Congratulations Samantha and Wrisque on a fantastic 2007 Horse Show Season!
There's a line in the Kenny Rogers song, The Gambler, that says: "There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done". Well the 2007 Hunter Jumper horse show season has ended and now it's time to count our chips! Samantha and Wrisque competed in two series this year: Horse Show Ventures Southeastern Hunter / Jumper Series and The Georgia Hunter Jumper Association 2007 Series. In both cases the results were fantastic and there are so many people to thank for that success.
2007 Horse Show Ventures Southeastern Hunter / Jumper Series:
Junior / Senior Hunter - First
Children's Hunter - First (started competing in June)
Long Stirrup Equitation - Fifth (ended competing in May)
Junior / Senior Equitation - Second
12-14 Equitation - First
2007 Georgia Hunter / Jumper Association Series:
Junior / Senior Hunter - Fifth
12-14 Equitation - Fourth
For those of you that like the gory details, Samantha and Wrisque pinned in 146 classes this season. They had an average pinning of third place. There were twenty-four firsts, thirty-three seconds, thirty-four thirds, twenty-one fourths, thirteen fifths, twelve sixths, two sevenths, three champions, and four reserve champions. All and all a fabulous result for a season that was so unsure at the start.
The season began under a cloud of sorrow when Flex our thoroughbred show horse died suddenly just before new years throwing all our 2007 plans into the wind. With the help of so many people the 2007 horse show season was the best year Samantha has had. Most of all, thanks to God for making all of the pieces of the 2007 season come together. We started the 2007 season with no barn, no trainer, and no horse. As you can imagine, the list of thank yous will be quite long for all the friends that helped us get this season on track.
Here goes, but forgive us if we overlooked anyone, there were so many that helped:
Ron and Candy Manley - Thanks for taking over Daves Creek Farm when Louis left so that we had a place to keep our horses.
Linda Flesner - Thanks for leasing us Wrisque so Samantha would have a horse to ride in 2007. Thanks a second time for deciding to sell her to us on terms we could meet.
Dr. Ken Marcella - Thanks for helping us meet our goal of "sound all season". Thanks to your advice and care we did not miss a single event this year due to lameness.
Dr. Laura Duvalle - Thanks for backing up Dr. Ken with no questions when we wanted what we wanted and didn't have time to explain.
Marrian Figley - Thanks for keeping the wheels under our barefoot mare. Who says you can't compete at 3'0" on a barefoot mare?
Nicole Patterson - Thanks for helping us fatten up Wrisque. When we got her she weighed 1220 pounds and when you got done pouring hay and feed in her she topped out at 1440!
Dr. Gail Dailey - Thanks for providing Chiropractic care to help us figure out where Wrisque hurt so we could keep her healthy.
Elizabeth Wood - Thanks for introducing us to Karen
Karen Boysen - Thanks for taking a chance on a team with no horse and no home. You showed Samantha the way to the next level in her equestrian career.
Mamie Kerr - Thanks for taking care of Skippie so we could keep going this year - that was a win-win-win for Skip, you and us.
Lynn Tyler - Thanks for encouraging us to keep going even when we didn't see how it would work out.
Guillermo Zaugg - Thanks for all the special care for Wrisque to help her with the transition to the Polo Barn just at the season finale of both series.
Laura Ramsey - Thanks for helping Karen with tips on Wrisque and Samantha during the season.
Dreamland Farm - Thanks for encouraging Samantha to do her best even when it was your team she was competing with.
Wrisque - Thanks for taking care of daddy's girl this year, you never let us down.
Samantha - Thanks for working so hard this year.
To all those that we didn't mention that encouraged or aided us this year, thank you so very much.
