Julie Wolfert: A Brilliant XC Round

Julie Wolfert is a top notch rider from Kansas who agreed to write for us a little bit about her first experience at Rebecca Farms. Julie and her OTTB Buenos Aires will be contesting the CCI2* for the first time, and after putting in a solid dressage test, they stood 6th at the end of day one. They were one of the few to complete the XC double clear, moving them into 3rd place going into show jumping today! Thanks to Julie for writing, and thanks for reading!

Julie & Aires had a clear XC round to move up into 3rd place after XC (photo by Samantha Clark)

Hello again! Last time I wrote to you I was quite jittery as I had just settled in at Rebecca and I had a whole week of showing ahead of me. Day one couldn’t have gone better for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better dressage test as my horse really stepped up to the plate and I felt like the bigger atmosphere  just made him perform better. It was our best two star test test to date and that was all I could ask for. After dressage I was sitting in 6th in a division with really high class horses.

As I am writing this time I have to admit I am literally grinning from ear to ear. I have just finished cross country and it couldn’t have gone any better. Ian Stark did an excellent job designing the course. He gave us some nice galloping jumps to start out with to get our groove going, and then threw in some technical questions followed by more galloping tables. When I was walking the course, fence #11 A and B (which was a big weldon’s wall 4 strides down hill to a corner) in my opinion was the toughest question on course. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by it, but like it always turns out the toughest element for me was the most fun! I just kicked on like the course was supposed to ride and I had a perfect line to the corner. I did a little sigh of relief after we completed it but quickly pulled myself back together as I knew there were still plenty of questions left on the course. I thought the entire course rode great minus the B element of the last water as I’m not quite sure why my horse didn’t jump it well, other then the fact he probably thought the dragon was going to eat him…! All in all the course rode great with just a few people picking up a stop here or there.

The event seems to be running very smoothly. At one point in time there were two arenas of stadium going while the one star and prelim riders were running cross country and you would have never known. Rebecca Farms has done such an amazing job making sure everyone has plenty of warm up space and the footing in both dressage and cross country couldn’t have been more perfect.

The atmosphere here is amazing as spectators piled in and covered the entire hillside as the Advanced and CIC*** began. I got a chance to watch a few go and everyone I saw looked wonderful. This event separates itself from all the others in the fact that the entire town is involved with this event; there were commercials on TV as well as on the radio! Each day the newspaper has had huge pictures on the front page and on the sports page of riders competing. It is so nice for our sport to get the attention it deserves. We as riders work so hard, so it it nice for a change to get some recognition. There were trolleys giving spectators rides to different parts of the XC course and the trade fair is amazing with local venders and pony rides for the kids. Not to mention anything and everything you could eat in the food alley. If you don’t see me in front of Aires’ stall I’m at the snow cone vender! The event really goes all out for everyone both competitors and spectators to have a fun time.  Congrats to all who completed today and lets all keep those rails up tomorrow!

 

Check out Julie & Aires on XC!

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