Vicki & Reggae Mon finished a successful weekend today. They were in 8th going into stadium jumping and finished in 13th after having one rail down and 5
time penalties. But Roadie jogged out sound in the morning 
and looked really good in stadium, except for the one rail. He was really wired and ready to do.
Didn't seem tired at all from yesterday's work.
All in all, it's been a great comeback weekend for Vicki. It was the first 3-day event since her accident about 18 months ago. Vicki was very pleased with
the results, although naturally she would like to have finished higher. Just to complete - and be in 13th to boot - is a great achievment. Only about 40
horses were left in the competition at the end. That means that about 20 combinations had refusals, falls or other problems leading to elimination or
withdrawal.
Karen O'Connor won the event on Prince Panache, her team bronze medal horse at last summer's Olympics. Kim Vinoski, another US Olympian finished 2nd,
Phillip Dutton, Australia's two-time gold medal winner was third.
We were thrilled to have been a part of it this weekend. Becky Douglas, who Vicki groomed for at the Olympics last summer, came down from Virginia to be the
"Baker Team" captain this weekend. But without Jessica Lewis and Sarah Smith, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere. They all worked very hard.
Hello Again from the Foxhall Cup 3-Star National Championships near Atlanta.
Today was fabulous!
Vicki & Roadie had no jumping penalties, but she did have 11 time penalties combined on steeplechase and cross-country. Roadie was awesome! Although Vicki &
Roadie passed several horses that were ahead of them after dressage, 3 other combinations passed her and she is in 8th place going into the second horse
inspection and stadium jumping tomorrow.
A total of 45 horses remain in the competition compared to the 65 that started on Tuesday. Five of the seven riders ahead of Vicki were on the Olympic team
last summer. The 2nd horse inspection is Sunday morning at 9:00. Roadie looked good after cross-country today, so we are expecting him to pass.
In stadium jumping, the riders go in reverse order of their standing after today. That means that Vicki & Roadie will be 8th from last and will probably go
at about 3:00 in the afternoon.
Marilyn and I are thrilled to have had the opportunity to be here and witness what was Vicki's finest cross-country ride ever. She really put it all
together. There were several falls and many jumping penalty points today, but Vicki rode the course as well technically as anybody. She got many
congratulations, and so did we. Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow. We'll report to you then on the final results.
Vicki and her horse, Fine China, have been selected to participate in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) High Performance, Eventing, Developing Rider Program. In late
January 2005, Vicki and Fine China will participate in a three-day clinic with Kim Severenson, Olympian and Developing Rider Coach in Ocala, Florida. This is a major step for Vicki
on the road to the 2008 Olympic Games. All developing riders are also eligible for a 10K grant for competing at a European Three Day in 2005.
