Chicken Results!!:)

Wow, what an amazing three days we had at The Chicken Event! We had a productive cross-country schooling on Thursday, we even got to practice some dressage on Friday, and all of our efforts paid off; we had a successful event with skilled riders who stuck to their plan on their attentive and hard-working mounts. Yeyy!!
Starting us off in the Novice division, Bajian and Andante flew through their first event at this level! Stellar performances in all three phases put the pair in 5th place by the end of the show. It looked as if they’d done this before! I’m so proud- way to go!
Our Beginner Novice group was a big group!
Sara and Ellie debuted their partnership and after a cross-country ride to inspire us all, the two of them ended in 3rd place! This little mare is a cross-country machine and who better to pilot her than Sara! They are going to do great things this summer 🙂
For Kirsten and Prissy, this was the first time that Kirsten really took a leadership role and as a result, the two of them got to strut their stuff! They buzzed through stadium, no problem, and similar to Sara and Ellie, they too ended with a killer cross country round that left them in 6th place- yeah ladies! 🙂
Some other ‘firsts’ include Andie and Clark’s first time at Beginner Novice, as well as Zoe and Bones’ first time at Beginner Novice. Both pairs truly startled themselves with their success! Andie clicked into a new feel that allowed her to ride her horse to his truly athletic potential. They ended in 7th place with a very wide grin included 🙂
Zoe discovered she had a ‘just get it done’ mentality that brought her pony out as a fierce competitor this weekend and there was no stopping him. I barely even recognized the two of them! They ended in a smoking 3rd place- wowza!
Not only was this Robin’s first real show, but it was also her first time ever playing on a cross-country course! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so much, and when she combined her excitement with her commitment to her horse, Reef really excelled! For show day, he went around the cross country like a seasoned event horse preparing for a full format event. It was so fun to watch them go- congratulations! 🙂
A big high-five and a ‘heck yeah’ to Ruby and Vera for their various accomplishments at this event. Definitely their nicest dressage test to date, combined with a motoring and ambitious cross country course! Ruby and Vera came home all smiles- this pair is really moving right along 🙂
Faith and Magnum enjoyed their first show in a long time this weekend. Magnum, who has many years on many horses, still looks and goes younger than ever! He’s back at it with a vengeance and although the two of them ran out of a little steam and by the end of the day, Magnum made it very clear that he was thrilled to be back in the game. I’m excited to see how these two progress throughout the season! 🙂
And, our grasshopper group had an equally exciting event!
Brooke and her pony, Moon, started out the day with some amazing dressage and stadium jumping. Although a bobble on cross country got Brooke unseated only two fences from home, the pair still got to revel in running the leaderboard for so much of the day and ahead of such a big group 🙂 kudos to you two! 🙂
Brooke’s mom, Karen, had her own success this weekend. This was Karen’s first event with her new horse, Glenny. Karen has been working on being a committed and attentive leader, and I would say that I have never seen Karen ride as well as she did on Saturday. In her dressage, there was not a single moment where Karen did not tell Glenny exactly what to do. And stadium was just the same! 🙂 Karen has been intent on learning the ins-and-outs of this horse from the minute they became a pair, and I am pleased to announce that this weekend really brought the two to light! I’m looking forward to many more well-planned outings for the two of them 🙂
Will and his horse, Darwin, are beginning a very busy and productive season. The two of them have been working on light and accurate communication both on the flat and over fences. This weekend, Will learned some of things about Darwin that enabled Will to be both an avid competitor and a strong leader. Watch out, Eventers; these two are both fancy and fierce! 🙂
Susan and Brava are really getting into the swing of things! Even though the two of them parted ways on cross country, it’s delightfully obvious just how much their jumping is improving. Susan and Brava went around their stadium without even a blip, and the first half of their cross country looked equally comfortable, forward, and ambitious. How exciting for the two of them!!:)
For Jillian, she decided to take on the challenge of bringing Margaret’s course, Cedar, to his first event. And boy, she really worked for her 6th place ribbon!! Cedar was a bit nervous and uncomfortable in his surroundings, not to mention the fact that he is new at jumping all together, but Jillian guided him to a foot-perfect stadium round and a run on cross country that left us all wondering where these two came from!! I’m so proud of them both! 🙂
And last but certainly not least, Sophie and Skip cruised around all of the Grasshopper questions to end the show with a glorious blue ribbon and big cheers from all the other Peas! With a classy dressage test, and two excellent jumping phases, these two will be moving onward and upward! I can’t wait! 🙂
Finally, a big thanks to some awesome helpers: Kellie and Melissa took care of some major logistics that kept the whole show on track; and Sara, in between her fabulous rides, made sure the whole ‘Peas Machine’ stayed well-oiled.
I hope you and your horses are now well recovered and are looking forward to our next adventure 🙂
 
(Photo credit: Micaela Raines and Bajian Fernald- thank you!!)