It's been way too long since I've posted, time to rectify that pronto.
I have changed the title of my blog, and some of the elements, because when I first started this, Jetta and I were just starting into dressage. Well, things have changed...and our journey continues.
The barn where we board is an absolutely awesome barn ... lots of great boarders, and an entirely diverse group of riders. We have eventers, jumpers, hunters, dressage riders, endurance folks, trail enthusiasts, a barrel racer, and people who just love their horses.
Several of our boarders, and the barn owner herself, are members of two hunt clubs here and have encouraged several of us to guest hunt. Several of us were invited to a Hunter Pace on Saturday 3/28 in Owen County, Kentucky that was open to guests. The weather forecast kept getting more and more ominous throughout the week - lots of rain, even some severe storms coming into the area.
I was in contact with the Camargo Hunt folks, who assured us that they would let us know Saturday morning well in advance if they needed to cancel or postpone. We all kept the faith, and Saturday morning dawned dark, cloudy, and foggy. We started calling the hunt hotline for cancellation information, and when none was posted, the 4 of us excitedly met at the barn before sunrise. The horses had been washed, scrubbed, and prepped the night before. Tack had been cleaned, boots polished, hay bags packed....trailers ready.
We loaded the horses onto the trailers, and off we went. Dayton, Ohio to Owen County, Kentucky...just over a 2 hour drive. I was driving the lead truck and trailer, and was a bit concerned as the farther south we got, the more fog we hit. One of the hunt members called us about half way down to let us know that while it was indeed a bit foggy, the rain was holding off and we were definitely a go. The drive itself was drama free, even though the winds were strong, the fog was thick, and horse/trailer-ignorant-people were flying around us. Drama free, that is, until we were almost at the Pace Site, and realized that the directions we were following seemed to be wrong. The same hunt member again called us to see where we were, and it was during that phone call that we learned that the directions were indeed wrong. The took us almost all the way there, and then sent us the wrong direction. So, there we were, caravan of trucks and trailers, on the narrow, windy, HILLY roads of backwoods Kentucky, and being told we needed to turn around. Luck and God was on our side, as we came to an intersection of roads that was wide enough for us to just manage a u-turn. The hunt members had organized and sent 3 vehicles out for us - finding us just as we turned around, and leading the way back.
We parked, unloaded the horses, got dressed, tacked up, registered, and were ready to pace in under 30 minutes. Excited? You bet. Nervous? Maybe a little. Competitive? For sure. Let's go! If you've never done a Hunter Pace, or even heard of one, I had never either and so did a lot of phone calls and research to be prepared. The Pace is not an actual hunt, the hounds are not there, the dress is a little more casual, and the mood is definitely competitive. Several hunt members go out and mark various courses with colored ribbons, and then a hunt member will ride them at a "hunting pace," the time is recorded and then the object of the actual Hunter Pace is to ride as close to that time as possible...without the riders knowing what that even is. Riders and horses are sent out in teams of 2, spaced about 5 minutes apart, and the goal is to look for the colored ribbons to keep on course, all while keeping up a hunter's pace. What is that? Well, depending on the course and level of rider, it's mostly a fast trot and cantering.
So, off we went. Excited and ready for fun. The horses were ready to go. We chose to ride the "long hilltopper course," which was the longer of the 2 hilltopper courses. What is a hilltopper? They are generally the slower of the 2 "fields" and do not jump. The first field, which would do the Hunter course yesterday, are fast fast fast and jump jump jump. Let me just say, the area where we rode was absolutely gorgeous! The course was tricky, lots of creek/river crossings, LOTS of hills...but everywhere we rode was view after view of gorgeous Kentucky. What would it be like to actually join a hunt there? I'm excited to find out.
My friend Nancy and I started off great. Even though the footing was pretty sloppy in some parts, most of it was decent enough for a strong, fast trot. We slowed them down to cross the water, and to go down the hills, but we maintained a strong pace. I thought I had prepared Jetta well for this, lots of trotting on the trails where we board, and even though we had a training set back (she hurt her shoulder, and then she bruised her bare feet (she had shoes placed on the day before we left of the Pace)), I thought we would be okay. Jetta lost some of her "go" about halfway through. We slowed some, letting her walk the hills, taking our time in parts, and then going again as she caught her wind. Almost done (just over an hour of hard riding), and she was telling me that she was about through. Nancy's horse is an Arab/Andalusian cross, and he is perfectly suited to endurance. Man can that horse move! He was still rearing to go, and Jetta's engine was dropping out. While we were still hoping to be competitive, the need to save my horse and reward her for a job VERY well done, came first..and so we walked the rest of the way. We trotted into the finish to a round of clapping and cheers from our fellow pacers.
We untacked the horses, walked them out for a while, cold-hosed legs and chests, checked shoes and feet/legs for injury, and let them graze in the already ankle-high bright green bluegrass. We had a lot of great conversation with others doing the same things, placed our coolers and sheets on the horses, tied them to the trailer with lots of hay and water, and wandered inside the barn to find a fantastic potluck lunch waiting for us. Those fox hunters know how to cook, and eat! They also know how to host a FANTASTIC event, and we made a lot of new friends. At one point, as we had just finished a fantastic conversation with a new friend, we were informed that that was in fact the Master of the Hunt, and that we had made a great impression on him. We were then invited back to the Hunt the very next day at the very same fixture, to which we had to very regretfully decline.
After eating, we loaded the horses and began the journey back home. Another uneventful ride, and the horses were whinnying a shout of joy as we all pulled back into our home farm. We unloaded them, checked again for injury or illness, and gave our fantastic mounts the dinner and hay they so deserved.
All in all, a fantastic day, and I cannot even begin to describe the fun we had, the great conversations, and the loyalty of the horses as they went in whatever direction we pointed them. Let me just say, Jetta once again proved herself, as we were the lead rider...we were responsible for setting our pace, and watching for the ribbons marking our course. The terrain was brutal on her, the hills very steep up and down, the mud treacherous at times, the creeks and rivers deep. But, all through it, Jetta responded to my requests and rose to the challenge. Time and time again. Even when completely exhausted and worn out, she still rose to my request to finish strongly at a trot. Some of the hills were straight up, and she powered right through. Some of the hills were literally straight down, and while I doubted our ability to get down in one piece, Jetta slowed down, sat back on her haunches, and down we went. When a group of 10 or more deer jumped out in front of us on the top of a flat, gorgeous hill...Jetta looked at them and continued on...not one side step, not one spook. When we saw other riders in front of us, instead of rushing to catch up and try to get in front, she responded to what I asked of her...to stay back and keep the pace we were setting. As I asked her to lengthen and collect, she did so beautifully. I could go on and on....
The only black mark on the entire day was the fact that none of us remembered our cameras. To have been able to document on film the excitement on our faces, the wearing smiles of completion, and the love for our mounts...that will all me engraved in my heart forever.
So....onto preparing for the next one....
We aren't giving up on dressage, just the opposite. It became very clear to me very quickly all the skills that we have learned and practiced in all our dressage lessons were ALL used out on the hills of Kentucky. We will continue on...but where will we go next? Stay tuned...
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