I have spent the past two days here at Bea and Derek’s house and farm in Carmel Valley to get in some final practice and finishing touches before the weekend begins. Ginger was a bit of a hot tamale this morning our final jump school. The enthusiasm was welcomed and served to make a great final jump school before the show. When I was warming up this morning, I thought about the first time Ginger and I came for training at Stillwater Farms in January of 2009. At that point Ginger and I were trying to get through training level and were running into some difficulty and now we are preparing for our first CCI** (our second, and hopefully final, qualifying event for the Pan Ams). Wow, it is so amazing to think about the progress and education we have received from Bea and Derek over the past two years. I feel so fortunate to have such knowledgeable coaches that have given me this skills and understanding to reach beyond what I could have ever asked for. Ginger has been such a gift and the best teammate I could’ve asked for teaching me patience, hard work, trust, and confidence. It just reminds me to be thankful and humble before going into this event.
This afternoon I plan to drive down to Twin Rivers and get Ginger all settled in. Tomorrow the competition begins with vet inspections and trot up. These are done to insure the soundness and status of each horse’s health before entering the competition and is only to be done at FEI aka international events. Once that is finished there will be a cross country course walk in the evening and my dad and Melissa should arrive sometime after for dinner. I am anxious and excited for the event.
Until next time,
Ginger and Lauren
