News and Updates

Fair Hill HT - First Place!
A SWEET Success!
Ray ran his third Novice horse trial at Fair Hill Horse Trials in Maryland. It was our first outing in our new Area II (we recently moved to Maryland with Tom's job!).

Ray was great in the Dressage, although he did not feel as solid as he was at Spring Bay. The show jumping was good. He does not warm up very well - typical of a horse off the track. But he was very good in the stadium ring.

Ray was great on XC. He started out a little green, but settled in by the 3rd fence. He was great at the water this time... all my hard work paid off! He got a bit flat and quick near the end of the course, but tried his heart out. We had a ball.

I have always wanted to go to Fair Hill. Now that I have been, I will go back for sure. The facility is very nice. The barns are safe and the courses were challenging and beautiful. The show is run very professionally and the volunteers, and staff are very accomodating and nice people.

Spring Bay HT A Sour Success.
Ray ran his second Novice horse trial at Spring Bay. On Dressage day, the weather was windy, cold and wet. Ray had every reason to be a nut, but he stayed steady and calm and very rideable. We scored a 28.5, putting us in first place.

Cross country was interesting. He jumped everything clear and well. A few jumps up hills, he was a bit green, but really loves the job. However, the sour part, there was a running creek on course, but not flagged. He did not want to go, at all! So I had to wait for the next rider to cross. After they went, he grabbed the bit and crossed the creek. We have not had any problems with water jumps at the schoolings or events, but the running creek was a new item for him, on his own. Once he was through it, he flew the water jump. We stacked up 40 time penalties schooling the creek! So down to 13th.

Show jumping was great. We has one rail, but it was a green rail. He jumped everything else very well and over jumped most. We finished in 11th out of 16 starters. I will be posting photos soon.

So, at least I know what my homework is! AND, I KNOW he can be competitive in the dressage, so look out Fair Hill... We are coming in May!

On our way to Spring Bay HT.
Ray and I will be traveling to KY for the Spring Bay Horse Trials this weekend. We will be doing NH. He is going well, but had to have a week off while Tom, Caeleigh and I moved to a new home.

Tommy has a new home at a therapeutic riding facility in Indiana: Iron Horse Therapeutic Riding Center. He is fitting in very well, and I was told he is the new barn favorite. He is such a great horse and has sooooo much heart. I am glad he will be well looked after. He was always big into attention and he has alot of love yet to give.

 

We are home, and Florida was a success!
I moved Ray up to Novice at Rocking Horse HT. He was wonderful. The dressage test suited him much more than the BN test. He was steady and confident. I had lots of 7's! I scored a 37.9 and tied for 4th place out of 18.

Ray was a star on XC. We went double clear, and he had a blast. He gave me some excellent feels in the air over some of the jumps. He did not "look" at anything! He was a bit more rideable than he was in the BN division.

Show jumping was interesting. He was so Xc minded from the day before, that he was not paying attention like normal. That's a young horse for you. We had two rails down, one my fault, one his, adn dropped to 9th. I am very happy with his progress. Our next outing is Spring Bay in Lexington, Ky.

While I was in Ocala, I took Ray over to Ralph Hill's farm for a few lessons. We gave Ray quite an education on the XC jumps he has there. Longwood Farm IS Disney Land for Horses! We worked on getting him to respond better to my right leg (I need to work on my right leg strength as well). Ray jumped very well and loves the XC. We also worked on our show jumping frame and canter. By the end of our second lesson, things started to really come together. Ray made some awesome shapes over some of the show jumps. Thanks Ralph!!

Tom had an excellent time in Ocala as well! He came 3rd out of 68 in the Level 6 class, and got a green horse, Equinox NewYork, around the Friday Prix. "New York" jumped his heart out and Tom is very pleased with his progress. He also jumped him to a 6th place in a level 4, and only had 2 down in a level 7!

Tom is pictured right on New York in the Friday Prix.

 

 

We are Warm and Having a Ball in Florida!
Ray was a star last weekend at our debut outing at Ocala Horse Trial. We were in the middle of 26 after Dressage. For a VERY green horse, he stayed level headed and we did not have any upsets in the dressage ring.

The Beginner Novice test does not suit him, as his stride is so huge and the ring so small. There are 2 short diagnals at trot, which I find a bit tough for a young horse.

In show jumping, he was very nice, steady and jumped well. We had one rail (my fault) and 4 time faults. XC was good. He stopped at the first fence, like many others, and had a greeny stop at #3. However, the water, which I was worried about, was a breeze. I have a lot of getting to know Ray to go, and I am a bit rusty. The last event I did before getting pregnant was October 2004!!!

