November 10, 2007 – Meeting Goals

Four in the morning came way too quickly. Actually, I didn’t sleep. Even lying down in bed, I tossed and turned, my body, mind and heart ready to get back in the arena.

I finally went back to the barn to find my Dad in the aisle way. He knew that I needed to rest, so he rode my horse in the arena that evening so I could get up to school. And instead of coming back to sleep, he wanted to see for himself how my horse schooled.

So I saddled Bailey up and started to warm up. By that time, Anne arrived at the arena to help me. Our plan was to go in the pen and march through the course.

Bailey was great. We got around without any trouble at the far end of the pen (thanks

Daddy!), and we were doing pretty well with our distances to the fences. So we took Bailey back to the stall to let him rest and to have breakfast.

I headed back to the bus to change and decided to take a shower to freshen up and to help me stay awake.

I brought my mother back with me to the barn, and I was ready to prove to everyone that Bailey can be a great horse. And he was!

Our first trip in the green working hunter was good: No ticks, pretty good distances and above all, no spookiness in the far corner! I even got a “Great ride!” from Margeaux Casey in the stands!

We waited anxiously to hear the call backs, but my number was not called. I am pretty sure I am the only amateur in this division, so showing against the likes of AQHA Professional Horsemen is pretty tough anyway!

I went back in for my junior working hunter go, and it was even better than my green trip! I was so excited to have a great ride and for Bailey to be back to himself. Once again, I didn’t make the call back, but I know we had a great ride, a ride good enough to make it back, and a ride that I was proud of, no matter what the judges thought.

My mom thought it would be best to go ahead and get a picture in front of the backdrop, because Anne was headed home and the horse was already cleaned up. So we went ahead and got a picture made for my Top 10 finish in hunt seat equitation. Of course, we had to go back to the bus for the ribbon, jacket and Dottie.

Still with a heavy heart, my mom knew exactly what I needed. Shopping! Nothing picks up a girl's heart like shopping! So Mom, Anne and I headed to the Trade Show and both buildings were filled with great shops and vendors. Sure enough, I walked out with a new horsemanship shirt and Dottie has a new lead.

I am ready to come back to the Bank of America Amateur Week next year in more than just the over fences and hunt seat classes, and I am anxious to get back on the road to start the journey again.  

But before I do, I have one more class – junior hunter hack on Friday. So I will be back in the saddle for the rest of the week!

--Sarah

November 9, 2007 – Working On A Plan

Today, my parents came back, originally hoping to get in town to watch me in the finals of the amateur over fences classes. Well, not this year, but we watched the finals anyway and determined that I can ride with this crew of exhibitors, I just have to get my horse a little more broke.

I still have the junior working hunter and green working hunter to show in Saturday morning. So Dad and I came up with a plan to make it work. I would get in the arena immediately after the last class tonight, amateur working cow horse, and just hack him around the pen. If I had any trouble I would call Dad. Then Anne and I would get up and school at 4:50 a.m. over the course.

I got to the arena in time to watch the last two rides of the cow horse finals. Wow! What an exciting class, but what I really loved was the background music.

I actually have loved the music during the entire show. I have heard ’80s classics from “Come on Eileen” in the hunt seat equitation finals to “Bad to the Bone” in the working cow horse. Each selection just seems to go with the class.

I don't remember the songs that were playing as I was showing in the fence classes, I guess I was just too focused on the ride. But I think they really worked well for the audience.

Ready to do whatever it takes, I prepared for my early morning green working hunter class. Late night rides, early morning rides – my goal is to get Bailey around a great course, to make the finals and overcome the end of the arena.

--Sarah

Cowgirl up! That would be the theme of this day! Considering he was not very good during his schooling last night, I decided to ride Bailey "a lot" today. I let Anne sleep in for a while, and I went and hacked him around in Barn No. 6.

When Anne got to the barn we had another ride and worked in Barn No. 9 over some fences. Bailey was jumping well, and we felt pretty good about everything. Back to the bus for lunch and to change clothes.

We had one more ride before the actual warm up for the eq over fences prelims. Outside the arena Bailey felt great! I had my plan down, and I was ready to ride. I passed under the sign that says "Gateway of Champions" thinking – hopefully this will be the gateway for me!

As I entered the arena at a sitting trot, I felt he was just a little tense. He dropped his shoulder around the turn of my courtesy circle, and I knew this was going to be a tough ride. I marched up to the first fence, and a stride or two after the first fence he made a hard left turn. NOT where we were supposed to go. He is still afraid of the far end of the arena (or he is trying to make me believe he is afraid of it).

I pushed him through the rest of the class and walked back under the "Gateway to Champions" sign. Not this year for me.

As much as I wanted to be tough, a full year of long miles pulling a truck and trailer up and down the road, getting points and gaining experience, it all came crushing down. I was mad at myself, upset at Bailey, and the tears came.

I could hear my Daddy saying, “Now Sis, you just need to cowgirl up, you've got another class to ride in and make it right.”

So I galloped him around until my go in amateur working hunter. Placing in the Top 10 at the Congress just a few short weeks ago, I knew we had the ability to make it back in the finals, if we could just get over the this foolish thing with the end of the pen.

As I was getting ready to go back in, a few of my idols came up to me with words of encouragement and advice. With a strong will and a new sense of confidence, I headed into the arena.  

Sarah takes Bailey through the equitation over fences prelims.

Determined not to let Bailey get the best of me, I rode hard, both legs sending him forward into my hands, not giving him the opportunity to think about the far end of the arena. Whew! We made it around the first turn (may not have been pretty, but we made it!) went up to the first fence, and then around to the first diagonal line.

