Hot, hot, hot. That seems to be the one common motif at the Jersey Fresh CCI this weekend. The advanced horse trials, comprised of horses that are already qualified for the Pan American Games, did their dressage last evening. From what I saw, no one shining star stood out, though the horses, both American and Canadian, looked good. What did stand out was that the members of the ground jury were not always on the same page, with some significant scoring variations appearing. It’s certainly not easy being a judge, though the rest of us probably benefited from the judges getting a chance to warm up on the horse trials class before moving on to the CCI divisions.
For myself, I was thrilled to be competing today. This event is so late in the year; it seems like we have been preparing forever. When it was first put on the calendar, the thought was that horses would be able to compete at the now defunct Foxhall CCI in April and then come here in late May. That rationale no longer exists, but we seem stuck with the date. Two weeks earlier would sure be nice!
Orion and I went this morning and had a great time. We’ve worked hard on our dressage all year and it paid off, thanks largely to the help that Mara Dean has provided. It’s no coincidence that she’s leading the division on a 42 with her own Nicki Henley — she’s really good. Not only is Mara a great friend, but I love seeing horses that I started and sold go on to make it in the big time. For his part, Orion was really good, too. Relaxed, accurate, obedient. In short, everything you could hope for from an 8-year-old 3-star horse. We need a better half-pass, as well as more of everything. More medium, more collection, more extension (that’s about everything!). But my goal was to be in the top 20 after dressage on a score in the 50s, and we’re 21st on a 56. My Statistics Department tells me that anybody who can finish on a score in the 50’s should be in the money, and that’s good enough for me.
After enjoying a great picnic lunch this afternoon provided by one of Orion’s biggest fans, Barbara Michelson, I had a second walk around the course. My first impression is that it’s hard but do-able. The first loop is different, with some new combinations and a new field added to provide a bit of distance. The benefit of this loop appears to be that the horses don’t have to gallop up hill at the end of the course after the final water, which they did last year. Like any 3-star track, there are a million places, or at least 40, where a moment of indecision or slow reactions will result in penalty points. One thing is for certain — as much as the dressage today was fun, this is no dressage show. Fingers crossed for Saturday!
