I am actually really sad knowing this is my last blog post because it's become a bit of a habit this season. But I must say that I'm slightly relieved in many ways because this past week was most likely the most exhausting, yet amazing, week of my entire life. We're back in Virginia now and I think Duke is as pleased as I am to be home.
Duke was a superstar this week and never fails to step up to the plate for me. Dressage wasn't our best, but I think a lot of it was my nerves and just not being able to relax and give Duke the best ride possible. Oh well, that will come with experience! I walked my XC course a total of 6 times, which means in total, I walked about 13 miles just for cross-country, not to mention all of the walking around the park everyday! The course looked great, nothing too tricky considering it was a one star. I was totally relaxed once Duke and I started our warm up, which is very rare for me because I'm usually a nervous wreck before cross-country, haha. We had a great warm up, headed to the start box, and Emily had to lead us in because Duke was being his usual excited self. The course rode fantastic and we seemed to be totally in sync. The footing was like a sponge so it was a bit chewed up by the time we got out. Duke must have sunk in 6 inches taking off for jump number 2. I didn't push him for time because I knew he was doing the best he could with the squishy footing, so we had to settle for a couple time penalties. Though, I don't think I've ever been so thrilled with a cross-country run, and we seem to be getting better every time we go out.
Sunday and jog number two came faster than I expected, but we finally saw some blue skies and sunshine as opposed to all the rain! Duke jogged great and I remembered to jog past the judges this time as opposed to the first jog out (haha, whoops!). The stadium course looked awesome as well, along with all the awesome decorations and props to make it look complete. I was a little apprehensive about the crowds sitting on the hills surrounding the arena because Duke has a tendency to be a bit spooky about things like that. He warmed up great, but when we got into the arena he gets quite a bit more 'up'. It's a little hard to switch gears so fast because he's a totally different horse in the ring than in warm-up. We had a great round, no big mistakes, just two rails and a couple time penalties when all was said and done. I must say I did tear up a bit after the last jump. So many emotions just came to the surface. All the time spent getting here, all the lessons, conditioning, hard work, the relief of crossing through those finish flags knowing we had done it, and being so thankful for Duke and all he has done for me. He is no doubt the most amazing horse I have ever known and I'm actually getting emotional writing this and thinking about how lucky I am to have a horse like him. There should be more Dukes in this world.
As for the future, I can't say for sure where Duke and I are headed. I would love to move up to Intermediate when/if Emily thinks we're ready. I think it would be a good challenge for us after such a successful year. Plus, Duke seems to be somewhat bored with Prelim, and it's feeling a bit easy for both of us now. But regardless, we don't plan on stopping anytime soon because there is always room for improvement. The future is full of possibilities and is looking bright!
So I will finish this post thanking everyone who helped Duke and I get where we are today, we could not have done it alone. First off I want to thank Emily and Jeff Beshear for being like a second set of parents to me, for making Duke into the amazing horse he is today, and for giving me the chance to ride and learn on him. My parents for always supporting me and doing whatever it takes so I can chase my dreams, and always being my #1 fans. Thank you to all of the organizers and volunteers at the horse trials leading up to Bromont, we wouldn't have made it here without all of the amazing events. Also, I say a thousand thank you's to everyone at Bromont for putting on such a wonderful event. Every bit of this past week was fantastic and I had such an amazing experience. Thank you to all of the people who followed Duke and I this season on Eventing Nation, your support means more to me than I can say, really. Thank you, John, for giving us the opportunity to be a part of Eventing Nation, I feel so lucky to have been able to do this. And last but not least, as stupid as this may be, Duke deserves a big thank you. He is one in a million and I can finally say.... WE DID IT!!!
Signing off,
Carrie and Duke
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