It's showtime again! After a much needed rest, I'm missing my fans and am in need of some time in the spotlight! We leave the weekend before the show so that we can rest at our friends' house in Missouri before continuing on to the showgrounds. The temperatures fall the further north we go. Nighttime temperatures in the sixties and highs in the eighties feel great! I'm very happy until I discover that the Midwest is home to predators. Predators that I have determined are highly skilled horse tormentors, designed to hunt and kill us one drop of blood at a time. Yes, I'm talking about horse flies! I was trapped in my stall with one and for all of my kicking and rearing, it still got me. When turned out, I found that they didn't like the shade. I spent my time in the turnout shed, cautiously peering out now and then. Now, whenever I hear a buzzing sound, I'm instantly on high alert. The other horses think I'm overly dramatic and stay out of my way so they won't get caught with my flying hooves when I try to annihilate the enemy.
I make it through the night without dying. Then the next day, Mike harnesses me up. The other four horses have already been worked, so right off I'm suspicious. Sure enough, he hooks me up single. Now, I'm all for showing off and all of that, but there's not a fan in sight. I give Mike a look of resignation and disdain but decide to humor him and work very nicely for him, thank you very much.
Early Wednesday morning we load up and head to Iron Horse. The last time we were there, it was the first outing with the four and we showed training level. We've come a long way, baby!
The grounds are beautiful with gently rolling green hills. We're settled comfortably and are left to munch hay in peace. The cleaning frenzy begins Thursday morning as all five horses are bathed and braided. It's Vet check day. The crowd of fans isn't as big as Live Oak but I'm not one to disappoint and strut my stuff with style and class! The team is fit and ready. We all pass easily. I'm taken back to the stables but the rest of the team is taken back to the trailer, harnessed, hooked and taken out for dressage practice. Tuff is a little concerned when they come back to the stalls later than I expected. Donovan is still new to his leader position and is a little nervous. It takes a while to get Tuff and him really working well together. Once they are settled and working through the topline, they look great. Mike hopes that he can get this look in dressage tomorrow.
I'm only slightly jealous as the rest of the team is braided for dressage. You know I could care less about going around in aimless patterns in the ring, but I am all about fan recognition. The feeling passes and I go back to my hay as the team leaves for their test. Sometime later, I hear the announcer introducing Mike's horses. They say my name but all I can do is call helplessly from my stall while not one single fan can see me! It was torture! The only saving grace is that they are welcomed as a team of Friesians! As if. My cutting horse mother must be spinning in her grave! Mike must have been disturbed by this announcement as well because shortly thereafter, I hear a loud crash. As I was to hear about later, the carriage hit the arena boards and a bit of demolition occurred. Now, it could have been from Tina's tendency to let Ruff pull which caused her side to hit the boards, but I'm going with the distracted Mike theory. So between the board crashing and Don's nerves, the test wasn't stellar. Back at the stalls, I console the team and promise them that I can help make up the difference in marathon and cones.
Unlike other shows that we've been to lately, there is no day off between dressage and marathon. Mike and his gators have been out studying hazards every spare moment since we've arrived here. The hazards are well designed, offering both tight and technical routes as well as some more open options for a chance to really go! We're all decked out for marathon, boots on, tails braided, and anything that might come loose taped up. Section A is a little muddy from yesterday's rain but isn't a problem for us. It appears that there has been some sort of time keeping error and dispite our best efforts, we accrue time penalties. Mike is mad! We all sense his temper and walk as fast as we can in section D. We come in almost a minute early! All of us (Mike included) cool off at vet check. We laugh when we're told that we get an extra five minutes because of the heat. It's springtime here! At any rate, we're more than ready for hazards. All Mike's practice has paid off. He drives us smoothly around the course. I don't even mess with him and there's no ducking involved. We miss one turn in the last hazard but recover gracefully. The team all agrees that it went well. We know we can be faster but Mike put in a great effort. If not for the time penalty in section A, we would be fourth.
