This is going to be short as it's been a loooooooonnnnnggggg day and I'm waiting for the Ambien to kick in.Well, the kiddo and I made it to HITS Saugerties in one piece and with no speeding tickets! First order of business was to go check on the girls. They were happy to see us, seemed to approve of the new digs. Not Stratego, though.. My friend Libby's horse looked like he definitely disapproved of the change in venue and wanted to speak to his union representative right away. After we reassured him, was time to head to El Ranchero for grub and then hit the rack for an early night.
Easier said than done when your bunk mate is a frenetic 9 year old that is an unapologetic slob, hogs the bed, snores like an asthmatic yak and has a mule kick that keeps you pinned to the edge of the bed all night. Oh, and she talks in her sleep. Last night I could swear she was reciting Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech.
Course walk this morning at O'Dark Hundred. Marched around course echoing Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. Huh? Of course I remember the strides in the lines. -- 7 to the six to the 2 to the LOOK! There's Anne Kursinski!! What? Of course I'm paying attention. Why would you say that?
Got our golf cat after the course walk. Loved the folks at Dever, hooked up right and tight and did not mind at all that we were newbies. Of course he didn't mind teaching us the right way to do things, he said, as he didn't want to have to fish us out of the pond like he had to do for other poor soul yesterday.
Todd Minikus, who was waiting nearby, got an earful of our interaction and started laughing. I told him, "Hey Todd, it's my first time driving one of these suckers, you don't know what'all's gonna happen here. He saw the truth of this and backed himself off to a safer venue where he could watch the fall out. Not only is that man the nicest guy on the circuit, he's got one heck of a sense of humor, too. Sorry about those toes, Todd!
Not to worry, we got the hang of that baby and we off doing our best Danica Patrick impersonations in no time. Sophie only fell off the back twice. The kiddo learns fast!
The less said about schooling, the better. The marines have a term for it, and the first seven letters of that 11 letter word are C-L-U-S-T-E-R. We lined up outside out in gate, watched a few round, and then it was Tara's turn. Tara was having a pretty good,although slow, go until the fourth fence, when she had a GPS issue. She seemed determined to get their money's worth for the class and ring crew about had to drag her outta there. Then it was Your's Truly's. Annabel made me recite my lines, asked for my jump off, and sent me off.
Wasn't a bad course. Bit behind the leg at first, but by fence 4 we got our rhythm and were making a pretty good go of things until Sug decided to goo off the reservation and make an executive decision over an oxer leading to the final combination. She went all "Air Mare" on me, which had me hanging on for dear life in the safety seat. We landed all cattywumpus, reins on the buckle, leaving a pile of matchsticks in our wake. She took off like a scalded cat at the combination, and we took it like a runaway hunter, all loopy reins and me clinging like a burr to her neck. Was pretty special.
We basically wandered around for a bit, watching Annabel ride her horse, then over to see our friend Janine ride in the Level 5s over in the GP ring. Also caught BJ Ehrhart's and Peter Leone's rounds. Just an aside - anyone else think some of those flower arrangements were last used at a funeral??
Annabel and Tara rode in the Level 1s, and both had good rounds. By that point everyone was pretty pasted from the heat, so of course we made the kiddo take a lesson on the pony (this was after the child fell asleep in the rocking chair in the pizza bar). Turned out to to be the best thing for her. Bored and heat = not good. Working hard with one's pony and heat? No worries. Jumped gymnastics and what looked like a 2'3" oxer with no problems.
Came home, hit the pool, hit the hotel restaurant, got back to the room and am now feeling the effects of that Ambien, so nighty-night, y'all. More tomorrow!
So jealous! I was supposed to be there this week too, but too many horses and people are on the DL right now in our barn and it just didnt' make sense. Next year!!
ReplyDelete