$40,000 Howard County Grand Prix - September 25th, 2010

Hey guys!

I had a really exciting weekend in Clarksville, Maryland at the Howard County Grand Prix.

We arrived at the show grounds at 11:38am on Friday to check in before 1:00pm and get Ganowe settled in. After getting everything unpacked I got my number; #13, which was also my order of go for Saturday.

I took Ganowe for a stroll around the grounds Friday night around 7:00pm, it was in the 90's all day so we thought it would be best to just wait until it cooled off.

We had an early start Saturday with a work around the schooling area at 6:00am, followed by a trail ride through the woods around Marama Farm. We didn't have to be ready until 2:00 for the course walk, and then the parade of riders in the ring.

Pretty neat experience to go in with 21 riders who's Grand Prix experience was above my own, since this was my very first Grand Prix. HaHa.

The best part of the whole time there was the sound of the buzzer after they said, "Number 13, Ganowe 2, with owner/rider Priscilla Godsoe from Nottingham, Pennsylvania. When not showing she whips-in to the the River Hills Foxhounds 4 days a week, and this will be her 3 start in the Grand Prix ring" ... guess they didn't get my info straight but oh, well, the best part was knowing I had 40 seconds to get to the first fence, and I'm not sure how to describe it but there is a certain amount of confidence or control you feel when you are in the ring, and start your course. I think its a rather euphoric moment.

Instead of going into the whole course and how it rode and felt I'll just sum it up that we had a really good go, and we met all the distances and combinations, and all the tricky stuff. I have to say the whole experience has left me feeling extremely confident, and I'm so excited to go back at it again. And also, I am really excited to ride my young horses everyday, knowing that they too will be in the Grand Prix ring someday, and that's just such an exciting thing to be apart of in bringing them along.

That's it for now... Ganowe looks good, looks sound and looks happy, so he is no worse for the wear! Good ol' Man :-)

xo-P

Bareback Puissance at Plantation Fields September 19th

What fun, fun, fun...

Bareback Puissance at Plantation Fields

I took, JB, she was really good.

I dont think I trust any of my other horses besides her to go down and jump the wall.

We jumped around 5' and then went back at 5'3" but had it down. I had one more wait but she saw a shot she wanted to jump from and we got a bit off kilter.

Oh well!

Everyone stayed on top, and stayed safe!

Thanks to Katie Walker and Plantaion Fields for letting us be a part of the fun :-)

Quentin Fall Show - Sept 4th, 2010

GREAT DAY!

I was up at 5am to go fox hunting, and then after hunting, we left at 2:00pm to ride in the $10,000 1.40m Prix and the Quentin Fall show.

The course, as I walked it, seemed to be set to the forward distance, and the turns to the jumps left no room for error. I had to ride second, however, to my advantage I was able to watch Kevin Babbington navigate the course in the first round. After watching Kevin, I felt really confident in the plan I had made for my ride, so in I went!

The first fence was a very plain, airy vertical, and not the smallest fence on the course. From there you bent to the left to another vertical (easiest fence on the course... and I had it down) and then to a large square oxer sitting on the turn at the in gate. After the oxer was an in and out, vertical to oxer along the rail at the stands to a bit of an off stride vertical still along the rail, and then fence six was an oxer with a tight turn to the left to wrap around two fences to get to seven, which was a liver pool oxer.

Now in my opinion, fence(s) 8 a,b were apart of the toughest elements or the course, an oxer to an oxer in and out, set pretty long. I couldn't have been more pleased when Ganowe jumped in, and I could feel him know exactly were he was and he felt so confident jumping out! From here we bent around fence three to get to a swishy jump for fence nine. From nine was a bit of a long gallop to an airy, plain oxer along the rail and then a left bend to another oxer on the turn but set a little different than I thought when I got there. Either way it rode okay, just a little bit surprised.

The last elements were 12 a,b... I had to ride into the first part which was an oxer, and then a bit of a quick hold to come out clean over the vertical.

Phew... okay so you just rode the course with me. I had a blast! We didnt make it to the jump off, but I know we are on the path to success. I felt really good about everything.

Helen Goddard was the fastest, double clear in the jump off, and then Kevin Babbington was the fastest four faulter, and Michael Walton was also a four fault round to finish up the jump off in third...

Ganowe and I finished 9th, we were able to pretty much pay for the day, and go home with something more valuable... EXPERIENCE! And the drive to keep going at it.

off to Ludwigs tomorrow!

Cheers - P