BHF's Newest Team Member - Carli McGinley

Blue Hill Farm’s newest recruit is Carli McGinley, a 21 year old event rider from Louisville Kentucky who started riding as a 5yr old kid.  Carli competed her first pony, a wild Arab X by the name of Rocket, through training level. Since then she’s mostly ridden OTTBs and spent a summer galloping race horses which really solidified her love for the Thoroughbred breed. 

She attended Centre College in Kentucky and graduated a year early with degrees in History and Spanish. She has been a working student for Martha Lambert in Ky and Stephen Bradley in Va.

Carli came to Blue Hill on a recommendation from a friend, and so the adventure begins..............



“My adventures with Blue Hill Farm, Southern Edition, began with an estimated 13 hour road-trip down I-75 South which resulted in a traumatic 16 hours on the road.

Just ask Steph, as she received many an aggravated/panicked phone call from me, as I struggled to make my way down through traffic jam after traffic jam.  I arrived at our base camp, Hot Corner Farm, in the dark and was suffering from a driving hangover and serious caffeine crash.


I can now happily report that things have only improved since my initial attempts to get down south.  Everyone associated with Blue Hill has been completely wonderful and welcoming, from showing me around Ocala to helping me settle my horse into the new barn. 


The main barn at Hot Corner Farms is beautiful and spacious, home to nine Blue Hill horses, while a few others are housed on equally beautiful neighboring farms. My trusty stead, an 11 year old TB named Kaiser, seems to be enjoying his first Florida experience, from the (mostly) warmer weather to the large stall and generous turnout. He is settling in and has become good friends with Steph’s OTTB mare, Bell, and Missy’s big Irish horse, Ike. They have the run of Tim Petty’s neighboring farm and seem to enjoy the quiet atmosphere. A short hack down the road or across the woods and we have access to the ring and hacking offered at Hot Corner.

While I am in Florida I plan on attending some of the local events with Kaiser. My horse is small but mighty, topping out at a delicate 15 hands and our goals while with the Blue Hill team includes moving back up to Intermediate and possibly aiming for a CIC/CCI**.  Kaiser and I had a little bit of a rocky 2013, but we’ve gained a lot of experience points and I’m looking forward to getting some great instruction from Missy and Jessica. I had my very first lesson with Missy and it was very helpful and instructive! 

Stay tuned and Happy New Year!”  ~ Carli

Thanks Carli for all these pics from Ocala!!

Not bad!!

Already organized!

BG Enjoying a hack!

The beautiful barn

Congratulations to Gigi McIntosh on the Purchase of Rio Rio!!

RIO RIO!!

Missy and the team at Blue Hill Farm have been busy this year in their quest for 2 perfect Para mounts for Gigi McIntosh and Becca Hart.  The team has poured over multiple videos, reached out to trusted contacts within their equestrian network and wracked up some serious travel miles during the search.  It has not been an easy mission,  but we are now happy to announce that both Gigi and Becca have found their new competitive partners.......so let the training begin!!!

We're going to feature each of the ladies in a series of blogs about their new partnerships, in order to keep their supporters on top of their progress. 

"The great horse search began in earnest last spring after Hope Hand declared a moratorium on re-cycled event horses as Para mounts! Missy, Becca and I met Babsi Neidhart-Clark and Martha Thomas in Denmark to begin our search for our new competition horses.  After a lot of driving and a lot of laughing, we found two lovely horses.  Persistence paid off as Becca's horse made it back to Blue Hill Farm eventually, but mine, sadly, did not pass the vet.

After enlisting the help of a wide network of astute friends and chasing down countless videos of possibilities, five months later,  I saw a video of Rio on Dressage Daily's Horse Market. Beautiful trot, purported "10" walk, 7 years old with a lifetime of show experience.....I was smitten.  So what if she was in Washington state?

Of course, Missy was a lot more skeptical!  We needed another extensive walk video. Her trainer complied forthwith. Then we sent Erin Albreda, a veteran Para equestrian who lives in Seattle, out to try her.  Erin sent a glowing report after trying her at the Regional championships.  Not only was she bomb-proof but very straightforward to ride.  By now, I was harassing Missy to fly to Seattle with me, tomorrow, as I was sure that the horse would be sold before we left Pennsylvania! (To her credit, Rio's trainer, Jessica Wisdom, never pressured us.)

We met up with Erin, near Seattle, on a very scenic tour of Washington and saw Rio, at last, and another beautiful mare.  We brought all that video home to show the final arbiter, Jessica.  The end result was Rio Rio arriving at Blue Hill two months after I sent her original video to Missy!

