[Lindsayanne]

except for the part where my trainer ended up in the ER & (in a seperate event) my truck got rear ended by a car full of teenagers.


Holy.... what a show! The good news is I managed not to fall off!

30 minutes before we were supposed to leave Thursday I got a call from my trainer from the ER and they weren't letting her go. (issues with heart medication and blood thinners) So I had to go to this big scary show alone. Oh man, I was so disappointed and terrified but I kept my cell phone with me and she was suprizingly good at coaching me through a show on the phone.

Got up there, got unloaded, got unhitched (thank God!), got Regal settled, and had to go buy a bit I'd forgotten at a tack store. As I breaked to pull into the tack store, a little Toyota Corolla full of teenagers slammed into the back of my truck.

The funny part? that little car hit my hitch and crumpled like a tin can. My F150 took the hit so well I turned to my passenger and asked "did someone just hit us?" got pulled off and got out, walked around to the back of the truck, and I didn't have so much as a scratch on the bumper!! Their car was pretty much totalled and had to be towed away but my truck was perfect. Thank you Ford!!!!


Okay... so back to the horseshow.



This trainer's approach to helping nervous people show is to warm up so much that you are so bored and exhausted by the time the show finally starts you don't care enough to be nervous. So that's what we did. I was up by 4 am, in the saddle before dawn, and rode for 2 hours before halter classes ever started!

We tanked in halter. I don't know what the deal was. We've never not placed in curly halter classes, so that was really weird. Classes had 20+ entires, but we usually place well even in that kind of competition. Oh well.

Under saddle went much better. First class in the ring we came out with a second place ribbon in a class of 15 horses! Our classes all day were that big: 10-15 entries in each and we consistently were placing 3rd and 4th. I never even asked Regal to come up on the bit (part of trying to get more relaxed at shows is just riding him long and low in the show ring) so to get those kind of placings in classes that big without getting him on the bit was major!! The judge told me after the show we'd have been blue all day if he was on the bit. (but I'm more than okay with the yellows, I was relaxed and had fun and I wouldn't trade that for how stressed out I get trying to collect him in the ring at this point)

What's more, is that he did exceptional in western. Last wednesday was the first time he'd had a western saddle on in 9 months!! We got 3rd in western horsemanship and 3 out of I think 14 or 15 in Adult Western Pleasure.




I have to tell you about my biggest accomplishment of the day, in that western horsemaship class. We started the pattern in that class and I asked for the lope and regal cut in badly, stopped, and bucked once. This is what he has been doing with me at shows all season long- he just decided to try it in this class. Now everytime until yesterday when he started doing that, I just couldn't get him back in hand, and things would escalate from there. Yesterday, I just took a deep breath, halted him and got him together, circled him and picked up the pattern where we'd left off, finished the pattern correctly, and jogged back to lineup absolutely BEAMING because even though I'd blown the class I was THRILLED with that personal achievement of getting past one of his tantrums.

WELL, the judge lined the class up after and announced she placed it not only on pattern precsicion but equitation and *horsemanship*. And then gave me third in the class (out of 13 riders!!). That would have been my best class even without a ribbon, but it was just so awesome to get a ribbon to show for that. When I talked to the judge after the show she said part of a horsemanship class is how a rider deals with a problem, and she thought I did really well and said I had a good western seat- haha.




Okay, because I went alone I hardly got any photos and none of western ( ) but there was a pro photographer so hopefully I will get some later! Here's what I did manage to get:

A video of part of my Hunt Seat Equitation Class:

YouTube - Huntseat Equitation Class

[Lindsayanne]

Oh yeah, I got home and Ebony and Lucy are fine but it looks like they had it out while I was gone. Nothing terrible but both have their share of bite marks and hoof scrapes. I'm kind of glad I was gone so I didn't have to watch the inevitable.

[Shannon]

Oh my gosh, congrats!! I'm thrilled for you!

[Christina]

Congrats!Well done

[Kiwi Pony]

Well done!!! That's awesome, sounds just fantastic

What a day. I'm really pleased for you that you got past your nerves, even to the point were you can be poised and professionally fix a problem that arises

Can't wait to see the pro-photos.


*CONGRATULATIONS*

[Barn_Brat]

Congrats!
With that acheivment I would be thrilled to!
I cant wait till I can show Lol.

[Feliche]

It's SO great that you think of shows in this way--not winning a ribbon doesn'tmake it a bad show. More people (including myself) need to think this way more often.

[OrangeRikki]

Lindsay, that is GREAT!!!!!!! CONGRATS!! It sounds like you and Regal did really well!! It's fantastic that you were able to deal with his little hissy fit too! Wonderful, wonderful job!!!! I hope your trainer is feeling better!

[Fox Glove]

YAY I am so happy for you and Regal!
That is the best news, you have every right to be PROUD!

Hugs,and good on ya
Paula

[arabianlvr87]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Esp. On the horsemanship class, that's a tough one!
Hope your trainer's doing better!