Weekend Fun

This weekend was a good weekend for me and Mo. Saturday was really good fun and Sunday we went to a show.

Saturday morning I went to play with Mo in and found that my aunt was bush hogging in the pasture. Oh Boy! What an oppurtunity! So after catching Mo, playing some little things on the ground over to something I could use to mount [working on the bare back mounting, promise] we went off to play with the tractor. At first we chased after the tractor. Very slowly. Tractors dont move that fast while bush hogging, so we got to practice our uber slow trot - and we actually got some elevation to it instead of just a slow shuffle! I was really fun!

Eventually following the tractor lost its appeal so we started to trot beside it. And around it. Doing circles. Transitions. Anything! Later I played cow horsey with Legend [the cow dog] and that was really fun - hes a Blue Heeler so herding is his thing, but I am sure he wasnt quite prepared to BE herded by Mo! After herding Legend we went around doing canter circles and trot transitions - we even did some sideways trotting! That was really exciting!

In the pasture there are two telephone poles set... telephone pole distance away from each other. We played with cantering figure eights around them, attempting our drop-to-trot simple lead changes in between.

We played and ran around and generally had a good time, making up transitions and patterns as it fit the music blaring from my ipod. Mo was in a really good mood and we did tons of fun things. Interesting this was - YES I had two reins and NO I didnt have any confidence issues! How interesting! SO now I have to go back and practice one rein + carrot stick more often.


On Sunday we were supposed to go to the local riding club show. Its a smorgasborg of everything ever, with classes in halter, western pleasure, trail, driving, english hunter, jumping and western games. Mo and I signed up for the command class, the Junior Horse class and all the western games except pole bending. My alarm ended up not going, so the day didnt get of to a great start. Luckily though we didnt have to be there until 11 anyways.

We did make it on time, signed in and played a little bit before the first class. Mo was a total trooper, she is so 'over' going places now and just hunkers in wherever we are. We played some on the ground before saddling and went over to an empty ring and practiced transitions and canter figure eights, with picking up the right lead. Then came class time......

Our first class was Command. Judge says do X, you do X and whoever doesnt do it right away is out. Simon Says basically. I really like this class, but usually get called out at the canter to the right because I get the wrong lead. It started with eleven people. We all went into the ring and started at the trot as the first command. So far so good. They called for a canter then and a few people got called out. Some for wrong leads, some for not picking up a canter at all. Then, in true Command Class fashion, we go from canter to halt. Joy. Good thing I have been playing with transitions! Mo halted flawlessly AND stood on the rail calmly, despite my fluttering stomach.

Thats another of my little glitches you see. I get so worked up and fluttery, that my usually calm immovable ponies start to mirror me and want to go go go! Instead of picking up on this, Mo was stellar, stood like a total champ while almost all of the rest of the horses were called into the center for fidgeting! After that ONE halt, there was only TWO of us left!! WHOA! How cool! The Judge then asked us to reverse, which is always tricky because its just turn around, not turn around and keep walking. We didnt spin on the haunches or anything, but we did it, just like the other girl [who I think, pivoted]

In more classic Command fashion, our next command was from a halt right into the canter.. to the right. If I was going to blow it, it would be here but Mo amazed me by picking up the right lead and off we went for 3/4 of a lap when they called a halt [again awesome for Mo] and back up. Mo didnt back up quickly, but slow and steady and straight. The other horse was backing up crooked, but still backing so couldnt get called, but then it reared a little bit and went sideways so... ME AND MO WON COMMAND CLASS!!! WHOOHOO!!!!!

I was so excited and happy and proud of Mo!! She did so so so well!! For her second show ever, to get a first place, that it pretty amazing! Out of eleven she was the best!

In the Junior horse class I think we would have done really well to, except we missed a lead and had a hard time picking up the canter afterwards. The judge even said after, 'To bad about that lead" but besides that Mo was flawless again, so I cant fault her at all.

We then had the whole rest of the afternoon to kill because there are all the jumping classes between everything else and games. My cousin and I jumped on Mo bareback and went down the road to the local bakery to get some donut snacks. It was fun. Mo made bakery friends. Luckily there was a bench outside the bakery we could use to remount after getting off to get out treats.

It started to rain eventually so I got to play friendly with Mo and the umbrella while riding, and that was a total non-event. Games were fun later. We had a couple of turning issues, once in barrels and once in keyhole, but it was really fun anyways. Mo can book it when she wants to. We got sixth in all the games we played, which was neat since there were more than six people!

Then came ride a buck.... its just for fun really. We all put a dollar into the pot and winner takes all. We all come in barebakc and do our trademark opening canter lap and then get our 'bucks'. I think I was third or fourth out or something? I lost it on a canter/trot downwards transition. D'oh! It was lots of fun though. Mo was really good about trotting slow. One of the girls jokingly complained that I wasnt supposed to lose my buck until after her and I had to explain how one does not sit a hackney cross trot so well !

And so ended our show day, with a closing couple of canter laps in the ring, we loaded up and went home. Good times!



:-)

S