Cob Jockey

Copilot Bitsy

Since I live fifteen minutes from the Hoosier Horse Park, my friends all know that they can crash at my house for free when they're showing/schooling/volunteering, and no one takes me up on that more than Austen of Guinness on Tap.  (Hey buddy.  Where will you be three of the next four weekends?  My guest bed?  I need to stock up on wine.)

My copilot Bitsy and I got up at horse show o'clock in the morning to groom for Austen (which really just consisted of obtaining coffee, reading her tests and letting her know that she had warmed up with her collar open and without a stock tie.  Woops), and we had a really good time.  We got to chat with Kelly of Princess Diva Diaries and see Riva take on Training level.  Those two have put in a ton of work over the winter and boy does it show.  I don't know how they pinned, but it was such a relaxed, engaged and consistent test.  Add Riva's gorgeous movement to all that, and you have a recipe for every photo I took of them turning out fantastic:

Because I was reading Austen's tests for her, her mom took my camera, and that, uh, didn't turn out as well as Kelly's photos did:

'E' for effort, Gwen, 'E' for effort.

I had to leave too early to pitch in on stall cleaning at the barn since the Saturday girl is sick, but I enjoyed what I was able to be there for.  I'd never read a Dressage test for someone before, and found the alphabet soup of letters in the large Dressage arena difficult to manage.  They don't throw R and P at you in Intro level Dressage or Starter level eventing!

Congratulations to Austen and Kelly on a great beginning to the 2013 season!