Category: Ruth’s Journal

Hoe down spins, pinwheels, thread the needles, you know what I’m talking about – it’s Drill Team season!! Although we are a facility that is deeply entrenched in the world of hard core Eventing (lest we not forget our Dressage team) I definitely look forward to the time of year that I turn my creativity to our world renowned (in my eyes) Drill Team! And much to my delight this year we are turning the musical ride competitive. 2 teams duelling for the title of supreme champion!!! I actually feel like it might make a gripping reality TV show… ‘Duelling Drill Teams’ or wait, what about ‘Oakhurst’s got talent’ or how about ‘Prancing with the stars’? Okay, lets table that for another blog.

This past weekend marked the first practice for our two drill teams who will compete for the supreme title of most fabulousness (not really a thing). One team of 8 riders and one team of 10 riders practicing the same routine using different music and costumes, with the vision of putting on the best performance they can on December 27^th at 2:00pm (spectators strongly encouraged). The coolest thing for me is that each team represents a huge range of athletes from the 10 year olds in the Learning and Training stages of Long Term Equestrian Development to our 60-year-old Active for Life athletes not to mention two of our very own coaching staff. A whole array of athletes at totally different biological, physical and developmental stages of their athletic life and yet all working together to produce a successful outcome. For me, watching these groups of riders work together towards a common goal is in itself a huge victory. I can’t wait to see the costumes that will accompany their performances and look forward to the practices that promise more laughs, entertainment, and enjoyment for all involved, including myself.

Since I know that most people don’t actually read past the 10^th line of any blog I feel safe at this point telling you my secrets of why we run Drill team:

• It provides an awesome Long Slow Distance workout for the horses
• It is fabulous Warm-up ring training – It teaches riders to look up when they ride so the whole routine doesn’t up as a ‘musical collide’.
• The entire experience requires encourages athletes to have compassion and understanding of where each member of their newly formed team is coming from in terms of their athletic ability and experience.
• FUN. Oh yes, gossip about it, I just used the ‘F word’!!! Watching this hugely diverse group of individuals share a common experience, laugh, joke and enjoy themselves is FUN! Reminding us all why we joined in on this amazing sport in the first place.

So, there it is, deep dark secrets of our musical ride… minus the costume/music tips… p.s. I have 4 glue guns and an awesome be-dazzler when it comes time guys!

The ‘off-season’ is an amazing time to introduce new skills and techniques and with the inspired coaching staff we have at Oakhurst I am so excited that we can offer to our athletes this 4 part Mental training series – download the information here.

We talk often about the physical, technical, tactical and mental training aspects of our sport and are quick to deal with the first 3. Having the guts to decide that although we are fabulous coaches and horse trainers we just don’t have the years of training and expertise to give our athletes the absolute edge in terms of sport psychology and mental training was a big leap of faith. However, after talking to Paige Mattie for 2 minutes on the phone the first time I was 100% convinced that she could give our athletes a leg up on the competition.

Paige came out and met with Helen, Blair, Megan and myself this past weekend in order to get a complete picture of what we think are our athlete’s areas of need. I am so thrilled to bring her into our team and look forward to the doors she will open for us all in terms of our mental skill building.

In other news, maybe you’ve seen that our very own Helen Richardson is now an Ontario Horse Trials Association Board member! The belief that any opportunity to give back in the sport runs strong and true in Helen and I am eager to watch her in this new role. I have no doubt that she will continue to endorse and embrace the tremendous work that the OHTA carries out. Congratulations!

And speaking of Congratulations, did you hear that Oakhurst is the site for the 2016 Ontario Horse Trials Association Championships??? Mark your calendars: September 3^rd& 4^th, 2016 in Ashton, Ontario! Check out the work we’ve stated to prepare the site… Oh yes, there will be awesome competition accompanied by a competitor’s party to rival no other… let it be said that I have heard that there will be, live music, awesome food and I have been told to leave the rest as a surprise (much to my chagrin).

Welcome to the Nations Capital, Eventers of the province, we promise a fun, quality event!

Read the article Eventing Connect published yesterday about Oakhurst being the site for the 2016 OHTA Championships.

