November 14, 2007
     Windchase riders and horses finished up the autumn Event season in good style.  Several of our working students made very successful Eventing debuts at the Maryland Horse Trials Short Course Eventing competition at Loch Moy Farm.  Clare Higgs, from British Columbia, won the Beginner Novice division riding my young horse Upper Limit, and Lauren Thomas was a very close second on the lovely mare Roxy.  Also, Mariesa McCulloche was fourth on her youngster Hilton.  We enjoyed the Short Course format, where a dressage test is followed by a jumping course that contains both cross-country and show jumps, and we look forward to more of these excellent competitions next year.
     Rubicon Farm Horse Trials this past weekend was our last event of the year.  I had planned to ride Daedalus, but my young Irish horse Drifter stomped on my foot the day before the event, breaking several toes and causing the whole foot to swell up like a sausage.  Stuffing it into a boot was out of the question, so we shuffled riders. Melissa rode Daedalus in my place and did an excellent job with him, placing 5th in the Novice.  She was also 5th with Vicky Gray's good young mare Altamira; I guess it was Melissa's day for pink.  Dana Bivens also rode two in the Novice, placing 6th on her own Happy Go Lucky, and going well with my youngster Upper Limit.

     Other Windchase students had notable performances as well.  We were very proud of Kaitlin Spurlock, who finished second on her immensely talented New Zealand horse Baseline in a very competitive Young Riders Preliminary division; she also had a good ride with Purr. Congratulations to Amanda Zack, who was third in the Novice on Pete's Promise.  Amy Sue Leavens put in another nice clear cross-country round on her young Irish mare Graceful Star; she has been having a successful season after moving up to Novice.  Vicky Gray completed the Beginner Novice on Almazara, and she made it great fun for everybody by provided us with excellent food and wine at her amazing Tailgate Party.

     Occasionally, we do get off the farm without the horses.  Jineen and I went to Skyline Drive a couple of weeks ago, right at the height of the autumn foliage.  Even though this beautiful road through the Shenandoah National Park is not far from home, we had never been there before, though we had been wanting to visit.  We were not disappointed - it was absolutely gorgeous.       

     We drove slowly, enjoying the scenery; the road goes right along the ridge, often with panoramic views off to both sides.  It was a great place for wildlife photography, and we stopped often for photo ops.  We went for several hikes: one to the top of the highest peak in the park, and the other down the mountainside to a waterfall.  Jineen had brought along an excellent picnic lunch, so we had our traditional Happy Hour; we parked at a spot where we could see the Shenandoah Valley stretching into the distance below us, and enjoyed cheese, pate and chutney on crackers, with a good Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  It made us start thinking about where to plan our next trip - the possibilities are endless.

Until next time,
Phyllis



November 2, 2007
     Having suffered from a drought all summer, and a hot dry early autumn, we are now enjoying the fabulous fall weather.  We got a nice week of rain so the ground is good, and the air is now crisp and cool.  The autumn foliage is incredible, and each day seems like something magical.  It is a privilege to ride around the beautiful countryside on a nice horse, and just drink in the beauty of it all!

     Melissa was able to bring Just Fun Stuff, who was injured at the Fair Hill CCI*** (see October 30 entry), home from the vet clinic today.  Fun has a broken scapula from his cross-country fall, and it will be months before we really know the prognosis for his recover.  Melissa and Fun have been great partners, and he is irreplaceable, so of course this has been a devastating blow to Melissa.  We are hoping he can make a good recovery, but his future is uncertain, and even best case scenario, it will be a long and hard road for him to return to soundness.
     Melissa is trying to plan for the future.  She has high aspirations, and hopes to someday represent her country in International competition.  With Fun out of the picture at least for the time being, she will need to find a promising young horse to bring along and aim for the top.  We are trying to start a fund for Melissa to buy a young horse who will be a great prospect for the future.  The American Horse Trials Foundation is an organization that is set up to allow individuals to donate funds to a particular rider, in a way that is tax deductible.  If you would like to contribute, your help would be much appreciated!
     If you wish to donate, make a check out to the AHTF.  Do not put Melissa's name on the check anywhere, just make it out as a contribution to the Foundation.  Send it here to me, and I will send it on to the American Horse Trials Foundation with a cover letter and the proper paperwork.  Through the Foundation, your contribution will go entirely to Melissa.  The AHTF will send you a letter of receipt and thanks that will be documentation for the IRS for tax deductible status.  Contact me if you have any questions.

