June was a long month. The first half was filled with showing, showing, showing. We had the Upperville Colt and Horse Show, followed by the Loudoun Benefit Horse Show. They are both held in the same location and we are blessed to have such a beautiful, picturesque place so close to home. Both shows were huge successes for Clairvaux riders: from ribbons won against very tough company including some blues, to overcoming the nerves that come with a first time showing “under the oaks,” our riders worked hard and learned so much.
We also took a few riders to the Warrenton Pony Show at the end of the month, where our riders put in solid trips and honed their skills. Congrats to Codie Campbell and Cruz Bay in their final show together (Cruz headed back the next day to his home barn in Maryland, as Codie’s lease finished up in June), where they earned some nice ribbons in some huge classes.
In the meantime, we had some downtime with Arnie. In mid-May, he popped a split. Splints are not normally a big deal, once they’ve had time to heal, but they do need time. Between that, and getting his shoeing in order, Joanna finally got back on him TODAY. Unsurprisingly, he forgot everything he learned from February to May… Fear not, it’ll come back, but it’ll take some time to get his mind back in the game and continue on the path he was previously on.
“G” is coming along well. I haven’t been riding him much, but Payton has been working with him while June was crazy and then I was off to a family reunion in New Hampshire from which I just returned. He’s becoming more and more laid back. We’re planning to take him to a show on the 24th.
For now, it’s slow-and-steady-wins-the-race, as we regroup from the busy June and settle into a regular schedule for the rest of the summer. August will be super-busy once again with some championships, but if we stay on the same track and barring any unforeseen events, we will be well prepared for October’s big finale!
