Well, this month has included Berrima, Mirrabooka, the school holidays, ACT Showjumping Cup, and Lynton. Busy is an understatement.
So how do I do it? And more to the point WHY do I do it!
- A VERY understanding husband - who I think has decided I’m crazy.
- A dedicated bunch of friends. One isn’t enough, as even dedicated friends need a break!
- Wonderful neighbours who look after the kids while understanding hubby goes fishing leaving me at home with three children…. (but let’s not dwell on that as I shouldn’t throw stones)
- A ridiculous amount of determination to make to most of this opportunity to be involved in this sport with the support of all of the above.
Dedicated friend John takes a break with Laura
This was all made even clearer to me after this weekend (the Canberra Showjumping Cup). After Astro’s super show jumping round at Berrima, in a moment of bravado, I entered in the 105 and 115 classes, on all three days! Leading up to the show, I seriously wondered what I had been drinking that night. However, with some excellent help from John Fitzgerald, Lauren and Jayne McIntosh and Fiona De La Mezzo (see you got mention in my blog!), I rode in each class, without seriously embarrassing myself. I’m not sure if anyone else feels like that, but sometimes I worry I look like a total idiot who should be sitting at home knitting, not riding horses. I laugh when I hear the announcements “and here’s Kate MacKenzie, Super-Mum” they really should say “here’s Kate MacKenzie, super lucky to have great friends who help her get motivated and look after her tribe of kids!” I can’t wait until they are old enough to be slightly more self sufficient – or am I dreaming? (also – maybe I should be concentrating on my ride rather than hearing Fiona or whoever else is filling air waves). I must have looked a little crazy leading Astro down to Equestrian Park, pushing the pram (with Laura in it), with my water bucket, and grooming box/mounting block. I’ve never competed over 1.15m before, so I feel pretty chuffed that I did it.
I was pretty chuffed with my show jumping.
Eventing wise this last month it’s been a mixture of the good, the bad and the down right frustrating.
I was determined to go clear cross country at Berrima after a pretty ordinary season and I gave myself a pretty decent talking to. Got myself well and truly motivated, and I was happy with how we were going … until jump 12. I under rode a simple jump, didn’t approach it straight and the sod ran out. I was SO cranky. No one was game to come and talk to me for a good while! Just as well he’d done an awesome round show jumping, so it wasn’t ALL doom and gloom. The second frustrating part was riding the cross country without the SD card in the sunnies.
This was fence 3 which instilled a bit of fear in quite a few of us for sure!
It seems though that show jumping is the phase that Astro is excelling at (well it’s definitely not dressage that’s for sure). He went clear show jumping at Mirrabooka too, where we had a few stops cross country. I used a bit of colourful language at the water jump, causing some laughter from the bystanders, so it seems we continue to entertain. I received some interesting advice from a well known personality who is getting a bit of air time at several events these days regarding my repeated occupation of the last placing or thereabouts. As those who know this person will expect, it included a fair bit of “kick him in the guts and ride the @#$%er”. This is going to get tested well and truly at Lynton. And if I’m still at the bottom, I’ll be using a bit of that language myself.
During the school holidays, I borrowed one of the ponies from the riding school and took Ben and Abby for a ride. It seemed to be a great idea at the time, but the questions “when can we get a pony” are getting rather repetitive. More fool me! We also enjoyed an extra day down the coast after Mirrabooka, staying with fellow eventer Lindsey Stewart in Tuross. Much to Bens (7) horror, I tried and successfully achieved wakeboarding. He was constantly telling John “don’t drown my Mummy!”.
I’m just back from Lynton, and considering how I felt on Friday (sick as a dog after being up all night with vomiting kids – my life is SO glamourous) I’ve never been so close to scratching from an event. But being the determined person I am, we drove up to Goulburn, expecting a very cold and miserable event but of course the sun came out and guess what - I forgot to pack sunscreen. Whoops! So poor Laura is a little bit pink, bad mummy. For the first time in ages, I enjoyed my dressage test (effects of no sleep are a little bizarre it seems). Sam Lyle walked the cross country course with me, for which I am so very grateful and I rode out of the start box with only one thing on my mind – go clear or go home (also Sam was the rider after me, so I knew he’d be watching me over the first jump and I only wanted to see him at the finish!). I had a great ride, except for a scary moment at some compulsory flags when another rider who was OBVIOUSLY lost tried to ride through them the other way – it seems that not everyone knows that the red flag is on the right – important rule people! Thanks to the showjumping last weekend, 95cm seemed entirely jumpable, and we had a great ride. Double clear and finishing on my dressage score – YAY! I have to say, I’m really looking forward to seeing footage from the cameras that were all around the course (hint hint hint Alison and Debbie xxx).
My headcam footage from Lynton - but it would be good to see what it looked like from the 'other side'
See you at Canberra – or somewhere!
Kate
