Haha! Nope that wasn’t it then!
I love that pace and was sorry to have to miss it this Fall. Perfect weather for it, too! How were the costumes? I always get a kick at those.
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I’m sorry you missed it! It is the absolute highlight of my fall, I always go if I can. The weather was perfect. Some were worried about the footing, as there was a proper NE frost over night, but it rode incredibly. We got some new territory this year that I hadn’t seen before, and some older style fences I really enjoyed.
Sadly I did not see much in the way of costumes this year. We had an early ride time (YAY! I actually love being one of the first riders out), and we only saw one other team during the course. When we got back to the trailer, we saw a couple of young riders that had their ponies dressed as types of flowers (sunflower, rose, etc). There was a trio of riders on halflingers that went as Toy Story Characters Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear - I think they definitely took the cake for creative costumes this year. As we were leaving I saw a fleet of riders dressed as polo riders too.
Yours truly dressed up as a unicorn - he’s my unicorn every day so I’m not sure he understood why we were dressing up. 
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LOL Nice unicorn!!!
I remember one year there was a team of kids on ponies with one adult. The kids were dressed as mosquitoes and the adult as the Exterminator!!!
There were also little leprechauns, and riding after them, we would find parts of their costumes on the trail!
Did you have to cross the river?
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Omg! I would have loved to see the exterminator/pests costume, that is so clever. There are often some really creative and clever costumes at Myopia. And lol at finding costumes on the trail! There was one year we came across just one fairy wing hanging on a tree…
Yes, almost right away you crossed the river over a big bridge. I wasn’t counting, but I think all in there were at least six bridge crossings on this one.
The canoe is new one for Myopia. I did encounter an upright canoe full of potted flowers on another pace a few years ago. My horse gave that one a hard look. I wasn’t at Myopia today (went to the Norfolk pace in Westport instead) and was so sad to miss all those jumps.
Yes! It took us by surprise. My unicorn doesn’t have the best pilot; there were two fences right before the canoe that I rode in a 4 stride. Then land and you had to immediately turn to the left, around a privacy-type large pine tree, and then there the canoe was. In my guy’s defense it took him totally by surprise, but it rode great.
How was the Norfolk hunt? That is another one we always go to when we can, the territory is beautiful and lots of gorgeous houses. We’re so lucky to be able to ride there.
I had an early ride time and it was totally fogged in, to the point that we stayed at the trot the first hour so we didn’t get lost in the fields. Actually was a really cool experience with the fog, though you couldn’t see the views. We couldn’t see the other teams for most of the pace, but could hear them, so it was a fun eery Halloween weekend experience. I only jumped a few of the smaller stone walls, my teammate’s horse is green and they’re all pretty sizeable there. Hopefully next year they’re on different days so we don’t have to choose between them!
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I was there not-volunteering for a while. There were actually too many volunteers, can you believe it? It was a gorgeous day.
I recognize some of the jumps you described, since I rode my mare on all those trails for several years. She was boarded at the farm that has the big, fabric covered indoor right by the trail on the east side of Mill Road, until I retired her in July. There are jumps on the property there but they are all on the paddock fencelines.
It is a magical place, with true old school cross country/hunt jumps.
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Great costumes, lots of cute stuff, and a few scary costumes too. Tutus (on riders, not horses) were big this year.
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I’m so envious, a few people from my neck of the woods went but I didn’t know they were doing so until a couple days before.
We will have to meet up there next year!
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Yup, still there!
Surprised no one has mentioned a broken bridge! I know it was at Badminton this year but have never see it anywhere else in recent times.
Also this - forgot the official name, but a real test of light-to-dark. I think maaaaybe CHP has/had one, but I could be mistaken.
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One of the hunts around here just built a tiny barn jump for their hunter pace. I’m so sad I don’t have a horse at the moment to take. https://www.facebook.com/100057594333937/posts/551272950135845/?flite=scwspnss
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How long is this and what does the other side look like? Do you just jump in, canter through the barn, and jump out? Never seen this before!
I have seen one “through the barn” jump in person, while I was apprenticing. It wasn’t CHP, it was further south. If I remember the name I’ll update. IIRC you rode up a ramp into the barn and then jumped out
RiverGlen has a log cabin barn they jump through but no ramp up. (and you can OWN it for a measly $4mil!)
Loch Moy Farm in MD just built one this year and I really want to try it!
That barn jump is amazing. Talk about the opposite of portables!
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I think Huntington had one quite a while ago. Might have been called a tobacco barn. AIR you cantered down the hill, into the building and had a low jump out, but it was a max drop for the level.
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I think this is the one I’m thinking of!
