First off - thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments. It is nice to know that SOMEONE is reading this besides me! I actually quite enjoy writing, and hope that this blog has been kept light enough for everyone.
So, Saturday was another show for Molly. It was down at a farm about an hour south of our town. The last time we went to this show, I had e-mailed the organizer for directions because the ones on the prize list did not cover the direction we were coming from AND mapquest could not find the address. One would think that the organizer would be able to give good directions from a major interstate right? WRONG! I left with about 1/2 tank of gas in one tank and a almost full 2nd tank. The directions I was given were so wrong and out of the way (40 minutes out of the way to be exact) that I had to search for a gas station before we even got to the show. It was incredibly frustrating because I had been to this farm before - I came from a totally different direction, but went home the way I wanted to come so I knew there was a direct route. Anyway, we did get there on time. However, I was smart enough to right down the way I went home so that I would know how to get back.
This time, I filled both tanks a few days before so we could just jump in and go. I HATE having to do anything other than load the pony the day of the show - call me lazy, but I spent over 20 years showing hunters and getting up before sunrise to bathe/braid etc. Been there, done that! Plus, it's tough dragging an 8year old out of bed at 6 AM. However, because this show was on a Sat AND we did not have to be there until 1pm, I did opt not to bathe or braid the day before - Molly went out on Fri and hopped on bareback for a bit and Treenie got to sleep outside with her friend.
Sat turned out to be beautiful - we got to the barn around 9 AM with the intention of bathing but the farrier was there monopolizing the wash stall with the hot water - ugh!! Fortunately, I pulled Treenie's sheet off and she was really clean - I mean really clean - I know she had rolled since her last bath, but she stayed out of the mud so nothing was ground in. Fine - I can use the cold hose on the other side of the barn to wash her legs and tail - spray her with a little healthy hair care and done - clean enough! Then I braided while Molly packed (or supposedly packed) the van. We had a foal born Friday morning, so it was REALLY hard for Molly (and me) to stop staring at this adorable little thing and actually get something done. Since Treenie is all of 11.2H, it takes me about 20 minutes to braid her. We were on the road at 11:20 - 10 minutes before our scheduled 11:30 departure.
My backwards directions were perfect and we were there in exactly 1 hour and 1/4 tank of gas - that's right, only 1/4!! At $3.59/gal I was thrilled. My Mom met us there with one of her friends (great, now I have to be nice AND cheery!) I've actually known this woman since I was born (my Mom's friend, not my Mom - well, I guess I've known my Mom since I was born too - you know what I'm trying to say!!) It was actually very funny, because while Annette really liked the pony, she was also really afraid of her - she is really afraid of all animals. She was so eager to help but to scared to actually do anything - she decided that she would supervise Molly getting dressed. I tacked Treenie up in the van - another advantage of having a small pony - I can pull her out of the stall but still cross tie her in the "aisle" of the van. It sure beats walking up and down the ramp to unload everything and, you don't have to worry about leaving anything behind because it never leaves the van! I made my Mom hold Treenie while Molly got ready - ho hum are you done yet??? I do not know what takes so long to throw on a pair of breeches and shirt - sheesh!
My Mom was never allowed to come to horse shows when I showed as a junior. My Dad and I always went. He would tend bar on Thurs/Fri and Sat nites (in addition to his reg job just to pay for my horse) until 2:30 AM then get up at 5 or 6 to take me to a horse show. We were a team - I could leave him with my horse to go register and he would have him unloaded and mostly tacked by the time I got back. He just did it (and did it correctly for the most part) without being asked. My Dad died years ago but I have no doubt that he would still get up at 5 in the morning to take Molly to a horse show these days. So, now my Mom is trying to fill his shoes. She can hold the pony, but that's about it. I know for sure, that she can not tack up or do anything else but that's okay. That's what I'm there for. Molly likes having her meet us at shows and I know she like spending time with Molly.
The classes were pretty uneventful - the ring was very muddy - guess what - Miss Treenie is definitely NOT a mudder! She went, but VERY delicately - she was very concerned about getting those little piggies dirty! Molly got a 3rd in Pleasure, 4th in the EQ and 4th in the Fig 8. The delight was the crossrails class. First, the course was diagonal line to diagonal line - have you ever heard of that in the mini's?? Good thing Molly is doing regular courses at home! I put her in 2nd - we don't like to go first but I hate going way down in the line up. The first kid totally missed the last jump - she is another of these kids who thinks they can canter the whole thing - look where that got her! Molly went in did a great opening circle and proceeded to trot the WHOLE course, use all her space on the ends of the ring and get the correct diagonals. It was really her best course ever. The rest of the kids did a trot/canter combo that was completely inconsistent and some were even not in control. Molly's was by far the most organized and well planned of the group (okay, maybe I'm a little partial). However, I did hear the judge ask the ring steward if she was supposed to penalize the kids who cantered. I'm not sure what the response was but it started out as "it's up to you..." Whatever her decision was, Molly won the class! It was her first blue ribbon ever and very exciting. It's extra nice when you can win a jumping class!
