendships with people here. All of us girls are getting along really well and seemed to have slipped into our pecking order while being able to support and respect one another. It was a bit rough in the beginning but is continuing to improve. The new working student, Kim, is from Georgia and we are kindred spirits. She is fun loving and up beat and we get along so well. I think that our favorite past-time will end up being enjoying a glass of wine to defuse from the long day of work and sharing laughs with one another. There is also Sophie. She is 19 years old and from Denmark. She came here after she finished her high school education to be a groom. She heard about Lars Peterson and Legacy Farm from a friend of a friend in Denmark. It is a small wold after all. She was looking for a grooms position either in Germany or America (those were the two languages that she studied in school) and then plans to continue her education. She is leaving in January and I already know that I am going to miss her. She really is the back bone behind all that gets done around here. While we are out riding she is always good about getting to the dirty bridles or hand walking. I call her Super Sophie and we all really miss her on her day off. She is quiet and could easily go unnoticed if you weren't paying attention but her and I have fun and she teases me about my American slang. She got really excited when I used the word, "awesome" and now it is her favorite word. :) I like to tease her back by assuring her that the difficult horses to hand walk like her more than me :)
Florida is a whole different animal. The barn is already starting to fill up with the "clients" who are coming down for the winter to compete and get out of the cold. There are people coming from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Canada and where ever else up north. They are wealthy and get their horses tacked up, warmed-up and then handed to them to ride. Then they get to hand their horse off for us to put away. I wonder where the relationship is between these owners and their horses. It seems to be simply a social and competitive activity for them. Very strange... but to each their own I guess.
The cost to keep a horse here is astounding! I think that the mentality of it is if they can afford to pay it then we'll charge it. To shoe a horse for front shoes only starts at $175.00. For full shoes it is anywhere from $250.00-$525.00. I honestly can't imagine. I am so fortunate to have a horse that can go barefoot because if for no other reason it is affordable! To have a dry stall in this barn, which means no hay, grain, cleaning or scrubbing starts at $1,000.00 per month during season. After March it goes down to $500.00 and that is basically just to rent the stall. I am not quite sure but I think that to have full board and training is somewhere around $5,000.00 per month. Lars charges $200.00 per lesson and Rudolf was $400.00 per lesson. Lars' lessons are a half hour long. Insanity! I can't imagine having money like this to spend on a hobby!
This last Saturday was amazing! We all got to sit in the VIP section to watch the competitors. We had a great view of the musical freestyles and it was so cool to sit among the "who's who" of the dressage world. Courtney King was there, Tuney Page, the list goes on. There was a catered meal with very yummy dinner entrees and desserts. It was neat to see Lars in action. He didn't ride his freestyle until 9:00pm so he came up and joined us for dinner. I told him that I was surprised he was eating. At a big competition like this I probably would have been in the barn chewing my nails nervously but he has been doing this for so long. He said that eating a lot would help him sit better b/c his belly would be full and weigh him down, although he only picked at his meal so I guess even the big wigs get a bit of the jitters. Watching him ride his freestyle was so amazing! I burst out at one point, "I've put a sheet on that horse!". He won his class by a pretty good margin and it was a huge celebration! After the awards ceremony we all went to a restaurant/bar on the show grounds to let loose and have fun. There was a small acoustic live band playing cover songs and we all danced! Even Lars danced in his white breeches! It was so much fun and made for a memorable night and a painful work day following. Such an experience and am looking forward for more to come, if I can hold up to it :)
I have been able to build new friendships with people here. All of us girls are getting along really well and seemed to have slipped into our pecking order while being able to support and respect one another. It was a bit rough in the beginning but is continuing to improve. The new working student, Kim, is from Georgia and we are kindred spirits. She is fun loving and up beat and we get along so well. I think that our favorite past-time will end up being enjoying a glass of wine to defuse from the long day of work and sharing laughs with one another. There is also Sophie. She is 19 years old and from Denmark. She came here after she finished her high school education to be a groom. She heard about Lars Peterson and Legacy Farm from a friend of a friend in Denmark. It is a small wold after all. She was looking for a grooms position either in Germany or America (those were the two languages that she studied in school) and then plans to continue her education. She is leaving in January and I already know that I am going to miss her. She really is the back bone behind all that gets done around here. While we are out riding she is always good about getting to the dirty bridles or hand walking. I call her Super Sophie and we all really miss her on her day off. She is quiet and could easily go unnoticed if you weren't paying attention but her and I have fun and she teases me about my American slang. She got really excited when I used the word, "awesome" and now it is her favorite word. :) I like to tease her back by assuring her that the difficult horses to hand walk like her more than me :)
Florida is a whole different animal. The barn is already starting to fill up with the "clients" who are coming down for the winter to compete and get out of the cold. There are people coming from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Canada and where ever else up north. They are wealthy and get their horses tacked up, warmed-up and then handed to them to ride. Then they get to hand their horse off for us to put away. I wonder where the relationship is between these owners and their horses. It seems to be simply a social and competitive activity for them. Very strange... but to each their own I guess.
The cost to keep a horse here is astounding! I think that the mentality of it is if they can afford to pay it then we'll charge it. To shoe a horse for front shoes only starts at $175.00. For full shoes it is anywhere from $250.00-$525.00. I honestly can't imagine. I am so fortunate to have a horse that can go barefoot because if for no other reason it is affordable! To have a dry stall in this barn, which means no hay, grain, cleaning or scrubbing starts at $1,000.00 per month during season. After March it goes down to $500.00 and that is basically just to rent the stall. I am not quite sure but I think that to have full board and training is somewhere around $5,000.00 per month. Lars charges $200.00 per lesson and Rudolf was $400.00 per lesson. Lars' lessons are a half hour long. Insanity! I can't imagine having money like this to spend on a hobby!
This last Saturday was amazing! We all got to sit in the VIP section to watch the competitors. We had a great view of the musical freestyles and it was so cool to sit among the "who's who" of the dressage world. Courtney King was there, Tuney Page, the list goes on. There was a catered meal with very yummy dinner entrees and desserts. It was neat to see Lars in action. He didn't ride his freestyle until 9:00pm so he came up and joined us for dinner. I told him that I was surprised he was eating. At a big competition like this I probably would have been in the barn chewing my nails nervously but he has been doing this for so long. He said that eating a lot would help him sit better b/c his belly would be full and weigh him down, although he only picked at his meal so I guess even the big wigs get a bit of the jitters. Watching him ride his freestyle was so amazing! I burst out at one point, "I've put a sheet on that horse!". He won his class by a pretty good margin and it was a huge celebration! After the awards ceremony we all went to a restaurant/bar on the show grounds to let loose and have fun. There was a small acoustic live band playing cover songs and we all danced! Even Lars danced in his white breeches! It was so much fun and made for a memorable night and a painful work day following. Such an experience and am looking forward for more to come, if I can hold up to it :)
2 comments:
I think it is fantastic that you are able to be at a place where you are expected to work really hard but are also rewarded for that hard work. I'm glad you are making friends that is so important. Hopefully you can find someone to trim Vioen barefoot. Is her leg better? The puffiness in the pastern area? Talk to ya soon
Wow! I think things are getting expensive around here. It sounds like you are really settling in and getting used to the routine. I think it would be so much fun to be so close to all the horse shows and advanced horses and riders. I know it is hard work, but it is such a great opportunity too.
Post a Comment