Team DF after an awesome day!
One of the greatest things about Northern California is that it there is a wide variety of horse-things to get involved with. We have some great Events, two active Hunts and much more. In the Sacramento area there is a very active local-level H/J circuit. Just about every weekend from February thru November you can get out and get a few trips around the Jumper ring. A good portion of the shows run multiple rings and are hosted at barns that also host A-Rated Hunter/Jumper shows so you get the busy “show experience” for your green horses and riders without the ridiculous prices of rated Hunter/Jumper shows.
Last weekend Team Dragonfire loaded up and hit the SAHJA Championship Tie-Breaker Show at Leone Equestrians. Jenny and Earl brought along some of the younger horses in training while Mia, Hailey and Taylor brought their horses (and pony) along to get in to get some extra milage in the SJ ring and to take a shot at winning some cash in the Ride and Drive. Taylor is getting ready for her first BN and Hailey is about to join Mia in Novice, after her recent move-up at Woodside. My mare stayed home, but I came along as moral support, occasional photographer and Taylor’s driver for the Ride and Drive.
With the exception of a minor boot-zipper issue when we arrived, it was smooth sailing. While I jammed back to Dragonfire to pick up a spare pair of tall-boots for Earl, Team DF got things rolling in the warm-up ring. I arrived in time to watch Taylor put in a very solid trip. Jenny’s young horse Jake went well, as did Earl’s ride Nick and Hailey on her horse Skip. Mia rode later in the day and put in some very polished rounds. Shelby and Morgan had also come to the show, so it was excellent to see some of the extended Dragonfire crew. We had some time to lounge about in the shade between rounds. The weather was great and the ring ran relatively quickly for a Hunter/Jumper show. Honestly, the only thing that I could complain about is that the hamburger I snagged at the concession stand was dry and overpriced.
In the early afternoon, we made a quick trip home to drop off the horses who were finished for the day and to pick up Jen’s 3* horse Billy, so that she could cruise around the 3’9” class just before the Ride and Drive. Billy went like a rockstar and was a pleasure to watch. After that it was time for the very serious business of the Ride and Drive.
For those of you that are not familiar with a Ride and Drive event, it can be run in a few different ways. Typically you have a rider who jumps a course of fences who then dismounts and runs over to a vehicle to drive it through a pre-determined pattern. Sometimes it is done as a tag-team event, with a separate driver and a baton hand-off or some other type of required interaction to change phases. The fastest combined time wins. Usually these are big-time classes with the winners taking home cars and massive amounts of money. In this case, the fences were 2’6”, the vehicle for the drive portion was a mini-quad, and cash prizes for the top three teams.
2'6" is pretty big when you're wee!
After a quick walk of the course, the competition got underway. The dream was to have Team DF sweep the top three spots and take home ALL of the money, but competition was very fierce! I drove for Taylor, Morgan rode Shelby’s horse while Shelby drove, and Earl drove for Mia. Taylor and I were up first for Team DF. Taylor had an impressive go – especially considering that the course was easily the largest she’d jumped in competition and how many rollbacks were involved. She had one unfortunate drive-by on a fence and I think I knocked a ball off of one of the cones, but it was seriously amazing. The mini-quad was pretty quick and I found myself laughing as I zipped across the ring and between my sets of cones.
Taylor and Erin’s Ride And Drive
Shelby and Morgan had a very solid trip with no faults and a good combined time. They finished fourth. Mia and Earl were the last from Team DF to go as well as the last to go in the competition. The level of noise we made was absolutely unreal – all of the expected hooting and hollering, paired with a Gagnam Style inspired cheer. At the end of the day, Earl and Mia snagged a portion of the cash – finishing second out of fourteen entries.
Even though it was a long one, the day could not have been better. It was interesting to me as someone coming from a Hunter/Jumper background to try and see the show from Hailey and Mia’s perspective as they’ve always been Eventers. Some of the rounds that looked like a committed track and forward-but-not-overly-aggressive pace to me, were a bit different than what they were used to seeing. Taylor put in quality rides over the biggest courses she’s done to date showed that she’s absolutely ready for her move-up to BN. I won’t lie – it was a bit like visiting my home town after many years away. You stop in, see the local sights, smile at some memories and get out of town before it gets too comfortable. I find myself energized and very much looking forward to my own next outing.
Go Team DF. Go Yellow Mini-Quads. Go Eventing.
