P.S.

We are looking for another girl to join the Legacy Team ready to start asap. There was a girl who was supposed to start March 1st but there was troubles with getting a visa so if any of you know anyone please let me know! Thanks!!!

Finally!!!

Ahhh... Finally a moment to sit, relax and catch up.  It's my day off and I have been almost forced to take a moment and chill.  Green Bean, this is the name for out trusty 1987 emerald green Ford Explorer that has been responsible for transporting all of us girls when we need or want to go anywhere, has finally had enough.  She's in the shop in hopes of getting fixed but after dying twice both times within in 10 miles of home, I think that the car has had enough.  So on my cherished day off I have no choice but to stay home and do nothing.  All of us girls have an on going joke about needing to get out of the gates on our one day off.  It's almost a necessity.  Actually I would have to say that it is a necessity.  It helps to get away from the barn to regain some perspective and to go do something "normal".  

I think that it has been almost a month since I have last written and a lot has been happening since I last wrote: My mom visiting, Suzanne visiting, The Masters, going to Miami and all that has been going on here!  So I will try to start from the beginning.

VISITORS

In mid January I had the wonderful chance to see my mom.  It was a great visit but too short.  She coincided her trip of seeing me with attending the USDF FEI Trainer's Conference with Henk Van Bergen.  It worked out great because the Trainer's Conference was here in White Fences, literally around the corner from Legacy Farms.  I had an extra day off saved up from Christmas (we all got to choose which Holiday we wanted off, New Years or Christmas and I saved mine for when my mom came to visit).  The first day we just stayed here on the farm and both watched Lars ride and teach.  It was great for her to see the training style here, the horses and all that goes on at the barn.  On my second day off my mom, Max and I went to the beach.  It was a nice relaxing time, windy but warm.  We also drove around Wellington and checked out all of the big training barns.  You can drive down miles of roads and they are all lined with the most beautiful barns you could imagine.  Then the following two days she was at the clinic while I was working and we got to spend time together in the evenings.  It was so hard for me when she had to leave.  I was the most sad and homesick that I have been since I have been here.  I have to admit that I cried.  I found a little place to hide and choke back my tears until I could get myself together again to go back to work.  It was a bitter sweet visit.  I was glad for her to see where I am and what I'm doing.  Her last night here Lars and Melissa took us and all of the other girls that work here out for dinner.  Lars and Melissa really are good people and it was good for my mom to see how well they take care of us girls.  They are kind of like my aunt and uncle to me.  Always watching out for us.

I also got to see Suzanne Beaudoin from home.  She was here around the same time as my mom and stopped in for a quick visit.  She was here for a Hubertus Schmidt clinic and to spend some time with Betsy Steiner.  Again, it was great for Suzanne to see where I am and what I'm doing.  She was a huge support in helping me get down here and had tons of information about what the Florida scene was all about and things that I would need for me and my horse.  She was like a proud aunt and very happy for me and still as supportive as ever!

THE MASTERS

I had the fabulous opportunity to be here in Florida for the Masters.  This was a huge event and it was incredible to see some of the top horse and rider combos from around the world!  To be honest it felt a little like the Anky show.  She gave a clinic type demo on Friday displaying her teaching styles and techniques.  I found it interesting.  She honestly doesn't have any secret that unravels the mysterious of competitive dressage, or at least if she did she didn't share it with the audience.  :)  On Saturday she did a reining demo and to be blunt I got a little tired of her :)  I believe that she got payed a lot of money to participate in the competition and to give her time at the end of both days to give her demos.  I think this way it kind of put the show on the map and also gave it the recognition as a serious competition.  

On Saturday night we got general admission seats which is really a better place to watch because you are much closer to the arena and can see the horses and riders much better.  The two highlights for me were watching Steffan Peters ride and Lars' kur.  For me, Steffan Peters rides with such fluidity and softness with his horse that I find it really inspiring.  He and his horse are in harmony and unity and really it seems a seamless partnership.  He had some bobbles in his kur which was disappointing because I was really hoping for someone to beat Anky.  I know that this sounds vindictive but come on!  Am I the only one who is a bit tired of her winning everything!  She was on her 2nd string Grand Prix horse, Painted Black and I thought that Steffan stood a good chance.  He beet her on Friday, given she went off course twice I think.  Guess the new test threw everyone off a bit and she wasn't the only one who went off course.  Regardless, when I watched him ride I really felt that this is how dressage is supposed to look.  I also really enjoyed Lars' kur music.  It is great music and was a definite crowd pleaser.  Lars and Succes finished 6th.  I was proud to be associated with this team and to know that I am a small part of helping all of this happen behind the scenes.  Lars has recently changed his canter tour for his freestyle making it a bit less technically difficult so improve his scores.  The following weekend he rode his new freestyle at another CDI and took home the winning rides on both Friday and Saturday.

