A Mid Summer Night

Our first show of the season at Wonderland Farms was the 2009 Mid Summer Nights Schooling Show on August 15th. B showed on her favorite Wonderland horse, Peanut. Despite being uneasy about her first competition over crossed rails, B performed very well with no faults and no penalties for being off course. I could study that course for a whole day and still not remember it. B did not place in the crossed rail event but did bring home a couple of ribbons in her other two events. Overall we were pleased with her first show at Wonderland. Next week will be her first "jumper" show at Wonderland.

A summer at the Farm

Wonderland Farm, that is. B spent most of the summer working at Wonderland Farm in Leland. She served as one of their horse camp counselors and helped with the day to day workings of the farm. Mike and Karen have a really nice farm with excellent facilities and a love for all things equine. The summer job was terrific for B. She learned alot about caring for horses, equipment and facilities. As the summer wore on, the things she was learning were relected at our own farm as she began keeping our own things better organized and cared for. As a manner of payment for the work they performed, the young ladies working the camp got free lessons. The lessons have already made a marked improvement in B's riding. All in all, this experience has been a huge positive for B and has paid dividends for us as well. Many, many thanks to Mike and Karen for the opportunity.

Public Housing

This summer we made our first effort with bird houses. Basically, it only happened because we were given the house as a Christmas gift. It laid in the barn until it was technically too late for Bluebirds, but we put it up in mid summer anyway. We also did not recognize that the access hole had been made undersized.

To our surprise, within a week or so, there was a nest under construction. Shortly, the established nest had five eggs in place, in spite of the difficulty we had observed mom and dad having getting in and out of the doorway. A brief check today found five little babies tucked as neatly and snug as eggs in a carton. These little ones should have no trouble making their way out into the world soon....provided mom or dad don't get wedges in the front door.

Guest Again

We had another great weekend of watching B guest play for a local travel team. She has played with most of these girls in the past so it was a good fit. After hitting the losers bracket right off the bat, they fought back with five straight wins on Sunday to finish in 3rd place. They were playing to get into the championship game and had a 4-1 lead when the rains came and washed the remainder of the tournament out. B pitched in four games and only gave up one run. Her work with Coach Bryon at the K-Zone has been making quite a difference.

The 4th and the Firecracker

As we have done for the past several years, the 4th of July weekend was spent in Williamston, NC at the Firecracker Jubilee/Liberty Bell Classic. The Senator Bob Martin Horse Complex in Williamston is a superior venue for an equine event of any sort. Due to limited lessons, practice, the economy, or just plain penny pinching, we submitted a very limited class sheet. Very limited. In fact, B showed in but two classes and C in only one. This was our first trip with our new horse trailer, other than brining it home from Alabama last January. It was a relief to make a trip without having to worry if the left rear brakes were going to melt the tire off the rim due to locking up. Or how many leaks there would be if it rained.


Anyway, I can do a piece on the pros and cons of the old dinosaur at another time. Just suffice it to say that the new trailer was great. Anyway, once again, the results for the weekend were pretty decent (JMO) despite limited practice. C brought home a double 4th place finish in her lone class and B captured a double 4th in one class and a 3rd and 5th split in her other. Again, not a bad outing. With regards to the practice/lesson issue, the current state of the economy, fuel costs, etc. has forced us to begin looking at several options for a closer to home solution.

Guest Play Means Being Dad

This past weekend B guest played with an area 12U team in the NCUSFA State Tournament for 14U travel softball. With a break in our sports for a bit, B had the chance to guest play and I got a chance to sit my wife C and be a Dad for change. Our softball weekends have seen me being coach/manager for as far back as I can remember. It was a nice change. This young bunch of girls had a good weekend as well, finishing 5th in a 14U tournament.

First thing Saturday morning,one of our girls sent a line drive screamer to the foul side of third base and struck one of our Moms just behind her right ear. Upon answering questions and a quick checkover by a bystander that was an ER nurse, we belived all to be well. Within the same inning, she had lost conciousness and began to aspirate. In the end, she was taken to the hospital and later released with thankfully, only a concussion. Bottom line, any blow to the head should be assumed to be life threatening. No matter how minor it may seem at the time.

First Show of '09 Under Our Belt

It was a long time in coming, but we finally got enough clearance on our calendar to actually sneak in a horse show. Our first of 2009. School and travel basketball as well as rec and travel softball have dominated our "free time" since last fall. Friday evening we visited Wonderland Farms for a quick practice warmup. Saturday we kept to a simple class sheet with only four entries. With very little practice or lesson time in recent months, B and Apollo came home with a 3rd, 5th and 6th place finishes out of the four classes. Not too shabby, all things considered.