|
|
|
|
|
Wow! It's been quite a summer for Agape Dressage. We've traveled all over the region and have already returned from the first show of the new season. Seems just a few weeks ago that Anna Calek, Lucy Ziurys, and I made the trek to Flagstaff over Labor Day weekend. What a great show! Anna and Lucy won nearly every class they entered and Lucy won the award for the wildest ride after a gigantic dust devil blue half the arena down and a blue wading pool took flight over the rings during one of her rides. Fleet just stopped and acted like this always happened. After a ten-minute break to repair the arena, she continued on to win 1st 3. Anna was on her horse Kai in the warm-up as the wading pool blew past their heads. She just quietly hopped off and watched it land another 20 yards away. I was so impressed with the way both horses and riders kept their heads.
After a brief rest following Flagstaff, a group of us headed to Santa Fe for USAE/USDF Regional Championships. Anna, Lucy, Lynn Boice, Beth Glass, and I arrived a couple of days early on the pretense of letting the horses adjust to the new surrounding. Really, we wanted to go shopping in Old Town! Stephanie Glock and her husband Bob pulled in the next day with Neblig and Peggy and Alicia Nicholas showed up Thursday to cheer on the gang.
The Horse Park in Santa Fe has much potential but needed a little bit better footing and more visits from the water truck. However, the staff was friendly and the competition fierce (the Trade Show vendors weren't bad either!). Region V has some incredibly talented horses and riders in all levels and divisions. Lucy and Lynn were a little nervous on Saturday in their First Level
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Championship but turned in respectable tests and earned 9th and 11th, respectively, out of 16. On Sunday, Lynn turned up the heat a little with Never Say Never, and earned 4th in the Training Level Amateur Division out of 18. This was a tough class with many gorgeous horses and amateur riders who would give most trainers a run for their money. Anna, Lynn, and Lucy all did beautifully in their open classes placing in each one. Stephanie's horse, Neblig, was an absolute gem during the week and we won all of our 3rd level tests in the open show. Despite a lovely ride in the 2nd level Championship, we placed 7th out of 12. One judge had us 3rd and the other placed us 11th. Hard to reconcile such differences, but they happen.
The most fun part about Santa Fe was getting to be closer friends with everyone there. 'Cause let's face it, when you're cooped up with four other women for a week, you have no choice! For instance, there was the hot chocolate burp that reverberated throughout the entire indoor warm-up arena and was loud enough to make people turn to look for the culprit: Anna! Or the time we all had to band together and forbid Lucy from having another double latte with a shot of espresso-I think it was called the defibrillator. Of course, by the end of the week we were all picking green chilies out of our food, including salads. Then there was the awkward moment in the Suburban when Anna reminded all of us of our "many quirks". But, for pure entertainment, the best moment was after dinner one night when Lucy started singing the Cruella DeVille song from 101 Dalmatians. On the trip home, Anna's bionic strength came in handy, as we had to change a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
flat on Lynn's trailer. Lynn, with a broken thumb, mostly lent moral support. I tried to help as Anna used her kickboxing tactics and a few "hi-yah's" to get the lug nuts loose. She got it changed in no time and we arrived back at Willow Woods safely.
Though nobody came home with a Regional Championship, I am so proud of how everybody performed. I forget sometimes that Lynn and Lucy are fairly new to dressage and have never competed at a show of that level. They presented themselves and their horses admirably.
The next stop on the show circuit brought us all to CARA for the Harvest Show and State Line Adult Team Championships. Debbie Legner made her debut with Agape Dressage on Desert Rose and Robin Ritter delivered a lovely performance on her new mare Pride. Lynn, Lucy, Beth High, and Anna were the members of "The Losgelassenheit Ladies" (Loose Ladies) who won the First Level Division. Anna, Debbie, Nancy Orta, and Robin comprised the "Sisters of Schwung" who won the Training Level Division. As part of the team competition, each team had to come up with their own cheer and perform it during the Saturday lunch break. The Sisters of Schwung won for "sexiest cheer" and the Loose Ladies won the best overall cheer. Here is a sampling:
From the Sisters of Schwung:
Schwung, Schwung,
Sisters of Schwung,
We schwung to the left,
We schwung to the right,
We schwung all day and schwung all night!
(Imagine this with sexy hip movements!)
From the Losgelassenheit Ladies:
(Continued on page 9)
|
|
|
|
|
|
