Sporting Days Scoreboard

Our first event at Sporting Days Farm was a great success!  All of the horses performed well, each coming home with ribbons.  Even more importantly, I got a good read of what we're doing well and what we need to continue to work on.

Rufus is jumping wonderfully, and a little more polish should make our dressage score even more competitive.  Bumbleberry was a little nervous, being the baby of the group, and he whinnied for much of the day (including during most of his dressage test).  He looked to me for some reassurance during the jumping, but he did everything I asked of him.  Pete exceeded all expectations, putting in a nice first dressage test ever and behaving himself all day.  He struggled a little with the show jumping, but he is hugely inexperienced at this part.  He galloped around the cross country like an old pro.

At the Middleburg Horse Trials last fall, Jeff Keffer said, "I think I just need to do one more event, and I'll have it perfect."  I find myself saying that after every competition!  Part of what makes our sport challenging and exciting is that it's a never-ending learning process.  I was thrilled with the day yesterday because 1. the horses are all appropriately prepared and confident to be successful and 2. I have concrete goals for where to make improvements for Sunday's competition, as well as for the rest of the season.

Enjoy the pictures below! Special thanks to my photographers Rolf, Liz, and Ayla Turnquist and to Gwen Kriskie for helping me with the horses all day!

PICTURES AND SCOREBOARD

RUFUS

• Dressage Score: 35.5
• Stadium: 1 rail, 4 faults
• Cross Country: 0 jump faults, 0 time faults
• Final Placing: 5th Place

BUMBLEBERRY

Dressage: 35.8

Stadium: 1 rail, 4 faults

Cross country, 0 jump faults, 0 time faults

Final Placing: 6th Place

PETE

Dressage Score: 38.4

Stadium: 8 jump faults, 15 time faults

Cross Country: 0 jump faults, 0 time faults

Final Placing: 8th Place

This was the first time that Ayla and I had competed at the same level or even at the same event since Menfelt in June 2004 (where we both happened to fall off our horses in the water!).  Here we are discussing the stadium course before jumping. 

The Turnquists have been great hosts.  We have all spent a few nights unwinding in the hot tub after dinner!