The Diesel Boy - "Leto"

When I first met Diesel Boy, or "Leto" as we call him, I was basically interviewing for a working student position with Molly.

Kara, our barn manager, handed me a list of horses to groom, so I started grooming. I kept filtering through the horses with Kara pointing me in the direction of my new acquaintances.

I grabbed Leto out of the stall and started grooming him, not thinking anything of it, and Kara made sure to tell me that he may be a little bad with his feet because he's only three... he's only three? I was shocked.

So what's the point of this little relapse into the past? It's to emphasize how well-mannered this young man is. When I hear the words "three, baby, green etc" past ex-racehorses that made my life miserable start flashing through my brain and it takes some time to steady my thoughts. So when I met Leto, I was pleasantly surprised.

This little true black gelding is a 2007 Westphalian/TB cross (American Warmblood) owned by Molly and her boyfriend, Bryce Kinnamon. He joined the Havarah team in the summer of 2010.

Molly's first encounter with Leto was at Roddy Strangs. He was there getting 30 days of training and Roddy had Molly take him out on a trail ride. She was sold over the first jump. According to Molly, Leto naturally has a super soft back in the air over a fence and a very balanced canter up to a jump. At three he was easier to see a spot on than many of her competition mounts.



It has been a pleasure to watch this little man grow. Leto was the low man on the totem pole out in the pasture. Luckily he's black, because he'd come in from turnout with a new bite mark everyday.

When we were down in Aiken, I really started to notice a change in Leto. Not only did all four legs start to work together beautifully, but he started to hold is own out in the field. I think the daily saying became "Dang Leto, way to hold your own bud!"

Although he toughened up enough to stand up to the older horses, he is still the sweetest to handle on the ground. Mostly, he starts to fall asleep while being groomed. Like all of our horses, Leto has learned to enjoy the Havarah grooms from an early age -it's like going to the hair salon and getting a shampoo and message daily.

Leto has just begun his Eventing career competing Beginner Novice at a few starter trials and competing in the Young Event Horse division in the past Waredaca.

Look out for an adorable, black gelding tied to Molly's trailer at shows. You will notice him instantly with his bushy forelock and big, curious ears.

If you are interested in finding one of these handsome boys check out Bonnie LeMonte's Mouse House Farm in Nottingham, PA!

Havarah's Charly. Period.

ARGH I was trying to save the best for last but I couldn't wait - sorry Charles but you know you are number one.

Quite honestly I don't even know where to start in describing Charly because, he is, the reason for everything. So maybe I'll just start from the beginning.

Molly was managing a barn back in California when she met Charly. He was one of many Hungarian Warmbloods they had shipped over to be re-trained into Event horses.

I think Charly noticed Molly before Molly noticed Charly. She says he was always watching her. Whether she was riding or giving lessons he would have his head out, watching - this caught Molly's attention.

Apparently, women were not allowed to ride this horse. In addition, he was dubbed the barn jerk. Luckily, Molly was able to convince his owner to fly out and watch – or chaperon – Charly and her first ride.

The rest is history. Molly formed the Minyan Syndicate and purchased this incredible athlete in 2005. It was Charly who led Molly to the East Coast. She knew they needed to venture out East for a season to gain more experience on different types of courses.

After winning the AEC at Prelim on Charly Molly decided to make her move permanent. She gave up an established business in Fresno, CA to break racehorses and scrub water buckets from 5 a.m. till noon.

Charly and Molly won the CIC** in the fall of 2008 and nearly won the CCI** at Fair Hill. This phenomenal horse allowed her the honor of being on the developing riders list in 2009 and allowed Molly to gain sponsorship and truly call herself a professional rider.

Unfortunately Charly injured his suspensory in October 2010 and has been rehabbing since.



OK. This is more of a round-about profile but if I didn't explain the history behind Molly and Charly's partnership then it would be hard to really understand how important this horse is.

Charly, Chuckles, or Chunky Monkey (as months on pasture rest have unfortunately warranted this nickname) is the man - and he knows it.

This is a very expressive horse and is definitely not void of personality. We joke that he is like a "frat boy". Being that Charly's daily routine went from world-class shows to stall and pasture rest, he got a bit bored. So, Charly's solution:

-get a rise out of Molly's working students by spooking at inanimate objects, or objects that don't exist
-pretend as though he was going to gallop around his field (when he's not supposed to run) to make the working students run out of the barn in a panic
-look cute in his stall so working students would come to pet him and then pretend he was going to bite those foolish humans

Hence the frat boy comment. It's very obvious that this is all a game to him, just trying to get a rise out of some girls. Plus, Charly LOVES Guiness... what Frat boy doesn't?

