competitions

For us, the 2007 competition season began the same way the 2006 season started: with a trip to the Sunrise Ridge Driving Trial, held near Paradise, Texas, March 31. The event, organized by the North Texas Whips, is held at the ranch of Kate Morgan and Jhoeren (Jake) Dorenbosch. The marathon course, a lovely combination of hills, open land, and dense trees, is usually occupied by the farm's Texas Longhorn herd. Traveling with us were good friends Gene and Katy Rhinehart. It would be their first trip to the event.

We had an inkling of what lay ahead for the week when it began to sprinkle as we loaded Gene's 5-year-old Friesian-Appaloosa cross, Celtic, into the first stall of our three-horse trailer, followed by Mary's 11-year-old Welsh pony, Kevyn, and Earl's 6-year-old Welsh-Haflinger cross, Joe. The Rhinehart trailer held Keeper, Katy's pinto pony, Celtic's carriage, a golf cart, and, on the back, Keeper's carriage. We left our driveway at almost exactly 5:30 A.M. on Wednesday morning, March 28. Destination: Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the home of Neal and Pat Werts. Yes, they could accommodate three horses (Keeper had his own pen) and four people. And, yes, they would love to have us stop. We ran out of the rain before the Iowa-Missouri border. But that was not the last we were to see of water from the sky that weekend!

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used by permission.

It began to rain as we were loading Thursday morning, and by the time we stopped for gas at the west edge of Stillwater, it was a substantial downpour. It rained off and on for the rest of Thursday, as we unloaded and got the ponies settled into their stalls at Sunrise Ridge. And, even with serious raingear, we began to accumulate the wet clothes that would decorate our motel rooms for the rest of the weekend: shoes and gloves on the heater, shirts, jeans, jackets and underwear draped over every draping place we could find: the shower and towel rods (obvious places!), chairs, the TV, the microwave, all lampshades, the counter around the sink. Katy: "Take down the ironing board. That works, too!" Of course, with 100% humidity, drying everything out was a slow process!

The weather forecast for Friday was light rain in the morning, heavy rain in the afternoon. As we were feeding horses in the morning, Earl reminded us that what was coming down was the light stuff . . . we could hardly wait for the heavy stuff! We introduced the boys to the Longhorn mamas and babies in the pen parallel to the dressage arena. The cattle were curious about these strange visitors, and came right up to the fence. Kevyn and Keeper seemed totally unconcerned, preferring to munch on the green Texas grass. Joe and Celtic were as curious as the cows, a good sign, we thought.

Then we walked the cones course, noting the fact that at least five times we would need to go through standing water to get from one pair of cones to the next. Gene and Earl were confident that their ponies would do just fine. Katy did not have a clue what Keeper would do, because they had had no experience with water. Mary's 2006 water experiences with Kevyn ("I hate getting wet feet almost as much as you do" ), Thane of White Sage, were less than thrilling, and so has been working on whatever water she can find. This would be a test!

We planned to drive on Friday, but the weather got worse and worse. So we opted for afternoon naps and another chance to hang up wet stuff back at the motel. We returned to the farm in time for the 4:00 P.M. course walk. Prelim and intermediate drivers headed out first on the (for them) 7.7 kilometer course. Mary was in that group; Gene, Katy, and Earl headed for the hazards, expecting to go on the next course walk (really a ride in a wagon pulled by Jake on the tractor). At first, things went well on the course walk. We were dazzled by the hazards, decorated according to the "Springtime in Paris" theme. The Eiffel Tower in the middle of Hazard 2 was especially glorious! Overall, the hazards were wonderful . . .decorated according to the theme, but not decorated in a way designed to freak out the ponies! Mary noted that last year's dry creek bed was now a small water crossing. Another test for Kev!

Between Hazard 6 and Hazard 7, in the wooded part of the course, the trailer got hung up on a tree, resulting in a dislocated axle. Which meant that we needed to finish the last 3k on foot. Not a problem on a dry day, but iffy on some of the muddy trails. The red dirt road up the hill was a challenge! Mary had just reached the top when the predicted "heavy rain" hit. And the weather forecaster was not kidding! It came down in sheets, at a rate of a couple of inches in an hour. Fortunately, the last 2k was downhill. She arrived back the trailer around 5:30, wet, bedraggled, and miserable. Without having walked a single hazard!

The only sensible thing to do was forego the welcome dinner and head back to a dry motel. We changed into our last pairs of dry jeans, ordered in pizza, and played cards.

Saturday dawned with bright sunshine on the soggy arenas and courses. The second thing to do Saturday morning (right after feeding and watering ponies) was to have another look at the cones course. Where the first six pairs of cones were now standing in water. Tom Knicker, the TD, said: "Look at it this way: if you can get your pony in the water, you can stay there awhile!" But the organizer and the TD rearranged the course so that, although we had to go through water several places on the course, the cones themselves were not standing in it (makes for more accurate measurement!)

Mary and Kev were first out Saturday morning, with their dressage test at 8:51. A. M. The test was not their best: moments of crap surrounding some great moves. They'll get better.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Kev hardly blinked at the water on the cones course, and plowed through without hesitation. No balls down but over time. Okay, they're accurate . . . they need to work on fast.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic were next out in dressage, and their score was good enough to put them in first place in their division (Training Level Single Horse).

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

He had one ball down on the cones course: still in first!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Earl was next, and then Katy.

Earl was warming Joe up, when Mary, standing near the dressage arena, heard the dreaded shout, "Loose horse!" She looked up to see Keeper speeding toward her, carriage bouncing behind. He had objected strongly to the muddy conditions, spun around, dumped Katy out, and headed Out of Here. He jumped at least one cattle guard, maybe two, and nicked a pickup on his way to the farthest reaches of the farm. He was up found against a fence, without a scratch on him, the harness, or the carriage. Katy was not as lucky . . . she was bruised and sore after the experience, but seemed to have nothing broken.

Katy's navigator, Chris Canaday, arrived just in time to see Keeper make his mad dash. He said, "Keeper . . . hmmmm . . . I think that's the pony that Katy's driving . . . and I'm navigating. I may want to rethink this . . . "

Earl went into the dressage arena right after Keeper dashed by, somewhat (no, a lot) shaken. Their dressage test was not good . . . the best that could be said was that they got through it.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

But their cones run was spectacular. They had one of the two double clear runs of the day! That moved them from third to second among the Training Level Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Meanwhile, Mary was beginning to panic about hazards. She and her navigator, niece Nancy Fraser, who arrived in time for her dressage test, claimed the golf cart around 11 and headed for the hazards. They had less than an hour to do the six hazards . . . not nearly enough time, but better than having to circle each hazard on the marathon, saying, "I'll look for A and C, you find B and D ... " Not enough time, however, and they paid dearly by missing the exit gate at Hazard 6. (Mental note: walk the Whole Thing next time, not just the gates!) Aside from the Big E (which they did not know about until the finish), their marathon was good. Way over time . . . Kev could not pull through the heavy course, but he is learning that, when in hazards, the idea is to move quickly and turn tightly when asked. Most importantly (and definitely worth the whole trip for Mary) was that he crossed the creek, now about 4 feet wide and over a foot deep of rapidly-moving red water. He hesitated and tried to back off, but, in the end, he did it, and received lavish praise for his efforts. Especially from Nancy, who was spared having to pull him through it!

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Gene and Celtic, with Keith White navigating, were one second over in the time on the marathon. Their clear runs in all hazards let them easily hold onto their first place standing.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Earl and Joe, with John Clark, the husband of Mary's niece, Ann, navigating, made their time and cleared all hazards.

Photo by Digital Express. Used with permission.

