American Royal Friday

No horse show blog would be complete without a picture of Bart resting…

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The weather here has changed – it was a chilly morning! We had a leisurely start to the day. Bre (actually BreAnna) and Dalton, her partner, had cleaned Bart’s stall and fed him hay. I ate my traditional horse show donut (and I ate Jane’s donut, too!) and we watched a few hunter rounds.

I took Bart for a hack. He was fresh and happy and felt great. At 12:30 the jumpers started and they went fairly quickly.

Bart and I were in the High Adult Jumpers at 1.10 meter (3’7″). There were 11 in the class, I think. Kris warmed us up with Katherine, who also hails from Wright City, and her fabulous jumper, Bullet (aka Frank). Bart was fantastic warming up, full of energy, but not too wild.

We went to the ring and had one of our better rounds ever! It was a Power and Speed class, and Bart was double clear!! We were behind young Claire on her horse Zappa. We have known and liked Claire since she was a junior, and now she is a mother of an almost two year old, Cayden. Time does go by…

After our good trip, we had to go back for a second class about an hour later. That was a Speed Class, and I was going to be very fast, but I screwed up and got too aggressive to a vertical, having it down, then finished the course with a pretty bad ride. That’s the way it goes with show jumping. One minute, you are on top, and then you look like you have forgotten how to ride. Bart compensated, and we ended on just the four faults and earned a pink ribbon for 5th.

Jane and I have made a new friend in Sherry Brown, one of Kris’ students, and technically an old lady herself. I won’t disclose her age, and she looks much younger than us, but she has achieved sexagenarian status. She, however, is still riding at the top of the game, doing the Amateur Owner Jumpers at 1.25 meter (4’3″) on her horse Eyecatcher, known around the barn as E.C. She is stabled in the aisle with us. Here are pictures of her at St. Louis Charity since all I have here would be video stills, never very good (see picture above)…

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The three of us old ladies Ubered to Cafe Gratitude for a late meal and lots of laughs, then returned to the Hale Arena in time for the In It To Win It qualifier – a speed class to qualify for the $100,000 Final in Omaha in April of next year. Jane and I hope to be there to watch – Brooke Cudmore with Igor and her mother, Karen, with Coneja, both qualified, as did Taylor Land on one of her three fabulous jumpers. It was a very exciting class, and we sat in the Kirin Farm box seats, which was fun.

A long day, but I am pretty sure I am more tired than Bart. He really felt energetic today – it was a blast to ride him around the courses. I scratched him from tomorrow’s Speed Class and we will do just the High Classic. I am already nervous – but excited, and looking forward to it.

Jane has been, as always, so much help. Bart is being treated like an Olympic horse with a special groom waiting on him. Jane changes his water and picks his stall, and most importantly, provides him with treats (not to mention videoing, which helps improve my riding, we hope, to Bart’s benefit)! I cannot believe how fortunate I am… Harry, of course, tops the list, but also in my horse, my trainer, and my friend I am the luckiest person ever.