Quality Draft and Draft-Cross Horses for Driving and Riding
Show Schedule & Results
Although our primary focus is having fun with our horses, we do have an active show calendar. We believe that showing your horses forces you to constantly improve your abilities and theirs. It also gets you out to meet new people and allows your horses to see and experience things they might otherwise not.
2011 Schedule
We expect to be at the following events this year:
- Pennsylvania Farm Show Draft Pleasure Show, January 13.
- My Lady's Manor Driving Club Intro to Driving Classes, Feb 12 & Mar 19
- Delmarva Driving Club Spring Show, May 7
- MLMDC Spring Show, May 15
- Devon Horse Show Pleasure Marathon, May 29
- Elk Creek CDE, June 4-5
- Brandywine Valley Driving Club Pleasure Driving Show, June 12
- Susquehanna Whips & Wheels Show & Sporting Day, June 25-26
- Laurels at Landhope CDE, September 9-11
- MLMDC Schooling Driving Trial, October 1 (cancelled)
- Brandywine Valley Driving Club Teddy Bear DT, October 22-23
- Chapter One Farm Horse Driving Trials, October 29 (cancelled)
2011 Results
Following are results for 2011 events. We also have 2010 results.
Laurels at Landhope 2011
On September 8-11, Charlie competed his second ever CDE, this time at the prestigious Laurels at Landhope competition in Unionville, Pennsylvania. With the likes of international competitors Chester Weber and Jimmy Fairclough participating, this was quite the leap up for Chuck!
Despite a week of solid rain due to Tropical Storm Lee prior to the event, the weather turned fair for the Dressage competition on Friday. We did forego our usual fancy painted cart and leather harness in favor of the marathon vehicle, lest another torrent should appear from above.
Charlie turned in a wonderfully solid dressage performance for a young stud, ending up 3rd of ten competitors in his division, behind professional drivers Lisa Singer and Louisa Emerick.
Courtesy of Pics of You Photography
Saturday was a much tougher day for the team, as both temperature and humidity hovered near 90. We figured our half-draft was going to have some issues cooling himself, despite being in awesome shape for his age. Just to keep things interesting, he decided to toss a shoe a few minutes prior to the marathon start. Luckily we carry our own farrier... Uh, Scott!!
Sure enough, by the latter portions of the Marathon, Chuck was beginning to fade. He did his best, however, and his quick cool down for the vet check was testimony to his general fitness. We understand several horses came in much hotter than Charlie, so he must have a sound self preservation instinct!
No water issues this time... Chuck blasts through the water hazard.
Courtesy of Pics of You Photography
Sunday the Cones competition was back into Chuck's comfort zone. He turned in a nice performance, listening well and enjoying a few bursts at a canter. A spectator recorded his performance and sent us a link to the video; we'll see if we can get it posted here.
Due mainly to the problems on the marathon, 'Team Chuck' didn't pin for this event, but we were very pleased with his performance and excellent behavior up against such tough competition. For a horse be at the Laurels for his second CDE competition is a good goal achieved!
Susquehanna Valley Whips & Wheels Show
The tandem pair of Charlie and Isabelle were at the SVWW pleasure driving show on June 25, with Charlie shown singly for the 'Day of Pleasure Driving' on June 26. Despite some chaos due to a sick judge and a resulting scramble, the show went off well and everyone had a lot of fun.
Our results included:
- Turnout, draft: 1st
- Ladies to Drive: 3rd (of 14)
- Working, draft: 2nd
- Super Reinsmanship, draft: 2nd
- Cones, draft: 4th
- Overall Draft Division: Reserve Champion
- Whip Challenge (4 shows): 7th place
Saturday's show concluded this year's Whip Challenge and was the last planned appearance of our tandem pair for a while. It's an awful lot of work! We thank all the kind persons who complimented our efforts to turn out 'something different' by driving a Sporting Tandem this year.
Elk Creek CDE
Stallion Charlie competed in his first ADS Combined Driving Event (CDE) on June 4-5 and took First Place in the Training-Level Horse division!
Tanya drove Charlie to a solid dressage score of 51, and had a respectable cones round. The marathon portion went well overall, with just a few issues at the water hazard, where Charlie decided he would prefer not to get muddy and wet. He'll be back to school on that hazard later this week!
