This show is not only special because it hosts the Maclay Regionals, but also because it is the first show that I officially own Wesley! I was so excited coming into this show, excited for Maclay Regionals and excited to be back at Meadow Wood. Warm-up days went well doing the 1.10s and the much anticipated Regional class was coming closer and closer. On Friday, Wesley and I won both of the equitation classes, which was a big confidence boost for the weekend. Also on Friday, the smoke from the wildfires started coming in which was concerning with the air quality getting worse for Saturday. My horse always comes first and if I ever felt like his health was being compromised then I would scratch without hesitation.
Saturday morning was filled with damp air and fog, we would have to wait for the fog the lift before being able to truly assess the air quality. Through the entire day Wesley was in his tent stall with a fan over him and access to water at all times. His breathing was never abnormal, he never coughed or sneezed and his nose never ran with any discharge. We continued to monitor the air throughout the day and when the time of the class came we felt that the horses were comfortable and healthy. We did a short warm-up and went into the Special Equitation class before the regional with confidence. Wesley felt amazing and we won the class, another great confidence boost. Another quick and easy warm-up and we went into the regional class. The course really complimented my horse. There were three left rollbacks which are a strong point for my horse and only on bending line off the right lead, our weak point. I went third so I was able to watch two rounds before mine to see how everything rode and I felt like it gave me an advantage because I was able to watch a couple rounds to watch the course but not watch too many to get nervous.
We went in for our round and it started with a left lead rollback, we nailed it and then came the one right lead bending line which was what I was most worried about. I structured the bending line into two parts, five strides each and it ended up working out beautifully. After nailing the bending line I was confident and the rest of the round came up in stride. I was thrilled with the round and ready for the flat phase. The flat came around and I could feel Wesley getting jazzed and he was a bit more up in the flat than in the class itself. He was strong through the class but it was manageable and I was able to hide it well. We lined up after the flat and they announced no further testing. This was nerve-wracking since then they go right into announcing the results. Going from last place to first, riders got excused one by one until it was only Wesley and I standing in the center. I was thrilled, what a great way to end the regular season! I can’t thank my trainers John Turner, Quinn Partridge, and Gillian Baird for all they have done this year to help us get to this point. Another special shout out to barn-mate Emily Steckler for placing third in the regional!
Looking ahead to the future, I don’t plan on going back East for Medal Finals since it is a weird year with COVID and we can only afford to go back East one year. Fingers crossed for next year! After this show and this class, Wesley will have some time off due to the poor air quality and will resume slowly coming back to work once the air clears. Hoping everyone stays healthy during these times, horse and human. Thank you to my mom for making this show possible and for everyone who has helped me along the way! Can’t wait to see what the future has to hold!