Scenic Run Equestrian Center

We are at the lovely Scenic Run Equestrian Center in Novelty, OH.  We came here to work with Nancy Stanton for the summer, who has graciously given me the ride on her Ghlenlivet, whom I am working to own one day.  I couldn't be happier with the facilities.  Between Flip, Phil, Rodolfo and Dani the place is run very well.  There is an indoor and an outdoor arena, pastures, all weather turn out and a whole bunch of cool people!  Ghlen settled in nicely after his 20 hour haul, had one day off and settled into a nice work routine.  I absolutely love that boy!  I am so thankful to Scenic Run and all their staff for their help and to Nancy Stanton for reaching out to help us on our next leg.  We hope to be back to international competition soon, with a specific aim to Rio.   A special thank you to Colleen Kelly, Lori Northrup and Reggie Summey Transport from NC for getting us here safely.

For more information on Scenic Run, check them out here at  Scenic Run Equestrian Center.  If you are in northern OH and are looking for a place to board and train - look them up!  They run all kinds of packages from self care to total care, depending on your needs.

Pictures coming soon!

Dylan, Nancy Hinz and Yellow Rose Dressage

Update 7 June 2012

Pictures are here.  Nancy Hinz, Dylan's owner, sent these pictures of Dylan - the awesome Welch Cob she allowed me to ride in TX.  They have continued to keep in touch since then and even helped raise some funds to help me get to Selection Trials!  Thank you Dylan, Nancy and all of Yellow Rose Dressage!!!!

***************

Pictures coming, pictures coming!  I don't have any pictures back from my picture taker.  But they are coming.  I'll add them when they do!

I recently competed in Katy, Texas and the CPEDI 3* there, which was the final requirement of my being invited to the Selection Trials where the team for the 2012 Paralympic Team to London, England will be selected.

I was unable to raise the funds to bring "my" horse(s) and wrote the organizers to ask if they might have a horse I could catch ride.  They put me in touch with Nancy Hinz of Yellow Rose Dressage of Montgomery, TX.  She offered her pony, Madoc Dylan - and it ended up being a match made in heaven.

Because of finances, I could not afford to come a week early to train on Dylan.  Bill Stapleton traveled with me, did all the driving, pulled my wheelchair in and out of the car, bought food and pushed me around.  For the record, within 20 minutes of Dylan arriving at the show grounds, Bill was mucking stalls, unloading trailers, filling water buckets and giving out hay just like he had done it all his life.  He gets 5 gold stars for this trip and lots of hugs.

We arrived in time to have 3 rides on Dylan at Nancy's farm, Yellow Rose Dressage.  Then Nancy hit the road to bring him to the Great Southwestern Equestrian Center in Katy, TX.  Dylan is so awesome!  He is a Welch Cob pony, not a spooker, and boy, if you insist on it, he delivers.  I had a little trouble with my insisting sometimes (something I am working on), but he still was rock, solid stable.  For the team test (and on our 5th ride together), he delivered a 65 and some change.  The next day was the individual test for 62 and change.  Sunday was the freestyle, which I basically made up as I went along.  Dylan loved the music and  gave a 66 and some change.  I would have loved to have had Dylan's first 70%, but I was very happy with all we did.  It wasn't that he couldn't do a 70% - it was that I wasn't able to ride him at 70%... YET, lol.  He is a lovely pony.  Nancy, his owner, bent over backwards to make it happen for us both (thank you, Nancy).  Cindy Moriarty was fill in groom when she could and Nancy couldn't ... both of them totally rocked (thank you, Cindy/Nancy).  Everyone from Yellow Rose Dressage did GREAT with their classes.  Allie, on her pony Maple Lane Kero, (also known as Peaches) did a wonderful freestyle and brought the house down on Saturday evening.  Everyone, including Dylan, was awesome.  In addition to the above scores, we ended up being Reserve Champions for each of our Grade II classes.  Thank you, Dylan!   Just think of how well we would have done if we had had a week or two together before hand.  I was completely impressed with Dylan, Nancy, Cindy,  Allie and EVERYONE at Yellow Rose Dressage.