Finally it's cones day! This is my favorite part of the game! Mike's not stressed at all. We're out of the ribbons and he's feeling no pressure. We warm up, pass the vet check and wait for our turn. With three teams to go, we see the team that was to go right before us heading back to the barn. Apparently, there was a problem at vet check. We adjust our warmup time accordingly, feeling only slightly rushed. We are announced and enter the arena. I love this part! We navigate the course beautifully. We have one ball down in the zig-zag. Then, Tuff hits one with his hoof! I would have been so embarrassed. I would jump,dive,or levitate before I would hit a cone! The last section of the course is muddy and we happily splash through it. After all, we're not the ones who have to clean harness and carriage! Anyway, we think we finish with no time penalties.(There was no clock in the arena, so we relied on the stopwatches of bystanders.) Mike doesn't want to go in for the awards presentation since we're out of the ribbons. I protest that I must satisfy my fans and he relents. All the teams line up and it's quite an impressive sight. They start calling the winners up and we stand proudly. When they announce us in fourth place, Mike practically falls off the carriage. Since times were not announced, noone knew the order of placement in cones. It turns out we were first! We were the only team to finish within time. Even though I still don't have a blue ribbon, I feel like a winner. This is the best victory lap ever!
Monday, August 9, 2010
I'm back!
Hey, fabulous fans! I have a lot to catch you up on. We did show at Live Oak but I was so exhausted after three trips from Florida to Texas in three months, that all I did was chill in the pasture for over a week. The show went fairly well, but Mike was starting to have problems with his shoulder. We all told him to cowboy up and admittedly he did try, but the pain continued to increase all summer. Partly because of this and partly because of the travel involved, we decided to stay home and train until the Iron Horse CDE in August.
We spent the relative coolness of the early mornings training and the miserably hot afternoons under the shade of the pecan trees. Donovan continued to get better and stronger, while Anton didn't seem to show much improvement at all. It was decided to bring Tina back to the A-team for dressage. (much to her- I'm busy getting fat in this pasture thank you very much- surprise.) She worked in the lead with Tuff for awhile and then (just a couple of weeks before Iron Horse) was put in the wheel while Donovan and Tuff took the lead. Donovan and Tuff look pretty good up there if I do say so myself. Tina is trying but still needs encouragement to not be lazy and make Ruff do all of the pulling.
Sometime during all of this training, Mike finally got some effective treatment for his shoulder and started feeling much better. I can feel it in the quickness and consistency of his rein-handling and am almost as relieved as he is!
Coach Peter came to see us at the end of June. We worked on cones. Mike, in a fit of self-torture made the course himself and it was tough even for me! If we can get through this course, we can do anything! We also practiced marathon. Mike is making great strides in being able to keep up with us. I still like to mess with him and duck in an opening at the last minute, though. You'd think by now he'd know that I always make it and wouldn't get so uptight. Fun times! With less than a month to go before we leave for Illinois, Coach Peter leaves us with plenty to work on.
We spent the relative coolness of the early mornings training and the miserably hot afternoons under the shade of the pecan trees. Donovan continued to get better and stronger, while Anton didn't seem to show much improvement at all. It was decided to bring Tina back to the A-team for dressage. (much to her- I'm busy getting fat in this pasture thank you very much- surprise.) She worked in the lead with Tuff for awhile and then (just a couple of weeks before Iron Horse) was put in the wheel while Donovan and Tuff took the lead. Donovan and Tuff look pretty good up there if I do say so myself. Tina is trying but still needs encouragement to not be lazy and make Ruff do all of the pulling.
Sometime during all of this training, Mike finally got some effective treatment for his shoulder and started feeling much better. I can feel it in the quickness and consistency of his rein-handling and am almost as relieved as he is!
Coach Peter came to see us at the end of June. We worked on cones. Mike, in a fit of self-torture made the course himself and it was tough even for me! If we can get through this course, we can do anything! We also practiced marathon. Mike is making great strides in being able to keep up with us. I still like to mess with him and duck in an opening at the last minute, though. You'd think by now he'd know that I always make it and wouldn't get so uptight. Fun times! With less than a month to go before we leave for Illinois, Coach Peter leaves us with plenty to work on.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sushine State CDE
The weather back here in Texas has been so nice since we've been back from Florida that I haven't found anyone willing to go inside and type up my blog for me. Sorry for the late news but here's my account of the Sunshine State show.