     On a lighter note, the Waredaca Horse Trials were held this past weekend.  Dana Bivens had a good go with her mare Carpe Diem in the Intermediate division, placing 2nd in her division.  It was quite a difficult XC course, and she rode great in what was just her second Intermediate. 
     I rode Daedalus in the Novice, and though he was a bit spooky on the scary Show Jumping course that was heavily decorated for Halloween, he went super on cross-country for another clear round.  Melissa had a good clear XC with Upper Limit. Both of these talented youngsters get better with each outing!
     Melissa also rode Maungatautari, one of our New Zealand imports, around the Preliminary; he went great for a double clear in XC and SJ.  This experienced and talented horse was imported last year, and he recently came back to us because his owner is in school and doesn't have time to ride.  Look for him on our Horses for Sale page.

Until next time,
Phyllis



November 1, 2007
     I would like to congratulate Cathy Wieschhoff on the purchase of my wonderful horse Viatar.  This is very bittersweet for me; I am both very happy that Viatar is going to Cathy, and also sad to see him go.
 I bought Viatar four years ago in Bulgaria.  He is one of the most talented horses that I have ever ridden, and I have enjoyed training him, competing him, and developing a close and rewarding partnership with him.  We have been successful together at the Intermediate and CCI** level, and he is more than ready now to move up to Advanced.  I think he has the ability and the heart to go to the International levels.  But at this point in my life, I am less interested in competing at the high levels, and more invested in training the young horses and coaching my students.  Because of all this, I made the difficult decision that if the right situation came along, one where Viatar would have a chance to go to the top levels, then I would sell him.  I was very particular that he would go to the right rider and the right situation. 
     I think that Cathy Wieschhoff is someone who can take Viatar to the top levels.  I have high hopes that she will form the same bond with him that I did, and that we will see great things from the two of them.  I am happy that Viatar is going to such a good situation, and I am delighted that Cathy seems to be extremely excited about him - but it was very hard to let him go, and I miss him.  I wish the two of them the best of luck, and I look forward to watching Viatar and Cathy in competition!

Until next time,
Phyllis 



October 31, 2007  
     At Windchase, one can take a brief journey through an adjoining forest to an old graveyard, with tombstones dating back to the mid-1800s.  Rumors say the graveyard is haunted; these recent spectral images seem to support that theory.  Beware of ghosts and giant spiders if you go riding through the woods.

Until next time,
Phyllis



October 30, 2007
     I have sad news to report this time.  Melissa Hunsberger (Windchase's Assistant Trainer) rode her horse Just Fun Stuff at the CCI*** at Fair Hill International last weekend.  She got off to a good start; she and Fun put in a 'personal best' performance in the dressage, receiving a score of 58.7, good enough for 27 place out of almost 70 starters.  On the second day she was having a super cross-country round, but having gone clean around three quarters of the course, she was held on course when the rider before her suffered a fall at the difficult corner to corner combination.  After waiting on course for over 20 minutes, just one fence before the corners, Melissa was finally restarted - but after this interruption in what had been a super round to this point, she and Fun were not quite on track.  Though Melissa wisely decided to take the long option at the difficult corner combination, Fun was slow leaving the ground, and they had a serious fall.  Melissa was bruised but basically unhurt, but as Fun struggled to his feet it was evident that he had sustained a serious injury.
     He was not bearing weight on his left front, and we were all afraid that he had broken the leg.  The vets on the scene were very efficient with applying a splint, but as Fun was loaded onto the Horse Ambulance and transported to New Bolton Center, and we all feared the worst.  But fortunately the x-rays showed that there was no fracture of the lower limb, and his condition was stabilized.
     On Monday, Melissa transferred Fun back to Virginia, where he is currently at the Spurlock's veterinarian clinic.  Tests have shown that he has a fracture of the scapula in his left shoulder.  The prognosis is guardedly optimistic, and we are hoping that with extensive rest time he will make a full recovery.  If all goes well then Fun may be able to return to competition, but only time will tell.
     Of course, Fun's injury is devastating to Melissa.  She and the horse have formed a great partnership had much success together, including jumping clear around the CCI**** at Rolex Kentucky this spring.  More than that, Fun is a true friend to her: the relationship you build with a horse when competing them at that level is special and unique, and it is what the sport is all about, in my opinion. 
     Melissa will also have huge expenses during his treatment and recuperation period, which is a hard situation, as her finances are very limited.  If anyone wants to help her out with this, tax deductible donations can be made for Melissa's benefit through the American Horse Trials Foundation - you can E-mail me for more info.

