11 Open!

Just two weeks after our first novice 80 Lace and I were ready for our second… back to Taupo where George and I had completed our first 80 exactly a year earlier. 

In spite of the fact that Lace had believed she knew everything after ride one, now she knew that she knew everything!  She was very full of herself and getting really pissed off when I kept insisting that we walk along tracks which were clearly better suited for cantering or trotting if you must.  She may have known a lot but she still had not cottoned on to minimum times!

Success again – we were Open!!  I made it… two horses, two years and eight months.

We didn’t have another ride until seven weeks later when Waikato had an extra ride at Tokoroa.  This was Lace’s worst ever ride.  Some of you who know Lace from her early days might think she was a handful at some of her other rides, but this one was diabolical.  For some reason she decided she HAD to catch up with any horse in front of her IMMEDIATELY and so that would have been best achieved by actually galloping.  I used to ride trackwork so I had my reins bridged and had her mouth nearly pulled down to her chest but still barely had any control.  I had her in the kimberwick that day… for the last time!  I was constantly apologising to people as Lace came charging up behind them.  Not fun.  A beautiful course though.

Three weeks later and we’re ready for our first open 80, a Points Ride at Pukeatua.  I had a plan… start at the back so as to not get caught up with the leaders and then just let her settle into her own pace.  No more worrying about novice minimum times we would be able to just be comfortable, no more having to fight her to go slow… at least that was the plan…

But once again Lace hadn’t read the plan!  It started out well, near the back as planned.  But straight away, and without fuss Lace just started happily passing other horses.  She really enjoys passing others! Not feeling like we were going too fast I let her, she was traveling nicely.  So we kept that up for a while, just working our way along, catching up and passing horses in a relatively sane and sensible fashion.  Then she at last settled with a group of about four or five others.  I was a little concerned that Lois was one of the group, she didn’t have a reputation for riding slowly!

But we rode the rest of the loop in this group.  Lace was happy I was enjoying myself… and I still firmly believed there were other horses ahead of us.  Coming down the hill above base – an amazing track down a cliff face – I was scanning base… the vet ring seemed to be empty…. Were we actually in the lead group?  I suspect Lace knew that all along, that was why she settled with this group… there were no more horses to pass!  The rest of my team were also on horses that day so no crew, but no matter I rushed about during the hold looking after my pony and managing to remember to feed myself too – sort of.  Nicola was doing her first novice 80, riding with Kerry, so Rod was there and able to help a bit.  Not sure if I knew it then, but he’s a really good sports psychologist and was pointing out that I needed to look after myself too, so perhaps I wasn’t doing so well at that myself after all.

Off on our second loop riding with the others (most 80s those days were two 40km loops), who I now learn just now looking at the results were Raewyn, Sue, Jenny H, Graham and Lois.  I didn’t know any of them except Lois back then, and not even Lois well. 

So were trotting along and I’m on the left, then the others suddenly veer right and stop at a trough I hadn’t noticed… I could have hauled Lace back and stopped too but I didn’t, so the next thing I know we’re in front!  Then there were some lovely paddocks so we cantered, expecting the others to catch us quickly.  After a while Raewyn did catch up, she was the one I had most expected to, she had seemed quite determined.  So we rode the rest of the loop together.  As we were coming down the big hill to base, which was a firm track with a few lumpy spots, I chose to jog Lace down and Raewyn didn’t… we were coming in first!  In our very first open 80!!  Again crewing on my own and we were winners. Raewyn’s horse was lame, so that’s probably why she let me get ahead down the hill.

16 km/h…. so Lace’s comfortable speed turned out to be a bit faster than novice pace after all, she had always said she didn’t need to walk!

Everyone was riding that day, so I don’t have photos… but I was very proud of my pony so I took some the next day

Nobody really believed me when I said I hadn’t intended to win, I hadn’t! But as usual Lace had had her own ideas…

Blog 12 – Stepping up he Distance Once Again