Turning The Second Barrel: An Equestrian Journal

I'm Going To Die Tomorrow

Like the title says, I'm going to die tomorrow, maybe quite literally. And I'm only bring halfway dramatic there. Long story short as it's late, and I need to go to sleep in a few minutes. First of all it's forecasted to be 96 degrees tomorrow as a high but this being the south, and tomorrow having an estimated 69% humidity, a high UV index, and just light wind I'm going to die in a black hat. There's also a chance of rain after four, which I'm hoping goes away. Second of all I'm trying two new events that I pretty much said I'd never try. Hunter Under Saddle and Junior Reining. Both actually have a story to behind why I'm starting them. Though the reason I'm starting tomorrow with no practice or anything, and on a western barrel horse is that to try and qualify for state or show of champions you must show that event for five shows, well tomorrow is show six out of ten, so to qualify I must. So with Hunter Under Saddle I'm going to die I've been in an English saddle just a few times and when I did it was a dressage saddle. So yep I'm going to die on my western mare as a western rider. But the thing is there is only one person doing it so no DQ equals second place at Central. I'm literally borrowing everything but breeches (which *cough* aren't actual breeches but that tan color you need jeggings, long story short there's no where around to but breeches where I live)  Now the story for reining is that the horse that one of my best friends is borrowing for western pleasure is someone in her family's reining horse but she's a senior while I'd be a junior so two completely different classes, and I was offered to be able to ride her mare, and she said that she'd work with me. Though she won't be there this weekend as she's at a different show, so I'm having to ride Spunky in reining. Now Spunky is a barrel horse who has no training to do spins or sliding stops (and also isn't properly geared for it), so I'm expecting to DQ but it still counts as a ride and in turn still qualifies, if you make the other four. So honestly I feel like both of these classes are going to be really funny having no prior training or practice.