Revenge is sweet....

Hah, just couldn't resist the title.....

Vanity's Revenge aka Revi is really coming along. Last weekend she won the Training and Preliminary Combined Tests at the Ark with a 32 and a 34 in dressage....

This weekend we did the Preliminary/Training horse trial at TTC. I haven't been to TTC in a few years, but since we're prepping to move up and they had the P/T division, we decided to go. Melanie and Drayco went too since they had never been to that facility and Drayco needs to see 'new things' since he's movin up to Training soon.

Dressage was in the spooky lower ring (you have to walk past several paddocks, an occupied dog kennel, the ring is cut into the side of the hill with a dropoff and woods on two sides). Revi was obedient but slightly distracted--she really WANTED to look in the woods, and ended up with a 38, leading the division (3 horses). Drayco was also distracted in his test and got a 34, still in the top few though.

We walked cross-country and I was pleased to see that there were a fair number of pretty big fences so it wouldn't be dull. I forgot how big the banks/drops at TTC were! We also checked out stadium and as always the fences were colorful, nicely decorated, and the course was big and winding, with two big combinations and several changing bending lines, really a true representation of the level.

Went back to the trailer, changed my helmet cover, put on my stock tie, got my jacket on and was stuffing my hair under my helmet when Mel said "Isn't cross-country before stadium?" DUH!! Changed helmet cover back, hunted up my blue cross-country shirt, etc. etc....

Ran cross-country, came in right in the middle of the speed window. Revi jumped great and is still listening really well in the Happy Mouth snaffle.

Mel ran cross-country and had a great round EXCEPT for the big drop.... Drayco came up on it a little quick and looked surprised when he got there! Circled on top of the bank and hopped right off, so hopefully next time with a slightly slower approach and a little tap/lean back from Mel he'll be fine!

Stadium was about an hour later so we watered the ponies and then let them chill out tied to the trailer while we got some lunch. Fabulous chicken salad sandwiches I have to say!! Concessions at TTC are always delicious.

We went first in stadium. The first fence was very vertical, and we rolled the top rail. I thought "Well, now we're in second." Revi apparently thought "Oh, these are bigger!" and jumped the bejeebers out of the rest of the course! Then the other two horses went. The big chestnut had the first jump down (now I didn't feel bad!) and then stopped at the final swedish oxer. The black horse had the first jump down also and pretty much went through the final element of the second combination. So we moved back up to first! We got a lovely big ribbon, a purple cooler, and an etched vase.

Mel and Drayco had their usual lovely stadium round, but due to the stop at the drop didn't get a ribbon. Still a good experience and ready for the move-up to Training, with a couple of schools over big unfamiliar drops perhaps....!

Onward and upward.... Revi will run in her first full Prelim at Jumping Branch, which has a nice move-up course, and Mel will run her first Training at the Ark's December event. I was going to run Revi at Pine Top, which is recognized, but JBF is about $200 cheaper.... plus I can go to Dwayne's speedskating meet now, which is the same weekend as Pine Top....!