Their performance in the marathon moved them into first place in their division, much to Earl's surprise!

Photo by Katy Rhinehart. Used with permission.

There were more surprises at the awards ceremony. Kate Morgan, the organizer, announced that, for the first time, she was awarding a "Best Volunteer" ribbon. After listing several excellent candidates for the honor, she handed the ribbon to Katy, who, stiff and sore and embarrassed, had asked, "What can I do to help?" after her accident with Keeper. The person scheduled to start the marathon had backed out at the last minute. Katy and Chris were the official starters. As Kate put it, "Katy Rhinehart saved my life today!"

Earl and another competitor tied for "Best Cones." But there was only one ribbon, and he lost it in a coin toss. And Gene and Celtic took home another ribbon, this one for "Best Conditioned," as identified by the veterinarians at the end of Section E. What an honor!

All in all, a good beginning of the 2007 competition season. Gene and Earl did what they needed to do . . . Katy and Mary need to get better, or they'll leave us home the next time!

2007 Pioneer CDE

Supporting our neighbors is always high on our list, which means that the Pioneer CDE held in Lincoln, Nebraska, is always on the list of Places to Compete (unless, of course, there is a family event like a granddaughter's wedding). Not the case this year, so the Iowa contingent consisted of Gene Rhinehart driving Celtic,(who was accompanied by Katy and their 7-year-old grandson, Keegan), Anita Schlosser driving her Morgan, Baykill Regent, Edna Oakley and her Morgan, Jake, Earl and Joe, his Welsh-Haflinge cross, and Mary and her Welsh pony, Kevyn. Rounding out the Iowa crew were Jo Arrowsmith, Anita's navigator, Eleanor Eagly, navigating for Edna, and Linda Viani, navigating for Mary. Earl and Mary were entered as Preliminary Ponies, Gene and Edna as Training Horses, and Anita (with a pony right on the line) as a Training-level Pony.

Earl and Mary headed for Lincoln with Kevyn, Joe, and Rege on Thursday. The rest of the folks showed up on Friday, in time to walk their dressage tests and the cones course.

Saturday saw everybody getting horses ready for dressage and cones. Mary's first move on the morning of any competition is to wash Kevyn and tie him in front of a full hay bag to keep him clean, and this morning was no exception! She touched up the carriage (the harnesses had been done on the way to Lincoln) harnessed, and helped Earl hitch Joe, who was scheduled for dressage immediately before her. Then she hitched Kevyn, checked in with the safety checkers-wheel measurers, and headed for the warm up arena. She makes it a rule never to watch the dressage tests of competitors ahead of her. She did look up at Earl and Joe, however, to see where they were in their test. Just in time to see them turn right instead of left after their halt and reinback in Prelim Test 4. Which, of course, earned them a whistle from the judge along with a 5-p0int penalty for error of the course.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary's dressage test went well. The best Kevyn has done in prelim, and the judges agreed, awarding him a score of 48.769, good enough to win the ribbon for Best Prelim Dressage. (Truth in Bragging: there were only three in Prelim, Earl and Mary in Prelim Single Ponies , and Mary Loy Brown, in Prelim Single Horse.) In addtion to Best Prelim Dressage, Kevyn also earned another title, this one from Annette Boeser: LGDP, or Little Gray Dressage P---k, which is a four-letter word, according to Annette's husband, Joe.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

On to cones. One ball down and time penalties for Earl, a clean run and time penalties for Mary. Mary still led in Prelim Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

The dressage score of 51.772 earned by Gene and Celtic topped the large (7 entries) field of Training Single Horses. Edna's dressage score of 64.648 put her in last place in a very competitive class. In the Training pony class, Anita and Rege finished second, with a score of 65.692. Gene and Celtic had a double clear cones run, to hold onto first place. Anita stayed in second after her cones run, but Edna moved up to sixth.

With dressage and cones history, it was time to take all horses across The Bridge, a pedestrian span across a very busy 4-lane highway. The Bridge is not on the course, but is the way to get to section A and back to Section D. It was a long walk this year because of the rearrangement of the venue, but we made it up and back, and all ponies crossed the bridge in hand several times. We expected no problems with the bridge on Sunday's marathon, and we were right!

The training level folks: Gene, Edna, and Anita, completed the marathon with no penalties, and so held on to their premarathon placings, with Gene taking the overall training level championship. After a wonderful section A and equally good section D, the event veterinarian decided that Kev's temperature was not dropping quickly enough, and so could not continue on the marathon. BUMMER! Mary and Linda knew the hazards COLD, and, in fact, drove them after all of the competitors had finished section E.

Earl and his navigator, Pat Ketterer, also knew the hazards cold, but had to learn to work together driving them! They worked their communication out in the first hazard, however . . . and went on to complete the marathon successfully.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary Loy Brown eliminated in one of the hazards . . . leaving Earl and Joe all by themselves as Preliminary Champions!

All in all, a good event. Well-run in a great venue. And it is always good to see old friends after a long winter of no driving!

Birds Hill International CDE

The middle of July found us at the Birds Hill International CDE, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. The story of our adventures is by Katy Rhinehart, with additions and comments by Mary Winter.

Our travels north to the lovely Winnipeg, Manitoba area was such fun. The competition is at the site of 1999 Pan Am Equestrian games, which makes the groomed site a wonder to behold. But, I get ahead of myself....we had to get there first! Traveling with a horse to Canada requires that you get certification from a federal vet to transport. Dr. Christie Loiacono helped get our paperwork in order and so we had Celtic ready and he had his "passport.@ Earl Morris, Mary Winter and Eleanor Eagly all traveled together with us and our local Dr. Christie did a great job helping out with the paperwork end. We, as USA citizens needed our own paper work. Gene and I had our passports, as did the other adults, so that was easy. Our 7-year-old grandson, Keegan, wanted to come with us on this trip and had to get even more paperwork, because he was not traveling with his parents. A call to the Canadian consulate and to the American consulate gave us the details of how to get Keegan across the border and back: a government-issued ID, which could be obtained at an Iowa Driver's License station, an itinerary, and a letter from a parent.

We left on Wednesday, July 11, and traveled as ar as Fargo, ND. We met up with our Nebraska friends, Pat Ketterer, Barb Simmons and their navigators at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. They arrived about 20 minutes ahead of us, and called on Mary's cell phone . . . take the 4^th entrance to avoid the heavy equipment auction, which seemed like a good plan! Our horses stayed the night in roomy stalls. The grounds were very nice for an overnight on the road. We travelers were then off to the home of Greg Sanders and Cindy Belohlavek. They had generously offered to help their friend Mary Winter find a bed for all 10 of us! When we arrived at their home, we found that Greg and Cindy had just become new grandparents and needed to go to their daughter's home about 10 miles away, so after a lovely BBQ of hamburgers, chicken, sweet corn and salads, they turned over the keys to their home. Several years ago, when we first began competing at Winnipeg, Greg and I were colleagues on a distance education project, Greg at North Dakota State University and me at Iowa State.. At that time, he offered stalls on the way to Winnipeg. When I contacted him this year, he said the stalls were now filled with his woodworking materials, but that he could put up the people. Little did he know . . . !

We left Greg and Cindy's about 7:30 a.m. and loaded up the horses at the fair grounds and then off to the USA/Manitoba border crossing. Our group traveled north and at the border we all were asked to present our papers to the officials. We went inside and, after getting the Archie Bunker of the border patrol's ok, we were safely across to Canada. Mary and Earl had been north before, as well as our Nebraska travelers, and knew the way to the beautiful Bird's Hill Provincial Park. We were greeted at the park by a large flock of 10-15 wild turkeys. The turkeys are very special to the park and the Canadians and we were told to treat them with respect. We all wondered if our ponies would "respect" them as well!

