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WAKE UP call!
It is NOW time to get SERIOUS about EVENTING!~ "Leg UP" those HORSES as they say. Which means, get some MUSCLE going. DO IT NOW! Typically, the Northern "Ultimate Horse Sporters" which means ALL BALLS OUT EVENTERS north of Florida migrate south, mostly to Ocala. So, No surprise......t h e y y y y'Re here. HERE WE GO again! Weather was wonderful, warming to the 70*'s for The Ocala Horse Properties Winter 1 Horse Trials which happened in Florida over the weekend.
Day one found us clear and warm focused. Nothing much mattered, zip-O-not-ah! Not even, that her taped sprained ankled ached, woman cramps cramped or we didn't eat breakfast. Problems were simply not allowed to auger in and cause trouble, not this show ....It was: suck it up time... DRESSAGE DUTY CALL! Ta~dah! They start out in the brave rider "open class" at the very top of the bottom half of the list.
Time went by, but not without their cross~country run. This pair was just coming off of a "Retired On Course" from her most recent last show, so OF COURSE the horse was going to dare and face off. Right out of the starting box her horse blasted spunky stuff. There was bucking with cheekiness, hopping chutzpah then came the cream streaming in a line. My rider ignored ALL OF her squeal and proceeded onward thrashing with speed. Sticky over the the first. I could see them gain momentum as they poured through to the back field. Standing on my tippy toes I could see the ruffled dirt which usually blows up from some kind of a commotion. Evidently, she went for a wake-up WACK but dropped the crop instead. OH NO!! My rider bellowed "DROPPED MY WHIP!" hustled she dismounted, then POP back in the saddle. She came around for a second attempt, more BRAKES! Another stop. Complete nonsense now, is what went through her head. My jockey circled back the other way, this time, nicely they sailed over... and over went their problems. No more attitude or distrust, only fun, their run in the sun. Through the water and every jump was like a smooth swirling milkshake melting, dripping to perfection... perfect to the bitter end.
Together we felt happy. Then the owner seeing the live scores, txted to ask what a TE means? Huh, was that for me? YES! You have got to be kidding me, we questioned the rules. Off to the office we went. My eventer told a brief description of what had happened. The official lady with the killer smile retracted those letters "no problem, we will change that" BUT added sixty points instead. We'll take it, since all she really really wanted then, was to jump in the stadium round.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS: Nora Battig held it togeher with Borneo Royale. Buck Davidson put his foot down with Case Closed II. Lexi Scovil was heard with Laugh Out Loud. Andrea Leatherman gained blue with Mystic My. Michael Pollard never waivered from first showing Schoensgreen Hanni. Wonderful "Webster" made Susan Gray's Day. Corinthian Spirit lifted Alexander O'Neal. Karen O'Connor beamed with Amber Eyes. Nicole Doolittle climbed to the top with Utopia III. The "Power of Intention" gave Kennedy Z. Cross the win. Lauren Kieffer kicked it with Phoebe. Leslie Law went all the way with Tout de Suite. Right on for Heather Jans and Rickoshea. And last but not least was Amanda Wilson, who won with a Two Carrot Diamond. :)
