competitions

A l-o-n-g winter filled with ice, snow (and, for Mary, a broken leg, thanks to a fall on the ice in January) meant that Iowegians were champing at the bit (to coin a phrase) to drive and compete. With the cancellation of the Pioneer CDE, we (well, actually, Gene and Katy Rhinehart) began looking for other early competitions that were within driving distance from central Iowa. And found the Gayla Bluegrass CDE, right at the extreme end of "driving distance." Gene decided to compete with his 6-year-old Friesian-Appaloosa cross, Celtic. Then Gene and Katy began lobbying the rest of us to go along. Jo Schumacher was on board quickly. Her sister, Mitzi, lives in Lexington, about 25 miles from the Gayla Driving Center and could arrange sleeping spaces for all of us. The event would be Jo's first CDE with Toby, her 11-year-old paint gelding. Eleanor Eagly and Azur Wind Sonata (Winnie), her 6-year-old American Quarter Pony became part of the group. We were the next two persuaded to compete, Earl with Three G San Jose, his 7-year-old Welsh cross gelding , and Mary with 12-year-old Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, a Welsh pony. The rest of us began working on Christie Loiacono and Randy Farwell to join the group. Once they had child care arranged for Sarah, aged 8 and Ben, almost 2, they joined the caravan, although only Christie would compete with SL Rey, her 9-year-old Welsh gelding.

With gasoline approaching $4 a gallon, we took it as a challenge to figure out how to get 8 people, 6 horses, and all the horse and human gear needed from central Iowa to northern Kentucky as efficiently (and cheaply) as possible. Mary had the first Good Idea: carriage sharing. Rey and Kevyn are close enough in size to share a carriage for dressage and cones . . . would Christie be willing to consider that arrangement? A look at and test drive in Mary's newly-refinished meadowbrook convinced her that carriage sharing was a good idea. The other two candidates for carriage-sharing were Toby and Celtic. A drive in Jo's new Hilander convinced Gene that that arrangement would work. The Gayla folks said they could accommodate our request, so we were set. Carriage-sharing took us down to seven carriages to be transported: three marathon vehicles and four two-wheeled carriages.

Carriage sharing helped the transportation arrangements a lot. But the truly Great Idea that let us do the trip comfortably in three vehicles was Gene's: put the six horses all in Randy's six-horse trailer, and use Gene's trailer and the Three G trailer and flatbed for carriages, Rhineharts' golf cart, and the John Deere Gator. Gene and Katy and Randy and Christie both have extended cabs, so people transportation would work comfortably, as well. Let the packing begin! By early Thursday morning, 1 JD Gator, 1 golf cart, 6 horses, 7 carriages, 9 harnesses, 12 bales of hay, 60 packets of grain, and god knows how much other stuff, was stowed and on the road. The Old People (Mary and Earl) left Wednesday morning, stopped for lunch in Coralville, with Mary's niece's husband, Steve Fraser, locked the keys in the megatruck for the 3rd time (when will they learn?), and spent the night with friends Barb and George Robinson in Blue Grass, Iowa.

The caravan agreed to meet at the first rest stop in Illinois, on I-74, just south of the Quad Cities. Randy and Christie were the last to pull in, to wild cheering all around.

The rest of the trip that day was almost routine: I-74 across Illinois, and Indiana, and the corner of Ohio, where we switched to I-75 for the trip to Georgetown. Okay, there was one nonroutine part, the two-lane road in northern Kentucky that we took to avoid road construction. "I guess a straight line on a map in Kentucky is not the same as a straight line on the Iowa map. . . . " But we made it back to the interstate without having to turn our large rigs around!

We got the horses settled in and headed for Mitzi's for pizza. Friday we were busy unloading carriages, polishing the rest of the brass, and walking cones and the dressage arena.

We also drove our horses around the grounds, which gave us a chance to have a relaxed look at all of the spring flowers and trees in full bloom. What a lovely venue!

First out in dressage and cones on Saturday were Jo and Toby, in Training Level Single Horse. Jo was nervous, but she and Toby relaxed and drove a very nice test, earning them a score of 70.55.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

On to cones, where they made the time, but had two balls down.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

After dressage and cones, Jo and Toby were in third place in their class. YESSSSS!!!!

Now it was time for Training Single Ponies, featuring Christie and Rey and Eleanor and Winnie. Christie and Rey were smashing in their dressage test. Fortunately, the judges thought s0, too, awarding them a 47.64, a score good enough to win the ribbon for Best Training Level Dressage.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

On to cones for Christie and Rey, where she made the time, but had one ball down. Still in first place!

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

Next into the dressage arena were Eleanor and Winnie. Their dressage test was good . . . they've done better, but it was still a good test, 58.18.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

On to cones for Eleanor and Winnie. The crew watching nearly had a collective heart attack as Eleanor and Winnie approached pair 16 headed the wrong way. Eleanor realized her mistake in time to correct her route, No balls down, but 5.64 time penalties, in part because of the time it took to make the course correction.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

Prelim was next, and Gene and Celtic were out first. Their dressage was marred by a brain fart on Gene's part . . . for the whistle and a 5-point penalty.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

They redeemed themselves with the fastest double-clear cones run among the 13 prelim single horses, for a first place finish in cones.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

Kevyn and I were up next for dressage. And Kevyn did his usual good job in dressage: 48.00 for second place in the "B" class of prelim single ponies.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

My cones run was easily the worst of the day: two balls down and over time, for more than 10 penalties and LAST place in cones among group "B" of the prelim single ponies. Wretch!

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe were the last ones to enter the dressage ring. Although their warmup looked good to the bystanders, Earl decided that Joe was just too excited and unmanageable to do a good dressage test, and so withdrew from the competition.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

At the end of the day on Saturday, Christie was in first in training single ponies, with Eleanor in fifth, Jo was in third place in training single horses. Mary was in second among the "B: group of single ponies (thanks to her good dressage test, NOT her cones run!), and Gene was in the fifth in the class of thirteen prelim single horses.

Rain threatened on Sunday, marathon day, but, thankfully, never fell. Previous rains had left the course damp and spongy, however, which meant heavy pulling in some parts of the course. Iowa's contribution to the event volunteers was Katy, who was the starter for section A. She kept everybody from being nervous while waiting by asking the driver and navigator to SING (yes, sing, as in make music) as they crossed the starting line. So, instead of driving around and fidgeting, we had to figure out what to sing! Which kept us busy!

Training single ponies were on course first, with Eleanor and Winnie starting just ahead of Christie and Rey. Tad and Suzanne Morris came from Ames to navigate for us, Tad for Earl, Suzanne for Mary. When Earl withdrew, Tad agreed to navigate for Eleanor. Even though Eleanor and Winnie were slightly over time in section E, they held onto 5th place.

hoto by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

Christie's navigator, one of Mitzi's neighbors from Lexington, was looking forward to her first time as a navigator. Christie was apprehensive about the water hazard, not one of Rey's strong suits. But Rey plowed through the water like a trooper. They were a little over time in section E, but not enough to lose their first place standing.

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

Jo had somehow talked her sister, Mitzi, definitely not a horse person, into being her navigator. As Mitzi got in the carriage, she said, "Maybe I should have ridden with you before this, to sort of get a feel for things!" Too late now, Mitzi, you're on course! And the team did a GREAT job, turning in the only zero-penalty marathon of the day among the Iowegians.

The heavy going on Section A proved to be too much for Kevyn, so Kevyn and I, with Suzanne Morris navigating for the first time, were way over time in Section A. We debated about retiring right then, but, as Kevyn caught his breath, we decided to head out on Section D, which we completed within the time limit. We conferred with judge Andy Marcoux at the vet check, decided to take extra recovery time (20 more minutes) and then enjoy section E. Which we did, racking up LOTS more penalty points and providing entertainment for the crowd watching at the water hazard. We went in, but very reluctantly! We may have set a record for the most penalty points on the marathon, a whopping 227.50.

Gene and Celtic, with Randy Farwell navigating, also had trouble making the time, and were over in sections D and E. So both of us wound up in LAST PLACE in our respective divisions. But we finished! And as Katy said, we had more fun because we were out there longer!

So . . . the training-level competitors all came home with ribbons and, in Christie's case, LOTS of ribbons: Best Dressage, First Place, Training Single Ponies, and Overall Training Level Champion. Jo held onto third in Training Single Horses, and Eleanor won the fifth-place ribbon in Training Single Ponies.

Photo by Randy Farwell. Used with permission.

All in all, a good event, and a great way to start the competition season! Sure to be on our list for 2009!

2008 Birds Hill International CDE as reported by Katy Rhinehart with additions by Mary Winter

Our calendar was circled for the 2008 Bird’s Hill International CDE as soon as the American Driving Society had the dates for the event. We had such a wonderful time north of the border last year, we wanted to be sure to take in this competition in 2008.

Dr. Christie helped us get our paperwork in order and Mary and Earl took it to Des Moines for the horses to get their "passports" to Manitoba. Mary always has trouble with getting Kevyn’s papers to pass because his color changes during his lifetime and even during the year. Earl and Mary also discovered that the "photo" Coggins tests are not accepted because there is an electronic signature by the lab technician who performed the test. Getting that straightened out took several days and phone calls and trips to Ames.

Gene and I drove to 3G on Tuesday evening so we could leave early on Wednesday, July 16. We made it out of the drive exactly at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, our adventure about to begin on our trip to Manitoba.

It took us all the way to Northern Minnesota (the Canadian border, actually) before we hit gas that was over $4.00. Nice to know that the cheapest gas was nearer to home! We discovered that pieces of our Meadowbrook seats were loose and about to fall off at one of our stops. Gene removed both seats, to make sure that no more damage was done, and put them in the trailer for safe keeping.

We arrived in Barnesville, MN midafternoon and stalled the Three G ponies (Joe, Earl's pony, Kevyn, Mary's pony, and Hank, Jada's pony) and Celtic at the Clay County Fairgrounds, which was close to our overnight stop at the home of Greg Sanders and Cindy Belohlavek. The stalls were large and had great footing, water was nearby. After bedding and feeding them, we spent a wonderful evening "catching up" and visiting with Greg and Cindy, old friends from Mary’s days at Iowa State University. Much to the surprise of Mary and Cindy, they discovered that they had a connection to a mutual friend in western North Dakota, and are planning a trip this winter to visit them (and work on the history of Mary’s mother’s years as a one-room school teacher near Medora). It was so interesting to find out that Mary’s mother had taught in North Dakota as a young woman and that Cindy had cooked at a ranch for a summer very near where Mary’s mother taught! It will be fun to hear of the future developments in this story.

Thursday, July 17 we left after being treated to a wonderful breakfast Greg had prepared. Next year, even if we don’t bring a horse, we will go there just to eat! It was hard saying goodbye to these great folks. Little did we know we would see them much sooner that we had anticipated.

At the Pembina, ND crossing, we had no trouble this year. The border patrol personnel were all nice and happy that we had "copies" of our horse papers. It was very easy to slip into Manitoba this year.

I was again surprised at how flat the countryside is near Winnipeg. You can see the crop fields for miles and miles. Gas was mostly $1.34—per liter…yikes!

Bird’s Hill Provincial Park greeted us with beautifully-groomed grounds and abundant wildlife. As you wind your way to the horse area, you see that Canadians really get out and enjoy their brief summer and take full advantage of what the parks have to offer.

We were greeted at the barns by Tad and Suzanne Morris, who were to be navigators for Earl and Mary on the marathon section. The animals were unloaded and all the carts removed from the vehicles in short order. We headed off to the Oakbank Motel. This motel is really a unique experience. They hold the rooms on your word, and hand out keys to the rooms, with no deposit. Try that in Iowa! We heard Jada and Xavier Neubauer and Brian Morris come in before 10 p.m. Brian was going to be Jada’s navigator for the weekend. And Xavier, aged 5, was along for the fun of it.

Friday, Gene and I decided to drive the A section and let Celtic see the rocks he had such a fit over during last year’s competition. Driving a section of any competition is usually forbidden, but because of the rocks and wildlife, they relax this rule so that all can see what may lie ahead during the competition. We had a lovely drive through the narrow path in the woods. Celtic needed a little schooling near the dreaded rocks, but for the most part, he was a good boy. We were nearly back to the barns, Gene and I just talking and working out strategy, when Celtic spooked at some polo horses. He only moved about 10 yards, but that was enough for me to fall off the back of the cart, catching my right foot on the cart as I tumbled backwards. I could feel my right hip being pulled out of the socket as the cart dragged me, but finally was able to free myself and felt a crunch as my hip socket got re-engaged. Of course there were witnesses; there are ALWAYS witnesses when I seem to make a mess of things. Suzanne and Tad came running and were very helpful in the assessment that I had very badly scraped left knee and a strained, sore right hip. I was determined to ride back to the barn on the cart…and by gosh, I did!

Gene took stock of the Meadowbrook problems, and discovered that a metal rod piece that holds the seats up and supports the driver’s weight was missing. We tried several shops in Oakbank, but ended up relying on a fellow competitor. Brian Thompson’s kindness, as he went home, and made a piece the exact size. We always take paint for touchups, so Gene was able to get the cart serviceable for the Saturday dressage and cones. We hoped the screws, tape and paint would hold long enough!

Mary had a stunning dressage performance, as usual and took home low dressage in prelim. Kevyn was wonderful to watch.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission.

Jada and Hank took notice and also did a super job. Jada says that her goal is to finish dressage within 10 points of Mary. She was two points behind . . . Mary needs to watch out, or Jada will beat her in dressage! They finished 1st and 2nd in their division.

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission

Earl and Joe were a bit behind, but I thought they looked better than the score posted.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

Gene and Celtic looked sluggish in their walk during the test, but managed to win Single Preliminary Horse dressage.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

Gene and Celtic also were one of only 3 double clear cones runs. Several more were clear (Jada and Mary) but over time allowed. I think they measured a very tight course. Gene lost the cones ribbon to Brian Thompson, who was the only other clear in their division and a few seconds faster than Celtic.

Marathon day was beautiful--temps in the low 70s and clear with a slight breeze. The Manitoba Driving Club had the theme of Westward Ho! for this competition. I decorated the marathon carriage with cutout cactus, cowboy lariat (lead rope) and signs proclaiming we were the "Bird’s Hill Stage Coach Line". Gene and I wore chambray shirts with vests and red bandanas were tied around our necks. Gene also wore a lawman’s star on his vest. Celtic had a bandana on his bridle forelock piece and I had fastened about 6 bandanas together to tape on the harness around his neck.

We put the little seat on the back of the marathon carriage, so I could sit on it and rest until I had to stand in the obstacles. Now, if I could just hang on during the 3 sections with my very sore hip and knees!

It was exciting to finally get on our way in Section A. Celtic flew right by the "horse eating rocks" that had given him pause, with only a passing glance. As we ticked off each K we were ahead of time and Gene slowed him to a slow trot for the last K and we walked in with a minute to spare. The walk, D section, is always a trial for Celtic. He is so slow—but Gene worked hard and we came in 30 seconds early. So far, so good. The vet barely looked at Celtic, his vitals were very good. He was a good boy and drank water and even took a few nibbles of grass while we waited for our final section to start.

Celtic started off strong in Section E. He took hard looks at the rolled up shiny fencing that was a few feet off the path, but passed them just fine. We made it through the "tight" spot between a Pan Am jump and some trees without any trouble. All this time, I had been sitting on the little seat in the back, holding on for dear life, and checking times for Gene. We headed for the 1^st obstacle, I stood up for the 1^st time and away we went. We had decided to whoop "Yahoo!" as we entered each obstacle. As we yelled out, you could hear the crowd of well over 100, cheer us on. Celtic cantered hard through the 1^st gates and out we went, 1 done! Oh, what fun that was! As we left the obstacle we thanked all the volunteers. I had made up little packages of tootsie rolls to throw or give to all the hard working volunteers and remembered to give them a toss. Our 2^nd obstacle was the one that worried me most. We had to go around the bridge, under the bridge and make a tight turn back. We made the turn to A to go under the bridge and Celtic was going so fast, I was worried Gene would not get him turned…no problem. We made the letters and cantered out the gate. I will make mention here that some of the obstacles required the Prelim. drivers to go through 5 gates, A through E, some were only A through D. In the US, preliminary drivers only do 4 gates.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

We wove and trekked through the remaining trail in very good shape. In the past, Celtic had always seemed to "run out of gas" at the end. This time, training changes, diet changes and strategy seemed to be paying off. As we flew out the last gate, Gene urged Celtic into a strong trot, and we still had plenty of horse left! We came in right in the middle of our time window allowed! Mission accomplished!

