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| Beautiful photo fr. Dorie Dahlberg |
To enter, just share your favorite horse show story. It can be sad, funny, touching, anything -- just make sure to include some info about you so that I can contact you in the event that you win some ShowSheen. I've been using ShowSheen at every show, and it's the only stuff that takes the ropey/twisty tendency out of Ri's tail..
THANKS ABSORBINE!!!
And by way of an update...
- Harv is pretty much back to normal sheath-wise, God bless him.
- Ri's scratches are healing, slowly, but he went out in rain on Sunday, slathered with Desitin, and came back in with a big leg again. He is most of the way done with his SMZs so this is worrisome. Other than that, he is good.
- Bob survived another horse show (7/15), and he did a great job videotaping. He was teased about "not missing this one." I think there was a lot of sympathy in the peanut gallery of regular show folks for my husband. Shows bring out the Diva in me -- like those Snickers commercials.
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Let me tell you the story of my favorite ribbon.
ReplyDeleteI was at a schooling show with my project pony, a four-year-old Morgan mare named Ellie. We were cleaning house at this show, no joke.
But my favorite ribbon wasn't the first class of the day, where we pinned 1st of 3 in hunter pleasure.
It wasn't from the class where we pinned 1st of 4 in hunter equitation.
It wasn't even the ribbon we received for pinning 1st of 8 in green horse pleasure (even though I did drop my reins, hug her neck, and start crying in the middle of the ring).
So which ribbon was it? It was from our green horse cross-rails class. We started off with a beautiful opening circle and headed to our first jump on the outside line. About three strides away, Ellie started to slow down. No matter what I did, she just fizzled out to a calm and collected stop right at the base of the jump. I gave her her head and nudged her on, and she hesitated only slightly before hopping over. We picked up a nice forward canter and headed to the second fence on the outside line... and the same thing happened. Actually, the same thing happened at every single fence on the course. I was giggling by the third fence, and full-out laughing by the end. We finished with a beautiful closing circle and exited the ring to the loudest round of applause anyone received that night.
We placed 5th...out of 5. I cherish that ribbon so much. It reminds me that showing is supposed to be fun... and that if I take myself too seriously my horse will find a way to put me back in my place.
http://i.imgur.com/QVF3Z.jpg
Oh my - I have oodles of horse show stories. Usually where I'm an idiot. Hm. A trend.
ReplyDeleteThe one that got a bunch of laughs was about 10 years ago. I ride dressage and hunt seat, but I was leasing this great Quarter Horse named Bo. And the owner (a 15 year old) suggested that I might as well ride in the western pleasure classes too at the open show we were showing at.
Being game for most things, I said, "Hey - sounds like fun." And I proceeded to rustle up a saddle to borrow and a bridle to use. I didn't have any chaps or cowboy boots, but I was told my black jeans and black paddock boots would work. So I quickly ran out and bought a shiny fancy dress shirt and a really sad imitation of a cowboy hat.
I was excited. I had never shown western pleasure. Bo was ready - he looked good - the banding job the girls had done was great, the tack and saddle pad looked fantastic on him, and he glowed!
We walked out to the warm up ring and I stepped in the stirrup to mount up, and in the process of swinging my leg over the saddle, the horn I was not used to caught the pocket of my jeans.
And proceeded to rip my jeans from the pocket to my crotch.
WARDROBE MALFUNCTION.
There I was, flapping in the breeze.
Fortunately the show moms gathered around me with the largest collection of safety pins I have EVER seen and I ended up showing with my pants stitched together, terrified one of the pins would pop open and impale me.
I guess I sat so still and straight, i made the judge happy. We were 4th in a class of 12. To this day, I am extra careful when climbing in a western saddle.
And I still get "Janet Jackson" comments from my friends.
-Suzi
suzifhill@yahoo.com
One day my trainer put me on her "fancy" hunter/jumper, the "trainer's horse" and told me I would be showing him that weekend. A beautiful 16.2hh golden chestnut thoroughbred. Only 8 years old. I was so nervous, I had never ridden him before! I pretty much died. Little did I know she was planning on selling him to me (or rather donating him to me for half his value - she knew we were a perfect match).
ReplyDeleteThat show was my first time ever to compete Juniors and Low Hunters. We won EVERYTHING. Champion after champion. I was so excited, and so happy with him and myself. My mom saw how happy he made me and how well we did together. It wasn't even 24 hours later that he was my very own.
