At the Back Gate

Hey Club Equestrian Fans!

The 2009 Lexington Junior League Horse Show is quickly approaching (July 6-11) and I'm going to give my best shot at blogging. 

Since I'm new to this, feel free to provide your comments!  With my crazy schedule next week - I'm not sure how I'm going to fit in one more thing...but, I'm going to give it a whirl.  I'll be learning to post photos and all this "technical" stuff that is completely foreign to me.  Bear with me as I move through the learning curve.  (Hopefully at a pace worthy of the historic RED MILE!)

You'll see Junior League from several different views - part USEF employee, part Saddlebred enthusiast, part local citizen, part fair food connoisseur, part social butterfly-(Oh, what just happened? I'm visiting with my friends...),  and part sleep deprived zombie (What day is this? It's all running together with a few hours sleep pasted between each day...).

So, be sure to check in on my progress....and I'll see you in Lexington!

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By Sara Cavanagh

Ellen Toon of South Salem, N.Y., rode her Invincible to the Championship in Amateur Owner Hunters, Over 35 Years of Age, and, with 36 points, was Devon Grand Amateur Owner Hunter Champion and Leading Amateur Owner Hunter Rider.

Due to thunderstorms Friday, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair was extended by one day, and Amateur-Owner Hunter classes were moved to Sunday.

Despite the short notice, the Country Fair also remained open, and quite a few spectators were in the stands.
 
“Invincible is 9, and I’ve had him since he was 6,” said Toon. “He’s as easy as they come. He’s quiet and brave. Everything is automatic.”
 
“It’s a thrill and an honor to be Champion and Grand Champion at Devon,” said Toon. “Devon is one of a kind. I was impressed with how management handled the problems with the footing because of all the storms Friday. Canceling the first day and moving the show to Sunday wasn’t an easy decision, but it was better for the horses.

Stace Arani of Dover, Mass., was Reserve Champion in the Over 35 section on her Bolero.
 
Tracy Scheriff of Wellington, Fla., rode her Lavari to the Championship in Amateur-Owner Hunters, 18 to 35 Years of Age, with Krista Weisman of Sherborn, Mass., taking the Reserve on Chopard.
 

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By Sara Cavanagh

In an exciting six horse jump-off, McLain Ward of Bedford, N.Y., won the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake on Rothchild to take the coveted Leading Open Jumper Rider title.
 
Ward’s was the only clean round, and Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., finished second on Bradberry with the fastest four-fault finish.
 
Ward and Hillary Dobbs of Susssex, N.J., had battled back and forth all week, first one and then the other, leading in the race for the Leading rider title, but in the end it was the two-time Olympic Team Gold medalist who won.
 
But Dobbs took a piece of the glory, winning the Open Jumper Championship on her Marengo, thus repeating her 2008 win.
  
“McLain and I have been neck and neck all week,” said Dobbs, 20, an up-and-coming international rider. “It’s an honor to be that close and to be than competitive with McLain.”
 
“It’s always a great honor to win at Devon,” said Ward. “Hillary is a worthy adversary.”
 
Rothchild is a young horse rounding into a top horse for Ward, currently second string to his Olympic mount Sapphire, but certainly one to watch in the future.
 
Philip Richter of Bedford, N.Y., smoked the jump-off course in the $15,000 Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic on Coker Farm’s Glascow to win the class and earned enough points to also win the Amateur Owner Jumper Championship.
 
Richter’s round was so quick that he finished almost four seconds faster than second-placed Kirstie Dobbs of Carmel, Ind.
 
“I started showing Glascow a year ago  in Wellington (at the Winter Equestrian Festival),” said Richter. “He’s the most incredible horse I’ve ever ridden or ever will ride. In a jump-off, you can make any tight turn into a fence. He’s like a cat. He can climb up one side of a fence and down the other.”
 
“Bringing Glascow is like bringing a machine gun to a quail hunt,” said Richter.
 
Richter said he is a “true amateur, a weekend warrior.”
 
“I have my own investment banking business, Hollow Brook LLC, in New York,” he said.
 
Richter said he and his partner had been worried about the banking business for a long time, so they had not been fully invested, so, therefore, while of course hurt by the economy, weren’t as badly hurt as many.
 
Ann Girrard rode Milo, owned by Shannondell Farm of Norristown, Pa., to the championship of her section of Local Hunters and to the Local Hunter High Score Award.
 
“I bought Milo’s dam when she was in foal to Magical, and the result is Milo,” said Mary Lou Neilson, owner of Shannondell.
 