At the awards banquet Gene was awarded 2^nd place by less than 1 pt, but we felt as though we had really made some big strides in Celtic’s performance. In the preliminary pony division, Mary slipped out of the running due to Kevyn’s enjoying the marathon a little too long.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

Earl placed in the top 4 after a stunning run on the marathon.

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

Jada and Hank were second to Brian Thompson in the marathon, farther behind him in cones, but their dressage score, some 16 points lower than his, let them win the overall prelim championship. That’s three in a row for Jada and Hank!

Photo by Linda Hazelwood. Used with permission

Once again (or we "dun it again") during the Crappy Awards, we Iowans were presented with those dreaded words: "Accept this award with pride or shame, you be the judge." Mary (but it should have been Earl) got a Crappy Award for losing the gator key—but Earl was the real culprit. Gene thought that the act of kindness from his friend, Brian, was just that, but he was awarded one for Brian having to make his parts, only then to be beaten by Gene with that cart in the Dressage portion. Gene thought Brian should have been the one to get the award….he was the one that beat him in his double clear cones run AND overall by less than a point. All was done in fun.

We headed for home on Monday only to find out that Jada and Brian had a battery problem. We all waited to get the vehicle fixed, so leaving late, Mary called Greg and Cindy and we stayed there on Monday night. Our stalls at Barnesville were used again, and we had another great visit.

Our Canadian friends were great hosts and we are planning on circling the dates again in 2009, to compete at the Bird’s Hill International CDE.

2008 Iron Horse CDE

On the way home from Birds Hill, Brian began to cogitate on the fact that Jada and Hank now were three for three: three prelim championships in three competitions. Although we had not entered the Iron Horse CDE, held annually at Sherwood Farm near Rockford, Illinois, we thought it would be a good idea for Jada and Hank to compete against a larger field then they had encountered thus far. So she post-entered, and we laid our plans for the competition. We would take the horse, the road cart for dressage and cones, the marathon cart, and the JD Gator. That fact that Gene and Celtic were already entered solved the problem of getting Jada there without riding three in the front seat of the megatruck or driving another vehicle. She and Xavier could ride with Rhineharts in their crew cab. Jada's husband, Matt, her navigator, could not leave until Friday noon, so he and Tad, now the official family videographer, would arrive late Friday. Because we now have three people competing at prelim, carriage sharing is generally not possible, so we purchased a new (used) Pacific Dartmoor for Jada and Hank, but we were having problems with the brakes. So we decided to take my Bellcrown, a carriage that Jada and Hank had used in the past with great success (see 2007 Longview Lake and Cowboy Country pictures!).

The Iron Horse schedule is that of a traditional CDE: dressage on the first day, marathon on the second, cones on the third. Jada and Gene were both in prelim, and so were in the sand arena. Intermediate and Advanced were in the grass arena. Because we were going to be there all three days, I contacted the volunteer coordinator to offer my services. She seemed delighted to have an experienced volunteer! I was the dressage steward for the prelim arena on Friday . . . yes! I got to watch all of the prelim dressage tests, which was a TREAT! I am usually competing or organizing, so never get to see very many. Serving as dressage steward reminded me of my very first event, the Nebraska Pioneer CDE in 1999, when I volunteered with NO knowledge whatsoever about Combined Driving Events, and, with a background of harness racing, no knowledge of ridden eventing, either. I remember watching the dressage at the 1999 Pioneer CDE and thinking, "Good grief, they are all doing the same thing. Doesn't anybody here have any originality???"

Jada and Hank were good . . . they would have been better if they had had a decent halt and reinback at the end, but Hank had the best lengthened trot I had ever seen him do.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

They were, however, good enough to finish the day first in among the open single ponies with a score of 56 and change.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

They were tied for 5th overall among the more than 30 prelim entries. Jada (and Camie) have Hank actually holding his own in dressage. YES!!!!

On to the marathon on Saturday. I was working at the end of Section D with two other people who were first-timers. But by the time Jada and Matt and Hank came in, the other volunteers knew what they had to do, so I could go watch Jada and Hank in the hazards, which, for prelim, were all visible from the tent at the top of the hill. They pair scrambled through the first hazard with one of the fastest times to the point. They were not as fast in the second hazard, the water hazard. Jada and I had walked it Friday, and it seemed to me that she took a different route than she had planned. She said later, "Hank turned, but the carriage didn't, so we took a different route!" We were waiting at the tent for them to emerge from the woods for the bridge hazard. And they seemed to take forever. Finally somebody said, "They seem to be having trouble . . . her navigator is down." Trouble was an understatement! Instead of curving upward, the shafts on the Bellcrown had a angle of probably 120 degrees. There is definitely a bend, not a curve., and that bend was covered by a 6 inch long rubber sleeve, so there was no way to see what was going on with the shaft. And the shaft broke in two at that angle.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

So Jada retired, we unhitched the horse, and took him and the broken carriage back to the trailer. Jada was in tears, we were all REALLY disappointed, but, looking back, it could have been a disaster, with the people or horse being seriously injured. With the shaft breaking between hazards, Hank was merely bopping along and not going 30 miles an hour and turning tightly in a hazard. He simply stopped when asked, and everybody was okay.

Jada continued her winning ways on Sunday, however, when, back in the road cart (fortunately, she was using a different carriage for dressage and cones than for the marathon!), she and Hank had one on only two (out of 5o competitors) double clear cones runs on a very technical cones course.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

I scribed for the cones judge, and watching a turnover in cones made me vow that nobody to whom I am related nor who is driving a horse I own goes into a cones course again without a helmet. Gene Rhinehart was the only cones competitor who wore a hat in his dressage test and a helmet in cones.

Looking back, it is clear that Jada would have been a strong contender to win her division had she been able to finish the marathon. It is time for her to move to Intermediate, which she will do at Oklahoma. And, I might add, Earl and I, still in prelim single pony, are happy to have her out of our class!!

2008 Harvest Moon Carriage Classic

The Harvest Moon Carriage Classic is our neighborhood show, held at Living History Farms in suburban Des Moines. We even sleep in our own bed for the event! Four of us competed from our barn: Anita Schlosser driving Jo Schumacher's horse, Toby, in the Novice Driver class; Jada Neubauer driving Lisa Etzel's 3-year-old Connemara pony, Kieron, in his first-ever competition in the Novice Horse or Pony class, and Earl and me in Open Pony, Earl driving his competition pony, Three G San Jose (known to his friends as Joe), and me, driving Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, in his first full pleasure show in four years. We've done the games for several years, but this year we even entered arena classes, not Kevyn's favorite thing. And we had a good time in spite of the incredibly crumby weather! It rained all day on Friday, as we unloaded. When we were ready to head home that evening, we found that the megatruck was stuck in the mud. Anita had headed home about 5 minutes ahead of us . . . a quick call, and she returned to pick us up. The stall area was so muddy that it was almost impossible to get to the arena without getting mud all over the carriage and the pony. But the judges understood our problems and made the necessary allowances!

It rained off and on Saturday, so that we never knew what to wear: rain gear or our fancy stuff, or a compromise, rain pants, a helmet, and a fancy jacket!

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

Photo by Lisa Etzel. Used with permission.

We all came home with ribbons of all colors, none of them blue!

2008 Cowboy Country CDE

The Cowboy Country CDE is always one of our favorite events. The people running the event are wonderful and welcoming, the venue is easy to negotiate, and we get to see old friends Glenn and Deb Muske and Pat and Neal Werts. For the 2008 event, the Three G Folks (Earl, Mary and Jada) were joined in the journey by Katy and Gene Rhinehart, Eleanor Eagly, and Christie Loiacono and Randy Farwell. Additional travelers were Matt Neubauer, Jada's husband and navigator, and Tad Morris, the family videographer, for a total of 10 travelers. After traveling to Gayla in May, we knew how to do it: the six horses in Randy's six-horse trailer, the eight carriages, the JD Gator, and a golf cart in and on the Three G truck and trailer and the Rhinehart trailer. A request to the organizers that Christie and I be scheduled so that we could share vehicles in dressage, cones, and the marathon, along with Jada and Earl scheduled to share a vehicle in dressage and cones. The latter request was easier to honor than the first, because Jada and Earl were in different divisions. Arranging things for Christie and me was more difficult, but the organizers were wonderful . . . they did it! With crew cabs in the Rhinehart and Farwell pickups, the 10 of use were able to travel to Stillwater in only three vehicles. And our friends in Stillwater managed to put ALL of us up: Katy and Gene, Jada and Matt at Werts, Earl and me, Tad and Eleanor at Muskes, and Randy and Christie in thBeir trailer.

The caravan left early Thursday, October 23, stopped for breakfast in Des Moines, and arrived in Stillwater around 5. We got the horses settled, and then the people settled, and were ready to prepare our horses for the event. Eleanor and Winnie were competing in training, Gene and Celtic, Christie and Rey. Earl and Joe, and Kevyn and me in Prelim, and Jada and Hank for the first time in Intermediate. Katy was navigating for Gene and Matt for Jada. Pat Ketterer, a good friend from Nebraska, competed with her Morgan, Drowsy Mountain Trace, in the combined test, and so agreed to navigate for Earl. Andrea Mafi, my 2007 navigator, did navigator duties for Eleanor. And my official Cowboy Country navigator, Lona Robertson, made the trek from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to navigate for me. Only Christie still needed a navigator. Because Christie and I were sharing a marathon vehicle, would Lona be willing to navigate for Christie, too? Lona was game, as long as Christie and I agreed on the routes through the hazards! Okay, we can do that . . .

We all drove on Friday, had our initial look at the hazards, and walked the cones course a bazillion times, preparing for Saturday. Which began the earliest for Jada and Hank, who were first out at 8:00 A.M. (Pat Ketterer said, "Welcome to Intermediate . . . you are always early so there can be at least two judges for the intermediate tests!") It was bitterly cold, and the east-west orientation of the dressage arena meant that for about half the test, both Jada and Hank had the sun in their eyes. At one point, the spectators heard Jada say, "I'm sorry, Hank, but I can't see either!" Not circumstances conducive to a good dressage test. Andy Marcoux, the judge at E, commented on their extended trot, "Where's the fire?" Jada's comment: "Well, I know where I need work!" Final score: 64.62.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Then Jada had to wait for her cones competition until the other four intermediate competitors had completed their dressage tests, and Andy made it to the cones course to serve as judge. The hour-long wait in the cold only made Hank more anxious to get cones completed. He galloped through most of the course . . . double clear! And the Cones Championship ribbon.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Next out in dressage and cones were Eleanor and Winnie, with an okay dressage test, except for the 5-point penalty for forgetting the test.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

The disaster for them was in cones, where Eleanor thought the bridge was optional for training level. Wrong, she needed to drive through pair 15, not over the bridge. The result was the big E, Elimination.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

To accommodate carriage-sharing. Christie was the first of the prelim competitors to drive her dressage test. Her dressage test was not the best she and Rey have done , but her score of 60.62 was good enough for second place after dressage.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

On to cones for Christie and Rey. A double-clear cones run and the Preliminary Cones Championship. YES!!!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Now it was Earl's turn for dressage and cones. Not their best dressage test, 70.62, good enough for third in Prelim Single Ponies. (There were four in the class: Christie, Earl, and me . . . and one other soul!)

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Now was Earl's turn in cones, and, as usual, he and Joe did very well: a clear run with .575 penalty points for being just a shade over time., for a second place finish (behind Christie and Rey) in cones.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic were up next in dressage, which was not their best: 63.29 in penalty points.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic did their usual good job in cones: double clear, with a performance good enough to move them from 6th in Prelim Single Horse to 3rd! Good job!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

I was the last out of the day, at the very end of the Prelim competitors, to permit me to have enough time to warm up after Christie and Rey returned from their cones trip. Kevyn was washed early in the morning on a very cold morning, and then wrapped in his fleece blanket to wick the water off and keep him warm and cozy while waiting. Our dressage test was not our best . . . but the score of 51,95 was good enough to put us in first in Prelim Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Unfortunately, my cones run was not as good as it should be: clear on time, but two balls down. Still in first, but my friends (and relatives!) are closing in!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

A note about headgear in cones. Some of us have always changed from a fancy hat to a helmet for cones. But, after watching two turnovers in cones at the Iron Horse CDE, I declared that anybody related to me or driving a horse I owned would wear a helmet in cones. Earl and Eleanor wore their helmet in dressage, as well, but Christie, Gene, Jada, and I had our friends bring our helmets to us between dressage cones. I had reason to be very thankful for that rule three weeks later at Katydid!

We celebrated how well we had done in dressage and cones, and headed for the hazards for a few more run-throughs,

Christie and Eleanor were out early Sunday morning, Earl and Jada were in the middle of the morning, and Gene and I were late, with me being second-to-the-last of the day, to give Christie and me time to switch carts, the marathon harness, and our navigator! The marathon at Cowboy Country is always one of my favorites. Even though the course is familiar, the route is always different. And the hazards are always challenging. One of the challenges this year was the roughest section A we've been on, with the possible exception of section A at the 2007 High Country CDE. Poor Lona had to endure it not once but twice!

Eleanor and Winnie did their usual good job in training level, penalty-free in all three sections.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Christie and Rey moved from second to first in Prelim Single Pony, and the pictures below show why: they were super-fast in the hazards!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe, with Pat Ketterer navigating, also turned in a stunning marathon performance, moving them into second overall, just 20 points behind Christie and
Rey. Joe just seems to enjoy the marathon . . . as does Earl!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic, with Katy navigating, did their usual good job on the marathon, but others were better, so they slipped to fourth overall in Prelim Single Horse. Still a good finish in a large, tough class!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

We have come to expect fantastic marathon performance from Jada and Hank, and she did not disappoint us in Stillwater. In the face of some very tough competition, she accumulated only 53.04 penalty points and the Intermediate Marathon Championship ribbon, and, no surprise, the Overall Intermediate Championship. Not bad for her first time in Intermediate!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

I was out last, and Kevyn did a good job. We did not make the overall time, but we were closer than we have been . . . and were good enough to hang on (by the skin of our teeth!) to third in Prelim Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

We reversed the process of loading the STUFF Sunday afternoon: carriages, harnesses, clothing, and other equipment and had a relaxing dinner with our hosts, the Muskes and the Werts Sunday evening. We were all up early Monday morning to load the horses and head home with four championship ribbons, including Jada's overall Intermediate Championship, two first-place ribbons, a second, a third, and a fourth-place ribbon. Not bad for six competitors!

2007 looks to be a good year

Sunrise Ridge Driving Trial

For us, the 2007 competition season began the same way the 2006 season started: with a trip to the Sunrise Ridge Driving Trial, held near Paradise, Texas, March 31. The event, organized by the North Texas Whips, is held at the ranch of Kate Morgan and Jhoeren (Jake) Dorenbosch. The marathon course, a lovely combination of hills, open land, and dense trees, is usually occupied by the farm's Texas Longhorn herd. Traveling with us were good friends Gene and Katy Rhinehart. It would be their first trip to the event.

We had an inkling of what lay ahead for the week when it began to sprinkle as we loaded Gene's 5-year-old Friesian-Appaloosa cross, Celtic, into the first stall of our three-horse trailer, followed by Mary's 11-year-old Welsh pony, Kevyn, and Earl's 6-year-old Welsh-Haflinger cross, Joe. The Rhinehart trailer held Keeper, Katy's pinto pony, Celtic's carriage, a golf cart, and, on the back, Keeper's carriage. We left our driveway at almost exactly 5:30 A.M. on Wednesday morning, March 28. Destination: Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the home of Neal and Pat Werts. Yes, they could accommodate three horses (Keeper had his own pen) and four people. And, yes, they would love to have us stop. We ran out of the rain before the Iowa-Missouri border. But that was not the last we were to see of water from the sky that weekend!

