As many of you know, China is not well. I hesitate to use the word "sick", but I don't really know what else to call it. She's not eating or just barely eating and we are going on 40 days. She's eating enough to survive but at this time she's lost approximately 200 pounds and my 4 year old big girl looks and acts like a 27 year old rescue. We've had her to the best vets and no one can find a cause for all of this and all the experimenting with treatments and multiple vet visits has us hovering in the thousands for vet care. That's not counting all the different feeds and supplements we have been trying to get her to eat. Needless to say, that was weighing on my mind when we realized that the first show was right around the corner. With the expenses we had and the fact that I would be leaving her home for two days without being able to keep an eye on her, I was set to cancel our arrival at the show. Add that to a forecast that put our area into a winter storm watch and it seemed like the fates were against us.
All day Thursday we wavered back and forth. I talked with multiple friends that had planned to attend the show. I ran the idea by Tim time after time. I asked co-workers and random friends what they thought I should do. Aside from consulting a magic 8 ball (dang it - I have an app for that I forgot to use) or my horoscope, I think I consulted about everyone possible. There were a lot of reasons not to go, but there was one very good reason to go. Sophie. Sophie and Mercy had been working so hard and were really looking forward to getting into the show ring for the first time. Feeling like I owed it to her, we made the decision to load up and go to the show.
Friday the weather was gorgeous. So nice that it turned our driveway into one giant ski slope. With the snow pack getting a little warmth to it, it became very slippery very fast. The old 2 wheel drive Suburban took one try at it and promptly became stuck on the ice. No going forward or back no matter how much sand we spread. Tim's dad offered his truck but I seriously doubted our ability to get the Suburban out of the way once we got it unhooked. I guess I should never doubt the enthusiasm of a couple of teenage girls (or their mom). With Libby behind the wheel, Sophie and I managed to push Big Blue up out of the rut and Libby got her up the driveway and out of the way. The 4 wheel drive truck easily pulled the trailer up the driveway and we were on the way.
Once at the show I realized that back up pony, Cutie, probably needed a little more than the week long refresher she had gotten before the show. She was a pretty good girl, but just a little fresh. And poor Mercy. Mercy who had never been off the farm or seen so many strange horses all in one place. She wasn't naughty but she sure was screaming her head off wanting to know where her friends were and if they could save her from the madness. Both ponies got their first baths of the season and clipped (or should I say attacked with a clippers). They kind of looked like they got attacked with a weed eater and lost, but some of that winter fuzz was removed from both of them and they looked a little bit more like show ponies. Sophie made the tough decision to cut off Mercy's long locks and band her like a real show pony. What a difference! No more giving fairy rides for the little red pony. The fairies are going to have to hop a ride on Sully or Cher from now on.
Saturday was also a bright and early morning. I had the bright idea to warm up Cutie bareback, thinking I should probably practice that once before the class. In true first show form, there was one black horse in the warm up who decided that everything along the rail was terribly scary. And of course he was spooking right in front of Cutie. This made Cutie decide that the folding chair was scary and jump sideways. Luckily for me she has a mane I can grab onto. Oh wait - no she doesn't. Lucky for me I didn't end up in the dirt. And not only did said black horse spook in front of us once, but make that twice. So yeah, warm up was not highly successful at getting Cutie settled in.
After warm up, we got ready for showmanship. Mind you I was pleasantly surprised a week earlier that someone, at some point in time, had taught Cutie some showmanship so I wasn't starting from scratch. I was, however, starting from scratch plus 1 (maybe 2). She knew the basics but we had not come together in our understanding or what cues what at all. We had worked on it every day for a week and had come leaps and bounds, but Cutie is VERY different from China when it comes to showmanship. China is lazy with a capital L. I have to drag her through the pattern. Cutie is very forward and quick to trot or walk. Cutie can be lazy but if you get after, or if she even THINKS you may get after her, she becomes a spaz. Needless to say I looked at her wrong in the warm up and she went running backwards. I had a feeling our pattern was going to be extra special, and you all know how I feel about showmanship on a good day with China. Imagine my surprise when she was a good girl. Well, if you count taking a giant sloppy poo almost ON the ring steward during inspection being a good girl. Otherwise she was as good as Cutie gets and we got a second. (Note to self - check off one of your goals for 2019 - breaking into the top 3 for showmanship.) Sophie and Mercy (who have only just begun practicing showmanship) also did an okay pattern and placed 5th in a big group.
