3-in-1 Open Show: Results with Pawnee

This past weekend was the 3-in-1 Open horse show out in western Washington. Saturday was a two-judge affair, followed by a single, different judge on Sunday.

I went in a total of five classes; three of them on Saturday. We weren't too impressed with the Saturday judges nor our Saturday results. Pawnee was being more of a fidget that day, though. :P

However, I am completely happy with our Sunday results! Pawnee got 5th in mini mare halter, even though she did rear up in the show ring from being mad. xD Guess the judge didn't see that, lol.

Then we did adolescent (3 years or younger) trail-in-hand. The course included sidepassing, a gate, backing an L, and lots of trotting. I had already seen one horse balk on the backing, so when Pawnee had a near-perfect run I figured she'd place pretty decently. Also, her sidepassing? It was a dream. She has never, ever done so well at it. In fact, the only thing she maybe messed up on was wanting to speed up to a canter.

Anyway, it completely shocked me when I heard that Pawnee and I got first. We got first!

Here's a pic of Pawnee and I with our first-place ribbon. So proud of my girl. :D

Pawnee and I with our first-place ribbon from winning Sunday's adolescent trail-in-hand class.

IEBHA Horse Show

The IEBHA horse show was last Friday, and it went quite well!

It was dual-judged, which means there were two judges from which you get placed, but also means each class is about twice as expensive. Angel and I went in six classes: Adolescent Lungeline, Non-Stock Type Halter, Miniature Mare Halter, Adolescent Trail, Open Trail, and Miniature Obstacle (which is also trail).

In the lungeline class Angel did pretty well, and placed two seconds of three horses. In the two halter classes she didn't do that great - she wouldn't stand still for me and kept fidgeting. So, she has room for improvement there. :)

In the trail classes she did quite well, and got a fair amount of thirds, firsts, and seconds. I really cannot remember which ribbons she got from which class - I just know I got two firsts, four seconds, and four thirds.

Overall I'm quite happy with how it went. Here are some pictures. :)

The trail course for all three of the classes Angel and I did.

Waiting for our turn to go at the trail course.

Yay! Over a few of the cavalletti poles she was jumping (not the best, really), but she did it right on this one. :)

This step was turning the horse 360º to the right. Angel was doing it pretty good when this shot was taken, but getting her to properly turn on her hindquarters is something we should work on!

Aww, tired little Angel.

Of course it isn't till after the classes are over that she actually stands still and doesn't fidget after being squared up. But that's okay - I guess she's just photogenic. :)

No, she's not crying. She has a bit of a sinus infection though, and that's what is causing the eyes to be a bit drippy.

Okay, I love having Angel sport my hat! (And the reason you guys are privileged to not see the handler in this one is because her hair was a horrid mess. Believe me, I saw it.)

Because Angel is just epic like that.

Show Results

Angel did fantastic at the show last weekend! There were two judges per class, and in two of the classes she got first by both judges. We came back with two glasses, a hoof pick, and a fancy body brush. :)

We entered five classes: *AOB Halter, Miniature Halter, *Adolescent Lunge Line, Adolescent Trail, and Miniature Obstacle-in-Hand.

*AOB = All Other Breeds (basically open to any breeds)
*Adolescent = Horses of 3 or less years

Angel only was mediocre in the halter classes on Saturday morning. It wasn't that she had bad conformation, but that she didn't want to stand still after being squared up.

In lunge line a bit later that day, she got first by both judges! There were two other contestants, both respectable horsewomen with their yearlings.

The purpose of lunge line is to have your horse's gaits judged, as well as to see how well you lunge your horse. Here are a couple reasons I think Angel placed first.

1. Not just her, but none of the horses walked as they were supposed to.
2. There was plentiful slack in the rope between Angel and I.
3. One of the other horses broke into a gallop instead of a canter.
4. I didn't jerk on the rope to slow her.
5. I stayed in one spot the whole time.

Now, I'm not saying I'm better than the other two ladies. It's more that I work on lunging Angel for good amounts of time twice each week, and she has learned to lunge well. Regarding the last point, I think that may have made a big difference. When I lunge Angel at the stables, there's a certain rock I set one of my boots on, and the boot doesn't move from it. Both Angel and I have gotten used to lunging in that manner, and I think it made our presentation more professional.

