I Got a Point in Reining

The scores came out for the show this weekend. I had not been listening to the scores at the show since I broke the pattern, but I thought I heard my name. When the updated points came out yesterday I found the judge had placed me (last) and given me a point. Sweet! It seems she placed everyone in the class so we got points. Reining is not counting toward year end points this year because we have just added it at our club, but it is nice that they keep score anyway. I might win a feed bucket or a fly mask at the banquet. Those feed buckets and scoops and all come in handy!

LHSA 7/25/09

We had our local show at a big arena about an hour away. It was great to have the indoor arena in this HEAT. The warmup arena was in the sun, though and I could tell Matt was not doing so well, so I put him away and got Queenie ready for reining. LOL. This was the first time I have loped her since we parted ways the other day. We did fine. She loped calmly in both directions. My plan was to just get her out there for reining and keep her calm. It was pattern number 1, so we loped down to the far end. She went a reasonable speed, However, to lope back to the gate we came in was a different story - barrel horse! She won't circle or spin to the left. End of story. I had to stop and just calm her down. We started the left circle at the trot on purpose. She wouldn't finish the circle. What's with the left side business? I guess I will have to teach her to go left. We finally got the lope going again and may have changed leads. I only tried for one circle each way and went around and did my stop. I gestured "Ta-da" to "demonstrate completion of the pattern." The announcer was laughing when she announced the next number. I went by and saw her later, she's the club president, also. She said the lady judge thoroughly enjoyed my "free style reining" and said now she had seen it all. LOL. It was good to put another arena ride on Queenie and good for me to go through it all with her. She is really a sweet horse, just confused at times and apparently very stiff to the left.

Matt and I had the best. day. ever. in timed events. First we ran a great quad pattern, I almost cued him too soon for the first pole, but other than that it was perfect. I LOVE my new saddle. I have to remember to not touch the reins until I'm ready to turn the first pole as he takes an movement as his cue to turn. I have to trust him to slow down enough and to make the turn. The new saddle is so comfortable and it feels like I've never really ridden before because it is so good. It fits Matt, great, too. On Queenie, it kicks up at the back, but on Matt it sets just right. Stake race went just as successfully. Wow, did he turn that far stake fast and close. Pole bending was not the greatest. It never is. He slowed too much, but picked back up his lope weaving the poles, but we knocked over the end pole. Coming back he broke stride again, but ran home fairly well. It was good for us, as we only knocked down one pole. Novice barrels – we got 22.5 seconds! A record for us. He really slowed down after the first barrel and it took me a seeming eternity to get up the tail of the reins and spank him. I forgot the gaming reins so I had my split reins, which was handy for spanking with. I was full on turning and spanking going from barrel 2 to barrel 3. This is a far cry from hanging onto the horn with both hands a few weeks back. LOL. I wish I had a pic of my face turning barrel 3. I was shocked how fast and close to the barrel we were. I've got to stop looking at the barrel!

For barrels in my age group my luck did not hold. I remembered not to cue in any way and we came around barrel 1 well, but we hit barrel 2 and knocked it over. It was a real metal one and I had forgotten my shin guards so, "Ouch." I knew we were screwed, so I didn't really push it the rest of the way. We still turned barrel 3 pretty sharp. What a guy. I limped to the truck and put ice on my leg. I discovered some delicious cold fried chicken in the ice chest which I had packed and had a thigh and an ice cold diet coke while I iced my leg. I felt fine after that. Unsaddled and washed Matty and started packing up.

We had camped in an aisle as the arena owners weren't there to enforce stall purchase. Our club is small enough that there was plenty of room for every one to tie up in the aisles. I had my new saddle stand, folding chairs and even my box fan in the aisle.

