Show, Day Two

During the night I'd come to the revelation that shows don't matter, and after the previous day's disappointments and bitter doses of reality, that today didn't matter either. But the horse was 20 miles away at the fairgrounds, I'd already paid for everything, so I might as well go and make whoever is judging today look at us, whether they like the view or not.

I made a few adjustments so I could avoid yesterday's madness. Since the weather forecast was for much cooler temps, I wore my breeches underneath my jeans. That'll save a few precious seconds in the clothes-changing department later on! I wore a universal white shirt, so I wouldn't be changing into my Official Huntseat Shirt With Collar and Stock Pin. Nothing wrong with a nice white collared Oxford. Having the proper clothes didn't seem to help, so this couldn't hurt.

The horse didn't sleep well, I could tell by the lack of green stains on his sides. But Sunday is always Bran Mash day, horse show days being no exception, so he greedily tucked in to his white bucket of branny delights while I went about moving all my tack/equipment from the draft horse stall at the far end of the barn, to right outside the stall. Less steps to take, less time to waste!!

People were busying themselves preparing for the Showmanship and Halter classes, and I sat in the sun, enjoying a hot cuppa coffee and reading a paperback. The girl a couple of stalls down had her big white Arabian out, prepping him/her for the halter classes I assumed. She was busy spraying him with something. I got a whiff...dang, that STINKS! Phew! Another shower walked by and made some comment to her about how artificial showing has become, and she said something to the effect of "yeah, well, you do what you have to do!" and continued spraying her horse's lower legs...with a can of RUST-OLEUM!!

Yes, gentle reader, that girl was spray-painting her horse's lower white legs with RUST-OLEUM! I thought I recognized the smell, since I'd spray-painted my cart days earlier with the same product!! She stopped to shake the can, and I could clearly see the black and yellow oval logo, and the red plaid design element....couldn't see if it was gloss or matte. What the hell! Granted, it did make the horse's legs very very white...she was more "misting" it over, not going for complete coverage. The fur took on a white, but flat color, maybe she figured the judge would be so bedazzled by the bright white that she wouldn't notice the lack of natural silvery sheen.

Yet one more thing to write in the "showing-is-not-for-me" column.

Eventually I got my un-enameled horse tacked up, hitched up, warmed up, and we once again found ourselves parked in front of my car, waiting for lunch to be over. A friend came up to chat, and her little girl was eyeing the cart...the conversation got around to that eventually, and I asked her if she'd like to go for a ride! Of course, and she got up into the seat with me, and Quzqo headed on away from the showgrounds down the dirt road towards the back of the fairgrounds. I got him trotting (we'd been practicing our "road trot" vs "park trot" and he was actually getting it)...A couple of spins around the field, then trotting back down the road to her mom's horse trailer where I offloaded her. She had a blast, I had a blast, that was more fun than the actual class!

Again we were back by the car, dozing in the sun, Quzqo with his head lowered and a hind leg cocked, looking like the ole' grey plow hoss at lunchtime. Another family came by, and the young girl very shyly muttered something about if I was selling rides. LOL, no, but you're welcome to ride anyway! So she and her younger brother (with Mom's approval of course, not like I'm some horse-drawn child snatcher...though I could have been!) climbed in, one on each side, and off we went, same route as the last time. The kids really enjoyed the trotting, especially when we hit the washboard portion of the road, LOL!

Seriously, I could have made some good money selling cart rides that day. Maybe that's something to consider in the future, LOL!

Eventually the class came again, and I had NO nerves whatsoever. Either I was too tired or too numb, haven't decided which. The competition was already in the arena, "working at will", waiting for them to officially call for the class. Knowing Quzqo's opinion of arenas, I opted to just stay outside in the shade of a tree, until the announcer told me to get in there. Kind of an informal arrangement, but, okay. We just walked along the rail, the judges were standing in the middle, talking to each other, my competitor was already trotting her horse, I didn't quite know what to do, so I started to get Quzqo into some sort of trot when the announcer finally said "Drivers, Trot your horse!"

Now today there was no "park trot" or "road trot". No, today we just had "trot" and "extend the trot". Well, don't know about that, so I just made him trot faster, hoping he was extending. We got going quite well, he had more energy than the previous day, that's for sure! The judges called for us to "reverse"...not "reverse across the diagonal", just "reverse". I was just turning the corner onto the short end of the arena, so there was no way I could reverse across the diagonal, so I just did a big circle until I was facing the wrong direction. My competition did the across-the-diagonal because she was already on the long side and could do that without looking ridiculous. The fix was in, eh?

Quzqo did VERY well I thought, backed beautifully with his head tucked and neck arched. In the line-up, the judges came by, and the man judge carefully looked at each horse head-on, then walked around both sides, inspecting the harness I assume. *gulp*. Can he tell mine came from a discount tack dealer on eBay, and that it had cryptic (Red-dot) Indian words scribbled on the inside of the tugs?? Did he have disdain for (gaaag) pipe carts??? But he never said a word.

As I expected, we got 2nd under both judges. But hey, it was fun and we got to do it, so that's what it's all about.

The chaos between harness and equitation went much smoother this time. It was easy to peel off my pants, put on the boots, put on the hunt coat, put up my hair, ready to go!

It's also easy to go into the show ring with absolutely NO expectations whatsoever. I was figuring on another last-place day like Saturday, so if you figure you'll fail, you're never disappointed.

An amusing side-note; as we were entering the arena to find a spot on the rail, one of the ladies in the announcer's booth who knew me exclaimed "YOU'RE RIDING!!!" Er, yeah...I only broke my leg in two places, that doesn't mean I can't still ride, LOL! Glad to be able to amaze!

The Equitation class went well, I thought. Quzqo spooked a little at some people along the rail, and slowed a bit at some people on the other side...maybe he didn't see them when he had the blinkers on, who knows! Again there were four of us adult novices, and I about fell out of the saddle when they called out the placings, and I had placed 2nd under "Judge A" (the lady)!!! "Judge B" (the man") placed me last, so no more about him. That made my day, and I found myself thinking "this showing isn't so bad when you PLACE!"

The Step-up was a near-repeat of the previous one, but with five entrants instead of three, and as we were cantering, I heard a quiet voice along the rail "wrong lead!". I relaxed my seat and tried to feel his stride...sure enough, the little stinker had been merrily cantering on the right lead...except we were supposed to be on the left! I hauled him up, re-cued, back on the right (wrong!) lead! Arrgh! Lather, Rinse, Repeat! Third time he got onto the left lead and after four or five strides they called for the trot. Quzqo doesn't like cantering on his left lead, and picked a fine time to make his point!

