photo by Michele Dodge

Missy Gilliland, Dorie Vlatten-Schmitz, Ellie Stine-Masek and I represented Arizona dressage judges at the mini clinic with instructor Jane Weatherwax, an FEI 4star dressage judge, at the Murieta Equestrian Center, near Sacramento, CA. There was a great group of judges at the clinic, including Hilda Gurney, J Ashton Moore, who co-created the dressage glossary, and many of our judge friends. Although a bit chilly and very windy, we enjoyed learning from each other.

We observed second level through Grand Prix rides, took turns judging movements out loud (no matter our USEF judging letter), as well as listening to how Jane would judge. We discussed in-depth the quality of the horses, their movements and the amount of collection needed for Prix St. George since we need more than the lower levels but less than Grand Prix.

Ellie Stine-Masek said that she enjoyed the discussion about biomechanics in the execution of the movements and how conformation effects the biomechanics. She noted that we had several good examples to watch.

Missy Gilliland said that it is inspiring to be around a group of educated, dedicated professionals in our sport.  She say, “my takeaway from watching the weekend is how important it is to communicate clearly with our equine partners. From the most basic test to the Grand Prix, the challenge is still to clearly communicate with our aids what we want our horses to accomplish with their bodies.”

Some fun and educational take-aways from the weekend were:

• Why have a scale if you don’t go above 7 or below 4?
• Have a scale with compassion.
• Ask yourself if the horse and rider look comfortable at this level? It they don’t appear overtaxed they might be in the 70+% range.
• Try to be on the rider’s side if you can.
• We are the last line to advocate for the horse.
• Don’t make the scribe hate you! Discuss the essence of a problem in one sentence in the boxes and then teach a little in the further remarks.
• Remember to be positive.

Other notes I took were:

• Always mention if the mouth is open.
• The rein back tells a lot in the test – and it is always about submission.
• Tempi’s – check that they are the same left and right.
• Mention lack of bend in a canter (or walk) pirouette because bending is what makes the movement hard – don’t skip that detail!
• If a medium or extended is “flashy”, make sure it is also over the back.
• In the extended walk we want to see the poll even with the withers.
• In order for a medium or extended pace to get a score of 7 or more, it must have cadence.
• Don’t get hung up on legs. Look at the whole picture – including the topline!

On the non-judging side of the trip, Missy and I had an excellent Italian dinner Saturday evening! With wine, gnocchi, ravioli, risotto (with the freshest peas I’ve ever sampled), and Crème Brulé – wow, it was a treat!

We hope the dressage showing community reaps the benefit of what we learned this past weekend. See you at the shows!

Carefree Farms and Desert Sport Horses hosted an FUN DAY, full of horse and horse-less games for “kids” of all ages on December 18, 2021 – a very cold and windy day.

Similar to last year, the format included an in-hand obstacle course, followed by team-oriented and individual oriented under-saddle contests, then non-horse activities. Whether the kids were racing their horses to put items in a bucket or trying to put the horn on a poster unicorn blindfolded, each “kid” gave it their all!  Some of the new games required a lot of thought so everyone tried their best.

The two most challenging tasks were hand-walking their horse with a trot pole longitudinally between their legs. The left front and left hind were on the left side of the pole, while the right front and right hind were on the right side of the pole. Most of the horses thought their humans were crazy.

The other difficult task was that a two horse and rider team, while under saddle, held a crepe paper ribbon from rider’s hand to the teammate rider’s hand and race their horses, turn and race back, without breaking the crepe paper. I think the spectators loved this one more than the riders. The end result were fairly uncoordinated teams.

Co-Managers, Heike Barrett, of Flagstaff, AZ and Michell Combs, owner of Dressage with Michell, LLC, feel that a morning of laughter is good for the soul. The event wouldn’t be possible without the support of Carefree Farms, Laura Borghesani, Alice Sarno, the young kids and young-at-heart “kids”, the top-notch volunteers, Susan and Ellen, the participants’ parents, our show photographer, Veleska Fleuchaus, and most of all, the horses and ponies that put up with our shenanigans!

I can’t wait to see what is in store for everyone in 2022!

The first annual Carefree Farms Fun Show on October 4th had kids who were excited, proud, and a little anxious.