Lately, Charly has been very well behaved and lightened up on his trickery. Molly thinks it's because he's slowly being put back to work and knows that if he's good, he will get to jump soon (he loves to jump).

Beyond his personality, this horse just has a presence about him. Charly is a very smart, confident animal and everyone at Havarah is on edge waiting for him to jump back onto the Eventing scene.

Thank you to all those who have made Molly and Charly's partnership happen and we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your patience in Charly's slow recovery.

Seneca Recap

We had four horses travel to Seneca Valley Pony Club HT yesterday: Ankhe, Benny, Rivan and Indie. This was Indie's first training and though he didn't bring home a ribbon he put in a great performance.

Benny brought home 6th in training as well and the other two put in solid tests.

Mostly I wanted to write a delayed welcome to Sophie and Andrew Hulme! The Hulmes are the wonderful owners of Principia Stables. They arrived last Monday and will be hanging around for another week!

Currently based out of California, Sophie rides with Dayna Lynd-Pugh and just finished 1st at Woodside on her Irish mare, Bally Quick Coin (Georgina).

Sophie has been spending her "vacation" riding with Molly and lending a hand as a Havarah groom. She easily fits into the Havarah team with her upbeat, positive attitude. You can tell a true horse girl when she goes on vacation and gets herself set up with work!

With each visit from the Hulmes it's hard not to start salivating when doing night check while Sophie's father, Andrew, is cooking up something delicious.

Being from across the pond, Andrew grew up with an amazing pallet which ends up spoiling working students like myself with pork ribs that have been smoked for four hours, marinated in an asian marinade for two, then baked for another two hours. YUM!

To the Hulmes: we enjoy your company immensely and look forward to all of your visits!

Baby Leto and Hope are at Seneca today competing beginner novice. Touch back to see how they did!

PUTTIN ON THE RITZ - "Benny"

PUTTIN ON THE RITZ, a horse named after the well-known Fred Astaire song, is better known as "Benny" and "Benoit". Benny is a 2005 Holsteiner/Hanoverian cross by Carlson.

Like his names suggests, Benny looks and acts the part of a great event prospect. He has good bone and a big heart. Before coming to Molly, Benny competed in local hunter jumper shows but ended up at Havarah because his owner, Alyssa Klavens, knew he would be happiest in the Eventing world.

He started his career with us in Aiken, SC and, from the start, showed a lot of promise. A solid jumper and confident cross country, Benny easily moved up from Beginner Novice to Training in just a few short months. He finished 6th at the Virginia Horse Trials in May and recently schooled the Prelim questions at Plantation Field this past week.

Molly has taken Benny over to True Prospect Farm for a couple of lessons and Phillip's response has been a positive one sparking excitement for us at Havarah. We are so excited that Alyssa brought Benny to Molly and now we have another great prospect in our program!



If you ask Molly's boyfriend, Bryce, Benny can do no wrong, and it's hard to disagree with him. This guy puts in a solid jumping performance every time out and he's got plenty of personality to make things interesting on a daily basis.

It's a running joke here at Havarah that Benny is the quarterback of our football team. We have a few beastly boys at the barn that make up the rest of the team. Benny kind of resembles that steady-eddy quarterback. Though not all of his plays score the memorable touchdown... consistency will get him that next first down.

Currently cruising around the Training courses look out for PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ on the Prelim leaderboards soon!

R.I.P. Ben - "No Worries"

Ben "No Worries" was a very special horse, owned by Kathy and Quinn Anderson, who passed away Monday. Ben was a handsome, dark bay with the most beautiful eyes and I will never forget all that he has taught me. I'll always remember our first beginner novice together. He ran around the entire cross-country course with his ears pricked forward set on a mission to finish in record time. Ben was always happy to see you, just waiting to go out and get to work!



Ben taught me many important lessons while I had the wonderful opportunity to ride him. Ben will be missed by everyone for he was an incredible horse that brought joy to many people. I couldn’t have had a better experience! I would like to thank Ms. Kathy and Quinn Anderson for letting me ride Ben.

Hannah Metz

Riding for a Cause

We had a very successful cross country school yesterday at Plantation Field benefiting the True Prospect Fire Relief Fund.

Two of the three Connemara-eventing-machines, Archie and Indie, stepped out of their Novice comfort zones and jumped around Training questions like champs.

