Onward - and (hopefully!) upward

Dressage at Copper Creek in 90+F weather, at a place where shade is almost non-existent. Am I nuts??  Some of my friends sure think so. The weekend had some highs and some lows...

I remember an interview with Karen O'Connor, when she was asked after a fall how she deals with the disappointments. In essence she said "if you do it long enough then the highs are not as high and the lows are not as low". The woman has an excellent point (as an Olympian with plenty of highs and lows during her long career she sure knows what she is talking about).

Sandy, Francis, Saumur, Daughtry and Hopper had quite the adventure getting to the showgrounds. The trailer sported a flat tire! Francis expertly inched the large trailer (it has a kitchenette, bathroom, sitting and sleeping area, not to mention the horses) to the nearest tire store. The horses couldn't be unloaded so the trailer was hydraulically hoisted up. Due to the flat tire some metal at the fender was bent and needed to be pried loose. Amazingly, all three of the horses handled the commotion like champs! Considering that Daughtry is a baby, Hopper hasn't trailered much, and Saumur has his trailer phobias - WOW! Sandy prudently didn't email me about the adventure, she only told me once I showed up at the show. Looking at the horses there you wouldn't have known anything out of the ordinary happened: they all looked happy, munching hay and enjoying the 'room service'.

Schooling Friday night went well, we kept it short due to the heat and also because it was JP's birthday. So much for a romantic dinner: I came home tired and sweaty. That didn't keep me away from the champagne, though...  dehydrated and on an empty stomach, it sent me straight into Morpheus' arms!

Both competition days I felt I had some of the best rides in a show ring I've produced so far. We bungled the flying change in 3-3 and had some minor inaccuracies but all in all I was happy. Not so with the scoring: what a difference from the last show. Yes, it is one person's opinion, and that person might not fancy a Morgan, or our looks or whatever. It's also true that Saumur doesn't have spectacular gaits, but still - we have proven that we can perform very respectably. Ah, that's the challenge, not getting bogged down when getting 'creamed'. Still .. it hurts and I feel like I'm letting everybody down when the scores are low.

I scratched today's afternoon ride due to the heat and we took Saumur in our trailer to pick up Chambord at Sandy's, and now both boys are happily standing in their run-in under the fan.

So onward we go, focusing on the positive experiences: no panic on the trailer, a relaxed, sound and happy horse, no spooks, support and encouragement from wonderful people! That sure outweighs the scores.

Next weekend is the George Williams clinic at Sandy's: onward we go --