The Caille Blotter

Northern Lights show

2009-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

It was a small contingent that weekend — one trailer load, in fact — but the scores were where we like them: in the high 50s and into the 60s. Elsie and Melissa tied for the barn's high score of the weekend: 61.628 percent. Elsie at Third 3, Melissa at Fourth 1.

For Meredith and Callum, at least, it was a tune-up for the regionals. For Elsie, it was her last show of the season. Two weeks later, she up and left for college! Name the horse, name the rider:

The Splish-Splash Show

2009-08-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dog Days? Drenched Days would be more like it. What a weekend! Thunder. Lightning. Sheets of rain. Flotation devices (just joking!). Puddles. Mud. But ... the show went on — between rain delays, that is.

Rachel and Finnegan and Erin and Arriba brought some nice scores from their Training Level tests. Erin snagged a 63 percent!

Elise and Ernie, riding First Level, got very nice scores, too. He very carefully did not get his feet wet in the process -- no extra credit for that, though.

Laurel was the queen of rain delays. How many riders can say they were rung into and out of the ring in less than a minute! Twice even.

Elsie and Schnecke caught a small break by riding on Sunday, when it was a titch drier. Sunny, even. Anna and Niamh toughed out the weather and they, too, did well.

Identity Confusion ...

2009-08-16T23:40:00.001-07:00

So. Derry. Who do you think you are. Planxty?

And Then There Was July

2009-08-05T11:24:00.001-07:00

It was another scorcher two weeks later for the Great Arabian Get-Together in Sauk Centre. Erin and Arriba, Laurel and Derry, and Elise and Bailey were there. Derry didn't care for the applause from the next ring, but some nice ribbons came back at the end of the show, regardless.

Erin and Arriba:

Elise and Bailey:

Laurel and Derry:

There was barely enough time to get the trailer emptied and reloaded -- the next weekend, it was off to Washington County again for the Midsummer show. This is always a fun weekend, but it was especially noteworthy this time: It was Skye's debut! Barb Anderson rode her on Friday and Barb Taylor rode her on Saturday, just four days before she, Skye and Leisle moved back to Texas. This is Skye's first-ever entrance:

And, the rest of her test on Friday.

A special shout-out to Anna Koch. She rode Niamh in third-level tests and scored in the 60s! At her very first show, no less! Go, Anna!

Some Catching Up to Do -- the June Shows

2009-08-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here it is, August already! It seems like summer is whipping by, doesn't it? Caille Farm's riders have kept up nicely — and have some great scores in a busy summer. Remember the SunDance shows? Everyone came home with lots of ribbons and some qualifying scores for the regionals. Among them were Abby and Charlie, who won their First 4 class on Friday. They snagged their second qualifying score on Saturday. And, as insurance, they got a 66.8 percent in the same test on Sunday. Yay!

On Saturday, Brittany and Capri won their Training 1 class. In third place was Rachel and Finnegan. And, Flannary was a smashing success in the in-hand class: 80 percent!

Two weeks later -- the annual trip to Mason City, which is always great fun. The Caille riders broke into two teams this year for Friday's portion of the weekend:

Hannah and Retro, Melissa and Phoenix, and Elsie and Schnecke

Elizabeth and Planxty, Elise and Ernie, and Meredith and Callum

It was another busy weekend, but Caille Farm put in a fabulous show! Many, many scores in the 60s, some 1st and 2nd place showings, against some strong competition. Several more qualifying scores to boot. It was plenty hot -- remember the sunscreen next year -- but at least there were no gullywasher rainstorms this time. We can't say enough how handy it was to have WalMart and a coffee shop directly across the road. At least one mom is now a card-carrying member of the Cabin Coffee Co. customer club ...