Feb 22 Monday
Our stay at home was a short one. We're already back in Florida at John Porter's spa retreat. I just love playing in that water! Our grooms got here in the afternoon though, and put a stop to our fun. I supervised all the other team members getting their baths, getting close enough to enjoy the overspray. I went last - they always save the best for last. I loved getting bathed and clean and shiny but then we had to have sheets on and stay stalled. What's up with that?
Tuesday
We're loaded up and on our way to Sunshine State CDE. It's a short trip and a gorgeous day. The dressage team goes for a drive and I'm left behind. I usually don't mind but with such a nice day, I was hoping to get out. All I get is an in-hand walk around with Mike. Maybe tomorrow.........
Wednesday
I get a last minute touch-up with the clippers. I'm not wanting to stand still. There's so much I haven't seen yet! I get another in-hand walk around. The rest of the team goes out for a dressage lesson with Peter. We're cleaned up, braided up, and ready for vet check. It starts to rain but not hard enough to mess up my look. I stand up nicely for the judges, but when I start to trot off, I notice a rake and broom propped up against the fence. I turn sideways and look at them very closely, showing everyone that a proper vet inspection should include only tasteful decor such as flowers or potted plants. In any event, the team passes inspection and is ready for dressage tomorrow.
Thursday
The rest of the team does dressage today. I just get hand-walked a few times. The test apparently is pretty rough and everyone's grouchy when they get back to the stalls.
Friday
Today we get to practice cones. I'm full of energy after so much time off. Tuff and I do an awesome job but Mike's a little slow. I wish he'd learn to keep up with me!
Saturday
Marathon! The day begins cold and rainy. I'll do marathon in any weather but more of my fans show up on sunny days so I hope it clears by our start time this afternoon. The rain has mostly cleared by the time we're harnessing up. We walk a bit to warm up and then head over for the start of section A. This section turns out to be fairly short so apparently Ruff doesn't think it's time to walk yet. He's tense, so our walk time is a little bit slow. We don't even have Anton to blame. It's somewhat embarassing.
The hazards go pretty well. The team is working together and trying very hard to wait for Mike. We're patient until the fifth hazard when we give up and just pick our own route. Mike doesn't think that's the best idea and makes us circle around and take the route he's chosen. Our miscommunication costs precious seconds. We'll get him trained yet! The remaining two hazards go well. We drive the last one well but unfortunately have a knockdown. The combination of walk penalties and knockdown penalties costs us but we still end up in 4th place.
Sunday
It's a gorgeous day for cones. Lots of fans are sure to come today. Mike's been practicing a lot and hopes to do better than the last show. After watching several competitors go, it becomes apparent that the time is tight and we'll have to really book it! By our turn, no one has made the time yet. We try our best and Mike remembers the course. We're the fastest team so far, missing time by about 2 seconds. Unfortunately, we have 3 balls down.
After all the teams have gone, we end the competition in 5th place overall. We get a ribbon and an awards ceremony! I wave to all my fans and don't even mind the pink ribbon. After all, only real men wear pink!
Monday
The shows over but apparently our work has only begun. We're dragged out of our stalls right during our mid-morning nap, harnessed and driven back to the cones field. Now, Mike has had all morning to learn the course but he only gets as far as cone #2 before he loses his way. We try our best to help but I'm still learning to read numbers. Despite Mike's memory lapse, we only have one ball down and are well within time. Michael and Peter want Mike to drive better lines so it can be more under control. We try again. Mike still doesn't remember the entire route. The team is tired and losing patience with Mike. A little better memory on his part would save us lots of work! We're tired but it takes 4 times before we go clear. I guess Mike is even more tired than we are. He is only human, after all.
We get a brief rest for lunch and a nap. It's on to marathon practice. We redo the walk section and then Michael gives Mike some coaching tips. Then , on to hazard #1 which has been re-gated since Saturday. The team is awesome. Mike is tired. He keeps saying he's too old for this. We just keep saying "Cowboy up!" We do three more hazards and it's kind of rough. I don't mind too much because lots of fans have turned out to watch. We're all tired but Mike has learned a lot and will be better next time. He knows I'm fabulous and the rest of the team isn't too shabby either. Each competition gets Mike closer and closer to being fast enough to drive us!
