Thursday, February 25, 2010

Show or No-Go?

So. On Sunday I was gearing up to leave the barn when the Barn Owner(s) (a husband and wife pair, although the wife does all the training and a majority of the feeding etc...) returned from a trail ride. I had brought a friend to the barn with me and I introduced him to the Barn Husband. We chatted for a while; all of the boarders were at the barn (60 degree weekends have a funny way of bringing them out of the wood-work!). I asked who was showing this season (we have 3 teenage boarders and 1 woman who rescued an ancient pony). He responded that everyone was going to be competing (I chuckled a little, because from what I've seen, not EVERYONE should be considering "showing off" any of their skills). Then he mentioned that everyone in the barn would probably be going to the local show on Easter Weekend. Even Me and Granite!

 This was news to me. Its not a training barn, I don't ride with or for the owners (I adore them, but I've always been a bit more on the independent side, preferring the occasional lesson or clinic and a majority of independent study). BUT, I don't have a trailer so if I were to show at this point, it would probably be with them. Now, you may be thinking (as I was), um, Granite isn't even under saddle and easter is the first week of April... Then he mentioned that Granite and I could do the halter class.

There is only 1 halter class per day. They have a Yearling, 2 yr old, and 3+ class. Granite will still technically be 2, but if you count like the Jockey Club does, he would be in with the big kids. Now this gets me thinking, how great would it be to get Granite out to a show! If they are taking the barn kids anyway, they probably won't charge me much to hitch a ride (the show grounds are approx 7 minutes from our barn), its a community show held annually, and class fees are $10, and its for charity. This would also give us the perfect opportunity to Spring Clean (read: bathe, bathe, bathe again, clip, mane pull, tail bang).

Then Competitive Rachel rears her ugly head and begins to think... Halter class?! I used to show Quarter Horses, for my entire High School Show career I showed Quarter Horses. I KNOW halter! I know that halter is judged on conformation and suitability. I also know my beautiful boy had a club foot. If they do consider him a 3+, I know he will be up against grown horses. My warmbloodish 16+ hand coming 3 year old is not quite 'put together' yet and would look foolish against grown horses. Finally, I know my horse moves not unlike an elephant. VERY SLLLOOOOWWWWLLLLYYYYY (FYI, I typed that slowly, just to emphasize my point). I seriously have to drag him along on his lead rope from the pasture. He is fine on a lunge, but a lead is an entirely different story. I really don't know how I could get him to trot off (yes, we will have to figure this out for our hunter classes eventually). To top it all off, he chews on anything he can get his lips around... i.e. his reins! So I will have a club footed, not developed, slowly lumbering rein chewer in competition with AQHA halter horses (its an open show run, in part, by a horseman's association that caters to the stock type horses). If you know ANYTHING about me, you know I hate to lose!

Then there is the part of me that says, 'Rachel, ten bucks isn't much to pay for a day of experience and exposure to new things for Granite, who cares if you don't place! Think of the experience and the pictures and the opportunity to wear your new field boots!" So... to show or not to show?? That is the question I pose to you?
  
< This.... Verses......This  ^

16 comments:

  1. Show. Go for it. Yeah, he probably won't win. Yeah, he might not be ready. HOWEVER, the experience will be awesome. You'll get to hang out at the show grounds and let him experience the atmosphere. In fact, if competitive Rachel doesn't want to be judged when she doesn't think she can win, then don't enter the class. Just go.

    Really. I took Izzy to a pony club show last year. The tiny kids on midget ponies whipped our butts at trot poles, but now I know a little more about how Izzy will react to the show environment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I swear I have the maturity of a 12 year old, but hello, cheap chance for a ribbon! I say go for it because there most likely will not be full classes for halter (because most people think along your lines of my horse is not perfect) so for $10 you have a good chance of coming how with Granite's very first ribbon EVER! Plus, Easter is weeks away so you have tons of time to do some ground work. And I have a question for "Competitive Rachel"...does she always win at everything? If so I say let your alter ego take over because near as I can tell no one (not even Courtney King-Dye) wins everything. I say go for it, and if you feel more comfortable at 2 and the coggins says 2 show in the 2 year old class. I would imagine this is the kind of show that you don't enter for until the day of so worst case scenario you should take Granite on a field trip and be prepared to show and you can always pull out if the competition looks way to into it. I know you are thinking of Quarter horse shows, but something tells me that the caliber of horse showing in this halter class is not exactly going to be the same...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank You ladies... Sounds like perhaps I will be showing. As long as the Barn Owners still have room for me in the trailer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like a really really good reason to work on ground manners and trotting off briskly on a lead. That's the win.

    Besides, on an exciting outing like this, he may just be ready to show you that extended trot he's been keeping secret. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. SHOW!!!! At least take him. If he's acting a bit hot, it could aide you on the forward motion. If nothing else just haul him to the show and get him out to see all the happenings. My first show w/ my gelding, I just wanted to stay on. (He's REALLY hot!!) We ended up placing 4th. Who knew??? Good luck to you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. alright, so we have solved this issue of his immaturity (call him a 2 yr old) and the lack of pep in his step (exciting show grounds), now how do I keep him from ingesting his reins? Duct tape? :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. SHOW! You and Granite might even do better then you think!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You could teach him to target.
    http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/135/Teaching-Your-Horse-to-Target-.aspx

    That is how I got my lazy pony to trot on the lead! It may keep him occupied enough to not chew on his reins too! Show for sure! You will have so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. alright Golden, maybe I am slow (actually, thats a fact, I AM slow)... but I dont get how to translate touching a target (ball?) into trotting forward. I don't want him to target my hand, so I can't use that. I've tried this with my dog and a post-it note. And it worked fairly well, but I'm not sure how to translate it into forward motion. I've borrowed a great book from Eva called "Right from the Start" and it has some good suggestions about teaching a horse to always lead shoulder to your shoulder, perhaps this will help me get a trot off?? 1 month to work on it I guess. EVERYONE seems really supportive of me taking him out to his first show :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I used the end of a dressage whip not my hand. It put impulsion in my horse on the lead that I could never get by the pull and release method. He has the s-l-o-w-e-s-t
    here is video that illustrates the uses in the equine. Se how forward the pony is!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCXJpBpZudA

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Or just wrap the reins in rawhide and tell the judge he's an oversized dog and that's his chew toy. You might get effort points.

    ReplyDelete
  12. you mean he ISNT an oversized dog?? :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Haha! Show!! It will be really good for him, even if he does act like a cross between a labrador puppy and a baby elephant. Forget about the ribbons -- you're making memories with your baby!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Marissa, have you and he met? you describe him with stunning accuracy! You are right. i think I am going to go for it! and bc of the holiday, my best friend, karma's new owner, my riding sponsor, and other friends and be there to help make the memories great.

    ReplyDelete