Congratulations to our FEI Junior Reserve National Champion Kristin Counterman!
Read all about our trip to the National Championships (with HUGE congratulations to our Reserve National Champion for FEI Juniors, Kristin Counterman!), results from local shows, some terrific horses for sale, and some exciting educational opportunities in our most recent e-newsletter. And sign up to receive it directly to your inbox!
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I judged a few schooling shows at the Quantico Marine Base stables when I first arrived in Virginia. While there I chatted with a few of the faithful Marine husbands, at the show to support their wives. I forget how we got on the subject, but one told me that there’s a saying that goes around Marine basic training: “Embrace the suck.” It’s boot camp, preparing you for life as an elite warrior—it’s going to suck. And the sooner you accept that it’s going to suck, the easier things get.
It resonated with me, not just because the idea of that many push-ups makes me blanch, but because the training of young horses up the levels is a little bit the same way. The end result is a glorious thing to behold. But in the training part, there are days that it really, really sucks.
Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!
It’s been nearly a month since my last blog, and a ton has happened, and none of it has been bad.
But you haven’t heard from me because in the last month, a ton has happened, and even though none of it has been bad, it has been a ton. I am grateful for the work, so, so grateful. I have terrific horses to ride, for which I am also incredibly grateful. And I have about two more weeks to push through before I get to take a three day vacation, and man-oh-man, am I ever grateful!
I had 11 hours between coming home from our triumphant Dressage at Lexington and leaving for the NAJYRC, during which I discovered that my air conditioning in my apartment had shut off while I was gone and so it was 93*; I did about five loads of laundry, had a beer, went to bed, had some coffee, and hit the road.
What should have taken 8 hours took more than 10, due first to a tractor-trailer flipping over and shutting I-81 down for an hour and a half (where I had a delightful chat with the Quebecois truck driver stopped on the interstate behind me, and also cleaned out my car), and then as devastating thunderstorms moved through Kentucky and threatened to chuck my little Honda off the road, so I hung out in a gas station parking lot until they passed.
The NAJYRC itself was fantastic. It was a glorious, good-weather week after that; the show ran smoothly, and Region 1 is so lucky to have some of the best Chefs de Equipe around. My student, Kristin, is a fantastic rider, and also has amazing parents, and we had a terrific week independent of Kristin’s successes, but it certainly didn’t hurt that she was 9th in the Individual Test and 5th in the Freestyle on beautiful rides that made me cry like a little girl.
On my way home, the air conditioning compressor gave out in my car, the last in a series of $1000+ repairs I was willing to make. So after the remaining five hour drive with the windows open on a 93* day, and with the helpful liquidation of my retirement fund (again), I’m on new wheels. It’s fine, I didn’t want to retire, you know, in this lifetime anyway.
Also, a week of nothing to do but watch Kristin ride and then eat and drink things plus the reality that my pending vacation will require putting myself in a bathing suit equals terrifying. And so the diet begins.
I think I was home for a whole week before the chaos descended again. Michael joined us for a clinic, and the timing was actually fantastic, nuttiness aside—I was really feeling like all the horses were going great but that I was a little stuck on what came next. I had a HUGE epiphany on Ella after Lexington, and Michael was incredibly helpful in making that solid. The more I just sit still and get out of her way, the better she gets (duh, I know, but there it is.) Danny needs to be straighter; Dorian needs to be better in his bend. Johnny needs to get off my hand, and Fender needs to go to my outside rein, no matter what direction we’re tracking. And Fiero just needs to keep soldiering on.
That brings us to last weekend, a small show for us at Culpeper, where Fiero had his best Prix St. Georges tests to date, and Ella and I had our best passes at my Grand Prix Freestyle, on 71 and 72 respectively, and with a better plan for both the riding of the test and for the warmup each time. I feel really ready, and as such, I’ve entered my first CDI, which pretty much guarantees that everything is about to go to Hell in a handcart. Outstanding.
We returned home from the show—after our first tire blowout of the year, a pretty good run for us!—only to have one of the working students step out of the trailer just wrong and break her ankle. So with another show this weekend, then me at the National Championships with Kristin next week, we’re down a set of hands in some of the hottest weather we’ve had, and all with a full barn.
T-mins 19 days till vacation. I think I’ll need it.
Lauren & Ellegria winning the Grand Prix Freestyle at HITS Culpeper, one-handed!
