Two More Ranch Shows!

Last Sunday I took Huck to a Ranch Schooling show, and this Saturday was our August club show.

I just love that the Ranch type events are increasing in my area.  I know I've said this before, but I really found a home in the ranch riding world.  No, I'm not really interested in running a cow down a fence, but I love the ground-covering and finessed world of the Ranch Horse.  I love the variety of classes between rail, patterns, trail, and a little cow work, but I don't have to change clothes/tack for each one like I did in the pleasure all-around world.

The schooling show on the 31st was about an hour's drive and at a place we'd never been to before.  The place does a lot of barrel racing events, but are looking at doing more ranch type shows.  It was a nice indoor venue, with a lot more room than I envisioned.  Footing wasn't ideal; really packed down rail along the rail and REALLY deep middle.  BUT one of the things I like about the ranch horse is that they can't be arena babies and only be able to work on smooth, even ground.  They have to have enough self carriage to cover all types of ground.

B and Ledger showed in the Open division, and Huck and I entered the Amateur division in Conformation, Showmanship, Ranch Pleasure (rail), Ranch Riding (pattern), and Horsemanship (pattern).  I think there were around 7 in the halter classes and around 11 in the riding classes.

We both won our Conformation classes!

1st in Conformation
2nd in Showmanship - Huck's first time!
6th in Ranch Pleasure
3rd in Ranch Riding
2nd in Horsemanship

I was very happy with him considering where we are post injections. We've been doing a ton of walk/trot and extended trot so all of that was great.  Our lope work felt a bit out of control, or at least it felt rough.  I sadly didn't get video so I don't feel like I know how it really went.  I was surprised we placed at all in the Riding and Horsemanship patterns, but since it was a schooling show, lots of riders had problems, too, and several of them chose to go 2-handed to school so they weren't placed.

I was especially proud of the Showmanship class.  As far as I could tell, he'd never been asked to set up or pivot or trot with a handler before I got him. He did really well and set up really quickly. Our two flaws were that he trotted off with his hip out and backed crooked.

This past weekend was our August Ranch Horse Show.  Huck's been holding steady since the schooling show so I was trying to stay positive and not let my anxiety about all the "what if's".  Will he get sore?  Am I doing to much?  I've been working mostly in walk/trot but we've been loping more and trying a few stops and lead changes.

We hauled in on Friday and I decided to school in the arena when it was warmer because there were fewer people than would be later when it was cooler.  He.  Was. So.  Good.  Very unlike the May show when I felt like every time we loped he was trying to do a rundown.  He was a little concerned about the tarps and cows, but didn't do anything big, just some twitches.

Friday night it poured down rain so Saturday started with a VERY wet arena.  They'd added new footing since the last show and now every hoof print was full of water.  I took Huck in to school during the cutting class just so I would know what he'd think of the arena.  When I took Junior to this show in 2013 we had wet footing and that arena baby just couldn't deal.  Huck was a trooper.  He didn't seem to mind the splashing at all.

My first class was Walk/Trot Ranch Riding.  It's really Ranch Pleasure 'cause it's just rail work, but since American Ranch Horse Association (ARHA) is still calling it Ranch Riding we do too.  I opted for the Walk/Trot since we've been doing mostly that for a while.  There were 17 in the class.  Huck worked really well.  His transitions were smooth and he help a nice frame.  We were faster than a lot of other horses so I stuck a bit to the inside.  His extended trot felt awesome.  When they called the placings (we place to 10) and got to 4th place I thought I hadn't placed, but I was still happy with the ride, so it was okay.  We ended up getting called for 1st place!

Notice the splashiness of the footing?

Reining was next.  I was trying so hard not to be nervous, but our last reining run was such a disaster.  Our lope circles were poorly cadenced, partially because of the footing, and partially because we are still working on loping more in our schooling rides.  But we got our two lead changes, three stops, two roll-backs, and our back-up and our single spins. (Ranch does fewer spins than usual in reining).  He stayed with me and didn't rush around or try to decide what we were doing, and best of all, he didn't flip out like the May show!  It was a huge change from our run in May so I was thrilled.  I couldn't believe we ended up with 2nd place with a 71.5! There are so many things we still have to work on, but I finally feel like we're somewhat on the right track to get there... probably shouldn't say that out loud...




Next class was the Green Boxing.  We hadn't been on a cow or even the practice flag since May.  I did stand in the line during the cutting for a bit so I could watch some friends do their runs and so Huck could watch the cows a bit and remember what they were.  Some of the cows were just so dead and some were total runners.  I ended up with a great little bald-face and Huck worked really well, especially for not having done so much as work a flag since May!  We ended up winning the class with a 74!  We even beat the people from the big cowhorse barn!  I'm sure there's a million things wrong with my ride, but for our 2nd time out I'm really happy with him.  He's very "cowy". ;)




Last class was Conformation at about 11:30pm.  We won!  I could not believe we won THREE classes and were 2nd in our fourth class!

Recap for those of you who are scrolling:
1st Ranch Riding Walk/Trot
2nd Green Reiner
1st Green Boxing
1st Conformation

Now the bad stuff, 'cause with this horse there seems to always be a bit of bad with the good.  Three times on Friday while I had Huck tied to the trailer, he jumped backwards.  He's jumpy anyway so I didn't think too much of it. He didn't pull away or freak out, just jumped back like he got stung or something. I check over everything but I didn't see anything that looked sharp or weird. But on Saturday, one of our friends was leaning on the trailer and realized he was getting an electrical shock from the fender!  We're still not sure what was causing it, but the trailer was hooked up to the RV which was plugged in to the RV elec. hookups, so there might be a faulty ground wire somewhere.    I accidentally let him get shocked one more time (though you think he'd stop touching it after the second time) while I was tacking up for my boxing class so we stopped tying to the trailer after that.  It's nice to be able to keep all of our tack in the trailer and tie there to tack-up rather than hauling all the tack into the barn. The door to the barn is just behind the trailer and our usual stalls are right there by the door.

