So, you can probably imagine how happy I was after cross-country. So proud of my boy. It wasn't perfectly ridden and I know that I didn't "ride every jump" and a handful of the jumps were probably just luck, but that's when having a great partner under you comes in handy! So, we floated back to the barn on cloud nine, Hick really didn't even break a sweat except for under his saddle and was hardly out of breath. Gave him a rinse, took off his boots, and unscrewed his studs, and threw him some more of the icky hay. Then Laura and I were off to check the standings, look at pictures, and eat lunch!
Went to the show office to see what was posted. We were in first after dressage!! By ALMOST four points. That's a pretty decent spread. So, things just seemed to be getting better and better. Wasn't sure if our little deal at the water was going to be counted as a refusal, later found out that your horse CAN stop without it being a refusal, only a refusal if he moves backwards. So, clear round= first have dressage and xc. Yay! I called Martha and was all happy and said, "We're in first after dressage!" And she said, "Well, yeah! That's what I expected! I told you that." Then Laura and I went to eat lunch at good old "Crackle" Barrel. Came back, looked at pictures, then she had to leave. Loved on my pony, fed him dinner, walked stadium course, let him graze. Mom and I decided to order pizza for dinner. We picked it up on the way back to the hotel and I was passed out asleep before we even got pick up the pizza. It is a LOT of work and there is A LOT to do at a horse show. Not only do you have to take care of yourself, but you have to take care of your horse and it all just is very tiring. I don't know how I would have made it through the weekend without my mom and Laura.
Sunday I wasn't supposed to do my stadium for a while, so we slept in til about 7:30 and got to the barn at 8. Breakfast time for a pony. Put his stall guard up and go in to pick his stall. I'm in the middle of cleaning it when I look over at Hick. He is coiled back on his haunches holding his front feet in the air Lippizan style. I said, "Hickory! Noooooooooo!" But it was too late. "See ya!" he said and leaped, in slow motion, over the top of his stall guard and out of his stall. The grass IS greener on the other side. He took about two strides and started grazing. He wasn't trying to run away or be ornery, he just really wanted that grass, it was tempting him. Took him for a ride. Came back. Got dressed. Got him dressed. Headed out to stadium. I was pleased with our warm up but it wasn't as spectacuar as our xc warm up. Did some flying changes and rollback turns in warm up as this stadium course was very twisty turny. Jump 1 was an oxer (they weren't messing around), it went well, on to the left was Jump 2 painted like a watermelon, it went well. Jump 3 was blue, it went well. Then there was a tight rollback right hand turn to Jump 4. It took a stride or two for that to click in my brain and then a stride or 2 more to it to click in Hick's brain so we had to hightail it to Jump 4 to make up lost time on that turn. Jump 4 went well, then it was a bending line to 5 that was difficult and we almost didn't make. Sort of a rollback turn to 6A and 6B that went well. Left hand turn to 7 which had funky painted rails, sort of optical illusion-y. But it went fine. U turn to 8 that went well then around to 9 which we took a rail on. Not really sure why. But i was bummed. And then 10 was the last jump and it was fine.
So, we ended up 2nd and got a pretty red ribbon and some horse shampoo!
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