Cross-Country Schooling at Twin Rivers Ranch

Thank God the Starbucks in Moorpark opens at 5am so we could get caffeinated up to get our horses ready in the pitch black for a 6am departure. Still, there isn’t enough Toffee Nut Latte in the world to make the frigid temperatures pleasant (and for future reference, Nahmi doesn’t get any latte at all – don’t ask). Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we got the ponies loaded up and only left twenty minutes late for the four and a half hour drive up to Twin Rivers in Paso Robles.

The drive up went smoothly (except for Nahmi’s issues with coffee – ha ha) but we were stunned when we pulled into Twin Rivers – there were so many trailers it looked like there was a show going on! It’s a tribute to how well Connie Baxter and her daughter, three-star eventer Andrea, run the place that the big crowd was no problem for them. It also shows how popular the events up at Twin Rivers are since it seemed like every eventing barn in So Cal was trying to squeeze in a schooling before they shut the course down for the show at the end of February.

The excitement level was running pretty high as we unloaded the horses and settled them in. The only veterans of the group were Nahmi on Simon, who used to live at Twin Rivers, and Nick on Buck. Midnight, Vinnie and Reese were all newbies, facing cross-country for the first time. Oddly, it was Simon who bellowed his head off the entire afternoon as everyone else settle in just fine.

It goes without saying that Buck was his usually show-stopping, spectacular self (ok, Nick was pretty good too) and the Nahmi/Simon combo offered a few hair-raising moments but other than that were stellar. But how did the “virgins” do? Here’s the shakedown:

• Reese -- SUPERSTAR! Ok, maybe being the mummy I tend to exaggerate but I couldn’t be happier. He even took me over a couple of fences on the second day and seemed much more in tune with the job now that he’s getting a handle on it.

• Vinnie – All things considered Vinnie held it together extremely well. His leap into the water is something that only Michelle, his mummy, could ride but other than that he seemed to learn quite a lot from his field trip as well.

• Midnight – John and Cathy have had this mare for a long time but have never asked her to do cross-country before. She seemed to take to her new job really well and quickly learned that jumping natural objects was a lot of fun.

• John – That’s right, John bravely went out on Angelino, his 20 plus Grand Prix dressage schoolmaster who’s been there, done that on elementary level cross-country jumps. On day two, John even abandoned his western saddle and tried out Cathy’s Antares. Hate to say it, but I think he’s hooked.

At the end of day one, we were all relaxing with gin & tonics and various snacks when there was a call for help. One of the horses who live on the property got cast but in a most unusual way; basically, the horse’s rump was sitting up on the top of the fence that divides the two stalls. John gave a mighty heave, with the rest of us basically serving as back up, and freed the stuck horse without any further ado.

Day Two was noticeably lower key. Maybe it was the early mornings catching up, adrenaline burn-out, or the disappointment of knowing that we’d be packing it up at the end of the day and returning to “real life” but even the other groups seemed quieter. Everything went really well and other than a couple of tough moments trying to get the horses loading back up (either Reese didn’t want to leave or he REALLY didn’t think he’d fit his bulky mass in the last stall of the trailer) the day couldn’t have been better. In fact, the whole weekend was about as perfect as it could possibly be. Thanks to one and all who made it such a memorable weekend.

Pictures and video montage to follow!

Sapphire Profile: Sparky

We're starting our profiles of Sapphire Eventers with Nahmi and her horse Sparky, arguably the very first official "Sapphirians"!

Sire: Sabotage (Holsteiner)

Dam: Marianas (TB)

Born Aug 1994

Official Name: The Scottsman

Barn Name: Sparky, The Sparkinator, and Mouthy Bas_ _ _ d. (Ok, I added that one because he eats everything)

So in owner Nahmi's own words.....

I bought Sparky Sept 2001, for my birthday, Happy Birthday to me. Yup that would have been right after 9-11-01.

I had just come into a little money, a windfall from the sale of my mom's house. The house I grew up in. Final remnant of my parent's divorce. i had planned to take a trip to Italy Sept 2001. We were scheduled to leave Sept 15th....needless to say, trip didn't happen.

I guess you could say that Sparky was my consolation.


Sparky had very little show experience before I got him. We worked our way up the levels catching lessons were we could. Sparky was amused and somewhat entertained by my early attempts to pilot him around a warm up arena.

Fortunately for us, Michelle moved back from the East coast about a year after I bought sparky.
She has helped us to continue to improve our partnership and now he has learned to tolerate my show nerves. Despite some health setbacks, we have worked up to toying with preliminary level. Long term goal to one day participate in a one star.


Sparky has a mischievous personality. He knows he is super handsome and likes to be the center of attention. If he feels he's not, he will put anything in his mouth to be it. He finds waving manure forks around in the barn aisle particularly effective. His favorite late night snack is a legwrap.

Holiday Celebrations at Sapphire Eventing

Happy Holidays from all of us at Sapphire Eventing!

We hope you had a safe and happy celebration and are ready for the exciting eventing season coming up in the New Year!

For a whole album of our little “family” celebration, click here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/94jalj_D4JcRAL07KRMkpw?feat=directlink

Son of "Soul of the Matter" A Proven Winner

The first of Super Derby Winner, Soul of the Matter’s US foals to enter the show ring came out a winner in his dressage debut. Three-year-old Reese, shown as Top Gear, earned first place at the Intrepid Farm's Holiday Dressage Show. His rhythmic gaits, powerful hindquarters and unflappable personality contributed to his overall score of 67% and promise a successful career in his intended job as a three-day eventer.

