HITS Saugerties

Thank you for your continued support. Your encouraging comments and questions are often the center of generating and developing the substance of my blog entries. Unfortunately, answering all the questions is practically impossible, but the goal is to reach out to as many people as possible. Today's blog will be an update on the current show and a brief description about horse care in the heat.

Since we arrived at the HITS show at Saugerties, N.Y., the days have started before 6 a.m. and ended as late as 8 p.m. Although the schedule is rather intrusive, the work is rewarding and satisfying.

The plan was to stay until July 30 and then return home. The HITS showgrounds is a relatively new facility, with two large arenas and several smaller show rings. Many classes run simultaneously.

The grounds are spectator-friendly and the shops and food court are easily accessible. The setting is very pleasant, especially at sunset, when the sky is colorfully decorating the Catskill Mountains.

One of the biggest challenges has been the heat. It is important to bathe and cool off the horses more often, watch for signs of heat exhaustion and insure proper hydration. At Beacon Hill, a team effort exists which makes horse maintenance in hot weather better for everyone involved.

Talk to you soon!
Maria Schaub

Someone asked about Whimsey’s status since his injury, so I have given an update today for those of you who might be interested. My horse, Whimsey, was out for eighteen months with a suspensory injury after showing at Capital Challenge in 2004. With the help of many people from and associated with Beacon Hill Show Stables, he has made progress and we are in the groove again, competing as a team. He was on the walker for months before he began to walk under tack. With sufficient time off, great medical care, and a patterned program of exercise sequences, he slowly returned to work. Patience and persistence are the name of the game during the recovery process. Again, there have been many people to thank for providing opportunity to ride their equitation horses while Whimsey slowly made headway. His well-being is essential and still drives my decisions about when and how often he goes into the show ring. The kindnesses extended made it possible for me to continue to compete in the equitation. Grateful to all that have helped along the way, I recognize how truly fortunate I am to have had so much support over the last year and a half. Thanks for asking about Whimsey! We will be showing this week in Saugerties and I am truly looking forward to it.
I will be back next time to speak to you about setting up at a horse show.
See you later!
Maria Schaub

Someone asked which shows I would be going to in the next couple of weeks. Beacon Hill does not go to the Vermont Summer Festival. When younger, I had the opportunity to show there and it is a very nice show surrounded by beautiful mountains. Tomorrow, we will leave for Saugerties at nine am. This is just a quick hello, to let you know that my next blog will be about Whimsey and the status of his recovery. The following blog will be about my typical duties when helping to set-up at the horse show before everyone arrives.

See you later! Maria Schaub

Someone asked how long I had been showing at big shows, and if I had ridden in the ponies. At eight and a half, I started at a riding summer camp. It was love at first sight! The first big show was in Ocala the following year in February, where I showed my friend Whitney's pony in the short stirrup hunter and equitation classes. Until age ten, showing at big shows was not the focus, I went to approximately ten a year; it was lessons and learning everything possible about horses and horse care. For about one year I did show in the children's hunter large pony, and then the next year I showed in the green small/mediums and the medium pony divisions. By the time I was almost twelve years old, I was getting too big for my pony, so my father took me for a lesson with Frank Madden. To tell you the truth, at the time, I was upset because I loved the ponies also. Then, I fell in love with horses and Beacon Hill, too!

As promised, today’s entry will answer some of the many questions presented by the posters over the past several weeks.
At the end of June, the website was experiencing some technical difficulty and was unable to recognize or receive information. Please accept my apology for not returning answers to some of your questions sooner. Attempting to give an insider’s account of the events surrounding the day to day experiences of a junior rider, the plan is to continue my entries through all of the equitation finals this year.. I look forward to continuing this project and responding to as many questions as possible. It has been a fascinating and rewarding experience thus far. Thank you again for all your support!
In September 2006, I will be going to all the finals as a sixteen year old junior under USEF regulations and will have one more year to compete, 2007. With the hopes of entering either Rutgers or Drew University in New Jersey after high school, keeping as close to the barn as possible, the goal is to continue riding as a professional .
As of today , I’ve accumulated enough points to compete at the Maclay regional, USEF talent search and the Washington Equitation final. Two more points and I will qualify for USEF Medal finals. With that in mind, the goal is to finish qualifying and participate in all of the them this fall.
Tomorrow, I’ll continue to answer more of your questions.
See you later,
Maria

Most days in Lake Placid, have been early at the barn, no later than six fifteen am. Most evenings, when returning home from the show somewhere between seven and eight pm, the routine is eat, shower, and go to sleep. Some nights when returning tired, it is right to bed after I eat, while on others, I have dinner with one of my friends. Riding quite a bit and trying to help at the barn is satisfying. Lake Placid is a big show and Beacon Hill has quite a few horses and riders here. We are busy and it is great! There is always something to do or someone to help! The classes are HUGE especially in the big eq and the low junior jumpers. Today, the second week started with some hunter and jumper warm-up classes. Wednesday, the show gets underway and it should be lots of fun. Next time around, will be an update on the show and answers to some of your questions. Have a happy Fourth of July!

See you later,
Maria