Going North to South Farm, and, Band #1!

I feel like I don't spend enough of my time with the horses, and yet, I feel like an inordinate amount of my blogs feature horse related activity. Where is the rift?

In any case, this weekend was another horse-related activity, but not solely thus, it was also a band-weekend (the other thing prominently featured in our fall schedules!)
I was the horse- mom, and Huz was the band-dad.
Middlest's marching band had their first competition of the season, and they pulled off an amazing show, as they seem to do annually, receiving the Class Winner award, Best Auxiliary in their class, Overall Best Music, Overall General Effect, Overall Grand Champion, and the only band at the competition to be awarded a Superior Rating, and qualify them to compete in the Ohio State Band Marching Finals.
I have to say that I watched a bit of practice on Friday, as I waited for the correct moment to collect Youngest from his school and head off to his competition. I parked the car in the lot with the windows open to listen to the music. Which, is ah-mazing. It is Gershwin, and I know I think this every year, but it is my favorite show so far. Sitting there, I also got to listen to the band directors. And, I think I discovered the secret to the success of our band. Don't do anything wrong, and the directors won't let you know you just did something wrong. Now, just give the kids incredible music and complicated, seamless marching drill, plus the will to not hear their name over the loud speaker, and ta-DA; perfection.

I waved at Middlest atop her podium (she may have seen me, but I guess one mini-van looks like every other mini-van, so why wave back at a woman in a suspiciously familiar mini-van.) and headed to pick up Youngest.
He was part of our Pony Club's D-Rally Eventing Team for our Tri-State Region competition. It was held up near Cleveland, and our friends, and teammates were giving Sonny Girl (Cheez-It) a ride to the affair. He had everything, clean, labeled and packed in the car, except the pony. This is remarkable for a few reasons. The list of required items is exhaustive, everything must be clean- really, really clean, plus in good condition, and he did all cleaning, labeling and packing in one afternoon/evening. Preparing for a rally is best done over several days, so I had my doubts. But, he pulled it off.
Our friends stopped their rig on the road, and we loaded up the mare for the long haul north. I didn't really know how far north until we got out of the car and realized it was COLD. I also should point out here that as we got closer to the ironically named "South Farm", I was thrilled to find we were surrounded by the Amish- a fascinating canyon in our 2014 timeline. I am not one to want to chase celebrities about , but I think I could be an Amish paparazzo.

Despite my neck whipping about to see every buggy, buckboard and scooter, we arrived, got the ponies all tacked up and headed straight out to the cross country course, because for this special event they allowed the kids and horses to school the course prior to the competition the following day. This greatly increases the chances of success on course, as the horse has seen the obstacles, and this, usually, makes them less scary for the horse. We had a wonderful schooling session. Youngest was entered in the Intro level for the competition but went ahead and did some of the next level up fences while we were schooling. Great for building confidence, but also for realizing you need to work more in order to feel comfortable stepping a level up!
The kids then organized their competition tack room, and got their horses put to bed for the night. And it was night. A late supper and then an early morning start. Youngest and I slept in the car. Well, he slept. I tried, unsuccessfully.
But, morning comes.
And with it we were off! I was one of the coaches for the team, sharing duties, thankfully, with another experienced eventing Pony Club mom. Each competitor presents themselves and their horse, tacked up and ready to ride, for Formal Inspection. This is mostly a check for appropriateness and safety for the lowest level, but builds to quite a scrutiny for the upper-level competitors. It was made more difficult by a persistent, cold misty rain, with periodic downpours.

 In the indoor arena, Youngest tightens his girth under observation by the judge, while Horse Manager, Hannah, holds his pony. Then, to the dressage arena they go. The first of our team to compete was Katie and Scooter.

 The salute to the judge to begin the test.

They were followed by Riley on Falcon, with a very good test and McKenna and Starz, who are so adorable and flashy, everyone watches! I paused to watch the pair while I "walked" the Show Jumping course with Kelly, who was competing on a higher level team, and doing the Novice level. "Walking the course" is when the unmounted competitor (and sometimes the coach) walk the required course either on Cross Country or Stadium (or Show) Jumping. This is where you plan your ride, look at footing, terrain, count strides to obstacles, and plan your "line", or where you will guide the horse to go. It is also part of memorizing the course, so you don't screw up!
Last to go on our team was Youngest on Sonnygirl.

