Journal

Elkton, MD
Oct 16, 2009 

A quick look at the news and you will hear about the drenching nor’easter dumping rain and snow all over the east coast.  Add to that the barely above freezing temperatures and you can pretty well guess what Fair Hill is like.  The whole place is mud, the cross country, the arenas, the stabling, and even the roads.  There is a scattering of stranded trucks waiting for the tractors to pull them out and I have completely given up on keeping Finn’s tail white.  To say it’s uncomfortable is a understatement.  My rain coat was soaked through by mid-morning and, believe you me, when it’s only in the high 30’s, that is most unpleasant.

On a more positive note, the coarse is very nice although plenty tough, and Finn is feeling well and ready to go.  We had a very good dressage test today, with just a few minor mistakes.  Finn was moving so well and being so obedient it could have easily been a winning test, but with our little errors we’re in 6th on a 45.8.  With this nasty weather the footing, or lack there of, on cross country tomorrow will surely be influential.  I’m hoping for a conservative, clean go but anything could happen.

Coatesville, PA 
Oct 10, 2009

After a grueling 3 day trip across the country we’ve arrived at our home away from home, Bea Cassou’s farm in Coatesville, Pa.  Though I was driving by myself, I was able to caravan with Kristi and Randy Nunnink.  This didn’t make the trip any easier, but at least I had company if something were to go wrong… but that would never happen to me!  All kidding aside, I can actually say (now that we’ve safely landed) that for once I didn’t win the award for worst luck while traveling.  All in all, I really didn’t have much trouble.  Kristi and Randy, on the other hand, blew out a front tire on their truck which sent them careening across the road in a horrifying shower of sparks and smoke.  They were behind me and I saw the whole thing in my mirrors.  Fortunately it was sometime around midnight in the middle of Iowa so the interstate was relatively free of other cars.  Randy managed to make it safely onto the shoulder where he proved his worth as husband and hero.  He changed the tire and we were back on our way in 15 minutes.  I hate to think what would have happened if there had been other traffic on the road, but as it was, everyone was ok other than a few gray hairs for the Nunninks. 

We got in late Thursday night and I quickly situated the horses before collapsing in my bed from complete exhaustion.  I set my alarm for 6:00 AM so that I could finish unpacking and clean up my trailer before Bea was out and about.  At about 10:30 AM I was lifted from my coma by Bea’s beautiful daughter Marina and her friend at the foot of my bed.  I guess I overslept a little!  My poor horse was staring at me through the apartment window, wondering what was going on.  Luckily he had the same hung-over look that I did, and I don’t think his appetite was near as ravenous as usual.  If it had been, I imagine he would have seen to it that I got up earlier.  When I put him out in the field yesterday afternoon, he was a swirling, snorting, ball of excitement and I barely made it inside the gate before he was off like a rubber ball.  Bounding about in an artistic show of bucking, kicking, leaping, and his favorite, jump in the air and kick all four feet out in opposite directions.  For about five minutes he spent more time in the air than he did on the ground. When he was finished stretching his legs, he meandered around and ate grass for the rest of the day.

Today we’re going for a nice long relaxing hack through the country side…or, considering his display yesterday, an adrenaline pumping, crash-hat and seat-belt required, ride at your own risk, adventure that’ll rival any theme park roller coaster.  I’ll try my best not to make a scene, but we are infinitely good at doing that.  They’re already blaming me for bringing yesterday and today’s unpredicted rain, we really don’t need to do anything else to announce our arrival in town!

We have a few more days to get settled and organized before we move down to the event at Fair Hill on Tuesday.  It’s not nearly enough time for everything, not to mention time to catch up with the many friends I made here this spring.

For now, I’m off to the rodeo, I mean, my nice peaceful hack! 🙂

California 
Jul 30, 2009

Home, safe and sound, finally!  This has been quite the saga, far too lengthy to detail here.  Suffice it to say that we dealt with engine trouble, brake trouble, flat tires, extreme weather, more flat tires and more engine trouble.  We also came to appreciate the kind and very generous help of complete strangers along the way.  Finn, Regan and Kelso were surprisingly patient through it all.  They seem none-the-worse for wear, but are no doubt very glad to be home.