Before we realized there was an issue... he stood quietly like a pro. :)

So Sunday morning he refused to load.  He's not been a good loader yet, so we'd spent the week before the schooling show going in and out of the trailer multiple times every day. Ledger was already in the trailer but Huck would NOT go in and got more and more agitated about going near the trailer.  I tried all the same quiet methods we'd worked on but he got more and more upset and eventually started kicking out.  I took him into the arena to lunge him and he was bucking and kicking on the line.  I made him work until he was asking to stop.  I didn't sweat him all up, but just got the edge off so he stopped offering to buck when I asked for the lope.  We ended up having to get two guys with a rope behind him to help encourage him and he finally jumped in and then was fine.  I HATE when that happens with a bunch of people watching.  Guess we'll be doing a lot more trailer loading  practice before the September show!

There Was a Horse Show.

I think I'm too old for this.  I seem to say that after every horse show, and then manage to forget about it as I get excited for the next show.  Horse shows are exhausting.  They are fun... still... I think... but mostly exhausting.  I'm starting to wonder how much longer I'll want to do it.  Definitely still planning on at least one more show this year.

Anyway so yeah, there was a horse show.  We showed.  We survived.

Overall it was a good show.  Not our best show, but it was good. I managed to remember all my patterns!  I'm very pleased with our placings considering the rough day and how unprepared I was coming right off of the busiest part of my work year. I apologize for failing to actually write down the number of people in each class and even writing which ribbon was for which class. I'm usually really good at that. I had four 2nds, a 3rd and a 4th.  We did get High Point Adult so we're well positioned to be in the running for the Circuit High Point Adult at the June show.

The Day:
I arrived at the show grounds before 7am. I claimed the only open stall in the barn, moved my stuff in, signed up for my classes, then received a stream of apologetic and frantic texts about how BODH (Barn Owner's Dear Husband) was responsible for a dead truck battery and AAA would be there in 30 minutes.  Show started at 8am.  I was in class 6. Allright, things could be worse...

So I prepped everything I could prep sans horse, chatted with some old friends and sat down to memorize my 4 patterns.  As time ticked by I wondered if I might miss one or two of my English classes.  I thought, oh well, it's only $5 per class and at least I can show the western classes.... FRAK.... I forgot my western hat.  I could see it in my mind's eye on the shelf in the closet, just as it looked on Friday when I saw it and thought "yup, I need to grab that" ... but didn't.

At 9:45am the trailer arrived, we were still only on class 3, and the BO brought me 2 hats to try.  We moved in (all my tack was in the trailer) got a tail attached, got dressed, and got to the arena in PLENTY of time for my first class:

Open English Halter, in which we did not place out of about 12. Junior was very vocal during the class but he stayed put really well.

Adult Hunter Showmanship was pretty good.  We got second out of about 5?  The winner was a guy who has won the class all but once against me.  I only beat him one year he had a super-greenie in the ring who was not having it.  Junior was good and it was a pattern I've done several times.

Adult Hunter Under Saddle went well.  I think I got 2nd? Maybe 3rd out of 6?  I was able to warm up outside for a good while, thankfully those youth classes are LARGE.  They were having classes with 2, 3, or 4 splits of 12-16 each.

Open Walk-Trot Hunter Under Saddle was huge.  There were 40 in the class so we had 3 splits.  We made it to the final round but did not place.

Adult Equitation was kind of a hot mess.  The pattern seemed fairly straight forward and I thought we did fair. We were 2nd? of 3?.

We had a decent break before my western showmanship class, but I didn't have the energy to go ride and wearing him down sometimes makes him angry instead of relaxed.  So we rested, but Junior did not pee so I knew the afternoon would be a ticking time bomb of naughty-horse.

Adult Western Showmanship was pretty good.  I think 3 in the class and I was 2nd. There was an "N" shape and I turned the inside turn too tight, plus I was insufferably tired by this point and there was a brief moment I completely forgot how to quarter.

Adult Western Pleasure was funny.  There were actually some really nice moments where I was getting a great little jog and even a decent loose-rein lope but we were DREADFULLY inconsistent.  Thankfully there were worse train wrecks than us and I think we got 4th?  out of 7?

Open Walk-Trot Pleasure was good but we didn't place in a class of I think 20.

Adult Horsemanship started bad and ended worse.  I stayed in the ring after walk/trot and Junior wasn't enjoying the mass exodus of the herd so we were already arguing before the class even started.  There were only two of us and the other girl was on a somewhat unfamiliar horse and she didn't seem confident about the pattern so I volunteered to go first. The pattern seemed to be going as well as could be expected until the "halt" quickly escalated into a sidepass-to-turn-on-the-forehand-to-halt. Apparently there are no extra points awarded for creativity and we were DFL. Oh well.  I was just glad it was over with. Honestly, I was ready to drop and I still had to load everything up and get back to the barn to take out braids and then back to my house.

I got home at 9:30 and went straight to bed.  I didn't unload the car until Tuesday and I haven't been out to the barn since Sunday.  All my show stuff is still in a pile in the spare room and my back seat has a pile that goes back to the barn.

Sadly NONE of my show clothes sold at the tack swap, so at least I had something to wear for Showmanship.  :)  I obeyed the unanimous vote and wore the black shirt outfit for the riding classes.  I'm still hoping to get my 2 new pieces done for the June show, as well as trying out my new Hobby Horse EZ Rider show pants which I was too lazy to hem before this show!  

Pivot Divots

Sometimes all the stars align.  Or more specifically, sometimes a horse is alert and engaged and totally in tune with a handler and the handler has total control over every inch of a horse's body, maneuvering the horse effortlessly though a series of choreographed movements....