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used by permission.

It began to rain as we were loading Thursday morning, and by the time we stopped for gas at the west edge of Stillwater, it was a substantial downpour. It rained off and on for the rest of Thursday, as we unloaded and got the ponies settled into their stalls at Sunrise Ridge. And, even with serious raingear, we began to accumulate the wet clothes that would decorate our motel rooms for the rest of the weekend: shoes and gloves on the heater, shirts, jeans, jackets and underwear draped over every draping place we could find: the shower and towel rods (obvious places!), chairs, the TV, the microwave, all lampshades, the counter around the sink. Katy: "Take down the ironing board. That works, too!" Of course, with 100% humidity, drying everything out was a slow process!

The weather forecast for Friday was light rain in the morning, heavy rain in the afternoon. As we were feeding horses in the morning, Earl reminded us that what was coming down was the light stuff . . . we could hardly wait for the heavy stuff! We introduced the boys to the Longhorn mamas and babies in the pen parallel to the dressage arena. The cattle were curious about these strange visitors, and came right up to the fence. Kevyn and Keeper seemed totally unconcerned, preferring to munch on the green Texas grass. Joe and Celtic were as curious as the cows, a good sign, we thought.

Then we walked the cones course, noting the fact that at least five times we would need to go through standing water to get from one pair of cones to the next. Gene and Earl were confident that their ponies would do just fine. Katy did not have a clue what Keeper would do, because they had had no experience with water. Mary's 2006 water experiences with Kevyn ("I hate getting wet feet almost as much as you do" ), Thane of White Sage, were less than thrilling, and so has been working on whatever water she can find. This would be a test!

We planned to drive on Friday, but the weather got worse and worse. So we opted for afternoon naps and another chance to hang up wet stuff back at the motel. We returned to the farm in time for the 4:00 P.M. course walk. Prelim and intermediate drivers headed out first on the (for them) 7.7 kilometer course. Mary was in that group; Gene, Katy, and Earl headed for the hazards, expecting to go on the next course walk (really a ride in a wagon pulled by Jake on the tractor). At first, things went well on the course walk. We were dazzled by the hazards, decorated according to the "Springtime in Paris" theme. The Eiffel Tower in the middle of Hazard 2 was especially glorious! Overall, the hazards were wonderful . . .decorated according to the theme, but not decorated in a way designed to freak out the ponies! Mary noted that last year's dry creek bed was now a small water crossing. Another test for Kev!

Between Hazard 6 and Hazard 7, in the wooded part of the course, the trailer got hung up on a tree, resulting in a dislocated axle. Which meant that we needed to finish the last 3k on foot. Not a problem on a dry day, but iffy on some of the muddy trails. The red dirt road up the hill was a challenge! Mary had just reached the top when the predicted "heavy rain" hit. And the weather forecaster was not kidding! It came down in sheets, at a rate of a couple of inches in an hour. Fortunately, the last 2k was downhill. She arrived back the trailer around 5:30, wet, bedraggled, and miserable. Without having walked a single hazard!

The only sensible thing to do was forego the welcome dinner and head back to a dry motel. We changed into our last pairs of dry jeans, ordered in pizza, and played cards.

Saturday dawned with bright sunshine on the soggy arenas and courses. The second thing to do Saturday morning (right after feeding and watering ponies) was to have another look at the cones course. Where the first six pairs of cones were now standing in water. Tom Knicker, the TD, said: "Look at it this way: if you can get your pony in the water, you can stay there awhile!" But the organizer and the TD rearranged the course so that, although we had to go through water several places on the course, the cones themselves were not standing in it (makes for more accurate measurement!)

Mary and Kev were first out Saturday morning, with their dressage test at 8:51. A. M. The test was not their best: moments of crap surrounding some great moves. They'll get better.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Kev hardly blinked at the water on the cones course, and plowed through without hesitation. No balls down but over time. Okay, they're accurate . . . they need to work on fast.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic were next out in dressage, and their score was good enough to put them in first place in their division (Training Level Single Horse).

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

He had one ball down on the cones course: still in first!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Earl was next, and then Katy.

Earl was warming Joe up, when Mary, standing near the dressage arena, heard the dreaded shout, "Loose horse!" She looked up to see Keeper speeding toward her, carriage bouncing behind. He had objected strongly to the muddy conditions, spun around, dumped Katy out, and headed Out of Here. He jumped at least one cattle guard, maybe two, and nicked a pickup on his way to the farthest reaches of the farm. He was up found against a fence, without a scratch on him, the harness, or the carriage. Katy was not as lucky . . . she was bruised and sore after the experience, but seemed to have nothing broken.

Katy's navigator, Chris Canaday, arrived just in time to see Keeper make his mad dash. He said, "Keeper . . . hmmmm . . . I think that's the pony that Katy's driving . . . and I'm navigating. I may want to rethink this . . . "

Earl went into the dressage arena right after Keeper dashed by, somewhat (no, a lot) shaken. Their dressage test was not good . . . the best that could be said was that they got through it.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

But their cones run was spectacular. They had one of the two double clear runs of the day! That moved them from third to second among the Training Level Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Meanwhile, Mary was beginning to panic about hazards. She and her navigator, niece Nancy Fraser, who arrived in time for her dressage test, claimed the golf cart around 11 and headed for the hazards. They had less than an hour to do the six hazards . . . not nearly enough time, but better than having to circle each hazard on the marathon, saying, "I'll look for A and C, you find B and D ... " Not enough time, however, and they paid dearly by missing the exit gate at Hazard 6. (Mental note: walk the Whole Thing next time, not just the gates!) Aside from the Big E (which they did not know about until the finish), their marathon was good. Way over time . . . Kev could not pull through the heavy course, but he is learning that, when in hazards, the idea is to move quickly and turn tightly when asked. Most importantly (and definitely worth the whole trip for Mary) was that he crossed the creek, now about 4 feet wide and over a foot deep of rapidly-moving red water. He hesitated and tried to back off, but, in the end, he did it, and received lavish praise for his efforts. Especially from Nancy, who was spared having to pull him through it!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic, with Keith White navigating, were one second over in the time on the marathon. Their clear runs in all hazards let them easily hold onto their first place standing.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe, with John Clark, the husband of Mary's niece, Ann, navigating, made their time and cleared all hazards.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Their performance in the marathon moved them into first place in their division, much to Earl's surprise!

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

There were more surprises at the awards ceremony. Kate Morgan, the organizer, announced that, for the first time, she was awarding a "Best Volunteer" ribbon. After listing several excellent candidates for the honor, she handed the ribbon to Katy, who, stiff and sore and embarrassed, had asked, "What can I do to help?" after her accident with Keeper. The person scheduled to start the marathon had backed out at the last minute. Katy and Chris were the official starters. As Kate put it, "Katy Rhinehart saved my life today!"

Earl and another competitor tied for "Best Cones." But there was only one ribbon, and he lost it in a coin toss. And Gene and Celtic took home another ribbon, this one for "Best Conditioned," as identified by the veterinarians at the end of Section E. What an honor!

All in all, a good beginning of the 2007 competition season. Gene and Earl did what they needed to do . . . Katy and Mary need to get better, or they'll leave us home the next time!

2007 Pioneer CDE

Supporting our neighbors is always high on our list, which means that the Pioneer CDE held in Lincoln, Nebraska, is always on the list of Places to Compete (unless, of course, there is a family event like a granddaughter's wedding). Not the case this year, so the Iowa contingent consisted of Gene Rhinehart driving Celtic,(who was accompanied by Katy and their 7-year-old grandson, Keegan), Anita Schlosser driving her Morgan, Baykill Regent, Edna Oakley and her Morgan, Jake, Earl and Joe, his Welsh-Haflinge cross, and Mary and her Welsh pony, Kevyn. Rounding out the Iowa crew were Jo Arrowsmith, Anita's navigator, Eleanor Eagly, navigating for Edna, and Linda Viani, navigating for Mary. Earl and Mary were entered as Preliminary Ponies, Gene and Edna as Training Horses, and Anita (with a pony right on the line) as a Training-level Pony.

Earl and Mary headed for Lincoln with Kevyn, Joe, and Rege on Thursday. The rest of the folks showed up on Friday, in time to walk their dressage tests and the cones course.

Saturday saw everybody getting horses ready for dressage and cones. Mary's first move on the morning of any competition is to wash Kevyn and tie him in front of a full hay bag to keep him clean, and this morning was no exception! She touched up the carriage (the harnesses had been done on the way to Lincoln) harnessed, and helped Earl hitch Joe, who was scheduled for dressage immediately before her. Then she hitched Kevyn, checked in with the safety checkers-wheel measurers, and headed for the warm up arena. She makes it a rule never to watch the dressage tests of competitors ahead of her. She did look up at Earl and Joe, however, to see where they were in their test. Just in time to see them turn right instead of left after their halt and reinback in Prelim Test 4. Which, of course, earned them a whistle from the judge along with a 5-p0int penalty for error of the course.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary's dressage test went well. The best Kevyn has done in prelim, and the judges agreed, awarding him a score of 48.769, good enough to win the ribbon for Best Prelim Dressage. (Truth in Bragging: there were only three in Prelim, Earl and Mary in Prelim Single Ponies , and Mary Loy Brown, in Prelim Single Horse.) In addtion to Best Prelim Dressage, Kevyn also earned another title, this one from Annette Boeser: LGDP, or Little Gray Dressage P---k, which is a four-letter word, according to Annette's husband, Joe.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

On to cones. One ball down and time penalties for Earl, a clean run and time penalties for Mary. Mary still led in Prelim Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

The dressage score of 51.772 earned by Gene and Celtic topped the large (7 entries) field of Training Single Horses. Edna's dressage score of 64.648 put her in last place in a very competitive class. In the Training pony class, Anita and Rege finished second, with a score of 65.692. Gene and Celtic had a double clear cones run, to hold onto first place. Anita stayed in second after her cones run, but Edna moved up to sixth.

With dressage and cones history, it was time to take all horses across The Bridge, a pedestrian span across a very busy 4-lane highway. The Bridge is not on the course, but is the way to get to section A and back to Section D. It was a long walk this year because of the rearrangement of the venue, but we made it up and back, and all ponies crossed the bridge in hand several times. We expected no problems with the bridge on Sunday's marathon, and we were right!

The training level folks: Gene, Edna, and Anita, completed the marathon with no penalties, and so held on to their premarathon placings, with Gene taking the overall training level championship. After a wonderful section A and equally good section D, the event veterinarian decided that Kev's temperature was not dropping quickly enough, and so could not continue on the marathon. BUMMER! Mary and Linda knew the hazards COLD, and, in fact, drove them after all of the competitors had finished section E.

Earl and his navigator, Pat Ketterer, also knew the hazards cold, but had to learn to work together driving them! They worked their communication out in the first hazard, however . . . and went on to complete the marathon successfully.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary Loy Brown eliminated in one of the hazards . . . leaving Earl and Joe all by themselves as Preliminary Champions!

All in all, a good event. Well-run in a great venue. And it is always good to see old friends after a long winter of no driving!

Birds Hill International CDE

The middle of July found us at the Birds Hill International CDE, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. The story of our adventures is by Katy Rhinehart, with additions and comments by Mary Winter.

Our travels north to the lovely Winnipeg, Manitoba area was such fun. The competition is at the site of 1999 Pan Am Equestrian games, which makes the groomed site a wonder to behold. But, I get ahead of myself....we had to get there first! Traveling with a horse to Canada requires that you get certification from a federal vet to transport. Dr. Christie Loiacono helped get our paperwork in order and so we had Celtic ready and he had his "passport.@ Earl Morris, Mary Winter and Eleanor Eagly all traveled together with us and our local Dr. Christie did a great job helping out with the paperwork end. We, as USA citizens needed our own paper work. Gene and I had our passports, as did the other adults, so that was easy. Our 7-year-old grandson, Keegan, wanted to come with us on this trip and had to get even more paperwork, because he was not traveling with his parents. A call to the Canadian consulate and to the American consulate gave us the details of how to get Keegan across the border and back: a government-issued ID, which could be obtained at an Iowa Driver's License station, an itinerary, and a letter from a parent.

We left on Wednesday, July 11, and traveled as ar as Fargo, ND. We met up with our Nebraska friends, Pat Ketterer, Barb Simmons and their navigators at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. They arrived about 20 minutes ahead of us, and called on Mary's cell phone . . . take the 4^th entrance to avoid the heavy equipment auction, which seemed like a good plan! Our horses stayed the night in roomy stalls. The grounds were very nice for an overnight on the road. We travelers were then off to the home of Greg Sanders and Cindy Belohlavek. They had generously offered to help their friend Mary Winter find a bed for all 10 of us! When we arrived at their home, we found that Greg and Cindy had just become new grandparents and needed to go to their daughter's home about 10 miles away, so after a lovely BBQ of hamburgers, chicken, sweet corn and salads, they turned over the keys to their home. Several years ago, when we first began competing at Winnipeg, Greg and I were colleagues on a distance education project, Greg at North Dakota State University and me at Iowa State.. At that time, he offered stalls on the way to Winnipeg. When I contacted him this year, he said the stalls were now filled with his woodworking materials, but that he could put up the people. Little did he know . . . !

We left Greg and Cindy's about 7:30 a.m. and loaded up the horses at the fair grounds and then off to the USA/Manitoba border crossing. Our group traveled north and at the border we all were asked to present our papers to the officials. We went inside and, after getting the Archie Bunker of the border patrol's ok, we were safely across to Canada. Mary and Earl had been north before, as well as our Nebraska travelers, and knew the way to the beautiful Bird's Hill Provincial Park. We were greeted at the park by a large flock of 10-15 wild turkeys. The turkeys are very special to the park and the Canadians and we were told to treat them with respect. We all wondered if our ponies would "respect" them as well!

The stalls at the facility are large and well done. There was plenty of parking and we unloaded the animals. Keegan quickly made friends with Mr. Duane Stewart, who was driving a pair of Welsh ponies. Mr. Stewart is quite a joker and loved to show off his many pictures of his "herd." We found our hotel rooms in the small town of Oakbank after getting the horses settled and then ate supper. I had traveled to Ontario as a child many times, but had forgotten that Canadians put vinegar on their French fries. Keegan soon learned that it was a new yummy way to enjoy fries.

On Friday it was sprinkling, but the drivers all took their animals for a drive around the park. Mary lost Earl in the woods (more on that later), but found him again and all was well. Keegan and I went off to explore and found a lovely museum and huge cathedral and grotto just a few miles away. We enjoyed learning more about the settling of the Bird's Hill area and history. Matt and Jada Neubauer, along with their 4-year-old son, Xavier, arrived on Friday. Matt, Jada, and Xavier, being a lot younger then the rest of us, not to mention not hauling horses (only a trailer with Earl's carriage on it) made the trip in a single day, although a very long one. Like Keegan, Xavier had an ID issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation. Here is a driver's license form with a 4-year-old grinning on it! Not your usual driver's license picture . . .

Saturday the drivers prepared for a formal vet check and standing presentation, as well as dressage and cones. All the carriages and carts looked so nice with the "spit shine" to them and the drivers all looked their best. All horses and ponies passed the vet inspection, which is much like our distance drive checks but not quite as complicated. The standing presentation was done right before the dressage tests. The driver was asked to drive up, stop and as they measured the wheel width for the cones course, the inspection was done. Scores were given for cleanliness, appropriateness, etc. These went with the dressage scores.

The dressage arena was below a berm in one of about 7 arenas. It appeared that several of our American drivers did well from where I was standing, but it is the judges that count. And the judges agreed. At the end of dressage, Gene and Celtic were in first place among the training level single ponies, and had a lock on the training-level Best Dressage A ribbon with a blistering 38.25. Among the training-level single ponies, Pat Ketterer and Drowsy Mountain Trace were in first, with a score of 49.61. Needless to say, Pat was thrilled at that score for her new pony! Earl and Joe were in 4^th, with 58.92, and Eleanor and Winnie were right behind, with a score of 59.40. Mary and Kevyn, the only prelim single pony entry, had a good dressage test, posting a 38.92, good enough to earn them the "Best Dressage" ribbon for prelim. Barb Simmons and Ace were in third among prelim horses in dressage, with a 56.57.