So, we placed 4th & 5th, but I enjoyed a little Schadenfreude when Bob's 7 yr old granddaughter didn't win under BOTH judges this time (only one)

Huntseat Pleasure we went back to our old ways, and even though I don't know of anything either I or the horse did wrong, again, we came away with two Last Places.

That was it for the day. I wisely scratched the Trail class when I saw it contained a "rope gate" and a "water obstacle". NO thanks. Just as well...the judges were amazing hard-noses about it, and even with the kids' classes, were disqualifying them right and left for going off-course or failing to negotiate obstacles! Just another of life's hard lessons to learn, kids.

I got the horse cleaned up and settled into his stall for the rest of the afternoon, and headed for the food stand, only to discover that they were all out of everything except coffee and half a bag of potato chips. Luckily I still had two peanut butter & honey sandwiches in the car that I'd made 36 hours earlier, and by that time, I didn't care what they tasted like!

Since my friend, Sandy, is on the board of the association that put on the show, I had to stick around until they were done cleaning up the fairgrounds of all stray poops, making sure the stalls were stripped, gates closed, lights turned off, etc, etc, etc, so poor Quzqo and Spike were pretty much the last horses to leave the fairgrounds around 8:30 p.m., just as rain showers moved in. We had NO trouble loading, as you can imagine!

So that's how it ends. There really aren't any other shows I could attend this summer, even if I wanted to, so that makes it easier to avoid the temptation. Instead I think I'll practice enjoying the trails and back roads, both in the saddle and in the cart, and not have to worry as to whether I'm posting on the correct diagonal, or if the horse is road-trotting or park-trotting.

A Return To The Wonderful World of Horse Shows

And I remembered why I left.

Couldn't sleep a wink, kept awake by mingling thoughts of everything that could possibly go wrong. What if it rains, what if I can't find anyone to hold the horse while I hitch him up, what if, what if, what if. Thunderstorms rolled through during the night; is Quz okay in his stall at the fairgrounds? What if he's scared? What if he spooks and kills himself? What if a wheel falls off my cart! What if I break my other leg!

Of course it pretty much stopped raining, the horse was fine (but hungry! He's used to being turned out around 5 a.m.), everything was fine when I got to the fairgrounds around 7:30. Gave Himself a couple of flakes of hay, fresh water, and stepped back to admire the serving platter-sized poo stain on his right side. It seems all his stains are on the right side. Who'd have thought that horses would have a favorite side to sleep on, just like people! It also told me he slept quite well last night, despite being in a strange place. At least he relaxed long enough to grind that fresh manure into his previously-clean and white barrel.

While he broke his fast, I set about unpacking the car, and moving my tack/etc into an empty standing stall at the end of the building. We were in the Draft Horse Barn, and that half of the barn had been moved to the current fairgrounds from the old fairgrounds in town back in the middle-1970's, and they'd added on to it at a later date. It was kind of nice to use those big Draft-sized standing stalls for tack storage, and the mangers worked well for holding shampoos and sprays and such.

Got my cart out of the back of the horse trailer, and attached the shafts. Everything seemed okay, no loose nuts (just the one holding the reins!). I wheeled it from the trailer up by the barn, seemed more sensible to have it by the horse, duuuh!

It didn't take long for Quzqo to suck down his breakfast hay... no grain at horse shows, thank you. Though I had to chuckle that Sandy had brought not only grain for Spike, but also his vitamins, supplements, and electrolytes. Can't be without those! Quz only gets 1/2 scoop a day, so I didn't think he'd miss it or care.

Managed to get Mr. Poopy cleaned up (I really like that Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover...it works!), braided up his forelock, unbraided his tail, and put him back in his stall. All around me women were busy washing their horses, spraying them with various aerosols to make their darks darker, their whites whiter, or to give that overall finishing shine. That's one disadvantage ... or advantage, to owning a multi-colored fleabitten grey horse... none of that stuff will make a bit of difference! Even when he's clean, he looks dirty, because of all the roaning in the coat. Maybe that's why we never did great in Showmanship.

No Showmanship for me, no Halter either. My ankle only permits a rapid hobble, which doesn't quite present that polished, finished graceful look you want for in-hand classes. Saved myself some money in entry fees and horse cosmetics, and saved myself the embarassment and humiliation. That would come later.

My main concern was timing. When to begin harnessing. Lord Knows I didn't want to RUSH and break the other leg. Slowly the time passed, it was eventually safe for me to put on my show shirt (a flashy red Western shirt with white embroidered roses and pearl snaps, a Christmas gift from my niece back in 2004)(still fits!) and clean off my Western hat ($9.95 at the Michigan Horse Expo last year). They'd finished the Showmanship Division, which left a mere 13 Halter classes and a Championship showback to go before lunch. A good a time as any to start harnessing!

It was so nice to have the stall, I could tack up in peace and quiet, the horse was mellow... relatively. I'd secured the services of my friend, Sandy, to hold him for hitching, and I CAREFULLY led him out of the stall...he was being very careful himself; once he gets those blinkers on, he moves around like Mr. Magoo! I ground drove him a bit around the fairgrounds, no spooks, no fussing, no rearing...good to go!

Once hitched he stood rock solid for me, and I let him...we only had a mere 45 minutes until our class!

We ended up in a back field behind the parked horse trailers to practice and warm up. There were a couple of trailers parked at the edge, and it was amusing to see the horses tied there essentially freaking out of their skins and the horrible terrifying sight of a horse and cart! They had people nearby, so I wasn't concerned. Hey, I had every right to be there, same as them, plus I was about a football field away, so, deal with it. Only so many places one can drive a horse cart y'know (especially since I'd removed my orange "slow moving vehicle" triangle from the back).

Quz did good, lots of energy, yet would halt and back and turn and be his usual good self for me. Getting bored just bounding around across a mown field, we went back to the show grounds and parked in front of my car (because I knew THAT car wasn't going to pull out anytime soon) and waited.

It was fun and cheering to receive all the complements and good wishes from friends and strangers alike, those who knew what happened last year (and apparently it was quite the story that made its rounds of the local horse show world!). As one lady put it, "the last time I saw you, you were drooling in the back seat of a car saying 'these drugs are GOOOOOD!'", LOL. Well, I don't believe I was "drooling", but still...

FINALLY lunch was over, they cleared the arena of all the practicing riders, the tractor came and touched up the dirt (good, nice and neat for my class!), and we were ready to go! The other driver was by the gate already, and they looked GREAT!


Crap, there goes MY chances! Her little Show Shetland was just slick as snot, with a cute little patent leather harness and a snappy little cart, I don't remember what she was wearing, who cared, the pony was too adorable! Quzqo looked like a big Draft Horse in comparison! Oh well, I guess it's better to get a 2nd place competing against someone else rather than a 1st place if you were the only one entered.

