Fair Hill International

A few weeks ago Chloe and I got made the short trek over to Maryland to compete in one of our countries most prestigious competitions, Fair Hill International. Chloe and I competed in the CCI 3 star division. I cant help but write that sentence with a huge smile and a sense of accomplishment. We got there on Tuesday and the weather was gorgeous. I thought maybe this year we would escape the weather this competition is usually plagued with, cold and rainy. No such luck. By the time my dressage rolled around the rings were flooded and took Chloe a while to not spook at the sound of her own feet hitting the puddles. I wish that was a joke. She warmed up better then ever and I had really high expectations for her in the ring. Unfortunately she was the last in the division and the only horse out there. This left her a bit tense but I was confident I could ride through it. Her trot work was not her best and unfortunately this is where we get a lot of our points. Her canter work was a bit tense and she had one expressive change but I was so pleased on how well she came back and focused after that. Sometimes it is the little accomplishments that so often we overlook we forget that although it may not be a winning test there was improvement and promise for the future. The good thing and sometimes extremely frustrating thing is Chloe has so much movement that I have tapped into that she really could win. Allison calls it her "international trot." Now if only I can get that in the ring! I feel like I am taking baby steps but when breaking it down, at the beginning of the season we did not have an "international trot" at all, we did not have changes, I did not have the position I do now and when broken down like that I am so pleased with our improvements! My parents flew in for the weekend and I was so thrilled to have their support and encouragement all weekend. My mom was confident in saying that Chloe and I are so close to greatness in the dressage ring. Anyone who knows my mom knows she would not say this if she didn't mean it. It was very comforting that even though our score did not reflect our hard work it was visible. I rode dressage on Thursday and this left me with an extra day to focus solely on the cross country. I think I walked it five and a half times. You know how they say the more you walk it the better it looks? This never happened. Some courses are considered tough because its big, some are considered tough because it has a lot of terrain, some because it is technical...this one was big, technical, and had terrain like I had never seen before. Although I thought it looked touch..never for a second did I doubt my horses ability to do it. The CIC three stsr at Plantation was a good prep. and Chloe was game as long as I was. I walked the course with Allison and she assured me that it was my kind of course, I had to be forward and positive and attack within my stride. No biggie right? I walked with Phillip Dutton and he pointed out the course had a lot of drops, ride tough and assertive and you will be fine. He also pointed out that it was a huge fitness test. A lot of hills, four water jumps, and huge fences all the way to the end. He helped out a lot telling me where to push for time, where to cut corners, what jumps to put a bit of an angle on etc. He said to make time at Fair Hill you had to be on your first minute marker. This means you are flying from the moment you leave the box. I walked the course with my mom and it is almost a comfort factor having her there. When I worry about some of the big stuff she brushes it off, reminds me my horse is scopey and repeats for the millionth time...STAY BACK!
Saturday morning my mom went out and watched a few of the combination for me reporting back how it all seemed to ride. There had been quite a few problems all ready and no one had made time. I talked to Phillip who said he had to ride tough and if he feels he has to ride tough then it is tough. Chloe had her normal warm up which is usually a little spastic. It used to get me nervous but now I trust that she settles on course. The rain had subsided but it did leave the course a bit flooded. This meant I had to be smart on where to gallop not only to avoid bad footing but to conserve her energy. I walked to the box and felt quit calm feeling this made me nervous, I like my butterflys in the stomach. This makes me ride better. Once the countdown began my butterfly friends showed up and I had never felt so eager to attack a course. We were on our first minute and the one thing that really stood out to me was how Chloe was not over jumping. This was good, this meant she was feeling confident and this would also conserve her some energy. The next thing I noticed where the huge crowds. People were surrounding every jump and cheering loudly. Whistles blew as I came up to each jump. It felt like I was at Rolex! This made me want to ride that much better, it made me want to show these people what Chloe was made of! She attacked everything with such a sense of experience. We went straight everywhere and she was handling the crowds well. I missed at the corner complex and added an extra stride and she jumped out of a spot that only she could do, I was no longer sitting on a green horse. She looked for all the jumps and really was not fazed by the footing. We came through adding twenty time.As I was coming to the last fence I saw my dad running to the finish flags as he has done since I was going novice, I wanted to cry I was so happy. Chloe had lost a shoe on course and I was thankful to have my vet, Stephanie Davis in the box with me. She recovered well and went back to the barn to devour a few bags of carrots. It was all so surreal. Some of the best riders in the country were having problems on this course and Chloe had made it seem like child play. Derek Di Grazia did an unbelievable job designing the course. She passed the jog the next morning with flying colors. We warmed up for show jumping only jumping a few jumps. She felt good and I did not want to make her tired. She went in and show jumped a beautiful clear round. I had done it, I had completed my first CCI 3 star. Not only had I completed it, I had done it on a horse that I had started all on my own. The emotions were running wild and anyone who knows me knows I am a crier. I was getting praises left and right and the only thing I could think was how I hope my horse knows how amazing she is. She is one of those "once in a lifetime" horses and she deserves the praise, I hope bags of carrots will suffice.
We won the Markham Young Trophy for being the highest placed young rider in the division. It was such an honor being in the same awards ceramony with the likes of Boyd, Phillip, Allison, Karen O'Connor. It was something I could have dreamed up.
Chloe is home now in her huge grass paddock enjoying a very, very well deserved vacation. She is getting hairy, fat and a bit bossy.She deserves nothing less!
The show could not have been possible with out my wonderful parents. Having them there was so fantastic, being able to share that weekend with them was a such a treat. My dad is still to this day the best groom I know, my mom is the best trainer I know but most important they are the best parents I know. Allison is amazing and I cant thank her enough. She cares just as much as I do about my riding and I cant really ask for more in a coach. My boyfriend drove up for all three days and not only was an awesome fan he helped in the barn and supported me more then I could ask for, not to mention he dealt with all my pre Fair Hill emotions and nerves like a champ. I think I would have slept in Chloes stall with her if I could have not to mention she would be wrapped in bubble wrap. He reminded me she is a horse and if she trots around in her paddock ITS OKAY. Allion's groom and my best friend Grace, I cant thank you enough either. You keep me sane when this sport makes me feel crazy. Colin, your help was very appreciated! My wonderful vets, Dr Chad and Stephanie Davis. You guys are seriously awesome. You answer my million texts and care about Chloe almost as much as me. My sister is one of my biggest fans and I wish she could have been there. Also my west coast family, your support is unreal. Your texts, messages and phone calls remind me how awesome and supportive this sport is. Revita vet and APF thank you for your amazing products! Also, thanks to Fair Hill and all your volunteers who made the event so wonderful! I could not do it with out all of you!!
For now Chloe is enjoying some down time. We are hoping to be named to the developing riders list and making plans for our spring season. A three star in the spring is as far as my planning has gone. I will keep you all posted. For now thanks for reading and experiencing this season with me! I will be back soon with an overview of our first season on the east coast!
On a side note Buckleigh was featured in the Chronicle of the horse. I will try and find a picture to post!






http://shannonbrinkman.zenfolio.com/p637769326 ---- A link to our pictures. You can see where I added a stride to a narrow corner and she just jumps bigger

http://www.fairhillinternational.com/3coursemap.html ---A link to view the course map. You can view each jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghBIvmDrlmU ---youtube link where you can watch some of the CCI 3star cross country, there is a clip of chloe and I as well.
xoxo
Kelly, Chloe and Buckleigh