A very huge hug and thank you to everything Yellow Rose Dressage did and everything they ARE doing to help us on our journey to London.  A very big hug and thank you to Missy Ransehousen and Sharon Schneidman for all you guys do to help make us all be our best as well.

If you are in TX, check them out HERE!   (pictures coming soon!)

Meet Ghlenlivet! and Classic Star!

Meet Ghlenlivet, affectionately known as Ghlen or Ghlennie.  He is owned by Greg and Nancy Stanton of Chardon, OH.  Nancy is the Grand Prix trainer at Sendon Way Equestrian Center.  Sendon Way is a family affair with Nancy being the trainer, Sharon being quite involved, and Greg & Nancy and Bob and Bernie living on the property.  The horses have 24 hour care.  Their awesome groom is Alex.

I met them when looking for a horse for purchase when I thought I might have sponsorship to that end.  That ended up falling through, but maybe I can find another way to one day own this lovely, kind hearted, talented boy.  There are not many horses I get on and they immediately feel like a glove.  Umm, not that I could sit his HUGE trot right away, but that he just fit.  He lifted up into me and I was carried by him.  The rhythm from his gait settled into my head where I was able to get my cues to land at the appropriate time without 10 days of practice on him.  (There is alot I have to compensate for the land both sides of my cue at the same moment and in the correct moment of the stride.)  From the moment I saw him, I was smitten and wished there was a way I could own him.  But it was not to be.   I approached them about the possibility of trying to take him to the 2012 Paralympic Selection Trials instead of purchasing him at this time.  God must have been smiling at me, the stars all aligned and the Stanton's graciously offered to take Ghlen off the market until after the Paralympic Games in London.  These people took me in like their own and have graciously made themselves available in every way possible to help this happen.  Look for us in London!

To the Stanton's and Lewis' - from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity with this special boy.  It's been love at first site with him - an instant bond that doesn't happen very often in a lifetime.  Stay tuned!  We plan to knock everyone's socks off :)

----------------

Meet Classic Star!  Star, Starstar, Starmeister has been a horse I have been riding for about 4 years now.  His owner is Beverly Rardin.  She contacted me several years back and told me she had a jumping horse who was getting up in years and knew he had some dressage training (but wasn't completely sure how much - around maybe 4th level)  and would I come work with him to see what kind of dressage he knew and could get back after being out of it for so long.  I needed a horse to ride and she needed her horse to be ridden.  So it was a perfect fit!

I took the first two years to build up his back strength and hind end as he had been ridden in a hunter/jumper frame instead of a FEI dressage frame for the last 10 years or so - give or take.  Gradually, he began to build up his different muscles and began to love his dressage work.  We were starting things like 1/2 passes at the trot and canter, collected and medium canter, 1/2 step trots, etc....  He had obviously had some dressage training up to at least I1.  One day, he began to offer 2 tempi and was so proud of himself!  I didn't ask for it, but I was certainly happy at his exuberance!  After that first day, he would offer 2 tempis whenever he was excited and happy with his work.

Beverly and I began to search for his passport.  We tracked it down and low and behold, Star is not 15 or 16 like we thought, but 24!  Not only that, he was a Grand Prix jumper in his younger years and had attended the big wig shows in Aachen and such.  So we decided to try and make a bid for London with the 24, going on 4 year old.  Only Star had some interim plans.  With his spunk and spirit we all know, he decides that kicking his stall wall might be a fun thing to do.  In the process, he broke his splint bone.  We think he may have at that time also injured his suspensory in that leg because all his xrays had been clean to that point for suspensory injuries.  It's been a process getting him back.  But Star is all heart and loves a job.  Then in the middle of rehabbing him, I had an injury and was out for 4 months.   I'm back.  Star's back.  I am willing to work and see what he can do as long as he is wanting to try and is not injured.  So we are working to get to Selection Trials.  So far, so good...but he has a long way to go to get the stiffness out from being off for so long.  He is also a bit emotional with things, which is new for him.  So I'm taking it one day at a time and seeing what he can do each day.   We are working every day on getting there and I have no doubt as to his "want to" and drive.  It will be fun to give him a chance in his golden years to shine on the international stage one more time.  For me, it's more about the relationship than the goal - so if he ever decides he can't - or if he is in danger of being injured again, we won't do it.  The horse comes first.  Always.  But if he can, then we will.

