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!

Erin D. and I went to Panther Creek to ride again on Taos and Ritza. We decided to do a different loop in hope the trails would be clear. They were better but there still was a few trees down that we had to walk over or go around. We ended up getting lost and riding on a hiking trail. The arrows were a different color, but at least we were on a trail! Soon it got too rocky and narrow and Ritza decided we should go back to the other trail. The first part of the ride she was distracted and kind of out of it. After she realized "she" needed to take control of the situation she power walked back to the trail and was totally focused all the way back. It was like she finally got warmed up as Taos was slowing down. There were lots of rocks for the horses to navigate and the lake was beautiful. We rode for 3 hours and with our detour probably rode about 10 miles.

This year I moved Bella & Ritza up to Intermediate Horse Pairs at the Gayla Bluegrass CDE May 16-17, 2009. It was really fun and the girls did well, despite not being their usual selves. We finished in a respectable 2nd place and are looking forward to the next CDE! Erin Woodcock was my trusty groom/navigator and did a great job handling everything. Later I found out Mercury was in Retrograde so it all made perfect sense.

For Mother's Day, Erin Doyle and I decided to go trail riding at Panther Creek State Park. I rode Izzy and she rode Taos. We decided this summer to try and trail ride as much as we can to get young hunt horses ready for next season. The weather was beautiful and sunny after a week of rain and storms. What we didn't think about was all the trees that had blown down blocking the trail in multiple spots. Being foxhunters I knew we could get around the trees no problem. However, the very steep muddy slopes up around or down and around where a bit more than I realized! We made it around the loop, but just barely! Our horses didn't know what they were in for, but they took it all in stride like a good field hunter should do. We rode for 3 hours and about 10 miles. A good day to start our trail riding season:) 

 I decide to show my unicorn of Bella, Ritza and Salli in the Prelim Multiples class at the Gayla Schooling Show in Georgetown, KY to a first place finish! It was very challenging making it through all the hazards but the girls did great! We only hit one ball during the cones course and the dressage test went smooth. Driving three mares on a windy day is always fun. We also picked up our new friesian X saddlebred filly who matches Chase great! In a few years they are going to be a amazing pair. Thanks to Erin W. and dad for grooming for me and to everyone that helped baby sit Skyler while his momma was showing:)

 April 1-5, 2009 Riverplains Farm took a unicorn of gypsy vanners for Villa Vanners to drive in the Pfizer Fantasia Performance at the Equine Affair in Columbus, OH.  This was a great oppurtuntiny to show case the gypsy breed actually performing in a relativly difficult driving style.  We had been driving the pair all hunt season and Lenka as a single, but we had just put the "unicorn" together the first of February. This was a bit rushed on all of us, but luckly it all came together and the horses and grooms did great! Erin Woodcock and Harvey Young were great (and fast on their feet) grooms. Dad sat up front just incase something happened. The whole trip was a success and we talked to lots of wonderful people about gypsies and driving. I also drove Romeo in a few breed demos. He is a superstar in any sitution or venue! The Equine Affair was a great experience and it was nice to be part of it all.