E had some good rides on Queenie as well, loping and looking pretty. She will come along, although I watched and Queen Trick Taker will not turn left very well with E, either. And when Queen does not want to do something she "skitters" to the right. She doesn't take well to harsh correction, either. You have to calm down and show her what you want, I guess. She learns really fast, so I will make her walk circles to the left, getting smaller and smaller and working on flexibility. She trotted over poles pretty well at home the other day, so I have faith she will make a trail class horse and all-around solid citizen in the not too distant future.

I got compliments on the black saddle on Matty. I'm going to keep going with the black tack motif for him. Maybe with royal blue trim where trim is needed like on the blanket.

Showing - Why?

Johnny Rotten's blog today http://mrrottensneighborhood.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-not-good-horse-show-unless-you-have.html ) got me thinking about why I show and what my goals are. I'm just a beginner at showing, but I always wanted to as a child. I used to take lessons at this English barn and we went to watch a show that a girl I knew from the barn was in. She looked so grown up in her coat and black helmet and carefully coiffed bun, that I have never forgotten it. To be all fixed up and have everyone watch you ride seemed like the greatest thing in the world to me. And I was kind of shy about everything else. I never did get to show when I was a kid. In later years I took a lot of lessons, but never at a showing barn. Once my kid came along and started riding, I had to scrounge around to find out about showing around here. I went up to people with horse trailers and asked them where they were going. Then, follow them to shows and find out who was giving lessons.

We are ensconced now, among the Western gaming set, with a little judged events ("front end") thrown in. It feels good to have a horse community to socialize with at shows. As for competition, I compete against my own personal best. I missed a lot of years that these people were riding, so I have to pay my dues. My daughter got a late start really, only starting to show at age 10; that's late by Western standards around here.

Mainly, having shows to work towards gives me motivation to get out there and ride. When I was a kid and had my own horse, I rode around the pasture (30 acres), but wasn't' allowed on the road or anywhere else. It got boring and I lost interest. I find showing gives me something to work towards. I have to keep Matty in shape so he can run barrels; I will have to work on steering on the mare, as she is still green; I have to get Dude back in shape and riding because Matt needs to retire. Otherwise, its too easy to just look out the window and think, its too hot, or its too cold and skip riding for days until they turn into weeks.

As I said, I compete against my own personal best. This weekend, I ran a perfect pattern with Matt on barrels and finally broke 24 seconds. This resulted in a 4th place when there was actual competition. (I got a 2nd in novice barrels out of 3 people; not as much pride in that one, but good, nonetheless.) I am getting used to his going fast. I am starting to feel we are "in sync." It no longer feels like I am just along for the ride - holding on for dear life. When we rounded barrel 3 and he came out at a fast pace I was way behind the motion. I felt him start to slow down for me and I got up out of the saddle (2-point) and said, "Don't wait for me! GO Go Go!" And he went! I don't know if I'll ever get any real speed out of the old man (Matt), but he is teaching me so much poise and confidence that he is going to be worth every day of his long overdue retirement.

Finally Went to Another Show

Yesterday, we took both horses to a show at the same time, for the first time, thanks to the new truck!! We had a little trouble loading including giving up on Dude, but then giving it one more try with the rope trick which succeeeded. Dude reared up and acted like a total ass, but I just looked at him and said, "I'm not scared of you so quit it." And he did! He got in like a little lamb, the bluffer!! The reason I gave it one more try was that Dude didn't run away, but rather, kept hanging around the trailer as if to say, "I want to get in, but I don't know how." We had the divider in for the first time, so both horses were confused by it. It turns out the divider will be no good, as Dude broke it on the way home. )*&%^!!

