3 Day Event or BUST!

After learning/watching the T3D this past week/weekend I am super intrigued about doing one myself, next year, at either Novice or Beginner Novice division (Full Moon Farm does a 1/4 star event all the way down to Elementary division). I know this is ambitious and will require a LOT of hard work starting basically NOW! and I know nothing about how to train, what's required, or much of anything other than a vague concept of what happens. I have contacted one of the riders from this past competition to ask for advice and I will talk to my instructor but here's what I've found out (these are rules for T3D so it might be different for Novice or Beginner Novice which I'd expect to probably be unrecognized):

1. You have to Qualify. Sadly the qualifications don't include cute horse or a 500 word essay on why I love ponies. For the T3D you need to get NQRs in at least 4 recognized HTs at Training level or higher. I am not sure what NQRs are but I'm guessing National Qualifying Records?? aka do well at 4 recognized HTs and not a big fat E or RF.  One has to be attained as a combination. No idea what that means, either. So that in itself is a lot of time and training effort and money getting to all of those shows and actually getting through them and doing well.

2. You must be USEA registered. Because I normally compete in BN I only have to pay like a 'visitor's fee' and temporary registration. Looks like if I go Novice I have to register both me and Smash. More moolah. Especially if the qualifications need to be recognized events, this will just be an expense I'd pay in January and get it over with.

3. You and your horse have to be fit. Not like going on lots of trail rides fit, but gallop sets, trot sets, jumping courses without feeling like passing out, or hearing your horse wheeze after a gallop around the field and then going out and doing it all again the next day. This is where I need help. I know generally what to do but I know I need more guidance/training plan to get me and Smash fit enough for this. Thankfully this won't be too expensive to accomplish - just lots of time in the saddle and probably on the treadmill. It probably also means knowing how to take TPR on your horse in practice, too, so you know how fast your horse can recover in practice.

4. You need friends. Sounds silly but for this event you need at least 3 really awesome friends to come out and help you for the whole show. These friends need to be organized and know the rules and what to do so they help and not hinder your experience. Optimally you'd want friends who have done a 3 Day before and perhaps one who is a good braider and knows how to replace tack like studs in your shoes. They are going to help you get where you need to be ON TIME and help you not completely spaz out.

5. You need to know the rules. This event is not like regular HTs - there are jogs to be done (yes, there is a proper way to do it - and no, I don't know how), gates and phases to get to, knowing how fast or slow you and your horse are actually going, how to do math (Do you think I can strap my TI-83 to my reins??), and know when you can get assistance and when you can't. Not to mention deciphering the notes on your arm/tape.

6. You need to have fun! This is probably guaranteed if you're considering this in the first place, but like with any training, if you find yourself hating the process you should probably reconsider. Sometimes the idea of finishing spectacularly is more exciting than the actual preparation and work required to do something. So you need to really think things through. Regardless of whether you make it to the Awards Ceremony victory gallop on the last day of competition or just do a lot of training it'll be good for you and your horse. From what I can see from the very small research I've done so far, I'll be putting myself and Smash to the test of fitness and dedication and athleticism/heart to the sport.

I'm still doing more research to find out exactly what will be expected of me and Smash over the next year but this could be an awesome goal for us next year! We shall see what happens!

T3D and HT Weekend Spectacular

This past week has been crazy! Waredaca hosted their Training 3 Day event AND a recognized Horse Trial on the same week/weekend. Things started to get a little crazy the week prior when we were all instructed to move our trailers from our normal parking spot to further down the road. My trailer is my locker. So basically my car has now become my locker because driving down the road, then back, then walking out to get Smash, then putting it all back in the trailer did not appeal to me.

A few days later temporary stalls for the 3 day eventers went up in part of the cross country field. 3 rows of stalls for about 30 competitors, 1 being my friend from college. We were also limited to hacking in the fields and riding in the indoor ring and some limited warm up areas. I felt some what relieved I didn't need to really worry about where to ride since I was still dealing with Smash's abscess. Also, the field boarders got moved to a field closer to the barn which was more convenient for me. Smash was feeling better so she was not standing still when I tried to tie her to the tree and spooking at invisible monsters so taking her to the barn with cross ties was optimal! Feeling better + Tons of pent up energy = annoying horse.

By Wednesday all of the competitors were here and got to jog their horses for the vet and go on course walks with Steven Bradley! So cool! Thursday was the first day of competition: Dressage. It was also the day Smash finally got her shoe put back on! I am more than thrilled to announce Smash is sound! Abscess fully drained and she is ride-able again! :D You have no idea how happy that makes me! Friday was our first ride together after almost an entire month of her being off and it was awesome! In pure Smash fashion she spooked at almost everything and was very up until we got working and she calmed down. I could tell she felt good being back in work.

Friday was also Day 2 of the T3D - Steeplechase/Roads and Tracks/Cross Country day. I had never understood how this classic format worked until I saw it. Basically a rider has a start time where they go on a trail - Track/Road - for sort of like a warm up jog. They have to be at the Steeplechase start at a specific time. The Steeplechase area in this case was a cornered off part of the hay field made into a track/loop with 2 brush fences on either side of the loop. Each rider had 2 minutes to complete 3 loops of this track. It required horses to HAUL a$$ around this track! And you could tell this was every horse's favorite part since they got to go as fast as they wanted and their rider would not slow them down. Once finished this, typically your entourage would double check your tack (look for horse shoe issues/missing studs), hold your horse while you fixed tack, and gave you water if necessary before setting off on the second trail/road/track for a longer run.

You had a specified time to then rejoin your entourage at the 10 min vet box where you jog your horse in for the vet, hop off, and let your entourage start working their magic to cool off your horse as fast as possible. The vet's helpers would take TPR (Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration) every few minutes until your horse's vitals were back to almost resting/normal (temp of 102 or lower, 28-44 beats per min, and 10-24 breaths per min) for the vet to clear you to cross country start box. You had exactly 10 minutes to do this. If your horse does not recover in time they cannot go to the XC phase. We had one person walking the horse, another (me) sponging the horse down with ice water, and another using the sweat scraper to remove the excess water to enable the horses to cool down. Once the horse is vet cleared for vitals, the horse must be jogged again, and then the rider can remount and head to the XC start box. Then they are off for 24 XC jumps. Once they return from XC they must be cleared by the vet again, but this time there is no time limit.

Day 3 was the start of the recognized HT for the weekend and last day of the T3D. I was volunteering all day in the XC field but the format went like this:

* T3D riders did their stadium jumping and were presented with ribbons
* HT riders did their Dressage phase, headed to XC, THEN to stadium to avoid massive chaos

It magically worked out very well! And Sunday, despite Hurricane Sandy's pending arrival, went very well, for the Prelim and Training divisions. The show missed the rain completely and everyone got to compete! And I got to earn some Waredaca Bucks for volunteering *score!*

Next week is the last starter show at Waredaca for the year. I had hoped to ride Novice in this show but after taking all of October off (now because of a hurricane) there is no way it's happening. I considered entering in Elementary but thought no, I don't want to push Smash nor spend the money on an entry fee just for Elem. So I'll just wait for another opportunity. I already got an email for some December jumper shows so I will do some research and see if any of those look interesting to me.

It's been a very exciting week but now with Hurricane Sandy in the area I seriously hope everyone and their horses stay safe!