A mother's overture....

This is total MOMSENSE....enjoy!



Happy Trails,
Leah

Prima Randirina in her 2011 Recital...

The Spring Recital marks the end of Randi's second season in ballet. I'm not sure she is technically any better than when she started, but she sure is having a good time! We started off the weekend with a dress rehearsal...the girls got to run through their routine and get comfortable with being on a big stage for the first time.....curtains, lights, and all!

Then we came back the following day for the big show....Randi admitted she was a little bit nervous....I can't blame her, there were about 100 girls there waiting to perform....it was a little intimidating for a first timer....and her mom!

Good friends always help ease your stress though.....Chloe is Randi's BFF.....so glad they have each other to lean on...

But enough gabbing, let's cut to the action....Randi's on the far left in the back row....you can see her bouncing around throughout the clip....starting to wonder if she might be more cut out for hip-hop or Jazz...the girl has ENERGY! My apologies for the spastic footage at the end...when the crowd begins to clap Sophie gets startled and jumps up, busts me in the chin, and almost knocks the camera right out of my hand.....silly girl!...enjoy!

CJ's first hair cut....

It was a milestone event....the trimming of the golden boy's golden locks. I almost couldn't do it! What I wouldn't do for those sweet little ringlets on my own head....boys always get the best hair.

I went conservative just to tidy up the edges and reduce the length....I don't think it turned out too bad for the first go around...what do you think?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy Haircuts!

Leah

World's Greatest Horseman....

Very Clever!

So you want to do-it-yourself?

"Cruiser" @ Congress

Trained & Shown by a Non-Pro

You can do it too!

A message for Mary...

I got your message and I am sorry to hear about your trainer...I hope she beats the odds!

I wanted to give you some encouragement to move forward and continue Cruiser's training with confidence...One of the biggest differences between a trainer personality and a non-pro personality is: The trainer will get on a horse and push that horse for more every day, whereas, the non-pro will get on the horse and ask the horse if they can do more that day. Most non-pro's get stuck here because of their lack of confidence of "doing it right". There is no "right" way to train a horse. There is point A and point B. If you want to get to point B, you have to work at it. It might take you longer than others because your timing isn't quite as good or because you have to solve training issues you've never solved before that trainers accomplish as second nature.

One of the most important things to remember when you make the decision to train your own horse(s), is that when you issue a command, you have to be prepared to win. This concept has always made tremendous sense to me when dealing with confrontational people and competitive situations as well. Know where to start, have a plan to escalate reasonably as needed, and always have the capability to win the battle. Or stay out of it. With most horses, owners have the physical capability to win. What they lack is the mental fortitude and plan. And winning isn't just about disciplining the horse into submission. It's better to win through motivation, so the horse repeats the desired behavior because they want to rather than because the expect reciprocation (a treat) or they fear punishment (a correction).

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how you win the battle, (ethics considered of course) as long as you get to point B. Your methods and skills will improve relative to your amount of experience. You will make mistakes, I promise, and you will be a better rider/horseman for it.

Just remember your goals and every day work toward them. And ALWAYS end on a good note.

Happy Trails!

Leah

Good Morning, Bambi.

This is what I love about the "country".....this little fella saw me off to work yesterday morning.

Happy Trails,

Leah

Baby Steps!

Randi Mae was 15 months old before she took her first steps...it appears that Sophie and CJ are going to beat that by a couple months....go punks go!

Sophie Goes in Cirlces...




CJ Walks!




They'll be running laps in no time.....

Happy Feet!
Leah

Memorial Day Picnic....

I decided it would be nice to take the kids out on our first family picnic today. The weather was warm, but a nice breeze and the shade under the trees made for a very pleasant excursion....we unpacked our blankets and goodies and kicked back at the campground area of Pratt Park in Fredericksburg.

The punks stayed put on the blankets for the most part....this was their first real trip outside in the elements....

JR and Randi ventured off for some exploration though...

....and the next thing I know CJ is in hot pursuit! That is, until he realized he was off the blanket...he wasn't too keen on that long, green, tickly stuff all over the ground....

...he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.....

...but I eventually rescued him from it's evil grasps and returned him to the safety of the blankets....

We ended our trip with a stop at the ice cream store downtown...nothing better than some quality family time on a Holiday.....

Best wishes to you and yours on this Memorial Day,

Leah

You win some, you lose some....

