We are absolutely thrilled with the potential of our young star, Lady's Comet, aka "Barbie". Barbie is a stunning example of what a Thoroughbred should be: built to defy gravity and speed barriers with a heart the size of Texas and the ego to match it. The fact that this four year old stunner has the looks of a super model is just icing on an already amazing cake. I guess the cherry on top for breeding farm like Dragonfire must be the fact that she is one of her sire's last foals. Barbie is by the late, great Comet Shine, sire to American Eventing's Super Star Courageous Comet. With Barbie, the future looks bright!
As a four year old, Kasey is beginning his training over fences
Be sure to keep an eye on this exciting new prospect from Merriewold Morgans. His training under saddle has been coming along with great success and we couldn't be happier with his talent over a fence. Merriewold has already bred some very nice sport Morgans, including Grand National Champion in Dressage, Merriewold Galaxie, but we think Kasey might be the breeding program's top performer in the future. Tall, athletic, and good-thinking, Kasey has all the ingredients to shine in the Sport discipline of your choice.
Here's Kasey on the flat.
And here's Kasey in one of his first jump schools.
All Dragonfire students are invited to participate in our Academy Schooling Show starting at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, April 28th. Beginner and Intermediate classes are available. Talk to your Dragonfire Instructor to find out what classes are right for you to learn and succeed. Entries are due by April 18th. Don't miss out on all of our fun-filled, friendly competition geared towards helping you become a better rider!
The lovely Highland Empress starts her eventing career
In honor of yesterday's St. Patrick's celebration we are highlighting our own Irish beauty, Highland Empress. After importing her as a baby, we have eagerly awaited the time that we could work her seriously towards what she was bred to do, and to consider possible stallions to cross her to. Her invaluable bloodlines read as a who's who on the International Eventing scene with Master Imp as her sire, and with her her dam being by Cavalier Royale. Add Clover Hill as her dam's grandsire, and you have the perfect blend of every top Irish horse there has ever been!
"Jade" has talent to burn and a quiet, yet keen, temperament that will no doubt get her to the very top echelons of the sport. The future is bright for Baby Jade!
Here's some video clips of four year old Jade as she starts her formal training.
Congratulations are in order! Pat Eisenberg is the proud new owner of Ragtime Mi Oro Double, or "Sugar", as she is affectionally known as here at Dragonfire. Pat plans on continuing her Dressage training with Sugar, along with trail riding and family fun on long Summer days. Sugar will join a happy family of equines up in Oregon and will be loved by the whole Eisenberg family, as she deserves!
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to once again host a Hawley Bennett Clinic here at Dragonfire. For the horses and riders that participated in this and the last clinic with her, it was clear that there was a significant improvement in their styles and ability to handle challenges together. For the riders who were new, their eyes were opened a little bit wider to the possibilities of what they could be working on. Either way, it was an impressive group of horses and riders which makes for an exceptional clinic!
Each day, before the first morning jump sessions started, a few riders headed to the Dressage court to take advantage of a little private time with Hawley. Kammy Bhala, Caroline Dein, and myself all benefitted greatly from these highly intense sessions on the flat. No detail goes unnoticed by Hawley, nor do you finish a movement until it is done exactly, and I have the sore abs to prove it.
What is most striking about Hawley's teaching style over fences is her ability to push a rider/horse combination further than their comfort zone and ultimately to success. Although her exercises can be set by anyone, it is her keen eye and overwhelming positive energy (mixed with a little "I'm-going-to-make-you-do-it-whether-you-want-to-or-not") that encourages even the timid rider to swing away, to use a baseball term. Even in challenging the riders or horses to do more difficult jumps than they are used to, perfection is her goal and it will be achieved by the end.
Team Dragonfire will miss Hawley as she heads to the East Coast in pursuit of her own intensive training towards the Olympic Games this Summer in London. We wish her the best of luck and the ride of her life!