Intrepid Farms Holiday Show

We had a great day last Saturday at Intrepid Farms Holiday Dressage show. The threat of rain disappeared, giving us fantastic sunny, crisp fall weather that’s perfect to ride in. This was our first trip to Intrepid Farms, which runs schooling dressage shows throughout the year. The show was small but super friendly, extremely efficient and well run. The folks at Intrepid put out their usual gi-normous food spread, including breakfast goodies and strong coffee for when you first arrive, a wide variety of sandwiches for lunch and snacks to keep you going throughout the day. (Anyone who knows eventers knows that we’re always up for free food!) Intrepid is generous with their prizes and fair but encouraging with their judging. If you live near Moopark, California, you have to check out their shows. If you don’t live nearby, it sucks to be you. We’ll definitely make plans to return in 2009. If you'd like to get more information about their shows, go to www.intrepid-farms.com.

The day started out with our Friesian barn buddy, Haeke, blowing them away in the Intro class. Reese (aka Top Gear) with Michelle E. riding him took first place in Training Level 1 – not bad for his showing debut! But maybe the most fun of the day was when Carolyn on Ceilidh and Nahmi on Simon rode their classes with a (nearly) glimmering display of lights on their saddle pads. Ceilidh, despite being a little naughty before going in the ring for test #2 still came away with two red ribbons. Simon, billed as Simon the Likable sounded more like “Simon Says” as he whinnied and bellowed his way through his two tests – editorial comments about his lights perhaps? The last ride of the day was Nahmi on Sparky who was his usual stellar self and got first place as well.

The show was good practice for all of us who are used to the shorter eventing dressage court (40 meters) to have to deal with all the extra real estate that a regular dressage court (60 meters) gives you. If you think the free walk is long in an event, it’s merciless in a long court! Plus, as Nahmi found out, holding the extended canter all the way down the super-sized long side can take your breath away – literally.

Sorry, as Reese’s proud mummy I was so jazzed about his first show that I forgot to bring a camera but Carolyn did her magic and pulled a few still of every off the video. Check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/marlaw825/IntrepidFarmsHolidayShow#

The New Antares Saddle Has Arrived

So the big day finally arrived – Carolyn’s new custom-made Antares was delivered right on time. Per Antares’ instructions, she oiled it three times, giving each layer enough time to dry before even taking the saddle out to the barn. The result was the gorgeous chestnut brown saddle and girth you see in the pictures. I'm not much of a photographer but believe me, they are beatiful. What's even more stunning, however, is the Antares breastplate on her gray mare, Ceilidh. When you buy your Antares saddle, it's definitely worth it to go the extra bit and get the matching equipment - wow!



Then came the moment of truth, the first ride in the saddle meant to end all saddles. Expectations had been built fairly high since everyone in our barn raved about how great their Antares was from the moment they set their delicate little bottoms on them. Carolyn carefully tacked up in all the resplendent gear, including the matching girth and breastplate. She mounted, waiting for the choir of angels to sing and... nothing. No “Hallelujah Chorus,” not even a barber shop quartet. The verdict from the first ride was that it was ok, not great.

Carolyn had a limited time to decide if the saddle was right or not. The problem was (and is) that her horse Ceilidh isn’t approved for jumping after coming back from an injury until the very tail end of her trial period. The whole reason for the new saddle was to boost Carolyn’s feeling of security over fences and there was no way to test it until it was almost too late.

The first step was to have Michelle watch her ride in the saddle. Bearing in mind that Carolyn has been strictly a dressage rider for over a year because of Ceilidh’s injury, Michelle felt that the saddle wasn’t singing to her because Carolyn wasn’t used to the jump saddle position. The other factor is that Carolyn had an injury a few years ago that resulted in a blood clot in her left leg, causing her left leg to be weaker than her right. That weakness was really showing through in the jump position and doubly so in a mono-flap that encourages more leg stability but requires a tighter leg than a regular flap. (Can you say “accident prone horse and rider combination”?). Michelle’s one comment later on, after riding in the saddle a few times to help break it in, is that she really loves the comfort of the wider seat that Carolyn opted for.

Thierry took a look at Carolyn in the saddle as well. He was more than happy to take the time to talk through her issues with her but ultimately declared that in his opinion, the saddle was the perfect fit. But he also assured her that he’d continue to work with her on the saddle if she wasn’t truly happy.

So what’s the deal? For the money you spend on a custom saddle don’t you have the right to expect a choir of angels? With any new saddle there are a huge number of factors to consider. The new leather is stiff and the “sweet spot” of the saddle hasn’t been broken in so it’s like putting on a pair of tall boots and expecting them to be comfortable right away. A new leg position only adds to the confusion.

Bottom line? It’s been a couple of weeks now and Carolyn has ridden in the saddle a number of times. It gets better with each ride although the chorus of angels remains stubbornly mute. The true test will come when they get to jump...

Way to Go Will!!

A group of us from Sapphire were fortunate enough to be at the Grand Prix here in LA on Saturday night to see gold medalist Will Simpson turn in an amazing first place performance on Archie Bunker. There were a lot of other impressive rides including a clear round from my own personal favorite, Richard Spooner. If you've never seen a Grand Prix you should absolutely go if you get a chance. And they think eventers are crazy!!