Oh my this is probably about to be a pretty long update, due to so much happening in the last three weekends and weeks, and my absence of updates. So it turns out that at the first show I was actually disqualified like I expected in Horsemanship, and the announcer had called me out as placing but then the judges sheet was revised as a DQ, but I'm was winning Buckaroo Horsemanship with zero points. So uh, whoo hoo? I guess if I tie for points with someone in this class I'll win due to having more shows, yeah idk.
We ended up having 15 points from the first show instead of the expected 21, but I mean that still wasn't too bad.
At the 4/28/18 show our luck was honestly running really thin. We started okay, but then it all went downhill from there. In Youth Showmanship Spunky moved away from the judge a second time, and the class was a class of six, so we all know here who didn't place. We came fourth in Queens out of four riders. Then in Buckaroo/Youth Pleasure, we came fourth out of the five Buckaroos which was due to the fact I had a major fault. In Horsemanship we DQed as I was already stressed and I ended up going on the wrong side of the cones. That was then our wrap up for pleasure.
In Junior Stakes I rode Thor for the first time through them, and we ran a 21, which isn't placing as a 17 is always fifth, due to there being so many Juniors in that class who are running between 21-23 in poles, we're having problems placing there, along with the fact that I still am not pushing him. In flags we a ran a 20 but we stuck it so we came in fourth, which honestly is an improvement. In keyhole we would have ran a 9.6 and would have won by about a second but we nicked the line and DQed. At the same time though we're the only ones running in the nines at the moment. In exhibition poles, I then had my first fall off of Thor. Long story short our weaving was getting really close to the poles, and he ended up hitting his face on a pole and jerk out of the pattern, and that wouldn't have been so bad but I was already leaning for the next pole, and I stayed trying to finish the pattern while the horse underneath me didn't. As planned I then ran Spunky in Buckaroo Poles and she screwed up too, and broke pattern, she wouldn't turn the pole and tried to run out.
In speed we ran a nine something I'm not sure what anymore. Then in both exhibition barrels and Buckaroo barrels we ran around a 23, as by then my fall was winding me, and my side was swelling so deep breathes were interesting. Even so we came in third, which was again putting points on the board.
Though there's one really good thing about coming off of Thor, and that's that it's honestly boosted my confidence on him. I'm not as uncomfortable on him anymore. It went really well actually. It sounds kind of odd but falling off horses most of the time just makes me more comfortable on them, definitely recently. I guess it's mostly because of the fact that I just am like, well that wasn't too bad, and then my confidence rises. Who knows? It just helped for some reason. So after that show my times on him were starting to get faster, definitely at the show we had this weekend, but I'll get on to that later.
Then on the show on 5/5/18, things got a little better. I ened up placing in seven of my ten events. Our Showmanship was going great, or well at least the parts I did. Long story short I got to the cone and forgot to do a 360 pivot, and realized so as soon as I entered the line up. Though at that show she finally realized the judge wasn't a horse-eating monster, and stood still when we were standing for inspection. She also had a really good back up for her. Though we ended up disqualified, cause you know we broke pattern. Like really badly. We then came forth out of five entries in Queens Class, before coming fourth out of four in Buckaroo Pleasure. That show was also the first time I had a qualifying Buckaroo Horsemanship pattern, and I ended up placing third out of three contestants, but I was honestly just happy that it was clean.
After a short break we moved on to speed events. Stakes was a no-go, with a slow time or a DQ I don't quite remember. Though we stuck the flag again running somewhere around a twenty, and because almost no one stuck it we came second. We also won keyhole with a 9.8, and second being around half a second behind. In poles Thor and I ran a 31 which was my fastest time on him at the time, along with giving us third place. Then in Speed we ran what I'd consider a pretty good time, it was an 8.366, which is half a second faster than my old best time. It was right of placing as fifth was another 8.3 and we came seventh. Lastly it was time for Buckaroo Barrels and we ran 20.2 which was again a new best time on Thor that night.