Until next time, 
Phyllis



October 16, 2007
     Is it ever going to rain again?
     We had beautiful weather last weekend for the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, near Frederick.  But the drought has dried up the grass and turned the ground to concrete, and despite the Event's great efforts to improve the footing by aerating the ground, what should have been lovely going was very marginal, and the course became somewhat of a dustbowl.
     Still, some of the young horses gained good experience.  I rode Daedalus in the Novice Horse division, and he went very well, finishing 3rd.  I would have won it if I hadn't knocked that rail in Show Jumping!  Also, Melissa rode Upper Limit in his first Novice, and he went really nicely, finishing 8th with a clear XC round.
     Kaitlin Spurlock rode beautifully on her ultra-talented New Zealand horse Baseline to place 5th in the Young Riders Preliminary, and she was also 10th on Purr.  Amy Sue Leavens placed 3rd with Windchase homebred Graceful Star in the Novice.  And Dana Bivens on her mare Carpe Diem had a stellar day; she won the dressage in her division of the Open Intermediate!  She also had a good show jumping round, but decided not to run cross-country because of the hard ground.  I also opted not to compete Viatar, for the same reason.  
     Perhaps it will rain before the next competition!

Until next time,
Phyllis



October 11, 2007
     Melissa Hunsberger represented Windchase well last weekend at the Morven Park Horse Trials - she placed 2nd in the Advanced Division with her mare Expedience, and 3rd with Just Fun Stuff.  Both horses put in superb rounds over Morven Park's demanding cross-country course, and it is with much anticipation that they prepare for the CCI*** at Fair Hill in next week.
     Several other former Windchase horses had excellent performances.  Julia Briskin won the Young Riders division of the CCI* with In It To Win It; this talented young horse is one our New Zealand imports.  Charlotte Merle-Smith placed 2nd in the CCI* with Cyrillic, who is one of the horses that I imported from Bulgaria. 
     It has been extremely hot for this time of year up until a few days ago, but now it has cooled off at last. But still no rain! 

Until next time,
Phyllis



October 2, 2007
     Clear days with crisp autumn air, the trees just starting to show their brilliant fall colors, lovely thick generations-old turf to gallop on, and fine horses to ride.  What more could one ask for?  We had a charmed weekend at the Middleburg Horse Trials, and were privileged to have the chance to ride around the lovely course at Glenwood Park.
     I had a super time with Viatar in the Open Intermediate.  He loved the course and jumped around for fun, both XC and SJ, to finish 4th in a very competitive division.  How lucky I am to have a horse like him to ride!  I also rode my young horse Daedalus in the Novice, and he too jumped double clear.  Daedalus is a talented youngster that shows great promise.  Melissa rode his stablemate, Sun Eagle, in the novice; although only four years old he shows great maturity, and he went extremely well, finishing 8th.
     Several other Windchase students had excellent performances at Middleburg.  Dana Bivens rode her lovely mare Carpe Diem to 4th place in the Young Rider Open Preliminary, and Kaitlin Spurlock placed 6th in that division with her new horse from New Zealand, Baseline.  And Amy Sue Leavens was 3rd in the Novice with Graceful Star, her young horse by our Irish stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.
     I would like to extend my thanks to the organizing committee of the Middleburg Horse Trials.  As usual, they did a fabulous job running the event; it is always one of my favorite competitions on the calendar.  It is thanks to people like them that we have such a fine tradition of excellent competition here in the heart of Virginia horse country.