Although the ‘off season’ for me is normally one that I dread for fear of not getting a competitive rush, this one has been action packed and full of excitement. Bring on winter, I am ready for you!! We have skills to perfect and an electrifying 2016 season to come. Watch the Oakhurst calendar for the date of the Oakhurst Show Team meetings!

What are you doing to get ready for 2016?

Later,

Ruth

 

I’ve heard it said that while standing on the podium, the best in the world, with the gold medal around their neck are already trying to figure out how to better their next performance.

We arrived home early Monday morning from an amazing trip to Lexington, Kentucky where we participated in the Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge. We had 3 fabulous teams of riders from the local area who worked together as one for the past few days.

I’ve outlined some of the trip highlights from my perspective:

• The trip down and back were incredibly smooth. The ponies travelled well and the weather was very cooperative.

 

• Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel after an overnight drive somehow tastes better than if you hadn’t driven 13 hours.
• Getting all of the Canada flags on stalls and then giving the riders their swag bags of Canadian gear is a total thrill! However with the amount of work that Helen puts into getting all of our swag together she definitely needs to be here next year to hand it out.

  

• The Cross Country courses for this event are so well thought out and presented it really is like being at a mini Rolex. There are no short cuts in terms of decorations, brush and flowers on the course. And watching the first time Midsouth competitors walk around the cross country course wide eyed is fun. As we walked through the Head of the Lake with the Novice riders on their first tour around the course there was a definite feeling of quiet anticipation and excitement about what was to come.

• I love working with dedicated and professional coaches! There were 3 of us coaching riders from the 3 teams with us and all worked collaboratively to attempt to get the best performance possible out of all 11 riders. What a great experience for us all to course walk together and provide input into what we saw. I look forward to the next opportunity to work with Casey and Matt again!

• All of our riders were awesome, but without a doubt watching all four of our Novice Riders come across the finish line with huge smiles on their faces after posting a clear run inside the time was amazing!

The drive home from any horse show for me is a time for reflection on the aspects of what went well and what needs improvement in my own performance as a coach and manager of a team. Just as the riders are asked to break down their performances in terms of the Tactical, Technical, Physical and Mental aspects, I do the same… standing on the podium thinking about what I can do to get better performances out of our athletes and myself.

We are heading into the post-competition season. A season of planning, re-educating and re-evaluating our best and worst performances. What are you doing to get ready for next season?

Ruth out!

Remember the other day when I said I love to win??

Here are the 10 things I learned today:

1. Seeing team Ontario Dressage get the Gold on Sunday, and getting to be a part of it, was a total adrenaline rush! I totally thought this type of adrenaline rush was reserved for the completion of an epic cross country ride, but I was wrong. Sunglasses on in case my eyes watered!

   

2. I have a healthy respect for our multi-coloured Ontario Dressage team. We had without a doubt the most colourful team out there. From Jenna’s chestnut, Kendra’s black and white Gypsy Vanner, Devlin’s Chestnut roan pony to Morgan’s Palomino we absolutely proved that a good horse comes in any colour.
3. Beer is best served cold. And if we were allowed to have alcohol at CIEC I would have totally had a super cold beer after the Dressage team got their gold medals…. Did I mention that the Ontario Dressage team got GOLD????

   

4. 7pm after a 5 day horse show feels like midnight or later. Its true, after not walking cross country courses/teaching lessons all day I am exhausted… must be all the gold medal winning!!
5. Every transition begins with your inside leg.

   

6. The Chef’s job is of uniting all disciplines of a team/province, and Mark Nelson, congratulations on making that happen for Ontario… including going above and beyond the call of duty in lending Devlin a set of boots to wear to the final ceremonies.
7. Every correction begins with leg. Listening to Tom Dvorak and Simone Williams coaching our dressage riders this comment came up a few times. Instead of going to the hand first to make corrections they reinforced that a riders leg should be the start of any correction.

   

8. Reining is an incredibly precise sport. If you spin 4 times around and it was supposed to be 4 ¼ you get a score of zero on your whole pattern… harsh!
9. Team competitions definitely do change the dynamic of what is normally a solo sport. The intensity of knowing that your ride means the difference between a team medal or not is exhilarating and a lot of pressure.

