Having fallen off the map...

The bathrooms - yes, plural - are 99.9% done.  We ended up with extra paint when we finished the first one, so the downstairs got a new coat of paint, new mirror and light fixture, and we re-purposed the vanity, sink and towel bars from upstairs.  Two sides of the house have their first coat of new paint... Menards loves me!  And we managed to squeeze in a trip to IA to visit relatives.

In horse news, I decided to use expand my horizons and show Buddy at the Region 6 Arabian Championships in Lincoln last week.  I did the pre-show, too, as I needed a few more points to qualify so altogether I rode him in 5 classes, and Eric rode him in one.

It was hot, but the facility was gorgeous.  If you ever have a chance to show at the Lancaster Event Center, don't hesitate.  Big stalls, lots of good ventilation, plenty of warm-up space, and a good PA system.

I got down there on Wednesday afternoon, the day before the pre-show.  My "lesson" that evening with Buddy did not go so well. He was very fresh and ended up spending a lot of time on the longe line.  By the time I was finally given the okay, we did about 2 rounds of the arena and called it good.

I was thankful I'd had the okay from Eric to go ride him the week before while Eric and co. were at Region 10 in Minnesota.   I wasn't too worried about his antics - he did the same thing in Sioux Falls at the Spring Show.  And sure enough, when our first class was called the next morning he was in fine form.

We had a nice ride and scored a blue from one judge and a second place red from the other.  It was a confidence booster for sure - which I needed, since our second class resulted in  4th and 6th placings.

The ride felt good though, so I was happy.  The one thing I would have changed was Buddy's reluctance to stand in the line-up. 

Friday's first class was going great - until I bobbled a lead.  I'd no sooner fixed that than he spooked at the stands.  We top fived, but in a class of three, it was nothing to write home about.  And the line-up wasn't any better. Still, I was having fun.  And the second class of the day resulted in what felt like the best ride of the week  We top-fived again, but again, class of five horses, so our best thus far although plenty good enough to please me, wasn't quite impressive enough for the judges.  And he was awful in the line-up again... apparently, neither end was to his liking, so we walked in circles.

I seriously debated calling it a weekend with that class and just having Eric go ahead with him in Hunter Pleasure Open.  But...  Saturday morning I was the first rider of Eric's crew on deck to go, and with everyone focused on getting the two of us ready, we were both dressed and on our way to the main arena before I had too much time to think about it.

Good thing, too.  Our final outing was the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Select Rider class.  We made it to the main arena just ahead of a cats & dogs downpour complete with booming and flashing.  With minimal warm-up and the heavens streaming down, we nailed every transition.  Buddy was light and round and soft, and when we lined up I took C's advice and stuck us smack in the middle of the eight horse row.  Honestly, at that point I wasn't too worried about where we'd placed.  I just gave him his head and told him he was done.  And he was perfectly content to just stand there.

We ended up reserve champions.  So altogether we ended up with an armful of ribbons and one nice wooden plaque... 

Not too shabby for our first big show - LOL!  It was a long, hot, sweaty five days. Eric was incredibly patient and encouraging.  C, who grooms for him, is an absolute saint and was kind enough let me help so that I was able to stay too busy to get nervous and sick with it.  R and L and their daughters were wonderful, as well, offering assistance and encouragement.  Thanks to L and C, I had a proper English "bun of steel" and it was even comfortable.

Still not sure I'm sold on the whole showing thing, but I have to admit it was a lot of fun.

Spring Show, Day Two

Sunday started early, although not as early as it would have had there been horses in halter.  By 7 a.m. all the horses had fresh water, morning hay, and the ones in the early classes were getting longed and/or groomed.

Buddy and I were the first ones on C's slate of classes - she was riding her horse Trinity shortly after, so the two of us headed out to the main arena to longe the two horses.  Surprisingly, neither of the two wanted to play.  Buddy settled into a workman-like trot, not even bothering to snort at the pinto gelding circling at a brisk lope next to us.

The footing where I ended up was deep, and since he didn't show any signs of wanting to bounce around, I let him stay at a trot.  I didn't have a watch on, but we did somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes in both directions - long enough for him to be warm-ish and not quite puffing.