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 25, 2007
     We had some more good performances recently by Windchase horses and riders.  Congratulations to Katie Willis for finishing 4th in the Intermediate division at Five Points Farm in NC recently on Polar Storm, her talented young Irish Sport Horse by our stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.  Katie and Polar have a great partnership, and we expect big things from them in the future.  Congratulations also to another of Windstar's offspring; Arthur, owned and ridden by Allison Springer, finished 3rd in the Advanced Division at the American Eventing Championships in Wayne, Illinois.  It is really exciting to watch some of Windstar's oldest offspring having such success. 
     Melissa Hunsberger had a good run this past weekend at Plantation Field in Unionville, PA; she placed 2nd in the Advanced with her mare Expedience. And Kaitlin Spurlock had a great ride with her New Zealand horse Purr, finishing 5th in the Preliminary.
     We are having fun with some new arrivals at Windchase.  We have a lovely Intermediate horse from Argentina and a very talented young Preliminary Eventer from New Zealand offered for sale, as well as a bunch of young prospects from closer to home.  We have a really good selection at the moment, so give me a shout if you need a horse!

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 11, 2007
     The autumn Event Season is here, and Windchase riders are off to a good start. 
     The first weekend in September was our local Loudoun Hunt Pony Club horse trials at Oatlands Plantation near Leesburg.  The cross country course was nice, but unfortunately the drought had made the ground as hard as a brick.  I rode Viatar in the Open Intermediate, and though he was placed fourth after one of the few clean show jumping rounds in the division, I decided not to run him XC, but to save him for Seneca Valley the following weekend.  Pedro and Melissa also chose not to run their horses. 
     Dana Bivens did her first Intermediate event with her mare Carpe Diem, and put in a super performance, with a really nice show jumping round and a great go cross-country, with just one glance off on a narrow fence after the bank.  We were very proud of her in her successful Intermediate debut. Melissa Hunsberger represented Windchase well last weekend at the Morven Park Horse Trials - she placed 2nd in the Advanced Division with her mare Expedience, and 3rd with Just Fun Stuff.  Both horses put in superb rounds over Morven Park's demanding cross-country course, and it is with much anticipation that they prepare for the CCI*** at Fair Hill in next week.
     Several other former Windchase horses had excellent performances.  Julia Briskin won the Young Riders division of the CCI* with In It To Win It; this talented young horse is one our New Zealand imports.  Charlotte Merle-Smith placed 2nd in the CCI* with Cyrillic, who is one of the horses that I imported from Bulgaria. 
     It has been extremely hot for this time of year up until a few days ago, but now it has cooled off at last. But still no rain! 

Until next time,
Phyllis



October 2, 2007
     Clear days with crisp autumn air, the trees just starting to show their brilliant fall colors, lovely thick generations-old turf to gallop on, and fine horses to ride.  What more could one ask for?  We had a charmed weekend at the Middleburg Horse Trials, and were privileged to have the chance to ride around the lovely course at Glenwood Park.
     I had a super time with Viatar in the Open Intermediate.  He loved the course and jumped around for fun, both XC and SJ, to finish 4th in a very competitive division.  How lucky I am to have a horse like him to ride!  I also rode my young horse Daedalus in the Novice, and he too jumped double clear.  Daedalus is a talented youngster that shows great promise.  Melissa rode his stablemate, Sun Eagle, in the novice; although only four years old he shows great maturity, and he went extremely well, finishing 8th.
     Several other Windchase students had excellent performances at Middleburg.  Dana Bivens rode her lovely mare Carpe Diem to 4th place in the Young Rider Open Preliminary, and Kaitlin Spurlock placed 6th in that division with her new horse from New Zealand, Baseline.  And Amy Sue Leavens was 3rd in the Novice with Graceful Star, her young horse by our Irish stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.
     I would like to extend my thanks to the organizing committee of the Middleburg Horse Trials.  As usual, they did a fabulous job running the event; it is always one of my favorite competitions on the calendar.  It is thanks to people like them that we have such a fine tradition of excellent competition here in the heart of Virginia horse country.

