The Midsouth Three-day Event and Team Challenge (October 19-23) is one of my favorite events and, incidentally, hosted my first one-star many moons ago. Marsha Spencer is an Area II eventing mom who has kindly volunteered to keep us posted on her daughter’s team on their path to the team challenge.
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Pat Palmer and Ian II
From Marsha:
I am the mother, (groom, truck driver, organizer, and mental coach) of an Area 2 amateur rider. Soon after the Training 3Day at Waredaca last year, we decided to make the Hagyard MidSouth Prelim 3Day in Kentucky the goal for this year. We MUST have a goal, you just can’t be tooling around Area 2 eventing willy-nilly! My daughter trains with Paul Ebersole, of Champagne Wishes Farm (and I am one of those Mother Muckers, or as I like to be referred to, a horse caddie, since caddies seem to get more respect these days), and after talking with him, it looked like we could get a group to go compete. Great!
Erin Durst schooling Blink He’s Gone
Right now there are two riders to train for the Prelim 3 Day, one the CCI1*, and three riders tackling the T3Day. I thought an account of the training and prep process would be fun and interesting, especially since not many people get to prepare for the long format. Just packing up six riders could be a story itself.
Colleen McKitrick and Rocmaster
Our P3D riders are YR Colleen McKitrick, riding Rocmaster, Erin Durst riding Blink He’s Gone. The T3D riders are husband and wife team, (should be fun) Byron Poindexter riding Mac in Vegas and Kristy Poindexter riding Future Promise and Junior Erin Miller riding San Marco. The CCI* rider is Pat Palmer riding Ian II. All riders have already qualified, and the long format riders have their conditioning program in full swing. Some of the riders are working on separate parts of their competition with unrecognized shows and all will sharpen up their mounts with at least one more HT before we leave for Kentucky. Rooms have been booked, and entries mailed for this galvanized group of amateur riders form Area 2.
Byron Poindexter and Mac in Vegas
I must add that I had to substitute as an exercise rider for my daughter when she went out of town a few weeks ago. Can’t mess with the program! There was not enough ibuprofen at Rite Aide to help me after 2 days of trot and gallop sets. Have to work on my core strength, forgot I had one….
Kristy Poindexter and Future Promise