Molly's two Training horses, Benny and Rivan, showed enormous amounts of potential jumping up a level to Prelim.

Ankhe, who recently moved up to Training, had a couple of green moments but learned a lot and, being the solid citizen that he is, toughed it out for a good go.

Congrats to working student, Shadney Elwell, who schooled her mare Ella Training. They hope to move up from Novice to Training at the Maryland Horse Trials in July!

Our handy CWD rep., Andrew Goodwin, had a successful school on his handsome man, Beau.

Perhaps one of the brightest moments of the day was having Mr. John Nunn back in the saddle! His lovely horse, Smile Like You Mean It "Smiley", unfortunately was suffering from a sore back but is now rockin' and ready to go!

Unfortunately, among all the good there is some sad news. Two of our clients and owners, Kathy and Quinn Anderson, lost a beloved horse of theirs, Ben. Ben was a wonderful horse and teacher having taken Molly's working student, Hannah Metz, to her first recognized Beginner Novice event. It's never easy loosing a horse as they become part of our family, but our hearts and thoughts go out to Kathy and Quinn.

Stay tuned for the next wave of events... so much going on there's always something to blog about!


Working Students Maddie Parison and Hannah Metz hanging by the trailer.

Plantation Starter Trials

Our apologies to interrupt the horse profile series here on the Havarah Blog site but we thought you all might want to know how our youngsters did today!

The Diesel Boy - Baby Leto - put on his big boy pants today and jumped like a superstar! Being only four, Leto is at the beginning of his eventing career and we have high hopes for him! He finished in 3rd for Beginner Novice Horse.

Hannah and Anna's Band had a successful second run. Hannah has been bringing her young thoroughbred mare along and after her second starter trials Anna is proving to look forward to the cross country phase most.

Quinn Anderson did very well on both her mounts: Google and Sprite, she got 4th on both! Look out for this girl and her dynamo ponies!

Jenn Nunn and her spotted mare Maiden had a wonderful dressage test scoring in the 20's.

Barb Strang competed her young four-year-old Judgement baby who is for sale and had a good go.

Last but not least is Hope, one of the newest horses in training with Molly. I believe this was one of Hope's first events and she shows much promise in this sport finishing 4th in Beginner Novice Horse!

The Havarah Team will be XC Schooling back at Plantation tomorrow and though we are going to gain some valuable experience on these rolling hills, we are more so looking forward to helping benefit the Fire Relief Funds for True Prospect Farm.

See you all there!

Sprite - The Wonder Pony

I remember walking the Preliminary course with Molly at the Pine Top Advanced event in Georgia this past winter thinking - Sprite is really going to jump these fences?? They are as big (if not bigger) than she is!

Sprite is a pony with the heart of a giant - and she can jump the moon!

This pony is the product of what happens when a very smart veterinarian needs to utilize a retired race horse and create a perfect horse for her little girl. She's a 2003 Palomino Connemara/TB Cross owned by the wonderful Quinn Anderson. Though Sprite (or Spritely as we call her) spends half of her time jumping tables the size of herself with Molly, the other portion of her life involves fox hunting and competing Beginner Novice with Quinn.

She definitely attracts a crowd as this mighty mare walks into a ring, ready to attack every fence. As she exits, Molly usually receives comments such as: "Wow, that thing can jump! Where can I get one of those?"



Watching Sprite jump is absolutely incredible. Envision an adorable ball of energy almost skipping to the base of a 3'6 fence and then out of nowhere shoots into the air like a spring. What's even more incredible is how easily she makes the distances... let's just say this girl doesn't have that typical, short pony stride.

Beyond her talents Sprite is probably the sweetest horse in the barn. She possesses that perfect, pony look that says "love me". Plus, between her big doe eyes, blonde eyelashes and the cutest whinny I've ever heard, she is the perfect kids pony - until you let her loose on a cross country course.

Quinn is our youngest owner at 13 years old, but she is smart about her pony's future and very passionate. When Sprite won a blue ribbon at a Sporting Days Combined Test in Aiken, SC the words "SHE DID!" could be heard very clearly from Molly's phone (it wasn't on speaker...).

Owning a remarkable pony isn't Quinn's only claim to fame, she is also a very talented rider. Look out for her at events this season on Sprite and her newest partner-in-crime Google!

Thanks to Quinn and Kathy Anderson for allowing Molly to compete such a wonderful athlete!

