Photos!

As promised, some photos of Team CBF from our June combined test. Images courtesy of Prestige Sportshots: www.prestigesportshots.com. Michael and his team are awesome photographers, as you can see.

Kendra and Dash are a cute pair, but don't let that smile fool you. They mean business in the show ring. Here they are on their way to winning their BN division.

Annette and Delicate Detail, enjoying themselves... and tearing up their novice division!

Our neighbor Caroline and her lovely horse Robin. They live so close that we consider them to be part of the CBF family!

Myself and Amiet.

-- Casy

CBF Combined Test: What you may have missed!

This past Sunday was our combined test, and it was a fantastic event. I saw many new faces (okay, almost every face is new to me), and it looked like everyone was having a great time. I even dipped my toe into the horse show pool, and rode the training level eventing test B on Ami, but didn’t jump as I’ve been slacking on that front for the past few months. The show jumping courses, designed by our own Erika Hawkes, rode well and it’s a credit to her that every level from pre-elementary to preliminary was challenging, yet appropriate to the level.

A big thank you is due to our tireless organizers, Laura Chandra and Erika, as well as to Matt, who seemed to be everywhere at once.

A number of CBF boarders were in force as volunteers, including Karen Whitney, who looked a little frazzled midmorning when it came to tallying scores and handing out ribbons, but that’s why we love her: she’s a perfectionist! Janet Menn was dressage judge Kari Allen’s scribe, and it was encouraging to see her smiling face as I rode down center line.

Linda York (aka Tift’s Mom) was on hand on Saturday to set up, and Janet Sinclair and Nadine Pellegrini deserve big kudos for sitting out on the grassy knoll in the sun and judging the show jumping. Susan Mann was an excellent dressage ring steward, and I heard her patiently explain several times that yes, the dressage ring was up the hill and behind the pool.

The big headline of the day was the fact that two CBF riders took home blue ribbons. Kendra Elliston rode her paint mare Dash in the beginner novice division, and despite a momentary lapse in dressage (Remember, Kendra, there are two twenty meter trot circles in the test!), won her division handily, and would have won best turned out—if there was such a thing—for getting Dash’s white parts so clean. If only we weren’t losing her to Gettysburg College in the fall.

Annette MacDonald riding her thoroughbred mare Delicate Detail (“Della” to her friends) also won their novice division. It should be mentioned that she and Della recently completed their first recognized horse trials together at Valinor Horse Trials a few weeks ago. They are definitely on a roll, and we expect to see great things from this pair.

On the horizon is the Jim Wofford clinic on July 24^th and 25^th. I can’t say enough about this man. If you don’t believe me, check out his blog: http://jimwofford.blogspot.com/. His writing is just about as good as his riding. If you’re interested in the clinic, e-mail Laura at info@coursebrookfarm.com, or go to www.coursebrookfarm.com and look for the headline about the clinic.

Stay tuned for some fashion shots of the new CBF polos, caps, fleeces, and jacket (although there is only one of those, and Laura is never going to take it off!).

--Casy

Memorial Day recap and more...

It’s a rainy Sunday morning, so what could be a better activity than updating the CBF blog? Claude Boulard is teaching here all day today, as he usually does every other Sunday. Sadly, the lessons are in the indoor so far today, but maybe the weather will clear up before the day is over (or at least before my lesson at 11!). Claude is one of our most popular instructors, and has a background in international-level show jumping and dressage. I’ve been working with him for a couple of months, and I’ve been impressed with his quiet, positive attitude with horses and riders. Even when he’s been here in the heat, teaching six or seven lessons in a row, he’s always kind and patient. The horses understand this, and he has helped many of us get some of the best work out of them, especially in encouraging them to use themselves correctly on the flat and over fences. Hopefully, today will be no exception, although I’ve missed a couple of Claude lessons for other pressing activities such as going to ride on the beach with Laura, so I have a feeling I’ve got some hard work ahead of me today.

For those of you who missed it, the Memorial Day Stephie Baer clinic and BBQ was a great success. We had fantastic weather, and the farm was looking its springtime best. Stephie started with the beginner novice riders and finished the day with the training level group. By then, everyone had decided that it was time for some eating and drinking, so the last group had a large audience. There’s aren’t many better activities than eating hamburgers, drinking a little wine, and watching cross country, except actually riding cross country! Stephie was really creative with setting up standards in addition to the permanent cross country jumps, and had the riders tackling various corners, complex bank questions, coffins, and, of course, the water jump. Many thanks to everyone who came, and especially to those who brought food. I didn’t realize how many of our boarders knew how to cook, but now their secret is out and has been duly noted.

We’re all looking forward to our two-phase (“combined test” where I come from) on June 20th. We’re offering pre-elementary through prelim, so there’s something for everyone. I know I covered this last time, so check the website for more details, and make sure you register by June 14.

I also promised a sneak peek into our Jim Wofford clinic that is scheduled for July 24th and 25th. For those of you who haven’t heard the name, Jim is one of the top riders and trainers ever produced by the United States, and represented his country at numerous World Championships and Olympic Games. Since he retired from competition, he’s become best known as a coach and talent scout, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone at the top of the USEA’s leader board that hasn’t worked with Jim. He’s based in Virginia and doesn’t come up this way very often, so this clinic is a rare opportunity to ride with a true legend. The clinic is sure to fill up, so contact Laura at info@coursebrookfarm.com to register, or check our website for more information, under the calendar tab.

It’s almost time for my lesson, so I’m signing off for today. I’ll be posting photos from the Memorial Day clinic soon so those of you who didn’t make it can see what you missed!