We attended the Palm Beach Derby this past weekend and I really felt we made some decent progress, the tests were still certainly not as good as the ones we've had back home at the smaller venues but Nico coped much better with the wind and the busy atmosphere (and it was an absolutely crazy blowing wind with a row of flags directly behind the ring flapping up a storm) he didn't have any deliberate spooking even though he really wanted to, so the result was that he tightened up when we went in the ring which obviously affected the overall impression of the ride but I was still happy that although tense he was much braver and willing to trust the situation more, the thing I was most pleased with at this show was the warm up, I had moments in the warmup where he felt better than he's ever felt so this was a huge progression for me because at the other shows he's even felt quite tense in the warmup ring, I feel like he is getting closer and closer to being able to take that looseness in to the ring and I know that when we get back home we will definitely be ahead of the game. I've also tried him in a different saddle down here lately and have noticed quite a big difference in his way of going so I think that is definitely a good thing too, if he is more comfortable in it then I have to listen to him and respect his judgement on that one! Another highlight of the shows down here has been watching Heather Blitz's horse Paragon who is truly an amazing athlete, the first time I saw this horse I wasn't quite sure what to make of him as he is huge and is rather unorthodox looking, but when you stand ringside and watch this horse go there is no denying the incredible scope and talent he has combined with an amazing work ethic, his biggest fault is probably that he tries to give too much, he is definitely going to be one to watch for the future and will most likely be a medal contender at the next Olympics. Was also nice to see Crystal Kroetch and Lymrix winning the I1 freestyle, riding to new music designed by Karen Robinson, its been neat to see this talented horse mature and become more consistent and confident in the show ring down here. I can't express enough how happy I am that I made the decision to come down to Florida for these past months, a few people have asked me if I am 'disappointed' with things which to me is a bit of an odd question, I guess because the shows have been challenging some people think I might feel disappointed but that couldn't be farther from the truth, I've always embraced challenges in this sport and I realize that you have to work your way up to get to the top, obviously it would be nice to have everything go your way on every outing but I've enjoyed lots of success on the Western Canadian circuit and now feeling the challenge of the shows down here has only confirmed to me that this was exactly the step I needed, it's very easy to stay in the backyard in Canada and be a big fish in a very small pond but my ambitions have always been on the international scene and for me this is only the very start of where I see things going so I am content with this new challenge presented to me, now I have something to really work towards and a renewed focus on where I want to go and the immense dedication it will take to get there. My goals in this sport have always been, first and foremost to be a good horse person, trainer and coach(and by good I don't mean perfect, I mean someone who understands the horse and the learning process, is innovative and someone who embraces and learns from mistakes and utilizes them to better ones methods, no one I've ever met has ever been as hard on me as I am on myself so I know I have the discipline necessary to get there), my other main goal has always been to compete successfully on the international scene, I've dreamed about the Olympics for as long as I can remember and I have given my whole life working toward that dream and will continue to do so, I am a competitive person and I do really enjoy the horse show scene even with its ups and downs and I want to continue on with my international competitive career and move up the leagues. Coming to Florida has been a wonderful decision for me as although there have been some difficult moments I have learned a lot and by being immersed in this world of quality horses and riders I have a new clarity on where I want to be, the work it will take to get there and the backing that I will need to continue on at this level and more, its given me a very clear path and confirmed my belief that to get to the level I have always dreamed of you have to venture out of the smaller areas and throw yourself in to the deep end and when you feel like you're drowning you have to just swim a little bit harder. I have confirmed my belief of what it is going to take to get closer to my dream in terms of the workload, the time and the costs involved, that being said as soon as I am back home the sponsorship search will be continuing full force to hopefully find a person or a company who has similar visions as myself and hopefully would be interested in helping me get closer to that dream, if anyone out there has any suggestions or ideas I would love to hear them.
On a lighter note, at the show this past weekend there was an incident where a horse got loose in one of the arenas and booked it back to the barn, in hot pursuit of the loose horse was a team of four golf carts chasing it across the field......because naturally the best way to catch a loose horse is to chase it in a motorized vehicle, the only thing missing was a helicopter tailing it, haha just goes to show you that just because you're in horse country doesn't necessarily mean you're around horsey people!;)
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