   

10. Packing up at the end of a five day competition is bittersweet. Although everyone was ready to go home saying good bye to the new friends we made over the week was moving. Hugs and congratulations all around regardless of discipline or province was the scene as we packed up. Until next time!

Team Ontario was named the most improved province from the previous years CIEC receiving a special award from the sponsors. With combined scores from the Dressage, Reining and Jumper riders Ontario finished in the Silver Medal position with Quebec in the Gold and Nova Scotia in the Bronze.

Results over the week by discipline for team Ontario were as follows:

Jumper

Friday

Faith Bell & Chacco’s Boy – 2^nd

Nikki Snazel & Askari – 4^th

Cydney Pavan & Grabrielle – 11^th

Alexa Bennett & Tenacity – 14^th

Saturday

Cydney Pavan & Gabrielle – 3^rd

Faith Bell & Chacco’s Boy – 11^th

Sunday

Cydney Pavan & Gabrielle – 1^st

Faith Bell & Chacco’s Boy – 5^th

Nikki Snazzel & Askari – 7^th

Alexa Bennett & Tenacity – 14^th

Junior Individual Bronze Medalist – Cydney Pavan& Gabrielle

Team Silver Medal with Manitoba winning gold and Quebec getting the bronze.

Reining

Friday

Jorie Prow & Peppys Lil Reminic – 3^rd

Ethan Stratford & Amos Willy Wonka – 16^th

Gail Gimpelj & Boomin Whiz – 17^th

Saturday

Gail Gimpelj & Boomin Whiz – 5^th

Ethan Stratford & Amos Willy Wonka – 12^th

Sunday

Jorie Prow &Peppys Lil Reminic – 8^th

Ethan Stratford & Amos Willy Wonka – 12^th

Team 4^th place finish with Quebec getting the gold, Alberta the silver and Nova Scotia the bronze.

Dressage

Friday

Kendra Wheeler & Sasha – 3^rd

Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale – 4^th

Morgan Bordillon & Raindancer – 9^th

Devlin Abergel-Preston & Cinnabun – 20^th

Saturday

Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale – 2^nd

Kendra Wheeler & Sasha – 3^rd

Devlin Abergel-Preston & Cinnabun – 5^th

Morgan Bordillon & Raindancer – 15^th

Sunday

Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale – 2^nd

Kendra Wheeler & Sasha – 4^th

Devlin Abergel-Preston & Cinnabun – 7^th

Morgan Bordillon & Raindancer – 20^th

Individual Senior Silver Medalist – Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale

Individual Senior Bronze Medalist – Kendra Wheeler & Sasha

Team Gold Medal with Quebec getting the silver and New Brunswick getting the Bronze.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!

Ruth

Whoa, what a day!

So, here are the 10 things I learned today:

1. When chocolate is left in your down filled vest all day it becomes almost drinkable… but not in a good way.
2. Inter discipline respect is cool! It’s true, when I was at dressage the Team Ontario Jumpers and Reiners were there clapping politely. When I was cheering on the Jumpers the Team Ontario Dressage and Reiners were cheering alongside. And when I was watching Reining, the Team Ontario Jumpers and Dressage riders were there ‘Oh Yeah-ing’ with the best of them. Mutual respect among disciplines.

   

3. The concept of CIEC is seriously groovy. The fact that we have so many provinces represented and ultimately coming together to improve our athlete development is so breath-taking, and to have the opportunity to take part in it in any way is a privilege.
4. +9 feels cold this time of year. Its true… in March +9 is short and tube top kind of weather, but this morning at +9 I saw toques, mittens, blankets and lots of layers on everyone!
5. When Jumpers decide to angle jumps, boy do they angle them! As Eventers we practice angles often, but wow, in the speed class today I saw angles that even Eventers would look twice at, OH YEAH!
6. I love my province. I am sure that every person from every province feels the same and that’s why every province fights their hardest to win… but let me tell you, that the level of support from Team Ontario and the OEF has been unsurpassed… and I am not just talking about the coffee/chocolate aspect, which of course I appreciate and should not EVER end!
7. Moms are amazing. Oh It’s true (dad’s you’re cool too). I watched moms of all disciplines today perform extraordinary tasks and not bat an eye lash.   Dressage moms wiping slobber off horses legs.   Jumper moms setting fences. Reining moms pulling braids out of tails to make a Reiners tail look crimpy and cool (not just a 90’s thing ladies). You ladies rock and I am hoping you are holding seminars of tips on how to deal with my soon to be teenage children 🙂
8. Announcing is an art form and truly sport specific. I announce at all of our horse shows, but after this week genuinely aspire and feel competent to announce at a heavy weight boxing fight… true story.
9. Be all that you can be. This is such a cool competition because little do most people know that there were also Coaching Evaluations happening in conjunction with this competition. And why not? We have an amazing venue at our disposal, evaluators from across the country here as coaches and the opportunity to grow coaching and the sport in a massive way. Congratulations to those involved!

