About Me

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USDF Region 1, United States
Rigitta is a 2005 Lipizzan mare,(Pluto II Dixana x Rheia), that I finally found Dec 2010 after a 2 year search for a Lipizzan. Many adventures and new found friends later, Rigitta and I begin our partnership and eventual dressage competitive career. Rigitta has not been started yet so this will all be from scratch just like my 2007 Dutch Warmblood, Cedar(Theo), has been. I am an over 50 Adult Amateur Dressage competitor. I am a supporter of the Nokota Horse and have owned several. ... www.nokotahorse.org ... Amy Dragoo is helping me with my Blog photos. Majority are from her. ... AK Dragoo Photography, LLC ... www.akdragoophoto.com ... You can follow her Blog here: http://akdragoophoto.squarespace.com/view-all-posts/ ... Also a shout out to Sarah Casey and Waltzing Horse Farm Berlin, New York where I got Rigitta ... http://www.waltzinghorsefarm.com/ ... Make sure you click on "older posts" at the bottom of the page to see everything that has been happening since the beginning of the adventure!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Ready for School!

I am so ready to get the warrior princess started.  Feb 26 both Gitta and Theo leave for Second Nature Farm in Oxford.  Theo to be restarted as a 4 yr old after being turned out all winter.  Both have been body clipped.  I am not sure where Anecia will fit all their luggage, Ha, Ha.  I was able to get all their day to day things in a large rolling Stanley work box.  I love this thing.  Got it at Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/Stanley/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1f7/R-202300294/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

And then for all the grooming items I found this: http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=ZAG+ROLLING+WORK&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=018800R&SDesc=Stanley%26%23174%3B+Mobile+Work+Center

But I also have a large tub each of sheets, coolers, etc.  Am hoping I can hang a blanket rack on the wall behind where the trunk will go.

I have put Gitta on Mare Magic, magnesium , daily wormer and Smart gut from Smart pak to help her with the stress of moving again.  Theo is on Daily Wormer, Devil's Claw and Smart Gut.

Theo will get back undersaddle and is going to the April Morven Park Dressage show as a non-competing horse.  Gitta needs a month of ground work and a chance to settle into a stimulating environment.  There is always lots going on at Second Nature and she will need time to adjust.  The only firm plans I have for her are in July for the 2 SRS clinics.  Anything before that is play it by ear.  It really doesn't matter how far along she is for the SRS clinics as both Andreas and Christian will be able to work with her even if it is long lining her and me riding one of Melanie's horses.

Today Anecia, Kathy and I are off to visit Melanie Adams in Maryland, ride her 3 Lipizzans and then go out to lunch.  I am riding one of Melanie's horses in a Julio Mendez clinic http://www.mendozadressage.com/
March 12 and 13 and need to see which one Cassie or Sebastian it will be.  I asked Anecia to come so that she could ride a Lipizzan and understand what they are like before she starts Gitta.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Clip, Clip, Clip Part 2

Rigitta has a very long thick coat and the weather is changing to spring, it will be 6o degrees by the end of the week!  2 weeks from now Gitta goes off to start her big girl work and needs to loose all the hair and it came off this evening.  I have clipped horses every year since I was 18 so I feel like an expert. She stood very well for her clip and as I have done for quite awhile I do not clip their heads, or their legs and I leave a square where the saddle goes.  Unless I am clipping for showing I do not clip more then is needed.

She is all tucked in double blanketed with a quilted cotton stable blanket and a medium weight turnout.

Tomorrow I will clip Theo but he does not have as much hair and I only plan on doing a trace clip.  A trace clip dates back to the old days for driving horses and clips just the hair off where the "traces" of the harness would have gone.  It is a very economical clip for the riding horse and only takes off where they would sweat the most when they are ridden.  You do not need to blanket them as heavily with a trace clip.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

2011 Clinics with Spanish Riding School (New York and Maryland)

 Andreas Hausberger, Chief Rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
Waltzing Horse Farm, Berlin New York
July 7-10, 2011  http://waltzinghorsefarm.com/blog/

Christian Bachinger, 3rd  generation rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
Four Winds Farm, White Hall, Maryland  
July 17 - 21, 2011 http://www.lipizzanerhorses.com/clinics.htm 

I am so excited about this unique opportunity to ride Rigitta in both clinics!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tapping our toes waiting for March

It is a storm a week this winter and now a sleet storm for 2 days.  Not much going on but surviving!  3-1/2 weeks though and things will be finalized with Sarah and then off for the real training.  Let the fun begin. 

I just about  have her whole wardrobe and tack organized.  I am still trying to loose more pounds but the scale is stuck!

Melanie and I are going to work on a First Level Pax De Deux to compete with next year (gotta plan ahead!).  A stallion and mare freestyle...cool