The results are in! Everyone had a fun and successful showing at VAHA this weekend! Amanda came out take Bo to task on her first year in the adult division....they held their own in the Showmanship, Horsemanship. and Pleasure classes....lots of blues to add to the senior yearbook!


Beth (boarder) hauled her mare Jorga to the event...they had a late start on day one, but ended up with several blues and other top honors for their efforts...not too bad for limited saddle time in preparation!

Rhonda (boarder) hauled her young gelding, Houdini, on Saturday. This was his very first show, although you would have never guessed it....Houdini handled himself with great presence and the judge rewarded them with many top honors....I believe they took blue in more than half of the classes they entered! Considering that this time last year Rhonda was nursing a broken ankle from an unfortunate tumble off of this big guy, they've come a long way and I know she is very proud of their accomplishments.....as she should be!

Last, but not least......Martin. If you read my blog, you'll recall that Martin came back to us after his owner went off to college....I've spent a considerable amount of time getting him sound over the past couple months.....daily treatments have resolved his thrush and repaired his sheered heals...the vet gave him a clean bill of health, so we were finally able to tack his shoes back on as well....we are using Natural Balance Horse Shoes, as he has some arthritis developing in his front right pastern joint. These shoes offer assistance in the breakover motion, thus reducing the pressure on the joint. He sound for now, but as his arthritis progresses he may need surgery to fuse the joint to prevent chronic pain and inflammation.....the prognosis is good, considering it is a non-motion joint and the procedure effectively alleviates the problem completely.....But enough about his feet, let's talk about the show! Day 1 was a disaster....I am not exaggerating.....wish I could continue the good news after the success stories above, but it's just not the way it goes sometimes....I learned this weekend that martin is extremely ring sour...at home he is the perfect gentleman....cool, calm, collected and an absolute joy to ride....in the show pen, however, I was in for a rude awakening! Martin was dead set on anticipating the announcer's every command...he was nervous and anxious and generally naughty all day....a BIG disappointment is about the only way to describe it I guess...

Day 2 was a little more pleasant. Aside from the fact he was exhausted from day 1, I strategically placed myself in the arena where the least amount of "Martin-eating" monsters were apt to get him...I also sang the ABCs through every class so that the sound of the announcer was not as prominent to him....all techniques in action helped us pull out several blues and a division championship at the end of the day......he definitely made me work for it though.....thinking he may not be so not on the idea of showing anymore....considering placing him in a lesson barn....the consistent exercise at his age (19) is desirable, and a job out of the show pen is probably exactly what he would ask for if he could talk! Hmmmmmmm....decisions, decision.....

On the brighter side, the Little Brat directed Bo through her trail class...these angled poles were challenging, but she handled them well....

A small amount of assistance was necessary as she approached the cones....Bo wanted to turn around and go back to the trailer, but we got his straightened back out and on course....

Last obstacle was poles followed by a 1/4 turn in the box....piece of cake! Good enough for a second place.....

The next class was Pleasure....as seen in the image below, Bo gave her a little bit of a fight to stay on the rail....he tried to pull the reins out of her hands and head to the middle (the middle where they go at the end to await the results)....she held him to task though....4th place out of 4 was a disappointment to her, but she knew she could try to make up for it in the next class....

Her final class was Horsemanship/Equitation....this class is judged on the rider....Bo could be difficult if he wanted to, but the Little Brat was determined to give it er best....chin up, heels down, she turned it on!

....and she did it! A blue for her efforts....even Bo was pleased.

She ended up with the Reserve Division Championship!

All in all it was a good weekend....the turnout was decent considering the economy, and the exhibitors as well as the show staff were fabulous, as usual....the next show is in August, and we hope you can make it!

Happy Trails,

Leah

VAHA Open Breed Horse Show: THIS WEEKEND!

VAHA District IV Open Breed Schooling Show

Being held this weekend

May 28 and 29

@ Rosemount Farms at 9601 Courthouse Rd Spotsylvania Va 22553

Classes start at 9:00 am

Pre-registrations for class entry and stall reservations are now being accepted through Friday, May 27th. Just a reminder if you pre-enter you will not be charged the $3.00 office fee.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Heather:

vahadistrictiv@yahoo.com

540-538-7669

I'll be showing Martin in the english and western events...we're still working on neck reining, but it's always a good time to get out and spend some time with the good people of this series...Hope to see you there!

Happy Trails,

Leah