The stalls at the facility are large and well done. There was plenty of parking and we unloaded the animals. Keegan quickly made friends with Mr. Duane Stewart, who was driving a pair of Welsh ponies. Mr. Stewart is quite a joker and loved to show off his many pictures of his "herd." We found our hotel rooms in the small town of Oakbank after getting the horses settled and then ate supper. I had traveled to Ontario as a child many times, but had forgotten that Canadians put vinegar on their French fries. Keegan soon learned that it was a new yummy way to enjoy fries.

On Friday it was sprinkling, but the drivers all took their animals for a drive around the park. Mary lost Earl in the woods (more on that later), but found him again and all was well. Keegan and I went off to explore and found a lovely museum and huge cathedral and grotto just a few miles away. We enjoyed learning more about the settling of the Bird's Hill area and history. Matt and Jada Neubauer, along with their 4-year-old son, Xavier, arrived on Friday. Matt, Jada, and Xavier, being a lot younger then the rest of us, not to mention not hauling horses (only a trailer with Earl's carriage on it) made the trip in a single day, although a very long one. Like Keegan, Xavier had an ID issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation. Here is a driver's license form with a 4-year-old grinning on it! Not your usual driver's license picture . . .

Saturday the drivers prepared for a formal vet check and standing presentation, as well as dressage and cones. All the carriages and carts looked so nice with the "spit shine" to them and the drivers all looked their best. All horses and ponies passed the vet inspection, which is much like our distance drive checks but not quite as complicated. The standing presentation was done right before the dressage tests. The driver was asked to drive up, stop and as they measured the wheel width for the cones course, the inspection was done. Scores were given for cleanliness, appropriateness, etc. These went with the dressage scores.

The dressage arena was below a berm in one of about 7 arenas. It appeared that several of our American drivers did well from where I was standing, but it is the judges that count. And the judges agreed. At the end of dressage, Gene and Celtic were in first place among the training level single ponies, and had a lock on the training-level Best Dressage A ribbon with a blistering 38.25. Among the training-level single ponies, Pat Ketterer and Drowsy Mountain Trace were in first, with a score of 49.61. Needless to say, Pat was thrilled at that score for her new pony! Earl and Joe were in 4^th, with 58.92, and Eleanor and Winnie were right behind, with a score of 59.40. Mary and Kevyn, the only prelim single pony entry, had a good dressage test, posting a 38.92, good enough to earn them the "Best Dressage" ribbon for prelim. Barb Simmons and Ace were in third among prelim horses in dressage, with a 56.57.

The cones course was long and flowing. Not much room to make mistakes, but Mary, at the prelim level, was the first competitor at any level to go double clear.

Mary and Kevyn in their double-clear cones run. Photo by Raelene Spenst. Used by permission.

Her accomplishment was followed by Gene and Earl.

Earl and Joe in their double-clear cones trip. Photo by Raelene Spenst. Used by permission.

The posting of scores showed that Mary and Gene were both 1st in their divisions (not a surprise with the best dressage scores and no penalties in cones). All the others were in good spots to make a move on Sunday in the marathon.

Sunday's marathon day was delightful. The hazards are all grouped closely together and the crowd swelled to over 200 throughout the morning to see the competitors charge through them. Thanks to Linda Santee, there were two baby sitters for the boys, whose major job was to keep them from chasing tadpoles in the water hazard during the competition! They had a concession stand set up to accommodate the watchers and there was much needed traffic control for people who moved through part of the course. Our group of USA watchers were thrilled that all the animals and drivers from America made it through without any eliminations. The favorites to watch were several pairs, including Mr. Stewart's ponies, that dove into the water without a passing glance. The four-in-hand was spectacular to see weaving through the gates. The newly constructed bridge proved to be the most difficult for the animals to scamper up the embankment to the next gate, but there were no spills. My personal favorite besides the Stewart ponies was a pair of black Morgans owned and driven by Lindsay Hamill. They were magnificent to see! They were so well trained and as they passed the in/out gates you could just see the release of the pent up energy as they flew through the gates and then as they passed out of the in/out gate they immediately came back to a very well controlled forward trot. WOW! I hope they are there again next year.

Gene had a bit of trouble with "horse eating rocks" in the section A. I hear he was not the only one, but it cost him time that he could not make up and ended in 2nd place in the training horse division. He was awarded the Best Dressage and Best Cones ribbons in Training.

Photo by Karen Hurst's husband. Used by permission.

Mary also had the Best Dressage and Best Cones at prelim. Kevyn made the time in sections A and D. He also objected to the horse eating rocks, huge boulders where the trail crosses public roads, designed to keep motorized vehicles out. His solution was to getpasthemasfastashecould. Our hopes for the overall prelim championship ribbon died in the water hazard when Kevyn (I hate wet feet), Thane of White Sage, balked at the first entrance into the water. Navigator Jada said, "Mary, hit him . . . he's going to lay down to avoid it!" But he went in, back out, in again, out again, and in a third time, so that we could pick up all five gates. He walked in the hazard, however . . . it was pretty deep for a small pony. The three minutes in that hazard could simply not be made up on the course. We won our class, of course. As the only entry, all we had to do was not eliminate, which, given our record, is not a sure thing, of course!

Pat and Trace and Eleanor and Winnie had time penalties in the marathon. Not as many as Kevyn and Mary, but some. Earl and Joe were the only ones of our group to sail through the marathon, horse-eating rocks and all, penalty free, which earned him the ribbon for Best Training Marathon. In all, five of the nine "Best" ribbons (dressage, cones, and marathon at each level) came home to Iowa. COOL!

The most exciting awards ceremony I have ever attended is the "Crappy Awards" given at the end of the night. These are awards for silly and funny things that have happened over the weekend. Mary got one this year for losing Earl. We are going to have to work on our "Stinky" awards and expand our "Skunk Butt" awards for next year. The presenters were better than some stand up comedians I have seen! Our travels home included an overnight stop at Grace Ostien's near Elk River, MN. Her farm set up is to be envied! Our crew, along with Grace, Doug, and Brandon Ostien, met other Minnesota drivers, Joe and Annette Boeser and Erin and Rick Freese for supper. Keegan and I tallied up that we had played 58 games of "SWAP" on the trip and ended tied at 29 to 29. He was a great travel companion and we had a great time. We hope we can make the journey again next year. We definitely second that . . . we will be at Birds Hill next year, unless, of course, something happens like . . . oh, maybe a broken ankle . . .

Hickory Knoll CDE

The weekend after Birds Hill was the Hickory Knoll CDE, held at John Frieberger's facility in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, just south of Madison. Mary and Earl were not competing, but Three G Farms was well represented by Jada driving GS Thunderboy Henry. Hank's strong suit has never been dressage, so the goal always is to do an adequate job and then make up for dressage in the cones and marathon. And they succeeded, with a dressage score good enough to put her in 3rd place in the large class of prelim single ponies. Cones was not terrific, however, with 4 balls down. Still in third, however, because everybody else had trouble, too.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

And Hank was doing his usual fine job on the marathon: making the times easily (with strategic walks in section A to avoid coming in too early) and blasting through the hazards. Including the water hazard, where his time was among the fastest, at 42 seconds. Unfortunately . . . Jada did not listen to her navigator, Darcie Platt, when Darcie said, "I think we missed Gate D." Jada had driven through the only nongate opening in the hazard, instead of D, for the Big E. But she proved to herself that she and Hank can drive a reasonable dressage test.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

Mary had planned to baby-sit five children: Luke and Beth Dahlberg, whose parents, Mark and Julie were competing; Sarah and Ben Farwell, whose parents, Randy Farwell and Christie Loiacono, also would be competing, along with 4-year-old Xavier Neubauer, Jada's son. Watching small children is easy with the John Deere Gator; they will do almost anything (including behave!) for rides! Almost at the last minute, all five children stayed home. So she got to cheer on her favorites unencumbered by small children!

