It's that time of year again! It's horse show season! Yehaw! Monica, occasionally Ted, and I all love showing at the Pekin Riding Club (PRC). This is a fun show for showing horses although it goes super late-till about 12:30 at night so I'm usually in bed by 2:00a.m. and barely awake next morning (my night owl friends should be proud!) for work, BUT it is sooo worth it! My horses have been doing great and even being placed most of our classes! I have never had so many 1st places as I am experiencing this year! Maybe because there are fewer adults? The show goes to late? Well, whatever reason it is, I'd like to think that I indeed DO have the best horses in the whole wide world! : ) Time for a little bragging on my girls. Kitty NEVER practices for speed events because we have no where to practice, but she has consistently received at least 2 firsts every time we go to PRC. We are certainly not the fastest, but we are the most consistent I'd say! At PRC, they have a pleasure arena and a speed arena both going on at the same time. It is frustrating for Kitty and I to do pleasure because she always gets overlooked by judges-why? I have no idea? She does everything! Last time we finally placed in trail class but only because we were way to good to be overlooked that night, I guess! I like to not be frustrated so I stick to speed with time being your only enemy! I have taken Kitty to 3 of the 4 shows this year and point wise we are tied for 4th overall in the speed arena! Wow!
Above: We were both so excited to be cantering at Jubilee without coughing I guess I got a little sloppy with my seat. And she was really ready to run-because I haven't been able to do that with her. I should have tightened my reins more because I had them to loose-she wanted to go FAST! : )
Below: Kitty and I on a tail around our house in the fall of my senior year.
This last show, I took Missy, her first show of the year. I really wasn't expecting much from her since I hadn't been riding her very hard since she has these terrible allergies. However, she was doing well enough with her coughing I decided to take her since it was her 5th birthday! I can't believe we've been together for 2 and 1/2 years! : ) PRC always does a challenge class in each arena and they were both jumping classes. I just started training Missy for jumping-Missy had maybe 4 lessons under her cinch so I wasn't expecting alot from her. Plus, this is my still coughing horse! Well, don't underestimate your horse was the first lesson I learned. We had ONLY been practicing very low jumps at less than a foot or cross rails-which my home-made ones are about 3 or 4 inches off the ground if that....: ) The speed arena uses all cross rail jumps and the first one Missy walked over, but jumped the others with no problem! Hunter Hack was certainly a surprise! They had at least 2 foot wood jumps-no cross rails. I had never asked Missy to jump this high yet I was a little unsure about this class to say the least. We were all allowed one practice round. Missy's practice round consisted of cantering up to the jumps only to put on a screeching halt and seemed to ask me if this were possible. I walked her over the first jump and the second jump-we looked quite out of form in fact she made it look more like we were in a trail class. Well, I was pretty sure we wouldn't jump it (did I mention she had to do a double jump? we had NEVER practiced that either!), but I decided whatever it will be a good experience for her so I kicked her into the canter and headed for the first jump.....what happened next was quite inspiring and almost made me cry with delight! Missy, knowing what I wanted of her was still slightly unsure at what to do with this jump, but at the last minute, I could feel her body strengthen and her hind feet push off the ground and muster up the power needed to clear the first jump. My heart was racing...we just JUMPED a two foot jump!!! Then I was thinking...Nuts! we still have to clear this second one! With all her heart and feet too, Missy leaped over the second jump only reason being was because she loved me and wanted to please me because I'm pretty sure she wanted to be done after that first huge jump! This made me think of another lesson called love and perseverance! She had just cleared a two foot jump...no, 2 two foot jumps for ME!!! Needless to say I was overwhelmed with pride and appreciation for Missy. It truly is amazing what you can get your horse to do if you have that special bond with them! We finished the pattern and the judge told me, "You just won the class!" What? Wow, I think I almost started crying--I know I was smiling! Another highlight for Missy and I was placing 3rd in the trail class! We had the best back through of the night and we did that scary rope gate with no problems tonight-the only thing that messed us up was the tarp, but we went over it after we looked at it for a bit! : ) One of the last year judges was watching Missy during this class and said that I had done a really nice job with Missy and she was impressed with how far she has come since last year. It was a nice trail pattern! I was sooo pleased. Monica took Eisis for her first show and did amazing as well! We had so many complements on our pretty-well-behaved horses it made my night! What to know more just ask me about it! : ) I love bragging about my horses! Still praying for Missy, she did cough a bit, but not enough to keep her from cantering or jumping in determination to please me! What an awesome experience! Thanks, God! : )