Kalispell, MT
Jul 21, 2009 

It seems like just a week ago that I was driving home to California and now I’m sitting in Kalispell, Montana writing this.  My mom and I left Carmel Valley early on Saturday and, other than a few more blown tires and 110* heat, we had an easy trip.  We spent the night at a nice barn in Pendleton, Oregon, and then an easy drive on to Rebecca Farm.  Everyone traveled well and has settled in.  How could they not, they have big 12×12 stalls (rather than the normal 10×10 show stalls) that have rubber mats, a big airy ceiling, tons of shade, and the most beautiful scenery possible.  I am normally so busy at events that I miss the forest for the trees, but yesterday I had nothing else to do and found myself just driving around admiring this whole area.  It’s all big mountains and green rolling meadows punctuated with lakes and rivers and the bluest sky I’ve ever seen.  I’m tempted to say that I could brave the winter here for the promise of this beauty every summer, but then again, I am a California born hot house flower. 

Today I’ll give the horses all an easy work and maybe even get a lesson on Finian with Mark Phillips.  Competition starts with Trot-ups for Finian and Regan on Thursday.  That is if we get Regan’s passport over-nighted to us from the USEF in time… sound familiar…?

Bromont, Canada
Jun 15, 2009 

Friday morning we were the third horse in the ring for dressage in a dreary mix of fog and rain and mud.  The footing was very wet courtesy of the rain we’d had all night, and there was actually standing water in the competition ring.  Finian stoically splashed on and managed a really good test despite it all.  He scored a 44.4 which was good enough for first place ahead of a good field of horses.  The rest of the day was spent course walking and re-walking and walking again.

Saturday morning I arrived at the barn early and my eye was immediately drawn to Finn’s left front fetlock.  It was a little bit swollen in the tendon area but he was not sore on it.  After a bit of walking he still had the lump so we decided to have Dr. Christiana Ober ultrasound it to look for any injuries.  She didn’t see anything wrong with the tendon or ligament fibers, but agreed that there was some worrisome swelling in the tendon sheath, probably resulting from tweaking it in the mud the day before.  While there was nothing to say that he shouldn’t run cross country, there was also nothing to say that he wasn’t showing the precursors of an injury, or that he wouldn’t have a greater risk of an injury on course.  I talked it over for a while with Bea and considered the swelling and the added factor of the strain and fatigue of the 10 minute course. We decided this was a risk that did not need to be taken.  I made the heartbreaking call to withdraw Finian from the competition and sit this one out.  I know there is always a risk of injury every time we run, but this was playing with odds not in our favor. 

As could have been expected, by Sunday morning the leg looked tight and cold and if I didn’t know better, I would think I imagined the whole thing.  As the chaos of the event eases away, the weight of the decision has caught up with me, along with all the doubt and second guessing.  I don’t know if we overreacted or if we protected the career of a future star.  Could we have won a CCI3*, as me still a young rider and him an 8 year old, or would he have broken down and never evented again?  I do know that with what information we had, it was the decision that felt right in my gut and that was in the interest of the horse. 

Coatesville, PA – We are back in Pennsylvania now, getting everything in order to drive home this weekend.  We’ll get the leg re-scanned by my vets at Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic when we get home, and then, should everything look good, set our sights towards the CIC3* World Cup Qualifier next month in Montana.  It’s time to look to the future and all the possibilities it holds, because that in itself is a prize.  I have no regrets.

Bromont, Canada –
Jun 11, 2009

Getting to Canada…

It never fails.  No matter how organized and diligent I try to be about paperwork, I always seem to miss something.  Entries, permission from the USEF to compete abroad, health certificates, Coggins tests, there was a lot to get organized, and a lot to remember.  This time it was my passport, not my horse’s because that would be too obvious, but mine.  The fact that it had recently expired had escaped my attention and only when I called my mom last week and asked her to bring it did I discover the problem.  And so, we set about the twisty, precarious task of getting the US government to issue a passport in less than a week.  I headed into Philadelphia armed with enough documentation to enter the pentagon, and a formal letter from the USEF pleading on my behalf, but alas, that was not meant to be. 