Perhaps someday that will actually happen to us, right?  Ha!

In the mean time, I like to celebrate the small victories of our showmanship practice....

Like when that right hind augers itself a hole and my own footpath (mostly) resembles a circle, all while we both remain relaxed and confident.  These two photos were not from the same day, the full circle is from a few months ago when I was giddy-as-a-schoolgirl to find a freshly dragged (drug?) arena. The closeup is from this week.... and it wouldn't be a picture of Junior if there wasn't some hair missing...  

Diagonals, Legs, and Comparison

Thanks for all the compliments on our last show!  I'm still kinda on cloud 9 about it myself.  Junior got to have Monday and Tuesday to himself.  Yesterday all he had to do was walk out to the grass and stay within a lead-rope's radius of me while I enjoyed the sunlight in a lawn chair.  Rough.  I'm trying to take it easy this week.  The show was rough on my back and I just want to give it a chance to rest.

Back to DIAGONALS.  I do know my diagonals when I'm going in a circle, and I am even starting to be able to pick up the correct one without looking down. Skilz.

What I was confused about was the terminology.  The pattern was that weird X/half-circle shape and it said "Left Diagonal" and then "Left Lead" even though it was tracking right.  I knew what Left Lead meant, but wasn't sure if Left Diagonal meant "the proper diagonal for tracking left" or "posting with the left front leg".  I assumed it was the proper for tracking left and stuck with that, but none of my team were sure, and the other riders did it the opposite; posted when the left front rose as if tracking to the right.  Even KAT told me I did it wrong!

HOWEVER.  I emailed the judge and she confirmed that I did it correctly.  So, I was right that "Left Diagonal" assumes the same direction as "Left Lead."   I WAS right.  :) WIN!  I'm so glad I went with my gut!

LEGS: I started looking back to other videos and it looks like my legs have been uneven for a while.  When I was in HS I wore a small lift in one of my shoes but I can't remember which one and I've had back issues on and off for ever, so I'm not sure I can totally blame that.  When I did THIS video in April I noticed my left leg looked different.  After confirming they were the same length, I swapped the stirrup leathers so it can't be that, or the opposite leg would be wonky.  Maybe it's time to have my movement coach colleague come out and assess. I had been feeling like I had to push harder in that stirrup to get him straight this spring.


COMPARISON: For your amusement (and by YOUR I mean MY) I've made a little comparison video of our very first show and our most recent show.  Same location and same judge.  I think there's been a bit of improvement in 3 years...

Show Details

What a great day!  This was by far our best outing yet.  I remembered all three of our patterns and I was really confident about them.   I don't know what happened, but I think someone stole my pony and replaced him with a clone that lacks Junior's ability to be a total prick when he gets annoyed about something.  It was like it finally clicked:  "Okay, I get cleaned up, go someplace, get messed with, ride around under my best behavior, get to eat hay ALL day, and then go home?  Yeah, I got this."

Example #1: He was cooperative during his bath.  HE LET ME HOSE HIS FORELOCK.  He didn't jump all over the place every time I turned the hose on.  He did step on the hose a few times, but he moved when I told him OFF.  Normally he tries continuously to get away from the water.

Example #2: He let me clip the INSIDE of his ears.  I did shove my sheepskin earplugs in first, but still, I've never been able to do it before.  AND he practically fell asleep when he was being braided.

Example #3: He loaded like a champ into a strange trailer with only minimal snorting.

Example #4: He didn't whinny AT ALL at the show... at least that I witnessed.  Not even once from the time he went on the trailer, to the time we unloaded back at home.

Example #5: He stood like a statue and let me polish his hooves and spray paint his legs and only moved a leg once.  Then stood on the concrete to dry with my BF while I changed clothes.  He didn't even try to move towards the grass.

Example #6: He was a ROCKSTAR in the show ring!!!!

AND we won Adult Hight Point!!!  I didn't find out until this morning when I found a voicemail from the show staff.  A check's in the mail!  :)

English Halter: 5th out of 14.  We'd NEVER done a halter class but I figured heck, why not.  Maybe he'll get his jitters out during that and be okay for showmanship.  He was great.  Moved around a bit in the line-up, but he did as he was told.  There didn't seem to be any jitters to get out.

Adult Hunter Showmanship: 1st out of 4.  He was a tiny bit crooked and took too long at the set up, but he nailed the pattern.

Adult Hunter Under Saddle: 4th out of 8.  There were definitely three nice horses above me so I have no complaints about the white ribbon.  He was VERY good.  There were 2 or 3 horses in that class that were a bit terrifying.  I know it's a small open show, people, but have some humility and leave the fugly-crazies at home.... sorry that was mean, but really.  Taking a horse that's learning is fine, taking a horse that looks so out of control you make the other riders/horses nervous is just rude.  Take it from the girl who once did THIS.  But look at how far away I kept from ALL the other horses.

We had a long break between classes so I untacked him, hoping he'd pee.  He was dropped but he really doesn't like to pee at a show.  By the time I had to tack him up again he was pissy and didn't want me to tighten the girth, but he only warned me with head swinging and stopped when I smacked him.  I didn't need to tie him or anything.  By the time we got outside and mounted up he seemed cheerful again.

Open Hunter Under Saddle Walk/Trot: Top 12 of 30+.  This was a HUGE class with 3 splits.  I don't usually do this class because it's huge.  I entered assuming I wouldn't place, there are too many nice horses in the youth divisions (nearly all the youth classes had to have splits) and pretty much everyone who does any of the English classes does this WT class.  We were in the 2nd split and got called back for the finals.  I have no issues with his performance.  They only placed to 5 so I'm not sure if we were 6 or 12.  It was a true  Open class with little kids, adults, QH's, hunters, a couple of Arabs, ponies, you name it, and the 5 places went to not only the QH's!