As we rounded the corner, he ducked to the left and hesitated and sort of pitched a fit, but both spurs sent him forward down the line. By this point I had lost both of my stirrups, but nothing was going to keep me from making him do what he was supposed to do. So I galloped on around to the two-stride in-and-out, finally coming around to the last line and then down to the last fence. No stirrups, all heart.

At the end of the course, I get a round of applause, not for making a pretty round but for making him get around the arena.

It’s hard to think that all of your hard work comes down to less than two minutes or even a second in a class, but as Anne says, “If it was supposed to be easy, we wouldn't crown world champions. Everyone would do it.”

I find a little solace in the words of a few supporters, and make a plan to get back in the arena around 3 in the morning to prove to him that nothing is behind those silly gates. I guess next year any success will be even sweeter, knowing what we have come through.

I still have three classes left, and I am not giving up. Even if I do have to ride with the big boys and girls in the open classes, I am going to ride for the best ride I can get out of ol' Bailey.

--Sarah

Well, this morning is starting out like most others – on my bike, over to the barn. After cleaning my stall, I decide to sweep the hallway; that's a job that seems to never stop. Thank goodness my neighbors let me borrow their scoop, as I had created quite the pile to pick up.

The rest of the morning was pretty quiet, spending some time with Dottie, checking in with the office, etc.

Today, my coach Ann Brzezicki came in to help! Yeah! Yeah for the support and strategy, and she can be tough on my left leg!

Ann and I have been together for years, since I was 12 and all through college as she was my equestrian coach for the Middle Tennessee State University Equestrian team. So just having her here gives me a sense of relief. On top of that she knows her stuff and makes me better each time I ride with her.

The first thing we do is ride – she is anxious to see how Bailey and I are doing. So, as I am galloping around in Barn No. 6, I notice that she is taking pictures of me and not saying anything.

This concerns me at first, thinking, she is taking pictures of my left leg to prove to me that it is slipping back too far and not saying anything, and that must mean that I am going to get it in a very well thought-out speech. That's the way she works – so that I don't have a reason to argue, and I have to force myself to ride better!

But no! As I ride up to the rail, I say, “So is it that bad?” She goes, “No! It’s great! That is the best rhythm I have seen you have in years! Now, your left leg needs some fussing (See, I told ya) but you looked great!”

Off to Barn No. 9 we go. The fences go pretty well, and Anne seems pleased so we head back to the stall. Anne goes back to the bus to sleep as she has been up early for a flight out here and didn't get much sleep anyway preparing for her classes. She is going to be out here with me for three days.

While she is sleeping, I head to dinner with friends, and wait ’til the over fences schooling begins after the finals performance.

Finally, I head to the barn for the schooling. The fences look great, and I am loving the courses.

So, we enter for our first schooling time, and we hit our first big obstacle: The Gate. Bailey can smell where the cows had been from the heading and heeling finals – the same thing that chumped us in the equitation pattern.

Now, he is an American Quarter Horse, which is known for their cow sense, and he lives on a place where we rope all of the time. You would think that cow smells would be the least of his worries. But he cannot see them, and he got pretty wound up. So we spend most our schooling time standing beside the gate or cantering circles around by the gate.

We finally get around the corner going both ways and get over all of the fences. So we decide to rest by the gate. Even after Mike took the fences down, we went back and stood by the gate. So, I am hoping that he remembers the end of the schooling more so than the beginning for tomorrow’s working hunter and equitation over fences.

It’s 2 a.m...off to bed.

--Sarah

This morning was simply quiet. After our morning visit to the barn, I got back to the bus to find several messages waiting for me from the office, so I spent the morning taking care of business items back in Tennessee. The job that funds this crazy addiction needed some attention.

With a little slower day in front of me, I headed to the trade show, but not for real heavy shopping, but actually to pick up my Top 10 jacket from the AQHA booth.

I had two reasons to do it: 1. I was excited, and 2. it was going to be 30 degrees in OKC, and I needed a stylish jacket! I was also excited to see some of my favorite folks from AQHA, Tammy Garrison and Barbara Linke. They helped me find the right size and asked about my folks.

I went back to the barn and ran into some friends from Tennessee, Dionne and Marsha Stigge. Dionne and I grew up showing as youth together, and its fun to see the folks from back home here.

I then decided it was time for Bailey to get out of the stall. So I saddled up and headed to Barn No. 9 for some over fences work. It was pretty well packed with people, so we warmed up and jumped a few fences. I obviously gave him too much time off yesterday, so we went back to the arena in Barn No. 6 to gallop. Returning back to Barn No. 9, he was great and jumped around fabulously!

After cleaning him up, I sat down with Don and Karen in the stall aisle way to chat, and I found out that my Top 10 garnered some cash! Yahoo!!! I knew there was a purse, but I guess I just didn't think it would trickle down to 10th place. Hey, $385 will definitely help out this working amateur!

I went back to the bus to give Dottie a walk and then head back to the barn with one more work out with Bailey.

I went to Barn No. 6 planning on just flatting him around, there wasn't too many folks in there riding, a few ropers warming up and a gal practicing for the finals of the showmanship. It’s just amazing how many different things an American Quarter Horse can do.

Soon the practice pen was full of ropers, which neither Bailey nor I have a problem riding around (since both my Daddy and brother are ropers), but it was getting a little full for a hand gallop so I headed back to Barn No. 9.

Just when I thought we were done, that Oklahoma wind blew in a poster from the street and Bailey jumped sideways as if a ghost had walked into the arena. So, we had another 45 minutes of riding before we could head to the stall.

--Sarah