Feb 22 Monday
Our stay at home was a short one. We're already back in Florida at John Porter's spa retreat. I just love playing in that water! Our grooms got here in the afternoon though, and put a stop to our fun. I supervised all the other team members getting their baths, getting close enough to enjoy the overspray. I went last - they always save the best for last. I loved getting bathed and clean and shiny but then we had to have sheets on and stay stalled. What's up with that?
Tuesday
We're loaded up and on our way to Sunshine State CDE. It's a short trip and a gorgeous day. The dressage team goes for a drive and I'm left behind. I usually don't mind but with such a nice day, I was hoping to get out. All I get is an in-hand walk around with Mike. Maybe tomorrow.........
Wednesday
I get a last minute touch-up with the clippers. I'm not wanting to stand still. There's so much I haven't seen yet! I get another in-hand walk around. The rest of the team goes out for a dressage lesson with Peter. We're cleaned up, braided up, and ready for vet check. It starts to rain but not hard enough to mess up my look. I stand up nicely for the judges, but when I start to trot off, I notice a rake and broom propped up against the fence. I turn sideways and look at them very closely, showing everyone that a proper vet inspection should include only tasteful decor such as flowers or potted plants. In any event, the team passes inspection and is ready for dressage tomorrow.
Thursday
The rest of the team does dressage today. I just get hand-walked a few times. The test apparently is pretty rough and everyone's grouchy when they get back to the stalls.
Friday
Today we get to practice cones. I'm full of energy after so much time off. Tuff and I do an awesome job but Mike's a little slow. I wish he'd learn to keep up with me!
Saturday
Marathon! The day begins cold and rainy. I'll do marathon in any weather but more of my fans show up on sunny days so I hope it clears by our start time this afternoon. The rain has mostly cleared by the time we're harnessing up. We walk a bit to warm up and then head over for the start of section A. This section turns out to be fairly short so apparently Ruff doesn't think it's time to walk yet. He's tense, so our walk time is a little bit slow. We don't even have Anton to blame. It's somewhat embarassing.
The hazards go pretty well. The team is working together and trying very hard to wait for Mike. We're patient until the fifth hazard when we give up and just pick our own route. Mike doesn't think that's the best idea and makes us circle around and take the route he's chosen. Our miscommunication costs precious seconds. We'll get him trained yet! The remaining two hazards go well. We drive the last one well but unfortunately have a knockdown. The combination of walk penalties and knockdown penalties costs us but we still end up in 4th place.
Sunday
It's a gorgeous day for cones. Lots of fans are sure to come today. Mike's been practicing a lot and hopes to do better than the last show. After watching several competitors go, it becomes apparent that the time is tight and we'll have to really book it! By our turn, no one has made the time yet. We try our best and Mike remembers the course. We're the fastest team so far, missing time by about 2 seconds. Unfortunately, we have 3 balls down.
After all the teams have gone, we end the competition in 5th place overall. We get a ribbon and an awards ceremony! I wave to all my fans and don't even mind the pink ribbon. After all, only real men wear pink!
Monday
The shows over but apparently our work has only begun. We're dragged out of our stalls right during our mid-morning nap, harnessed and driven back to the cones field. Now, Mike has had all morning to learn the course but he only gets as far as cone #2 before he loses his way. We try our best to help but I'm still learning to read numbers. Despite Mike's memory lapse, we only have one ball down and are well within time. Michael and Peter want Mike to drive better lines so it can be more under control. We try again. Mike still doesn't remember the entire route. The team is tired and losing patience with Mike. A little better memory on his part would save us lots of work! We're tired but it takes 4 times before we go clear. I guess Mike is even more tired than we are. He is only human, after all.
We get a brief rest for lunch and a nap. It's on to marathon practice. We redo the walk section and then Michael gives Mike some coaching tips. Then , on to hazard #1 which has been re-gated since Saturday. The team is awesome. Mike is tired. He keeps saying he's too old for this. We just keep saying "Cowboy up!" We do three more hazards and it's kind of rough. I don't mind too much because lots of fans have turned out to watch. We're all tired but Mike has learned a lot and will be better next time. He knows I'm fabulous and the rest of the team isn't too shabby either. Each competition gets Mike closer and closer to being fast enough to drive us!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It's Showtime! Little Everglades CDE
It's a new year and first up on our calendar is a new show. We're off to Florida for the Little Everglades CDE. It's just the boys this time; Ruff, Tuff, Donovan, Anton, and my fabulous self. The big rig is packed up and Mike interupts my beauty sleep to leave way too early. The trip is long and tiring as usual but when we see that we're stopped at John Porter's farm instead of the showgrounds, we are suddenly full of energy. First off, we roll and roll until we are satisfied that we're sufficiently covered in black sand. Then, I lead the team on a gallop around the property, through trees and over logs until we reach the tank and splash in. We paw and play so that we are now both dirty and wet. (All except for Anton. He just stood looking bewildered, like horses aren't supposed to love playing in water!) We settle down for some grazing, thoughts of shows far from our minds.