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 25, 2007
     We had some more good performances recently by Windchase horses and riders.  Congratulations to Katie Willis for finishing 4th in the Intermediate division at Five Points Farm in NC recently on Polar Storm, her talented young Irish Sport Horse by our stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.  Katie and Polar have a great partnership, and we expect big things from them in the future.  Congratulations also to another of Windstar's offspring; Arthur, owned and ridden by Allison Springer, finished 3rd in the Advanced Division at the American Eventing Championships in Wayne, Illinois.  It is really exciting to watch some of Windstar's oldest offspring having such success. 
     Melissa Hunsberger had a good run this past weekend at Plantation Field in Unionville, PA; she placed 2nd in the Advanced with her mare Expedience. And Kaitlin Spurlock had a great ride with her New Zealand horse Purr, finishing 5th in the Preliminary.
     We are having fun with some new arrivals at Windchase.  We have a lovely Intermediate horse from Argentina and a very talented young Preliminary Eventer from New Zealand offered for sale, as well as a bunch of young prospects from closer to home.  We have a really good selection at the moment, so give me a shout if you need a horse!

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 11, 2007
     The autumn Event Season is here, and Windchase riders are off to a good start. 
     The first weekend in September was our local Loudoun Hunt Pony Club horse trials at Oatlands Plantation near Leesburg.  The cross country course was nice, but unfortunately the drought had made the ground as hard as a brick.  I rode Viatar in the Open Intermediate, and though he was placed fourth after one of the few clean show jumping rounds in the division, I decided not to run him XC, but to save him for Seneca Valley the following weekend.  Pedro and Melissa also chose not to run their horses. 
     Dana Bivens did her first Intermediate event with her mare Carpe Diem, and put in a super performance, with a really nice show jumping round and a great go cross-country, with just one glance off on a narrow fence after the bank.  We were very proud of her in her successful Intermediate debut. Melissa Hunsberger represented Windchase well last weekend at the Morven Park Horse Trials - she placed 2nd in the Advanced Division with her mare Expedience, and 3rd with Just Fun Stuff.  Both horses put in superb rounds over Morven Park's demanding cross-country course, and it is with much anticipation that they prepare for the CCI*** at Fair Hill in next week.
     Several other former Windchase horses had excellent performances.  Julia Briskin won the Young Riders division of the CCI* with In It To Win It; this talented young horse is one our New Zealand imports.  Charlotte Merle-Smith placed 2nd in the CCI* with Cyrillic, who is one of the horses that I imported from Bulgaria. 
     It has been extremely hot for this time of year up until a few days ago, but now it has cooled off at last. But still no rain! 

Until next time,
Phyllis



October 2, 2007
     Clear days with crisp autumn air, the trees just starting to show their brilliant fall colors, lovely thick generations-old turf to gallop on, and fine horses to ride.  What more could one ask for?  We had a charmed weekend at the Middleburg Horse Trials, and were privileged to have the chance to ride around the lovely course at Glenwood Park.
     I had a super time with Viatar in the Open Intermediate.  He loved the course and jumped around for fun, both XC and SJ, to finish 4th in a very competitive division.  How lucky I am to have a horse like him to ride!  I also rode my young horse Daedalus in the Novice, and he too jumped double clear.  Daedalus is a talented youngster that shows great promise.  Melissa rode his stablemate, Sun Eagle, in the novice; although only four years old he shows great maturity, and he went extremely well, finishing 8th.
     Several other Windchase students had excellent performances at Middleburg.  Dana Bivens rode her lovely mare Carpe Diem to 4th place in the Young Rider Open Preliminary, and Kaitlin Spurlock placed 6th in that division with her new horse from New Zealand, Baseline.  And Amy Sue Leavens was 3rd in the Novice with Graceful Star, her young horse by our Irish stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.
     I would like to extend my thanks to the organizing committee of the Middleburg Horse Trials.  As usual, they did a fabulous job running the event; it is always one of my favorite competitions on the calendar.  It is thanks to people like them that we have such a fine tradition of excellent competition here in the heart of Virginia horse country.

