# Our First Horse Show.....



## IrishRider (Aug 7, 2008)

Was awesome!! This post will probably be a little long so I apologize. 


We had our very first horse show this weekend. We loaded in on Thursday, schooled,and I checked in. I was super nervous and then when I went to get my number, they told me I was number 113. 13 has always been a lucky number between my husband and I. Our first date was on the 13th of a month, I found out that I qualified for our first house on the 13th, etc. So instantly it felt like I knew I was supposed to be there. The trainers and some other classes went on Friday, we schooled again and then the weekend hit. We woke up Saturday to rain and a very cold wind (I hate Spring in NM). The Hunter arena was set up out side so when we got to the show grounds at 7:30, they were just starting to think about moving everything inside the Dairy Barn. So I got my girl out and lunged her. No sooner had I put her back in her stall and it started to pour and get even colder. So everything was delayed a lot and a little chaotic because we had to wait for them to move the course inside. Nobody had a good chance to warm up their horses for the morning class (except us) and all of the shaved horses and ponies were pretty angry that they were stuck in the cold. Even though it was technically inside it's not totally enclosed so the wind and some of the rain rips right through there. So we got on super early and ended up waiting around, freezing all of our bums off. 


The classes before me were the crossrails and walk/trot classes with the little guys and a bunch of angry ponies. Kids were flying off left and right. It was getting interesting. So my first class was a judged warm up over fences. We did pretty good, got 5th out of quite a bit of people. Since my horse is usually a bit faster, as some of you may know, I thought for sure she would be a little higher at the show, so spurs were left out for the first day. To my surprise she was pretty slow and soft so we actually ended up adding strides in all of our courses that day because I could not get her to go. I'd rather have lazy than crazy so I was ok with that. My mare is such a dork though. Going around a corner she decided that she needed to poop and that she didn't want to do it while moving. So she just stopped.......pooped......and we went about our course. I couldn't do anything but laugh. We ended up with two 4th's for our two jumping classes that day and a second for the flat class. I was very pleased and ready for Sunday to come. 


So Sunday I was much calmer than I was on Saturday and the weather was still cruddy but a little warmer. I tacked up...with spurs this time.....and I had it in my head that we were going to get our changes and our strides today. That was the goal. My first class was a flat class in which we took 2nd. Then we had our first jumping course. We ROCKED! All of our strides, all of our changes...brilliant course. My trainer was speechless as we left the arena and I was smiling so big. My husband was almost in tears he was so excited. We knew we did well. The second and last jumping class we did just as good so I felt great leaving the arena for the final time for the weekend. We waited around as the others in my class went and then waited to hear the results......I took FIRST in my first jumping class and 2nd in the last one!!!!!!! I got really teary eyed and we were all cheering. So all in all, when everything was said and done............we took Reserve Champion for the weekend in my division! 


It was a great weekend and a great first show. I can't wait to do it all again. My mare was amazing and the love and support that I got from my husband and everyone at the barn was very warming.


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## Dartanion (Dec 8, 2008)

GREAT JOB aren't horse shows fun! I have the show bug bad and have since I ever started showing! lol. Do you have any pictures?


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## IrishRider (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks! It was way too much fun! I have some pics of my horse and I on Sunday with our ribbons for that day but all of the jumping photos my husband tried to take didn't turn out because the lighting is so strange in that building. 

Here we are on Sunday.



















All of our ribbons for the weekend:


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