Those few final seconds of waiting, I felt all the strength just DRAIN from my arms. Usually it's my legs that go weak, LOL, but since I was sitting comfortably on my butt...well, makes sense I suppose.

They called for us to enter at a trot. Er...huh? TROT? I'm supposed to TROT my horse down a narrow alleyway through a gate and then do a sharp turn to the right? Well, we didn't do that, I was more worried about getting the horse in the arena, through the gate, THEN we managed a trot. He hadn't been in the arena with blinkers before, so he was trying to look at everything, did a little bobble-shy at the show photographer along the rail, but I managed to keep him on the rail and zip around the corners without flipping.


Then they called for a "Road Trot". What the hell's a Road Trot!!!! I looked for the other driver, and saw her little pony just flying along.... okay, "Road Trot" is "fast"! HA! I tried to get Quzqo into a faster trot, but I didn't want to start whupping his butt with the whip...that'd look bad I imagine...I tried kissing noises, clucking noises, saying "Trot", nope, he just sort of happy slacker-trotted along, even SLOWING and getting an actual tap on the butt with the whip to keep him moving.


The announcer then called for a "Park Trot"...again I glanced at the other driver, she'd slowed...okay, "Park Trot" is slow....(I hear "Park Trot" and I visualize Park Arabians, and their Park Trot is NOT slow!). We reverse direction on the diagonal, that was cool, because by then we were on opposite sides of the arena, and we both crossed at the same time, almost looked like a drill team maneuver! Now going the other direction, they called for the Park Trot again...at which we failed miserably. Then a walk, and he slowed very nicely. Line up facing the announcer's stand.

One by one we backed...Quzqo did very well at that. I knew we didn't win, but it was so neat and fun to even BE there...and yes, I'll admit a certain amount of smugness and contempt for those poor slobs whose horses do NOT drive, ha ha ha! Quz may not be able to do a peanut-rolling jog trot, but by gum, he can pull a cart!

We did place second, and since it was double-judged, we got two ribbons. Cheesy dumb FLAT ribbons, *sigh*...I like big fat rosettes, but those days are over for the foreseeable future.

NOW panic set in. I had SEVEN Equitation classes between me getting out of the cart and riding into the arena for my Equitation class! Two of those classes were Saddleseat, with two entries...not a big time-sponge! Yikes!

Got the horse unhitched and unharnessed and saddled, then I ran (hobbled) back to the trailer and changed into my idiot huntseat clothes (why DO we spend so much money on ridiculous skin-tight outfits that we can't really wear anywhere else? The pants are too tight, the shirts have those goofy collars, and the coats are too short to wear to job interviews!). I'm sure by then the temperatures were into the lower 80's, and sweat was just pouring off of me... just appreciating so much the black leather boots, the dark coat, the black unventilated helmet on my head, oh yes.

I will admit; a horse show is the only place on Earth you will see me walking around in light-colored skin-tight pants. Hey, if you don't like what you see, don't look!

Got on horse (bless his heart, he stood rock-solid for me all weekend!!) and into the warm-up ring that he LOATHES! When he wasn't veering towards the center, he was trying to bolt for the open gate, and lacking that, pinning his ears and spooking at people on the rail. And as for tucking his head and being "on the bit"...FUGGEDABOUDIT! Almost every request for him to give to the bit resulted in the head going STRAIGHT UP in the air! (his teeth are fine, the vet checked them last month)(Maybe he needs his brain filed down!)

After a couple of near-disastrous cantering stints, I noticed my show number on the ground! HA! So much for those $#@%& magnetic show number holders....seems they don't work with slick laminated show numbers! Well, now I know that. But do you think I could find any SAFETY PINS??? I threw the horse back in the stall and tore my stuff apart, I KNOW I had a little metal Altoids tin with my safety pins (and spare magnets)...could NOT find it! Not in the tack stall, not in the horse trailer, not in the car! ARRRGH! BLESS the sweet lady who offered to go to the show office and get me a couple of pins to attach the number the old-fashioned way! I was freaking out, I was hot, I felt sick, my class was mere minutes away!

First class was "Novice Huntseat Equitation, 19/0ver", and there were three others in it with me. Unfortunately I recognized two of them as long-time riders from past shows (yes, wimps like me who didn't want to canter!) and the third looked very capable, as did her horse. It seems the only way I've managed to place in the past is if the other entries are worse than me. That's not really a good foundation upon which to build a show career!

Well, we did the class.... trot, walk, reverse, walk, trot, stop, back 3 steps, line up, we placed 4th out of 4 under both judges. I thought we did well, but who knows...


I'm not sure what we're doing here, I suspect we're in the process of backing???? (Dang, is my horse fleabitten or what!??):

After one more class, we were back at the in-gate, ready for "Novice Step-up", an open novice class with (gasp!) cantering! Only the BRAVE dare venture into the dark unknown of the Third Gait! The....CANTER! There were three of us brave souls.... The young teen from the barn (the one who called me about Quzqo's knee injury), and Bob's 7 year old granddaughter...and myself, who will turn 50 in less than 10 days! GAH!

Initially I was embarrassed out of my brain, but then it occurred to me; it's my fellow 19/over Novices who should be crawling under the barns to hide their shame-covered selves from the sight of their fellow entrants...at least I am BRAVE enough to confront....The CANTER! Me, a 15 year old, and a 7 year old. Harrumph!

BWAHAHAA...Hell-Horse:


He looks like he's about to go "Alien" on me! I expect his mouth to open and another fang-riddled mandible shoot out dripping acid! But don't I have the happiest little smile on my face, hee!


We did all right, Quz got his leads right, pretty much spent the whole class with is nose stuck out in front of him, and like I figured, Bob's 7 year old Granddaughter cleaned our clock. But hey, if I was riding that veteran, professionally-trained push-button remote-controlled QH she was on, I bet I would have won too! We did place 2nd under both judges, beating the 15 year old. Whoo Yeah, I'll take it! Any shame I may have had disappeared long ago! At my very first horse show with Tezlu I creamed the field of kiddies in Novice Huntseat, and still have the blue ribbon to prove it!

Had an hour to rest up before they got to my Huntseat Pleasure class. Didn't do any good to try to warm up or work on the headset issue. Yes, I'll admit to feeling a tad discouraged by then.

Barely remember the Huntseat Pleasure class. We did good I thought; correct diagonals, no veering or head tossing, backed like a pro. Once again, placing 4th out of 4. Sigh.

