Sunday at Sycamore...

Just three riders took part in this past weekend's Orange Coast Cooler Show at Sycamore.

Kathy Brennan rode Cadence in two Equitation on the Flat classes, placing fourth in Limit Eq on the Flat, and picking up a year end qualification with a second in Open Eq on the Flat.

And, in the Jumper ring, in the 1.05 - 1.15 M class, Seduction and Brittany picked up their first qualification with a first; Rocket and Kathryn placed fourth. Both pairs returned in the Mini Prix, where Rocket brought home the third place ribbon and Seduction the fourth.

Congratulations to all of you!

January IEL results...

Well, it's been a week, and IEL has still not gotten Sunday's results to horseshowtime.com :(
Results from Saturday are as follows:
In J.V. Jumpers, Kirra and Zia received two fifths and an eighth.
And, in the Varsity Jumpers, Ansley and Casper picked up a first and an eighth. Ally and Ladino placed second, third and fifth in the classes. Hannah and Pete brought home a fourth and a seventh place ribbon. And, Euan and Elite received two thirds and a seventh.

Once again, congratulations to all our IEL riders on a great season of showing!

ESI End of Year Potluck...

Let's wish a fond farewell to 2010 with a Fun Day Pot-Luck during the day on Friday, December 31st. (Weather permitting! Keep watching the blog for possible rain date information.)
Check the board at the barn for pot-luck sign-up sheet and more info!

Worming Clinic Info...

The January worming clinic will take place on the fourth and fifth. Lessons will resume on Thursday, January 6th.

December IEL Results...

Five ESI riders continued their successful IEL season over the weekend.

Riding in JV Jumpers, Kirra piloted Zia to two thirds and a fourth on Saturday, and a first and two seconds on Sunday.

And in the Varsity Jumpers:
Euan and Elite picked up a first, a fourth and an eighth place ribbon on Saturday; on Sunday he placed first, second and sixth in his three classes.
On Saturday, Madi and Copper received two ninths and an eleventh place ribbon.
Ally and Ladino returned to IEL this weekend, this time in the jumper division, receiving two thirds and a ninth on Saturday, and two thirds and a seventh on Sunday.
And, Ansley and Casper received a fourth and a sixth on Saturday, followed by two seconds and another sixth on Sunday.

Congratulations to all our riders and their terrific mounts!

Over the weekend at IEL...

The Reporter takes the opportunity of reporting on the weekend's IEL results to welcome new rider, Kirra Roberts to ESI! She showed Zia in the Junior Varsity Jumpers over the weekend, bringing home second, third and fourth place ribbons on Saturday, and a first, second, and sixth on Sunday! Special congratulations to Kirra on a successful first show!

In the Varsity Jumpers, Hannah and Pete received two thirds and an eighth place ribbon on Saturday, then a third, fifth and sixth on Sunday.
Casper and Ansley carried out third, fourth and fifth place ribbons on the first day of showing, then a fourth and two sevenths on Sunday.
And, Euan and Elite picked up a second, a fifth, and an eighth place award on Saturday, followed by a sweep of three red ribbons on Sunday.

Madi and Copper were scheduled to show, but scratched when Madi suffered a terrifically painful back spasm that was affecting her breathing. We all hope she is feeling much better very soon!

Congratulations to all our riders and their mounts!

Happy Halloween...

Ansley's Sunday Championship Photos...

Sunday at Year-End Championship Show...

It must have been quite a feat, but the Championship Show did happen in just three short days, and our horses and riders proved well prepared for their tasks.

In Low Childrens Hunters Sarah and Decker placed tenth. In the Low Childrens Under Saddle, it was Rich and Makenna in fifth and Decker in ninth. Moving up to the
Childrens Hunters 13 & Under, Rich placed seventh and Decker picked up the eighth place ribbon. Going from there to the Under Saddle Class, it was Decker who earned the blue ribbon and Rich the red.

In the Low AA Hunters Cadence and Kathy received the tenth place ribbon, followed by a ninth in the AA Hunters. And, Montage and Gwen received the eighth award in the Low AA Hunters Under Saddle.

In Equitation, Melissa picked up a fourth award in the Open Equitation Over Fences. On the Flat, Makenna picked up a sixth in Limit, a second in Novice and an eighth in the Open class. Sarah stepped out of the Open Equitation Flat class with the tenth ribbon.
Kathy and Gwen rode in the their 18 and Over Flat Equitation classes, placing first and fourth in the Maiden, and second and fifth in the Novice respectively. And, Ally walked out with the fourth placed ribbon in the Victor Hugo Vidal Jr. Equitation Medal.

Sunday was a chance for our jumper riders to take their turns on the Gamblers Choice course. In the low class, Copper and Madi picked up the ninth ribbon. They came back in the 3'6" - 3'9" class to receive the fifth award. Euan and Elite placed fourth and Britt and Seduction carried out the sixth.

Congratulations to all our horse and riders on a terrific Year-End show! The Reporter will soon be posting more pictures from Ansley's extensive show album, and welcomes all photos that others send.

Saturday at the Championship Show...

Once again starting with the Hunter Rings - Concerto placed tenth in the Modified Jr/Amatuer Hunters over fences and fifth in the Under Saddle. And, in Junior/Amateur Hunters, Fiona brought home the fourth place ribbon. Both these horses, plus Denmark, came back for the 3'3" - 3'3" Hunter Derby, with Fiona placing third, Concerto fifth and Denmark sixth.

