Well, Ryan, I'm not sure if blogs have pages, but if so, that's optimistic. I take a lot of pictures. I am the Mammarazzi.
We've been a bit busy this summer, as you may have gathered, and I haven't been home long enough to do any blogging. I'm runnin'. But home sure does feel good, and I'll give the blog a try, maybe start here and go backwards in time.
Middlest and I just returned from United States Pony Club Eastern National Championships (although we also had teams from Middle and Southern California and Oregon, Sierra Pacific so "Eastern" seems misleading). It was held in Lexington, VA at the Virginia Horse Center. It is an impressive facility, and though I was judging at the Championships held here in 1987? 1989? I can't reconcile the current facility with my memories. The facilities are vast. They need to be, as the 4 day competition simultaneously competes teams in Games, Tetrathalon, Show Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Quiz and Polocrosse.
Our little Pony Club, Hunters Run Pony Club of the Tri-State Region, has about 15 members, and 7 of them qualified to compete in National Competition!
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| When we arrived the team checked in and received their pinnies (numbers) and went to the competitor briefing for "Quiz" this is the discipline in which Middlest qualified to compete. Here she is pictured with HH and RR to her right, they are also on her "Senior D" Team, and KZ, who was on the Tri-State "Junior D" Team. Being a Jr. or a Sr. is based on age, not knowledge. |
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| Tri-State marches in in the Parade of Regions. All the Tri-State competitors, from all the disciplines march together. To give you a scope, the Quiz kids number 11. |
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| The first row of 4 and the second row of 3 are from Middlest's Club. Each are competing in Dressage or Quiz. |
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| The Teams! |
Unbelievably, this is the view from my campsite. The park buildings to the south, the dressage arenas to the east and the cross country and polocrosse to the west. Am I in heaven??? Yep. Morning tea and dressage. Or polocrosse. Evening sangria with the mountains.
I watched a bit of the Quiz competition, but mindful that I wasn't there to intimidate my team, I mostly watched others. There are several parts to the competition. Each day they had a classroom phase which consists of being asked questions and having to answer them satisfactorily for points. Each day of the competition they had Classroom. When I was a child competing in this, it was called "Knowdown" and the entire competition consisted of this oral question/answer format and the written test. They still do both, only they've added so much more!
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| Classroom phase about to begin for this section of the Jr. D's. |
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| My friend, Bunny, was the judge for Classroom 1 (1 of 3). Bunny and I met when she did her first National Examination of candidates for the "B" level. I was one of the candidates. This was... let's say less than 35 years ago...I loved her instantly. She is sunny and smart and savvy and deeply a horsewoman. Talking to the Quiz competitors lead me to believe she has changed not a whit! They loved her as well. |
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| They have added practical portions to the competition, in "Stations" "Barn" and "Megaroom". In these areas you either work as a group or an individual, depending on the phase, and you have to identify or explain different things that pertain to the horse world, like feeds, or tack equipment, or farriery tools, breeds, colors, or disciplines. |
Meanwhile, although I spent a long day in the area for Quiz called "Barn", running stations for veterinary medicine, grooming, feeds, trailering and tack, mostly I enjoyed the joy and art of the competition of the amazing riders and horse people Pony Club is fostering.
Polocrosse is fast and wild, with horses body checking and kids whacking other kids mallets to block shots. There was an amazing team of three boys who had to be brothers, and they were formidable. I imagine they went away with the win (depending on how well they did on their Horse Management in the barn!)
Show Jumping competition was fierce, and looked like fun! As you can see in the background, spectators also get a workout.
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| A mad dash to the finish line to hand off the baton to the next rider in the relay. |
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| This is a handoff. The rider on the left has just snatched the baton from the rider on the right, both at full gallop! |
The Games competition had me yelling and jumping up and down in my seat and crying. I was a mess. These kids are fantastic, and athletic, and the games ponies are all business.
Maybe the most fun of all was watching two very special riders weave their magic.
Our Pony Club had two qualify to compete in Dressage. They rode several dressage tests, including a "Musical Freestyle" which is a dressage test they design themselves to music of their choice. It must contain certain elements required at their level, but allow for creativity and choice. Both pairs were remarkable.
