Morag O'Hanlon - Life on an Eventing Farm.
My blog started in August, 2005 to chronicle my progress in training “A First Romance" (a.k.a. Solo) into a world class Eventing horse. Now eight-years-old, Solo is close to competing in the Intermediate 1 division. He's fabulous XC but does still tend to voice his opinion during dressage... never a dull moment.
Solo's ridden by my daughter, Selena, who competed at her first Olympics in 2008 with Colombo. Selena also rides several different horses out of our homebase, Hawkridge Farms, which is owned by the Davies.
This blog chronicles both our adventures as we continue to train Eventing horses. Occasionally, Selena will make an entry on her progress at competitions particularly on the lead up to major events. Please feel free to ask questions or send comments.
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Regular Work
October 6, 2008 | 1 CommentWell Solo appears to be thriving on his present regime. He is not in full ridden work since this is meant to be his downtime before Florida, but he is in regular work. Last week he did his three consecutive days of serious overtracking on the lunge, an energetic form of exercise for me if not him. He got progressively better over the three days. He had the fourth Read more »
Oakhurst
October 1, 2008 | No CommentsWell Oakhurst was not exactly an unqualified success. I was not there to see the disaster myself, but it would seem that on cross country Solo was well behind the leg and convinced that there were spooky beings, under or behind every fence. He stopped on cross country, grumpy and unfocused as he came to a corner. Dressage continues to go fairly well and he is starting Read more »
Catching Up
September 22, 2008 | No CommentsWell I have a lot of catching up to do, but life is slowly returning to normal for Solo, Selena, Colombo and the rest of the gang. The Olympics were wonderful. I was in Hong Kong and watched Selena and Colombo, it was an amazing experience and I was very proud of the whole Canadian Team. After Hong Kong, I set off for Read more »
Back to Solo
July 29, 2008 | 4 CommentsSelena has been gone for most of the month of July and Solo and I are surviving. Actually, it’s going a lot better than expected and I am thoroughly enjoying the ride on the flat. I am not going to be jumping him and I am not going to be hacking him. I have injured my shoulder and any unplanned or rapid movements of my Read more »
London?
July 7, 2008 | 1 CommentWell Solo is in Canada and Selena and I are in the USA so his life is fairly quiet right now. I am helping Selena drive Colombo down to training camp at David O’Connor’s farm in Ocala, Florida. En route, we had a two day stop with Bruce Davidson at Chesterland Farm in Pennsylvania and yesterday we drove another three hours south to David O’Connor’s home Read more »
Excuses, excuses…
June 24, 2008 | 6 CommentsI have a really good excuse for being so late with the blog this time. Selena and Colombo have been named to the Olympic Team and it has been very hard to concentrate on much else on the weeks preceding the announcement. Now that it has finally happened, it’s all go, go, go. Selena will ride this year’s YEH five year old at Wit’s End Read more »
A Spray of Poles
May 27, 2008 | No CommentsThis weekend Solo is at Checkmate in the Training division. He is looking good and feeling well. The only part of his body that I am still not completely happy with is the base of his neck. He still has it a bit lumpy and overdeveloped although the muscle above is forming nicely. Hopefully the muscle above will take over and do all the work Read more »
Alive and well!
May 2, 2008 | 1 CommentOh dear, this time the blog is so far behind that people think we have finished Solo’s training….fat chance! I have been on the road since giving a clinic in Michigan on the first weekend of April. Since then I have been shipping horses all over North America it seems. Solo and his two buddies made it to Plantation in plenty of time to do Read more »
Maturing Mind & Body
March 25, 2008 | 3 CommentsNo excitement in Solo’s life until he does Plantation Field in Pennsylvania on the way home. He is entered to go Open Training again. This is a very different course to the one he just did. Rocking Horse is very flat and Plantation Field is all about hills. It will require more obedience and adjustability to go clear at Plantation. Solo looks mature now. He is six Read more »
Got the Finger Out!
March 16, 2008 | 1 CommentFinally Solo pulled his elegant finger out and got on with all three phases on the same day! This past weekend was his Training debut, at Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials in Florida. He was entered in the Open Training division and his owners, Sean and Geraldine Dennis had driven all the way from Toronto to see him perform. Thank goodness he did a Read more »
Novice to Training
March 4, 2008 | No CommentsWell February roared past without taking a break. I had a wonderful visit in Florida and saw Solo do his 2008 debut at the Novice level at the Ocala horse park. He did a less than spectacular dressage, but way better than the first outing of 2007. He didn’t visibly argue in the ring but he was tense in the canter and not really focused. Read more »
First Show of 2008
February 4, 2008 | No CommentsSolo’s first show of 2008 will be ’Ocala Winter ll’ at the Florida Horse Park on the middle weekend of February. He is six years old this year and we have greater expectations for this season. So far he has been to Bruce Davidson’s ”Chesterland South” to school; he hopped cheerfully over everything. Yesterday he went to Rocking Horse Winter ll, not as a competitor but as a companion pony; and so Read more »
