Yesterday I went foxhunting here at the farm with the TN Valley Hunt. I was taking a student out for his first hunt so I let him ride my "made" field hunter Isabella in my very balanced Flyover saddle that is made for hunting and cross country jumping. John was riding Falstaff so I decided to ride my "carriage" horse Ritza in my dressage saddle since we were not going first flight. No problem I thought....then the snow started blowing so hard sideways that you couldn't see anything. Trotting through the woods blind can be a exciting experience and was all well and good till Ritza over and over tried to buck me off, especially after jumping ditches and logs like a crazed grand prix jumper! As the day progressed I knew I was on borrowed time so I went to the back of the field in search for some calmness:) I didn't get it. 

I saw the log coming up that was on a slight down hill and saw the riders ahead of me having trouble, but all stayed on and then the next thing I knew I was flying through the air and realized, oh sh** I am falling off! (Ritza took off about 15 ft too early and then bucked). Then I hit and continued to hit various body parts as I flipped down the hill:) My first thought was I can't even remember the last time I fell off- then my next thought was well thats what I get for not riding a real true hunt horse! Especially in a dressage saddle, I knew better but thought I could get by....the number one thing I tell prospective fox hunters is that its all about having the right horse and equipment. My student riding my wonderful hunt horse Isabella finished the hunt a few hours later, smiling. I decided to come on back with a friend who had to get back to work. Next time I am riding Falstaff and John can ride another young one! As for Ritza, she will go back into the carriage and keep on showing in CDE's where she is a great driving horse.

 Yesterday I went foxhunting here at the farm with the TN Valley Hunt. I was taking a student out for his first hunt so I let him ride my "made" field hunter Isabella in my very balanced Flyover saddle that is made for hunting and cross country jumping. John was riding Falstaff so I decided to ride my "carriage" horse Ritza in my dressage saddle since we were not going first flight. No problem I thought....then the snow started blowing so hard sideways that you couldn't see anything. Trotting through the woods blind can be a exciting experience and was all well and good till Ritza over and over tried to buck me off, especially after jumping ditches and logs like a crazed grand prix jumper! As the day progressed I knew I was on borrowed time so I went to the back of the field in search for some calmness:) I didn't get it. 

I saw the log coming up that was on a slight down hill and saw the riders ahead of me having trouble, but all stayed on and then the next thing I knew I was flying through the air and realized, oh sh** I am falling off! (Ritza took off about 15 ft too early and then bucked). Then I hit and continued to hit various body parts as I flipped down the hill:) My first thought was I can't even remember the last time I fell off- then my next thought was well thats what I get for not riding a real true hunt horse! Especially in a dressage saddle, I knew better but thought I could get by....the number one thing I tell prospective fox hunters is that its all about having the right horse and equipment. My student riding my wonderful hunt horse Isabella finished the hunt a few hours later, smiling. I decided to come on back with a friend who had to get back to work. Next time I am riding Falstaff and John can ride another young one! As for Ritza, she will go back into the carriage and keep on showing in CDE's where she is a great driving horse.

I competed Bella & Ritza in Intermediate Horse Pairs at the Little Everglades International CDE in Dade City, FL this past weekend. We were 2nd after dressage out of 5 horse pairs and I felt like we had a good test. The marathon was beautiful driving around the ranch and the hazards were fun. We placed 2nd in most of the hazards, the girls did well but we didn't have as much bursts of speed as I would have liked.  On the walk section they calmed down so much that I couldn't get them to walk on and racked up a lot of walk penalties. That brought us down to 3rd place even though we had a awesome cones course and was actually 2nd in cones as well, but 3rd place over all is fine with me since the girls performed beautifully in all 3 phases. Amy Neary also showed her mare Reggie in Prelim Single Horse and had a amazing marathon with a 2nd place there and a good cones course to finish up in 4th place over all. John went with us and was my groom for dressage and cones and navigated for Amy. A very special thanks to Scotty for navigating for me! It was a really fun show and would recommend it to anyone to show or to come as a spectator.