In the warm-up we worked on guiding the pony on a geometrically round circle, just the right size, and having a light contact with the ponies mouth. In this photo he has the pony nicely bending on a 20 meter circle.

For his final halt and salute, the sun came out!
I think it was because he had just completed a very nice Intro level test, being awarded a great score at 36.25! His work on getting a 20 meter circle round was awarded by high scores. I was very proud of him.

Next up was the Show Jumping phase. Kelly led off with the Novice course on Niki, pulled out a clean round, even though Niki is 24 years old and doesn't love murky footing...after all the rain the ring was pretty wet.

Then Katie and Scooter had a nice, clean, nearly la-de-dah round. A huge step for this inexperienced horse who tends to be less than brave.
Riley and Falcon were excellent, and little Starz, managed with not just a little encouragement from McKenna, to get over everything, despite short legs and muddy ground.

 After each competitor was finished with their show jump round,  they put on their safety vests and reported straight to the start at Cross Country. My coaching co-hort was there to get them on their way, and Horse Manager, Hannah was there to receive them at the Vet Box when they finished the course. I only got to watch from afar a few fences of the course. It looked like the going was tough. I could see many competitors having "hiccups" as McKenna sunnily put it. This included our own team.
The penultimate pair of the day was Youngest and Sonnygirl/ Cheez-It (for those of you wondering, Cheez-It is the show name Youngest chose for Sonnygirl, as she is reddish orange, and Cheez-Its are an excellent snack "food").
He was our Pony Club's only Intro level competitor, but he had the same course for Show Jumping, just at a much reduced height.

  The mare was a star, gamely- and safely- jumping every obstacle on course, finishing with a very pleased rider.
And off to the abbreviated Cross Country Course for the Intro level. The most difficult challenge for many ponies was the Amish buggies flying past on the road- black boxes chasing a horse. But, Sonnygirl was raised in a pasture next to an Amish farm, and she was unfazed.

 The pair as they canter away from fence #4. They swiftly accomplished a clean round with no faults!

And, after the Vet Box, there was Hannah, treating each horse and rider like they were Olympians.


After turn-backs (when each competitor is checked to make sure they have cleaned their tack, boots and ponies after the ride), scores were completed and the results were in!

The D team learned a lesson in promptness when they neglected to turn in their written test on time and were docked 5! points. They also lost one point for a pair of tall boots that did not have toe-trees (boot trees hold the shape of the leg shank of the boot, but a filler in the toe keeps the foot part from collapsing when they aren't being worn). This -6 points put them in 4th place in Horse Management. Oops! They also came in 4th place in their division- Cross Country penalties of -40 points.On the surface this seems, perhaps, like a poor result- but it was a triumph in many ways. I am very pleased with the riders for challenging themselves and their mounts. For their kind riding and their positivity. They are all moving forward together, and each pair grows every time I have the privilege of seeing them ride. 
Kelly's team ended in better stead. They earned a first place in Horse Management and a second place in their division.
Youngest was a leading scorer, placing in 4th place overall. He was properly pleased with himself and his excellent pony! 

Youngest, McKenna, Katie, Hannah, Kelly and Riley- Way to go team!!

