NWEC event report and much more from Chelan

Chelan Kozak here- a quick comment/ps to the submission. I am really happy John put the squrrel photo at the end. I am an AVID helemt wearer. And by that I mean that I put in on all the time, every time. Ask my students who wears helmets in our barn? Everyone, always... Wear your helmet. Thanks John!

I got the big E in my first event last year in Dressage of all phases when my pony jumped out of the ring during our first canter circle. I promptly steered him back over the rail into the ring and continued on. Having NO clue what to do next(can you tell I had a big head and never bothered to read the rules about getting eliminated?), and half hoping the judge hadn't noticed(it was down at A), I continued on to the next part of my test and completely forgot it was med. walk at C then free walk across diagnol, so I trotted across the diagnol and the judge rang the dreaded bell. Still not knowing what to do I just walked out of the test and didn't think to ask the judge to finish the test.The worst part? The judge had given me a 7 on my canter circle, then crossed it out and gave me a 2 after realizing what had happened!

That's a fab story and a great way to start this morning! I will get permission from my daughter to tell her funny story and will be back....;)

Let me count the ways...

how 'bout horse's first Novice, won the dressage, jumped around clear XC, only to FALL OFF 10 feet from the finish line and have the dang horse lead everyone on a merry chase until my time was clearly over.

I have gotten the big E a few times but the most memorable was a Novice HT that I was leading in the dressage-great dressage test-then went into the SJ. I had walked the course, of course, nothing tricky except the 3rd jump was lined up with the last jump. Sure enough as I was heading to the last(what I thought was last)congatualating myself on a g reat round two strides out I see the #3. At the moment I couldn't pull my horse off it and let out a swear word and saw the looks of disbelief as I jumped the wrong jump. They let me go XC with a big scarlet sticker on my saddle pad. Needless to say,embarassing but I always maintained I got the E and my horse won as she did everything I asked.

Thanks so much for posting this, it was a joy to read. Brings back great memories. Unruly Pony Clubbers Unite!

I have been eliminated loads for being dumb. In fact my first ever ODE when I was 6 I was eliminated as I got confused about the course and jumped a lot of the course backwards. My mother was furious! I have been eliminated for forgetting my gloves in the dressage, eliminated after a good dressage and clear show jumping for missing a fence on the course (not so bad you think but I had been at the event for 6 hours before I was due to go xc!!) Eliminated for jumping the wrong fence and best of all I jumped an amazing fast showjumping round jumped the last fence and fell off before the finish line because I had forgotten to do my girth up and my saddle slipped round! My other half is now used to this stupidity but it does annoy him! Luckily I keep finding new ways to be eliminated and not repeating the same offences!

I've been eliminated in various ways, in every phase, and throughout the course of my over 20 years eventing. In fact, I was eliminated at my very first event at the age of 6, when I got run away with on XC and tearily asked my mom what to do (my beloved pony had made a beeline for her). So it all started with an E for unauthorized assistance.

On another beloved pony I was eliminated in all three phases at a local event. We have it on video. It's hilarious.

The worst E, though, was Pony Club related. I jumped a clean SJ round to secure our team 3rd place at National Championships in Lexington, only to discover that I had forgotten to get a safety check, so I was eliminated and our placing lost. (But I swear to God my girth was tight!)

Perhaps not surprisingly, my monogram is one simple initial that is emblazoned all over my event gear. (Guess which letter??) Even though I'm married now, with a new last name, I don't have the heart to change it. It's kind of a sick badge of honor at this point!

This is a good one. I was going intermediate at Fair Well Farm in SC. It no longer exists but the course was a CMP course, absolutely HUGE and fairly technical. So I have a ho hum dressage and am in the bottom of the pack. Get to XC and completely rock it. The best ride ever. I move up into the top 10 and on to SJ we go. I jump the first two fences great. Jump the third fence which is a down hill oxer and have a momentary brain fart on which direction I should turn and my horses power stering goes out. The perimeter was heavely forested and my horse proceeded to leave the areana and drag me directly into the woods. Unfortunately I have video proof of this (we bring it out at parties) and this is the best part. Picture me jumping, not turning, completely dissappearing, sounds of russling in the trees, reemerging (still cantering mind you) with tree branches in my helmet only to hear General Burton blowing his heart out on his little whistle signaling my most humiliating moment.