TVH had a joint meet with the Belle Meade Hunt Club in Thomson, GA so it was time for another road trip! Erin, John, Pat and I loaded up and drove down Friday and hunted that afternoon and Saturday morning. Everything was warm and sunny when we got there (a huge contrast to the cold and snow we have had here) and the hunting was intense. They ride very fast with lots of territory, fun coops, ditches and a few wooden bridges. I was on my trusty mare Isabella who carried me safely both days despite having a bad headache. Erin rode Falstaff who jumped smooth for her as this was her first hunt back after her broken collar bone. Pat was on her wonder pony Ollie and John rode Taos in the Hilltoppers as this was his first away hunt from the farm. I think there was 12 total riders from TVH and we all throughly enjoyed the hunting and hospitality of the Belle Meade Hunt.

Boxing day is normally a great day for hunting and this year was no exception. I rode Isabella and Pat (who's pony had too much egg nog) rode Falstaff in first flight. It was really muddy and slippery, but our horses didn't mind and we jumped lots of coops and logs. It was also a Jr. Day so there were lots of young riders out on ponies and small horses. After hunting hard for 2 hours I had to stop off at the barn for the little girls room and after I got off, it felt so good I decided to stay off and have a drink and relax! Shortly after that the field and car hunters saw a gorgeous red fox twice! He circled around to say "top of the day" to the people watching from the road. I think he must have been enjoying himself too.

The hunting this season has been great at Riverplains and a special thank you to the TVH Huntsman Beth Blackwell for all her hard work and dedication. If you haven't been out hunting yet this season, dust off your boots and come join the fun before the season ends. It will be well worth it.

Happy Hunting!

This year was the Tennessee Valley Hunt Club's 21st annual Blessing of the Hounds returning to Riverplains Farm after a few years hiatus. The crowd of riders and spectators enjoyed a gorgeous day on top of the hill with a catered breakfast and complimentary coffee from Frank and his helper Skyler! The vendors set up nice booths and the bag pipe player in the background always sets the sporting mood. This year WBIR came out and did a news clip as well. I think there was around 50 riders and maybe 200 spectators, maybe more. Several carriages and tally ho wagons completed the scene.

I didn't ride this year due to time conflicts with Brian's family's dinner. Erin is still recovering from her broken collar bone and Lindsey had family obligations as well. So this left John to ride Falstaff in first field and jumped all the coops around the bend (special thanks to dad and him for repairing all the coops!) someone said they jumped 20 coops. Since I wasn't riding I asked Mary Sue Younger if she would like to ride Isabella. It was great to see her out hunting again!  The funniest moment for me was when the hounds came up close to the crowd during the blessing and Fiji, my pug, started barking at them and sent them all running back to Beth! Who knew a pug had a voice of a master! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and a great way to start our Thanks-Giving.

Once again the Katydid CDE in Aiken, SC was a fun show! I was first in Intermediate Horse Pairs with Bella & Ritza. We got there late Thursday and were the very first to do our dressage test on Friday morning at 9AM. My front carriage brakes locked up on me during my warm-up and caused extra stress for me and the horses. Luckily between Amy, John and Gavin they got them disconnected and I was able to continue driving. The girls had some great moments in their warm up but didn't want to continue it over to our dressage test! They redeemed themselves by putting in a awesome marathon and a very smooth cones course. The hazards all flowed well and Amy kept me on track on where to go. The cones course had some tricky spots, but Bella & Ritza were perfect with me only hitting one ball at the the end of a very tight serpentine.

It was really fun this year seeing all of our friends and watching all the beautiful 4 in hands competing. John navigated for Erin W. who showed in Prelim Single Horse and Fred won Prelim Horse Pairs. This was John's first CDE and he is now hooked and looking forward to helping out again soon. The nights were really cold and the days nice and warm. We had to drive back after cones, via Atlanta, and got home about 11:15 PM. Not bad for a great weekend!

