Below are the 14 most recent journal entries recorded in klcush's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
10:39 pm	That was a long break I'm moving all the Equus Sensus stuff over from the website to this journal. It will make updates a whole lot easier (and maybe the updates will be more frequent than once a year!  Well, I don't think I did that well in 2008.) It's not as fun as Facebook, but it will do. (Comment on this)
Friday, April 6th, 2007
11:07 pm	We Passed! What an incredibly busy week. M. Awhoo arrived on Tues. midnight (or is that Wed?) on a giant semi. I couldn't help but sneak to the front of the trailer to see a Gypsy Vanner stallion just off the plane from the UK. He peered at me from beneath his forelock. M. and Amanda made their way down the drive and the new mare played a bit in the ring before settling into her new home beside Norman. I think Norman has been waiting for M. to arrive for some time. They're often found with the same expressions snoozing at the stall doors. Mihran and Amanda both hopped on M. for the first time today and she was all her video proved she would be: a huge, floating stride and placid expression. I cannot wait to see where she goes in the coming weeks. As with all school holidays it was wonderful having Dick and Liz at the barn so much this week. We've also been able to see much more of Anika, if we could only convince her not to return to Germany in June. For all the girls who spent their break with us, we thank you for the all the help. We had a great turn out for our barn clean up day on Sunday. Elise and Thea organized the day with lots of help from Donna and her children, Kendall, Monica and her father, Hannah and her mom, Nicole and her parents, and many more. Of course it started raining as soon as the paint brushes were brought out but Sasha and Kori finished the jumps in no time Tues. Kori and Kayla came with their horses and explored the trails for the day. Which brings us to the reason for the barn clean up: The Pony Club. Based on the success of the British Riding Centres, the USPC began a five year pilot program to explore the success of Riding Centers in the US. Elise has been our official USPC liaison and I cannot say what an incredible job she has done organizing and planning our site evaluation. The USPC representative visited Bramblewood on Thursday and was pleased with what she found. On her recommendation and after a mountain of paperwork, look forward to seeing the pony club seal our website! There are only a handful of Riding Centers in the US and Bramblewood will be one of the first in the region! On the horse search, Mihran is hopping on two TBs this Monday (Monday is going to be officially titled Horse Search Day) and there is a new Paint that will be calling Bramblewood home. We're going to sit down with the show schedule this week and see what the coming weeks will bring. Kim (Comment on this)
Friday, March 23rd, 2007
9:40 pm	Skip spring and into summer We judge the seasons by how much hair the Ayla pony is sprouting. She's down to a thin layer so I guess the warm weather is here to stay. Much like the Bramblewood Doppler that Jeremy installed on the front post. April 1st marks the one year anniversary of life in the new location and we're celebrating with a barn clean up day: painting jumps, spreading manure, fixing fence to prepare for a USPC site evaluation to become a Pony Club riding center. Everyone is invited to stop by for an hour for for the day and grab a paint brush. The theme for each jump will be the colors of country flags in honor of all the riders who call Bramblewood home: the US, Turkey, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Japan, etc. - so be creative and join us for a day of fun. We're anxiously awaiting Amanda's new arrival from Montana. "M" or Ahoo, as she'll be known around the barn, is a 17h. black TB mare. She'll be quite the pair with Bentley who has been given the okay by the vet to start work again (Ria is relieved!) - apparently he was experiencing growing pains in his stifle. Hopefully Bentley has stopped growing now. Amanda and her mare will be a welcome addition to the barn. She's been through a rough time trying to find the perfect horse for her family and Ahoo seems to be the one. We cannot wait to see her. This week marked the first week of work in the saddle with my new pony Plum. Kendall has gained the title assistant trainer after spending the day with Plum yesterday, feeling her on the lunge and then trotting around the ring (Plum's first time at the rising trot in an english saddle). Today Plum began the arduous task of straight lines and balanced large circles. Mihran was the eye on the ground and I realized how blessed I was to be given the chance to work with a mare who has never had a bad day in her life. Her mind is a sweet and clean blank page. All the little things I never think too much about (but I should) while in the saddle reschooling older mounts become the greatest achievements when training a horse from scratch. I have Plum's previous owners to thank for her incredible start in life. Plum loves working and shocks with how quickly things click in her young mind. The schedule was strangely light this afernoon so I slipped into her stall to see what she was up to and found a moment that was out of time, suspended, as she showed me where she wanted to be scratched and tried her best to groom me back. In that moment, something made sense to me. Maybe one day I'll be able to put it into words. While driving home from the barn tonight I was thinking about Plum, about riding her and the great responsibility and privilege we all have to be given the trust of any horse. I was thinking about taking a trail ride on Iggy today - winding past the river, getting lost in the green spaces. I realized that we have more trails at our place than any barn I've had the privilege to ride, board or teach. We've been stuck in the ring all winter! So everyone can expect a lot of trips out in the coming weeks. Three major trails need an overhaul and as soon as the new paddocks are up we're going out with chain saws. Enjoy the weather and tell us what's on your mind. Love, Kim (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
