Silver Hawk Ridge: Taking Flight

{ Chapter 27 }

I was jolted out of my slumber at 4:30 AM. The sun wasn't even up yet and I still had the feeling that I was late. I threw off my covers and whipped into the bathroom. Isabelle was just hauling herself out of bed. The National team had an 8 and a half hour drive to Washington D.C., where they would have the opportunity to get their horses and hotels settled during the day, and watch some bigger exhibitions during the evening. Saturday would be classes from dawn till dusk, and any jump off rounds and awards would be held the following day. They were going to be jam packed and I knew if I ever made it to the National team, I would be put to work just as hard.

After a very brisk shower and brushing of my teeth, I pulled on my show clothes. Immediately, my team hoodie and a pair of sweatpants followed to avoid dirt on the show clothes. My ringside backpack, boot bag, garment bag, and tack trunk had been triple checked. After putting my hair into a low, clean show bun in my hairnet, I threw the rest of my hair supplies into my bag. I exited the bathroom to find Avery dressed as well. After we pulled on our boot socks and tennis shoes, we hefted our bags, snagged muffins, and hauled down to the stables. Already the Varsity and National teams were bustling around, prepping horses and hay nets.

"Destin, get your horse, you're the first in the trailer to load up", and with that Avery and I parted ways. The horses would be piled into one of our 8 horse trailers. riders were piled onto one of the many small buses the school had available. The National team was taking the other big 8 horse haul trailers and a small charter bus to D.C. So yes, we live pretty lavishly when it comes to horses.

Eventually, we got in line to load up. I was behind Drew and Soldier. We had been talking a lot more now that we'd broken the ice a bit, but I was still pretty shy around him. After awkwardly placing our horses and hay nets in their slots, we went back for the rest of our gear. Upon coming back out of the barn, we lined up with our hodgepodge of different tack trunks to load into the trailer. One of the few thing that the school did NOT supply for us was tack trunks. I'm not gonna lie, mine was pretty snazzy. I'd had the same black aluminum and carbon blend, luggage wheeling tack trunk since I started showing. It was pretty close to top of the line. It had everything from a mirror and drawers to a small stool. The outside was decorated with my monogram, so it was distinctive at shows. Most everyone else had a more classic design of trunk, with the exception of Kennedy, Daniel, and Jenny. As we hefted the trunks in, it became very clear that they were not morning people, as they grumbled and shouldered past us when they were done.

We climbed onto the bus and put our other stuff in the back most seats. Avery and I plunked down into a middle seat, and she had her neck pillow and earbuds in within seconds, indicating she would be sleeping for the duration of the drive. I wasn't going to be able to sleep, despite it only being 6 AM, so I pulled out my homework and a book light to get started as the bus rolled out of the SHR grounds and onto the road.

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   An hour and a half later we rolled into the Oak Hill show grounds. They called this a SMALL show? There were at least 5 well known school teams and plenty of other independent riders. There were two near Olympic size rings dedicated to warming up, and one large stadium where the classes would be held.

Mr. Watts and Ms. Brandt led us off the bus and to our stable block where our horses would be housed for the duration of the show day. Rega, Soldier, Apollo, and Nova stepped out of the trailer and to their stalls like gentle superstars. Avery and Jenny were not quite so lucky with their horses. Anna and Skip would have been in that boat as well, but Skip had a procedure done to permanently mend his back after a disk slipped by the withers. Thus, he was recovering back at SHR, no doubt receiving special attention from the staff and being spoiled by Anna.

Once everything was unloaded, we went to sign in and get our numbers for the day. In the USEF junior division, I was 83 for my 1 equitation and 2 hunter classes, 90 for my 1.20m jumper class, and 96 for my 1.30m jumping class, the Oak Hill cup. That final class was where we would be competing for a huge trophy, rosette, and other prizes. The way my schedule laid out, I had my hunter classes back to back early in the morning, followed by my equitation class right before noon. Then I wasn't competing again until about 2 in the afternoon when my 1.20m class would begin, and then I would be waiting for the big class, which would take place around 7pm. I would be very dead by the time the day was over. Realizing I had about 30 minutes until I had to warm up, I grabbed my badge for the riders and staff only area.