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 25, 2007
     We had some more good performances recently by Windchase horses and riders.  Congratulations to Katie Willis for finishing 4th in the Intermediate division at Five Points Farm in NC recently on Polar Storm, her talented young Irish Sport Horse by our stallion Brandenburg's Windstar.  Katie and Polar have a great partnership, and we expect big things from them in the future.  Congratulations also to another of Windstar's offspring; Arthur, owned and ridden by Allison Springer, finished 3rd in the Advanced Division at the American Eventing Championships in Wayne, Illinois.  It is really exciting to watch some of Windstar's oldest offspring having such success. 
     Melissa Hunsberger had a good run this past weekend at Plantation Field in Unionville, PA; she placed 2nd in the Advanced with her mare Expedience. And Kaitlin Spurlock had a great ride with her New Zealand horse Purr, finishing 5th in the Preliminary.
     We are having fun with some new arrivals at Windchase.  We have a lovely Intermediate horse from Argentina and a very talented young Preliminary Eventer from New Zealand offered for sale, as well as a bunch of young prospects from closer to home.  We have a really good selection at the moment, so give me a shout if you need a horse!

Until next time,
Phyllis



September 11, 2007
     The autumn Event Season is here, and Windchase riders are off to a good start. 
     The first weekend in September was our local Loudoun Hunt Pony Club horse trials at Oatlands Plantation near Leesburg.  The cross country course was nice, but unfortunately the drought had made the ground as hard as a brick.  I rode Viatar in the Open Intermediate, and though he was placed fourth after one of the few clean show jumping rounds in the division, I decided not to run him XC, but to save him for Seneca Valley the following weekend.  Pedro and Melissa also chose not to run their horses. 
     Dana Bivens did her first Intermediate event with her mare Carpe Diem, and put in a super performance, with a really nice show jumping round and a great go cross-country, with just one glance off on a narrow fence after the bank.  We were very proud of her in her successful Intermediate debut.

     This past weekend I had a really fun go with Viatar in the Intermediate at Seneca.  Though the ground was still hard, they had aerated the course and put down a lot of sand in strategic places, turning hard going into very acceptable conditions.  I really appreciate the efforts of the Seneca Valley Pony Club horse trials committee in putting the effort into improving the ground and presenting such a nice course.  Viatar went superbly in all three phases, placing 2nd in the dressage with a 32, and going clear in show jumping and cross country, with just a few XC time penalties dropping him to 5th overall.  It was our first real run of the season, and we both had a blast!
     I also rode my talented 5-year-old Daedalus in the Novice, his first recognized event, and he went great, jumping clear both SJ and XC.  Our only bad moment was when I mounted him too close to the trailer and he accidentally stuck a hind foot through one of the folding chairs - this caused him to panic and bolt, depositing me rather unceremoniously on the rock hard ground.  I am still moving a bit gingerly after this exciting moment!  But he went like a dream on course, and was really a lot of fun to compete, so I a really looking forward to the rest of the season with him.
     Other notable performances by Windchase riders at Seneca Valley included Maggie Nichols placing 3rd in the Training division on Oscar and Kaitlin Spurlock finishing 6th in the Preliminary with Purr.  Dana Bivens was 7th in the Novice on her young horse Happy Go Lucky in his first competition.

     But the most exciting performance of the weekend went to Pedro Gutierrez, who took his good New Zealand horse Mitchell down to Georgia, where they represented Mexico at the Advanced level in the Poplar Place CIC***.  This pair put in a dressage test in the top placings, a clean and fast cross-country round and a good performance in show jumping, to finish 4th.  This is an especially impressive feat when you consider that Pedro lives in Mexico City while Mitchell stays at Windchase, so they have little time together through the event season to practice together.  I am very proud of them both for their successful performance in this prestigious Event.

Until next time,
Phyllis