September 18-20, 2009 EQUESTRIAN INSTITUTE HORSE TRAILS

Well, we have returned from a very eventful weekend at the EI Horse Trials in Auburn, WA hosted by Donida Farm.  We were entered in the USEA recognized Open Beginner’s Novice division.  It was quite a learning experience to prepare for a USEA 2 day event, juggling training, work, family needs and those incredible last few days before the event, packing, washing, packing, cleaning, packing, checking lists!  Oh, and breaking in a new pair of boots (ow).  Completely new to me was to go through this process while working, with a non-horse kid and with a second horse going along to “pony.”  Actually, the competing horse is a pony (Frosty) and the “ponying” horse is a large ex-racer TB (Johnny).  More on this fiasco later…

This was my son and my husband’s first foray into any sort of recognized event as competitors there for the long haul.  I spent a great deal of time packing and making special preparations for my husband, who is still hemiplegic from his stroke, as we were camping.  Yes, you heard me, we were camping.  And tent camping at that.  To add to the fun a never-been-camping-or-at-a-horse-show-before 17 year-old Drakeston and two big dogs that couldn’t be left alone.  Oh, and did I mention yet cashing in most of my favors to get my step son to horse sit the herd left at home?  I really need a working student! 

OK, you have the back drop…I’m taking a wild pony to her first event with my disabled husband, teenaged son, two dogs and an extra horse.  The plan hinged on my extreme organization (bwahaha) and the weather being perfect. So we arrive at the horse trials Friday with time to ride, bathe and set up camp.  Dressage and XC are scheduled for Saturday.  Drakeston really did an awesome job setting up camp mostly by himself, and we even got the tent up! Complete with wheelchair, scooter cane and walker, John had some mobility over the farm terrain. A few things forgotten or not yet purchased that won’t happen again – the ice chest, the igloo water cooler, a hot water heater, a well-tested air mattress, an extra sleeping bag and yeah, maybe a camper instead of just a tent next time.

So I took Frost out to ride while Drakeston set up camp and Johnny, horse #2, went nuts.  I could hear him screaming for Frosty while I was trying to ride, and it just got to be too much.  I got back to the barn without really having that “good last ride” feeling.  But we got the horses bathed and pajamas on and Frost was ready to braid in the AM and head out for her dressage test.  Of course Friday night I am the schmuck with the leaky air mattress and no sleeping bag and I can’t sleep.  Around 2 AM it starts to pour.  I’m not talking rain, I’m talking the Pacific Northwest torrential downpour like nowhere else.  Sometime after 4 AM I finally fell asleep and then overslept!  I took my first trip to the barn to feed and clean stalls.  By that time I was drenched in the downpour.  I groomed Frost and pick her feet when I found that she had done it again – torqued a shoe off overnight.  Yes, there was a farrier there and we found the shoe and were able to get it back on…but…missed our first dressage time getting the shoe fixed and missed the second dressage time once I got on Frost and found that she was sore on the foot.  I was ready to just load up the horses, take my ball and go home.

I was once on a very large TB riding a dressage test when he spooked at something and bolted, bucking and leaping across the arena to get away from whatever he thought was after him.  I got him stopped, back to our last movement and continued the test.  I was dead last, but I completed it.  So, I decided to stay again here, hoping we could pick up competition riding with honors. And it stopped raining, too.  So we went out into the sand arena to do flatwork and she was still a bit off.  Hand walking and watching others compete, we waited for Sunday.

Sunday Frost did some flatwork in the morning sound!  So we get permission to school cross country after stadium was over.  All was not lost! We got out on the course and warmed up on the grass in-field inside the farm’s track, and Frost was sound and strong.  Then suddenly, a thundering sound from the east.  I looked over to see Johnny at a flat gallop coming toward us, with his lead rope flying straight as an arrow behind him.  He had panicked when he looked up from grazing and Frosty was out of sight, and he panicked and got away from Drakeston.  And so after some drama we caught the babysitter horse and took him back to the barn where my son got to babysit him in a stall.  I have to say though, he looked mighty fine galloping across the infield J. 

Frost and I schooled water, ditches, banks and beginner novice logs.  Once we got to bigger jumps she was a bit ouchy landing on that front foot and so we called it a day.  A bath and cold hose on the legs and feet and she was good to go home. 

So no scores, no ribbons, but lots of lessons learned and a first “sleep over” show under her belt.  And I should add that we did camp the whole weekend and did not kill each other!  Okay, a few battles brewed, but we made it!