So the next attempt was in Norwalk, Connecticut on Monday.  Yes Monday, as in the day before we needed to leave for Bromont, Canada.  Thanks to the generosity of a friend of a friend, I was able to make the five hour drive Sunday night, and was given dinner and a bed by an extremely kind family.  It really felt like something from a day-gone-by, when you could just knock on a door and ask for lodging.  So first thing Monday morning I was off to the Department of State to try again, this time with a little more success.  Until that is, the lady informed me I would need to pick up the passport between 12:30 and 1:00 Tuesday.  When I pleaded with her that that would not work because of the horse, the trailer, the 5 hour drive… she took a sick pleasure in holding up the USEF letter which stated that I would travel on Tuesday, and asking “you’re traveling tomorrow?”  “Then I guess you’ll be coming back to get the passport, won’t you?”  What is it about power that brings out evil in people?  I quickly realized that continuing to plead would only sink my ship further, so I drove back to Pennsylvania instead.  A trip to the airport to pick up my mom and younger brother Chris and my day was complete.

Tuesday morning we loaded up and were on the road by 5:00 am.  With absolutely no room for failure, we made sure to get to Norwalk with lots of time to spare.  After killing a little time at a Walmart, we drove over to the State Department, horse and all.  Not a common site for the security officers I can promise you!  After so much bureaucracy and trouble, the prized document was most unceremoniously handed to me and we got on the road.  Another 9 hours of driving,  an easy boarder crossing, and only one little detour in rural French Canada, and we made our way to the event.  I knew I should have paid more attention in French class!  Oh well, no time for regrets. 

After all of that, not much seems noteworthy.  The horse is well, the course is big, and the people up here are really neat.  Today we had trot ups which went smoothly for us, but did eliminate a few unfortunate people because of unsoundness.  Tomorrow I’ve got an early dressage ride and the whole rest of the day to ponder whether my horse is fit enough for cross country.

Coatesville, PA
May 18, 2009 

Well the young horses have been initiated into the world of east coast, one-day horse trials and I have to say, they did California proud. 

Kelso went Training level on Saturday and had a really nice dressage test, jumped very well in show jumping, and was very good cross country.  The best thing was that he got to really relax about the whole situation and put some of his racetrack past behind him.  It’s a very low key, casual environment, more akin to a pony club rally than a big horse show, other than the fact that you’re going in the ring right after Phillip Dutton and just before Buck Davidson, but you get over that pretty fast too. 

Regan went Preliminary on Sunday, and likewise, was just about perfect all three phases.  He received all sorts of accolades from the dressage judge about “what a bright future he has.”  He jumped a CLEAR ROUND in showjumping, a HUGE accomplishment for “Mr. Don’t Mind if I Knock It Down”.  He had his best trip ever cross country, just eating it up, but giving everything it’s due respect.  It was so fun to gallop him a little faster and have him jumping everything right out of stride.  He was really showing some maturity for the first time!

That’s about all for now.  It’s lots of fitness work for Finn mixed with a little training where it fits in.  The young horses go to Waredaca Horse Trials in two weeks and then we’re off to Bromont.  The days are flying by and I’m trying to absorb it all because I know I’ll be back home in the blink of an eye.  I just hope to have bucket loads of good stories and great experineces when I open my eyes back up!

Allentown, NJ
May 10, 2009 

As hoped, Sunday was a clear, beautiful day and Finian was feeling very well.  So well that I could barely get on after walking the show jumping course due to all his prancing and snorting around.  It’s hard to believe, after running in the mud the day before, that he was so fresh, though I’m certainly not complaining.  He was jumping the best I’ve ever felt, which is saying a lot since he is such a fantastic jumper and Mark Phillips even had to remind me to give him more rein he was kicking up so big and cracking his back so hard over the fences.  The course wouldn’t be the toughest we’ve ever done, but it was well up to size, the time was pretty tight, and it had lots of tricky jumps to the eye.  None of that mattered, he was so spectacular in the ring, jumping the heck out of everything and very quick between the fences.  On one roll back turn he sat and spun faster than even I expected and shaved seconds off of the times other riders had ridden.  It was truly a foot perfect round until the last line when I let his attention sway to the crowd and off of the triple combination. He put in an extra stride, and try as he might, had the second fence down.  He kicked out in outrage and jumped the last fence beautifully, finishing well within the time and with only the one rail which kept us in 3rd place.  I was dissapointed by my error, but didn’t get to mope for too long because I was met at the out gate by Mark Phillips with a huge grin and a high five.  He kept saying “it doesn’t matter, we don’t care about that, well done”.  

