PINE TOP RECAP AND A VISIT TO PA!

Photo credit Livvy Saber

We wrapped up our last competition in the Aiken area this past weekend at the Pine Top Farm March Horse Trials.  Six horses and five riders competed from our farm in the novice through preliminary levels.  Pine Top is one of the best competition venues on the southern circuit, so it was suiting to finish up our season there with a great weekend!

Andi Lawrence and Armani IV brought home the blue ribbon of the weekend in the JYOP.  Andi lead her division from start to finish, which is quite a feat on her mount as he is not an easy ride in the dressage.  She has been working hard this winter developing a partnership at the preliminary level with George, and her hard work is clearly paying off.  She has now qualified herself for the CCI* at Virginia, and has her eye on NAYRC this coming summer! 


Annelise Aurillo and Julie Henk rode in the Training with their new mounts, the Cobbler's Son and Merry Sioux, and despite a few hiccups in the jumping phases they had a good weekend.  I had another outing on the young ones, Peace Proposal and Paddy the Caddy.  They both impressed the crowd this weekend finishing second place in each of their divisions!  Following the wrap-up of Pine Top cross-country, most of our horses made the trek home Sunday evening to Pennsylvania.

I had a slight change of pace Monday as I had an opportunity to squeeze in a quick cross-country school at home with a few of my students.  Lucie Hughes, Miranda Webb, and Cassidy Heitzenrater rode their horses while I rode Eliza Crosby's new mount, Woodstock Rawley, in his first cross-country school.  The weather and ground were perfect at Judy Jefferis' Laurel Hill Farm, lending us to a great cross-country school.  All the horses were surprisingly well behaved, and it was great to see the progress each rider has made through the winter.  These riders are all looking forward to kicking off their spring season next weekend at Morven Park, and I am excited to get them going!

We are off to Southern Pines on Thursday morning, so stay tuned for updates and results!