Amy, Leia, Suzzane & others! How was Happs!

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MountainMeadows

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OK, so I know it was pretty soggy last weekend, but I doubt that it stopped you from having a great time -- where are the pix, how about all the nitty gritty!

Stac
 
I was there with my good little mare, KLS High Altitude, which Maureen consistently puts into the program as High Attitude! LOL! That might actually be a more fitting name for her...

It was an awesome Driving Trial with so many participants! There were 32 to drive on Saturday and 29 on Sunday. This is the only place in the country that can draw those kind of numbers! And many are starting to move up the ladder, there were NINE VSE turnouts competing in Prelim on Sunday! How cool is that? Some were veterans in the division, others were trying it out for the first time (including myself). It was actually just fine in the weather department as well. The rain only happened overnight, otherwise it stayed away until we were packing up to leave. Thanks, Mother Nature! I heard that it had rained most of the day on Saturday just 30 minutes south, and also to the north, but we definitely got lucky.

It is always fun to see the folks at combined driving events. There are few enough of us that pretty much everyone knows each other. There were some new competitors, eight in all, that came to see what it was all about. Most were from our area breed shows, and were welcomed with open arms from friends new and old. It was Susanne's maiden driving competition, and I know she will have tons to say about it! Mingus looked MAHVELOUS and Susanne not too shabby herself.
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Cody of course is one in a million, and I know that Leia will have a few stories of her own. But I will leave it to them to tell!

As for us, Ally and I did very well in some respects. Ally could have done a lot better if she didn't have a bonehead driver! I had misread our start time for dressage on Day 1, thinking we were to go off at 9:37. I arrived at the gate to check in at about 9:25, and she said, "You're in next!" and the previous competitor had just given her final salute.
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I said, "I thought I went at 9:37???" to which she showed me the listing. As I squinted at the tiny text, a blurry 9:27 appeared. YIKES! No warm up, which to Ally means no right bend. Sorry Charlie! Then I forgot a halt at C, which gave us an additional 5 penalties, OH WELL! This put is into 13th place after dressage, but we are still having fun! Had a perfect fast cones run on Maureen's devilishly fiendish course, REALLY BIG FUN! Then came in from Marathon right on center of our window, which put us into 6th overall out of 21 training level competitors for the day.

At the awards presentation, Maureen once again offered to re-do the schedule if anyone else wanted to try prelim the next day. Suddenly I found my head nodding and my hand shooting up in the air. Possessed! I was possessed by the competitive spirit! Yes, we will try it! Got our new times, then went out to re-map our hazards since Maureen is an amazing course designer who ALWAYS makes the easiest way in to A go through D. Which I had done earlier in the day on every hazard! Oh noes!!! Brain exploding! Then to get the new dressage test, which I had not ever seen before, no problemo on being able to DO IT, but memorize? Ack!

We went out for our dressage on Sunday morning, plenty of warm up time, yes! We can do this! I was the first to go in the prelim division, so no opportunity to watch another do the course first. I got partway through test 3, before I missed the left turn across the arena from B to E. Eek! Before the whistle blew, I turned Ally as gracefully as we could to cross the arena. Ah, pulled that one out! Oops! Now I am late for the walk at C!!! Down transition! Down transition! Smile at the judge.
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OK, a little rough up to now, let's do the rest in a little better style! We did well enough to earn a great score of 42.18 on our first prelim test ever! We were third at that point. We did fine with the tighter clearance on cones too, right up to #20 where we dropped a ball. Dang! Still good on time though...

The adrenaline got to me a little too much in marathon, both I and Ally were having a good old time indeed getting to finally canter in the hazards as we'd practiced at home. However, in our euphoric state we missed gate D in one hazard, and went through B backwards and hit a knockdown in another. However Ally galloped boldly into the water, and was pretty darned smooth through our turns. On the hazards we did correctly, we were very competitive on times. We will definitely be competing at that level from here on! What a blast we had!

Happ's will be offering an Arena Driving Trial (ADT) series this winter, for those Northwesties who think they might like to test the waters. It is so much fun, I swear to you that you will not care where you place. It took me three years to get into the ribbons! I kept after it, because it was so much darn fun.

Hope to read some other accounts soon!
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ClickMini said:
And many are starting to move up the ladder, there were NINE VSE turnouts competing in Prelim on Sunday!
Even better, there were actually ELEVEN on Sunday!!
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I got copies of the score sheets from Maureen before I left and just confirmed it.

Kody of course is one in a million, and I know that Leia will have a few stories of her own. But I will leave it to them to tell!
I started writing it up yesterday and will get the pictures as soon as I can. The only good news about not getting many taken is that it's much easier to hurry up and get them online! *LOL* My two favorites from Wendy are this one and this one. I'm disappointed she didn't get any at all of the hazards, but hey. The videographer did, I just have to wait awhile to get to see them!

As for us, Ally and I did very well in some respects. Ally could have done a lot better if she didn't have a bonehead driver! I had misread our start time for dressage on Day 1, thinking we were to go off at 9:37. I arrived at the gate to check in at about 9:25, and she said, "You're in next!" and the previous competitor had just given her final salute.
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I said, "I thought I went at 9:37???" to which she showed me the listing. As I squinted at the tiny text, a blurry 9:27 appeared. YIKES! No warm up, which to Ally means no right bend. Sorry Charlie! Then I forgot a halt at C, which gave us an additional 5 penalties, OH WELL! This put is into 13th place after dressage, but we are still having fun! Had a perfect fast cones run on Maureen's devilishly fiendish course, REALLY BIG FUN! Then came in from Marathon right on center of our window, which put us into 6th overall out of 21 training level competitors for the day.
At the awards presentation, Maureen once again offered to re-do the schedule if anyone else wanted to try prelim the next day. Suddenly I found my head nodding and my hand shooting up in the air. Possessed! I was possessed by the competitive spirit! Yes, we will try it! Got our new times, then went out to re-map our hazards since Maureen is an amazing course designer who ALWAYS makes the easiest way in to A go through D. Which I had done earlier in the day on every hazard! Oh noes!!! Brain exploding! Then to get the new dressage test, which I had not ever seen before, no problemo on being able to DO IT, but memorize? Ack!

