Earlier this summer, at Bromont, I was in a position where, barring elimination in show jumping, Doc and I were assured first place in the CIC** because we were that far ahead of the rest of the field.  Today the tables have been turned.  We are at Five Points Horse Trials this weekend in Aberdeen, NC.  Brian drove up from Florida to groom for me.  It is ungodly hot and humid here and the gnats and mosquitos are awful.  Both horses slogged through their dressage tests yesterday with scores that I would have gotten upset with my students for producing, and Brian and I both have terrible blisters from our feet being too wet all weekend.  

Nonetheless, I started today off with great optimism because both of these horses, Doc in the advanced division and Jet in the preliminary division, excel at jumping, not dressage.  But it was not to be.  Jet went first and had two run-outs at jump number five, which was a skinny jump in the shape of a mushroom.  Doc went in the heat of the day at 1:30 and also had a run out at a corner that was on a downhill bending distance from a maximum-sized oxer.  Jet's run outs were due to inexperience -- this is his second prelim and he has not been asked to jump very many skinnies.  Doc is generally as honest as the day is long about narrow jumps and corners and he did not run out, he refused the jump.  My conclusion is that I did not present the corner in his vision early enough and so he was surprised by it.  The rest of the course he jumped beautifully.

The entire day was spent sweaty, hot, dirty, and being attacked by bugs.  After the horses were cared for and poultaced, Brian and I took a drive over to the score board.  Both Jet and Doc are in last place in their respective divisions.  We are doing so badly that it actually made me laugh.  Probably, though, this is the best thing I could have done!  The gods of sport are fickle.  Some days you win, some days you loose, and most of the time it is not a very large increment that separates the two.  So, I grabbed a beer from the competitors party and Brian and I are back at the hotel getting ready to go out to dinner to celebrate his birthday.  If nothing else, days like today make me remember how much love I have in my life and to be grateful for all of the little things, for sometimes they are the biggest!