Double Dutch: Seeing Re and a Model from Connecticut

This is nominally a blog about my trip to The Netherlands, but truly it is a blog about friendship. I have some wonderful friends in my life, current and past. I have a friend I treasure who has been mine for over 40 years. I have friends all over the United States, and I have friends in other countries, on other continents. I am terribly fortunate that they have seen something worthwhile in me, a connection, a bond. I have found over the years that these, true, friends have something in common. When I am with them, within seconds, it is if we were never apart.
I have a map in my sunroom. On this map I have pins holding tags. Each tag has the name of a treasured friend written in my hand. These are the people I have a thread to, no matter how far. I want to see, visit with each one. But, life has a way of making this goal a slow one. I have set up a fine life full of family, farm and jobs that mean stepping away is technically difficult. Every so often, I get to see one of these treasured friends. Last year, Amy Brangaccio Wolf came for the night "on the way home"...which it really wasn't, but close enough for her to detour. It was magical to be with her.
This trip to The Netherlands also held magic, for living in Amsterdam is my ReRe. Re was the girl some faceless person at the University of Richmond thought would be a good match for my College Roommate. Although that person was entirely correct, I'm quite certain the Dean of Student Affairs was not grateful. ReRe and I were an instant pair. Less like chocolate and peanut butter, more like, well, tequila and lime. We soon picked up more ingredients, Phillipe, The Rama, Spatch, and a margarita was born.
We had fun. No filter. It is a mark of my early ambitious determination that I eventually left these girls and moved to North Carolina to continue my schooling. I could see veterinary school slipping away. But not the bond I had with them. That stayed.
I tried to find, this morning, photos of me and Re together at College. I found precious few, and what I found was the worst film quality I've ever seen. It's worse than my series that could be called "Guardrail photos from I-81, circa 1979." And, all I can say is "Thank You, Lord." For, although I wish I had great pictures of that time, I can be mostly thankful that I don't, and hope no one else does either. No social media was a luxury I was unaware we held.
Curious photos I found? Re, arms on top of her head, in the window. She is in shadow. and there is a large bouquet of yellow flowers on the windowsill. Did we pick them from the University President's front yard? Did they come from a boy? I don't recall.
I found a pictures of Spatch in the ReRe Jean, and Phil in the ReRe Jean, and Re, in the same. Every one of the pictures is almost completely brown, figures mostly indiscernible. And I had forgotten about those jeans. I think we were the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, long ago.
The best actual photographs of that time were of people I don't remember at all. Usually dates for the semi-formal of the week (it was a Greek school, there were a LOT of formals).
Such as this example:

 I don't know who my date is, I don't know who the people are in the picture behind us. I do recognize the couch/bed we all had in the dorm sophomore year. The dress is a gorgeous dress with black jet beads that I still own, and had been my mothers.
But I found very few pictures of Me and Re. The one I did find was this:

 The two of us, laughing. Which, I believe appropriately represents our friendship.

As shown by this photo:

Taken shortly after finding one another on the street near her house in Amsterdam 11 days ago.

I am so grateful that we got to "swarm" (as we always called being together, because we were like bees, sweeping through and scaring everyone around us, I'm certain.)

 We couldn't stop clutching at one another, I have missed her.

 We got to share a bottle of wine,

And I got to see her awesome husband again, and for the first time, meet her children! They are adorable boys, who I now miss too.

I wanted to include this photo, because there are three in this picture. Re's Eldest, me, and the photographer.  I am smiling at Re. And I am so very happy. (Plus her hydrangeas are incredible.)
Here's to being with you again, frond.

End of an Era, Sheepless.

After a long hiatus from this blog, I just don't think I can catch up! We have had a fevered, cool summer here at Cowfeathers Farm. July saw us enjoying the wonderful company of our French Exchange Student, Xenia, with whom we fell in love instantly. She accompanied us to the Kentucky Horse Park for Middlest and Youngest to compete with our Pony Club region against the top competitors from Pony Clubs in every region except Hawaii. But July was soon over, and Xenia was once again back in Paris. We miss her still!
But in August we did not enjoy the "dog days" of hammocks and cool drinks. No, August means Band is back in swing, school starts, and then Huz and I were off for a trip to The Netherlands, where he presented some research at a meeting of Rad Peeps, and then we visited with family, and one of my best fronds ever- ReRe, roommate from College, who lives in Amsterdam with her adorable family.
We are now home, the Grands, who stayed with the kidlets while we were gone have flown back to their own nests (Huz's parents took the first week, mine took the second). And we are staring down September.
She has shown us some changes in just this first week of her month. We are down to one rooster in the barnyard. Winston departed to be someone's soup after growing way too big for his britches and stalking us for sneak attacks. Then Chuck the ChickenDuck and our senior roo, Uglybird, got into a stramash and a few days later, Uglybird was found dead. The Roo-icide is still under investigation. Chuck the ChickenDuck is in custody.
And, yesterday, the entire flock of sheep left for greener pastures. A nice family of Shepherds purchased the flock to start breeding in the sweet, handle-able dispositions of the Border Leicesters into the more difficult Hamp-Sufflolks they already raise. I am sad, but glad. Middlest was done raising and showing the sheep, and they needed a new job.
But, it seems awfully quiet around here.
Bye-Baaaaaaah.