We are showing at Rocking Horse this weekend, in the Novice division. The courses there are very inviting and will be a good confidence builder for Ray. Once he is confirmed in his job, he is going to be a top horse. Hopefully Advanced level in time. I will take this one slow - he is worth the wait!!

Click Here For More Ray!

 

 

 

Updated November 27, 2005 - Caeleigh Meets Here Extended Family

Very sad news arrived last week. My Grandmother, Kay, passed away. She was 83 years old. She was in the process of making her famous carrot pudding for the Thanksgiving feast when she laid down for a nap. She passed away in her sleep. She is survived by 9 childern and spouses, 19 grandchildren and spouses, and 10 great-grandchildren. Kay was very active, still taking water arobics classes, dancing and helping at St. Joesphs church where she was a member for over 40 years. Grandma will be greatly missed.

 

Tom, Caeleigh and I attended the memorial services and funeral in Lake Orion, MI over the weekend. Caeleigh meet hundreds of people, and had a ball. There are lots of new photos on her site at caeleigh.textamerica.com

 

One more bit of sad news. Keats (AKC Zolie Starbucks Keats), passed away last week after a brief battle with an auto-immune disease. Keats did not suffer any pain. He started getting sick 10 days before passing away, with loss of appetite and energy. He lost alot of weight. We took him to the vet and did blood testing on him. The tests showed liver failure and lack of blood clotting ability. We had him on several anti-biotics, vitamins and steriods.

He was loosing his ability to walk in the end. We took him home, put him on his favorite comforter, and he went to sleep. He passed in his sleep. Keats is in doggie heaven, finally catching squirrels. He will be very missed.

Updated October 3, 2005 - New Addition Has Arrived!

After a long 9 months, Tom and I would like to welcome Caeleigh Jean Joyce to the family! She was born on September 25th. She was 8 pounds and 19 inches. Caeleigh is doing great! She has Tom's cute chin and my eyes! I am really looking forward to getting back in the saddle - hopefully in 3 weeks!

Updated September 20, 2005 - Equinox Sporthorses

Tom and I have recently moved to Peotone, Illinois (40 mins south of Chicago). Tom accepted a training/riding position back in August. He is working for Equinox Sporthorses, owned by the Salamie family.

The Facility is 10 acres, with a lovely 34 stall barn, and a 90' x 200' indoor arena with sand/rubber footing. The barn is insulated and heated. There is a large outdoor arena and another one planned for 2006. Other additions, cross country jumps, dressage ring and new footing for the outdoor, will be made over the next few months. There will be a website available soon

Tom and I really love working at Equinox Sporthorses and we are looking forward to a successful 2006.

Since I am 9 months pregnant, I have not been riding (for some time) I am really looking forward to having our baby girl, and getting back in the saddle.

 

Updated August. 25, 2004 - Glenn Eagle Farm Rolling Along

Kentucky is fantastic! Tom and I got married in June. We found a great place in Tennessee where we said our vows on horse back and went for a 2 hour trail ride in the mountains. It was wonderful. I have over 12 students and we are staying very busy riding, teaching, training and shoeing horses.

Tom and I just purchased a grand prix mare from Ireland. Pepina. She will be arriving in the next week. We are so excited. Look for her in the show jumping rings.

Tommy is back! He is sound and jumping really well. I will be bringing him back slowly to get him fit again. He is doing several jumper shows and did an event at champagne run at the horse park. I also have 3 young horses coming along, and two horses shipping over from Ireland in the next few months.

Beamish is a JUMPER! She is really coming along. She has grand prix potential, so she will not be eventing any more. You have to let horses do what they do best!

Thats all for now. Visit our farm site at www.glenn-eagle.com

Jen

Updated May. 14, 2004 - Beamish is for Sale!

I have moved to Georgetown, KY. I am renting a 32 stall barn on 100 acres, with a nice apartment. My new farm name is Glenn Eagle Farm. I am working on a new website. Here is the link: http://www.glenn-eagle.com. More news coming soon!

Due to the need for me to buy an upper level event horse, I must sadly sell Beamish. She has done 3 Novice level events, placing at each one. I took her to Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials, and we finished 6th on our dressage score. She is an elegant mover, loves to jump and makes time easily. For more information, call me at 859-797-2217.

Updated December. 12, 2003 - Misty - Beamish's mom!

OK, I pulled out the old photos and scanned them in. Even though the photos were taken ages before computers in almost every household, and email and spam, they did not take too much color correction. NO LAUGHING at the shot of my first ever horse show!!! I mean it! Well, here she is.......

Click Here for more photos!

