Stay the course (Clemson recap)

I'm not talking about a jump course here. Leading up to this weekends show God placed every road block possible in our path. I'm sure it was to test my endurance and commitment. We had riders not able to practice, horse injuries, trailer issues, and equipment failure all before we got off the farm Friday morning. I left here with a sense of dread. We arrived in Clemson and all seemed to be smoothing out. Everyone started out schooling very well. Then it happened Tansey's stubborn streak came out and she decided to do a 90 degree pivot right in front of the fence. She pitched Nicole off right into a box. Nicole caught her knee pretty hard on the way down. After the shock wore off she seemed a bit better, but I was still concerned. I had Jessica run her over for x-rays which were inconclusive. The GP in the ER decided to air on the side of caution and put her in a knee immobilizer for the weekend. Sadly, that meant she couldn't show. With a new sense of determination Nicole announced that she absolutely wanted Tansey shown, so Ann stepped in and agreed to get her around cross rails. Needless to say that turned into everything up to 2'3" jumpers for the day. They pinned in everything!!!

The classes on Saturday were very large. Sean (for the second time ever) gave x-rails a go and took the red ribbon in equitation (that's judged on rider position and ability) out of a total 27 riders. Absolutely amazing to me. He then went back in for 2' hunter and eq, both of which went very well. Paula made Amador's debut in the 2' hunter division. His over fences classes did not go as well as we would have liked, but it gave Beth an opportunity to really see how he performs. That set us up for a long overdue conversation. (Announcement to come in the coming weeks) Clemson is a unique show because there is not a hack class for each height, but only for each division. That meant that I had 4 riders in the moving up hack. There were a total of 24 riders in the class. They split the hack in half calling back 4 riders from each half for a final round. We ended up with 3 of the 4 in the final. I have to say it was a very proud moment for me as a trainer to have my riders come out first, second, and third!!! Then we moved on to 2'3". Normally I wouldn't have allowed Emily to ride in the low height, but here mom was able to make a rare out of town appearance for the day. I had to find something she could ride in, so in she went. I was a bit concerned because Gift can be a bit sloppy with her front end when the fences aren't high enough. But low and behold Emily walked away with the reserve for the division. She only rode in half the division classes. Can't imagine how we would have rocked the house had she done the whole division. We rounded out Saturday night with a fantastic meal at Fuddruckers.

Shelton and Randall went on a limb and decided to order the 1lb burger. Randall went the extra mile and added bacon to his. Needless to say (happily by my standards) neither of them finished it. It was fun watching them try though.

This morning started with me waking everyone up to the most amazing Harvest Moon. As soon as the sun came up it brought the rain with it. I never knew how scary an empty indoor arena could be until I saw lightning touch down just outside the front entrance. It shook every beam in the building and was accompanied by the loudest thunder clap I've heard in quite awhile. Today was to be a full day for Emily and Gift. I was fully prepared to scrap some classes if they started to look tired, but all went very well. Emily walked away with a champion winning all but one class. She took second in an equitation over fences as she completely dropped a rein and was forced to jump the oxer with it hanging on Gift's neck. Paula got in on the jumper action and took home the yellow in the beginner jumper (2'6") class. Emily also gave the jumpers a go and came out in the ribbons in the larger jumper class and the gambler's choice.

The final component of this show was the Dressage. That is what Kaijsa came for. She rode 3 dressage tests. One of which was part of a combined training test that also required her to complete a stadium jumper course. Kaijsa was really looking forward to the opportunity to get the rest of the barn engrossed in "her" sport. Not every move went according to plan as Em thought this was a good weekend to iron out her flying changes, but if you didn't know any better her test looked seamless. The judge must have thought so to. Kaijsa brought home the blue, in not one, not two, but all three of her tests!!! Paula also got in on the dressage action. She jumped way up the starting rungs and jumped straight into a memorized Training level test. But, no not Paula she couldn't start with the first test of the level and build up to the more challenging one. If she was going to do it she wanted to push herself to the limit. We did the final test before you move up a level. She rode Training level test 4 on Amador. They've really only worked on his flat movement and putting him into a dressage frame for about two weeks. I didn't have high expectation. I told her if they came out with a 50 I'd be happy. Woo Hoo was I suprised when she pulled a 59 out of her helmet. If we can fine tune her accuracy and seat usage she'll be ready to move up. Oh wait, she has to learn what a shoulder in is. All in good time.

I want to extend some special gratitude to a few behind the scenes members of our team this weekend. The show portion of this weekend went off without a hitch. I was only given one occasion to be frustrated. I'm sure that without the following members of our team it never could have happened. Emily's boyfriend Tyler who has been around the fringes the last 3 months or so jumped in with both feet this weekend. We had him holding horses, moving hay, moving trailers, and anything else possible. He, Randall, and Shelton were a true pleasure to have. Heck without Randall's mechanical ability we never would have got off the farm on Friday. Then we have Jessica who served as my right hand in the barn this weekend. She was given the opportunity to show Tansey (whom she truly enjoys), but passed that up to fulfill the commitment she had made in the barn.

Last, but not least we have our parents. I have some of the most outstanding parents. I have trained in enough barns to know that I am a very blessed trainer. Many of the parents were faced with very big growth areas this weekend. I think everyone of them stepped up to the plate and hit home runs. The kids may not say it to you, but I know that each and everyone of them appreciates what you do. They know how lucky they are to be able to do this and recognize the sacrifices that you make to allow horses in their lives. NONE of them say it enough, but THANK YOU from me and them!!!

(slide show coming soon)