A very cute puppy we found on XC, I think her name was Suki
Hello there EN–In a bit of a twist from my normal posts, this is a recap of my Bromont experience and an update on everything else, so here we go. I ran the CCI* at Bromont with Arundel, fondly known as Spenser or the Chestnut Monster on the days when he decides he doesn’t want to be caught. I’ve had him for about a year and this was his second one star and our first together. My full-time cousin and part-time trainer Joanie flew to Philadelphia and drove up with me as a relief driver and groom. Minus a few backroad detours courtesy of our GPS and washed out roads, we arrived at the barn without too much trouble. I won’t bore you with the gory details that I’m sure you all know (we’ve all done an event before, or at least been to one) and skip to saying that Spenser was a star. Dressage went well minus a halt at the wrong letter (oops) and cross country was a good learning experience. I was so intent on making time that I managed to run straight through my turn on the first combination, resulting in 20 points and a new-and-improved mindset for the rest of the course. I was more than a little nervous going out of the box because I had never ridden him on such a long and demanding track before so I wasn’t sure how he would handle it. Naturally he did better than I did and more than stepped up to the plate, cooling out quickly and trotting up perfectly the next morning. While I didn’t finish in a good placing (I never checked but I think I was nearly last…) I had a great time. I hadn’t done an FEI event in two years and it was refreshing to dust off my tails and remember how to jog up. Taking the trip was a good distraction from things at home, and I’m very glad I was able to focus just on riding.
While I wasn’t at True Prospect for the week of Bromont, it was not far from my mind nor those of my fellow competitors. Thursday night I attended the Calcutta auction that benefited Caitlin, Lillian, and Ryan. Just seeing the number of people who turned out to support them was inspiring, and then it was announced that Mr. Alan Shinton would match any money raised with his own funds. It feels a bit worn out by now to say that I was overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers, but I can’t think of another way to put it. Everyone, from Mr. Shinton to the Bromont office staff, had nothing but kind words and supporting gestures for me and everyone involved with True Prospect. Suffice it to say I have a lot of thank-you notes to write.
It was a bit hard to leave what Joanie and I dubbed “utopia” and drive back home, but we managed it. There was a slightly tense moment at the US border when the customs agent asked for the truck registration and I realized that it expired on May 30, but happily she didn’t comment and let us through without delay. Spenser has enjoyed the week off and I took him on a hack for the first time today. He will go back into light work later this week and hopefully we will be out again soon. Life goes on. The routine is starting to return. This is the last time I will write about the fire for EN, because I think I have said all that needs to be said. So, one last time, thank you for your support, your kind words, and of course, thank you for reading.
Go Eventing.