Team Sprieser came, saw and conquered the VADA-CH Summer Dressage at HITS Culpeper, with top results from First Level to Grand Prix. Here’s a sampling of how we did!
Lisa Hellmer & Kathleen Johnson’s Wonderland II:
1st Place First 1, 72.407%
Meg Melusen & Glenhaven Serengeti:
1st Place USDF Musical Freestyle, 66.633%
Cathy Scholten & Casey:
1st Place Second 1, 70.455%
1st Place Second 2, 67.051%
2nd Place Second 3, 63.902%
High Score Second Level
Lauren Sprieser & Beverley Thomas’ Fiero:
2nd Place Prix St. Georges, 68.158%
1st Place Prix St. Georges, 69.079%
Lauren Sprieser & Ellegria:
2nd Place Grand Prix Freestyle, 71.125%
1st Place Grand Prix Freestyle, 72.250%
Amanda Wille & Mason:
4th Place Third 3, 61.538%
3rd Place Third 3, 64.744%
Congrats to all!
Ride times for this weekend’s clinic with Michael Barisone:
SATURDAY
10 Lauren Sprieser & Stratocaster, 9 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Intermediate I
10:45 Lauren Sprieser & Danny Ocean, 7 yr KWPN Gelding, Third Level
11:30 Lauren Sprieser & Ellegria, 14 yr Westfalen Mare, Grand Prix
12:15 Lunch
12:45 Dorie Forte & Frohlich, 13 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Grand Prix
1:30 Lauren Sprieser & Fiero, 8 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Prix St. Georges
2:15 Heather Richards & Hastening Cardoon, 13 yr Welsh Cob/TB Gelding, Third Level
3 Lauren Sprieser & Johnny Road, 6 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Third Level
3:45 Amy Hedden & Sadira TWF, 6 yr Oldenburg Mare, Fourth Level
4:30 Lauren Sprieser & Dorian Gray, 7 yr KWPN Gelding, Third Level
5:15 Natasha Sprengers-Levine & Ellavanta, 6 yr KWPN-NA Mare, Training Level
SUNDAY
7:30 Lauren Sprieser & Stratocaster, 9 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Intermediate I
8:15 Lisa Hellmer & Danny Ocean, 7 yr KWPN Gelding, Third Level
9 Lauren Sprieser & Ellegria, 14 yr Westfalen Mare, Grand Prix
9:45 Jennifer Mutchler & Elation KF, 6 yr KWPN Gelding, Third Level
10:30 Lauren Sprieser & Fiero, 8 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Prix St. Georges
11:15 Dorie Forte & Frohlich, 13 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Grand Prix
12 Lunch
12:30 Lauren Sprieser & Dorian Gray, 7 yr KWPN Gelding, Third Level
1:15 Heather Richards & Hastening Cardoon, 13 yr Welsh Cob/TB Gelding, Third Level
2 Lauren Sprieser & Johnny Road, 6 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Third Level
2:45 Natasha Sprengers-Levine & Rubicon, 3 yr Oldenburg Gelding, Training Level
Auditing is available at $40/day, and lunch is provided; an RSVP is appreciated!
Read all about our latest competition successes, our terrific sale horses Ozzie and Ruben, take a video tour of the farm and see what we’re up to next all in our latest e-newsletter. And if you’re not receiving it in your inbox, sign up today!
Understatement of the year: life in the horse business ain’t easy. The ups are terrific but the downs can be so, so down–achingly long days, dirt and sweat and blood and tears, life and death and crushed expectations and placing hopes and dreams in the hooves of 1200 pound prey animals on lean legs.
But those ups. The days where the horses go well. The days were the clients make progress. The big wins. Those are the good days, and the universe has this funny way of handing them to you exactly when you need them.
Read the rest at The Chronicle Of The Horse!
I’ve known Ella almost 10 years, so I think I probably know her better than anyone. And while she’s quietly confident in herself now, she’s terribly introverted, so she probably wouldn’t be all that excited about me sharing all of her wonderful little quirks with the world in a blog post.
But: I think she’s wonderful, brilliant, and should be shared with the world.
Plus, I have thumbs and she doesn’t. So world, meet Ellegria!