- Molly Gasiewicz

Sabrina - The Super Model

Today's profile is Sabrina, a.k.a "Wonder Woman" a.k.a. "The Super Model".

Those of you who know this mare know that her ideal lifestyle would be to reside in a plush stall, overflowing with the finest of shavings (probably equivalent to a person who loves high thread-count Egyptian Cotton sheets) and be turned out in the lushest of pastures with a perfect patch for sunbathing. She would only be disturbed to have baby oil put on her nose and polish on her hooves for a photo shoot.

That's right. People legitimately come to our farm to shoot product, they take one look at Sabrina and all 25 other horses are no good - she is the only one they want to photograph.

Check out her picture modeling the Nunn Finer Brentina Bridle at Bit of Britain (and many other's that's just my favorite).

Despite being beautiful, Sabrina is also talented.

She's a 2002 Selle Francais out of Cor De Le Bryere breeding. Sabrina is owned by Alex Robertson and Molly Rosin and is currently competing at the one-star level with hopes of moving up to Intermediate soon!

Sabrina is one of those horses that just keeps going above and beyond our expectations. Sabrina came to Havarah in October of 2009 without much of any experience. After just one winter she started eventing in February of 2010 with a win, her career was onwards and upwards from there.

Preliminary is really where we started to see Sabrina perform like an upper level horse and she just placed 8th at the Virginia Horse Trials CCI*! Molly and this mare have really become a great team as Molly once again showcases her ability to ride all types of horses - including those sensitive know-it-all mares.

Thanks to Alex Robertson who, though being a fantastic dressage rider, realized this mare's passions may lie somewhere else. Because of him Molly was able to take Sabrina over and the sky is the limit from here!

Two down....many more to go - keep checking back to read more about Havarah's wonderful athletes!

-Molly Gasiewicz

Rivan - The Dressage Horse Turned Eventer

Because we center our lives around these animals, I thought they deserved a little credit.

Our fist profile is Rivan, and as you may have guessed by the title, his career plans have somewhat changed in the past year.

Rivan, owned by breeder Pamela Benfield and Stephen Brenner, is a 1998 KWPN Oldenburg Gelding by Contango.

He came to Havarah in June of 2010. After a small career in the dressage world Rivan seemed bored with staying in the arena. He came to Molly in hopes that he would find a new passion in life - and he definitely has.

Just like his father, Contango, Rivan is "happy, cooperative, intelligent and an inquisitive individual". His athletic ability is incredible and it's a pleasure to work with such an honest and willing individual.

Rivan has quickly moved through the levels since September 2010 where he competed at his first starter trial at Fair Hill. After winning his fair share of "blues" he moved up to novice and then on to training where he currently can be seen on the leaderboard.

Probably one of the most entertaining parts about working with these animals is watching their personalities develop. Rivan, who used to over-jump EVERYTHING just to make sure his tippy-toes did not touch one bit of fence now shows a lot of scope. His uncertainties about cross-country have been replaced by a victorious strut off the course.

When Rivan isn't gliding around a dressage arena (usually hitting it in the 20's) and cruising around cross-country and stadium courses, he enjoys being pampered by his favored groom: Hannah Metz.

This gentle giant could be dubbed one of Havarah's originals and we have high hopes for him in the future. You can bet he will be moving from Training Horse to Preliminary soon!

In addition I want to send much thanks to his owners, Pamela Benfield and Stephen Brenner. They both are extremely supportive of Rivan and Molly's endeavors and are happy that their horse enjoys his life and career. It has been wonderful working with owners who value Molly's program and enjoy watching Rivan excel in his Eventing Career.

Thank you Pamela and Stephen!

Look out for our next profile! Who could it be???

- Molly Gasiewicz

We Promise to Blog More!

Like most professional riders with a blossoming business Molly Rosin is spending more time in the saddle and less time in front of her computer. Good for you Molly Sue!

That's where I come in! My name's Molly Gasiewicz (MJ to all those who know me here on the East Coast) and fortunately for all you Havarah Equestrian and Molly Rosin fanatics I'm going to be blogging ALL of Molly's updates and news for you all!

We apologize for any delayed news or lack of updates but hopefully with Molly's riding skills and my writing skills we can keep you in-the-know on a daily basis.

As you know, the horse world (more precisely, Eventing world) is constantly evolving and that's what makes this sport so exciting. Molly has gladly dedicated her life to these animals and their riders because it is the thrill of watching the two evolve as a team that brings her the most joy.