Earl, on the other hand, had work to do: navigating for Mark Dahlberg and his preliminary tandem, Bess and Rowdy. It was Earl's first trip EVER as a navigator, and he had a blast! His favorite hazard was the first one, because it was in the corner and kind of tricky. He got wet in the water hazard, as Bess and Rowdy splashed a lot.

Photo by Robert Mischka. Used with permission.

His second favorite was the new hazard, among the oak trees. They traveled so fast through that one that he was worried about hanging on. And he discovered that he could move the carriage over by jumping at just the right time. He probably will not give up driving any time soon, but he really appreciated navigating for Mark.

Fall Follies

This was the year to compete at new venues, so Wednesday, August 15, found Mary and Earl, along with Kevyn and Joe, on their way to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they would spend the night on their way to the Rocky Mountain Carriage Club's Fall Follies held at the Tomora Training Center just west of Greeley, Colorado. The ponies spent the night in small pens at Marjean McIntyre's Hideway Farm. The people spent the night with George and Pat Ketterer. Thursday morning we were met at Marjean's by Barbara Simmons, who was to be a learner judge at the event, as we helped Pat load Drowsy Mountain Trace (not a problem, fortunately. Maybe Pat's days of threatening him with a fate of pony burgers if he didn't load well is over!), loaded Joe and Kevyn, and then strapped our small Meadowbrook to the back of the horse trailer on the new rack made for that purpose. The caravan headed for Waverly, Nebraska, to pick up Jackie Colten, Pat's navigator. Some 9 hours later, the two rigs pulled into the Tomora Training Center and unloaded horses and carriages. And found out what other drivers were concerned about as they passed the megatruck and horse trailer on the bypass around Greeley: one of rear tires on the horse trailer had, apparently, exploded, leaving the rim encircled with shards of tire. Because the tire was okay at the previous stop in Fort Morgan, it was clear that the other half of the tandem only had to carry the full load for a relatively short distance, less than 50 miles. It could have been a lot worse: taking the fender with it or wrecking the remaining good tire, for example. And there was a whole weekend to get it fixed!

Friday was the day to drive horses, get the tire fixed, take naps, walk hazards and cones, and find a dentist for Mary to get her temporary crown reinstalled. Saturday dawned sunny and hot, as we prepared for dressage and cones. Mary scrubbed Kevyn and tied him in front of a hay bag to keep him clean, and then watched Earl and Pat in dressage and cones. Earl was out first, and had a respectable 61.32, with a dynamite long-rein walk. If the rest of the test had been as good as the walk . . .

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace did better, 58.65. A great test for her new pony! And to celebrate her new pony, Pat has a glorious new hat.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

On to cones for Earl, on one of the most creative cones courses we've seen: an X shape, with a square in the middle and three sets of cones in each arm. No balls down for Earl, but over time, for 4 penalty points.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace had a double clear run. YES!!

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

At the end of dressage and cones, Pat was in second, Earl in fourth, in the field of eight training single ponies.

Mary and Kev were not competing until the afternoon, so she enjoyed an early lunch with Maureen Hoffert and Maureen's mother, Ruth Smith, who drove over from Fort Collins. Ruth was Mary's major professor for her graduate work a bazillion years ago at The Pennsylvania State University. After lunch, she harnessed Kev, warmed him up, and headed for the dressage arena. When Kev is on, he is good. And today he was on, a proper LGDP, and a score of 41.63.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Fast enough in cones, but one ball down for 3 penalty points. They had a lock on first in the prelim VSE and pony class.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

When we inquired about competing at the event, we told the organizer and the secretary (a mother-daughter team of Carrie Jacobucci and Christine Vehrs) that we would need help finding navigators. No problem! Earl's navigator, Joni Duran, showed up Saturday, so they walked hazards. Mary tagged along, even though she needed to take different routes and had one more hazard.

Awards for dressage and cones were presented at the dinner Saturday evening. Mary won the "medal" for Best Prelim Dressage (no surprise, of course . . . she knew her score in relation to the other prelim competitors). Much to her surprise, however, she won pony turnout. Okay, not turnout, but they gave prizes for best presentation for VSE, ponies, and horses. And she won the pony division. WOW. She never wins turnout . . . er . . . presentation. But she has finally learned how to use the new purple shampoo, so Kev was dazzlingly white. The brass was polished and it was sunny, so the judges could SEE that the brass was polished. Presentation was on the move, so they could not see how badly the 10-year-old Meadowbrook needs to be refinished. And she was wearing Pat Ketterer's "old" hat, a black felt derby with blue and black feathers that is absolutely perfect. with Mary's blue and black silk jacket. Linda Viani, who was the TD, said at dinner Sunday evening, "You have to steal that hat!" The good news is that Pat agreed to let Mary use it for the rest of the season. The even better news is that she will trade it for stall rent at the November Robin Groves clinic. She did not drive nearly a hard enough bargain!

Sometime Saturday afternoon, Mary checked with Carrie about her navigator, who said that Lauralie Taubenheim was arranging for Mary's navigator. So Mary checked with Lauralie Saturday evening, who said, "Oh, I thought Carrie was getting your navigator." GREAT. They said they would have SOMEBODY by the time Mary left on the marathon Sunday morning at 9:15, but she figured she was On Her Own for hazards. So she walked them three more times Sunday morning. The first time they pushed the JD Gator out of the parking lot so not to wake anybody up!

The local Kiwanis club provided breakfast, and Mary was sitting with Earl and Pat and Sheila Scheideler from Nebraska. Sheila drives a mini, and was the volunteer coordinator at the Pioneer CDE. Mary had a brain storm. Was Sheila's son, Alex, navigating for anybody? And how old was he? No and 15. He was in line for pancakes when Mary asked him if he would navigate for her. Well, he'd never done it, but he'd walked hazards with his mom the day before. He had agreed to volunteer, and had been assigned to the Start of E, in the blazing sun. He figured that this was a better offer. So Alex and Mary blasted through the hazards with the Gator while Earl harnessed Kev. Mary said to count the gates on the course, keep the time, and holler out the gates in the hazards.

And Alex was WONDERFUL. Loved it (he does lots of things on horseback, just never this). The crew made the time easily in section A (had to walk the last half of a km), and the walk time, but could not do it in Section E, so dropped to second overall. But Kev did the water and the covered bridge and the hazard made out of HUGE (4-5 feet in diameter) cottonwood logs, so all was not lost!

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Joe and Earl did their usual stunning performance in the marathon, for 0 penalties.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat and Trace were a litle over time, for .80 penalty points.

Photo by Macklin Studio. Used with permission.

Pat held on to second overall, and their marathon performance moved Earl and Joe up to third, six points behind Pat.

The travelers stayed overnight Sunday evening, and headed for home early Monday morning. They arrived at Lincoln around 3. Earl, the driver, elected to keep on going, so they arrived home dead tired almost exactly 12 hours after leaving Greeley. A very nice event, one that will be on the list for 2008!

High Country International CDE

While we were competing at the Birds Hill International CDE, our trailer was parked near that of Donna and Harold Sicherman from Calgary, Alberta. Donna drives and Harold navigates for a pair of wonderful white Welsh ponies. As we were loading Sunday, for an early start Monday morning, the Sichermans said, "You know, you really ought to come to Calgary for our club's event, the High Country CDE." We replied that it was just too far. But, of course, the idea had been planted. We talked about on the way home from Winnipeg, and began to think that we should try it. Our ponies were doing well, gas prices would probably be $5 a gallon next year, and maybe this would be our only chance. The event is held over Labor Day, so it would mean giving up a trip to the Solon Springs, Wisconsin, Bird Sanctuary with members of the Northwoods Harness Club or the Indiana CDE, another event held that same weekend. But we could go to one of those events in 2008. Let's go to Calgary this year!

