Town Hill Farm August '24

August 29, 2024

It's times like these that I get so excited to have a place to write all of my thoughts at free will, because WOW this weekend was full of things to talk about!!

If you follow my social media, or if you were at the event, then you are well aware of what went down. For those tuning in for the first time by reading the blog, the TL;DR is that I fell off on cross country and subsequently broke my right foot. Sophie is completely fine, and I am no worse for wear besides being down a foot.

Photo by Connecticut Photo

The weekend was set up to be pretty busy for me, as I was driving to Connecticut on Saturday morning to drop Sophie at our old home base of N&C Equestrian so that I could head over to a friend's house for a surprise birthday party. I took Sophie for a brief hack early on Saturday morning to run through my dressage test one last time and then loaded her on the trailer. I hit a ton of traffic on 95 (shocking) and it took me an hour longer than anticipated to get to N&C that day. Upon arrival, I threw Sophie in a stall and got myself dressed in normal people clothes to go see my friends. We had an amazing time, and I got back to the barn around 8ish. I had to braid for the show, but luckily I have become quite proficient at that task so I was able to get Sophie's braids done in less than a half hour. I took a little extra time catching up with some of the barn kids who were also still show prepping at that hour (shout out to Lila and Sophia 🥰 ) and then I was in bed a little after 9. A huge thank you is owed to Charlotte for providing a space in her lovely home for me to sleepover, as well as a space for Sophie to sleepover before Town Hill. It made the drive in the morning over an hour shorter than it would have been had we been coming from Mass!

I got up at 4am on Sunday morning, got into my show clothes, loaded Sophie, and hit the road. I had to stop for gas, ice, and a snack, and then I was on my way to the top left corner of CT. My ETA kept climbing as I drove up there that morning, as getting to Town Hill is essentially no highways and lots of mountain climbing. I also had to make one bathroom stop which unfortunately added to my arrival time, but I still got to the venue around 6:45am. I hoofed it over to get my packet and then ran over to the cross country start to get one walk in before I had to be on for dressage. This was my first time going anywhere without a designated groom or second pair of hands, so I had to plan my time accordingly.

I was able to walk all of the cross country, and I thought the course looked fair for prelim with a few tougher challenges. I'll go over those in detail in a little bit.

After solidifying a plan for cross country, I ran back to the trailer to get ready for dressage. I am lucky that a few of the amazing girls at N&C were willing to help hold my phone for Jacqui to FaceTime in for my warm up, and Sophia ended up taking that role that morning. Not only did she act as a phone holder, she also fully tacked up Sophie for me for dressage entirely on her own accord. I was running late, so I was extra grateful for her help. Sophie was brushed, tacked, and looked her very best thanks to Sophia's generous efforts! ♥️

Once I was on, we walked over to warm up and Sophia found a good spot to hold up Jacqui as I started my warm up. Jacqui gave her usual helpful pointers and guided Sophie and I in the right direction virtually. Her efforts paid off, and Sophie and I scored a 34.2 - which is one of our lower scores to date! I was happy with our test overall minus our left lead canter. Sophie was a bit tight and tense, and I struggled to find her shoulders going left. I usually have a harder time to the right with her, so that switched things up for me a bit. However most of our trot work and our lateral work felt super!

I thanked the girls for their help and brought Sophie back over to the trailer. I didn't have a ton of time between dressage and the jump phases, so I quickly studded and booted her and then ran over to walk show jumping. Town Hill was putting in every effort to make the footing phenomenal, including continual watering of the show jump ring all morning. It paid off - I don't think I noticed any dust until much later in the day.

I walked through the stadium course once and thought it looked great. It was fairly technical, with three fences that crossed centerline, but that kind of ride I find really works for Sophie. The more turns, the more careful we tend to be.

I made my way back to the trailer and ended up catching up with another few friends from my previous barn, riding student Mina and her mom Stephanie! Mina leased Sophie for quite some time, even before I started riding her, so I am very grateful for their continued support of me and Sophie as a team. They hung out with me as I tacked Sophie for the jump phases, and Mina brought her camera to practice taking pictures at the event. I have noted in this blog post which pictures she took - she is super talented! Check out her instagram at amk.photography.

