High Times and Jennifer McFall Are On a Blue Streak

With a repeat victory at the Galway Downs International Event this last weekend, High Times and Jennifer McFall are on their fourth consecutive win. After a tie for first in Dressage with a 28.2, the competition really heated up after both Billy and the other first place contender went clean in their Stadium rounds. That left the Cross Country to break the tie with the horse that went clean and the closest to the optimum time. Billy definitely realized what was going on this time in the start box, and bounded in crow hops all the way to the first fence with sheer exuberance. After his little display of joy, he was all business and full of running. He was definitely a little fast in his first couple minutes of the course, but settled into a nice rhythm and gave a lovely performance. When it was all said and done, Billy's time was closest to optimum, and the win was his.

Joan Warner is one Lucky Lady!

Joan Warner of Camino, CA is the proud new owner of Illustrious! "Lily" is absolutely, hands down, the barn favorite here at Dragonfire so I know this news might disappoint some of you out there. But don't despair, I am happy to say that Lily will remain at Dragonfire and Joan will be joining our Mature Ladies ranks. In all seriousness, Lily has to be the most beautiful and talented prospect to come through our farm, so our sincere congratulations go out to Joan and her husband, Paul!

The March Academy Show was all Sunshine and Smiles

Our 2010 Dragonfire Academy Schooling Show Series started off big with our March Show. It was a day filled with happy riders, sun, and yes... WIND! Thankfully, our hearty spectators were not deterred when it came to cheering on the competitors, and Judge Ron Smith gave positive and encouraging feed back to those with questions about their rides.

Nancy Dein rode two entries in the show, with victories on both mounts. First she won the Advanced Pattern on Harrison. And then, much to the delight of her daughters, Nancy piloted Cricket to a first place vote in the Open Walk/Trot Rail Class B. All of Nancy's hard work and dedication to taking several lessons a week were quite apparent at this venue. Another hard working student that didn't go unnoticed was Makena Graber. She and her own horse, Sugar, were picture perfect for the win in the Open Walk/Trot Rail Class A. Proud mom and volunteer at our show, Tracy, presented Makena with her her prizes donated from Sheldon Feed and Natalie Jensen's Mary Kay business. Not to be out done, Morgan Connolly made her first victory pass of the year aboard Will in the Advanced W/T/C Rail Class. Morgan and Will have really begun to cement their partnership, and I expect we will see more success from this talented duo.

The Adult Walk Trot Pattern Classes were both extremely competitive and well ridden. Emerging on top in the A split, was Janet Rau piloting Aida. Giving us a glimpse of what the future holds for this rider, Janet's white-hot performance was undeniable. Christina Underwood and her own mount, Star, was clam, cool, and collected for the win in the B split of this class. This pair is well on their way to a fun filled year together.

The deepest class of the show was the Youth Walk Trot Advanced Pattern B with seven very good riders vying for the top slot. Hard fought and well deserved, Hana Roseberry emerged victorious. Riding Rosie, our current Student of the Month really showed her fans what she knows!

The Youth Walk Trot Advanced Rail also warranted an A and B split. Proving tough to beat and Winning Class A was Alyssa Hansen with Nick. This is their second time winning this class, as they won it at our November Show, also. With Alyssa's bold showmanship and savvy presentation of Nick, there is little room to wonder why she is such a contender. The new team of Taylor McFall and Ace was irresistible for the win in the B split. Taylor's first win at an Academy Show was made extra sweet when she was presented with a sparkling "wand" crop and goodie bag for taking the top prize.

New-comer, Sarah Blazek showed no fear as she claimed top honors in the Youth Walk Trot Beginner Pattern. It's obvious that this girl has the makings of a top show rider in the years to come. The sister act of Kaitlyn and Brianna Sipes is one to watch out for with both girls coming away with a win. Kaitlyn effectively guided Aida through the Youth Walk Trot Advanced Pattern A, while Brianna took the Youth Walk Trot Beginner Rail Class blue. These were the first of many wins for all three of these girls.

Both the All Walk Pattern and the Leadline evoked so much delight for our judge that three-way ties went out to both classes. In the pattern class, it was Wren Posey, Tali Leucchetti and Frank Leucchetti receiving the blue ribbon and bucket-o-prizes. In the Leadline it was Emma Roseberry, Rocco aka Goofy Leucchetti, and Travis Posey charming the socks off Judge Ron Smith.

