The Cadillac of Horse Shows

Mon Jul 10, 2006

Coos and I got to go to a horse show around 50 miles from here on Saturday down in Cadillac, Michigan. We trailered down with my friend with her Paint mare! I'm SO thrilled that Quzqo literally LEAPS into the horse trailer now, no more playing games, rearing, balking, swerving, and being a dick!

Was a pretty good show, very big for these parts. Sponsored by a Paint breeder, so there were TONS of gorgeous Paints in attendance!! We attended this show last year, and the temps got into the Mid-90's...thankfully it only got up to 81 this year! But still, wearing breeches, black boots and a dark coat ain't too comfy!!

We did Novice Showmanship, and I thought we did DAMNED good...good straight trotting, a crisp stop at the cone, he backed straight as a pin, trotted off, another smooth stop, the horse pivoted 270 degrees so quickly I had to rush to keep up with him, LOL!! Walk to the judge...and we missed her by about four feet, LOL! OOPS! Coos set up pretty nicely, not perfect, but oh well. We placed 6th out of 7!! The non-placing went to some old guy with a BIG Friesian stud who obviously was doing it for shits and grins, because he was in short sleeves, had a red nylon halter and a rope lead, didn't even attempt to pivot the horse (he just led him in a circle), and stood in one spot during the judge's inspection, instead of moving out of her way. We (My friends and I) were ready to protest IF that jerk placed over ME...we weren't great, but by God, we weren't as bad as that guy, LOL!

We also placed 6th in Pleasure Type Geldings...out of 6 entries, LOL! Well, crap, there were TWO Friesians in the class, plus two TWHs, a Morgan, and a little broke-tail Arabian, ha! Ah well, got two pretty green rosettes anyway! Didn't help that the instant one of the judges was walking right behind Coos, he decided to shift and stand cow-hocked! GRR!

Well, at least we didn't have to worry about the showback for the Championship, lol (won by one of the Friesians).

Didn't get too much of a chance to warm Himself up for the ridden classes...he was so laid-back and downright lazy, I didn't need to work him too much. He did pretty nicely in our Novice Equitation 19/over (which thankfully was just rail work, no pattern), and we were helped by the fact this one idiot woman on a TB (who is a thorn in our sides and we (the ladies from the barn) are sworn to beat her whenever possible, lol) just about crashed her horse into another lady, causing me to pull Coos up short and swerve! (she got lectured by the judge later, heh heh). It was only Walk/Trot, but we did so well, that we placed 3rd out of 8! Under both judges! Yaay Us!!

The people with the Friesians entered them in the Huntseat Equitation...holy SHIT...the idiot with the Stud could NOT control the thing...they were GALLOPING around the arena, with HUGE flying strides...those horses assumed every single Artist Resin Friesian Pose out there (even the "Mulan" galloping pose, LOL!). The other entrants were taking pains to AVOID them, even crossing the arena to get out of the way...the stud was careening wildly around, one lady cantered to the middle of the ring and did an emergency dismount and refused to continue because of those horses! I was surprised they weren't excused from the ring, frankly. Don't think either Friesian placed in the ribbons...I think the more well-behaved one (a mare) got an Honorable Mention.

Next was the Novice "Step-Up" class, with only 5 entries, and Coos did MISERABLE! ARRGH! I couldn't get him to canter for anything, and keep him cantering for more than maybe 15 seconds!!! He kept breaking gait in the one direction...when we changed direction, I got him into a nice, smooth canter, and we're cantering along the rail, and pass my farrier standing there, I hear him say in a low voice "check your lead"...shit! The horse was cantering so nicely on the wrong lead!! ARRGH! (he's so smooth, I couldn't tell!!). So I had to slow him, get him into the correct lead, but by that time the judge had called for a walk! So...5th out of 5!

Then we did Novce Huntseat Pleasure 19/O, thankfully Walk/Trot again, and Coos did VERY well...and when the judges had us stop on the rail, before they even said to, Coos started BACKING UP! LOL! All by himself, the little bugger!! Quite a change
from a year ago for sure!

I believe there were 8 entries and we placed 4th & 5th (Judge "A", the woman, seemed to like us better than Judge "B", the old fat guy)!