I am delighted to have such a lovely horse to ride at this time in my life!  Many thanks to the friends who sent me so many prospects, Babsi and Martha, and most of all to Missy and Jessica for whom the hard work has just begun!"

Bred in Idaho and by Radikal (Weltmeyer) out of Hochkarat (Hohenstein), Rio was an embryo-transfer baby. She was the highest scoring yearling filly for the NWSHBA in 2007, the highest scoring USDF in hand yearling filly for RPSI and Reserve Horse of the Year for USDF yearling fillies of all breeds combined.

Here is a link to her information and young horse photos on the breeder's site.

She showed third level in 2013 with a 71% in her first 4th level test.

I was able to watch a bit of Rio in action this week and thus far she is living up to all of her expectations.  She's remarkably quiet with a lovely walk and a big swinging trot.  Gigi claims that she's "so lazy I have to chase her with the whip", but this lovely black mare has plenty of stride and impressive movement.  We're very excited to watch this relationship grow, and since Rio is only 7, Gigi, Missy and Jessica clearly have plenty of opportunities to improve upon her natural talents before they leave for Florida this winter to hit the show circuit!

Stay tuned for regular updates and photos on this new relationship, and good luck to Gigi and Rio on their road to qualifying for the US Paralympic team!! 

Congrats Becca on Your Successful Reigning Debut!!

Para-Reining Debut at the 2013 AQHA World Championship Show Proves Successful for the Discipline’s Future

Written by: Lindsay Y McCall

Photography by: Lindsay Y McCall

Oklahoma City, OK – November 18, 2013- The 2013 American Quarter Horse (AQHA) World Championship Show featured 3,401 entries, a total purse more than $2.4 million, riders from 49 states and 7 countries, and the best Reiners in the business. From November 8-23, equestrians competed in halter, english, and western disciplines. For the first time in history, on November 15, the Para-Equestrian discipline Para-Reining was demonstrated in the Performance Arena at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

USA Reining and the United States Para-Equestrian Association, in cooperation with the AQHA and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) made the unprecedented Para-Reining demonstration possible. Debuting the discipline were three Para-Equestrians that have made their mark in the Para-Dressage world. Those athletes included two-time Paralympian Rebecca Hart, U.S. Air Force veteran Derrick Perkins, and Para-Dressage rider Frederick Win.

 Alongside these equestrians was experienced AQHA rider Reyna Nicole Taylor. All four riders were judged by FEI 4* Reining judge Joe Carter from Canada. The Para-Reining demonstration was a chance for spectators, organizers, and current and potential athletes to experience Para-Reining on an international platform. This event was the launch pad for the 2014 development year and 2015 and beyond international Para-Reining competition.

Rebecca Hart, Derrick Perkins, and Frederick Win were invited into the Reining discipline never experiencing the sport in their life. World-class trainers and athletes donated their time and their high-performance Reining horses over two days to educate, coach, and develop the three dressage riders into competitive reining horses. As the Quarter Horse breed is known for, or as trainer Josh Visser put it, “The Labrador Retriever of the horse world,” these top equines showcased their athletic skill, intelligence, and ability to adapt.

Fellow Para-Dressage rider, Rebecca Hart has excelled in the Dressage world both in able-bodied and as a Para-Dressage athlete. The moment she sat on 4 year-old Zins Smart Wrangler, donated by Pete and Tamara Kyle and owned by Pat Moore, she was ready. Within 15 minutes 2010 FEI #1 Ranked Reiner, Hart’s coach for the event, Lisa Coulter of Canada, was impressed with Hart’s natural Reining ability.

Rebecca Hart and Zins Smart Wrangler, donated by Pete and Tamara Kyle and owned by Pat Moore

Hart appreciated working with a talented individual like Coulter and the feeling was returned on demonstration day. Coulter noted, “I loved working with Rebecca. She made me feel inspired. I felt the importance of this event was revealed when Rebecca’s face lit up when she did her spins. I was thinking, ‘Now that’s what it’s all about.’ It’s that feeling you can’t replace. There is a certain thrill to Reining which includes power and yet control.”

On demonstration day Hart took the reins and dominated the Level 3 Reining pattern . Hart’s highlights within the pattern were her variations of speed on her right lead circles, her roll backs, and her spins both right and left.

Hart commented, “I had a blast during the demonstration. I loved how the audience really got into my performance and they were very supportive. In fact, the whole Reining community has been supportive, which is a wonderful feeling. I enjoyed riding Pete Kyle’s 4 year-old; he was lovely. He never even thought about my legs on him and was a fantastic athlete. There was a lot to think about coming from Dressage. Each discipline is similar in some aspects but fundamentally different in others.”


