Capability Cloud

Jeremy trucked Paeon home on Friday pm after postponing the planned Wednesday trip because of wild weather... dust and wind storm. Pan is scheduled to babysit Galahad while I'm out of action. Cloud went off to experience the outside world at North Kaludah. She was unfazed when she travelled from Canyonleigh in a horsefloat alongside her mum at age 5 months and she showed the same even tempered accceptance of the unfamiliar when she loaded onto the truck for the first time at 2 and-a-half years old. A couple of paws at the tailgate, then a huge stride straight in, with the minimum of verbal encouragement. Augurs well!!

Blue ribbon start

B. Maybellene and Stevie; Double Blue at their very first outing!
Photo courtesy of Jeremy. Many thanks!

Paeon in work

Paeon, shown here warming up with Stevie Shakoff, has consolidated his understanding of the basic aids, learnt a little about moving off the leg and attending to half-halts, and grown considerably during his 6 weeks in work. He's due to come home mid-week to baby-sit Galahad while Cloud goes to Jeremy for breaking in.
He's a very kind horse with the typical Saddlebred willingness to please and a tendency to 'ask what's next'...thinking ahead of where he's at. His breeding indicates he should have the X factor (Large heart) for stamina and endurance so we'll see whether he's got an eye for the jumps when he goes back to work in the new year.

Singleton warm-up

My photo: the outline is clear, but I have no idea what setting the camera was on!
Stevie-Jade Shakoff riding Bloomsbury's Maybellene, August 13

Wins to Maybellene!!

My photo's very ordinary; bumped the camera to the wrong setting. Hope Jeremy got some better ones to show later.
What a day! Maybellene had her first trip in a truck to Singleton Dressage club's competition at Singleton Showground this morning, along with two of Jeremy's youngsters. Just Preparatory tests to give her the experience of competition, and she handled it like a trooper!!
Was first on at 8am in the Prep 2; scored 70% and led from start to finish. very smooth, finished 6.5 points ahead of 2nd place. Stevie-Jade Shakoff then rode two tests on each of Kaludah Gosh and K. Glitter before saddling up Maybellene at 2pm for the Prep 3. Very smooth, just as businesslike as in the morning, except where she jumped the scorch marks from a little fire on the serpentine-line ( a little "lack of submission", but she went straight back to work after the hiccup). This was the 3rd last test of the competition and she scored 63.5% for another WIN, 2 points ahead of her rivals.
She handled the eraly morning start, leaving home at 6:20am and being ridden before breakfast, as well as the hot windy midday climate change 29 degrees and 'blowy'. As Jeremy says, she works in all weathers at home, so it really proves the benefit of sound training.
Stevie said she worked just like at home, and really seemed to enjoy the competition situation. She didn't bat an eyelid at the other horses or the unfamiliar surrounds of trucks, arenas, grandstands, etcetera.
Many thanks to Jem and Stevie for giving Maybellene such a confident start.

Bloomsbury's Maybellene

Maybellene went back to North Kaludah, at Lamb's Valley, after Easter, to wean Galahad and start some serious work. She's developing the musculature to be a beautiful competitor and progresses with her education in a very straightforward manner, building paces and skills consecutively. (So that's how it's supposed to happen!!) She's well-balanced, athletic, intelligent...and built for the job!
Should have her first competition next weekend.
Ridden here by young eventer/trainer Stevie-Jade Shakoff.

Rug's just off, so Cloud is still clean, but she and Galahad are beginning to really feel the onset of Spring. Cloud has really filled out in the last few months; went through a very angular stage over summer, from about 18 months to 2 years...just like her father, Cloudchaser, in his youth.