O Gwen, I'm LOLing...I was eliminated for dumbness just last year on my young horse. OK dressage, rocked the SJ, headed out to XC all cheery and happy. Had a S.U.P.E.R trip around. Got back and was all over hugging up my pony when the TD buzzed up in her golf cart. Luckily a pal o' mine, she said, "Hey Pol, how did # 13 ride for you?" Hmmmmm, 13. Let's think...13, eh? Hmmmmmm. 13? I don't think I .... WHAT? 13? I never even saw the stoopit fence. E. Take that, you silly old hag.

Chelan, your hysterical post reminded me of daughter's 1st full format 3-day. We had traveled oh I don't know, 20 hours or so, to Glen Oro, in Canada, from Massachusetts. The horse had a brutal case of full body hives and there was nothing we could do for him except cold baths in Aveno. 1st after dressage. Next day, off they went on A, B, C. In the box, we all asked her (a few times) how was her girth. 'Its just fine, I'm not changing it.' Off they went, cruised around D till they got to the 3 steps down-1 stride-to skinny. Didn't that saddle do the whoopsie on the 2nd step. Em stepped off, righted the thing, GOT BACK ON (bc this was when that's what we could do) and finished up. It was a riot when she came into the D box with that sheepish face. She had deliberately left it loose bc of the hives. She was also wearing a new sheepskin pad which had compacted with sweat and wash-down in the 10 minute box. No prize but a good lesson and great fodder for jokes.

Love it! Was laughing so hard I spilled my coffee. I'll bet Chelan is fun at parties!

Count me as another one whose horse has jumped out of the dressage arena before. So frustrating.

Going intermediate at the KHP once, I jumped the double bounce bank up the Lexington Bank and somehow managed to veer right and miss the log at the top, though it was a bounce over and literally less than a stride away from the bank. So then I'm stuck at the top of this bank, with not enough room to trot a few steps and hop over the log. I circle and circle it for 30 seconds trying to find a path, find a game plan, trot it and finish my course.

Expecting the one refusal, I had to contest the big E I got. Turns out the jump judge had marked me as presenting each time I circled looking for a way to jump the d*mn log. When the TD talked to the judge, she specifically asked her to walk the path I had taken ... the TD and this jump judge are now making crazy circles around the top of the bank as I'm watching. The TD asks the judge: "Did she present each time?" and the judge responds, "No, she just looked really lost." Which, of course, I was. TD decided I was stupid, not eliminated, and gave me the one refusal.

I was eliminated at three straight events for jumping the wrong fence on XC...I had a less than happy trainer who is well known for yelling and berating students. I definitely deserved it though!

16th birthday, going Training, in first after dressage. My coach is the ground jury in the XC warm up and we are chatting away when I suddenly realize that I am next to the box and I havent even cantered a circle yet let alone jumped a jump.
My horse and I went galloping into the warmup area jumped the jump flew to the start box and had a brilliant clear XC course.
I of course jumped the warm up jump backwards and got eliminated by my own coach. She was ticked at me.
Lovely birthday let me tell ya.

OH! JR what a laugh. TD and judge circling round and round on top of the hill! HAHAHAHAHA.

Andrea, now we will all remember: RED on right;WHITE on left....

That was an awesome entry! hahah aman have I had some ways of getting elimnated....I have never ( in my 4 years of eventing) finished my first event of the season until this year! :/ more to tell if we get "story time" for our most embarrassing course moments.... hint hint John ;)

the funny thing is....is I just suggested this in one of the posts before I read this...funny :)

Taught me the hard way ... always walk your "in case things go haywire" plan when you're walking the course.

JR - HI-LA-RI-OUS!!! I laughed out loud.
Not so much a Big E story as much as it is a Big S (for Stupid) story.
Went to a short course about 6 weeks ago, packed everything, double checked it...drove the 90 minutes down the highway, go to tack up for dressage...and had to ride it in my jumping saddle because my dressage saddle was left in the yard back home.
I never did Pony Club (clearly).
They make lists for a reason (clearly).

