Sunday, July 19, 2015

June Ranch Show

I can't believe how lucky we were to have two rain-less shows in a row!
Old pros, in power-save mode between classes.

We hauled in Friday early afternoon, got settled in and helped the rest of the members complete the set up.  The calves arrived and it was WAY too hot to ride but B and I saddled up anyway to beat the evening warm-up crowd.  Kevin was still interested in the cows but he didn't spook much, just one little flinch while he peered over the tarped fence and one banged on the gate.  He is interested in them, let one lick his face, but our Boxing work is ridiculous.  He doesn't seem to possess a lot of "cow sense."  We have done some flag work since the last show.... baby steps.

The June show was huge, the biggest in their history!  There were high 20's in almost every class. Both B and I had a great show. Kevin brought me two firsts and Ledger redeemed himself after last month's sub-par debut by winning Trail and "Ranch Rein & Box"!

B and Ledger
Kevin and Me:
1st - Ranch Riding (walk, jog, extended jog, lope)
1st - Horsemanship (pattern)
DQ - Green Reiner
4th - Trail
6th - Green Boxing
2nd - Ranch Conformation - WHAT?!?!?  Out of 17!

Here is a video of Horsemanship, Trail, and Green Reiner.  Feel free to critique what you see, we have a lot to work on and I don't mind if the list gets longer as I'm quite detail oriented. ;)

At the top of my list:
-Hey dummy, try holding your hand in the right position when you START your patterns.
-Sit up.
-Eyes up.
-You call that a "fast lope"?
-Try learning to count! 1/2 turn does not equal 1 1/2 turnS!
-etc.





I DQ'd us in the Green Reiner.  The ride was much improved from last show overall, but in the second rundown I only turned 1/2 turn instead of 1 1/2!  Stupid mistake and it really cost me some points towards the Green Versatility buckle.

I was surprised by the HMS win.  The judge called me out of the line up to go first because I asked for a tack change (the kidlet's HMS class was the next class and I wanted her to be able to warm up).

Kevin with his kid and mom.
Kidlet? Yes! Kevin's kidlet came to show which was really fun.  She was nervous because it was their first show together, but she did a great job.  We spent time between each of her classes in the indoor arena warming up. She was 2nd in the Youth Ranch Riding and I DQ'd her in the Youth Horsemanship.  I'll explain:  Towards the end of the pattern was a 180 turn on the hind and then a jog in a small circle.  She got him turned most of the way but then there was a miscommunication and he started to sidepass, then back, then sidepass, and everything BUT finishing the turn.  They were both getting really frustrated and not making any headway, so I rail-coached her to use both hands on the reins to get him turned.  So she didn't place but she was okay with it. I coached her on the simple fact that the more you ride, the more you understand how your cues affect the horse's movement and the easier it is to adjust your cues as needed in the moment.  She's a smart kid.

The overall scores were announced a few weeks after the show and I was thrilled that I was still in 1st place for the Green Versatility Buckle! Woot!!!

There was a show in early July, but I spend July in Minnesota so B and I both missed that show.  The results came out last week and I am only .5 points behind the new leader for the Green Versatility Buckle! I think we still have a chance!

We have two more shows to go (August 1st and September 4th) so keep your fingers crossed that we can keep up our scores!  The August show also has a fun show the next day and it has Showmanship. YAAASSS!!!


Maybe it's Neighbeline.

2 comments:

  1. Congrats! Good luck on the buckle!

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  2. Yay!! You guys look awesome :D The only thing I saw was working on your stop, so it's not quite such a big movement with your hands. But man, his lope looks soooooo dreamy!!

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