But damn, Quz looks so KEEYOOOOT!:

LONG wait until our trail class! It had started to sprinkle...barely sprinkle. The show committee decided to move the trail course to the new covered arena where they hold the cattle judging during the fair. Well, Quzqo has never been inside that building in his entire life (me neither, for that matter). The trail course was pretty simple: trot to walkover bridge, turn left, walk to cone, pivot 90 degrees to left, trot half-circle to cones, serpentine at trot through cones, trot to and through parallel logs, stop and back through gap in logs in "S" shape, walk out, stop, pivot 360 degrees, dismount. Easy Peasy!

Our first problem came when we were waiting our turn to go in. The gate that was loosely tied open is the exact same kind of gate that TERRORIZES Quzqo on the trail around the barn property. It was the scene of our first big spook fit many years ago, and to this day he will tense up and quiver as he goes past it...expecting it to creak or rattle just as he's near it! It didn't help that right then a breeze came up and moved that gate towards us...squeeeeeeeeeee. The horse side-stepped away and tensed right up. Oh goody.

We went on in, waited at the first cone for the signal from the judges who were seated in chairs at the edge of the arena. Then we started at a nice sitting trot towards the bridge at the other end...Quz jammed on the brakes...

"Oh NO...Oh NO YOU DON'T make me go near that scary thing!!!" He wouldn't even go NEAR it...it was a totally benign low bridge, just like the one at the barn that he will go out of his way to go over because he enjoys it so much! Nope, we gave it three tries, he wouldn't have anything to do with it!

So, we went around, stopped, pivoted 90 degrees, picked up the trot...halfway through the half-circle, OHMYGODTHERE'SPEOPLE THERE! He'd spotted the judges and jumped sideways...got him going to the cones....right at that instant the show photog snapped a pic, the flash spooked the horse and he jumped through the cones and out the other side! THAT kind of annoyed me...they should have included her in the original pattern if she was going to sit there at the rail flashing her camera at the horses!


Why am I smiling? Either that or cry!

We made it to the parallel logs, he backed halfway before deciding this was bullshit and refused to go any further, spun to the left and ended up rearing before hopping over the log. We trotted to the end, he did a beautiful pivot 360 degrees, I dismounted, ran the stirrup irons up the leathers, and then left. We placed 5th out of 5, I didn't bother even picking up the ribbons for that miserable experience; I don't want the reminders.

I'm kind of bummed the photographer didn't get a shot of him in mid-rear, that'd have been worth buying a copy of!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like crap. All that work, all that sweat, all that money, just to be told repeatedly that I suck, my horse sucks, we both suck together. I tried to console myself by thinking that those show horses were nigh useless out on a REAL trail. In fact, one of the horses from our barn who did flawlessly over the trail course that day IS totally useless outside a fenced-in area. His owner has lamented repeatedly that she can't even take him on the trail around the barn property without him going berserk. Small consolation, that.

Totally disheartened and with tears welling in my eyes, I put Quz back in his stall, untacked and brushed him, filled his hay bag to bursting, fresh cool water in his bucket, and promised him I'd never put him (and me) through this again (after tomorrow) (well...I'd pre-paid, they've got my $7.20, they can suffer with having to look at us!).

Earlier this year I'd come to the realization that I don't really like showing. I'm not a competitive person, I don't have big bucks, I don't have a show horse. Truthfully, look at your good show horses; they like it! They don't veer towards the gates, they don't balk at going into an arena, they stand in the lineup with dull-eyed acceptance and mindless obedience, not even having to wait for the rider's cue to change gaits, they recognize the words over the loudspeaker and automatically comply. They're content to lope slowly with their heads tucked and on the rail until the next command comes along. They'll doze by their trailers or in their rented stalls, and stand like statues as their pasterns are clipped and their manes banded. They don't need Pony Pops in their stalls to keep them occupied.

Some people are destined for the stage, some are more content working the ropes and pulleys behind the curtain. I believe it's the same for horses. I asked myself "what makes me the happiest"? It's no big genius revelation; I'm the happiest riding my horse, alone, through the tall trees in the forest, with just the invisible songbirds in the canopy overhead. No smell of horse makeup, no blaring announcer's stand, no arbitrary number on my back. Life's too short to spend it doing things that make you cry. This might just be my last horse show.

Until tomorrow, because, as I mentioned... I prepaid.

The Show Gods Demand Sacrifice

Back from the fairgrounds after getting Quzqo & "Spike" settled in. We got REAL nice stalls in an open-sided barn on the edge of the livestock area, so it's quieter and less commotion (perfect for harnessing, IMO). Quzqo made quick friends with the black QH gelding next door to him, and Spike is on his other side, with a BIG chestnut Arabian next to HIM! Lots of purdy horses, I'll have to get pix. There's a gorgeous rabicano QH there, def. want pix of him!

The horses enjoyed their dinner hay while we unpacked & tended paperwork. Around 7:30 we were caught up, and dragged the horses from their stalls, tacked up & rode a bit in the main arena.

Quzqo was a SLUG! Arrgh! He wasn't tired, he was being a butt! He was all Mr. Paw-The-Ground when I was tacking him up (I was being VERY careful to not get a leg broken), and started hiking off before I had my right foot in the stirrup, and very gung-ho was we walked towards the arena, but once inside, blaaaaaaah. Didn't have spurs or my crop, so he knew I couldn't do anything to him, ha! His performance was so dismal, I decided to switch bits back to his nice copper-mouthed snaffle from the kimberwicke for tomorrow...he "gives" to the snaffle; the kimerwicke, he sticks his nose out in the air. *sigh*.

To make things more interesting, he also got himself a BIG bite right on his throat... hair torn right down to the skin, and it was quite swollen. I put some Furazone ointment on it at the barn, knowing by morning he'd have greasy melted oozy yellow ointment running down his chest. I'll deal with it then.

Big happy surprise, there's another person doing Pleasure Driving!! A cute little old lady (me, in 25 years or so I envision) with a small roan pony (well, small horse, big pony...smaller than Coos). She gave me a friendly "So I've got a driving partner for tomorrow!" as we were unloading my cart from the bed of Sandy's truck! How neat! Bet she cleans my clock too, but that's all right. I was very happy to see she had a loathed, reviled, and disparaged "pipe cart" like I do! See, the folks on the Chronicle of the Horse disrespect those pipe-based Easy-Entry carts, preferring only imported Phaetons or whatevers...yeah, well, not everybody can afford a mahogany Amish-made Meadowbrook. I was feeling sort of insecure since my cart is a "pipe cart" with the reviled "pneumatic tires' (i.e. bicycle tires), but at least my competition has the same kind, ha! This'll be fun!!! Somebody BETTER take pix!

Sandy and I were moving our tack & stuff to empty stalls to store, when we heard the P.A. system request anyone with "medical experience" please go to the back of the fairgrounds...and moments later, a request to "hold on to your horses, there will be an ambulance coming onto the fairgrounds!" SH!T!