My most memorable "E" was at my first D rally. I was about 12 and riding a middle aged quarterhorse gelding, who was the the most perfect gentleman and quite bombproof. We were sent out on the xc course and started confidently popping over the jumps. We came upon one straight forward jump on top of a large hill, and wouldn'tcha know it, just as we rounded the top we came in sight of the one and only thing my gelding was afraid of...cows. And there were alot of them. The gelding stopped in his tracks about 2 strides from the fence and my tiny legs were useless in moving him any further. We circled and tried again with the same result, and again with me kicking fervently as I could. From then on I made sure to scout courses for any of those bovine terrors!

Thanks to Chelan for spurring us on to share some serious humor.

As for me, I have no outrageous stories but suffice it to say I've earned the 'E' in my name many times over.

back before when we still had penalty zones - I was not eliminated just embarrassed to no end - my horses had this odd fear of mole hills. He would do these wicked leaps in the air like out of a thelwell pony cartoon.
So I leave the start box and am off jumping the first three jumps brilliantly and out in the middle of a long gallop to the fourth fence there is a down and up terrain area and at the top of this teeny hill was a mole hill. I went flying, my horses legs went in all directions.
No jump anywhere and I fell off on my ass. Got back on by myself as everyone watching was too stunned to move. My mother on the other hand was standing their watching with her hands in her face going "not mine. I swear I didnt give birth to her".
sigh.

"Remember E does not mean 'Excellence' "
THAT IS BRILLIANT!

My big E came at Mystic Valley several years ago. I finally make an off Long Island event! Yea! In the pouring rain. Rain that is a week long event.
The Dressage was horrible as the warm up ring footing was very inconstant and the dressage arena was next to what was usually a small stream and due to the weather a raging river. Horsey is tired from 3 hour trailer ride. (Found out later he had Lymes.) Is not happy in that ring. This from a horse I spent years riding in muddy rings just for this day! Warm up jump ring footing is great! We cruise over the warm up jumps. Go into the grass paddock that is the jumping ring and by fence 2 we get refusal 1, fence 3 refusal 2, fence 4 the big E!!! No chance of running XC as this is a rated show. Go back and pop over the jumps in warm up to end on a good note. Then untack and back on the trailer with heads held low!

Chelan is hilarious..totally love it.

I'm not as clever as you all about getting the big E. Pretty straightforward stupid stuff. But my one story is when I was jump judging a local little HT.
I was jj the next to the last jump. A little log in the woods. Pretty mundane but doing my duty.
I see a girl on a lg. pony cantering up.
I then see another girl on a smaller pony racing up. You see, the smaller they are, the more of a Napolean complex they have. Therefore, little pony had his ears pinned and was going for broke.
Neither girl had much control over said ponies. So I see this as they are coming down the lane.
Small pony takes over the lead and races over the log.
Larger pony was quite upset at the mean little pony and wobbled enough for girl to get dumped. Pony took off towards home.
I go up to girl to check her out. Being young and pliable definitely has it's advantages. She was fine but in tears. I said to her 'Hey, you weren't near the fence, you can still finish!'
'Wha?' through the sobs
'The rules are if you're not near the fence, you can fall off and get back on and still finish'
'Really?' sobs stop
'DADDY DADDY DADDY GET MY PONY!' as she races up the hill.
She finished with gobs of time but finished nonetheless.

hahaha
'DADDY DADDY DADDY GET MY PONY!'
love it!!!

That totally makes me remember.
My brother used to event this little welsh arab pony that was brilliant but a tad nasty.
zillion years ago he is out on his course. Back then we started at the Pre-training level.
She would not jump the ditch. refused. just stood there with my brothers legs a flailing all over.
Dad was not impressed.
by the time all the pre-training riders had finished bro was still on the course stuck at the ditch and not moving.
dad was still ticked
by the time all the XC was finished bro was still stuck at that ditch.
Dad quite LITERALLY picked that pony up and chucked her over the ditch.
My brother then went on to complete his entire XC course about two hours after everyone had finished.
ahh the good old days.