Nap-time

Back in his stall with a cooler on, he sighed, cocked a hip and went to sleep.  It was a brief nap, however - very quickly it was time for braiding and for tack for him and another quick change for me.

One of the weirdest things about showing with a group?  I didn't get to tack my own horse.  I saddled, unsaddled, wrapped legs, brushed, watered, fluffed tails, distributed hay, and tacked Buddy for Eric's rides, but for my classes someone else saddled him - I was supposed to stay clean.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've had someone else saddle my horse for me since I was tall enough and strong enough to tighten a cinch myself, and I can honestly say the novelty won't grow on me.  While I appreciated the luxury, it was definitely strange.

There was plenty of time to warm up, and Buddy felt smooth and confident under me.  I remember thinking, "I hope he feels this good in the class!"  I suspect he heard me, because he was certainly suspiciously cooperative - until our class was called.

Once again, I entered first, but this time I managed to count how many were in with me.  It was easy enough, since we'd already made most of one lap by the time the other two entered.  Circling, I did my best to keep Buddy rated back, but he wasn't interested in slow.  His nap was a lot more effective than my morning caffeine!

I did manage to keep him in better frame than the night before, I think, but Eric kept signalling me to slow him down.  The best I could do was steady him and try to make my ride look as effortless as it really wasn't.  The first canter transition I didn't get his hip in enough and he caught the wrong lead, but I felt it and was able to bring him back to a trot and ask again with better luck.  Either the judge missed our bobble or one of the other riders did something more unforgivable, because when she called for a line-up I left the ring with another red ribbon. Her only comment to me?  "Fresh this morning, isn't he?"  Yup.

E untacked Buddy and threw a cooler on him while I changed.  Then it was all hands on deck to get the western pleasure horses and the reiners wrapped, tacked and over to the warm-up ring.  C rode and took a blue, but I missed it holding a horse.  Eric was in and out, hopping on to warm up the Country English horses and then changing gears to the more sedate western pleasure.  I went where pointed, held what was handed to me, ran for electrical tape to fasten wraps and forgotten numbers, and just generally had a great time.

Sunday's judge was a brisk one, and classes clicked by at a steady rate helped by the fact that the numbers were a bit thinner than on Saturday.  For some, I think the regional show for Region 10 in Saint Paul is a much closer drive than the the one in Lincoln, Nebraska for Region 6, so they didn't stay.

Eric's second ride on Buddy resulted in another blue ribbon.  He made it look effortless.  Back in his stall, I took Buddy's mane down for the second time and turned him loose to eat, drink and nap until it was time to get ready again. In the meantime, the six or seven junior riders scrambled in and out of Country English, costume, show hack and western pleasure garb and back in again, sometimes multiple times.  Parents scurried around, E and C ticked off classes, shuttled horses, and made the whole machine run smoothly. I don't think either of them sat down once all day for longer than 30 seconds at a stretch.

Time flew by - helped out by the decision to cut the supper break to 15 minutes - and it was time for Buddy and I to go out again.  Eric shooed me off to dress, although at least I managed to fly through my change quickly enough to get back in time to at least help get Buddy tacked up.  We didn't do much warm-up, I just walked some easy circles in the hold area outside the ring.  Buddy was alert and paying attention, and when the gate opened, in we trotted, me prepared for a repeat of the morning's tug-o-war.

What I wasn't prepared for was how tired he was.  Our trot was great.  The canter transition was correct, but it felt like the transition to hand gallop wasn't coming and wasn't coming, and he broke to trot in front of the judge before I could catch him.  I sent him right back up, but when he did it again going the other way, I was pretty sure we wouldn't place well.   In fact, we did better than I'd anticipated, ending up with a third place ribbon.

Eric was disappointed, as he'd wanted me to qualify for another class for regionals - I was more than satisfied.  Buddy was tired, I was tired, and he gave it a good effort.  I just wasn't prepared for him to run out of steam, and I didn't help him enough.  Eric saw it too, and although he'd intended to ride him in open hunter pleasure later in the evening, he scratched.  Buddy was done.

