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Bubbles, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was sent to Tamra to be sold after the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. She started riding him and their first competition was at Copper Meadows Horse Trials in the Open Preliminary. “I happened to get along with him fantastically, Tamra said. “We won our first competition together and it has gotten better each time.”
(Above Left: Tamra and Bubbles celebrate their blue ribbon during the CIC2* victory gallop. Josh Walker Photo.)
Tamra and Bubbles competed at The Event at Rebecca Farm a month before Richland in the Open Intermediate division. Tamra said she was skeptical of the outcome because she had only been riding Bubbles for two months. However, after their win at Rebecca Farm it was clear to Tamra that with Bubbles being 12 and their partnership being so successful at such an early stage that they needed to get on with their qualifications.
“I competed at Richland two years ago after the course builder, Bert Wood, convinced us that we needed to come and compete,” Tamra explained. “So I knew that the event was going to be unbelievable. There were a few of us that needed a CIC qualification so I called my good friend Barb Crabo and said, "Want to go to Richland?” and she said sure. I really thought we were crazy for even considering it, but a couple students of mine wanted to go as well so we just made it happen. I knew it would be good experience for me and my students.”
(Right: A solid dressage test put Tamra and Bubbles in the running for a top placing at Richland. Josh Walker Photo.)
Tamra rode dressage on Friday after half the two-star division had already competed. “Leslie Law scored a 42, so I knew I had to be spot on if I was going to get close to that,” Tamra said. “I have been working on getting Bubbles back into condition after taking some time off with his current owner. Every test I’ve ridden him in he’s gotten better and better. And I just kept reminding myself everything my dressage trainer [Nicolia Zamora] and I have been working on. Mike Huber warmed me up and helped me get those finishing touches. I felt good about his test but knew I didn’t beat a 42 so I was disappointed before I even came out of the ring. I honestly wasn’t sure it would score in the 40′s due to a few significant bobbles, so I was thrilled when I scored a 47.”
Tamra said she loved the changes Ian Stark made to the cross-country course, but she was worried about the second water complex because Bubbles has been a bit sticky at the water at the previous shows. Before Tamra went out on course, her best friend Heather Morris was there listening for how the course was riding. After hearing that Leslie Law had some time faults, Tamra realized that if she put in a double-clear round she would move into first. Tamra said the pressure was on!
“I went out of box and by the fourth fence Bubbles felt spot on, and I felt pretty confident we would have a great round!” Tamra said. “Every combination rode fantastic. The footing was like running on memory foam. Truly unbelievable! It’s very different for us on the west coast because we compete on groomed sandy loam type footing. The only grass we have is what we plant in our front yards, so it was a dream to run on Richland Park’s grass!”
Tamra said that putting in a double clear cross-country round and moving into the lead was a bittersweet feeling. “I was thrilled that I was first out of a very impressive field, but very worried if we could pull off the win the next day for show jump,” Tamra explained. “Bubbles and I still had been struggling with our partnership in the show jumping and actually lost our win at Coconino Horse Trials due to two rails.”
Tamra took Bubbles to the Del Sol Classic in Del Mar, California the week before they left for Richland in hopes of working out their show jumping kinks, and it seemed to pay off. A whole group of talented riders helped give Tamra inspiration to jump a clean round including talking to John Camlin over the phone as well as a show jumping friend, Lane Clarke, to try and get some special techniques to jump clean. Since Rebecca Farm, Capt. Mark Phillips gave Tamra a few tips to improve her show jumping. Tamra also studied the technique of top show jumpers such as McClain Ward, Beezie Madden, and Susie Hutchison by watching their rides on YouTube.com.
“I can’t say that I looked anything like the riders that I studied, but the stars were aligned because we put in a double clear show jump round,” Tamra elatedly explained. “I felt I rode the course well. Heather Morris and Mike Huber were there to help me warm up, and I went in knowing there was less than two points between myself and second place. Bubbles was very rideable and although he hit one in the triple it luckily landed back into the cups. There was some serious pressure going into that ring. I can’t tell you how happy I felt after I landed off the last fence knowing he just jumped double clean for the win!”
(Right: A lot of preparation went into Tamra and Bubbles show jumping round. Josh Walker Photo.)
After her win at Richland, Tamra and Bubbles are heading to the Twin Rivers Fall Horse Trials to run in the Advanced Division, and then the pair is going to finish the season at the Galway Downs CCI2*. Then hopefully next spring Tamra and Bubbles will compete at the Jersey Fresh CCI3*.
“I’m very lucky to be riding such an amazing horse and having Dani Sussman make that happen is really special to me,” Tamra said. “We are in the process of syndicating him, and I am very excited about our future together. I would just like to thank all of my amazing sponsors, clients, friends, and family for their continued support. It was well worth the 3,800 miles!”