Our vacation is short-lived. Tuesday morning we're back in the big rig again. We're headed to Little Everglades where we will clinic with Coaches Peter Tischer and Michael Freund. The ranch is a beautiful surprise tucked back off the highway. It's full of live oaks covered in Spanish moss, massive planting of magnolia trees, ponds scattered here and there and the almost comical cries of flocks of whooping cranes. On closer inspection, there is an impressive turf steeplechase track, acres of flat and smooth warm-up areas, trails through the trees and pastures, and a greener than green dressage and cones field. Following the steeplechase track (which will be the walk section for Marathon), you come across six beautiful hazards all placed within easy walking distance of each other. This will be perfect for my fans! They won't have to miss a second of my fabulousness!'
Since I'm a specialist and/or because I'm too fabulous to need dressage practice, Anton takes my place for the preshow training sessions. I'm mostly left alone in my stall to watch the sights and take a nap or two. Mike does take me out for a long-lining session. I use the opportunity to show off my cutting horse family heritage with lightning speed moves and crowd pleasing action.
Vet check is fun as always. The team is fit and show ready. I am ready for dressage day to be over and get on with marathon. The team seems satisfied enough when they get back from their test. What they lack in fancy movement they try to make up for with team work and accuracy.
On to Friday, our day off before marathon. I'm thinking thre must be some mistake because Ruff is left in his stall and Anton brought out instead. Ruffs looks on with worry and cocern but is powerless to help us. It seems that Anton needs to qualify if he is to compete in the dressage phase at WEG. Mike and Peter have decided that the hazards look easy enough to get Anton through, so he'll take Ruff's place for the remainder of the show. Tuff and I are not thrilled. Donovan is downright depressed. He's tired already, just thinking about it. Don't get me wrong. Anton's a nice guy and all but he pulls like one of the rubber trace girls (a.k.a. Tina and Ready).
We go out and practice some cones, make sure the harness is adjusted correctly and that we won't all die with Anton in the wheel. Mike tries to instill confidence but we can hear the doubt in his voice.
Still, we're pumped for marathon. The course is great; taking us through both the cattle and turf operations on the ranch. Now, being from cattle country ourselves, we've seen lots of cows but we did a double take at these funky looking black cows with white bands around their bellies. Good thing there was lots of scenery to tkae our minds off working. By the time we got to the walk section, I was starting to think evil thoughts about Anton. He didn't even help much in the walk section and for the first time ever, we were too slow. I'm usually not even breathing hard when we reach vet check but today I even broke a sweat. Anton didn't get the memo that wheelers pull and leaders, well, lead. Tuff tells me to quit whining and that we'd better get Anton through this marathon or we'd have to do it again at the next show. That's incentive enough for me! Bring on the hazards!
