Our First Show

I’ve stated it many times, although I think most people think that either I’m exaggerating or they just don’t believe me, but I have some serious fear issues.  For someone who used to be hell bent for leather going nowhere slower than a gallop this fear thing is very new and I have to admit overwhelming for me.  The paralyzing fear that I feel is very discouraging to me. 

I’ve planned to go to several shows this summer but always talk myself out of it.  I set myself up this last weekend to NOT be able to talk myself out of it though!  I was casually tossing the idea around in my head but was still torn, I didn’t have a babysitter, I’ve never taken him out in a situation where he was with more than 2 or 3 other horses, etc etc.  Zephyrs mom was supposed to go visit family and her plans had changed so before I lost my nerve I texted her and asked if she had plans for Sunday.  She called me instead of texting back (she’s not a big texter lol) and we started chatting.  I told her about what I was thinking and that if I went I’d have to take two of the kids with me, my oldest is in NY with my mom, anyway, having to take them by myself and not knowing how Buddy would behave was making me even more nervous and she said she would love to go with me!!  I still wasn’t quite sold on the whole idea but now  I had ZM encouraging me some more I was gaining courage! 

The kids and I were getting ready to go swimming and my aunt stopped in with her grandson and invited the boys for a sleepover!!!  YAY!  That freed up that concern!  She said she was ok with keeping them while I was at the show so I was getting pretty excited!  I had dinner with my dad and then made a quick run to walmart to try to find a button front shirt that would be “passable” for the next day.  I don’t have any show clothes anymore except  one shirt that sadly I am too big for so I had to find something to get me by, which I did. 

I remembered on my way home that I’d forgotten to get a red ribbon to tie into Buddy’s tail – I don’t think he’ll kick but I didn’t know how he would be with strange horses in an arena so I wanted to be on the safe side.  It was too late to go anywhere else and the only stores we’d be driving past in the morning wouldn’t be open or would be unlikely to have red ribbon anyway.  I ended up calling my cousin and she had a red bandana so I took it to cut up for a tail ribbon! 

I couldn’t sleep, I kept running over all of the what ifs and the lists of things that I need as well as trying to come up with an excuse to text ZM and tell her I wasn’t going.  I ended up falling asleep sometime after midnight with my alarm set for 4:15, since I hadn’t given Buddy a bath or anything I knew I’d need to clean him up some and still had to pack the trailer. 

Sunday morning I overslept!!  Figures!  I woke up at 5:45!!  ZM was going to be here at 6:15 as I was hoping to be on the road by 6:30!!  So I got up, tried eating yogurt while I was getting stuff done but it tasted funky so I didn’t end up eating much of it.  I had the trailer loaded and most of the stuff in the truck when ZM got here, she was a bit early but that was fine!!  She helped me get Buddy from the pasture, I’d left him out in hopes that he’d be calmer – like he ever gets wound up huh?!  In the process of getting him out, Rowdy wanted to come to so ZM took Buddy’s lead, Buddy leaned on the fence as he went out the gate and he about took ZM out – oops! 

I hosed the mud off his feet and loaded him right on the trailer – he’s such an easy boy!!  After a couple trips back to the house for things I’d forgotten, or not really forgotten we were on the road!!  My nerves were shot and I was full of senseless chit-chat.  We stopped at Dunkin Donuts to grab coffee and breakfast and headed over the river. 

My plan was to get to the show grounds early and let the horses trickle in slowly as opposed to getting there after everyone else and having him have to adjust to 50 horses all at once – my plan worked…we were the first ones there!!  I parked the trailer and then kind of froze. ZM in her bossy tone (;) you know I love you!) told me to get out, get him unloaded and tacked up!!  She wasn’t going to let me out of it!

So, off the trailer my boy came – as you can see from this picture, he was quite alert! He has NEVER given me a real reason to be afraid of how he’ll react and he’s so easy to handle and deal with but when he’s alert like this, or real noisey my nerves just get the best of me.  I personally was thinking that I’d just lead him around and if nothing else, he could just be an “observer” for the day!!  Hehehe – ZM had other ideas.  While I was trying to remind myself to B-R-E-A-T-H-E she was telling me to get the stuff unloaded and get him tacked up! 

