Dancing our Socks Off

Greetings to you all back home!

Well I have no idea where to start. How about with.. my horses are the best?!? I am actually kind of speechless right now because this weekend was way more than I could have ever asked for!
Alright so before I jump ahead of things I'll start where I left off a week ago. Mom arrived Tuesday with dad and I have to say I felt like a little girl again with a mommy and daddy all to myself. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed having them both here at the same time!
Wednesday I went into work for the morning and then mom and I packed up and headed off to the show in the early afternoon. I have to say to be only 45 minutes away from the show grounds felt like an absolute luxury! We beat the LA traffic in the 30 degree C weather so mom and I were very grateful about that! We both kind of looked at each other.. and this is the "Mid-Winter Dressage Show" in 30 degree weather.. alright then! lol
I rode both of them just in time before it got dark and I knew we were off to a good weekend after that! They were both so good! They relaxed so quickly and just went straight to work!
Thursday rolled around and Karen arrived late that morning so she was there to help me warm up for my first test with Stentano. I rode Rif earlier that morning because I didn't have a class for her that day. She was so good yet again. I really had no idea what to expect with her because she can be quite sensitive and hot so I wasn't sure how that would come out at the shows but she settled and trusted me so quickly! So back to Stentano, he was quite a good boy considering it was the first test of the year for him and we finished with a 64% and then had to quickly get ready for the jog (for those non-horsey people the jog is used to trot the horse out to make sure they are not lame and basically fit to compete). We passed the jog and onwards we went!
At that point I was still feeling slightly overwhelmed about Friday. I think because there were still so many unknowns about how Rif would be in the actual show ring and how the CDI (qualify classes judges by 3 high level judges) would go with Stentano but the overwhelming feeling quickly turned to excitement.
Friday morning I had an early ride with Rif and our warm up was fantastic and then 5 minutes before my ride time.. I got so nervous for some crazy reason! I guess all of a sudden it hit me.. it was all for real and I was about to take this amazing horse into a test and I didn't want to make her look bad! Well Karen just kept telling me ride Monica ride and I just kept laughing at her telling her my brain wasn't telling my legs what to do anymore. I pulled myself together and somehow left most of the nerves behind and we went out and danced. Of course we had mistakes and it was rough around the edges for the first time but we came out with a 68% in the PSG!!.
I rode Stentano later that afternoon in the Young Rider Team Test and it was a bit tricky but we made it through with crooked flying changes and totally off count! But we still got a 62% so I was pleased with that!
Saturday was another early start for Rif and once again she was a super star and I was a lot more on top of things keeping my excitement under control. We won our PSG class again with a 68%. As for Stentano, we had an incredible warm-up. He was so with me and the potential for a great test was there.. but as soon as we went into the show ring, his anxiety came out. It was weird because I felt like I really had control of him, now it's just this next step of getting him to trust me enough to let me tell him it is going to be okay. We had a few too many mistakes that cost us so we dropped down to 60% but I felt good about the ride after. It was the feeling of hope.. that maybe this year we have to just keep chipping away and it will come!
Today was yet again bright and early just past 8 o'clock for Rif and it was the best test yet. I felt like I really rode her instead of just sitting up there like a child overwhelmed by Christmas! We finished with a 71.8 so that was amazing! I didn't show Stentano today because it was the freestyle day and we don't have ours together yet so that will be for the next show!

But I have to say overall I am beyond thrilled with how this weekend went! I owe you all so much thanks for all of the support because to be honest I had no idea what to expect and you guys all made me believe in myself and my horses! And of course I owe huge thanks to my mom for all of the help, Karen for coming down to coach me, and all the support I had at the show from family friends that came out to watch even though they had no idea what was going on!!
It was just such a super weekend with the horses and overall lots of fun! Our next CDI is in 2 weeks so I will be taking both of them in that!

I hope to have some pictures soon that I can post up!! I hope all is well at home!

xoxox Monica

Show time here we come!

Hey Everyone,

This will probably be my last post until after the show next weekend. I don't think I will have internet access there so hang tight! I will let you know how it all went the following Monday :) Or you can feel free to always text me as well.
Stentano and Rif are going really great. I am so excited to bring them out and see what things will actually be like in the show ring. Getting it all together at home is one thing, but at the show is a whole other thing! I am expecting Stentano to be a bit on edge as it is his first show of the season and as for Rif, well I have no idea what quite to expect. I am just going to go and ride like I am still at home and hopefully keep myself focussed enough that they can sense there is nothing to worry about.
I am going to be competing in the CDI (qualifier for North Americans) with Stentano and just the open show (does not qualify) with Rif so that I can get to know her a bit at the shows first.
Mom flies in Tuesday morning so I am super excited to see her and be able to spend almost a whole week with her at the show!! Karen will be flying in Thursday as well to help me so I'm looking forward to that as well!