12:33 am	Rumi on a very cold night The wash rack is nearly complete. The cement is poured and it's happily curing to support many hooves when warm weather comes. Soon the stalls will be leveled and the hallways smoothed after thirty years of use. We want to thank April and Cat for saving the day as Lauren was out with her knee! We will miss seeing them every day but it's lovely to see Lauren back in full swing. Mihran and I met Kendall and her parents for dinner in Hendersonville this weekend and Mihran has come up with a great idea - to put the places we love on our website. We're starting with the Melange Inn in Hendersonville, it was perfect and owned by a couple from Istanbul! There were books in every corner of the house and the most incredible food. The Inn will be closely followed by Cafe Miyako a sushi restaurant which is a much shorter drive down Wade Hampton Blvd. Barrett just might be the best server in the universe. We've stopped ordering for ourselves and let him lead the way. It's the coldest month of the year. Somehow I just keep coming back to weather. I felt absolutely giddy the other night, thinking of spring, I couldn't sleep. It's been a good month for cleaning house. Anne very sweetly asked me up to NC next week for a writing workshop with her students. There's not much difference in the rhythm of hooves and the pull of poetry and I've found myself going back to Rumi a lot this winter. This is the one that stands out most this week. I often tell the students that the worse lessons are the ones where we learn the most and the worse sessions mean that a great ride will follow - this poem applies to this and so many other things in life: "The Guest House" "This being human is a guest house Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected vistor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond." For all of those who donated the $700 for the tack room drapes/embroidery - you know how much we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. When I spoke to you each directly and the total kept going up I couldn't help but be humbled and amazed at your generosity. The spirit in which each contribution was made is the true gift - no matter the outcome or the finished product. If there are no emblems to take to shows with us this spring, I plan to create a garden by the ring and to honor the contributors in some way throughout that space. A viewing area of some sort with chairs and tables and paving stones will be ideal - we'll bring Janette in for the flowers. And for anyone that has any questions or would like an update about the situation, I've kept a file that is available for people to look through anytime. On a wonderful note Maggy's Norman arrived safe and sound. He was greeted with some freezing temperatures but he's adjusted well and it was lovely to see the two of them together in the ring with that gorgeous trot last Saturday. Finally, Maggy has a horse that fits her legs! Stay warm! We look forward to seing everyone around the barn. Kim (with a now unpronouncable last name) (Comment on this)
Friday, January 5th, 2007
4:41 pm	And more months - now a New Year Maggy is waiting, waiting, waiting for her new horse to arrive. Dr. Thann Boyum, our incredible vet from Tryon, summed it up nicely, "A horse will arrive in proportion to how much someone wants it to come." If we weren't looking forward to Norman arriving, he would already be here. With the virus outbreak in FL (amazing Debbie was the fist on that, within hours of the first case - sadly a grand prix horse that she had the pleasure of riding) all plans for shipping were put on hold for a month. But Norman has since been safely kept at his private farm with no traffic going in and out and we're sending Darren and Mihran down this Sunday to pick him up to avoid the commercial shippers. Maggy has been patient beyond reason and we cannot wait to see her lifelong dream hop off the trailer in the early hours on Monday. He is a 16.1h bay TB gelding, who has been hunted and hunter paced and can hop around a course and swap his leads with ease. Here's Norman with his previous owner. He's very handsome: Debbie has started a new equine marketing magazine for the East Coast. The first issue will be out in March (just in time for baby Vance) and her website is lovely: www.equineherald.com . Haley in Hilton Head wrote recently that she plans to come up for the summer with her new horse Perry. I promised her that we would be much better hosts this time around, no air mattresses on living room floors for her, so we'll plan a migration to the mobile house (as Mihran calls it) for the warmer months. Sasha and she can keep us all in line and we'll hopefully be traveling out a great deal with the horses while she's here. Speaking of traveling, Baymare has surprised us all with a jumping change of heart. This determined dressage horse is now cantering around a 3'3" course with changes. Her transformation from sloppy, unhappy jumper to this is all due to the year or so of flat work