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The girls were doing lessons together right up until recently, but Kate has paused lessons at Brandan’s now because of her summer work schedule conflicting with lesson days, and Dressage lessons this month because of horse shows falling on lesson days. Julia will be starting back at Dressage in September. Kate still rides with the jumping coach every other week because that lesson day doesn’t conflict with her work schedule.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots thanks for the reply!.

Yes, we finally found her a fantastic place and wonderful roommates! Now they are getting excited about it.

Thanks for all the tips.

It’s not a Silver series show, but a bronze level. It just has to be a sanctioned show for the tryouts, and we were told that’s what this was. I hope there wasn’t a misunderstanding. 😬

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots oh ok that makes sense lol just checking 😊

Thanks! Yes, she has the silver ones.

No, just over fence ribbons.

Yes, the housing situation is terrible. Luckily, we found her a great place with three other girls who all seem wonderful. So at least she will have a great first year still.

It appeared to me like she didn’t maintain her canter a couple of times, but she did well over all.

I braided my way thru my show career. Paid for my entries and stabling - definitely get someone to show you how - not that difficult once you get the hang of it.

We are trying to find someone for braids, but we are far from everything so nobody is close enough right now. I’m going to keep looking though.

Thanks! Yes, they just found a great place in a popular student area off campus, and it is on a bus route. They should have a great first year together, and now they can focus on getting excited about university and setting up their place, instead of being stressed.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots That is awesome

Lol… we are trying to find someone close but we are in a terrible pocket with nobody near us. I’ve found several professional braiders, but we are not in their area. She is going to cut Stevie’s mane shorter to see if that helps for the next show. Sometimes there are braiding clinics at the one barn we ride at, so if one comes up, we will at least go to that to get some tips and try and connect with a professional braider.

I agree

same i agree

I have a question for both of you who agree with me. I am wondering if she gets one section of mane really wet and put a little gel on it, then pull the mane over to the right side and do the braid really tight. Tie off with a rubber band. Apply a light spray of hairspray. Leave the braids in as long as you can. You can also play around with braids and see how else you can train her mane over. I am thinking you probably need to pull her main because the braids were a little thick. You need to pull the forelock so it is shorter and less thick. On show days, wet it and use gel before you braid. And of course, for dressage the braiding is easier and there is a wide variety you can choose from, or create your own. For the tail, keep a bucket of water with a sponge nearby. First brush thru the whole tail. Get the top of the tail wet, get a bit of gel on your fingers, and work really hard to make braids with those annoying wisps of hair. Then continue with neat, small braids all the way down to the end of her tailbone. Use yarn or thread in your regular braid, pull under and tie off. Video to watch for tails : How to Plait a Horse’s Tail. WSS EQUESTRIAN. Video to watch for Hunter and/or Equitation Mane/Forelock : Hunter Braiding Tutorial EquestrianBliss She does an awesome job. The horse she is braiding is 17.3 The most important thing is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Maybe you and Gabby can get together and practice braiding

Thanks. I will have her check out those videos. Thanks for the tips. She has pulled her mane but is going to try and do more and cut it more to help with the thickness. I’m trying to get a professional braider, but we aren’t near any of them so far. She does use a braiding spray, but maybe gel would be better.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots I believe I saw some horses that weren't braided at all. IMO, even at lower level shows, having at least a braided mane, leaves a better impression with the judge.

Here, you usually stay on campus for first year, and then move off campus for the following years. That is why it was such a shock to find out she didn’t have a spot on campus. We were told first year students would have on campus housing. Luckily, we found her a place finally, and the girls she will be living with are very nice and have some of the same classes. Now that she has a place, I actually think it might be a blessing in disguise because on campus housing is going to be very crowded. She has friends who got on campus housing, so she can still go hangout there when she wants. And the place we got her is in the most popular off campus housing spot for students, so she will still meet a ton of kids.

Thank you 🥰. She was a pretty special lady, and it is not the same without her.😢

Thanks 🥰. Yes, we can definitely do some tour videos. I can’t wait until the goat extension is done because I want to turn their current stall into a tack room, and redo the feed room. Now that both girls are home for the summer, we are going to film a bunch of stuff!

No, not enough housing for first year students. There was supposed to be housing for all first year students, but it ended up being short by a lot. The universities here don’t have the same kind of sororities and fraternities like they do in the US.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRootsAh that’s such a bummer. The sorority experience was my favorite part of college, actually like 5 equestrian girls were in my sorority and it was so great.

Thanks 😊

Thanks. I am just finishing editing the video in between goat barn building and preparing the goat birth stall (we have a doe due to kid tomorrow)! So the show video is going up shortly! 😃

Did they start looking for a house early because they didn’t enjoy residence, or just because the housing market was so crazy, they needed to start looking early? When we did the tours, we were told that there is such a housing shortage, we needed to secure an address in November for the following year… so the good news is, I suppose we beat the rush that will happen in the next couple of months. We can relax this Fall because they already have a place for next year if they like it here.

