Area II co-coordinators Gwen Dean was kind enough to send us her latest report from Area II at Young Riders after a quality day of dressage on Thursday. For much more from Area II please visit their website. Thanks for writing this Gwen and thank you for reading.
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Savannah Fulton and Ringfort Tinkatoo
From Gwen:
Greetings from the NAJYRC and Area II!
Well, a few days have passed since I last wrote to you all and alot has happened here at the Kentucky Horse Park. Monday came and went very quickly. After arriving, we spent the remaining hours of our day unloading, unpacking and setting up our tack rooms and stalls. All our horses shipped well and enjoyed a nice rest before the lessons got underway on Tuesday morning. All of our horses had great flat schools on Tuesday and before we knew it, it was time for the all rider meeting followed by the opening ceremonies and the golf cart parade. There is no better feeling than walking into that arena with all your kids carrying the Area II banner and standing on the podium. That is when it becomes real. All of the hard work and preparation that goes into getting there is jam packed into that one moment and your heart swells with pride. Knowing this was the last group of kids we would stand up there with was particularly tough and I might have taken just an extra second to let it soak in before walking down the steps.
Immediately following the opening ceremonies was the golf cart parade to the amazing Spy Coast Farm. For the last two years, Spy Coast has generously hosted a gathering with great food, music, photo booth and this year they added a bounce house and mechanical bull. Every team was encouraged to go all out with decorating their golf carts. This year we really wanted something special. We decided to go with a Breast Cancer Awareness themed cart in honor of all of those who have battled or are battling this disease but especially Connor Husain’s mom and Lauren O’Briens mom who are both Survivors. We had a great time decorating the cart and we even brought along our very own special and magical breast cancer awareness unicorn and matching pink tee shirts. All of our riders will continue with our theme by wearing their pink ribbons for the remainder of the competition.
Molly Curtiss riding our magical unicorn
Wednesday it was time to get down to business with the jog in the afternoon followed by the declaration of our teams and individuals. By 3 PM, it was hotter than all get out but our girls looked great in their matching dresses and Connor was quite handsome in his bow tie. All the horses were turned out beautifully and we were ready to go. The 1* was the first to go and everything seemed to be running smoothly and then the unthinkable happened. Erin Nolan and Balmoral Avenue were sent to the hold and ultimately not accepted upon re-inspection. At that moment everything stopped for us. My heart broke as I watched the president of the ground jury come up to Erin knowing what was about to happen. This is a very humbling sport. You will have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and this was as low as you could get. Of course there were tears but Erin handled the situation as best she could and has since been incredibly supportive of her remaining teammates. I’m sure we will see Erin and Scully kicking butt again very soon.
Thursday began bright and early with Connor first in the ring for the 2* at 7:30. Connor and Bruno put in a very solid performance and they are currently in 4th. Molly Curtiss and Savannah had a bit of an uncharacteristically tough ride. Savannah was pretty full of herself but Molly did a great job keeping the lid on through the test. We are on a mixed team with Lexie Scovil and Sky Show from Area IV and Jamie Doolittle and A Dream Come True from Area III both of whom had good rides. We are currently sitting in 4th position but only a mere 6 points out of medal contention. Our 1* team is made up of Savannah Fulton on Ringfort Tinkatoo, Caroline Quanbeck on Sambuca, Andi Lawrence on Armani IV and Hanna Krueger on Pinney North with Morgan Booth and Cameron Creek going as our individual. I am proud to say that all 5 of these girls rode incredibly solid tests and rode beautifully. Our team currently sits in 5th with only 6 points separating them from the leaders.
Caroline Quanbeck and Sambuca
We have finally gotten some much needed rain here and the footing on the XC is improving every day. Everyone is working in overdrive to make everything perfect for Saturday and I can probably speak for all the eventers here in saying how much we appreciate their efforts. Until then…
Go Area II Young Riders and Go Eventing!
