crazy, exciting LIFE

WELL everybody, it's happened-I have acquired an FEI level horse (for REAL!!) and made the move back across the country for said horse, in order to take my shot in the competitive para sport. Now, as my best friend Jayme told me, "some people move across country for a man, Elle, but nothing short of a horse could move you." 

the face that moved me 4000 miles

Truer words were never spoken. And what a mare she is! I gushed about her in the last post, but as i'm sure my readers will agree, having a horse (MY HORSE!) to gush about warrants, well, gushing. My Clever girl is a beauty unparalleled...strong backed and proud, correctly built; a super sport horse. her Hanoverian lines evident in her flashy moves and muscled neck.

a never-before tried shoulder-in

 The touch of Thoroughbred in her dam's side gives her that extra fire which promises both the thrill of unpredictability and superior athleticism. Her great-great? granddam on the dam's side was the Hall-of Fame TB Ballycor. She was one of the top event horses the wold has ever seen, one of 9 eventers in the USEA hall of fame..and it shows in Clever's abilities. She herself was the number 2 eventer at her level in the nation several years ago. Anyway, now you have an idea of the ride i've been blessed with..and the reason to forsake the Gold coast and return to my rather gloomier origins. totally worth it! 

super forward canter

I drove across the country in 9 days with one of my best friends..and we had quite an adventure. We traveled roughly 1200 miles out of our way to Dallas in order to pay a visit to my first horse, now retired..it was a lovely visit and i'm thrilled to pieces that he remembered me!! we passed through the southern route and stopped in several memorable places, including Flagstaff, Texarcana and Memphis; where Jayme fulfilled one of her bucketlist items by popping into the home of the King, Graceland. making our way up the eastern seaboard was very scenic, we went through NYC and Boston, and finally, 4,000+ miles later, we arrived safely (surprise) in Belfast, ME. that's where i am now, as it drizzles outside, and my mom sits by the window knitting. It's quite a change, and i already miss SoCal; but it's the start of a very exciting new chapter and i cannot wait to set up a training schedule with the fantastic Cleverness!!

A New Chapter

Good Lord. 
Well, first off, an apology to those out there who've been expecting my next post. I do hope I haven't lost you! A combination of events in my life, too numerous to elaborate on, have prevented my updates. But, most importantly, my Internet has been down, so I plead technological inadequacy! I am sorry for taking so long. 
To give you all the general rundown since my last post, I will skim through some details that you might be curious about. When I left off I was gearing up for the CalNet show. Long story/weekend short, I bathed Ruby til she glowed in the dark, developed 3 raging saddle sore/blisters that nearly incapacitated me, almost died from heat overload in the 107 degree sun under my heavy black wool coat, got galloped away with in an equitation class (embarrassing) and won three blue ribbons and one red second place for my 4 classes. It was an exciting event; despite the nearly unbearable heat, all the riders from Ride On did spectacularly.  I was satisfied with my scores of 68.5% in my first test and 70.5% in my second; wasn't as high as I'd hoped, but decent enough. And Ruby was not happy that weekend; the show proved to be too much for her and she is on pasture rest for the foreseeable future. Poor high strung beast.

CALNET results :)

  
Now, the more interesting and thrilling news: I have found my competitive mount!!! I attended a USPEA/USEF training symposium in my home state of Maine, and fully expected to have a jam packed week of riding, lectures, lessons and networking. I never once suspected I would fall in love, and then ACQUIRE an international quality warmblood whilst I was there. 
Too many things happened that week (last week) to go into too much detail. It was a whirlwind of activity at Carlisle Academy. The Dutch "O" judge Hanneke Gerritsen was there, as well as the GB gold medal coach Clive Milkins, Olympic rider and trainer Catherine Haddad Staller and former USEF high performance dressage director Gil Merrick. There were countless other coaches, trainers, team members etc; so needless to say it was a jam packed weekend!
The highlight for me presened herself in the form of the most refined, beautiful, daintiest creature imaginable. Her name is Clever, a Hanoverian mare with a dash of Thoroughbred which gives her that touch of fire. She is immaculately put together, a smallish horse just shy of 16hh. She resembles a Breyer Horse, with her teacup nose, arched neck, foxy little ears and big doe eyes.

her beautiful head

 She stands square at all times, on 4 perfectly shaped small hooves. 3 socks with little black ermine spots around the coronary band. Her left hind is unmarked. A tiny star marks the center of her lovely face. This horse is a powerhouse. She may be petite, but she moves like a 17.2hh dressage horse. Huge flowy gaits, beautiful extension, a worldclass walk..she overtracks by a lot! Her back is strong and supple, a mark of diligent care and conditioning, coupled with the fact that she is an eventer, and crosstraining for horses, just as with humans, achieves the highest level of athleticism. Her coat is mahogany bay with subtle dapples. She stole my heart (and my mother's!) in a second. It's that instant connection that you find maybe 3 times in a lifetime. A recognition of a counterpart. 
When I mounted the first time, I was blown away by her easy movement, her sensitivity, and her ability to almost read my mind. We were performing moves I'd never tried before, flying changes, half passes, canter-halt, as if I'd been riding her for years. Her owner/breeder, Mary Jordan was generous enough to let me ride her during the entire clinic; and word spread like wildfire to each party about the match we made! 

Hanneke said "this horse, she wants to work for you."

To bring a very long story to a wonderfully happy ending, it so happened that Clever was put up for sale just before I met her, and the decision was made that it was an opportunity not to miss. So I am buying her, and must now put my utmost in raising the funds to complete the purchase. 
What this means for me is that I will be moving to the east coast once again so that I may train with more USPEA affiliates, and so that I may afford keeping my horse (my horse!) housed. I know I will be back in CA someday, but I had my shot handed to me, and now I am sure that I will be competing with the team for years to come!!! I am hoping and praying that the move goes smoothly and I am reunited with Ms. Clever in no time!