   

10. Honesty. Yup, #10 is honesty… deal with it. Is that too blunt? I feel like maybe Event coaches are possibly more blunt than other types of coaches, however Tom was more than accommodating to my wishes and Jenna was in the lead until the last few riders today. This experience has been insightful, educational and so much fun. I am looking forward to tomorrow where we will once again bring our best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may.

    

Ruth

Ride times are below. Be there or be square (so 80’s but the sentiment is still groovy!).

C’mon…. who doesn’t want to win????

This morning while team coach Tom Dvorak was preparing to coach my athlete in the dressage warm up he asked me, ‘is there anything you think we should work on specifically’. So my answer… ‘I think we should work on winning’.

I feel like maybe Event coaches are possibly more blunt than other types of coaches, however Tom was more than accommodating to my wishes and Jenna was in the lead until the last few riders today.

This experience has been insightful, educational and so much fun. I am looking forward to tomorrow where we will once again bring our best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may.

Ride times are below. Be there or be square (so 80’s but the sentiment is still groovy!).

Ruth

So, although it is Day 3 of my CIEC blogs, it’s actually Day 1 of competition… If you know me at all you know that math is not my strong suit – sort of like the many cooking or sewing skills that I do not possess. However I do know that day 3 here at CIEC is definitely day 1 of competition. 🙂

So, here are the 10 things I learned today:

1. Good coaches are worth listening to and sometimes even worth quoting, hence: ‘My job is to empower you to be better’. Said by Trish Mrakawa this morning when talking about athlete development.
2. When you have been at a horse show since early in the morning some things are just funny. Long-time friend Julie Cull who works at Equine Canada drove past me on a golf cart late this afternoon with a show jump rail and all I could see was a jousting golf cart. (See picture for confirmation)… p.s. going to suggest to organizing committee that all golf carts for coaches be outfitted for jousting.

   

3. The debrief is crucial. Getting to work with such awesome coaches this week has reminded me that the post-performance analysis of any competition is so important and insightful. Spending some time with Tom Dvorak and Jenna this afternoon to talk about how today’s performance will impact our preparation for the next day was fascinating. We have a game plan and are excited for day 2 (or day 4 however you are doing the math).

   

4. Long days are exhausting! Team Ontario was captured by me waiting for the end of day ribbons presentations napping, even superstars need their rest 🙂

   

5. OEF employees get sassy when you rush them! Although there was still chocolate in the team Ontario tack room I was reminded to take the time it takes to write notes on the whiteboard in preparation for the next day’s adventure.

   

6. Ribbons presentations are fun. Watching our team Ontario riders get their ribbons for the first round of competition was so much fun!
7. Coffee and candy cure all. Have I mentioned that there is an endless (in my dreams) supply of coffee and candy in team Ontario’s tack room? Stop by and say hi!
8. Tomorrow is another day and now is the time to do some much needed analysis of what went well on Day 1 of competition and create a tactical outline of what the rest of the competition looks like. Being a genuine 3 Day Eventer in heart and mind I am a true believer in not resting after day 1, its time to take a move!
9. Every single member of a team is important. From the athletes themselves (horse and rider) to the parents, grooms, coaches, chefs, support staff, farriers, vets, volunteers, judges and organizers: none of this would be possible without them. Have you thanked them lately?

   

10. Fans are everywhere, and thank goodness! In the chilly morning air while watching Jenna warm up for her test I looked around and saw some familiar Oakhurst faces respectfully watching. I was so thrilled to see all of you there cheering and supporting the team. You are without a doubt the best.

