The Road to Young Riders

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Footnotes

Update on Megan Davis:

In spite of an incredibly scary fall from her horse during her Freestyle on Saturday, Megan is going to be fine. She split her lip and it required some stitches to repair and her face was sore and swollen, but NO broken bones! We are all so grateful that Megan is fine! Thanks to everyone for thinking good thoughts!

Immediately after the Junior Freestyle on Sunday, the awards ceremony was held for the top 10 girls. Afterwards, the grooms (ME!) had to take the horses from the riders and take them back to the barn as the Medals ceremony was to be held immediately afterwards. I have never walked Coda back to any barn let alone a 15 minute walk to THIS barn. I was very intimidated...and I chickened out...Thankfully, Sarah Crosier (a Junior rider from Atlanta who was there as Ellen Wall's groom) came to my rescue and walked him back with me. I was lucky to get Coda untacked, sponged off, watered, fed and make it back to the Arena before the Closing medals ceremony began! Whew!

It was a fantastic event with our girls linking arms and synchronizing their march up the podium to receive their Silver Team medal. As soon as the ceremony was over at 7 p.m. trailers were hitched, horses loaded and folks headed for home. It was an emotionally exhausting day so we chose to stay one more night and get an early start for home on Monday. We were at the barn by 6 and on our way by 6:30. It was an easy drive back to Atlanta and as we pulled into Top Hat Dressage Coda was greeted by all his barn mates! It was a great Welcome Home!

What's next? I think Jess will probably do the Regional Championships so she can ride her Freestyle without any technical glitches...and then I think she and Karen will get started on schooling for the Young Rider tests. After three years of Juniors, Jess is ready for a new challenge. So in 2010, Jess will graduate from High School, there will be a new group of riders vying for a spot on the Junior Team and a new group of riders vying for a spot on the Young Rider team. Wish us luck in our new adventure!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

What do you do when the music stops?

Crazy day...the ride times kept changing...1:40 to 3:40 to 5: 40 to 4:40...it kinda messes with you. The riders are braiding, grooming and for a few, warming up when the times change again.

There is so much that goes into the Freestyle ride...choreographed by the trainer and rider, it is a chance to show your personality through your music selection. The "test" is practiced until the movements sync with specific aspects of the music. It is creative and fun. At least it is supposed to be.

Jess and Coda entered the ring and rode down the center line. It was perfect! Everything was going amazingly well...high scores. Then, the music started to do something strange...it was almost like someone was turning the volume up and down. Technical difficulties...was it the CD or the sound system or the CD player...who knows? All I know is that my amazing daughter switched off the music she was hearing over the speakers and "danced to the music in her head". She rode her entire freestyle...flawlessly...to music only she could hear. And it was magnificent. I cried, as did Karen, for the failure of the CD...but later, when I really thought about what Jess did in the ring, I wanted to cry because I am so incredibly proud of her ability to overcome something so difficult and unnerving and still put in such a fabulous performance scoring a 66.75 and placing 7th.

All the riders this week at the NAJYRC deserve to be recognized for the achievement of making it here...they also need to be recognized for what it took to compete here. Nerves of steel...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Terrifying moments...

The Young Riders were nearly done with their Freestyle tests when Megan Davis was bucked off her horse in the middle of her test. She was taken away by ambulance. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Ellen Wall braiding Tivo

Jess and Coda (In the Test!!!)

Individual Accomplishments

After an hour delay because of severe thunderstorms early this morning, the sun finally came out, the puddles mostly dried and the temperature started to soar. It got hot! And the Junior Individual tests were under way.

An hour delay doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you are already at the barn getting your horse groomed, braided and your "head in the game", it can be a little unnerving...but, ultimately it means more time to sit around and wait for your ride time.

Three of the four Junior Riders scores qualified them to be in the Freestyle on Sunday. Only the Top 15 get to Show. Ellen Wall placed 11th, Jess placed 9th and Lauren Knopp was awarded the Silver Medal for her Individual Test! A super showing by all our Region 3 girls!

The girls are physically and emotionally exhausted at this point in the competition and today was tough. They were competing against each other. And all of them wanted to be the winner.

Tomorrow it will happen again. Although, each girl's freestyle is choreographed by them (and their trainers), the music often reflects their likes and personality and it is just plain, downright, FUN! They are all competing for a medal...Gold, Silver or Bronze...but this time they are judged on a number of required movements, their music, originality and the execution of the choreography.

It is a huge accomplishment to be in the Top 15 and get to ride the Freestyle. This competition started with 36 Riders and the field has now narrowed to 15...what an honor!