Alex and Vitall.

Alex and Vitall.

We are officially falling into fall, but the Florida heat hasn’t let up yet. It’s still really hot and humid but I feel like I am used to it, finally! If it drops down below 25 I feel cold. Never thought I would say that.

Finally all the improvements are done around the farm. It’s been a busy summer getting everything renovated and ready to go for season but now we see the light at the end of the tunnel and it looks amazing. We had a crew come in and power wash the inside and outside of both barns, now they’re so clean I didn’t even want to put the horses back inside.

About a month ago I did a photo shoot at the farm with the horses for my new website that will be launched in a few weeks. It was an early start for the shoot we started at 6:30 in the morning to catch the morning light. It was a lot of fun. The horses even enjoyed it and we got some amazing shots. I can’t wait until they’re up on my new site. If you are coming down for the season and looking for a fantastic photographer, I highly recommend Joanna. She is extremely professional and fun to work with. She also works with Sharon Packer, whom I am sure most of you are familiar with. Sharon does the photography for the competitions. Joanna is part of her team so you will see her at the shows as well.

Alex and Cooper.

Alex and Cooper.

A few weeks ago, I competed Vitall at Palm Beach Equine Complex and White Fences. I was really happy with him at both shows. I feel I am finally starting to conquer the so called “dreaded zig-zag.” It’s starting to feel like second nature to me. I feel I can “feel my way through it” instead of having to really focus on counting each step, still have to count, but I don’t feel I am over annualizing everything anymore. The rest of the test feels like second nature nowI rode my freestyle at the Palm Beach show, I hadn’t ridden it for quite some time and we rocked it scored a 77%. I was over the moon it was our highest score to date!

My next step for the next show coming up in October is the Grand Prix Special. I haven’t ridden it yet with Vitall, but I feel confident with him to ride through the GPS piaffe. Passage is one of his favourite things to do so he will be in heaven.

This past week, I met with MacRider Saddlery from Holland. I am happy to announce I am now part of the MacRider Team. Here is a link to the MacRider website: www.macrider.com/en/ Their saddles are beautiful, extremely comfortable. They’re produced in Poland. They use real Italian leather and have stunning bridles and girths to match your saddle. I liked how the saddles really gave you support under your seat bones and support through your lower back. To fit the saddles they use the German technology called EQUIscan. Check out the link for more information: www.macrider.com/en/equiscan.html