November notes

November is very nearly over, how did that happen? No, really, where did it go? I swear it was just November 1. We’ve been fortunate to have some really nice weather over the past few weeks in central Maryland. That means more time riding and less time working inside (I’ve been neglecting the jewelry work a bit). At this point in the year, I seriously covet my outdoor riding time. With sunset around 4:45, opportunities to ride on the trails, galloping paths, fields, and outdoor ring are quickly waning. So you can bet I’ve been maximizing that outdoor time. Caesar and I have put in a few bareback trail rides (fun and confidence building!) and a good bit of conditioning work.

We went to our first clinic last Sunday with event rider/trainer Mogie Bearden Muller. I was a wee bit worried that I might not be ready for a clinic, but since it was billed for riders at 2’3” and up, I thought “Why not?” The day was quite a success for Caesar and me. We worked on some single fences as well as a bank down into water. Mogie worked with me on my position, especially that wandering, wimpy left leg and on maintaining Caesar’s pace into fences. When he gets quick 5 strides before an xc fence, I tend to either pull an extreme half halt (read: fierce halt) or just let him go. She helped me first establish a better consistency of canter in the approach (use those half halts then!) and think about using other means to help him maintain his pace into the line—shoulders back, using more leg and knees, hands up, etc.

We had our last event of the season on Sunday, the short course at Loch Moy (where we had a much improved ride compared to our outing in September). Megan and Wyatt also had a great day, and we celebrated with a bottle of wine (a great idea at the time, though we were a bit tipsy when unloading the horses back home)!




I have not been much of an avid jeweler this past week (show prep and work overflow, oh my!), but I was able to put in a few good hours today. That’s a good thing, considering my break put me a good bit behind! My wire project is due on Tuesday (eek!), and while I’ll have to put in the equivalent of an all-nighter this weekend, I’m more excited about the piece than I was before ( I had lost some interest which is inevitable when forging and soldering, blech). The piece will be a barn of sorts with little farm animals. Here’s a sneak peak of some of the components:





And finally, here are a few photos of my mid-term piece that I finished at the end of October; it’s medal of honor dedicated to my grandmother, the consummate gardener:





I used a colored pencils (with a base of gesso) to "paint" the copper veggies!


The quote says "Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart"; I used embroidery thread to stitch around the perimeter of the flower.