There were arrangements to be made. We would be on the road for four days and three nights to the event, the same coming back. We needed a place for horses all nights, and, of course, places for us to stay. Years and years working in Land Grant universities has left us with an extensive list of colleagues scattered across the country . . . three of them on the way to and from Calgary. So the plans were laid, and the stopovers planned. We would wind up on the Friday after the event at Redwood Falls, Minnesota, to attend Mary's 50th high school class reunion, and stay with old friends there, who, fortunately, are also horse people with a round pen available!

Sunday, August 26 (Day 0): One more time through our extensive CDE competition check list. Carriages (the small Meadowbrook to share for dressage and cones, the Pacific Dartmoor for the marathon, and the John Deere gator, all loaded on the flatbed); horse and people clothing; horse and people food (10 bales of hay, including 2 in the gator in the flatbed; 64 packets of premeasured grain and supplements, 32 for Joe, 32 for Kevyn, enough for two feedings a day for two weeks, with a few leftover for spills and emergencies; cheese, crackers, trail mix and water for the humans); horse and people grooming supplies; 36 CDs, 18 selected by each person, for the anticipated long distances between NPR stations in the west!

Monday, August 27 (Day 1): On the road early, with our destination Brookings, South Dakota. South Dakota State University friend Laurie Stenberg Nichols prevailed upon her father, David Stenberg, to let us put Kevyn and Joe in a small pen on his farm about 20 miles south of Brookings. After a trip on the roughest road on the whole trip, US 20 across Iowa from I-35 to I-29, we arrived at David's place and got Kevyn and Joe settled into the first of the many different places they would spend the night over the next two weeks. We found a motel in Brookings, and had dinner with Laurie, her husband, Tim, and daughters Jordan and Hannah. Tim and Jordan are planning to navigate for us at Winnipeg next year!

Tuesday, August 28 (Day 2): We had arranged a stopping place near Spearfish, SD, for the second evening: horse accommodations at a ranch near I-90, and a motel in Spearfish. We tried not too leave too early, because the people putting up our horses would not be home from work until 5:30. So we took our time loading, and did not press hard across South Dakota. Nevertheless, we were in Spearfish by 2:30, thanks to gaining an hour by crossing into the Mountain Time Zone. A quick call to Ann Perkins, Sheridan, Wyoming. Could she find a place for our ponies on short notice? She thought so . . . so we continued on to Sheridan, three more hours, across what only can be described as the Great Plains . . . marvelous, wide open countryside! Ann and Travis and their two children, Garrett and Medora, had accompanied us to the 2006 Birds Hill CDE, where the adults navigated for us. They closed on their house in Sheridan on August 20, their furniture arrived from Fargo August 25, and we arrived the 27th. We were treated to a tour of the house, boxes and all, after installing Kevyn and Joe in a round pen at the Sheridan Equine Hospital for the night. Great to see the Perkins family again. While students at Iowa State, Ann and Travis were our mainstays for help when baling hay.

Wednesday, August 29 (Day 3): We planned on an easy day, and it was, about 6 hours from Sheridan to Bozeman, Montana, where Montana State University friends Debbie and George Haynes had made arrangements for Kevyn and Joe to spend the night at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Having horses stopping for the night seemed to be a pretty common occurrence at the fairgrounds. There was a slotted box on the wall of the barn with a label, "Stall rent, $15 a night." We enjoyed Haynes' hospitality for dinner, and spent the night in their spare room.

Thursday, August 30 (Day 4): Up early, because we thought this would be our longest day. We were in serious mountains now, and enjoyed the scenery between Bozeman and Great Falls. And were stunned at how suddenly the landscape changed at Great Falls, from mountains to wheat fields, already harvested, with an occasional circle of alfalfa, just the shape of an irrigation system. The border crossing, always a zoo when crossing at Pembina, North Dakota, was a breeze. crossing from Montana. We were on our way to Lethbridge very quickly. Past Lethbridge, now looking for what the Omnibus referred to as the "Okotoks Cutoff." Because that phrase did not appear on a highway sign, we were not quite sure what to do. We called the motel where we had a reservation, hoping to get help. The woman answering directed us from the north, not the south. But the important thing was that we found the town and the right streets, so we could follow the rest of the directions to the Calgary Polo Club grounds, where the event would be held. As we were unloading, somebody suggested letting Joe and Kev charge around a round pen while we located their stalls and got stuff settled. Great idea. They thoroughly enjoyed the freedom. We were dazzled at how well they traveled. If I had been them, I would have refused to get back into the trailer by about the 4th morning. But they hopped in willingly every single day!

Friday, August 31 (Day 5): What a lovely venue for the event! Spiffy grounds, in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies. Really gorgeous! We spent the day getting settled, driving our ponies around the grounds, walking the dressage course, and visiting with the friends made from our trips to Winnipeg: Duane and Fern Stewart, Lindsay Hamill and his family, Brian Cowieson and Raelene Spenst, Brian and Zoe Thompson, Michele Davis-Ralston and her husband, and, of course, Harold and Donna Sicherman. The event organizers, Don and Merle Mason, agreed to find navigators for us. And they found wonderful ones, both from Priddis, Alberta: Sharon Davis for Earl, Jane Nisi for me. We got to know them on Friday, as well, and began walking the hazards with them after the vet check, which both ponies passed with flying colors.

This day was special, because Kathy Rigakis, a friend dating back to the mid-60s in graduate school at Penn State rearranged her life, literally, to journey from her home in Edmonton to Okotoks to spend the night. While Earl napped, we drank wine and talked well into the night!

Saturday, September 1 (Day 6): Dressage day! Because Kev and I were scheduled for late morning, I washed Kevyn early and tied him in front of a full hay bag to keep him happy and clean. And then helped Earl and Joe get ready for standing presentation prior to his training level dressage test. Which we screwed up by forgetting the Canadian rules that require a spares kit for all competitions, even dressage. So, even before entering the dressage arena, Earl and Joe had 10 penalty points, the total penalties available for presentation. BUMMER. Their dressage was okay, not great, but okay. But the 10 penalty points in presentation really hurt.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Dressage day was going to be a real test for Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, aka the Little Gray Dressage P...k. In all, counting single ponies, single horses, pony pairs, and horse pairs, there were 26 entries in the prelim division. He already had won three "Best Prelim Dressage" ribbons in 2007, but he had never had this much competition. He did well . . . not well enough to win "Best Prelim Dressage," but he was among the top five in a tough competition. And, of course, thanks to Earl's hassle with the spares kit, I had mine at presentation.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Because we were allowed to drive our horses on Section A before the marathon, each of us drove that part of the course with our navigators after our dressage tests. It was a great opportunity for them and us to figure out how to work together. And, of course, we walked the hazards a bazillion times more. Jane assured me that we would be fine in the hazards . . . she had never eliminated! I wish Kevyn had not taken that as a challenge . . .

Sunday, September 2 (Day 7): Earl and I cruised through the hazards one last time early in the morning, before hitching for the marathon. We were confident that things would go well. And they did for Earl: a little over time on Section A, which has to be one of the roughest courses we have ever driven. They made the time in Sections D and E, and did well in the hazards on Section E.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Kevyn, Jane, and I sailed through Sections A and D with no penalties. And headed for Section E. We were about two minutes ahead of the time allowed, on track to make the overall time in Section E for the first time ever. When we encountered The Dreaded Water Hazard. Kevyn went in, reluctantly, and we managed to get through the first two gates, both in the water.