Once again, someone else pulled tack.  I rehung my soggy shirt and breeches, played a completely different kind of tug-of-war getting my boots off, stepped into my jeans and yanked my much slobbered upon, very dirty sweatshirt back over my head.  Buddy was standing patiently in his stall, tied and still braided, but it was the work of only a few moments to fingercomb his braids out and resettle him in his blanket.  A clean damp rag to wipe off the shiny eye goop, and I turned him loose so he could relax.

The handful of classes left went by in a more relaxed fashion.  C showed me how to braid and sock tails, and I helped with that, then made the rounds with more clean damp rags to make clean faces.  Parents started trailing by with garment bags full of show clothes.  The girls emerged from the dressing room in jeans and sans glittery hair jewelry.  Horses dozed standing, hips cocked or in a couple cases, flat out in their stalls.  The show was winding down, and with the last of Eric's horses back, suddenly it was time to start packing up.

I stayed to help with the breakdown, both because I hate being one of those people that lets someone else do all the dirty work and because quite frankly I was having a good time.  I wasn't the only one.  Many hands made lighter work, and by nine the first load of horses was well on the way home, tack was packed, and all of the curtains were down, rugs folded, and everyone had a chance to finally sit down for a bit.  With enough hands left to do the final load out, I headed for home, another hour's drive in front of me before I could call it a night.

All in all?  It was an interesting experience.  Everyone was more than kind, and made me feel really welcome. I learned.  A lot.  I'm still pretty sure I'm not cut out for showing on that level, but it was an adrenaline trip I won't forget in a hurry.

I took a Tylenol and fell into bed, waking up this morning to the reality of a ton of dirty laundry, a lawn with knee high dandylions, and two lawn mowers that refuse to start.  Gotta love Mondays. And Sunny, Thunder and I are going to do this again next weekend?  I must be nuts!

Friday Pre-Show Ride

Eric trailered horses over Thursday, and by the time T and I arrived for my pre-show ride on Friday everything was set up and the arena was already bustling.  The show site was the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls.  Big indoor arena and warm-up ring, stalling for a couple hundred horses, bleachers, concessions, etc.  It's a nice space, and I've been there enough for various things that I already knew where everything was, which was helpful.

The standard uniform for horses was blankets and Sleazys.  The standard uniform for the two-footed crowd was blue jeans and sweatshirts.  I felt more than a little overdressed in my breeches and half-chaps, but I still have enough trouble keeping my lower leg where it belongs that I wanted the extra stick-um.  Oh well.

Eric had schooling sessions scheduled straight through the day with all of his riders.  Unlike some of the other trainers who had two or three riders out at once, he was taking his students one at a time, with only a slight overlap during cool down.  T and I were a bit early, but by the time I had my tack hauled in and Buddy polo-wrapped, bell-booted and saddled, he was ready for me. 

Buddy seemed to recall his previous outings as a halter horse and with Eric under saddle, because the bright lights and busy surroundings didn't phase him much.  He did, however, have plenty of energy from standing in his stall most of the day.  Eric hopped on first and made a couple of laps on an obviously fresh horse before he dismounted and sent me back for a longe line. On the line, Buddy hit the gallop button and Eric let him set his own rate and blow off some steam - the arena footing was pretty deep, and it didn't take long before Buddy was ready to slow down.   

With the bouncy edge worn off, Buddy settled in and worked nicely for Eric through all three gaits.  Then it was my turn.  He was a little looky at the far end where some bright orange signs and a yapping dog, combined with all of the usual moving-in activities of another barn were going on, but following the advice to just keep asking fo an inside bend, we made it successfully past.  On down the long side we passed the announcer's table with plenty of additional "interesting" stuff to eyeball without incident. 

Buddy felt good - I felt like I'd forgotten everything I'd learned.  But with a couple of laps under our belts without any real silliness, the butterflies flew away and I could focus.  The hardest part was not so much managing Buddy, but avoiding collisions.  While common sense and ring etiquette would suggest that riders stay on the same direction around the circle, not everyone subscribed.  And with three horses being longed in the middle, what should have been ample space for avoiding disaster became somewhat less generous.

