United States Eventing Association

The Spirit of Adventure: Rain-maggedon!

As first events of the season go, I would have to say that Twin Rivers Horse Trials (on February 26-28) was a great one, for one very simple reason: it can only get better from here! Not only did I have pretty spotty results in the riding department, but Mother Nature also very decidedly did NOT play along. I was so pleased, as always, to get a chance to go out and test what I've been working on in a competitive atmosphere, but it was also a relief to get back to the barn safe, sound, and sort of dry on Sunday afternoon!

When I was preparing for Pony Club ratings as a youth, I was always told to present critiques, especially when there are some not-so-pleasant facts to convey, in the classic "Oreo" format: good stuff first, then things to work on, then a good finish. So here's the "Oreo" breakdown of the weekend.

The Good Stuff to Start:

Ringo and I are definitely making progress in the dressage department. The sitting trot was better (it's getting there!!), and overall our trotwork in and out of the ring on Friday was the best we've produced yet. I also have to say that my turnout was pretty darn good; I haven't had a white (or even partially white, besides some little tiny socks) horse since my pony days, and so it was definitely a steep learning curve to get into the rhythm of endless baths, second baths, morning touchups with a sponge and a bottle of Cowboy Magic, and last go-overs with baby powder (God's gift to white socked horses!) to make everything shine. Besides rethinking my breeches strategy (have you ever noticed that white breeches are a shade of white completely unlike what a natural white horse is? Ringo was positively glowing, and STILL looked dingy next to my ultra-white breeches and saddle pad--next time, it's cream breeches or bust), I was really pleased with my groomsmanship.

The Homework:

Obedience!! After our stellar trotwork in our test on Friday, Ringo promptly decided that walk and canter were NOT worth his time! When I went to walk in front of the judge, Ringo shimmied forward, let out a few naughty little bucks, and then even threw in a rear for good measure! What a bad boy!! We semi-recovered for our free walk but then Ringo decided it was off to the races in our canter work so I had to ride everything pretty "conservatively" (to use the kind words of the judge). It then didn't help that Ringo got so tight in his back that he promptly swapped out in both of his counter canters - I don't think we scored above a 5 for the entire second half of our test! I also have to say that I was pretty unhappy with how I dealt with Ringo’s disobedience; I don’t think the initial bad behavior was my fault, but I definitely could have done better in moving on and resuming the good work we’d had before. In my first lesson back from the show on Monday with Gina, Ringo and I spent a good 20 minutes doing counterbend, haunches out, haunches in, shoulder in, and finally counter canter all on a 20 meter circle. Ringo was super unhappy to have to work so hard at first, but by the end we had the hang of it. I'm betting this is going to be at the top of our homework list for the next few weeks!

The Yummy Finish:

Eventing is such an amazing sport, isn't it? Even though the weather at Twin Rivers made for a pretty lousy venue for actually testing our riding, I couldn't help but be amazed by how well everyone there stood up to the serious mental testing that the weekend provided. The organizers and officials worked their tails off trying to make the show run while keeping safety in mind. The volunteers were, if it's possible, even more amazing than they usually are. For example, my friend and I were watching the Advanced and Intermediate cross-country that managed to get squeezed in before the conditions got too ragged on Friday afternoon, and were seated very close to the fence judge at the first water; even after the skies opened up and it started raining down in actual solid sheets of freezing sideways water, that fence judge was still smiling, laughing, and ready to grit it out to the end of the day (even if she was a little chillier and more huddled up when we left than when we'd arrived!).

Finally, I was reminded again that eventers truly are a rare and wonderful breed: even on Saturday when the rain was coming down so hard and it was clear that most of the show was going to have to be abandoned, when 3/4 of all the stabling was completely underwater, and the parking area had turned into an honest to God lake, everyone I stopped and chatted with still had a smile on their face. It's not often that you throw 300 competitive and goal driven people into conditions like that and get anything short of a rebellion, but at Twin Rivers everywhere I saw people were digging in and trying to make lemonade out of lemons. I even saw folks whip out snorkels and rain boots and turn the bad weather into a downright party. There were talks of mud sliding, of water jump tug of wars, and generally having a good time in the slop. Despite coming home wetter and colder than I ever imagined I would be in the great Golden State of California, I was definitely reminded of why I love this sport and all the people in it.

So, that was the Twin Rivers experience. Knowing this state, by the time we head back there in late April it will be so hot and dry that everyone will be dreaming wistfully of cool, green, and wet. Oh well! Despite the rather unfulfilling competitive experience Ringo and I had at Twin (with our 18th place dressage mark and subsequent withdrawal in the bad conditions!), we are still planning on moving up at Three Day Ranch in two weeks. Hopefully the course at Twin will dry off enough that we can at least go back and school before then. I know that I will garner very little sympathy from folks on the East Coast still digging themselves out from too many feet of snow, but if you spare a moment, do an anti-rain dance for the next few weeks for Ringo and me!