The cones course was long and flowing. Not much room to make mistakes, but Mary, at the prelim level, was the first competitor at any level to go double clear.

Mary and Kevyn in their double-clear cones run. Photo by Raelene Spenst. Used by permission.

Her accomplishment was followed by Gene and Earl.

Earl and Joe in their double-clear cones trip. Photo by Raelene Spenst. Used by permission.

The posting of scores showed that Mary and Gene were both 1st in their divisions (not a surprise with the best dressage scores and no penalties in cones). All the others were in good spots to make a move on Sunday in the marathon.

Sunday's marathon day was delightful. The hazards are all grouped closely together and the crowd swelled to over 200 throughout the morning to see the competitors charge through them. Thanks to Linda Santee, there were two baby sitters for the boys, whose major job was to keep them from chasing tadpoles in the water hazard during the competition! They had a concession stand set up to accommodate the watchers and there was much needed traffic control for people who moved through part of the course. Our group of USA watchers were thrilled that all the animals and drivers from America made it through without any eliminations. The favorites to watch were several pairs, including Mr. Stewart's ponies, that dove into the water without a passing glance. The four-in-hand was spectacular to see weaving through the gates. The newly constructed bridge proved to be the most difficult for the animals to scamper up the embankment to the next gate, but there were no spills. My personal favorite besides the Stewart ponies was a pair of black Morgans owned and driven by Lindsay Hamill. They were magnificent to see! They were so well trained and as they passed the in/out gates you could just see the release of the pent up energy as they flew through the gates and then as they passed out of the in/out gate they immediately came back to a very well controlled forward trot. WOW! I hope they are there again next year.

Gene had a bit of trouble with "horse eating rocks" in the section A. I hear he was not the only one, but it cost him time that he could not make up and ended in 2nd place in the training horse division. He was awarded the Best Dressage and Best Cones ribbons in Training.

Photo by Karen Hurst's husband. Used by permission.

Mary also had the Best Dressage and Best Cones at prelim. Kevyn made the time in sections A and D. He also objected to the horse eating rocks, huge boulders where the trail crosses public roads, designed to keep motorized vehicles out. His solution was to getpasthemasfastashecould. Our hopes for the overall prelim championship ribbon died in the water hazard when Kevyn (I hate wet feet), Thane of White Sage, balked at the first entrance into the water. Navigator Jada said, "Mary, hit him . . . he's going to lay down to avoid it!" But he went in, back out, in again, out again, and in a third time, so that we could pick up all five gates. He walked in the hazard, however . . . it was pretty deep for a small pony. The three minutes in that hazard could simply not be made up on the course. We won our class, of course. As the only entry, all we had to do was not eliminate, which, given our record, is not a sure thing, of course!

Pat and Trace and Eleanor and Winnie had time penalties in the marathon. Not as many as Kevyn and Mary, but some. Earl and Joe were the only ones of our group to sail through the marathon, horse-eating rocks and all, penalty free, which earned him the ribbon for Best Training Marathon. In all, five of the nine "Best" ribbons (dressage, cones, and marathon at each level) came home to Iowa. COOL!

The most exciting awards ceremony I have ever attended is the "Crappy Awards" given at the end of the night. These are awards for silly and funny things that have happened over the weekend. Mary got one this year for losing Earl. We are going to have to work on our "Stinky" awards and expand our "Skunk Butt" awards for next year. The presenters were better than some stand up comedians I have seen! Our travels home included an overnight stop at Grace Ostien's near Elk River, MN. Her farm set up is to be envied! Our crew, along with Grace, Doug, and Brandon Ostien, met other Minnesota drivers, Joe and Annette Boeser and Erin and Rick Freese for supper. Keegan and I tallied up that we had played 58 games of "SWAP" on the trip and ended tied at 29 to 29. He was a great travel companion and we had a great time. We hope we can make the journey again next year. We definitely second that . . . we will be at Birds Hill next year, unless, of course, something happens like . . . oh, maybe a broken ankle . . .

Hickory Knoll CDE

The weekend after Birds Hill was the Hickory Knoll CDE, held at John Frieberger's facility in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, just south of Madison. Mary and Earl were not competing, but Three G Farms was well represented by Jada driving GS Thunderboy Henry. Hank's strong suit has never been dressage, so the goal always is to do an adequate job and then make up for dressage in the cones and marathon. And they succeeded, with a dressage score good enough to put her in 3rd place in the large class of prelim single ponies. Cones was not terrific, however, with 4 balls down. Still in third, however, because everybody else had trouble, too.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

And Hank was doing his usual fine job on the marathon: making the times easily (with strategic walks in section A to avoid coming in too early) and blasting through the hazards. Including the water hazard, where his time was among the fastest, at 42 seconds. Unfortunately . . . Jada did not listen to her navigator, Darcie Platt, when Darcie said, "I think we missed Gate D." Jada had driven through the only nongate opening in the hazard, instead of D, for the Big E. But she proved to herself that she and Hank can drive a reasonable dressage test.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Mary had planned to baby-sit five children: Luke and Beth Dahlberg, whose parents, Mark and Julie were competing; Sarah and Ben Farwell, whose parents, Randy Farwell and Christie Loiacono, also would be competing, along with 4-year-old Xavier Neubauer, Jada's son. Watching small children is easy with the John Deere Gator; they will do almost anything (including behave!) for rides! Almost at the last minute, all five children stayed home. So she got to cheer on her favorites unencumbered by small children!

Earl, on the other hand, had work to do: navigating for Mark Dahlberg and his preliminary tandem, Bess and Rowdy. It was Earl's first trip EVER as a navigator, and he had a blast! His favorite hazard was the first one, because it was in the corner and kind of tricky. He got wet in the water hazard, as Bess and Rowdy splashed a lot.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

His second favorite was the new hazard, among the oak trees. They traveled so fast through that one that he was worried about hanging on. And he discovered that he could move the carriage over by jumping at just the right time. He probably will not give up driving any time soon, but he really appreciated navigating for Mark.

Fall Follies

This was the year to compete at new venues, so Wednesday, August 15, found Mary and Earl, along with Kevyn and Joe, on their way to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they would spend the night on their way to the Rocky Mountain Carriage Club's Fall Follies held at the Tomora Training Center just west of Greeley, Colorado. The ponies spent the night in small pens at Marjean McIntyre's Hideway Farm. The people spent the night with George and Pat Ketterer. Thursday morning we were met at Marjean's by Barbara Simmons, who was to be a learner judge at the event, as we helped Pat load Drowsy Mountain Trace (not a problem, fortunately. Maybe Pat's days of threatening him with a fate of pony burgers if he didn't load well is over!), loaded Joe and Kevyn, and then strapped our small Meadowbrook to the back of the horse trailer on the new rack made for that purpose. The caravan headed for Waverly, Nebraska, to pick up Jackie Colten, Pat's navigator. Some 9 hours later, the two rigs pulled into the Tomora Training Center and unloaded horses and carriages. And found out what other drivers were concerned about as they passed the megatruck and horse trailer on the bypass around Greeley: one of rear tires on the horse trailer had, apparently, exploded, leaving the rim encircled with shards of tire. Because the tire was okay at the previous stop in Fort Morgan, it was clear that the other half of the tandem only had to carry the full load for a relatively short distance, less than 50 miles. It could have been a lot worse: taking the fender with it or wrecking the remaining good tire, for example. And there was a whole weekend to get it fixed!

Friday was the day to drive horses, get the tire fixed, take naps, walk hazards and cones, and find a dentist for Mary to get her temporary crown reinstalled. Saturday dawned sunny and hot, as we prepared for dressage and cones. Mary scrubbed Kevyn and tied him in front of a hay bag to keep him clean, and then watched Earl and Pat in dressage and cones. Earl was out first, and had a respectable 61.32, with a dynamite long-rein walk. If the rest of the test had been as good as the walk . . .

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace did better, 58.65. A great test for her new pony! And to celebrate her new pony, Pat has a glorious new hat.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

On to cones for Earl, on one of the most creative cones courses we've seen: an X shape, with a square in the middle and three sets of cones in each arm. No balls down for Earl, but over time, for 4 penalty points.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace had a double clear run. YES!!

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

At the end of dressage and cones, Pat was in second, Earl in fourth, in the field of eight training single ponies.

Mary and Kev were not competing until the afternoon, so she enjoyed an early lunch with Maureen Hoffert and Maureen's mother, Ruth Smith, who drove over from Fort Collins. Ruth was Mary's major professor for her graduate work a bazillion years ago at The Pennsylvania State University. After lunch, she harnessed Kev, warmed him up, and headed for the dressage arena. When Kev is on, he is good. And today he was on, a proper LGDP, and a score of 41.63.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Fast enough in cones, but one ball down for 3 penalty points. They had a lock on first in the prelim VSE and pony class.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

When we inquired about competing at the event, we told the organizer and the secretary (a mother-daughter team of Carrie Jacobucci and Christine Vehrs) that we would need help finding navigators. No problem! Earl's navigator, Joni Duran, showed up Saturday, so they walked hazards. Mary tagged along, even though she needed to take different routes and had one more hazard.

Awards for dressage and cones were presented at the dinner Saturday evening. Mary won the "medal" for Best Prelim Dressage (no surprise, of course . . . she knew her score in relation to the other prelim competitors). Much to her surprise, however, she won pony turnout. Okay, not turnout, but they gave prizes for best presentation for VSE, ponies, and horses. And she won the pony division. WOW. She never wins turnout . . . er . . . presentation. But she has finally learned how to use the new purple shampoo, so Kev was dazzlingly white. The brass was polished and it was sunny, so the judges could SEE that the brass was polished. Presentation was on the move, so they could not see how badly the 10-year-old Meadowbrook needs to be refinished. And she was wearing Pat Ketterer's "old" hat, a black felt derby with blue and black feathers that is absolutely perfect. with Mary's blue and black silk jacket. Linda Viani, who was the TD, said at dinner Sunday evening, "You have to steal that hat!" The good news is that Pat agreed to let Mary use it for the rest of the season. The even better news is that she will trade it for stall rent at the November Robin Groves clinic. She did not drive nearly a hard enough bargain!

Sometime Saturday afternoon, Mary checked with Carrie about her navigator, who said that Lauralie Taubenheim was arranging for Mary's navigator. So Mary checked with Lauralie Saturday evening, who said, "Oh, I thought Carrie was getting your navigator." GREAT. They said they would have SOMEBODY by the time Mary left on the marathon Sunday morning at 9:15, but she figured she was On Her Own for hazards. So she walked them three more times Sunday morning. The first time they pushed the JD Gator out of the parking lot so not to wake anybody up!

The local Kiwanis club provided breakfast, and Mary was sitting with Earl and Pat and Sheila Scheideler from Nebraska. Sheila drives a mini, and was the volunteer coordinator at the Pioneer CDE. Mary had a brain storm. Was Sheila's son, Alex, navigating for anybody? And how old was he? No and 15. He was in line for pancakes when Mary asked him if he would navigate for her. Well, he'd never done it, but he'd walked hazards with his mom the day before. He had agreed to volunteer, and had been assigned to the Start of E, in the blazing sun. He figured that this was a better offer. So Alex and Mary blasted through the hazards with the Gator while Earl harnessed Kev. Mary said to count the gates on the course, keep the time, and holler out the gates in the hazards.

And Alex was WONDERFUL. Loved it (he does lots of things on horseback, just never this). The crew made the time easily in section A (had to walk the last half of a km), and the walk time, but could not do it in Section E, so dropped to second overall. But Kev did the water and the covered bridge and the hazard made out of HUGE (4-5 feet in diameter) cottonwood logs, so all was not lost!

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Joe and Earl did their usual stunning performance in the marathon, for 0 penalties.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace were a litle over time, for .80 penalty points.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat held on to second overall, and their marathon performance moved Earl and Joe up to third, six points behind Pat.

The travelers stayed overnight Sunday evening, and headed for home early Monday morning. They arrived at Lincoln around 3. Earl, the driver, elected to keep on going, so they arrived home dead tired almost exactly 12 hours after leaving Greeley. A very nice event, one that will be on the list for 2008!

High Country International CDE

While we were competing at the Birds Hill International CDE, our trailer was parked near that of Donna and Harold Sicherman from Calgary, Alberta. Donna drives and Harold navigates for a pair of wonderful white Welsh ponies. As we were loading Sunday, for an early start Monday morning, the Sichermans said, "You know, you really ought to come to Calgary for our club's event, the High Country CDE." We replied that it was just too far. But, of course, the idea had been planted. We talked about on the way home from Winnipeg, and began to think that we should try it. Our ponies were doing well, gas prices would probably be $5 a gallon next year, and maybe this would be our only chance. The event is held over Labor Day, so it would mean giving up a trip to the Solon Springs, Wisconsin, Bird Sanctuary with members of the Northwoods Harness Club or the Indiana CDE, another event held that same weekend. But we could go to one of those events in 2008. Let's go to Calgary this year!

There were arrangements to be made. We would be on the road for four days and three nights to the event, the same coming back. We needed a place for horses all nights, and, of course, places for us to stay. Years and years working in Land Grant universities has left us with an extensive list of colleagues scattered across the country . . . three of them on the way to and from Calgary. So the plans were laid, and the stopovers planned. We would wind up on the Friday after the event at Redwood Falls, Minnesota, to attend Mary's 50th high school class reunion, and stay with old friends there, who, fortunately, are also horse people with a round pen available!

Sunday, August 26 (Day 0): One more time through our extensive CDE competition check list. Carriages (the small Meadowbrook to share for dressage and cones, the Pacific Dartmoor for the marathon, and the John Deere gator, all loaded on the flatbed); horse and people clothing; horse and people food (10 bales of hay, including 2 in the gator in the flatbed; 64 packets of premeasured grain and supplements, 32 for Joe, 32 for Kevyn, enough for two feedings a day for two weeks, with a few leftover for spills and emergencies; cheese, crackers, trail mix and water for the humans); horse and people grooming supplies; 36 CDs, 18 selected by each person, for the anticipated long distances between NPR stations in the west!

Monday, August 27 (Day 1): On the road early, with our destination Brookings, South Dakota. South Dakota State University friend Laurie Stenberg Nichols prevailed upon her father, David Stenberg, to let us put Kevyn and Joe in a small pen on his farm about 20 miles south of Brookings. After a trip on the roughest road on the whole trip, US 20 across Iowa from I-35 to I-29, we arrived at David's place and got Kevyn and Joe settled into the first of the many different places they would spend the night over the next two weeks. We found a motel in Brookings, and had dinner with Laurie, her husband, Tim, and daughters Jordan and Hannah. Tim and Jordan are planning to navigate for us at Winnipeg next year!

Tuesday, August 28 (Day 2): We had arranged a stopping place near Spearfish, SD, for the second evening: horse accommodations at a ranch near I-90, and a motel in Spearfish. We tried not too leave too early, because the people putting up our horses would not be home from work until 5:30. So we took our time loading, and did not press hard across South Dakota. Nevertheless, we were in Spearfish by 2:30, thanks to gaining an hour by crossing into the Mountain Time Zone. A quick call to Ann Perkins, Sheridan, Wyoming. Could she find a place for our ponies on short notice? She thought so . . . so we continued on to Sheridan, three more hours, across what only can be described as the Great Plains . . . marvelous, wide open countryside! Ann and Travis and their two children, Garrett and Medora, had accompanied us to the 2006 Birds Hill CDE, where the adults navigated for us. They closed on their house in Sheridan on August 20, their furniture arrived from Fargo August 25, and we arrived the 27th. We were treated to a tour of the house, boxes and all, after installing Kevyn and Joe in a round pen at the Sheridan Equine Hospital for the night. Great to see the Perkins family again. While students at Iowa State, Ann and Travis were our mainstays for help when baling hay.

