By Chance Update

Another fun weekend competing in dressage this past Sunday at By Chance Farm (conveniently located in Union Bridge).  This time I rode Darby and Tammy in two tests each.  This show was awesome, as it was packed with PL bred horses! Joanna Kuehne brought PL Lucky Indy, Lindsay Hall brought PL Irish Indigo, Julie Kingsbury brought PL Irish Decor, and Rachel Rosenfeld brought Grand Luck!  All are"Lucky" babies bred at Playland farm to one of our Arabian mares! I think this show had the most participants of PL bred horses than any other I've been to! Thanks everyone for coming out and showing off!

Darby and Tammy did just that! Darby is still on the green side for his tests of Training 2 and Training 3, but he pulled them off like a pro! Coming home with a first and third place! Tammy competed in First 2 and First 3 to come home with two 2nd place ribbons!  Scores were low across the board, but Tammy still pulled off respectable scores of 65%.  The judge seemed to like Tammy making the comment, "Always fun to watch!"  This show was a move up in tests for both horses, who pulled it off quite well!

Here's Darby during one of his tests.

A big CONGRATS to student Joanna Kuehne who came home in the top three placings with her tests on PL Lucky Indy! Another big THANK YOU to everyone who came out on their 'PL' bred horses! All our Irish horses were true to their fantastic Irish character, behaving quietly and being a willing team participant! And all their mom's gave it their best!

Next weekend....back to eventing with Mr. Studly!

PVDA Loch Moy

Last weekend, Tammy and I rode in a recognized dressage show through PVDA at Loch Moy! Even though my last recognized dressage show was around a year ago, I am a fairly confident rider, who seldom gets nervous! So, when I rode into the dressage arena feeling a little anxiety, I was greatly surprised! Whenever I get nervous, I blank out on my test....which I definitely did! But thankfully, I remembered my test before my next movement!  While Tammy started out in the warm up fabulous, and swinging through her back, it started to lightly rain giving her a chill making us end on a slightly less swinging note as we went into the arena.  I walked out of each test feeling like we pulled off a decent test. Thank god, Tammy is such a show off! 

The weekend was joined by friend, and PL horse owner; Julie Kingsbury who owns, "PL Irish Decor" competing against me in FL test 1! So we were having some friendly chat (of course comparing, who has the best PL bred horse!) when a friend of hers runs over to congratulate her.  She placed second in her First Level class!  They quickly also congratulated me, thereby notifying me that I had received first place in FL test 1!  Tammy didn't let me down on her second test either, pulling off a score of 70% to win her First Level test 2, and coming home with the highpoint score for the entire First Level division! I couldn't be more pleased with my homebreds!  This weekend we are back to a schooling show, and will give FL 3 a go at By Chance Farm.

Heath Ryan Clinic

For the first time ever, Playland Farm hosted a clinic with Olympian Heath Ryan.  Heath was at the farm on August 21 – 22, and it seems crazy that three weeks have already passed by since his departure!  He filled the arena with his boisterous voice shouting out encouraging words such as: “Come on, that a girl!,” “Work him!,” and “You can do better!”  The whole barn has been different since then, as everyone has been inspired to pursue greatness!

Heath particularly loved Playland Farm’s homebreds, with Tammy quickly catching his eye. (As if Tammy is used to anything different!)  He had watched me warm her up, and as my lesson began, I told him, “She is at first level.”  He politely asked to have a “go on her,” to which I dismounted and handed over the reins.  Soon I was watching my “first level” mare doing flying lead changes, collected canter, walk pirouettes, half steps, the “embryonic” (another “Heathism”) stages of canter pirouettes, trot and canter half passes! Then Heath informed me in his encouraging raw way, “You don’t know what you have! This mare is incredible and has real potential! And you need to step it up!” So as I stood there in disbelief, I made myself a goal … to step it up!

So with that in mind, Tammy and I will be getting out and about more often to pursue her dressage career. Expect to see us this weekend at Loch Moy’s dressage show!