Today was our first day showing! We grabbed some breakfast on the way out of the hotel, and arrived at the show around 9:00 am to flat our horses before competing in the afternoon. Taylor took a quick run to the local market, an adorable little store selling local fruit and vegetables, to get some delicious snacks to give everyone extra strength to control our wild beasts.
Finally, after a seemingly endless wait, all the American riders and coaches walked the course for the meter 1.30 class. The jumps were full spec and the course was somewhat technical. Taylor was the first to compete, going 7th in the class order. She rode Tusker, a speedy ten-year-old low junior jumper she has competed with for three years. Tusker jumped wonderfully and the pair had a clear round, qualifying them for the jump off. Jen was next to show, riding Shakira, her eleven-year-old high junior jumper, in the 28th spot. Although Shakira tried to misbehave coming into a tough combination, Jen kept her in line and the two jumped a beautiful clear round. The only American left to compete was Nick, riding a seven-year-old mare he purchased last week. Nick has only ridden her a handful of times. With a new horse at an unfamiliar show in a foreign country, he had his work cut out for him! Nick rode very well, but the horse acted a little green and unrideable in an outside line that required a good deal of adjustability, resulting in two rails falling.
After the 39 entries completed the first round of the class, Taylor and Jen returned for the jump off. Taylor rode a quick track with Tusker but incorrectly judged the distance to the last fence, and Tusker wisely ducked to the side of the jump to avoid killing both himself and his rider. Jen came through for the team when she laid down a beautiful and smooth round, moving herself into the lead. A sneaky British rider bumped Jen into second place with a clear round and blazing fast time. Those Brits are out of control! A German girl also had a very fast clear and slipped into second. Jen ended up with an impressive third place and Taylor finished in seventh. In the victory gallop, we discovered that all the ribbons are the same color in Belgium. The top 8 riders are given blue and silver ribbons, and it is very confusing because no one can tell who won the class!
The team's second class of the day, the Grand Prix Qualifier, did not start until 6:30pm. At first, we naive Americans were worried that it would get dark before the class was completed, but then we remembered that this is Europe in May and it stays light until at least 10:00. It feels strange to be freezing as though it is the dead of winter and also have seventeen hours of daylight as though it is the middle of summer! The Table A knockdown speed course was a solid meter 1.40 and included several difficult elements, such as a neutral colored oxer-vertical-oxer triple combination in a tough setting; several large oxers off tight turns; and a tall green plank as the final fence. Michael was the first American to compete and rode his mare Katina 12. He rode the course smoothly but Katina was a bit wild and touched two rails. The next American to show was Karl. He piloted Uno D'Laubry to a flawless clear round and gave the team a big confidence boost! Next to compete was Jen with Venturo, and she rode beautifully as always, having just a single fault at an oxer. Nick competed next with his veteran mount Malcolm, an experienced horse Nick's dad showed in grand prixs for several years. Malcolm went well, but the pair had an unlucky rail. Taylor was next to show aboard her mare Karonda V. Schlosslihoff, a Swiss horse that a few people at Moorsele recognized from the many classes she competed in with Theo Muff over the past few years. Taylor had a good but uneven round, dropping two rails. With the first rotation of the American riders complete, Michael returned to the ring with his second mount, All Star, a huge and scopey bay gelding usually ridden by Debbie Stevens. All Star jumped brilliantly but had an unfortunate rail in a combination due to his massive stride. The final American effort of the day was put in by Karl aboard Notories Utopia, a talented speed horse he has been showing successfully for several years. Karl had his second clear round of the day and finished in third and fourth place with Uno and Notories Utopia, respectively. All in all, the U.S. team's first day of competition was a success! We were not perfect but everyone is looking good for tomorrow.
After a quick turkey schnitzel (Nick's meal of choice for both lunch and dinner) in the horse show restaurant, the exhausted team made their way back to the hotel. Tomorrow is an early morning and all the riders plan to compete in the Grand Prix!
-Jen and Taylor
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