Michell Combs, a local dressage trainer, co-managed the show with her cousin Heike Barrett.  They approached Carefree Farms manager Laura Borghesani a few months back pitching the idea of a show for kids and young-at-heart “kids.”  Michell and Heike wanted to relive fond memories of similar shows they experienced as kids. The goal was to promote comradery, challenge the kids a bit and, of course, provide lots of laughter.  Laura supported the idea and together with the support of Alice Sarno of Desert Sport Horse, who teaches most of the Carefree Farm kids and owns several lesson horses, the idea blossomed into a show date.

The day started with an obstacle course. There were four obstacles, including leading horses and ponies forward and then backwards in an L pattern created by ground poles and also walking over a tarp. The kids had to encourage and coax their horses because most of the horses were not fond of backing up in the L, nor of walking on the tarp. The kids had to do a lot of work to make it all happen.

Then everyone mounted up for a class where they had to ride bareback and keep a dollar bill under their thigh while riding at the walk and trot. Most of the kids had never ridden bareback before, but Alice Sarno was on hand to coach and help them navigate.

The kids were very curious about the egg and spoon class. Under saddle, they had to ride with a raw egg balancing on a plastic spoon in one hand and steer at the walk and trot with the other hand. Most of the kids had not ridden one-handed before so that was a new adventure!

Then the kids had to trot their horses to a blue barrel which had magazines stacked on it, tear out three specific type of photos while still mounted and then trot back to the finish line.

Another adventure was trotting their horses to the barrel which had a raw egg on the ground near it and get their horses to step on the egg.  Needless to say, many of the horses spent more time avoiding stepping on the egg.

The final contest was horseless. The kids had to team up to pretend to be a wheel barrow and race to the blue barrel marker, then tie a horse’s leg wrap around their inside legs and race back to the finish line “three-legged.”  There was a lot of leaping, falling and hollering during this class!

In the costume class, some of the kids dressed up themselves and a lesson horse named Stella. The kids had various forms of wings on, and Stella was not too sure about her tutu. But someone sure got a great photo!

The classes were so popular that many kids participated in each class two or three times!  Then younger children who were watching the show asked to run to the blue barrels and back several times.  The fun show was over just before noon, and some of the parents stayed to help clean up the refreshment stand and arena. The day could not have gone better, and the joy and happiness shown by everyone made us proud. We were all so happy to see the Carefree Farms owners and family supporting us and even participating. The show would never have been possible without a great facility like Carefree Farms and the blessings and help from Laura Borghesani and Alice Sarno. Thanks to our volunteer Susan Poulos and also to the parents who helped! And thanks to my co-conspirator, I mean co-manager, Heike Barrett and her daughter Veleska Fleuchaus. And thanks to Irene Murphy, who also took amazing photos!

By Michell Combs (edited & liberally applied dramatic effect added by Philip Combs)

A fire was threatening Carefree Farms. An image of my horse Kaan, standing head stretched and rigid in his stall from the commotion around him, appeared in my mind. I gripped the steering wheel tighter trying to push the truck to go faster. My internal voice advised, Time to evacuate . . .

The barn manager, Laura Borghesani, had already called and warned me of the possibility, but I didn’t think it would really happen. These things happen on TV, but it’s always happening out there to someone else; you’re just an observer. Until now.

Friends started texting, offering me a temporary stall for Kaan, but I thought I’d wait until I got there to assess the real threat and get back to them when I wasn’t driving.

As I drove up, fire crews and police were everywhere along with many spectators. Planes whooshed overhead and disappeared. The streets were closed, and the power was out. I got through to the barn as smoke from the fire burned my eyes. Someone yelled that the horses had already been evacuated but that Laura was still on site. Presuming Kaan was safe, I shifted my focus on grabbing his saddle and bridles from the tack room while weighing what other items were essential to take.

As I struggled to load the truck, Laura appeared through the smoke haze. “Kaan’s been taken over to Jewel Creek Ranch, north Cave Creek.” I had not heard of the place before. Laura already walked away, so I just finished loading, and looked up the location on my phone, needing assistance to track the place down, but breathing a little easier . . .

