The North American Young Rider’s Championship was a great success! Everyone (myself included) seemed to have a great time, and the endurance Basecamp was full of positive things to say about the Horse Park and staff. Though it was hot, everyone was in great spirits, and the 75 mile race went as well as anyone could have hoped.
I only got to see 55 miles of the trail, but what I saw of it, I loved. It was an amazing experience to ride parts of the WEG course, and see some of the beautiful estates surrounding the horsepark. Sam and I were taken out of the 4 star competition due to lameness around 55 miles. When the horses come into the checkpoint, you are given 20 minutes to slow their respiration and heartbeat, which usually means dumping lots of ice water on them and trying to cool their core temperatures. During the process, we got too much water on Sam’s rear end, and he stiffened up. The vets noticed he was a bit off, and pulled us for his safety. It was a good thing, too, because after we were pulled, Sam started thumping (a sign of calcium deficiency). We were able to give him the rest and care he needed, and I’m happy to report he’s in perfect shape now.
The event was not a total loss, however. I was on the U.S.A. Team for the 4 star, and my three other team mates Kelsey Russell, Kyle Gibbon, and Lindsey Bean had good enough times to allow us the Gold Team Medal in the 4 Star! I went home with a gold medal for a valiant team effort, and a total overall low time for our team.
Everyone rode very well, and had a lot of fun. The stewards and officials were very nice to us, as were the veterinarians helping us throughout the course. I’d like to thank Darolyn Butler (who’s horse I rode), my parents who came out and crewed for me, and all of the officials (Vonita Bower, Emmet Ross, and Jan Stevens, just to name a few), without whom us kids couldn’t come out and have fun each year!
Picture: All ribboned up to receive my gold medal-on DJB Cytron filling in for Sam, who is taking a well-earned rest! Photo courtesy of Devan Horn.