Lake Placid 3

Today was a very good day for me....
The day started schooling my horses like usual. I showed Little Lady in the High Junior Classic at 8 and she was fabulous. We went clear in the first round, one of four horses to go clean. The course was very technical but very well designed. It was a lot of fun, and in the jump off I had the last rail, but was the fastest four faulter so I still ended up second. The day started off great.

Romeo's class was next, starting at 9. The course was also built very nicely, and Romeo was flawless. I ended up sixth in that class, but the best part of the day was the fact that both of my horses performed to the best of their ability, which was near perfection. I was so happy.

Later that day I watched the Grand Prix. It was, once again, an extremely technical course, and again only four went clear, two of which were ridden by Margie Engle. She ended up winning on Indigo. The weather held out all day for the horseshow which was a blessing because it was reported to storm all day, and jumping in a field or the muddy rings is never a fun day.

Today was an overall great day to end an exciting two weeks in Lake Placid

Lake Placid 2

Today in Lake Placid started off early. I was on my equitation horse, Romeo, at 6:30 to prepare him for the USEF show jumping talent search. I practiced a few lines with Frank and made sure Romeo was quiet enough. He was perfect when we jumped, and also in the flat callback... We ended up fourth, which was exactly the amount of points I needed to fully qualify for that Final. Phew!

Little Lady had another day of just flatting today, and she will show tomorrow in the High Junior Jumper Classic. Romeo will also show tomorrow in the Cathy Scholl class. I'm scheduled to start riding at 6 am tomorrow so I can prepare both my horses before the 8 o'clock start.

Today I watched a lot of equitation rounds, and also a few low junior jumpers and some children's jumpers, who had the chance to show in the field which is a great opportunity for the younger riders to gain an exciting and new experience.

Tomorrow is my last day of showing, and I hope to complete this show with a successful day. Also, I'm looking forward to watching the grand prix tomorrow afternoon in the field.

Update from Lake Placid

The horse show in Lake Placid has always been a great show. This summer I returned to this show for the first time in four years, and it is as exciting as I remember. The show is filled with excellent riders, the courses have been challenging, and the competition has been strong. I have competed in the equitation classes and the high juniors, both of which have been highly competitive. So far, I've been successful in the equitation classes with my horse Romeo. He has performed beautifully, and we have qualified for the Cathy Scholl Equitation class at the end of the two week horse show. This class requires a rider to have placed first or second in a 3'6" equitation class. The class will run this upcoming saturday. In the High Junior Jumpers, I've been riding John Madden's horse Little Lady D'Elle, who has been progressing very quickly and is also having a good show. Last sunday's jumper classic was very technical and quite big, and Lady confidently marched around with only one rail, which I could've helped her with. I am excited with how well she is riding and competitive she is becoming. This week Lady put in a double clear round in the Wednesday High Junior jump off class, so my trainer Frank Madden and I decided to let her rest until the classic on saturday.

Every morning of a show, I usually get up early to prepare my horses so we can have a successful day. Frank and I usually agree on some form of gymnastic to correct any errors from the previous show, or to encourage proper ride-ability.

When I'm not showing, I've watched a few of the big jumper classes. I enjoy watching different horses jumping styles, as well as different riding techniques. Overall, the Lake Placid horse show has been very fun, especially showing the jumpers in the big grand prix field. Also, the town of Lake Placid always keeps us busy after the show is over with kayaking, swimming, shopping, and much more.

Note from EquineSite

EquineSite is happy to setup and introduce Victoria to the blogging world. Please join us in following the accomplishments of Victoria and wish her the best at the upcoming Fidelity Jumper Classic. Follow this link to read an exclusive interview with Victoria by Melissa Lovasco President and CEO of Jumper Classic, Inc.