Updated December. 12, 2003 - Beamish Photos!

Beamish is really coming along! She had two outings this fall, and placed at both. I am planning to take her to several Jumper shows to educate her over the winter. Then, we are off to North Carolina for training with Denny Emerson, and a move up to Training level.

Click Here for more photos!

Updated November. 27, 2003 - Tommy on the mend, Beamish rocks!

After a long battle with Tommy's back left leg, we finally had to have surgery. His anular ligament was thickened and not allowing the tendon to move properly. Tommy had surgery 3 weeks ago and is healing nicely. He will be ready to go back to work before the end of the year. We have plans to return to Tamarack Hill Farm to continue our training with Denny Emerson in March, and gear up for the National Eventing Championships in the fall.

Beamish had two outings at Novice level, placing 7th at her first show and 5th at her second show with a double clear on cross country. She really loves to jump and her dressage is improving rapidly. I plan to do a few more Novice level competitions in the spring, and move her up to Training level.

Updated Sept 4, 2003 - My New Jump4Joy Jumps!

I have just purchased new Jump4Joy Jumps. These are wonderful! They are light weight, but still heavy enough to get the horses attention if he hits it, and they are welded polymer, so NEVER have to be painted. My experience with the owners of Jump4Joy was great! I was able to pick out the colors I wanted, and construct the jumps I needed. They helped me build very nice, user friendly jumps that glow in the arena.

 

I have a total of 6 new jumps:
1. a blue/white oxer with wings and a gate
2. a green/white with at gate
3. a lovely gray/black skinny with a hanging chevron
4. a green/blue oxer with wings and standing fillers
5. a wonderful red/white/blue corner jump
6. a yellow/blue vertical with standing fillers

I was like a kid in a candy store. So with my new jumps, and my old sticks, I have a full course set up in my arena!

Updated August 10, 2003 - Beamish's first Schooling Horse Trial

Beamish is ready for her first outing. After 3 VERY successful jump lessons with Mike and several XC outings, she is ready to strut her stuff in front of a crowd! We will be showing at Quail Run on August 16th (the day after my birthday). I am really excited to get her going. She is sane, sound, brave and smart! I will be posting a Video clip of her and some still frames this week.

Tommy is doing GREAT! His trot work is improving by leaps and bounds and his canter changes are cleaner than ever! I am ready for the season to start!

Updated March 20, 2003 - ADVANCED!!!
Click Here For Photo Gallery

WE DID IT! What a COMPLETE THRILL! We completed our first Advanced HT! The dressage went really well. We scored a 46% and had a steady, correct test. We need to work on the flying changes (there are 4 of them). We were tied for 14th after dressage.

The XC was HUGE! and Beautiful too. I walked the course 5 times! Denny is great for course walks. He is fun and really gets you excited and pumped up for the job at hand!

We warmed up really well, and Tommy felt Terrific! I have a photo album with a photo of each jump and a description of how we did over each fence. Check it out!!

Show jumping was the biggest thing I have ever jumped! Those jumps loomed at me and seemed to tower over me! There were 2 4'3" Oxers (very wide too) and everything else was 3' 11" to 4' high. I had a wonderful warm-up and was really ready to go! I was second in the ring. I circled toward the first jump, and took a deep breath. I had a really great canter and jumped the course with ease! I have been working hard on creating the right kind of canter with the right speed, direction, impulsion and balance. My round was wonderful. I got great distances at everything, and the 4' 3" jump was my best of all! The Triple combination was huge and forward, and we did it perfectly. Denny said it looked like a perfect equitation round! What a great compliment. We had one unlucky rail, and no time faults. I have been on cloud nine ever since!

I am working on posting my notebook that I keep on a daily basis. I have been so busy a the farm, riding lots of Denny's horses and tending to Tom (he injured himself in his stall and has a swollen leg.) It will heal and the vets are not worried.

Until next entry....

Updated March 11, 2003 - Tamarack Hill Farm
Click Here For Photo Gallery

We Are Here! The drive up was about 4 hours. We arrived, unloaded and I found Elaine, the new farm manager. She walked me all around and introduced me to the staff, horses and the wonderful Stallions. I took Tom on a very short hack, and Denny came and found me, and we chatted for an hour about my goals, my horse, me and what I want out of my time here. I am keeping a daily journal, and I will add then soon. For now, I am off to watch Doug Payne have a jumping lesson. Enjoy the new photos!

