At the recent Adult Riders Clinic at RamTap Heidi Bartlett used the event to start her goal for 2008 of moving up to Training level with her horse 'Jonny'. Heidi has been good enough to share her weekends experiences with readers here at EventingCA.com and below you will find Part 1 of this colorful and lighthearted account of what was a great weekend for Heidi and "Jonny". Be sure to call back to read the next installment soon.

“To Ride or Not to Ride - That is the Question”

The Area VI Adult Riders Clinic was an amazing experience, I guess because when you hold your breath and take each moment as it comes, things unfold in a beautiful way. So many times when competing, I’ve found myself trying not to get my hopes up, because you just never know what’s going to happen. Will my horse lose a shoe? Will I get a ride to the show? Will I have to go on a last minute business trip?  These questions were front and center with the recent Adult Riders Clinic held January 26 - 27 in conjunction with Ram Tap’s first Combined Test of the season.

The decisions for the clinic all weighed on the weather - how much rain is too much? My horse is my responsibility and I want to have the most possible fun and at the same time safeguarding this health. After all, it’s my keister he’s saving when I get too close to that oxer, it’s only fair I provide him the same consideration. While the first clinic was postponed by what felt like a tropical storm, the re-scheduled date also had multiple forecasts for rain in the Peninsula where I board. Many friends told me that the great flood was coming and that we should all batten down the hatches and prepare an Ark. In addition, since I board at a hunter/jumper barn, I needed to hitch a ride from Menlo Park to Fresno since my riding buddies are all at Thermal this time of year. I felt a little like a Greatful Dead groupie trying to get to the concert, only I didn’t have any tie dye t-shirts to sell. By asking for help on the internet, the eventing community came to the rescue - a ride, a place to stay and a couple of very generous trainers even offered to coach me.

Friday morning, the rain is falling hard and I’m having second thoughts about being covered in mud standing in a foot deep mud pit. I call my generous driver and half-heartedly try to back out. In a kind and cajoling way she talked me into going. Once we got down to Gilroy, we got to see the sun for the first time in two weeks! Then I hitched my second trailer ride from Gilroy to Fresno and the weather kept getting better and better. Of course, the opposite of my worries came true - we were basking in sunshine, warm weather and excellent footing.

Once we got to Ram Tap, people were already out schooling the cross country course, and the ground conditions couldn’t have been better if they tried. The sky was black and the wind was blowing, but my horse Jonny was ready for his job, and he was happy that we weren’t going to do any more circles in an indoor ring. We unpacked the trailer, got saddled up and I went out searching for Chris Scarlett and the Adult Riders cross country clinic. Everyone was very friendly and after introducing myself to three or four groups, it turns out that Chris was looking for me too. I wanted to school training, since I finally felt that I was ready to move up this year. The other rider, Tara, wanted to school preliminary. So for the price of $25 to be an adult member, I was privileged to ride in a semi-private clinic with a great instructor.  Chris was so positive and encouraging. We started out on a Beginner Novice log, and I’m thinking to myself, this is gonna be fun. I can do this! Then we canter over a training log, and it felt like we were flying for a moment. Now I’m confident and thinking, this is a breeze, training is no big deal. Then Chris points to a solid training fence, and my heart drops in my chest, compared to Novice it looked huge! She must’ve seen my eyes bug out like Wylie Coyote, and she suggested we try a couple of other fences and come back to my heart-stopper fence.

Next we jumped the novice combination, which again felt like old times. Then we jumped a Training combination with five strides in between. Talk about adrenaline rush! It was the first time in a long time I felt that combination of fear and excitement that first drew me to eventing in the first place! It was a little awkward but my horse saves my patootie and we make it through. Chris asked me what I did in between the fences and I said, “Saying oh my gosh”. She told me to take it again and this time put my leg on. The second time around it felt smooth and was fun with a nervous giggle at the end. This must’ve looked small to Chris and Tara, but they had a knowing smile like kindred spirits. We also jumped a combination of a coop into water, a bank out of the water, back into the water and back out over a coop. The first time I was thinking to myself, this is training, I have to go faster and this time my horse about had a heart attack when I tried to push him back in the water off the bank. Chris told me to relax and give him a chance to see it and not rush. When I went the second time, and rode it like it was a stadium course it was smooth as silk. My horse Jonny responded with a happy, “I’m the best” bucking fit on the other side. He does that when he’s proud of himself. We also did my first coffin jump, again the first time through was choppy, but when I was told to let the horse take care of the ditch, it felt great again.

This was exactly what I was hoping for - a chance to school the training fences in a positive happy environment. I wanted to test the boundary of my skills and see if I really am progressing and ready for the next level. Because of this clinic, we got a great experience and I know that with a little bit more practice we could be eating up the ground! Thanks to Chris and Tara for cheering on a previously complete stranger and welcoming me into the California eventing community.

Heidi Bartlett