Sick Panda Heads to Nationals

Well, in the past week I've somehow managed to contract the worst sickness I've had in my four years at Stanford (blazing fever, nausea, body aches, cough, sore throat, sinus/headache... basically name a symptom and I have/have had it). D'oh! Talk about bad timing. But, come hell or high water, Rachel and I are Nationals bound starting tomorrow. I've been pounding fluids, sleeping as much as society at large will allow me, and taking every medication (homeopathic and non) that I can get my mitts on. I am also lucky that I don't ride until Sunday, so I can lurk in my hotel room throughout Saturday if necessary to get into optimal fighting condition.

I think my preparations have gone as well as I could have hoped for. I had one last great weekend of riding down at Shannon's (where I figured out one of the horses I've been struggling with to the point where I was able to do all the second level movements, where before I'd had a hard time getting her on the bit - yes!), and had a somewhat humbling but very edifying run through of the test with Heidi Gaian.

Today, I ran through the test one last time with Ringo bareback and thought it was one of my smoothest tries yet. Fingers crossed that that's a good sign! Hopefully if I can do it without a saddle, I'll have no trouble at all with one to help me out...

(though ok I admit: I DID use a bridle... sigh. Clearly getting soft! ;D)

All right. New Jersey, here we come!!