Kiwi journalist Virginia Caro is kind enough to share some thoughts with EN today on the New Zealand Olympic team.  As Virginia points out, New Zealand is by far the smallest country to be brilliant at eventing.  And brilliant they are with a team that won bronze at WEG 2010 is very likely to leave London with that or better.  Thank you for writing this Virginia and thank you for reading.
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Photo by Samantha

From Virginia Caro:

New Zealand Eventing is on the rise again, following the trough that was left after the “dream team” of the 90s retired, and no stone has been left unturned in the preparation for the London Olympics.

The team that has been named consists of four riders from the 2010 WEG, where Andrew Nicholson won individual bronze and the team, consisting of Andrew, Mark Todd, Caroline Powell, and Clarke Johnstone, also won bronze. Sadly for Clarke, his top horse was injured at the final selection trial, but Jock Paget, who placed seventh individually at WEG, makes his Olympic debut and gives the team four strong contenders.

The fifth rider, Jonelle Richards, is a new cap at elite level, Clarke’s bad luck being her good luck, especially as she herself was injured! Mark Todd, with whom she trains, rode her horse, Flintstar, at Aachen after the team was announced, to expose the horse to the “big” atmosphere, as she did not have full use of one hand.

Andrew rides his WEG bronze medal horse, Nereo, while Caroline rides the crowd favourite, 19 year old Lenamore, on whom she won Burghley in 2010, the decision having been made not to travel him to Kentucky at his age. Mark rides the relatively inexperienced NZB Campino, his preferred ride, 2011 Badminton winner NZB Land Vision, having suffered an injury.

Jock rides Clifton Promise, who leapt into prominence at WEG and placed sixth at Rolex in April, so the team is a mix of young and old in terms of age and experience. It is this factor of the new kids on the block wanting to soak up all they can from the old campaigners that has enabled coach Erik Duvander to mold a dynamic team culture, and make the most of the sizeable funding from New Zealand High Performance Sport.

With a population of four million odd people, New Zealand punches above its weight in most sports, and is further handicapped by its geographical isolation at the bottom of the world. This is a particular problem for equestrian sports, with the high costs of air transport, exacerbated by quarantine requirements.

So it was not surprising that the High Performance programme was moved to England early last year, there being more Kiwi 3* horses and riders in the UK than in New Zealand. While this has resulted in the best prepared Olympic team ever, it has done the sport at home no favours.

With the top performers opting for the bigger, better exposure available in Britain, the sub-elite have no upper level prompting them to keep on improving their performance at home. The most “international” competition available down under is against Australia, with whom there is long standing rivalry, but even this involves a four hour flight across the Tasman Sea.

A biennial team competition takes place in alternate countries, at both Senior and Young Rider level, with New Zealand winning on home soil every time since the inception in 1985 until this year, when the Aussies, led by Shane Rose (subsequently named in their Olympic team) defeated the Kiwis at Kihikihi. We have yet to defeat them at 4* level at Adelaide, although we had won at all previous Australian venues.

As long as the High Performance programme remains off shore, the chance of winning at Adelaide, which stages the only 4* event in the southern hemisphere, remains unlikely. It is hoped that the proposed Eventing Nations Cup will include Trans-Tasman competition, which would be a boost, as is the long over due inclusion of Adelaide in the HSBC 4* series.

Clarke is returning home, which will benefit the sport here, meantime we wait and watch with baited breath as our Kiwi team goes into the London Olympics carrying the hopes of a nation, as the media coverage has ensured the country as a whole knows we are podium potential. Mark and Andrew are creating a NZ record, this being their seventh Olympics.

Good luck guys and gals!

Jon Holling wrote about Lexi Scovil and her horse Chester’s amazing comeback story on Monday.  Today Lexi responded by writing more about her young riders experience and the people who made that comeback possible.  Thanks for writing this Lexi and thank you for reading.
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Jon coaching Lexi

From Lexi:

Thanks to Jon’s very touching blog post Monday morning, everyone knows my history with NAYRC and the story of Chester’s amazing comeback.  He really is the most amazing horse, and I’ve never met one that tried harder or wanted to please more, and I am very fortunate to have him as a partner.  Winning individual bronze and team silver this week exceeded all of my hopes and expectations, and I am absolutely on Cloud 9.  I have many people to thank for my success this weekend, but I want to specifically thank three people who have given me the opportunities and tools to get where I am today.