I imagined Kaan would be a little stressed and confused when I saw him, and he was. However, his bright eyes opened wide while my teared when I leaped into his stall and gave him a strong, long hug. He stood perfectly still and absorbed (or at least, tolerated) my tension. When I released my grasp and stepped out of his stall, I asked a few people what was going on and what I could do to help. In the meantime, I borrowed duct tape and put his and my name and number on the stall.

By the time I left, Kaan was tossing his head around and letting me know he wanted to go back home. I got home late and was too exhausted for dinner or even a glass of wine.

Early the next morning, I picked up my horse trailer and headed to Kaan in hopes of getting the OK to take him back to Carefree Farms. Laura was meeting with the local sheriff. The horses were quiet, enjoying breakfast and eager to have the carrots I had brought. My horse was quite confused as to why I’d give such precious treats to the other horses. Then Laura gave me the OK to bring Kaan home. In my efforts to be helpful, I loaded up another pony, and then Kaan (thanks to my friend who stood patiently with me and closed the trailer door). As I was en route to the farm, Laura called me. Apparently I was transporting a pony that didn’t belong at Carefree Farms—are you kidding . . . I got to the farm, in a total fit that I stole a pony, and was reassured that all would be fine.

Kaan at least was so happy to be home . . .

Things I learned:
· Make sure your facility has an evacuation plan (superstar Laura & team)
· Don’t postpone working with your horse on trailer loading (note to self)
· Try not to put pressure on or over text the barn manager, perhaps give her a hug (she’s probably on overdrive)
· Have things in your vehicle that can identify you and your horse (I had to borrow duct tape)
· Have your horse name and your phone number on the fly mask and/or halter
· Just because you didn’t find anything on your Google search doesn’t mean that there isn’t a crisis
· Be thankful for all the friends you have who are trying to help you
· Be gracious to everyone, and especially the host facility (Thank you, Jenna Woodruff)
· Keep a checklist handy with your horse’s necessities (special wraps, ointments or supplements, etc.) because under stress you will likely forget something
· Be sure to have your trailer tires checked before fire season and check the trailer inside and out (I found a wasp nest in mine!)

A friend of mine, and fellow USEF rated judge, in California, Nicole Chastain Price, who had to evacuate seven times already, said this: “The most important advice in fire season—don’t panic. Have a plan. Make sure your horses are TRAINED TO LOAD! I sent horses who knew each other together and to places I knew they would be in stalls and safe. The chaos of evacuating happens when you let horses get taken by just anyone and have no control of the pen, hay, etc. I’ve seen so many horses get hurt through chaotic evacuations that I’ve always vowed it would never happen here.”

Her expert advice is this:
1) Have a plan where you will take horses in both directions so you can be sure to be moving away and not into the path of the fire
2) Make sure all halters are labeled with tag, owner number and name, and that all stalls, pastures have them on the doors
3) Have wax crayon if you need to write on horse
4) Have someone taking all info on what trailer took what horse and their contact info
5) Make sure horses are loaded in appropriate trailers—for us this meant we needed all WB sized rigs
6) Make sure someone is in charge at receiving end to settle horses and make sure they get correct feed
7) We had the foresight and time to boot all horses appropriately before putting on trailers
8) Have a plan for moving tack. We had owners with trailers on site as soon as we heard fire and had so many volunteers show up with trailers we could have evacuated two tack rooms. We chose not to as firefighters thought our barns were secure by that time. I make all of my client’s keep smaller essentials inside a carrying case with wheels and handle, so my tack rooms are super organized and can be cleared quickly

In today’s blog, I’ll share my favorite tail treatment. First, keep the tail clean with a quality shampoo and conditioner every two weeks. I give an extra massage to the dock when I wash the tail. Then I spray the tail every day with my preferred mix of leave-in conditioner, Avon Skin So Soft and a little water, in a spray bottle. I suggest finding the ratio/mix that works best for your horse.  Too much of any one thing can lead to the tail collecting extra dirt. I use approximately ½ of the spray bottle with Infusium leave-in conditioner, a dollop of Avon Skin So Soft and then maybe ¼ of the spray bottle with water.  I always shake the spray bottle before use.  I even like to spray it over my horse’s body for a little extra static reduction before grooming. No horse likes that shocking spark! Finally, I brush the tail with my favorite tail brush, called Tangle Buster ® by CareCo ®.