We were so happy that Abby could come down on Saturday and spend the weekend with us. And, thanks to BT for lending her truck and trailer. Retro got to ride in the luxury suite! If you have a minute, here are some pictures from the weekend:

St. Croix Classic Results

2009-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

OK. So it rained. A lot. The Caille Farm contingent still did very well at a very wet show:

Elsie earned a qualifying score at Third Level. She and Schnecke rode the test twice and won their class each time! They also rode Fourth Level tests — go, Elsie! — and snagged a Second Place in both of those.

Elise! We need your scores!

Elizabeth and Planxty brought home Second and Third Place ribbons riding Training and First Level tests in all the muck.

Hannah now has a spare qualifying score at Third Level. Among the tests she rode with Retro, she collected Fifth, Second and First Place ribbons.

Everyone's had a few days to dry out, so now it's on to the Sundance shows! It will be warm and sunny. It will be warm and sunny. It will be warm and sunny. It will be warm and ...

Hannah Qualified!

2009-06-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

At Mason City two weeks ago! She and Retro won four First Places: Third Level, Tests 1, 2 and 3, plus they were named Champion at Third Level.

Elizabeth and Planxty also had a good weekend. They won two First Place ribbons and two Second Place ribbons in Training and First Level tests.

Caper was a very good boy. Barb rode him in some Third Level Test 1 classes and won two Second Places. Nice!

This weekend is the season's first Washinton County show. If you aren't busy with graduation parties or last-minute homework, go on over and cheer everyone on. It promises to be a lovely couple of days.

It's Going to Be a Great Season

2009-05-21T22:53:00.001-07:00

... If last weekend's results were any indication! Melissa and Phoenix and Laurel and Derry went to Sauk Centre with Barb for the NMAHA Arabian Show. How did they do?

Melissa and Phoenix hit it homers in both of their tests:
First Place for 3rd Level, Test 2
First Place for 4th, 1.

Laurel and Derry showed they know their stuff, too:
Third Place for 3rd Level, Test 1
Second Place for 3rd, 2

This weekend? On to the Bara Trac show at Mason City — Barb will be showing Caper, Elizabeth will be on Planxty and Hannah with Retro. We know you all will do a great job! More important, have fun!

Do You Have Plans?

2009-04-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Think about spending an afternoon at the Horse Expo this weekend! Wear your Caille Farm gear and check out lots of horsie things — for people and animals — great people-watching and of course horses! Two in particular: Callum and Niamh will be there as part of the contingent for the American Warmblood Society. This is their second year -- watch them perform during the breed demonstration at 5:33 in the afternoon or watch them during the Parade of Breeds over the noon hour. Most of the time, they'll be doing what they like best, snacking in their stalls and accepting treats.

Hope to see you!

Maybe for the Next Show Season?

2009-04-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Do not try this at home:

Look Who Went for a Walk Today!

2009-04-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

No, not Barb. Flannary! She was such a good girl, walking alongside Dixie. She went around the barn a couple of times, around the property and between the trailers, which was a little scary only the first time. We'll have to do it again soon.

Some Horse (Word) Play

2009-03-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already found this website, give it a try. Look what you can get:

Make your own and compare -- everyone's will be different!

Have You Heard?

2009-02-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

Flannary is a winner — a national winner! She snared the silver medal from the American Warmblood Society in its 2008 National Inspection rankings as a yearling filly. That is in addition to her silver medal and blue ribbon from AWS during the Region 4 inspections last October over at Victoria Station.

Little brother Taliskar, by the way, got himself a red ribbon that same day — not a bad performance for his very first field trip!

Wrapping Paper

2008-12-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

and a few ribbons and bows and stockings! Check out the slideshow from the stall decorating party on the Caille Farm website -- see any familiar faces?

It's December ...

2008-12-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

... have you renewed your memberships? If you plan to show next summer, be sure your records are up to date with the following organizations:

CSDEA
USDF
USEF

Most, if not all, of the paperwork can be taken care of online. Don't forget any breed registries that you might belong to, as well, and also remember to register for yearend awards.