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First, I want to give a huge thank you to my mother, who has been so incredibly supportive over my years in this sport, through good times and bad.  She has always made sure I have fantastic coaches and she’s bought me some great horses to ride.  Jon mentioned in his post how I had never given up on Chester; my faith was nothing compared to my mom’s.  She has loved this horse since the day I first sat on him, and she has willingly given him anything he needed over the years.  She always gave him the benefit of the doubt when he wasn’t perfect, and she always saw the best in him.  She has been his biggest cheerleader and I’m so thankful she believed in us both and supported us every step of the way.

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I also want to thank Area IV’s amazing chef d’equipe Brewster Walker.  He has been our chef since my first NAYRC in 2009 and he also happens to be my coach while I am at school in North Carolina.  He’s an amazing trainer and an even better chef, and Jon has informed me that he was a big part of why I jumped clean on Sunday as he gave Jon a couple ideas in warmup to help me improve my eye before I went in the ring.  He is an invaluable asset to my training program, and has the additional benefit of keeping me laughing nonstop.

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Finally, I want to thank my coach, Jon Holling.  I have had some great coaches since I started eventing, but without a doubt Jon has been the most helpful I have ever had.  He instinctively knows when I need positive encouragement and when I just need a good kick in the pants.  He may never have believed in the horse like I did but he never stopped helping me try to make Chester the horse I thought he could be.  Jon gave me the skills to bring out the brilliance in the horse that is not always readily evident.  Since I first started training with him he has put my needs as a rider ahead of his own ego.  In 2010 when I told him I wanted to spend the summer in Virginia instead of Ocala, he found a working student position for me with Mara DePuy so that I could be in a program that worked for me, even if that wasn’t his at that moment.  Whether I am at his farm or haven’t seen him in months I know I can call him with a question and he will happily give me advice without once thinking what is in it for him.  Without his support I never would have arrived at this point, and I’m ecstatic that I finally have tangible proof of how good his program really is.  We may have a fairytale comeback story, but Jon was just as much a part of that story as Chester and I were. So thank you, Jon- I’m glad I could finally make you proud.

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Gwen Dean completed her final Young Riders as Area II’s co-coordinator this weekend and her riders sent her off with a weekend of wonderful memories.  For much more from Area II please visit their website.  Thanks for writing this Gwen and thank you for reading.
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Connor, Gwen, Audrey and Molly

From Gwen:

Well, it’s finally over.  Everything that these kids have worked so hard for these last 12 months has come to an end.  Saturday gave us some really high highs and some really low lows.  The morning began with the 2* XC and Connor Husain was the first horse on course.  He certainly did his job by coming in one second under the time and jumping a flawless round showing everyone how to get it done.  After watching Connor cruise around the course at a pretty good clip and only be one second under that the time was going to be a factor this year.  Our other teammates,  Lexie Scovil from Area IV and Jamie Doolittle from Area III,  also posted clean and fast rounds.  Next out for us was Molly Curtiss and Savannah IX.  That little mare made the 2* track look like a walk in the park and came home without adding anything to her dressage score.  Our 2* team was the ONLY team to have four double clears!  Those kids rode their butts off and secured our silver medal position going into SJ with quite a comfortable margin over bronze and only 10 points from the lead.

We had five kids in the 1* this year and our first one out, Savannah Fulton on Ringfort Tinkatoo, started us off with a brilliant ride and coming home with a double clear.  Our next rider, Caroline Quanbeck, was having a great go until the coffin where she had an unfortunate fall at the ditch.  This put a lot of pressure on the two remaining to start to go out and get the job done.   Andi Lawrence set out on course on a mission.  She was riding with great determination until her horse, Armani IV, hung a leg at the in of the first water and gravity took over and Andi took an unwelcome bath.  Both of our kids and their horses were physically fine but the girls took it pretty hard emotionally.  Our last team member, Hanna Krueger and Pinney North,  had a great ride to finish the day with a double clear.  Our individual, Morgan Booth on Cameron Creek, had a good ride despite a glance off at the second corner of the double corner combination toward the end of the course.  Over all I felt that the 1* XC was quite tough and shook the standings up pretty good going into Sunday’s competition.

