Eventing Committment

I’m feeling nostalgic today. I just read about all the cool upper level riders doing the Fair Hill International Three-Day and that the Pan-Ams are finishing up and it makes me miss competing Cam, so I thought I’d share a funny story about the last Advanced I ran with him at Millbrook HT August of 2010.

I was so excited then. My horse was brilliant. We were headed to the CIC3* at Richland after Millbrook and then on to the 3* at Fair Hill. If he ran well at those I’d run my favorite event, The Fork in the spring and then on hopefully to Rolex in the spring of 2011.

                                     Jenn and I watching the water jump at Millbrook being ridden....it rode a lot better than our faces are implying

The adventure as it was to be was embarked by myself and two friends who were all running Advanced.  Jenn, Heather and I were up to the task of the 16+ hour trip up to New York where none of us had ever been. Upon arrival we figured out that our stalls were as far away from anything as they could be, including the water sources and that’s where the bumbling weekend started.

We had set out on this trip with no idea who we would get to help us when we got there. At the time Jenn and I were taking jump lessons with a showjumper, Craig Shegog (he’s awesome) and all three of us had used different dressage trainers, but none of us was consistently taking lessons from an upper level event trainer. I had ridden with Cathy Wieschhoff and Karen O’Connor and knew Missy Ransehousen, Dorothy Crowell, and rest of the OCET crew and Jenn had ridden with Kyle Carter. None of those people were going up to Millbrook this time, so we had to find someone else. None of us knew anyone who was entered either, but we knew that since we also had never been around this course that we needed help.  After many phone calls it was decided we should ask Buck Davidson to let us walk with him.

So, while we were trying to arrange this we decide to go find our way around this course by ourselves. What we didn’t know is that nearing the end of this course there is a GIGANTIC hill that you have to gallop down. Not only do you have to gallop down said hill you have to jump through a keyhole from which it looks as if you have to jump into outter space. This is where we all stand and stare down at the bottom of the nearly 100ft drop and say our prayers…did I mention that NOW I have health insurance? I didn’t at that time.  We decide we had best head down so we start walking. I have never walked down a hill like this. It made my shins hurt just looking at it. About halfway down, Jenn says, “I can’t take this anymore- I’m committeddddd!!!!” and ends up running like Sonic the Hedghog, legs awheeling faster than a rocket down the hill. It’s a miracle she doesn’t fall. Heather and I are laughing so hard, we do fall and end up scooting down the last of the hill on our bums.

Naturally later when we walk the course, Buck tells us we had better get our butts in the tack and lean back or we’re going to have an “I’m committed” moment like Jenn and the end result won’t be as fun.

In the end, Jenn and Heather had a brilliant weekend at their first advanced and I had a heart wrenching last Advanced on Cam, but I will never forget that damned hill and hope to hell I never have to see it again!

                                                           Heather walking down said gigantic drop.....

signing off~ Mandy