Competition Schedule Foiled by Weather? East Coast Shivers!

[Winding_Down]

So many of ya’ll are from the east and typically compete at the earlier events, such as Southern Pines I and II, Morven, and others.

What are plans given this weather? I do NOT have an indoor and am located in NOVA, where we’ve been hit hard, most recently with about 20 inches of snow but before that, lots of ice and frozen ground. My plan had been to take my UL horse out at SPI at prelim and then move (back) up to I at Morven or SPII. And my three others were slated for various spring events prior to May.

That is morphing into NOT entering SPI at all and thinking that Morven will be our first event of the year for the UL horse and then Loudoun as the first event for the others.

Aiken sounds like a big Cluster Fink at the moment with snow, ice, and now an earthquake. While I would love to be there this winter, I am glad I’m not paying the big $$ to be sitting down there looking out the window.

[pegasusmom]

Thankful that my season openers are in late March and April, but if this goes on too much longer it will affect my ability to get ponies fit. Hopeful there is an end in sight. . . maybe.

Mr. PM’s horse is in Aiken, and it has been a little hit and miss to say the least! The war horse has a good fitness base and this is a learning/move up year so at the moment it hasn’t affected too much.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I luckily have an indoor. Of course I have injured horses so wasn’t going to have much of a spring season anyway. I think if you do not have access to an indoor , you just have to
move your spring season back a bit. Basically what we all used to do before everyone started going south.

Really should not have a huge impact. Look at what is your primary goal and work back to make sure you have enough prep. And for the young horses, there are still a ton of events for them.

[Winding_Down]

I need a minimum of 4 weeks conditioning to run prelim and SP1 is 3 weeks out so that’s not happening. It’s no biggie as our season is too full anyway, now that there are so many venues until November. But I LOVE SP1.

Even with an indoor, I would not want less than 3 weeks to be doing hill work and gallops. So this year, it’s really not about the indoor.

BFNE, curse those injuries! Not fair.

[Fergs]

I wish I still had Area II problems! Our first event in Colorado isn’t until mid-May. And the season ends in early October.

[weixiao]

My plans are pretty much shot now. I’d hoped to get out to something in March, but I haven’t been able to ride more than a day or two for weeks. No covered arena. So one of mine will have a fitness problem, come March. The other, probably would have zero fitness problems because she’s a freak, but won’t have the schooling.

Maybe we’ll make something in April. I’m gone pretty much all of May and the first half of June. So if not… maybe July for our first events?

[yellowbritches]

Kinda glad that I have no timetable or plans for the spring.

I know one UL combo’s flight path has been rerouted for Bromont over Jersey because the fitness just is going to happen.

Other than that kind of stuff, I don’t really see it being that big of an issue for anything that isn’t planning on a spring 2 star or above. And those that are planning on those that are still up here are few and far between, it seems. If I had a baby horse, I wouldn’t be sweating it. I don’t even imagine I’d be sweating it if Toby and I hadn’t missed the last large chunk of our fall (I’d probably be cranky, but not too concerned).

[Divine_Comedy]

[QUOTE=yellowbritches;7432270]

I know one UL combo’s flight path has been rerouted for Bromont over Jersey because the fitness just is going to happen. [/QUOTE]

Pretty sure you mean me.:lol:

Yeah, I already called it quits for Jersey about a month ago when it was too damn cold to do anything at all. Bromont is our goal now, and even with this snow, I plan on hacking every day in as deep snow as I can find so we aren’t actually missing any fitness. As soon as the snow is ‘low’ enough, I’ll be doing flatwork in it. I put snow pads on the horse so I can do this.

I long ago nixed Morven as a first event and I’m going to the FH CIC2* as a season opener. So yes, my schedule moved back. Luckily, my horse has gotten fitter quicker than I expected (as in, he only took about two weeks to go from fluffy cupcake to round hunter) and since he’s a TB, I’m not too worried about catching up the fitness come spring, if it ever comes.

[piaffeprincess98]

I’m also almost glad I’m not trying to get ready for a competition. My guy is recovering from an injury and we got permission to trot this week from the vet. I was so excited, got one three minute trot set in on Wednesday, then we got a foot of snow!

Normally I’d be aiming for Southern Pines I, then Morven, but I’m not sure where I’d be able to go for cross-country schoolings or gallops.

For now, I’m playing with my baby project horse, who’s only ridden about 4 times a week anyways. I’m itching to get him to his first cross-country schooling, but that won’t be happening until March.

[yellowbritches]

@Divine Comedy;7432322

Pretty sure you mean me.:lol:

Yep. :winkgrin:

I “lucked out” with the weather as I got called to Pittsburgh for a family emergency the afternoon the snow was coming. Soooo, Toby’s hanging out, terrorizing our barn (although, DC said that the snow is too deep for him to be bad, so that’s good), and MAYBE picking up the fluffy cupcakeness that Dante sheds (Toby got a little TOO fit while in boot camp and we’re now playing catch up). So, like I said, glad I have no timetable for the spring!

[Winding_Down]

It is all going to happen, it’s just taking longer than usual. And Area II Problems are First World Problems for sure. I lived in Michigan for over a decade… but I rode more in the winter there, than I do here (this year), thanks to having an indoor. Nonetheless, if given the choice THIS winter, I would take Virginia over Michigan. We are all getting hammered with cold and snow but I cannot imagine how to survive if it were colder and snowier than here.

