Sally's Aiken 2012 Letter

Sally Cousins sent out her 2012 Aiken letter. As it asks, I am passing the info along.

When my computer was knocked off the couch earlier this year by a dog who shall not be named ( ok I shouldn't have had it on the couch) I lost all my Aiken records so please pass this  information along to anyone who might be interested.

Our place in Aiken is set on 27 acres 5 1/2 miles out of the center of town. It is convenient to many hotels , stores and restaurants.  We have lots of show jumps, some cross country jumps and a dressage ring.  We have lots of turn out available in individual paddocks.  Lessons are available daily and we go cross country schooling many times a week.  Pine Top is an hour away and all the other events are within 20 minutes.  There are 5 cross country courses nearby that we use to school.  There are many derbies ,combined tests and some unrecognized events held in Aiken while we are down there. Hitchcock Woods is close to our place. It is a  2000 acre park that is great for trail riding.  We are 25 minutes from the Augusta airport and an hour and 15 minutes from Columbia airport. Megan Papler also rents a house 5 miles from the farm and that is a great place to stay especially for the young riders.

Many people have mentioned that they are concerned that their horse is not far enough along in its training to come down, but Aiken is a great experience for greener horses.  The footing is sand so we are able to school more in good footing and the environment is relaxed.  I try to get my babies far  enough along to be able to cross country school them while we are down there. For example,  Walle was concerned about water at first and he was able to get out to many different water jumps and is now quite confident.  At the time he wasn't even doing much jumping. 

Costs:
self care
- under 30 days  $15 a night per stall
- over 30 days  $10 a night per stall
lessons $65
training board $400 a week (shipping to local events and schools included)
there is a discounted rate in January
I will be taking a deposit of $5 per night to hold a stall.
If you have any questions please let me know.  Thanks,  Sally  sallycousins@aol.com

I couldn't help but add Walle's horse trial debut video.  (Wall-E, like the robot in the movie) Walle is one of the biggest and sweetest horses I have ever encountered.