Eating Carne Adovada Inside is Better than Riding in the Rainy Snow

5/1/2010. May ride 14. Linda came over to see how May was doing. We rode in the arena and she lunged well and picked up both leads really nicely. Under saddle she demonstrated her walk, stop, trot, sideways, walking on the bridge, clonking into the logs and sometimes clearing them. She also demonstrated how she would NOT approach the gate! Drat. So much for a show-off repeat! Hmmf. After 10 tries, we got there, opened the gate, went through, slowly, eased into postion and then she ....left. I dropped the rope. It did not take too long to go back into position and close the gate. Overall Linda was pleased! Yeah!



Tabooli.
Trailer loading went well and he is backing out better every day! On the way to round pen, we passed Risa, May and Cometa, all tied to trees. Penny had had her legs bathed (love her dun coat--can get away without bathing her whole self--a bennie when it is snowing intermittently) and was in the "show stall"--really the ONLY stall, with a door. Tabooli just had to talk to them. He got in trouble (snap! snap! with the lead rope on the rope halter--no chains needed) and then Cometa, just had to taunt him, even though he was tied up!

(Pony) ride 1. His ground work was good, so I stood in the stirrups (both sides) and he was quiet. So, I settled on. He got really tense, so I hopped off, which think upset him more than me up there. Repeat. Ok, that wasn't working to my satisfaction, so I got Jim to hold him . I  had seen Tabooli tense up and buck teh other day, and I although I usually stay on, I try hard not to cause bucking if I can avoid it. I was worried he was going to repeat that, so I took it out on Jim. Nice. I apologized and he accepted, or at least didn't quit me! (Thanks!) Jim started out leading me around and Tabooli felt very tight but he didn't spook or flinch at all.


Later, Jim walked and Tabooli followed. I was pretty much a passenger, but Tabooli was comfortable. We also worked on bending his head. Then I had Jim walk toward Tabooli's butt while I bent his head. Tabooli, responding to Jim, disengaged his hind end. Tricky of me!

2 May 2010.  Buckskin show.
No Halter. I decided not to show in halter as Penny, although very balanced, does not have sufficient body mass to be competitive, plus I don't find it fun.  So, we left here at 7 am (So civilized. Much nicer than 5:30 am) and got to Bosque Farms at 8 am.  I figured we'd have plenty of time to la de da, get saddled, sign up , warm up, ride Risa for a bit and generally mosey along.  Not!  The judges were not messing around.  They were moving the horses in and moving them out!  Halter was done by 9!

Jim lunged Risa (little Miss Firecracker) and I lunged Penny who wasn't going to go at all until I flicked her with the end of the whip and she went in three directions at once.  Bit of an over reaction I thought! Kept her lunging until she could do trot to canter transitions with out bucking.  Maybe 10 minutes.  Maybe shorter.... Risa kept going and going for a good 20+ minutes.

Only little bucking under saddle in the warm up in the arena, and then Penny settled down. I rode her in first in hunter under saddle walk-trot, and since we had to enter at the trot (which I knew), this was a mistake (which I also suspected it would be) because she didn't quite have her rythm (is that  spelled right or is it rthym?)  as we entered.  This could not have made the best impression on the judge.  She got better and was in the upper third of the class. In all breed walk, trot, canter, she was the only entry and performed well.  In buckskin jr horse hunter under saddle, she was steady and I was very pleased although she did trip once. Jim watched and said all three entries performed really well and he thought any one of the three could get top honors.

Risa provided some rodeo entertainment! Little Miss Firecracker is not as laid back as her mate Penny.  She had a hard time settling down when I rode her during the lunch break.  Probably should have lunged her again in the big arena.... She spooked hard at some dangerous monster and bucked and spun for quite a distance.   I bent her left and took a  good grip on the horn. I'm not proud.  I was hoping to be able to lope big circles, but settled for trotting. She is tremendous athlete, but I sure don't enjoy that skittishness!

Rain.  Lots of Rain. By the time we got to all breed walk trot western pleasure, it was raining and blowing.  Some people were showing in slickers.  (Glad I wasn't on Risa!) Penny had some excellent movement with a level and not droopy head and neck (worked on bringing her head up a little this week after seeing last weeks photos).  She felt slow footed and long strided under the crows nest...but on the other side of the arena in front of the other judge, the rain was pelting her in the head and she put it up, down and all around.  See my chin?  I don't wanna win! Result 5th out of 10? ( was happy to hear our name!)  and WOW!! First!  (we know which judge placed her each way!).  We scratched her remaining western pleasure classes and then the show as a whole was called.

Had that carne adovado burrito when we got home!