I am happy to be writing this blog entry from the comfort of my couch, finally home from the first event of the season at Twin Rivers, in Paso Robles, CA. Twin is one of my favorite events, and once again, I wasn't disappointed. The Baxter's have an amazing facility, and really go above and beyond to make the event a great time for everyone. Oh, and it was 80 degrees, and I got a sunburn... that helps me feel even better about the weekend.
Lani Taylor and I (wisely) left monday afternoon, and missed the huge snow storm that pummeled Utah, although we didn't miss the cold and rain on for the first two days in California. The horses all traveled well, and after a morning of riding and bathing ponies, Lani and I spent some quality time getting lost in Paso Robles (don't laugh, I've been conditioned to a grid street system by none other than Joseph Smith!) By Wednesday night all 8 horses had arrived, and I spent Thursday alternating between the schooling ring and the dressage ring, where most of us spent some time knocking the rust off and remembering how to do complicated things, like ride a 20 meter circle... Cha Cha found himself possessed for our first schooling test, so I turned right around and rode again, with a much better result.
Friday morning started out early, with Summer and Lani having 9ish am dressage rides. Both of them are much improved from last year, and finished pretty well. Both of their horses have had the benefit of a full season of competing, and came out like old pro's (albeit with a few new quirks). Next up were Marley riding Adelaide, and Summer riding her young horse, Jake. Both the horses were good, and although neither got the score that their riders were hoping for, it was a promising start to the season. Cha Cha got ridden once at 7:30 am, and he was pretty amazing, so I got on hoping for a good ride. It wasn't to be... Cha Cha got tighter and tighter as the warm-up went on, and despite many walk breaks and attempts at stretching, I never quite managed to get his back moving to my satisfaction. The test was as obedient as possible, given I was sitting on a ticking time bomb, and I am re-examining my horse care routine to rule out physical problems such as ulcers, as well as taking a good, hard look at my warm-up routine and training. He has been going so well at home that the test was disappointing, to say the least. The day wrapped up with three beginner novice rides- Grace and her new horse, Luke, Hannah and Bob, and Alexis, riding Skip. All three girls kept their focus in their test, and rode really thoughtfully and well.
Saturday was CRAZY!! The beginner novice show jumped starting at 8:30 am, and Cha Cha went out XC at 9. The first time out cross country is always a bit surprising. We don't have the opportunity to school at all before the first several events of the year, so both horses and riders go out a bit "cold." Having natural fences in the warm-up is a huge help, and Cha Cha felt fit and focused when we went out of the box. He settled quickly, which was one of my goals for the weekend, and was right on time at the minute markers. The course was riding really well, with a fairly equal spattering of stops here and there. Cha Cha jumped everything really well- the coffin, the table to arrowhead, the sunken road, his first real Weldon's Wall. I cantered through the water, just to get his feet wet, and came around to the rails into the water, and promptly dropped poor Cha Cha in a classic "Save yourself!" move. Needless to say, he stopped, and I deserved it. I re-presented, and he hopped right in. Obviously the first cross country round of the year was more about knocking the rust off the rider- the horse was fine. The rest of the course was amazing, he never put a foot wrong, and finished feeling stronger and fitter than ever. I really can't be at all disappointed in my horse. The stop was all mine, and I know what I need to do to fix the problem. I have no doubt that Intermediate is well within our grasp this year, which is really exciting! I just have to remember to kick AND hold onto my reins...
The novice and training horses show-jumped on Saturday, and the beginner novice did cross country as well. I ran back and forth between the show jump warm-up for Summer and Lani, and the cross country warm-up for Grace, Hannah, and Alexis. Thankfully, Novice had show jumped a bit earlier- whew! Both Summer and Lani had great rides, and both are looking really strong at training level and ready to move up. The novice horses were very good and all three girls in beginner novice were great on cross country. Everyone finished the day happy and with healthy, sound horses, and a bunch of us headed off to the competitors party in good spirits and surrounded by great friends.
Sunday started off early with Cha Cha show jumping at 8:30. He was very strong (good strong, but still a handful), and jumped really well. We had one legitimate rail, and one unlucky rail, but the feeling of power and scope he gave me was new, and really fantastic! Lani and Summer both went cross country shortly after I was finished, so it was back to the warm-up ring for me. Tim was good for Summer, answering several new questions boldly, and she was rightfully very happy with him. Page and Lani headed out looking pretty good, although a bit sticky to some early fences. Page decided not to play at the double down banks, and Lani's day ended there. We were planning on staying Monday morning to school, so Page got added to the schooling list... Adelaide and Jake both went well, although Marley did pick up a stop at the coffin. Jake was a bit wild in the warm-up, and Summer did a good job to stay on him a few times, as he leaped sideways and bucked enthusiastically. Summer had the best finishes of the group, with a 3rd on Tim and a 5th on Jake.
We schooled Page, Skip, Tim, and Jake on Monday morning, and then headed back to Utah, arriving at the barn at 3:30 am on Tuesday. I spent most of Tuesday sleeping and doing laundry, and I'm mostly organized again. We leave in three weeks for Galway, so in the between time, I'm hoping to do a lot of teaching, work on my dressage warm-up, and keep my horses fit and sound. So far, the season is off to a pretty great start!
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