I had been so diligent in keeping up with my blog writing, but it looks as though I’ve fallen off the path a bit since the Millbrook Horse Trials. I better get back on track so I can have a fresh start for Richland Park.
I had six rides at Millbrook, which was now a couple weeks ago, and it was also the first event back for Cambalda. That of course made me very happy—having him back out to see if the training that had been going on with him was working. I have to say that he was brilliant on the flat and put in a really solid test at the intermediate level to score a 22, which to be honest seemed a bit generous in the scoring. But still, I was very happy with how he went. He ran cross-country well, and I was relieved to feel like he was his normal self in that phase.
The show jumping at Millbrook was quite good, and I was really pleased with how he went in that as well. He ended up winning, though that wasn’t really the main goal, but I feel a lot more confident now that he hasn’t been set back too far by what happened at Luhmuhlen. I leave for Richland Park on Tuesday to run him in the CIC*** there, so I’m excited for that.
Some other highlights of the weekend were Dreamboat and Arianna Almeida’s awesome horse Drummers Call each coming second in their training level and preliminary classes, and Indie finished up fifth in his prelim class as well.
I went to Waredaca Horse Trials last weekend, where I ran Dreamboat and Ollie in the training classes on Saturday. “DB,” as we’ll call him, came sixth after having an unfortunate rail down at the last fence. Ollie came fifth in his class, though I did have some time on cross-country because it was raining a fair bit by the time he went. He’s still a bit unrideable in the bridle, and I plan to give him a break from competing after Richland Park to work through some of that.
Sunday a.m. brought more rain for Drummers Call in the prelim, and I was wondering if we would even run cross-country! But he won his class from start to finish, getting a 25 on the flat and show jumping clean.
I had two novice horses as well that day and was lucky when the sun came out. Nina Gardner’s Musical was doing her first novice, and I have to say I am more than impressed with that little mare… She really stepped up to the plate and came second, ending on 30 even. She’s only 4 but is far wiser beyond her years!
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My awesome student Katy Thomas just picked up the ride on my last novice horse of the day, Contangos Jaguar, who we call Jag in the barn. Besides being dealthy afraid of some feed bags by a cross-country jump, he was quite good through the weekend and is happy to have a new owner!
Katy’s a great worker and student, and I am happy she has this new nice horse who’s improved greatly in the short time he’s been in training at our barn.
So now we wait for another day at home until we leave for the event at Richland Park, and I’m excited about the rides that I have there. Cambalda is running the CIC***, Indie is running the preliminary, and Ollie is running the training level.
I’ll check in soon and hope that everyone is doing well!
Jennie