“Milo is a class clown,” said Girrard. “We’re planning to show him in jumpers and hunter Derbies. He loves his job, loves to win, and he gets better and better every day.”

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By Sara Cavanagh

McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y., won his sixth Devon Grand Prix last evening, winning the $100,000 class on his two-time Olympic team gold medal winning partner Sapphire.
 
But the win wasn’t easy. Hillary Dobbs, first to go in the four horse jump-off from a starting field of 26, riding Quincy B, jumped a clear round in 42.562.
 
Ward, second to go on Sapphire, just edged Dobbs, finishing in 42.516, just hundredths of a second faster.
 
Callan Solem on Quiet Winter Farm’s Allison, had four faults in 42.880 to place third, while Ward, riding his up-and-coming grand prix mount, Rothchild, only 8 years old, also had a rail down to finish fourth in a time of 43.129.
 
“I brought Sapphire here because it is the most important show in this country,” said Ward, who has a very well scheduled program aimed towards making next summer’s World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., and then a third Olympic Games team in 2012 in London, England.
 
“Sapphire jumped the first round like an equitation horse,” said Ward. “In the jump-off, going to the last fence, the eight strides got very short. It’s hard, having to take back and watching the clock at the same time.”
 
“I’m very excited about Rothchild,” said Ward, who is looking towards having the 8-year-old eventually replace Sapphire as his number one mount.
 
“I was thrilled to finish in the same second as McLain,” said Dobbs of Sussex, N.Y., daughter of CNN’s Lou Dobbs, who rode the Jumper Champion at Devon last year and was Devon Leading Rider.
 
“Knowing Sapphire was going after me, I had to take a shot right off the bat,” said Dobbs. This is one of the faster, cleaner jump-offs for this horse, so this was a step up.
 
“I was thrilled to be here,” said Solem of Colts Neck, N.J. “”Allison loves this venue. She’s 17, so every class I get to do with her is a bonus.”

The two-year-old Thoroughbred colt Hold On To Dreams, handled by Kenny Wheeler of Keswick, Va., was named Best Young Horse yesterday afternoon, while Junior Johnson of Oilville, Va., won the Leading Handler Award.

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McLain Ward of Bedford, N.Y., rode Goldika to win the $10,000 Open Jumper, Time First Jump-off class yesterday afternoon at the Devon Horse show and Country Fair.
 
Riding with his trademark precision, Ward, a two-time Olympic team gold medalist, made smooth, very quick turns to finish with no faults in 33.897, almost three seconds faster than second-placed Jeanne Hobbs on Night And Day 8, who finished in 36.189. Hillary Dobbs on Marlo was third in 36.707.
 
“She’s my old faithful,” said Ward. “She’s a little bit in the twilight of her career, but she still shows in a few Grand Prix.  She’s 17, and she’s probably won over 400 classes in her career.”
 
“She always tries,” said Ward. “She has the heart of a lion.”
 
“This is such a great ring,” said Ward. “There’s such history here. The management tries always to continue to improve the show.”
 
Ward said he plans to compete in the $100,000 Grand Prix tonight on his Olympic partner, Sapphire, and on an up-and-coming young horse, Rothschild.
 
Canadian Erynn Ballard rode Simply Ahorn to win last evening’s $10,000 Hit And Hurry Open Jumper Class, in which riders get two points for every jump they jump without a knockdown in 60 seconds.

The top three riders all amassed 28 points, but Ballard did it in the fastest time. Hillary Dobbs was second on Marengo and Michael Walton of West Chester, Pa., was third on Accolade.

Glass Castle, owned by Shaw Johnson Price of Chestertown, Md., and ridden by Havens Schatt, won the Regular Conformation Hunter Championship and, with 32 points, also won the Devon Grand Hunter Championship.
 
“I totally believe in this horse,” said trainer Scott Williamson. “She is a champion. She likes challenges. This is her first time at Devon, but she likes all the activity. She liked the bigger fences in the last class, the Stake class.”
 
“She jumped three fences in the Stake, realized they were a little higher, and then she just soared,” said Schatt.
 
“Glass Castle lives at home with us,” said Price, who will compete her at Devon in the amateur Owner section tomorrow and Saturday. “We just built a barn. We have three horses and two ponies for my two daughters. We do a lot of trail riding.”
 
Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., won the Leading Hunter Rider title for the seventh year in a row and for the eighth time since 1998.

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By Sara Cavanagh

Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, Fla., made a couple of very quick turns in the $7,500 Open Jumper, Time First Jump-off class last evening to ride his Pavarotti to a win in a four horse jump-off from a starting field of 17 at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair yesterday.
 
