OK, here it goes, our first show report: The good, the bad and... ...no, let me phrase that differently
...the good, the stupid and the very good that the stupid turned out to be...
At first let me say, I can not tell you just how nervous I was. It was ridiculous! I was sick to my stomach the whole morning before I left for the barn. I'm NEVER this nervous! I do not have a problem with show nerves. Never had. Maybe sometimes just a ride or two before I had to enter the ring in a jumper class I would get a little nervous (heck, you can break your neck in a jumper class). But usually I'm just very excited and nervous in a positive way.
I think it was the unknown that drove me crazy. With Amy I always knew what was coming. She was fun at shows. No matter if she went well or not, she loaded/unloaded well and rode basically like she did at home. With Crispin I had NO idea what was coming.
Well, he was a star! And I still think he was a star even though we didn't place (or even finished our course, for that matter)!
The Good: he loaded well at home and good enough after the show. (After the show he took his time to decide if he was ready to get into the trailer or if the whole "show thing" was just way to interesting to leave just yet. It took him about 10 minutes and a couple of carrots to decide that the trailer it was the right choice.)
The stupid: I knew that we couldn't/wouldn't do the rocker. So, before the class I went to the judge to ask him if I had to try and tackle each obstacle or if I could just take the penalty and continue to the next. He said I could just pass. Obviously he didn't know his class!
We went through the first obstacle (the gate and umbrella) and passed the second only to be disqualified. Very embarassing! Obviously it didn't matter If a team failed each and every obstacle, they could always continue to the next but they had to at least fake and attempt to try. That was exactly the my question from the start. Well, the judge was very nice and I think he didn't know himself (it is an unusual class) he seemed to feel bad and promised I could try again after the class had finished. That turned out be the very good!
Crispin was a very good boy all through out the whole event. He was a little nervous and didn't know where to look first but I think he was just as excited as I was and not scared at all. The audience, clapping, music, announcements, all the other horses, it wasn't a big deal. The biggest problem was to get him to focus on me at first. But after we had waited for the class to end and our turn came to try again he had calmed down enough to focus on me enough to try the simple obstacles again, the ones I knew he could do well.
And here's our "Second try": (I know, my ground work skills are far from perfect yet. Keep in mind, this was my first in hand class as well as his.)
After all, this second try was a great chance to make the whole thing a positive experience for us both. I cold break down each task and make sure he did it right. All in all it was a very good day. Proof again (as if I would need any) that he is the perfect horse for me!
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i thought you did great. he came back to you every time you asked. he did not barrel over any poles. he expressed good manners.
AntwortenLöschenalso, he's huge! my goodness, i didn't know they came that big, or, maybe you're tiny? *giggle*
thanks for posting this, it was fun. i've done the very same thing with Baasha.
(and he cried the entire time for his buddies)
~lytha in wermelskirchen (ssshhhhh, that is privileged information)
PS - we should meet, heck we live in the same state, and your english is better than my german (but my german's not so bad either)!
Yes, he's huge! It's starting to become a running gag at the barn, that maybe his dam had a secret affaire with a Shire Horse. Granted, I'm not exactely tall either (just the average height) but he just does not stop growing. (It's all good though, there is no too tall for me but a too small could have turned out to be a real problem.)
AntwortenLöschenYour "classified" information is safe with me ;-) A meeting would be nice, my only problem is that I usually need the extra kick in the behind to go on roadtrips. I drove all over the place to see some Welsh Cobs when I was looking. I drove to Hamburg one day and to Frakfurt the next, but on the other hand, I have not managed to visite my aunt who lives in Kierspe (not far from where you live) in the last 10 years! It's pathetic, but maybe a horsie event in the area can lure me out of my hole. ;-D