Then we had around 3+ HOURS to kill before they got to the trail classes! The horse and I retired to the trailer to relax. Watched a bit of the show...one woman had brought a beautiful HUGE Clydesdale gelding (roached/hogged mane, braided forelock, long, natural tail), and she had already shown him Showmanship (imagine someone getting a Clydesdale to pivot 270 degrees, LOL!) and Halter (she put him in "stock type geldings"...he was stocky, all right!), and believe It or not... WESTERN! Yes, she had him all decked out with a lovely show saddle, a HUGE cinch, a custom-made bridle, and damned if he didn't have the smoothest jog I've EVER seen!! His lope was so beautiful and slow and smooth...and they dwarfed all the Paints & QHs in the classes, LOL! I did manage to snap some pix...couldn't not do it!! I don't know how he placed in Equitation, but I know he got like 4th in Western Pleasure (relatively big class too, think there were around 11 entries). LOL, I bet the people w/the big-price tag stock horses were miffed to be beaten by a Clydesdale, LOL!!!

There were quite a few Arabians too...a couple I recognized from the last show I went to (where the judge totally ignored anything with a dished face and high tail carriage!). Was pleased to see that these judges were more impartial, and the horses placed pretty consistently. They had pretty little lopes and jogs to die for...some day... One mare was a shining platinum white with tiny fleabites and her mane and tail were as pure white as snow...beautiful!!! Maybe some day...

ANYway, they got to our Novice Trail (19/o) class around 5:30 in the afternoon...by that time both the horse and I just wanted to get it over with!! LOL, that poor boy...as we were leaving the trailer area, he just veered to the side and started walking right back to the trailer!! LOL! "Enough!" No such luck.

We went first, mostly to get it over with...as we were standing in the "In" gate, waiting for the nod from the judges, the dang horse kept oozing backwards! LOL! He just kept stepping backwards, backwards, oozing slowly...hoping to ooze back to the trailer or back to the barn, LOL! I had to keep pressing him back up to the gate, he kept sliding backwards, LOL! What a character! Finally we got a nod from the lady judge, and after a momentary protest, Quzqo picked up the trot I asked for, and we headed right for the row of poles laying on the ground. At the last second he VEERED to the left and managed to miss every single one!!! He knows about stepping over poles, we've practiced, but these were STRANGE poles, to be feared and avoided at all costs! ARRRGH!!!

We trotted through the cones, stopped, and I managed to back him through the serpentine of cones...it was a distance of around 40 feet, a helluva long distance to back a horse, and I was delighted that he did it!!!! This from a horse that 1 year ago would refuse to back one hoof-step!!!

We walked from the last cone to another pole on the ground, I cheated by having him step over the middle instead of starting at the far end, and darned if I wasn't able to get him to side-pass over the pole!!!! That was a FIRST! He's never side-passed over a pole...he's side-passed BESIDE a pole, after having stepped backwards, LOL! He just tucked his head, rounded up, and stepped smartly to the left!! I was happy with that much! Huzzah!!

There were 8 entries, and with the exception of the afore-mentioned idiot woman on the TB who didn't do ANYthing right (her horse spooked at the trot-over poles, the cones, and the side-passing log), everyone appeared to do near perfect, so I figured we didn't place (again!), and went back to the trailer. Eventually they did get around to announcing the placings, and I was truly gobsmacked when I heard my name announced as placing 4th AND 5th!!! WhooHOOO! Our very first trail class placings EVER!!!

We got home around 9, and my friend went back to the show on Sunday (welcome to it!). I'm glad I didn't go, I had a helluva migraine Sunday morning, and was sick from something I ate (probably those grapes I washed in the horse's bucket at the show!)...was so nice to RELAX and nap all day, LOL! My friend did quite well with her mare though, and they ended up winning High Point Novice 19/Over, with a custom-embroidered saddle cover! (yeah, she beat us in every class, but hey, her horse is younger with more training than mine)

Next show is this Saturday, at the local fairgrounds, so no long trailer ride at least! Saturday after that is the big two-day show at the barn...Trouble is, that Sunday I leave for BreyerFest!! Well, I can probably do Showmanship and Halter in the morning, LOL!