The trip up was good. I felt pretty secure driving the new rig, but couldn't get about 50 mph (it wasn't the interstate, anyway). It was a beautiful afternoon and E and I both felt happy and free. On the road with our boys; what could be better? The show was at a "new" arena, one our club is having to use because of hurricane damage to the regular arena. It had a nice sand warm-up area which everyone enjoyed. There were cows pastured nearby which cuaght Dude's attention. I swear he's a cow horse of some kind. Dude was exceedingly difficult to saddle. He kept almost mashing me up against the trailer, but he would stop just short of actually smushing me. He dumped off the saddle about 15 times before I could get the girth done. Once I got the girth tight enough for the saddle to stay on, he acutally bucked and kicked! Luckily, I was out of range of the kick (around the back side of the trailer!). As I said to E, I can't beleive I actually got on him and rode after all of that, but with Matt right there, I felt like Dude would behave. He went with Matt to the warm-up area and behaved pretty well. Once, he tried to kick Matt, though when Matt was right behind him. I don't think the magnesium supplement is helping since he's never acted this way with Matt. But, I've never taken him to a show with Matt before, either.

We were late, so, I signed up for only 2 exhibitions, poles and barrels. Riding exhibition was the best choice I have made! I was pretty relaxed and didn't put much pressure on him. I must have been kind of nervous, though because I was halfway through winding between the poles at a trot when I remembered to use my legs to steer! He only paused once and not very badly, he mostly trotted a nice jog that I could sit. He and I both like that, I think.

When we did barrels, it had started to get dark and the lights were on, but he didn't startle at his shadow. He trotted smoothly around all three barrels and when we were heading home, he actually loped the nicest little lope! It was so much fun! Then, I unsaddled him and rubbed him down with the microfiber towel I got (its great). It was too chilly for hosing. He happily stayed tied, munching hay until E and Matt were finished.

Matt was so cute in the arena race. On the way back to the gate, I saw him kick it into a higher gear. It was the cutest thing. E said she felt it and couldn't believe he was running that fast. She wasn't really going fast at all, by the standards of the others, but she is still gettign her confidence.

One chick in Junioers (age 14 to ?) fell and smacked her head on the ground in poles, so I reinterated my insistance on E wearing her helmet. Even in the sand arena, you could see that the girl was almost knocked out. She stood up, put her hand to her head and sat down dizzily. Later, she walked out, but may have gotten a concussion.

Loading to come home, Matt was good and Dude was bad. I had to use the rope on Dude, but it was dark as pitch inside the trailer even with the inside light on. Once he got in, he was fine. Mr. Ken came along as I was getting the rope trick ready and said something funny, like "There seems t be some kind of situation here." He helped me by jumping in to free the rope when it caught on the door latch. He's really quick for an old guy.

I was really tired driving home, so we stopped at Mickey D's for supper (9:30 p.m.). The horses slept, although Dude had broken the divider and was hogging most of the trailer. Came home, unloaded, put them in their pen and crashed.

It was a great night and I'm glad we went. I need to keep up riding more frequently before the Amite show and I need to start out earlier since loading is back to being a challenge.

I talked to Ms. Dee about training for Dude. She does training and said she would not only "get after" Dude, but would get after me as well. Hee hee -- we'll see after I have saved up $500.00 for amonth of training. I'd rather she do it than Jeff, since I know she won't be overly harsh with Dude. I don't know Jeff that well, so I'm not saying he would be rough, I guess its just that he's male.

Storeybook Farm Show

We're back from the Storeybook Farm show. First pic is from Walk/Trot Eq. Second is my daughter and my mother with the 2 seconds and 4 third place ribbons!, 3rd pic is Matty running out on a jump and 4th is right after he made the jump. I can't ever get a pic of her going over -- my camera is old and weird. That's the judge in the p/u truck with the crazy umbrella. Matt was good and did not freak out at the umbrella or at anything else on the show grounds. But he ran out on a bunch of the jumps. Little bastard. They still got a second in one of the jumping rounds. LOL. Yesterday he didn't run out at all. More shows are what he needs. It got really hot so we were glad we were finished and back home by noon. I want to look into getting E back in lessons. Her leg position got better as the day went along.

Oh, and I need to be awarded a ribbon for trailer backing!!! I backed out of an angled parking space, into a road with a big ditch on the other side pulled back into the driveway and turned all the way around while avoiding cars and a tied up TB. Fun!!!