I got him tacked up, although I did manage to drag my feet a bit.  I took extraordinary care to mess with this buckle and that strap….and finally someone prodded me firmly to get my butt moving!  I finished procrastinating and slipped his bridle over his halter.  When I first started riding him, he liked to clamp his teeth shut and run backwards, we’ve worked thru that and now I can just loop a rope around his neck or even just his reins or halter and he takes the bit like a champ but it’s another one of those nerve-wracking “things” so I chose to pick my battles!! 

I got on him, and started very slowly walking around.  Right away he spotted the belgians across the road and started going sideways.  Yep so much for my fragile nerves.  That first couple of minutes are kind of a blur, I remember making our way back to the truck and ZM saying she’d walk with me around the outside of the arena.  Talk about feeling like a sissy!!  The more I think on it the sillier I feel!  ZM escorted us around the arena each direction and then told me to get him into the arena.  Me being me, was hesitant – I didn’t know if it was allowed – or maybe I was just looking for excuses to get off.  Regardless, I ended up in the arena.  We walked the fence one way and ZM said, “if it were me, I’d go back the other direction and then trot the entire arena in both directions” **Big grin** “Yes mommy” I do believe is what I said!  It was what I had been thinking but having her say it just meant I *had* to do it right?  She also kept telling me to “BREATHE” – and sadly I did in fact NEED the reminders!! 

After my laps around the rail at a walk and a trot, ZM gave me some more coaching about doing some transitions, walk/trot, trot/whoa, whoa/trot etc and some circles, direction changes etc etc.  I know deep down that I KNOW this is what we need to do, but in all seriousness, it was all I could do to breathe.  When that task was complete, she had me work on a little more trotting with some half halts – Buddy is such a good boy to put up with my nonsense.  He did a good job and we headed back to the trailer to let him eat a little while I went and registered us.  *gasp* was I REALLY going to go thru with this??

On my way to the registration table, ZM passed me carrying a bucket of water……I think she said something like “I hope you know how much I love you, I do NOT carry full water buckets” hehehe – thanks ZM!!  I love you too!!  I registered us for the halter class (I loathe all things halter/showmanship always have) wanting to get him into the ring to see how he’d behave.  I also registered us for the w/t pattern class and was very dismayed to hear “oh that’s hard I can’t ever remember that pattern”, and then w/t western pleasure and equitation.  I grabbed the pattern instruction sheet and started to forget how to breathe again! 

We went into halter class and Buddy would NOT trot along beside me.  He will here at home!!  Dufus!  He set up nice and pretty for the judge though, but even on the way back there was no trotting.  We stood in the line up and honestly, I had no dreams or hopes about winning, my only goal was to see how he would be in the ring with other horses….he fell asleep in the crook of my arm.  We didn’t place but that was ok with me, I had a better feeling about the rest of the classes after that.

While we were awaiting the pattern class, I watched some of the other classes – they really flew by!!  ZM had me drawing the pattern over and over and over – which helped, I could STILL do the pattern now!!  Before we knew it, it was time for pattern class.  Breathe…breathe…um yeah just stay on, to heck with breathing!!

I watched the first person go and started to have a panic attack.  They’d made a small arena inside the arena, which for some reason really threw me for a loop, and then add in the judge seeming to be confused as to how the pattern should go and I was REALLY confused!!  ZM videoed my go – it’s kind of blurry but you’ll get an idea anyway. 

From Joy Valley 8-2-09

 

 

 

 

 

I was very happy with our go, but wasn’t expecting to place – the goal after all was simply to stay on, and I’d done that much!!  Imagine my surprise when we got FIRST!!  We got a cute little trophy!  I really love my little red pony!!

After pattern, we had w/t pleasure – again my nerves were rearing their ugly head.  I had NO idea how he would be actually IN the arena with other horses.  He couldn’t have cared any less.  He did fantastically and we got 3rd place out of 5 horses.  In our equitation class we did ok, he was getting a little cranky and was obviously tired of going in circles.  He started fighting with me over small things and kept breaking down to a walk.  We got 4th out of 5 – which I am still THRILLED with!!  We had a fantastic day and I really am looking forward to doing it again SOON!! 

I could NOT have done this without much encouragement from Rocky Mountain Yankee and Zephyrs Mom.  And I DEFINITELY couldn’t have done it without ZM being there with me and being my “show mom/coach/trainer/support/photographer”!  Thank you both for believing in me and not letting me get away with chickening out!! I think the picture below is my favorite from last Sunday.

You can also see all of the pictures from that day here: JVR 8/2/09 Photo Album