Cascade Vaulters

Cali and Jake just got their own pages on our web site.

Cali and Tom arrived safely home to Mecca Equestrian Center this evening about 9 PM. The trip back from Denver was relatively uneventful. Cali and Tom were met my several members of the Cascade Vaulters. After unloading gear and equipment, Cali was quickly settled into her new home. Many thanks, again, to Tamea Denault for making it possible for Cali come to the Cascade Vaulters.

Sunday was our big day. Sandy's freestyle went very well, and she finished 9th overall among the Copper Woman.

Jessica fell during her individual freestyle and was not able to go for the C Team freestyle. So we had to sub in our alternate, Ginger. Cali went fairly well but our composite freestyle wasn't as good as it could have been. We finished fourth in C Team freestyle which, even when combined with our first place finish in compulsories, put us in fourth place over all.

Cascade Vaulters had only one go on Saturday, Sandy's Copper Compulsories. She did very well scoring 5.582. This puts her in 9th place after comps and less then 0.3 from the first place vaulter. [Sorry, I was too busy coaching to take pictures.] ECV's Jessica is in second place after comps with a score of 5.819.

In other news from tonight's awards: Mt. Rainier's Cheresa [spell?], won the woman's trot barrel championship; and ECV's Marquita won the AVA's Zone I, woman's Trot high point award.

Our big day is Sunday, with both "C" Team Freestyle and Sandy's Copper Freestyle. We still have a very good shot. The team freestyle go is mid-day, but we probably won't know the results until the evening. Sandy's Copper Freestyle will be in the mid-morning and we might know results bu late afternoon.

Cascade didn't have any goes on Friday. Most of the day was devoted to volunteer hours, and helping out other clubs that needed horse time. For the Cascade Vaulters the high light was Cali carrying a "B" team comps.


After the close of competition Friday was an opening / awards ceremony. Sandy and Tom got to carry the club banner into the main arena during a parade or clubs.

Sandy finished 8th in Preliminary Barrel, with a score
of 6.367. The C Team Compulsory results before
alternate declaration are:
Vaulters of the Northwest 6.6645
Vaulting Visions / Great Falls 6.1865
Mt. Eden Wind 5.787

Were in first!

The first day of Nationals started off with a frantic scurrying between the two competition arenas. First up was Bronze Comps for the Emerald City Vaulter and the Mt. Rainier Vaulters in the Blue/main arena. Then the ECV Two-Phase team did their comps in the Red/ second arena. Next up was the "C" team comps back in the blue arena.


Our Vaulters of the Northwest composite team was the last "C" team to do their comps. And as we watched we knew that our vaulters could do better. So when our team went into the circle, the coaches, vaulters and horse were all pumped and very positive. Each and every vaulter on our team performed as well or better then they ever have! It was a really outstanding round to watch. We're confidant that our scores will put us in a very good position, maybe first place, going into the freestyle round on Sunday.



In the afternoon Sandy performed her barrel freestyle. As always she went very well and should place well.

Neither the "C" team comps nor the barrel freestyles were posted by the close of the day. So I'll have to post the scores tomorrow.

The horses and gear moved safely into the National Western Complex on Tuesday. Our last few team practices have been good, but not perfect. Sandy's individual horse and barrel freestyles are running well, as are her compulsories and her parts in the team freestyle. Both horses, Lady Mae and Cali are in very good shape and easily passed the vet check this afternoon, though Cali still has some attitude issues. The weather is warm but not too hot and is forecast to get cooler this weekend! The forecast in the upper 60's is just about perfect for the horses. The general feeling is that everything is coming together us and that we could do very well.

Coaches check-in went very smoothly. Many thanks to Therese for her continuing hard work on our entries.

Also our good friends, the Mt. Rainier Vaulters, did very well in the "Festival of the Future" this afternoon taking at least one overall first place in novice trot barrel.

All of our composite "C" Team, the "Vaulters of the Northwest", arrived safely in Denver. Cali got her shoe put back on Monday morning and both she and Lady [Mae] received chiropractic and acupuncture treatments Monday afternoon.

Practices, both team and individual, are going well though several of the vaulters are still adjusting to the altitude.

It was a long haul, but we arrived at Atlantis Farm
about 7:30 PM. Cali threw the other hind shoe. The
vaulting horses arrived in good shape. More later.

Tamea Denault's truck is fixed, so she and I should finally be heading off to Nationals in the morning with the horses. We'll be stopping overnight in Deer Lodge, MT and Sheridan, WY. Therese and Sandy should fly into the Denver area about the same time that we arrive with the horses on Saturday. We'll practice Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. "C" Team Compulsories should go mid-day Thursday (8/11). Sandy's Preliminary Barrel Freestyle should go in the early afternoon on Thursday (8/11). Her Copper Compulsories should go Saturday (8/13) in the afternoon. Her Copper Freestyle and the "C" Team Freestyle should both go on Sunday (8/14) again in the afternoon. Wish us luck, say a prayer, cross your fingers, etc.

Our club's tri-fold brochure is finally available, here. Please let Tom know if you find any errors or corrections that need to be made. Otherwise feel free to download, print and distribute copies. If you do hand out copies please report to Tom and/or Therese how many you made and where you're passing them out.

The our last minute run to the Chimacum Tack Shack in Port Hadlock, WA was a resounding success. We were able to acquire both the bell boots we urgently need for Cali's trip to Nationals and the bit we'll need when we get back. We ended up with the straight snaffle eggbutt bit, because the slow twists they had were a bit too square on the shaft and they didn't have any French snaffles in 6" or 6.5".


The proprietors at the Chimacum Tack Shack were very interested that we are a new club and about to depart for the AVA National Championships. And as a real bonus, they donated both a new, though somewhat older model, Amish leather draft bridle with flat reins and a 50# sack of LMF Taco Complete Feed. The bridle may be a little large for Cali, but we may be able to have it downsized by a local cobbler or trade it for one that fits.



David Amdal also suggested that we contact the local LMF representative, Harris Stalema (253-377-3004), about assessing Cali's nutritional needs and perhaps simplifying her daily rations without sacrificing her high performance athletic nutritional needs. David also suggested that Harris would likely be interested in presenting the latest research on equine nutrition and doing nutritional analysis for participants at events such as our region's upcoming educational conference.