MDHT: Slayer Edition

Phew, what a weekend! Lots of fun horsey stuff! Already wrote that we had a great lesson that'll get a post of it's own. And. Obvi. Charlie had his debut as an event horse at the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy (even if we just did the combined test instead of the full three phases).

Much excitement!

so pleased with this guy

Brita and I were up and out of our respective doors well before dawn to get to the show, plus we had the pleasure of being joined by Austen and Liz. Alas no pics of Austen, as she had to hustle out after dressage for a family emergency ((sorry girl :( )). I was super grateful to have gotten to see her tho!

yay eventing!

We were super spoiled to have Liz around too - and I seriously can't wait til she's able to bring Grif along for the fun! Hopefully soon!!

surprise, you're on candid camera! also check out that awesome xc fence

All in all tho, show day was great. I got my rides out of the way pretty quickly (ie SUPER early in the am) then got to hang around walking xc courses, taking pictures, and spectating while friends and such went through their courses too.

why yes, i'm taking a picture of liz taking a picture of brita. and bella would very much like to know wtf i'm doing creepin in the shrubbery lol

And, man I just gotta say it feels SO GOOD to be out and about, showing with friends again. I've missed this so much. I mean, cheering friends on from the sidelines is super fun and rewarding in its own right too... but nothing quite compares to having a little skin in the game myself.

"wheeeeee cross countryyyyyy!!!" - brita, galloping away from fence 1

It's the whole spectrum of feelings, ya know? The slowly building anticipation as the day draws nearer. Then the more acute welling of nervous butterflies as you actually pull into the show grounds. It's such a visceral feeling, especially when you're just kinda stuck in the truck driving.

CALM DOWN CHARLIE

But then you arrive and it's an immediate rush of activity. Check in. Get your number. Go pee. Settle the horses. Brush the shavings and stray hay bits out of manes and tails. Tack up. Put on your show coat and bridle tag. Obsessively check your watch and beg time to slow down a sec. But it's TIME. Up and on the horse and off to warm up before you can think twice.

seriously. homeboy was quiet amid all the goings on. thanks sir, i'll take it!

Obviously I'll have a full recap for you soon about how Charlie's rides actually went. But bc this is the internet and we all have a deep need for instant gratification, I'll start with the end: Charlie killed it at this event.

All of that anticipation and nervous energy and excitement built up into a very sweet release - we had a BLAST.

nothing but smiles through the finish flags ;)

He acted like a legitimate seasoned veteran. Five dressage rings and two massive warm up arenas? Stadium warm up located in a roped off section of the actual xc course?? Horses going in every direction and trailers packed in like sardines? PA system and dogs and roving hordes of equestrians and trainers and supporting cast members?

Charlie observed it all quietly.

boom. killin it, charlie! also. that dressage test has a 9 on it. a NINE. way to go, big guy :D

He happily and easily rode to the fullest measure of his current level of training. Actually, maybe even a little better than that. I could not have asked for any better from him. Sure, there's always more to want from my own riding. But the horse just made me so proud.

And there turned out to be enough Intro CT entrants (seven!) that it was run and scored as a proper division. Meaning: SATIN for the big guy who finished 3rd on his dressage score of 34.4%, his best yet score on this dressage test.

Stay tuned for details soon. Happy Monday, y'all!