Well October WAS busy! We ran the Foothills HT... Revi finished third, would have won on our dressage score except my watch stopped so i had a few time penalties. Melanie and Drayco won the Novice division on their dressage. Drayco is turning into the little xc machine! And his dressage and SJ were already excellent.

The Lucinda Green clinic was fabulous. Lucinda had us try a couple of different bits--the Myler was a bit strong and wasn't letting her finish her "magic" jump (Lucinda said that my horse was magic!) So for xc we were in a big fat latex-wrapped full-cheek snaffle and Revi was A) loving it and B) behaving herself. Less head-tossing AND brakes, too! And, at the end of day 2, Lucinda said I might as well buy our tickets to Rolex because Revi has "no limit". She thought Revi just didn't like metal in her mouth and that she would despise dressage less in a plastic-type bit.

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnnZ4g7jrv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAo3gsfGAno


The next day (high as a kite) I took Jones to the FEH at the Ark and won the 3-year-old class with a 77. Nanci Lindroth, the judge, was extremely complimentary.

So Monday I wrapped Revi's bit in latex and she went great on the flat, but of course that is illegal in dressage. Lucinda had suggested a Nathe, so I ordered one, and of course it was backordered and had not come by the time we went to Tryon. So I grabbed a Happy Mouth mullen d-ring that I was using for one of my other horses; and Revi LOVED it. She was happy and relaxed, the judge stood up at the end of my test and complimented us on a lovely job. When I checked the score sheet, we got a _25_ and were in first. I about DIED! In showjumping I took a standard down with my foot trying to be clever and angle a big oxer, but Revi jumped great in the Happy Mouth. I was a little nonplussed not to have to check her up in front of the jump, where she usually sticks her head up and charges from three strides out, but I'm sure I'll get used to that!

We headed out for XC (meanwhile Melanie and Drayco posted a 23-something in dressage to take the lead in Novice--mercy!!), fully expecting to come back and find "corrected dressage scores" posted for Training. Nope! Came back from a clean xc run (and, in the Happy Mouth still, mannerly!) to find we had the lowest score at Training and were the NCDCTA Training champs. Melanie and Drayco had two double-clears and were NCDCTA champs at Novice, with the lowest score of the show. So a great weekend for Third Charm!

The next weekend was the Parade of Breeds which went well. Although Spirit is apparently TERRIFIED of Paso Finos which was a bit of a shocker! Who knew she had it in her?? Wish I'd gotten pix!

Then I decided to skip running Revi at Training at VAHT, since it is a pretty easy course and she is clearly getting quite bored at Training.... I ran Jones up there for the FEH championship, where we came four points behind the three-year-old champion.... who we had beaten by six points a mere three weeks prior. There is something to be said for having long legs and big feet--which I emphatically do NOT--in deep sand footing when you are trying to keep up with a 3-year-old Thoroughbred! Oh well! Poor Jones was so frustrated with me, hanging on him like an anchor!

So next weekend Revi is doing a Preliminary CT... then running a P/T schooling HT.... then a weekend off, as it appears the Phillip Dutton clinic will cancel for lack of entries.... then moving up to Preliminary at Pine Top! So November is going to be busy busy busy as well!