She was supposed to be in on-campus housing, but found out at the last minute that there wasn’t room and she didn’t get a spot. There were more students accepting offers this year than they had spaces for in residence, so they did a lottery system for the rooms and Kate didn’t get one. It’s been a stressful month but luckily, we found great roommates for her and signed a lease the other day. We go this weekend to see it in person and get the keys. So it all worked out. It would have been nice for her to have the residence experience, but they will make friends in class and still be able to hangout in their friends’ rooms on campus. In the end, it’s a good life lesson… things don’t always go the way we want, but it is how we handle it and what we decide to make of it that will determine how it goes. We are just relieved she has a place. And now the girls can get excited about it, get to know each other, and enjoy their summer before heading off to university. I think they will have a great first year.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots yay that’s super exciting! Everything always works out in the end ❤️

Yes, that’s what we were trying to do, but so many people were scrambling to find a place, they were all swapping groups as soon as a different opportunity presented itself. We lost out on a couple of places because people in our group dropped out an hour before viewings. Luckily, we finally found a really amazing group of girls. Their moms and I became fast friends and we worked together to secure an address for them. As of the other day, we finally got a place! Now, we have made unexpected new friends and I think the girls will have a great first year. It isn’t what they imagined for their first year of university (getting to live in residence), but they are determined to make the best of it and now are even thinking this might have all worked out for the best! In the face of disappointment and adversity, these young ladies all have a wonderful attitude, and determination to succeed, that will take them far in life. It’s wonderful to see as a parent.❤️

I’m not sure. They have been working on Kate’s positioning and communication with Stevie through her body and reins to have Stevie change what she is doing. They are making strides in their lessons, and I think it is just a matter of time and continued practice, but I will ask if a bit change is needed. Thanks.

We tried looking for other equestrian girls to share a place with, but couldn’t find any. Luckily, we found 2 other girls who are very nice, and similar to Kate, so I think they will get along really well. They’ve chatted several times on FaceTime, and seem really great. We finally found a place and signed a lease the other day, so now we can relax knowing the girls have a place to stay in September. It actually ended up being an unexpected bonding experience for the moms and girls, and we’ve made new friends through this experience.

I know. Luckily, we finally secured a place for her the other day, so now she can get back to being excited for this next step in her life.

Great advice! Thanks ❤️

Thanks 😊

I’d love to see her ride a horse with lots of experience at higher level shows, too.

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots ME TOO, I CAN HARDLY WAIT.

She is definitely focussed on working in the industry in some capacity and is extremely driven to learn all she can from as many people in the industry as she can. She already has an impressive network of individuals so far, so I can only imagine how far she will go over the coming years. We are so excited to follow her equestrian journey, too!🥰

@@BarnBootsandCountryRoots I am so happy for Kate and all.

Thanks! 🥰

Yes 😁… we had a housing emergency we had to deal with for Kate (for the last couple of weeks). We just found out she had nowhere to live in September because the on campus housing at the university was too full, so there were many students trying to find housing. It has been an extremely stressful couple of weeks because there is currently a housing shortage. Luckily, we just secured a,place for her, so now I can get back to videos. Last weekend we went to her first rated show and she placed! That is coming up! Stay tuned!

ALRIGHT STEVIE AND KATE ARE LEAD CHANGING FOOLS!!!! SO PROUD OF U TO GET HER WITH AN ACCOMPLISHED COACH. EXCELLENT SCHOOLING LESSON AT HOME. PERFECT ATTITUDE, YOU RIDE WHAT YOUR HORSE NEEDS. IN JUMPING THE RIDER CAN USE THIER BODY TO ENCOURAGE AND HELP THIER HORSE. THE JUMP IS THE GOAL NOT HOW CORRECT THAT JUMP IS TAKEN. THAT IS THE THRILL OF HORSES, STEPPING IN THE IRONS, PICKING UP THE REINS AND FEELING THAT HORSE MOVE. LIKE A DANCE TWO PARTNERS MEETING THE FIRST TIME AND COMMUNICATING TOGETHER. WE ASK, THEY MOVE THAT BODY PART AND THATS THE THRILL THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS LISTENING TO US. O THE HORSES KATE IS GOING TO RIDE, I AM EXCITING FOR HER. JENN YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO PICK OUT A DAY AND WATCH A LESSON. HOPE JULIA IS GETTING HER LITTLE FAIR ANIMALS READY.

Thanks. I have really seen such an improvement in the this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing where they go this show season.

If I remember correctly Duke doesn’t love jumping so Kate plans to maybe do some dressage with him.

Yes, Kate will be doing Dressage with Duke, because he hates going to shows and does not enjoy jumping (unless it is cross rails).

I will try and get her to explain better… I was confused, as well 🤣