Off to Aiken

It was such an amazing weekend, I didn’t want it to end.

I rode with my friends both Saturday and Sunday for hours at a time on the trails. Jaliska popped all the jumps in the woods, effortlessly. It was a great farewell, for the next few months anyway.

Jaliska is ready for Aiken. With the added training and my daily rides, she is in optimal form.

Containers are all packed.
Jaliska senses that something is up.

It was warm enough on Saturday for me to wash all of her outer blankets. I did this while they were on her, outside of the stable, as she munched on a bucket of grain. I had previously washed her under-blankets, and mattes, and saddle pads in the washer at home over the past few days.

Last night, I filled a months supply of my homemade supplement formula (Cosequin, Gleam & Gain, ProBios and Kosher salt) in daily containers. I packed what was left of the larger containers for refills.

This morning I thoroughly cleaned all of J's tack.

I tucked my helmet, spare boots and chaps, and other essentials, in the container with her saddle and bridle and then placed all of her blankets, supplements and grooming gear in a large tack trunk.

I taped Adrienne’s contact information along with the farm address and phone numbers on both, and then slid her health certificate and Coggins in an envelope in the trunk.

She was ready to go.



Jaliska will ride in style to Aiken.

Mark pulled his eighteen wheeler up along the side of the road at around 3:30 PM.

With just a light blanket on and the halter she wore from Ireland  (don’t pack your leather one, I was instructed, as she will be in turnout all day), Jaliska walked into her home for the next 20 hours, without hesitation.





She was soon busily tearing away at a bag of hay, with a prime view of the ponies and horses making the trip south along with her. 

Jaliska makes herself right at home.



She was the last one loaded up and will be the first one off.

This makes me happy.

Jaliskas' travel buddies.



I normally would have been heartbroken to see her go but since I will be joining her just next week, I am beyond excited.

I can’t wait to see how this new chapter unfolds in my continued Quest.

Trip Delay

When Mark, the horse shipper, called me today to say, "Jaliska’s trip needs to be delayed for a few days," I was secretly thrilled. The weather has been amazing with the temperature registering nearly 60 degrees today and the seven day forecast showing more of the same, this meant spring riding in January.

With J's travel postponed it will give me the opportunity to hack her to the field at least one, if not two, more times before she leaves. Also, since the kids are with their dad this weekend, I can now spend hours at the barn with Jaliska and my riding friends. This is of particular significance to me since I know that I won’t be seeing  much of them during the next few months with Jaliska gone. I will miss them.

So during my morning ride with my new friend John I say, "John, would you like to go on a trail ride this weekend since the weather is going to be so nice?" Yes," he said, "that sounds great." "Excellent, I will work on getting a group ride together," I reply.

I focus back to the job at hand. John had set up trot poles for his horse, I ask him if I can join in on the fun. “Of course,” he says. I notice that John rides quite a bit longer than I usually do. Feeling on top of the world with Jaliska riding so beautifully and it being so nice out, I think, Gosh, I should ride longer too. So I do. 

John and I agree to ride again the next morning where we will firm up plans for a group trail ride on Saturday.

Nic’s Bit -- Super Psyched!

So for a ten year old girl, who is a HUGE rider, and hasn’t been riding lately, having your Mom tell you that she is taking you to Aiken, South Carolina to train is a BIG deal.

Nicole is super psyched for Aiken!

Let me explain. When I heard my Mom was shipping Jaliska to South Carolina to train for two and a half months, I was instantly jealous. Then, when I heard SHE was going too, I was even more jealous! At just about at the point where I was going to beg her to let me come, she invited me.

Now I wasn’t so jealous anymore.

My Mom is arranging for us to go over February break, we will stay at a Bed and Breakfast Inn, and I will ride one of the smaller horses and get a lesson from one of the instructors who is training there.

My Mom gets to go every other weekend to ride Jaliska, and will stay with the previous owner of our stable.

