Phase 2: Cross Country

Thursday was a very, very busy day for everyone on my team. We were all a little nervous because one of the horses was still quite stiff from the accident. There was a possibility that we would have to scratch her from the competition, or at least the x-country phase. However, she loosened up during her warm-up and made the course without a single penalty point.

As the stable manager, I had to be there for my teammates as they came off the course. One of the things we were judged on for HM was how well we could cool down our horses. As the horse/rider team came off the course, a vet took the horse's vitals. Then I quickly removed the horse's tack and sponged it down while another teammate walked it around. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from the people on my team who weren't riding at that time. All of the horses cooled off quickly without any problem. At that point, I carried the tack to the golf cart and our chaperone drove me back to the barn.

One of the girls from our club was on a different team, but she helped cool off our horses which was wonderful! Of course, we had to return the favor. She was doing beginner novice, so her riding time was later and we were able to watch her ride. She and her horse did really well, and also cooled off without difficulty.

Here are some pictures of my teammates' x-country rides.

And here are pictures of the cooling off process.

I have to sneak this one in cause it's just so perfect!!!