As the first jumper class of the show, despite cold and drizzly weather a number of horses entered the class to get a feel of the ring before today’s $100,000 Grand Prix.
 
Minikus won with no faults in a time of 32.664. Callan Solem of Colts Neck N.J., was second on Allison with a clean round in 39.382, Judy Garofalo Torres was third with four faults in 37.228 and Hillary Dobbs of Sussex, N.J., was fourth with eight faults in 33.748.
 
“Pavarotti jumped fantastic in Kentucky in his last Grand Prix there,” said Minikus following the class last night. “I wanted to get him familiar with the footing here.”
 
“The turn-back to the vertical he did pretty snazzy,” said Minikus. “He’ll just camp out tomorrow night and hopefully be ready for the Grand Prix Thursday. After Devon, he’ll go to Europe to show for the U.S. Equestrian Team in the Nation’s Cup in Rotterdam and Aachen.”
 
“He’s a very uncomplicated horse,” said Minikus. “He’s one of the least complicated horses I’ve ever ridden. He goes into the ring looking for the jumps, and he gives a very sincere effort when he gets to the jump.”
 
Alissa Kinsey of Fort Myers, Fla., won the bonus point $5,000 NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic on her Grisset, gaining enough points to win the Championship over Katerine Edgel of Mendham , N.J., and Miss Kitty.
 
“I’ve had Grisset for three years,” said Kinsey. “I imported her myself from Germany. She was out of my price range, but my friends in Germany arranged a deal for me, and it took me a year to pay her off.”
 
Kinsey has no trainer, which is very unusual for an amateur, and no grooms.
 
“I have five jumpers of my own, and I go all over the country trying to win enough to support myself and my habit,” said Kinsey. “Grisset pays all the bills. I have my own van, and I do everything myself. I can’t afford to have a trainer or a groom.”
 
Hunter Championships will be decided today, with side saddle classes featured on both the afternoon and evening schedules.
 
Jumpers compete as the last class this afternoon and the first class this evening.

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By Sara Cavanagh

With a quick time of 43.909 in the Adult Amateur Jumper, Time First Round class in yesterday’s afternoon class and a sixth in the evening, Time First Jump-off class, Katherine Edgell of Mendham, N.J., and Miss Kitty took the lead for the Championship in that division at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.
 
Patricia Diamond Hennessy of Kintnersville, Pa., rode her Little Tom to win the $2,500 evening class, while Barbara Rochford of Ringoes, N.J., placed second in both the afternoon and evening Adult Jumper classes.
 
Hunters began three days of competition in First and Second Year Green, Working, Green Conformation and Conformations sections, with Gianni, owned by Madeline Thatcher of South Jordon, Utah and ridden by Maggie Jayne, winning both classes in his section to take an early lead in Second Year Green Hunters.
 
Jayne also rides the early leader in Green Conformation, Early Applause, owned by Larry Glefke of Esmont, Va., who earned a first and a fourth yesterday.
 
In First Year Green Hunters, Small Affair under John French, the pair having come all the way from California, also took a first and a fourth to lead in that section.
 
In Regular Conformation, Glass Castle, owned by Shaw Johnson Price of Chestertown, Md., and ridden by Havens Schatt, placed first and fourth in his two classes to lead in that section.
 
In Regular Working Hunters, two horses, Ovation, owned and ridden by Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., and Lonestar, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler of Keswick, Va., and ridden by Hunt Tosh, shared the lead, each having won a class and placed third in the other.
 
Hunters continue today in the Dixon Oval, with Young Jumpers competing in the Gold Ring, and Open Jumpers take center stage on the evening card beginning at 7 p.m., and closing it out at about 10 p.m., with driving and coaching featured in between.

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By Sara Cavanagh

Cara Dodson, 13 of Christiana, Tenn., won all three Pony Jumper classes on her 14.1-hand bay gelding The Waterboy to win the Pony Jumper High Score Award Championship yesterday evening at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.
 
Having won both the Pony Jumper class Friday and the Saturday afternoon class, Dodson made a terrific, very tight turn to the second to last fence in the timed jump-off of the $2,500 NAL Pony Jumper class last evening to win by four-tenths of a second over Madie Denis on Farmore Royal T.
 
This is Dodson’s second year showing The Waterboy, and she also won the Time First Jump-off class for the Upland Farm Perpetual Trophy in yesterday’s afternoon class for the second time at Devon, having also won it last year.
 