This year TVH decided to have their Opening Meet earlier in the season than usual. Today was cold and still wet from lots of rain so the conditions were good for a great hunt! It started at the Kennels then a photo in front of the Day House, then on to hunt at the Knobs. I was not riding today since I sprained my wrist earlier in the week working one of my young ponies and what a day to miss. Lots of galloping and jumping in first field is always a great day! Erin D. rode Isabella and John rode Falstaff in first field. As this is Falstaff's first season of hunting he is doing wonderful to already be going first field and jumping some of the coops! I am so proud of him. Hopefully today is a good sign of many great hunts to come this season. Afterwards the Masters hosted a hunt breakfast at the Kennels for all the hungry people that was greatly appreciated. The traditional Blessing of the Hounds will still be on Thanksgiving Day at Riverplains Farm.

This year at the National Drive I drove Indy, a 3 yr old gypsy vanner mare, owned by Denise & Bobbie Hobbs. Indy has been in training since mid May and has been doing very well. This is a lot to ask of a 3 yr old since there is a lot going on and it can be sensory over load. Indy is very calm and seems to adjust to new situations well, so I thought she would be OK. We did keep it calmer for her and took nice relaxing drives on Friday and Saturday, despite all the rainy weather.  As usual, its always great to see the different types of horses and ponies with their turnouts and all the driving vendors in one place!  I would recommend anyone going next year to just watch if not to drive. Please note that the location will be Ohio in 2010 due to the WEG being at the horse park. Special thanks to Denise, Bobbie, Amy and all our other friends! For pictures go to http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/Orderpage.aspx?pi=04SQ00ZB150000&po=0&pc=15

One of the gypsy mares I have in training has been having a on going issue with the hair on her back legs. No one had ever noticed it was a real "problem" not just a cleaning/maintenance issue before she came to the farm. The regular conventional vets just didn't "see" anything wrong with her, but I knew this was not normal and that something was not right. Thats when I decided to have Dr. Cheryl Cross, a licensed Vet who specializes in acupuncture and Chinese Herbs come take a look. Finally someone was listening to me about all of the symptoms that I knew meant something. Yes, there was a problem and it all made sense in the Chinese medicine theory.  After having the mare worked on a few times, starting her on a Chinese herbal supplement and Dr. Cross digging even deeper to try and find out what is wrong with the mare, she is finally starting to look better!!! It is so nice to have a vet go above and beyond the call of duty to try and find out what is really wrong when you know something is not right. I totally recommend Dr. Cheryl Cross to help find the root of the cause to any odd problem you might have with horses, dogs, cats or any animal.

This year at the Indiana CDE I navigated for my friend Erin Woodcock instead of showing myself. She was showing her KWPN mare Odessa for her first real show. As this was Odessa's first show we didn't expect to win, but wanted to make it a positive experience for her and have fun. Dressage and cones went smooth and she was in 10th place out of 15 in Prelim Single Horse and I have never been so happy for a 10th place in my life! Marathon day, with me on the back step, was really fun- despite the down pour of rain!  Everything was slick and completely wet so when I had to get down to walk Odessa into the water hazard (she had never seen  a water hazard before) it wasn't so bad getting even more soaked. I was so proud of both Odessa and Erin for doing such a terrific job that I can't wait to see them show again. With a little more experience for Odessa they will be very competitive in the future.

For pictures of us check out http://www.woodsmithfarm.com/Photos/Carriage-Driving/Combined-Driving/Indiana-CDE/2009/Off-the-Wall-Photography/

Life at the farm has been very busy these past hot and humid months. The hunt horses are starting to be legged up and a couple of young hunt horses to be will hopefully start out this season as well. Frank has been working on cleaning out coops, bush hogging and cleaning up trails. The driving horses in training are keeping me busy and they are starting to look great! Unfortunately Bella & Ritza have not been worked as much as I would like so their next big show might not be until November. Little Skyler is now 15 months old and keeping everyone on their toes, especially Uncle Bill who takes him to watch the horses being worked and drives him around in the golf cart. JJ's garden has been very prolific this year and she has declared herself as the "Okra Queen."  Anna's little baby girl Montalee is 3 months old now and seems very happy to be on the farm. Cyndie is still working over time trying to keep everything on the farm running smoothly and is still threating to sell her milk cows:) Her latest grass fattened beef is delicious and she still has some hamburger meat for sale.  Not to mention everyone trying to fight the Norfolk Southern Intermodal railroad yard they are trying to put in a few miles from our farm that will destroy thousands of acres of farm land and cause massive amounts of pollution in our area. (Special thanks to JJ, Dad and Harvey.) But on a happier note, I will be helping Erin W. show her Dutch mare at the Indiana CDE soon and then off to KY in October for more driving events. Plus we start cub hunting soon!

