16 – 2007-2008 Season underway

My friend, Richard, was on the Endurance NZ board at this time, so that meant he knew everything that was going on.  So when he told me that I should send an email to someone saying I was interested in some Performance stuff I did… and when the list came out I was there amongst the also rans who had put their names forward – in the “Talent ID” group.  Mum was impressed!

This meant that I got to go along to Taupo and listen to talks about helping get people on their way to having their horses ready for selection for the World Equestrian Games at Kentucky in 2010.  Three years away.  First there was a camp with just riders, and then later we got to take our horses along and ride a short course and learn more about crewing.   There was also a vet there who had a look at all the horses, and took notes in a little notebook… which was a bit worrying, I do wonder what he wrote about Lace!

So there was me thinking “I want to go to Kentucky” and “So does everyone else in the room”, (at least 30) “and another group in the South Island”.  So it was pretty daunting.  I had thought therefore that in order to be taken seriously, to get noticed, I would need to step up and do a 160, probably at the North Island Champs.  That was a bit scary and, much as I wasn’t feeling ready when George and I first tried unsuccessfully to get to an 80km ride, I was worried and nervous.  I hadn’t even lined up in a 120 at that stage, but the qualification system we have now wasn’t in place then so you could go straight to a 160.  And then the vet  had a look at Lace… How old is she?  7.  What are your plans?  Kentucky, but so is everyone, I guess 160 at NIs.  “Don’t do a 160 until they’re eight years old.”  All I felt was relief. 

Not long after that I was having lunch with a friend, sitting at a café in the sun at a table on the pavement. “What is your three year plan?” she’s that sort of friend.  I looked at her for a bit, wondering if I should actually answer the truth/wish list plan… what the hell… “Lace and I are going to qualify for the World Equestrian Games and go to Kentucky in 2010!”  There was a moment of silence and then she was really enthusiastic and said, “It’s going to happen, I can feel it”, yep, that sort of friend, everyone should have one of those.  

By November I wanted to go up to AWEC to a 100km ride.  The Armstrong’s weren’t going so I caught a ride with Lois, lovely to have a chance just to chat on the drive up, so often when you meet at rides you’re all so busy.  She had just got a new saddle, a South African one, I sat it on Lace and it looked like it belonged there.  Didn’t ride in it though. 

Some of us were delayed in the first km, Ebony was riding someone’s horse and the saddle slipped sideways and dumped her – twice I think – so we helped her back up, she then went back to base for a different saddle!  Lace then got into it and was feeling great, but in fact the rest of the ride ended up a bit of a disaster.  Stopping at a trough a bit off the course on the second loop I then ended up following the wrong markers and getting lost – made the mistake of going with Heather as I thought that she would know the way being an AWEC rider who trained in the forest!  Wrong! And then Lace lost a shoe, so I left Heather to her complicated efforts to get back on course and rode the short way back to base to withdraw.  I figured we’d done about 50-60km.

80km at Taumarunui and then the first ride on Sisam’s property at Taneatua.  Another 80km.  It was hot, the course was hard, and I ended up riding with Heather!  Turns out she had cataracts and was nearly as blind as a bat! I think she’s had them fixed now.  As it was so hot we soon got into a rhythm of helping each other, coming up to a gate she would ride alongside as I hopped off Lace and ran to the gate, she would lead the horses through and I would “jump” back on (Heather’s description of what I was to do…”Jump????”, she allowed I did not actually need to jump), it worked a treat, Heather had trouble getting on and off Time, he’s pretty big!  End of the first loop, Lace vets first.  Waiting to go on the second loop someone says to Heather “Are you going to try to catch her?”, “I have to”.  She couldn’t see well enough to get around the course on her own.  So, as the first couple of kilometres were on hard, packed farm track I just trotted, she was going to catch me anyway there seemed little point in pushing it.  As we were going around I discovered Heather is fun to ride with, full of great stories and a wealth of experience in all types of horsemanship.  It was very hot and as we were well ahead we took it gently up hills and stopped for the horses to have an eat in a spot with a bit of breeze.  As I helped her spot the markers she expressed gratitude, “Just how grateful are you Heather?”, “I could be very grateful”.  We get to the finish, about 100m to go and she takes off, so much for grateful!  For a little bit I let Lace go too, but then think, that’s dumb Time is ¾ Thoroughbred, there’s no way we’ll beat him, so I pulled up… only to have Heather screech Time to a halt a bare metre from the finish flags and yell back, “Come on, hurry up!” and let me cross first!  I won a memory foam pillow donated by Koru Chiropractic which I still use today and take everywhere with me.

During this time I was developing the first version of my Excel spreadsheet for timing at rides.  Waikato was running the NI champs and so we offered to AWEC that we would do the timing for them at their next ride – they were very happy!  I also rode 50km there, so either it was a two day ride or I left Kerry and the others to run the test without me!