Georgia on my Mind

Published on by Amanda C

Yeah I know, I’ve been back from Tennessee for like 12 hours. This is unrelated, I swear. I was texting Trainer last night, asking about maybe doing a CT at a local show here in July, and she said “I’ll be at Chatt that weekend.”. First reaction:

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Then, within all of 60 seconds…

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I asked if she had room for one more in her trailer (because I’m definitely not hauling mine that far), and she said yes. So then I checked my calendar, and those two weeks/weekends are actually still free.  I went and looked at entry fees and stabling fees and all that. Between all the side gigs I’ve been picking up lately, I can actually swing it.

An idea was born.

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To be honest, I’ve spent the last couple months kind of pining over the Coconino experience of summer 2016. That was the most fun I’ve ever had at horse shows, and it was really fun to just get away and totally immerse myself in showing. Going somewhere totally new, somewhere we’ve never been, showing 2 weeks back to back… I learned a lot, and it was so confidence-building and refreshing for both of us. Sometimes I just don’t get very excited about showing around here, because I don’t love going to the same venues over and over. Been there, seen that. Need new stimuli.

I spy with my little eye, a bending line to a corner.

I checked out some of the past courses online, at My Course Walk and watching youtube helmet cam videos. It looks very fair, but not overly easy. Everyone that I asked had rave reviews about the footing and the stabling. The fees are a little on the more expensive side for an event, but nothing crazy.

My only real concern is the weather. I know it won’t be as hot there as it is here, but it will probably be more humid. Really, I’m betting that our mid-June show here is hotter than these two shows would be at Chatt. And if it’s too hot or he seems to be struggling with the heat, I can always just slow down and take the time faults. XC speeds are only listed at 450mpm though, which is generally right at his comfortable cruising speed.

GallopTR

The thought of having 2 weeks of showing in a totally new-to-us venue is the real draw. We rarely get that opportunity in eventing, to have another show right after the lessons of the first one are still very fresh and ready to be built upon. And, well, I’m rarely in the right place at the right time financially to afford to up and run off to another state for 2 weeks. So if everything falls into place with this, it’s hard to say no.

I’m checking PTO days at work today to make sure no one else has already taken those days off, but that’s really the last hurdle to clear. If we’re all good there, then… I can’t think of a reason NOT to go. Just the thought of it puts a lot of wind back into my sails, honestly. My enthusiasm has waned a bit lately, especially now with summer setting in.

Do you guys ever take a couple weeks to go show somewhere new? Should we go for it? Anyone been to Chatt?

44 thoughts on “Georgia on my Mind”

      1. Exactly as you’d expect. Not as hot as Texas but humid. They try to run XC as early as possible but you usually have to suck it up and die for dressage.

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          1. Lol. Then see? You’ll be fine! It really is a gorgeous facility, and a well run show. I wish I was going except I’ve decided to never show in July or August again.

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            1. Yeah I try to avoid it too, but that seems to be when my Trainer goes on these kinds of adventures since the younger girls don’t have school. 🙄 I’m used to sweating though, that’s a thing we do a lot.

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  6. DO IT!!!! I’m going to be there with a few ppl from my farm too. it’ll be hot, but not as hot as Tallahassee 🙂 It’ll be my first time doing the Summer series, but I’ve shown there a few times – the footing is always FABULOUS and the track is great. Show jumping and dressage rings are foot perfect – you won’t regret it! (And there’s also a twilight jumper bit on Wednesday evening too, and fireworks by the lake).

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  7. In a perfect world I would show two weeks at a time all year round. (2 weeks on 2 weeks off ish) You know, if I was independently wealthy and didn’t have to work for a living. In recent years, I would show up mid week of week 1 and stay through week 2, since most adult classes are at the end of the week/weekend anyway. You get a week to figure things out, and a week to feel competitive. Just enough to have lots of fun and be tired, but not too much.
    I REALLY hope you end up going mostly so I can live vicariously through you.
    It’s funny to read about you being excited to go somewhere new, especially for the newness of it. Made me think some about how horses change us. I used to feel that way with horses of the past, but since having Jamp, he’s just so much better at familiar places I found myself not wanting to try new places. And I didn’t really make that observation until reading this post. One more thing to be excited for if/when I get my next show pony!

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  10. I am the exact opposite of you! I like showing at the same places bc then I know what to expect and where things are. I also don’t like showing back to back weekends — it’s exhausting!

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  11. I am the exact opposite of you! I like showing at the same places bc then I know what to expect and where things are. I also don’t like showing back to back weekends — it’s exhausting!

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    1. Ha! The fun part about XC is that it’s always a little different, but when you go to a new venue it’s 100% something that you’ve never seen before. I like that aspect of it. It adds a little bit more challenge and excitement to the whole thing.

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  15. you should totally do it 😉 one of these years my friends and i are gonna make a weekend getaway to aiken a reality. one of these years….

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      2. If you ever hit Aiken, try to go to Stable View. So far it’s my favorite place to show out here. Big beautiful xc courses which Henry will eat up. Full Gallop was kind of meh. FENCE was beautiful but kind of soft, especially when we went in the fall. I didn’t show at Paradise but I did school there, it’s pretty too. Everything is pretty in Aiken.

        Still trying to talk my trainer into a weekend or two in Ocala. 😁

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