After the awards, the US team selectors asked to do a vet evaluation on Finian.  That is a huge nod of approval and means they are considering him for the future, but it’s also nerve racking because they go over the horses with a fine tooth comb.  The team farrier was thrilled that he has great feet, the vet was thrilled that he looked so fit and sound, and the selectors were so happy to see a horse that is good in all three phases.  It is a real testament to our whole training program, but especially the work of our vets at home, Tim and Alex Eastman and Wade Tenney, that he was in such good form at the end of a tough weekend.  It barely took Dr. Furlong 10 minutes and he said in pleased astonishment, “he looks fine”.   

I can finally say we’re Bromont bound, now that we got our qualifying score, so it’s on to making plans for that.  There’s no rest for the wicked as I run the young horses next weekend at a horse trials.
 
Thank you to everyone for your support and well wishes, and especially my mom who worked tirelessly all weekend and right through mother’s day.  It was a treat to have her and I couldn’t have had such a great weekend with out her.

Allentown, NJ
May 9, 2009 

As expected, the footing played a huge role on cross country today, causing horses to be very slow and very tired at the finish.  All morning the most common phrase from the announcer was “and unfortunately so-and-so has been popped out of the tack”.  For some reason, possibly because the horses were really sticking in the mud, people kept getting jarred right off their horses.  There were very few clear rounds and almost nobody made time.  Even the simpler fences and combinations caused a lot of trouble. 

Thanks to a new plan in warm up and the help of my mother, we were able to keep Finian really well settled in the warm-up and into the start box.  Because of that, he set off very relaxed and focused right to the first fence.  He clipped around really well where we could gallop, and was well under control where I had to pull him up a bit because of the bad footing.  Indeed I had to ride the fences very positively, and lots of places did require the respect earlier riders had been lacking, but there was never a hesitation from Finn.  He was pretty near flawless all the way around, but the most exciting part for me was that he really dug in and found a second wind and then a third.  I was able to open him up a bit later in the course, and he absolutely flew up the final hill at the end, jumping the last two fences with plenty of run left in him.  He pulled up beautifully at the finish and recovered really well in the vet box.  It didn’t take long for him to get a little sparkle in his eye and start being playful with the vets that were checking up on him…just ask the one that got a big sloppy kiss on the face!

Back in the barn everything looks good for now.  We’ll hope nothing turns up tomorrow but, knock on wood, he seems to be feeling great.  With 17.6 time penalties, we were one of the fastest times of the day, and moved up a place to 3rd.  Now if I can just keep my head on straight tomorrow for showjumping, we can be pretty pleased about our whole weekend. 

Hoping the morning brings good footing and fresh horses.

Allentown, NJ
May 8, 2009 

Since I arrived on the east coast it has done nothing but rain.  Everyone tells me that storms back here come and go with the half hour, but it’s been 8 consecutive days of nothing but rain.  The weather man on TV even got excited about the situation.  I didn’t realize that you could have purple on a weather map, but sure enough, when red just isn’t enough, purple means “you’re really in for it now!”

Competition started here at Jersey Fresh on Wednesday and it was immediately evident that it was going to be a day by day situation trying to deal with the conditions.  The officials are doing everything in their power, coupled with lots of praying, to get the footing good enough to run cross country.  They decided to move the dressage ring into the indoor arena, but all of the warm up still had to be done outside.  The warm up rings are so muddy that we had to be very careful not to ride too long and tire the horses out.  From there, it’s a long walk to get to the indoor, which has very different footing and is quite dark and spooky.  It was difficult to maintain what you had developed in warm up once you got in the ring, and all day it showed with unusually poor dressage marks throughout the competition.  Finian was really well behaved about the situation, and put in a good test for the conditions.  It would certainly not be our best performance, but good enough for 4th with a 51.5.  We’re just behind Becky Holder and Courageous Comet (Competed at the Olympics in Hong Kong last year) with a 51.0, and sitting pretty ahead of Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, and others. 

The rain finally broke yesterday and the cross country thankful got a chance to start draining.  While the footing is hugely improved from a day earlier, there’s no question  that Saturday is going to be heavy going and lots of mud.  We’ll be looking to run carefully and safely and hopefuly find some turf good enough to gallop-on in some places.  It will be a challenge for me because I’ve never run in these conditions and, as has been the case all season, I am just out there to get my qualifying score…of course I’m not opposed to being competitive as well!

We’re all hoping for clear weather from here on out.  I’ll keep you posted on how Saturday goes.