Ride times for Dressage stay the same for Saturday. I would love to see a sea of blue and yellow (Oakhurst) cheering us on the red and white (team Ontario)…

See you there,

Ruth

So, as promised in yesterday’s blog here are the 10 pearls of wisdom I learned today – some coaching, some just genuine pearls:

1. Using your inside leg and outside hand really does work to straighten a horses way of travelling and helps encourage balance and self-carriage (bet you’ve never heard that one before – but truly, to see Tom Dvorak teach it and to have a conversation with Simone Williams and Ellen Dvorak about it made me feel like I was at the most awesome analyse performance clinic designed just for me!)

2. Schedules are always tentative. It’s best to roll with it when the ever changing schedule of the day changes again… that’s why there’s a bowl of candy in our tack room! Chocolate cures all.

3. Reiners are really a lot like Eventers. It’s true!! Okay so they don’t jump solid obstacles or do 3 different phases but… they love it when you yell ‘Oh Yeah’ when they do something super cool (which is most of the time).

4. Good coaches can learn from any discipline. I was quietly sitting watching Team Ontario’s reiners do cool things when I looked around and found the area was surrounded by a sea of red team Ontario jackets, amongst them were our team coaches from Jump and Dressage along with a huge contingent of our team Ontario athletes and parents watching and discussing technique, biomechanics and of course shouting out the well-deserved ‘Oh Yeah’s’ when earned.

5. When a beautiful young lady sings ‘O Canada’ with absolute heartfelt abandon at the opening ceremonies of a sporting event there is nothing else to do but be left feeling pride, hope and inspiration.

6. Golf carts are fun. It’s true, horse shows are definitely a lot more fun when you have a golf cart… However, I would like to formally encourage all horse show organizers to always include optional golf cart races for coaches to participate in.

7. Reining horses can hold your coat. True story, I watched a team Ontario reiner take off her coat and lie it on her horse’s hind end and tie it to the back of her saddle. She did it all at a standstill and the horse stood like a rock. She then proceeded through the majority of her ride with her coat over the horse’s hind end with horse never batting an eye. Oh Yeah!

8. Stall displays. Team Ontario’s stall display rocks and it makes me feel proud every time I walk (or golf cart at high speed) past it. Again, I would suggest there be an award for this, especially because there’s chocolate and tomorrow I am bringing twizzlers.

9. Horse Inspections still make me nervous. I can’t even count the number of horses I have had a hand in putting through a horse inspection at a competition, but I can definitely tell you that the sense of relief that I feel when our horses are accepted is immense no matter how well prepared we are.

10. Every opportunity is what you make it. I am so proud of Jenna for embracing every opportunity available to her at this competition. She has gone into this with an open mind and welcomed the chance to be coached by people new to her, make new friends and to accept the challenge of being on a team. I love the saying, “What got you here won’t get you there’. If we are constantly evolving our program with new ideas and information we will continue to move our program forward. I am so excited about this opportunity to gather new information to incorporate into our program and feel like a coaching sponge trying desperately to soak up all the cool ideas and tidbits I can while being here. Oh Yeah

Who knows what I will learn tomorrow!

See below Friday’s Dressage ride times,

Come watch, learn and absorb.

Ruth

What a fun day! We moved Kip into his home for the remainder of the week – show stabling at Wesley Clover Parks. Once Kip was settled in, everyone turned to setting up and decorating Team Ontario’s Meeting area for the week, and it looks awesome! Notice so many of the homier touches like the bench off my front porch 🙂 .

Once all moved in and decorated up Jenna took Kip for a ride in the Dressage warm-up ring. The pair were brilliant and looking in super form for the upcoming competition. This evening I had the opportunity to meet our team dressage coaches, jumper coaches and reining coach, what a wealth of information and expertise this group encompass!!

Tomorrow is an early start with both the Ontario Dressage and Jumper teams having their ring familiarizations starting at 7am, with our reiners following on at 9:15am. We have a quick team Ontario meeting at 8:45am, a practice jog at 11:15am and then the official Horse Inspection at 1:30pm. Opening ceremonies and a welcome dinner will round out the day.

Stay tuned for updates from day 2!

Go Team Ontario!!!