Adult English Equitation: 1st out of 4.  I was on the wrong diagonal - apparently I don't understand what right and left diagonals mean, but the other 3 messed the pattern up worse.  I was really pleased with the pattern and think we look pretty clean, or at least cleaner than we ever have.  He absolutely despises the counter canter so I was surprised he kept it as long as he did.  Just wish he would switch cleanly if he insists on doing a flying change.

Just after Equitation.

Adult Western Showmanship: 1st out of 5.  He had finally peed by this time so he was in a much better mood.  I gave him a touch-up grooming, and since it was our last class went over his whole body with Vetrolin Shine and a goat-hair brush.  I cleaned his legs again but didn't re-polish his hooves.  He was great in the pattern. I walked confidently out to start the class.  I was sure I wouldn't win because there was a guy who has beaten me before when he had a different horse.  Thankfully this horse was in training and did NOT want to back in a U shape.  He was very chatty in the line up like he was last time.

Junior gets to eat Victory Grass in his fancy halter.

SO.  What's next?

A: Learning what Right and Left Diagonals mean. And yes, I'm embarrassed that I don't know.
B: Working on keeping a relaxed and balanced frame during downward transitions.
C: Are my legs too far back?  I don't seem to have a very nice ankle angle.  I never have.  I blame learning to walk on my toes.  I've never had good stretch in that joint.  But they look funny.  Do they look funny?
D: Taking a little time off to recover.  My back was unhappy the night before and all day during the show.  Today it's not so bad, and hopefully tomorrow won't take a turn for the worse.

Show Day!

Here's a teaser about the show we went to today.  This time ALL of the ribbons were from classes of more than 1 rider!

I'll post more when I get unpacked and find where I put all my energy....

Video Horse Show Scoresheet & How Infuriating My Horse Can Be

I got my scoresheet back for the Fuzzy Fun on Film Horse Show.  I was 2nd out of 3 in the Adult Showmanship class.  Here's what the judge had to say:

"Nice first impression - good pace transitions - nice 270.  Back average: more body/less hand - slow set up.  Line drifted in back to set up. Pos - inspection." Score: 16.5  The winner had a 17.

She also mentioned I need more consistent 45 degree angles during inspection and commented that it was the slow set up that really kept me behind the winner.  I'm not sure how to fix that.  On Thursday he absolutely refused to set up.  He knows the cue, sometimes he does it on auto-pilot and sometimes he's infuriatingly stubborn about it.  In fact I starting writing an angry blog post about how he was completely ignoring the halter pressure cues and there was nothing I could do. He just planted his feet wherever he wanted and refused to move his feet.  I tried making him back up and go forward again but he kept refusing to set up square. I tried chasing him in a circle to remind him who's boss, but he just wouldn't do the set up. The dressage whip in my hand was a dangerous item considering my temper, but thankfully there were lots of kids in the arena so I was able to keep my head.  Then of course I felt guilty and deleted the post.  Once I was hom and calmer (thank you, Pinot Grigio) I thought about it more rationally and remembered he did seem back sore when I tried to ride him, he felt all crooked and I couldn't get him to keep his back round (that's why I switched to showmanship) so it is possible he could just have been uncomfortable standing square. I watched some dressage instruction about the square halt and it became clear that the goal of the square halt is that the horse is so even/symmetrical that it naturally stops square and that a crooked horse cannot stop square... duh... sometimes I miss the obvious. So I called his wonderful chiropractor/massage therapist and left a message asking for an appointment.  We've ridden more in the last week than we have since November so I can't be surprised he's sore too.  I know I am.

I guess I need to drill it and drill it and drill it, but it's so hard with him because he gets bored easily and the square halt isn't nearly as fun as playing the move-my-feet-around-randomly-until-she-gets-REALLY-pissed-off game.  So I don't really know how to reward him when the "release" isn't as rewarding as continued punishment.  Know what I mean?  Got any ideas?  We know treats are out.  They last thing we need is him mauling me for treats in the show ring.

I rode him yesterday and he seemed just fine.  We just trotted along smoothly and then we did a lap or two of a canter and included a lope over a pole. It all felt very smooth and effortless, the total opposite of Thursday. The trail bridge was in the outdoor so we went over that a few times.  He was so good and so chill that I quit very early as a reward and then did several carrot stretches. I swear sometimes I'm an unwilling participant in some horrible reality show where there is actually an untrained clone of my horse that the swap out at random.  

I'm hoping to do the Adult Showmanship and the Jackpot Showmanship for this last Fuzzy Fun on Film Horse Show, but it's going to be a rather busy week at work and I might not be able to devote the time or find someone to video me.

Here are the two patterns if you want to play along at home, and I KNOW some of you do showmanship!  You should do it!  Deadline is March 31, more info HERE.  

Video Horse Show!

One of my trainers, Jennifer Moshier, is doing a video show series this winter.  You can check out the facebook page: Fuzzy Fun on Film Facebook Page for more info. Essentially, she posts patterns (or instructions for the rail classes) and you send her a link to your video.  She then judges the classes and sends written comments to each entry.  Show clothes not required and Fuzzy horses are encouraged.

Jennifer is a carded judge in many breeds and associations including the Pinto Horse Association and is certified with 4H in 10 states.  She was the judge at the very first show Junior and I were in, was the clinician at the Show N Tell Clinic last spring, and I've had some great private lessons with her.

