With eight days of school left, you might think that I am spending my time finishing up assignments like 22+ page research papers and completing my short story for my fiction writing class. But you would be wrong.
I had to work a conference this weekend, but right after it on Sunday was an open show nearby in Bryan. I finished at my conference at 11, drove home, gathered my clothes/boots/accoutrements, hooked up my trailer, cleared it of wasps, and loaded up Sienna. That took longer than expected, mostly because I couldn't quite remember everything I needed since it has been 2 years since I've shown, and certainly not because it took me 10 minutes to psyche myself up enough to go wasp hunting. So, we arrived about 15 minutes before the show started.
My first class, a halter class, was Class 3 (Senior Mares), but they decided to combine it with Junior Mares, Class 2, because there was only one junior mare entered. So I literally arrived, checked in, brushed my horse, threw on my clothes in the back of my trailer, and ran for the arena, where I realized that I had left my number in my truck. I ran back to my truck, Sienna in tow, got my number, then realized I didn't have anything to pin it to my shirt. So then we ran to the show office where fortunately someone was coming out (so I didn't have to awkwardly stand half in and half out with Sienna attached to me), and I begged them for some safety pins--then begged them to pin my number to me. Finally, we ran to the arena and made it just in time.
For having just been unloaded in an unfamiliar place with lots of unfamiliar horses, Sienna was incredibly quiet, as usual. There were two judges at this show, each ranking the class according to how they saw it, so we got 3rd and 4th in halter. Sienna isn't a halter horse, but I wanted her to get into the arena before showmanship. Mission accomplished.
Showmanship was next, and I barely had time to look at the pattern. I spent the time before my turn fretting, "Do we walk or trot to the judge? That girl is trotting, but I thought the pattern said walk?" But fortunately the person next to me asked someone on the rail that very question, and my problem was solved. Sienna was awesome. She nailed her transitions, backed beautifully, pivoted wonderfully in spite of me not quite setting her up correctly to do so, and setup for the judge. I was awesome, too, and I say that as humbly as possible. I usually forget steps in my showmanship patterns, alas. But fortunately, even though I started to make a mistake a couple of times, I remembered right before executing it what I was supposed to do. And guess what?? We got first place under both judges! I was elated; we have been working on showmanship for so long, and it was exciting to have our efforts finally recognized.
Then came the western classes. Like the halter class, I didn't care how we placed in these, as long as Sienna behaved. One of the judges walked around the lineup and gave us feedback, which was really cool. She told me that Sienna was too quick, which was obvious as we practically galloped around the other horses (lol), but she was a pretty mover. I don't think she'll ever make a western pleasure horse, but in time maybe I can get her to slow down and relax a little. In the Western Pleasure 19 & Over class, we got 4th under both judges out of maybe 6 horses, and in the Senior Western Pleasure class we got 6th under one judge and didn't place under the other. Aside from charging around the arena, Sienna listened and cantered off immediately and correctly on both leads, so I was happy.
Finally we came to the hunter under saddle class, which I was really looking forward to because I knew we would be more competitive in it. It was the second to last class, which was unfortunate because Sienna and I were both super worn out by that point. But, she was a trooper, and she put her all into it anyway. The judge told us she was still too fast and she was, at times, rounding out too much in my attempts to speed check her, which she does at home, too. So at least she's consistent? I went to pick up my awards afterward and to check out, and I was shocked when I found out that we had been placed first under one judge and second under the other! So much so that I asked the clerk, "Are you sure?" when I found out.
So it was a great day for Sienna. We placed well in the classes I cared about, and she behaved very well otherwise. I know what I need to work on for future shows, and I hope to start doing pattern classes in the next couple of months. I scratched horsemanship, equitation, and trail this time around because we haven't really worked on anything other than rail work recently, and I didn't want us to have a blowup in the class from me pushing her too hard. I'm not sure either of us would have survived the heat, had I added those three classes on top of our other five. But I'm just happy I got to get out and show again!
Oh, and my friend Jessica came along for the riding classes and got some video and photos of us--she said the people sitting next to her during my English class really liked us. At one point as I went around, one of them said, "See that girl in the green? That's what it's supposed to look like." If nothing else that day had gone right, that would have made me feel awesome anyway--it has been a while since I worked with my old trainer, Connie, and I've been feeling pretty down on myself lately and like I don't know what I'm doing. It's nice to know that, in spite of not working with anyone or taking lessons, I can still be pretty decent at what I do!