Molly's philosophy is a simple but important one: all horses and riders are different. Instead of trying to fit a horse or rider into a mold she prefers to tailor her training programs so both members of the team may succeed.

The horses of Havarah Equestrian, located at Principia Stables, are a perfect example of differences in personalities along with the working students who care for them on a daily basis.

Stay tuned to meet (or be reintroduced) to the horses and riders that make up Havarah Equestrian!

For a calender of events or to find out how to join our team visit www.mollyrosin.com.

videos!!!

Thank you so much to Andrew Hulme and Sophie Hulme for taking the time to put this Video together that they shot at the Fair Hill HT in April. We have Puttin on the Ritz in TH - Rivan in TH - Sabrina in the CIC * and Sprite in the PH.

ENJOY :)

http://gallery.me.com/thehulmes#100708

Congratulations!!

To Google's new owner..... Quinn Anderson!

For those of you that have been following Google I thought I'd up-date you on my proud achievement of finding him a fantastic home within Team Havarah. I really am a "Google" fan, he's a horse and pony in one and I think all of us deserve one of those at some point in time~! I think Havarah's Charly is an over-grown pony and I'll always love him for his "Hony" like features.

Quinn has taken Google to one starter trial and will be doing there second at Plantation Fields this Sunday. Best of luck to this new team :)

Barn Fire at TPF

This is a tough day that will always be remembered. Please go to www.eventingnation.com for the full story. The barn that Boyd Martin kept his evening horses in at True Prospect Farm caught on fire last night and 6 great horses were lost. 4 more are currently in ICU at New Bolton Center. This is such a tragic event and words can not describe the loss or feelings of any of these horses and owners, riders, trainers and friends.

Please keep the Martin crew in your thoughts.

Congratulations!!

Cheryl Gentzler- a favorite Havarah friend from Clovis, Ca recently purchased a great new horse!! "Denali" is a rising star that has been given as good of an up-bringing as anyone could ask for. Great care and beach rides from his now past owner, Dr. Liz Bracken.

Liz loved Denali very much, but if you haven't already heard.. she's moving her life mainly to Mexico! Visit her website to learn more about what is keeping Liz busy these days. From what I hear this is the new "it" of vacation spots. www.eltiburoncasitas.com

Fair Hill Pics

Fair Hill re-cap

Im happily sitting at my desk catching up on paperwork after a whirlwind week. We were all quite dissapointed to have the Plantation HT canceled due to an abundance of rain so last weekend when the forecast was looking awful for Fair Hill we all had knots in our stomachs. Luckily the storms were minor and the event ran as is and out of 6 Havarah horses we only lost one shoe in the mud!

Sabrina was entered in her first FEI event- she has really been coming into her own and Im getting very excited about her future. Her dressage and show jumping are still a work in progress on show day (pretty great in practice) but her cross country skills are right on. Mud in all this mare was brilliant on Saturday. We'll be working on the show anxiety for the first and third phase and looking to enter a CCI *.

Sprite is now fully deserving of the name wonder pony. The dressage has been on a steady progression at each show- the jumping is getting GREAT. Double clean xc and sj left her in 5th place in a large division of Open Preliminary. What an athlete :)

Rivan gave me the brilliant dressage test we all crave and is getting more and more trained in the jumping phases. After losing a bit of confidence at Southern Pines he had one stop on cross country but was very positive after that. This horse is so talented mentally and physically!

Benny aka Puttin On the Ritz, completed his first training level!! This horse is an exciting project for me, he was a bit mis understood in his past and I love that his owners have given us the oppurtunity to find him some happiness. So far this sport seems to be a great avenue for him.

Maddie Parisan and her very own Carson completed training level- Maddie is very young and VERY talented. I'm so proud of her hard work and progress, she was brilliant in the jumping phases and has a bright future to look forward to.

MJ and Ohlala finished the Preliminary and have improved so much. Both are very talented and have great spirit about them.

Thanks for all of our support crew this last weekend especially Hannah Metz. Hannah is the girl behind the gleam on the coats and the ears pricked forward. As a rider and trainer I've realized that the horses really need their girl on the ground, Hannah is that girl- the horses love her and I can't thank her enough for her thoughtfulness and thoroughness. We should have lots of videos and pictures available soon!

Fair Hill here we come!!

I'm a very happy girl about to tuck into bed and already of dreaming of riding Havarah's own "Sabrina" tomorrow morning in her first FEI event. This is a huge step for a young event horse, their first top class event and a ride in a "LARGE arena!!". Sabrina has only been eventing for just over a year, she's a real tryer and I can't wait to partake in her "BIG" weekend.