“The Waterboy is very excited, but he’s easy to control,” said Dodson. “He’s a lot of fun. I show him and then give him a couple of weeks off.”
 
Brianne Link, 10 of East Islip, N.Y., placed second both Friday and in yesterday’s afternoon class on her Tallyman to take the Reserve Championship
 
“Tallyman is very smooth to ride,” said Link. “He’s easy to control. I asked him this morning if he was ready, and he nodded his head. He definitely listens to me.”
 
Devon is unique,” said Dodson. “It’s a lot different from other shows. It’s a lot of fun. I go to the Fair when I’m not showing.”
 
“Devon is my favorite horse show,” said Link.
 
Misdee Wrigley Miller won the Championship Drive-Off of the Pleasure Carriage Drive for the second year in a row.
 
Wrigley of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., drove a Unicorn put to a Shooting Brake. A unicorn is one horse in front guided just by reins followed by a pair of horses that actually pull the carriage.
 
This method of driving was first used to get a horse to the meet of the fox hunt without tiring him out by being either ridden or actually having to pull a carriage.

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By Sara Cavanagh

Reed Kessler of Armonk, N.Y., rode her Ice d”Ancoeur to win the $15,000 Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior Jumper Classic, which, along with her win Friday afternoon, gave her 25 points to win the Junior Jumper championship at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair last evening.
   
Kessler, 14, has been showing and winning at Devon for 10 years, having won the Leadline at Devon at age 4.

“When I was watching these classes after the Leadline, I couldn’t imagine even jumping fences like this, much less winning here.”
   
“One of the biggest things in riding well is motivation” said Kessler’s trainer, Katie Prudent. “Reed is highly motivated. She wants to do well. Winning is a product of riding well.”
   
Catherine Pasmore of White Hall, Va., was second in the Classic and won the Reserve Championship with her Callabonna Z, and she was awarded the Shalanno Style of Riding award.
   
Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck, N.J., rode Stone Hill Farm’s Tiziano to the Large Junior Hunter Championship, 16 & 17, the Overall Large Junior Hunter Championship and the Devon Grand Junior Hunter Championship, repeating those wins from last year, but she just got edged out as Best Child Rider on a Horse, a title she had also won last year.
   
Katherine Dinan of New York, N.Y. was named Best Child Rider on a Horse, with Jennifer Waxman of Ohio second and Springsteen third.
   
Dinan rode her Angelo to the Small Junior Hunter, 15 and Under, Championship and the Overall Small Junior Hunter Championship.
   
“I’ve always been very nervous riding at Devon,” said Dinan, who has showed here for four years. “I can’t believe how well I did, because there are so many good riders here.”
   
“I thought the Best Child Rider award would go to the rider of the Junior Hunter Grand Champion, so I was very surprised. I’m thrilled.”
   
Taylor Brown rode Vanity Fair, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, Va., to the Large Pony Hunter Championship and Devon Grand Pony Hunter Championship.

Aleece Jarman of Pace, Fla., rode her Rico Suave to the Small Pony Hunter Championship and was named Best Child Rider on a Pony.
Jarman, who is home schooled, said she rides three ponies a day at home, but that her favorite is Rico Suave.
“I can’t believe we won here,” said Jarman. “I’m so excited.”

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By Sara Cavanagh

Alexandra Thornton rode Naomi, owned by Dunwalke, LLC of Bedminster, N.J., to win an exciting Junior Jumpers Gambler’s Choice class at the Devon Horse Show last evening.

In the Gambler’s Choice, each fence is assigned a numerical value according to its difficulty, and riders make up their own courses, trying to jump the highest point fences in 50 seconds. Each fence can only be jumped twice.

Catherine Pasmore of White Hall, Va., had led throughout much of the class with 1250 points, but Thornton, last to go in the class of 19 entries, just nipped her with a total of 1300 points to take the victory.

Earlier in the afternoon class, Reed Kessler of Armonk, N.Y., zipped around the jump-off course on her Ice d”Ancoeur to win the $3,750 Junior Jumper, Time First Jump-off class.

Her time was so quick that she beat second placed Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck, N.J.,  on Stone Hill Farm’s Vornado Van Den Hoendrik by over a full second, quite remarkable in that tenths and even hundredths of a second usually separate the winners in these classes.

Springsteen was also third on Stone Hill Farm’s Iscariote, from a jump-off field of  13 from a starting field of 31.

Kessler won the class for the second consecutive year, having emerged victorious last year on here Flight.

