It's great to have the whole crew back together (Silva, Lillian, Shannon, Caitlin and myself) working again. We all took a week's vacation, one by one, starting in the middle of December until last week. Everyone seems fresh and eager to get 2010 started!!
Unfortunately with this cold weather we have been stuck doing all of our training indoors. So with the event horses we have been focusing on jumping, dressage, trot sets, long walks and slow canter sets around and around in the indoor. One thing is for sure, you learn to keep your eyes up when you ride, or you find yourself in a few crashes. I suppose the other positive is that it keeps the day very social. Sometimes there are 12 horses going around inside at the same time.
Lillian, Shannon and I head down to Aiken, S.C. at the end of next week to set up camp with the competition event horses. We have rented out a five star barn facility in the Bridal Creek Development that joins Phillip's and Dr Kevin Keane's. So it will be all the same faces, hopefully a lot warmer and a bit more sand about.
Silva and Caitlin will be staying here in PA with the dressage horses and the horses coming back from injury. Both Silva and I are looking for a working student each (one for PA, and one for S.C.) until April if any youngsters out there are keen to get some help in training in exchange for a bit of hard work.
My first competition is at the end of the month down in Georgia with the young horses. I took a few snaps at the barn today with Caitlin's fancy Iphone. I hope you enjoy.
All the best for 2010,
Boyd
