July 2022

 Why does it seem that every month I post about horseback riding events? I feel like this is all we do now. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Sophia ride and progress but it seems all we do. This month was no exception. We went to Dressage at Lexington at the Virginia Horse Center. Sophia rode Level 1-test 3 and her Level 1 musical. She scored second in the musical challenge and got a big sash for Brisk and got to do a victory lap. It was so exciting. 

We went to Tryon NC to compete in Pony Club Champs. That was an adventure. It started when Sophia got her team just about a week before the competition started. Sophia was captain so she had to be sure the team had everything they needed and make the stall cards for the team. The team was in flux. It changed about three times. They couldn't find a stable manager for them. It was a mess. Two days before we were ready to leave a team member had to pull herself because a horse she has was sick and she needed to stay home with it. This was really stressful but Sophia tried to roll with it. Sophia helped me drive part of the way. She drove about two hours each way which was a huge help. Once she got their she set up the tack stall and met her team members. Addie from the barn was on her team. They work well together. However the other team member and the stable manager were not huge helps. The stable manager had a boyfriend riding in another discipline and was never there to help Sophia's team. Sophia took it all on herself and it was stressful. We brought nine riders, three stable managers and another twenty adults as coaches or parents. Covid ran through the bunch. At least six people got sick. Luckily Sophia and I were spared, likely because we just had it last month. The last day it was just Sophia doing most of the work because Addie got sick. It was so hard on her. 

Sophia rode really well. Things are starting to come together for her. She got a few points on her horse management because she was doing so much she could attend to all those crazy details HM judges are looking for. 

The weather wasn't the greatest. It rained every afternoon which stopped competition while we waited for the storm to pass. Luckily Sophia rode in the morning so she wasn't affected by the storms until Saturday night right before night checks. The parents were out enjoying a dinner while the kids went to a competitor party with food and demonstrations. The storm started blowing in and they told the kids to go back to the barns to do night checks early hoping you would all miss the storm. NOPE. It started pouring. Lightening stuck very close if not onsite. It was windy. All the kids scattered and Sophia's phone died. She was safe in the barn with the HM judges. The parents were frantic trying to account for all the kids. I was with Brian and Peggy in their car. We lost power for about 3 hours due to that storm. It was bad. But luckily power came back on and everyone was safe. This was a champs to remember. 

In addition to Champs Sophia went to Ocean City to stay with her friend who has a place there. They had a blast. The dad even let Sophia drive the boat! 

And our pets are all well.