This weekend Genevieve had her first vaulting competition at canter. She was able to skip Beginning Canter because she can mount the horse by herself and she can also stand at canter. I was unable to go to Saturday's competition because of lack of childcare, but a friend was able to take her and she made a video for us:
Because Jet spooked and started bucking like that, Genevieve was disqualified from Compulsories.
Every day is a new day!
She persevered and didn't give up and wasn't even upset with Jet. Today I left the kids at home with Mark and went to see the Freestyles. We had to wake up at 4:30 and leave by 5:30 to be at the stables on time. I couldn't see a thing; it was so dark! But after we were there for awhile, the sun came up and revealed the beauty of the equestrian center.
A good sign!
Genevieve did great in her Freestyle:
And then I went and hung out with the horses for awhile:
Jet pretending he is a moose.
What I love most about vaulting is the camaraderie between the girls and coaches. I haven't seen or heard of any Mean Girls. If a girl needs help, someone is there to help her. If a horse is lame, four teams offer theirs. If a girl is disqualified, she is hugged and hugged. I even heard of an older sister that was so upset about the disqualification that she was going to plan a sit-in protest so Genna could have another chance.
After the Freestyles were done, it was time for the center piece of show! The Halloween Costume Freestyle! Genna's was great:
Genna is no longer a big fish in a small pond. She is competing with girls that are several years older than she is and that have been competing at Copper (her level) for awhile. Copper, I believe, is the most competitive level because this is where the greatest number of vaulters. Their talents and interest peak at this level and only the truly dedicated continue on to Silver and Gold...
So even though we do not vault for the ribbons, I was happily surprised when Genna placed 4th in Freestyle.
