United States Eventing Association

Today was full of surprises, but there were also two not so surprising factors; I had an asthma attack as usual but am happy to report I was able to breathe more quickly than in the past which is always a good thing, and Fric showed what an amazing horse he really is and how much heart he has, as he carried me around to a clean round.

One of the surprises was that Fric, who is usually extremely quick, was far from fast today. Right out of the box, the deep muddy footing seemed to be a bit uncomfortable for the French Prince. However, every time he saw a jump, he knew exactly what to do with it. His ears were perked in Fric fashion the entire way around, and he was jumping great, just not running very fast.

Another surprise was that I lost my stirrup before the second water, and despite trying, I was not able to reclaim it until 4 fences later, before the biggest jump on course. I think I would have walked to get it back before I would have jumped that massive thing without it!

As we came into the vet box, it is safe to say I was breathing much heavier than he was, and I was very happy to see that his temp was only 102.4, which is rather low.

The surprises occurred throughout the division as fence 5b proved to be very tough on many riders, and ended a good amount of peoples’ days. Overall the courses rode well, but slow for most, and as horses were on fluids which seemed to take forever this evening, we enjoyed some fun in the barns.

I would have to say that Will Faudre is one of the funniest people I have ever met. Between him and Andrea Baxter, they could keep anyone entertained for hours. Will informed us that his next horse will be named Monkey Thump, and then proceeded to give us a demonstration of what the Monkey Thump was, which nearly brought me to tears laughing.

The good news is the cross-country portion was a success in achieving what we came for; the last qualifier we need for Rolex 2011. I am sure tomorrow’s stadium course will be tough, and after running today the horses will be tired. However, Fric gave me quite a bit of trouble while he was getting fluids, and seemed to be feeling very full of himself tonight.

I hope the jog goes well for everyone tomorrow morning, and that we are all able to finish what we came for. I am off to the competitor’s party to grab some food, and then headed to the hotel to pack my things, and get ready to head home.

From Bromont on a successful day 5, goodnight.

-Frankie