Its Spring ~ Its Show Time !

We have been preparing for our Spring show schedule for months. Through the wind, rain, snow and cold... of course the FIRST show of the season "shows" just how much you prepared! The first show butterflys in your gut.... also in theirs caused the few incidents you fooled yourself into believing were not going to happen to you!  Lets start with the trailer loading... or lack their of. Working through that you get to the show and your horse is all puffed up .... so you have to work it out of him. Now relaxed and walking around checking things out... well you are feeling pretty good... UNTIL your ride time.... and it just never works itself out.... tripping and stopping and going and awful transitions.... hiccupping along... even falling outside the boundaries of the dressage arena because he decided NOT to bend and yield.... makes you feel like you cant possibly do anything right that day.
ITS WONDERFUL! Makes you want ot get right back out their and do it again! NOT! So much work needing to be done. The work so much better at home.... and it looks like you never rode at all when you bring them to the show! FRUSTRATING...

The day before that was your first cutting show on your new cutting mare hopeful. TIME and money spent on New tack new this new that... (actually new to me but used because it was all I could afford) and making sure to make time to get aquainted with your horse... trail riding ... working on refining, just being with her.... that is all part of the relationship needed to get the job done when show time comes, or so you think. Well, all is going absolutely perfect... UNTIL... you drop your rein and let her go on that cow. HOOOOOOOOOO WEEEEEEEEE you better hold on or your gonna hit the dirt....
I could  not hold her back off them cows.... she wanted to eat them alive! So unlike her. As when she is at Kings working cows she minds her P's n Q's even with her snaffle in. I now know that it was time to renig on the snaffle and get serious with a correction port for any future riding. No more nice momma... its time to roll!