Updated March 7, 2003 - Pine Top Report
Click Here For Photo Gallery

WOW! Pine Top was HUGE! I was finally able to get out of the DFW area after the bad ice storm. Tom and I headed out on Thursday, Feb. 28th. We drove to Mississippi and rested for 5 hours there. We arrived at Pine Top on Friday afternoon. The Advanced divisions were in full swing. I was able to unload, and still watch the show jumping before saddling up and taking Tom for a hack. The course seemed to ride without complications, and invited forward riding. The jumps did not look a large as I thought they would.

Sat. - I awoke very early, hacked Tommy, and walked both my Stadium and XC with Ralph Hill. He was very helpful and fun to talk to. The show jumping looked big and fun, and the XC looked HUGE and forward with tons of shinnies, especially at the H2O!

My dressage time was around 1 pm, and had to be ridden in the pouring rain! The footing was splashy, but held up nicely. We had a decent test (35.0) but I think it would have been much better if the arenas were dry. Then, quickly off to the show jumping. I was a bit nervous as Ralph was busy coaching another rider at the Advanced XC, so I warmed myself and Tommy up (with the help of a very nice person who set rails for me). Suddenly, I was ready! We had a wonderful jumping round! No jumping faults, and only 3 time faults - I took an extra wide turn to the triple bar due to footing. Every jump was wonderful. All my hard work over the winter really paid off!

I hooked up with Peter Barry, a Canadian rider I met last year, and his two grooms. We had a really nice time at dinner. Sharon White, Beal Morris and several other top riders joined in at the restaurant.

XC Day was later for me. I rode around 1pm again. I spent the morning walking the course and watching the 3 divisions before me go. Everything seemed to ride good, and the footing really held up despite the 3 inches of rain! (Glad I had all that practice last year at all our rainy shows!) And away we went! Tommy warmed up really well and was ready for the challenge. We came out of the start box with lots of power. The first 2 fences were basically triple bars. They welcomed a forward powerful stride. Fence 3 had 2 huge tables with 3 bending strides. Fence 4 was a nice corner....CLICK HERE For Course walk! Everything rode really great! I added a stride at the bank complex, but had enough umph to get the job done. The bank bounce was great, and the HUGE ramp was dreamy! I had a fantastic ride! Since there was still alot of muddy areas, and it was the first show of the season, I did not push speed as much as I should, so I had 22 time penalties. No one make the time in any of the divisions, so I was not too hard on myself. I was very pleased with my 7th place finish, and I finished better than soooo many great riders. The weekend was a real confidence build! More in a few days!

Updated February 18, 2003 - NORTH CAROLINA OR BUST!

GEARING UP: Hello everyone! Tommy and I are gearing up for our big trip to go and train with Denny Emerson at Tamarack Hill Farm in North Carolina. I have always wanted to do such a trip since I was in my early teens. I will be hauling out on Feb. 26th and stopping in Georgia for 4 days to compete at Pine Top Farm in Open Intermediate. It is a wonderful event and will be a good first outing for us. I will also get to catch up with some friends I made there last year. I would like to thank those people who have donated money to the American Horse Trial Foundation. The donations have made this trip possible by cutting my expenses down to a more manageable size. These wonderful sponsors are:
GLC Direct
The Savin family
Karen & Joe Boyd
GlobalSantaFe Corporation
My Air Hitch
James Glass
Richard Dinsmore
SSG
Rein Aid
Giddyap Girls

Tommy and I have been doing really well. Our dressage is wonderful and has come a long way with Sue Casey's help. We are able to execute clean lead changes at canter, and our trot work has excelled. I am very confident in our abilities to have successful outings at Advanced level.

I am working on my show jumping and cross country techniques with the help of a local Hunter Jumper trainer. He has really helped me allow Tommy to use himself better and our strength as a team is increasing. Tommy is really doing well and is becoming very fit.

Over the Holiday, I was able to get my trailer finished out and added a few luxury features such as cabinets, curtains, insulation, and a desk. I have also purchase a laptop to help me continue to earn money while I am away at Denny's.

Updated December 2, 2002 -

VACATION TIME : Tommy, Beamish and I are taking some much needed time off from competition. I took Tommy to a Ralph Hill clinic and had a wonderful time. Ralph helped us with our canter work and jumping technique. His wonderful gymnastic exercises really unlocked Tommy's shoulders and neck, allowing him to use his back more freely. After day one, I was able to really get my spots easily, and allow Tommy to do his job better. I am hoping to be able to spend 4-6 weeks training in Florida with Ralph this winter, and move up to Advanced. I will need to raise several thousand dollars in order to achieve this.

Beamish is really coming along nicely. I have taken her to 3 cross country schooling days, and we jumped the BN and Novice jumps at the 3rd outing. I am giving her a few months off of regular work (just doing light trail riding and hacking) to let her grow up and rest her mind after 3 months of learning. She has grown, and is now almost 16hh. I expect her to mature to 16.1 or 16.2hh.

