Next installment from Sara! What an up and down day here in Lima for Team Venezuela. Both Miguel Sarmiento and Alvero Lozado fell at the sixth fence, an angled one stride on a tight distance. Alvero might have managed to keep his beautiful mare upright when she hit the out very hard, but the log followed him and caused her to fall. This happened twice more in the competition. I don’t think the question was too difficult for the level, but serious attention must be paid when cross-country fences aren’t constructed properly. That is not the definition of a frangible fence! We were lucky that the only injury that occurred was a broken arm for Alvero. Things could have been much worse. Maritza also had trouble at this fence, not getting the line quite right, which caused a run out at 6b. She quickly corrected her mistake and went on to jump around the rest of this tough course clear. She is planning on coming to the USA after this to train with Kyle, which is a smart move and exciting for this Venezuleans future in the sport. As for my girls, I had an up and down day also. Natascha rode amazingly well, putting in an absolutely beautiful round on the perfect, fat, little Clifton Peekachu. I think he is the only horse I’ve ever known that gains weight on a trip like this. I actually think he was fatter after the cross-country? Dougie says Eagle Lion was exactly the same, so hopefully some of that greatness will rub off on us? Joking aside, they are a well-matched pair, and were class today. As for Gaby, she had her first mistake since she came to us. The back part of the cross-country was maze-like, and she jumped a fence out of order. Absolutely devastating for her, as she was having a lovely round on the magic Irish Diamonds. We have all made these kind of mistakes, but it is horrible when it happens at a major championships rather than a local event! Both girls have worked so hard and have managed to go from their first ever event to representing their country at a CCI* Championship in less than six months. Sometimes you have to pause for a minute and see how far you have come. They looked like they belonged out there today......actually they looked better than the majority. I want to thank Peekachu and Reno (Irish Diamonds) from the bottom of my heart. What amazing teachers they are, wonderfully patient and generous. Thanks for taking care of our girls, teaching them how to ride, and making their dream come true. Finally our only experienced upper-level pair, Elena Ceballos and Frenchie (Nounours Du Moulin) skipped around the course, making difficult lines look like a walk in the park. This was my first opportunity to watch this pair in action, and I was impressed! It was the best way to end a largely disappointing day for Venezuela. However, still a lot of good things, fingers crossed for tomorrow!!!
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:00:00 +0000
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