Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

This is Rose, my friend Belinda's beautiful pinto mare.  Rose made her show ring debut with me this spring at the Houston Dressage Society Shoofly Farm CDI and open show, where she handled the electric show atmosphere like an old campaigner.  She got good ribbons and scores to 66.5 at training level.  We are all very proud of this sweet girl.  This awesome horse is available for lease at Hearthstone Riding Stables in Houston, by the way!

Rijkens Update

Rijkens is enjoying his next chapter.  Here we are pictured at our last show together earlier this year doing Prix St Georges, at which we qualified for our local southwest dressage championships for 2018.  I owe a debt of gratitude to Rijkens for all he has taught me and brought into my life, including and certainly not limited to two USDF medals, bronze and silver.  Together Rijkens and I participated in the HDS Conrad Schumacher invitational symposium, and were the 2016 recipients of the Carol Lavell Gifted Grant.  Rijkens qualified for and competed at USDF Region 9 championships multiple years, where he earned 12th place overall in the region at PSG and 3rd place in the region at Fourth Level over consecutive years.  Rijkens and I were the 2016 USDF HDS Fourth level Champions, and together with our coach Andrea Attard Rijkens qualified at Intermediare for USDF Region 9 championships.  Rijkens is doing a great job with his new dad, and I'm grateful to still be in Rijkens' life and watch as he is spoiled and so well loved by everyone around him.  As with all things Rijkens, he lives life in his classic good boy style!

Introducing Ultra Jazzy

Meet Ultra Jazzy, my new dance partner!  Fresh off Michael Matz's farm in beautiful Coatesville Pennsylvania.  (There were a thrilling few moments when Jazzy and I were riding alongside Michael as he was schooling his show jumpers!) When my trainer Andrea Attard and I got there and first walked up to meet Jazzy, there were two giant goats hanging out directly underneath Jazzy's belly.  When Jenny Brannigan, from whom we would soon purchase Jazzy, asked us if we had any initial questions, I said "Yeah, is he okay around goats?"  We rode Jazzy that day and the next morning, and after passing his pre-purchase exam with flying colors he was ours!  Equine Express was available to pick him up the very next day so by the Sunday of that same week we had him home after our initial meeting on Wednesday June 13.  Everything landed in place fairly effortlessly, which seems a good start to a beautiful new relationship.

Me, Jazzy and Andrea moments after we told Jazzy I was his.  Dr. Mark Donaldson of Unionville Equine Associates did an excellent job with Jazzy's pre purchase exam, and insisted on snapping this sweet photo of the three of us.  That mug remind you of anyone?  Yeah, me too, and Rijkens' stall is directly across the barn aisle from Jazzy's new stall--- it is like a mirror image.