I love, love, love that these girls are riding together! We’ve had quite the busy riding and showing schedule, but they love every minute of it!
The other two? Not so much. But they’ve been such troupers keeping themselves busy … even if it is in a mud pile!
All that said … I do have to admit, when I’m in the middle of slinging horse manure, there are times I wonder why I couldn’t be a soccer mom instead! This horsey business is A LOTS O’ hard work!!
Shows are typically two days {Saturday and Sunday}, but we drive up the day before to get a schooling ride in and get settled in the barn. The next day, we wake up at the crack of dawn {shown below} for a schooling ride before the 7:30 “class” starts.
It’s hurry, hurry, hurry:
- braid the hair
- dress the kid {she needs a little help to get it just right}
- put the number on
- put the garters on
- groom the horse
- get tack together
- tack the horse
- polish horses feet {dead serious.}
- put kid on horse
- polish kids shoes once mounted
- get to the schooling ring
- wait for class to start
- watch class
- collect ribbons
- back to barn
- untack horse
- brush off or hose down
- put tack away
- and then wait
- and wait
- and wait
‘Til the next ride. And then we do it all over again. For two of them.
It makes for a long weekend … but it’s seriously rewarding to see how much the girls love it.
On this particular day, Wynter was first up. We’re still looking for just the right mount for her. You might remember Grace? Sadly, Grace didn’t work out and we’re still looking.
This pony, Poncho, lived close to the show grounds and the owner agreed to let us try him out. Wynter had her schooling ride on him the day before the show and it went well enough to give him a try at the show.
He’s cute enough and all … but he wasn’t too good in the show ring. He’s what you’d call a “herd pony.” And didn’t want to be away from the other horses. Wellllll … when you’re showing in these classes, it’s best to be riding by yourself and not gather up with the other ponies … although at this level, it’s kinda what the kids tend to do. It reminds me of when Piper played soccer as a peanut and all the little kids moved through the field as one unit. Anyway. Poncho would want to catch up with other horses and would start cantering when he shouldn’t, and basically wouldn’t listen to Wynter very well.
So yeah. He didn’t work out.
Wynter got a 5th, 4th, and 5th place ribbon in her classes on him.
Next up, it’s Taylor’s turn! Taylor has been ah.maz.ing on her new boy Rocco! She’s found her passion again and I can’t begin to explain how it warms my heart.
She had two jumper classes this day and took a first and second place. Crazy amazing!
The next day, Sunday, Taylor started out early in a couple of equitation classes. They didn’t do too great in these. I think she got a 5th and a 6th.
At the end of the equitation class, they all need to line up with their numbers facing the judge. Wynter has to do this in her classes too and it’s kinda way too cute to see them all trying to get in a single file line.
After Taylor was done and we’d done a sufficient amount of waiting, Taylor had two more jumper classes.
{see all the mud and muck?? TONS of rain was had!}
And then something that completely amazes me … they need to learn and remember their jumping courses. The courses are only posted the morning of the event and each day it changes. New day, new course.
So before her class starts, they look at the posted course, get a good handle on it and commit it to memory, and then they go out and physically walk the course. Here’s Taylor with her trainers walking the course.
The class Taylor rides in is judged on two different things. Power and speed. At the first part of the class, they need to go clean {not knock any poles/rails down off the jumps} and also make it through in an allotted amount of time. When they finish that round, they stay in the arena and wait for the judge to blow her whistle again.
This time they’re judged on speed. The rider who makes it through the course “clean” and with the fastest time, wins! OH! and the kicker? If they make the first part of the class and are moved into the second part, the course is completely different! So in a split second, they have to refocus to ride a completely different course. Crazy.
Anyway.
Taylor had two jumper classes and got 2nd in her first class, and a 1st in her second class.
Given the 1st and 2nd the day before, she walked away as grand champion of those classes! She also won $50!
I could go on and on about how proud I am of Taylor and all the reasons why … but let’s just leave it at, I love seeing this girl grow in ways I never expected.
After a torrential downpour, Wynter’s classes came at the end of the day. She was back on her trusty ol’ lesson mount and she did much better this day! She took a 3rd, 3rd, and 3rd in her three classes. I suppose now might be a good time to mention my girl, who was born on 11.03.03, has a favorite number of … THREE! :)
And all isn’t lost for Wynter in the horse department! The same farm who had Poncho, had just brought in another pony from Florida. So while we were in the “wait, wait, wait” period of the show, we went over to give him a try. He seemed like a good little mount, so with our trainer’s help, we decided to bring him home for a trial run.
Currently, our bedtime prayers are that Wynter and “Spanky” make a good team this week and it works out that we can keep him. And MY bedtime prayer might be that we can change his name!
We’re missing one girl from the photo, but here’s our team below. Catherine, the girl’s amazing trainer, is next to Taylor.
Six girls … 34 ribbons! I’d say it was a great show!
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