# Cinny's First Playday, please help me choose classes



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

This Sunday I am taking Cin to our first "play show," it's just a really relaxed charity show. No, there are no Dressage classes LOL. My goal is to work on our bond and trust issues and I thought this would be a great way to do it. I have experience with all of the classes, he has experience with NONE of them. But again, it's just for fun. Here is the showbill...which things would you choose? Oh, and because it's a fun show there is no restriction that if you do walk/trot you can only do walk/trot...completely open. Now remember, I have experience with almost everything on the bill (I don't know what the heck stick horse is) but Cinny has only done Dressage and only mediocre training level dressage. However he was bred for reining and speed events and always has a cannon up his butt to run full out.









These are the ones I was thinking of

Bareback Eq
Bareback Ride a Buck
The W/t pleasure 19+ and Green horse using my bareback stuff

Maybe English pleasure although he does not move like the AQHA and APHA pleasure horses, he moves like a dressage horse.

Barrel Trot and/or barrel 19+ with NO EXPECTATIONS just playing
Pole
Keyhole
stake

Of course we will sport all protective gear including his boots, etc and I am not "pushing" in the speed things, just letting him have fun in a way that he never gets to.

What are your guy's opinions?


----------



## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

lol...... stick horse is where the very young ride a stick with a plastic horse head on it or similar

As far as other entries, whatever you and you horse would have fun doing 

.


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

That's just it, not sure what Cinny would think was fun. Probably anything where I would allow him to run full out.

Thanks for letting me know what Stick Horse is...My son could do that one.


----------



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Don't forget to share pics!  I LOVE playdays - lots of fun (plus usually for the good reason like helping a rescue, help to those in need, etc.).


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Sounds like fun!!!! Enter what you think is fun and take pictures!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I agree with everyone else. Try what sounds fun, heck try them all, it's a play day for a good cause. Even if it's one that you discover isn't you or Cinny's thing, it's still an opportunity to work traffic and help a good cause.


----------



## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

I would still practice speed events at home, especially getting him comfortable going a little faster. I've seen several people at an old barn who took their pleasure horses to a playday and got bucked off because they horses didn't know how to handle a little speed. Even if you don't plan on going fast, it's always best to make sure your horse is comfortable going fast so if he accidentally books it, he won't freak and you can get him under control.

"The W/t pleasure 19+ and Green horse using my bareback stuff"
^^ That is kind of a huge no-no in my book. They have the bareback classes for bareback. I would wear tack for a pleasure class, just to be respectful to the other riders. Even though it's a fun show, if I was trying to school my horse in a pleasure class and someone was plunking around bareback, I would call them a crazy heathen lol! Especially in a green horse class. 

But it sounds like a good day


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I almost always ride bareback and I used to play with the barrels at my old stable so he isn't all unfamiliar with them. I've just never encouraged him to completely go FULL out at a gallop before because I always have a fear in the back of my head that he will buck me, though he has only ever bucked me once, and it was a little buck to get my attention that he had cut his heel. 

I think I will enter some of the bareback and pleasure and then see how tired he is. If he is still up for a good go, we may try some speed, if he's tired or stressed out we will stop and I may take him for a nice calming ride home (he is boarded only 2 miles from the showgrounds). 

I'll take pics


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

What's keyhole? Some of those classes sound fun.


----------



## Live2Ride15 (Feb 22, 2012)

I think keyhole is one barrel at the other end of the arena and you run to it around it then back to the start, if my mermory serves me right.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## GamingGrrl (Jan 16, 2013)

Keyhole is either a chalk outline of a keyhole (narrow passage then a circle) or a line of poles and you run down, do a roll back or sharp turn without knocking the poles or going over the outline, and you run back. It's really fun!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

How did it go? 

Keyhole is set up different in different places. Here it's drawn with chalk and looks like a keyhole, a short chute into a chalked circle, run in, turn, run out without putting a foot on the line. The chalk freaks a lot of horses out. Was one of my favorite classes growing up, I used my reining horse for it - run, slide her in, roll back and beat feet out


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

It went really great. Cinny was AMAZING. For one, I forgot about the different aspect of these type of shows. Cinny is used to being solo in the arena. They had 4 times more people turn up than they thought they would so the place was PACKED and there was a lot of commotion. All classes had to be split and there were still about 30-40 horses in each split. Cinny has NEVER been in an arena with that many horses before. Our first class was bareback walk trot but we had to wait at the gate for about half an hour while they judged about 35 horses in showmanship. Standing is not one of Cin's forte's let alone in a large pack of other horses so by the time we got in the arena he was a bit wound up. He settled down though. We tried Ride a buck but we were the first one to get our dollar placed and right about the time they got to the middle of the pack he started rearing and spinning so I opted to remove ourselves for everyone's safety. I know one's he gets in a snit it's best to take him somewhere quiet to calm down.

We had a nice break and then went into walk/trot pleasure any tack. I opted for his most familiar Dressge attire. He was cool, calm and collected both while waiting and iin the arena for both classes (we did 19+ and green horse) and behaved like a seasoned pro. Everyone said he looked really great and much improved from the last time they saw him in the Dressage ring. Then we had lunch break and he got to rest.

English Pleasure everyone was actually moving out their horses much to my glee. I was afraid I'd have to try to keep him reined in to match a more WP gait, but nope. He was awesome most of the 2 classes we were in except for a mini tanti. Both classes asked for a canter from a walk. Cinny HATES this, is bad at it, usually gets the wrong lead and is a general mess. Since he enjoys lateral and going into a canter from a slight leg yield I opted to do a leg yield in our walk just before asking for a canter and he went right into it on the correct lead, and then chose to throw a mini tanti by tossing his head and popping up a few times in the back. He did this both classes. But he promptly smoothed back out into a nice pleasure canter.

I opted to try Western Pleasure. Well, he hadn't worn that saddle in over a year and it doesn't fit me right which probably puts pressure in some places it shouldn't. He got a bit ****y. I know he was tired to. After this class I opted to call it a day as we were both exhausted. It was still hours before they got to the speed stuff because they had reining to do first. Cinny got a nice rub down, his new blanket put on and taken home and given a nice supper with warm mash as it was very cold and foggy out.

Of course we placed in NOTHING but that was expected. Most classes had at least 30 entrees and they only placed 1-3. I had fun, Cinny seemed to have fun and was excited in the morning when the trailer pulled up and hopped right in. I learned a lot more about my horse and what he is capable of as well as more intuition on when he has had enough or just needs a quiet moment. I think I may seek out more fun shows to do with him in the future as I think he really enjoyed it a lot more than dressage shows.


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

This is a link to information about he charity show we went to, just so you understand how packed it was and why 

For 8-year-old, school shooting means time to act : The Lincoln Journal Star Online


----------



## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

The article says they raised $7,000! That is wonderful-thank you for participating in this worthwhile cause.


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

And we are still waiting for the end tally. That was at 5PM before the speed event and reining people showed up. I'm sure there was probably more after that. They are supposed to let us know later today.


----------



## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

That looks like my kind of show!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

