Second Day of Competition

The second day of competition involves two events, field jumping and mounted saber. The jumping competition starts with Level 3 and then they pull jumps out to get to Level 2 and 1. Every year they make this one harder by introducing jumps not previously seen. This year was no exception. The jumps themselves are not very high as we aren't Olympic equestrians and most ceremonial riders do not wear helmets. However, the patterns they set up are increasingly difficult and require a high degree of horse control. This year, for Level 3, they added a "bounce" which is two jumps placed close together so the horse must jump the second pole from the spot he lands in after clearing the first pole. They also added a hay bale at the end of the course. A hay bale is not very high but the horse has a natural tendency to run around the bale as it is not very wide. It takes good horse control to get the horse to jump it. Our horses had never seen these things. We had spent the year practicing "in-and-outs" and "oxers" and even tarps placed in front of the jumps but not a "bounce" or any hay bales. As a result, both of our Level 3 riders were eliminated. Fortunately, someone placed a hay bale out in the practice jump area outside the arena and I was able to compel the Wonder Horse to jump it a few times before the judges noticed it and had it taken away. When it came time to enter the arena for Level 2 jumping, Wonder Horse began his usual dance in the chute which did not improve my confidence. Riding Apache is like opening a bank money satchel, you never know when its going to blow up in your face. We entered the arena, saluted the judges and began our run. Apache's philosophy with these event courses was to get through them as quickly as possible and depart the arena. He is a strong horse so it was like trying to wrestle a 1,200 lb gorilla through a china shop without knocking anything over. I'm pretty sure it was not supposed to be this way and I don't remember our practice sessions being anything like this. We knocked down poles, had run outs, engaged in multiple S-turns, and I cleared at least one jump without both stirrups. We managed to achieve the highest number of faults at Level 2. We finished in 8th Place. We would have finished lower but everyone below us had been eliminated. I was physically exhausted at the end even though I couldn't have been in the arena for more than two minutes. I had hyper extended my left elbow from trying to rein in Apache and I was sure my thigh muscles were going to burst into flame at any moment.



The next event was the mounted saber competition. These courses are notoriously difficult. The course involves a series of jumps and obstacles with about 20 targets (stuffed burlap bags) scattered throughout. The targets may be on either side of the horse, some at waist level, some on the ground. Some of the targets must be hit while you are jumping or in the case of ground targets may be located just prior to or after a jump. The saber cuts had to be correct for the target. That is the blade had to be swung at the target in such a way that your saber was moving away from the horse. For the Level 3 competitors they added a small cardboard heart to the ground targets that had to be speared with the saber so that it remained on the blade. There were three of these hearts that had to be collected during the run. The last target was a ring suspended from a hanger. Someone noted that the hearts, if stuck on the blade, would not pass through the ring but the course designer said it was up to the competitor to get the hearts far enough up the blade so that they wouldn't interfere. One of our Level 3 riders speared all three hearts and then shoved them down to the hilt of his blade with his hand before spearing the ring. The crowd loved it but I don't think the course designer did.



Competing at Level 2, Apache and I did our usual chute dance before entering the arena. I saluted the judge and began the course. Apache cleared the first several jumps okay but sped past a ground target after one of the jumps so I had to circle back to get it. As I was leaning over the saddle to get this ground target, the Wonder Horse decided that if I wanted that target so bad I should get down there with it. Thus, I ended up on the ground next to the target. Fortunately, I was not injured in the fall and did not stick my saber through myself or my horse. Once you touch the ground you are eliminated so all I could do was just mount up again and ride out of the arena leaving my dignity on the ground next to the target.



When I got back to the trailer to tie up and remove Apache's bridle I noticed then what his problem was. He had a bit sore on the left side of his mouth which was no doubt causing him pain. I had been in his mouth for the Major Howze competition the night before and again during the jumping event. He was equating the obstacle courses with pain which is why he was dancing in the chute. To his credit, he did not rear up or do anything particular dangerous even though he was hurting. This is a training issue and something that I will have to work on over time--that is, get him to respond to the bit even when he is excited. This will take lots of practice but I'm sure we can get there. He is a good horse, if spirited, and he is getting better every year. We won two ribbons this year where in the previous year we couldn't even finish the events we were in. Riding him is a challenge but very rewarding when he performs well. He knows when he has done well in a practice session and is as pleased by it as I am. Training for next year's competition will be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it.

Photos courtesy of Kerri Rempp, Chadron Record