Christy DiStefano of Ramsey, N.J., added a second in the A.S.P.C.A. Maclay Horsemanship class yesterday to her first and second ribbons from Thursday to win the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship.

Her victory, the biggest in her career at Devon, was even sweeter as she beat a huge field of 110 of the top equitation riders in the country.

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By Tara Hankinson

While bays and chestnuts ruled the Dixon Oval, the bright, diverse spirit of the Devon Horse Show & Country Fair was reflected in the Pony Hunter divisions today where palomino, buckskin, and appaloosa competitors peppered the division.  At Devon, color and variety reign supreme.  Exhibitors and spectators alike shared their enthusiasm through vibrant ensembles.

Jackets and show shirts remain demure, but out of the ring, riders wore a monochromatic rainbow of schooling breeches in charcoal grey, steely blue, navy, and black.  After dismounting, junior riders perused the show grounds in playful Chuck Taylors, Crocs or Sperry Topsiders to buy their first lemon sticks of the show.  Spectators dazzled from day to night in corals, florals, lime green and sky blues with beribboned straw hats; Vendor Katie Whaley of Hats By Katie said women are prioritizing sun coverage, purchasing straw and canvas creations.

Devon moved digital this year with newsfeeds on Facebook and Twitter; the souvenirs booth has been updated as well.  Whimsical polka-dotted bows feature the emblematic Devon Horse, and, for adults, new zebra-printed drink buckets dress up any bottle of wine or champagne.  As with the many disciplines of Devon, variety is the spice of life; visit the Tea Cart for an array of cakes and the time-honored sugared iced tea with mint.  Basking in the “Devon blue” of the Main Grandstand, surrounded by the cheerful outfits of fellow Devon devotees makes the tradition even sweeter.

By Sara Cavanagh

Christy DiStefano of Ramsey, N.J., was one of the most successful junior riders yesterday at the opening day of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which runs until May 31.
   
Three equitation classes, competitions in which the position and riding ability of the juniors is judged, were held on the first day of Junior Weekend, which runs today and tomorrow. Entries were so large in the three classes that two were divided into three sections of about 37 each, while the third was split into four sections of about 30 each.
   
DiStephano, riding a big chestnut gelding named Rodin, won her section of the WIHS Equitation class, Jumper Phase, and was second in her section of the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search.
   
“This is my biggest win ever at Devon,” said DiStefano, who has competed at Devon twice before. “It has always been a goal of mine to win at Devon. I really wanted to win the Talent Search. It’s my favorite class because it’s more jumper based, and it’s also a Talent Search.”
   
DiStefano, 18, is a senior at Ramsey High School and will attend the University of Oregon next year.
   
“I’m deferring college until the winter, because I want time to concentrate on the finals,” said DiStefano, referring to the four major year-end championship equitation classes held in Gladstone, N.J., Harrisburg, Pa., Washington D.C. and Syracuse, N.Y. in the fall.
   
“Devon is different from other horse shows,” said DiStefano, who trains with Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill in Colts Neck, N.J. for equitation. “It has almost the feel of a final. All the top barns are here. There’s a great sense of competition. Everyone wants to win.”
   
Junior compete in jumper, pony hunter and hunter classes today and tomorrow, and a week of adult competition begins Sunday with the Carriage Please Drive, which arrives at the Dixon Oval at 2 p.m.

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I got the results from yesterday.

Grade Ia:
1. Kim Decker, 62.353%

Grade Ib:
1. Keith Newerla, 60.392%

Grade II:
1. Erika Baitenmann (Mexico), 66.825%
2. Maria Otheguy (Mexico), 66.192%
3. Elizabeth Pigott, 63.333%
4. Erika Baitenmann (Mexico), 62.952%
5. Jonathan Wentz, 60.952%
6. Laurietta Oakleaf, 54.286%

Grade III
1. Barbara Grassmyer, 63.590%
2. Erin Alberda, 63.333%
3. Beth Levine, 58.846%
4. Wendy Fryke, 57.692%

Grade IV
1. James Dwyer (Ireland), 68.452%
2. Holly Bergay, 64.643%
3. Robin Brueckmann, 61.310%
4. Jennifer Baker, 59.810%
5. Philip Wright (Canada), 59.286%
6. Mary Jordan, 58.810%
7. Kathryn Groves, 58.571%
8. Kathryn Groves, 56.905%
9. Susan Ellen Treabess, 56.071%

It rained more overnight, but by morning it was not precipitating. The forecast was for partly sunny skies and lots of wind. At least it wasn’t raining any more. Karen and I were at the barn around 7:30. We got Sasha fed, and Karen took him for a walk. She reported that he was feeling pretty fresh, so I decided to ride him before my scheduled warm-up. We got him saddled, and I put the double bridle on for this ride. I took him up to the main warm-up. The footing was terrible. I meandered around until I found footing that was least-worst. Sasha felt all right to me, although he did not want to get off my left leg. We discussed that subject, and he decided that he could indeed yield to my leg aid. I did not ride him long, but I was glad that I had. Each ride in the double bridle proved educational for Sasha.