Taking the Best Turn Out Award at this show was the adorable Taylor Andrade. No matter what she wears, she has a smile that can make any outfit memorable!

With two more shows in the series to go, the Adult High Point and the Junior High Point are any one's game. Also, the Overall Sportsmanship Award is still up in the air. With so many fantastic riders in the Academy, this series is proving very exciting!

Third Straight Victory for High Times

The Twin Rivers Winter Horse Trials marked the third straight win for High Times and Jennifer McFall. In his second ever Training performance, Billy was smooth and quiet for his Dressage test, making all of those Dressage lessons worth while. And while Billy's attitude was tested in the Stadium the next day, my resolve to finish the show was tested as we had to jump in VERY wet conditions! With the arena looking more like a pond, I was just as likely to sail a small boat as I was to ride a course! Not to mention pouring rain making it hard to see. So, Billy really put on his big-boy pants to jump this round. With the weather being as it was, the Cross Country had to be cancelled, making it simply a Combined Test. But being that it was the first outing of the year for us, it was plenty fun as it was!!

Free Seminar!

We have another great opportunity for our DF students to learn something new! The Deer Creek Pony Club will be hosting an open meeting at Dragonfire Tuesday, March 9th at 6:00 PM. There will be three different learning stations on trailer safety, stall cleaning/set up, and proper blanketing techniques/types of blankets. This is your chance to learn more about the care of horses all at no cost to you! And, you will also be able to get some information on how Pony Club can benefit your child's education.

Student of the Month: Hana Roseberry

Our new Student of the Month is Hana Roseberry. She is definitely the pretty princess of our barn as she always comes dressed in perfect attire. Her hair is back and tidy, her breeches are spotless and her boots are shiny, and her shirt is always fitted and perfectly tucked in. She also understands the importance of grooming and takes special notice of changes in lesson horses; such as dirtiness, hoofs, hair, or any other abnormality. She also cares a lot about how the horses are feeling and always brings every horse in the barn a treat. Only freshly cut apples or carrots will do when Hana is treating!


Hana's progression has been fast and furious. When she began she was tentative at the trot. Now she is one of the best students at recognizing her correct posting diagonal. She learns her patterns quickly and always has a great time doing it. We have a rule that every time she says, "I can't", she owes me an extra "around the world" each direction. She hasn't said "I can't" in a LONG time. We are so proud to have Hana on our team! Congratulations Hana!!!

Melissa

My Ride With Leslie Law

In what I hope to be a reoccurring occasion, I had the good fortune of taking a jumping clinic this past January. The Baxters of Twin Rivers Ranch coordinated a clinic with Olympic Gold Medalist, Lesie Law to be held over two days. Unfortunately, these two days happened to fall on the week of some of the worst weather California has ever seen! When we arrived at Twin, poor Andrea was scrambling around trying to decide if she was going to have appropriate footing at her facility to hold the clinic or if it was going to have to be moved. In the end, the clinic was moved to the indoor arena at Rainbow Ranch, where only when the wind was blowing completely sideways, did we get wet!

Since Billy and I have been resting on our laurels after our win at Galway last Fall, I was a little nervous that we would be in deep water since I had only jumped a handful of times in so many months. Not only that, Billy tends to be quite spooky and distracted, so I wasn't sure how he was going to react to the ultra stimulating weather. Luckily for me, it was so overwhelming to him that he was quick to listen and respond.... saving me from too much embarrassment! Only Earl noticed (and laughed) that Billy spooked every single time it was my turn. Once we were going, though, he really was quite the professional.

Leslie is a man of few words (or was it just that the torrential rainfall made it impossible to hear?), but what he wanted was accuracy in line and striding, which required the horses to be coming from behind and adjustable. After being sure that we were all able to do this on the first day over simple lines and small fences, we were greatly challenged on the second. I was so proud of Billy as he negotiated all of the exercises like he had done them before. He even finished the day with not only doing his first corner like an old pro, he did a two stride, left corner to right corner perfectly!

Needless to say, the clinic infused me with the energy I needed to kick me out of the Winter slump and gear up for this year's show season. Leslie's precise and friendly teaching style was perfect for Billy, and given the chance, I will surely ride with him again!

A big thank you to Connie and Andrea Baxter for organizing the clinic, to Rainbow Ranch for hosting it at the last minute, to Leslie for standing in the freezing wind ALL day for two days straight to teach us, and to Sherry Stewart for photographing the clinic.

Jenny