Photo by AMK.PHOTOGRAPHY

Once it was about 20ish minutes from the start of show jumping, Sophie and I made our way over to the ring. The prelim division was small, so there were only a few horses to navigate the warm up with. I also feel very spoiled at this stage because prelim warm up is so much less chaotic than anything below!! I was able to take Sophie over each of the warm up jumps one time, cross rail followed by vertical followed by oxer, and she felt great. Once I was one horse away from entering the ring, I popped over the oxer one last time and then we left warm up to go wait our turn.

We made our way into the ring, the whistle blew, and I could feel the dragon begin to unleash. Sophie cracks me up- she went from literally falling over at the trailer from her sleep deprivation issue to becoming this fiery beast as soon as we entered the stadium ring.

The course rode so well, and Sophie popped over the fences like it was easy. The new beval bit really worked for this phase. In the moments I wanted to pull, I didn't have nearly as much immediate impact like I do with the gag, so I was (in a way) forced to stay out of her way a little. I really think that is what helped us jump double clear. Jacqui had been emphasizing to me how important it is to let Sophie go a little in the stadium because she is a small horse, so she needs a little more power than I feel comfortable with in order to make the strides and jump clear. I took that to heart during this round and it paid off!

I left the stadium ring feeling pleased with our round, but definitely a little tired. It had been a busy weekend already at that point and I could feel it catching up to me. I also made the mistake of not drinking enough fluids that morning, nor had I eaten anything to that point. I also did not think to ask anyone near me to carry my water for me to have in between phases and I majorly regret that. It was starting to hit me how challenging it was to not have a second pair of hands following me around at all times.

Photo by AMK.PHOTOGRAPHY

I waited until it was one minute from my time out of the start box before popping Sophie over one of the fences in the cross country warm up. We landed and Sophie went to take off and it took a lot of my core and leg strength to keep her contained. I had a lot less communication with her in the beval bit. I was immediately feeling regretful over not swapping back to the gag for cross country, but I had nobody to help me at that point and the decision had already been made.

5...4...3...2...1 Have a great ride!

We blasted out of the start and straight to fence 1, which was a raised log. I tested my half halt and discovered quickly it wasn't really there. We had an odd take off but landed at a good gallop. I tried to find the half halt again before fence 2 and I was able to dig deep for it but it still wasn't great.

Photo by AMK.PHOTOGRAPHY

We flew over 2 and 3, and approached 4 which was a pretty good size ditch and wall. I don't think Sophie or I have seen a ton of ditch and walls so far in our cross country experience, but I did feel that having this as fence 4 was pretty hard. It was early on so we didn't have a perfect pace and as a result both of us had a teeny peek at it as we got closer. Sophie is fairly brave when we are moving, so with a little extra push from me she took the chance at jumping it.

We landed on the other side and galloped into the back field for fences 5 and 6 which were both big tables. After sailing over 6 I really shoved myself into the tack to bring Sophie back to me for the coffin complex at 7ABC. Together we got balanced enough to float through the coffin like it was easy, and I was so happy with how Sophie found the C element on the out. We continued on at a good clip and approached a big log in the tree line at 8. I didn't have enough power to balance Sophie back the way I normally would have wanted and, as a result, we kind of scrambled over 8. It rattled me a bit because it didn't feel super safe - I was unhappy with the lack of strength I had to set up a jump that should have been straightforward and ended up being messy. My brain was a bit muddled so we ended up also feeling a little sticky over a table at 9 as a result.

I kicked on after landing from 9 and then started asking for Sophie to balance well before 10AB which was a step up to a corner. She went right up the step and then I realized I was too focused on the canter getting to the combination that I never put my eye on the line to the corner. I found a line that worked okay and kicked, and the good girl clambered over the corner just inside the flags. We were close - my left knee grazed the white flag as we passed over.

It was at this moment that I considered pulling up. I was feeling weak and like I couldn't access Sophie the way I usually can, and I didn't want anything dangerous to happen. We continued galloping into the next side field and I mustered up what I could to give a big table at 11 the right ride and then a downhill brush combination in 3 strides done at 12AB. Both obstacles rode really well, and Sophie was jumping phenomenally. That gave me enough of a good feeling to keep on keeping on.