Wednesday, August 29 (Day 3): We planned on an easy day, and it was, about 6 hours from Sheridan to Bozeman, Montana, where Montana State University friends Debbie and George Haynes had made arrangements for Kevyn and Joe to spend the night at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Having horses stopping for the night seemed to be a pretty common occurrence at the fairgrounds. There was a slotted box on the wall of the barn with a label, "Stall rent, $15 a night." We enjoyed Haynes' hospitality for dinner, and spent the night in their spare room.

Thursday, August 30 (Day 4): Up early, because we thought this would be our longest day. We were in serious mountains now, and enjoyed the scenery between Bozeman and Great Falls. And were stunned at how suddenly the landscape changed at Great Falls, from mountains to wheat fields, already harvested, with an occasional circle of alfalfa, just the shape of an irrigation system. The border crossing, always a zoo when crossing at Pembina, North Dakota, was a breeze. crossing from Montana. We were on our way to Lethbridge very quickly. Past Lethbridge, now looking for what the Omnibus referred to as the "Okotoks Cutoff." Because that phrase did not appear on a highway sign, we were not quite sure what to do. We called the motel where we had a reservation, hoping to get help. The woman answering directed us from the north, not the south. But the important thing was that we found the town and the right streets, so we could follow the rest of the directions to the Calgary Polo Club grounds, where the event would be held. As we were unloading, somebody suggested letting Joe and Kev charge around a round pen while we located their stalls and got stuff settled. Great idea. They thoroughly enjoyed the freedom. We were dazzled at how well they traveled. If I had been them, I would have refused to get back into the trailer by about the 4th morning. But they hopped in willingly every single day!

Friday, August 31 (Day 5): What a lovely venue for the event! Spiffy grounds, in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies. Really gorgeous! We spent the day getting settled, driving our ponies around the grounds, walking the dressage course, and visiting with the friends made from our trips to Winnipeg: Duane and Fern Stewart, Lindsay Hamill and his family, Brian Cowieson and Raelene Spenst, Brian and Zoe Thompson, Michele Davis-Ralston and her husband, and, of course, Harold and Donna Sicherman. The event organizers, Don and Merle Mason, agreed to find navigators for us. And they found wonderful ones, both from Priddis, Alberta: Sharon Davis for Earl, Jane Nisi for me. We got to know them on Friday, as well, and began walking the hazards with them after the vet check, which both ponies passed with flying colors.

This day was special, because Kathy Rigakis, a friend dating back to the mid-60s in graduate school at Penn State rearranged her life, literally, to journey from her home in Edmonton to Okotoks to spend the night. While Earl napped, we drank wine and talked well into the night!

Saturday, September 1 (Day 6): Dressage day! Because Kev and I were scheduled for late morning, I washed Kevyn early and tied him in front of a full hay bag to keep him happy and clean. And then helped Earl and Joe get ready for standing presentation prior to his training level dressage test. Which we screwed up by forgetting the Canadian rules that require a spares kit for all competitions, even dressage. So, even before entering the dressage arena, Earl and Joe had 10 penalty points, the total penalties available for presentation. BUMMER. Their dressage was okay, not great, but okay. But the 10 penalty points in presentation really hurt.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Dressage day was going to be a real test for Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, aka the Little Gray Dressage P...k. In all, counting single ponies, single horses, pony pairs, and horse pairs, there were 26 entries in the prelim division. He already had won three "Best Prelim Dressage" ribbons in 2007, but he had never had this much competition. He did well . . . not well enough to win "Best Prelim Dressage," but he was among the top five in a tough competition. And, of course, thanks to Earl's hassle with the spares kit, I had mine at presentation.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Because we were allowed to drive our horses on Section A before the marathon, each of us drove that part of the course with our navigators after our dressage tests. It was a great opportunity for them and us to figure out how to work together. And, of course, we walked the hazards a bazillion times more. Jane assured me that we would be fine in the hazards . . . she had never eliminated! I wish Kevyn had not taken that as a challenge . . .

Sunday, September 2 (Day 7): Earl and I cruised through the hazards one last time early in the morning, before hitching for the marathon. We were confident that things would go well. And they did for Earl: a little over time on Section A, which has to be one of the roughest courses we have ever driven. They made the time in Sections D and E, and did well in the hazards on Section E.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Kevyn, Jane, and I sailed through Sections A and D with no penalties. And headed for Section E. We were about two minutes ahead of the time allowed, on track to make the overall time in Section E for the first time ever. When we encountered The Dreaded Water Hazard. Kevyn went in, reluctantly, and we managed to get through the first two gates, both in the water.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Gate C was on the edge of the island, headed toward the water; going through the gate meant going back into the water. We turned right after Gate B, up over the island. JUST before going through gate C, Kev decided that he had had enough of the water hazard, and ducked left, wedging the post with the white C between the basket and the wheel of the carriage. Heading down hill. Jane knew before I did that there was no way out of this except to unhitch. Kev simply couldn't (or wouldn't) back the carriage up enough to get unstuck. So we got out, unhitched the pony, led him through the water, and then got the carriage out of the water. And got soaking wet in the process. We prepared to rehitch and continue, when Muffy Seaton, one of the judges, noticed a missing bolt on a brace between the basket and the shaft. So we were done for the day. I led Kev back up to the barn, Ken McLennan and Stratton Peake, members of the High Country Carriage Driving Club, got the carriage up to the barn, so I could deal with the pony. I was really disappointed, because we were on track to make the overall time in Section E, which would have been a first for us. But Jane and I were okay, the pony was okay, the harness was okay, and the carriage could be fixed with a new bolt. Not a bad outcome of what could have been a disaster. I did not need to travel 4000 miles to eliminate, however. I can do that very well much closer to home!

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

At the barn, Earl said, "If I had a hammer, I could get the sheared bolt out and we could replace it." Hah! I have a hammer in my spares kit, a tool that has never been used before at a CDE! Got the bolt out and made it to the local hardware store just as it was closing. And bought the appropriate carriage bolt, to be used, for heavens sake, on a carriage, probably also a first! We repaired the carriage before the evening banquet, and so were ready to go for the morning's cones competition.

The banquet featured music by Acoustic Country, a group that included two guitars, a bass, and violin/mandolin. And, a treat for us, Earl's navigator, Sharon Davis, was the violinist. They were wonderful. We even danced, in between trips to the silent auction to make sure our bids on the 1988 Prairie Home Driving Challenge poster were still the highest. It came home with us, and now hangs in the dining room.

Monday, September 3 (Day 8): Cones day, and the first time the cone course was available to be walked. We were among the first ones on the course on a crisp, dewy morning. A tricky course that would take all our concentration to complete. As the day wore on, Earl decided to withdraw. He helped me get ready for our run. We had no balls down, but were way over time . . . due in part to "losing" pair 16. GOT to get faster at cones!

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

After my cones run, we packed up all our stuff and loaded the carriages and Gator on the flatbed, ready to leave early in the morning. Sickermans agreed to do the night feeding and watering of Kevyn and Joe, and we took the megatruck, carriages and all, west into the Canadian Rockies, just to say we had seen them! We wound up at the home of Jane and Lyle Nisi for dinner. Jane showed us her coffee mug, awarded to the "Best Groom" of the event. If she had NOT won that award, I would have wondered about the system! A check of the ponies on the way back to the motel found them happily resting. And it was early to bed for an early start the next morning.

Tuesday, September 4 (Day 9): Up early, really early, to check out, give the ponies their morning grain, strip their stalls, and head out, with Bozeman, Montana, our day's destination. We were dazzled at how smooth the border crossing was. We have horror stories from the crossing at Pembina, especially heading back to the US. We mentioned that to the officer handling our papers, and he replied that, thanks to the Calgary Stampede and the High County Polo Club, they have horses crossing all the time! Back at Bozeman in time to take Debbie and George and their three children out to dinner.

Wednesday, September 5 (Day 10): An easy day to Sheridan. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, got the horses settled in, and went looking for a place for Earl to get a haircut. I informed him that, if he planned to attend my 50th high school class reunion, he'd better find a barber before the event. Wednesday afternoon seemed like a good time for a haircut. We then helped Medora Perkins celebrate her 4th birthday with the very first meal cooked in their new house. And then drove west of Sheridan about 10 miles to see the land owned by Joe and Annette Boeser, carriage driving friends from Minnesota. A piece of property with spectacular views in all directions!

Thursday, September 6 (Day 11): Up and on the road early for what we thought would be our longest day. And we were right. We lost an hour crossing back into the Central Time Zone, and, although we were not more hours on the road than on day 2, it seemed much longer and harder. We got the horses settled and fed (that is always first, regardless of how tired the people are!) and headed for a bed as quickly as possible. A really, really hard day, in part, at least, because we were also growing tired of the the trip.

Friday, September 7 (Day 12): We had a very short day today, from eastern South Dakota to southwestern Minnesota, which took about 3 hours. We slept late, and followed the 2-lane roads from south of Brookings to west of Redwood Falls. Old friends Doug and Kay Jensen had their round pen ready for Kev and Joe, and the spare bed made up for us. And we were very happy to be there!

Saturday, September 8 (Day 13): My 50th class reunion, to which I was going to drive the very car that I drove in high school, my 1929 Chevrolet coupe named Victoria, after her previous owner. When spring planting was done, Denny Neubauer, Jada's father-in-law, took the car to his shop, and got it running. He even cleaned out the horn so it sounded better than ever. Even without the trip to Calgary, there was no way that we were going to drive the car all the way to Redwood Falls and back for the reunion. Denny and his wife, Karla, hauled the car to Redwood Falls, Earl and I drove it to the reunion and almost back. The transmission went out on the way home from the reunion! We pushed it out of the street around 11:00 P.M. into a very handy parking lot, where the car spent the night.

Photo by Kay Jensen. Used with permission.

Sunday, September 9 (Day 14): The Jensen family had their last show of the regular season in Albert Lea, which is on the way from Redwood Falls to Ames. They were up and on the road very early, before we were up. We fed the horses, and then met Denny and Karla to load the 29 Chev ( with the help of a come-along) for the return trip. It will get a new transmission this winter. A quick stop at Albert Lea to greet the other two Jensen daughters, Lynne and Lacey, competing along with their mother and sister, Lori, in the western show. And then home around 4.

Fourteen days, 3940 miles. A good trip, A chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Would we do it again? You bet! WILL we do it again. Definitely not next year . . . . but maybe some time in the future!

2007 Villa Louis Carriage Classic

While Mary and Earl were attending her high school class reunion (and missing the Villa Louis Carriage Classic for the first time in 10 years!), Three G Farms was well represented by Jada Neubauer and Eleanor Eagly, who, accompanied by Xavier Neubauer, aged 4, entered Areba Suncrest (Reba to her friends) in the Novice Horse or Pony class. It was to be Reba's first ever pleasure show. Jada, Reba's regular trainer, would be driving her in all of the division events: Turnout, Reinsmanship, Working Pleasure, Cross Country, Pick Your Route, and Gambler's Choice. In a tough division, Jada and Reba placed second in both Pick Your Route and Gambler's Choice, and, most important, Reba behaved herself very well in a big venue with lots and lots going on all of the time.

Photo by Eleanor Eagly. Used with permission.

Jada also wanted to support Susan Hulls, driving her Fell pony, Sweet William. William had been in training at Three G Farms for six weeks before the event, and it was time for Susan to compete with him at Villa Louis, the second largest pleasure show in the United States. They were also in the Novice Horse or Pony division.

Photo by Eleanor Eagly. Used with permission.

2007 Harvest Moon Carriage Classic

The Harvest Moon Carriage Classic is the local pleasure show, held just 40 miles from Three G Farms. It is a relaxed, fun show that is a great place for a new driver, new horse, or both, to show for the first time. The experienced drivers compete and make themselves available to help the new drivers. For the 2007 Harvest Moon, Earl and Mary each competed with their CDE ponies, Three G San Jose and Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, in the Open Pony division. In the Novice Driver division, Anita Schlosser drove Baykill Regent, owned by Anita and Three G Farms, Eleanor Eagly competed with Reba, and Megan Moeller, a new driver, competed with Nick 'O Tyme, the Three G Farms lesson pony leased from Pat Ketterer, and shown with her permission. In the Novice Horse or Pony division, Jada Neubauer drove with Toby, owned by Jo Schumacher, and trained to drive by Three G Farms, and Julie Stancliffe competed with Peco, her Welsh pony also trained to drive by Three G Farms,

So, as in 2006, organizing people, horses, carriages, harnesses, and all of the gear needed to get 7 horses, 7 drivers, and 6 carriages (Megan and Nick would compete in whichever of the two middle-sized Meadowbrooks was free) was a challenge. The horses were set: Jada borrowed a pickup from her father-in-law and pulled Jo's two-horse trailer with Toby and Nick, and Peco's small carriage in the pickup box. Unfortunately, the connections on the pickup were not compatible with those in the trailer, so one of the other drivers had to follow Jada very closely both going down and coming back. Eleanor took Reba and Peco in her trailer. There were three horses in the Three G trailer: Joe, Kev, and Rege, and Kev's Meadowbrook, Joe's Pacific Dartmoor, and the JD Gator on the flatbed of the megatruck. That just left three carriages, Rege's Meadowbrook, Reba's Spinner, and Toby's big Meadowbrook. The plan was to get the horses to Living History Farms, and then come back for the remaining carriages. When Brian and Megan Moeller pulled up. She had asked if their stock trailer would be needed . . . probably; couldn't hurt to bring it. What was not expected was a trailer large enough to hold three carriages, which was very welcome! All critters and all gear could go in one trip. YES!!!

And everyone did well, coming home with at least one ribbon. In the Novice Horse or Pony Division, Jada and Toby placed first in turnout (thanks to Mark and Kyle Loewe, who painted the brass shaft tips black at the last minute, to match Toby's stainless harness!), second in Designer Reinsmanship and Working Pleasure, third in Cross Country (Toby took issue with the timbers and flowers!), fourth in Pick Your Route, and 6th in Numbered Cones (where Jada lost a rein in the middle of the course!) Their overall performance earned them the Reserve Championship in that division. Julie and Peco placed sixth in Turnout and fifth in Designer Reinsmanship in the Novice Critter division.

In a large Novice Whip class, Megan and Nick placed third in Pick Your Route, fourth in Turnout and Designer Reinsmanship, fifth in Numbered Cones, and sixth in Working Pleasure and Cross Country. In that same division, Anita and Rege placed third in Numbered Cones, fourth in Pick Your Route and Cross Country, and fifth in Designer Reinsmanship and Working Pleasure. Eleanor and Reba won second in Cross Country, and sixth in Designer Reinsmanship, Turnout, and Numbered Cones.

Mary and Earl did not compete in the traditional arena classes in the tough Open Pony division, but did Designer Reinsmanship (not our best: fifth for Mary, sixth for Earl), Cross Country (third for Mary, fourth for Earl), Pick Your Route (second for Earl, fourth for Mary), Numbered Cones (Mary third, Earl fourth) and in Cone Weaving (first for Earl, second for Mary). Mary and Kevyn also competed in Your Route/My Route, winning fourth.

The 2007 Harvest Moon Carriage Classic was, in our opinion, the best ever. The days went smoothly, and the courses were terrific! And there was good weather for both days. Always a nice event, but this 2007 was special!

2007 Longview Lake CDE

(with the assistance of Katy Rhinehart!)
The original plan was the Three G Farms would be represented at the Longview Lake CDE by Earl and Joe, Mary and Kevyn, Jada and Hank, and Eleanor and Winnie. They would be joined by Gene and Katy Rhinehart, competing with Gene's horse, Celtic. About a month before the event, Mary and Earl got an invitation to the celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of Earl's sister, Janis, and her husband, Don Rouse. Although we wondered why they didn't check with us about the date when they were married 50 years ago, we needed to be at the family celebration. So Jada and Eleanor were left to uphold the farm reputation. And uphold it they did, bringing two of the three division championship chairs to Iowa. (There were no entries from Three G Farms in intermediate!) But that's getting ahead of the story.