We start section E and finally, a hazard. I forget all about Anton and focus on my job. All goes according to plan and we're outta there. Hazard 2 is also a series of boxes and goes well. The campground hazard is a wide open free-for-all. Lots of fun. The Altech hazard is tow rows of poles with a lane down the middle. This means lots of diagonal turns and lots of opportunities to miss or break a gate. We miss a turn and correct it but it costs us time. The water hazard is usually our quickest but today we were missing Ruff's pulling power. We get through nicely but slower than we'd like. One more to go! Tuff and I are a little tired. We've been mostly in draft, pulling through all the hazards. Donovan is doing great but needs Ruff's help. Coming up to the last hazard, my heart skips. Cars! Cars on ramps! We have a bad history with cars. Tuff must have felt apprehensive as well. He started in the first hole he saw. He quickly realized his mistake but it was too late. The carriage slammed into the post and because Tuff and I were in draft, it is firmly wedged in place. Mike tries to back us up. Gators Dean and Jerry try to pull or push or move the carriage in any way. Nothing happens. The clock ticks on. I'm thinking we only have 5 minutes to get Anton through this hazard. I'm not doing this again! In a flash of brilliance, I turn right. There's enough room to turn us around. We have at least 12 feet. Plenty of room for four horses abreast. Mike yells,"Fred! No!". Then, as he perceives my brilliant plan, "Fred! Go!". I look Anton in the eye as I pass him, daring him not to follow. We spin around and are on our way. Poor Tuff is rattled and unbellievably we split the post at the next turn! This time Tuff and I can back up enough, remedy the situation and leave the hazard with the voodoo cursed cars behind. There is only a short distance from the last hazard to the end and we have to book it to make up for all the time lost. We're all out of breath and still a bit dazed at the final vet check. I'm understandably pleased with myself and look back at Mike. I don't even get a "Thanks for saving the day, Fred!" Never any credit I tell you, never.
After looking at marathon scores, it looks like we were well on our way to winning before the last hazard. I guess we'll have to wait for Ruff and get 'em next time!
Cones day dawns cloudy,cold, and windy. Practice goes well and we're ready to roll! The cones field is beautiful. I get an extra bounce to my step as I greet the crowd. However, my heart sinks when we hit the very first cone. It's Tinagate all over again! I'm not sure what happened but it's like a demolition derby in there. I'm embarrassed and can't wait to leave. We're ready to head back to the barn but have to stay for the awards presentation. I'm not happy. It's way too cold. Finally, we go back in the arena. I can't help but greet the crowd. It's pretty awesome to have all the four-in-hands together. As we stand lined up watching awards being given out, I turn and look at Mike. "Where's ours?", I ask. He cleverly averts his gaze. We take a lap around the ring and finally head back to the barn.
The next day, barns are mostly cleared out but we're stayin for two more days of practice. It's still cold and now raining. I think I want to stay inside. No such luck. We do however, get Ruff back. Little Everglades Ranch has agreed to let us practice on the cones field and the hazards. We'll do cones first. We go through a few practice cones, get some tips from coaches Peter and Michael, then redo the cones course from the show. We go double clear! W all know that Peter and Michael would have us here until nightfall if we didn't get it right. We're cold. And wet. Did it perfectly. Get to go back inside. (Nobody needs to know that the reason we're double clear is that the team knows the course, so we can do it without Mike!)
The last clinic day is a little drizzly but warmer. We're ready for hazards. Michael has very nice things to say about us. At last! Someone who recognizes true talent! We practice four of the hazards including the voodoo car hazard. The biggest challenge today was tired Mike trying to remember routes. The rest of us are great!
Finally, we pack up and leave. It's back to John Porter's for a few days and then home to Texas.
Since I'm a specialist and/or because I'm too fabulous to need dressage practice, Anton takes my place for the preshow training sessions. I'm mostly left alone in my stall to watch the sights and take a nap or two. Mike does take me out for a long-lining session. I use the opportunity to show off my cutting horse family heritage with lightning speed moves and crowd pleasing action.
Vet check is fun as always. The team is fit and show ready. I am ready for dressage day to be over and get on with marathon. The team seems satisfied enough when they get back from their test. What they lack in fancy movement they try to make up for with team work and accuracy.
On to Friday, our day off before marathon. I'm thinking thre must be some mistake because Ruff is left in his stall and Anton brought out instead. Ruffs looks on with worry and cocern but is powerless to help us. It seems that Anton needs to qualify if he is to compete in the dressage phase at WEG. Mike and Peter have decided that the hazards look easy enough to get Anton through, so he'll take Ruff's place for the remainder of the show. Tuff and I are not thrilled. Donovan is downright depressed. He's tired already, just thinking about it. Don't get me wrong. Anton's a nice guy and all but he pulls like one of the rubber trace girls (a.k.a. Tina and Ready).
We go out and practice some cones, make sure the harness is adjusted correctly and that we won't all die with Anton in the wheel. Mike tries to instill confidence but we can hear the doubt in his voice.