Next we had English. Sophie wisely decided to leave English for the next show since Mercy was still finding her ground and confidence. While the arena dirt is soft and it isn't far too fall off Mercy, it still isn't much fun being a dart at the first show of the season. She also wanted to make sure her pony didn't wreck any kids' rides in her age group. (Too bad others weren't quite as considerate with their less than trained horses.) Cutie didn't have the most relaxed and pretty rides but we took two seconds in pleasure and equitation so I was very happy with her.
Next was western. Cutie had a great ride in pleasure and got first. She's a jogging machine that one. But she was a total butt in horsemanship. She decided she didn't know how to pivot and started to run backwards. I had to put two hands on and remind her how to have a brain in her head. Gotta love competing with an animal that has a complete mind of its own. (or lack thereof sometimes) Sophie had amazing rides, albeit a little noisy. Mercy may have whinnied her fool head off, but they were 5th in pleasure and 2nd in horsemanship. So proud of their first day! Cutie had two more classes, bareback and egg and spoon. The last show of last year, Sophie and Cutie had ended with a first in bareback. Sophie made me a bet to keep the streak going and we did. First in bareback and a spook in egg and spoon that cost us a placing in the class. Day 1 was DONE!
We got back early on Sunday to get ready to do it all again. After a quick warm up we went in for showmanship. I was so much prouder of Cutie's more relaxed pattern. I came out thinking I must have screwed something up because whenever I think it goes well, it means I've forgotten to do something. Thankfully we got a second again and shocker of the day, so did Sophie and Mercy! Onwards and upwards from here folks!
English was similar to the day before (right down to the same exact pattern for equitation) and then western. Mercy was almost done whinnying her fool head off. She hardly whinnied in both of her western classes and was 4th in pleasure. Then they went out to do their horsemanship pattern. The entire time they were doing their pattern that same fool black horse was literally rearing in the background. Mercy never even flicked an ear and rocked that pattern. They deserved that first place finish and I'm so proud of them!
Cutie went on a mission for the last 4 classes of the day. We won pleasure. Then next was horsemanship, complete with a pivot again. This time she remembered her brain and we won that class as well. Then bareback and the added stress of Sophie saying that we were "on a streak now and better not ruin it". Well, we did her proud and took first again. Then egg and spoon. Cutie redeemed herself and was a star. We placed second, but it wasn't her fault - I just really stink at egg and spoon. Nearly a clean sweep of the western classes and I ended the weekend very proud of the "back up" pony. I'm pretty darn lucky to have such a nice pony as back up for the "good" ponies.
Of course, as all shows go, the end of egg and spoon meant the mad rush to get everything loaded back into the truck and trailer. We took our obligatory ribbon and pony pics before returning the ribbons to the show office. (We don't keep our ribbons as a way to help clubs cut down on costs.) Sophie kept saying that I should wait because I could get an overall award for the weekend. I had a thought that I might be eligible for reserve, but with getting a sixth in horsemanship the first day and nothing in egg and spoon I was confident I was not in the running for much. But we stayed to hear awards and support our friends.
As we waited to hear the placings we were super proud and excited of our show buddy and his reserve place in PeeWee and my little cousin for winning the PeeWee division. When they got to announcing the senior walk/trot division I was bummed to hear another rider's name announced as reserve. I was certain I knew who was champion, but have I ever mentioned I'm not so good at doing the math stuff in my head? Sophie and Tim sure didn't act surprised when they announced Dutch Major Cutie and I in first place and winners of the buckle for the weekend. I'm so very proud of my back up pony who showed she's nobody's second choice pony. She had some pretty darn big shoes (literally and figuratively) to fill but she didn't miss a beat. Miss Cutie or Toots or Tootie as I love to call her (and usually get a mare glare for it) has always had a special place in my heart and now she has a buckle on my shelf that's all thanks to her.
To everyone that encouraged us to go and helped make sure we got there, got into classes and got home, THANK YOU! It was just what I didn't know I needed and so good for the heart and soul. It was amazing to escape the reality of pushing meds and counting pounds of feed not eaten, if only for a couple of days. Lots of laughs and smiles and horse hair all around were just what I needed. It's back to reality now, but I'm thankful for every minute and every ride. We may not have many shows we can attend this year, but our goal is to make every show we get to about friendships and fun, personal goals and positive attitudes.
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