Happy Halloween! (Haunted Hunter Pace 2017 recap!)

Snappy hind end - that rail actually stayed up
Pic - C.P. 

This past weekend was the annual Haunted Hunter Pace! It was the first "show" I took Leo to, and this year it became the first "show" for Spring and I! And it was so much fun!

Pic courtesy of Leah!

Barn BFF S and I teamed up again this year as Wonder Woman and Superman. Spring was Wondermare, and S's horse Wally was Super Wally! We didn't put a ton of effort into our costumes - although S definitely put more into hers than I did mine, and they looked great! 

She was such a good sport

Months ago, before the date of the hunter pace was officially announced, my mom and I had planned to spend this past weekend hanging out in Southern Indiana. Because I am nothing if not determined, I decided to make both the weekend with my mom and the hunter pace happen - and although it was exhausting, it was definitely worth it.  My mom and I spent Friday and Saturday hiking, shopping, and drinking wine, and at 3:30 AM on Sunday morning I dragged myself out of bed, said goodbye, and started the 5 hour trek to CEC. 

I made good time, and got to the barn just under an hour before the trailer hauling Spring was supposed to leave. It was FREEZING - the first major frost of the year had happened overnight, and I think it was a whopping 27° as I changed into my costume and groomed my horse.  The trailer arrived on time, and she loaded like a pro. The venue for the hunter pace was a quick 20 minute drive north, and she unloaded perfectly and after a minute of looking around, became instant BFFs with Wally and spent the next two hours calmly tied to the trailer, happily munching hay. 

Good ponies

Leah kindly loaned me her Wonder Woman browband and a bridle for the event, and after killing time watching everyone in their costumes S and I tacked up, shed our many layers, and headed to the arena to warm up. I was a little nervous about how Spring would behave, but she was completely chill in the new environment, and though she looked at a few of the jumps, she went over everything on the first try. And thankfully by the end of the warm-up, I was no longer missing my coveralls - the sun came out!

Basically a professional.
Pic - C.P.

Wally was a little lit, but settled nicely and S and I walked off to the starting point to begin our ride. The property is amazing - winding trails through the woods with little brushy jumps interspaced, and paths around them if you don't want to jump. Spring went over everything happily, and the only hiccup was when my cheekpiece decided to detach from the bit - which led to a brief moment of panic where I had to dismount on a hillside to reattach it and then climb back on while trying to keep both of us from tumbling down the slope. 

We made it through okay, though, and soon reached the most exciting part of the ride - the large cross country field! Last year I think Leo made it over maybe four jumps and had to follow his friends over each of them, and had a major meltdown about the entire thing, so again I was a little wary about what Spring would do. And at first she was quite confused - random logs in a field are obstacles that you simply go around, right? Why would you do anything else with them? 

But, with some coaching from Trainer E and barn friend M, Spring started to realize the new game - that objects in the field are to be jumped, and that it's actually quite fun to do so! Although she only went over a few of the jumps on the first try, she made it over everything and was looking for more in the end.  We stuck with the little jumps, but she more than impressed me with her boldness and enthusiasm as she grew more and more comfortable with the task at hand. 

Pic - C.P.

Pic - C.P.

The ride continued smoothly after our ten minutes of XC fun were up, and S and I had a blast as we walked the gorgeous trails, jumping the little trail jumps and galloping in the fields. The ride ends with two galloping loops through the barn's massive hay field, and I found Spring's racehorse button - she took off and I was laughing with the joy of it, running simply because we could. She came back to the trot after the first lap and S and Wally caught up, then we had another, slightly slower lap that was still completely exhilarating. And then, calm as anything, she walked out of the field and back to the trailer on a loose rein without a care in the world. 

Pic - B.J.

I love this horse, guys. She's seriously the coolest. 

Leah's partner H was kind enough to get a pic of us and our magnificent mares! 

Overall it was an incredible weekend and an incredible first show-type experience, and I can't wait for the theoretical jumper show this coming Sunday! (Although rain is forecast at the moment so we may not be attending, unfortunately.)

Happy Halloween!!!