Beyond Sabrina this is just a big weekend. "Puttin on the Ritz" will be looking to do his first training level- he's a very promising handsome young event horse owned by Nancy and Alyssa Klavens. Along with him my young wise cracker Maddie Parisan is also looking into completing her first training. Best of luck to these guys!

MJ and her sassy mare Ohlala will be in Preliminary along with myself and the fantastic wonder pony Sprite. Rivan had himself a well deserved rest after a action packed winter and is coming back to try his hand at the training course.

One of the most exciting parts of the weekend is enjoying the company of Principia Stables owners- the Hulmes family. Andrew, Allison and Sophie are delightful, fabulous humor and character at all times.

Off to bed...

Area II competitions here we come!!

Plantation Horse Trials will be the start of our "home" spring competitions.

This weekend I'll be coaching-

Maddie Parisan, Barb Strang, Andrew Goodwin

and riding-
Sprite -P
Puttin on the Ritz -T
Ankhe Pass -N
Kynymont's Indelibly Irish- N
Knynmont's Absolutely Irish- N
Kynymont's Black Tuxedo-N

I'd like to thank Quinn Anderson, Alyssa Klavans and Pam Liddell for letting me compete their fabulous horses!

I wish my students the best of luck, my rides a safe and good go and my great grooms dry feet for this up coming WET weekend!

Spring is HERE!!

It's official Havarah Equestrian is back in full swing at Principia Stables in Kirkwood, Pa.

We had a fabulous Sunday at the Fair Hill dressage show put on by Delaware Pony Club As a graduate pony clubber I love to attend these events as I know how much it helps out the clubs and their members.

Our horses and riders benefited from the time in the ring and the very valuable insight by the judges. Puttin on the Ritz tried his hand at his first training level dressage tests as he'll be moving up to training at Plantation this weekend. The Diesel Boy received a 1st and 2nd and is showing me that he really has as much potential as we all thought when we purchased him from Mousehouse Farm. Sabrina did some lovely Preliminary dressage tests and I'm thrilled to be getting her ready for the CIC * later on this month.

My students- John Nunn, Kim Parisan, Quinn Anderson and Jennifer Nunn all did extremely well.... go HAVARAH!

TODAY is amazing. First time since we've gotten home from Aiken that we've been able to take the horses "out". I now remember why I love it so much here in Kirkwood! Great ground, hills, woods, creeks and natural jumps all within one ride. Amazing.

Winter 2011 video links.... :)

Many thanks to Alyssa Klavens, owner of Puttin on the Ritz, for all her time, hard work and great skill getting these videos put together for us!

Rivan

Ankhe Pass

Puttin on the Ritz

Kynymont's Black Tuxedo

Kynymont's Indelibly Irish

Kynymont's Absolutely Irish

Time flies in Aiken!

There has been so much going on here and every night as I crawl into bed I feel bad about not having up-dated my blogsite!

The Havarah crew has recently grown here in AIken- we have been having a great time with Barb Strang and John Nunn here getting in some spring training AND yesterday Quinn Anderson (owner of Sprite- the Palomino wonder pony) arrived to spend her spring break in sunny Aiken with us and her mount. MJ, Hannah and Maddie have survived the whole trip with me- and I have to say their riding is looking way way better. MJ heads out for her first east coast Preliminary this weekend- fingers crossed for her! Hannah and her mare will be starting their competitions together at home, but are doing great and Maddie will be rockin the Jr training division in Area II.

So if you haven't already seen our crew of horses- check us out at Pine Top this coming weekend and Southern Pines the following.

The three Conemarra/selle Francais/tb/Canadaian Hunter horses I have in to sell are doing great and will be at their first novice this weekend.

Today we took 12 horses over to Highfields to do some show jump course practice. This is the 2nd trip we've made and I can't believe the confidence it has given me, my horses and my students. I've realized that I don't ride enought show jump courses and am therefore too anxious in the show ring. By practicing with courses I've figured out some really good personal strategies and methods that I hope will help my competition riding.

Tomorrow we'll do flat work at the farm, Friday xc schooling at Full Gallop, Saturday and Sunday will be Pine Top. THEN Monday we pack up 11 horses to head back to PA while I keep 4 here for one more week!

As much fun as we're all having here I'm excited to see the rest of my students back in MD and PA and ALSO California!!

