With the Fair Hill CCI3*, 5 other USEA events, and the Pau CCI4* in France all competing over the next few days, it’s hard to look beyond this weekend. But, while I am in Mexico writing about the Pan Ams next weekend, Samantha will be in Kentucky covering the Midsouth Three-Day Event and Team Challenge (October 19-23). Midsouth is a great event and is infamously the home of my first three-day. 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.
—-
From Marsha:
[Part 1]
Good news and bad news, it always seems that way with our sport. We started out with six riders going to the Hagyard MidSouth 3Day Event and Team Challenge in Kentucky and now we are down to four. Mac in Vegas, owned and ridden by Byron Poindexter, needed colic surgery suddenly, but is recovering well and in good form two weeks post-op. Erin Miller and San Marco will not be making the trip, but both are pushing ahead with a recent 4th at Loch Moy this past weekend in Junior Open Training finishing on their dressage score.
The last outing for everyone was at the rain soaked, bone chilling Morven Park HT, October 1st. Erin Durst was 4th after dressage in Open Preliminary and had a very non-boring jumping round in the driving rain. She demonstrated how to take the second fence without stirrups… clean. Jr. Rider Colleen McKitrick and Rocmaster jumped their stadium clear in the Preliminary at Morven, to follow up their double clear cross country round at Plantation that seemed to give even the more experienced jocks something to remember.
Their coach Paul Ebersole wisely pulled everyone before the Morven cross country since they were too close to leaving for Kentucky to chance an injury in the wild weather that weekend.
The three riders taking on the Midsouth long format met at Morningside Training Farm in The Plains, Virginia for a steeplechase practice, speed workout and short school at the water complex Monday. It was a pristine morning in one of the most beautiful practice facilities anywhere. I also have to give props to Sandy Johnston of Gordonsdale Farm in Berryville Virginia, who provides his beautiful farm for schooling and galloping. Many of our workouts were around his natural gallop course where we trotted past flocks of wild turkeys and deer.
It was a thrill to let the horses gallop out over the training track at Morningside, and a chance to get an accurate feel of the speed needed for the steeplechase. Afterward they moved to the steeplechase fences and practiced the approach with speed. Everyone is looking forward to that part of the long format that turns riders into jockeys and horses into ground covering cross country machines.
They are getting quirky–the horses I mean. Riders are a given. At the level of fitness needed for the longer format, the horses are feeling better than a West Virginia Mountaineer fan on game day. One day Erin Durst turned to find Blink coming at her with his mouth open so wide she could see his large intestine. Kristy’s horse, Future Promise, made the pre-vet exam a game of if you can catch my fetlock, you can flex it. One star rider, Pat Palmer, is tuning up her TB. I caught part of her dressage practice which looked beautiful. And Colleen McKitrick and Rocmaster have done so well lately we have to wear sun glasses just to watch them practice.
Everyone feels ready. The remaining prep will be dressage schooling and reinforcing what they already know. Oh wait, packing! Four women, five days away from home, it’s five o’clock somewhere…And where would they be without even tempered, well groomed, genius, zen master of eventing Paul Ebersole. Kristy’s husband, Byron will also be going to cheer her on and lend support to the group.
Oh, the packing…..Go Eventing!
