Ask Cari

Cosmo was relaxed at his first Dressage Show this Spring.  The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and cool breezes.  Cosmo showed in training level four and first level one with great success.  Joa rode him beautifully giving him a great experience over the weekend.

Rex Peterson showed off RJ Masterbug’s favorite tricks last week.

Ten lucky kids can sign up for the Kids Clinic at Windrock Farm this summer,

bring your pony or horse or lease one of ours to learn how your horse thinks, how to ride in balance with confidence,

ride on trails, compete in monthly competitions at the farm for ribbons and prizes.

contact cari@cariswanson.com to sign up

Eventing is a fun sport comprised of three phases– dressage, cross country and show jumping. Preparation is key to success and each team of horse/rider also needs a ground crew of support to assist in grooming, checking equipment, supplying water. Generally the support team consists of loyal parents, trainers and friends. Here is the crew for Joa and Kestrel, Cupid, Comet and Freja handled by the Mom, the most important element of support.

This athlete arrived at Kent Horse Trials in style wearing a silky neck cover to protect his braids from being damaged in transit. Owning a horse allows you to enter an entire universe of horse gear and clothing appropriate to each season. As we approach the colder months ahead, this is a good time to clean and repair all of your blankets.

Kestrel studies his dressage test moments before entering the arena to commence his performance. Sunday was a beautiful fall day with unusual warm temperatures and perfect footing. Kestrel went on to jump clear stadium and cross country rounds to finish on his dressage score for seventh place.

Indy greets his fans after a clear show jumping round at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August. Indy went on to run one of three clear cross country rounds at the North Carolina Horse Park at his first Preliminary event. He is scheduled to run in two more events before the end of the year.

Junior Novice Champion at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August.

Beau jumps around a clear cross country and stadium course to finish on his dressage score for the blue at the Millbrook Horse Trials. This win qualified the team for the American Eventing Championships in Illinois. Here Kayla and Beau are standing with Maja who travelled from Germany to cheer on our favorite Irish horse. Congratulations!!

Kayla’s Mother is thrilled with her Victory!

Congratulations to Joa on Kestrel who finished 8th at the September Kent Horse Trials. It was a beautiful day with many horses competing for ribbons in several divisions. Kestrel is settling into his new career eventing jumping a clear cross country round with style and confidence.

Beau jumps around Fitches corner with Kayla Burns, recently imported from Ireland and purchased by Kayla on her birthday, he is from the Ginger Dick line of jumpers.

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Last weekend was one of the premiere events in the area at Fitches Corner. Laura Fazio gallops through the water in the Training Level division to finish her cross country round within the allowed time. The weather held for over 200 competitors and many more spectators who came out to cheer their favorite riders on. It was an exciting weekend and should not be missed next year.

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This beautiful Arabian gelding is 7 years old, 15 hands, with a relaxed walk, floating trot, rocking horse canter. He loves to jump and is easy to handle with excellent ground manners. He has been professionally trained in a program where he works in basic dressage, rides cross country and jumps small courses. This is a talented, athletic horse with a wonderful personality.

Rider position is crucial to maximizing your horses performance. The fundamental goal of the rider is to be relaxed and effective with the aids. Without the relaxation you will not be able to ask your horse to do anything productive and problems may arise from the tension.

The shoulders and arms hold the most tension for the rider. Some simple excercises are to constantly relax the shoulders and arm muscles, offering your hands toward the bit and discover how your horse reacts. Most likely, he will soften his neck muscles, round his back and be more comfortable.

Most importantly, breathe. When you hold your breath, you created tension in your body and thus in the horses. Remember, your horse is a reflexion of your energy. So relax, breathe, enjoy the ride.

Bond enjoying a cool vetrolin bath by Dean at the barn in Saratoga.

Bond is curious as to what is in that wine glass Alex is holding.It was a beautiful weekend at the track. We had a picnic under the shedrow overhang in the afternoon. A quiet day compared to the hustle and bustle of the track in August when the races are in full swing. We will return to bet on our favorite horses later in the summer.

Another beautiful weekend in Saratoga at the racetrack for the annual Dressage at Saratoga organized by ENDYCTA. This is one of the most fun shows on the East coast to attend because of the location at the track and all of the events that coincide with the show. There was the antique car show, petting zoo, many vendors and rides so that the weekend offers something for the entire family. The horses are stabled where all the race horses live for August. This is an easy show no matter what the weather because of the permanant stalls and shedrows with convenient overhangs to protect us from the sun or rain. Riding on the track is so much fun, especially galloping a dressage horse on the back stretch after riding in front of the grandstand.

Congratulations to Joa who won several classes in training level and first level on her partner, Kestrel.

Will Faudree and his veteran partner Antigua, aka “Brad” suffered a tremendous blow yesterday after they blazed around the cross country course at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event in the fastest time posted. Brad pulled a shoe on course, stepping on a clip which caused him to be unable to jog sound for Show Jumping today. With a score of 54.4 and standing in fourth place at the most prestigious four star event in our country, they had to withdraw from completing. So close to victory and unable to finish. A devastating break in a stellar career. Ironically, a clear show jumping round would have placed them at the top of the leaderboard. Such is the fate of one of our top competive pairs. Not to worry though, this amazing team will be back at the Pan Am games competing for the USA. Luckily Brad only suffered a minor injury and he will be back in top form.

Rain will not dampen the spirit of the competitors or spectators of the most prestigious exciting 3 Day Event in the USA. Every Spring, thousands of fans descend upon Lexington Kentucky to witness the best rider and horse combinations compete over 4 days of dressage, cross country and show jumping. This year includes my favorite team of the uber talented Will Faudree and his mount Antigua, affectionately known as Brad. They are currently in 9th place after dressage and only 5 points from the leader. Anything can happen out on the cross country course reported as being the most complex ever. I am confident Will mounted on his veteran best friend will finish in the top three. Stay tuned by following the daily scores at www.3dke.org

Plan to qualify for the Ninth Annual Dressage 4 Kids Youth Festival at Hits on the Hudson, Saugerties, New York. This is a wonderful opportunity for young riders to become true horsemen by teaching the correct position, competitive skills and knowledge of all aspects of riding and horse care. Dressage4Kids offers scholarships to enable competitors to further their education while having fun and developing good sportsmanship.

Check out the web site for qualifying details www.dressage4kids.com

Friday April 6th Jumper Schooling Day

Sat and Sun April 14-15 Dressage Show

Friday May 18 Jumper Show

Sunday June 3 Dressage Show

Thursday June 28 Jumper Show

Friday July 20th Jumper Show

Sat and Sun August 18-19 Jumper weekend

for details and entry forms contact www.cooleparkfarm.com or call 845.373.8591