He's now retired many years later, living the good life. We never again won anything like that day. But that was okay. He's my soul mate. He's also the horse that brought me over to the dark side (Dressage - lol). And I love him for it!
adele.m.shaw@gmail.com
http://www.pawshoovesdiapers.blogspot.com
My first show this year - my first in several years - is my current favorite. I was riding a Danish/Arab gelding I'd been leasing for less than three months, and HE hadn't been shown since 2010. He was good in warm-up, but when we started around the outside of the show arena just before our test, he was extremely afraid of the judge's end of the court. Everywhere else he was good, but that end of the arena was SCARY throughout. In spite of all the spooking and avoiding, we earned a 63.9% at First Level Test 2, with a low score for "submission." The judge wrote "Not today; not in this arena." ha!
ReplyDeleteCouple years ago I took my green hunter to a small county show to get some miles on her. I entered in a beginner level class, 2' jumps, and was concerned that I might take ribbons away from the little kids since I was a way more advanced rider. My worrying was meritless as I ended up completely leaving out an entire line-without ever realizing it! The little 10 yr olds completely showed up someone who had been riding for way more years than they were alive. ;)
ReplyDeleteCarly
seemeckrun@aol.com
Back in high school, I leased a grey connemara gelding who refused to drink water at shows. By accident, I discovered that he really liked gatorade, but only the red kind, so we made sure to bring gallons of red gatorade to our shows. The only problem was that being grey, the red gatorade stained his pony lips red and made it look like he was bleeding from the mouth. I can't tell you how many judges I had to explain to that my horse wasn't about to keel over; he was just very hydrated!
ReplyDeleteForgot to include my e-mail in my comment! elizabeth.g.hocking@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for running this contest!
One of my favorite horse show stories is about one of my first horse shows on an adorable Welsh/Arab pony.
ReplyDeleteMy pony and I were riding in a training level dressage test and had just picked up the canter near the judge's booth. Some commotion and noise in the distance indicated that there was a soccer game in progress a couple fields away from the show grounds. Just as we started down the long side in canter, the soccer crowd let out an alarmingly loud cheer. Someone must have scored a game-changing goal! My pony was taken by surprise and bolted. Somehow, I directed his bolt around a twenty meter circle. The world was a blur as we continued down the long side of the area. We bolted through the trot transition and the next walk transition. In the corner after "A" we were supposed to start our free walk across the diagonal. Now this pony KNEW how to free walk, so I hoped for the best and loosened the reins as we turned for the long diagonal. Like a switch had been flipped, my pony transitioned from a gallop to a free walk on a long rein in one stride. We scored an 8 from the judge for our very forward, marching free walk! Goal and score!
Please contact me via my blog:
http://memoirsofahorsegirlblog.blogspot.com/
My very first dressage test was also during my very first event. I had taken much too long walking my cross country course and left myself with twelve minutes to tack up and get warmed up on my fickle OTTB. Needless to say, our test did not go great. He took in the surroundings with interest during our whole test, lowering his head only during the free walk while he tried to snatch grass. This is, of course, after he pooped directly in front of the judge.
ReplyDeleteWe ended up getting eliminated in stadium that same show. Needless to say, things only went up from there!
starkeycarly@gmail.com
My favorite show was the very first dressage test that I did with my Appaloosa mare. She is opinionated and has a disdain for all flat work. During the week before we struggled with our test. We made squares instead of circles, she interpreted walking on a loose rein as an invitation to wander around like a drunken sailor, she pinned her ears and fought me through each halt.
ReplyDeleteThe morning of the show came. She was a pill in warm-up. I was starting to think this was a big mistake. But I said a prayer and we entered. She trotted in bright and peppy, halted on square with ears pricked forward. She then proceeded to give me a beautiful test. When we got our scores back my favorite comment was "Nice, obedient horse!" Ha ha ha!
And thanks to copious amounts of Showclean and Showsheen, her large white blanket was sparkling white.
-Candice
candeelu@yahoo.com
The only thing that got rid of my horse's persistent patch of scratches was a steroid cream I got from Virginia Equine Imaging. I don't remember what it was, but two applications and it was gone for good. I tried at least 10 different treatments for four months or more, but this was the only thing that worked. Maybe your vet has something similar?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite show memory is the year I went to KY for the Hagyard event, it was my first year and first time going out of state for a show! My horse and I had a great dressage test and riding around the cross country course was really cool! Riding where they run Rolex was just the coolest thing I've ever done. Show jumping was just as fun, we had a double clear and ended up 3rd overall. I had a blast that weekend and although that was four years ago it is still my favorite show memory!
ReplyDeleteboomerangred[@]gmail.com
Liz, email me with your mailing address to get your showsheen -- behindthebit@gmail.com. :-)
ReplyDeleteE-mailed you. I'm so excited! My mare's tail has been disgustingly ropy/tendrily/gross this season. Can't wait to see how the Show Sheen works on her! Fingers crossed. :)
ReplyDelete