I took Syd and Dyson to the Intermediate one-day at Pine Top. It had been a year since Syd had competed because of his foot injury and it was Dyson’s first Intermediate. I had mixed results. I had a beautiful test on Syd—all those lessons with Jacquie Brooks paid off—and Dyson had a nice test, too, just not consistent yet at the level. Both of them show jumped amazing, and I felt again that all my hard work in show jumping and dressage over the last two months had paid off. 

The one thing I hadn’t done a lot of was cross-country. Derek Di Grazia, Pine Top’s new course designer, created a really smart course, with the first three jumps on turns so we could keep riding forward and have balance, and the fourth jump a straight-on gallop jump, a big, wide ramp-y table. Then you had to start to work. 

The first combination was a simple upright, narrow roll top to roll top on a straight three or a curving four. Derek’s placement on terrain and in the trees made it so that if you did the three, your horse didn’t see second jump till the last second; the four was a bit more time consuming but definitely a safer option. Then we had two gallop jumps and then the first water, a downhill log in the fence line and then into the water. It held them and jumped quite well, but you had to be able to ride terrain. Then came a table to a chevron, straight on in four. Next was what I felt was very clever designing on Derek’s part—an airy log on a mound with a drop on the backside, followed by a coffin with a solid vertical on a mound, one-stride slightly downhill to the ditch then straight to a corner with the point slightly pointed away from you, making it more difficult—so a similar question right in a row. If you had trouble at the first log, you knew you had your work cut out for you at the coffin, but it was all very educational, especially for the greener horses like Dyson. 

The rest of the course was beautiful and thoughtful, with another mound down to a house where you had to ride forward and trust horse would pick up on it. The last two waters were quite educational for the horses. All the questions were smart, fair, and let you know if needed to do more homework.

I opted for the three with Syd at the first combination and he was right on it and felt awesome, quite fun. He’s never really liked to be in small, skinny places, he’s too big and it makes him uncomfortable, so I was pleased with him. At the table to the chevron I could tell he hadn’t been doing a lot of cross-country, but the log on the mound rode great. I rode strongly into the coffin and Syd was great at the logs, jumped the ditch well and then went straight to corner but the four got short and he ran out. It was a real wake-up for me, I hit him hard, turned back to no distance and he jumped it. In hindsight, I didn’t adjust him enough to get the four or really ride him off the ground. I have to be better than that. Jimmy Wofford would say I lost my eye control, but I think I lost my brain control, too. I needed my brain to be in the moment, and it was already galloping away instead of focusing on the “c” element of the coffin. Hindsight’s beautiful, but if I’m going to Kentucky I have to know where my holes are. 

For the first time I really felt like Dyson could gallop and he was smooth, smart and quick with his legs and the exercises on cross-country. I didn’t have the best ride at the log on the mound, and he was quite taken-aback at the first element of the coffin. I got to a good distance but he stopped, I hit him twice, and he jumped through. 

So I would like to say I was the winner, but it’s always good to know what you need to work on. I use my events this time of year to see where the holes are and what I need to focus on, whether it’s keeping my mind on one jump at a time on an older horse coming back, or helping a green horse new to the level that needs more education. Isn’t that the name of the game?