Perspective, Perseverance, and One TOUGH Horse!

We all know that eventing is a sport of the highest highs and lowest lows, sometimes all in the same weekend!  We took Cheddars and Snoopy to Jumpstart this past weekend to run Training and let me tell you there was never a dull moment.  We arrived at the horse park literally with a "bang!"  We were driving around the round about at the entrance of the KHP when an old man in a dually came around at us going the WRONG WAY!  I could not react fast enough with a 4 horse trailer and he crashed into the fender of the trailer!  The horses were fine and no real damage done to the trailer except a crinkled up fender, but the wheel well of his truck was pretty much done for.  It was just an annoyance having to wait for a police report to be completed and Snoopy and Cheds getting very restless in the trailer.  The horse park was mad chaos because of the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals.  You could barely get anywhere in the park all weekend.

We decided to stable in different barns to see if that would help Cheddars with his barn sour issues.  After a few hours of screaming and carrying on by both horses, it seemed to do the trick.  Cheds was much better behaved than usual!

It was freezing outside Friday and Saturday which made for some very fresh horses.  Snoopy is always a handful and he's fit for the 3day so I decided to forget the flat school Fri afternoon and go for a canter back by the Hollow.  He enjoyed it and it seemed to settle him.  After a quick tour around the dressage arenas he was put up for the night.  Cheds was wired for sound as well, but he needed to go down and behave at dressage warm up, which he did for the most part.

I decided it would be a good idea to go have another canter early Sat morning and it was definitely a smart choice.  Snoop is high maintenance, but it paid off for his best Training level dressage score to date of a 35!  That tied him for 8th out of 20 horses and I was very happy.  Bobby Stevenson's judging was very accurate and his comments on both horses were spot on.  Cheddars was much better for Scott than he has been lately and ended up 11th in the same division with a 39.  The horse is fabulous, but when he's strong it's hard to keep his poll up.

Snoopy was a very strong double clear on xc and moved up to 6th.  We still have some communication issues to work on, but he didn't throw any fits like he did last time out.  Scott and I rode 18 minutes apart so he was starting just as I was getting Snoop taken care of.  I was taking studs out when one of my friends' students came around the corner crying and telling me my husband was ok, but his horse was down.  I've never felt quite the way I did at that moment in my whole life.  I was relieved that Scott was ok, but as I was running out to xc, all I could do was cry, convinced that we were about to be putting our beloved horse down.  By the time I could see the fence Emily came running towards me telling me to go back to the stall.  They had gotten him in the ambulance on his own.  Dr. Chris Newton and the whole Rood+Riddle team were fantastic, as well as Dr. Werner from Hagyard who keeps Snoopy's back in good shape.  He was sore and cut up, but ultimately fine.  Apparently he got stuck in the bad footing on takeoff at fence 3 and couldn't quite make it so he tried to bank it and stuck both of his hind feet through the slats on the front of the table and went over backwards.  Scott probably saved him from a broken leg by quickly laying on his head so he wouldn't try to get up with his legs still stuck.  When help arrived they pulled him free, but he wouldn't get up.  We assume he was just stunned because he did finally get up on his own.  I thought for sure he'd be crippled Sun morning, but he was spinning his stall when we got there and walked out well.  What a tough, tough horse!!  If that had been Snoop he'd be laid up in the clinic right now!  He looks very good today and was very full of himself.  We love him dearly and look for him to be just fine and winning all the Novice in the spring!

Snoop and Cheds happily in their paddock Sunday afternoon!

This "incident" gave me a whole new perspective on several different things.  First of all, I now kind of get how my parents feel when I leave the start box and have told me all these years how much they worry bout me.  I've never had anyone to worry about, but now I have my husband and he's my whole world.  If anything happened to him I'd be lost.   I worry about my students as well, but it's not the same.  Second, I got to truly experience the closeness of the eventing community this weekend.  I got lots of hugs Saturday afternoon, some from people I don't even know that well, and a general outpouring of support and concern for Cheds and Scott.  It just reconfirmed why we do this crazy, difficult sport.  I also really just watched the way people care for their horses and each other this weekend and made some new friends.  It was inspiring and enlightening.  I can't thank Emily Palmus enough for all her help and concern this weekend.  What an amazing woman and true friend!

Snoop warming up for SJ Sunday.
  

Snoop jumped very well in the show jumping, but was very strong as usual and we had one rail because of it.  Despite the 4 faults we still moved up another place to finish 5th in a big division.  Could've been 3rd with a clean round, but I'm still figuring out all of his 973 quirks!  Once we iron out a few more wrinkles he will be unstoppable!   I was very happy with him overall and things seem to be right on track for the 3day.  Wish us luck!!!

See you at Midsouth and GO EVENTING!