On Sunday morning Angel and I had trail classes, and in the adolescent class she took both firsts! That was epic. She didn't do so well in the following class, but I'm still proud of her. :)

Sample Trail Course

Again, nothing truly inspirational about horses has struck me as an idea for a blog post. So this is what you get, a free sample trail course! Feel free to take a look.

Directions:
1) Wait at start (lower cones) to be acknowledged by judge.
2) Walk into box, stop, turn 360º.
3) Trot over poles and into chute.
4) Back out of chute, and turn a 90º turn, walk towards and over bridge.
5) Trot around barrels in figure-eight shape.
6) Walk to gate, do a right-hand push, go through.
7) Walk to cones, wait to be acknowledged by judge.
8) Exit designated showing premises of the arena.

Also, sometimes there are slightly more complex obstacles such as opening mailboxes, sidepassing both directions, and ground-tying.

That's all for now. Night folks.

The Fat and Fuzzy Show

Overall, it was good! Pretty cold the whole day, and as always with the location where the show was held, super super sandy and windy. My hat tried to get away from me at least three times, and my hair (which started out awesome!) doesn't feel so clean anymore. XD

Anyway, there were two modifiers to this show that made how Angel and I got scored worse than usual. I still consider it a good show, however, because it was an excellent practice (or schooling) show for both Angel and myself.

The first reason was that there were some top-notch mini people and mini horses there. And by top-notch, I don't necessarily mean the best. I mean, the type that's very very very slender and Arab-y and most people consider that's how minis should be. IMO, it can go either way. There are some things that you can do with a stronger built horse that you can't do with some weird horse-looking exotic specimen!

As I was saying though, some people brought about 4 slender, in shape, minis that were fully clipped. The reason we didn't clip the minis (other than their heads and fetlocks) was because it's still too cold for them. Another purpose (a more minor one, though) was that the show is named Fat and Fuzzy for a reason: It's fine to bring horses that are both fat and fuzzy and you won't be judged on that.

So, anyway, these people brought four of their super Arab-y little minis, and yeah, they were pretty! However, it was pretty obvious that the owners bred them for their beauty. Not their attitude. Apparently there were quite a few times when the little things were trying to bite at and be rude to their handlers!

The second thing that altered the show for it again has to do with the name and purpose of the show. I really don't think the judge should have been judging horses for being fat or fuzzy. But she was. Yes, yes, I know the first few classes Angel and I both messed up. However, we also had really good classes, and we didn't get placed at all...well, with the exception of being placed third in a class of three horses, and second in a class of two horses.

*shrugs* Ah well. Not every judge is perfect. She was nice and smiley though, and did actually give me advice on lunging after that class! It was really nice of her; not many judges will come and discuss how you can personally improve your performance/training with you, so that was cool.

So, that's that. Angel and I got the second and third I mentioned previously, and it's been a long day! A good training day for both of us as well. One thing that pretty much made my day was when a well-respected lady trainer was passing Angel and I as I was leading her to the arena with a lunge rope coiled in one hand, and the lunge whip in the other hand. She just started smiling this huge smile at us and she was like, "That's just so cute! *:D*". It was really cool. A bit after that I passed her again, and she didn't say anything, but she just smiled at us. XD That was cool.

Well, it's probably time for me to go do dishes. Tired from getting up at 4:11 lol.

Night!

Less than 24 Hours Left

Yup. Less than 24 hours before the show. I have to be up tomorrow probably at 5:15, and I'll be picked up by MiniOwner and her mother at 6 most likely. Before then I have to take a shower, double check my show clothes, get my blue hoodie washed, and get down to the stables to vacuum up Angel Eyes. We're vacuuming the minis this time because it's too cold for a full-body wash.

However, yesterday I was able to go down there and wash Angel's disgusting (it was a huge mess, but it didn't gross me out too much, at least :P) tail out using a bucket. It's pretty easy, you just fill a smaller-ish bucket with warm water, get the tail wet, thoroughly spread soap around in it, and rinse and repeat.

Anyway, a lot to do, a little time to do it (see this post on my other blog). I'll try to have MiniOwner get some pictures of me showing, and if I look decent in any then I'll share them with you. :)

Cheers! Pray that everything goes well for the first show of the year. (:

EDIT: The show's past now, and to see how it went, read this post!

Showing Season is Almost Here!

The first show we'll be attending with the minis is April 20, only nine days away!