I took him back to the barn. Karen rinsed off his legs, which were covered in muddy footing. I got him braided, and then it was time to get him ready for real. It was the snaffle bridle this time, for competition. I took him up to the Ring 1 warm-up area, where Sharon helped me get Sasha ready. He felt fabulous now, and it was only about ten minutes before I felt completely ready to ride my Individual test. Sharon agreed; Sasha was ready to go. I walked him around until it was time for us to go in.

I trotted him around the outside of the arena, and gave my number to each of the three judges. The C judge rang his bell, and in we went. The footing was muddy but solid underneath, and I was able to push Sasha for fair activity in all the trot work. I thought that the walk sequences went well, too. In the canter, he was a little sticky in the simple changes, but the half passes were good and he was better in the circles today. I was pleased overall with the ride.

I was last to go before the midway break. We took Sasha back to the barn; I had an hour before the awards ceremony. Today the awards ceremony would be mounted. We left Sasha saddled but took his bridle off.

I got back on him, and returned to the arena. I did not know what my score was. The announcer said that I would be needed for the awards ceremony, so at least I had placed. Karen was able to ascertain that my score had broken the magic 60% mark.

In the end, I was fifth. James won it again; Holly was again second; Philip from Canada moved up to third; and Kathy was fourth and sixth with her two horses. We had our awards ceremony, including a sedate victory lap. Karen and I took Sasha back to the barn. The drug testers were around, tagging Holly’s horse and Mary’s but not Sasha.

We had to return to the arena area again for the overall National Championship awards. I had no way to know who was needed for this, but I was still dressed in my show clothes just in case. Pam Lane announced the results, combining all five Grades together: I was tenth. Becca had won it, with 71%; Holly was second. Erin Alberda, Kim Decker, Elizabeth Pigott, Barbara Grassmyer, Wendy Fryke, and Kathy Groves also placed, although not in that order. James and Philip were not eligible for this; it was the US National Championships and they were not citizens.

Back at the barn, Karen had Sasha unbraided. She finished, and went to get lunch. I was hungry too, but I did not feel like trudging up the hill again. I had a Cliff bar and called that lunch. I anticipated an early feeding today, so that we could get back in time to watch the Preakness on TV.

I was able to see all the results from today as well.

Grade Ia:
1. Kim Decker, 61.333%

Grade Ib:
1. Keith Newerla, 57.619%

Grade II
1. Erika Baitenmann (Mexico), 67.879%
2. Maria Otheguy (Mexico), 64.848%
3. Erika Baitenmann (Mexico), 64.697%
4. Elizabeth Pigott, 62.727%
5. Jonathan Wentz, 61/061%
6. Laurietta Oakleaf, 54.848%

Grade III
1. Barbara Grassmyer, 63.733%
2. Erin Alberda, 62.400%
3. Wendy Fryke, 61/067%
4. Beth Levine, 56.933%

Grade IV
1. James Dwyer (Ireland), 66.989%
2. Holly Bergay, 64.516%
3. Philip Wright (Canada), 60.860%
4. Kathryn Groves, 60.538%
5. Robin Brueckmann, 60.323%
6. Kathryn Groves, 59.677%
7. Jennifer Baker, 59.462%
8. Mary Jordan, 57.957%
9. Susan Ellen Treabass, 57.742

In my class, Grade IV, Mary Jordan was riding a homebred mare; she had a sibling in the wings at home. Holly’s horse was leased to her. James works for and is trained by US coach Missy Ransehausen’s mother, Jessica. Jennifer Baker’s mother, Nancy, was an old friend of mine whom I had known since I worked for Sidley Payne in the 70’s.

Karen and I got Sasha fed and settled for the night, and got ourselves back to the motel in time to watch the Preakness. It promised to be an interesting match race between Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra. So it turned out, as the filly ousted the boys in a strong race.