She continued, “I really want to thank Pete and Tamara Kyle and Pat Moore for Zins Smart Wrangler. They had no idea who I was and brought this wonderful four year-old that they have been training. Without them, their team, Lisa Coulter and everyone involved with Pete, this would not have gone as well. Finally, I want to thank everyone at the 2013 AQHA World Championships including the entire staff at USA Reining. This show is well organized, Brad Ettleman is amazing, and I really want to thank USA Reining, AQHA and NRHA for including us. If this opportunity arises again in the future it is definitely something I would be game to do again. What a great trip to Oklahoma City.”

Rebecca Hart and Zins Smart Wrangler with Pete Kyle READ FULL ARTICLE AND PRESS RELEASE

AND YOU THOUGHT BECCA WAS JUST A DRESSAGE QUEEN!!! WATCH IT LIVE.

Watch the Live Feed of the First-Ever Para-Reining Demonstration at the AQHA World Championship Show  (CLICK TO VIEW FULL PRESS RELEASE) USPEA Media Contact: Lindsay McCall E-mai: Lindsay@uspea.org Oklahoma City, OK - November 14, 2013- Para-Reining will debut at the 2013 AQHA World Championship Show Friday, November 15, 2013 . Para-Dressage athletes Rebecca Hart, Frederick Win, and Derrick Perkins will saddle up for a day of  Para-Reining. Viewers who are unable to attend in person may watch the Live Broadcast of the Para-Reining Debut by clicking here.(https://replays.robertsstream.com/racereplays/cust/aqha/wcs/vidcast/)  The live stream costs only $4.95 for 24 hours of viewing. Para-Reining will follow the Senior Reining - CRI* which begins at 9:00 a.m. central time. The reining CRI* is a preliminary event to the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.  Paralympian Rebecca Hart trains for Friday's competition on 4-year-old Zins Smart Wrangler. Zins Smart Wrangler was donated by Pete and Tamara Kyle and owned by Pat Moore for the Para-Reining Demonstration.   The Para-Reining demonstration is the launching of efforts to bring the discipline online as a fully recognized sport in 2014. USA Reining and USPEA together with the AQHA and NRHA are proud to welcome an American hero to our ranks of Para-Reining competitors. For more information about he USA Reining/USPEA Para-Reining Clinic and Demonstration Class at the AQHA World Championship Show, including schedule, entry form and more, email:  Brad@HPowerInc.com  For more information about USA Reining, click on www.USA-Reining.com For more information about the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show: http://www.aqha.com/Showing/World-Show/Schedule.aspx

Rachel's Year in Review!!

2013 is coming to a close, and it's time to step back and appreciate all the accomplishments of this past year.  I have had an excellent year at Blue Hill Farm, with the opportunities to ride and train quite a mix of horses, as well as being promoted to assistant trainer!

I've been competing Hugh Knows, owned by Stonehall Farm in Middleburg VA, at Second Level to prepare him for a career as a Para-equestrian mount.  He is a great competition partner that always puts in a good test and finishes at the top of his classes.

This spring I had some fun starting Rue La La, a 13.3h pony owned by the Thomas Geno Syndicate. She is a fantastic jumper, and could power around the Novice level cross country, having a blast.  She has tons of scope and will make a very competitive eventer or show jumper.

I also started Danny, a 14h TB Welsh cross owned by Lisa Thomas ( our fabulous website designer), for her daughter Kendal.  Danny is an adorable pony who shows much potential for dressage, eventing, or the show hunters. The future looks very bright for Kendal and Danny, and I'm proud and excited to be a part of it. 

This fall I have been asked to ride Margarita, a warmblood mare owned by Elizabeth Bareis, with plans to campaign her at Third Level.  She is a very nice dressage horse, and I look forward to the chance to compete her.  

Also in the barn is Woody, the lovely little warmblood horse from England owned by Pari Nurrish. Woody is a very talented dressage horse that I have had the pleasure of schooling while Pari has been arranging her big move from England back in to the states!

I have also been fortunate to ride for Seema Sonnad for the past few years on two of her horses, Cole and Solo SWF.  Last year we sold Cole, a little horse I brought up to Training Level in eventing, in order to buy Solo SWF.  Although very brave at eventing, we made the decision that he was much more talented as a show jumper, so I now have the opportunity to  to show the HITS circuit in Ocala this winter!  The plan is to gain confidence jumping around 1.20m before putting him on the market to find an upper level event prospect.