Minutes earlier, while I was arranging my stuff in the empty stall, I heard a HUGE commotion coming from a 3-horse slant-load gooseneck trailer about 100 yards away...BIG stomping /crashing, the whole trailer was shaking, everybody had turned to look...seconds later a young lady came rolling out the back and sat on the ground... other people walked by her, and it seemed she was just sitting there, like "oh, gosh, I'm a goof, I'll just sit here"...

Well, after the PA announcement, we looked, and she was flat out on the ground with people all around! Long story short, she (unwisely, IMO), ducked UNDER the divider in the trailer to unhook her horse, spooked him, and he effectively trampled and smashed her into the sides of the trailer before shoving her out the back!!!! She had at least a broken ankle, broken knee, and concussion with blood coming from her mouth!!! I tell you, both Sandy and I felt faint and nauseated, because it all hit very close to home. The poor gal was screaming in pain when the EMTs were trying to get her on the backboard (I can also relate to that), they finally did get her into the ambulance and took her away, leaving the horse still in the trailer.

Turns out she's a very popular, pleasant horsewoman in the community, who JUST gave birth to a daughter 3 weeks ago! Sh!t! Her parents were coming by to take the horse back home, then to go to the hospital... and she didn't have a husband, so I don't know how she's going to take care of a 3 week old with a broken knee and ankle!! Thankfully her parents are here to help...sheesh.

Earlier Sandy and I were joking how careful we both planned to be, because it seems the "Show Gods" demand a sacrifice, and we both made our contributions over the past year (turns out she also had a cracked finger and a huge hematoma on her upper inner thigh where Spike had trampled her the other week)...sheesh.

Left Quzqo in his vacation stall, looking at me like I should give him more hay...no, I don't think so, 2-1/2 flakes is enough for dinner. He's got a Pony Pop in there, so he won't be bored, and I'm sure he'll be able to share stories with his new neighbors.

Despite the accident tonight, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about tomorrow. It's kind of a relief that I'm NOT doing Showmanship or Halter, so that'll give me time to clean up the horse, put the shafts on my cart, have a snack, get tacked up at a LEISURELY pace, and get in a little warm-up drive around the fairgrounds.

Stay tuned.

Countdown To Horse Show!

Horse Show Weekend Eve! Last night Quzqo got a full bath (first one in nearly two years!!!) with oatmeal dog shampoo and a white vinegar rinse (supposedly to remove any soapy residue, but it just made him smell like a pickle). He's got a couple of yellow stains on his right elbow that didn't come off, so I'll get him with the Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover today. Braided his tail, put it in a tail bag to hopefully keep it clean, and bedded him down with another 6" of fresh sawdust in his stall. Hopefully no pee-encrusted tummies today!

I'll head on out to the barn around 2 this afternoon, we'll be leaving for the fairgrounds around 4 & get settled in. It should be thunderstorming by then, oh goody, with severe thunderstorms for
overnight! Can you say "flooded arena"? Sure you can!

They do have a smaller covered arena that they can use for showmanship & halter, but I can't envision any ridden classes being held in there. Hopefully the weather forecast stays true and it's dry most of the day before raining again "late afternoon" (I don't care, I'll be done by then, ha ha)

At least this time around I'm filled with happy optimism and anticipation about this show. The show last year (the leg-breaking one) I was saddled with such a heavy feeling of impending doom that I actually cried. Here's hoping!

Fun Show Fun -- A Return to the Show Ring!

It's been nearly 13 months to the day since I set foot into a horse show ring, and let me tell you, I'd accumulated a lot of baggage in that time. The mere mention of the words "Horse Show" brought back a flood of memories of snapping leg bones, fear, pain, ambulance rides and the following months of disappointment and frustration.

But I had plans to get back into the show ring this year, if only for one show, because, by God, I wanted to do Pleasure Driving (item #1 on my "Bucket List"). That opportunity will (hopefully) come up in a week and a half, but in the meantime, what should come up on the calendar but the June 2008 Twilight Show at the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds! My friend, Sandy, provided the transportation for me and the horse, and even though we're both quite rusty compared to where we were in the summer of 2006, it's a fun show, it's a benefit, it's informal, and heck, I wanted to go!

Last summer I'd planned for Quzqo to make his Western Pleasure debut...well, that obviously never happened. Better late than never, we aimed for that goal this time around. Fortunately for the Twilight Show series, proper tack is optional, so I was able to get away with my hornless trail saddle. Yep, looking at my picture above, that looks like the stereotypical redneck trail rider from these parts. All I need is a can of Bud Lite in my hand.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. We trailered in to the fairgrounds around 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday evening, delayed by Sandy's truck being in the repair shop all afternoon. They didn't find out what was wrong exactly, just that there's something wrong "in the back end". Being a chauvinistic repair shop, they wouldn't tell her what specifically was wrong, just that they'd tell her husband later, and it was probably okay to use the truck just to go to the fairgrounds and back. It did make a dramatic groaning/rubbing sound, but it disappeared once she got up to speed.

Quzqo hadn't been to the fairgrounds since 2006, and let's just say he was excited to be there (ha ha). Thankfully I managed to tack him up without breaking any bones this time around, and after two or three times I was able to mount up, and riding him through the jungle of horse trailers, trucks, and equines towards the arena was kind of like sitting on a stick of sweaty dynamite. Other than a few inside-the-skin spooks, and giving the hairy eyeball to a traffic cone, we arrived in one piece. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't as tensed up and nervous as he was. Strength? What's this "strength" thing one hears about? I had rubber noodle legs and overcooked linguine arms, a chest encased in concrete, and a persistent imagined need to use the restroom!

We had about 40 minutes before the riding portion of the show was to begin (they start with Showmanship in an adjoining arena), so there's plenty of time to warm up. Quzqo doesn't need to warm up. He was plenty hot already! We trotted, we walked, we tried to canter, but I couldn't get more than a few strides out of him. The arena got pretty crowded with riders and horses, we managed to avoid getting hit and hitting, nobody got kicked, and after 15-20 minutes or so, both the horse and I had relaxed and gotten into "the zone".

Show started, my Huntseat class was first of the evening. I think we were 3rd into the ring, trotting smartly, on the correct diagonal, head on the bit nicely. About then ALL the strength drained from my legs and arms, and I concentrated on just keeping a grip on the reins. The judge kept us trotting...and trotting...and trotting....and trotting. What the hell? I can't recall having to trot for that long...guess she was having trouble making up her mind! From the trot she called for a walk...Quz just ooozed into the slower gait like a pro, I was proud of him! He walked nicely, neck arched, constant prodding from my spurs to keep him in a forward direction.

