[RiverBendPol]

...on Sunday. That means I have tomorrow and Saturday. It seemed like such a good idea when I sent in my entry last month. Now? Not so much. My horse is naughty, I'm fat and old, I can't even learn this stoopit dressage test. What was I thinking?! Anybody else having cold feet about their first event of the season? Horrors. I'm even waking up in the night for Godssake.

[fooler]

No chance of competing anytime soon here. . .
SOOOO good have fun for us other old farts whose life doesn't include competing now.
We are back here cheering you on , laughing behind your back and ready with a cold one when you are done.

[eventerwannabe]

I was petrified when I started competing again. I couldn't eat or sleep for the whole week leading up to the show. Now for the funny part....it was a walk/trot class!! Like ride in a circle, turn, ride in a circle. Try not to stress out too much about it. You my feel like you have to puke at times, but the rest of the time will be great!!!

[RunForIt]

Have a glass of wine.... You can do this! And have FUN!!!!!

LOVE YOU!!!!

[Tux61096]

...on Sunday. That means I have tomorrow and Saturday. It seemed like such a good idea when I sent in my entry last month. Now? Not so much. My horse is naughty, I'm fat and old, I can't even learn this stoopit dressage test. What was I thinking?! Anybody else having cold feet about their first event of the season? Horrors. I'm even waking up in the night for Godssake.

I'm not competing this Sunday. . .haven't participated in an event since Sept.'04. Have had one horse issue after another, 1 euthanized, 5 yr old retired as a companion, no funds to bring along any others. So, no matter what happens ENJOY!!! And be sure to give those of us who now must compete vicariously through others a full report for us to enjoy too. Best of luck!

[clivers]

Lol, I second the wine suggestion! Much more effective and tastier than anything I could prescribe!!! (in the short term, at least!).
I'm right there with you on the pre-competition jitters. It'll all be worth it when you/we cross the finish, though!
Maybe you need a theme song? A mantra? Perhaps retail therapy at a tack store for some pre-competition essentials?

[wsmoak]

Good luck!

[cranky]

Are you kidding? I'm going to be competing in something at the end of March and I'm already freaking out about it!

[scubed]

And I did my first recognized competition since August 2008 last weekend and managed to fall off! I'm sure you'll do better than that

[pixietrix]

join the rest of us fat, old & insanely optimistic riders that assume our horses & our bodies will remember what to do! That said, I always treat the first out of the year as a school, so remind yourself that you are "schooling", not competing. Don't even bother looking at the scoreboard til you are ready to head home.

So, no pressure!

See you there, you crazy Maine driver!!! Oh yeah, and WELCOME to Aiken.

[CookiePony]

Yeah, pixietrix knows what she is talking about! You'll be fine. Enjoy!

[Heinz 57]

I'm having nightmares about the DRESSAGE show we're planning on going to in March! DRESSAGE! I mean, really. My mare will *only* be five in April, she's *only* had a year under saddle, and I'm telling myself we WILL sign up for Training 1. She's perfectly ABLE (less willing) to canter 20m circles and do NICE up and down transitions. I've taken horses from unstarted to ready to compete BN in six months, so find it comical that I'm having these doubts when she's got a solid year under her and is started nicely o/f. ETA: And scored a 69% on her Intro test at the last dressage show...

Maybe it has to do with the HUGE hissy fit she threw at the last show. The way she's been acting lately, you wouldn't know she has a whole damn collection of ribbons and showed at least once or twice a month from April to October last year.

You'll do fine. Stoopit dressage test be damned!

[ThatScaryChick]

You'll do great! Just try to start thinking positive and go into the ring and have fun. Good luck!

[yellowbritches]

Every time I go to Aiken, I think I have some form of that thought. Kinda why, since our horses are stuck on the slow track with our HORRIBLE weather, we are opting out of our Aiken plans. Good luck, though!!!

[SevenDogs]

That's how I feel every show!!

Actually, I used to feel badly about it until I was walking by the start box of Phase D of an CCI** years ago (long format) and heard the rider say to herself out loud "why did I think this was a good idea? I should be home baking cookies or knitting or something!" I laughed and realized that it is just part of the sport.

You'll have a great time!

[Happy2bhere]

I'm fat and old, I can't even learn this stoopit dressage test. What was I thinking?!

Just think for a minute about all the women your age (or ten years younger for that matter) who couldn't even climb the mounting block to get up on a horse, who are so out of shape that they couldn't lift a feed bag, who are too timid to even attempt to navigate a trailer through bad weather. You are obviously in the club of us fifty-somethings that want to arrive at the pearly gates on "empty"

GO.HAVE.FUN.

[retreadeventer]

Great post, Happy2b! We must start a club. 50 plus and EVENTING, so there! Wrinkles be dammed!
Seriously I like the wine idea.
And you know just easy peasy. Do the dressage test. See how you feel. Jump a couple warmup jumps. Do your stadium and see how you feel, or the first few jumps on XC and see how you feel and if you feel loose and out of it just put your hand up. No worries. There's lots of time to make it back up. And if it feels good GO ON! You'll be fine!

[redlight]

I say go out and have fun! Bring some wine and/or beer and make a toast to yourself at the end of the day for making your dreams a reality!!

[Happy2bhere]

We must start a club. 50 plus and EVENTING

Isn't there a club for women over sixty and they get together and wear red hats? How about an over fifty eventing club...we could wear burgundy helmet covers..you know, to coordinate with the official eventing beverage.

[sch1star]

Good luck - you'll be great - and you'll remember the stoopit test too, I bet