P.S. To celebrate National Coaches Week, I have made it known that I plan on picking up at least 10 gems of coaching wisdom a day starting tomorrow…

Ruth

It was within a fabulous conversation last weekend that the discussion of ducks came up.

If you watch a duck swimming in a really strong current it looks from the surface like not much is going on. However if you were to look beneath the surface of the water you would see that the duck is paddling his butt off!

This resonates with me hugely.

We get up every day mostly excited about what’s coming up… I say mostly because I’ll be honest, Monday’s are rough :-)… but I continue to haul myself out of bed and am better for it.

My next day off is in November I have mixed emotions about it… it saddens me that the end of the show season for many people is coming close or has happened. I am 100% honest when I say that I feel horrible for my family when the ‘down season’ (if there is one) comes because, I HUNGER for show season; I LIVE for horse shows; and I CRAVE the next outing!!!

This past weekend we had 10 horses and riders compete at the Robinson Horse Trials in Sutton, Quebec. The views from this Horse Trial are staggering:

Where else could one find such a beautiful setting for an Event?

Here is how our little ducks did:

Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale – Pre-Entry – 2^nd

Rebecca Walker & Rookie – Pre-Training – 5^th

Kristina Toppari & Top Gun – Pre-Training – 6^th

Alexa Bresnahan & Aragon – Training Jr. – 4^th

Darby Delle Donne & Silver Lining – Training – 3^rd

Michaela Robinson & Devil’s Advocate – Training – 4^th

Laura Gravelle & Yarraman – Training – 6^th

Blair Nicol & Chasing Liberty – Training – 10^th

Chelsea Arden & The Sky’s The Limit – Training

Shannon Holmes & What Happens in Vegas – Preliminary

I can’t express how much I will miss the ducks that will be migrating back to University this fall. They have once again exceeded expectations and they have been paddling upstream and making it look effortless to bystanders. You know who you are and I am delighted to have been part of your journey this summer.

On a completely separate note I am eager to announce the Oakhurst athletes that have been chosen to represent Ontario as members of the Dressage Team at the CIEC in September (Canadian Inter-Provincial Equestrian Championships) Congratulations and all our best wishes to JENNA MAYHEW and KINSALE. You can check out all the details of the competition here: http://www.cec-en.ca/

My first experience with having a rider named to a provincial team was back in 2001 when Colin Campbell and The Warlock were named to Team Ontario for Eventing at the North American Young Rider Championships being held in Chicago.… I was very pregnant, Chicago was very hot and I generally had no idea what to expect from a team atmosphere or what my role would be when working with a team coach. Colin was young, green and I am sure he would agree with me when I say that the first year he went to NAYRC we both thought he was a long shot to getting on the team. That said, Colin had quite a few aces in his pocket: a set of incredibly supportive parents, the best groom to have ever existed (his sister Soupy), a horse that he trusted implicitly and a quietly fierce competitive nature. It was a steep learning curve for all of us but without a doubt an amazingly positive event.

The opportunity to ride as part of a team is definitely a thrill and although I will of course be there to support and coach my riders through the experience, I am equally delighted about the idea of an expert teaching me to watch my rider, as will happen at CIEC with team coaches Ellen Dvorak and Simone Williams. We should all be so lucky as to have other coaches watch our riders and give us input. After all, I have faith that what I have taught my athletes is correct and will absolutely stand them in good stead so what they may gain from another set of eyes may provide them (and me) with even more brilliance… isn’t that part of the idea of LTED (Long Term Equestrian Development)?

We have a tendency to guard our programs so closely as coaches and entrepreneurs of this equestrian sport but if we are real and genuine and true to our athletes we should be open enough to allow them the opportunities that will take that athlete where they need to be. I respect that this is a somewhat unpopular view, after all, our paycheck is our client, but in a true sport view, by being open enough to work collaboratively with a coaching staff that can fit an individual’s needs in that exact moment is an ideal model. This idea is what we continue to work on within our own coaching model at Oakhurst. Helen, Blair, Megan and I all have a different set of expertise when it comes to our teaching style and what we look for which is a definite plus for our athletes. We can watch each other’s riders and see different areas of need and then collaborate on how best to go about improving them. I am looking forward to what I will learn from my time at CIEC in order to bring that back to our home team.

