A Super Summer

What a summer it has been so far! The biggest change for us has been the purchase and move into our very own place. It has been a long journey, but very worthwhile to finally have all our horses in the backyard.

The Farm w/our new fencing

Our new property is about 15 acres, it has a twenty stall barn with a tack room and wash stall. It also has an indoor arena, outdoor arena, and round pen. It will require some upgrades and a little work, but it is very functional. We are excited about the opportunities having our own place will allow us to pursue.

At the beginning of this month we finally moved all of our horses home for the very first time. It is great to finally have all of them under one roof. They all seemed happy to have each other too!

Caden has grown leaps and bounds in just a few short months from his first show this year at Mason Dixon in April, to earning his first East Coast Championship Top 5 just about a week ago. He is still very much a green bean, but progressing nicely. Pam Thompson has worked her magic to get him in tip top shape. We have plans to attend Sport Horse Nationals, we know this will be a big challenge for him to compete against some very seasoned show horses, but we feel he's up for the challenge. It will be great exposure for him regardless of his placings.

Caden - East Coast Championship Top 5
Training Level Dressage Junior Horse w/ Pam Thompson Riding

Ty is finally getting back in shape and back to work. Other than being a bit plump, he is slowing getting back into the swing of things, we hope that he'll be fit enough and tuned up enough to play with some shows this fall. We have hopes that he'll return to a full show schedule next year.

Roze and Amir have settled into their new home and Amir continue to grow like a weed. We will be getting Amir used to being handled and will work towards getting him ready to show in hand. If he's ready and show comes up this fall we may venture out, otherwise he'll likely make his show ring debut next year. We will soon begin our search for a stallion to breed to Roze in the spring for a 2015 baby, so hard to believe it's time to think that far ahead!!

Spring Has Sprung

After a winter that seemed to drag out far longer than the ground hog told us it should, I think it's safe to say that spring has finally sprung. One of the biggest events thus far for 2013, has been the arrival of our long anticipated first foal. In typical Roze fashion, the little one arrived a bit earlier than we were anticipating. We received a shocking call from out vet early Easter telling us he had just delivered a healthy colt. Roze had a very easy delivery and baby was up and on his feet in no time. Much to Roze's dismay, he is a very active little guy. With a little time and encouragement, mom and baby seem to be happy in their new routine. We are very pleased with the results of our new foal and plans are in place to breed Roze for a 2014 foal.

The New Arrival ~ Mehdi Amir RZ

Caden has been put back to work, with some delays because of poor weather and ill fitting saddles, I think we are getting into a groove. He is entered in a show at the end of April, I hope he will be ready to make his under saddle debut by then. We plan to stick to the Arabian show circuit this year with hopes of making it to Region 15, the East Coast Championships, and Sport Horse Nationals. I think that will be a full schedule for the young man for this year. I have hopes of venturing out into the open circuit with him next year to show others that Arabians can compete with other breeds. Caden continues to show glimpses of his future brilliance, I know with careful training and patience, most of all, he will reach his full potential.

Caden @ Clinic w/Christine Betz

Ty has been begrudgingly recovering for a tear in his tendon from last February. Progress has been slow and steady as is expected in these types of injuries. He is now turned out in a small paddock and working regularly on the lunge line at the walk, trot, and canter. We have one more check up at New Bolton, but I expect him to return to a normal life in about a month. We hope that there will be time to condition and qualify him for Sport Horse Nationals, but most importantly we want him to return healthy and sound when he is ready.

In other news, our home finally sold and we are now farm shopping. We are very excited about the possibility of having our own facility and having the ability to manage our horses at home.

As always, stay tuned, we anticipate lots of exciting things to come in 2013!

Our ad in the first issue of The Arabian Sport Horse:

Open publication - Free publishing - More arabian horse

Mehdi Amir RZ, makes his debut in the April/May 2013 Edition of The Arabian Sport Horse:

Open publication - Free publishing - More arabian

Exceeding Expectations

Our plans for Caden this winter were to slowly get him started under saddle. We set reasonable goals for him and had just planned to let him take things on in his time.

When we returned from Devon we set to work getting him working consistently at the walk. Judy Westlake held a clinic mid-November and ready or not I took Caden to his first big under saddle outing and test. He went through the exercises with relative ease. On the second day of the clinic he had retained what he learned the day before and we were able to move forward. Caden demonstrated a very fancy lengthened trot and we even got the canter, a gait I had not even planned to attempt until the beginning of the new year.

