RULES FOR EVENTING - #4 NOBODY CARES ON MONDAY

So, fellow Area 1 Eventer (and possibly the most quotable one in our shed row) Judi Rossi had some serious advice to give while waiting those 2 hours til show time...  Let see, ah yes:

Four Rules of Eventing

1. Leave together and come back together
2. Don't scare the spectators
3. No crying in Eventing (unless its with sheer joy in the moment)
4. Nobody cares on Monday

I can add but I can not perfect that list. 

Well, it is Monday and here at work... rule # 4 persists....  Nobody cares.  I am still dancing and cheering, cherishing every bit of the weekend and, nobody cares.  Ha!    I do!  I hope I continue the happy dance well into next week.

We were competing at the University of New Hampshire on a gorgeous Saturday.  The campus was in full swing.  And today was going to be our day.  Sugar and I were awesome in the warmup... light forward, round and powerful.  And, as we circled the ring, I still had my light and fluffy girl.  I saw stars, fame and fortune...  this was going to be the tests of all tests.  Oh, and it was. 


Used with photographer's permission
http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/

Well, as we passed by the judges box, someone scored a goal...  the crowd cheered and whistles blew.  Sugar jumped for joy...  oh no, that would have been fun.  She did leap and then decided that it would be better to wait until later to do our test.  So, she cleverly reconstructed the movements to better aid her attempts to finish on her time. 

Unfortunately for her, I really wanted to continue to the jumping phases so I gently encouraged her to go on.  I had the best scribe in the world...  she captured every extra movement that Sug added to impress everyone...  Yet, we did not scare the spectators (Rule #2).

And, we did win the Post-Dressage-Test-"I hate my Naughty Mare"- workout.  Oh, we excelled at that one...  and, I felt good. 

Stadium Jumping was a blast!  I know, I should be saying that after XC.  Well, my trainer felt that Sugar was behind my leg in the warm-up and I was holding her just a bit.  She said we needed to ramp it up a bit... get going.  And that is what we did...  (We did not scare the spectators (Rule #2))

I walked that course 5 times.  My bestest Eventing Buddy texted me before my ride advising me to ride sober...  straight lines...  ride sober.  I knew exactly where we were going, where to put my eye, how we would make the turns and we would ramp it up a bit. 

We made it to fence 5 perfectly and we were on fire.  Fence six required a wide turn between Fences 8a and b and then a sweeping turn to Fence 7 - the dreaded Lattice jump.  Did I mention "ON FIRE"?  We made a snappy turn inside Fence 8a and b...  Have you ever had the Rut Ro moment on course?  Thank god for Sug's talent, power and grace...  She jumped the big oxer on an angle...  awesome.  Well, at that point, I rode backwards...  a spook at the dreaded lattice and with my encouragement... over and away! 

I began cheering myself on...  Wait, here's 8a and B...  darn too fast and strong... darn missed the turn to 9...  spin and...  oh sh-t, the angle...  one rail.  We finished on a big jump over the final jump but missed the turn to cross the finish line.  Thank god I had my brain back...  we circled and finished.  Rule # 2 "Don't scare the spectators".

My trainer?  "Well you got that out of your system.  Remember, when you miss the finish and circle and are still under the allowed time...  you have have a few extra seconds or so to breathe and settle.  Forward and frantic are two different goals..."  (Later she did say that we looked very much in control.)

And, if God were an eventer, I think he would say...  "XC is a gift...  enjoy it to the fullest - no matter what!"  And we did... god we did!  I believe I had to take the exception to rule #3...  You can cry when you are that happy about your XC run... 

And the best rule...  #1 Leave together and come back together....  And afterwards together is deeper than when you left.  So Rule #4 Nobody cares on Monday...  Ok, but I'm still smiling...