Castle Farm headed down to Southern Pines this past Saturday for a day of dressage, cross country, and stadium. Three horse and rider teams attended: Heather King on Cassidy, Dominique Major on Sandi, and Heather Mercer on Patti! This was the first time Heather King has only ridden one horse at a show in a LONG time, so we were all happy that it was an easy, relaxing show (compared to others we've been to)! This was also Heather Mercer's first horse trial on Patti, as well as her first show as Patti's new owner. Heather and Cassie competed in Open Beginner Novice, Heather Mercer and Dominique competed in Sr. Maiden.

Heather and Cassie started the day off with a 34.8% after Beg. Novice test B. This put them in 2nd place out of 4 entries. They headed off to what was probably one of the best cross country rides they've had together! Unfortunately, Heather was a little TOO confident with their ride, and accidentally jumped the wrong last jump, which resulted in a technical elimination for the team. Since it was a schooling show, they were still able to continue on to stadium. The show organizers must have been super busy, because they forgot to lower the stadium heights for the beginner novice division, and Heather and Cassie actually ended up jumping novice height stadium (2'11")! This was the first time Cassie had jumped a course of that height, and she did GREAT for her first time! Overall, Heather said she was EXTREMELY pleased with Cassidy and their rides for the show!

Next to go were Heather M and Dominique. Heather M came out of dressage with a 36.5% (after Heather K found a scoring error, which bumped her overall placing up at the end of the day!) Dominique and Sandi came out of dressage with a 32%. They headed out to jump, where Heather Mercer and Patti went double clear cross country and stadium, and finished the day on their dressage score with 4th place out of 13 entries! Way to go! Dominique and Sandi went double clear cross country, but unfortunately the sun plank got the better of them in stadium, and they incurred 4 jumping faults, bumping their score to 36%; however, they still finished 3rd out of 13! Way to go!

Everyone had a great time and we can't wait to go back next month for their next horse trial!

Another addition to the Castle Farm team was made official this week - we now own Dover! Castle Farm has been leasing Dover from our wonderful farrier, Rusty Castleberry, since November, and after falling in love with the cutest pony ever(tied for second with Schuyler, of course), Heather gave in and purchased him, making him an official Castle Farm owned pony!

After many combined years of riding, mother/daughter riding team Lois and Heather Mercer finally fulfilled the ultimate horse-lover's goal: they bought their first horse! Not only is this FABULOUS news for the Mercer family, but it's great news for everyone all around, because the horse they purchased is none other than the wonderful Patti! Patti's been at Castle Farm for awhile in training with Heather, and several months ago the Mercers started leasing her and riding/competing her. They fell in love with her, and were finally able to purchase her last week! Heather and Lois look forward to many years of riding and showing Patti, and Castle Farm looks forward to the newest addition to the lesson program! Congrats!

Heather King headed down to the Carolina Horse Park this past weekend for the third recognized horse trial of the year (for us anyway - this time with two horses in tow! Heather and Sunny Side (Patti) competed in the Open Beginner Novice division this time, and Heather and CF Baltic Royal Flush (Cassidy) competed in the Starter division for Cassie's first recognized horse trial ever!

Friday:
We arrived midday Friday, and already the sun was forecasting the weather to come. It was HOT! After getting their stalls ready and unpacking and setting in, Heather rode Patti and Cassie before we all headed out to walk her cross country courses. The beginner novice course was laid out very differently from anything we'd ever seen at the horse park, and the starter course was entirely in the infield of the steeplechase track. Both courses looked like fun and we couldn't wait for the competition to start the next day!

Saturday:
Luckily, Heather had late ride times with both of her horses, and thanks to very generous stablemates who fed our horses breakfast both mornings, we didn't have to get to the show grounds until 8:00! After braiding both horses and watching some of the prelim riders go cross country, it was finally time for Heather to compete. Heather rode Patti first as they headed over to the dressage ring to ride Beginner Novice Test B. They left the ring with a score of 35.7%, which put them in 5th place out of 9. Immediately after hopping off Patti, Heather had to get on Cassie for their dressage test. They rode Beginner Novice A and left the ring with a score of 32.5%, which put them in 2nd place out of 13. With less than 10 minutes of downtime after hopping off Cassie, Heather had to mount right back up again - this time on Patti for cross country! They had a GREAT run cross country and finished double clear! This moved them up to 1st place! Immediately after Patti's cross country, Heather hopped back on Cassidy for their cross country run. The course was actually tougher than everyone thought it would be, with tight turns, max heights, and a LONG optimum time, and in combination with the heat and being tired from earlier in the day, they had one refusal cross country. When they came to the jump the second time however, Cassie had no problems and sailed over it! Unfortunately, their refusal bumped them down to 7th place.