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

Gate C was on the edge of the island, headed toward the water; going through the gate meant going back into the water. We turned right after Gate B, up over the island. JUST before going through gate C, Kev decided that he had had enough of the water hazard, and ducked left, wedging the post with the white C between the basket and the wheel of the carriage. Heading down hill. Jane knew before I did that there was no way out of this except to unhitch. Kev simply couldn't (or wouldn't) back the carriage up enough to get unstuck. So we got out, unhitched the pony, led him through the water, and then got the carriage out of the water. And got soaking wet in the process. We prepared to rehitch and continue, when Muffy Seaton, one of the judges, noticed a missing bolt on a brace between the basket and the shaft. So we were done for the day. I led Kev back up to the barn, Ken McLennan and Stratton Peake, members of the High Country Carriage Driving Club, got the carriage up to the barn, so I could deal with the pony. I was really disappointed, because we were on track to make the overall time in Section E, which would have been a first for us. But Jane and I were okay, the pony was okay, the harness was okay, and the carriage could be fixed with a new bolt. Not a bad outcome of what could have been a disaster. I did not need to travel 4000 miles to eliminate, however. I can do that very well much closer to home!

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

At the barn, Earl said, "If I had a hammer, I could get the sheared bolt out and we could replace it." Hah! I have a hammer in my spares kit, a tool that has never been used before at a CDE! Got the bolt out and made it to the local hardware store just as it was closing. And bought the appropriate carriage bolt, to be used, for heavens sake, on a carriage, probably also a first! We repaired the carriage before the evening banquet, and so were ready to go for the morning's cones competition.

The banquet featured music by Acoustic Country, a group that included two guitars, a bass, and violin/mandolin. And, a treat for us, Earl's navigator, Sharon Davis, was the violinist. They were wonderful. We even danced, in between trips to the silent auction to make sure our bids on the 1988 Prairie Home Driving Challenge poster were still the highest. It came home with us, and now hangs in the dining room.

Monday, September 3 (Day 8): Cones day, and the first time the cone course was available to be walked. We were among the first ones on the course on a crisp, dewy morning. A tricky course that would take all our concentration to complete. As the day wore on, Earl decided to withdraw. He helped me get ready for our run. We had no balls down, but were way over time . . . due in part to "losing" pair 16. GOT to get faster at cones!

Photo by Briarwood Photography. Used with permission.

After my cones run, we packed up all our stuff and loaded the carriages and Gator on the flatbed, ready to leave early in the morning. Sickermans agreed to do the night feeding and watering of Kevyn and Joe, and we took the megatruck, carriages and all, west into the Canadian Rockies, just to say we had seen them! We wound up at the home of Jane and Lyle Nisi for dinner. Jane showed us her coffee mug, awarded to the "Best Groom" of the event. If she had NOT won that award, I would have wondered about the system! A check of the ponies on the way back to the motel found them happily resting. And it was early to bed for an early start the next morning.

Tuesday, September 4 (Day 9): Up early, really early, to check out, give the ponies their morning grain, strip their stalls, and head out, with Bozeman, Montana, our day's destination. We were dazzled at how smooth the border crossing was. We have horror stories from the crossing at Pembina, especially heading back to the US. We mentioned that to the officer handling our papers, and he replied that, thanks to the Calgary Stampede and the High County Polo Club, they have horses crossing all the time! Back at Bozeman in time to take Debbie and George and their three children out to dinner.

Wednesday, September 5 (Day 10): An easy day to Sheridan. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, got the horses settled in, and went looking for a place for Earl to get a haircut. I informed him that, if he planned to attend my 50th high school class reunion, he'd better find a barber before the event. Wednesday afternoon seemed like a good time for a haircut. We then helped Medora Perkins celebrate her 4th birthday with the very first meal cooked in their new house. And then drove west of Sheridan about 10 miles to see the land owned by Joe and Annette Boeser, carriage driving friends from Minnesota. A piece of property with spectacular views in all directions!

Thursday, September 6 (Day 11): Up and on the road early for what we thought would be our longest day. And we were right. We lost an hour crossing back into the Central Time Zone, and, although we were not more hours on the road than on day 2, it seemed much longer and harder. We got the horses settled and fed (that is always first, regardless of how tired the people are!) and headed for a bed as quickly as possible. A really, really hard day, in part, at least, because we were also growing tired of the the trip.

Friday, September 7 (Day 12): We had a very short day today, from eastern South Dakota to southwestern Minnesota, which took about 3 hours. We slept late, and followed the 2-lane roads from south of Brookings to west of Redwood Falls. Old friends Doug and Kay Jensen had their round pen ready for Kev and Joe, and the spare bed made up for us. And we were very happy to be there!

Saturday, September 8 (Day 13): My 50th class reunion, to which I was going to drive the very car that I drove in high school, my 1929 Chevrolet coupe named Victoria, after her previous owner. When spring planting was done, Denny Neubauer, Jada's father-in-law, took the car to his shop, and got it running. He even cleaned out the horn so it sounded better than ever. Even without the trip to Calgary, there was no way that we were going to drive the car all the way to Redwood Falls and back for the reunion. Denny and his wife, Karla, hauled the car to Redwood Falls, Earl and I drove it to the reunion and almost back. The transmission went out on the way home from the reunion! We pushed it out of the street around 11:00 P.M. into a very handy parking lot, where the car spent the night.

Photo by Kay Jensen. Used with permission.

Sunday, September 9 (Day 14): The Jensen family had their last show of the regular season in Albert Lea, which is on the way from Redwood Falls to Ames. They were up and on the road very early, before we were up. We fed the horses, and then met Denny and Karla to load the 29 Chev ( with the help of a come-along) for the return trip. It will get a new transmission this winter. A quick stop at Albert Lea to greet the other two Jensen daughters, Lynne and Lacey, competing along with their mother and sister, Lori, in the western show. And then home around 4.

Fourteen days, 3940 miles. A good trip, A chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Would we do it again? You bet! WILL we do it again. Definitely not next year . . . . but maybe some time in the future!

2007 Villa Louis Carriage Classic

While Mary and Earl were attending her high school class reunion (and missing the Villa Louis Carriage Classic for the first time in 10 years!), Three G Farms was well represented by Jada Neubauer and Eleanor Eagly, who, accompanied by Xavier Neubauer, aged 4, entered Areba Suncrest (Reba to her friends) in the Novice Horse or Pony class. It was to be Reba's first ever pleasure show. Jada, Reba's regular trainer, would be driving her in all of the division events: Turnout, Reinsmanship, Working Pleasure, Cross Country, Pick Your Route, and Gambler's Choice. In a tough division, Jada and Reba placed second in both Pick Your Route and Gambler's Choice, and, most important, Reba behaved herself very well in a big venue with lots and lots going on all of the time.

Photo by Eleanor Eagly. Used with permission.

Jada also wanted to support Susan Hulls, driving her Fell pony, Sweet William. William had been in training at Three G Farms for six weeks before the event, and it was time for Susan to compete with him at Villa Louis, the second largest pleasure show in the United States. They were also in the Novice Horse or Pony division.

Photo by Eleanor Eagly. Used with permission.