In Equitation, it appears that the OCHSA Horsemanship Medals have been completed. In the Junior class, Ally received sixth, and in the Amateur class, Kathy picked up the seventh and Gwen the ninth. In the first round of the Victor Hugo Vidal Equitation Medal, Ally placed fifth and Melissa picked up the eighth place ribbon.

A number of our riders placed in the first rounds of the CWD Flat Equitation Challenge! In the 11 and Under group Makenna placed fourth, and in 12-14, Ally placed fifth. Moving into the older groups, Maddy Metz received the ninth place award in the 15-17 class, and in the 18 and Over, Kathy, Gwen and Kathryn placed seventh, eighth and tenth respectively.

Finally, to the Jumper ring. In Low Childrens Jumpers, Madi and Copper placed tenth, and in the Low AA Jumpers Faith picked up the fourth, Rocket the fifth, and Lear Jet the sixth. Moving into the Childrens and AA rounds, Ego and Elite were third and fifth respectively in Childrens, with Kathryn taking the one/two spots on Faith and Rocket, and Lear Jet bringing home the sixth.
In the Modified Jr/Amatuers it was Rocket in third, Casper in fourth, Elite in seventh and Ego in ninth. And Britt and Seduction took there turns, placing second in the Junior/Amateur Jumpers and winning the Modified Open Jumpers.

Finally, in the Five Bar Class, our horses and riders were placed in this order, Casper - fourth, Jeepers (with Becky onboard) and Ladino tied for seventh, and Elite placed ninth.

Another great day at Blenheim. Keep watching here for the final results!

More Year-End Show Pictures from Ansley...

Friday's Results from the OCHSA Championship Show...

After two days of rain delays, the Year-end Show was finally able to being on Friday morning, and Team ESI got off to a great start. In the Judged 2' 9"- 3' Warmup Class, Concerto carried away a second place ribbon and Cadence picked up a sixth. And, in the Judged 3'3" Warmup, Fiona placed tenth. Concerto continued his winning ways with a second in Low Hunters, a third in Modified Hunters, and a sixth in the Modified Under Saddle.

In Limit Equitation Over Fences, Sarah placed fourth in her age group, and Kathy brought home the sixth in the 18 and Over class.

On to the jumper ring - Copper and Denmark placed third and sixth respectively in the Judged 2'6" - 2'9" Warmup. In Pre-Training, Faith picked up the blue ribbon, while Casper placed fifth. In the Modified Jr/Amateur Jumpers, Rocket received the third place ribbon, Casper the fourth, Elite the seventh, and Ego the ninth. And, in Preliminary Jumpers, Denmark carried out the third, LearJet the fourth and Casper the sixth.

Three of our riders also competed in both rounds of the Gobie Jumper Medal, with Ally placing fourth, Melissa placing ninth, and Kelsie placing tenth in the final round.

Congratulations to all on a great first day of showing!

Early photos from OCHSA Championship show...

...thanks to crack photographer, Ansley!

October OCIEL Results...

The Reporter sends out apologies for such belated reporting of the Oct 9 and 10 IEL shows! Team ESI has four riders showing this year, all competing at the Varsity Level. Ally is showing in Equitation on Ladino; Euan and Elite, Madi and Copper, and Hannah and Liftoff are taking their turns in the Jumper arena.

Ally placed fifth and fourth in in Equitation on the Flat classes, ninth and sixth Over Fences, and seventh and fourth in the Medals.
Euan and Elite picked up two seconds and a third on Saturday, a fourth and two thirds on Sunday.
Madi and Copper placed fourth, ninth and eighth in the Saturday rounds, then seventh, eighth and ninth on Sunday.
And, Hannah and Liftoff brought home third, tenth and seventh place ribbons on Saturday, and eighth, seventh and sixth place ribbons on Sunday.

Congratulations to all, and Good Luck from the Reporter for the rest of the IEL Season!

Belated birthday greetings to Blue...

As many of you may remember, our eldest equine resident, Pat Siler's pal, Blue, turned 35 a few weeks ago. Due to some mis-communication, the Reporter just today received these photos from Blue's big day. And, Pat sent along these words to let us all know this great old man a little better:

"For those who may not know Blue very well, he is a retired jumper and has been in the barn with John and Katie for many years. He's been my friend and companion for 21 years now. He and I used to ride the trails up in the hills where he would jump over recessed culverts and was always racing along as if his tail was on fire! He was always followed my my golden retriever, Dove who thought she was in heaven to be tagging along. Bluey used to jump over fences when in turn-out by himself before he took jumping lessons. That's what gave me the idea, he seemed to be born to jump? The first time John saw him and tried him out, he would raise the fence higher and higher and no problem for Blue. I remember John said, "Well, he looks very willing!" I was doing my best just to stay in the saddle. So that was his start in jumpers although I think John called him a girl for several months! (I could just hear Blue answer, "I'm NO GIRL!") Over the years he's overcome a torn tendon and founder and still keeps going. He doesn't let anything bother him very long. His view on the world seems to be one of adventure and to live every day that way! He's so glad to say "hello!" to everyone that passes by! He's such a joy to know and spend time with. Some have asked for my secret to his long life. I think the biggest thing is that every day I see him as perfect and beautiful. I shower praise and affection on him as I know we all do for our horses. I tell him like Katie said years ago, that "he's our hero!" I tell him he's a champion to me and I can just SEE almost how he feels. His eyes light up and his face just beams happiness! So our plan is to keep enjoying every day! As you walk by his stall, Bluey would love to say "hello!'"