A video recap of the clinic courtesy of Taylor McFall and Roses Are Blue
Everybody's favorite Rider/Rugby Player, Ian Diery, guides Oscar thru the hard turns
Kaitlin Hall and Holly Wenzell represent Three Bay Farms with great rides
Earl McFall guides young Merriewold Kasey in his first clinic
Natalie Jensen and Wrigley working towards the CIC1*
Makena Graber gives Mr. Chew a good ride thru a grid
High Times and Jennifer McFall are looking towards the CIC 2** after a great clinic
Cori Davis gets it done aboard "Big Willy"
Earl McFall takes four year old home-bred, Rouge et Blanc DF, over his first skinny
Meghan Lawrence giving a great ride in the tidy two stride
It was business time for Taylor McFall this weekend
Caroline Dein and Lucid Opposition negotiate the skinny at the end of a tidy triple
Hannah Jarvis is classic on her lovely mare
Four Year Old OTTB, Lady's Comet is as bold as they come with Jennifer McFall
Merissa Underwood and Danny California had a wonderful clinic with Hawley
Four year old Highland Empress shows the quality of her irish breeding as she displays outstanding ability with Earl
The sleepy town of Paso Robles plays host to one of California's premier Eventing venues, The Twin Rivers Horse Trials. So when the Dragonfire Team comes to town looking for action, of course we are going to do as the locals do and and ride the mechanical bull! It seems that every time we go, we eat (and drink) a ton before we plan on hauling our full bellies up on this wiggly bovine in hopes of looking like pro riders. Well, we may not look ready for the PBR, but we definitely have fun laughing at each other!
The operator really wanted to dump Earl on the mats!
Cori was in her element
Taylor's favorite pass time
Meghan is all style
Our cross country shirts look good on a bull too!
FUN!
Of course, we had the most fun riding our fabulous ponies at the show! The Baxter family, and the rest of the show committee do such a wonderful job running this top notch show, and for that, all of us at Dragonfire are truly grateful.
Maddy Rau and her partner, Ario Secto, made their debut at Training level with solid performances in all three phases
Caroline Dein and Lucid Opposition are putting in beautiful rides on their way to qualifying for the Training Three Day.
High Times, with Jennifer McFall, shows his classic form in Open Intermediate
Merissa Underwood and Danny California neatly negotiate the Preliminary water complex
Ian Diery and Oscar of Penzance make light of their last Novice together as they prepare for their Training level debut
Ian and Oscar are congratulated after a job well done by their biggest fan, Meghan
After such fun rides at Twin, the Dragonfire Team looks forward to our upcoming clinic with Hawley Bennet here at our farm, before we head off to The Galway International Three Day Event and Horse Trials!
Here's the ride times for the lucky ones that get to take advantage of the LAST Hawley Bennett Clinic in Northern California before she moves to the East Coast to prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games! I am so grateful for her time here and plan to get the most out of this up coming clinic!
Saturday 3/10
8:00 AM: Kammy Bhala
8:30 AM: Caroline Dein
9:00 AM Group 1
10:00 AM Group 2
11:15-11:45 Lunch
11:45 Group 6
1:00 PM Group 3
2:15 PM Group 5
3:30 PM Group 4
Sunday 3/11
8:00 AM: Kammy Bhala
8:30 AM: Jen McFall
9:00 AM Group 6
10:15 AM Group 3
11:30-12 Lunch
12 PM Group 4
1:15 PM Group 5
2:30 PM Group 2
3:45 PM Group 1
Group 1
Earl McFall
Jen McFall
Natalie Jensen
Group 2
Merissa Underwood
Stevie Boblitt
Wynter Harrison
Caroline Dein
Group 3
Ian Deiry
Hannah Jarvis
Amanda Blake
Meghan Lawrence
Group 4
Liz Hall
Hayley Sullivan
KT Hall
Group 5
Jessica Peterson
Jen McFall
Earl McFall
Cori Davis
Group 6
Earl McFall
Taylor McFall
Makena Graber
There are few spaces still available... but not many! Email Jenny at dragonfirefarm@frontiernet.net to see if there is space for you to join.
