Liz Lund and her students made T-shirts! Here's the back..
Howdy Eventing Nation!
I come to you with a recap from one of my favorite events in the country. Otter Creek is always a good time and last weekend was no exception! Mark, Lena, Jenny, and William Warner continue to improve the courses and facilities, add more jumps, and give the patrons a superb event. Check out past recaps to know what I’m referring to: May 2011 [Preview] [Recap] – with one of the “most amazing videos I have ever seen of show jumping” – John August 2011 [Preview/Interview] [XC Recap] [Final Recap] September 2011: [Dress Recap] [XC Recap] [SJ Recap]
Liz and her gaggle of girls
This has got to be the first and only Otter Creek in recent memory with not only no rain, but absolutely beautiful weather! Mid 70s with a slight breeze and minimal clouds. I wonder how Mark and Lena managed to pull that one off… Although, apparently, it rained on Thursday some, but I wasn’t there, so that doesn’t really count in the recap. Dressage as always was suuuper riveting and I did something I’ve never done before. I fell asleep in the sun on the hill overlooking the dressage arenas. Judging by the scores, I didn’t miss much excitement as everyone made it through the first phase.
Cross country was all about “The Hill”. Previously, the preliminary and intermediate divisions ran down The Hill. This year, the training level also went down The Hill, which surprised many I think. It rode really well for the most part as training level had plenty of time to recover on level ground before their last fence. Most were concerned not necessarily about The Hill itself (although they were), but more to where it was placed on course. Because in order to go downhill, you must first go uphill. There was a long slow uphill followed by an even longer steep uphill before running back down. This was at minute five when many horses were already feeling the fatigue from Otter’s bumpy terrain. I saw lots of smiles on riders, and horses looking pretty pleased with themselves as they crossed the finish and made the hack back to the barns. “I can’t wait to do that again!” “Let’s head back out!” “Wow! Fabulous!” and of course “Woooohooo!!!!!!!!!!” were just a few of the comments as riders completed the courses. Otter Creek has some of the best footing around, which makes xc day even better when you’re not worried about slick concrete, deep mud, or any other bad footing problems that one usually encounters in mid summer events.
“The Hill” on the intermediate. The C element is a skinny brush
Show Jumping is always a true test at Otter Creek. The course seemed relatively straightforward, but in true Otter fashion, always gets a rider or a dozen. There were no double clears in the Intermediate or Preliminary divisions. There were seven double clears in the training level: about 22%, or 1 in 5 if you will.
Sasha Scott took both her horses around the Jr. Training Victory "Gallop"
So the results:
Ann Bower topped both the intermediate and preliminary division on Rejuvenate and Prospero, respectively.
Sasha Scott, Leigh Rettenmaier, and Gabie Fulmer each won a training division, all posting double clear sj rounds, moving up to first after xc.
Laura Olson, Jennifer Eis, and Heather Salden took the top honors in each of the novice divisions.
Jodi Joachim, Natasha Erschen, and Rachel Holen, and Marcia Miller won the blues in Beginner Novice.
Last, but certainly not least, Claire Henneman topped 17 others in the starter division for the win.
Heather Salden and Ragdoll led an exuberant victory gallop.
Liz Lund’s Training Helmet Cam:
Go Otter Creek eventing!