Beverly has also taken me under her wing and adopted me.  She has done absolutely everything possible to help me, not only with Star, but simply to make it to the Paralympics.  I could not do this without people like her who give so generously and do everything they can to make someone else's dreams come true.  Beverly is a class act and it's an honor to know her and work with her horse.

Star has quite the personality and it is impossible not to love him.  I love him so much.  If I could own him, I would own him too!   I am so proud to ride him and honored to be a part of his life.  To Beverly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to ride him and see what he can do.  He's got too much heart to turn out to pasture and retirement until he says he is ready.  Thank you.

-----

To the Stanton's, Lewis' and Rardins:  I am honored beyond belief that you have entrusted your horses to me.  I get teary eyed everytime I think of the trust you've put in me with your wonderful partners.  I hope to make you all proud of your four legged family members.  Thank you!

Well, it looks like it's time for an update here!   The horse pictured above was my Radical.  Oh how I miss that boy.

2011 ended with a bang.  Ha, in more ways than one.  I trained with Missy and Jessica Ransehousen for a couple of weeks in September, there was an awesome clinic by Robert Dover in Gladstone, NY,  I took a lesson from Walter Zettl courtesy of Challenged Athletes foundation, I audited another clinic given by Walter Zettl, started rehabbing Classic Star,  finally got to clinic with Karen Rolhf at Michelle Donlick's of Avalo Farm (I've been wanting to for years now), started learning how to make horse hair bracelets, fell off a friend's horse, and did a whole lot of resting and recuperating.  I hope to resume riding this week!

I'm in fundraiser mode now, hoping to make it to Del Mar.  I was registered to compete in FL these last three weeks of January, but was unable to find a horse.  I even had Hope Hand and a few others scouting for a horse for me and did not hear back from any of them of finding one either before the entry deadline.  So I had to withdraw.  I'm hoping for better luck for California!

Fundraisers:
Horse Hair Bracelets!  For a donation of $30, you get a horse hair bracelet made with hair from your horse (if you wish).

Colleen Kelly is coming to town.  For those of you who don't know her, she is an expert in rider biomechanics.  For those of you who know ME, you know that is a big interest of mine, especially with all the compensating I have to do just to live through a day, much less ride!  She also has hooked up with Pat and Linda Parelli - which is a huge plus.  I regularly toot the horn of natural horsemanship and believe it goes such a long way to develop that relationship we all want.  You can find out more about Colleen Kelly here.
SHE WILL BE HERE FOR A LECTURE ON FRIDAY, FEB 10 AND A CLINIC ON SATURDAY, FEB 11!
If you are interested, give me a ring - or comment on this entry form.  I'll get back to you with more information.
Also, I'll be posting a whole post about the up coming clinic once we get the details ironed out!

The road to 2012 has been varied and quite bumpy.  But my nose is still pointed in that direction.  Stay tuned!

Mini Update

Classic Star

I recently had the honor and pleasure of being invited to ride and learn from Walter Zettl at a clinic again.  I also audited a clinic not long after that.  Thank you to Mr. Zettl for offering your 60 plus years experience to teach us all.  Thank you to Mrs. Zettl for all the organizing, packing, editing, and mothering you do.  I love you both.

I also had the honor and pleasure of learning from Karen Rohlf (Dressage Naturally) at Michelle Donlick's Avalo Farm.  It was a great weekend.  Thank you to Karen for coming - and thank you to Michelle for hosting and loaning me De'Jeur (I think I spelled his name correctly)!

If anyone knows of any fundraiser ideas, I am still qualified to be invited to the selection trials next year for the 2012 Olympic Games. I have found a possible horse!!!!!!!  But the funds are still needed.  Let me know!  No idea is too small or too big!  I might be behind in available funds, but once they are there, I still intend to make that team!

Update

It's been quite a while since I've written, so I thought I'd give you guys some updates.

Equifit has this awesome product, ShouldersBack.  My shoulders tend to hutch forward because of all the time I have to spend in a wheelchair.  I've been using it and it is AWESOME!  You can find a ShouldersBack and other products HERE.

