From Lisa:
Hello once again from Lisa and Smart Move. Just touching base and giving everyone an update on our progress toward the Bit of Britain Challenge that will see us competing the CCI 3* at Dansko Fair Hill this October for $15,000. Now truthfully the best bet for us would be to compete at the 2* and try to win the $10,000 prize for winning both the Jersey Fresh CCI2* and the Fair Hill CCI2*. With a lot of the very best 2* horse and riders competing in the Pan Ams and all the great 3* horse and rider combinations that will most certainly be using Fair Hill as an Olympic showcase we would be crazy not to enter the 2*. Common sense would tell anyone to take the safer route, right….well we are still talking horses right, so we all know there is no use bringing common sense into the conversation, besides everybody knows that dreams trump money practicality every time….. call us crazy but our plan is the 3*.
My logic is simple. When we set Smartie’s goals for 2011 our year end goal was to finish the year at Fair Hill doing the 3*. At the time I set the goals no one was dangling a $10,000 carrot to drop us down to the 2*. Truthfully the likelihood of winning the 3*and the $15,000 are slim but Smartie’s plan is a 5 year plan and we have some lofty goals for 2012 and beyond so we will stick with the original plan and who knows….stranger things have happened .
So what have we been up to? Since we last talked Smartie has successfully completed his first two Advance Horse Trials. Both shows Millbrook and Richland Park played out similarly in that our 3 days seemed to go: Good, Amazing and Ugly, in that order- on both shows.
The GOOD
Smartie’s dressage tests have scored average at his first two events. With 24 starters at both shows, we placed 12th at Millbrook and 10th at Richland Park but he really has exceeded my expectations for his first two tests. Although his scores are nothing to write home about, at just 7 years old Smartie is just starting to develop the muscling required to really put together a top notch test. In the last couple of months I have seen a huge difference in his ability to carry himself and the development of his gaits. I think you will see a good test coming up at the Plantation CIC 3* and I’m confident that by the time Fair Hill rolls around he will put in a competitive CCI 3* test.
THE AMAZING
Smartie’s cross country was exactly what I imagined our first Advanced to be, spot on! Smartie absolutely loves this part of his job and he took on the challenges of the advanced level without hesitation. He was bold yet respectful of most of the fences and he ate up every inch of a very challenging course at Millbrook with only 1.6 time faults. After we finished Phillip suggested that rather than go for time that we take the opportunity to use the horse trials to school my young and still green horse and as usual Phillip was spot on. At Richland our approach and focus would be on ride ability and not time. Smartie ultimately had another great run on a big, beautiful galloping course. He posted another clear round with just 6.8 time faults and not surprisingly still had lots of gas in the tank. Smartie is loving the challenge.
THE UGLY
UGH….Well our first two shows definitely gave us a focus point . Both Millbrook and Richland ended with us pulling 3 rails and that is definitely disappointing but it is not discouraging. Smartie is a very good jumper and more than capable of jumping clear rounds at this level but moving him up has shown that we will have to put a little more emphasis on creating a softer ride and to teach him to be a bit less bold and to back himself off the fences. A quick jump school with Phillip after Richland has helped give focus, exercises and direction and we expect to do a much cleaner job in the very near future.
PERSPECTIVE
How lucky am I. I have a very talented 7 year old horse that is confidently and competently competing at the Advanced level. He is oozing with untapped potential and most days I get to sit on him and try to squeeze it out of him. The future looks bright. We will always be working on something- that’s horses- so for me today it is show jumping. If I had the perfect horse my name would be Michael Jung but I am pretty sure my driver’s license still says Lisa Marie Fergusson so with that I better get back to the sand box, set the course and find a way to leave the rails in the cups at Plantation Field. Till next time….GO EVENTING.