Til next time...
Molly

Pine Top

Thomson, Georgia holds a fabulous event that I was lucky enough to compete three very nice horses at this last weekend.

Sabrina, a warm-blood mare I've been training for the last year has officially moved up to Preliminary and become a very solid event horse. I'm so proud of her and the progress that she has made. This mare loves this sport.

Spite, a Connemara/TB cross owned by Quinn Anderson, is quickly becoming well known on the east coast for her crazy amazing jumping ability and her some-times equally wild antics. She's all that and then some :) Sprite jumped around the training level with ease and if the next two weeks go well, we will be trying out the Pine Top Preliminary course!!!

Rivan, a Contango son owned by Pamela Benfield, is new to eventing and has quickly moved onto training level. He is still learning the ways of the world for jumping but its seems very easy for him and his absolutely enjoys it. This training level had plenty of questions and he seemed to really take to the challege!

Competition in Aiken has started for Havarah!

The week isn't over yet and I've already been in 3 competitions on 11 horses and 4 rides by students. Oh yes, and a wonderful full day at GIBBES farm cross country schooling.

The first competition was at Sporting Days on Sunday- a schooling combined test. The second event was a recognized at Full Gallop and the third a schooling combined test again at Sporting Days. Saturday and Sunday we'll be at Pine Top in Georgia.

We have almost all the horses competing now- only Havarah's Charly and The Diesel Boy have been left at home, they will both compete within a few months, but right now they are enjoying living the life at Pine Ridge Stables!

Many of my horses are for sale, so if you see something at one of the events that you like let me know! :)

Here are some highlights so far;
Spritely 1st training level SD
Rivan 2nd novice Full Gallop
Archie 2nd SD
Ankhe Pass 3rd Full Gallop
Tux 3rd Full Gallop
Puttin on the Ritz 3rd SD
Sabrina 4th Training Full Gallop

.... more to come!

Wonderful start of our 2nd week in Aiken

To catch all of you up-to-date- week one in Aiken was slightly painful for me and lots of work for my three great helpers. I had a very blonde/clutsy moment walking down some too well cleaned wooden stairs at 3am in PA (getting ready to take the last set of horses to Aiken). My little feet were too excited to get on the road and I slipped and fell. Not wanting to stay for another storm I sucked it up and got on the road- all was good until I couldn't get out of bed the next day. Then the panic came that perhaps I broke something (it definitely hurt that bad). Long story short- I didn't. However, apparently bone bruising and muscle straining in your back and hip can really take an active girl out of duty for awhile.

I didn't stay off of the horses for long, but I do have to say I'm enjoying riding a lot more this second week!

In fact, I felt good enough today to pull out the BIG horse- Havarah's Charly. Chuckles was full of smiles as I showed him the sights around the farm and the great riding trails and track that we have. I don't know if his smile was the biggest or that of his helper, Hannah. (my smile was waiting until I knew I was safe back at the barn!) Chunky Monkey gave me a nice ride, enough pep to let me know he's feeling great but no overly bad behavior.

I've been getting some training help from the master himself, Phillip Dutton, on the younger horses and sales horses. Soon Charly and I will go together and get a proper good kick in the *** to get us back into proper winning form.

In 3 days we'll be in our first event of 2011!!!

Make sure to check out the up-dated sales section on my website.
www.mollyrosin.com

Some pics from Pine Ridge Stables in Aiken...week 1

In the land of SUNSHINE

After 3 days of driving and a bad slip down some slippery stairs- all 13 horses and all 4 of us girls have enjoyed a wonderful week of pleasant and sometimes sunny weather. Today is supposed to rain, but considering the amount of snow we're missing, I'm ok with a few showers!

I don't think I've yet given a full list of the Havarah team members that are here in Aiken, so I'll give a brief description of our Aiken crew.

Hannah- (long time working student and Havarah's Charly's personal assistant) Hannah is 15 and was granted permission for a full winter trip to Aiken. She is homeschooling so after the grueling hours working and riding during the day she comes home and opens the books. Hannah keeps us organized and together in the barn and at shows, we love Hannah!

Molly JR- MJ as she's known around the barn, is a college graduate and a new-comer to the east coast. This is her first season in Aiken and her first year as a Havarah team member. MJ has quickly jumped up the ranks and has fulfilled the position of Barn Manager as we had to leave Kara back in PA to take care of Principia Stables. MJ is doing a great job. Besides making sure the Havarah horses are fed on time MJ has a fancy little sportscar of a horse that she will be aiming at the Virginia CCI * in May.

