Chelan Kozak–Galway XC Preview

Remember the angled skinny ditch and brush fence into the head of the lake at the WEGs kiddies? Well now let’s just imagine TWO of those (minus the drop) 5 strides apart with two big logs situated ‘just so’ in between so one can’t get clever and angle the second one to get an easier line. It’s hard to get a photo of the line of two of them. Why? Because 9A is so damn big! Then you gallop to the corral- two very upright verticals.

11 is a table, 12 is a massive brush corner on a hill. The second water splash is a bank up one stride to an Orca (remember San Diego is only 45 minutes away) on and angle out. Next up is a ditch and brush to a skinny brush, two gallop fences in the infield. To follow is the sunken road, which is brand new and features a pro log at the in. Then, an open corner after a down hill then the third water. WHEW! The open corner is right handed and Ian has placed a big carved stump on the right hand side a couple of strides out, with a view to preventing the horses jumping at it from right to left and ending up in the middle of the corner. Nice touch to protect the horses if a silly rider misses the line. The third water (you’d never know we are technically in the desert here) is rails and drop in, 90 degree turn right, up a bank one stride out over another angled brush.

Then he takes you home a little, easing up just a bit, but still no time to fall asleep. There is a corner literally hidden off a turn in the bushes, needing accurate riding but it’s not huge. Next is two roll tops on angles to one another, up the bern and two brush jumps on the down hill slope. The final two are a table and rampy type thing to head you through the finish. Honest to God if anyone who’s second cousin twice removed is of German decent has a fall at either of those jumps I’m probably going to Hell.