The search for the "right" place

While Lola did enjoy her time at her "Summer House", I was busy researching the next step. Which also meant finding a new trainer.

This is so HARD when you are still sort of mourning what you left behind... I loved my trainers at home! I had been with my dressage trainer since right after I bought my gelding. I think I took my first lesson with her the spring of 2009, just a month or two after I started him under saddle. We were a little inconsistent that year, but when the little red-headed mare came along the next spring we were desperate to spend as much time with our trainer as possible! (She was a tough nut to crack, in fact I'm still cracking this red mare!)

At the time I was glad for a knowledgeable trainer that was extremely positive and willing to work with a silly amateur that was switching from H/J to dressage AND training her own horses from the ground up. Really, that in itself was commendable. What I realized over time was just how lucky I was to be working with someone that had already trained her own horses up to the point of earning her Bronze, then her Silver, and now half way to her Gold. She also is currently participating in the USDF instructor certification program (a long and grueling process) and I was so excited to get to audit and even be a part of those workshops last fall. I miss her, I miss her lessons, I miss the horse that seems to only appear about 15 minutes into said lessons (you know the magical one that you almost don't believe exists until you experience it again in the next lesson?), I miss her peaceful facility, her perfect footing, and her coverall arena.

Enough moaning... the point is, those are some hard shoes to fill!

I had also worked with an eventing trainer right down the road with probably 20+ years of creating kick ass eventers. She had a beautiful cross country course on her facility, and three nice arenas. I didn't realize until now what a luxury that was. All this might seem the norm in California, but this was all in our little foothill area, and not So Cal or the bay area. Nothing huge, nothing outrageously expensive, all just part of our little horse community.

I started my research on the Columbus eventing scene back in like January! I love that sort of stuff: find the good places, make plans, map out locations. I got excited! Then I realize just how far everything is when you live in the center of a city. Grrr...

Myoptions were limited based on this. It sounds like there are some actual eventing barns northwest and northeast, but since we are just south of the center its tough to justify 45min to an hour drive one way to see the beast.

Lola spent July, August, and September south east of the city. Like any barn, there were positives and negatives. I was determined to have her moved by October (so glad I did, since it snowed this week!). I did find what I think would be the "right" place. Problem is that I really can't afford the "right" place without a little help from a half lease! The thing is, I have never boarded at a trainer's barn, because I can never justify the cost! So its not surprising that I again have landed near the trainer, but not at the trainer. It has worked for me so far, so I might as well stick with it!