Stewarding

On Monday I was given a great opportunity to Steward for a local judge.  I got to dress up for the occasion in my new straw hat and my new blingy belt... yeah, I finally got one...a little girl in the restroom said "I like your cowgirl suit!" and spend the day with the judge at a local 4-H county fair western show. I first helped place the showmanship teams on the rail after their patterns were finished. After each class I took the placings to the announcer. I reset objects for the Mini-Horse in-hand trail and jumping, then for horsemanship I sat next to her and got great insight into what she was looking for in the patterns. For the pleasure classes I got to be the go-between and tell the announcer when the judge was ready to see the next gait, which was kinda funny towards the end of the day when the announcer ran out of steam and forgot to watch me. :)  I can't blame him, I was out of steam to! I almost went home with the walkie-talkie on my belt!  For trail we sat and I scribed for her.  It was a long day.  I don't know how she does this THREE DAYS IN A ROW with travel days in between as she had just gotten back to Ohio from Michigan following two 15-hour days of judging Pinto.  She's a wonder, and a wonderful judge and mentor.  It was a great day, but I never realized I could get just as exhausted doing that as I do actually showing!  Watching the 4-H kids brought me back to my own fair days and I just loved hearing the other shows going on at the same time in the beef barn, the dairy barn, and the swine barn.

I'm Making a Show Jacket!

I am making a show jacket for one of our fellow bloggers.  She can "out" herself in the comments if she chooses.  There will be a whole post about it when it's finished, but here is just a teaser of how it's coming together...

All Is Quiet

Just a few little things to report from the world of Junior.

- I've been doing the morning feeding at the barn twice a week to help with board payments and to get my lazy butt out of bed and moving around without excuses.

- My back is annoyed today by the horrible humid rainy muck that is central Ohio this week, but otherwise seems to be working it's way in the direction of "getting better", but I probably shouldn't say that out loud.

-It took a good two weeks after my fall to feel physically recovered from it, and I was more mentally shaken than I thought.  I cantered today for the first time today and was a bit nervous.  Wuss.

- I haven't gotten the neck stretcher out again yet, but riding with it is on the list for this week.

- The barn tried Junior in some lessons but he's not been the most cooperative so he's won the right not to be a lesson pony... again.

- So instead of lessons, I'm trying out half-leasing Junior to the sweetest couple I have ever met.  If it works out it has the potential to be the best possible situation.  They take a lesson each week and do two more rides per week, leaving me 4 days with him and lately that is plenty.  The nice couple had been leasing another horse but their owner moved the horse and they want to stay at this barn.  They really like him so far, are very smart, eager to learn, and promised not to let him try to be the boss.  ;)

- I am more concerned about his stifle(s) than I have been before.  I'm hoping he's just going through that phase between totally out of shape and back into shape and will, with steady work, turn back into the cadenced horse I know he can be.  My last two rides I felt it stick too often. We've been here before so hopefully it will get better as he gets stronger.  Plus he snuck some fatty past me and is suddenly on the chubby side which can't help.  We cut his grain back a bit, hopefully that'll catch up.

In other news, my house-rabbit continues to entertain me.  She's not proving to be a cuddler, which is disappointing but not unexpected.  She might change her mind in time.  But for now I'm satisfied with feeding her kale and banana chips when she comes over to say Hi.