I wanted to enter the January show, but my back wouldn't let me.  On Wednesday, with the help of my BO, I recorded my entry for the Adult Showmanship class for show #2.  For us, I'm hoping to get some feedback on what we should work on next.  I didn't count how many times we ran it, but the truth is I could run it all day and it still wouldn't be any where near perfect.  Though we've come a long way in our showmanship work, we have MANY things to work on.  I can already tell lots of the things she's going to say about our pattern, and I've already figured out how to fix one of our issues, which is that unfortunate dipping motion I do when I cross over during the inspection.  After watching the video I You-tubed some of the QHCongress finals and I know what to do to fix that, which is to run my hand down the lead so I have slack for the inspection, moving it back up before we do anything else.  I suppose ideally you never move your hand from a fixed position, but we're not anywhere near "ideal" yet. :)  It hasn't been an issue for us at shows because he's never had his head that low.  And there's all kinds of crooked issues and I basically had to punch him in the face to get him to move into the pivot.  Ugh.  And you might notice him trying to bit my thigh every time I cross in front of him... he is such a brat.

Anyways, for what it's worth here's our entry!

Showmanship Outfit Re-Vamp

I don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me itch for show season. Even though I don't know if I'll be able to show this year, I'm still thinking about it.  AND I got a new digital drawing pad from my BFF/SO and I need to practice with it!


And even though last spring I said about my outfit " I'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully I won't feel the need to make yet another outfit for next year!" I am considering making another one.  I know, I just can't leave well-enough alone!  In my greatest fantasy I'd have a completely different outfit for Showmanship, for Horsemanship, and for Western Pleasure, but that's just not practical for the type of shows I go to.  There's not really time to change that many times! And I seriously don't need anything else to have to haul the shows!


I had been pondering the idea of designing a new showmanship outfit in a COLOR rather than the black that I've been wearing. I thought about using Hobby Horse's (now discontinued, but they still have some available) Green and adding tan(like the hat) and some sort of other accent color. The 2011 Color of the Year from Pantone was Honeysuckle and I LOVE the color.  Maybe a little bright for an adult, but I really like it.
I can imagine it with my current hat color and I think it would be pretty with Junior's roan coat. I could envision using the hat color and a darker pink like the gradation of the flower petals.


But after pondering the idea long enough I realized that not only will this create some expenses that I don't want to have, this will cause logistical problems for me at the shows. There is simply not enough time between my Western Showmanship class and my first Western riding class.  If I changed colors, I'd have to go all the way to a bathroom or my tack stall to change the outfit, THEN put on the chaps and spurs and tack up the horse.  Even with a Groom last year I was late to my first riding class - thankfully KAT was kind enough to tell them I was doing a tack change otherwise I would have missed the class! And with how terrible I am at memorizing 4 patters in a day, I need all the time I can get between the classes!!!


If I was only doing showmanship and not riding I might go ahead with a fun color since I wouldn't need to keep the black pants for the black chaps or need a new saddle blanket.  I could keep the black and just make a new top with the Honeysuckle colors mixed in, then I'd have to still have another top for riding or get a new saddle blanket.  I think that using the same top for both is worth the time it saves both in construction and in tack change time.  I did that the previous year with the embroidered lace jacket and I found the additional changing stress this past year was awful.


So then I'm back to my existing outfit I made last year and figuring out how I can make it improve it visually and functionally.  After wearing it a few times I'd like to make some modifications and I can do these with VERY minimal cost:


1. Remove the closed "invisible" zipper from the back and put in an invisible separating zipper. Currently I have to put the thing on over my head and squeeze my shoulders into the circumference of the hem which is rather difficult and time consuming. Having the jacket able to slip on and off more easily will allow me to take it off if it's really hot between classes or if I need to do a task that might get it dirty. Separating invisible zippers are not available locally, but I have finally found them on line so I might be able to have the best of both worlds! A new zipper is the ONLY expense on this project.


2. Shorten the Hem just a little so I can wear it for halter and riding. I gave it a removable crotch strap so it would stay smoothly tucked in for the riding classes.  Not only was this rather uncomfortable (I'll spare you the details) but it added time to the change.  If I shorten the hem I can use the jacket for both showmanship and riding, and only have to put on my chaps and spurs for the riding. I hate putting a horizontal line at my hips, but I think with the black-on-black it'll be okay.


3.  Add more appliques down the center front to vertically lengthen the visual contrast. The inverted triangle will hopefully be flattering/slimming. The increase in the non/black color will also allow the hat to blend more. I can easily cut the new pieces from the extra ultrasuede/gold and apply them while the zipper is out.  I'll add in some more crystals down the front, of course, to match the amount on the existing areas....maybe I should bling up my hat??? Kidding.  Kidding. That will not happen.


4. Make pants?  This vexes me.  The fabric I bought for the jacket looks like the same black as my Hobby Horse pants in person and in photos, but on my videos it's a different shade and I don't know if it's noticeable in person since I can't see myself.  I'm pretty sure I can get more of the jacket fabric, but there's still a chance that the dye lot will be different and I'd have the same problem so I don't know if it's worth the effort/cost of fabric.


So this is what I think it will look like:

I don't think it's super trendy, but I really don't like the trendy textured and crazy look.  I like a little more retro/subtle I think.  It might end up a little different when I actually go to lay out the new pieces on the jacket. 


What do you think? Here's the way it is now for comparison - remember the jacket will be out over the chaps.

New Showmanship Jacket???

I've been musing about a new showmanship jacket. I still like my jacket from last year but I think it cuts me off at the hips a bit more than would be considered flattering. If I can find the time, I'd like to have a new showmanship jacket AND a new shirt for Horsemanship/Pleasure, too. I am happy to see THE PURPLE gone, but I did like having the black all the way up the torso. I have a pretty short torso and I thought elongating in from the top down and having the jacket contrast at the hips rather than the high waistline would help. I think instead it made me look even squatter. I'm toying with some hand-painting ideas I keep finding. Easier than applique, that's for sure! However, you can rip out a stitch... but you can't erase paint!