I had to work a conference this weekend, but right after it on Sunday was an open show nearby in Bryan. I finished at my conference at 11, drove home, gathered my clothes/boots/accoutrements, hooked up my trailer, cleared it of wasps, and loaded up Sienna. That took longer than expected, mostly because I couldn't quite remember everything I needed since it has been 2 years since I've shown, and certainly not because it took me 10 minutes to psyche myself up enough to go wasp hunting. So, we arrived about 15 minutes before the show started.
My first class, a halter class, was Class 3 (Senior Mares), but they decided to combine it with Junior Mares, Class 2, because there was only one junior mare entered. So I literally arrived, checked in, brushed my horse, threw on my clothes in the back of my trailer, and ran for the arena, where I realized that I had left my number in my truck. I ran back to my truck, Sienna in tow, got my number, then realized I didn't have anything to pin it to my shirt. So then we ran to the show office where fortunately someone was coming out (so I didn't have to awkwardly stand half in and half out with Sienna attached to me), and I begged them for some safety pins--then begged them to pin my number to me. Finally, we ran to the arena and made it just in time.
For having just been unloaded in an unfamiliar place with lots of unfamiliar horses, Sienna was incredibly quiet, as usual. There were two judges at this show, each ranking the class according to how they saw it, so we got 3rd and 4th in halter. Sienna isn't a halter horse, but I wanted her to get into the arena before showmanship. Mission accomplished.
 |
| Sienna was SO impressed. |
Showmanship was next, and I barely had time to look at the pattern. I spent the time before my turn fretting, "Do we walk or trot to the judge? That girl is trotting, but I thought the pattern said walk?" But fortunately the person next to me asked someone on the rail that very question, and my problem was solved. Sienna was awesome. She nailed her transitions, backed beautifully, pivoted wonderfully in spite of me not quite setting her up correctly to do so, and setup for the judge. I was awesome, too, and I say that as humbly as possible. I usually forget steps in my showmanship patterns, alas. But fortunately, even though I started to make a mistake a couple of times, I remembered right before executing it what I was supposed to do. And guess what?? We got first place under both judges! I was elated; we have been working on showmanship for so long, and it was exciting to have our efforts finally recognized.
Then came the western classes. Like the halter class, I didn't care how we placed in these, as long as Sienna behaved. One of the judges walked around the lineup and gave us feedback, which was really cool. She told me that Sienna was too quick, which was obvious as we practically galloped around the other horses (lol), but she was a pretty mover. I don't think she'll ever make a western pleasure horse, but in time maybe I can get her to slow down and relax a little. In the Western Pleasure 19 & Over class, we got 4th under both judges out of maybe 6 horses, and in the Senior Western Pleasure class we got 6th under one judge and didn't place under the other. Aside from charging around the arena, Sienna listened and cantered off immediately and correctly on both leads, so I was happy.
 |
| I was also MISERABLY hot. |
Finally we came to the hunter under saddle class, which I was really looking forward to because I knew we would be more competitive in it. It was the second to last class, which was unfortunate because Sienna and I were both super worn out by that point. But, she was a trooper, and she put her all into it anyway. The judge told us she was still too fast and she was, at times, rounding out too much in my attempts to speed check her, which she does at home, too. So at least she's consistent? I went to pick up my awards afterward and to check out, and I was shocked when I found out that we had been placed first under one judge and second under the other! So much so that I asked the clerk, "Are you sure?" when I found out.
 |
| Perk of not showing equitation? No hunt coat for me! |
So it was a great day for Sienna. We placed well in the classes I cared about, and she behaved very well otherwise. I know what I need to work on for future shows, and I hope to start doing pattern classes in the next couple of months. I scratched horsemanship, equitation, and trail this time around because we haven't really worked on anything other than rail work recently, and I didn't want us to have a blowup in the class from me pushing her too hard. I'm not sure either of us would have survived the heat, had I added those three classes on top of our other five. But I'm just happy I got to get out and show again!
Oh, and my friend Jessica came along for the riding classes and got some video and photos of us--she said the people sitting next to her during my English class really liked us. At one point as I went around, one of them said, "See that girl in the green? That's what it's supposed to look like." If nothing else that day had gone right, that would have made me feel awesome anyway--it has been a while since I worked with my old trainer, Connie, and I've been feeling pretty down on myself lately and like I don't know what I'm doing. It's nice to know that, in spite of not working with anyone or taking lessons, I can still be pretty decent at what I do!
