Ride for Life

We had a great day today as the Ride for Life took over the Show Place Arena this weekend. The atmosphere at this dressage competition is really like none other, and it is fun to feel as though you are a part of something so much bigger. My mother has been a survivor of breast cancer for 10 plus years, and I am eager to participate in anything that raises funds and awareness for this awful disease. The show was so well run and so well attended, I've already marked it on the 2013 calendar!

This weekend I had the opportunity to ride some of the incredible horses bred and owned by Thora Pollak of Beall Spring Farm. I have had the pleasure over the years of riding for Beall Spring, and right now we have in training my most favorite of them all! I walked by the stall one day and there he was standing there in all of his glory, begging for me to inquire who he was and when did I get to start working with him!! Today was all about Baker, as the above picture represents. And wouldn't you know, he rose to the occasion! I honestly expected nothing less, like all of his Beall Spring relatives he has a super disposition and a super brain that was instantly recognizable to passersby all over the show grounds. Working with such a talented youngster is beyond rewarding!


I suppose that his barn-mates would like to point out that he was NOT the only star of the day coughDantecough. In fact, the little man would have been nothing without his entourage including Thora on Dante, and his "security detail" of Steve, Trisha and Stacy. I would like to take a moment to congratulate owner Stephie Ormston on the fabulous performance of Beall Street Baccarat. This boy can really move! and that he did to post some fabulous scores this weekend. He was 2nd out of 17 in F2 and scored a 72%, and then he put in an absolutely lovely test in the covered arena and won the F3 this afternoon convincingly on a 74%. We are really excited to see what he can do in the future! Special thanks to Trisha and Stacy who started preparing him for me on Friday, and to Stephie who had him looking the part after having to completely rebraid him right before his class courtesy of some stealth rubbing - nothing like a little excitement on a 100 degree day lol. 

In fact, it is Thora and her entire crew that make competitions like this so much fun. They are so positive, which is of course easy when dealing with such fabulous horses. Chessie and Dante would agree! They had to work hard in the heat every day and they are certainly better horses because of it ha ha ha. Really looking forward to the next one, and I know the horses feel the same!