back off course: May 2016

I can almost taste the tea sandwiches and chocolate fudge now. It's my favorite time of year. It's time for Devon!

For normal people the last weekend in May is a celebration marking the official start of summer. For horse people, it means Devon. Get out your powder blue blazer, your sun hat and your rain boots (you know it will rain at least once). Pack up your yearlings, your ponies, and your fancy hunters and jumpers, and prepare to watch one very adorable lead line class. You may overdose on iced tea and cucumber sandwiches, you may sweat in your Lilly Pulitzer, and you may suffer a panic attack trying to turn your trailer around between the barns.

In less than two weeks my favorite show of the year starts, and at this stage in my life I get to bring my baby. To be clear, I mean my horse baby. Who is less of a baby than she was last year in the yearling classes, but more of a baby than ideal for handling purposes. Leading a yearling around an active show grounds is like having your arm attached to a kite in a tornado. You never know how strong and in which direction she will go.

Last year we caught some jumpers and then stayed up until midnight tiring out the baby before her big day.

Zoe during her midnight school. Have you ever walked a yearling around a show grounds with a carnival and carriage horses? I don't recommend it. I must have burned off at least two caramel apples.

After about four hours of sleep we came back to the show grounds and to get ready for Zoe's first class (PA Yearling Fillies). I was so nervous about her misbehaving I walked her around the schooling arena with gloves, a crop, a halter, chain shank, AND a bridle. I even had a secret stash of carrots in my pocket. I handed her to the groom, aka my sister, aka the baby horse whisperer as I watched the class before her go. After I watched about five minutes of the yearling colts I was no longer worried about her misbehaving. One of them reared up and struck out at the judges before getting his front foot caught between the reins. At least I had never seen her do that before.

Sunrise at Devon, 2015.

I walked over to the rail to watch as the professional handler led her into the ring. I felt more nervous than when I had ridden into this same arena doing the equitation years before. I thought, is this what parents feel like when they watch their kids compete? Predictably, I took about a thousand pictures.

I held my breathe as she was paraded around the ring with the other yearling fillies. She didn't rear up and strike out, and she didn't get loose and take off. Instead, she stood quietly in the line of yearling fillies and shook her head until the black ear-puffs shot out of her ears. Against the Devon footing, they looked like to black pieces of coal somehow placed in the ring. How embarrassing, I thought. And then I started to laugh, I guess she was going to be pretty cool about this whole horse show thing. That is, as long as she can compete without ear plugs.

There she is, standing like a princess.

If you look carefully you can see an ear puff she shook out of her head in the footing on the other side of her.

Zoe's first ribbon. A proud fourth.

With all my shades of Devon blue.

Watching two-year olds.

All That posing with her first ever ribbon!

Getting her beauty sleep!!

Good night kisses.
Zoe will be at Devon the first weekend in June for in-hand classes as a two-year old!

As a result of two unrelated accidents on course at yesterday's Jersey Fresh Three Day Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey our community lost two competitors. Philippa Humphreys (33) riding her Rich N Famous suffered a fatal spill at fence 16. Sadly, Skyler Decker (17) piloted Inoui Van Bost through the cross-country course where the pair reportedly suffered a spill at fence 19 causing a scary tumble that resulted in an equine fatality.

I would normally never attempt to report on such a story. Except today I have some personal knowledge of these events. I spent the day at Jersey Fresh and watched both teams gallop by moments before they would each be involved in a fatal crash.

A copy of the course for the three star event, with jump descriptions on the right.

According to the chronicle, Skyler and her ride were tripped up by fence 19, a trakehner. For those of you that don't know what that is (I didn't) a picture of one is below. However, according to the course map, trakehner fences were at fence 13 and fence 20. Fence 19 was apparently a "big double".

Fence 13, a trakhener.

It's also interesting that the majority of the falls that occurred yesterday were caused by a very long and wide two-stride combination (fences 12AB) located in the middle of the upper jumper ring. I witnessed at least four riders tumble off trying to get through the second half of the line. For those of you familiar with the horse park, that is the very first ring on the right as you pull in the driveway. The course had competitors canter down a hill into the ring, over a horseshoe shaped jump, and then ride a bending line to the right to a (very) long two stride across the center of the ring before galloping out of the ring and onto the rest of the course. The two stride line consisted of two very wide solid fences where horses were expected to jump through the corners. The first appeared to be a wide wooden triangle and the second, well, was very wide with flowers and bushes planted across its center. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it, I was too busy watching and holding my breathe to see what horses would make it through.

Another competitor approaches the first of three difficult fences at 11, and will proceed right to fences 12AB, as the course passes through the top riding area.

After reaching to cover the second jump of the long two stride, many horses seemed to come up short and would be unable to clear the second fence without clipping a foot and summersaulting. I watched one horse that appeared to land on his neck and keep rolling, while somehow the rider managed to get out of the way. Although I gasped as I witnessed this whole thing happen, it wasn't until the horse stood up that I knew something was really wrong. He stood completely still the moment after he had gotten to his feet. He didn't try and trot away, as most horses do right after experiencing a tumble. It looked to me like he stood completely still and swayed his head back and forth. No one said anything, but I am almost certain that everyone watching suspected that the horse probably had a broken neck, at the very least.

EMTs and vets rushed to the scene and eventually a horse trailer was brought into the ring, and the horse was trailered away. When it was announced a horse had been euthanized almost everyone assumed it had been this horse. However, when I got home I realized all reports online indicated that Skyler and her horse fell at fence 19. Although I would be happy to hear that the horse that seemed injured at fence 12B is doing well, I am still surprised that so many riders suffered very serious falls.

Philippa's fall occurred at the table top, fence 16, shortly after she cleared the tricky combination in the ring. Moments before I saw her ride easily through the difficult horse shoe line.

There is nothing I can really say to explain these two deaths that occurred on a beautiful Saturday afternoon of competition at a place that I've ridden at since I was a toddler. I watched both these talented teams canter by with confidence and overcome most of the olympic level challenges this course presented. Everyone knows this is a dangerous sport, everyone acknowledges this is the highest level of competition, everyone respects the bravery and skill each horse and rider demonstrates. But it's still hard to understand how this could have happened, how both a rider and a horse lost their lives on Saturday afternoon at the horse park. Please keep both competitors and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

A donation can be made to Philippa's daughter's college fund here.

Philippa's death is the third in three months for the international eventing community. This has given way to increased discussion regarding the risks and safety of the sport.