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"I can control him with this bit, but he has such a temper tantrum that I'm not sure how much energy I am wasting. We had such a tough time up until the first vet check but after that everything was fine. He's real bull-headed and bull-minded. I don't think I can hurt this horse," she remarked. By the end of the ride Kanavy was even able to take the bit out of her horse's mouth, that is until a clap of thunder and crackling of lightening caused her and her nearest rival to bolt. Close to the end it was only Kanavy and Norma House riding Eowyn Elan Son vying for the finish line, but she wasn't concerned. "He has a very ground-eating canter stride. So, I rolled him into a little longer canter....widening the distance." Kanavy isn't the only one that removes her bridle. Many of the riders do the same near the end of the ride when the horses are wearing out. She has a bridle that allows you to remove the bit part but what remains is a halter. The real purpose of this bridle-halter combo is at the vet inspections. Before they used to remove the bridle and then put on the halter. This new concoction saves valuable time and energy, when it's most needed, giving the horse more time to rest, eat and drink. FINDING WILD CAT Kanavy first saw Wild Cat when he was a yearling. "He was pretty ugly," she recalls. "He was quite an ugly duckling." Then a few years later she received a phone call from the owner who said she needed to sell the horse but was worried that in the wrong hands he'd be a rogue. She encouraged Kanavy to come and try him out, feeling sure once she did she'd want to purchase him. And sure enough, before Kanavy knew it she was working with Wild Cat, who literally hadn't done much of anything other than have a saddle on his back. Her first experience proved to be the most memorable. She tried him out in a round pen. After going around a few times she dropped the reins for a moment of relaxation. Little did she know or understand the mindset of this horse. In no time, Wild Cat launched her. "He just wants to be the boss," she explained. So it went. Eventually Wild Cat ended up competing at the Festival in 2000 and winning that year with a different rider. This time it was her turn. KANAVY'S WINNING STRATEGY Kanavy had come to the Festival with the intention of winning, something that is not new to her. She has a few World Championship victories to her credit. Then when they started out he really fought her to the first vet check. "He got himself really wound up. I was worried," she admitted. "He wasn't happy. His name should be Brutus and bully, rather than Bear Cat. He's always testing you." Fortunately after that he calmed down and all seemed to be going as planned until two-thirds of the way through the ride when her horse lost a shoe. The heavy downpours had taken their toll and the ground was a muddy suction cup in many places. But Kanavy was prepared and in no time had an easy boot on the bare foot. "My biggest strategy was that this horse has a really moving along canter stride...so I wanted to wear the other horses out," which her 15.3 hand horse does quite well. "It's hard for the other horses to keep up." In the end she did win and though House initially came in second she was spun in the Vet Inspection. Jennifer Fisher finished second on Sable King, a six-year-old bay Arabian. Kanavy's time was 5:08:24. Jennifer finished almost one hour later (6:03:46). Now Valerie is thinking ahead to the true test. She wants to make it to the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain. She's got a couple of horses she's going to try out on, but as Kanavy puts it, "Wild Cat's my main guy."
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