All of our horses jogged up great on Sunday and were all accepted without a second look and it was on to show jumping.   This is the phase of the competition where I turn into an emotional train wreck.  I have been in this position for six years and it never gets any easier.  I think I get more nervous than the kids do and anyone standing within arm’s reach is probably going to get grabbed or slapped at some point during our SJ rounds.  This Year was no exception and I am going to officially apologize to Andi and Jane Lawrence for sending them home with bruises.

Morgan Booth started us out with a super clean round and we couldn’t have been happier for her.  Savannah Fulton was having a flawless round until the last fence and ended up adding only 4 points to her dressage score.  Next in was Hanna Krueger who was sitting in 6^th place with less than 5 points separating her from the leaders.   She had the ride of her life and finished her first NAJYRC on her dressage score.  Then it was time to wait and see what the next few horses did.  One by one the rails fell and before we knew it, Hanna was taking home a silver medal.  Wow!  You couldn’t have written a better ending.

The 2* began fairly quickly after the 1* finished.   Molly Curtiss was the first to jump and had a bit of a rough ride finishing with five rails down.  Next in was Jamie Doolittle who finished strong with only 8 faults.  Lexie Scovil was next in the ring for our team and had a brilliant double clear to end on her dressage score posting her best finish to date.  The final rider for us was Connor Husain and Piece of Hope.  There was absolutely no room for error and he didn’t disappoint going double clear and securing at least a silver medal with only .6 separating him from gold.  We all watched and waited for the final horse to enter the ring and when I saw the rail fall I knew he had just won gold and the team won the silver.  No words can really describe.  It was truly an unforgettable moment with a story book ending.

Well, my time as coordinator has come to an end.  I am truly going to miss coming to NAJYRC but most of all I am going to miss being able to share this experience with the kids and their families.  This job has hasn’t always been easy but I loved every single minute of it!  Thanks guys, it sure has been one wild ride!

One final time……

Go Area II Young Riders and Go Eventing!

Shannon Lilley has been generously keeping us posted on all things Area VI throughout Young Riders.  Area VI has a wonderful team of riders, horses, parents, grooms, and supporters.  Dayna Lynd-Pugh is Area VI’s coach and Laura Powell is serving as Area VI’s chef on scene while Shannon recovers from her back injury at home in California.  As always, thanks for writing this Shannon and thank you for reading.
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Photo courtesy of Leslie Mintz and the USEA

From Shannon:

First of all, I want to congratulate the Area VI, VII,  and IX combined team for an epic wire to wire gold medal win! Also, congrats to Area V for their gold medal win as they survived the show jumping so well! The lives of the two individual gold medalists, Victoria New with Fleeceworks Mystere du Val and Connor Husain aboard Piece of Hope, will forever be changed now that they have this paramount win to add to their resume.

Unlike most competitions, NAJYRC is a team competition, which makes it all that much more special. I have said before that it is one thing to win a major competition as an individual, but winning as a part of a team is an exponentially greater feeling.  These riders who competed for their area now have memories that will last a lifetime.  I want to give a special congratulations to all of the riders who qualified, made the team, and traveled to NAJYRC this year, and every year for that matter.  It is a very difficult achievement.  That achievement of making the team in the first place is why the journey leading up to and at the competition gives these kids special memories that they will never repeat.  Even if they compete on a team again; there is no team experience like another. So I advise all the young riders to strive to do bigger and better things but never forget the experience you had this year at the 2012 North American Junior Young Rider Championships!

On a personal note, I have been the Chef d’Equip for the Area VI Young Rider program for 5 years now and each of those years we have come home with a medal.  I worked with Bea and Derek di Grazia the first two years and Dayna Lynd-Pugh the past three years.  The quality of our program has been insurmountable each year but never as well organized as it was this year with Laura Powell as our coordinator, who also stood in for me at Championships this year.

