Now that I have some time and things have slowed down, I’m going to write about each of my trips from the past month. Better late than never right?

First up, Weatherford, TX for the Chronicle of the Horse/USEA Midwestern Adult Team Challange. I was bummed about missing the Middleburg Horse Trials since they added training level this year. But, off I went on my first solo trip on a plane, and my first trip to Texas. Things went smoothly and I got the rental car when I landed. The drive was easy, and only about an hour to my hotel.

There really wasn’t anything geographically different to me about the state. They had fewer trees, but that was about it. I know the interstate system is really good too. It was easy to navigate.

When I went online in my hotel room Saturday night, I found out that the cross country portion of the event had been totally canceled because of torrential rain. I guess I missed it because it was lovely and sunny when I landed.

Unsure about my story, I drove to the competition site the next morning. It was quite chilly. Only one

prelim team finished, most people packed up and left the day before because the stables has flooded. So I rushed to get a team photo and followed them back to the barns. That’s pretty much how my whole day went for all the levels. Everyone was really excited to be interviewed, even though it ended up being a combined test.

From the minute I got there, I was treated like a member of the Texas eventing community. All of the organizers and the adult rider coordinator where friendly and helpful. I came home with a bunch of swag! I found that the community is quite small and everyone knows everyone, which makes for a fun atmosphere. People have to travel long distances out there, so most stable at the competition and get to know each other.

I checked out the cross-country course as I drove by. It seemed up to standards and it was a shame that no one got to ride.

I thought my story ended up pretty well. I wasn’t able to catch everyone, so I made sure to do that for my CA trip.

Overall, it was a good trip and I’m glad I was successful in organizing and executing my first solo trip.