Sundance has the most beautiful cross country courses, and it’s nice because we can go school there throughout the summer. It’s familiar but they make the courses challenging.
Duke was a super star! He needed some encouragement to get going, and until he made it over fence 5 – a gray ramp with feed bags stacked on and around it, which many horses took exception to – he was a little looky. After that he got to run up a hill and started feeling his usual confident self.
Per usual, my commentary throughout the ride is really, ah, something. I’m not sure what caused the annoying background noise in this one – perhaps the brim of my helmet cover was flapping on top of the GoPro? Unsure. I amuse myself with my periodic wordless grunts…that usually means I’m trying to engage my abs really strongly, lol.
Photo credit: Milton Findley
Typically he is a fast horse on cross country, but this course was very hilly, with some particularly steep downhill sections where we took our time. Usually I am telling him to take it easy, but this time we were right on our minute markers and by the end we had to really book it at the end to get home. And we did – bang on the optimum time!
As I say to him a lot, “YAY DUKE!”
What a fun, exhilarating end to the season. Much better than the previous one, in that all our tack stayed intact and we got to finish! We ended up moving up to 10th. Honestly, the placing doesn’t even matter. I’m just so happy to have had an awesome season on an incredible horse, surrounded by the best team and family.
Centered in the Saddle 
YAY and i would have to frame that series on a wall in your new house. BAD ASSES YOU BOTH 🙂 YAY! Congrats on the tack staying intact LOL He looks great and so do you!
Great job. Love those photos esp the last one when all the horses are looking so skeptical and ears back 😉 HA HA HA
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I love that idea to frame it in my new house!! I think I will be able to have a whole room where I keep my horse stuff and can decorate with allllll the horse things 🙂
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wooo congrats!! awesome end to the season!
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😀 Thanks!
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This was SO MUCH FUN. Even dared to break out the headphones at work so that I could listen to the commentary. I wonder what my coworkers were thinking, watching me grin ear to ear and occasionally grunt along with you! hahaha Congrats on a great ride!
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Hahahaha that’s amazing!! I might have watched it once (or twice) at work, too, while trying not to laugh out loud! 🙂
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That was AWESOME! I love your running commentary haha! What a wonderful way to end the season though – that looks like such fun. Woot!!
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Yay Duke! I love it!
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