Maui Jim Wayne Horse Trials

This past weekend was the Maui Jim Wayne Horse Trials in Wayne,Il. I rode Reno Tune aka Shorty in the Open Training Division B, and Castlebar Friday aka O'malley in the Junior Young Rider's Open Preliminary. We left Tuesday morning at 4:30 am for the 12 hour drive to Wayne. We stopped in Springfield, MO to pick up my groom TJ. We finally arrived in Wayne at 6:30 pm, with two happy and healthy horses. We met my Trainer Meighan with her two horses' Cappataggle Clover aka Duffy and War Wolf aka Wolfie, she rode Duffy in the Open Training Division A, and Wolfie in the CIC**, and Meg's other student Elizabeth who rode Consiado aka Barkley in the Junior Training Rider Division B. Here is how the week went down.

Wednesday morning started at 7:30 am, we fed the horses and then went and checked in at the office. Then we went and got our golf carts. After getting our carts, we tacked up the first set of horses. Meg rode Duffy first, I rode Shorty and Elizabeth rode Barkley. After a good 45 mintues of work, most of it being walk we took the boys back to the barn to get on the next set of horses. Meg was this time on Wolfie, and I rode Malley. Malley was good, but not completly perfect being he was still so tight from the trailer ride. After working the horses, we fed the horses lunch and Meg drove to the airport to pick up her groom for the week Beth. Elizabeth and I walked the Training level XC course which looked amazing!! Then we fed them dinner and went to bed.

Thursday morning started at 7 am. Today is the first day of competition. Duffy was the only horse to compete, he rode his dressage test at 3 that afternoon, put in a faboulous test for a score of a 29 good enough for the lead!!!! Way to go Duffy! Shorty, O'malley, Wolfie and Barkley all just worked, and Wolfie had his inbarn check for the CIC**. After walking the Prelim course, I was glad I had entered O'malley in the Prelim and not the CIC*. It was going to be a big tough course but we felt up to the challenge.

Friday morning started at 6 am. Shorty was the first to ride his dressage test, he put in a great test, very soild and steady for a score of a 34!!!! He sat tied for 6th place, only 3 points behind the leader. O'malley was next up for his dressage test, warmup was great! Proabably the best he has been all spring! He put in a good test but a little distracted, but still score a desent score of a 40.7 good enough for 12th out of about 22! I was very pleased with him. Shorty was supposed to go XC next but due to the amout of rain XC was postponed until Sunday and Shorty was to SJ at 5 that afternoon. Next up was Elizabeth who did a good test for a score of 39 good enough for 2nd place tied. Last in the dressage ring was Wolfie. Wolfie is a brilliant mover, but a bit of a jerk sometimes. And for what ever reason he did not want to settle in a due the job of dressage. A score of 78.8 for next to last, left Meg wondering if she really wanted to run him XC saturday afternoon. Last was Shorty's Show Jumping, and being the perfect pony that he is he jumped a double clean round, and sat still tied for 6th place.

Saturday, brought more rain, and the XC again postponed for the Prelim. So O'malley Show Jumped Saturday morning instead of running XC. He had an amazing warm up and then went in a bloomed over the entire course not touching a single rail in the ring! O'malley had just earned his first double clean round at Prelim! By the time lunch rolled around they had decided to run the upper levels XC. So the only horse we had to run XC saturday afternoon was Wolfie. After watching all the Advanced horses run we went back the barn to get Meg and Wolfie ready for their chance at the course. He warmed up great! Meg had said she wasn't going to keep going if he stopped at the water. By the 7th jump Meg could tell something wasn't right. Then the water came, and he wasn't right, he stopped on top of the bank and then jumped down into the water, and kept on going. By the time they got 7 from home Wolfie stopped again. So Meg retired him on course. She got back to us and Wolfie was not right at all. He had begun the tie up, more than likely at the 7th jump on course. By the time he got to us, he could barely walk being taken back to the barn by the horse abulance. After returning to the barn, he didn't not get better, so he was taken the the Vet Hospital for overnight watch. Now we all had to put this behind us and focus on the rest of the horses.

Sunday morning started of slow, walking in the barn with Wolfie's stall empty was hard. Then Meg coming in and telling us that he wasn't any better and that not only would he not be coming home with us but he will never compete again. This started the day off horribly. We all cried. But it was put behind us none the less, it had to be, and Meg started to get Duffy ready for XC. Duffy put in a great run going double clean, retaining his lead! Winning his class on his dressage score of a 29! Next was Shorty, we went out and gave me the most amazing XC round I think I have ever had, a double clean round. Next was Elizabeth and Barkley, they also went double clean. Last of the Day was O'malley, He had the most amazing round. He was great! He blew me away, as he jumped all the jumps, never looked at a single jump, he was bold, brave and fast! He jumped clean, just having 15 time faults, not bad and his fastest round to date. Overall the show was great! Shorty finished 5th in his Division, and will be moving up at the next show. O'malley finished 8th, and will be going to the CCI* in Ocala this fall! Elizabeth got 3rd on Barkley winning a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses, and Meg and Duffy won their class, also getting a pair of Maui Jim's.

The weekend was great! I have always had a blast at Maui Jim. Sadly Maui Jim was the one year mark for the death of Paradigm, of Kiwi, Forrest's amazing New Zealand TB. Kiwi will always live on in our hearts. And a tree was dedicated to Kiwi, next to the Dressage ring. We miss you Kiwi Bear!