she has been focusing on. Her collected canter is coming along and so far she has maxed out at 3'6" over single fences. We cannot wait to see her in the jumper classes this spring. Obviously Mihran has decided to keep her forever. It's been warm and wet - a very strange winter. The almanac says that we're in for freezing rain near the end of the month. We'll keep on with make up lessons on Sundays as often as we need and might add a few on Mondays. Around the barn, Lauren Bardsley has sold her soul to us and rearranged her life to become our new full-time apprentice. We wish Cat Powers all the best as she trades in her freezing mornings for quiet rides on her Lucy, she did so much to bring us and the horses to where we are in the New Year and we are thrilled that Lauren decided to come on full time now. Her first two weeks were quite a trial with Holiday Camps and holidays. Lauren rode with Hugo's Dragon Enterprises and Leslie Krieger in her junior years - winning a ton on her amazing lease Notorious. She has been training with Mihran for a year now and we cannot wait to put her on the young sale horses that will soon be on their way. In the meantime she is enjoying Matilda's occasional lack of power steering. And Sasha, who gives her entire Saturday to us week after week - you are our junior rider extraordinaire. We cannot wait to see where you will go in the coming year. Welcome to all the new students! After school and weekend times are back on waiting list, but we still have slots during the school hours for adults and homeschoolers and all schedules have a way of rearranging themselves from week to week - so if your only free hours are during busy times, give us a call and we will do all we can to fit you in. Mihran and I have been too busy to realize that we did get married on December 11th. Mihran's mother is pleased that we finally agreed on a date for a wedding in Istanbul on September 1st, 2007. I'm still struggling with a new unpronouncable last name - Dulgeroglu, or as Debbie calls Mihran, "Mihran Bla-bla-bla." The civil ceremony in Pickens Co. was a bit surreal and Mari Cartwright has graciously offered her farm in Tryon for a spring party. Mihran and I both want to thank everyone, from the bottom of our hearts, for the incredible gift of tack room drapes. We can now travel to the shows in style. I promise a more formal thank you is in the works. But it was such a surprise to arrive at the barn late the Saturday before Christmas and be greeted with all those happy faces and some tasty food. I knew Debbie was acting incredibly suspicious the weeks leading up to the gift giving - but I had no idea what everyone was planning. The hard part is now going to be sifting through all the fabric samples to decide what design we will go with - who knew there could be so many variations of blue and green? We'll start with director's chairs and a banner and see where we can go from there. But I can now no longer refuse to travel to Virgina indoor shows because, "we don't have a proper tack room," thank you, suspicious, Debbie. Now you need to get your horse here. A new baby and a new magazine are no excuses for not taking on a seasoned mini-prix mount out of VA. We'll keep him going for you (really, no problem at all!) Norman's Ugly Twin must take up residence in the stall beside Norman. It's only proper. Thank you to everyone for a hugely successful first year in the new location. It's hard to believe we've only been in the new barn since April. We're thrilled to see where the next twelve months will take us, but nothing would be possible without the Bramblewood family. We love you all! Kim (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
11:02 pm	Three months between messages It's because we're so very busy, you see - that's why it takes so long to update the journal. The big news, of course, is Hannah being a dream at the Foothills Riding Club show at FENCE a couple weekends ago. She loves to travel and have her hair done so it didn't matter that it was a thousand degrees with 200 percent humidity. First place out of eight riders and Mihran couldn't stop talking about the way she tuned into him when they went into the ring. She knew she was there to work. We have two new boarders - which brings the stalls once again to a waiting list. After the wash racks and dressage ring are finished we will be adding three stalls to the now feed room (or mini-indoor as we like to call it). Blue was with us for a few weeks for a tune up and Mallory then went on with him to 4-H camp at Clemson. He came to us to work on his canter and of course everyone had to stand by the ring and watch Mihran ride a pony - especially when said pony bucked ever three strides. He did that for about two weeks until something clicked. Mallory is now cantering him all over on the flat and he's beginning to use himself over fences. Good luck to you two! We miss seeing you at the barn. Lauren took a vacation from work last week and decided to spend it with us, we cannot thank her enough for all her help. Bones and Bentley both miss her being around now that she's back to work, but I did find her on Matilda this afternoon. Speaking of Matilda (the giant baby) she's back in work and getting fatter by the day. Her power steering suffered a bit in her time off, but I cannot wait to get back on her and feel the wild way that she responds for such a young horse. Her mouth is perfect and we're going to keep it that way. I had an update from Haley in Hilton Head. She's back from camp at Zion Farms and will soon be looking for a new mount in earnest. She's very comitted to the Porse (the perfect