Fairwind Stables - Amanda Miller

Fritz on steeplechase at the Midsouth 3 day is still near the top of my list of coolest experiences ever. He wasn't the most forward-thinking horse, and it really seemed to help unlock a new gear in him. https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ar3cXY4zK/

Hagyard Midsouth Three Day event
Fritz - Training 3day

Celeste is handling the assistant role for jump crew today in the show jumping.
She's "supervising" and takes it very seriously.

Thanks to Claire for snapping this picture of Oscar strolling around the Horse park this weekend.

I'm so proud of Gus this weekend as he traveled to his only event of the year to compete at Jumpstart. I feel like he's starting to mature into his body after spending the majority of the year working on his dressage. It always seems that the 5yo year can be the most awkward for some of these bigger horses, and my baby elephant is no exception. However, his saving grace is always his exceptional brain, and I know he puts all of his effort into everything he does.
Good Boy Gus

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Please and thank you😅

ENTRIES EXTENDED FOR A WEEK - NO LATE FEES!!!!!

Get your entries in - Xentry (preferred) or Event Entries.

Our current focus as the Makeover draws closer is emotional fitness. That is, we're working to do the harder tasks that I may not have wanted to push a month or two ago. He's stepping up and we're moving forward and still taking time to stop and smell the "roses". 😊

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ENTRIES CLOSE TODAY!!

Don’t miss this exciting venue! Dressage and show jumping at the Champions Center on Saturday and XC at Twin Towers on Sunday.

Enter now through Xentry (preferred) or Event Entries.

Visit www.mvequestrian.org for additional details.

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That moment when you can't get your 5 year old to leave the playground..... happens with the human 5yo, too.😉

I built a lot of the obstacles for Oscar to get ready for the TB Makeover, but I've been utilizing them for all of the other horses. This cutie right here is learning where his feet are and how to use them in a controlled way. It's also been fun for me to have some playtime with everyone and build relationships.
It may or may not be a coincidence that Mr Gus went on to have the best dressage ride today after standing on the tire, walking the bridge, kicking the ball, and navigating my line of "logs".😋

Magic striking a pose from atop the tire.

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Oscar chilling today while I left him to go move some more obstacles around. Time was limited so we spent a few minutes doing in-hand work. He stood on the tire, navigated the teeter bridge, side-passed and backed around poles on the ground, and did some careful footwork through some old fence posts that I have randomly scattered.
He had a calmness to him today that I'm starting to see more often. My goal is always to work with the horse that I have that day and push aside past experiences and future expectations the best that I can.

A second later, he was flinging it around and trying to eat it. 😝
Silly boy Gus

Gus looking very majestic standing on the teeter bridge yesterday. 🥰

The Sunday morning edition of Breakfast with Oscar and thoughts on my goals today.
I'm quite limited on time today so no work with tack today. However, I plan to continue working on grooming while ground tied. He loves to get groomed (fast cry from this spring where even the softest brush got a reaction) and I've learned that not having him cross tied but still in a structured space (on the mats), I can really get a clear read on what parts he likes best. Lately, it's all of them! I've been spending more time ground tying him for tacking/unpacking and encouraging it while we're out in the arena. The latter can be tricky because I don't have a fence so, at this point, I stay fairly close to make any corrections.
Now, who's on dishwashing duty because this boy is sloppy!

It's time to get real. I'd be lying if I said Oscar has been an easy horse. Not just his Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment, but he's also a highly emotional individual who fluctuates quickly from one day to the next. Add that to me having a very full schedule of 8 horses that I do all the daily care for, several of which I'm riding, plus teaching a number of students. Not to mention taking care of 3 kids and a farm to run. I certainly can vary in my emotions day to day, as well.
This week has had its ups and downs with Oscar. After his show debut last weekend, he had a couple of days off, but I felt he still carried the stress of the weekend's adventure. My plan was to go for a quiet hack around the farm, and he got very anxious at the point of coming back towards the barn. I brought him back to the arena nearest the barn and ended up riding him more than originally planned with the intent that he wouldn't always think being back near the barn meant the reward of being done. The work was never in frustration or anger, but I also felt it wasn't as relaxed as I would like it to be and ended up just trying to find a quiet moment to be done. I hacked him out to the far point of the farm and dismounted there.
This morning, I've decided just to sit with him while he eats breakfast. It's easy to get wrapped up in the timeline of the Makeover and I did push him a little more last week. Granted, I feel like he needs to get to the point of pushing out of the comfort zone from time to time. Otherwise, we'll never have growth. I rarely use my phone while working with him because I always want to be as present as possible (some days that's hard even without my phone). But I wanted to document the importance of slowing down. .... a concept that I really struggle with in my own life.
I'm pretty sure this is the reason that Oscar has been put into my life to teach me. I can work on nutrition, hire the best bodyworkers, and have the best fitting tac. However, at the end of the day, I'm aware that it comes down to his confidence in me.
We'll probably go do some good grooming (his favorite activity), but, for the time being, I'm just observing while he eats breakfast (and sometimes dribbles it down my neck). Additional pictures in the comments.