Summer and I just got back from a couple of beautiful days in sunny Temecula, California. Seriously, it was gorgeous- warm, dry, and I've got a wicked sunburn! Summer took both of her horses down, and ran the prelim on Tim and the training on Jake. I took the dog, my running shoes, some shorts, and not much else! This is the first show I've not ridden at in quite a long time, and I have to admit, I really missed having horses competing. It was great, however, to be able to focus so exclusively on my student- we walked several of the upper level XC courses, we spent quite a while watching the CIC 3-star and advanced dressage, and discussing the rides, and watched a ton of cross country riding (some of it very good) on Saturday afternoon.
Both of Summers horses went really well. The theme of the weekend was "preparation not reaction," something that I think event riders in particular struggle with. Both of Summers dressage tests were good, with Tim showing huge upgrades in his work over the winter. She was double clear with both on XC, and really got both horses into a good rhythm and jumping well. Tim was one of only a handful of horses inside the time in his division, so that was the icing on the cake! Both show jumped well, although Jake showed how green and spooky he still is when he nearly wouldn't go through the start flags because he was to busy spooking at the ring decorations! He doesn't know it yet, but the will be spending some quality time at jumper shows this summer... Ultimately, Tim finished in 5th, and although Jake finished well out of the ribbons, she was thrilled with his performance.
Back at home, Cha Cha is going well and getting ready for his first dressage show of the year in May, and Luke is back on track again after some saddle fit issues. I'm pretty excited about him, and look forward to eventing him this summer. We have some great clinics coming up, including Mary Wanless in May, which is really great for auditors. I look forward to seeing everyone as the season gets started!
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