OK, so this time a whole month slipped by, I do not know where the time in my day flies to. I just cannot seem to grasp it and make it extend enough to encompass everything I want to do. The days need way more hours.
So Solo did not go to Bromont. After coming third at his first Intermediate and filling us all with confidence that he would get a qualifying score at Grandview to complete his FEI entry qualifications… he caught us out for over optimistic planning yet again… sigh. There are two matching blue and white buoy fences, one in the water and one out the water and both after a downhill right turn away from home. Take away any one of those factors, the downhill, the right turn, away from home and two spooky jumps with Mr Spooky himself and he would have gone clear, but he was so busy having opinions. He argued and messed around on the turn, then spooked at the first fence because he could, found he could not jump it from a standstill (Intermediate is just a bit too big for that) and had to turn around and jump in….then did EXACTLY the same thing at the second blue and white buoy, took a look/spook at it, and left himself without enough to jump out the water and had to turn around. There went our qualifying score and there went his Bromont entry. Oh well, now he is going to have to go and do a two star somewhere else, which is a shame because Bromont is SO lovely.
We in Canada need to be rightly proud of Bromont. For those of you who have not seen the recent changes and upgrades. Bromont is a three star facility second to none! I went as a spectator and it was fantastic. The cool damp weather did not dampen spirits and all three phases were smooth, well run, well organised and in the most spectacular setting we could hope for. Seriously – Bromont has moved itself forward as one of North America’s premier event sites. It is truly breathtaking.
The Canadian selectors and David O’Connor were there to look at performances in the three star. Jessie Phoenix and Rebecca Howard both performed brilliantly and were named to the WEG squad on their results, Rebecca finishing second and Jess third. Kim Severson had yet another bad day in the stadium ring. At Kentucky she went from second to nowhere with so many rails that I lost count and of course lost her qualifying score for the WEGs. At Bromont three rails dropped her from her first place lead which she had maintained from day one, to fourth. An improvement on Kentucky but not what Kim was hoping for I am sure. I know she really wanted to show the US selectors a clean stadium round.
All the other horses are in full swing. Crosby and Song of Songs, both placed at Grandview where they upgraded to Training and Prelim respectively. Dudley was in first place after dressage, first place after stadium, set out for his usual relaxed hunt around the cross country (he NEVER looks at anything), got up on a bank, eyeballed some flower boxes and didn’t get off the bank again….ugh! So…he has to do a little flowery homework and I just hope none of his relaxed confidence about banks has been altered. He was doing his first Prelim so we are not too worried that he found something that he was still too green to organise himself for. We were thrilled that he was first after dressage! He is a beautiful dressage horse, it would not surprise me if he sold just for that and never jumped again, which would be criminal because he can really get off the ground!
Our adult campers from Edge of Lanark had a blast. We played to our hearts content in the arena and out on the fields and jumps. When I say “campers”, that was the original intention. However, the reality was the Kenney Hotel at the Jones Falls Rideau Lock, which was a gorgeous location, and did not in any way resemble ‘camping’. The weather was fantastic and the bugs stayed away in droves. One naughty horse did not load and he managed to stay an extra night before Selena and I could go down and give a hand. I think he just likes it here. Selena gave some demonstrations of ‘how to’ before our lessons and actually managed a ‘how not to’ when she hit the ground during an awkward moment in a grid….heeheehee. It can happen to the best of us!
Last but not least, yesterday Selena and Colombo were named to the Canadian squad that will go to training camp in September prior to the WEGs.
