Update: Woodside show

I just found out from Eva that MP and I were the upper level amateur high percentage reserve champions. That means that for the amateur division, third level and above we received the second highest percentage in the show! Yippee!

Wooside Show Success!!

The Woodside warm up

One more show down, and nothing but success. MP was great and in top form. She is such a pro. We won 5 out of 6 classes and got great scores. I have lots of sevens and a few eights here and there. My walk work was the weakest, so my scores will be even better if I can get that figured out. I'm sure Ellen will have some ideas at out next training session.

MP hanging out--------------------------Ellen waiting for me to enter the ring

We won this class

We had a good group of competitors under Team Ellen. It was myself, Eva, Katie D & Katey A. Everyone did really well and Eva debuted a fourth level test and got a 67%!! Go Eva!! Katie D & Willoughby has their first show and competed solidly at first level. Katie A "caught" rides all weekend and definitely won the timed tack-up, braid, warm-up award. She caught a ride at 8:50 that she only found out about at 8:20. Katey also was the all star helper/groom/test caller and all around lady extraordinaire.

Katey A with Andy---------------------------------The pit crew, Ellen and my Dad

The show was great fun. Lots of our friends and family came to watch, my parents came for both Friday and Saturday and MP's "pit crew" was in full force on Saturday. So MP's parents finally got to meet ST's parents!

Pround parents, Katy and Dan Peterson with their "daughter" & Susan

Ellen was true to form, not only was she schooling a horse at the show, but on Thursday she was our coach, groom, videographer and den mother. Ellen is quite the multi tasker! Plus without her help, none of us would have done so well. Thank you Ellen!!

Ellen & MP (look at all the blue in the back!) Ellen & Katie D with Will & Pixel

I can't wait until the next show, especially to see if I can improve our walk scores!!

Photos taken by Betty Staley

Thank you Betty!!

At Ellen's

Talking things over with Ellen, MP has one ear on me and one ear on Ellen!

Having the time of our lives!

Inspiration

Ellen riding Nancy B's wonderful horse Aliano. I shall say no more!

Amigo the Wonder Horse

I know this blog is about me and Moneypenny, but I'm such a proud horse mom that I can't help but write about my first ride on Amigo the "wonder horse."

We bought Amigo exactly three years ago from Federica at Somerset Farms. He was 30 days old and was quite the athlete from the get go. We weren't looking for another horse, but when I saw him in his pasture canter up the hill, do a half pirouette, canter back down the hill, throw in a flying change and come straight to a halt I knew I had to have him. We bought him two weeks later and our journey began.

He was a typical baby, playful, curious and he was very friendly. Hence his barn name "Amigo." He had a sister, Aida who was feminine and delicate and not hot on the idea of roughhousing like colts like to do. Once he was weaned and gelded, we decided to move Amigo from Somerset so that he could live out with other yearling geldings and roughhouse to his his liking.

On May 28, 2006 we received a call that no horse owner wants to receive. Amigo had taken a fall and it looked as though his left humerous was broken. Luckily, we are very close to UC Davis, so he was transported to the University within two hours of the injury. The radiographs did not show broken bones, but nerve tests revealed that his left front limb was paralyzed. It was unclear whether the paralysis was temporary or permanent.

Amigo spent 63 days at UC Davis in a box stall. The nerves involved in the injury were the radial nerve that goes down the leg and the super scapular that reaches across the shoulder. Without the use of either nerve, he was unable to stand the leg upright. His leg was splinted, but within two weeks he showed improvement in the radial nerve so the splint was removed.

The super scapular was a different story. The nerve remained damaged and his shoulder completely atrophied. He received electric stimulation 2xs per day and received acupuncture every day. He showed enough improvement to come home at the end of July as he was able to advance the limb on a limited basis. The recommended therapy was to continue with electric stimulation, acupuncture as well as begin a walk program of 1 minute per day.

By mid August, the walk program was was up to 5 min's per day, and we were seeing improvement in the muscle tone of the shoulder. But trying to walk a yearling for 5 mins a day was proving to be quite dangerous, so I took a massive leap off the rehab reservation. I decided to give him managed, confined turnout. We started with 16x20 for five minutes 2 xs a day. Every time I turned him out, I closed my eyes and kept my fingers crossed. He would leap, and rear and buck and try to run but he seemed to know his limits. We started to see dramatic improvement in the shoulder.

Throughout the summer and into the fall we would increase the turnout time, and then we began to increase the turnout space. By the spring of 07, Amigo was turned out full time in a 80x40 paddock and was on a regular exercise regime in the round pen. His shoulder was starting to look normal.

When our family moved to Somerset Farm (it is amazing how circular life is) in July of last year, another major change came for Amigo - he was going to go back out with other horses and was going to live on a hill. His acupuncturist, Dr. Susan Parry, was very confident that he was ready for a normal life. And he was!

On March 26 of this year, I took him to David Hillman to be started. He turned three in mid April. In my mind this was the last test to see if Amigo had truly recovered. He spent 30 days with Dave, and all went well. I went down last weekend to pick him up and I even got to ride him! He is wonderful to ride! He has very big gates, but he's smooth like glass. Or as Dave said, "he moves like a bird flying."

There are big things to come of Amigo. I have a sneaking suspicion that when MP gets to go home to Katy and Dan after her Paralympic career, Amigo will be waiting in the wings to take over at the helm.

Oh, and by-the-way, Amigo's half sister, Calista, is for sale and she too is quite spectacular. You can view pics and video of her here.

Picnicstock

The Picnic Day Parade and our first fundraiser was a big success! The day started around 8 am when we loaded MP into the trailer and headed off to Davis. We unloaded her at Craig & Cass' place and met up with our parade entry volunteers, Sarah, Pam, Eva, Leila and her friend. We also brought along three four legged companions for MP (dogs).

The parade was definitely an interesting experience. MP is not ready to give up her career as a dressage horse and join the parade circuit, that's for sure! She was a little concerned with the noises, balloons, hoards of people and motorized vehicles, but she held herself together quite well. She piaffed and passaged a bit while we waited for the parade to start & she had no interest in standing still, but considering the environment she was very reasonable.

After 4 hours or so of walking and parade activities we headed back to Craig and Cass' for the party. MP had about 5 minutes left of patience at that point, so we took her back to Eva's for an afternoon of snacking and snoozing with her horsey friends at King Farm.

By the time I got back to Craig and Cass', the place was packed! The first band was playing, the bar was pouring and the carne asada was grilling. My dad ran the Susan Para E-Quest Fund table and, as I'm sure you can imagine, did a bang up job.

When Craig originally proposed this idea, his goal was to raise enough moola to feed MP for the year. I'm pleased to announce we almost doubled that! And I'm already over halfway to the $5k goal for 2008! I want to make sure and thank all of the people who came and the friends who walked in the parade with us. Also, my parents and Scott for working so hard and Paul Deering for making the banners - they looked great! I also want to thank our dear friends Craig and Cass for hosting our first fundraiser, providing the food, entertainment, beverages and all of the work and love they invest in this event every year - it couldn't have gone better.
We still have a ways to go before Kentucky 2010, but with all of the support from our friends and family and now the community of Davis, I can't imagine we won't make it!!

Picnicstock Huge Success! Post coming soon.....

I'm exhausted & under the weather, but a post about the weekend will be coming soon....along with more pictures.