Here it is: Lynne's final chapter on her amazing Spruce experience. Enjoy!
Spruce Meadows Journal
#4 – The Competition
July 1, 2013
Dear All,
I’m home from Spruce Meadows and trying to keep the
feeling going because it was such a high to be there and to be part of
something so extraordinary. I’m grateful
to Dusty for suggesting that I do this; she knew I needed a big, grandiose goal
to keep me going when Allan was sick.
Allan calls this a “bucket list event” and although I hate to think of
getting closer to kicking the bucket, he’s right. It is up there with watching my granddaughter being born and
swimming with dolphins. If you
don’t have a bucket list, make one.
It doesn’t have to be extensive, just start with two or three things you
want to do before you leave this Earth.
The planning, hoping, dreaming, collaborating, strategizing, budgeting,
discussing, visualizing, list-making, disciplining, training, and imagining
will be as fulfilling as the event itself. Putting a dream out there and seeing it come true changes
you.
Lynne, Cielo, and Miguel
I couldn’t sleep this morning so I got up at 5:30 and went
out to my cottage.
I looked at
pictures and videos of Spruce Meadows, then I wrote down all my favorite things
about this past week.
Of course
the best was that on the day of the Prix de Nations team competition I rode
well and didn’t let our team down.
When you’ve been involved in individual sports and been a sole
proprietor in business most of your career, being part of a team takes on
special significance.
I wanted to
do well because other riders and trainers were counting on me.
On the day it mattered I was able to
pull it together and do my best.
The Prix de Nations is in three phases: first all four members
on eight teams ride a full jumping round.
Each team throws out their lowest score and team scores are
tallied. The four best teams come
back for Round 2. All riders then
ride the same course again. In
both rounds, Cielo and I went clean and fast. I only bobbled one jump (and on the video you can hear the
trainers gasping) but she saved me.
That’s why you need a partnership with your horse. After Round 2 scores are tallied again
and if there is a tie each team chooses a single rider to jump off. My team consisted of members who were
ages 16, 18, 37, and me (advanced age).
The chef d’equipe chose Simone, our 18-year-old, and she had a blazing
fast round but stopped at one jump.
Another team struggled, and in the end we had enough points to win the Bronze
Medal.
The medal ceremonies are something to behold at Spruce
Meadows. All the winning riders
are called into the ring in order as the sound system begins to play The March of the Toreadors from Carmen. For our class, the Gold Medal team
received beautiful white horse blankets which flapped majestically in the breeze as we all marched across
the grass ring and over to the presentation area. The show staff form a line of formally-dressed presenters,
each wearing a red jacket or blouse representing Canada. As your name is announced they step
over to where your horse stands, shake your hand, congratulate you warmly, and
attach a large rosette ribbon to the bridle or saddle. Cielo, who for international
competition goes by her passport name, Sky Dancer LS, behaved perfectly,
standing like an angel with her head cocked toward the ribbon presenters as if
she were waiting to hear her name called.
In reality she was waiting for a treat. In Mexico when horses win a class and go in for the ribbon
presentation, the presenters walk up to each horse holding a basket of carrots
and let them eat out of it. In
Canada, the ribbons are carried out in a huge basket so Cielo (and I noticed
every Mexican horse in the line-up) had their ears up and eyes trained on the
basket. I figured this out
because the prior day I had won an orange ribbon and she tried to grab it out
of the presenter’s hand. Once the
ribbons are presented, the music strikes up again and the winners pick up the
canter and lead a victory parade around the ring. This is my favorite moment of the horse show, galloping
around the ring knowing you did well and just enjoying the horse under you and
the music and the green grass at your feet. Several horses were bucking and bolting, the wind got the
coolers flapping wildly, ribbons were blowing off everywhere, and Cielo kept
dragging me toward the jumps as we galloped. What more could you ask? My only disappointment was that in the big international
rings the Royal Canadian Mounted Police march in for ribbon ceremonies, in
formation, and stand at attention with spears or flags, or whatever it is they
carry, raised, and their red uniforms with shining gold accoutrements add a
sense of ceremony and sensationalism to the whole awards process. I know our jumps are smaller, and we
are just amateurs, but we were as proud that day as any international superstars
and I think we deserved at least one Mountie.
Where was this guy during the Awards?!
Dusty and I went on to enjoy the rest of the show
wholeheartedly, sampling the food at the various venues, shopping in the Spruce
Meadows gift shops, watching high level classes in the big rings, and cheering
for our host, Olympian Antonio Maurer, and his riders. The caliber of horses was fantastic and
to see it all in such a glorious venue with perfect, blue skies and white puffy
clouds seemed like a dream.
We also cheered on our NORCAL teammates in their various
classes. The NORCAL trainers
really pulled together, helping one another out with coaching if a particular
trainer needed to be two places at once.
My teammates went on to win several classes and uphold the honor of
Northern CA very nicely. My horse
had a day off and then competed three more days. We had rails down Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday in the
Adult/Child Amateur Classic we went clean and fast with just a rail down in the
jump off and were awarded 7th place out of 44 horses. We ended our run at Spruce with a final
victory gallop followed by some Advil and a rush to get packed up before the
shipper arrived to take the horses home.
Time to pack!
One day after competing I took Cielo for a ride around the grounds. Management provides not only bike- and
golf cart-friendly paths everywhere, but also soft dirt paths for the
horses. We took the trail down to
the International Ring back gate, walked up competitor entrance ramp and peeked
inside. I wanted to imagine what it would be like to enter that huge
stadium on my horse, with the stands packed and thousands cheering. On the biggest day, the grounds at
Spruce Meadows host 75,000 people.
The stands seemed to go up to the sky and the jumps were monumental in
size. Cielo stood firm and stared,
although I could feel her breathing increase and her heart start pounding. As we turned to walk back, onto the
path ahead of us merged two Mounties side-by-side in full regalia—tall hats,
red and gold uniforms, clanking chains and jangling accessories, spears or
flags. Cielo took a look, snorted,
swung her ears forward, and then, rather than balk or shy or get worried at
such a sight, she stuck her neck out, increased her walk, and took out after
them to see exactly what they were.
It’s what I love about her: her elegance and gracefulness, and her
natural curiosity and bravery under a host of new conditions that would scare
anyone. She caught up to those
Mounties and gave them a good once over before we headed back to the barn.
One of the many sights: Foals!!
Many wanted to know if Cielo got home alright. It’s been well over 100 degrees in
these parts and the van ride from Calgary, Alberta is very long. She got in at 5:00 last night after 26
hours on the road, unscathed, eating, and happy. I stopped at the Horse Park to check on her just as it got
dark. When she saw us she came
straight to the fence, pricked up her ears and gave me a steady, intense look
that said, “OK, we did it, what’s next?”
