Caitlin and Hoku's First Three-Star

At the Jersey Fresh CIC*** Caitlin and Catch a Star ("Hoku") finished ninth against a very competitive field. If you will remember, Hoku sustained serious burns all over her body in the 2011 Memorial Day fire at True Prospect Farm, and in less than a year she has not only returned to competition but moved up to be competitive against some of the best horses and riders in the nation. This pair deserves a round of applause! Here are Caitlin's thoughts from her very first three-star:

Caitlin and Hoku Ready to Tackle Their First CIC*** Cross-Country. 

 

 

 

This past weekend Catch a Star " Hoku " and I finished 9th in our first three star at the Jersey Fresh three day event. This was a very important weekend for our spring season because I needed a qualifying score in the CIC *** in order to compete at the Bromont CCI*** in Canada in a few weeks. Hoku and I finished second at Jersey Fresh last year in the CCI ** division, which was the last time I rode Hoku before the barn fire last summer.

The weekend could not have gone any better for our first crack at a three-star. I made lots of small mistakes in our dressage test, but Hoku stayed quiet throughout the test which was a big improvement for us because she can get very wound up in the dressage arena. I can't begin to thank Silva enough for all of the hours she has spent teaching me over the last couple of weeks in preparation for the event. I was very lucky to have her at Jersey coaching Boyd and I on Thursday and Friday.

John Willams built a beautiful cross country course that rode great! I took my time around the course and Hoku jumped around very confidently. Here is a video clip of us at the first water:

I finished the weekend with two down in the show jumping, and both rails were my fault. The show jumping is the hardest phase for us and this was the biggest course Hoku and I have ever been around. Like the cross-country, Hoku jumped very confidently which is what I was after heading towards the CCI at Bromont.

 I would not have had a successful weekend with out all of the help from Boyd, Silva, and my super groom mom!

Caitlin