It’s finally time! Opening date for what will be my first event of the season has arrived, so my entry and my check went in the mail first thing.
It’s still amazing to me how cheap recognized USEA events are compared to h/j shows. It’s pretty much the same (a little bit cheaper really) as what I’d spend going to a 2 day local unrated h/j show. Ha! It’s still not cheap, but coming from jumperland I have to admit to feeling almost gleeful when I write the check… it feels like I’m getting a great deal considering it’s half the price of an average A show. One day I should put all the numbers out there for everyone to marvel at, I still have old bills from A shows and some local h/j shows floating around in my trunk. I don’t think eventers know how good they’ve got it in comparison! The only thing I don’t like is having to commit so far in advance. This commitment phobe is more of the last minute type, so sending in an entry for something still 6 weeks away feels like I’m just asking for trouble.
On one hand I’m really itching to get the season started. It looks like, due to my schedule and distance and the fact that my horse doesn’t do hot weather, I’m only going to have 3 chances to get the two qualifying placings I need for AEC’s, so in a sense – shit’s about to get real. Our first up is Pine Hill, which has a very easy BN course and should in theory be a breeze. It’s really all in my hands to not mess up the dressage or do anything totally stupid. No pressure. In a way I feel like I have to be even more on my toes to not let either of us get complacent about it. He’s schooled the whole Novice course here and a couple Training fences, so he might not really register the little BN boxes and logs.
After Pine Hill I’m planning on hitting Greenwood up north near Fort Worth. They run a CIC2* and CCI1* at the same event, so my BN should look extra simple in comparison. To be honest, the main reason I want to do Greenwood is because they’re involved in the TIP program and offer TIP awards. I want to support any event that supports TIP. Hear that, show management? TIP makes you more appealing!
After Greenwood I should know if AEC’s are totally out of the picture or still on the radar, and be able to decide what to do from that point. There’s really only one more possible event after Greenwood before it starts getting too hot. We’ll see how it goes. Time to start working more on the dressage and picking away at the things that will get us a better score. The dressage scores at BN can be so cutthroat, I know it’s going to come down to the minutia that make a big difference with just a few penalty points. EEK.
breedrideevent.com 