She finally called for the canter, and after a few trotting strides Quzqo picked up his left lead...hoorah! He'd been having "issues" with that this spring...even on the trail, if I asked for a left lead, he'd go ahead and pick up his right lead because it's his favorite. But not then, he cantered on SO nicely. Not quite "rocking chair" but it felt fine to me!

We walked, we reversed at the walk, we cantered again (he did beautifully, only half-slowing once, and was motivated back into stride with a spur without breaking gait), we stopped, we backed five steps, we walked on in and lined up in the middle of the arena facing the announcer's stand.

(A cute note: when the announcer called for "Stop!", Quzqo jammed on the brakes on his own, not waiting for me to cue him! Argh! He learned that on his own, because I don't use the word "stop" for him to stop, I use "whoa"...danged hyper-intelligent Arabians!)

I was VERY proud of my boy, no matter what the placings were, he was #1 in my book for doing so well after such a long vacation, and the fact he CANTERED all the way around the arena, multiple times, and on the correct lead!

They announced the placings, and I was doubly-thrilled to take Fifth Place out of 8 entries! That might just be a Twilight Show record for us, considering our only two other placings at a Twilight Show was a 3rd (out of 5) and a 4th (out of 4)! WhooHoo, we beat three other people!

Had maybe half an hour before our next class, our Western Pleasure debut, plenty of time to get back to the trailer and do a tack change. Managed that without breaking any bones (believe me, my main goal was to NOT end up in any form of pain!!), and headed for the practice arena. There I discovered all our neck-reining training had flown out the door, and it was a struggle to keep Quzqo into a jog trot. I knew we were doomed to fail, but I'd paid my $5, we were there, it's all in fun, and for a good cause (to benefit the fairgrounds), so if they don't like it, they don't have to look at it!

My niece, Heidi, had arrived with her kids in tow, and she provided the photos for this installment. Was nice to have a cheering section!

Western Pleasure, 19/over arrived, we managed to jog trot into the arena...well, an Arabian jog trot. We weren't exactly in the proper Arabian western frame...we weren't anything near it. But, ask me if I care. There were quite a few Arabians from the local show barn there, all prancing around in their collected little frames, with their necks hooked and their chins in their chests...no thanks. I promised Quzqo I'd never do that to him. No lunging with the reins tied to the saddle, no draw reins, forcing a position just because it's "the style" of the day. Looking back at old issues of Arabian Horse News from the early 1960's, the horses had a natural frame in Western Pleasure...a Quzqo frame!

As for the class...well, let's just say, I've had worse rides, and have embarrassed myself more in front of larger crowds, and it's not a surprise that we didn't place in Western. When he wasn't crapping out at the jog trot, he was stopped and refusing to move, he was veering off towards the middle of the arena and there wasn't anything I could do about it (did I mention he won't neck rein?). He did pick up his leads, and seemed to be enjoying the hell out of cantering! I'll admit I enjoyed it too, we just flew around the inside of the ring, passing everybody, sometimes twice, but at no time out of control. Just being an Arabian (er, an Arabian with no formal training, and no big honking spade bit in his mouth).

Hm, I look pretty good there, don't I?

We cantered, er, loped, we reversed, we stopped and backed five steps (again, Quzqo did wonderfully there), we lined up, and we didn't place. But two others didn't place either, so I wasn't the only one.
Here we are in the line-up, that's my friend Sandy next to me, on her new QH Gelding, "Spike". They did much much much better than we did. No surprise there.

Quzqo ended up the evening giving pony rides to my niece's kids, and loaded back in the trailer like a pro. We returned to the barn, tired and hungry, but for me, at least, satisfied with our performance. The horse picked up his leads, he cantered for sustained periods of time, I stayed out of any ambulances, and most importantly I was able to get rid of a lot of that baggage I'd been toting around all year.

When's the next show!

Killer Percherons at the Pony Camp

(Mr. Big)

This weekend the local branch of the Pony Club was holding their Pony Camp at the barn. Poor Quzqo got booted from his normal (comfy, well-lit, well-ventilated) stall on the north side of the barn to make way for visiting Pony Club horses, and found himself on the south side of the barn, in a dark, stuffy, concrete-encased below-ground-level-so-it-leaked stall. Poor boy was totally bewildered, and when I showed up last night, he seemed actually relieved...maybe he thought he was going to a new situation with a new owner. No such luck, my lad.

I will give them credit though...they took the pains to make him comfy in his temporary accommodations, even going so far as to haul his 50# salt block across the arena to his new stall. Heavens know he couldn't go three days without a lick of salt! Well, just as well, I wouldn't want some strange horse licking his salt block, who knows what cooties it may have.

As a bonus, reportedly the Pony Clubbers will give all the stalls they use a thorough cleaning & scrub-down when they finish up on Sunday. We shall see!

The Pony Clubbers were going to use the south pasture (known as "Mexico" for some reason) (because it's "south"??) for their cross-country training, and that meant Bob had to move the horses that were there somewhere else for the weekend. Where else but to "Cannonball Run"... Quzqo's previously quiet and mellow pasture full of fat geldings. Ah, no longer quiet, no longer mellow! Added to Quz and his mellow companions there is now a hyperactive Paint, a hyperactive palomino, a hyperactive young chestnut QH, a black tobiano Draft cross, oh yes, and a pair of Percherons! A black gelding and a lovely dapple grey mare!

CHAOS!!!

It only took them a day to separate into three different factions. The black Percheron was Mr. Big of his clique of the palomino, the QH, the Paint and the Draft Cross. The red roan QH, "Leo" had commandeered the Percheron mare, and had her off in a corner. Quzqo and his buddy, Colby, were waaaaaaay off in the opposite corner, as far from the drafters as he could be.

I was bringing him in, and we had to pass near by Mr. Big's posse... Poor Quz suddenly startled and almost ran into me from behind, and almost shoved me off to the side. I yanked on his halter and saw the black and white Draft cross walking right towards his butt. I swung him around behind me and went after the pinto with the end of the lead rope and a hearty deep-pitched "HYAAAAH!" He backed off and wandered away, and Quzqo relaxed...a little.

By the time we got to the top of the aisleway leading down to the barn, ALL the horses decided to come on in after us. Mr. Big and his posse from the rear, and Leo and the mare from the right. Quz was none to pleased to see ANY of it, so as soon as we got to the aisle, I unsnapped the lead and he TORE off towards the barn, cantering through the deep dirt as fast as he could!

Leo and the mare came up behind me and passed quick enough, and as soon as they got down to the end, Leo chased Quzqo away from the waterer, and was all snake-necked after him, chasing him off so his lady love, the Percheron, could have a drink!

