I hope you are having a great Veterans Day and I should also wish you a happy Remembrance Day, which honors members of the Canadian armed forces. After a frustrating withdraw from Fair Hill just a day before the dressage, Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move rerouted to Galway, where they completed their first CCI3* together. We want to give a special thanks to Lisa for her fabulous reports through the ups and downs of her autumn three-day season. I also want to thank the good folks at Ride On Video for getting Lisa’s videos uploaded as quickly as possible. Lisa didn’t win the Bit of Britain challenge this year, but we appreciate John Nunn’s support and Lisa’s guest blogs on EN.
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From Lisa:
SMARTIE’S CALIFORNICATION – RED HEAD IN HOLLYWOOD
STARRING James Alliston and Jumbo’s Jake (A Star is Born-Brilliant Oscar Performance).
Co-Starring Jolie Wentworth on GoodKnight and Barbara Crabo on Eveready (great job girls!).
GENRE Suspense/Thriller Although Mike says if it had been a Drama I would have won hands down…that’s supportive.
Directed and Produced By Robert Kellerhouse (Clearly the Spielberg of Eventing, AMAZING EVENT!)
FILMED on location in sunny Temecula California.
AND INTRODUCING SMART MOVE
AUDITIONS: JOG
The funny thing about jog, especially Final Horse Inspection, is how uneasy it appears to make us feel. Your horse can be 100% sound, in fact you know he is because you jogged him, at the barn (9 times) before bringing him down, yet it is hard not to be nervous when ultimately the ground jury, for that moment in time, controls your fate. Between passing the jury and hearing the verdict, time stands still. Personally, once I have passed the jury I just keep walking, never stopping and never looking back. I probably look like someone leaving the scene of a crime who is trying to not be noticed, all the while holding my breath the entire time with my ears pricked the size of Dumbo’s, just waiting to hear those hopeful words of approval…..Smart Move is accepted….and breathe…they love me, they really love me! Of course I knew he’d pass all along, it was never in doubt. Pressure cooker baby!
A FEW GOOD MEN HORSES: DRESSAGE “You want the truth, you can’t handle the truth”
Dressage is where the storyline truly starts to unfold, where the judges separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff or in Galway’s case Ballynoe Castle from the pack, Buck scored a 41….wow!
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, and it did, all day. Friday the rain was relentless and by the end of the day the Dressage Pool Ring was pretty sloppy. Armed with King Kong studs (perhaps floaties would have been more appropriate), Smartie strutted into the ring and was still slipping a bit in the corners. After posting one of the best Dressage performances of the day, Gina Fiore was kind enough and selfless enough to help with some great tips during my warm up…great dressage eye and great new friend and although our test score was not an Oscar winning performance, it was as good a test as I can possibly expect from Smartie at this point. Smartie received mixed reviews from his Dressage Critics placing him as high as 7th with 67.6% from one judge but only 59.6% or 23rd from another. When all the marks were in and averaged out we stood in 17th place on a 56.2. Overall I was happy and obviously the 67 sounded better than the 59 but we will spend the winter with Betsy on dressage and I am confident that all the judges will see him performing steady, accurate and correct tests next spring, and as for the truth, did we deserve the 67 or the 59…. you be the judge!….can’t wait for spring!
ACTION cut take 2 ACTION cut take 3 ACTION: Cross Country
While I was in warm up there were three holds on course…not exactly a confidence builder but if there was an upside Phillip was in warm up and I knew that there had been 5 double clear rounds before I was sent to the start box. I started warm up an hour and a half before I would actually get on course and ride but once we got out of the gates the course was an absolute blast to ride. When we walked the course it walked big, bold and had a number of tough questions that would definitely make up for the lack of terrain. I like to first walk the cross country course alone and I usually come up with a pretty good plan but inevitably after I walk with Phillip I always have a better one. Phillip sees lines and options at fences and combinations that only comes with a ton of International experience, on a lot of different horses and of course there is his genius…let’s not forget that. My experience this year with Phillip is: whatever the line or the approach Phillip suggests, it always rides exactly as suggested, thank you Phillip. As for Smartie, I love sitting cross country on this horse and if there is a horse I would want to be sitting on when I do my first Rolex, it is him…..Hmmm. End result was a fantastic clear round with just 2.8 time faults and that was enough to move us up to 5th….WOW!
