The 2006 World show creeped up on us all, with entries being due in a week after receiving our qualification packets! I toyed with the idea of not going this year, as I have been working full time and going to college full time (my bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering planned to be completed in May, 2007). In the end of September Mister started limping, and when the qualification packet arrived at our house I was skeptical Mister would be sound enough to go this year. but decided to go ahead and send entries in for non pro working hunter, open working hunter, non pro jumper, and open jumper.
The week before we were to leave for the World show I saddled up Mister to go for a quick ride down to the Big River, and he was limping so bad I didn't make it far up the driveway. I took care of Mister and put him away. I cared for him all week and let him rest. I made plans to leave on Monday, October 30th, late afternoon, and had made an appointment with the vet at 11:00 AM that same day. I was either going to pick up a health certificate, or a vet scratch letter. After the flexion tests at the vet I ended up bringing home a health certificate. We were going to the World show!My niece, Erin Rumpsa, went with me, along with Sally and Rachel Schroeder, and we arrived in Fort Worth at 6:30 AM, Ocotober 31st, with no problems.Later that day I took Mister out to walk around so he wouldn't get stocked up. I thought I felt him limp, but wasn't sure. My heart sank. I hosed his legs down, wrapped them, and put him away. I signed up for a 3:20 AM ride time for jumping practicethe next morning, rode him later that evening with no evident limping, and located the grounds vet. I tentatively lined up an examination in the event Mister limped after the early morning practice and I needed a vet scratch letter. At 1 PM the ApHC held a costume contest in which Rachel and her dog, Marvin, were adorable Indians, Erin and Darold Cruse's dog, Peanut, were Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell, and Emma Lueterbach and a black lab puppy were also entered. Rachel and Marvin won 1st place in their age division!Dona Boatman and WR's Chip O' Skip and Mister and I saddled up about 9 PM and went over to the practice arena across the way where the footing was better. Mister didn't limp, and both the horses worked well for us. (Yea!) However, I was still prepared to get in contact with the vet in the morning, if necessary. At 3 AM Dona, Sergio Jimenez (who rode Chip and Color for Dona), and I were in the warm up arena to jump our horses. Mister seemed sound, we had very decent rides, put the horses back to bed, and put ourselves back to bed.My first class at 7:30 was non pro workng hunter. We had a nice ride, and I came out of the class with a 5th. Our next class was open working hunter, we had a bit of a bobble, but placed 5th in that class, also. Non pro jumping was next. Laura Leuterback went first with a clean run, I went next with a clean run, and the last horse finished the course with a refusal. Laura and I knew we had first and second, and had to complete a jump off. Laura had a clean run, again, and I chose to hold Mister back for fear of making him lame. Mister did an awesome job and made me extremely proud. We ended up 4 seconds behind Laura and bringing home a 2006 Reserve World Championship in Non Pro Jumping!!!!! After not thinking I was even going to show, I was so very,very tickled! Congratulations to Laura for her World Championship, too! I also want to congratulate my dear friend, Dona Boatman on her reserve World Championship in Open Jumping on WR's Chip O' Skip, with Sergio in the irons, and Bernie Goodnick and her late husband, Bill Goodnick, on the third placing at the World Appaloosa Champion Show in Green Hunter with Return To Color, along with their trainer, Dona Boatman, and Color's rider, Sergio Jimenez.
Erin, Sally, Rachel and I all packed up and left early Thursday morning and arrived home, tired, happy, and sound.Thank you for visiting our web site!Sincerely,Kim Rumpsa :) 