I managed to hobble down and rescue Quzqo and get out the gate before Mr. Big and his posse made it down. When they did, hoo boy...apparently Mr. Big was displeased that Leo had his woman! Quz and I watched from the safety of behind the gate as Mr. Big repeatedly chased Leo away as the mare sipped at the waterer.

Considering what an anal orifice Leo is, all I could do was laugh! Pathetic little horse. He never did regain his lady love that I know of. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

Mr. Big in Action:

Insane Screaming Monkey From Hell

This is just a cool woodgrain pattern on one of the tack cupboards at the barn!

AUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I fear this will haunt me to my dying day!

Thank Goodness For Drunken Rednecks

Took the day off of work today because the dogs had a vet appointment (Heartworm test), and since I didn't really have anything to do at work, it didn't make sense to sit around being bored for the day with three dogs bouncing around my office (with gas over $4/gallon, I wasn't about to make a 15 mile trip home to drop them off, then another 15 mile trip back to work to sit around and be bored)

With the doggies all tended to, well, of course that meant going out to the barn after lunch! With temperatures in the mid-70's and a bit of cloud cover...who could resist?

I like riding Quzqo in the afternoons; he's had his breakfast, the initial excitement of being OUT has burned off, he's probably looking for diversions, and he isn't tuckered out or thinking about dinner. The perfect time.

Got him all tacked up in his trail riding tack; trail saddle with shoo-fly tassel on the cinch (white horsehair to match his mane and tail), breast collar to prevent saddle from shifting during any sudden changes of direction, a nice nylon bag that attaches to the pommel with two zippered compartments, a pocket for a cell phone (assuming anyone is stupid enough to attach their cell phone to the saddle...that would be on the horse...that would be running away after having dumped you in the woods), and a holder for a water bottle.

For the record, I clipped my cell phone to my waistband in a groovy leather case I found at a thrift store earlier in the week...carefully put to the side, not in the back where I might land on it if I fell.

Proving once again that I have a taste for the self-destructive, I opted to use the bitless bridle on him. Yeah, the grass in the hayfields is pretty tall, I knew I was heading for a hopeless tug-o-war as we worked our way through, but gosh, I'd been riding him in curbs for weeks now, I thought he'd appreciate the change.

Of course it started to RAIN just as soon as I'd adjusted the bridle on his head, dammit! But by the time I got on him in the indoor arena, it'd stopped down to a drizzle. Heck, I've ridden indoors all winter, I want a TRAIL RIDE!

We headed on out, and the horse did fine, he actually seemed more relaxed than normal (lack of a bit perhaps?). We had a few tug-o-wars over the grass and alfalfa in the hayfield, and much to my delight, NO hissy fit at the corner where we leave the barn property (last time we did that a few days earlier he was in fine, rearing/spinning form).

Headed off down the dirt road, even did a little cantering, went for half a mile or so along a paved road...the sad little flat dead deer in the ditch had been reduced to a few scattered bones. Lot more trotting...Quz shied at a real estate sign, but no traffic was coming, so no harm done.

Down the trail, oh boy, the leaves are out, that means the horse can snack as we go (especially without a bit in his mouth!). Up to another dirt road, let's canter!

His canter's improved so nicely this Spring, we've both built up muscles, and happily he even took his left (bad) lead when I asked. It's such a joy when he willingly keeps going and going and going with minimal nudging! We ended up going into the woods down a two-track that's also part of the Michigan Shore-to-Shore trail...ooo, so green and mossy and smelled so nice... the wildflowers are over with for the most part, but the rainfall made the place look like Oregon or Northern California...beautiful!

Er...what's that smell?

What's that sound?

AGH! Not 20 feet away on the side of the trail, the bloated flyblown carcass of a Whitetail Deer! AAAGH! I spurred Quzqo ON...he didn't quite understand WHY but picked up on my urgency (or else he picked up on the smell) and we blew past that repulsive roadside attraction and got well upwind before slowing down. Bleah!!! The bad thing being; we'd have to come back this way too!

Battling a bad case of the heebie jeebies, we continued our merry way through the woods. The road was pitted with Scary Puddles that Quzqo's precious hoofies could NOT touch... not even the darkened mud around them, no, 'tis better to go off-road up the roadside bank and down again than to besmirch those dainty toes!

We made our way about a mile into the woods to one of my favorite spots where the road passes over a quiet little stream...it's mossy with Cedars on both sides, with little water grasses and watercress and an occasional minnow...just so peaceful and calm...except for the Arabian spooking at the piece of bark on the road, or the glitter water, or the bird flitting from the streamside. Did get him to stop and stand quietly for nearly 30 seconds before turning and heading back.

Heading back is always quicker than heading out. Despite my best efforts, again I was unpleasantly surprised by that damned stinking dead deer, and my yelp helped motivate the horse into a hand gallop past it! We outraced the odor and burst out onto the dirt road!

The wind had picked up, the sky was once again darkening...did I just hear thunder? No, it's a jet...but the sky was dark enough to spawn thunder and worse...well, that's good motivation to get back to the barn in a hurry!

About that time I'd realized I'd made a poor choice in underwear...cotton bikini panties just don't work... and I could feel the elastic cutting into the tender bits with each stride of the horse...good time for a posting trot! That also helped alleviate the pain in my ankle, which just can't stand plain walking for extended periods of time.

We were making good time when once again I was distracted by something shiny....a nearly mint Bud Lite beer can in the roadside weeds! Now here in Michigan we've got a 10 cent deposit on beverage containers, and before I broke the leg (or more correctly, Quzqo broke my leg), it was a fun challenge to gather cans up on trail rides (my record being 7 = 70 cents). But I was hesitant to dismount now, worried I wouldn't be able to get back on. Lately though, mounting hadn't been hurting and I thought Hm, this might be a good time to see if I can still do that.

Slid off the horse, losing my cell phone in the process (so much for that plan), put the can into my pommel pack, shoved the phone in my pocket, and decided to walk. Heck, it'd give my bikini-torn butt a break, give my cramped and tingly ankle a stretch, and give the horse a break from having to hike up the very steep blind hill ahead of us. It felt GOOD!

Unfortunately at the top of the hill we were slammed with the full force of the wind, easily blowing 30mph sustained! I did manage to maneuver the horse next to a dirt bank and got into the saddle as he started walking off (grrr)... only to be greeted by a bunch of teenagers in an ATV and one on a dirt bike! They turned around and putted back down the side road they came, the horse no worse for wear, and on we went. We started back down the hayfield when I glanced down and saw that my whip was missing from the pommel pack! It'd fallen out...somewhere! I remembered glancing at it as we were walking up the hill, so it can't be that far back.