Returning back to our home barn, Caden has gotten better and better. We have ventured out of the ring on our first trail ride, where Caden preferred to lead bravely than follow. He has consistently improved with each ride and has begun to play with the leg yield. I am so excited for what he will accomplish in the coming year.

Caden also had his photo published in the December 2012 issue of the Equine Journal, another souvenir from our trip to Dressage at Devon. Click the link below to view the issue.

Equine Journal - December 2012

We will be be venturing out for one last lesson and the Caden will get a much deserved rest for several weeks. Check back in at the beginning of the new year for more updates. Until then we wish all our friends and acquaintances a very happy holiday season!

Settling In

So as the change of seasons is once more upon us, I get the sense that things are settling in for winter and settling down for at least a short while. As usual this summer didn't go as planned, but there have been a lot of positive changes nonetheless.

Nile Roze+

Roze seems to be enjoying her pregnancy, she's happy in her routine at our new boarding facility and seems to enjoy the stress free life of being a broodmare. Of course, come April when her little one makes its appearance that could all change, but for now we are enjoying a more mellower and affectionate Roze.

Nile Roze+

Ty continues has been on stall rest now for about two months waiting for the tear in his tendon to heal. We'll be heading back to New Bolton in a week where hopefully they'll give us the all clear to begin the long journey back to work. Ty has not been happy about his sentence to stall rest, but he's coping, hopefully it will be ending soon and we can pick up next year where we've left off.

Aroze to Nobility

Caden (Escapade SHF) has really started to settle in. He's been with us almost three months now and we've thrown a lot at the little guy, but he has taken it in stride. He's incredibly smart, as many Arabs are, but they still amaze me. We took him to Dressage at Devon where he did exceptionally well and handled the busy show grounds like an old pro. We've since been working him under saddle and he's taking it well. We'll be taking it slow through the winter working on his strength and conditioning, with hopes that he'll be ready for the show circuit next year.

Escapade SHF

Embarking on a New Escapade

Roze has fun in the Native Costume Class

Summer is flying by. Roze has attended two shows and is now officially on maternity leave. We had a  lot of fun and it was great to be able to show with no pressure. Ty is carefully and slowly being brought back to work, time will tell what his full capabilities are.

2012 Egyptian Event

In June, I was fortunate enough to attend the Egyptian Event. As an Egyptian breeder and enthusiast it was a very educational and enlightening experience. To be able to see so many amazing Egyptian horses in one place and be able to see and put my hands on some of the greats was a priceless opportunity. It has given me inspiration for the future as we look to add to our program.

Escapade SHF

Today, our newest project, Escapade SHF, has arrived. Escapade SHF is a three year old Straight Egyptian gelding that shows amazing dressage potential. Escapade SHF is by Scapa (by Mishaal HP) out of The Aurora who is by The Minstril. We will wok on getting him under saddle in the coming months and in the show ring, we expect great things from Escapade SHF.

Roze Goes Back to Work

So while Ty continues to rest and recover, I've put Roze back to work to get some time in the saddle. Surprisingly she was quite happy and willing to get back to work. We've just been playing around with Hunter Pleasure, but I've entered her in a show later this month. I thought it would be fun to go to a show with no pressure and just enjoy some Hunter Pleasure classes. Roze loves this class and should have a blast to. Since she is now pregnant, I thought it would also be in her best interest not to push her to far.

Roze competing in Hunter Pleasure 2011

Next week I'm off to the Egyptian Event for the first time, I'm so excited to meet new people and to see all the wonderful horses, it should be a great get away. I'm hoping to be able to get tons of photos and share my experience...stay tuned.

The Winds of Change

People are generally resistant to change. I used to embrace it enthusiastically, but as I've gotten a little older I've certainly built up my own resistance to it. In life sometimes we can carefully plan our decisions, others we are gently nudged into and others we are forced to jump in head long.

The winds of change have certainly been blowing in my direction. Ty came out of the last schooling show sore on his tendon, upon further diagnostics, we found a tear in his deep digital flexor. Once again he'll be off for show season. His future in the show ring is now questionable with so many issues in his right front. He is super talented and the easiest horse to ever work with, I keep hoping for a miracle. We're planning an extended break and a slow and careful recovery, good things are worth the wait, right?

We're still working on getting Roze bred, we'll have another vet check in two weeks, crossing our fingers that this time we'll finally get lucky.

We have some other changes and plans in the work, but can't quite spill the beans so as not to jinx anything, but stay tuned....

Everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, and things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they go right.

~Unknown