KMSHA Kentucky State Championship

First of all, we want to congratulate Marcia Spencer on her very first blue ribbon! She rode Barb's Stormy Knight in the Novice Trail class at the KMSHA Kentucky State Championship held in Lawrenceburg this weekend. She made an awesome ride with her confidence shining through. Way to go Marcia! We really enjoyed having Marcia and her husband, Tim, with us during the show. Tim even brought their grill! We had corn-on-the-cob roasted on the grill along with tin foil dinners. It was great. We also congratulate their champagne spotted colt on his win in the Open Four Gait class. We also enjoyed the company of Marty Morris and two of her sisters all the way from PA. We missed her husband, Bob, but understand that he had to stay home to take care of their horses (their son had an injury which prevented him from being able to care for their horses as he usually does). They own Mountain Vista Thunder - a handsome chocolate stallion who has been with us since November. Dale and Edwina Honn also came over from Lexington to watch their filly, The Cross Filly, show in her classes. She placed fourth in tough competition in the 2 & 3 yo Trail Pleasure class and in the Mares & Geldings Trail class as well.

While our horses made some great performances, judging is pretty subjective. In large classes we often see horses that miss being seen by the judges because they turn around in the middle of the class and they miss seeing someone. Continual training is an important element to help judges know and see the postitive aspects of horses performing in the ring. One of the most fair systems we have seen is the Majority Opinion System where three judges judge at the same time. It is an expensive system because it requires three judges in the ring at the same time. There is a computer program (or a tabulation system) that allows the horse with the best 2 out of 3 highest ties to rise to the top of the class. At the show this weekend, there were two judges. They drew before each class to see which one would be judging. This system results in less consistent results because each judge judges independently. There were times that we agreed but many times that we didn't. Judging committees are constantly working to increase the opportunities for educational experiences. I know I'm glad that the responsibility for judging is not mine. Anyway, the horses looked great and we really enjoyed everyone's fellowship.

Wilda's Home

We learned that Wilda got to go home on Friday evening. Robert and I talked with Jamie and he said she was doing well. We got the email below from Diana Wright yesterday. Please keep Wilda and her family in your prayers during this time of recovery. If you need an address to send a card, just email me and I'll get it right out to you.

From Diana:
Just a note to let you know your prayers are working. Wilda got to go home from the hospital yesterday evening about 5 pm. I talked with her just a few minutes ago and she is hurting, bruised all over and recovering...but she said, "Praise The Lord!" She will follow up with doctors and therapy. Keep praying! She said HT was busily working and taking good care of her and things around her. They again expressed their appreciation of all the prayers and concerns.

Update on Wilda

Robert and I went to the UK Hospital last night to check on Wilda. We talked with H.T. but didn't go back to see her. There was some good news. Doctors were able to remove the chest tube which is a good sign. However, Wilda continues to be sick at her stomach. They did another CT scan last night about 8:00 PM to make make sure there isn't more bleeding. We didn't get the results though. The upset stomach could be coming from meds she's taking as well. You know how it is when you're trying to take medicine without having eaten anything. She was still in the ER. The 8th floor head trauma unit didn't have a bed available. H.T. said they thought she would actually be monitored more closely leaving her in the ER rather than her being in a regular room. While we were there, they did move her to room 209 which seemed to actually be a 'room' within the ER - not just a curtained area. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Wilda and the family.

Wilda

Vera emailed several us early this (Wed.) afternoon. I'll just pass that on to everyone. Robert and I are planning to go to the hospital this evening. I'll post anything new we learn. Keep praying for Wilda and the family. It's tough when you have an injured loved one in the hospital as you all know.

From Vera:
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Mom is still in the emergency room being closely monitored, but she seems to be doing pretty good at this point. She has several broken ribs with a collapsed lung. They have inserted a tube and she will have that for a least a couple of days. They are running more tests, on her spine, they think her head is alright. She has a lot of pain at the base of her neck on her spine so that is why they are checking that out with a neurosurgeon. Lyngle got the info pretty straight about the accident. She and Dad were with about 18 others, but they have a tendency to ride very ruff trails. I have been on this hill and it is a very steep hill, the horse was wanting to go down it too fast and mom was trying to hold her back and then the battle was on. The horse took a leap on the hill and mom went forward. Some said they thought the horse stepped on her, and some say no, I don't think it did, since we don't see any hoof prints. It looks like she just hit the ground very hard on her head, since it did knock her out and she does have some knots on her head.

We appreciate your prayers and concerns, and I will try to keep everyone posted.
Vera

Serious Riding Accident

Wilda Derickson was seriously injured in a riding accident late yesterday afternoon. Bob learned about the accident around 6:00 last night. His brother-in-law from Campton called and said he heard that Wilda had been air lifted from Campton but didn’t have any details. The accident happened about 4:30. We finally got in touch with Vera (Wilda's daughter) and she told us that Wilda, H.T. and some others had been trail riding up at Big Andy in Campton. They were going down a hill and Wilda’s horse started going sideways. You know how that pitches you forward anyway. She was straightening him/her (can’t remember) up and somehow went over his head. There may be more to it than this but it is what I understood Vera to say. It knocked Wilda out but she was eventually able to get back on her horse to try to ride out. After about a half mile, she started having trouble breathing and was in pain so she just couldn’t continue. Someone rode out to where they could get cell service. A helicopter came and they carried her out to meet it. She is at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Vanessa was waiting when the helicopter arrived. Vera waited for H.T. to get back home and they left from Stanton to go to the hospital in Lexington. I talked to Vera again last night about 7:30 or 8:00. At that time they were still assessing her condition but she had several broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and some bleeding on her brain. Vera also said they could not yet ‘rule out any spinal injuries.’ I know everyone will be praying for her. I always wish there was something I could do to help in tough times like this. If I know of anything we can do, I’ll get the word out. Please let us know if any of you hear any news.

Lexington Jr. League Horse Show

Stoner Ridge Farm had the privilege of presenting the colors tonight at the Lexington Jr. League Horse Show at the Red Mile. It is the second time we've been invited to be part of this prestigious show. The show has a 73 year history in Lexington and is one of the largest Saddlebred shows in the world. Charlie rode RRF Gold Nugget and carried the American flag. Mike rode SRF's Silver Sundown and carried the Kentucky State flag. There was a great crowd and they were very appreciative of our breed of horse even though it is different from the breed that is showcased at the Jr. League show. We had several friends who came to watch. Steve (owner of the horses) was even able to watch all the way from MN on live streaming video. The boys got a lot of coverage . . . there was some sort of technical problem and the ring master kept motioning them on around again. They were even featured on our local news at 11:00. It was a great experience and we really appreciate the opportunity!