Going on to Zones ...

Pic of the muffin at last year's hunter pace

Well, this year's IEA season has really been a rollercoaster of ups and downs.  As y'all know, the Patchwork team failed to qualify for Regionals for the FIRST time:(  I'm totally bummed, but it was 3 shows in before they rode to their full potential.  You've got to bring it EVERY time, not just SOMEtimes.  My school highschool team that I coached last year and this year again failed to qualify for Regionals.  It's been tough for them; there's some GOOD riders on that team, but they don't follow through and take their 6 minimum lessons per month; many of them only take 2 per month if that, and as a result don't pin very well at the shows.  The proof is in the pudding ... the girls HAVE to get in their saddle time.  My new team I started this year was a "school" middle school team.  That team too has some good riding girls, and they were DILIGENT about making sure they took their 2 monthly team lessons in addition to 4 minimum lessons with the trainer of their choice ... THAT team qualified for Regionals AND managed to win.  The win means it's ON to Zones!

Sadly, it's the middle school team that's been full of drama.  I REALLY don't want to go into a lot of detail, but it was rumored they were leaving and going to a rival barn next season.  Nice kick in the face, THANKS!  Let me turn away lesson clients, bend over backwards to accomodate YOUR schedule, get up at 3:30 in the morning to haul horses to the shows for you for a whopping $100 (when gas costs me $100 for just the gas to get to the shows), and pour my heart and soul into your daughters to get them to Zones ... in their FIRST year as a team.  Goodly, it DOES seem that the majority of the moms want to be with ME, not the other barn.  They've stepped up and stopped the madness and forced a team meeting for this week to try and nail down a few things.  I'm so grateful.  Y'all were here when I lost my "school" team right after I got Tiki; it was gut wrenching.  I cried for days.  I TOLD the team mom about that situation and how it affected me, and she ASSURED me they weren't that kind of team.  Yeah, sure.  But, I have hope that I will still have the middle school team next year.  I'm going to let the high school team go without a fight.  There's too much drama and uncertainty there anyway because that high school actually has TWO IEA teams, and now there's talk about merging ... exhausting.  Let the other barn deal with that mess!  I'm talking shop with 2 other moms about possible new teams for next year, and hopefully will have something worked out by the end of the school year.

I will be putting the drama behind me and will have a GREAT time in Charleston, SC for Zone finals in 2 weeks.  No matter what I feel for the parents, I really love the kids, and they deserve their shot at "glory":)  I sent in my paperwork for the hunter pace Saturday, yay!  Didn't ride Muffin because I thought one of my kidlets was coming out today for a lesson, but they switched that to tomorrow.  Guess it will be Wednesday before I sit on him!