Today was the final day of the show in Wierden. The whole American team is both sad to be leaving Europe on Monday but also excited to see our families and friends again. It has been a long trip and we are all tired, but it has certainly been amazing and worth all the work! We have learned a lot about riding and competing in Europe and how it differs from American training and shows, met young riders from many other countries, and gotten the chance to prove our skills against top riders our own age.
Starting with the meter 1.35 at 8:30 am once again, Jen competed and won once again aboard Shakira, I made yet another mistake on Tusker (I HAVE to get it together one of these days!), and Nick rode Belly Button just to get one last practice round in before shipping to Spruce.
After this class, there was a lot of down time before the Grand Prix. The riders flatted their horses, took naps in the barn, and started packing up everything that was not needed for the afternoon. Finally, the 1:30 pm class time arrived and we walked the course of twelve jumps, including the open water to a quiet five stride line, a big oxer in a curving six strides to an airy triple combination (vertical-oxer-oxer), and a spooky wall as the final jump. Malcolm and Venturo both jumped in the Prix and it was very clear that they were tired from their two rounds and extra jump off in the Nation's Cup. Karl rode Toby and made a mistake to the trip combination, getting to the first element in six and a half strides from the oxer before it. Mike also made a mistake that caused him problems at the last jump with All Star. I rode Karonda too quietly to the first jump and had it down, then jumped the rest of the course clear. It was very frustrating!
Despite our issues in the Grand Prix, the Americans were still elated from the Nation's Cup win, and I think Karonda ended on a very good note and is ready for Spruce Meadows. This afternoon, we watched the pony jumper Grand Prix (it is massive! Big Tour ponies jump meter 1.30-.35 during the year and up to meter 1.40 at the European Championships in July). A really adorable little Belgian boy named Jonas who stabled his ponies across from my horses in the barn won the class after an intense jump off against ten other pony riders. Henk Nooren's youngest daughter, Lisa, also competed in the class but her pony misbehaved.
As the day drew to a close, we had to say goodbye to all the foreign riders and I must admit I was really sad. I am going to miss the foreigners and I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to my teammates, the grooms, and Michele tomorrow! Although I'm sure everyone would agree that team bonding got overwhelming at times, I think all the Americans really enjoyed this European adventure. Everyone on this tour was a blast to spend time with and I loved getting to know them all. I wish we could stay here longer!
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