Horse Show Season 2000
The first show of the year was a small one that was strictly for 4-H members. We did awesome though! We got 3 firsts, and 2 seconds. That's good for it being the first show of the season, and there are quite a few good riders in our club.
On May 20 and 21, there was a 2-day open show that our 4-H club put on. We did alright in this show too. The first day was probably our best day. We didn't do that good in the English classes since for some reason the judge didn't like Ace very much. She prefered the quiet, slow Quarter horses to the high-strung, faster Arabs. But what surprised me was when we got a first in Western Horsemanship! Ace does okay at Western, I guess, but that was the first time we had riden Western in a long time. And I wasn't even riding on a really loose rein! I was thrilled anyhow.
The second day wasn't as good, unfortunately. This judge liked Ace even less. She liked horses that were nice and steady, which Ace is not! But we did get a 4th in Basic 1A Dressage and a 1st in training Dressage! That made up for the rest of the day. In all the other classes I got a pile of 3rds, 4ths and 5ths. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I got dumped that day too! It wasn't in a class though, thank goodness. We were just coming back from getting my 4th place in the Basic 1A and the marking sheet. A horse squeezed in behind Ace's rump just as the marking sheet in my hands rattled a bit. I ddin't know what hit me! I had a loose rein, so Ace took off through a pile of horses (we were in the hitching ring) at a gallop. We ran right into his stablemate, Sultana, and my sister who was riding her, but he kept going. Then I went flying off as he cut a corner. I just sat there stunned. I couldn't believe that had just happened! Ace didn't go anywhere though. He always stops when I fall off. But the good this is that when we went into our class, English Pleasure, right after my fall, we got a 3rd! I think the judge was stunned that Ace was so calm after that mad gallop! Ace was more calm in that class than any other class he had been in!
The middle of July, I went to a 4-H show in Saskatoon. It was really fun! I didn't do all that bad. I got one 4th in Basic Seat Equitation, and 6ths in almost everything else! 6th place is the last placing but that doesn't sound so bad when you get 6th out of 20 or more horses! The bad thing is that there is only money prizes up until 5th place! So I didn't get any money for all those dumb 6th place ribbons that I got. But oh well. I don't show only to win money! But I did win some money. In 4-H, you have to complete a record book with worksheets and stuff in it. Then you bring it to this show to be judged amoung all the other first place books of each 4-H club. Anyhow, I won first place for my record book! The best part is, is that first place is $40! So I felt a bit better after that!
The weekend after the Saskatoon Horse Show, was the Medicine Hat Horse Show. Actually, we weren't really planning on going, since I was the only one that wanted to go. My parents said that it was too expensive to take both the truck to pull the horse trailer and the van to pull the tent trailer. And my sister, Erin, didn't want to go since she doesn't really enjoy showing anymore. So, the night before we were supposed to leave, my parents decided that we weren't going, though I still really wanted to go. But then my riding instructor, Helmut, phones us to offer to take Ace in his trailer so that we wouldn't have to take our gas-guzzling truck. So late that night, we decided to go. But Erin of course, wouldn't be taking Sultana. I was sure that Ace would act like an idiot without his 'girlfriend', Sultana, since he hasn't really been away from her longer than a day, let alone three days! But actually, he acted better than he usually does if Sultana was there. I think Ace knew somehow that Sultana was still at home, so he didn't have to worry about her!
The first day of the show was Western day. And was it ever hot! It was so hot that Ace actually went slow like an old quarter horse (no offense to all you Quarter Horse lovers!)! We didn't do all that well on that day, though some we managed to get a second in trail! I couldn't believe that since I didn't even do two of the obstacles.
The second day was English day. And it was even hotter! Ace was so tired that my legs got sore from squeezing his sides so much! We did a bit better than on the day before, but once again, the judge didn't really like Ace very much. But it was really fun!
