[Chester]

We headed out for the 400k drive Thursday to the show. Got there and Pago has a nice stall undercover. We set up camp and got comfy.

Very short results, 2nd dressage, 3rd pleasure hack, 2nd pony club 4's.

Friday was dressage day. She pulled out of the novice at this show, just didn,t have enough time to prepare. She has another chance next weekend to do it. Went up town to buy a bale of hay as we didn,t have unlimited room to cart things. No bales of hay. Later they announce at the show there is a hay truck coming. Good.

There are 9 riders in the class. The child before chick has her horse jump the arena and head back to the stables. Chicks ride was ok, first half was a bit stiff with Pago preferring to try and see what is happening elsewhere and her demanding work. Second half went quite good. The child after chick has 2 errors on course with the judge going out and giving directions to her. I am not sure they were errors on course, but childs inability to control horse whilst allowing it to take rein. It headed for C both times instead of doing a 20metre circle at E (or b)
.
Results, Chick 2nd place, child that needs judges directions 1st. Later when I went to the officials tent to ask a question about where the hay truck is I overhear them saying that the encouragement award is between chick and another child. OOH, then I hear, local child has been riding really well lately, give it to her. Hmm, wasn,t it meant to be decided on by the ability shown on the day.

Saturday, Hack and jumping. First hack class for them is the maiden hack. Chick and pago work well. First place goes to a horse with little collection and an inability to halt. Other placings are not far off this one either. As there was going to be a short break between classes I take the opportunity to ask the judge politely where she could improve. First suggestion is a false tail. She justifies her decision on the fact that the winning horse is pretty and with work could go to the royals. She wasn,t looking for an older horse who had been round the shows for ages. That was when I informed her that the old pago was at his 3rd ever show. That was the end of the hack classes for us. Chick is quite willing to go and mix it with the adults but to lose a class for lack of false tail is just stupidity.

Off to the rider class, should be a shoe in. No, it is the judge who doesn,t like greys. They do a good workout but are beaten by a kid who could not get within 4 placings of her in dressage, even riding 3 tests on different horses in the same class against chick. Her horse wasn,t grey.

Head off to the jumping. This was what chick really wanted to do as well as the dressage. The program is scr*apped. There is no longer the age groups it is all on height. They are limiting the amount of horses entered per competitor to 2 . The course is very tight, perfect for little ponies that can spin on a dime, not for big thoroughbreds. Heights are 40 cm, 60cm, 80cm, and metre ten. Pago is not likely to see 40cm as something to jump so we are down to the 2 classes. 60 &80. She goes out and jumps clear and the jump off clear. Comes 5th overall out of about 15 in the 60 cm class. Not a bad job for a kid competing against 3 professional jumpers, another half a dozen adults and the rest of the kids.

80cm class comes up and the jumps are all set at 80 with one having about a metre spread to it. Another of uneven rails so that if she didn't hit it dead centre would be a metre. I am worried even though she walked the course with our local pro jumper who has given her help on how to ride it and he is confident she can do it. As she trots out to do it Pago goes lame in the offside front. Pulls him up, off to the wash bays to run cold water on it. End of all competition for the day. Our local pro comes good with some bute for him so Sunday morining we are set again.

We have quit the hacks, only the jump gear on him, no fancy browbands and not even scrubbed down again, just a brush. Find the jumping program has yet again been tossed. That is when I had some rather rude words to the idiot jump judge who was responsible for this. Also had some words with a committe member about it and expressed my very unimpressed state to have drive 400 k's for this rubbish. They could see my point. I also told them the other reason we were withdrawing from further competition when we are told by a judge we NEED a false tail. She was really very nice and was trying to get us to stay and give the pony club comps a go. I think she might have had a word to some of the kids she knew.

Chick was invited to compete in pony club pairs and 4some with some of the local kids from there. I agreed as I did not want to spoil her day. As there was a wait for the class and they called the pleasure hack class with only 4 others in it, I said go for it baby. Next thing, the class is delayed whilst they wait for the show kids to leave the other ring. Her class of 5 is suddenly 16 with lots of false tails. She placed 3rd, whipped their backsides. Even beat the false tails with all the makeup. This was the same judge who the day before is telling me she needs a tail and he isn,t the prettiest horse in the ring.

After that she only did 3 more classes, rider pairs she did no good in, the girl who invited her to ride with her had a schizo horse but they had fun.

Pony club 4's they got 2nd, not bad since they didn,t know each other and had never ridden together before.

Pony club hack. They do a good work out. 1st place goes to a show pony who would not know what a pony club ground looks like, let alone have been ridden at one. 2nd place could perhaps be a pony clubber, 3rd nah, another one who has never seen a club grounds. The steward overheard a comment I made to a friend about this and was in agreement. She asked me to make sure chick did not leave the ring. What's up?

After this class they called chick and another young rider into the ring. They are doing a presentation of encouragement awards. They both recieved a hay bag feeder with a trough at the bottom for hard feed.

I think the steward/committee member felt really bad about how the show was turning out after how far we had travelled. Jumps basically cancelled then judges coming out with such rubbish and not even being able to judge classes correctly.

This is the last time we will attend that particular show. It just isn,t worth the travel for such bad judging and cancelled programs.

I do have some pics that I will upload soon. Thanks for reading.

[i_luv_moth]

Oh no Chester! Sounds like an awfully horrid event!

But at least she came home with something! Sounds like she showed very good horsemanship by keeping her cool(i know i wouldn't!) and getting on with it.

Congrats to both of them

[chocchipcookie]

She did so well though! It sucks about the organisation and such. Congratulations to Chick!

[JCH]

congrats to chick and pago it really is a shame about the judging

[freedom32]

Well good on Chick for riding so well under such adversity!! I don't blame you for being angry Chester, I would be FUMING . I'm happy that she still did so well, even with hinky judges, had a little fun to boot, and Congrats on the Encouragement award, good that she still had some fun too!!

[Chester]

Thanks everyone. She did show good sportsmanship and was sitting there egging the other kids on in the jumping and applauding when they got a clear round. Now that I am proud of. She had fun though was very distressed when the old fella pulled up lame.

Her managing to flog the butts off the show adults who couldn't ride without the double bridles, spurs, whips or nosebands (all banned in pleasure class) shows how dam well her and Pago did.

[Buckshot]

I'd say Chick deserved a lot more than she got! Their judging system sounded really wierd...Anyways, she placed!

[Cyn]

This sounded like a nightmare.. I am glad she did well in the few classes she was able to do...

I would love to see pictures...

[kvmt10]

Sounds like you didnt have the best of times. Glad to hear that Chick was supportive of everyone else.
400km's is a long way!!!!!!!

[Quiggles]

Good on chick!!!!! im with katie 400km is a lonnnng way. Like you said at least you learnt never to go there again!