This weekend we have 2 shows happening at Oakhurst: The Upper Canada Derby on Saturday and the Silver Dressage show on Sunday, we also have a beautiful new secretary and scoring chalet to check out!

Never a dull moment, and if we are good, it won’t even look like we are swimming hard at all :-).

See you there!

 

You know when you watch survivor and the first 2 minutes of the show go like this:  “Last time on Survivor”.  Well, it feels like so much has happened since my last blog that I would like to call this first segment:  “Last Time Ruth Blogged about Oakhurst”… bet you were worried I wouldn’t recap the last month.  🙂 !!

• Upper Canada Derby at Meadowvale – rocked it!
• Tandalee Horse Trials – we were awesome!
• The Pan Am Games – WOW, what a team!
• Oakhurst Summer Camp – so cool!
• Numech Silver Dressage Show – amazing!
• Jessica Phoenix clinic at Oakhurst – totally educational!!
• Starlit Farm Silver Dressage show – Champions!
• Grandview Horse Trials – Total Teamwork!

So, along with all the regular stuff like teaching, doing hay, mowing and that’s what we’ve been up to over the last four weeks.  

This past weekend the Oakhurst Dressage team went to the Starlit Farm Silver Dressage show and wow, did they triumph!  Talk about taking the bull by the horns, they did that and more, check out their results:

• Cindy Moore & Gemini – 2nd & 3rd Places
• Barb Eamer & Black Magic – 4th & 1st Places + Training Level Reserve Champion
• Kristin McLaren & Panamerra – 1st & 1stPlace + 3rd Level Champion
• Devon Svoboda & Abbigael – 2nd & 3rd Place
• Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale – 1st & 1st place & 1st Level Champion, High Point Champion
• Cheryl Denault & Bright Holiday – 5th Place & 5th Place

In the words of Joe Dirt, “Life’s a Garden, dig it.”  This Dressage team is definitely digging the winning spirit!

Meanwhile at Grandview Horse Trials there was equally brilliant work happening with the Eventing team…

• Chelsea Arden & The Sky’s The Limit – Pre-Training – 2nd
• Laura Gravelle & Yarraman – Pre-Training – 3rd
• Becky Allen & Da Vinci – Training – 7th
• Michaela Robinson & Devil’s Advocate – Training – 13th
• Shannon Holmes & What Happens in Vegas – Preliminary – 12th

It was an incredibly hot weekend interspersed with some rain which made the humidity awesome for those of us with curly hair.   It proved to be a bit of a challenge for the young trying to keep up on course walks but the effort was there and thanks to Bob and Sarah at Grandview for providing these beautiful benches to rest/pass out on.

The upcoming weekend marks an exciting and educational experience for everyone in the area.  When else do you have at your fingertips some of the key players in the sport????  I can’t express my excitement at having Ozzie Sawiki, Peter Gray, Kara Edwards, Pam Coburn and Brandon Hall here for an Athlete Development clinic on Monday August 3rd.  Seriously, in our own back yards we will have the greatest minds in athlete development across the country???  Athletes, coaches, grooms, parents etc… are all welcome, details can be found here:  http://www.oakhurstfarm.com/oakhurst-ht-2015-weekend

What an opportunity to eat, get educated and school a flagged and prepped cross country and show jumping course… did I mention you get breakfast???

I would love to say, ‘How lucky are we’, but I am constantly reminded that we make our own luck…

Where will you be Monday August 3rd?  I will have my ass glued to a chair attempting to absorb the collective wisdom of the masters within sport.

Take every opportunity you are given.  Run at the wall.  Do things that no one ever expected you to do.  And in every day, find a reason to smile… not just a little smile but a really big one.  I am blessed to get up every day with the knowledge that I don’t always have to be popular, but with the feeling that today I could make a positive difference in someone’s life.

Life is short.  What if… just what if you made someone else feel great about themselves today and what they accomplished.  Would there be a greater gift??  Someone asked me this weekend if I missed competing.  When did I stop?  Watching athletes that I have helped cross their finish line is beyond words.  I am a coach.  I crave my athlete’s next conquest and I am grateful to be allowed in to their victory.

This weekend we have our Horse Trials on the Sunday and the Athlete Development clinic on the Monday.  Do you feel lucky?