For my birthday I wanted to go trail riding at Harmon's Den to Max Patch. Located in the Pisgah National Forrest, NC this is one of my favorite riding spots. This year my husband Brian decided to join us on the ride. He rode Izzy and looked great in his breeches and tall boots! She took care of him and now is officially husband safe. Dad rode Jasmine, mom's walking horse so the pace was trot, walk, trot, walk. Gaited horses and trotting horse don't really mix, but sometimes you have to do it. Lindsey rode Ritza and Erin D. was on Taos and I was on Bella.

The last 30 minutes of the ride was the most exciting as dad took us on a short cut "trail" back to the trailer to keep us off the road. The weeds were about 4 ft high and that was OK until we got to a creek we had to cross. Searching for a way down into it ended up going through a very deep mud pit. Jasmine almost fell down, as she hates boggy spots, Ritza jumped it so huge Lindsey almost went into a tree. Taos walked/jumped through it, Bella jumped it and now it was Izzy's turn. Brian was getting worried about what she was going to do and he was more worried about landing in the mud pit! But Izzy just walked through it calmly and then stepped into the creek calmly- unlike all the other horses who felt the need to launch us into the creek as well. Every ride needs a little excitement and moments were you almost come off, but stay on to tell about it later. We rode for 5+ hours and were more than ready to have a beer at the trailer, courtesy of Brian, and eat at Cracker Barrel on the way home.

This year was the 25th anniversary for the Metamora CDE in Metamora, MI. However, this was my first time to drive all the way up there to attend this event. The people were very friendly and the land was beautiful. We were in the heart of the Metamora Hunt Country and I can not wait to go back and hunt! The White Horse Inn, a local favorite had a sign outside that said Best Voted Hamburger in Michigan, and I would totally agree. The weather was cooler than expected, but still warm and muggy from all the rain. Thank goodness for four-wheel drive on the truck and muck boots.

Our dressage was a classic example of a good warm up and then loosing it in the dressage ring. The marathon started out well despite the 6 inches of mud that made the track extremely taxing on the horses. We won 2 hazards, were second in another and then my girls just couldn't keep going that strong in all the deep footing. I decided not to kill my horses so let them trot slower, coming in with time penalties. They came in with lower temperatures then many others who made the time, but had temps of 107 or more. Others had to abandoned course due to their horses giving out or were asked to resign. I was just happy my girls made it through OK and were fine the next day to do cones. We ended up in 3rd place, but at least we finished!

It was a nice show with lots of nice people and I look forward to the 2010 CDE. Hopefully my wonderful friends Amy Neary and Erin Woodcock who are the best grooms, navigators, truck drivers etc. will come back with me again for another adventure. Special thanks to them for taking such great care of Bella & Ritza and making sure our turnout was spotless and beautiful. Not to mention their great sense of humor that is greatly appreciated on such a long road trip!

 This weekend was the Spokes and Spurs drive and ride at Shakertown. I drove Bella & Ritza on Saturday with my cousin Jacob on the back. Erin D. rode Taos and Erin W. and TJ rode along as well. It was a great workout for the girls going up and down hills, through many water crossings and out in the hot, hot sun. We even cantered a long stretch in the carriage following Taos in the lead. Sunday I rode Bella and Erin W. rode Ritza and we had a nice trail ride. We met some nice ladies from the Woodford hunt and hope to come back and hunt with them this winter. I also found out I can get my trailer into Woodsmith Farm, but just barley!