• Ella’s real name is Elly McBeal. I mean, really. So Ellegria she became, a play on “allegria,” the Spanish word for happiness, with the E because Westfalen foals’ names must start with the same first letter as their sires. Ella is also known as Ella-bella, Ella Ella Eh Eh Eh (from the Rhianna song “Umbrella”), Princess and Princess Ellegria Of The Mountain (which is what Michael calls her, and I have no idea why.)
Read the rest at The Chronicle Of The Horse!
Team Sprieser had an incredible Dressage at Lexington! From Training Level to Grand Prix, our riders racked up major wins, checked off goals and had a blast. Here are the highlights from the show!
Huxley Greer & Vesuvian
3rd 3, 64.231
4th Place 3rd 3, 64.744
Jane Hart & Harlem Heartbreaker
Training 3, 63.182
1st 2, 61.25
Training 3, 62.955
Angelika Hellmer & Aniko
4th Place, 1st 3, 63.824
1st 3, 60.147
Lisa Hellmer & Galvani
5th Place, 1st 3, 65.735
Lisa Hellmer & Aniko
6th Place, 2nd 2, 63.718
Kristin Hickey & Capital Call
1st Place, 4th 1, 66.216
1st Place, 4th 1, 67.973
Champion 4th Level SHAC
Kristin Hickey & Leapfrog
4th Place, 4th 1, 61.216
Meg Melusen & Glenhaven Serengeti
6th Place, 1st 3, 61.471
1st 3, 60.294
3rd Place, National Dressage Pony Cup, 61.667
Heather Richards & Hastening Cardoon
3rd 3, 63.718
3rd 3, 61.923
Reserve Champion 3rd Level SHAC
USDF Bronze Medal!
Jennifer Schaller & Lithgows Smartwish
4th Place, Training 1, 62.826
Training 2, 61.538
Training 2, 62.885
Cathy Scholten & Casey
2nd Place, 2nd 1, 67.121
3rd Place, 2nd 2, 65
2nd Place, 2nd 2, 66.154
2nd 3, 62.439
Champion 2nd Level SHAC
Natasha Sprengers-Levine & Galvani
6th Place, 2nd 2, 62.564
3rd Place, 2nd 2, 63.59
Natasha Sprengers-Levine & Harlem Heartbreaker
1st Place, Training 2, 69.231
Lauren Sprieser & Stratocaster
3rd Place, Developing Horse PSG, 68.603
Intermediate I, 66.053
Winner, Two-Tempi Challenge Fundraiser for The Dressage Foundation (58!)
Lauren Sprieser & Beverley Thomas’s Fiero
4th Place, Prix St. Georges Challenge, 67.763
1st Place, Prix St. Georges, 68.289
Lauren Sprieser & Ellegria
1st Place, FEI TOC (Grand Prix Special), 69.216
2nd Place, Grand Prix Freestyle, 71825
Reserve Champion, FEI Freestyle Challenge
Also congratulations to our SHAC team of Kristin Hickey & Leapfrog, Heather Richards & Hastening Cardoon and Cathy Scholten & Casey for taking Third Place overall, beaten only by Training and First Level teams!
We don’t often do sales here at Sprieser Sporthorse, so when we do, you know they must be special. We have two wonderful geldings looking for new homes, and they won’t stick around long; they’re both terrific!
First up is Kilkelly All’s Well. Ozzie is a 16.3h, 12 year old Irish Sport Horse who’s had a tremendously successful career in the both the IDSHNA and Open hunters, including multiple wins at Upperville. But he loves the flatwork, and his soft mouth and comfortable gaits make him a pleasure to work with. He’s schooling all the First Level work with the potential for much more. Ozzie is confident beginner appropriate; he’s delightfully uncomplicated and tolerant, but also not a deadhead, and would be a terrific and FUN lower level horse.
We are also thrilled to present Rubicon. Ruben is a 17.1h, 3 year old Oldenburg gelding by Blue Hors Romanov out of Alabama, a Danish Trakehner mare by Silvermoon who also produced my terrific Small Tour horse Stratocaster. Ruben has Fender’s gorgeous face, big tail and long legs, but is even looser through his body, and for three years old, he could not possibly be simpler. No lunging required; just hop on and ride around. Ruben loves working both in and out of the arena, and would be equally appropriate for a confident amateur or Jr/YR as he would for an ambitious professional looking to invest in a horse to take up the levels.
Video on our Sales page; photos below. Email me at lauren@spriesersporthorse.com to learn more about these two very special boys!
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