From Lisa:
So just out of shear curiosity I checked the Vegas odds on Smartie winning the Dansko Fair Hill CCI 3* and thus completing the Bit of Britain Challenge and winning a generous $15,000. Turns out Smartie is the odds on favorite……for best tail, on a red head with a white sock…who would have guessed? Apparently the odds of him winning the event are somewhere between Smartie getting hit by lightning and me having an allergy to water…or so I have been told by countless friends steering me to the CCI2*. As expected the entry list for Fair Hill is stacked with great hopeful Olympic horse and rider combinations looking to finish 2011 on a high note…..so what’s a girl to do? Well you start with a visit to Smartie’s Auntie Betsy (Betsy Steiner) for a long overdue dressage boot camp, mix in a little jumping with Phillip Dutton, add a fix a test with Jeannie MacDonald and then just ride the best three days of eventing that Smartie and I have in us and presto! a great result….and if that doesn’t work bribery is always an option.
JOHN NUNN SIGHTING
Recently Smartie and I went to a local schooling show and while warming up a student I began talking with a Father who was with his daughter at her first show. Turns out the Father was John Nunn, we introduced ourselves, had a great conversation and they are both super, super nice people. It would be hard to take $15,000 from such nice people but I have probably spent more than that at their store….we will look at it more as a refund, ….. but more to the point thank you John and Bit of Britain for this opportunity.
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM SMARTIE AT FAIR HILL
RELEASE THE BEAST
Smartie’s first three Advanced shows have really been all about schooling. Our xcountry focus has been about confidence and experience, not time. Smartie has been foot perfect so far and without me pushing him he has had very few time faults on some tough xcountry courses. I am hoping for good footing at Fair Hill because it would be nice to release the beast within Smartie and let him do what he loves….run and jump.
FOOTLOOSE
Smartie is probably not going to win the dressage at Fair Hill but he might surprise you. Smartie is just starting to dance, he is only 7 and quickly putting the pieces together and I can say with great confidence that he will be a very competitive horse on the flat in the very near future. He has shown throughout the season that he can put in an accurate, rhythmical and correct test. He has shown steady improvement in his collection and cadence, and I am excited to see how much he will improve after spending another winter with Betsy.
HICKSTEADS JOB IS SAFE….FOR NOW
Is jumping Smartie’s weakest link? Truthfully it is not. He has had more than his share of rails at the advanced level, but he is an amazing jumper whose cross country boldness is causing us some heartache. His youth and lack of experience in the show jump ring manifests it’s self in the form of “whoa, easy! -what? No, no I got this…opps did I hit that”. Smartie is innately careful and does not want to hit rails but the same qualities that make him such a great xcountry horse are the same qualities that get him into trouble in the ring. Show jumping at the advanced level is technical enough that talent will only take you so far. I explained to Smartie that the reason they let me walk the course and walk the distances is because “I’M THE RIDER” and until they let the horses walk the distances that he might want to listen to me, I guess we will see how that talk went for him at Fair Hill but we are looking to go clear.
so here is our fair hill strategy, hope it doesn’t sound too Cliché
With our backs against the wall, we’ll put on our game face and leave nothing out on the field. It’s still anyone’s game and we are looking forward to the challenge but at the end of the day it is what it is. We will take it to the next level, get on the same page, step up to the plate, stay focused and play within ourselves. Smartie will bring his A game, turn it up a notch, go for broke and not leave any money on the table. We will give it a 110″%. and last but not least….hopefully be a real Cinderella story………need I say more….till then GO EVENTING
