What's new is the weather here in western North Carolina! We had our first snow three weeks ago. It probably didn't even count as a real snow to the locals, but to us Floridians, it was a big surprise! Our 2 German horses, Lucky and Hero, barely noticed the cold, but the others - all born and raised in Flordia - were freezing at first. By now, though, they have all grown big furry coats and seem to have adjusted to the climate fairly well.
We have also been taking advatage of our location right next to Panthertown National Forest. The trails are well-maintained and the views of the surrounding mountain ranges are breathtaking. The altitude was another thing the horses had to adjust to, along with the rocky fotting. But they are all troopers, and love to hack out in the Forest. We are looking forward to getting them fit enough for an all-day ride.
Congratulations to Steven and Lil Ruf Diva! Steven and Diva won both of their Rookie Professional classes at the NRHA October Slide. Diva was steady and consistent all weekend and a real pleasure to show. We look forward to seeing what they will be able to accomplish as the 2010 show season begins.
Congratulations also to Anne and SC The Jazzman. Anne showed Jazz at the Orlando Winter Classic on December 12-13, where he competed at 4th level for the first time at a recognized show. Jazz won 4 out of 4 classes and was the High Point champion at 4th level for the weekend. They were featured in the January 1, 2010 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse.
Anne also earned her USDF Bronze medal this year riding Jazz, and her young horse, Forrester Slew. She is already working on her silver.
In other news...Steven and Anne recently did a clinic at Honey Tree Stables in Oxford, Ohio. Sarah Oelerich, an accomplished hunter-jumper trainer, hosted it and utilized Steven's skills in starting several young horses under saddle, as well as making sure two of her stallions had an excellent start on their manners and handling. Sarah encouraged many of her clients to participate, and she also welcomed horse people from the surrounding area. Some of the issues we touch
ed on were helping young horses to gain confidence under saddle and learning to move freely forward, making horses more responsive to the leg and hand, helping riders to be clear and not conflicting with their aids, trailer loading, and ground manners and handling.
It has been years since Anne showed hunters, she loved the oppurtunity to observe Sarah teaching her students and training her own horses. Anne was able to learn Sarah's meticulous and logical method of starting horses over fences, and to find out what judges are looking for in the hunter and jumper rings nowadays.
Most recently, Steven and Anne returned from teaching a clinic in Venezuela. This was their second time teaching there, and just as before, Reinaldo Rodrigez organized it and made sure Steven and Anne had were spoiled by the wonderful food and the most gracious treatment imaginable. There were over thirty clinic participants; about half rode Quarter horses and competed in Team 
Penning, while the other half raised and trained Paso Finos. The two groups complimented each other well and much of the work that was done, such as addressing spookiness, head-shy issues, standing tied, and trailer loading, was applicable to all types of horses. An especially important concept for everyone was helping the horses become as senstive and light as possible to the aids, without being overreactive. We worked a lot on the concepts of pressure and release, and timing, and how these tools are much more effective than fear or intimidation. One highlight of the clinic was when people began betting on whether Steven could catch an extremely head-shy horse. He had a bridle on her within ten minutes!