MIAMI

I went to Miami for the day to visit Leah.  For those of you who don't know Leah, she is one of my students from home.  Like a little sister to me.  I taught her riding lessons since she was eight years old and now she is 16!  She was here for her mid-winter break with her aunt and cousin and I was able to go see her while she was in Miami!  Miami is just under a two hour drive from where I'm at, depending on the traffic.  It is a very cool city.  She was staying in South Beach so I met up with her there.  We had lunch and then laid out on the beach.  It was great to feel like a normal person laying out and drinking cold beer.  Let me tell you, I am a whitey!  Everything but my arms and face.  It's the curse of being an equestrian!  :)  Once the sun started to go down we went up Ocean drive, where all the restaurants are bordering the beautiful beach and had appetizers and dessert.  Miami is a lot of fun and place that I would love to spend more time!

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON HERE

I have been riding A LOT more!  It's been great.  I am getting in better and better shape.  Lars has been very generous with getting me on more horses and helping me out.  A few weeks ago I was tack walking Succes for him.  Succes was on a light work load just coming back from a show and Lars was just going to get on and do a little trot work to keep him loose but instead he had me take up the reins and do the trot work.  He wanted to see him go and wanted to see how he was looking after all the hard work after the Masters so he said, "why don't you pick up the reins and do a little trot."  I'm like, "ok?"  So off I went.  It was cool, he was asking me how he felt and we were comparing notes on how he looked and how he was feeling under saddle.  It was so cool.  Then he was like, "why don't you do a little passage, just for fun."  I was thinking, oh my!  So I sat the trot and asked for some passage.  Or what I thought was passage.  The horse got very cadenced and it felt to so cool, then Lars was like "come on, he's trained, just sit in and ride and he'll do it!"  Ok, so I thought he was passaging but apparently not so I got a little stronger in my seat asked for more behind and hello!  The horse clicked into a whole different gear!!!  It was the coolest feeling ever!  I dream of that floating cadence in a trot.  It is like this mysterious feeling that you can only imagine and what you are always searching for and it was out of this world to actually feel it to that level of power!

I have had the wonderful learning opportunity to start up a couple of the horses for Lars but it is evolving more into riding them a bit more with Lars helping me and a little less of just warming up their muscles and joints.  It has been amazing to feel the horse's improve each day and to learn what Lars wants through feeling these changes in the horse.  The other day I was cantering around and Lars told me to go across the diagonal and do a line of four tempis.  I told him that I had never done tempi changes before.  His reply was that there was a first time for everything and now was as good a time as any so off I went!  I got the fours the second try but couldn't quite get the threes.  I ended up doing something like, four, three, two, three.  He was patient but had to get on so it left me wanting more and gave me some time to really think about the timing of the aids and yesterday I got the fours and threes my first try and then I got to do twos!  So cool and so much fun!!!  When I decided to take the huge leap and move I was really looking for a situation where I could get more experience at riding FEI and am really happy with the experiences I have gained here thus far!  I am getting stronger in my seat, quicker with my timing and bolder with my aids.  So when Vioen is ready for FEI I will be all the more experienced to get her there!  

I have to say that there are days that aren't so bright.  There can be a lot of drama and egos run maniacally wild here!  I am learning how to keep a bit of a thicker skin and brush off some of the bull@#$%!  There are hoops that one has to jump through to stay in good graces and it's not easy being a working student.  Sometimes you aren't treated like a human but I know that everyone has to pay their dues and I realize that this is my time to bite my tongue and keep my eye on the ball.  :)  However, on the really bad days I wish that I could teleport home!

Best be off, I am on my way to go be a girl and get my hair cut!  My friend is giving me a ride to the Mall.  Yeah!!!  Miss and love you all more that words can say!  Hoping to plan a trip home when season is at it's end and will let you all know when!

SO SORRY!!!!

For all of you who follow my blog, I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to catch you all up on everything that has been going on. We did some shifting in the living arrangements and I no longer have internet access in my room because I moved to the house and at night after work I usually just lounge around the house and don't have the energy to go back to the barn to go online. :( There is lots to fill you all in on though so I hope to be able to write soon!