I'd like to stick with the colors we had last year because I think they are well matched with Junior's coloring and are in the "adult" category. Not that a judge is going to mistake a bay roan with white stockings for another horse, but I think it helps to have the same colors for Showmanship and riding, just to create some consistency. I have both a solid black and the Spanish Lace blanket from last year to choose from, but I think the Spanish Lace is nicer looking because a black blanket can be found everywhere. Because it's not as easy to find a blanket in every color combination, having a patterned blanket that matches the outfit tends to look more professional and "put-together" to me.

So here's one idea for the Showmanship:

The front and back will be a mirror image. The asymmetrical design means I don't have to match left and right (harder than you'd think) and the diagonal lines are flattering to every figure. And I'd like to do more of an open stand up collar instead of the lay down peaked collars that still seem the norm. The curved styling lines will be out of a copper metallic fabric Then I've selected some Swarovski colors (the look less similar from above) to scatter heavily along the lines and then gradually thinning as they move away. Sort of a play with positive and negative space. In a very subtle over-all scatter (like one every 6-10") I'd like to put either the Black Diamond or the Jet crystals. The Jet will have a more subtle sparkle and blend in more invisibly with the black jacket. The Black Diamond will be slightly more visible in contrast to the black and will probably have a little more sparkle. The crystals seem to be cheaper now than they ever were before so I will be ordering a good amount of them.

I'm also trying to get a jacket done out of some scrap fabric so I can sell it at an upcoming tack swap. I'll post pictures if it's not a FAIL. :)

In other news, I was asked to become a Feeder at the barn. My BM also works at the Columbus Zoo and she's going back to work this spring with a different schedule so she needed to add another person to the Feeder schedule as well as having an additional person on-call in case of emergencies or when someone else is on vacation. So last Sunday I got to help her feed so I could get my first training. I get to do it again this Sunday, then a few days while I'm on Spring Break and one of the other feeders is on vacation. Not only does this give me a nice little board discount, but it is practice for that small boarding barn I want to have someday!

And it's good for my endurance! When I started doing 5 stalls each Sunday in the fall I could barely get through them all before I was stiff and sore. This past Sunday I fed horses, cleaned 5 stalls and trotted Junior (posting or 2-point) for 25 minutes. And I didn't feel a thing! Yay! This will also help create a more "slimming effect" for the shows!

Stitches Removed and Pull-Turn Added

Weird little day we had today. I arrived at the barn to find my awesome farrier ready 30 minutes early. We got his feet trimmed and scheduled his next appointment.

Since we were done very early, I had some time to kill before Dr. Johnson came to remove the stitches. I didn't want to ride incase he came early so I decided to practice showmanship. While working, I decided to try the pull-turn. The "pull-turn" is essentially a counter-clockwise pivot where instead of pushing the head away from you, you are pulling the head around towards you. I'd attempted to do this before but had no luck. This time, however, I was able to keep his attention enough to get him to go one front foot at a time (with a lot of "goooood boy" with each correct step) and as soon as I saw weight removed from the pivot foot I'd say "No" and stop, then rock his weight back and ask him to move the front feet again. Once he figured out what I was asking for he would do the whole 90 degrees! KAT told me the judges are not "allowed" to ask for more than a 90 degree pull-turn but I don't know whose rule that is so we only worked on 90. We're slow at it, but he's doing it correctly and the speed will come after the accuracy.

Dr. Johnson came and very quickly removed the stitches. Junior was an excellent patient and didn't need any sedation. He just stood and let him do the work. He got a little annoyed about half way through but after a little break he was fine for the rest. There's some scabbing under where the stitches were and it's not looking promising for hair re-growth since those follicles will not grow back. There's still some pink under where the scabs were so maybe we'll be lucky. I'm just glad he didn't re-injure it before it healed. Things could be so much worse. If it looks really bad when show-season comes I'll just have to use my touch-up spray. :) Dr. J. said we can act like it never happened. Yay!

As a hopeful preventative measure I installed a rubber floor mat around the post at the front of his stall. Forgot to take a picture of the finished product. I found a small rug at Target for only $10. I had to cut the edges off to make it fit then attached it with 3/4" staples that I flattened with a nail punch and a hammer. He didn't seem to notice or care what I was doing.... made me wish there was a horsey version of cat nip. :) Hopefully he finds it, finds it pleasurable and STOPS RUBBING HIS FACE ON METAL!!! *Sigh* I won't hold my breath.

High Point!

No really! We won High Point for the 19+ Division! Seriously! Of course I have to clarify that it was a much smaller show than the last one and my showmanship classes had only 2 and 3 people in them, but I still won them both! Yes, we got two blues in showmanship at only our 2nd time out! We also placed 2nd in Equitation, Horsemanship, and Western Pleasure and 4th in English Pleasure. There were really no other adults that competed in both English and Western this time, so the competition for high point wasn't too steep, but I'll still take that cash and run!

It was a fun day. I had the worlds best surrogate show mom who made all my work much easier so I could relax and enjoy everything rather than being frantic. It was such a difference to have her there and I am eternally grateful to her! She even took videos of my classes but I'll have to spend some time editing them. Right now I'm just so tired I think I'll just go to bed!

A Yellow Day

Yellow is actually my least favorite color. I can think of two yellow items I own - a spring jacket, and the toes of my rain boots that are made to look like the yellow bills of ducks. But despite my aversion to it, yellow is the color of happiness. The color of friendship. I'm not sure what it says about my personality that I hate the color, but I just do. That being said, Sunday was a Yellow day in all the good ways.

Overall, Junior was the best he's been at a show. We still had in and out-gate issues but they were minimal and though I had to ask KAT to grab his head to lead us into our first undersaddle class, all the rest was no big deal. It was a tiring day and I really, really need a show mom! I just can't do all of that physical and mental preparation by myself for two disciplines! Oh, and it rained all day Saturday and Sunday so that always helps!

The day:

I was up at 4am. We were lunged and warmed up by 6:30am. The show started with jumping at 8:00am and my first class was #7 so I had a long wait.

