Alright, I’m going to try and get serious about my
writing and blogging- so here we go since I have something that I want to
really write about. At this moment in
time I am a mix of excited, anxious, prepared, nervous, and absolutely
exhausted. I am 3 days away from leaving
for my first full-format event, and I could not be happier! I have a long way to go in the next 7 days,
and hopefully this time next week I’ll be ready to post a blog about how
successful the weekend was, no matter how I finish. Anything can happen, even between now and
when my trailer leaves my driveway (God willing that it does!), but for right
now I feel like I have finally made it.
For the last 6 years this has been something of a dream for me, and even
though I have competed through some of the higher levels, that long format
event has always eluded me.
Most riders in the US dream of going to Rolex, even if
they are not 3 day eventers. And while I
would love to get there one day, I have also always wanted to compete in a long
format event. I had one horse who was
ready and entered, and then life got in the way and I had to reroute to just
run the Preliminary, and since then it just has not been in the cards. Not that it hasn’t always been the focus in
the back of my mind. I would find myself
out shopping, as rarely as that happened, and thinking how I would love to wear
that for a jog, debating on whether I should buy certain dresses or shoes to
keep in my closet in case that long awaited day ever did arrive. Well, if all goes according to plan, I
finally will get to present my horse and run my clumsy butt down the jog strip!
I feel like this journey in itself has defined me as a
person and a horseman more than competing at the higher levels. I have had to be patient, and rewrite my
plans in pencil more times than I could count.
I had to understand that some horses just are not going to be 3 day
horses, and gain the experience I can with them before finding the right
partner. While I would have loved to
have run the event four and a half years ago, I feel more prepared mentally,
physically, and that my horse is in tip top shape now vs. then. I find myself making lists upon lists upon
lists to make sure I have everything I need and then some. While it may just be the Training level 3
day, I feel like it is my own personal Rolex at this point in time. In the grand scheme of things, a lot of
people make it to the Training 3 day level, and most do very well. It is a wonderful program that is a very
realistic goal for a large group. But
for me it has been a long awaited accomplishment and going into these last
three days before I leave (mainly because I got through my last gallop and my
horse looks great) I am going to let the high roll along because I have finally
done it!
I am very excited to get to the Hoosier Horse Park in a
few days and meet up with everyone. Over
the last year since I groomed for a friend in the Novice 3 day I have made a
lot of friends from all over Area IV who are also competing next weekend. We have a huge group, probably close to an
entire aisle, and even splurged for a tack stall. If nothing else I am looking forward to being
able to share this experience with other rookies and veterans, learning a lot,
and having a good weekend with my horse.
If we finish in a top spot then even better, but for me I have already
won. It may not actually be Rolex, but I
feel like getting here is just one more step in the correct direction! Now, off
to work the next three days to keep affording this silly habit!
