Penny Ross ordered up the perfect weather for the Virginia Horse Trials this weekend. We really enjoyed the fun and festivities, and we mostly enjoyed horses that ran well. Keeper was on her game for everything in the Area 2 Novice Championship division, and laid down a 30.0 in a crowded group of scores. She must have liked it, because she decided to keep that one and finish on it for a fourth place ribbon and a victory lap, too. Keeper was showing a much more mature shape in her dressage test as I decided to sit all the trot this time, and the judge seemed to like it, too. Cross-country was scheduled for late Saturday, but there was plenty in reserve for that. We hadn't jumped or galloped all week, simply worked on our dressage. So she was ready for a run, and she was tired of the stall, and maybe thought she could find her way home, too. Anyway, she scooted around the course, pretty much dragging me everywhere, not blinking at any of the questions. Then we added a circle at the end because we were so early, even at 400 mpm and big hills to boot. She's finally got that uphill gallop where she is balanced for each jump and can jump them from any distance without much interference from me. It was quite a thrill!
The show jumping was scheduled for last on Sunday, so we did a lot of waiting and waiting, and since it was reverse order of standing, more waiting, more dry mouth, and more visual runthroughs of the course. And then it was over, we were clean and I couldn't remember anything about the round. Yeah and whew! We even got a cool neck ribbon, saddle pad, and a victory lap.
-Alicia Daily
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