cross between a pony and a horse) that she is riding in lessons and she hopes to find the same package in 16 hands so her legs won't drag the ground in a year. The dressage ring is measured, the plans are in the hands of the bulldozer operater and we are hoping to start breaking ground next month. And it's a coin toss to see what show we'll be traveling to next month. We want to keep the momentum going on Baymare and Hannah in the dressage ring - so we might push the hunter show forward a month and instead travel with the show girls and Bones to Twin Creek on the 19th. I'll let you know after the first of the month. McKenzie, Katelyn and Katherine were out in the sun too long last weekend. Sometime during cool down they challenged each other to a jump off. So - here we have it, August 5th at 11:00am the jump off will be judged by Mihran and the format will be Bramblewood rules. There will be points for downed rails but no penalties for time. Trying to explain the USEF rule book on hunters to Mihran has been a slow and arduous process. It's like the time he stood with me while we judged a little equitation class at Riverbend and I repeatedly tried to enlighten him on the concept that we were looking at the rider and not the horse - well, horse performance as it pertains to the rider. Seeing as how Europe didn't have hunter classes until recently, I really can't blame him - but we'll add points for style and timing at the jump off a week from Sat. and judge each round on overall performance. That's it for today. -Kim (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 30th, 2006
11:10 pm	It's about time So it was last year when I last updated this journal. We're well into 2006 and things have settled down enough that I solemnly swear to keep the Bramblewood news current. The great lot of you have probably given up on an update of any sort, but for those who check up from time to time, I would love to see more of you join and converse. We're all set for the St. Jude's Benefit Ride next Sunday. If anyone would like to come out and volunteer as a sidewalker for the little riders or would just like to spend the day with us - we would love to have you. Give me a call and we'll put you to work. I am thrilled at Elise's suggestion for a barn blessing. With much hard work from she and Susan we will hold the ceremony at 5:30pm on May 21st. Farther Bob Horowitz will conduct the ceremony and we'll have light refreshments and flower bestrewn horses following. We hope to see everyone there! For months I've been planning on posting a page about the adventures Mihran and I had in Turkey over the New Year. The highlights were, of course, the horse club where Mihran grew up riding with his grandfather in Istanbul and being guests on the equestrian radio show, hosted by Mihran's friend Mahir, that is broadcast throughout Europe. Given a chance we would make everyone sit through the hours of video that we brought back - but we'll be kind and post some photos instead. I'll get started right away. -Kim (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, October 10th, 2005
11:00 pm	Leg Here's a question we received from a student today. Instead of sending the answer to just her, we thought it would be neat to put it in the journal and see if there were any more questions lingering out there. Q. One thing I am unclear about is how to use my legs to give direction, i.e. right & left turns, versus using my legs to ask for more speed, i.e walk to trot, or slow trot to faster trot. I feel like I'm using both legs to push the horse on and that my direction cues are going to be lost- What do you do if you want to go faster and turn at the same time? A. Mihran says: don't worry so much about using the leg to steer the horse, worry first about whether your horse is really going forward or not. Because once the horse is going forward easily, it's simple to create your turns. But if your horse is dragging behind all your motion then the you'll never have a balanced turn no matter what you try, and you'll end up walking if you were in the trot, etc. So your first goal is to always have the horse moving forward. Kim says: First we have to figure out where your leg is. Remember in our lesson together when I was saying that your leg is only from the knee down? And then both of us have worked with you to get the tension out of your knee and all your weight truly going down the length of your leg. My answer is the same as Mihran's. Focus first on how both of your legs are truly creating energy from the horse's hind end forward. You want to feel like he has rear wheel drive rather than front wheel drive. We'll start to add some rein aids in our lesson this week, going through all the different types of ways we can ask the horse to move from our hands (open leading, direct, indirect, etc.) and then you can start to put your legs and hands together. More questions? (Comment on this)
Friday, October 7th, 2005
9:25 am	Lessons Today It looks like the rain will cancel most lessons today. Once the ring is saturated like this, it rides pretty well, however - so if the rain has slacked off as we near your lesson hour, give me a call on my cell phone, 864-363-3727. I'll have it with me throughout the day. If we can sneak in an hour or two in between the showers, we'll be doing well. -Kim (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 2nd, 2005