Maddie- The newest and youngest Aiken Havarah girl is Maddie. At 12 years old she is taking on her first winter of home schooling and a full time position with us here in Aiken. She is a wonderful addition to our team, eager to learn and adoring of the horses. Maddies horse will come south for a few weeks and they'll start their competitive season at Plantation horse trials in PA.

THANK YOU Hannah, MJ and Maddie!!!

AIKEN or bust!!

The last two years I've found myself incredibly lucky with very few winter "disruptions" en route to Aiken... our winter oasis.

This year was seeming no different, even easier... I have a lovely barn with an indoor and the horses have all gotten almost all of their normal turnout, riding and such. I learned that I could plug my truck in, which has made winter trips so far a cinch. I knew it was all too good to be true!

Today encountered some winter truck issues (solved now.. but frustrating and disruptive to the days plan) AND the house endured difficulty... water difficulty... water flooding difficulty. That too was handled and will NOT keep the voyage from beginning! Everyone's still in great spirits, just ready to begin driving!

The next was news that this week could have 2 feet of snow. Hmmmm that could make the trips on Tuesday and Wednesday difficult.. .but NOT impossible!

Aiken here we come :)

A day in the life of Principia Stables

The Diesel Boy

AKA Leto is enjoying the winter of "focus on babies". He seems to be ahead of his game at his young age and because of this will stay home while we head out to Aiken. Leto has been a pleasure in every way and I'm so excited to get him out in the eventing world in 2011!

For more horses like Leto check out www.mousehousefarm.com where Bonnie LaMonte has a breeding program specifically designed to produce sport horses and race horses.

Happy Holiday season at Principia Stables

A few friendly faces you may encounter upon visiting our stable.

Quigley - Quiggles - Wiggly - Wiggles
Will respond to any of the above, working on title for BEST barn dog EVER. Quigley is getting up there in age, and please forgive him if he barks a bit... He feels very strongly about his duty as barn alert dog and does his best to keep us all informed.

Bobbi the cat- wonderful un-less you're a bird or mouse-

Clyde The Glyde Drexler- the newest mascot, and with Alex Robertson in Florida for the winter, Clyde has taken on the role of vocal entertainer. Luke and Sarah Allen of Waterford Farm, raise the best puppies I've ever seen, I'm a proud owner of a border terrier now :)

Barn staff-
Kara manages all the daily hap's of the ponies and keeps everything running smoothly.
Hannah and Molly Jr - wonderful working students with too many duties to post
and myself :)

All of us doing our best to bundle effectively!

CONNEMARA's - New to Havarah Equestrian

I'd like to introduce two new exciting horses. Both of well breed Connemarra's and both athletic and handsome. These two horses have solidified my love for this breed.

Tux - 7 year old Connemara - the most natural jumper I've ever taken on and perfectly mannered and suited to become an adult amateur or junior champion. I think he could dominate in jumpers- but I hope to find him a home in the eventing community. i for see a training 3 day in his future ... very soon...

Archie- 7 year old Connemara- this horse is a solid 16 hands and you wouldn't think pony in any way when you see his natural suspension and incredible bascule over a jump. I believe Archie has the talent of a great eventer, he is fairly green at the moment but I believe in him and think he'll be 2011's rising star.

Both of these Connemara's are for sale and will be starting their competitive careers in Aiken.

Pictures curtousy of Liz Bracken taken of Archie in December 2010

Dr. Liz visits Principia Farm!!!

I love the east coast- but I will always miss the many wonderful people that have touched my life out on the west. Luckily, slowly but surely, I'm getting visits from many of my dearest friends and mentors.

Recently I've taken on the challenge and excitement of running a top class training facility in Kirkwood, Pa- www.principiastables.com - and so it was perfect timing to have my dearest friend Liz come out (she's a spectacular photographer for those of you that don't already know this).

Dr. Liz has always been there for me- she was my vet for many many years in California (still there just at the other end of a phone or keyboard) as well as one of my first equitation and life instructors.

Dr. Liz now spends a great deal of her time running www.eltiburoncasitas.com BUT still manages to make a huge difference in the life of less than fortunate horses. For this Liz was recognized and awarded a very prestigous award at the AAEP in Baltimore- this was donated to equine charities that she cherishes and helps regularly.

I can't wait for my next visit from Dr. Liz!! Please enjoy her photgraphy- I'll be posting more blogs with pictures she's taken and she has a great assortment of ocean pics on her ElTiburon website.