I often find myself feeling like the ending to this week is a bit anticlimactic.  It takes and army of people, volunteers, vets, coaches, chefs, coordinators, shoers, sports psychologists, therapists – equine and human – to make this a successful week for the riders and the horses yet when it is all said and done the momentum stops dead.  I think the time is now after many of the areas’ success and we should be able to build momentum to build the program and highlight these wonderful riders and their equine athletes. They should be treated at the ambassadors of their Area or Country just as the various sports teams representing the USA in the upcoming Olympics will be for the rest of their lives.

Making NAJYRC something bigger than it is now is a future goal of mine.  I would love to see it carry as much clout as the equivalent does in Europe. Regardless of how quickly we can make changes in this sport; we can control how we, as areas, build momentum. So I implore all the Area Young Rider Coordinators to make celebrities out of these kids for all of their hard work and sacrifice.  It will only increase the desire in future kids to get to NAJYRC, which will increase membership!

Go Area VI and Go Young Riders!!!

Jon Holling coached the Area IV Young Riders this weekend and he was kind enough to send us his weekend recap for Eventing Nation.  As always, thanks for the insights Jon and thank you for reading.
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From Jon:

Young Riders 2012 is in the books and I thought a wrap up blog on Area 4 and our combined teams was in order.  Our area has spent this year and last rebuilding our program.  That meant that we only had two one star riders and one two star rider.  I have to say that it has been a struggle to field teams for this competition since the area lost all of the recognized competitions at the fantastic Lamplight Equestrian Center, and the adjacent forest preserve that hosts the cross-country.  I sincerely hope that everyone involved is doing whatever it takes to bring back the fantastic series of competitions at Lamplight and the Wayne Forest Preserve. These events used to be the pride of area 4.  They were a training ground for all of the areas young riders, and a huge part of the local eventing community.  I seriously worry that we will continue to struggle sending full teams to the championships if the present situation continues.  Enough of that, on to the good stuff.

Our one star riders were Becca Gall and Lizzie Foos.  Both of these girls were attending Young Riders for the first time this year.  It can be pretty overwhelming competing at the horse park, and I thought they both handled the pressure incredibly well.  Both girls put in decent tests, but I am sure they would agree that the nerves may have gotten to them just a little on the first day.  While they were not at the top of the leader board, they did a good job and were within striking distance of the leaders.  I thought the cross-country course was up to the level but not over the top in difficulty.  Becca was our first team member on course and she did a fantastic job jumping a double clear round.   Lizzie was the third team member out for our combined Areas 4, and 8 team.  Lizzie made a great effort, but unfortunately things did not go her way this time.  After a couple of disappointing stops Lizzie fought through and finished with an impressively fast 40 penalty round.  Our teammates from Area 8, Margaux Lander and Mackenzie Spaes both had a fabulous day.  Our team finished Saturday in fourth place.

One of the great things these kids learn is that even when you have had a tough go, your team still needs you.  I am certain that one of the hardest things for Lizzie to do was to show jump on Sunday after her disappointing day on cross country.  Not only did she jump but she put in a beautiful double clear round.  She certainly proved to me that she can pick herself up and fight.  I predict a top finish for Lizzie at next year’s championships.  Becca rode a text book round as well.  Unfortunately I think the stress of the day before got to her horse a little.  He tried to leave them up, but he was just a little tight in his back and had three rails. My hat goes off to Becca for keeping her chin up, and continually regrouping throughout the course.   Again Margaux and Mackenzie were fabulous and had just one rail between the two of them.  In the end the team just missed out on the bronze by .3 of a point.  I think fourth place is the toughest spot to be at the end of a long hard week, but all of the girls handled it with style and grace.

Connor Husain, Jamie Doolittle, Lexi Scovil, and Molly Curtiss all rode great.  All four of them posted double clear rounds on Saturday, and they jumped valiantly on Sunday.  In the end the team finished in silver by 5.2 points.  Pretty darn great if you ask me.