9:00 pm	A Little Rain I always thought I could use this journal to let everyone know when lessons were being rescheduled due to the weather, but it seems that rain won't be stopping us anytime soon. Some old friends will be joining us for the clinic this Sunday. Cristi: I want more updates on Basil! Some new riders will be trailering in for a session. Now that the fields are freshly mowed we can get busy installing a temporary dressage ring across the street. I would like to wish Ginger and Peggy much happiness in the woods as they go on to their next adventure together. We will miss you both! (And your disk is on my desk.) Here's to cooler days, the start of fox hunting season and falling leaves. I'd like to get a party together for Halloween (perhaps we'll have more succes with the starting of the bonfire this time - but only if we get a shower or two before the night) so let me know if you'd be interested. -Kim (Comment on this)
Friday, September 23rd, 2005
9:37 am	New Clinic, No Rain and Updates Hello! I'm hoping and praying that this journal will eventually get a work out when it starts to rain again and I'll be able to post messages each day about whether lessons will be held or not. Please rain, please rain, please rain (doing a rain dance while typing) RAIN! We have another clinic scheduled with Mihran on Sunday, October 9. This day will be for those who want to see if they've improved the skills they worked on in the first clinic, those who were unable to attend the last clinic, and for the trailer-ins that have shown interest in the past two months. We're hoping to hold a clinic with Mihran every other month. I'll post the dates on this site and send out a reminder email when each new day is scheduled. Mihran will be traveling to other barns in the area for clinics as well. He'll be off to a combined training barn in Fountain Inn for a clinic the weekend after ours. And we're hoping to attend at least two late season shows before the weather turns fallish - it's time to see what Bay Mare can do in the show ring. I'll post the days of the shows once we've made a final decision. I had a lovely talk with my old trainer, Jodi Robertson, at the Furman Equestrian Team meeting last night. She worked out of Bramblewood (then The Cedars)for eight years before we moved in. She offered a few hints about dealing with the water pipe situation in the winter and said that it would be very easy to get the arena sprinkler system up and running. Of course, with the dust and no rain I'm wishing that we had the secrets of the sprinklers at the beginning of the summer, but it's a project that's going to be in the works. What's going on with everyone? -Kim (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 30th, 2005
10:01 pm	It's about time for an update Today I saw some leaves that had been tossed around in crazy winds and realized that they had changed color. It seems like summer just began, but the days are getting shorter and everyone is back in school. The good news is that Bramblewood has been selected as one of the three upstate barns hosting the Furman University Equestrian Team. I will be coaching the lessons and Marilyn will be boarding the new arrivals. The acting president of the team was thrilled to discover that Bramblewood now offers dressage and training now that Mihran is with us every day - and it seems that every week there is a new and wonderful addition with his arrival. Bay Mare (of Loyal Gal) is with us for a time. Though marketed through the lesson program, she had been living and working with Gerald in Columbus, NC. Gerald felt that it was time to get serious about her flat work so Mihran will be riding her daily now that she's with us. And tonight she took part in her first Bramblewood lesson with Rachel. She'll be an incredible addition to our program until she finds her permanent home. We hope to travel to a dressage show and late season class or two over fences with her while she is with us. I can't wait to see her in the ring. Other exciting news is that Cathy will be back with us for the winter. Our bossy little mare spent the summer at her home in the mountains and will once more with us until May. The geldings are trembling in their shoes and Ayla will once again have her partner in crime. So - what's going on with everyone else? Peggy - I know you have a world of news for us. And as soon as you send photos of Ginger being gorgeous, I'll make sure they are posted. Current Mood: loved (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 25th, 2005
11:44 am	Dressage Clinic at last If we're going to do a thing, we'll do it well - so finally here's the date for the dressage clinic with Mihran. Sunday August 21st. The clinic will be organized around either small groups or private lessons throughout the day. And now it would be nice if we all don't burn up in this heat. The horses are loving their fans and we're getting down to business quickly in lessons. How is everyone doing? -Kim (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 7th, 2005
11:45 pm	Clothes and stuff What do you wear when you ride?  I've added a topic for discussion on the B-wood community: bramblewood Other than that it is finally hot.  And humid.  We discovered today that Ayla's nostrils flare like a trumpet bell when the mercury is up. Thank you Lynn for the accurate term for the bulbous end of a trumpet.  As Marilyn would say (and did) "I've never seen such nostril."  And on such a little horse.  Who would have thought?  In other news, Finnegan picked his knees up finally over a x-rail.  He was quite pleased with himself.  One day he'll learn how to bend into circles.  Or not.  We'll love him regardless.  And where's the fun when the horse does everything for you? (Like Ayla).  Hmmm. Current Mood: curious Current Music: Sting - because I love him, even though he's sold out (2 Comments |Comment on this)