Solo SWF

This has been quite a big year for myself and Carlingford Taldi, an Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Jessica Ransehousen.  Due to an unfortunate accident that ended his upper level eventing career with Missy, Taldi started his new life as a dressage horse a few year ago.  I was lucky enough to get the ride on him and we've moved up the levels together.   This fall at HITS Saugerties, we both made a successful debut at Prix St Georges together.  The scores keep improving each time we go out, and we are preparing for our first CDI in 2014. 

Carlingford Taldi

I now have earned my bronze and silver USDF medals, and can say that I am an FEI level rider.  I know it would not have been possible without all the support from the team at Blue Hill Farm.  Missy and Jessica have been so generous with their horses and time, and it's a privilege to train for them.  Jessica has been my mentor for the past 5 years, and I am excited to take on my goals for 2014 with her help and support! 

Working Student Brigitte Aickelin Looks Forward to 2014!

2012 was a tough year for me and my Prelim eventer, Chip, who was having issues on the flat and wasn’t progressing.  I needed to find a training program which would help us improve, and that’s how I ended up applying for a working student position at Blue Hill Farm.  I sent my resume and before I knew it, I was moving from Georgia to Pennsylvania in the dead of winter. Which might I add wasn’t the smartest decision because it is SO much colder here than in  Georgia.  Regardless, I have been at Blue Hill since January 2013 and have loved every minute of it!

Chip

I have learned so much from both Jessica and Missy during my time here. They helped me make the tough decision to retire Chip from upper level Eventing in early fall of this year.  I made the long trek back to Georgia to get his half brother, Harper, to become my new training project. Harper is 4 years old, and so far is progressing quickly and loving every minute of learning the ropes of eventing. I’ve had him in training for 2 months and we are learning everything about each other, one day at a time.

Harper

My 2013 show season didn’t go as planned since Chip was not progressing, and during that time I rode Blue Hill horses, Harry and Margarita, in dressage shows. Harry taught me a ton as far as fixing my position and Margarita and I learned the ropes together. My plan is to finish this year strong on Harper and do some schooling shows before it gets too cold. 

Harper learning to jump!

2014 I plan to be competitive at the Beginner Novice and Novice level in the spring and early summer before moving up to Training by the fall of 2014. I hope to be able to go to Ocala for a month or two this winter, to compete and hone my skills so I can be really competitive in Area 2 in the spring and summer.

Even though 2013 was a tough year for me, I plan to finish it out strong and with a huge smile on my face. I know 2014 will be bigger and better; it can only lead to great things for my future competitions and my eventing career. I couldn’t have done any of it without the help of the BHF crew, my friends and most importantly, my family. Here’s to a great 2014 competition season!

Working Student Brigitte Aickelin Looks Forward to 2014!

2012 was a tough year for me and my Prelim eventer, Chip, who was having issues on the flat and wasn’t progressing.  I needed to find a training program which would help us improve, and that’s how I ended up applying for a working student position at Blue Hill Farm.  I sent my resume and before I knew it, I was moving from Georgia to Pennsylvania in the dead of winter. Which might I add wasn’t the smartest decision because it is SO much colder here than in  Georgia.  Regardless, I have been at Blue Hill since January 2013 and have loved every minute of it!

Chip

I have learned so much from both Jessica and Missy during my time here. They helped me make the tough decision to retire Chip from upper level Eventing in early fall of this year.  I made the long trek back to Georgia to get his half brother, Harper, to become my new training project. Harper is 4 years old, and so far is progressing quickly and loving every minute of learning the ropes of eventing. I’ve had him in training for 2 months and we are learning everything about each other, one day at a time.

Harper

My 2013 show season didn’t go as planned since Chip was not progressing, and during that time I rode Blue Hill horses, Harry and Margarita, in dressage shows. Harry taught me a ton as far as fixing my position and Margarita and I learned the ropes together. My plan is to finish this year strong on Harper and do some schooling shows before it gets too cold. 

Harper learning to jump!

2014 I plan to be competitive at the Beginner Novice and Novice level in the spring and early summer before moving up to Training by the fall of 2014. I hope to be able to go to Ocala for a month or two this winter, to compete and hone my skills so I can be really competitive in Area 2 in the spring and summer.

Even though 2013 was a tough year for me, I plan to finish it out strong and with a huge smile on my face. I know 2014 will be bigger and better; it can only lead to great things for my future competitions and my eventing career. I couldn’t have done any of it without the help of the BHF crew, my friends and most importantly, my family. Here’s to a great 2014 competition season!