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We got Sasha fed and cleaned up, and Karen walked him. The radar was again dire, a solid band of green, yellow, and red precipitation, but it was not yet reaching the ground. Karen took Sasha for a walk before the rain started. I had debated whether to ride him this morning, but if I did it was for my own benefit and not his. I was not competing until 2:48 this afternoon, which made for a very long morning. It was chilly and damp. The rain began around 9:30. It was not likely to get better on this day.

The weather deteriorated as the afternoon continued. I got Sasha braided, and debated when to get on him. If the weather cleared up even slightly, I would warm him up for half an hour, our usual warm-up time. If it was still raining, I could easily cut it to fifteen minutes. The weather did appear to let up somewhat around two, and I got on Sasha at 2:15.

I took him to the designated warm-up arena. FEI steward Sandy Rafferty reminded me that I needed to have my PE card with me whenever I rode; I had left it in my truck. I promised to bring it back after my ride.

It began to rain again. Sasha felt fabulous in warm-up, in spite of the poor footing and nearly-continuous puddles. He was light and steady and active, with his ears perked forward. The Canadian rider, Philip Wright, went immediately before me, on his nice chestnut horse. As his test was half completed, it thundered loudly, and the announcer said that the show was being held indefinitely after Philip’s ride. I headed back to the barn. We left Sasha saddled and bridled, and put his dress sheet on.

At 3:00, the announcer said that the show would start up again in ten minutes, at 3:10. That was me. I quickly remounted and walked Sasha back to the competition arena; there was barely enough time to get up there, let alone trot around the warm-up arena.

I went into the competition area, and gave my number to all three judges. The judge at C rang her bell, and we trotted down the center line to begin our test. The test went well, puddles and all, except for a mistake in one canter circle. The simple changes could have been cleaner, but Sasha was overall quite good. I knew that James’ score was the one to beat, at 68.452%; Holly Bergay was standing second with 64.643%. I pushed for as much excellence as I could, and Sasha responded well. I was very pleased with him, under far less-than-ideal circumstances. I wondered whether it was even legal to require me to ride with no warm-up.

Karen took Sasha back to the barn, and I went into the concession area to await the last three scores. At least it was warm in the concession area. I was soaked and cold.

Kathy’s second ride, and Jennifer Baker rode after me. There was no announcements to be heard in this area, so I had to keep track of the scores via treks to the office. Sasha had indeed done well, scoring 61 and change. I had my FEI Certificate of Capability score now, which was the goal of this competition for me.

We had the awards presentation unmounted, in the concession area. In the end, James had won the class; Holly was second; I was third; Jennifer Baker was fourth; Philip Wright was fifth; and Mary Jordan was sixth. Only the top three riders had broken the magic 60% barrier.

I got a ride back to the barn in John Stevenson’s golf cart, and Karen and I got Sasha set up for the night. We headed off to dinner and our motel, with the main goal now of getting warm and dry. I did not stay at the show for the rest of the grades; I would have to get the results of the other classes tomorrow.

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Karen and I got Sasha fed and cleaned, and I got on him around nine, again in the double bridle. It was sunny today, contrary to yesterday’s dire forecast. I had a succinct, solid ride; Sasha and I were definitely more of a partnership with each ride.

The footing in the two arenas by the road, which were our official competition and warm-up arenas, had not been sealed last night, before the deluge, and the footing was deep and treacherous. The other three arenas had been sealed, allowing the rain to run off the surface; I rode in one of these three rings rather than in our “official” arena. I was surprised that there were a dozen or so riders choosing the bad footing.

Karen took another stab at getting Sasha’s whites white. Because he lived in red-clay soil, the skin and hair shafts were stained orange. It had taken four weeks of diligent scrubbing and bleaching to get him white for Hong Kong. Karen did a good job, but I had brought baby powder to finish the job for the jog this afternoon.

FEI vet Mike Tomlinson did the in-barn inspection this morning. This was the time to relinquish our horses’ passports, and make sure that the horse in the stall matched the horse identified in the passport. I had a few moments of heart failure when I could not locate Sasha’s passport, but it was hidden underneath his blanket, on the hay. I felt much better when I found it.

Sharon arrived, and she agreed to coach me later this morning. I got on Sasha with the snaffle bridle, and we went to one of the better arenas. Sharon was surprised at just how much better the footing was here than in the competition ring. She had not seen Sasha since Hong Kong. Now he was more mature, and he was definitely steadier and more uphill. It was a short ride; I went through all our movements for our tests. Sharon agreed that he was definitely steadier; she still wanted him more active and energetic with a higher tempo. She said that I was listing to the left, which was good information for me.