None of the competitors had the dressage scores that they would have liked. Nevertheless, at the end of dressage, Eleanor and Winnie were in first in their class, Training Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

So were Jada and Hank, but, of course, they were the only entry in Prelim Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

According to Katy, Celtic was sluggish in his walk and counterbent in the corners. Not as good a dressage test as he can do.

Cones went better for the three competitors, even though the course, on a side hill, was long, with a stair-step and a serpentine. Gene and Celtic were double clear, winning the Best Prelim Cones ribbon. Jada and Hank and Eleanor and Winnie each had one ball down: the same ball! But neither had time penalties.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

At the end of the day, both Jada and Eleanor were in first place in their respective classes and Gene was in second in the Prelim Single Horse class. On to Sunday's marathon.

The marathon course was long, 4.8 km in Section A, and 6.8 km on the prelim route in Section E. And, with its hills, the Longview course can be brutal.

Gene and Celtic, with Pat Ketterer navigating, were first out. They made the time in Sections A and D, coming in to the vet check with good metabolics. The long hills in Section E got to Celtic, however, so they were over time in that section, and slipped to third in the Prelim Single Pony class.

Eleanor and Winnie, with navigator Teresa Kender (Winnie's first trainer), were out next. Eleanor's goal was just to hold onto first place among the fourTraining Single Ponies. They were over time in Section A, but made the time in both Sections D and E. Eleanor said that, when they got into Section E, Winnie seemed to say, "Oh, right, I remember this. This is the fun stuff!" And so they flew through the hazards.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Speaking of flying through the hazards . . . that is exactly what Jada and Hank did, with Jada's husband, Matt, navigating! Their performance earned them the Best Prelim Marathon ribbon, against one of the toughest marathon competitors in the country, Marjean McIntyre, driving her Morgan, Rick. Hank was so strong that they had to walk the last 500 yards to avoid coming in too early.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

It was no surprise that Eleanor and Winnie and Jada and Hank won their respective classes . . . but both were delighted to be awarded the chairs as Training Champion (Eleanor) and Preliminary Champion (Jada) posting the lowest scores among ponies, horses, and pairs in their respective divisions. WAY TO GO, FOLKS!

2007 Cowboy Country CDE

The 2007 competition season ended for us much the same way it began: Earl and Mary in the megatruck and three-horse trailer following Gene and Katy Rhinehart down I-35, this time to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the 2007 Cowboy Country CDE. The three horses in the trailer were Joe, Kevyn, and Hank, and there were five vehicles on the megatruck and trailer: Mary's Meadowbrook on a new rack over the cab, built by Joe Boeser, two marathon vehicles and the JD Gator on the flatbed, and a recently-restored road cart on a rack on back of the horse trailer. Jada and Matt would join the crew late Friday. They were about 30 miles from Ames when Jada remembered that she had forgotten her hat. Should she go back? No . . . if there was not a hat she could borrow, she could always show in her helmet. Gene and Katy stayed with old friends Pat and Neal Werts. Mary and Earl were, as usual, staying with old friends Glenn and Deb Muske.

Saturday was dressage and cones day, with Earl and Joe out first in Training . Their dressage test went well, earning them their lowest dressage score ever, a 45.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

On to cones for Earl and Joe. Double clear. YES!! And a performance that earned him the Training Level Cones Championship.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Next up in dressage were Mary and Kevyn, then Jada and Hank, in Prelim Single Pony, followed by Gene and Celtic in Prelim Single Horse. The Prelim test was Dreaded Test 6, in which the pony needs to follow the bit down while continuing a steady trot, not just once, but twice. Mary and Jada worked for weeks with Camie Stockhausen to accomplish it. And they were more or less successful.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Jada was not successful with her hat, borrowed from Katy. The hat made it in dressage until the first lengthened trot . . . gone!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary's dress score was good, 43 and change. But everybody has come to expect a good performance from Kevyn in dressage. Jada and Hank have struggled in dressage, so a score of 44, only one point behind the LGDP, was a major success. Mary and Kevyn made the time in cones (good news!) but had one ball down. Jada and Hank went double clear, so Jada took over first place in the Prelim Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Gene and Celtic had a good dressage test, but then went straight from pair 7 in cones to pair 10, for the big E. Katy explained that, where they went school, the numbers "8" and "9" were taught as optional! Bummer!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

The rest of Saturday was spent walking hazards. Matt Neubauer, Jada's husband, navigated for her. Earl's and Mary's usual Cowboy Country navigators were not available, so friends and friends of friends helped find Stillwater folks: Jana Phillips for Earl, Andrea Malfi for Mary. And they were terrific!

Marathon day was cooler than usual, but sunny. Earl and Joe were out first, and did okay. Not his usual zero-penalty performance, but okay. They were over time in section A because it was so ROUGH and Earl was afraid of bouncing Jana off the back. But he held onto first place in training single pony. Okay, he was the only one in that class.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary and Andrea and Kevyn were out next. Mary decided that she had to know whether Kevyn could make the overall time in Section E, something he had not done in any of the previous competitions. If he simply could not make the overall time, she needed to rethink competing with him. So she decided to keep him in the Meadowbrook and body clip him to give him every chance to make the time. They were slow in hazards, of course, even getting hung up on the last gate in the last hazard. They managed to free themselves, however, without putting Andrea down. And Kevyn did it, with time and energy to spare. In addition, his metabolics were GREAT after D and E. So, for the first time this year, no penalty points for overall time in Sections A, D, and E. A major accomplishment.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Jada and Matt and Hank, in the red marathon vehicle, scored an unbelievable 38 total penalty points in the marathon. For five hazards. That’s an average of less than 40 seconds per hazard. The next lowest prelim marathon score was 10 points higher. In the second hazard, the TD heard one of the observers say over the radio, "Holy cow, she fricking FLEW through that hazard." One of the hazard 4 observers (the hazard known as Hazard from Hell because of its crappy turns) called into the office and said, "When you get the score sheet for number 66, it is not an error." Jada and Hank did it in 27 seconds; everybody else took more than a minute.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Needless to say, Jada and Hank won the ribbon for Best Preliminary Marathon, first place in the class of Prelim Single Ponies, and the Overall Preliminary Championship. Jada and Hank are WONDERFUL together . . . she has figured out dressage with him, and, drives hazards very fast because she drives so smoothly.

Then it was Gene and Celtic's turn on the marathon, with Katy navigating. And they turned in their usual good performance.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary was delighted that she won the second place ribbon in Prelim Single Ponies, in spite of the expected high penalties in the hazards. A Meadowbrook without flush hubs is not the vehicle of choice for getting through hazards quickly! But the second place ribbon is her favorite of the 2007 season! The challenge for the winter is to figure out what kind of marathon vehicle and/or harness will work for Kevyn.

The Cowboy Country CDE is one of the favorite events of the year: a well-run competition at a great venue. The 2007 event was doubly rewarding for the Three G competitors! The only downside was the seat flew off the newly restored road cart somewhere between Stillwater and Ponca City. Thank heaven it did not leave before the competition! The new seat will be screwed in place!

2006 began well!

The last weekend of March, 2006, found us in Paradise, Texas, at the Sunrise Ridge Horse Driving Trial. Mary's family is all from the Dallas area, so it was easy to decide to leave cold Iowa to make the trip to an event just northwest of Fort Worth. An added incentive was the chance to reconnect with Pam Ripperda and Patty Sayen, mini drivers who m0ved from Nevada, IA, to north Texas last year. We loaded Kevyn and Hank in the trailer and headed for Stillwater, OK, for an overnight stop at the new home of Neal and Pat Werts. We awoke the next morning to 2 inches of wet snow covering the carriages on the flatbed. They accused us of bringing the winter weather with us . . .

The event began with dressage, of course, which, for Mary, was awful. Kevyn got his tongue over the bit not once but twice. Terrible score. Earl and Hank did a whole lot better than Kevyn, in spite of the Texas Longhorn cows and their babies in the lot close and parallel to the dressage arena.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

On to cones, a really lovely cones course designed by Sunrise Ridge owner Kate Morgan, where Earl went double clear. Mary was clear, but a third tongue-over-the-bit episode cost valuable time.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

We needed navigators, of course, and Mary tried to convince the under-30 relatives to help out. They were all busy (or insufficiently gutsy) so the older generation did the honors. Mary's niece, Nancy Fraser, navigated for her, while John Clark, husband of Mary's other niece, Ann, did the honors for Earl. And they were terrific. Hank did his usual good job in the marathon, and Kevyn's performance was almost (but not quite!) good enough for Mary to forgive him for the morning. They made the time (barely!) and did not eliminate (for a change) for a second place finish overall.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

We had such a good time at Sunrise Ridge that it will be on our schedule in 2007. And we came away with a clear understanding about how much harder a one-day event is than a two- or three-day event. You have to keep everything in your head at once. No chance to finish dressage and cones and then think about the hazards! Now we appreciate the Skunk River competitors even more!

On to the Pioneer CDE the first weekend in June in Lincoln, Nebraska. We had three ponies entered: Hank in preliminary single pony, Kevyn in training single pony combined test, and Baykill Regent, driven by Jada Neubauer. It was fun to stable with other Iowegians: Katy and Gene Rhinehart, accompanying Gene's 4-year-old Friesian cross, Celtic, at his first CDE, Ann and Russ Schurtz with their Haflinger, Buster, and Paul Degen and Sally Overturf with their Fjord, Tilly.

Mary's dressage and cones were not wonderful, but good enough to bring home the blue ribbon in the combined test competition. Earl had an acceptable dressage test, and then, along with 2/3 of the other competitors, hit cone 18 for one ball down. A horrendous headache Sunday morning prompted him to withdraw from the marathon.

Jada and Rege had one of the two double clear cones runs; the other double clear was one of the mini drivers. so there was no cones drive-off. Instead, two cones champion ribbons were awarded. Their dressage was not the best, so they finished fifth in the large training-level single pony class.

The middle of July found us heading for Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Birds Hill CDE. Held in the lovely Birds Hill Provincial Park and sponsored by one of the nicest driving clubs, the Manitoba Driving Society, who always make you feel like it is such a treat the you have come to their event!

We left early Tuesday, July 11, headed for Young America, MN, and the home of Joe and Annette Boeser, for lunch. Then on to Elk River, and Grace Ostien's farm, where our horses were spending the night. Erin and Rick Freese from Monticello joined us for dinner at Grace's that evening. Wednesday morning we headed for Fargo, where friends agreed to stable our horses for the evening. Thursday morning we met Pat Ketterer, her navigator, Jackie Colten, and Barbara Simmons, friends from Nebraska, at a truck stop near Fargo and we were off.

We arrived Thursday afternoon, settled in, and let the ponies rest until Friday, which was a flurry of driving and harness cleaning. Saturday Kevyn's dressage was at 11:09, so he was bathed early and tied in front of a filled hay bag (the equine equivalent of putting the kid in front of the TV set) so he would keep his dapple gray body clean. Mary finished cleaning and polishing her harness and carriage, as did Earl.

Mary's dressage test went very well. She said, when she got back to the barn, that it was the best test she's ever driven in front of competition judges. And the judges agreed with her: 37.51 in dressage, which earned her the ribbon for Best Dressage of the show. A clear run in cones, but 3 seconds over, and she had a lock on first after cones and dressage.

Photo by Candice Daum Photograhy. Used with permission.

Earl and Hank drove their best dressage test ever, but then lost it in cones, for 4 balls down.

Photo by Candice Daum Photograhy. Used with permission.

One nice feature of the park is that the hazards are arranged in a circle, so there are lots of spectators at the hazards site. Old friends from Fargo, ND, Ann and Travis Perkins, agreed to navigate for us. Linda Santa, from the Manitoba club, arranged baby sitters for Garrett Perkins, 6, and Medora Perkins, 2, while their parents accompanied us on the marathon. Their baby sitters took them to watch their parents in the hazards, which they loved, yelling "Yay mom" and "Yay dad" as we came through.

Hank was his usual athletic self in the marathon, needing to walk 1 km in section A to avoid coming in too early. Earl had a brain fart in hazard 3, for a backwards gate 20-point penalty, and a "Crappy Award" at the Sunday evening banquet.

Photo by Candice Daum Photograhy. Used with permission.

Kevyn could not make the time in Section E, and slipped to second overall, which was Earl's placing, as well.

Photo by Candice Daum Photograhy. Used with permission.

All in all, a good event. Sure to be on the schedule for 2007!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jada Neubauer was riding Baykill Regent, the 15-year-old Morgan gelding that Three G Farms owns in partnership with Anita Schlosser, in the Iowa Games, held annually in Ames. Jada and Rege rode four introductory dressage tests, placing second in intro Test B.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

The week after Birds Hill found us at the Hickory Knoll HDT (actually a CDE!) in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, just south of Madison, Wisconsin. Earl and Mary competed with the usual suspects, GS Thunderboy Henry (aka Hank) and Kevyn, Thane of White Sage. They were joined by Jada, who competed with Joe, a 5-year-old Welsh-Haflinger cross purchased by Three G Farms at the Waverly Spring Sale, Eleanor Eagly, driving her four-year-old sport pony, Azure Wind Sonata (aka Winnie), a pony who lives and trains in our barn, and Iowa friends Katy and Gene Rhinehart, with Gene driving Celtic, a 4-year-old Friesian-Appaloosa cross, and Katy navigating for him.

Eleanor was first out in dressage, and did an excellent job.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Of our crowd, Jada was next up. Considering that this was Joe's first trip away from home after his arrival in the spring, not to mention his first dressage test ever in front of a judge, their score was respectable.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Mary was next up in dressage. And, like all ponies before him, all of the stuff going on next to the dressage arena (cones on one side and the warmup area on the other) was a big distraction. A score of 30 in dressage, the best among training single ponies, was a BIG surprise.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic were the next of the Iowa contingent in the arena, and they posted a dressage score that was the best in the large training single horse class.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Earl and Hank were the last of our group in the dressage arena; their score put them in third among the prelim ponies.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

On to cones, where Jada and Joe and Gene and Celtic posted double clear rounds, the first ever for Celtic.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Eleanor and Winnie went through a pair backwards, for elimination.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Mary and Kevyn and Earl and Hank dodged left at the sight of the bridge directly ahead of pair five, for a ball down.

Photo by Katie Lund. Used with permission.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

Hank and Earl also had a ball down on the last pair. So . . . at the end of cones on Saturday Gene and Celtic were in first place with a comfortable margin, Mary was in first by .05 of a point (decidedly not a comfortable margin), Earl was in third, Jada was in 8th, and Eleanor had eliminated.

On to the marathon on Sunday. Jada and Joe, with Jada's husband, Matt, navigating for her, were the only ones of the Iowa training level entries to post no penalties in the marathon. Their zero-penalty performances in cones and the marathon moved them to fifth overall.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

Eleanor and Winnie, with Katie Lund navigating (Katie took many of these pictures, which explains why she does not appear in any of them and why there are no pictures of Eleanor and Katie and Winnie on the marathon) finished the marathon with lots of time penalties. The hill in Section A did them in; Winnie never quite recovered.

Earl and Hank, with navigator Paul Milenkovic, did their usual fine job, for second place in the marathon and second overall among prelim single ponies. Paul, not a horse person, but drafted by his wife, Cindy Jasper, Mary's navigator, was a great navigator for Earl. "Bring it around to the right" was an ordinary right turn; "honk it around to the right" meant a sharp right turn. Paul contributed a great deal to their second-place finish.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

Gene, driving Celtic, and Mary and Kevyn, had their problems in the marathon. Celtic balked big time at the bridge on the marathon. He eventually made it across, but time penalties in section E dropped them from first to fifth overall. At least that was the ribbon Gene was awarded at the awards ceremony. The ADS website notes, however, that, after correctly scoring the time penalties in the marathon, Gene and Celtic placed second in the training level single horses

The hill in Section A was murder for Kevyn, also. At kilometer 2, Kev and Mary and Cindy were a minute and a half behind. The third kilometer was all down hill, however, and Kev really booked, making up all but 19 seconds. (Cindy: Aren't we going a little fast?" Mary: "Just hang on!")

