The weather Sunday was stunning- 75 degrees, nice breeze, clear blue sky's and sunshine- Perfect! Dressage went wonderfully until we cantered and Houston went into a coughing fit. But I was still elated with the impulsion he presented and we left the arena with a 32.2- not too shabby for us. There were 15 riders in our Novice division and this 32.2 landed us in 10th. Can we say stiff competition????
Show-Jumping proved to be a non-issue and more of a fun warm up for cross-country. Houston even put in his signature buck upon completing the course.
Walking over to cross-country I felt the least nervous I have in a long time. We were prepared. As the steward counted us down Houston got more and more anxious to take off. As he sprang from the start box he was instantly on a mission. I made a deal with myself that I would not hold him back and cause us to acquire time penalties for being too slow. Houston galloped with a purpose but still came back to me before each jump getting the perfect distance. With ears pricked we finished the course with ease at 4:44, just under optimum time of 5:18. The announcer's comment as we completed the water "Houston, now clear through the water is back to a rocking chair canter and across the field to finish a clear round".
After giving Houston much deserved praise we walked back to the barn and awaited class pinning. We moved from 10th to 6th to finish the competition. First place was a 16.5......yes! Competition was in deed stiff, and I couldn't be more proud of my handsome Houston. I was so pleased I'm entering him in his next event set to take place 3 weeks from now. Even at 22 years young, he's going strong and we intend to make the most of it.