Jenny Nell had promised to get someone to help me braid Sasha for the jog, but in the end I braided him myself. The jog was at three in the afternoon. So far we had still been lucky with today’s weather. Karen had Sasha looking fabulous; his coat was shiny and gleaming. She took Sasha up to the jog lane with his snaffle bridle. Missy ended up jogging over half of the Para horses, including Sasha. All the Para horses passed the jog, a good start to our weekend.

After the jog, the stables were officially quarantined. We had gotten armbands in our registration packets; the armbands were our entry passes to the stables. The stables were now closed off with snow fencing except for one gateway in each stable row. We were in tent stabling, in an interior stall; normally I liked outside stabling but with this weekend’s weather I was glad to be in an interior stall. The Mexican horses were not used to this chill, and the grooms had put up tarps to shield them from the damp and wind.

We had a meeting for all US Para riders at 4:30. Sarah Ike, from USEF, gave a presentation on human drug testing. Pam Lane, the USEF ParaEquestrian liaison, talked about selection procedures for both this year and next; it was depressing to realize that even if we achieved our FEI certificates here, we still needed to compete in yet another international event to be considered for the US team for WEG. I was well behind in my quest for WEG; my husband Bill wanted me to sell Sasha, because he thought the horse was dangerous since he had broken my leg. Sasha was not dangerous; he was sweet and agreeable and kind. I planned to take him to an agent to be sold the day after I got him back to North Carolina, to appease my husband. I would then need to find another trained horse to qualify on. It was not an agreeable prospect.

The meeting concluded, and Karen and I headed back to the motel for the night.

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We got Sasha fed and cleaned up. The weather did not look promising. Karen’s Blackberry showed us on the radar a short break in the rain at around nine, and I got on Sasha then. It was not raining at the moment, but before I had done too much work it did begin to rain again. I continued working; I wouldn’t melt. I had ridden him in the double bridle yesterday and again now; I planned to show him in the snaffle bridle but the double seemed to be instructive for him. He was not ready to wear it in competition. For the Para tests, it was optional to ride in the snaffle or double bridle.

Karen got Sasha cleaned up after my ride, and we put him back in his stall. I wanted to ride him again later, in the snaffle, to see how much he had learned from his experiences with the double bridle. We got him ready again, and I headed back to warm-up. The footing had deteriorated since the earlier ride, which did not bode well for our competition weekend. Sasha had indeed learned from the double bridle, and he was light and soft and steadier in the snaffle. I was very pleased, and it was a short ride this time. I was quite thoroughly wet now; this ride, too, was in the rain.

Karen worked hard to get Sasha’s abundant white markings white. It was an uphill battle.

More horses arrived. It was fun to reacquaint myself with familiar faces. Jenny Nell had brought Erin Alberda and Beth Levine, both Grade III riders from Washington State. Kathy Groves, from North Carolina, had brought two horses to compete this weekend. Like me, she was a Grade IV rider. Holly Bergay, a Grade IV rider from Arizona, competed in both Para and Young Rider classes; she had medaled at the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships recently. Kim Decker was here from Virginia; she was this weekend’s only Grade Ia rider. Keith Newerla, from Pennsylvania, was a Grade Ib rider; he had been part of the Hong Kong contingent, along with Becca Hart (Grade II), Barbara Grassmyer from California (Grade III), Lynn Seidemann (Grade Ib) from Texas, and myself. Only Lynn was not riding here this weekend; she was on hiatus for medical reasons. Wendy Fryke from Colorado, a Grade III rider, had not competed with us last year, but she had done so in 2007. Jonathan Wentz from Texas, a Grade II rider, was here with a giant of a horse, NTEC Richter Scale. Laurietta Oakleaf, from Ohio, was a returning Grade II rider, with the Andalusian stallion Quimerico KF. New riders were Jennifer Baker, a Grade IV rider from Ohio; Sue Ellen Treabess, a Grade IV rider from California; Mary Jordan, a Grade IV rider from Maine; and Ellen Pigott, a Grade IV rider from Pennsylvania were all new faces. Another new US ride, Caryn Malone, had entered but was unable to compete because her horse had colicked. Foreign riders were Philip Wright, from British Columbia, Canada, a Grade IV rider; James Dwyer, a Grade IV rider from Pennsylvania, representing Ireland; Erika Baitenmann, a Grade II rider from Atizapan, Mexico; and Maria Fernanda Othengu, a Grade II rider from Mexico.

I was glad to be done for the day, and on the way to getting dry. We got Sasha settled and packed the truck, and headed out to the motel.

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