2013 Happenings

Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013


Our show season finally wrapped up today. It’s been such a fun year and I have been privileged to watch these young riders progress. Here’s a wrap up of the last two weekends:

Last Sunday we took our riders to August Farm to finish out the series and they all did a fabulous job, earning another plethora of ribbons in their class/divisions with many Champions & Reserves for the day. As each division concluded, yearend standings were announced and they did pretty darn well there too!!

Alaina Dacko & Dallas earned Year End Champion in Beginner W/T! I cannot tell you how far this young lady has come in just a year. Thank you Dallas for being the confidence building rock she needed and Thank you Alaina for trusting me and working hard. It’s all paid off and I am thrilled to see you move up!

Gianna Palombo & Shadow earned Year End Third in Beginner W/T! Gianna worked her tail off to figure out those pesky posting diagonals and to improve her leg position and it paid off. Coming into this show, she didn’t really have enough points for a year end, but since she nailed her diagonals she went from pinning 4th or 5th to 1st & 2nd and that was enough to put her up to Third for the year. Well done Gianna!!

Shelby Gillis rode Shadow & Shep to a Year End Championship in W/T Equitation and also pulled in a Year End Third in W/T Hunters. Shelby has been catch riding all year and only recently got a more permanent mount in Shep. We are very grateful to the Palumbo family for letting us borrow Shadow and Shelby gave him some great rides at the shows. I am very proud of this young lady for stepping up to the plate and giving it her all each and every time!

Nicole Dacko rode our little Puddle Jumper (aka PJ!) to a Year End Reserve Champion in the School Horse division, securing that spot in a mere two shows. Way to go Nic & PJ!

Nicole also rode her own Christopher Hunter to Year End Reserve Champion in the Low Hunter Division. This pair has blossomed together as Splash has learned to trust Nic and I am excited to see what next year brings for them. I see only great things!

Today we pulled our darling Pablo out of the mothballs and took him to Beland Stables Schooling show. Lana Hogan started leasing him a few months ago and we figured we’d better see how he’d come out so we would know what to work on next for next Spring. An unfortunate incident while trucking to the show set our old man off and it took some time for him to settle, but he did, and once he went to work he gave it his all. A lovely Training 3 test was the result, and First 1 wasn’t bad, but the old man ran out of gas a bit. All in all a very successful day for this new pair! Really looking forward to next season with them.

Next Season all the riders will be moving up a division (or two!) and we have already started the process of making sure we are ready. IT’S NO STIRRUP NOVEMBER I am frequently amazed what just one lesson without stirrups can do.

See you all soon!

A Little About Myself

With over 25 years experience working with horses and riders, I have developed an exceptional ability to tap into what motivates each student and advance their skills and confidence, not only for riding, but also in everyday life.

Working with animals helps individuals learn to better relate to others with understanding and respect. The responsibilities of caring for horses help teach time management, leadership, decision making, and cooperation. Riders at Smithlynd Equine discover the fun, friendship and power of teamwork through proper horsemanship and farm activities.

Safety is a high priority at Smithlynd for horse and rider. Our school horses are carefully chosen and are beginner friendly. Our intermediate & advanced students enjoy working on their Dressage & jumping skills with our Schoolmasters. We are proud to have such horses on our team. They are wonderful teachers too!

Of course, I am not only a teacher, but also a student. I continue to expand my knowledge of riding and equine behavior, training, nutrition & health by attending seminars and clinics with top instructors and through volunteer work at Tufts University Large Animal Hospital.