I'll be showing Angel again, and I'm pretty excited. I have a year of experience under my boots, and Angel knows how stuff works as well. I'm not sure how we'll do at showmanship this time; it'll be the third time I've done it, but it sounds pretty complex! However, Angel should do awesome at halter and trail, and I wouldn't be surprised if she placed in adolescent lunge line either.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it, and I hope Angel is too! Showing means waking up at 6:15 or earlier (once it was 4:30), freezing as we get the halters on the minis, tie them in the trailer, and feed the other horses, talking with our coffees handy on the way to the show when it's only starting to get light, and then being busy with no spare time to relax.

This first show is at a nearby-ish outdoor arena that most of the shows are at. Angel and I will be going in a couple trails, halter, halter championship (I can scratch that if we don't make it though), one class of lunge line, showmanship, and showmanship championship (again, very scratchable).

Anyway, thought I'd let you know. :)

Showmanship Schooling Class

Today Awhile ago was the schooling show, and I learned a lot about riding and showing! :) It was almost more like group lessons with different sections (English, Western, showmanship, reining, and so on) than a show, although the entrants were required to have a number paper.

Anyway, I'll share the showmanship stuff with you know, and save the English riding stuff for later.

For showmanship classes:

• You will be DQ'ed (disqualified) for touching the chain lead shank in the show ring.
• You will be DQ'ed for switching hands on the lead.
• You won't be DQ'ed, but your score will be marked down for putting both hands on the part of the lead rope closest to the horse to gain control.
• The mane should always be gelled down and banded. Mane should preferably be the length of the horse's ear, or long and trimmed to emphasize the shape of the horse's neck.
• The tail should be down and fetlock-length (any longer than that will mean the horse steps on it when he's backing).
• Spend time getting clipping done right; some places you shouldn't miss are the head, nostrils, insides of ears, and lower legs (up till about the knees/hocks).
• There should be a definite difference between how you treat your horse when he does and does not have the chain lead shank on.
• Without: Your horse can graze (if you'll allow), be cuddled on, and everything is pretty much laid back.
• With: This means business. Your horse is paying attention to you the whole time, do not let him graze, do not cuddle him, do not let him do any other actions that will mark you down in the show ring, or get you DQ'ed.
• You and your horse should move as one, step for step. It is not you dragging your partner to the dance, it's both of you calmly going as a unit to the dance.
• Your horse should be trained to watch and follow your shoulder, and move/stop accordingly.
• You should have strictly set angles of standing and vocal commands for doing different things so your horse will know what you want.
• Before you walk off - Standing next to your horse, with your ear opposite his throat latch; clucking slightly before (need to give horse a heads up) and when you want him to start walking.
• Before you trot off - Standing next to him same as when walking; kiss or quickly cluck to signal a trot.
• Before you back - Standing next to him in same location, but facing his engine (hind quarters); clucking used same as previously.
• Before stopping - With some emphasis put your shoulders back to cue the stop; say whoa.
• Before setting up for inspection - Say whoa again so your horse knows not to move around (even though you will be).
• Know how the quartering system works (I'll write a post on it sometime!).
• Wear a good outfit that goes together well.
• The cowboy hat should not have too much contrast with your hair (a blonde such as myself shouldn't have a black hat, unfortunately).
• No jeans. Just...no.
• The jacket should be similar in color (if not the same color) as the pants.
• There should be nothing that pops out and distracts the judge from the horse. For example, don't have some bright neon markings on the bottom of your boots; this is the last thing the judges see as you are walking/trotting away, and it can very easily make them start trying to figure out what in the world that is, instead of watching your horse and yourself.
• Dress for your age range. For a younger person, bling is just fine. For an older person, don't dress like you're trying to be a teen. Use common sense.

That's all I have for know. I'm sure there are plenty of other things that I forgot to mention, but that'll get you started. :)

My Showing Outfit

I finally got around to taking pictures of some of my new show gear. And believe me, the shirts really do look much better on someone than just laying flat. :P

My blue shirt for showmanship and halter.

The back of my blue shirt.

This lighter fabric is kinda shimmery and cool. :)

The trail shirt. The yoke and cuffs are a dark forest green, and the other stuff is kinda gold-ish. 

The almost identical back of this. This one fits a bit loose, but ah well. I'll grow into it.

Boots! :D