CSDEA Banquet

2008-12-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, the Como Park Conservatory. Many familiar faces, of course -- out of context, of course. No barns, no horses, no breeches. Just lots of people milling around, chatting, checking out the auction prizes and nibbling on the hors d'oeuvres.

Everyone listened intently when Becky Holder talked about riding in the Olympics and what a champ (mostly) that Comet had been. And then, there were the year-end awards. The Caille contingent had a nice showing:

Abby — 4th place Training Level
Meredith – 3rd place Second Level
Hannah – 1st place Second Level

We're Not Joking

2008-12-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

No, really. We couldn't possibly make this up:

One Familiar Face and Two New Ones

2008-11-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

It's November, so that means a clinic with Ron Postleb, from Crown Dressage International. As always, there were no shortage of riders this past weekend. The focus? Half halt, not pulling! Get off his face! Worked every time. Just ask Schnecke, Callum, Derry, Phoenix, Caper and Skye.

So much for the familiar face. Who is the new horse? That would be Mickey, who happens to be Alyxczar's half-brother. Neither one of them appear to be impressed by that detail, however. Mickey's owner? That is Elise! Welcome and we'll see you around the barn.

Look Who Came for a Visit!

2008-11-18T22:09:00.001-08:00

Tomoko!

Unfortunately, she could only stay for a week, but we did our best to see that she had a good time. Of course, that meant riding! Not many action shots – those are still in Tomoko's camera – these are blurry, but useable. Who took them, anyway. Honestly.

Niamh was he only one who might have been happy to see her go home – Tomoko rode some of the starch out of her. Heh-heh-heh.

AWS inspection results

2008-10-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

It was a week ago Saturday that the Barbs and Tracy brought Flannary and Taliskar over to Victoria Station for the inspection and ratings by a judge from the American Warmblood Society.

They – the horses, that is – did very, very well. Taliskar went first. Tracy did the showing him in hand, walking, trotting, generally keeping his attention off the fact that he couldn't see Flannary. Two horses later, Laurel and Barb led Flannary through the same routine. The judge really liked her at-liberty carriage!

Flannary went home with a rating of blue-preferred, as well as the day's silver medal! Taliskar won a rating of red-preferred, which is not the least bit shabby, either. Remember that this was their first field trip away from the barn. Well done!

A round of applause ...

2008-10-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

... for Melissa and Phoenix! She's won first place in the USDF Arabian/All-Breed awards as a Jr./Young Rider.

CSDEA Festival results

2008-09-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

As one passerby commented, how could this be a horse show — it wasn't raining! No it wasn't. It was absolutely lovely, a perfect weekend to take home some ribbons. And that's what Caille Farm did:

Abby G. and Charlie Brown
Champion, Training Level, 15 and under
Reserve Champion, JR Training Level

Meredith and Callum
Champion, Second Level JR/YR
6th place, Third Level JR/YR

Hannah and Retro
5th place, Second level JR/YR

Melissa and Phoenix
Reserve Champion, Third Level JR/YR

Elsie and Schnecke
5th place, Third Level, JR/YR

Barb and Niamh
Reserve Champion, Fourth Level, Open division

All in all, a terrific way to wrap up the show season. Well done!

Time Out for a Little Vacation

2008-09-19T20:35:00.001-07:00

Niamh, Derry and Beau might not agree, but it was definitely a nice break for Ruth and the Barbs -- the annual trek to Fort Robinson, Neb., for a few days of riding, relaxing and goofing off. We even had a fellow traveler this year, Pam Larson of Stillwater with her horse, Tajj. She, too, is a Fort Rob veteran, but her ride had fallen through, so she threw in with us, the poor woman.

