United States Eventing Association

Or, How not to prepare your yearling for her first show.

OMG! Jeez! It’s Michelle calling again! I’d been ducking her calls all week, reasoning that I had way too much on my plate to be involved with another Michelle project. However, I was starting to feel she just wasn’t going to let this one go. “Persistent” is definitely one of the top ten adjectives used to describe Michelle Robbins!

Reluctantly, I answered the phone. Michelle’s sweet voice…”Are you bringing your filly to Waredaca this weekend?” I thought about this for a moment. My yearling filly is by my stallion: Kilkelly All’s Well and out of a wonderful old event mare by Sea Crest (RID) named Crest View, so the pedigree was there. I had told Michelle last fall that I thought this might be a really nice individual and that I was interested in showing her in the Future Event horse series at some point. But I lacked the courage to tell Michelle that I hadn’t touched the filly in months; that technically she wasn’t even weaned from her mother and that she looked like a big, hairy pony instead of a fat & slick show horse. “Well, you could use it as a prep for Upperville….YOU ARE showing her at Upperville, RIGHT?” Another inward groan from me. Here I was thinking about how I was going to get through tomorrow, not about the massive and stressful event of showing at Upperville in two weeks. “Well, you know the IDHSNA is sponsoring the series and we really need your support and we….” I groaned again…..OK, OK, I give up. I’ll bring her.

The next morning I finally got a halter on her and separated her from her mother. I spent the rest of the week trying to clean “Cee Cee” up a bit and teach her to lead. I didn’t dare dream she would walk and trot properly on the triangle; I wasn’t even aiming for her to walk in a straight line; I was just thankful that she finally stopped doing her very good imitation of a wild mustang caught for the first time! I had known Cee Cee was athletic; I just hadn’t realized that yearlings could do caprioles quite that well!

I whizzed through the USEA registration process and the FEH entry forms. I had the trailer serviced, the truck inspected and had found a semi-decent halter to show her in. I couldn’t braid her because of the arthritis/ulna nerve issues in my hands but Michelle assured me that wouldn’t be a problem because the USEA emphasizes conformation and athlectism over turnout. So by Friday morning I was thinking we’d leave for the show at 12pm, try to have a pleasant learning experience and be home in time for a late dinner. And of course, in true Murphy’s Law style, a major kafuffle popped up. “#$%^&*, she’s going to be 1 yr. old and I don’t have a Coggins on her! A quick call to my vet who happened to be on a call nearby, a frantic drive to the State lab where I begged and pleaded with them to do the set up and fax the results to the show secretary before 1 pm. Then home to change, load the filly and set off. Miraculously, the filly walked up in the trailer without hesitation and settled in for the 2+ hour drive to Maryland.

We arrived in good time and without making any wrong turns so I had time to get the filly out and take her for a walk in the indoor where the YEH classes were to be held. Cee Cee had never been off the farm much less on a trailer and then to an event as busy as Waredaca. To my amazement, she walked passed all the trailers, the neighing horses, the warm-up ring filled with jumpers, past tractors and garbage pails and right into the indoor. She marched around, alert but quiet and I thought “that’s great, we’ve had a great school and we can go home now”. I took her back to the trailer and just as I was getting ready to scratch her, in pops Michelle. Again the super sweet voice….”Well, you’re already here and you’ve paid your entry fees. Why don’t you just stay a little longer and show her?

I don’t even offer an argument this time. We make our way back to the indoor and I noticed the other entry in the Yearling Filly class, a beautiful warmblood , perfectly turned out with a fancy bridle and even perfect braids. The owner/handler is a delightful lady and we have a lovely conversation while waiting for our class to start. I believe it’s a foregone conclusion so I take my time and make sure Cee Cee is relaxed and quiet and having a good time. With help again from Michelle, I persuade Cee Cee to walk and trot around the triangle and remarkably, things go pretty smoothly. I take her outside to let her pick at some grass and watch the show jumping phase of the competition. I load the filly on the trailer again and am about to go home when the score sheets come out and I find she has won the class. I’m thrilled that we won but I am much happier that Cee Cee has handled this all so well and really behaving .

The Championship class is called and I think there is no way a yearling IDSH filly can compete alongside all the other winners and 2^nd place horses. There are two and three year old warmbloods, many of which have been competing regularly in tough competitions. “Well, what the heck, we’re here now!” We are all asked to walk the entire indoor and then trot our charges down the long side of the arena. I gather what little strength I have left in my legs and lungs and remember what so many in-hand judges have told me over the years: Start your trot off slowly and gradually build your speed. I feel my chest start heaving as we reach the halfway point but for four or five strides, I feel the filly hit that expansive, remarkable suspended trot I’ve see her do at home. It takes quite a bit of doing to get her slowed down and another couple of minutes before I feel like I am not going to leave the facility on a stretcher, but I am ecstatic that Cee Cee was so good. I give her a big hug and a pat and tell her how proud I am of her. I am completely oblivious after that until I realize they are calling our names as the Champion Future Event Horse! All I can think of is what a day!

I call Michelle on the way home to check and make sure I didn’t imagine all of this. Oh, and of course I thank her profusely for persuading me to take my filly: Kilkelly See The Difference (Cee Cee) to our first Future Event Horse division!