Things Don't Always Go as Planned!

Rough day today in Brownland. Our first Schooling Pony round was good, but the second I was short to the first part of the outside, then didn't get him back enough on the turn so we got a seven instead of eight in the diagonal. When we came back for the USEF medal, we schooled okay, but in the ring things fell apart, I choked, then psyched myself out.  Jump 1: perfect!! Jump 2: I took my leg off, threw my hands up on the neck, and Jeb didn't have enough pace to jump, so he stopped, and I almost fell off, but I pulled my self back on. Jump 2 Retry: Gorgeous! Jump 3: Great! Jump 4: Awesome! Jump 5: Same thing as Jump 2, but I didn't almost fall off. Then I freaked myself out even more, threw my hands up on the neck, and of course Jeb stopped again.

Once in the schooling ring, I did an oxer, and was fine, but then my trainer raised the jump and I freaked again. After that Jeb stopped a bunch of times. This pony never ever stops. It was all rider error. I got over a few verticals, but not an oxer again.

My trainer got on and rode him, and now I am confident that tomorrow will be better. I let it get to my head too much and I lost my confidence.

Even still, tomorrow is a new day, and I intend to fix all the problems we had today. Regardless of how good your pony is, or how good of a rider you are, if things get into your head, you can't let it get to you and mess you up. Shake it off, you can do anything you set your mind to.

"Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down."~Mary Pickford

“Try and fail, but don't fail to try.” ~ Stephen Kaggwa

-Sarah

YouTube

Roadtrip!

I'm in the car on the way to Franklin! (Thank goodness for 3G, otherwise you wouldn't know that!) I'm really excited to see all my horse show friends! Good luck to everybody showing this weekend. I'll be posting a video on my YouTube (eyesup31) of brownland once I get back. I'll post some pictures on here, also! Have fun riding and showing this weekend!

"The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you." -Tom Bradley

-Sarah

Off to Brownland!

If anybody asked me the least favorite part about horse shows, the only thing I will ever say is packing! I hate it! But, now that I'm done (finally), I thought I'd come and tell you my horse related adventures today and for the rest of the week! Today, I went to the barn and got everything set for Jeb to leave tomorrow. And I packed (gross!) Tomorrow I'll be off to Brownland Farm in Franklin, TN. I'll be with my (awesome) mom, and trainer, Beanie Cone. (He's pretty cool too!) Jeb and I will be showing in the 12-14 equitation, USEF  pony medal, Large Green Ponies, and the WIHS pony medal.  Let me just take the time to say thanks to everyone that helps me, especially my mom and dad for letting me ride! (And paying for ALL of my stuff!)

You should check out my youtube, I'll be putting up videos of Jeb frequently!
Countdown to Pony Finals 2011: 42 days! Congrats to everyone who has qualified, can't wait to see you there!
Fun fact about Jeb: He HATES cicadas and shots!

Have fun at all the horse shows this weekend and check back to see how Jeb and I have done!
I absolutely LOVE this video by ez7za- you may want to check it out too!

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”- Gail Devers
Dream on, anything is possible!

-Sarah!

Meet Eyes Up aka Jeb!

Meet Jeb, my awesome Large Green pony! He has come such a long way since I got him from Lisa Baker and Majestic Acres in Bristol, TN and he has helped me to accomplish things I never thought were possible. My dream has always been to go to USEF pony finals, but honestly the first few months I had Jeb, all I wanted was for him to slow down. Eventually he did, and I was able to focus on Pony Finals again!



This was from our first A show, WTHJA Memphis in May in May of 2010. We showed in the Large Children's ponies. Jeb measured at exactly 14.2 hands! Jeb's show name, Eyes Up took a lot of thinking and many conversations of blurting out names and saying "no, that's just not it." I wanted somehing unique, fun, and representative of us as a team. I wanted a name that no one else had. My trainer, Beanie Cone of Hunters Edge Stables, always had to tell me to keep my eyes up, and everybody joked about how Jeb had 'bug eyes." So, my mom, being the creative person she is, suggested Eyes Up. It was perfect!

As the 2011 show season rolled around, I was excited, but nervous. The first week of December we headed off for St. Louis and the Lake St. Louis Winter Festival Horse Show. We went, we showed, and WE QUALIFIED! I was so excited that we qualified our first time out. Later on in the season, February 2011 at Lake St. Louis again, we showed and were second in the USEF pony medal. The week afterward, we headed down farther south to Gulfport, MS for the Gulf Coast Winter Classics and learned a TON! We didn't win, but it was a great show and it taught me a lot. I did my first pony classic and I was 2nd! 

In March, we did another two weeks of shows in Tennessee - the WTHJA Springtime in Dixie and Springtime Encore. Jeb and I also showed in the Large Regulars, as well as the greens. We were champion in the regulars our first time! At this point, we had qualifiied for the Large Green Ponies and the Large Regulars. The greens were a big division and I figured a lot of things out. In the first week of May, we competed in Queenie Productions May Madness and Jeb was great. Every show we have done we have learned a lot about each other. Jeb and I have to practice a lot, but it definitely pays off in the long run. On May 26th, right after I got out of my last exam (YAY SUMMER!!!) we headed East to Franklin, TN for Brownland Farm's Nashville Country. At this show, Jeb was amazing! We were Reserve in the Large Greens! Also, we won the USEF Pony Medal, and we qualified for the medal at Pony Finals! Now we didn't have to worry about qualifying for anything else at Pony Finals! The second week of June, we hit the road again, but this time we headed South West to Tunica, MS for the Delta Blues Classic. At this show, Jeb and I won ALL of our green classes, and were champion!! He was perfect! Everybody was really proud of him because he had never been to this show before and he handled it like a champ. We also ended up second in the USEF Pony Medal (oops, we sorta cantered the trot fence, my bad!) I also got to school a small pony and I now realize why I have a LARGE pony!

All in all, 2011 has been a great year so far and I can't wait to continue it! From here we head back to Franklin, TN for the Brownland Summer, to Charleston, SC for the Charleston Summer Classics in July, and then in August to Lexington, KY for the Kentucky Summer Classic and then PONY FINALS!  At the moment, Jeb and I are eighth in the zone, and fourtheenth in the nation with eight shows! Jeb has taught me so many lessons and I can't imagine a life without him. Remember, keep your eyes up and never give up!

-Sarah