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I almost got to ride in a hunter pace this weekend. I opened my mouth on facebook at the 11th hour (Friday night, pace was Sunday) that I was really, REALLY wishing I could go. I wouldn't feel quite comfortable taking Brumby yet and he pulled a shoe off this week anyway (in slow-motion, I watched it happen!).
Of course, I was just pointlessly posting, as people do on facebook. I never thought a horse might materialize. My coach happened to be on, see my status, and comment that she has a client who was looking for a rider for her horse.
Hmm, ride in an event I've never been in, on a horse I've never been on? I'm in!
I suppose I'm probably fortunate that the woman had already told her mother she could ride the horse. Still, her mother is 50 years young and not nearly as strong a rider (according to my coach), so I'm sure I would have been fine with that guy.
Next year though...next year!
7 comments:
Wow - that was cool that the hunter pace almost worked out for you...
I almost went too. A girl at the barn has a friend with a trailer (supposedly) and she was going to trailer us over for free. Then my friend tore her ab muscles in some sort of freak accident and we couldn't go. I was going to with Rusty in all our western tack!
I so want to go to those events next year!
Don't worry - I won't be moving back to the other barn with Rusty - there is no hacking there at all and now that I have a taste for riding out, I won't be able to give that up so easily! Lessons over there and showing her horse/pony will be the best of both worlds, I think!
Hunter paces are FUN, too bad your ride fell through at the last minute. Maybe you should see if you could hilltop with the hunt a time or two during the season, I bet you would love that!
Hunter pace? What's that?
Laura, my coach thinks she'll try to organize all, or most, of her adult clients to the paces next year. Maybe you could join up with us? I think Rusty would be a great, fun ride. At least I would want a horse like him if I were doing it for the first time (which I would have been). Incidentally, my last-minute potential mount who fell through was an appy :)
Melissa, last minute requests are bound to be met with last minute falling-through ;) I am making plans for next season, for sure!
HoC- a hunter pace is an event that has it's roots in fox-hunting. There are no foxes or hounds involved. I have never ridden in one but my impression is it's quite informal. Before the event, the course is ridden and a time is set but none of the riders will know what that time is. Since no one knows the pace, you just have to hope you get it close. This, I believe, keeps the competition fun.
Basically, it's a cross-country course which you can ride at your own pace and they can take as long as 3 hours to complete around here. There are various height settings at each obsticle including options for riders who do not want to jump the fences.
Now, doesn't that sound like a great way to spend a day?
Hey Melissa - I don't know what you mean by "hilltop with the hunt" ...I gotta go look that up!
Sounds like a super fun way to spend the day! Can I come along too???
Keep me in mind if your coach tries to organize a group to go for next year. Trailering is always my hiccup - hard to find and expensive...so sharing a ride would be helpful. Of course, I have no idea how to jump, so Rusty and I would be taking the scenic route around all of the jumps... :-)
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