Hunter Pace!

We survived!!!

I feel like a great weight has been removed from my shoulders. There is nothing quite like bringing a green horse to an event to make you  feel  some pressure.

I left UK in last night so his legs would be dry for this morning. Jean and I met at the barn for six-thirty-ish and grained all the critters. I'd packed everything on the trailer the night before, so I didn't need to do much. I brushed UK and then turned him out on the grass while Gail hooked up her trailer and positioned it for us to load.

Chilling while we wait for our turn.

After Bubba and Rebel were on it was UK's turn. He wasn't sure how he felt about a slant load, but after some encouragement he got on and settled in for the ride.

We arrived at the pace with some time to spare. We walked down to get our number and lunch tickets, and were informed that we could take our time if we needed (this made Jean relax quite a bit!). This ended up being a very good thing, as a horse in the trailer next to us had managed to get it's hind leg stuck over the divider. I lent a leadrope, Gail provided a jack and other people did what they could. The mare had bitten her tongue so her mouth was bloody, luckily that seemed to have been the worst of it one they got her off. 

UK ready to unload.

Once that horror was taken care of we unloaded our horses. Stef was with us to help and watch the pace, so with her assistance all three of us got tacked up and mounted. As soon as I got on UK I could feel all the tension and excitement coursing through his veins. He then tried to do some hops and spins, but I was having none of it. We started down the road towards the start gate when Jean asked where our number was. Oops! I'd completely forgotten to put it on after the hoopla with the horse stuck in the trailer. Stef came to my rescue and I managed to get the number on just in time. 

We were then informed that the first jump was the photo jump. Jean and I both expressed our disapproval loudly before leaving the start gate. We walked. Bubba hadn't been completely sound so we wanted to take it easy (we were signed up for the hack division anyways) and I also didn't want to give UK the opportunity to misbehave. He was completely prepared to jump the photo jump when he saw another group of horses. He was so distracted and disconcerted by them that I was forced to just ride on without jumping the photo jump. :(

For the next half hour or so I had to use every ounce of skill I had to stay on my horse. Other teams would come flying up behind us without calling out first and UK hated that. Bucking, spinning, small rears, bunny hops, you name it he probably did it. I was more then a little annoyed at these people. If you're going to pass or overtake another group of horses you not only announce your presence but you tell them how you're going to pass them. Not gallop up their asses and then pass by inches away. At one point I snapped at a group of approaching riders as UK did a rather impressive series of levades followed by some spinning, "CALL OUT BEFORE YOU COME UP ON A GREEN HORSE!!!" I really thought I was coming off during one UK's worse fits, and pulled a muscle in my ass thanks to my attempts to stay with the bucking bronco. Meanwhile Bubba continued to be the fantastic rock that he is, and helped calm UK between groups of horses. 

Then came the water crossings. As long as UK didn't have to go first he was ready to do it, albeit reluctantly. With every crossing he got a little braver, and a little more confident that he wouldn't drown if he got his feet wet. We crossed everything from small trickles of water to rivers ten feet across and at least eight inches deep. The further we got into the course, the calmer UK got. I took most of the go-arounds, as the footing was wet and slick. We did however jump the small coops that were scattered throughout the course when the footing was okay. He'd never jumped a coop before, we had one stop because he wasn't paying attention but after that he was a champ. 

At the halfway point Gail decided to retire Bubba who was getting a little too tired. Jean and I continued on without her and took advantage of the better footing in the higher fields. We finally got to do some real canter and a decent amount of trot. The view was amazing, the sun had come out and there was a slight wind. It was perfect riding weather. We had a few more hiccups (including one caused by a cyclist flying up behind us on the road) but overall UK was a champ. He even lead through some deep mud and across some water before we got to the finish. 

I really wanted to jump UK more, but both the take off and landing points at the jumps were more then a bit treacherous. UK is pretty good at being careful in bad footing, but I wanted to have him feel safe and not have anything horrifying happen. We were aiming for a positive experience for him, so he'd want to do this again. So I didn't jump much at all. Hopefully next year it won't be quite so muddy. 

I really wanted to jump this one, but the mud on the landing was very deep.

We cantered the last little bit home, with UK in the lead and Rebel happy that it was almost over. We untacked and brushed our muddy-sweaty beasts. I even managed to find a hose to hose his legs off after going for a little walk. We loaded the horses and then went to get our lunches. 

A tired but happy UK.

UK was exhausted mentally, but amazingly he had tons more physical energy. All our long trail rides, muscle building and trot work had really paid off. After a ten and a half mile hunter pace he could have done a lot more if I asked it of him. 

In between his little meltdowns he was a superstar. He could jump and then halt if I asked. We could to a nice forward canter/hand gallop and when I asked him to lengthen or shorten he did. I was able to stay off his back and out of his way but still be there for him when he needed me. There was a few minutes while hand galloping through a field that felt like I was riding cross country somewhere. We had a fantastic rhythm and balance, and it felt like we could go on like that forever.

Over all I'm very proud of my boy. He wasn't perfect. He was in fact quite the opposite of perfect but he tried to be good. He didn't do anything dirty on purpose and he put his trust in me and did things he'd never done before. Even though he want to go at all times he kept walking calmly, and even on a long rein, when I asked him. 

I'll give him tomorrow off, but ride him Tuesday to make sure he recovered okay.

I'm going to go to bed now! I'm all cut up from multiple encounters with thorny branches, and that muscle in my rear end needs to rest.