I <3 SP1 as it’s such an inviting venue and easy on the horse (compared to our clay and hills of Virginia) and I was so looking forward to being there and seeing friends etc. But… it is what it is…

As for baby horses, I’ve somehow ended up with a barn full of guys ready to get their careers going, and that’s not happening without much more schooling and exposure. I have one in particular who I am dying to get out, but he has been here about a month or so and I’ve sat on him a total of five times.

<sigh>

[GotSpots]

Agreed. My horses are slated to go to a few H/J shows this spring just to work the kinks out - though they all seem to be having far too good a time in this week’s snow. I love spring Morven and always have a good time there, but will have to play by ear to see where fitness is. More likely will be CDCTA for the babies and FH or Loudoun for the big horses.

[KateDB]

The wonderful thing about snow pads is that this weather doesn’t stop me from fitness work. I won’t do the same degree, because it’s deep and strenuous, but a 45 minute walk up and down the hills really keep a level of fitness.
I will proceed back to doing trots when the snow’s height reduces a bit.
This coupled with keeping them out as much as possible, where they have to move around in the deep snow, is keeping our groups fairly ready.
Now, if only we could get out to hunt! Instead, we have access to a few indoors to jump/flat.

[wildlifer]

I hear you, Ann, I heart SPI sooo much, it’s always such a great course for early in the year. Well, and it gives an excuse to go down to SoPines and see friends!! But yeah, that won’t be happening since not only has the weather sucked donkey balls and these has been LITERALLY no where at our boarding farm to ride and oh, I’ve been occupied with doing these teensy things like planning a statewide conference and building a farm…my horse is fat, LOL.

We are going to try and make Longleaf, although even that is going to be a challenge if I want to run at T, but that’s a whole long paragraph that’s not needed here, ROFL!

I’d say put in some studs and start walking. As my beloved David O says, more than one horse has walked his way to Rolex. And I thought you lived near Sharon? Isn’t there an indoor close by?

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;7432603]
I hear you, Ann, I heart SPI sooo much, it’s always such a great course for early in the year. Well, and it gives an excuse to go down to SoPines and see friends!! But yeah, that won’t be happening since not only has the weather sucked donkey balls and these has been LITERALLY no where at our boarding farm to ride and oh, I’ve been occupied with doing these teensy things like planning a statewide conference and building a farm…my horse is fat, LOL.

We are going to try and make Longleaf, although even that is going to be a challenge if I want to run at T, but that’s a whole long paragraph that’s not needed here, ROFL!

I’d say put in some studs and start walking. As my beloved David O says, more than one horse has walked his way to Rolex. And I thought you lived near Sharon? Isn’t there an indoor close by?[/QUOTE]

My horses stay reasonably fit at baseline, given that they’re in a large pasture on the side of a mountain, but the snow and ice and sheer cold are a PITA. I’ve actually thought about going to SP1 at training (with horse who cruises around 2*), but I can’t justify the $$ and time off of work for that.

I am a long ways from Sharon, as in 1.5 hrs. Wayward Springs Farm has an amazingly awesome indoor but the roads have been too icy to pull the trailer. Especially with a Chevy.:eek:

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Anywhere nearby that you can take them swimming? That and walking the roads in winter is what we used to do to get them fitter in the winter. At the moment we have so much snow that the horses are working pretty hard in it so that helps.

[elizabeth_Callahan]

No snow here, just 8 inches of mud, mud and more mud. And water with mud. Have ridden 3 times since the middle of Jan. sigh.

[Carolinadreamin]

[QUOTE=Winding Down;7432150]
So many of ya’ll are from the east and typically compete at the earlier events, such as Southern Pines I and II, Morven, and others.

What are plans given this weather? I do NOT have an indoor and am located in NOVA, where we’ve been hit hard, most recently with about 20 inches of snow but before that, lots of ice and frozen ground. My plan had been to take my UL horse out at SPI at prelim and then move (back) up to I at Morven or SPII. And my three others were slated for various spring events prior to May.

That is morphing into NOT entering SPI at all and thinking that Morven will be our first event of the year for the UL horse and then Loudoun as the first event for the others.

Aiken sounds like a big Cluster Fink at the moment with snow, ice, and now an earthquake. While I would love to be there this winter, I am glad I’m not paying the big $$ to be sitting down there looking out the window.[/QUOTE]

It may be, but somehow without power, water and then throw in an earthquake, Lellie Ward and her amazing crew at Paradise Farm are pulling off one heck of a horse trial this weekend.

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=Carolinadreamin’;7433412]
It may be, but somehow without power, water and then throw in an earthquake, Lellie Ward and her amazing crew at Paradise Farm are pulling off one heck of a horse trial this weekend.[/QUOTE]

Indeed! So I hear! I wrote the original post just hours after the quake and I’m amazed at how Aiken has bounced back. Paradise sounds like it’s going off without a hitch.

[ThirdCharm]

I have definitely started back late… We have done a grand total of 2 local jumper shows so far, and do not plan on an event (schooling) until mid-march. Usually I’m running schooling HTS in Jan and recognized by Feb. I have my mare I’d like to get back up to Intermediate and my stallion I want to move up to Prelim… Fortunately we have a great ring and they are turned out a lot (equipak keeps them from getting snowballs) so they are reasonably fit. So now if the weather would cooperate, I just don’t want to sign up for an event and not be able to ride for a week before the event due to whiteout snow or torrential rains!

Jennifer