English Showmanship


He did better than I expected, but I tried to square him too well and took too long so I forgot to start moving with the judge began his walk around. Woops. We got 3rd out of 4 only because it was clear the last team failed worse than I did.

English Pleasure
It was a decent sized class of around 10 but I didn't keep track. We had issues at the-in gate but KAT led us in and we were able to ride at will because of a tack change and that helped. He was very good in the class. The only problem was the last canter-trot transition where he wanted to keep cantering but the judge was looking elsewhere. We got 3rd and that's the first time we've placed in pleasure! I think he really likes the bit we've been using. Right away when I put it on he started relaxing forward into it. He'll listen to my hands with it and I don't recall him even once tossing his head or fighting with it. I think we'll stick with this one for a while.

English Equitation

We had several classes between so we stood in the breeze for a while and then took him back to his stall to pee and rest for a bit. When it was time for the class I literally pulled him out of the stall, walked to the in-gate, got a leg up, sat outside the gate until I was called in, and then did my pattern. He was AWESOME. He never got fidgety or jumpy. He was relaxed and did all the transitions I asked for. We had an issue when I asked him to turn because it took us a few tries to get him to realize I was asking for a different movement than backing. Once he figured it out he did a nice turn. KAT was pleased and I was thrilled. We rode the rail portion without issues and I concentrated on my position, which I'm sure I was not good with during the pattern since I was concentrating on him so much. We did not place in that big class but I am so pleased with how he did that I could care less. Big step forward for us.

Western Showmanship

By this time I was exhausted. It was already late in the afternoon and my brain was fried. For no good reason at all I stopped him about 12 feet short of the judge somewhere half between cones 2 and 3. I even surprised myself with the stop and considered going forward again but thought finishing the pattern in the wrong place was better than breaking it completely by adding a stop. I figured it was game over any way so I just did the turn and tried to set up but he wouldn't stand and the judge started moving before I realized it and blew the quadrants again. Super fail. I started laughing (quietly to myself) as soon as I was excused after the backing.

I didn't end up riding western because I was tired and sore and hungry and my saddle is heavy and I didn't want to change clothes AGAIN. Lame, I know, but I can make those choices. By all witness accounts I could have easily won the Horsemanship, though. Only two riders in it and KAT described one of them as "that train wreck in lime green over there." But oh well. He could have also been a total jumpy ninny in the western bit so I guess I'll never know.

I'm considering getting a lighter weight show saddle. Mine is SOOOOO heavy that I absolutely HATE carrying it around. I don't think it's all that comfortable either. Probably too big for me and not at all close-contact. I also don't like the color.

So anway, it was a good day. I am pleased with how we did, despite the brain farts and me being tired. Our next show is June 19th at the same place but we haul in the night before instead of two nights before. Maybe I won't be so tired that time!

Yay! it's Spring!!!!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE spring! Now that the early spring mud is gone, the grass is green, the trees are blooming, the leaves are budding, the daffodils and tulips are nearly done, and the shedding is in full swing! I was able to give June-Bug a quick bath yesterday before my showmanship lesson. Not the most thorough since I had to both hold his lead and do the scrubbing, but such an improvement over the winter-sticky he was covered in, and that first bath really helps the shedding out. I love it when the yellow-brown suds get rinsed out and you know all those months of poo are going away! I can't help rubbing my hands all over him when he's freshly dry from a bath because he feels so clean and soft. Of course there's still the fact that as clean and soft he felt, I felt filthy and soaking wet!

We got to use our cooler, too! I like it a lot but it needs to be washed with a little vinegar to make it a little more wicking. At least that works for towels so I assume it'll work for polar fleece?


Showmanship is going very well. We certainly need a lot of practice and fine tuning, but the elements are all there. Not an acceptable pull-turn yet, but the pivot, set up, back, walk and jog are there. We aren't always in step or always in an even cadence and we lack real snap and polish, but that takes time. I'm very pleased with how well he's been doing.

We had a western lesson last night, too and it was very uneventful, which, I guess for Western Pleasure is a good thing! He's become very consistent and easy to ride and if he acts that way in the show ring I'll be ecstatic! I don't think we're every going to have a true slow lope, but he's collected and relaxed so I'm okay with that. I'm excited to see how he does at our first show which with either be on April 25th or May 1st, depending on how busy work gets! I'm for sure doing the show on the 1st, but may not be able to get away for the 25th. We'll see. Plus I need to have a new jacket made by then... yikes.

Neat Stuff About Our Week.

Following a challenge from one of my fellow bloggers: Eventer79 I am attempting a month with no stirrups. I am perfectly aware that riding with no stirrups in a western saddle is MUCH easier than in an English. But regardless of how "hard" it is or isn't, it is still excellent for building better balance. I wasn't going to do it at first, but then I reminded myself that I need to not be such a pussy. It's also good for JR to feel the stirrups jangling around. I do want to keep his sensitivity, but he is known to over react a bit. It's not quite as easy to remove stirrups from a western saddle, so they'll just dangle. I rode my Monday lesson with no stirrups and I rode tonight after my showmanship lesson sans stirrups, too. My core can feel it, and so can my legs and rear. I look forward to seeing how much easier it is at the end of the month!

I do have to cheat, though. KAT has asked me to ride in a clinic on Saturday, and I should probably use stirrups. We're not going for sure, but probably. The clinic organizers called and said they didn't have anyone signed up to ride in the western pleasure/horsemanship portion of the clinic and asked if she could bring some horses/riders. She asked me and two others in the barn. There are so few of us who ride western! I'm looking forward to free advice and a chance to get Junior out and about without the pressures or prep-work of showing. We haven't been off the farm since September 20th so it'll also be good to see if his trailering issues are still absent. He's not bad, but his PO said he was not easy to load. The first time we loaded him to bring him home he was tough to get on and then he did it again to the first show, but KAT schooled him for a minute and he's loaded quietly and calmly ever since. I'm looking forward to Saturday! Plus it's our first outing after stopping the SmartCalm and I am anxious to have proof that he didn't need the SmartCalm!