We exited the side field and galloped uphill over another large table at 13, and then I again started asking waaaay ahead of time for Sophie to come back to me before the water complex.

The water exercise seemed fair for the level, but was definitely challenging. It was a drop into water, 5 strides through the water, then out over two very wide skinny offset houses in a forward 2 strides. I had trouble walking this exercise that morning. In order for the offset houses to line up well, you really needed to land in the water and almost go left to then go right to get the houses. And you only had 5 strides to do so through the water.

I got Sophie balanced well for the drop into water, and I made sure to jump the leftmost side of the down bank. Once we were in the water, I picked a line (not a great one) and rode straight out towards the offset houses. As a result, we leapt over the first one, and I had nothing left to get to the second one. Sophie rightly so decided it wouldn't be an option, and we picked up 20. I circled around left and still found an angle over the house at the C element and she hopped right over it no problem on the second approach. I was frustrated, and my bad riding was really starting to show.

Stupidly, I continued on.

Following the water was a long down hill gallop to a big red wagon. I had nothing left in the tank to start balancing Sophie as far ahead of time as I needed to, and we went careening down the hill towards the fence. I gave one last effort to find our half halt and balance, but I didn't have it. That's when Sophie took over and decided there was no way for us to get over that jump safely at the pace we had, and she dipped hard left around the table.

She went left, and I went right.

Photo by AMK.PHOTOGRAPHY

If you can believe it, this was the first time I have fallen off of Sophie.

I think my foot stayed in my stirrup slightly longer than I had anticipated during the fall, and just as it got loose my air vest also popped and I tumbled to the ground. I landed on my right foot awkwardly and then the rest of me rolled to the right. Sophie continued on until our friend Julia grabbed her and took her off of the field.

The scene was a lot more dramatic than I ever would have wanted, but I was both in shock and trying to catch my breath as my air vest squeezed the life out of me. This was also my first experience with the air vest going off, and I think mine is just a fraction too big for me, which didn't help with the feeling of suffocation. I was trying to roll around but I couldn't get myself in a position to get up. I was so embarrassed!! One lovely bystander rushed over to me and asked if I was okay and what she could do. I managed to ask for the air vest to be unclipped (in a dramatic, breathy way like 'air vest...please...get off...') and I had instant relief as soon as those buckles were released. The EMT was by my side in an instant and helped me get up.

I immediately had pain in my right foot. I couldn't stand on it at all.

They had me remove my boot and sock and there was already noticeable swelling over the middle of my foot. I could not put any weight on it. They suggested I get X-rays as soon as possible.

I did not want to cause more of a scene and ask for an ambulance, plus my brain was moving in 1000 directions trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do with Sophie, my rig, and myself that I needed a minute to process. I declined ambulance services and instead had a volunteer bring me in a golf cart back to my trailer. This gave me a minute to breathe and figure out next steps.

Once I got back to my trailer, I started to realize just how lucky I am. Not only was Sophie fully cooled out and untacked, thanks to Julia and so many of our friends at Apple Knoll, but I was immediately bombarded by amazing AKF barn moms Hessie and Addie ready to give me pain meds and figure out how to get me to an urgent care. They worked to find the nearest urgent care and luckily there was an ER only 10 minutes down the road. The amazing Addie took me over to the ER and got me set up in a wheelchair, rolling me into the lobby. She sat and waited with me, and it only took about 10 minutes to get seen. Addie rolled me to my designated room and sat with me as they took X-rays of my foot from a few angles.

Just a few minutes of waiting and they came back with the news that my second metatarsal was broken at the base. On the images it just looked like a bone chip to me, but the doctors didn't seem too optimistic based on the location of the break. I guess the base of the first and second metatarsals are the connecting location for nearly all ligaments in the foot - so not a great spot for a break.

Addie advocated for me to get something to eat and drink, and also made sure that I was given a CD with my images to take with me to an orthopedist later in the week. I am so glad she did that - it has proven to be very helpful to have access to those! Addie also asked the nurses to wrap a plastic bag around the temporary splint they gave me in order to not get the splint filthy back at the show. As much as I would have wanted my mom there with me, Addie was the best fill-in mom I could have asked for!!!