As always, we left just after midnight and arrived at the park at about 3:00, full of candy, truck stop food, candy, coffee, candy, water and ... candy. We checked in, of course — yes, you have to wear a name tag! — got the horses settled and called dibs on the bathroom in our cottage, which used to be officers' quarters when the park was a military installation. This is the view from our door:

This is the view from the stalls:

Over the next few days, we caught up with old friends and made a few new ones. If you ever need some inspiration, remind yourself that there were at least three riders over the age of 70, including Carleton, who we corraled into sitting with us at dinner:

The first day was spent riding up and down hills, through water, despite Niamh's best efforts otherwise. We had lunch in the field — great soup! — before some more ups and downs and more water on the way back to the barns. That night? Team penning! Guess who had a blast:

Rain on Friday thinned out the ranks

— not Barb A. and Derry, however — and on Saturday?

Cattle drive! The ratio of riders per long horn guaranteed success. We all broke off into smaller groups, fanning out behind the 30 or so cattle, which slipped had through the net during a previous move to the winter pasture and had found themselves a tidy hiding spot among the bluffs. One group pushed them down and the rest of us — mostly the flatlanders who stayed on the easy terrain — kept them heading toward the gate and the road.

Once they were all headed in the right direction, our job became to keep them that way. Guess who had a blast:

How can you top a day like that? Breakfast on the bluffs the next morning, naturally. No pictures, unfortunately, but believe us when we say that the pancakes were enormous and the ham was smoky good. And the scenery? O ja. As breathtaking as always.

So. Everything and everyone packed up and, with the sun behind us this time, we hit the road home, chasing that big juicy moon as it rose over the South Dakota horizon.

Candy, anyone?

p.s. For pictures from the trail, click here and look through the first three albums at the top.

The Last Show of the Season

2008-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tack clean?

Horses clean?

Tests memorized?

Good -- the CSDEA Festival is this weekend. Unlike other years, this weekend promises to be lovely, so we shouldn't have to dig out the arctic wear just yet.

Saturday's early birds: Laurel at 8:32 and Elsie at 8:34.

Sunday's early birds: Hannah at 8:40 and Meredith at 9:28.

See you there. Bring coffee.

Regionals Show Results

2008-09-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend in Mason City was busy as always. The horses were in one of the barns instead of the covered outdoor stalls, which made hanging out a bit more pleasant but the real action, of course, was in the ring. The final standings, in no particular order:

Elizabeth and Tucker:
4th place, Third Level Test 3 MidWest Championship

Elizabeth and Capri:

9th place, Third Level USDF Regional Championship

Elsie and Schnecke:

5th place, Third Level MidWest Championship
11th place, Third Level USDF Regional Championship

Hannah and Retro:

4th place, Second Level MidWest Championship
4th place, Second Level USDF Regional Championship

Meredith and Callum:

6th place, Second Level USDF Regional Championship

Melissa and Phoenix:

7th place, Third Level MidWest Championship
7th place, Third Level USDF Regional Championship

Of course, there were a couple of pictures with Barb:

Saturday's mascot was none other than Gunnar, the EverReady Bunny dog:

... who slept like the dead all the way home. All those new smells wore him out.

Mason City, Here We Come!

2008-09-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Northern Lights show at Washington County a week or so ago was a weekend of firsts: Abby's first show since coming to the barn with Charlie Brown, Laurel's first third-level rides on Derry and Meredith's first third-level rides on Callum, as well.

It was a productive and even winning weekend. A special shout-out to Leslee Baldinger, who volunteered to read, which allowed Barb the opportunity to watch the rides from the stands and beat up on whoever was sitting next to her.

Next: a bit early this year, but the Regional Championships are this weekend, already! Most everyone is heading down Thursday afternoon after school: Barb and Barb Taylor will be trailering the horses -- Phoenix, Retro, Schnecke, Callum, Capri and Tucker -- and the girls will be driving down with assorted parents and interested others. Mason City is usually:

a) windy
b) cold
c) wet
d) any combination of the above

but it's always fun. And this weekend will be no different. Now. Get packing -- and clean your tack! You know who you are.