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| Practicing Bridges |
Yesterday we played on all the bridges and the ditch that will become the water obstacle. He was SOOOOO good about everything. He's now mastered the teeter-totter bridge from BOTH directions.
PLANS:
Showing! We are hoping to attend several shows this summer.
We are taking a break from the ranch show series we've gone for the past two years. I liked those shows, but they're two hours away and the shows are getting so big they last forever into the night. Part of our decision not to show there this year is that the Ranch classes are getting so popular there are TWO series right in our back yard!
Circuit #1: brand new Ranch Horse 3-show series. Our first is May 26th and they're just 30 minutes north of Columbus. Our entire barn is going so it should be a lot of fun. There are no cattle classes at at these, which doesn't bother me at all, but there are some people complaining that "you can't call it ranch if you don't have cattle" and I want to point out that HUNTER shows don't have foxes.
There are 3 shows in the series and they're doing year-end high point awards for each division. So I'll show seven classes in the Amateur division:
Trail
Reining
Ranch Pleasure
Ranch Riding (pattern like AQHA)
Horsemanship
Conformation
Showmanship
There will also be a Freestyle Reining at the August show.... already thinking of ideas for that... and there are Jackpot classes for each of the riding classes so I may show some of those.
Circuit #2: Just 10 minutes from the barn. We're hoping to show up to five of those shows. They're under a new name and new management and they added more ranch type classes this year. It's your typical open show with classes in western and english that caters to the 4-H and amateur crowd, plus some trainers schooling prospects. The first time we showed there in the Ranch Pleasure there were only two of us. It's grown each show since!
At those we can show:
Halter (if I feel like it)
Adult Showmanship (mixed seat Adult and a $200 Open)
W/T Adult Ranch Pleasure (and a $200 Open W/T mixed seat class)
WTC Adult Ranch Pleasure (Adult and a $200 Open class)
Adult Ranch Riding
Open Reining
Open W/T Trail
So if your focus is on the ranch classes, do you clip for the showmanship/halter classes?
ReplyDeleteHi Allie! He had a body clip done in early April, and only because he sweats SO MUCH that I can't manage him without it. BUT I leave all the whiskers/inner ears I can, and I don't clip him again at all for shows, no ears, no legs, no bridle path. I think I may have cleaned up his coronet band before the September show since the fall hair had begun. One of the nice things about "ranch" is that they want a ranch horse. :) Of course I make sure the horse is clean, shiny, and well brushed. I also show in a subtle brown rope halter so the judge knows we are going for the ranch type.
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