The Devon Horse Show 2011
Our gang turned out the sporting tandem in its finest style to date for the Devon Horse Show Carriage Marathon on Sunday, May 29. The competition this year was tougher than last, however, and despite the judge's favorable comments on the appeal of our sporting tandem, we were a bit disappointed by a placing of only fourth of six in the Multiples class. Nevertheless, a representative of Driving Digest magazine made a beeline for Tanya after the class, eager to learn more about who turned out the sporting tandem for Devon.
When *I* grow up, *I* wanna drive a Sporting Tandem...
Afterwards, Tanya and Scott put in huge effort to re-clean harness and polish brass, only to find they were the only entry for the evening's Open Tandems class. They did get to do a demo for a sizeable crowd, and ended First in the class... no argument!
Our photographer friend Kathy King has posted a gallery of her photos from the day.
On Monday, the pair of Isabelle and Charlie returned to Devon for the Cones Scurry, this time driven in a side-by-side pair for the first time 'off the farm'.
Charlie checks out the flowers at the Devon Announcer's stand
MLM Spring Show
On Sunday, May 15, the tandem pair were off to Spring Valley Park in York county for their second show of the year at the My Lady's Manor's spring pleasure show. The Multiples division was more challenging this year, up against a four in hand of huge Gelderlanders and a pair of very fancy Welsh ponies in addition to our entry.
Results:
- Multiples Turnout: Second Place
- Multiples Working: Second Place
- Super Reinsmanship: First Place
- Multiples Cones Scurry: Second Place
- Multiples Timed Obstacles: Second Place
The show photographer caught this great photo of Charlie's exxxtended trot...
Extended Trot - May 2011 - Onawa Cutshall Photography
Our friends from Grey Horse Stables in York were also there with mini Bella and cute young Shetland pony Taylor Made (Teddy).
Delmarva Driving Club Show
On April 7, Tanya showed the tandem pair of Isabelle and Charlie at Delmarva Driving Club's show on the eastern shore of Maryland, taking Champion in the Multiples Division! Not only was she showing the tandem pair there for the first time, but this year she has decided to drive a Sporting Tandem, where the leader (Charlie) wears a hunt saddle and no blinkers. A sporting tandem was historically used to get a driver to a fox hunt. At the hunt, the wheeler was tied for the day and the leader went out under saddle for the hunt.
Charlie put in an absolutely beautiful performance. He was very showy and proud of himself, and seemed unaffected by the ongoing repairs to his feet resulting from his serious illness last year.
We were very flattered when the pair won their first class of the day, Turnout Multiples, beating a beautiful pair of Friesians driven to a fancy painted carriage.
Overall results were:
- Turnout, multiples: First Place
- Working, multiples: Second Place
- Ladies to Drive: Third Place
- Super Reinsmanship: Second Place
- Progressive Cones: Second Place
- My Route/Your Route: Second Place
- CHAMPION: Multiples Class
As always, the DDC show was a fun time, blessed with perfect weather after weeks of rain, and a great opener to what we hope will be a fine show season.
2011 Pennsylvania Farm Show
For the second year, the Farm Show in Harrisburg held a 'Draft Pleasure Show' which we attended. We took stallion Charlie, the lovely and talented Isabelle, and our Belgian Megan. This year we enlisted the help of our friend Pam Kister of Grey Horse Stables in York, as well as some of her riding students, so that we could enter more classes and have more fun!
Tanya reproduced last year's blue ribbon for Isabelle, driving her in the Ladies' Cart class:
Pam took third place driving Megan in Ladies' Cart and we think they looked lovely together:
Our friend Paul drove Charlie in Mens' Cart. He didn't place well (the judge apparently thought he was a little 'hot' for a pleasure driver), but the truth is Charlie behaved like an absolute Perfect Gentleman during the entire visit to our state capitol. The silly rule that women can't drive a stallion at the Farm Show will supposedly be removed next year, so perhaps Tanya will have better luck with him then!
Our big mare Megan was a hit with the crowd, majestically thundering around the ring. Pam's student Rachel took first place in both Youth and Adult classes on the big blonde bombshell!
Another of Pam's students, Markie, took third place in Youth Riding on Isabelle and Fifth place driving Isabelle in Senior Youth Cart.
Tanya did one of her twice-annual rides on Isabelle, taking third place in Adult Riding, but looking like a million bucks!