I could not be more proud of Lexi Scovil and Sky Showthan I am right now.  As a coach in this sport I see a lot of people who work hard for their dreams.  The truth is that everyone has a story as to why they think their student or kid deserves to win, but this is my post so I am going to tell you about my student.  Lexi has been riding with Jenn and me for about five years.  Jenn even found this horse for Lexi from our good friend Scott Keach.  I will freely admit that I have not always believed in the horse as much as Jenn and Lexi.  He has been a supremely talented, slightly sensitive, pain in my butt for years.  Lexi has never given up on “Chester”, even when I have told her to.  She first brought Chester to Young Riders in 2009 and had a decent performance in the one star.  The following year Lexi returned with the red devil to take a shot at the two star.  The morning of the first jog Chester was found with his leg hung up in the bars of his stall.  After some very intense moments, and a lot of diagnostic work by the vets, Chester went on to not only pass the first inspection, but actually finish the competition.  It was weeks later when it was discovered that Chester had actually fractured his leg in that accident.  A few months after that another surprise came when the Vets discovered a fracture in his knee.  Chester never once stopped trying for Lexi; I guess that is why she never stopped trying for him.  2011 was a light year for Chester, in part due to his rehab schedule. That meant no NAJYRC for him. When Lexi informed me early this year that she was coming back this year to take her final shot on Chester in her last year of eligibility, I was honestly just hoping she did not end up too disappointed.   I knew they were both very capable of delivering a great performance, but history told me things just did not go in this horses favor at this competition.  After seeing them at a few clinics throughout the summer I got very hopeful.  It seemed he was much happier this year and willing to work harder than usual.  Once I saw him work last Tuesday in the warm-up at Kentucky I knew this was going to be Lexi’s best chance so far.  The rest is history, they did it. Lexi and Chester put in two perfect jumping rounds on a weekend that came together like some corny Disney movie.  You know the one about the little girl who loves a horse that her coach doesn’t completely believe in?  Then he breaks his leg, only to come back and win an individual bronze medal at the junior Olympics?  Buy the rights to that story right now Lexi.

Shannon Lilley has been generously keeping us posted on all things Area VI this weekend.  Area VI has a wonderful team of riders, horses, parents, grooms, and supporters.  Dayna Lynd-Pugh is Area VI’s coach and Laura Powell is serving as Area VI’s chef on scene while Shannon recovers from her back injury at home in California.  As always, thanks for writing this Shannon and thank you for reading. 
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From Shannon:

 Grooms work harder than anyone at event.  Area X Young Rider coordinator, Michelle Parker, was kind enough to send us this tribute to the grooms who make Young Riders possible.  Thanks for writing this Michelle and thank you for reading.
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From Michelle:

I want to take a moment to spotlight the unsung heroes of the Eventing NAJYRC—–the GROOMS!  They are working their fannies off and they deserve a lot kudos for the work they do.  And, I believe that my daughter Claire Parker has the best groom of all (I am biased here).  Her name is Olivia Cliver and she was trained by the best….Meg Kep!  Yep, none other than Tater Toes personal person!  Olivia was a working student for Sinead Halpin and if Olivia is any reflection of the Halpin Operation, I say WOW!  We did steal Olivia from Area V….now we are kidnapping her and never letting her go!

Our friends from Area V are just one barn aisle over and their grooms are amazing too!  Their head groom Elizabeth Crowder is a whirlwind of activity every day.  I snapped a few candids of their labors before the first jog:

Ellee New and On Eagles Wings

Julianne Foody and Take the Mick

Maggie Littlejohn

Go Grooms!  You are the oil that makes the whole thing work!  Good luck everyone on XC!!!

Selling a wonderful horse is a heart-wrenching process.  If we are fortunate enough, we get to see our horses go on to do wonderful things with their new riders.  EN reader Suzanne Kaplan has the pleasure of seeing just that this weekend at Young Riders and she was kind enough to write to us about the wonderful Brisco Bay.  Thank you very much for writing this Suzanne and thank you for reading.
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From Suzanne Kaplan:

It’s NAJYRC time and I find myself haunting the results page for the Area 1 CC1* team. My son, Michael Robbins, has long since aged out of the competition, though he did represent the Area 1 team for two years in 2004 and 2005. He didn’t win but finished in the middle of the pack and had a great time. He’s still riding, training, teaching and making his way in the sport he loves. No, it’s not Michael I’m eager to follow-it’s his former young rider horse-Brisco Bay. He’s still competing, still sound at 16 and taking his latest young rider to the “big show.” I’ve never met his current rider, but Mike tells me Hannah Forte is treating him well.

