I got Oh So in September of 2007, He’d been started over small fences after being off the track for a couple of months.

By April 2008, we were doing our first combined tests and derby-crosses and by the fall, we were ready for our first recognized event!

I was a little nervous because we’d had a hurricane during the week before the Seneca Valley Horse Trials in Maryland and in the end, the event scrambled to move the show jumping to higher ground. It ended up being on the inside of the steeplechase track on a slight slope- a challenge I wasn’t quite expecting.

Beginner novice always goes last, so I think my dressage time was about 2:30 and I’m sure it was hot, but I’m wearing my coat in the video, so maybe it wasn’t. I can’t remember!

I do know that I was nervous about doing my dressage there because the rings are right by the cross-country, but I got lucky in that they were changing over to the next level when I went, so it was fairly quiet.

He kept his head down and did a good test for where he was at, and considering the footing was a bit tacky.

Show jumping went well but we had one rail in the in and out. It was right as we cantered past the in gate, so Lisa said he just got distracted and dropped his hind end.

He rocked around cross-country and ended up in sixth place!

I actually didn’t have a lot of experience at beginner novice since I just did novice with my first event horse and training and prelim with Sam, so it was interesting to be stepping over such small jumps, but now I’m back there again with Bear!