Anyways. Enough about that.
We did end up going to the show last Sunday. I took Macy and Louie, OT took a stud that he is showing at the App World next week, and the girl who bought Patrick took him. Leaving the barn at 5:20am made it an early morning, especially since I usually get up around 7:30am! I was tickled with how Macy loaded-she marched right up the ramp without hesitation and began munching her alfalfa. Pretty awesome for a 4yo that has never been on a trailer!
We arrived at the show grounds at 6:30am. Being October, it was still pitch dark. We turned on the spotlights on the outside of the trailer and pulled the horses off. I was a little concerned about how Macy was going to take getting off the trailer and being in a new place in the dark.
I definately had nothing to worry about, as it turned out. She walked off the trailer, looked around, and started grazing. I longed her for a few minutes (in the dark, of course, in a large field next to some woods). She was perfectly content to trot slowly around on the longe line. No screaming. No spooking, not even when a large, unidentified something went crashing through the woods.
Call me impressed.
When I decided that she was not getting much out of her longing session, she got tied to the trailer to wait for me to longe Louie. He was pretty unexcited about the whole trip as well. I love the minds on these horses. How many 4 and 5 year olds that have been hauled as few times as these two will arrive at a show in the wee hours of the morning and just take everything in?
After that, Louie got to hang out at the trailer while Macy was saddled and taken to the arena to ride. The facility that was holding the show is just beautiful. The barns and parking areas are at the top of a large hill. You get to the arenas by walking down a wooded trail. At the bottom of the hill, they have multiple riding arenas/warmup areas next to a large lake.
Macy did get quite wide-eyed when we walked down the hill and she saw the large arena with all the lights blazing. I got on and just let her walk around, taking in everything. She never spooked and was noticeably less tense within five minutes. After ten minutes, she was as quiet and steady as she is at home.
We did all of our flatwork and then began jumping by taking a small single. The poles had been removed, so it was just a little gate. Macy trotted right down to it, smoothly jumped it, and cantered off. No peeking. No overjumping. Definately no thoughts of refusing. By the end of our schooling session, she was adding around the entire course without any trouble.
I just can't say enough good things about this mare! She is so uncomplicated, so willing, and just a pleasure to ride. It makes me feel good, because I have done all the work on this mare myself. I am not delusional enough to think that it's all me, of course. I feel like most people could get good results from this mare, because she is just that easy to work with!
And now...a video of the amazing Macy:
I didn't show Macy, although she definately would have jumped around the 2'6" without any trouble. I felt like she had been so stellar that she deserved to hang out at the trailer with her hay bag while the rest of us showed.
Louie schooled well, as usual. That one is harder for me to jump, because he just uses himself so well! He really rounds his back and drops his neck over a fence, which I am just not used to trying to ride. I did end up showing him and managed to survive. I was nervous about making the strides and tried to add everywhere. In retrospect, it would have been smarter to just let him make the steps. We ended up chipping out of almost every single line. Duh! Complete fail on my part.
He is so honest, however, and just packed my sorry butt around when he jumped me loose. I am not sharing the video of his rounds. Too humiliating! I think I will be tuning up all the lesson horses next week in my English saddle without my stirrups. I will leave you with this picture. Ignore my equitation (or my distinct lack thereof, as the case may be!) and instead admire the cuteness that is Louie!
It was great to show again, although I was totally nervous! It had been over FOUR years since I had shown in a hunter class. First I was broke, horseless, and in school. Then I started working here and never had anything broke enough to go show. The equine market is still somewhat down, so now I have horses that are sticking around for longer. This is great for me, because I am getting to jump more and more! Obviously I need the practice...
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