Once I was checked out, I crutched my way to the parking lot and Addie pulled the car around to bring us back to the venue. I arrived back at Town Hill to a horse that had been fully iced (thank you Julia!!) and fully wrapped (thank you Fiona!!) and was ready to hang out on the trailer. Our friend Gwen from AKF loaded her right onto the trailer and Sophie stood quietly as I sat down to take a minute to connect with my family.

My family was all very far away, but it ended up being okay because I had two amazing barn families present at the show - everyone from both Apple Knoll and N&C jumped in to help me and Sophie get through the blip in our day. I love both sets of people endlessly and I am not sure that thank you will ever be enough for what everyone did for me on Sunday.

I spent the rest of the day crutching around the venue to spend time catching up with a ton of Area 1 friends. I specifically wanted to do Town Hill for how beautiful the venue is, to support Area 1, and to reunite with all my friends I hadn't seen in over a year since being in Virginia. I wasn't about to let my broken foot get in the way of getting time to see everyone!

I spent time on the sidelines seeing so many old friends and then cheering on the later in the day riders from all over. I got to watch most of the BN show jumping, and it felt truly like I was home being surrounded by all the wonderful people who came to Town Hill.

After some time catching up with friends, Gwen was ready to help me head out. She took the wheel of my rig and I took the passenger seat as we made our way back to AKF. It was about three hours on the road, but we made it back to the barn just after sunset. Drew met us as we got there, and both Drew and Gwen took care of Sophie and my trailer as I did my best to stay off the foot and not feel too bad about directing them. I am learning with this injury that I have to get over my issues with asking for help - there are a bunch of things that I just cannot do especially since I am not supposed to weight bear at all right now.

As if I didn't think the community at Apple Knoll was amazing enough by this point, a few people put me in contact with Alicia McKersie, a long time friend of Adrienne's, who happens to be an ortho PA! She immediately got me in contact with a few top orthopedic surgeons in the area, and I was set up with an appointment by Tuesday and surgery scheduled for Friday. As much as I wish I didn't have to do a surgery for the third time in less than a year, I am hopeful that surgery means the recovery process will be very correct. I will keep those interested up to date with how this recovery goes - and I am hoping this is my last injury (and certainly my last surgery!!!) for QUITE some time 🤣

So Town Hill was a massive learning opportunity for me. I likely will never again travel completely solo to a show - having a second set of hands is so necessary especially when there is always a risk of getting hurt. I am not invincible, unfortunately.

I absolutely need to do more serious prep for our next outing. I have been very fortunate that Sophie maintains a good level of fitness, but I do not! Prelim is hard (all things with horses are hard, to be fair!) and I need to be more rigorous with my own preparation for things like this. I was too casual about the bit change way too close to the day of competition. I need to keep my own physical fitness up so that I can properly ride and manage my horse, who might be little but is very strong! Especially when she is prelim fit. I said this on my instagram, but I did not deserve to cross through those finish flags on Sunday. Sophie absolutely did, but not me. I am inspired and determined to be better next time for myself and definitely for my horse. Sophie deserves the best ride possible as she often gives it her all. If anything, I continue to fall more and more in love with my incredible mare even when things like this happen because it shows me more about her true character! She has so much heart and try, and she also has some sense of self preservation and won't do something dangerous.

I cannot wait to get back in the saddle and get back out there with my spotted unicorn. 🦄

I am headed into surgery tomorrow, and I will let you all know how it goes. In the meantime Sophie will get a little unplanned vacation and lots of cookies 🥰

Photo by AMK.PHOTOGRAPHY

Thank you again to everyone who offered a hand and made Sunday manageable for me despite having broken my foot. I owe a lot of people a lot of things! One thing is for sure: barn families are so important. And beyond that, I think horse friends are some of the most important kinds of friends. I am feeling so humbled to know just how lucky I am to have so many of each!!

And thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in on me. I appreciate each and every one of you! Here's hoping I get back in the tack in no time 🤞

K