Quick update -- the girls are still negotiating Georgia on their way back to Aiken; they didn't leave Tallahassee until 5:00 p.m. with an 8 hour drive ahead of them.



Both Nemo and Hopper passed trotup on first inspection (after a 4:30 a.m. wakeup -- good job, Sarah and Samantha!!).



A crowd in excess of 3000 around the stadium ring captured Nemo's attention, and he spooked badly at jump two but then recovered beautifully for the rest of the huge stadium course (CIC and CCI stadiums can be 3" higher than "normal" level). What a fabulous performance by a 7-year old -- still a little immature, but tremendously game. Imagine what this guy is capable of when he grows up -- how many ways can you spell "WORLD CLASS"!



I was concerned that Hopper would react negatively to the crowd, but he was a rock and didn't let the distractions deter him from his job. He pulled all three elements of the triple following a poor approach but had only one other rail -- his first attempt at a CIC** resulted in a very impressive qualifying score.



We now have new *** and ** horses that we're very, very proud of, and a rider who rode two very different horses in manner each required. Big thanks to Sarah and Samantha for an excellent grooming job, and congratulations to Kat and Lindsey for very professional performances in the biggest venue of their careers!



--Howard