Show Debut: Young Event Horse competition for 4-year-olds

Briar Rose competed (with Julia Jesu) in the USEA Young Event Horse competition for 4-year-olds at Greystone Farm in Brookeville, Maryland. We are still working to put weight on her but nevertheless she showed very well!







We have had her less than 70 days. This was her:

• First trailer ride away from here (she loaded, trailered, and unloaded like a true professional!)
• First overnight at a show
• First braids
• First show
• First dressage test
• First time in an indoor arena (fantastic warmup!)

Her scores today:

Conformation: 7.17 (71.7%)

     Subscores: 

• Type: 7.0
• Frame: 7.0
• Legs: 8.0
• Feet: 7.0
• Jog: 7.0
• General impression: 7.0

Dressage: 6.98 (69.8%)

     Subscores:

• Walk: 6.8
• Trot: 7.0
• Canter: 7.1
• Submissiveness: 7.0
• General impression: 7.0

[Just for context, any score over 6.0 is considered "satisfactory".]

Jumping test: Withdrew (not quite ready for a dozen 2'11" obstacles out in a huge field, but we did get in some good cross-country schooling practice!)

Here is her first-ever dressage test:

A Work In Progress

Briar Rose has been with us nearly two months now. She lives in a one-acre paddock where she can roam and graze, and even though her coat has been bleached by the sun, she seems much happier there than confined in a stall. She is getting basic dressage and jumping training nearly every day. She's getting as much alfalfa as she can eat and has gained about 50 pounds since she arrived. We've worked over her feet and put four shoes on her, and now she's on the second trim. We fecal-tested her and dewormed her twice. We groomed her and trimmed her up. Her sweet personality is shining through every day and she works very hard in understanding and attempting what her riders are asking her to do. She's coming along beautifully.

Everything is coming together very nicely for her debut at the United States Eventing Association Young Event Horse competition at Greystone farm on September 23, 2012.

Here was her first little jump over a crossrail with me on August 9, 2012:

Over the flower jump with Julia aboard, August 21, 2012: