Gordonsdale Field Trip

After a hectic month of travelling to the American Eventing Championships, Irish Draught National Show, and the World Equestrian Games, Josh and I finally got our boys back last week - Cady's Punchline ("Tobey") and Marco.

This past weekend we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous fall weather this weekend, brush the stink bugs off our saddle pads, and take the geldings on a little field trip over to a fantastic local cross-country schooling facility in Berryville called Gordonsdale. This hidden gem has jumps from itty bitty logs to Preliminary tables and combinations, and is the perfect place to take youngsters on their first outing, or gear up your seasoned partner for an upcoming event. The privately-owned facility is perfectly manicured, and the footing is fantastic, especially considering the dry weather we've had lately, which has taken its toll on many of the venues in our area.

Josh rode Tobey in preparation for Josh's upcoming first horse trial in a few weeks, and Tobey is proving to be a very steady and encouraging partner for him. Tobey was foot-perfect during the entire school, boldly but safely tackling all of the obstacles asked of him: water jumps, banks, logs, and anything else in front of him. If all goes according to plan, he and Josh will be participating in the unrecognized Waredaca Horse Trials on Halloween.

Marco is my little protege, and I have high hopes for this young gelding...he's only three years old, but he's well over 15.2, and has fantastic bone, long legs, and incredible movement. I don't plan to sell this one for a long time! In fact, I think he'd make a fantastic Prelim packer one day, or even a fieldmaster's hunt horse.

Baby Marco had competed (and won) at the USEA Future Event Horse show at Green Hill Park (Salem, VA) earlier this summer, but had never been ridden off the farm, but with his quiet and thoughtful demeanor, I knew he'd take our field trip all in stride. And he did. I was a little nervous since there were a few trailers already at Gordonsdale, which could make for a bit of commotion, but both boys were excellent, and we finished tacking up and mounted without a fuss.

Marco had the chance to sniff and explore the cross-country jumps, and seemed to shrug his little grey shoulders and say, "Meh, no biggy!" My main goal for this outing was to have him behave on a field trip, and perhaps check out a few beginner cross-country questions, like water jumps. Of course, he exceeded all my expectations, gingerly stepping (and then later heartily trotting) through the murky water jump, thoroughly investigating tire jumps, and easily stepping off of baby-sized banks. What a trooper - I'm so excited about this young gelding, and can't wait to see how he progresses throughout the winter. Perhaps I'll even think about competing in some Young Event Horse classes?

I was able to squeeze into the unrecognized horse trial at Loch Moy Farm this weekend, so I'm excited to finally get back on the cross-country course with Tobey again. We schooled at the Virginia Horse Center a few weeks ago, and he felt stronger and much more mature than he had in the spring, so I'll be interested to see how the event goes. Thanks to Mom for keeping Tobey fit and happy for me - as well as clipping him! Meanwhile, Josh will be travelling up to Elkton, Maryland to cover the Fair Hill CCI**/*** and the Young Event Horse Championships, so be sure to check out the great photos on USEventing.com!

Cheers,
Emily