I rode in my first major national equitation final this past weekend at the Capital Challenge horse show.  I rode “Valido”  and he was awesome.  Valido has more of a ” jumper style” going around a course of jumps, but we have a great partnerships.  I trust him completely to take care of me, if I make a mistake.  “LaSanta”  has a more classical way of going for the big eqs, but requires more prep and a more technically correct ride.  I hope to one day show LaSanta in  the big eqs.  I took him along for the hack to get some insight into how he will handle these competitions in the future.  With this being my first ever competiition like this…..my goal was to be “respectable” and “get a feel for what it is going to take”.   It was quite a learning experience to experience “schooling in a crowd indoors”, to see how the courses “actually ride” and to get to experience “how the competition prepares” first hand.  I didn’t come home with the top ribbons, but I was most definitely in the league.  There is much I can improve on , but considering that I did  all of my own work…..training, prep, bathing, turnout, etc…..I was really proud of my horses and my effort!  Lizzy