Sunday:
Again, thanks to our very generous stablemates, we didn't have to wake up early to be at the show grounds Sunday morning either. Heather didn't ride until 1pm, so we had a lot of time in the morning to relax, watch other riders go, and walk the stadium course. Finally, when 1:00 rolled around, Heather and Patti entered the ring for the final phase of the weekend. Unfortunately, they pulled one rail, which dropped them to 2nd place. Definitely not bad for her second recognized show at Beginner Novice! Not too long after finishing her victory lap on Patti, Heather got on Cassie for their stadium round. They went double clear, and moved up to 4th place! Definitely not bad for Cassie's first ever recognized horse trial!

All in all, everyone had a great time - horses, rider, and volunteers! We can't wait to go back for the next overnight show!

Castle Farm headed out to Mebane, NC the last weekend in May for FenRidge Farm's Dressage, Combined Training, and Horse Trials! Starting the day off were Heather King and Patti in the Beginner Novice Horse Trial division. They left the dressage ring with a score of 36.5%, putting them in 5th place out of 8. They continued on to stadium where they pulled one rail, making their score 40.5% and putting them in 6th place. Immediately after stadium they headed over to the start box for their favorite phase - cross country! The team went double clear, and they moved up in the ranks finishing with a score of 40.5% and winning 2nd out of 8 entries! Not too bad! In between all her rides with Patti, Heather was also competing her own filly Cassidy in the Hopeful Rider division. This division consists of Beginner Novice dressage and stadium, and maiden cross country. They started their day off with a 32.5% after dressage, putting them in 2nd place out of 6. They continued on to stadium where they went double clear, and moved up in the ranks putting them in first place! Finally, they headed out on cross country, where everything "clicked" with Cassidy - Heather said she was pulling her to the jumps by the end! They went double clear and finished on their dressage score of 32.5%, and winning their division! Way to go!

Next to compete were Heather Mercer and Patti in the Maiden Combined Training division for their first CT show together, and Elizabeth Hilmar and Gypsy in Intro A and Intro B for their first dressage show together! Heather and Patti left the dressage ring with a score of 35% and headed over to stadium, where they jumped double clear and finished on their dressage score, winning their division! Not too bad for their first time out together! Lizzy and Gypsy headed into the dressage ring next, and finished the day with a score of 54% in Intro A (2nd out of 3), and a score of 52% in Intro B (4th out of 5). Not bad for their first show together!

Finally, we can't forget another important event that happened during the show - we got to head over to the farm's boarding stable to see Heather's old show horse, Jo! After a year in Pennsylvania, Jo and her new owner decided the snowy weather just wasn't for them, and they moved back to North Carolina. Everyone (especially Heather) was so excited to see Jo, and she looked great! Definitely living life in style with her cozy stall and private run! We all enjoyed seeing her again, and she definitely enjoyed all the treats and carrots we gave her.

All in all, it was a GREAT show! We can't wait to come back for the next one!

Castle Farm would like to welcome 2 new students, and welcome back two returning students this month. Kacey and Alex Rodier are brand new to Castle Farm and very excited to be learning about horses. These two sisters have had several lessons so far, and are soaking everything up and asking tons of great questions! Another pair of family members have returned to Castle Farm after taking some time off. Mother and daughter, Laura and Rachel Rubish, are back riding like they never missed a beat. Their position, balance and control were really amazing in their first lesson back, although, I'm sure they are more than a little sore still. Hopefully, we will see more of them throughout the summer. June looks to be a busy month, with a couple of horse trials and a trail ride. Don't forget Father's Day on June 20th! I'm sure a lot of us wouldn't be able to enjoy this wonderful sport without their support. Have a great month!

After a long day at the Hunter pace Saturday, Castle Farm headed out with two very tired horses and 3 riders (2 who were tired from the hunter pace the day before) to Sharon Oaks Stables in Hillsborough, NC for their jumper show! Starting the day off was Ashley Godfrey on "Head Over Heels" (Cisco - poor guy has a different name at every show...I wonder if he knows his real name?) in the 2'6 division. Tired from the day before and jumping on footing much deeper than we have at home, the pair did pretty well, earning a 4th in their first class. Next to go were Gabby and Cisco - this time in the 2'3 division. In their class they earned 2nd out of 6 and headed to the jump off where they also earned 2nd! For the next class (2'0), Ashley hopped back on Cisco and they earned a 3rd in their jumper class. Heather and Cassidy also competed in this class, earning a 5th in their warm up, a 6th in their jumper class, and a 2nd in the jump off. Finally, the last division of the day was the 18" division. Heather and Gabby both competed at this height. In the warm up class, Gabby earned 3rd and Heather earned 2nd. In the jumper class, Gabby earned 3rd and Heather earned 2nd. In the jump off, Gabby earned 3rd and Heather won!

