We're off to Melbourne
I’ve got a bit of catching up do on my Blog. Bet you thought I was dead in the water (you did, didn’t you?) Sorry to disappoint but I am still alive and at this time barring a major disaster, I have entered and in three short days will be heading down to Werribee for the Melbourne 3DE. Yes I managed to qualify. Just!
Jupiter and I headed off to Camperdown in April to try and get that final elusive qualifying round. As I was driving down there, I’m thinking to myself “what on earth am I going to write about?” and as usual I have a happy knack of doing something stupid and my eventing trips are rarely boring that’s for sure. My warm up theory of not warming up for the dressage seriously fails me this time. A combination of four hours on a float, a night in a small yard, hard ground and no warm up results in me having a rather stiff horse. Almost an unsound feeling horse in fact and I am dumfounded when I am NOT asked to leave the arena. I seriously considered exiting the ring myself. Needless to say it is not such a good result, however it is over the magical 50% so all is not lost.
As I head out to walk the cross-country course, it becomes apparent to me that the organisers have made a grave mistake and have put the yellow numbers on the jumps where the green ones should have been and perhaps even where a few blue ones could have been. I am assured that no mistake has been made (so much for being a nice easy one). Even the word ‘soft’ had been bantered around (that’s the last time I listen to Will Enzinger).
We get organised for cross country and head off and all is going well untill after fence 13 when we head off along the top of the dam wall and I find my way blocked by some bewildered looking people. With quite a lot of yelling (by me, not them!) they move out of my way and I continue. As I get to the slide off the dam wall, one of my friends (who just happens to be walking the course), shouts “Vaughan, Vaughan … STOP!” I’m like “what?” “Fence 14” she says “up the hill, the oxer, you’ve come the wrong way!” Now that explains the bewildered look on the faces of the people I had abused earlier, (oh yeah, sorry for that!) Anyway I head back and jump fence 14. Funny thing is, it’s the first time I have ever seen it, so it seems it DOES pay to walk the course with the map. To cut a long story short, I incur 48 time penalties which is really bad as it is outside the time allowed on the qualifier, so it’s with a heavy heart that I enter the show jumping arena only to jump a clear round, first one ever. So it’s with an even heavier heart that I leave sunny Camperdown, empty handed with only one chance left and that is Heytesbury Horse Trials in two weeks time that I hadn’t even planned on entering.
Heytesbury is another Western district horse trials and is a long drive so I am hoping for a trouble free weekend. We do a fair dressage test and jump clear cross-country with a bit of time. The course is a little quirky and provides a few questions, which Joop (Jupiter) handles well. No major dramas unless the bulldozing of four show jumps counts. However I do believe that 16 penalties is still ok so that’s that, I can now enter Melbourne 3DE, so 800 bucks lighter and the purchase of some new gear I’m ready to go. I was a little amused that on the entry form I am referred to as an athlete. I couldn’t stop laughing…certainly is the first time and probably the last time I will ever be referred to as an athlete!
My showjumping round at Equestriad where we went clear!
Since completing Heytesbury, Joop and I also competed at Ballarat Horse Trials and at the Equestriad event, Camden in NSW. Equestriad was an absolutely fantastic event, the facilities were wonderful and the township provided a picturesque backdrop to the Equestriad event. We had a good result there, running 11th with a clear in both the showjumping and the cross-country, though unfortunately the seven time penalties in the cross-country cost me 5th place, I suppose I had better wear a watch for Melbourne. The organisers did a super job and hopefully more Victorians will support the event in the future. They provided competition for riders from introductory to 3* level catering for approximately 630 riders and managed to finish before dark, no mean feat.
So hopefully we are well prepared for what awaits us on the Queens Birthday weekend at Werribee with 78 riders in the CCI*, I guess we should hope for a nice 50th after the dressage Ha Ha! Anyway, I will attempt to give you a rundown after the event and fingers crossed for some divine intervention and perhaps a ribbon?
