Fabulous Fred's Road to the WEG

Follow Fred on his road to the 2010 WEG(Editor’s note: As Mike and Jerry travel to shows around the country, they are greeted with many questions and comments. Topics range from the horses’ breeding, to training methods, to managing a ranch in Texas. But most frequently (and much to the bewilderment of Mike), they will hear something like, “I sure like that right leader.”, “That right leader sure can get through some tight spots in the hazards!”, or “Is that right leader for sale?” That right leader is Pecan Mill Fred. He’s the little horse with the sparkle in his eye that just makes a person smile. Beginning with the driving community around his home in Brenham, Fred has amassed a group of people who call themselves members of the Fabulous Fred Fan Club. So here, for his fans, is Fred’s account of his quest to become part of the United States Combined Driving Team and compete in Kentucky at the 2010 World Equestrian Games.)

Sunshine State CAI was the first qualifying show for Team Texas. Ruff, Tuff, Ready, and Fred not only qualified but finished second to the World Silver Medalist, Chester Weber.

Saturday, March 14
Since Sunshine State, we’ve been at our Florida spa retreat, aka Erika Matulich and John Porter’s Cypress Keep Farm. John and Erica graciously allowed us to stay at their lovely place in Plant City for some much needed down time. Being turned out to play in the pasture was great. Mike worked us each day but we still had lots of time to chill. Today we load up and travel to Live Oak.

Sunday- Tuesday Live Oak Clinic
It’s time to get serious again. Coach Peter Tischer is here to help get us ready for the Live Oak show. Mike has promised no two-a-day workouts as long as we’re good. Ready and Donovan aren’t showing this time but will take the second lesson slot each day of the clinic. I’ll try to be good but there are no fans watching us practice and I find it difficult to dazzle without a crowd. Plus, I can only let Mike practice so many one-handed circles before I’m bored to tears!

Wednesday Vet Check
I love the jog! The entire team gets all glammed up. We’re brushed to gleaming and our manes braided up with fancy green yarn. Lots of fans show up to watch me strut my stuff on the runway. The best part is I get lots of attention with no work involved on my part. I pass the check with flying colors, of course. Oh yeah, the rest of the team does, too.

Thursday Dressage
There’s nothing quite like coming over the rise to enter the Live Oak arena and seeing the crowd, the tents, the flags for the first time. Still, Dressage is not my favorite day and Tuff always gives me dirty looks when I try and acknowledge my fans. He wants me to wait until after the test to look at anything. He’s always so serious.Ruff and Tuff put in a good test. Tina, however, pretends she’s tired and puts in a flat performance. Mike (who’s always telling me to pay attention), forgets where he’s going and adds 5 penalty points to our score. I, of course am fabulous. We end the day with a somewhat disappointing 67.46 in 5th place.

Friday
The Intermediates do dressage today, so all we have to do is get ready for marathon tomorrow. We’re harnessed and hooked and go for a quick spin in the marathon carriage to make sure everything is adjusted correctly. We also have a new groom on the back step and Mike and Jerry want to be sure he can hang on during all my fancy moves!

Saturday Marathon
You can just feel the anticipation on marathon day. Everyone is a little worried about Tina being able to keep up. This is her first FEI show, her first marathon ever in a team. We all know that we can rely on Ruff, though. He’s used to doing most of the pulling since both Tina and the other left wheeler, Ready, think that all the heavy lifting should be left to the boys. I hear talk that Tina is vying for my right leader position where she won’t have to pull so much. We’ll just see what my fans think of that!Anyway, we’re all booted and tails braided up out of the way. We’re checked and walking, ready to start section A when our helpers flag us down and tell us we have a trace down. A snap has broken. “Seven minutes!”, the timer helpfully tells us. Luckily, Jerry (prepared as always) has a spare and with a leatherman and many helping hands, a quick repair job is accomplished. All this stress and we haven’t even started yet!Section A takes us on a lovely tour of the Live Oak grounds. Those thoroughbreds know how to live! I need to talk to Mike and Jerry about upgrading my housing situation. The walk section causes some problems. They expect us to walk past the stabling, i.e. our food, at 7 kph. Not gonna happen. We accrue penalties but arrive at the Vet check relaxed and ready for hazards.Hazards go fairly well. I’m fabulous, of course and do my best to keep up with Tuff. I stay with him the entire time, never once “splitting” a post even though I have to really hustle through some very tight spots. I think sometimes Tuff forgets I’m over here and doesn’t leave me any room.Tina actually works some. Mike remembers his routes. And although not super fast, we finish with a respectable 4th.At Vet check we’re told that not only I, but the rest of the team as well, look fabulous.We’re chosen to have our carriage weighed so we’re all unhitched. And then, incredibly, they tell me I need to (excuse me while I blush) pee in a cup! I’m terribly embarrassed by all of this but soon find the FEI drug steward is a very nice lady who quickly becomes a member of my fan club.

Sunday Cones
It’s cones day! This is my favorite. The fans are very close, I’m very dressed up, and I get to show my moves with very little sweating.We’re all groomed, braided, and fitted with white boots. Cones are in the same area as dressage, so we head up there to warm up. I’m not feeling any love for Tina as she complains that she’s already worked hard enough this week and doesn’t want to play this game anymore.We enter the ring and I’m set to impress. I’m fabulous and don’t touch a single cone! The crowd cheers and I’m feeling great. But as we’re leaving the ring, I hear Mike ask Jerry, “What did I hit?” “10”, she replies. “And what other one?”, he asks. That is when she explains that she didn’t mean he hit number 10, but that he hit ten cones. I’m incredulous and shoot angry looks at Tina.We stick around the warm-up area to see how the other teams do and to find out our final placings. We’ve figured that we’re out of the ribbons and are surprised when they call us back into the ring. The announcer states that we’re to be presented a special award. (probably the Most Fabulous Horse award, I think to myself.) But it turns out we receive the FEI Fitness Award. I knew I was in fabulous shape and it turns out the rest of the team was, too. This award is quite an honor and makes us feel proud of all the hard work we’ve put in. It takes the sting out of the cones debacle, and we head back to the stables in high spirits.

Monday
We’re all loaded up and ready to travel home to Texas! It’s been a great trip and all five Pecan Mill bred horses are qualified for WEG! We’ll continue to practice at home and receive coaching from Peter until our next show this October in Kentucky. Hopefully, Donovan will be ready. With Ruff getting some help pulling the carriage, we should be even more fabulous!