Tuesday, March 17, 2015

fun show shenanigans

We finally had a show this weekend!! It was just a fun closed-farm schooling show at OF (we're allowed to go bc we're technically students there) - and we had a blast :)

isabel gets her beauty sleep (and wallows in mud...)

It was a great opportunity to test out our routine and nerves - but without a lot of pressure or very high stakes (or financial outlay - the show cost the equivalent of a lesson). 

mayyyybe the dirtiest i've ever seen her lol

We got there just in time for B and Wick's classes. The show was very casual, so riders briefly warmed up together on the flat (with all the resident trainers clustered together in the middle) before beginning the hack class. After that, every one got a chance to warm up over the same couple fences before the over fences class began. 

dis her game face

Our hack class was no joke too. Just like last year, they tested us on a LOT of stuff for a long-ish time. We did multiple trots (sitting and rising) and canters in each direction, complete with various transitions: walk to canter, trot to canter, trot to halt, halt to trot, etc. They also tested us on rein backs twice and asked for a specific number of steps each time. 

 

We whiffed our first right lead canter depart, but otherwise Isabel was spot-on. Our recent practice on backing served us very well as Isabel stayed very soft and polite and STRAIGHT for both rein backs - tho we added a step each time. But generally, mare was in complete show mode and gave me some very nice work with minimal fuss. And it was good enough for 1st - good mare!  

jumping straight into a corner full of horses. mare don't care

The over fences class was typical for my jumping efforts at shows: a little wild and wooly, balanced out with pulling to the fences. It was kinda tough to navigate, given the arena size and the fact that one end was full of horses and spectators. We came out of the outside line (in the background below) cross cantering and nearly mowed down the crowd... oops!

wheeeeee!!

I could have done a better job regulating our pace and getting a 'bouncier' canter that wasn't so fast and flat. That would have helped us from getting so deep to a couple of the fences... but oh well, maybe next time? At least we had good 'energy' haha. 

jumping like a saint

Isabel was very good tho - and did everything I asked exactly as I asked for it (for better or worse). Not entirely sure why we knocked the first rail - we were maybe distracted by the crowd and gunning for the striding (30' distance)? I'm not worried about it tho - esp as a different horse might have stopped at the diagonal above since we got so deep, but she made it look easy. Thanks mare! 


Our efforts garnered us a very fair 3rd place. Trainer P had wanted me to run through once more (tho the course was taken down too quick for that to happen) to smooth it out and get the proper striding on the final outside line. It was measured at 36', but we got pretty deep on the in jump and I opted for 3 strides. Part of me also thinks that the full size competition stride in this indoor miiiiiight be asking a little too much too haha. 


Anyway we stuck around for a little bit longer for the games classes. Isabel and I redeemed ourselves from the last time we played musical stalls (when we were eliminated pretty quickly) and were 2nd - tho it meant pushing a small child and pony out of the way. Um... sorry kiddo? Lol...  The bareback sit-a-buck class was a little less rewarding when I lost my dollar a minute or two into our first trot. Eh, still got a 4th place ribbon - woot woot satin! 

a good day :)

34 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. definitely a fun way to spend a sunday :)

      Delete
  2. I love horses who are totally cool with doing a little bit of everything. I think Isabel is one of those for sure! Looks like a fun time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. isabel is really great about her willingness to do just about anything :)

      Delete
  3. Jumping in a tight right like that brings back my days jumping as a kid in the tiny barn indoor. I have no idea how we did that without killing anyone! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yea the tight space is definitely... not my favorite haha. it's kinda hard to really power down the lines when there are spectators standing just a few strides after the fence!

      Delete
  4. Sounds like a great - and FUN! - show!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, that space looks so small! You looked great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks! and yea that arena IS pretty tiny... can't wait to get back outdoors again!

      Delete
  6. Isabel looks like she is having THE BEST TIME over fences!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha she's pretty incredible - i think she really likes the whole jumping thing :)

      Delete
  7. Sounds like a fun day! And not too wild and wooly considering it's winter and a small ring and lots of stuff to think about other than the fences themselves! She's a very good girl :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Woo woo! Nice job! She has such a cute little jump.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks! i love her little jump - she'll even tuck her knees up all cute over itty bitty Xs haha

      Delete
  9. I so wish our club would put on a show like that, sounds like such fun and a bit of a learning experience all at the same time! Maybe I need to start organizing something :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oooh you should totally do it!! our home barn actually started doing them last year too and it really wasn't all that much work - and it's SO FUN!

      Delete
  10. ALLLLL the leftover candy canes to such a good mare! And all the pretty ribbons for you! That first pic of everybody snoozing in the mud is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha yea she definitely got stuffed w treats lol. and all the horses have been napping like crazy lately in the warmer weather - and who can blame them? :)

      Delete
  11. Congrats on a great show! Doing full courses in that tiny ring with people everywhere looks like a big challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was definitely a challenge, and meant i was reeling izzy in maybe a little more than she liked haha. whatevs, we had fun :)

      Delete
  12. Sounds like so much fun! I love barn shows like these.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Replies
    1. thanks!! i was pleased w how it turned out haha

      Delete
  14. Yay for pretty satin! Sounds like it was a fantastic kick off t the year!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Fun! I love our farm's schooling/fun shows too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. holy cow that space is so small! great job! sounds like you had a great time. btw, what's the bareback game thing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was pretty tight in there haha! the bareback game is a lot simpler than it sounds:

      the class is ridden completely bareback and the judge puts a dollar bill under each rider's thigh. riders are not allowed to touch the dollar. the judge calls the typical walk-trot-canter, and riders are eliminated when they lose their dollar. if there are still a few left after a while, the judge might call for bareback jumping.

      it's essentially just a fun class held at the end of the day and anybody can join for free. (and i usually have a pretty poor showing lol)

      Delete
  17. All the pretty satin, I am so glad this outing wasn't cancelled/re - scheduled!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks me too!! i'm so sick of cancelled shows haha. this was definitely a lot of fun and i'm so glad we went :)

      Delete

Thanks for leaving a comment! You may need to enable third party cookies in your browser settings if you have trouble using this form.