We didn't school overly long.  Just enough to figure out where the potential trouble spots would be.  All three gaits both directions, and the sense that Buddy was listening and paying attention.  I was happy with it.

Then it was back to his stall to untack and a trip to the wash rack for a rinse.  Which was an adventure all in itself.  Clear across on the far side of the building, it's a low-ceilinged, concrete-floored room big enough for six (well-mannered) horses to be washed simultaneously.  Think high school locker room showers, except with tie-rails and hoses. And water that stayed warm for the duration.  It also had foot-wide drain grates running the length and width. 

Buddy was not thrilled about the grates.  And his front shoes made an impressively loud noise on impact with the floor.  But the warm water obviously felt good, and he stood nicely for his rinse.  I basically just sluiced him down and then slicked the drips off with my hand having forgotten to grab a scraper.

Back at his stall again, once Buddy was dry and redressed in his Sleazy and blanket, he tucked into water and hay.  I finished getting my stuff arranged in the tack stall.  My first class wasn't until Saturday after the supper break.  I'd have a chance to watch Eric ride Buddy in the PB Hunter Pleasure Limit Horse class earlier in the day, and I was eager to see him go and get a better sense of how he'd be in an actual class.

The "Broke" Horse, why, how, and where we're going next

Last week at my lesson with Eric as Sunny and I circled the indoor in a collected, properly-bent-on-the-circle, nice, round sitting trot, our combined efforts resulted in Eric's somewhat surprised sounding, "Way to go Sunny, we'll get you broke yet."

Hmmm... In my dictionary, broke is when the horse I'm riding goes where I point it, at something approximating the speed I ask for, stops promptly when signaled, doesn't scrape me off against handy trees and fence posts, doesn't bite, kick, rear or do other uncivil things, and in general respects my space.  Throw in easy to catch, picks up feet on request, loads, and goes down the trail without having a cow when it sees a... well, a cow, and there you have it: a broke horse. 

And by that definition, Sunny already qualifies.

In Eric's dictionary, broke carries a lot more baggage.

So why, if I already have a broke (for me) horse am I taking hunt seat lessons?  From a philosophical perspective, I just plain like learning, especially from a good teacher, and I'm definitely doing that.  And a big part of it's practical.  If you've read this blog for a while, you know that for several years I tried without much success to fix a horse that trotted with his nose in the air and his back hollow.  Not good for him.  Not comfortable for me.   We're finally working through that.  

A second practical issue was just being a better rider in general.  Part three was having more confidence riding.  I'm getting both those places - not always quickly, and not without backsliding occasionally, but I'm getting there.

So do I care if Sunny's "broke" to Eric's standards... er... well... no. Sure, I'd like us to be able to pass muster, I guess.  But it's because ultimately, I want to know how to get the results myself - and because I want Sunny to learn to carry himself properly.  NOT because I'm intending to go tear up the show ring on a push-button mount.  Good thing, too!  Sunny, bless his adorable, fuzzy, square little body, doesn't have the conformation needed to show at the upper levels - something Eric's been (kindly) clear about.  

If I was really interested in showing him, I might actually care that we'll never make a splash in the show ring.  But dressing up to go in circles has never been something I've aspired to.   Oh, we might do a couple of local shows this summer just for fun, since I'll have the time this year.  But if I had to pick something for the two of us to compete at, I'd go with competitive trail or one of those cowboy-challenge-type things - something a bit less circular in nature.

T's Amyra is apparently a different kettle of show-ring fish, though.  As I cooled Sunny out the other night we were talking about her and what we - T and I, that is - intend to do with her. (Show ring, cow horse, trail horse, pasture ornament, brood mare - Okay, so not that last!) 

One of Eric's questions was how competitive am I (not very), because he thinks she has huge natural potential.  Translated, I think that means he's decided he can show her and win.  My response was that successful showing to me is doing better than I did the time before whether I place accordingly or not - I'm not in it to beat everybody else, because I don't have any control over them.  

Not exactly the answer he was hoping for, I think.  But... it might be fun to see where Amyra can get to.  Still mulling it over, because it's a big commitment.   I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of tempted.... 

Oops - wrong location!

