wherein i get to play groom!

Well. Sorta, kinda. Maybe the type of groom who really doesn't do all that much work. But I can be a cheerleader! And provide transportation!! (Tho actually Brita is getting quite confident behind the wheel and we split the driving up).

So, maybe in other words, I went to a horse show this weekend with exactly zero intentions of riding myself. And it was actually kinda nice!

al fresco bathing

Tho it was also kinda sad in some ways too... I love horse showing and I especially love horse showing with Brita and Wick. And we were off to Olde Hope - site of our first (triumphant) novice last year. And also the site of Oktoberfest, where I foolishly chose to crutch around all day less than 24hrs after breaking my leg.

It's a fun venue with a fantastic party-like atmosphere - tho I was oh so very grateful to be sans crutches this time around haha.

this mare was not invited

And actually it was nice to not have to worry about anything at all. I could keep busy helping get the horse tacked and untacked, walking courses, or making sure Brita stayed hydrated (it was HOT!).

Or... I could also kinda just sit around not doing anything if I so chose. After all, we've got a well-practiced routine down for the trailer, and Brita had a pretty good handle on everything.

party city!

Our farm's lesson program director had a couple students riding too, so it was a regular party. We may not be a very large or very fancy program, but it's still awfully fun to set up the little caravan of trailers. And we've all collected a nice assortment of gear to make the scene extra enjoyable - from camp chairs to coolers and just about everything in between. Ooh, except one of those canopy tent thingys.

A parent brought one along and it definitely improved the entire experience. Methinks that is a purchase worth making in the near future. Any recommendations?

people friends and horse friends - all three equines happened to be field buddies too

Brita's rides went very well too. Wick was lovely in dressage warm up, but maybe fell asleep on the way to actually ride his test and never really brightened up. But true to form, their jumping was fantastic and more than enough to move them right up the leader-board to finish 5th.

not sure what's happening in the saddle, but the background is unbeatable!

I should probably be taking some notes from them haha. Isabel might often be well-positioned after dressage... but damn if I don't struggle to cling on to that position through the jumping phases. Our three outings so far this year have netted us 24 penalty points in stadium alone (8 from refusals, and 8 from near refusals). Ouch.

feeling extra fancy with our newly acquired interchangeable bridle tags!

So.... yea maybe not too sad to be missing the show after all haha. It's a real shame timing-wise, tho. My upcoming work and travel schedule, combined with not entering anything until our jumping issues are repaired, means we can expect June to be a total loss for competing. And July is usually a mid-season lull for starter trials - fine for me, given the heat.

Oh well. At least that gives us a nice long time horizon to smooth things out and get back on the same page, right?

goofy horses. i love 'em all

And in the meantime, this show weekend wasn't without it's own grief - a reminder that pretty much anything can happen with horses. Especially when jumping horses. And especially jumping horses cross country. Alas a couple riders and horses parted ways, and another wasn't able to complete bc changes in footing are apparently very scary (Isabel relates).

Fortunately tho, everyone is fine and in one piece(ish), and will be back to try again another day. So I will be right there with them, working to come back better and stronger.

And other events from this long holiday weekend served as step 1 in laying that foundation. More to come later, but rest assured - just because Isabel got left behind on show day doesn't mean she didn't get her own share of excitement too!