Now the show, 5/12/18, which was just Saturday, is something I haven't gotten over. First of all we had our best Showmanship pattern yet, and remember it all. We didn't place but she actually stood still and completely square, along with backing up straight and easily. I was really happy with how she did. In Queens Class we ended up not placing, but we actually came second in Buckaroo Pleasure (the fact that there was only two entries is besides the point). Then rode through Buckaroo Horsemanship, and I thought I DQed like four times, but somehow came second, but I mean at the same time another girl in the Junior group (they're ran together but place seperate) hit a cone and still wasn't disqualified. So I mean they probably were disqualifying faults but this one judge was just calling them major faults, though that could partially be because of how many horses that were messing up, this was supposed to be a whole arena course, and he had then taking up no where near that, like it was near the size of the showmanship pattern. It was crazy small but hey we somehow didn't DQ.
When Speed started we had some problems, we ran stake race and Thor pulled out and out of the arena, do that was definitely a DQ. In Flags we stuck it with a 20 point something again, but this week that didn't quite place. In keyhole we just barely stepped the line, but we did nick it. It was in Poles that things started to get really good. In exhibition Poles we ran around a 30, as I was more focused on it being clean than anything. Then in Buckaroo Poles we came in quite slowly, as he was wanting to rush them, weaved the poles, and then ran out, pulling a 26.682, which is my best on Thor, and my best on any horse, by about two seconds. In speed we ran an 8.4, and even though it was slower than the time before by just barely, and we had ran around the pen, which honestly he could still move faster as I accidently check him up at the barrel, which slowed him down, plus that was the first time I had ever ran in him around in any faster than a really a lope, and it was the actual first time to take him around in the Central arena. We were again just right outside of the placings. In Exhibition Barrels, Thor and I, broke our old best together with a 20.0. Then in Buckaroo Barrels, we ran a even faster time of an 18.933, making us take second, with first running an 18.3. I honestly came out of the arena with a grin across my face, as my old best, on any horse, was a 19.8 or 19.9 I want to say, meaning that we cut down almost a whole second, and Thor still isn't even maxed out, I still have a ton of run to improve, as I mean I lightly loped him in and I didn't push him between barrels, definitely one and two. I'm excited to see how we do in the future, and what time we can get it down to.
Also on a more recent note, I ended up talking to my dad, and there might end up being another horse I take to the shows before the show year is over. He was mentioned a while back as he's that big bay gelding that I've rode a few times in the last few months, and just is really slow. We've talked about working with him a little bit and putting him pleasure classes, definitely the just rail classses, as he's a bit more mellow than Spunky, and even though Spunky knows her maneuvers and gaits, he'd be a little less, well, spunky. I mean where Spunky doesn't want to even stand still after we just worked, he would easily stand still for hours, and his gaits are way slower, he kind of has that 'it's not as if I have any where to be' attitude. Though before I could enter him we have a few issues to work out, including his pulling away from you when he doesn't want to work, but that's more called he needs to be ridden and then he'll stop it, as after I was out there working with him for like six hours one weekend, he wasn't pulling away even in a lope, and was working on his back up. Our main thing will be getting him ready and then transitioning him from a snaffle to a curb bit, as he's definitely over five. As soon as I go to my dad's again, there will more than likely be an update on him, as I got out of school this week and will hopefully have more time to ride and do all of that.
I also just wanted to add that we did end up selling Jazzy. Which was mostly due to the fact that my parents didn't like her and just wanted her gone. Along with the fact that to work with her I'd need someone to help me or be out there because I was going to have to actual work with her and such, but they'd never come out there, and I'd never get anywhere with her. Also did I mention that she was pregnant, which was another reason I halted work with her, we found out a while back, and just this week she had a little, I want to say medicine hat, filly. Which if I can get a picture from the new owners I'll share it here.
Lastly I'm looking at buying some more pleasure tack/clothing, we know someone who is selling a good amount quite cheaply as they're getting out of pleasure, and are near my size, so we'll be looking at some stuff today, as she's bringing at least the tack, and I'll share what works and we end up buying, because even though we liked a good amount of it, it doesn't mean a good amount of it will fit right. Which is pretty good, as unless things go crazy it looks as if we'll qualify for state.
And I guess that's all for the longest update I've had in this while book XD, definitely speaking that all of of my recent updates have been tiny compared to this.
YOU ARE READING
Turning The Second Barrel: An Equestrian Journal
Non-Fiction(Spunkyhorse14's 3rd equestrian journal) Chapter One published: 5/6/17