Regards,
The Lee's - Bob, Cheryl, Samantha, and Wrisque
November 16-18, 2007, GHJA Finale, Wills Park, Alpharetta, GA
This horse show was the final Horse Show of the 2007 GHJA season. Samantha and Wrisque competed in two divisions: Jr/Sr Hunter which had sixty entries and 12/14 Equitation which had 35 entries. Samantha and Wrisque had a fantastic second round in Jr/Sr Hunter that was among the best they have had this year. In 12/14 Equitation, Wrisque was totally freaked out by all the decorations in the covered ring. Samantha did a magnificent job of remaining calm and coxing her forward to get through the round. Most of the jumps were taken from a trot because Wrisque was so scared to move forward. Everyone was amazed when Wrisque took the large oxer from a trot and got over it cleanly. A tough weekend but a job well done goes to Samantha and Wrisque for getting through the courses. The pictures aren't very good because the only camera that was working was the point and click digital. It is impossible to shoot horse show pictures without a telephoto lense and get good quality.
November 10-11, 2007, Horse Show Ventures Final, Wills Park, Alpharetta, GA
This horse show was the final Horse Show Ventures show for the 2007 season. It was a great season for horse and rider! It was a large show with over 150 horses which made for a long day on Saturday. Samantha and Wrisque started at 8:00 AM and didn't finish the last class until 8:00 PM.
Results:
Saturday: Atlanta Saddlery Equitation Challenge On The Flat - fifth; 12-14 Equitation: Flat - fourth, O/F A - fifth, O/F B - second; Jr/Sr Equitation: O/F - first; Jr/Sr Hunter: U/S - first, O/F A - sixth; Atlanta Saddlery Equitation Challenge Invitational - third.
Sunday: 12-14 Equitation: Flat - sixth, O/F A - fifth, O/F B - fifth; Jr/Sr Equitation: Flat - fifth; Jr/Sr Hunter: U/S - first, O/F A - fifth
Saturday
Sunday
October 13-14, 2007, Elite Show Jumping, Chateau Élan, Braselton, GA
It's late in the season and we've pared down the divisions to 12-14 Equitation and Jr/Sr Hunter to keep from overdoing it for the horse or rider. There are three shows the last five weeks of the season so we don't want to over-do it. Saturday turned out better than we had hoped with the following results: 12-14 Equitation Division: Flat - first, Over Fences - second. Jr./Sr. Hunter Division: Over Fences A - first, Under Saddle - fourth which resulted in a Champion in that division. Congratulations to Samantha and Wrisque for a great day at the horse show!
The photo's aren't too good this month because the show did not have a photographer and we were stuck using my point and click digital. With the poor light in the covered ring the photo quality suffered.
Sunday was another good day with the following results: 12-14 Equitation Division: Flat - third, Over Fences - fifth. Jr./Sr. Hunter Division: Under Saddle - third.
September 22-23, 2007 - Horse Show Ventures - Wills Park, Alhparetta, GA
Another show is in the record book for this season. The results for Saturday were: Atlanta Saddlery Equitation Challenge On The Flat - Third. 12-14 Equitation: O/F A - fifth, O/F B - third, Flat - first. Jr/Sr Hunter U/S - fourth. 2'6" Add-back - sixth. Children's Hunter: U/S - second.
The results for Sunday were: 12-14 Equitation: O/F A - third, O/F B - fourth, Flat - third. Children's Hunter: U/S - second. Jr/Sr Hunter: U/S - fourth. Jr/Sr Equitation: Flat - sixth. 2'6" Add-back - fourth.
August 31 - September 2, 2007 - Rush Management Inc., Chateau Elan, Braselton, GA
For the August Show we departed from Horse Show Ventures and combined a first and last for Samantha and Wrisque. They attended their first "A" show together and at the same time it was their last show at Chateau Elan. At the end of this show season, the horse park at Chateau Elan is going to be torn down to build Condos. Some people have no idea what progress is! The venue at Chateau Elan is very nice and we especially enjoyed staying at the Inn. This was the first show that we braided Wrisque's mane and tail and she looks real good all dolled up.
After a slow start on Saturday we decided to school in the afternoon and things quickly improved.
Sunday turned out to be a good day for Samantha and Wrisque as they scored a third and seventh over fences and a sixth on the flat for Low Children's Eqitation.