Jaliska is so lucky, because instead of being stuck inside her stall on freezing cold days here in Massachusetts she will get to be in the fresh, warm air in South Carolina. I have never been to Aiken, so I have no clue what to expect. But I just know it’s going to be a great riding experience!

The night before Jaliska leaves I will be at a Rascal Flatt's concert! I can’t wait to go with my Mom!

It’s going to be a crazy weekend with the concert, my basketball game (and practice) and acting camp. I will also be switching from my Mom’s house to my Dad’s house. I think I will be pretty tired once school starts up again.

Considering the fact that my life is so crazy, I just remember this quote from my new calendar, “Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that, so it just keeps flying anyway.”

I just hope that when I get to Aiken the trainer lady won’t think of me as a beginner because I haven’t practiced in so long! To keep up with it, I just walk on my heels all the time at school and sometimes even post in my seat during class; my friends think I’ve gone bonkers, but that is OK (I kind of am).

Wellington is OUT -- Aiken is IN

Jaliska is going to Aiken, South Carolina to train for the winter.

I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I am so excited for her that I can barely stand it. On the other, I will miss her dearly. This must be what it feels like when sending a child off to boarding school or college. I decide that I don’t like this feeling at all. I am happy, though, that she will be in a warm climate with turnout all winter and I will join her at least once a month to train.

Adrienne, my second-in-command local trainer, and primary in Aiken, sent me this note to prepare for the trip:

<Begin Note>

The plan is to pull out of Kirkwood, PA very early on the 20th (6 horses, 4 boys, 2 dogs, and 1 cat...oh, as well as me, Erin, Tanya, and Noll).

We will be ready for additional horses to arrive on the 22nd of January and beyond.  It is going to be a great winter. We have a bunch of really nice people and horses.  I need all of you to be sure I have the dates that you plan to arrive so we are ready for you.

To do list:

Evening Ride

It is six o'clock in the evening and I am psyched, I am off to ride J.

I normally don't ride in the evening but since getting divorced, it has been difficult to ride in the morning. I have to be home to see my son on the bus at 6:45 AM. I would get up earlier and be at the barn at 5:00 AM and home by the bus, but Jaliska and the other horses are still asleep and I just don't have the heart to wake them. Jaliska for one is still growing and needs a full nights rest.

I get to the barn and of course Jaliska is thrilled to see me. I swear, I have my own fan club in J. I am just as happy to see her, she has a fan club in me. I spend time patting her and blowing in her nose which she finds soothing for some reason.

The temperature is not that bad. Yesterday was brutal with below zero wind chills. Today it was still chilly but this evening it feels like a balmy 20 degrees. I groom Jaliska and put on her half sheet to keep her somewhat warm during our ride.

We head for the indoor. I walk her for fifteen minutes in each direction, letting her reins hang loose so she can stretch out her neck. Walking for a half hour prior to and after riding is really good for horses. I learned about this from reading Elmar's book  Training the Modern Jumper.

When I start to trot her, I immediately feel a difference. Jaliska is so smooth. What a difference professional training makes.

She is a dream for the next forty minutes. I am so happy after our ride, that I spend the next thirty minutes cleaning all of our tack. Jaliska is happy too as she gets multiple hugs and praises, an apple and a horsey treat that I found in a container in the tack room.

I immediately make a plan to ride first thing in the morning since the kids will be at their fathers.

I head home reinvigorated.

Tip of the day:

If at all possible, set your horse up with training rides, that is if you are lucky enough to have a really good trainer where you keep your horse. It is well worth the investment.

Where has the time gone...

Where has the time gone?

The New Year is off with a bang and with two kids, two dogs, a horse, a business to run and house to manage, my blog has fallen to the wayside.

Let me catch you up.

Since Christmas a Grand Prix rider trialed Jaliska for a potential stint in Florida. He concluded that she was too green for competition,  however, he could bring her down for training as he really “liked her” and said “she has heart.”

As exciting as this might be, I felt training her at the most expensive horse local in the US, if not the world, was probably not my best option.

So the universe decided. Jaliska is not to go to Wellington.  

I set Jaliska up for weekly training rides.