Horse Show Wrap Up

The past few days are sort of a blur.  I am so exhausted from a long 4 days at the show.  I will do my best to recap.  Friday was round 2.  We showed about 4:30pm.  I spent the time before showing getting Poppy cleaned up, taking her for a walk, doing some shopping, etc to kill the time. 

Poppy enjoying a graze before showing Friday

 

Then it's time to show and you are scrambling.  Order of go was reversed from Thursday night's placings.  Thursday I finished 11th so I was 10th or so in the order of go (I think, I can't quite remember).

 

Friday's Course, Round 2

A picture of the ring.

Sitting in 11th, I had some catching up to do.  That meant going clean.  I didn't take any risks such as inside turns.  I could have from 4 to 5 (going inside 10) but jump 5 was a triple bar and I wanted to get there straight and be able to set her up.  We had a nice clean round, she jumped fantastic and we came in 5th in round 3.  And I actually have video!!

 

I got home about 8pm Friday, much better than the night before but still had horses to take care of at home.  Sooo tired..

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Back at it on Saturday for the final round.  They took 16 riders for the final round.  We were 11th in the order of go and it went about 11:30am.

Round 3 Course

So for round 3 you had to jump the course and when everyone was done everyone had to go jump the course again.  If there was a tie for 1st place then there would be a jump off.  Again, clean rounds are the only way to stay in it.  I wish I had video.  Poppy was amazing.  Jump 2 was huge with a big wall and flowers on the wall SPOOKY!  It was also 10.5 strides from 1 to 2.  Alot of mistakes there.  I made sure I took the inside track and the 10 was right there.  Then you had to come around to jump 3 which was a skinny.  We got there tight but she was good to me.  Then 7 strides to a tight 2 stride (4ab) then 4 tight strides to 5.  Jump 6 was a huge swedish oxer, jump 7 was a weird plank on flat cups.  We opted to go around jump 5 so we could get nice and set up for the triple combination which was a tight one to one.  Then 6 going strides to 9.  Jumps 9 and 10 were very plain verticals so it was important to not get flat.  Then left turn to jump 11 and 4 long strides to 12.  Whew!  Another clean round.  Then back again, again reverse order so I had time to cool her out and boy were we both exhausted.  The second go my goal was to just smooth it out and stay clean.  She rocked.  We nailed every distance.  My trainer gave me the thumbs up.  I was so happy with my little grey mare.  We finished in 6th.

 

Woop Woop!!  I went to college at The University of Florida so note the saddle pad :)

Hot and sweaty

 

So proud of her!

If you want to check out proofs from the show go to http://www.mustphoto.com/ and select Southeast Medal Finals 2013.  Enter my number 437.  If I am wearing a polo shirt that was from Thursday's 1m class.  If I am in a jacket that is the championships. Tan breeches were Thursday and Friday and white breeches were Saturday.