Sunday, September 14

[gottawonder]

Today I am grateful for:

Managing to get up super early (for me) for the barn show. I pretty much just didn't sleep.

My Sweetie had people coming again today to work on the shed, so I was going to be at the show all day.

There was a lot of fog in the morning, enough that R was cautioning people who were hauling horses, and letting them know that it would be fine if they came later, when some of the fog dissipated.

I made the decision to use the bitless bridle today, not just the neck rope, as he seemed a bit...funny, for lack of a better description. I think it was the right choice. He was a little strong and forward today in places, and it would have been tough to do a good job of our classes with just the neck rope.

Overall, I was really proud of him. He behaved well, and was very relaxed between classes where we were just standing around waiting our turn. There was lots going on, lots of people milling around, lots of horses that he doesn't know well, the judge's table, people in lawn chairs, and so on. He did great with all of that.

We placed in nearly every class. We got first in the Western pattern and the English pattern (not even sure what made them especially one or the other, but there you go), placed Second in the "Champagne Class" where you get a glass of water and thus can only steer with one hand, and try not to spill it when you are required to trot, halt, change direction, etc. and fourth in the pole picking class (grab a pole from the hole in the pylon, and carry it over to a barrel, four poles in total, timed).

I was really pleased that for the most part, he was focused and steady (one hot moment after a jump, and a small spook in the Western pattern) and listening well to me.

There were a couple of the barn's lesson horses that were really acting up today, because two of them are former Saddle Seat show horses and they get pretty hot when they think they're in a show. I sometimes wonder if they really should be having students showing them, even if they are good lesson horses when they work on their own in a "not showing" setting.

I was really proud of the woman with health challenges, who was able to ride her horse in two classes at a walk, without R leading her. It's a big deal that she was able to do that.

I was also pretty happy for another rider who has an Icelandic Horse, who competed for the first time, and did really well. It's a challenge to make some of it work when her horse has different gaits.

Though it was a pretty long day with not a lot of sleep, it was fun, and the big thing is for everyone to get the experience of being in a show atmosphere but with not a lot of pressure, and the coaches were there to help if you needed it. It's good for the riders and the horses to learn how to focus when there's a lot going on, and to understand how shows work.

It's also an opportunity to see how the other riders are doing, and to see people that you otherwise wouldn't connect with, because you never ride on the same days.

River was pretty happy when we were all done, as was I.

I did stay and do a bunch of clean up and putting things away. I also took home some of the treats people brought for my Sweetie.

I came home, took treats out to my Sweetie and one of our friends who was still here. They made good progress today; the roof is on, and they were putting some of the tin siding on.

The paid guy was here today, and he was driving our old truck that we sold him last summer. It was funny to see it again. He says it's running well, so that's nice.

I sort of napped, but the cats were all messed up and thinking I should be feeding them. I didn't really sleep, but I rested.

It was odd to hear our old truck start up when the paid guy was leaving, it has a distinctive sound, and it felt funny to hear it again.

Then my Sweetie came in, we ate, and chatted. He's happy with the progress they made today.