Everyone had a great time at the show and Cisco and Cassidy slept the whole way home . Well, not really, but they did enjoy Monday off! We can't wait to go back for the next show!

Castle Farm headed out to Quail Roost Farm in Rougemont, NC this past weekend for the Red Mountain Hounds hunter pace! Nine horses and riders attended: Heather King on Cassidy, Katelyn McFetridge on Gypsy (this was the first time Katelyn rode Gypsy off the property!), Amanda Guffey on Sandi, Elizabeth Hilmar on Patti, Katie Powell on Leo, Jordyn Dunson on Clyde, Chelsea Tipton on Cheerio, Jessica Sawyer on Jett, and Ashley Godfrey on Cisco. The day started off great until we heard a "pop" a few miles after we hit 540 - the left rear tire on the 6 horse trailer had popped! After waiting on the side of 540 for the highway patrol to help escort us to the other side of the road during the heavy traffic so we could change the tire, we eventually got back on track - only 2 hours behind schedule! After everyone tacked up, each team headed out for their ride. Team Black consisted of Jordyn and Chelsea, and they competed in the Hilltopper division. Team Green/Burgundy consisted of Jess and Ashley, who also competed in the Hilltopper division. Team Green consisted of Katie and Lizzy, who competed in the Stroller division. Team Green/Burgundy/Pink consisted of Katelyn, Amanda, and Heather, who also competed in the Stroller division. After 1-2 hours of riding up and down hills, over rocks and roots, through (or over) water, over jumps, in the woods and through open fields, the four teams headed back towards the finish on their very tired mounts! Everyone had a great time on the hunter pace and we can't wait for the Fall hunter pace - which just so happens to be on Halloween and rumor has it they're planning a "costume" pace! We can't wait to go back!

LOTS OF THANKS TO:
-Jerry Pinkerton for hauling the 2 horse trailer AND for changing the tire on the 6 horse - without him we definitely wouldn't have been able to take as many riders, and we might not have made it to the event on time!
-The McFetridge Family for providing us with an EXCELLENT meal from Bojangles when we returned home from the hunter pace!

Results:
-Team Black: 6th out of 21 teams in Hilltoppers!
-Team Green/Burgundy: 9th out of 21 teams in Hilltoppers!
-Team Green/Burgundy/Pink: 3rd out of 9 teams in Strollers!
-Team Green: 4th out of 9 teams in Stollers!

Castle Farm has been busy as usual, and we would like to welcome one new student and one new horse to our farm this month. Randie Rowland is a young student who is just getting started in her riding career. She has a pony of her own, but has come to Castle Farm to get a proper start in riding and horsemanship. Randie has also joined our 4H program, which is running full steam ahead this spring. We would also like to welcome a new horse into our training program. Moon Shadow, aka Shadow, is owned by long time Castle Farm student Jordyn Dunson. Jordyn purchased Shadow as a 3 year old for a re-sale project. Jordyn and I will be working with Shadow together as Shadow learns how to become a riding horse, and Jordyn learns how to get a horse properly started. This is a great example that no matter how long you have been riding or been around horses, there is always something more to learn!

Heather King and Sunny Side (Patti) headed down to Southern Pines last weekend for Patti's first overnight horse trial. They competed in the Beginner Novice Rider division. After trying a new approach to Patti's dressage warm up the day before, the pair headed over to the dressage ring early Saturday morning fully prepared to ride their test - unfortunately it happened to be the wrong test! After a quick 5 minute look at the actual test they were riding (Beginner Novice B - NOT Beginner Novice A), Heather and Patti trotted into the dressage ring having never ridden (or even practiced at home) the test they were about to perform. As we soon found out though, Patti must prefer not knowing the test in advance, because it turned out to be one of their best tests ever! They came out of the dressage ring with a score of 36.7% and in 16th place out of 28 entries (the scores were all VERY tight). After a 6 hour break with nothing to do except shop and play games during the wait, Heather and Patti tacked up for a second time that day - this time for cross country! After warming up, Heather and Patti headed out on course, and it was obvious that Patti was completely relaxed yet excited at the same time. Heather said it was the best Patti had ever felt going XC, and they finished their course double clear, moving up to 14th place! The next day, after a quiet and relaxed jumping warm up, Heather and Patti entered the stadium ring, and finished their course with no jumping faults and only 2 time penalties. They finished the event with a final score of 38.7% and moved up to 11th place! Everyone who went (competitor, horse, and volunteers) had a great time and we all can't wait for the next horse trial!