This video isn't really anything special except that it makes me laugh every time I watch it.  Best thinks he's so 'bad' but an eight year old has driven him.  lol  I guess we're only as bad as we think we are.

Video taken at Lane Cove Dressage - I've got the arena part way set up for obstacle work.

Driving with Corbin

Today we took Best over to Cove Lane Dressage (Greene, NY) to use their arena.  My nephew was ready for his first time actually driving.  He is eight and his hands are just getting strong enough to hold the lines all the time. He is just eight though so we didn't totally turn him loose.  I kept control by adding a second set of lines so that when it looked like we might drive into the wall (a kitty cat that came into the arena was distracting) I was able to override the little driver.

Best did great and was his normal understanding self.  You'll notice he's gained quite a bit of weight and is looking very relaxed.

First Parade!

We recently took Best to his first parade.  It was in the little town he is currently living in and was just a few blocks long - perfect for a first try.  The night was mild so there was huge turnout (I'll be honest, I didn't know there were that many people in Afton). He was frustrated at first as we were behind my Mother's minis and they walk too slow for Best but as soon as we were in front of them, he was golden.

 Police lights were flashing, music was playing (plus we went past the band in the warm up area) and he just raised his head and flick his ears.  All total I think we were in the line up for maybe a mile.  After the 4th time we stopped when the wagon in front stopped he figured out the pattern.  He then stopped and stood like a seasoned carriage ride horse every time they stopped.

Back to NY

It was a tough decision but I did decide to send Best back to my parent's farm in NY.  While I like the people where I board I think that it is in Best's best interest to move on right now.  While I have ridden him several times he needs someone with more confidence (I haven't ridden, really ridden, since 2003, we think) to help him under saddle.  I'm hopeful that we'll be able to get that done in NY.  The move will also allow me to sleigh this winter.  I love living in Pittsburgh but the hills are not real conductive to sleighing.

As you can see by the picture Best is not upset at all by the move.  He is spending his days at the Haak spa enjoying the mud (he loves to roll in it) and soaking up the sun.  He is becoming good friends with Draken, our other Standardbred.

Saratoga Driving Trial

Best did his first big event at the Saratoga Driving Trial in October.  We started out with Driven Dressage first thing in the morning.  When we exited the ring a person commented that we had the best entrance, stop and stand that she had seen.  That was great because we had really been working on stopping anywhere and being able to stand until I said it was time to move on.  Unfortunately, we hadn't practice our test in an actual dressage ring and Best found the white chain and letters a bit scary.  He did a wonderful counter-bend (aka controlled spook) for the first half of his test which unfortunately dropped his test numbers.  We ended up 5th in that phase.

Cones was up next and as you can tell from this photo we took them pretty seriously.  The course was great for Best - there were lots of gates with lots of room between them.   He's still working on his turns so if it had been a tight course he might not have done as well but with this course he could show the speed that made him a winner on the track.  In fact we ended up winning that part of the trial.

The marathon phase went well. Sue Call came out to be my navigator.  I was a bit worried about Best's conditioning because while he is fit to do 7K pulling me this was going to be his first time out with two people.  The first two kilometers he did in fine fashion but then we hit some mud and hills.  We took a few breathers, slowing to a walk, but otherwise he was fine.  He did the first hazard, which was out in a field, with no problems and hardly a change in speed.  Then we entered the woods and you could feel him relax, he had just been in the Allegheny National Forest the week before and he seemed to think he might be there again.  But then it happened!  Best spotted the second hazard, tucked in the woods at his left, and just seemed to pause mid-stride.  It was funny because you could tell he just didn't know why a hazard would be in the woods.  Despite his surprise we continued on to come in second in the marathon phase.  The mud did slow us down slightly and we were a minute over time but that was okay as it was really about safety.

We finished the day as Reserve Champion!  Not a bad ending to Best's first driving trial.

Back in the USSR...or rather the Allegheny National Forest

The weekend of September 24th was a Father/Daughter weekend for my Dad and I. He met me with his Fjord horse, Aiken, up at the Allegheny National Forest for some relaxing driving. I have to say that it didn't start off well. We pulled into the Kelly Pines Campsite where I stayed before and it was full. We asked a gentleman what they recommended we do and he replied "go home." Well...that wasn't really an option. Fortunately a much nicer person came over and told us how to get to Allegheny Trail Ride which ended up actually being a much nicer camping experience for us. Best and Aiken were able to stay in actual stalls, play in the creek behind the barns and in general, have a better stay.  If you're going, I would recommend checking them out as you can make advance reservations (Kelly Pines is first come, first serve). It was only $12 a night which is hard to beat.

Best not only had what I believe to be his first experience with a covered bridge (thumbs up) but also played in the creek. He walked in willingly enough but seemed a bit confused at first by the fact that that the water kept moving. Best, for some reason, had his first real nature moment. He was just walking down the path, minding his own business, when a leaf came down and bopped him in the head. You could just see him go "What the heck?"

Neither of us are real campers but we're getting the hang of the nature thing little by little.

Allegheny National Forest drive

We went on our first camping trip on Labor Day weekend.  I'm not a big camper but I wanted to try out the Allegheny National Forest so I headed up to spend Saturday driving.  It's about three hours to the Forest from Washington Co where Best is boarded.  It was an easy trip though so no worries.  Many thanks to Joe Langianese and the staff at the Marienville Information Station for answering all of my questions.

When I pulled into the Kelly Pines camp site I was able to get the last site.  If you're a day visitor you can park in the middle of the campground but I thought I'd go ahead and get the site just in case.  Each site comes with four tie stalls and there is no charge.

I was able to get Best out of the trailer, settled in the tie stall, get the carriage out, and then get hitched without any problems. Several riders came back from their trail rides while we were getting ready - everyone was very nice and said 'hello.' Once hitched we headed off, we went about 6 miles over a combination of dirt roads and asphalt. It was a nice easy drive, very appropriate for Best's first forest experience. He was very good and didn't even look at all the shadows the trees created on the road. I think he enjoyed stretching his legs on some relatively flat ground.

I enjoyed the drive so much that I decided to stay overnight. I needed a bit more hay for Best if I did so, I knew I had seen an Agway so I asked my neighbor how to get back there and instead they generously donated a bale of hay to our camping cause. They also invited me over for Apple Cake later that evening. Since I'm not a fan of sleeping on the ground I cleaned out the horse trailer, put a tarp down and then popped up my tent inside the trailer. It worked surprisingly well and kept me out of the early morning rainstorm.

Best survived his first time in a tie stall and his first night in the forest without any problems. Actually, the only problem was that he's used to being turned out at night so he was wide awake and looking for something to do. When he finished his hay he thought playing with his water bucket would be great fun. At 2am I did not. A bit more hay kept him busy until I was truly ready to get up. Despite the rumors I did not take great delight in waking Best up in the morning when he was ready to sleep. (It was only with a small evil laugh.)

We had a great morning drive once the rain stopped. A few things to be aware of - there is no cell phone coverage, there is no Wal-Mart (or anything else other than a Dollar General and a grocery store), and take a pitchfork (works much better than a shovel in the tie stalls.) There are some hills so if you're driving your horse I think brakes would be very helpful.

All in all the trip was a success and I would highly recommend the Allegheny National Forest to both my riding and driving friends.