Passing the Torch...

I'd like to encourage everyone interested in following the 2010 NAJYRC (Junior Equestrian Olympics) this year to follow Jessie's teammate's blog...Heather Beachem is writing about the experiences of Region 3!

Heather's blog can be found at:

http://bigheartsmallhorse.blogspot.com/

Third Time's a Charm?

This was a pivotal year for Jess.  She and Coda have worked really hard on the Young Rider tests but between the demands of Senior Year, applications to colleges and graduation, things didn’t start to really come together for them until the end of the qualifying season.

And the hard work paid off.  They have qualified and will be on the NAJYRC Region 3 Team…Jess’ 3^rd showing!  The girls on her team are very strong and talented riders, although two of them are new to the competition.  Both Heather Beachem, 21 years old, and a barn mate of Jess’s, and Erica Marino, 20 from Alabama, are attending their first NAJYRC.  Bryn Cahill, 18 and from Florida, was a part of the 2008 Junior Region 3 Team.

Even before they were sure they would make the team, the girls have been busy securing sponsorships.  Part of this process also involves making decisions about the clothing that will be worn…you want to look like you are a team.  Part of it is also acting like your fellow teammates are on your team.  Dressage is not a team sport, but making it so helps the participants to connect and recognize their common goals.  I remember the first time Jess rode on a team in 2007, it was really hard to be friends with your competition.  But over the years I think she has learned that it is a good thing to be friends with her fellow riders.  It isn’t always easy when you are riding against each other, but, in fact, they are some of the few people who can empathize with your experiences on a horse!  And, being on a team doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be friends, but it does mean that you have to be supportive of each other and work to promote your region by having a positive attitude. 

This is also going to be Jess’ last time at the NAJYRC because in the fall she will be attending The University of the South:  Sewanee.  She is going to hang up her dressage boots and hopefully don some chaps for the Sewanee Hunter Jumper Team.  We’ll see!  So, this Championship is a little bittersweet.  We will find Coda a new rider and Jess will go to College and things will be different in our world.

It's a Whole New Test

Jess and Coda attended the Good Horseman Foundation’s Three Horsemen Dressage Show recently in Conyers, Georgia.  Although it “doesn’t count” for the Festival of Champions or North American Junior and Young Rider Championships qualifying scores, it was a good opportunity for Jess and Coda to get some show practice at the Young Rider’s level.

The warm up, prior to the test, was wild!  We were all unsure if it was the excitement of being at a show, or the warmer weather, or maybe, just Coda being Coda…but he was very, very fresh!  In their first test, the Young Rider team, Jess scored a 72.895%!  They have NEVER scored so high before.  And, it wasn’t a perfect test, either.  They missed their last “4” and Coda had a “bonus” change in his entry.  The Extended Canter was described as “a brave effort” by the judge…they went for it!  But you can make a few mistakes like that when you get 8’s on your shoulder-ins and half passes and 8’s and 9’s on canter pirouettes (co-efficient, no less)! 

The next day Coda was still a Fresh Mess!  The Individual Test didn’t go as well with Jess scoring a 61%.  Jess was disappointed, especially after having such a strong showing the day before.  But, that’s what it’s like at a horse show riding a “hot” horse…some days are fabulous and others aren’t.

Jess’s barn-mate and friend from Top Hat, Heather Beacham, is also vying for a spot at both Championships as a Young Rider.  Heather is 21, so this is her last year to qualify.  Her horse, “Puff” is an adorable chestnut…much smaller than Coda, but they could definitely do a Pas de Deux!  Heather was very stressed her first day and it showed…she and Puff were “stiff”.  But the next day, she was so relaxed and that translated into a different partnership for the test.  Heather and Puff scored a 68% and everyone was thrilled for them!

Part of competing with your friends is sometimes being beat by them…and sometimes beating them.  But, I think the benefit of this experience is that these young women learn to be there for each other…learning to juggle a range of emotions and do so being completely genuine. 

The lessons my daughter is learning from showing and loving horses, being a part of the world of Dressage, is something that can’t be replicated anywhere else, definitely not in any classroom.  Where else can a young woman, a teenager, really, sit atop a 1500-pound animal and know that anything is possible; this is a new day, a new test, and a new opportunity to be their best together?