Things were going well in Section E until hazard 4, the dreaded water hazard. Competitors were allowed to school the hazard on Friday and Saturday. Kevyn went in on Saturday, but reluctantly. On Sunday, however, he was not buying the idea that going through the water was a good idea. Cindy, a colleague from the University of Wisconsin, and definitely not a horse person, would win the Gutsy Navigator of the Year award (if there were such an award) for her performance. She gamely hopped out of the carriage (10 point penalty for navigator down) grabbed Kev's reins (20 penalty points for each time she touched the reins) and led him into the water. Through Gate A. Through Gate A backwards. Through Gate A again. Through Gate A again, backwards again (Kev began to think of Gate A as HIS Gate.) Okay, time to try for Gate B. A pull on the reins (another 20 points) and we were through Gate B. Cindy: "Do we need to do Gate C?" Mary:"Nice try. Of course." A third pull on the reins (another 20 points) and we were finally through Gate C.

Photo by Judy Woodruff. Used with permission.

Cindy hopped back on the carriage, wet up to her butt, and the crew headed for the out gate. The hazard took the team 4 minutes and 29 seconds, just 32 seconds shy of being eliminated for spending more than 5 minutes in a hazard. By the time they got out of there, Mary and Cindy were laughing so hard that Jada, back at stabling tent, could hear them out on the course, and they almost missed the fifth hazard.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used by permission.

They were WAY over time, of course, and the almost-unheard-of 70 penalty points in Hazard 4 did not help their score any. From first to sixth overall, courtesy of the water hazard. But they did not eliminate, only because Cindy was willing to get really wet! YESSSSS!!!! And they came home with the ribbon for "Best Training Level Dressage."

Less than two weeks later found us meeting Katy and Gene Rhinehart at a rest stop on I-80 east of Des Moines to begin the trek to the Iron Horse CDE, held August 4-6 at Sherwood Farms near Caledonia, IL. The venue, owned by Ron and JoAnne Swenson, boasts some of the best hazards in the country, thanks to course designer Jamie O'Rourke. Mary and Kevyn were entered in training-level single pony, Gene and Celtic in training-level single horse, and Earl and Hank in preliminary single pony.

Dressage was held on Friday, the 4th, with two arenas operating simultaneously. Training entries performed in the permanent arena, prelim and intermediate tests were performed in a grass arena set up for the occasion. Kevyn's test was definitely not his best, but good enough to win the training level dressage championship ribbon (the biggest ribbon yet!).

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission,

Earl and Hank, and Gene and Celtic completed their tests . . . not their best, but okay, and the four (Gene and his navigator, Katy, and Earl and Mary) set out to learn the hazards. Jada and Matt Neubauer, navigating for Mary and Earl, respectively, would not be arriving until early evening, so we needed to walk the hazards well before they arrived.

Saturday dawned clear and warm, a welcome relief from the heat of the previous days. Mary and Kevyn, with Jada navigating, were the first in our group in the marathon. The unit headed out to section A (a nice new section A!) with all the paraphernalia: stop watches, maximum time allowed in each section, etc. No minimum time allowed on the carefully-prepared cards. Not something that was ever needed; the question always was, could Kev come in in the time allowed?

Somewhere around the 3k marker in section A, Jada turned to Mary and said, "What's the window in section A?" Mary: "Two minutes. Why?" Jada: "We'd better walk or we will come in too soon." WOW, a first! Kev made the walk time easily, and, after an initial refusal to start Section E, dug in and did a good job, finishing Section E exactly in the middle of the window, and thanks to Jada's good navigating, with no penalties. A green card to be framed: the first time EVER Kevyn was able to make the time in a three-phase CDE. And an indication that the maximum AND minimum time is needed on the guide card.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission,

Celtic struggled with the marathon. He was in his new-to-Gene marathon carriage, which, they discovered later, had one wheel partially braked. No wonder Celtic had a tough time. Earl and Hank, with Matt navigating, did their usual good job in the marathon, coming in easily within the windows, and handling the hazards with dispatch.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission,

Photo by Kathy Johnson. Used with permission.

And so it was on to cones. Sunday, the competitors awoke to rain, hard rain. With her "best dressage" ribbon and a penalty-free run in the marathon, Mary and Kevyn were 12 points ahead of her nearest competitor. Hers to lose in the cones. And so (sigh) she did. She walked the course a bazillion times, planning angles, sighting on landmarks to make sure she lined up perpendicular to the pair. What she did not anticipate (and, looking back, should have, given the Hickory Knoll experience), was Kevyn's reaction to seeing the water between pairs three and four. He did not need to enter the water, only go beside it. But that was enough for him. Their clean run could not make up for the disobedience points and time penalties, a total of 26 points in penalties for their cones run. They were lucky to bring home the second place ribbon!

Photo by Kathy Johnson. Used with permission.

After Mary's run, the weather got even worse. Gene and Celtic, ready to enter the cones course, were diverted with several other competitors to the Swenson's indoor arena, to escape the lightening flashes. By the time the lightening subsided and they could compete, Celtic was in no mood to give Gene a good run. Earl decided that he and Hank would not even attempt the cones course, as the ground got soggier and slipperier as the day wore on.

We headed home, wet to the skin, and glad the event was over. We all learned a few things, and counted the event among the best of the season!

The Villa Louis Carriage Classic, always held the weekend after Labor Day, was next on the competition agenda. Four horses living at Three G Farms were headed to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin during the first week of September: SL Rey, owned by Christy Loiacono, Droste, the three-year-old Hackney driven by Jada Neubauer, Baykill Regent, owned and driven by Anita Schlosser, and Joe, the new 5-year-old Welsh-Haflinger cross that Earl had begun driving in August. They were entered in four different classes: Rey in Novice Driver Pony, Rege in Novice Driver Horse, Joe in Novice Horse or Pony and Droste in Small Single Pony. In addition, Jada and Anita had entered Rege in Ride and Drive, with Anita driving, Jada riding. Kevyn, who dislikes arena classes, stayed home; Mary went along to serve a pit crew, as did Christie's husband Randy Farwell, who kept 2-month-old Benjamin and 6-year-old Sarah happy.

Villa Louis was the first of four events that required advance planning to get everybody and everything to the right place at the right time. Earl and Mary hauled Joe, Droste, and Rege, along with three carriages. Randy and Christie brought Rey, Christie's carriage, and the John Deere Gator, a 2006 purchase that has proven to be indispensable at competitions. Jada and Anita drove up together on Friday.

Saturday was a lovely day that saw everybody competing in turnout and two other classes. The day ended with the Ride and Drive class. Anita and Rege entered the arena for the ride portion, Jada and Mary stood outside holding the saddle and bridle for the ride competition. Suddenly Jada looked down and said, "The girth, I don't have the girth!" A trip back to the trailer, a frantic search, to no avail (we found it Sunday . . . ). Christie offered her girth, which was much too long, but maybe it would work. The ride portion was finished, Rege was unhitched, and Jada headed in with the saddle and a too-long girth. At this point Mark Dahlberg, one of the spectators at the side of the arena, helped by punching new holes in the leathers. Still not short enough. Maybe the saddle could be padded . . . Ben's diapers were the handiest. That worked for a few minutes, until diapers began edging out from under the saddle. Okay, give it up. This was Jada's second attempt at the Ride and Drive class, the first, several years ago, was even worse. She is determined to complete the class in 2007!

Sunday saw everybody showing in the rain . . . not pleasant. We passed around rain gear and the Gortex apron. And somehow managed to survive. Everybody came home with ribbon or two:

Jada and Droste won first in cross country and second in cones in Small Single Pony.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Anita and Rege won fourth in turnout, second in cones, and fourth in working pleasure in the Novice Driver Horse division.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe came home with ribbons in gambler's choice (4th), cross country (3rd), and working pleasure (4th) in Novice Horse or Pony.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Christie and Rey placed in all six classes in Novice Driver Pony: 3rd in turnout, 2nd in reinsmanship, 5th in cross country, second in cones, second in gambler's choice, and 5th in working pleasure. She won the championship of her division, still without enough first place ribbons (at total of three) to move her to Open Pony!

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Mary's goal for the weekend was that all four horses would plow through the water hazard in the cross country. And they did, only Rey did it after the show was over. He dodged it in his cross country run. But Joe, Droste, and even Rege took the water in stride.

As usual, Villa Louis was exciting, fun, dazzling. No wonder it is the second largest pleasure show in the country!

Less than a week after Villa Louis found us trying to figure out how to get everybody and everything to the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic at Living History Farms in a suburb of Des Moines. The upside was that, if we had to make two trips, it was doable. If we didn't, so much the better. As we pondered our transportation problems, we were bolstered by Earl's pancakes, made specially for Julie, Mark, and Luke Dahlberg, who pulled into the farm from Solon Springs, Wisconsin, around 2:00 A.M. Friday morning, put Bess and Rowdy and Luke's Jesse Pony into our round pen, and went to sleep. They were ready for breakfast around 9:00, so we invited the barn help and the loading crew for bacon and pancakes, too.

The horses going from our barn: SL Rey, owned by Christie Loiacono, Azure Wind Sonata (Winnie), owned by Eleanor Eagly, Lulu, owned by Barb Schwarz, Hylee's Howabouthat (Howie), owned by the Iowa State University Veterinary College, Baykill Regent (Rege), owned by Anita Schlosser and Three G Farms, and Kevyn, Thane of White Sage. and Three G San Jose (Joe), also owned by Three G Farms. That's seven; in addition, Randy Farwell entered Big Al at the last minute. Eight horses, seven carriages (Mary and Earl shared a carriage because Kevyn was only entered in designer reinsmanship and the obstacle classes), the JD Gator, eight harnesses, eight blankets, hay and feed for eight horses, etc., etc., etc. We had five pickups and four horse trailers available. Lulu was easy: Barb has her own pickup and trailer, so they were the first ones off. She forgot stuff (as we all did), but her early exit meant that there were still people at the farm who could bring the forgotten items. Eleanor also has her own pickup and trailer (actually, Eleanor has two pickups and we needed both!), but it was easier to put her carriage on the Three G truck and put one of our horses (Kevyn, it turned out) in Eleanor's pickup with Winnie. Joe, Rege, and Howie traveled in our three-horse trailer. That left Big Al and Rey for Randy and Christie's trailer, along with Rey's carriage and their large Meadowbrook that we were borrowing for Howie. No room for our teeny Meadowbrook, the one that Randy was going to use on Big Al, or for the Gator. The problems were solved by putting the gator in Eleanor's old pickup and the small Meadowbrook in the box of Eleanor's pickup that was hitched to her horse trailer. Everything in one trip . . . amazing!

And the eight of us did well. In alphabetical order by horse's full name:

Eleanor and Winnie competed in Novice Whip and won 4th Designer Reinsmanship and in Numbered Cones, and 5th in Cross Country.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Anita and Rege also competed in Novice Whip, winning 5th in Working Pleasure, and Pick Your Route, and 3rd in Numbered Cones.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Randy and Big Al were also in Novice Whip, winning 4th in Working Pleasure, 5th in Designer Reinsmanship and Numbered Cones, and 3rd in Pick Your Route. They also competed in the two "extra" obstacle classes, Cone Weaving and Reverse Psychology.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Jada drove Howie, the 4-year-old Morgan owned by ISU's Veterinary College, in his first show ever, in the Novice Horse or Pony division. Their 3rd in Working Pleasure and Numbered Cones, 6th in Designer Reinsmanship and Turnout, 2nd in Pick Your Route, and 4th in Cross Country earned them the Reserve Championship ribbon in that division.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Kevyn dislikes arena classes (that's why he wears a kicking strap at pleasure shows), so Mary only competed in Open Pony Designer Reinsmanship, where she received the 3rd place ribbon, and in the obstacle classes: Cross Country (2nd), Numbered Cones (3rd), and Pick Your Route (5th), along with Cone Weaving (3rd) and Reverse Psychology (5th).

Barb and Lulu won the 6th place ribbon in the Novice Whip Cross Country.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Christie and Rey won blue ribbons in Novice Driver Designer Reinsmanship and Working Pleasure (thus ending her career as a novice driver!) and placed in every other class: Numbered Cones, Pick Your Route, and Cross Country (2nd), and Turnout (5th). And won the overall Novice Driver Championship.

Photo by Pete Conis. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe also competed in the Novice Horse or Pony division, winning 3rd in Turnout, 6th in Working Pleasure, Cross Country, and Pick Your Route, and 4th in Designer Reinsmanship and Numbered Cones.

The Harvest Moon Carriage Classic is our local show . . . and it gets better every year. Sharing a carriage was not a thrill, but we made it work, thanks to everybody serving as pit crew back at the stables.

MUCH less than a week later found us heading for the Longview Lake CDE sponsored by the Carriage Driving Society of Greater Kansas City.

Longview is a wonderful venue, with long sweeping hills the lead down to (cleverly enough) Longview Lake. The barns (permanent barns) are on top of a hill, along with the dressage arena and the cones course, and permanent buildings for a concession stand, event office and bathrooms (although there were strategically located Job Johnnies around the grounds). Section A (any pace, mostly trotting) goes down the hill to the west, around a branch of the lake, and then back up the hill. Section D (a 1k walk) winds around at the top of the hill, and Section E, with the hazards, goes down the hill and around fingers of the lake to the east. Last year it was a brutal course because there were hard rains on the Friday before the event, which made the trails very slippery. And the 2005 marathon day was hot and humid, so that some of the strongest ponies did not make the marathon times and came in with high temps, respiration, and pulse. This year it was cool and windy, with rain threatening but never really materializing (thank heaven!)

The competitors were Earl Morris (with Gene Rhinehart navigating), Mary Winter (for whom the organizer found a navigator) and Christie Loiacono (with Brian Morris navigating) in Training Level Single Pony (turned out we were the whole class, but we did not know that until we arrived at Longview), Anita Schlosser (with Katy Rhinehart navigating) in Training Level Single Horse, and Jada Neubauer (with Matt Neubauer navigating) in Preliminary Single Pony.

We had planned that Earl and Mary would take the six-horse trailer belonging to Randy and Christie to KC on Thursday with the five horses. They would follow on Friday in our truck and trailer with five carriages, three on the flatbed, two in the trailer. When we got back from Harvest Moon, we decided to try to get two carriages into the trailer. Not possible.

Plan B: we would take three horses and three carriages on Thursday in our rig, Randy and Christie (and Sarah, age 6, and Ben, just over 2 months) would come on Friday with two horses and two carriages. Anita and Jada would come early Friday morning, Matt and Brian would come Friday afternoon after Brian got off work. And Katy and Gene would come Friday with theirgolf cart, an essential item for getting to the hazards at Longview.

It all worked reasonably well, and we were all there by sundown Friday. Dressage began at 8:30 Saturday morning, with Earl and Joe out first, followed by Kevyn and Mary and then Christie and Rey. Anita and Rege were next, about an hour later (she and Earl were sharing a dressage/cones carriage, so that worked). And then Jada, about half an hour later, driving Hank, and sharing a dressage carriage with Mary. We went directly from dressage to cones, a tough cones course with lots of tight turns and no long sweeps.

When dressage and cones were over, Christie and Anita had the only two double clean rounds among the full-sized critters. (A couple of minis had double clean rounds, also!) And both were in first place in their divisions. Jada was in first also, but she was the only Prelim Single Pony entry . . .

Sunday began with Mary's navigator, Bill Bodard, from Centralia, Missouri, getting to the Park about half an hour before Kev was to appear at the safety check. Jada offered to harness Kevyn, and Bill and Mary headed for the hazards. Bill said this was his 66^th trip as a navigator, most with his wife, Carole Wallace, who drives both singles and pairs. No need to teach him about kilometer markers, stop watches, or hazards! What luck! They were the first competitors on the full course, and so scared off the deer sleeping in the woods. (Kev was cool . . . )

In addition to keeping the children happy, Randy Farwell took wonderful pictures of all of us on the marathon. Our thanks to him for letting us post some of them!

They were followed by Earl and Gene (who were at the vet check after section D at the same time as Mary and Bill).

Christie and Brian were next out on the marathon.

Then it was Anita and Katy’s turn on the marathon.

The final competitors of our group were Jada and Matt, who, in prelim, had a longer course, an additional hazard, and an additional gate in each hazard.