Still, we're pumped for marathon. The course is great; taking us through both the cattle and turf operations on the ranch. Now, being from cattle country ourselves, we've seen lots of cows but we did a double take at these funky looking black cows with white bands around their bellies. Good thing there was lots of scenery to tkae our minds off working. By the time we got to the walk section, I was starting to think evil thoughts about Anton. He didn't even help much in the walk section and for the first time ever, we were too slow. I'm usually not even breathing hard when we reach vet check but today I even broke a sweat. Anton didn't get the memo that wheelers pull and leaders, well, lead. Tuff tells me to quit whining and that we'd better get Anton through this marathon or we'd have to do it again at the next show. That's incentive enough for me! Bring on the hazards!
We start section E and finally, a hazard. I forget all about Anton and focus on my job. All goes according to plan and we're outta there. Hazard 2 is also a series of boxes and goes well. The campground hazard is a wide open free-for-all. Lots of fun. The Altech hazard is tow rows of poles with a lane down the middle. This means lots of diagonal turns and lots of opportunities to miss or break a gate. We miss a turn and correct it but it costs us time. The water hazard is usually our quickest but today we were missing Ruff's pulling power. We get through nicely but slower than we'd like. One more to go! Tuff and I are a little tired. We've been mostly in draft, pulling through all the hazards. Donovan is doing great but needs Ruff's help. Coming up to the last hazard, my heart skips. Cars! Cars on ramps! We have a bad history with cars. Tuff must have felt apprehensive as well. He started in the first hole he saw. He quickly realized his mistake but it was too late. The carriage slammed into the post and because Tuff and I were in draft, it is firmly wedged in place. Mike tries to back us up. Gators Dean and Jerry try to pull or push or move the carriage in any way. Nothing happens. The clock ticks on. I'm thinking we only have 5 minutes to get Anton through this hazard. I'm not doing this again! In a flash of brilliance, I turn right. There's enough room to turn us around. We have at least 12 feet. Plenty of room for four horses abreast. Mike yells,"Fred! No!". Then, as he perceives my brilliant plan, "Fred! Go!". I look Anton in the eye as I pass him, daring him not to follow. We spin around and are on our way. Poor Tuff is rattled and unbellievably we split the post at the next turn! This time Tuff and I can back up enough, remedy the situation and leave the hazard with the voodoo cursed cars behind. There is only a short distance from the last hazard to the end and we have to book it to make up for all the time lost. We're all out of breath and still a bit dazed at the final vet check. I'm understandably pleased with myself and look back at Mike. I don't even get a "Thanks for saving the day, Fred!" Never any credit I tell you, never.
After looking at marathon scores, it looks like we were well on our way to winning before the last hazard. I guess we'll have to wait for Ruff and get 'em next time!
Cones day dawns cloudy,cold, and windy. Practice goes well and we're ready to roll! The cones field is beautiful. I get an extra bounce to my step as I greet the crowd. However, my heart sinks when we hit the very first cone. It's Tinagate all over again! I'm not sure what happened but it's like a demolition derby in there. I'm embarrassed and can't wait to leave. We're ready to head back to the barn but have to stay for the awards presentation. I'm not happy. It's way too cold. Finally, we go back in the arena. I can't help but greet the crowd. It's pretty awesome to have all the four-in-hands together. As we stand lined up watching awards being given out, I turn and look at Mike. "Where's ours?", I ask. He cleverly averts his gaze. We take a lap around the ring and finally head back to the barn.
The next day, barns are mostly cleared out but we're stayin for two more days of practice. It's still cold and now raining. I think I want to stay inside. No such luck. We do however, get Ruff back. Little Everglades Ranch has agreed to let us practice on the cones field and the hazards. We'll do cones first. We go through a few practice cones, get some tips from coaches Peter and Michael, then redo the cones course from the show. We go double clear! W all know that Peter and Michael would have us here until nightfall if we didn't get it right. We're cold. And wet. Did it perfectly. Get to go back inside. (Nobody needs to know that the reason we're double clear is that the team knows the course, so we can do it without Mike!)
The last clinic day is a little drizzly but warmer. We're ready for hazards. Michael has very nice things to say about us. At last! Someone who recognizes true talent! We practice four of the hazards including the voodoo car hazard. The biggest challenge today was tired Mike trying to remember routes. The rest of us are great!
Finally, we pack up and leave. It's back to John Porter's for a few days and then home to Texas.
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