The pancake breakfast fundraiser had to be canceled for not enough interest.  We are currently working on a CT, a golf tournament, a spaghetti dinner, and a clinic with Colleen Kelly in February.  Contact me if you are interested in helping with any of these!

Lou is back from PA and is doing well.  I miss him so much.  He was such a sweetie.  Hopefully I can get out to see him in the next week or two.

I had to withdraw from Mexico for lack of funds.  The next competition is Portugal and I need to raise about $15,000 in about a week.  Anyone with any ideas of quick fundraising, let me know :)

Last week, for my birthday, Challenged Athletes Foundation paid for me to ride with Walter Zettl.  I always love learning from him. I rode at Houghton College in New York on a 23 year old horse named ET.  I was able to work again on my flying changes (needs LOTS of work from right to left and my hip tends to get stuck going that direction), canter pirohettes (they are improving a little), piaffe and passage. ET was a lovely partner and I enjoyed learning from Walter.  Thank you Challenged Athletes, Jo-Anne Young, Houghton College, ET, and especially Walter Zettl.  I have a small clip of some of my riding but need to get permission to post.

That's it for updates.  Next month will see if the funds come in for me to compete in Portugal (actually, the next week will tell that), I will audit the clinic Missy Ransehousen and Robert Dover are giving at Gladstone, clinic with Walter again possibly, train with Missy and Jessica Ransehousen.  December will be Portugal and continuing to raise funds and look for a horse.

Thank you all for your friendship and support!

Star Gets A Massage!

Star Says, "Thank you for my massage!" to Amelia Main

The other day, Star got a massage from non other than Amelia Main.  Without me telling her before hand, she identified areas that I had had issues with when I rode Star before he broke his leg.  Star is owned by Beverly Rardin of Rardin Farm in Mount Pleasant, SC.  After the massage, he was more relaxed, had straighter self carriage, and was altogether happier and more relaxed.

If you wish to contact Amelia to massage your horse, you may reach her at ameliamail@hotmail.com .

Thank you, Amelia!!

Captain Lymington (Lou)

Babe of Ballisodare, owned by Michelle Donlick of Avalo Farm in Wagner, SC has not been competed this year yet as he is coming back from his injury.  For our nationals this year, he has to either qualify with one ride from another rider (Michelle) from a competition this year with an R or S judge, at or above my grade comparison, OR qualify with a Championship AND a freestyle score from me from one of our PE international judges.  I considered trying - and even competed him in a Championship test (receiving a qualifying score).  But after giving him his first real workout in a year, I felt it was not fair to push him to do all that in a two week time frame.  He is healing well, feels good, and I decided to forego that for now in hopes of possibly riding him next year, if that is what his owner decides she wants to do.

I've been riding another friend's horse this past week.  Sara Kinard is the trainer and runs Half Pass Farm and Stables in Ravenel, SC and has a horse named Lou.  He is 9 years old, a Holsteiner, and is currently between 3rd and 4th level.  Here is my 2nd ride on him.  We are playing around with some school figures and hoping to put together a freestyle.  It's sloppy, I know.  He's the biggest horse I've ever ridden.  I'm slowly learning to not look so sloppy and get him more over his back, forward and engaged.  Hoping it all comes together soon.

Thank you, Sara, Rob and Maggie!

Will There Ever Be Justice For This Young Race Horse and Others Like Him?

The Sad Fall of a Young Race Horse

This story makes me literally sick to my stomach. 

Babe of Ballisodare

One of my friends, Michelle Donlick of Avalo Farm in Wagener, SC, has allowed me to ride her horse Babe of Ballisodare often since 2003.   Last year, he had an injury and is just now coming back into work.  Before his injury, he was Michelle's prelim eventer and a level 4/5 Parelli horse.  I was supposed to ride him at WindReach in Canada last year, but he was injured 2 weeks before we left.   The other day, I drove up to Wagener and we took him to an arena down the road from Avalo Farm.  This is that ride.  I did not ask him for more than he wanted to give and basically just allowed him to pick how much effort he was willing to offer.  This was a first-time-back, go-at-your-own-pace test.  He did beautifully, I think, for the first time in a year.  This test was turned in to our international para judges and was scored a 62.86.  Not too shabby for a first time back test.  Thank you to everyone for hauling, grooming, loaning arenas, encouraging and helping me that weekend!

