August 10, 2015

Last weekend was the third competition in the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Series held in Mullica Hills, NJ. For this competition (as mentioned in a previous post) we were riding as a four man/pony team which means we all rode in every race. It was also the first competition of the year teammate Val could join us for. It was good to have her and her pony Sprite back!

The first session we were in went fairly well and we left the arena feeling pretty good. Our second session was admittedly an easier heat compared to the other heat. We won all but two of the races, which we got second in. Not bad. We went into the final as the first place team. Wowza!

It was a good competition and by Saturday afternoon we had our positions sorted and really got on a good roll. We jelled perfectly and we all rode clean and smooth.

The final was heavy hitter. Time Flies who slipped in as the 5^th team in the final, riding as four man for the two preliminary sessions were joined by their 5^th rider, Ann for the final. This addition really made a difference for Time Flies and they came out with the win. Full Tilt came to this competition with a teammate/pony swap, which seemed to work well, helping them finish in second place. Border Patrol, the four man team that blew the division out of the water at Nationals last month, must have been having an off weekend, finishing in third. My team, Gone Rogue, played hard, but had a few rough races that just killed us. Two races before the final we were in second place, but both of those races were pretty nasty, and combined with a few rough races earlier in the heat, we just couldn’t hold the position and finished in fourth followed by Chaos.

The B final had some four man teams as well.  Antiques Roadshow, who is ever improving and Groppits, the positive and laid back team.  One of Groppits four ponies came up lame in the warm up right before the first session. So Simon joined them just before the first race.   Quick Silver joined our division for the first time this year.  They have been having difficulties pulling in a 5th rider and have been picking up a younger rider all season, forcing them to ride in intermediate.  It was nice to have them back in the ring with all adults!

I feel like I rode really well and Poe was a super star. He was really moving out when asked and still had his killer breaks to pull quick stops for me.  for my part I rode relatively quick and clean, pushing more for handoffs and playing smart as anchor for some of the races.

The social aspect was also lovely. Our team had a nice set up under a pavilion with our ponies and dogs. We had a potluck and spent our off time hamming it up together.

I am really looking forward to pairs at the end of the month. Val and I are riding together as Scoundrels and Averi and Matt are riding together as Heads or Tails. It should be an excellent time. I can’t wait to get back on the field with Poe. I love being a rider/pony pair with him. And Val is so much fun to ride with. Exciting things just around the corner!

Photo credits to Brown unless otherwise noted

Photo below: Dungee

Simon and JD.  a Well matched pair.  PC: Dungee

Iphone photo of Daisy with a dirty nose.

This is the view of my trailer just before heading out.  Simon gets the small space up front, and Poe has to share his big space behind the divider with supplies.

Dexter all worn out.