The First Show on the Road to Young Riders (2010)

The Wellington Classic is Jess’s first CDI as a Young Rider. I decided, rather than write a narrative about our adventures since yesterday morning at 7:20 a.m., I’d write my Top Ten List…

What I love about horse shows…and what I’ll remember (So Far) about this one…

1.     1.  driving 10 hours with 2 horses through crazy windy conditions…with one horse snapping his halter and the other’s halter not even being “leashed”

2.     2,  stopping on the side of the road with cars and trucks whizzing by at 70 mph while we crawl into the trailer to put on a new halter (thank God for back ups) and “leash” the other one

3.     3.  our horse friends who run out of gas with 20 minutes before they arrive at the overnight barn (Love ya, Laura and Heather!)

4.     4.  the exhausting process of unloading the trailer and setting up the stalls and tack rooms (with a cart with flat tires…)

5.     5.  the emotional upheaval during schooling and before the jog

6.     6.  drama…lots of drama

7.     7.  waiting for the ride times…especially the 8:20 a.m. slot

8.     8.  dinner celebrating #52 with a friend who is far from her family on her birthday (Love you, Kathy!)

9.     9.  getting pulled over by the police because Wellington has crazy medians and we can’t figure out how to get out of the shopping center going the right direction (SO much fun, Jody and Kathy!!!)

10. 10.  Dedication, commitment, sacrifice, optimism, support, LOVE….PASSION!

Officially a Young Rider

Today I mailed all the paperwork to the USDF…Jess is officially a Young Rider! 

This past weekend Jess rode in a clinic with Axel Steiner and the change in her was evident.  She is no longer a Junior rider…she is a young woman ready for new challenges.  So Monday morning I went to the USDF website, downloaded all the forms to fill out to declare her a Young Rider and got to work.  It isn’t a simple task…there are lots of forms and lots of numbers (USDF, USEF, FEI, Passport).  Then there’s making sure the horse’s passport is current and all the shots and Coggins are up to date.  And picking the shows (who are the judges, are they CDI’s or not, how far away are they) to attend and finding their prize lists on the web can sometimes be a frustrating endeavor!  Jess ordered herself a new Shad Belly…I have no idea what that cost!  And we worked on writing her bio.  Seeing all my daughter’s accomplishments put down in writing took my breath away…and solidified how truly ready she is for this new test of her riding ability. 

Jess and Karen have choreographed her freestyle and we’ve chosen a new company to put it together for us.  Selecting the music isn’t as straight-forward…Jess took advantage of having the time with Mr. Steiner and asked him for some guidelines when selecting music.  He was very helpful…especially in making it clear what was not appropriate.  Next week I will video her riding the test and mail it off with our ideas for the music.  She won’t worry about riding the freestyle until April.

For now, Jess’s sights are set on February in Wellington, Florida.  We’ll be trailering down with her horse, Coda, for her first show as a Young Rider.  It’s a CDI…with tough but fair judges…and lots of great competition!

The Road to Young Riders

This weekend my daughter rode her first Prix St. Georges at the Good Horseman Dressage Show in Conyers, GA.  Although she has been learning and practicing the new movements off and on this past year, since returning from the NAJYRC in July, she and Karen have really focused on perfecting them.

One thing I have learned as a "Show Mom" is that there is no such thing as "perfection" in a dressage test.  However, this weekend, Jess had a high and a low in her first PSG performances.
  

On Saturday, she rode down the center line, halted and saluted.  The test was incredible...every thing she and Karen knew she was capable of.  Almost perfection!

On Sunday, riding for Axel Steiner, she went in to the warm up a little too early and both Jess and Coda seemed tired when they rode their test.  It wasn't effortless.  Not perfection...

This show "didn't count" towards qualifying for Young Riders.  It was a practice run and Jess learned what she is capable of in the ring with this test.  She was also reminded that nothing comes easy and you always have to give your all and be your best to get the scores you want.

I'm excited for Jess and Coda as they embark on this journey and I'm especially proud that they put so much into making their dreams come true. Good things come to those who work hard...