Most photos for this show by Branum's Photography
July 14-15, 2007 - Horse Show Ventures - Wills Park, Alhparetta, GA
The July show was another battle with summer thunderstorms. With luck, when it was raining Wrisque was coolin' her jets in the barn or she and Samantha were showing in the covered arena. Other than a few dribbles, we stayed dry all weekend. Sam and Wrisque again had a good weekend with a Champion in Jr/Sr Hunter, a Second place in the Children's Hunter Classic (3'0") and a Reserve Champion in 12-14 Equitation. Targa competed in her first dog show in the Mini-Canine-Jumper Class (1'6"). Congratulations to Samantha, Wrisque, Targa, and Karen for a great horse show performance!
We got the Horse Show CD from Branam's Action Sports Photography at this show. The high quality photos are from them. The low resolution shots are from my point and shoot digital camera.
The photos above are of the Mini-Canine-Jumper Class (1'6") that Targa competed in with Samantha and Louisa. Samantha had to compete in Jr/Sr Equitation so we had to scratch the Under Leash class for Targa. There was also a Schooling-Canine (2'0") and Working-Canine (2'6").
The Saturday day's end photo of Samantha in front of the curtain was shot at 9:00 PM. The Jr/Sr class was finally called due to rain and only half of the entrants had run. We were in the sixth group over fences so we had to return Sunday morning at 7:00 AM to complete the division. Saturday Results were: Atlanta Saddlery Equitation Challange On The Flat - Fourth; 12-14 Equitation: O/F A - Second, O/F B - First, Flat - Third, Reserve Champion, Children's Hunter: O/F A - Third, O/F B - Second, U/S - Third, Jr/Sr Hunter: U/S - Fourth, Jr/Sr Equitation: Flat - Seventh.
Second Place in the Children's Hunter Classic (3'0") 
The day was quite long on Sunday. The Jr/Sr division did not start until 6:00 PM. We were in the second of six groups so after the over fences classes we went back to the barn and packed up everything except the horse and show tack. We came back for the last class of the day, Jr/Sr Hunter Under Saddle and finished with a second place in the class and a Championship in the division. The traditional end of day photo above does not include the ribbons for Jr/Sr Hunter or Jr/Sr Equitation as they had not been announced when we went back to the barn to pack up.
The results for Sunday got even better: 12-14 Equitation: Flat - Fourth, O/F A - Second, O/F B - First, Children's Hunter: O/F A - Fifth, O/F B - Fourth, U/S - Second, Classic - Second, Jr/Sr Equitation: Flat - Fourth, Jr/Sr Hunter: O/F A - Fifth , O/F B - First , U/S - Second, Champion
June 2-3, 2007 - Horse Show Ventures - Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, GA
This horse show was a major step up for Samantha and Wrisque. They moved up to Children's Hunter with 3' over fences. The objective was to get around and not make any mistakes. They both did a fantastic job and exceeded the objective with a Reserve Champion in Children's Hunter on Saturday and a first place in the Children's Hunter Classic on Sunday. Congratulations to Samantha, Wrisque and Karen for a job well done!
We got the Horse Show CD from Branam's Action Sports Photography at this show. The high quality photos are from them. The low resolution shots are from my point and shoot digital camera.
Saturday afternoon there was a bar-b-que that provided great food right at the Hunter ring.
To break up the tedium of the day the Hunter ring had a "Cutest Hunter Puppy" completion that Christian entered his pup in.
Results for Saturday were: Atlanta Saddlery Equitation Challenge On The Flat - fourth. 12-14 Equitation on the flat - second, O/F A - third, and O/F B - third. Jr/Sr Equtiation On The Flat - third, O/F - third. Jr/Sr Hunter O/F A - fourth, O/F B - fourth, U/S - first. Children's Hunter O/F A - second, O/F B - first, U/S - third. Reserve Champion - Children's Hunter a fabulous result for Samantha and Wrisque in their first competition at three feet!
Saturday ended with a cadre of ribbons earned by Samantha and Wrisque and one blue ribbon earned by Targa for Cutest Hunter Puppy! The Jumper/Eq ring did not have any Puppy classes this month or we're sure Targa would have cleaned up there too!
Children's Hunter 3' Classic presentation included the traditional blue ribbon and an engraved silver cup.
