Progress!

Haha!  Thanks to a lack of sleep this morning, I got Ritchie's stuff all packed, buckets, grain, braiding stuff, all but one hay bale which I will load after tomorrow.  I even got my own bag half packed!! 

Looking forward to tomorrow morning.  We are getting a new boarder at Shimmer-E, a Cleveland Bay x T-bred mare.  Should be very neat.  I got to meet her owner a few evenings ago, a sweet girl who is going to university this fall and needs a safe home for her horse.  I think they will both fit in very well with our group of "country bumkins".  Hope the horse likes my trailer as much as mine do though.

Getting Anxious!

I like to be an organized person and it does kind of drive me crazy when obligations in life get in the way of my accomplishing said organization, ESPECIALLY when something very important is coming up.  This time specifically it's my "normal person" work schedule getting in the way of packing up and practising sufficiently for the RPSI inspection in Okotokes on Tuesday. 

I hope tomorrow morning I will get some time in to get everything packed that I need.  Thank goodness it's just one young horse and he's only being inspected in hand.  I have his special leather halter, new cotton lead, slinky and over-night sheet packed but I haven't gotten his braiding supplies or bathing/grooming supplies packed and I haven't reclipped his bridle path yet either!  Feel like such a slacker.  Oh and FEED!!  The "little" fella likes to eat.  He's only 15.2 hh at 15 months old...

Once I have him packed, then I get to turn my attentions to his handler (yours truly) and the little missus!!  My mom and daughter, Al, will be joining me on this adventure and I am glad for the company.  Al is 2.5 years old now and we're working on potty training (and doing very well I might add!)  But it's kind of nerve wracking having to remember not only for the horse and myself, but for a potty training 2 year old as well! 

The RPSI (Rheinland Pfal Saar International) is a German-based international warmblood registration that's touring north america doing inspections. They are coming to Okotokes and that's where we're meeting up with them.  Ritchie (LaBamba SE) will be inspected, registered and FULLY BRANDED!!  I am really excited about this.  If you haven't checked out my website to find out who Ritchie is, he's by international Grand Prix dressage stallion Lacado, who is a sire-side half-brother to Flemmingh, Krack-C's sire.  Lacado is a beautiful expressive Holsteiner I fell in LOVE with online.  I hope to one day meet him in person. 
Ritchie is out of my favourite broodmare, 16.1 hh Canadian Warmblood Fronta De Line (Frontenac x C U Soon).  Frontenac (Westphalen) was a successful FEI mount with is partner Pat Oxby until his very untimely passing from a fractured pelvis.  He certainly stamped his offspring with an expressive trot and cadence.  Breeding these two horses together has provided me with my dream baby who I aspire to train and compete to Grand Prix dressage.  Since we're a little off the wall out here, he will also show sidesaddle (one of my passions) and will learn some tricks as well.  The plan is to keep him a stallion, but the final say will be his. 

I like the country

I've decided, now that I've gone back to regular work in the city, that I really like being out in the country.  Our farm is 52 acres of mostly field, paddocks and ponies <3.  We do have neighbours but they're just far enough away that my husband and his friends can go out and play with their firearms without worry.  It's been very convenient for desensitizing the horses, just wish I'd get desensitized to it too!

I do like living out in the country, the quiet, the freedom, the space, but don't get me wrong, I DESPISE country music and the only place a cowboy hat belongs is in a western class at a horse show or nailed onto my tack room wall.  Yeah, I'll put them there if they show up at home.  One of my most detested things in the world is cowboys.  Now, that is NOT to say I have the same disgust for farm boys.  Growing up they were lots of fun, have much respect for them cause at least they KNOW how to ride a horse and which way a saddle goes on and didn't run away from hard work like throwing and stacking bales.  Cowboys are just in it for the look, the trucks and the sterios.  Not sure how that goes along with the real thing, but alas, I digress....

Welcome to the long weekend!  I will be working, I guess there is truly no rest for the wicked haha. 

I'm hoping to get out into the city to check out some suiting material, hoping to get a new sidesaddle habit built.  A real victorian/gothic one.  Wanting a nice pearl grey colour, heavy enough for the apron that it will hang really well without rows and rows of drapery cord in the hem.  But the other part of that is the jacket's going to be ungodly heavy at the same time.... Ah, just can't win! 

Hope you have a great long weekend!
Ramen!

Initial Blog, Welcome to me!!

Good day!
I have decided, after following a friend's blog, that it is something I should participate in as well.

Here's about me:
Hi!  I'm Amanda.  I'm early 30's, married, mother of one fantastic little girl, who is very much a toddler.  We have a farm north-west od Edmonton where we breed a small amount of amature-friendly warmbloods and sport-horse crosses.  My passion is dressage.  I have trained to the FEI levels, shown to 4th and love all of it!  Currently I have a 5 year old pinto gelding named Norton and a yearling warmblood colt who will be heading down to Okotokes with me for an inspection with the RHPSI (Rheinland Pfal-Saar International) for full registration and branding.  He will then be referred to as a "Zwekenberg".  Ain't that fancy?  I'm all sorts of excited about him as he is a grand prix dressage (I'm sure jumping too, but I just don't go there...) and stud prospect.  His name is LaBamba SE, we call him Ritchie.  <3