As for everything else, it is good! The weather has been mostly sunny and decently warm considering it is "winter" here too ;) Last night was lots of fun at the hockey game! It was nice to have a night to just go have some fun and to pretend I knew what I was looking at lol... as for the LA traffic.. well I don't think I will ever be complaing that Vancouver traffic is bad anymore!

Alright well I must be off to get the last few things together before the week begins. Three days of work and then horse show mode will kick in!!

Miss you guys!
Hope all is well!
Moni

And time keeps on flying by...!

Hi Everyone,
For those of you that are still reading… you’re probably wondering if I’m still alive down here in So. Cal after not writing for a whole week! I am so sorry but it seems like the past week I’ve got home every night after the barn and the house is full of people and so there goes my opportunity to blog once again.
Alright let’s see where to start. Last weekend was so nice with my friend, Cici out! I finally felt like bit of a tourist lol. We spent the horses day off escaping up to Santa Barbara for the day. It is so gorgeous up there and the shopping.. well let’s just say that was a little too much fun! It was so nice to get a break and just hang out and have some good laughs! I have to admit it was rather tough driving off from the airport knowing I was sending her back to rainy Vancouver.
As for my trouble maker ponies.. they are gearing up for the show next weekend! I had some break through moments with Sabine this week in my lessons with Rif and so I feel like I’m starting to figure her out a bit more. She is a ball of fire but so much fun! Stentano is working really hard and some days the changes are great and other days not so great so we just keep chipping away and trying new things. But most importantly, I am having so much fun with them and absolutely love going up to see them every morning. I thought after over a month of 5AM mornings I would be ready to die but I guess when you are doing something you love that is what makes the difference :) Rif is starting to gain a huge appreciation for the field turnout and is behaving most excellently so she gets to go out under supervision now!
Oh and my Mr. Valentine’s day stud showed up at the barn for me on Tuesday. Yes the one and only Bradley Cooper!! Seriously! Well maybe not for me but he was sure as heck there! ..learning how to ride lol.. I had a lesson with Sabine right after his session and at that point I knew he was an actor but didn’t know exactly who he was.. well he stuck around to watch me ride Rif for a bit and I’m glad I didn’t know exactly who he was at that time haha.. so long story short that’s my little Canadian girl LA experience for the week at El Campeon ;)
This week at work has been rather busy so I am looking forward to the weekend! Tomorrow night a friend is taking me out to the LA Kings hockey game against Calgary with some of his friends.. so if I root for LA am I now a bad Canadian.. or is that okay because it’s Calgary? ;)
Mom will be out next Tuesday and we will head to the show on Wednesday so show time here we come!!
I hope you are all doing well back home! Take care!
Miss you all xoxo Moni

Hello weekend!

Well what do you know the week got away from me again! It seems like once Monday starts there is no stopping.. and next thing I know Friday has rolled around. That must be a good sign because work continues to become more and more interesting as I learn something new every day. They are starting to hand over more and more responsibilities to me so that has been fun to start having problems to solve on my own.
The horses are keeping life interesting as always. Rif is definitely starting to show her true colours! So it’s almost like Stentano times 2.. but the girl version.. and for those that know Stentano, well he is a burst of personality always trying to find a way to get attention. So it’s never a dull moment between the two at the barn.
I had two great lessons with Sabine this week and she was really starting to help me push through some things with Rif. A brand new horse = a brand new relationship = earning respect. I am loving the journey and even though it may be challenging at times it is so worth it!! Stentano is coming along better and better each day so I am really interested to see how he will be at the show.
Yesterday both of them made a visit to the dentist.. or I should say the dentist made a visit to them. It was crazy to see! I’ve attached a picture below and for those that have never seen a horses teeth being done.. yes it is quite the procedure!! We had a specialist come in that had been recommended to us by Rif’s previous rider and I am so glad we brought him out. It turned out Stentano was in great need of his visit and Rif was just starting to get some sharp edges. So yesterday the horses got off because of the sedation and so today shall be interesting to see how they feel.
Oh and I must not forget to fill you in on the Katy Perry excitement! Well she came but holy smokes the whole thing was definitely a much bigger deal than I thought!! The shoot was for teen vogue and so the security was really tight and it was supposed to be a closed shoot so they never ended up using the horses. The farm manager was able to sneak a friend of mine from work and myself out to the set to see one of the shoots! That was pretty cool and we got a cute wave and hello from Katy as she drove past us on the golf cart from make up to the set… so yes I must say that was a fun experience but I have concluded that celeb stalking sounds like a bigger deal than it really is lol..
I am off tonight to go pick up one of my best friends from back home so this weekend we will be out and about having some fun!
Hope you are all doing well! Miss you guys and please don’t be afraid to send emails my way :)

Sleepy Big
And open wide Rif!

