Hickory Top

   Well, yesterday was Hickory Top, and what a day it was!  Houseful of kids overnight, and Carol Neely was kind enough to bring a delicious dinner!  Really spoiled me!  Up before 5 am, but other people beat us to the barn! By the time I got there with group from house, Laurie, Caitlyn, and Lindsey were in full swing, horses were groomed and nearly all were saddled! Laurie had filled hay nets and Caitlyn had organized bridles, vests, and whips the night before.  Nick pulled in and we started loading, and were off by 6 am! It was a most impressive convoy going out Grand Canyon Rd at that hour!

   We were making good time and I was growing complacent when the trailer got a flat in Newberry. I had to go up an exit, go past by an exit, get back on and return to the trailer. Nick was changing the tire and I helped, and called Mable! Many organizers would have commiserated with our bad luck but held to their schedule. Rules are they assign ride times in advance, miss your ride time and forfeit your entry fee. Mable said keep her posted, she'd work with us. So we got tire changed and got underway. There was an unforeseen need for a potty break - I got off at an exit with signs for gas and fast food, but had to go quite a way to find a gas station. Then I felt like Simon Legree herding the group and chafing at the time! We got onto 77 with convoy pretty well strung out, and there was a major accident and we were stopped cold. Another call to Mable and she said "Come ahead, we'll make it work!"

Several of our cars had not been allowed onto 77 and were dependent on GPS to get to Mable's. Nick is a wizard with his rig, but it was too big to turn around on a concrete bridge when cops were trying to clear the road that way. They were predicting "hours" but then within 10 minutes waved us past 2 disintegrated cars...I was too scared to call Mable. Good thing too, because in the last 5 miles, the trailer blew another tire, we were out of spares, and Nick limped it in with all of us in devout prayer for the horses!  

   I called Mable from Piney Branch Rd and asked how she wanted to handle it. We agreed that Amoebas and Ride A tests would mount up and get going to dressage, PreTadpoles would scamper around learning their cross country course! Caitlyn and Katie got bridles on as I departed!  Sarah B was first up with Dimples for a Ride A Test and she got to walk to warm up arena, walk around once, trot a 20 m circle, change hands, trot a 20 m circle and get into competition arena and go!  Kayce's dad slipped into being the warm up steward and kept kids coming at me in order and kids took a lot of responsibility for their own warmups, with Caitlyn and Katie helping!

   Every rider put the morning behind them, squared their shoulders, and rode! I was very pleased with dressage tests!  Kayce had had two upsetting lessons with Blue last week, but she softened and gave him a great schooling ride and had much more success in competition!  Sarah rode a good test with Dimples. Chris and Truffles looked great! Morgan and Spirit had a rough start but quickly solved that problem and did better! Payton had Dimples as an Amoeba and also rode a nice, thinking test! Dimples has been known to leave the arena midtest, but Sarah and Payton weren't letting that happen! Beth did a Ride A Test on Skittles and also focused and did better as she went! Lindsey got PreTads around XC and back to ride their dressage tests. Despite many recent distractions, Leah has built an understanding with "Leah" who is formally known as "Carolina Pride", and was in first place after dressage! Ellie and Skit started out a bit stiff but softened and did better. Eden has worked hard with China and it shows! Summer had prepared with Mickey,  but he got kicked in pasture and was lame Friday, so we substituted Tricks, who has not been ridden much lately and who was having entirely too much fun being out in public! Summer never let him get to her, or get into too much trouble! Allison sat up and gave Pan the ride of his life! Nice dressage test! I missed Katie's dressage on Bill, which was in most part much improved from last time because she asked more of him, but he popped a shoulder and stepped out of arena...She brought him back and finished an otherwise nice test!

   When Kayce got to XC, she needed me, and I changed position to accompany her around the course. Nice quiet schooling round and no problems. With the Amoebas, there is no such thing as "Unauthorized Assistance" and things are allowed that would not be tolerated at other events, but it gives kids a nice safe chance to start eventing and that is why we go to Hickory Top twice a year!  I got back to start/finish area and watched kids going, answered questions, and was complimented by Mable that although we had arrived well over an hour late, our organization was such that she was now back to only being 15 minutes off her schedule! That was a good way for us to thank her for bending over backwards for us! I did not see much of Chris' trip with Truffle, but saw Morgan being successful with Spirit, which thrilled me! Saw Dimples try to leave the crosscountry course at speed with Payton, and Payton sit up and turn her and regain control! Lindsey then helped keep her under control and finish the course safely!

   The Leahs had a plan and a clear XC, leaving them in first after XC! Elllie got a taste of riding a powerful horse on cross country, but slowed Skit to a Pre-Tad appropriate pace and

had fun! Eden and China looked great on crosscountry. Tricks continued to frolic with Summer but they posted a good trip. Two jump judges did not pay attention and record her going by, but our own Charles, Anna's dad, was jump judging and saw her come out of the woods from the right direction so scoring was amended. Allison controlled Pan and posted a great trip! Katie was our one Special Novice, being timed, and Bill gave her one quit at a coop but handled everything else well.

Stadium scrambled things, as it frequently does! However, Chris and Truffle put in a round that had them win the Amoeba Division! A great job by Chris, and I thank Abby and Katie for previous trips and schooling Truffle. Spirit was revolting and got eliminated, but I lead him and helped Morgan get him around the rest of the course, and Nick got some amusing pictures! Kayce and Blue did a slow and steady progress around the course and were third! Payton put Dimples around for the experience, which some organizers would not have allowed, but it is a great learning experience.

  Allison had a fault-free stadium round on Pan, with some great, assertive riding! They stood third in Pre-Tadpole. Ellie and Skit looked powerful but stayed tied for second, with Eden on China! Carolina Pride was uncooperative in Stadium, and got eliminated for refusals. Summer won it on Tricks.

Katie had gone too slowly in Stadium at FENCE last time out, not used to being timed, and the 16 time penalties cost her a ribbon, though she did complete. She and Bill did their first stadium course that was cantered throughout and looked wonderful!

I am very proud of all our riders. They did not let the setbacks of the morning and the trip down get to them, they concentrated and they rode! It was a wonderful Team Scotsgrove effort! I thank the parents who volunteered, and those who stood ready but didn't know Mable to find her and get put to work. And as we loaded horses and headed to Olive Garden for the victory dinner, Kathy produced an enormous hamper of homemade cookies and treated all of us!  Without Patti, we did not get into the restaurant in time to all get seated together, but dinner was fun and the trip home thankfully uneventful!  Thank you all for a wonderful day!