Errr scratch that.  I've tried for 3 days to get it to upload and it will not.  Dang it all, lol.


Because that video does not load, here is another of me riding Babe for Walter Zettl 3 years ago.  This is part of our warmup, the video is grainy and jerky.  But you can see how nice of a mover BabeMan is here:

Michelle has lots of horses for sale so check her out!

Post and Courier Write Up at the Rardin Farm in Mount Pleasant, SC

Photo by Grace Beahm of the Charleston Post and Courier

Jeff Hartzell did THIS write up in the Post and Courier on Tuesday, 6/21/11 (Equestrian Jones Makes an Olympian Comeback).  Thank you, Jeff Hartzell!  The pictures are of a 23 year old horse I have been riding for about two years.  His name is Classic Star.  His owner is Beverly Rardin of Mount Pleasant, SC.

She contacted me a couple of years ago and asked if I'd like to start working with Star on dressage.  She knew he was getting up in years (although we did not know his exact age until we just found and updated his passport) and thought it might be better for him if he lowered him jump height and started doing more groundwork.  We do not know how much dressage training he has had, but he has obviously had some - albeit he hasn't done it for many years.  He's been doing hunter/jumpers for youth and young adults since around 2000.  He was getting better muscle tone for his 1/2 passes at the trot for me in an FEI frame and could do 3-4 steps of a 1/2 pass in an FEI frame before he would get tight and stiff and needed to be allowed to straighten or stretch.  He loved tempi changes and would do 2 tempi changes in a hunter/jumper frame when he was happy in his work.  I was hoping to be able to ride those tempi changes in an FEI dressage frame one day!  Oh! And when we received his passport, we discovered that the Starmeister was a Grand Prix jumper in his younger years!  Go Star man! 

On a side note, Bev has bent over backwards to help me ride Star, to make it to WEG with another horse who was not even her own (Ollie), she has boarded Star at her own farm (Rardin Farm), paid for his vet bills and farrier bills - done anything and everything to help me reach my goals.  I can't say enough good things about her.

However, two weeks ago, Star decided it might be fun to kick the snot out of his stall wall and break the splint bone in his left hind.  Because of a previous, chronic injury to his left front, the decision was made to retire him at the young age of 23 years.  I am sure Beverly will see how he does, and it may be possible for me to ride him again, but for now, we all are looking into getting his leg healed and finding a retirement "job" that he will enjoy.   While he heals, the hunt is on to find another horse for me to partner with.

A very huge thank you to Nicole for helping me saddle and mount all those many times & to Beverly and Jamie Rardin  for allowing me to ride this special horse and bring his dressage prowess back to the forefront in his old age over several years.  It was an honor and a priviledge.

Fascination is owned by Bill Conour, of Carmel, Indiana. His wife, Jennifer, does all the handling of "Ollie". They have been tremendously generous in allowing me to ride Ollie for the WEG qualifier in Canada, the United States Para Selection Trials in Wayne, Illinois and now training as an alternate for WEG. I cannot thank them enough for generously allowing Ollie to come into my life. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Ollie has a wonderful personality. He has begun to nicker sometimes when he sees me. He twirls my hair in his tongue when he is bored or when he thinks I should move faster with things. He will stand with his his huge head hanging over my body and wheelchair and let me fall asleep on his shoulder - sometimes he falls asleep too. He is very careful when I ride him and feels it is his duty to NOT do anything more than a small trot..he realizes I am disabled and I have to convince him each time to step it up a notch, lol.

In his younger years, he won 3 riders their gold medal, qualified 6th one year at the Pan Am Games selection trials, showed in Wellington in both Grand Prix jumping and Grand Prix dressage - winning at them both. He now packs this Para rider around safely and is teaching me the ropes of re-learning to ride all over again. He is a 23 year old Dutch Warmblood and has come out of retirement 3 times, the final one to try and help us both make it to WEG. He is an awesome boy and I'm tremendously grateful to have learned from him and to have befriended him.