We didn't want to be total creepers and take a picture when she was right beside us so instead all you get is a picture of the back of her head ;)

Teen Vogue Photographers

Superbowl Sunday!

Well we embraced the fact that we are in America and joined in with the food consumption and "watching" of the football game with some family friends today.. well for me and my friends.. more or less watching of the commercials ;)
This morning mom and I went up to the barn and spent the morning tending to their needs and then we even took them out on a very enjoyable bareback ride... I wasn't sure if I would be sky-rocketed out into space when I got on Rif without a saddle but she kind of gave me the look like what on earth are you doing and then quickly realized maybe it wasn't so bad at all! Mom got up on Stentano and so we walked all around the property and just had a really nice mother/daughter time :) It was so enjoyable to just spend the day not having to be on the go with them.
I snapped a few pictures when we were out grazing with them later on...

Mom loving up Rif :)

As you can tell he finds life really rough these days ;)

Overlooking the farm while grazing up on the hill! I am still caught in awe by the beauty!

And I couldn't help but share this with you.. a beautiful afternoon at the house!

And then the sun goes down for the night as another wonderful weekend comes to a close.

It has been so lovely to have mom out this weekend!! I owe her everything for all that she has sacrificed for me and the non-stop support she has given me. Love you mom!

One of my best friends is coming out next weekend so I am really looking forward to that too! So off I head into another week at work learning more and more and another week of living out this crazy passion of mine! I was looking at the dates today and three weeks until my first horse show so here we go!! The countdown is on! Enjoy your week everyone and I hope to get another post up midweek. Live each day for what it has to give and count each and every blessing. Blessings to you all.
All my love,
Monica

Life is a blessing

Hello everyone!
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying what each day has to bring! Everything here in So. Cal continues to be more than I could have ever dreamed of. I still wake up thinking, wow, am I really living this dream out!! I love working with everyone at Houweling’s and they are all so supportive of me learning the business along with my riding. The new branding has been launched so that has been very exciting to watch it take off! You can check out the new website at http://www.houwelings.com/ if you want to see what I’m up to :)
El Campeon is nothing less than perfect. The horses continue to be so happy there. However, the jealousy seems to be increasing between the two ;) I’m in Rif’s stall and Stentano is banging on his door.. I go to Stentano and Rif pins her ears at him. Nothing but trouble makers but it makes me laugh.
This week Stentano has been going really well and we keep on chipping away at the flying changes! Rif has started to come out of her shell and holy smokes is there a lot of horse in there! It’s a huge learning curve to climb up because she knows so much.. way more than I do, so everyday it’s about figuring out how to refine my aids effectively and quietly. Sabine Schut-Kery, the trainer at El Campeon, continues to be wonderful. She has been such a huge help and most importantly is so encouraging and makes me believe in myself. She is such a great teacher and has brought light to so many details that end up changing the whole picture for better and better each week!
Mom is out this weekend again so that is so nice! She is such a huge help and it’s just so nice to be able to spend some time with her. J
When I first came down here I kept telling myself this is amazing but Canada is always my home.. well I don’t know I have the feeling I might just end up down here more permanently sooner than later. There is this way of life.. you can be so busy but yet so stress-free. Maybe it’s the sun or falling asleep to waves crashing but I so wish I could share a little bit of this with all of you. All I can say is I am truly so blessed.
This weekend will be some fun mother-daughter bonding with the ponies and Sunday mom and I will take them both up on a trail ride.. if they feel like being brave ;) And then of course.. Superbowl Sunday which means no more Canadian commercial watching but yes the American commercials!
Thank you so much for staying in touch via email as well. All the support and encouragement is so overwhelmingly kind. I want to share my joy with all of you and bring you along the journey with me.

All my best,
Monica

Last weekend the Santa Ana got the best of the jumps.. see there's a reason dressage is better ;)

Beautiful sunrises at the barn! Convinces me the early mornings aren't so bad after all!





Checking out the tomatoes with daddy :)





My view from the office!



And the lovely weekend sunset :)
God, you are so good!