I said SD State Fair was a possibility for showing this fall, didn't I? We've taken horses up to the Arab show there several times over the years - in fact I spent my "honeymoon" there, but that's a story for another day....

Well, unfortunately, the SD State Fair runs the week before Labor Day, and classes are in session then, so I'm definitely working and so is T. But a closer look this morning (I'm a bit more awake) proved the fair booklet to be for the Sioux Empire Fair which runs the second week of August when I am off. The Arab show there is a Class A, sanctioned show. :(

We're definitely not ready for that one! And I tend to have issues with cost - not how much they charge per se, but how much it costs me! Since I rarely show and if I do, it's for fun and the experience is good for the horses, but I don't actually expect to win anything, I don't feel I need to spend an arm and a leg on it. Maybe someday!

But in addition to the Arab show, the POA show, the AQHA show and the Morgan show, the hunter/jumper show, oh, and did I mention the miniature horse show? They also have an open show with reasonable class entry fees. An added benefit? T could take Rufus, too, if he wanted to, rather than just Amyra and Sunny being eligible.

We'll see...

More than halter

Arabians frequently get a bad rap from people who think they're "just for pretty," that they're halter horses not for real using. The same is sometimes said of bred-for-halter Quarter Horses. I'm not going to get into that debate here. I will say, I think that showing young stock and even older horses in halter on a local level is a great way to get them out and show them the world without spending an insane amount of money. ( Local level, close to home -- no gaudy silver show halters & custom-fitted halter blazer necessary!) It's also a great way for those less comfortable in the saddle to participate in something with their horses.

That said, halter/showmanship classes have never been my favorite, either to watch or to participate in, but they aren't the only game in town anymore. According to an old article I ran across recently, in-hand trail classes have apparently been popping up all over, with obstacles gaged to suit various age levels. (I guess maybe I'm just late to discover this whole phenomenon -- it isn't the first time!) But really, what a cool way to introduce a young horse to the idea that they can do more in the show ring than pose and strut!

My first exposure to in-hand trail came last year in Iowa at an Arabian club-sponsored open fun show. The class was open to all ages of handlers and horses, although I don't think any of the four-legged competitors were younger than three. They used the same obstacles as the under-saddle class, but adjusted for speed (no lope/lead changes). It was a lot of fun to watch.* Has in-hand trail made it to your area? If so, what do you think?

On the subject of trail classes in general: one of Pony Girl's recent posts was refreshing. Maybe it's just me, it sure seems like trail classes are getting to be more about showing pretty gait changes and negotiating ground poles, gates - okay, those are a valid trail obstacle - etc. than really showing how horse & rider deal with interesting challenges. Whether it's due to insurance premiums, lack of imagination or lack of materials, these days most of the "obstacles" seem to be technically difficult rather than potentially scary: sidepass along a rail, stand for dismount, pick up feet, remount, negotiate a bridge, retrieve a letter from a mailbox....

Any of those are potentially challenging for a young horse, but not really frightening for a more seasoned mount. My trail class memories from childhood 4-H involve things like moving a crated live chicken or a rattling bag of pop-cans from barrel to barrel, slickers, ground tying, dragging a tarp, and other horrors, most of which seem to have vanished, at least from the sanctioned shows that I've been to lately. Winning today's classes often comes down to bare tenths of a point, as the experienced competitors jog through predictable patterns without breaking a sweat -- what happened to seeing how the horse/rider combo might really react to something strange on the trail?

What's your experience: are you still seeing creative trail challenges where you show? Are there obstacles you'd like to see more of, or that you still see a lot of people having problems with? Would you participate in an in-hand trail class if one was offered?

[*Complete aside: my absolute favorite memory from that Iowa fun show was a pint-sized young lady on the 17+ hand Standardbred in double bridle and saddleseat rigging negotiating obviously unfamiliar pole and then barrel patterns. Apparently neither horse nor rider had ever run either barrels or poles before, but with lots of encouragement from the crowd ("Just think of it as another pattern!" "Around to the left - your other left!!" and, "Run for home!") they turned in a time fast enough to earn them a ribbon in each event. And if you've never seen a racking horse do a barrel pattern, it's a hoot!]