So, Saturday was another show for Molly. It was down at a farm about an hour south of our town. The last time we went to this show, I had e-mailed the organizer for directions because the ones on the prize list did not cover the direction we were coming from AND mapquest could not find the address. One would think that the organizer would be able to give good directions from a major interstate right? WRONG! I left with about 1/2 tank of gas in one tank and a almost full 2nd tank. The directions I was given were so wrong and out of the way (40 minutes out of the way to be exact) that I had to search for a gas station before we even got to the show. It was incredibly frustrating because I had been to this farm before - I came from a totally different direction, but went home the way I wanted to come so I knew there was a direct route. Anyway, we did get there on time. However, I was smart enough to right down the way I went home so that I would know how to get back.
This time, I filled both tanks a few days before so we could just jump in and go. I HATE having to do anything other than load the pony the day of the show - call me lazy, but I spent over 20 years showing hunters and getting up before sunrise to bathe/braid etc. Been there, done that! Plus, it's tough dragging an 8year old out of bed at 6 AM. However, because this show was on a Sat AND we did not have to be there until 1pm, I did opt not to bathe or braid the day before - Molly went out on Fri and hopped on bareback for a bit and Treenie got to sleep outside with her friend.
Sat turned out to be beautiful - we got to the barn around 9 AM with the intention of bathing but the farrier was there monopolizing the wash stall with the hot water - ugh!! Fortunately, I pulled Treenie's sheet off and she was really clean - I mean really clean - I know she had rolled since her last bath, but she stayed out of the mud so nothing was ground in. Fine - I can use the cold hose on the other side of the barn to wash her legs and tail - spray her with a little healthy hair care and done - clean enough! Then I braided while Molly packed (or supposedly packed) the van. We had a foal born Friday morning, so it was REALLY hard for Molly (and me) to stop staring at this adorable little thing and actually get something done. Since Treenie is all of 11.2H, it takes me about 20 minutes to braid her. We were on the road at 11:20 - 10 minutes before our scheduled 11:30 departure.
My backwards directions were perfect and we were there in exactly 1 hour and 1/4 tank of gas - that's right, only 1/4!! At $3.59/gal I was thrilled. My Mom met us there with one of her friends (great, now I have to be nice AND cheery!) I've actually known this woman since I was born (my Mom's friend, not my Mom - well, I guess I've known my Mom since I was born too - you know what I'm trying to say!!) It was actually very funny, because while Annette really liked the pony, she was also really afraid of her - she is really afraid of all animals. She was so eager to help but to scared to actually do anything - she decided that she would supervise Molly getting dressed. I tacked Treenie up in the van - another advantage of having a small pony - I can pull her out of the stall but still cross tie her in the "aisle" of the van. It sure beats walking up and down the ramp to unload everything and, you don't have to worry about leaving anything behind because it never leaves the van! I made my Mom hold Treenie while Molly got ready - ho hum are you done yet??? I do not know what takes so long to throw on a pair of breeches and shirt - sheesh!
My Mom was never allowed to come to horse shows when I showed as a junior. My Dad and I always went. He would tend bar on Thurs/Fri and Sat nites (in addition to his reg job just to pay for my horse) until 2:30 AM then get up at 5 or 6 to take me to a horse show. We were a team - I could leave him with my horse to go register and he would have him unloaded and mostly tacked by the time I got back. He just did it (and did it correctly for the most part) without being asked. My Dad died years ago but I have no doubt that he would still get up at 5 in the morning to take Molly to a horse show these days. So, now my Mom is trying to fill his shoes. She can hold the pony, but that's about it. I know for sure, that she can not tack up or do anything else but that's okay. That's what I'm there for. Molly likes having her meet us at shows and I know she like spending time with Molly.
The classes were pretty uneventful - the ring was very muddy - guess what - Miss Treenie is definitely NOT a mudder! She went, but VERY delicately - she was very concerned about getting those little piggies dirty! Molly got a 3rd in Pleasure, 4th in the EQ and 4th in the Fig 8. The delight was the crossrails class. First, the course was diagonal line to diagonal line - have you ever heard of that in the mini's?? Good thing Molly is doing regular courses at home! I put her in 2nd - we don't like to go first but I hate going way down in the line up. The first kid totally missed the last jump - she is another of these kids who thinks they can canter the whole thing - look where that got her! Molly went in did a great opening circle and proceeded to trot the WHOLE course, use all her space on the ends of the ring and get the correct diagonals. It was really her best course ever. The rest of the kids did a trot/canter combo that was completely inconsistent and some were even not in control. Molly's was by far the most organized and well planned of the group (okay, maybe I'm a little partial). However, I did hear the judge ask the ring steward if she was supposed to penalize the kids who cantered. I'm not sure what the response was but it started out as "it's up to you..." Whatever her decision was, Molly won the class! It was her first blue ribbon ever and very exciting. It's extra nice when you can win a jumping class!
1 comment:
The first blue ribbion is special but ms hunter queen it would have been nicer had it been in dressage :P just teasing.
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