Showmanship is going very well! He's consistently improving and improving his consistency. We did several 360's tonight with his pivot foot firmly planted, worked on backing straight, timing how to stop with his hip at a marker, and using 4 cones to check 90's 180's 270's and 360's. He has really ceased with the biting and is learning to keep his head down. He's such a social pony that he likes to watch other horses and he got distracted several times but overall he was very good and I'm getting better at making the cues more exact.

Oh, and the halter is ordered, :D and the lead arrived yesterday. Squeee!

Showmanship!

We've had two SMS lessons now. I like to have video of my training sessions for two reasons: 1) I suck at judging things like speed and angles while I'm mounted/leading and 2)I like to have a record of where we've been and possible progress. It's only our 3rd time doing it and our first time doing it without KAT there.

This was our worst of the 3, and our best is still a very long way from ring ready, even for the little shows we go to. Remember, when I did showmanship it was simpler and easier. So far we've been working on teaching him the body language cues of HALT, Squareup, pivot, walk, and jog off, and back. He doesn't really like to stand still and he gets bored and tries to nibble everything in sight. Our sets are not perfect. Right now "close" is good enough. We'll start asking for better and better sets. KAT says you don't want to demand perfection yet because if you shift them constantly the horses get really unsure of their feet and end up sort of dancing around.

So the following video is full of mistakes. I was dismayed to realize our "backs" drift to my left. In an attempt to keep his body aligned by pushing his face away from me (he tends to swing his rump out) I've been pushing his whole body left. Ooops. He's definitely "getting it" but we have a LOT of work to do. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do a comparison video and we will notice some improvement!

The Day the Earth Stood Still...kind of. And by "Earth" I mean my pony.

This entry will be dual purpose. First I will tell you about our very first Showmanship lesson, then I will entertain you with stories of Megacals and Forage to Concentrate ratios!

Part One, in which Junior holds still for 2.1 seconds....

I did showmanship in 4-H. So I have a basic grasp of the concept. I do NOT, however understand how Showmanship has evolved from sort of a Kudos to the Handler who presented his halter horse with style and presence to this bizarre series of walk-halt-square-quarter-back-180-jog-360-back-720-jog-reverse 180-jog-halt-square----- gulp. The first Showmanship class I saw at Congress made my brain hurt. When I showed it was: walk to judge-square-quarter-180-jog-halt-square. That was it.

For the few of you who haven't a clue what I am talking about Watch This and This.

I must admit the allure. The training and precision involved is very difficult to attain, but in some ways I liken it to what trail class has become. Instead of opening gates and mailboxes and flinging jackets over your horses face (you know, stuff you might encounter on a trail or hack) it has become "Poles" class. When the HELL will you ever encounter a need for that skill OUTSIDE of that class? Even if you actually found an entire field full of fallen trees (whose trunks happen to be white and uniform in size) you wouldn't go loping over them and turning little circles inside them. Or at least I wouldn't. But I digress.

Junior had his feet trimmed in the morning and spent the day in his stall. He was very pleasant when I brought him to the arena and was kind of lazy. Pleasant, but lazy. KAT got us started with setting up square (all hooves square under the body) and quartering (moving around the horse's head in relationship to where the judge is walking around the horses body) and then we started turns, walking and jogging. He was a bit mouthy as I expected and he needed a few stern reprimands but he was pretty good overall. He actually stood WAY better than I expected. His head didn't hold still as much as his feet did. He learns SOOO fast, but he simply chooses not to do what is asked sometimes. I can see it in in his eyes. He's nine going on three. Thinks he's a baby. I should start calling him Peter Pan. GROW UP! Anyway, it was kind of fun and I was really happy with how he did. It seemed KAT was pleasantly surprised with him, too. She has a shoulder injury right now so she couldn't take him from me and teach him anything, but I think we learned a lot! He started getting really bored, though and suddenly KAT said "Oh! No wonder they're getting bored! It's 6:15!" Anyone would be bored with 75 minutes of showmanship practice! So I made him square up one more time and stand, then I took the chain off and scratched him all over under the halter and took him back to his hay. I'm trying to make having the chain under the chin mean "work time" since it's the only time I put a chain there.

Part Two: When good numbers go bad!!!!

And now on to Nutrition! I ordered a new feed! Yup, I finally made a dang decision! My brain is still swimming with numbers. Who knew it was this complicated!!! I have a fear I'm over calculating but we'll just have to see. I sent my final calculations to my "teacher" TJ tonight and I'm very curious to see if I messed it all up or if I actually got it all. She's been trying to teach me what she learned in a 10 week course for Equine Science and Pre-Vet majors. She's doing a good job, but there's just a lot to wrap your brain around and math and science were NEVER my strong courses.

So, before I reveal ALL the details I'm asking you to share YOUR feed rations with me. And if you're like I was up until the end of November when TJ presented me with a 1/2" thick packet of Junior's current ration analysis and possible new rations, I'd like to know that too! Answer all or some! So:

1. What percentage of your horse's body weight are you feeding?
2. What is the weight ratio of Forage(hay/pasture) to Concentrates(grain)?
3. What brand/type of Concentrate do you feed?
4. How much does it cost you to feed your horse? Is it included in your board?
5. Do you weigh your hay and grain?
6. Have you ever had a hay/pasture analysis done?
7. What do you base your feeding decisions on? (yes, that's vague, but before November my answer was "it's the food that's at the barn" which is the food that 90% of my barn eats and they are just fine.)

There are no wrong answers here. Please share. Then, pending TJ's vast frustration with how NOT correct my numbers were, I will share with you the math that plagues my dreams as of late.