Young rider horses are not all about buying a made 4* horse and going for glory. Many of them are solid, gentle, OTTB’s who look after their riders and go up the levels with them. Brisco was purchased after a rather disastrous first horse. Mike’s trainers (eventing and dressage) both came up to me after a dressage lesson and told me that the horse needed to move along since it was trying to kill him. I’d like to think I did what any horsemom would do, I listened to the trainers and immediately began looking for a new horse.

We checked out a few horses with mixed results and then Mike’s trainer at the time, Ferial Johnson, let us know that Brisco’s owner had decided to sell him. Brisco was 6 and was going training. He had mixed results but was solid and known. I’ll never forget what Ferial said to me at, she said “I can’t tell you how far he’ll take Mike or what to expect-but I promise that he will be safe.” There’s nothing more precious than safety to a horsemom. Mike wasn’t sure, but we made the purchase and never looked back. Brisco and Mike formed an incredible partnership. They went on to prelim, young riders twice, intermediate and a couple of two stars. Brisco started protesting at the upper levels when the fences got more technical-he’d lock on to what he thought was the next fence and get frustrated when Mike redirected him and would stop. After that happened a few times Mike decided that Brisco would be happier not pushing for higher levels. He was successfully sold to his next young rider.

I went with Mike the day he took Brisco to his pre-purchase exam to be sold. Brisco was 12, I think. He passed with flying colors and he was to be left with his new rider. I had brought a bag of his favorite apples, granny smith, and told the young girl they were his favorite and she had to promise to keep him supplied-which she did. Mike was a bit surprised that I burst into tears on the way back to his home base. I tried to explain that there is no way to thank a horse for taking care of your child. That I will always be grateful to him for being exactly what Mike needed, for keeping him safe and launching him into the world.

So I sing Brisco’s praises and all those like him. May he have, yet again, a terrific run at young riders and go home safe and happy. And Hannah, give Brisco a granny smith from his first horse mom, please.

Shannon Lilley has generously offered to keep us posted on all things Area VI.  As always, thanks for writing this Shannon and thank you for reading.
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From Shannon:

NAJYRC started off with a bang Thursday morning at 7 am EST. Both the Young Riders and the Juniors rode dressage and both divisions ended up in an extremely tight race.  Area VI had a fantastic day with our combined team leading and three of its riders are placed 1,2, and 3, Lizzie Snow with Coal creek, Teresa Harcourt with Bonza Twist of Fate, and Kendyl Tracy with Ever So Lucky, respectively.  The Junior team had a solid performance as well with two of the Area VI riders, Erin Murphy with Mytster E and Gigi Herron with Beacon Hill, standing third and tied for fourth.  The entire Junior division is separated by less than 8 points, which makes for a very exciting weekend.

Year in and year out, Area VI has proven to be competitive in all three phases, and dressage this year is not unlike the last four years I have been Chef d’Equip.  Dayna Lynd-Pugh, our coach, has done an incredible job, not only bringing out the best performance in each rider, but building an enormous amount of camaraderie among the entire Area VI team – riders, grooms, vet, chef, and family members.  This can be a tough feat.  After having been a part of the most fantastic team experience last year at the Pan American games, there are no words that can describe the importance of ‘team spirit’.

Area VI could not travel the thousands of miles across the country without the support of its sponsors.  On dressage day, we would like to thank Fleeceworks, our main sponsor, for the incredible pads they supplied us.  Each year Fleeceowrks supplies pads for the riders for both dressage and show jumping.  Area VI tries to express its gratitude each year by riding well! Thank you so much Judy! If you have never owned or used a Fleeceworks pad, you are missing out; they are the best!

I look forward to seeing how all the riders tackle the incredible cross country course that David O’Connor designed.  He always produces a fair but difficult test for each level and I know Area VI will rise to the challenge.

I wish all of the riders a strong and safe trip around!

Go Area VI and Go NAJYRC!!!

Photos via Betsy Braun:

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 4^th.   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 4^th 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 5^th 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!