# Team loser!



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Today was the first day of a four day show....

I left the house at 6:20 and according to my garmen arrival time was around 7:20 but that was wrong, arrival time was about 7:45. Show started at 8 but luckily there was halter and showmanship first and then the driving classes. 

On the lunge line Riley bucked like a maniac! I had to hold the rope with two hands to keep from loosing him and that was WITH a chain! Rotten butt!

Got him tacked up and mounted up and in the warm up ring we were the bomb! The lope was BEAUTISIMOUS!!! Went into the ring and ... Say what? The head went up we were looking to the right, looking to the left, looking to the sky and boot scoot boogie! We did a hop and a snort and a SNOT! Go team! We got 10th out of 10! Oh wait, they didn't give 10 places!!!!

Next class we redeemed ourselves though. It was the equitation pattern and while we weren't perfect, we were pretty happy in the line-up... that is, until the judge told us we were supposed to lope to jog to halt to back and we only loped to halt to back which meant, oh yes it did! DISQUALIFIED!!!

Trail class, who can go wrong? WE CAN! We were maniacs! We stepped out of the box, we tripped over the poles, we balked at the gate, we picked up the wrong lead, we refused to halt, we backed right over the poll, but... we crossed that bridge!!! 

Last trail class we really did redeem ourselves though. We stayed in the box, we argued at the gate but we did it. We took the serpentine with ease and even picked up the lope without bumping the rails. Our back was lovely and even our jog and halts. The bridge was perfect. I didn't stay for placings because I finished at 5:30 and they still hadn't called them out yet by the time I left at 7ish but I really don't care because that was our absolute best class of the day... GO TEAM LOSER!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day! Good thing I love my boy....:wink:


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

First days are always the worst. I can totally sympathize; Molly was absolutely horrid in showmanship last weekend, while she's amazing at home. Last summer Arthur and I practiced for trail EVERY DAY until he had it down perfectly. We also did a bunch of jumping up to 2'9". Got to a show, guess what? He somehow forgot everything I'd taught him in trail, and in the jumping classes, he looked like he'd never seen a jump before! DQ! Good luck tomorrow!


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Day two it only took me an hour to get to the show grounds. Riley lunged much better and when i put my western show saddle on with my english bridle to warm-up he was much better.

When I first started riding Riley I bought him an HDR english saddle but he very quickly out grew it and I found found myself needing a wider saddle. I traded the HDR in on an M. Toulouse which I love but today, it did not fit. At all...

I got it on him with the help of a 200 dollar thinline halfpad and a girth extender but I noticed that it was way too far back so I retacked him. Three times I think? Finally I got it on and then I was scared to get on from the ground because I was pretty sure it would slide so I got my mounting block out of the trailer. It slipped anyway so I retacked him AGAIN. When I got to the ring my trainer said... it was too far back so she retacked him, twice. The saddle just didn't fit. I rode anyway.

I only did two classes, the HUS we got a 3rd and a 4th so that made me happier. I practiced my equitation pattern really well and felt pretty confident while I was waiting for my class. My confidence didn't even falter when a black snake slithered right under Rileys legs! I freaked out a little bit when the youths were doing their pattern (mine is the same as theirs) and I noticed they were doing a different diagonal then me and then sitting the trot at one part. I whipped the course out and sure enough I had practiced wrong!!! 

But by the time I went in, I had it. I actually ended up getting 1st under both judges so I was pretty ecstatic. 

There were 3 tack shops that had trailered in tack so I talked to one of them and they put my saddle on Riley and then put several of theirs on (none of which fit). They are supposed to bring in about 3 or 4 for me to try on tomorrow. I forget what brands, I know one is a Pessao and I think one is a toulouse but with the adjusteable gullet....

Let's see what tomorrow brings!!!


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

oh no! Horses are such tards sometimes, mainly when we need them not to be and just do what they do at home. 

Hoping tomorrow is better.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Well... On DAY THREE.....

I did bad again... I did green western pleasure and was last... I did Novice amateur western pleasure and was... last I think? I got a t-shirt for good sportsmanship though! Then in equitation I did much better and then in trail I did pretty bad but we got 5th.... I got a hotel that night so I didn't have to go home and they had a free dinner which was really good. (they served breakfast everyday and had 2 dinners).

DAY FOUR....
was english again and I had an AWESOME ride in my novice amateur class. I didn't win it or anything but he was SO good! Then I did bad in my green class because I bumped him in the mouth a couple times. I didn't get last though...

equitation not as good but good.....

I won a Harris Jacket for Good sportsmanship! GO TEAM LOSER! and get this... even though we were at the bottom of the classes, because we did the entire division we ended up reserve champion (because the rest of the folks did only english or only western) so we won this really cool lounge chair! 

OH! and they had this bag of envelopes that had money in them and after the classes they would pick a rider to draw from the bag and I got to draw twice, I won 5 bucks and 10 bucks! teehee....


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

farmpony84 said:


> I won a Harris Jacket for Good sportsmanship! GO TEAM LOSER! and get this... even though we were at the bottom of the classes, because we did the entire division we ended up reserve champion (because the rest of the folks did only english or only western) so we won this really cool lounge chair!
> 
> OH! and they had this bag of envelopes that had money in them and after the classes they would pick a rider to draw from the bag and I got to draw twice, I won 5 bucks and 10 bucks! teehee....


That's awesome! It's always nice to walk away with a little something.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Here are a couple pix of us blowing our classes...


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Oh and I forgot, on one of the western days I had to pee so bad that I begged a girl I'd never met to hold my horse but then afterwards I had to figure out how to mount with my chaps on and I used some ladies stool. When I got on Riley was over the stool and he stepped into it so it was around his foot. He took about three steps like that and I stopped him. It dropped to the ground and he stepped out. This guy was like that horse has the best mind of any horse I've ever seen! That made me pretty dern happy! and my son rode him all over the show grounds by himself on Sunday afternoon. He walked, jogged, and backed....


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

It sounds like a fun horse show, actually. 

I have never heard a bad show sound so much fun.

Glad things ended well.

Sorry to hear your saddle is not fitting. That can be so frustrating.


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