Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bromont Update #1 from Lindsay Kelley

Former MLE'r Lindsay Kelley is up at Bromont this week contesting the CCI1* with Beth Sokohl's Buckharo.  Here's a quick update from her after the first 2 days in Canada ...

Hi Friends,

I hope all is well at home and all the horses are behaving while I'm away! I have had many requests to share about my experiences and happenings up here and I figured the best way to do it is to send a daily update email to everyone.

My Dad, Bucky, and I left on Tuesday morning at 2am in hopes to miss traffic, keep Bucky comfortable, and arrive for the first preliminary vet inspection on Tuesday afternoon. The commute up was seamless. Bucky shipped better than ever. We set up the trailer in a way that allowed Bucky to have a large box stall, huge hay net, and plenty of water for the long haul. I had him bubble wrapped up for the ship in hopes to make sure he arrived just as he was put on the trailer.

The trip was intended to take 12 hours or so. We got here in about 13 with the few stops we had to make. I'm sure you are all curious about how the customs work when crossing the border- and well- I am still curious too. When we got to the border, there were tons of different lanes to take- so we chose one (probably not the right one)- and arrived to the window with an older man inside. We naively asked, "Did we go in the right lane?" He asked us a few simple questions, "Where are you headed?, What's in your trailer?, Are you selling T-shirts or anything?" Of course we answered those questions directly and he responded, "Ok, thanks- drive on through." Can you believe that? That was it. He didn't even look at our passports, yet alone Bucky's passport (that I spent weeks fretting over). He didn't glance at any of my paperwork- no health certificate, no coggins, no nothing! My Dad and I were completely baffled. When we arrived at Bromont everyone was talking about how long it took to get through customs, all the things the border control checked, ect. I guess my crew just looked innocent or something...who knows! 

So we arrived at Bromont at about 3pm. Bucky got off the trailer and was completely laid back and settled in perfectly. Just in time for our first preliminary vet inspection. The first inspection is just a time where the vets run their hands over Bucky's body, take his vitals, and review his passport. Of course, Bucky passed with flying colors.

Finally after the vet inspection- I could breathe and take it all in. We made it, we really made it! It is beyond BEAUTIFUL here. The scenery is out of a magazine. It is very green, crisp, and tons of mountains surround everything. The horse park is actually where the Olympics were held in Bromont in 1976. And let me tell you, it is absolutely top of the line. The footing, the rings, the convenience factors, the cross country course, the hacking out- it doesn't get much better than this.

I have been practicing my dressage on Bucky for the past 2 days- and he is feeling wonderful. He clearly knows this is game time- and by the feels of it- he brought all he has! We have done tons of dressage and tons of riding out and stretching his legs. The trails for hacking out surround the cross country course and each time we go out there he gets a bit wound up in hopes to run and jump! He and I are typically on the same page- as I am ready to run and jump too!

The first jog was this afternoon around 4pm for Bucky and I. We both got all spiffed up to present ourselves to the ground jury for vet inspection. We practiced our jog for about 20 minutes. Presented to the ground jury and...."Lindsay Kelley and Buckharo are ACCEPTED." A little comedy for you- I thought I was going to be so very impressive and try to jog in some heels- so of course, I put them on with full intentions, but put some flats in the car just in case. Well to say the least, I panicked at the last minute and made my poor dad go racing back to the car for my flats- I had terrible visions of falling right on my face in my heels...I just couldn't do it! All that matters in the end is...we were accepted!

So, tomorrow is the big dressage day. I ride my test at 4:26. So send the positive thoughts this way! I am hoping to have a very accurate and forward test. From the looks of the cross country course if we are mid pack after dressage we should be very competitive. It is often times hard to compare to the big fancy warmbloods in the dressage, but on the other hand it is often times hard to compare to a confident Thoroughbred on a tough cross country course. There were 55 competitors before jog up this afternoon- I am not sure how many were accepted, but the competition is stiff, but that's ok- "GAME ON."

I have attached some pictures here for all to see. I hope you enjoy!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's updates...

Linds & Bucky

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