It wasn't, and again I slid off, retrieved the whip, led the horse back to the same dirt bank...but the noise of the wind, the putt-putt of the ATV, and probably my own nervousness got Quz a bit higher-strung than he was. Don't know how many circles he had to turn before I got him next to the dirt long enough for me to climb up into the saddle, but it sure felt good to be in the saddle (except for the bikini pain, and the ankle pain)

We made it back to the barn in one piece, and 10 cents richer. I felt proud that I was able to get off and on not once but twice mid-trail ride, that'd been something that was nagging at me all Spring. Thanks to some drinking redneck who tossed his Bud Lite can out the window!

Maybe someday I'll be able to remount from the ground, ha, dream on!

Rednecks With Guns

Last Saturday evening I went for an off-property ride with that young teenage gal (I actually feel sorry for her...broken home, on the chubby side, the "popular girls" at the barn ignore her, and she's always getting in fights at school), she hasn't been on a ride off the property on her new mare...EVER! The mare's an older QH, bombproof & quiet. We decided to go visit a neighbor's who have nice trails cut through their woods. They occasionally board at the barn & have more than once invited anyone who wanted to c'mon over and ride their trails.

The trails are awesome, with plenty of VERY steep hills, deep woods, fun to ride (Man from Snowy River anyone?). Quzqo was a jumpy nervous idjit to begin with, the mare did okay considering she'd never been there before. We were about halfway around the property when we started to hear some guy YELLING very loudly and very angrily! Shit...were we trespassing after all??? The yelling continued, punctuated with sounds like hammering. We couldn't understand WHAT the guy was saying, or what was going on...it was coming from the direction of the people's house, up the hill from us.

We went on a bit further, and suddenly the girl nervously proclaims "SUE! I saw a man with a GUN!!!!"

Huh...well, no law against that (yet). "Seriously.. .I saw a man back there walking through the woods with a GUN!!!" By that time we were up a hill, so I figured if somebody's playing with guns back down in a valley, we're out of range.

The yelling and hammering continued... by this time the horses have picked up our nervousness (yep, I got tense...some Deliverance reject slouching around in the woods with a gun? No thanks!), and both attempted (more than once) to spin and go back (horses just ain't got no
sense...we were heading AWAY from danger, not TOWARDS it, silly horses!). I wanted to avoid the house just in case the yelling WAS for us, but the only trail out would go right by the property.

To add to the fun, this was a main trail to the property, where they stored...stuff. I saw a snowblower attachment for a tractor, a stack of lumber, some other building materials... all horrifying to the equine eye! Poor Quzqo, I could feel his heart pounding, even through the saddle fenders!!! He'd take one step forward, five steps backwards, try to spin, only to find the mare in his way, I'd get him pointed back the right way, one step forward, five steps backwards... . We paused, and I just let him LOOK at the snowblower.. .eventually I was able to edge him past all the scary stuff, and by that time we were to the dirt road driveway.

That's when I saw about 8 teenagers in the side yard of the house, with their paintball guns, thankfully they were regrouping and not out running around in the woods...GAD, can you imagine the chaos THAT would have been, especially if a stray paintball hit us or the horses!!

We got the hell out of there and back to the main road, and had a grand time cantering up and down, LOL...Quzqo beat the QH in a race to a mailbox, snark! Which doesn't say much for the mare if she can be beaten by Quzqo!!

Can't I Ever Have a NORMAL Day?

Went to the barn this afternoon fully intending to work with Coos on his driving, had it all planned out. First I was going to free-lunge his brains out, then ground-drive him and work on his stops/standing, then hitch him to the cart and work on his stops/stands, maybe with a nice little trot up and down the road to finish up the day. I had all day, I wasn't in any hurry, it's a beautiful sunny day w/low winds and temps in the lower 70's.

WRONG!

Seems today the local Baptist Camp was coming to the barn with 50 teenagers to ride horsies and have a cookout!!

I did get the horse lunged until he was puffing, got him brushed, got him harnessed up...but then the Baptists showed up...managed to get the hell out of the barn before all 50 of them crammed in there! They had 10 horses saddled up & tied in the arena waiting for the mob of teens...yikes! Unfortunately I'd already brought up my cart, and it was soon engulfed by bodies...well, guess that part of the plan is out!

Ha...due to the lunging (I suspect), I halted Quz right outside the barn, and he USUALLY kicks up a hissy fit, wanting to GO GO GO, but instead he cocked a hind leg and stood there, watching the world go by, nary a care in the world! Okay...fine. ..I'll wait. I just stood there, enjoying the warmth of the day, the sun, the nice springtime smells. Eventually Quz got bored and started turning to the left...I jumped to action & promptly lost control, he ended up facing me halfway up a hill with the reins wrapped around his neck! (remember that t-shirt on eBay? Yeah, that!)

Got him untangled & pointing the correct direction, we stood there about half a minute, then got him walking. We pretty much spent the next HOUR walking here and there, stopping here and there, standing around, waiting...then walking, then stopping at random times. At the first driveway we stopped, facing out to the road. A car went by, and as soon as it passed, he started to move forward w/o any direction from me! Can't blame him, that's been our routine all this time; wait for traffic to clear and then walk on!

Got him stopped okay, we walked around a bit more, came back to the driveway, stopped...he decided he'd had enough, and started spinning! Just like the smarties on Chronicle of the Horse said, if he wants to go in circles, go in circles!! I kind of lunged him around and round and round and round and round and round and when he tried to stop I made him go around some more!! Once I saw he was upset and displeased, I stopped, making sure he was in the same direction we started in...and we stood... and stood....and stood...he let out a mighty sigh...a car whizzed by... we stood some more.

Yeah, my feet are sore as heck, you bet!

We went up the road a bit, seemed like as soon as I got to a spot w/the narrowest shoulder, THAT is when a big long line of cars came along, topped off by a truck hauling a huge white boat! Blinkers or no, Coos managed a pretty good spook at that!

Had two more episodes of the spinnies, and he got himself lunged in tight circles for his trouble. Towards the end of the session he was stopping on a dime, standing calmly and relaxed, and ready to move forward with a verbal cue. I remembered NOT to slap the reins on his butt, but used voice and then whip-tap, and it seemed to work!

Ha, could hear the racket from inside the barn from all the teenagers... had to bring the horse in through a back door to avoid all the crowds, & untacked him in his stall. LOL, almost before I got his bridle off he stretched out to pee, poor boy!

Think I'll do at least one more ground driving session before hitching him up to the cart, just to make sure he remembers. But it's nice to see some improvement in just a time or two.

One good benefit to having those Baptists show up; the owners cleaned the barn nicely, raked & smoothed both the indoor AND outdoor arenas (they look awesome!) & graded the driveway. The teens sure seemed to be enjoying themselves, even though they were being led around. Hope it brought in good $$ for Bob (anything to keep my board from being raised!)