See you there,

Ruth

So, one sleepless night I lay awake thinking about Dressage… c’mon, Eventing fans, don’t stop reading!  Its common knowledge that I have been an Eventing coach for over 20 years and Eventing will always remain my primary passion.  However, last year we hosted the Eastern Zone Silver Dressage Championships and as the whipper-in for the day I was obliged to watch an entire day of dressage… non-stop… with no cross country phase imminent.  As I watched and watched and watched, I was struck by a light bulb moment (or sun stroke, whatever):  we do dressage at Events all the time, maybe, just maybe our dressage would be competitive at dressage shows too!

Once I’d recovered from the sunstroke I started in on the research required to recruit, instruct and outfit a team of Oakhurst Prancers.  I even made a PowerPoint presentation in order to entice some of my Event riders (potential prancers) to the team.  Once conscripted our team began practicing.  I think it’s important to note at this point that our Dressage team ranges from athletes as young as 9 years old competing in the Walk/Trot divisions at ESD shows to horse and rider combinations on the Silver circuit working towards competing at Third level within the next month.

I am going to be honest, when we first started this journey I had only a basic understanding of the names and requirements of the varying levels of Dressage competition… heck we have Training level in Eventing and there is Training level in Dressage, maybe they weren’t that dissimilar.  After reading through the rule book for the first time I decided that a Chef de Mission for this team was required.  I drafted a super smart person with an exceptional knowledge of the rulebook and thank goodness I did!  The uncanny thing is that at 3am when I have questions about how scores translate from percentages to penalties, or what the heck Renvers is I get a response almost instantly!

Due to conflict with the Eventing schedule, this weekend marked the first Oakhurst Silver Dressage team outing that I was present for and wow it was noteworthy.  We took 5 horses to the Dewmont Silver Dressage show and the first couple of times I was jokingly asked by another coach if I was ‘at the right show’ it was cute.

Who’s seen the movie Happy Gilmore?  Watch it if you haven’t so you are up to speed, but for those of you who have, do you remember when Happy goes to his first big golf tournament and introduces himself by saying, “I’m a Hockey player, but today I’m playing golf”.  This is definitely how I felt as I began the day, an Eventing coach playing Dressage coach for the day… however as each of our riders sashayed down center line and tests were executed as we had practiced I started to feel like my golf swing was improving.  And then as scores got posted and it was obvious to the world (and me) that Eventers can prance, I began embracing my inner golfer, however I draw the line at goofy pants.  We learned how to putt, UH OH!

Other than all the ribbon winning (which I enjoyed greatly), one of the cool things that happened at the show on Saturday was the constant trickle of Oakhurst Eventing fans that came out to the show to support to their friends by holding horses, watching dressage tests taking pictures, holding water bottles and cheering!  Their encouragement did not go unnoticed.

Oakhurst Dressage team results from the Dewmont Silver Dressage show:

Barb Eamer & Black Magic

• Training Level Test #2 – 2nd Place and Reserve Champion

Devon Svoboda &Abbigael

• First Level Test #1 – 2nd Place and Reserve Champion
• First Level Test #2 – 4th Place

Cheryl Denault & Bright Holiday

• First Level Test #1 –5th Place
• First Level Test #2 – 5th Place

Jenna Mayhew & Kinsale

• First Level Test #1 –3rd Place
• First Level Test #2 – 1st Place and Champion

Kristin McLaren & Panamerra

• Second Level Test #1 – 1st Place and Champion
• Second Level Test #2 – 1st Place and Champion

Without a doubt, the thing that makes me the most honoured in this voyage is that my riders have had the confidence in me to help lead them to their prancing dreams.  Although there has been a steep learning curve for me personally (which I have enjoyed immensely) I stand by my unwavering commitment to making my riders the best that they want to be whether they are playing hockey or golf or a bit of both.

The pride that I feel for the athletes who have faith in me to prepare them is abounding, they continue to exceed my expectations and constantly push me to be the best I can for them.

This weekend we are off to the Upper Canada Derby at Meadowvale where we will be all about jumping and galloping, pucks on the ice ladies, we’ll be there to play!

I leave with a quote from a genuine genius, Dr. Seuss:

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”

Enjoy every day and push yourself to be the best you, you can be.

Ruth