2007 Harvest Moon Carriage Classic

The Harvest Moon Carriage Classic is the local pleasure show, held just 40 miles from Three G Farms. It is a relaxed, fun show that is a great place for a new driver, new horse, or both, to show for the first time. The experienced drivers compete and make themselves available to help the new drivers. For the 2007 Harvest Moon, Earl and Mary each competed with their CDE ponies, Three G San Jose and Kevyn, Thane of White Sage, in the Open Pony division. In the Novice Driver division, Anita Schlosser drove Baykill Regent, owned by Anita and Three G Farms, Eleanor Eagly competed with Reba, and Megan Moeller, a new driver, competed with Nick 'O Tyme, the Three G Farms lesson pony leased from Pat Ketterer, and shown with her permission. In the Novice Horse or Pony division, Jada Neubauer drove with Toby, owned by Jo Schumacher, and trained to drive by Three G Farms, and Julie Stancliffe competed with Peco, her Welsh pony also trained to drive by Three G Farms,

So, as in 2006, organizing people, horses, carriages, harnesses, and all of the gear needed to get 7 horses, 7 drivers, and 6 carriages (Megan and Nick would compete in whichever of the two middle-sized Meadowbrooks was free) was a challenge. The horses were set: Jada borrowed a pickup from her father-in-law and pulled Jo's two-horse trailer with Toby and Nick, and Peco's small carriage in the pickup box. Unfortunately, the connections on the pickup were not compatible with those in the trailer, so one of the other drivers had to follow Jada very closely both going down and coming back. Eleanor took Reba and Peco in her trailer. There were three horses in the Three G trailer: Joe, Kev, and Rege, and Kev's Meadowbrook, Joe's Pacific Dartmoor, and the JD Gator on the flatbed of the megatruck. That just left three carriages, Rege's Meadowbrook, Reba's Spinner, and Toby's big Meadowbrook. The plan was to get the horses to Living History Farms, and then come back for the remaining carriages. When Brian and Megan Moeller pulled up. She had asked if their stock trailer would be needed . . . probably; couldn't hurt to bring it. What was not expected was a trailer large enough to hold three carriages, which was very welcome! All critters and all gear could go in one trip. YES!!!

And everyone did well, coming home with at least one ribbon. In the Novice Horse or Pony Division, Jada and Toby placed first in turnout (thanks to Mark and Kyle Loewe, who painted the brass shaft tips black at the last minute, to match Toby's stainless harness!), second in Designer Reinsmanship and Working Pleasure, third in Cross Country (Toby took issue with the timbers and flowers!), fourth in Pick Your Route, and 6th in Numbered Cones (where Jada lost a rein in the middle of the course!) Their overall performance earned them the Reserve Championship in that division. Julie and Peco placed sixth in Turnout and fifth in Designer Reinsmanship in the Novice Critter division.

In a large Novice Whip class, Megan and Nick placed third in Pick Your Route, fourth in Turnout and Designer Reinsmanship, fifth in Numbered Cones, and sixth in Working Pleasure and Cross Country. In that same division, Anita and Rege placed third in Numbered Cones, fourth in Pick Your Route and Cross Country, and fifth in Designer Reinsmanship and Working Pleasure. Eleanor and Reba won second in Cross Country, and sixth in Designer Reinsmanship, Turnout, and Numbered Cones.

Mary and Earl did not compete in the traditional arena classes in the tough Open Pony division, but did Designer Reinsmanship (not our best: fifth for Mary, sixth for Earl), Cross Country (third for Mary, fourth for Earl), Pick Your Route (second for Earl, fourth for Mary), Numbered Cones (Mary third, Earl fourth) and in Cone Weaving (first for Earl, second for Mary). Mary and Kevyn also competed in Your Route/My Route, winning fourth.

The 2007 Harvest Moon Carriage Classic was, in our opinion, the best ever. The days went smoothly, and the courses were terrific! And there was good weather for both days. Always a nice event, but this 2007 was special!

2007 Longview Lake CDE

(with the assistance of Katy Rhinehart!)
The original plan was the Three G Farms would be represented at the Longview Lake CDE by Earl and Joe, Mary and Kevyn, Jada and Hank, and Eleanor and Winnie. They would be joined by Gene and Katy Rhinehart, competing with Gene's horse, Celtic. About a month before the event, Mary and Earl got an invitation to the celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of Earl's sister, Janis, and her husband, Don Rouse. Although we wondered why they didn't check with us about the date when they were married 50 years ago, we needed to be at the family celebration. So Jada and Eleanor were left to uphold the farm reputation. And uphold it they did, bringing two of the three division championship chairs to Iowa. (There were no entries from Three G Farms in intermediate!) But that's getting ahead of the story.

None of the competitors had the dressage scores that they would have liked. Nevertheless, at the end of dressage, Eleanor and Winnie were in first in their class, Training Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

So were Jada and Hank, but, of course, they were the only entry in Prelim Single Pony.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

According to Katy, Celtic was sluggish in his walk and counterbent in the corners. Not as good a dressage test as he can do.

Cones went better for the three competitors, even though the course, on a side hill, was long, with a stair-step and a serpentine. Gene and Celtic were double clear, winning the Best Prelim Cones ribbon. Jada and Hank and Eleanor and Winnie each had one ball down: the same ball! But neither had time penalties.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

At the end of the day, both Jada and Eleanor were in first place in their respective classes and Gene was in second in the Prelim Single Horse class. On to Sunday's marathon.

The marathon course was long, 4.8 km in Section A, and 6.8 km on the prelim route in Section E. And, with its hills, the Longview course can be brutal.

Gene and Celtic, with Pat Ketterer navigating, were first out. They made the time in Sections A and D, coming in to the vet check with good metabolics. The long hills in Section E got to Celtic, however, so they were over time in that section, and slipped to third in the Prelim Single Pony class.

Eleanor and Winnie, with navigator Teresa Kender (Winnie's first trainer), were out next. Eleanor's goal was just to hold onto first place among the fourTraining Single Ponies. They were over time in Section A, but made the time in both Sections D and E. Eleanor said that, when they got into Section E, Winnie seemed to say, "Oh, right, I remember this. This is the fun stuff!" And so they flew through the hazards.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Speaking of flying through the hazards . . . that is exactly what Jada and Hank did, with Jada's husband, Matt, navigating! Their performance earned them the Best Prelim Marathon ribbon, against one of the toughest marathon competitors in the country, Marjean McIntyre, driving her Morgan, Rick. Hank was so strong that they had to walk the last 500 yards to avoid coming in too early.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

It was no surprise that Eleanor and Winnie and Jada and Hank won their respective classes . . . but both were delighted to be awarded the chairs as Training Champion (Eleanor) and Preliminary Champion (Jada) posting the lowest scores among ponies, horses, and pairs in their respective divisions. WAY TO GO, FOLKS!

2007 Cowboy Country CDE

The 2007 competition season ended for us much the same way it began: Earl and Mary in the megatruck and three-horse trailer following Gene and Katy Rhinehart down I-35, this time to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the 2007 Cowboy Country CDE. The three horses in the trailer were Joe, Kevyn, and Hank, and there were five vehicles on the megatruck and trailer: Mary's Meadowbrook on a new rack over the cab, built by Joe Boeser, two marathon vehicles and the JD Gator on the flatbed, and a recently-restored road cart on a rack on back of the horse trailer. Jada and Matt would join the crew late Friday. They were about 30 miles from Ames when Jada remembered that she had forgotten her hat. Should she go back? No . . . if there was not a hat she could borrow, she could always show in her helmet. Gene and Katy stayed with old friends Pat and Neal Werts. Mary and Earl were, as usual, staying with old friends Glenn and Deb Muske.

