Well, back to square one. My farrier came out yesterday and we decided that Tori is indeed still sore. So, a phone call to the vet, and we’ll see what course of action to take next. It is possible that this soreness is normal - after all, we are waiting for bone fusion to take place in her lower hock joint, and this can be a painful process. On the other hand, something else may be going on. I’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, she’s saving me on my shoeing bill! Other than trimming up her fronts, we left her alone. Karisma actually behaved herself for her trim this time - a far cry from her last time when she was a complete brat. Again, my thanks to Chris and DG for their help handling her and letting her know that even youngsters as cute as her have to mind their manners!

I’m still slogging away on Fall Fair paperwork. Everyone keeps asking me when the payouts are ready - I think I’ll tell them all to join the committee for next year! Hahaha! It takes countless hours to decipher the results, and then the payouts, and then refunds and extra charges. It will be great when this major push is done - then I get to clean up the previous paperwork and get things organized for whoever takes on the project next year.

Photo credit: Chris Hassell

My whole life seems to be revolving around the Fair stuff right now, maybe things will get back to normal once it is done (haha, not likely eh?). I may be back in the full swing of things with the Reiners club too, as the Secretary stepped down at the last meeting. We shall see!

Fall is in the air, and we are working on yard clean up in preparation for the snow that is sure to come sooner or later (we prefer later, thanks!). The winter’s hay is in, though we need to have one or two less horses for the winter in order to have enough. Our one boarder is seriously considering selling his Paint stallion, and we think the other boarder (the old mare) may have to be put down before winter hits. In either case, we should have enough hay to last.

So as the nights start turning cold, and the leaves start changing colour, pull out your winter blankets and check for needed repairs now while you still have time. And don’t forget to grab your horse and head out on the trails for some glorious fall rides - just remember that you might want to wait until early afternoon to start out as the mornings can be pretty nippy!

Until next week, happy riding!
~ Kristi :)

Foal Announcements View the latest or...
If you have a Foal Announcement you wish to submit, click here

Would you like to Share a Trailer Ride? View the rides offered here... or submit your offer for a ride here

Well, where do you start when you say you’ll print the highlights of a show that huge?

We started out on Thursday with the arrival of Kerry Walton, from Port Alberni. Kerry was kept busy by the 4-H show all day. The Light Horse Show started with dressage classes at 8 am sharp, with Jill Yonge of Saanichton presiding over them. Once again, there were enough entries in Basic I and II to move the Basic III and Basic IV to the following day. Congratulations went out to Sherry Kirsch for her scores on Cruise, which earned them the Basic Dressage High Point. Honourable Mention also to Tina Hackle riding Solar Alliance, for their Reserve High Point finish. Sherry was the only rider in the Basic I & II division to earn a percentage in the 70’s - well done!

On Friday, Jill Yonge returned to the dressage ring to score the remaining Basic classes, the Medium classes, and Prix St. George and Intermediare classes. Highlights here included Erin Rowsell’s 70.56 score riding the Trakehner stallion Tulpenprinz in Basic IV, and Jane Lloyd-Smith’s 70.70% ride on Wager in the Intermediare I test. These two are both highly talented riders who have worked long and hard to achieve these high scores! (For those of you who don’t ride dressage, it is customary for anyone receiving three scores of 60% or higher at one level to move up to the next level. With that in mind, you can see that these two ladies have mastered their respective levels!). Advanced Dressage High Point was won by Jane and Wager.

In the Main Ring on Friday, Donna High made her show ring debut winning the Walk-Jog Western Pleasure class aboard the 22 year old Mrs. M. Donna’s husband and children have been showing but this was Donna’s first attempt - we hope to see her back next year! The remainder of the Western Pleasure division was also judged by Kerry Walton. Kerry continued judging with the beginner reining classes, which were dominated by Dina Vandenberg, Ronja Schippers and Nancy Huntley.

Gymkhana followed the morning classes and for a change showed low enough entries (for a change!) to not last well into the dark hours. High Point honours went to Becky Dallaire, riding the 27 year old Arabian mare Joany. Other honourable mentions go to Brittany Ewald on Sydney, Jessie Vandenberg riding Curry, Kaleigh Allen with Eko Bay Spark Plug, and Katie Park on Sierras Mirage (who incidentally was last year’s Superhorse). Thanks to our ring crew and timers for stepping at the last minute - we keep trying to be better organized every year, really we do!

Starting at noon in the Hunt Ring, Margaret Maltby from Surrey began the judging of the English Hack classes. Margaret gave special note to Tulpenprinz, who in her words “just never put a foot wrong”. Erin and Prinz won every class they entered on Friday, to the pleasure of the lovely stallion’s owner, Gerhard Walter.

Next week, more highlights!!

To successfully keep your mental focus, you must place your hopes and fears on a back shelf and allow your coach to guide you through the competition.

Prior to the competition, map out a plan based on your experience and the training level of your horse. Your coach will suggest you aim for classes that you can succeed in - with requirements that your horse does well at home, consistently, rather than entering classes that are barely in range (or beyond!) of your horse’s abilities. Entering tougher classes simply sets you and your horse up for a difficult and possibly bad experience.

At the competition, your coach will likely continue much the way you work together in your lessons. Keeping things familiar and routine is important for both you and your horse. Carry out your regular warm up, paying attention to tricky areas that your horse or you find difficult. However, now is not the time to be adding things or trying to improve on details! You must ride what you have, and your coach should help you keep that in sight.

When it is time for your classes, your coach should have discussed a class strategy with you that keeps your whole situation in mind. For instance, if you are riding a green horse in a rail class, he/she may suggest that you move to the center of the ring during the cantering section of a class if your horse acts up. If you are riding a horse that get upset in the back thru in trail, your coach’s plan may be to have you settle your horse for an extra long time at that obstacle.

Your coach will also likely be full of tidbits of good advice - listen to it!! Age old sayings like “Breathe”, “Smile”, “Take three deep breaths” and “Have fun” are important for us to remember when we get caught up in the seriousness of the show pen. Your coach should help you remember those even in times of stress.

After each class, you and your coach should move away from the other competitors if at all possible and go over the class. This is NOT a time to rehash the mistakes! Instead, use the class as a way of gauging where you and your horse are at. For instance, if the horse still did not settle at the back thru, then you know that you still need to work on that at home. If your young horse cantered well without misbehaving, then you know you are ready to build on it.

A good coach will help you to see the positives in each foray into the show pen, and will help you build on the strengths, rather than letting you dwell on the weaknesses. You know they are there so quit worrying about them! It comes again down to mental preparation, and having a good coach at your side at each show will help you to achieve and maintain that focus.

Northern BC Horse is sponsored by local businesses who support equine sports in our area including:

• Baerental Ranch
• Burns Lake Building Supplies
• Griffin Crick Ranch
• Hoskins Ford
• Northern Horse Supply
• Ridennoure Paint Horses
• The Tack Store

Do you have a horse or equipment to sell? Want to buy a horse or equipment? Check the Free Classified Ads.