I am also working hard to raise money for next season. I have created and printed a 4-color brochure that my father and mother-in-law are helping me send out to prospective sponsors. I need to raise near $9000 to train and compete at the Advanced and CCI*** level.

That's all for now. Cheers and Happy Holidays to All. More Beamish photos coming soon!

Updated October 14, 2002 - NEW VIDEO-CLICK HERE

QUEENY PARK HT: Tommy and I had a wonderful weekend at the Queeny Park Horse Trial in St. Louis. It was the shows first time running their Intermediate course, designed by Capt. Mark Phillips.

The drive was about 10 hours, and well worth it. We arrived on Thursday evening, and set up camp at the top of a hill, above the stabling. The park is a public park with tennis courts and hiking/jogging trails. The terrain is very rolling and reminds me of Pennsylvania.

Dressage was ok. The footing in the arena was a bit choppy, which is Tommy's least favorite. Our test was a bit tense, and not the usual smooth, steady test. We scored a 36, just .5 from the lead. We ran Cross country on Saturday. The course was really wonderful. Lots of up and down hill runs, and really nice, big fences. The water jump had a huge 6 foot drop into the water, and caused many falls in the division. Tommy went through the complex like a champ, never missing a beat, and very bold! That drop was really fun! I will have a video posted of the h2o complex later today. I did not really press Tommy for time. It had been since July that I ran Intermediate, and I was working more on form and consistency that speed. We were only 36 seconds over time, and no one made the time on XC. We will really go for it next time!

Show jumping was on Sunday am. There was a bad storm in the morning, causing a delay. We started show jumping an hour and a half late. The course was very large, with mostly verticals. There were 10 verticals and 3 oxers on the course. It was built on the side of a large hill. The footing was very slippery, and we had a bit of a slip going to #2. Tommy was wonderful. We had an unlucky rail at #3, and a rail at the last fence. We finished in 5th place. I am very happy with the way Tommy went. We had a wonderful round, and he was really game for jumping. Our next show is Holly Hill Horse Trials in Benton, LA.

Updated September 17, 2002

CROSSTAR HT: Over the weekend of Sept. 14th, Tommy and I competed at Crosstar Horse Trial. It is our first outing of the season. They do not offer Intermediate at this show, so we went out and did Open Preliminary. We had the best dressage test I have ridden in a long time. It was smooth, steady and flashy. We scored a 27% (seven 8's, and seven 7's!). I was scored two 8's and two 7's on my collective points as well. Our 27 put us in a 7.2 lead out of 16 riders.

Our stadium went really well. We had only one rail, and no time faults. (no riders went clear). After stadium, we were over 10 points in the lead going into XC. XC was great as well. We had a double clear, and finished in 1st place over all. Tommy felt really great at all phases. our next outing will be at Sky Vista Ranch in the Open Intermediate division.

CHAMPAGNE RUN HT: Our trip to Kentucky in July was great! I always love going home and catching up with old friends. I did a bit of site seeing while I was in Lexington. I went by familiar sites such as my favorite Irish Pub, the Art Studios where I spent endless hours creating during College, and several favorite restaurants and parks. I miss Lexington with its beautiful scenery and endless scenic drives.

We had over 30 people from Texas at the show. There were 9 trailers in the RV park, all together. We had several wonderful meals where the guys grilled and prepared all sorts of wonderful dishes. We had brisket, fish, chicken, curry, and more side dishes than I can remember. Everyone had a great time.

Champagne Run puts on a really nice show.

They ran 579 horses over the 3 days, and managed to stay 10 mins. ahead of schedule, and finished everything by2:00 pm on Sunday. We did our dressage on Friday. The test could have been a bit better, but I did score 7's on the walk work and the simple changes. We scored a 39, which put us in 9th out of 29. Of course, Kim Vinoski was on Over The Limit and another Advanced horse of hers, David O'Connor was on Persistent Rain (only 1 point ahead of me), and there was also Linden Weisman on Anderoo, Tiffany Loudon, Mara Depuy and Jonathan Holling. It was a tough competition, so I was really happy with my placings. XC went really well too. I have never had such a foot-perfect round in my life! And the jumps were HUGE and very technical. There were 2 corners, with no options. In fact, there was only one option on the entire course, and it was really not an option!

Show jumping was good too. I had one rail, the same rail over 70% of OI and OP had. The rest of the course rode great! I finished in 7th, and beat several upper level riders! I was very pleased with Tommy and my own performance.

Jenny

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