Saturday was dressage and cones day, with Earl and Joe out first in Training . Their dressage test went well, earning them their lowest dressage score ever, a 45.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

On to cones for Earl and Joe. Double clear. YES!! And a performance that earned him the Training Level Cones Championship.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Next up in dressage were Mary and Kevyn, then Jada and Hank, in Prelim Single Pony, followed by Gene and Celtic in Prelim Single Horse. The Prelim test was Dreaded Test 6, in which the pony needs to follow the bit down while continuing a steady trot, not just once, but twice. Mary and Jada worked for weeks with Camie Stockhausen to accomplish it. And they were more or less successful.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Jada was not successful with her hat, borrowed from Katy. The hat made it in dressage until the first lengthened trot . . . gone!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary's dress score was good, 43 and change. But everybody has come to expect a good performance from Kevyn in dressage. Jada and Hank have struggled in dressage, so a score of 44, only one point behind the LGDP, was a major success. Mary and Kevyn made the time in cones (good news!) but had one ball down. Jada and Hank went double clear, so Jada took over first place in the Prelim Single Ponies.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Gene and Celtic had a good dressage test, but then went straight from pair 7 in cones to pair 10, for the big E. Katy explained that, where they went school, the numbers "8" and "9" were taught as optional! Bummer!

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

The rest of Saturday was spent walking hazards. Matt Neubauer, Jada's husband, navigated for her. Earl's and Mary's usual Cowboy Country navigators were not available, so friends and friends of friends helped find Stillwater folks: Jana Phillips for Earl, Andrea Malfi for Mary. And they were terrific!

Marathon day was cooler than usual, but sunny. Earl and Joe were out first, and did okay. Not his usual zero-penalty performance, but okay. They were over time in section A because it was so ROUGH and Earl was afraid of bouncing Jana off the back. But he held onto first place in training single pony. Okay, he was the only one in that class.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary and Andrea and Kevyn were out next. Mary decided that she had to know whether Kevyn could make the overall time in Section E, something he had not done in any of the previous competitions. If he simply could not make the overall time, she needed to rethink competing with him. So she decided to keep him in the Meadowbrook and body clip him to give him every chance to make the time. They were slow in hazards, of course, even getting hung up on the last gate in the last hazard. They managed to free themselves, however, without putting Andrea down. And Kevyn did it, with time and energy to spare. In addition, his metabolics were GREAT after D and E. So, for the first time this year, no penalty points for overall time in Sections A, D, and E. A major accomplishment.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Jada and Matt and Hank, in the red marathon vehicle, scored an unbelievable 38 total penalty points in the marathon. For five hazards. That’s an average of less than 40 seconds per hazard. The next lowest prelim marathon score was 10 points higher. In the second hazard, the TD heard one of the observers say over the radio, "Holy cow, she fricking FLEW through that hazard." One of the hazard 4 observers (the hazard known as Hazard from Hell because of its crappy turns) called into the office and said, "When you get the score sheet for number 66, it is not an error." Jada and Hank did it in 27 seconds; everybody else took more than a minute.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Needless to say, Jada and Hank won the ribbon for Best Preliminary Marathon, first place in the class of Prelim Single Ponies, and the Overall Preliminary Championship. Jada and Hank are WONDERFUL together . . . she has figured out dressage with him, and, drives hazards very fast because she drives so smoothly.

Then it was Gene and Celtic's turn on the marathon, with Katy navigating. And they turned in their usual good performance.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used with their permission.

Mary was delighted that she won the second place ribbon in Prelim Single Ponies, in spite of the expected high penalties in the hazards. A Meadowbrook without flush hubs is not the vehicle of choice for getting through hazards quickly! But the second place ribbon is her favorite of the 2007 season! The challenge for the winter is to figure out what kind of marathon vehicle and/or harness will work for Kevyn.

The Cowboy Country CDE is one of the favorite events of the year: a well-run competition at a great venue. The 2007 event was doubly rewarding for the Three G competitors! The only downside was the seat flew off the newly restored road cart somewhere between Stillwater and Ponca City. Thank heaven it did not leave before the competition! The new seat will be screwed in place!

2006 began well!

The last weekend of March, 2006, found us in Paradise, Texas, at the Sunrise Ridge Horse Driving Trial. Mary's family is all from the Dallas area, so it was easy to decide to leave cold Iowa to make the trip to an event just northwest of Fort Worth. An added incentive was the chance to reconnect with Pam Ripperda and Patty Sayen, mini drivers who m0ved from Nevada, IA, to north Texas last year. We loaded Kevyn and Hank in the trailer and headed for Stillwater, OK, for an overnight stop at the new home of Neal and Pat Werts. We awoke the next morning to 2 inches of wet snow covering the carriages on the flatbed. They accused us of bringing the winter weather with us . . .

The event began with dressage, of course, which, for Mary, was awful. Kevyn got his tongue over the bit not once but twice. Terrible score. Earl and Hank did a whole lot better than Kevyn, in spite of the Texas Longhorn cows and their babies in the lot close and parallel to the dressage arena.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

On to cones, a really lovely cones course designed by Sunrise Ridge owner Kate Morgan, where Earl went double clear. Mary was clear, but a third tongue-over-the-bit episode cost valuable time.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

We needed navigators, of course, and Mary tried to convince the under-30 relatives to help out. They were all busy (or insufficiently gutsy) so the older generation did the honors. Mary's niece, Nancy Fraser, navigated for her, while John Clark, husband of Mary's other niece, Ann, did the honors for Earl. And they were terrific. Hank did his usual good job in the marathon, and Kevyn's performance was almost (but not quite!) good enough for Mary to forgive him for the morning. They made the time (barely!) and did not eliminate (for a change) for a second place finish overall.

Photo by Digital Express Photography. Used by permission.

We had such a good time at Sunrise Ridge that it will be on our schedule in 2007. And we came away with a clear understanding about how much harder a one-day event is than a two- or three-day event. You have to keep everything in your head at once. No chance to finish dressage and cones and then think about the hazards! Now we appreciate the Skunk River competitors even more!

On to the Pioneer CDE the first weekend in June in Lincoln, Nebraska. We had three ponies entered: Hank in preliminary single pony, Kevyn in training single pony combined test, and Baykill Regent, driven by Jada Neubauer. It was fun to stable with other Iowegians: Katy and Gene Rhinehart, accompanying Gene's 4-year-old Friesian cross, Celtic, at his first CDE, Ann and Russ Schurtz with their Haflinger, Buster, and Paul Degen and Sally Overturf with their Fjord, Tilly.

Mary's dressage and cones were not wonderful, but good enough to bring home the blue ribbon in the combined test competition. Earl had an acceptable dressage test, and then, along with 2/3 of the other competitors, hit cone 18 for one ball down. A horrendous headache Sunday morning prompted him to withdraw from the marathon.

Jada and Rege had one of the two double clear cones runs; the other double clear was one of the mini drivers. so there was no cones drive-off. Instead, two cones champion ribbons were awarded. Their dressage was not the best, so they finished fifth in the large training-level single pony class.

The middle of July found us heading for Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Birds Hill CDE. Held in the lovely Birds Hill Provincial Park and sponsored by one of the nicest driving clubs, the Manitoba Driving Society, who always make you feel like it is such a treat the you have come to their event!

We left early Tuesday, July 11, headed for Young America, MN, and the home of Joe and Annette Boeser, for lunch. Then on to Elk River, and Grace Ostien's farm, where our horses were spending the night. Erin and Rick Freese from Monticello joined us for dinner at Grace's that evening. Wednesday morning we headed for Fargo, where friends agreed to stable our horses for the evening. Thursday morning we met Pat Ketterer, her navigator, Jackie Colten, and Barbara Simmons, friends from Nebraska, at a truck stop near Fargo and we were off.

We arrived Thursday afternoon, settled in, and let the ponies rest until Friday, which was a flurry of driving and harness cleaning. Saturday Kevyn's dres