We were all done before noon on Sunday, so there was lots of time to load the carriages, clean the stalls, pack up all the stuff (amazing how much stuff there is and how scattered it can get!) and get ready to head home after the awards ceremony. Christie, Anita, and Jada held onto their first places, coming home with blue ribbons and cool canvas bags that could be used as spares kits, grooming kits, etc. Mary finished second, way behind Christie (Kev and Mary have driven better dressage tests, a lot better dressage tests . . .) Earl and Joe, in their first CDE were only a couple of points behind. We all finished, nobody eliminated, and our ponies all did well on a hilly marathon course. We hope more Iowa drivers will join us next year. The Longview Lake CDE is close (as CDE venues go), well run and fun, at a truly lovely park.

After three events in as many weeks in September, it was a relief to have a few weeks off before our last event of the 2006 season, the Cowboy Country CDE, held at the Payne County Expo Center just east of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Who wanted to go? Who could go that far? Mary and Earl, of course (retirement is wonderful!) Eleanor was game. She wanted to leave after work on Thursday, so she brought two carriages and we took Azure Wind Sonata (Winnie) with us early Thursday morning. An uneventful trip put us in Stillwater in time to treat our friends, Glenn and Deb Muske, to pizza at the Hideaway. We are grateful to the Muskes for opening their house to us (and assorted friends and relatives) when we compete at Stillwater. This year Deb got more than she bargained for: she navigated for Eleanor in the marathon on Saturday! John Clark from Lewisville, Texas, who navigated for Earl at the very first event of 2007, the Sunrise Ridge HDT the end of March, made the trip to Stillwater to navigate for Earl. Mary's regular Oklahoma navigator, Lona Robertson, has a new job at the University of Arkansas. But she made the trip to Stillwater for the weekend also, so we were set.

Mary's goal was Prelim Before I Die. Kevyn did well in dressage in the summer, and Iron Horse and Longview Lake showed that he finally could make the time in the marathon. So it was time to move up to prelim. Earl and Joe and Eleanor and Winnie were in Training.

Dressage day, Friday, was some of the worst weather in which we have competed. It was cold with a 40 mph wind. Virtually everybody drove their dressage tests in helmets because, unless tied down, hats would not stay on. Mary was the envy of other competitors, because she had her winter fleece helmet cover along (purely accidental, but a good accident). She wore it in the dressage arena.

Eleanor was out first in dressage, and she had a brain spasm early in the test, and got the whistle. (Almost one-third of the competitors forgot their tests; the judge put it down to truly wretched weather). Her test was not the greatest, but she got through it.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Earl was next, and Joe acted like he had been doing dressage tests in lousy weather all of his life. He got into the arena and relaxed into a nice working trot. When all training level competitors (there were 12) were finished, Earl and Joe had the lowest score, and the Best Training Level Dressage Ribbon. YES!!!!!!!!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Mary's turn. Earl's question at the end of the test said it all: "I saw four lengthened trots. How many were you supposed to do?" Not that many! Kevyn is finally feeling good and now heads down the center line in the dressage arena with a "YEEHAW!" To be worked on this winter . . . And it did not help her score to have Mary forget how to get from the last lengthened trot to the lengthened walk . . . a whistle for off course. Eleanor: "You did it deliberately so I would not feel as badly, right?"

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

The marathon was Saturday. Mary, Kevyn, and Lona were first out of our group. In spite of getting lost after the first gate in Section A (not a good sign), they made the time easily. Ditto for the walk section. About a minute over in Section E. But the did not eliminate in a hazard, a first for the Cowboy Country competition! Their Meadowbrook without flush hubs made hazard driving slow. Back to the marathon carriage next year. They hit a gate in the fourth hazard. A short distance later, Lona said, "We would be able to go faster if this piece of metal sticking out would quit catching on things." Mary: "WHAT piece of metal??? Are we about to die?" It was the brace between the shaft and the basket. We could (and did finish) with it hanging down.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe, with John navigating, were on the course next. They were warned about Gate 2 in Section A, so did not make the same mistake that the first crew did. And they sailed through all sections with no penalty points. Still in first place!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Eleanor and Winnie, with Deb nervously navigating (she got over it!) were the last of our group to hit the marathon course. And Winnie did okay: a little over time, but the hazards were driven cleanly, always a plus.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Earl left the dinner early Saturday evening because of a headache. A friend asked Mary if she thought he would be able to drive the cones competition on Sunday. She replied, "Going into cones in first place? He'll be there!" The training level championship was his to lose in cones. And he didn't! A double clear cones run clinched the ribbon.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Mary's cones run was nothing to write home about: 2 balls down and a few seconds over time. More things to work on for the winter . . . The best part about her cones run was getting to wear Pat Ketterer's fabulous hat, which goes beautifully with Mary's jacket. It was too windy to wear The Hat on dressage day! She ended the competition where she was after dressage: second place in Prelim Single Pony (okay, there were only two in that class, but what the heck!) She did receive the award for best Welsh pony competing at Prelim or higher, a wonderful portable harness rack donated by Pat Ketterer in honor of Nick 'O Tyme, her now-retired Welsh pony with whom she competed at the Advanced level.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

Eleanor walked the cones course a bazillion times, determined to drive a clean round. She succeeded beyond her wildest dreams: Eleanor and Winnie brought home the Training Level Cones Champion ribbon for the fastest, clear time. YES!!!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with permission.

The 2006 Cowboy Country CDE was definitely a high! Both training level champion ribbons (none is given for the marathon) came home to our barn. And Mary competed successfully at the next level. A wonderful way to end a long competition season!

2005 was not our best year.

We missed the Pioneer Combined Driving Event in Lincoln, Nebraska, for a granddaughter's wedding (honestly, you'd think she would have checked with us before scheduling it!) One week after the wedding, after our entries for the Hickory Knoll HDT were in the mail, Mary broke her ankle. Which killed the plans for the Birds' Hill CDE and the Hickory Knoll HDT. (She was the one in the wheelchair at the Skunk River HDT!)

By the Iron Horse CDE, in the middle of August, she was mobile, and could serve as Earl's pit crew, but she was not able to compete. Earl did, however, coming home with fourth place in the preliminary single pony division.

Photo by Judy Woodruff, used with permission.

Iron Horse was Hank's first experience with a water hazard, and he came through swimmingly (to coin a phrase!)

Photo by Judy Woodruff, used with permission.

By the Indiana CDE, over Labor Day weekend, Mary was competing. Her deal with the orthopedic surgeon who set her ankle was that she would wear the surgical boot whenever she was in the carriage for the rest of 2005, to protect the newly-healed ankle. That seemed like little enough price to pay for being able to drive again! Earl and Hank placed third in prelim ponies. The 9-week hiatus was not useful for either Mary or Kevyn. After tying for 9th out of 10 dressage for training level single ponies, they had one ball down in cones and eliminated in the marathon, thanks to the scary almost-life-size cutouts that decorated the first hazard. But it was good to be driving again!

Photo by Elaine Wall, Off the Wall Photography. Used with permission.

Two pleasure shows followed the Indiana CDE and preceded the Kansas City CDE (September was a busy month!) Earl took his pleasure show pony, SL Rey, to the Villa Louis Carriage Classic, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Much to Earl's surprise, Rey did not place in any of the arena classes at Villa Louis, where he has done well in the past.

Apologies to the photographer; no memory of who took this picture!

Our local pleasure show, the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic, took place the weekend after Villa Louis. Earl and Mary entered some of the obstacle events (with Earl and Hank winning the cross country by .3 of a second over Glenda Farrier driving her wonderful Morgan, Tyler.)

Mostly, however, we helped people we had been working with succeed at their first show ever. Anita Schlosser was driving Baykill Regent, the Morgan she owns in partnership with Three G Farms. Christie Loiacono and Randy Farwell were driving Three G ponies that were their lesson ponies in the summer: SL Rey (Christie) and Frieda Pace (Randy). Eleanor Eagly and Azure Wind Sonata (Winnie), a pony in training at Three G Farms, also were participating. Others at the show who, at some point in the past, took lessons from us or whose pony we trained were Edna Oakley, Sheryl Stillions, and Gene and Katy Rhinehart, all in the novice driver class.

Everyone did very well. In a class of thousands (okay, 16), Christie and Rey won the novice driver championship, with one blue ribbon and high placings in the rest of the events (Christie is now Rey's owner).

Christie Loiacono and SL Rey in one of the arena classes. Note that Christie is wearing her helmet, which is always acceptable in any class.

Apologies to the photographer; no memory of who took this picture!

Our greatest satisfaction at the 2005 Harvest Moon was the placings in the novice driver designer reinsmanship class, in which the emphasis is on the driver: how the whip, reins, and voice are used to direct the pony. Christie and Rey were first in the class, Randy and Frieda were second, Katy and Gentry were fourth, and Anita and Regent were sixth. A good show all around!

Both participated in the Longview Lake CDE sponsored by the Kansas City Carriage Driving Club the last weekend in September. The weather was brutal. It rained much of Friday, so the famous hills of Longview Horse Park were very slick. Earl and Hank managed to finish the marathon, but did not make the time (a first for Hank). Mary and Kevyn withdrew before the end of Section E. Earl wound up with fourth place in prelim single ponies.

And both participated in the Cowboy Country CDE in Stillwater, OK, the last weekend in October. Earl had his best dressage test to date, and, of course, did his usual good job in cones and the marathon, for a fifth place finish.

Kevyn was finally back in dressage form, placing first among the training level single ponies in that competition, but the unit missed a gate in the cordwood hazard, for the Big E (Navigator Lona Robertson: "You missed gate B." Mary: "I distinctly remember going through B." Lona: "Are you positive?" Mary: "Yes." WRONG! Moral: listen to your navigator!)

And thus ended a truncated 2005 competition season!

We participated in the following events in 2004:

Pioneer Combined Driving Event, Lincoln, Nebraska, June 5-6, where Earl and Hank won second in Training Level Single Pony.

Prairie Home Driving Challenge, Howard Lake, Minnesota, July 10-11. Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, Mary's new pony, an 8-year-old Welsh pony, made his debut at this event. Earl competed with both Rey and Hank. All photos are by Wisniewski Photo Imaging.

Earl and Hank perform their dressage test at the Prairie Home Driving Challenge.

Earl and Rey in one of the arena classes at the Prairie Home Driving Challenge . . .

Maybe even this one, the reinsmanship class. That's Dr. Joan Kepros, another Iowegian, with her Norwegian Fjord, My Hilde, on the left, Earl and Rey in the front, and Mary and Kevyn at the corner. Much to her surprise, Mary and Kevyn won the blue ribbon in this class.

We decided that Kevyn was not ready for the 4k marathon pace, so Mary navigated for Earl and Hank in that event. Unfortunately, she missed the last kilometer marking, and the team came in way under the time allowed. Next year . . .

Birds' Hill CDE, Winnipeg, Manitoba, July 17-18. What a nice venue for a Combined Driving Event! Kevyn was entered in dressage and cones, Hank in all three events. Kevyn did well in his events, scoring 41 in dressage (low scores are best!) and went double clear in cones, leaving all balls standing within the time allowed. Hank's dressage test was okay; he also was double clear in cones. We headed for the marathon with Mary navigating for Earl. And, once again, she screwed up! We had a blast, but eliminated in the marathon because we went out the wrong exit gate from the water hazard. Next year . . .

North Iowa Fair, Mason City, Iowa, July 22

Hickory Knoll Horse Driving Trial, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, July 24. We entered this at the LAST minute, becoming the 25th and 26th entrants in an event limited to 25 horses. It was Kevyn's first full event; Mary figured that, with a 2-kilometer marathon with two hazards, he was sufficiently conditioned to handle that. We had catch navigators, a mother and daughter, Kris and Kim Koch, from Madison, who were marvelous. And we also did not get the message that there was, indeed, presentation. With all of our clothes at the cleaners after Birds' Hill, we were not appropriately dressed for the event. We made do by borrowing the required aprons and used our helmets (always acceptable) instead of hats.

Earl and Hank negotiate the cones course. (Photo by Robert Mischka.)

Note that, technically, Earl is wearing a jacket . . . Earl turned in a double clear round, and then won the cones drive-off, in which the five competitors who went double clear drove again, with the cones clearance reduced.

Mary and Kevyn perform their dressage test. (Photo by Robert Mischka.)
A dressage score of 50 coupled with a double clear cones round put Mary in first place after the first two events among the training-level ponies. The event was hers to lose in the marathon. Letting Kevyn set his own pace went out the window; he was pushed and it paid off, as they made the time with 15 seconds to spare. So they brought home the championship ribbon.

Iron Horse CDE, Caledonia, Illinois, August 21-22. Like Birds' Hill, Mary only entered dressage and cones. Earl competed in all three phases, with Mary navigating in the marathon. Finally, they completed a marathon without error! Mary figures she can finally retire as navigator, which she needs to do when she and Kevyn are ready for a full CDE.

Earl and Hank perform their dressage test at the Iron Horse. The President of the Jury went out of his way to comment on how much he liked Earl's red jacket! (Photo by Karen Leitz.)

Villa Louis Carriage Classic, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, September 11-12 Earl and Rey competed in the Small Single Pony class at Villa Louis; Mary and Kevyn competed in the Novice Horse or Pony class. And was the smallest animal in the class. Earl came home with two of the coveted blue ribbons, for Turnout and Working Pleasure. Mary won second in Pick Your Route.

Kevyn was the smallest critter in the Novice Horse or Pony class at Villa Louis, as shown in this picture of the lineup. (Photo by Steve and Sheryl Stillions).

Mary and Kevyn move out in one of the Villa Louis arena classes. (Photo by Joe Mischka)

Who could resist this combination in a working pleasure class? Earl and Rey show their strong trot at Villa Louis. (Photo by Joseph Mischka).

Earl and Rey negotiate one of the obstacles in gambler's choice at Villa Louis. (Photo by Steve and Sheryl Stillions).

Harvest Moon Carriage Classic, Des Moines, Iowa, September 18-19 Three folks from Three G Farms competed our local show, the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic: Earl with Rey, Mary with Kevyn, and Jada Neubauer with Baykill Regent, the 12-year-old Morgan who doubles as our lesson horse. Three G Farms owns Rege in partnership with Anita Schlosser. Mary and Earl did well: Earl won the blue in Gentlemen to Drive; Mary won the blue in Designer Reinsmanship, and came home with the Reserve Championship ribbon in the Novice Horse or Pony class.

Earl and Rey take a victory pass for their blue ribbon in Gentlemen to Drive (Photo by Steve and Sheryl Stillions).

And heads directly into the camera with the ribbon streaming in the wind! (Photo by Sheryl and
Steve Stillions).

Mary and Kevyn in one of the arena classes at the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic. (Photo by Steve and Sheryl Stillions).

Mary shows off her third-place ribbon in Ladies to Drive. (Photo by Sheryl and Steve Stillions).

But the performance by Mary and Kevyn and Earl and Rey was nothing compared to the performance of Jada and Rege. In the large Novice Driver class, they came home with four firsts, one second, and a fourth, and, of course, the division championship. They won firsts in Turnout, Designer Reinsmanship, Cross Country, and Fault and Out, second in Pick Your Route, and fourth in Working Pleasure. Needless to say, Jada can no longer compete as a Novice Whip!

Rege and Jada trot in one of the arena classes at Harvest Moon (Photo by Sheryl and Steve Stillions).

Jada and Rege pick up one of their many blue ribbons (Photo by Steve and Sheryl Stillions).

Rege and Jada head for the camera! (Photo by Sheryl and Steve Stillions).

Jada and Rege give Matt, Jada's husband, a ride. Matt rode with Jada in the Cross Country, and kept time for her. His work was one of the reasons Jada and Rege won that event.

Cowboy Country CDE, Stillwater, Oklahoma, October 22-24 This Kevyn's first fill CDE. After dressage, we were in first place. But the Oklahoma mud proved too much for him in the marathon, so we slipped to fourth. Earl competed in Preliminary for the first time.

Good grief, that's 9 events! No wonder there was no time to update the website!

Look for us at those events and others in the Midwest in 2005!