Bromont Prep

In the morning I start my journey to Bromont! The horses are prepared (dressage lessons ALL weekend!), everything is packed, my gps is set, health papers and passports in hand, trot up dress wrinkle free (almost. work downy work!) and we are ready to go! I'll keep updating you here and on Facebook but I thought I'd just share with you a couple of stages of Three Day preparation.

Step 1: Invinciblilty
This comes after winning a couple of your lead up comps and knowing the horses under you can jump the moon! Not to mention they're very capable of beating Totillas on the flat. Don't even get me started on the showjumping, do you know who you're talking to? Yes, that's right, we are the king/queen of leaving every coloured pole untouched. O, and my yellow trot up dress will TOTALLY be the best!

Step 2: Self Doubt
This comes after winning a couple of your lead up comps. Can I keep my form? Did I peak too soon? Did I imagine it all? I MUST have because now I can't even ride a 20 metre circle! Let alone a half pass! Posting on the correct diagonal? Forget it! Do I even know my horses? What if Charmer thinks I'm not nice? What if Liberty thinks I AM nice? What if Cole forgets who I am? And what if someone ELSE wears a yellow dress?! You get the gist!

Step 3: Refocus
This comes from riding under the best in the business and treating each day as a normal day. Phillip Dutton saying, yet again, 'try to go with him.'. Nicholas Fyffe saying 'arch your back, more medium trot' and Boyd Martin saying 'just ride the horse you have underneath you'.

Step 4: Packing
This comes about mostly by begging, pleading and cajoling anyone and everyone to 'be involved' with carrying and carting everything minus the kitchen sink to the trailer. AND goodness help them if it's not NEAT!

Step 5:
Driving to the show. Also an adventure in itself with border control added into the 11 hour trip.

Step 6: The Show
Ask me in a week!

Anyway, as I always say 'it takes a village to raise a child' (someone other than me may have used this quote before..) and my village is a pretty awesome one. Every person in my barn and my sponsors help to shape where I go and how and when I achieve my goals. So thanks guys. Hopefully this week Charmy, Libby, Cole and I will do you proud! And if we don't, please be gentle on our return!

The biggest thank you of all has to go to the owners of my beautiful, wonderful and slightly stressful horses: Patrick and Jill McCuan. Rege Dvorsky and Jeanne Leone. Beth Sokohl. Thank you from the bottom of my hearts and I hope I can bring you something to show for you support!