THE VILLIAN: Show Jumping
The antagonist since moving up to advanced! I keep telling people how great a jumper Smartie is and the results keep making a liar out of me. Phillip said it best to me in the warm up area before I entered the ring for my round, “It doesn’t matter how well you jump out here, it’s what you do in there that counts.” For me no truer words could be spoken. Simply, if you want to beat your nemesis the moral is “Stick to the plan”- actually- first get a plan (thanks Jenn Holling), then trust the people and the plan and stick to it. It is so easy to stray and look for answers outside of what really just needs time, focus and commitment before it bears fruit. Stick to the plan. Yes, I am aware that this is just one clear Advanced round but if you watch the video I think you will see a fantastic clean and clear round and a horse with a great deal of jumping potential . Last March I left Wellington and my jump coach Frankie Chesler with a plan. Phillip built on that and the difference in Smartie this year is remarkable. The building blocks will continue this winter with Frankie and next season I have some pretty high hopes. Thank you both Phillip and Frankie.
HAPPY ENDING BEGINNINGS FOR SMARTIE “To infinity and beyond”
There will be sequels, of that you can be sure. There really is no other way to best describe the high of finishing my first CCI3* with Smartie. He was such a good boy through all three days and I was obviously thrilled with his fourth place finish. This sport promises each competitor a yearly membership to the longest emotional roller coaster ride available to man and I’m not talking the two ticket variety, we’re talking full on “Tower of Terror.” In Eventing, there are always a lot of ups and downs but it is the moments like this past weekend that fill us up, recharges us and sends us forward. Whether Advanced or Novice I know the feeling of fullness for all of us is the same, and that, in part is why we do it…the other part is, we are crazy and gluttons for punishment.
ROLL THE CREDITS
People behind the scenes rarely get the credit they deserve, mostly because they are “behind the scenes” and people tend to focus on the lead characters. When the credits start to roll the theatre empties so you never hear of people like Jay Taylor who sent me a very generous amount of money to help make Galway possible. Truthfully, if I were to list all the people that help make a difference in my life this blog would turn into a BLAH, so as a blanket statement, to all people who support eventers and to all people behind the scenes at every level, a huge shout out of gratitude. I don’t just say this because I am eternally grateful, I say it because 2012 starts in 2 months and yes I will need your help and support all over again…kinda sounds selfish right?!… but from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.
OK so you know the part at the end of the movie that has out takes, this is it….
Ronald Zabala comes to me in between his three star rides to tell me how the course rode. What other sport does a competitor try to help…well I have seen football players pat each other’s butts, so there is that…. but where else? Ronald, you are awesome and Thank You.
We were stabled beside the Pollards who incidentally are officially the “Nicest People in the World.” Smartie does not eat Cavalor, which Michael distributes here in the US, but he will probably start, heck I’ll probably start, they are that nice. I think in life those are the kind of people we all cheer for. Their son is the cutest little boy who happily rewards the horses with cookies because he says, “They deserve it.”
Future Eventer in New Mexico? First thought dog, second thought pig, third thought I wonder how good Porky’s dressage is and I bet Phillip could get him around a 3*. The things you see on the road.
I think I can speak for most of the East Coasters that headed to California with thoughts of warmth, sun, sand and beaches and they got freezing temperatures, rain and muck …clearly we’ve all been punk’d…some of your best work Ashton!
By the numbers, Round trip: days 14, miles 6000, States 11, hours driving 104, prize money $3100, gas $2700, entries $1950, overnight stabling $300, food $400, countless new friends and amazing experience….priceless!
Someone asked if the trip was worth it. I hope the answer shines through in the blog, this was a great trip and as for the future….stay tuned, the first sequel could be ….. well, we will see what Smartie comes out like after the spring but Smartie has expressed an interest in a new watch…Hmmm
Till then GO EVENTING!
Lisa Marie Fergusson