We went out for our dressage on Sunday morning, plenty of warm up time, yes! We can do this! I was the first to go in the prelim division, so no opportunity to watch another do the course first. I got partway through test 3, before I missed the left turn across the arena from B to E. Eek! Before the whistle blew, I turned Ally as gracefully as we could to cross the arena. Ah, pulled that one out! Oops! Now I am late for the walk at C!!! A! The walk was at A! Double-eek! -Leia Down transition! Down transition! Smile at the judge.
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OK, a little rough up to now, let's do the rest in a little better style! We did well enough to earn a great score of 42.18 on our first prelim test ever! We were third at that point. We did fine with the tighter clearance on cones too, right up to #20 where we dropped a ball. Dang! Still good on time though...

The adrenaline got to me a little too much in marathon, both I and Ally were having a good old time indeed getting to finally canter in the hazards as we'd practiced at home. However, in our euphoric state we missed gate D in one hazard, and went through B backwards and hit a knockdown in another. However Ally galloped boldly into the water, and was pretty darned smooth through our turns. On the hazards we did correctly, we were very competitive on times. We will definitely be competing at that level from here on! What a blast we had!
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Oh my lord girl, what a writeup! I LOVE it! "Ack" and "possessed" indeed! I wish like thunder I could have seen your first Prelim run, it was just luck of the draw that I absolutely had to be harnessing my horse at the same time you were driving. What a bummer! I don't think I got one single picture of Ally all weekend and that's unheard-of for me. Mea Culpa!

It is so much fun, I swear to you that you will not care where you place. It took me three years to get into the ribbons! I kept after it, because it was so much darn fun.
Get a few more lessons with Lisa this winter and I think those ribbons are going to become pretty darn consistent too.
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Ms. Ally is an amazing mare and you're doing a great job schooling her through the things she was iffy on. Congratulations to the both of you! Moving from 13th to 6th on in Training Level on Saturday was amazing and I'm HIGHLY impressed by a 42 on your first Prelim test, especially with a markdown for nearly going off-course. Good thing I'm moving up to Intermediate! *grin* We'll still get to face off at some of those ADT's though as I don't plan to make the move until summer at the earliest.

Leia
 
Al B said:
Wish we could have been there. You guys just don't know how lucky you are.
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Oh H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks yes we do!!
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You've got to be kidding.
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Forgot to mention, I think Susanne said she'd be away from the computer for a day or two after the event so I'm sure she'll get hers written up as soon as she can. The entire process of getting to the Driving Trials Twice was an Adventure with a capital "A" for the Beutlers and I think she did AWESOME for her first time out. I loved her outfit!
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Mingus, of course, was cool as a cucumber and a total lovebug to anyone who walked by his stall. (A couple of treats slipped through the bars put me on his Good Person list reeeeal quick.
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)

Leia
 
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Shoot, I would have loved to have gone but I got some sort of a bug this weekend and was wiped out.
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Glad you guys had a good time and I'm glad one of the wheels didn't come off of the hyperbike. I realized that I never told susanne how to make sure the wheels were locked in correctly!
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Anyway, hope to hear / see more about it in the next few days.

Daryl
 
Aw, Daryl, we sure missed you! (And your video camera!
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) Hope you get to feeling better soon. I'm going to try and come down there horseless once or twice over the winter to catch some of Keith's gigs so hopefully we can all get together for another great pizza dinner or something. Hey, go post some of those pictures of Dancer I sent the Beachdriver's list on the NW Beach Drive thread on the photo forum! I didn't get many, but what I did get I thought were cute.

Leia
 
Checked out the pics and everyone looks great. Hoping to be there next year with Duckie. Dang! Now I need to order new wheels for my cart and probably look at a better breast collar for this. I really like the ones with the V design. My question is where do I find the wheels without the carts. I'm pretty sure Duckie will need the 24" wheels as she is quite tall for the cart and wheels I have.

Susanne you and Mingus look great out there. Still waiting for your notes to be posted on here.

Daryl, not sure what you were ill from but if it is the same thing I have right now I see why you didn't go. Had yesterday off but have to work today and tomorrow. I have no choice. Hope no elderly people come in though because I don't want to make them sick with this.

Do I understand right that there will be an inside CDE this winter at Happs? That might be fun to watch. Hopefully it will be after the first of the year I am totally out of vacation and sick hours for this year.
 
Yes, there will be a full series of arena driving trials this winter, starting in October. One per month through March, with the exception of December.
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What no video this time???????? aukkkkkkkkk

You guys are too awesome for words. And yalls is BRAVE too! I can't wait to see pics of Mingus so I hope she hurrys up and gets herself here.

Hey Amy, Well its sister isn't it, since now we are officially related and all, that horse of yours is simply gorgeous and when you look in those eyes, its like "no worries, I know what I'm doing"........

Leia, I got to tell you that you looked lovely in your attire and it certainly complemented your pretty horsey. Just loved that outfit. I am so glad you all had such fun, possessed and all! Way to go!!!!!!!!
 

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