Cutest Dressage Test EVER!

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A little "trail ride" anyone?

Fall is in the Air!

Fall is in the air!  

My daughters have been improving their riding and we have been working on "Freedom" with Oberon. I hope to get a video of that this weekend.  Here he is responding to my inability to learn as quickly as he!  James Cooler (of Cooler Horsemanship) tried for quite a while to make me understand a rather simple que... and Oberon would run off as he just didn't know what I wanted.  BUT... when I finally got it, Oberon was as sweet as pie.  

It was also windy and one of the first cooler days - and secretly, I enjoyed watching him prance around a bit.  At the end of this short video, he came back.  

Below is my daughter's very first bareback jump - and she also recently learned how much fun it is to canter UP a hill.   Not many lazy days ahead anymore for Oberon :)

As you can see below, he has a bit of a belly, but his neck is fine and the vet rated him a "6".  Traditionally he has been a "5" and tends to loose weight in winter, so I am fine with this.   The grass is slowly fading and this year we had so much rain - well, I consider myself lucky he didn't get fatter.  Not to mention, he had no hoof issues whatsoever.  

"A Blue Ribbon Kind of Day" a poem

Oberon - Full of tests, tricks and a heart of Gold

A Blue Ribbon Day

It was a summing up

kind of day,

of hours spent

collecting, posting,

diagonals, leads,

shoulders back,

thumbs up, heels down,

look, leg, lead

(don't forget... smile!)

September is a time

to celebrate achievements,

wrap up a season's progress,

teamwork, companionship.

Our Oberon, full of fun,

tricks, and a heart of gold...

or is that blue?

by Margaret Bednar, September 21, 2013

A Blue Ribbon Day

Warming up... Oberon not wanting to "collect",
my daughter light of hands and patient.  We don't collect for long
as we are building up his strength.

 It was an overcast day, but that kept things a bit cooler.  It is still rather warm here in North Carolina and very green - trees don't show any hint of color yet - and it misted for part of the day - didn't rain until after we were done with our classes.   My daughter has come a long way in her riding, and Oberon is a pony with a wonderful mind - doesn't do anything dangerous, but will test her to see if she knows what she is doing.  Being a pony, he is always looking for an easy way out of work ;)

They were in 6 classes.  Placements: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and two 5ths. (one was 5th out of a class of 15!) Classes were all good sizes, but she did place 5th of 5th in her first pattern class - and he took the wrong lead cantering - but we can work on that for next year.  All in all, a great day.

"The Eastern Breeze" a poem reflecting on the Friesian spirit

The Eastern Breeze

Does the eastern breeze
call your noble name
as you crane your neck
toward centuries old?

Do you gaze toward
the Northern Sea, hear
the Roman Legions march,
seek Hadrian's Wall?

Do the clouds conjure
ancient battles of Munster,
Aduard, and Cologne

as the eastern breeze
calls your beauty black
to reclaim a spirit bold?

by Margaret Bednar, September 3, 2013

Sebastian is only half Friesian, yet there are times he looks up and gazes in the distance and I can really see the influence of his magnificent ancestor!   I don't own him anymore, James Cooler does, but I get to see Sebastian at the barn where I board Oberon, my Quarter Horse who is adorable and cute - but he doesn't quite have the presence Sebastian does.

Below is a beautiful video and a few pictures of a Friesian Stallion being ridden at the beach (they LOVE water)

My Favorite Cowboy! Being Sponsored by Twisted X Boots

This video is a bit oversized and I couldn't figure out how to make it smaller.   It is filmed in Montana, I believe and

Twisted X Boots is sponsoring James Cooler in his journey to "Road to the Horse Wild Card Competition" taking place on March 13, 2014.  HERE is more information about the RAM Wild Card Competition 2014 which is FREE to the public in Lexington, KY.

HERE is an Event Schedule for Thursday (Wild Card Competion where one individual will be selected to move on to Road to the Horse) and Friday-Sunday (Road to the Horse International 2014)

"A Moment, Realized". A Poem

A Moment, Realized

Life is a series of moments, flickering quickly,
soon forgotten as I hurtle myself
toward each new sensory and you, often
with me, eagerly round each bend,

traverse each hill, two souls adventuring
into seconds, minutes, hours.  My youth
beats to the rhythm of your hooves,
your name caresses my lips each night

as I pray our connection lasts,
hope we learn to pause more often,
like this morning when you honored me

with your trust, your gentleness -
the moment I realized it is not I who offers up
the greater sacrifice, the greatest gift.

by Margaret Bednar, July 7, 2013

Summer is rapidly flying by and we are often too hot to ride these past couple of weeks.  Lots of hosing down, lots of early morning and evening visits to the barn.  I think I have always preferred fall as the bugs start going away and the heat recedes -- perfect riding weather.