The top row of ribbons are for Saturday and the bottom row are for Sunday.
Sunday results were: 12-14 Equitation On The Flat - second, O/F A - fourth, O/F B - third. Jr/Sr Equitation U/S - second, O/F - third. Jr/Sr Hunter O/F A - third, O/F B - sixth, U/S - second. Children's Hunter O/F A - sixth, O/F B - second, U/S third, Classic - first
May 12-13, 2007 - Horse Show Ventures - Wills Park, Alpharetta, GA
This month's HSV show turned out to be gigantic with over 250 horses registered. Our first class went off in the Jumper/Equitation Ring at 8:45 in the morning and we closed that ring down at 9:30 PM with the last class of the day. Results were good again this month. 12-14 Equitation: On The Flat - Sixth, Over Fences A - Second, Over Fences B - Third. Long Stirrup Equitation: On The Flat - Third, Over Fences - Second. Jr./Sr. Equitation: On The Flat - First, Over Fences - Third. Jr./Sr. Hunter: Under Saddle - Second, Over Fences A - Fourth, Over Fences B - Sixth. Here are some of the pictures from Saturday.
Above is Samantha and Wrisque schooling on Saturday morning before the horse show started.
Finally, back in the barn!
The photos above are of Bounced and Karen taking a mounted tour of the show grounds.
The pictures below show the length of day we had from sun-up to after sun-down.
Sunday turned out to be a nicer day. It didn't get hot enough to fry eggs on your jeans, it was just hot enough to melt you! Again Sam and Wrisque had a good day. 12-14 Equitation: On The Flat - Second, Over Fences A - Third, Over Fences B - Second. Long Stirrup Equitation: On The Flat - Sixth, Over Fences - Fourth. Jr./Sr. Equitation: On The Flat - First. Jr./Sr. Hunter: Under Saddle - Second.
Long Stirrup Equitation Division (above) finished up in the Hunter Ring about 3:00PM The Jr./Sr. Division was not scheduled till 6:30 PM as the last division in the Hunter Ring. It was Mother's Day, so we decided to take the Mom's to Chilies for a Mother's Day dinner. Around 5:00 PM as we were paying the bill for dinner, the cell phone rang and it was Morgan the Show Steward, telling us that the Jr./Sr. Divisions had been moved to the Pony Ring and that they would start in 15 minutes. We flew back to the barn, tacked up the horse and rider, and then Sam and Wrisque trotted off to the show ring for the Jr./Sr. Equitation On The Flat division. In the photo below you see Sam and Wrisque trotting over the hill to the ring followed by Christian and Karen running up the hill. We got there in time to earn a first place.
April 14-15, 2007 - Horse Show Ventures - Wills Park, Alpharetta, GA
Based on how Wrisque reacted to Friday Schooling at last month's show we decided to skip it this month and apparently that was a good idea! Saturday Results were extremely good: Long Stirrup Hunter Equitation On The Flat - Third, Long Stirrup Hunter Equitation Over Fences - First. 12-14 Equitation again this month was combined with 15-17 and Samantha and Wrisque earned a second place in both flat and over fences. Jr/Sr Hunter resulted in a Champion with a first in under saddle, a first in hunter A and a second in Hunter B. Addback 2'3" O/F - Third.
Sunday started as a drizzly day in the high 50's and the temp dropped as the wind came up. Gusts were up to 40 MPH making for a very cold and difficult show day. Even under the covered arena, the rain was blowing sideways.
The two pictures above and the three pictures below were part of a photographic test. Set the camera to sequence and take several pictures to see what you get. The results are not too interesting and it makes sense looking back; cantering to the jump at 15 miles per hour, equals 22 feet per second. The camera takes sequenced shots at just under a second so you are seeing the horse and rider evey 20 feet or so. Oh well, we did get a good shot of Wrisque in a front leg handstand in the center shot below!
The results on Sunday were again outstanding: Addback 2'3" O/F - sixth. Long Stirrup Equitation: O/F - First, Flat - second. 12-14 Equitation: O/F - First, Flat - Third. Jr/Sr Hunter A - Third, B - First, Flat - Second, Reserve Champion.