KS was mounted upon "Nikki". Nikki was taken out of retirement for KS, as she was in need of a mount last year. Believe me, it was no "gimme" to start out with this horse! While sweet, Nikki is not a "made" dressage horse. KS created something beautiful in this old lady ( ~25yrs) using old fashioned consistent work, classical training, good nutrition and TLC. They turned out some of the highest scores in the entire competition, receiving 70% ...+/- on all their tests. Just for comparison, 100% being perfect and 62% being average. Scoring in the 70% is difficult, doing it on a "pulled out of the field hunt horse/trail pony" is priceless. Remember, the best of the best are at this competition, many of them on rather expensive and expensively trained horses.
They finished nearly at the top of the standings, earning pretty ribbons.
If you're interested in watching KS's musical freestyle, you can try this link...
The other one of "our" girls was KVW riding "Zac. " While Nikki wins our "Benjamin Button" award, Zac earns the "Personality Plus". And it shows in everything he does. Wide of haunch, flowing of mane, Zac is wonderful to watch. Piloted by his girl, KVW, who got him when he was a babe, and she was as well. I believe she was 6 years old, and has trained him at home. This is not something I would normally advocate. Pairing young children and young horses can be a real disaster. In this case, it is a special girl, and a special animal, = a perfect pair. They also brought home the big guns in the scores, and the pretty ribbons. The pair competed in the "First Level and Above" earning third place overall in their musical freestyle- a JOY to watch, and WINNING Horse Management (whooooooooooopppppp!!!!! I'm a tad proud of them- I think KS's team got 2nd place in Horse Management!) and 2nd place team overall.
So, I have a Pony Club history. It is pretty long. I think I competed in my first Pony Club Games Rally on Peanut in 5th grade? That would be around 1978ish.
As much as I enjoyed the Games at Championships this week, and the dressage, polocrosse and jumping events, as much as I was proud of Middlest doing her thing in Quiz, my history and my heart lies in the Eventing. I have explained the sport before in the blog, but as a quick re-cap, you start with dressage, as above. On the flat, in an arena surrounded by letters, you enter, salute the judge, and then perform prescribed movements in the arena, being judged on your impulsion, fluidity, accuracy, technical movement, continuity.....style. This discipline is the foundation of everything else. Great jumpers are also competent in the dressage arena. The last phase is the Stadium Jumping or Show Jumping phase where the pair jumps brightly colored fences in an arena. This happens on the third day of competition when horses and riders are tired.
Cross Country comes is in the middle. I woke up to rain on the roof of my camper on cross country morning, and nerves. Not riding. Not the Mom of anyone riding. Still nervously excited, and wanting to ride!
Cross Country is a series (15-20ish) of obstacles spread out over the countryside. They are made of natural materials, very sturdy, not designed to come apart, unlike jumping in the arena where a rail if tipped by a foot will often fall, incurring penalty. No, Cross Country is no fragile flower. This course was over the hills, largely visible to the keen eyed spectator who didn't mind standing in the rain. Did I mention speed? They are timed. They go fast. When I competed at Pony Club National Championships, there was only Training level. But now they offer Novice and Beginner Novice as well, so there is more of a step-wise progression up to Training level. The Training competitors went first, the Beginner Novice last, and I saw most all of it, thanks to a unfortunately colored but soundly seamed vinyl rain poncho.
Jumping the Log Cabin (which has knobs on the doors and curtains in the windows).
The Training level competitors had a tough time of it, I spent a lot of time making comic book sounds..."Ooof!" "Eeeek!" "Zounds!"
First fence. Not supposed to be a huge challenge. FYI, the horse is not reaching for some grass on the other side of the fence. This is an "Oooof!"
While I was watching jumping, Middlest and team were waiting for the Technical Delegate (TD) to pronounce judgement on one of their "inquiries" (when you dispute the prior judgement... like appeals court).
After the Stadium, all that was left was the awards! The Quiz awards were presented in the main arena- there are a lot of competitors in Quiz.
I am so proud of them all!
Plus, I'm tired.
