4-H Horse Show

Can a momma brag?

Just a little?

Please, please, please?

K-If you don't want to hear a momma brag...stop reading right now!;)

Yesterday was Megan's County 4-H horse show. She was entered in NINE classes with two horses...

And she freaking R.O.C.K.E.D!!!

SEVEN...yes, seven purples(The best) out of nine classes and two blues!!
And her and Strawberry were not even having a very good day.

Megan hasn't spent the time with Strawberry this year that she has in years past. She has been pretty busy with Rip. But all of the training that she has done in the past pulled them through.

They purpled in both Showmanship classes-English and Western. No one else shows in English around here, so Megan has to go those classes alone. Since 4-H is judged based on points, there is no guarantee that she will purple whether she has competition or not. If she screws up, she can still be awarded a blue, red or white.

She was Top Showman in Western Showmanship again...


She purpled in English Equitation...
In spite of the fact, she had not ridden in the English saddle at all this year. I guess all of those hours of riding bareback paid off, because the judge said she has a very nice leg.

She was the Top Showman in the Horsemanship class...

Now, if you look at the video and wonder to yourself...just how bad did everyone else have to be for her to win that class? Actually, Megan was the only one to do the pattern correctly. Every other kid went on the wrong side of the 4th cone. It pays to really read and understand your patterns!;)

The noseflies started hitting everything right about then too and everyone's horses were slinging their heads around. But Miss Megan has a lot of work to do getting Strawberry's head set back before state.:)

She also purpled in Trail on Strawberry. The fact that the noseflies were driving the horse's nuts by then was actually her saving grace.:o
Strawberry is not particularly fond of backthroughs. Once he gets started he backs perfectly, but those first couple of steps is usually where he screws up. It just so happened that a nosefly got him right at the start of the backthrough and rather than it looking like he was avoiding backing into the L, it looked like he was fighting the fly. Whew!! That is the class Megan really wanted to qualify in. She was so disappointed when she rode out because she was sure his stepping back and forth over the logs would take them out of the purple.

And then it was Rip's turn. I convinced Megan that she aught to try a few different classes this year...like Western Riding.

Now Rip isn't exactly what you would think would make a good Western Riding horse, but they went out there and did it. And actually did pretty good. They didn't get ALL of their flying lead changes...but they did good enough to get a blue in the class. That darn Megan got to giggling while she was going through the course and had everyone else giggling with her. She said it was fun and is going to continue to practice that event and see if they can get better at it.

Then it was right into the Reining class.

WooHooo!!! Rip is a reining horse! This was the one class I really, really wanted to video and I didn't get into position quick enough to get it done. I was down by the gate making sure Megan got to see her pattern one last time and she didn't wait for me to get into video position before she took off. Darn! It was a good run too!

I know that Megan has been practicing her Reining some. She practiced circles and flying lead changes and spins and a few stops. But it's always different when you go in to make your run.

But she just "let her buck" and it was AWESOME!!!

Her first run-down was fast and she slid to a stop and immediately backed Rip. She dropped the reins and let him relax. When she picked her reins up and made her 90 degree turn to start her circles, I was holding my breath. Rip has been getting really good about picking up his leads, but you know how it is...

Rip stepped off into a lope from a standstill and in the right lead. He loped a nice, slow small circle and when they came around Megan leaned forward and he stretched out for his big and fast circle.

As they came around that circle, Megan sat down and Rip came right back to her and did the most perfect flying lead change I think I have ever seen. It was so smooth, no one saw it. He didn't hop, his tail didn't move, he just changed leads and was loping his small slow circle.

When he came around, Megan leaned forward again and he took off into his large and fast circle. Megan guided him from that into his run-down perfectly. Rip changed leads effortlessly again and they took off for their run-down. Megan had him set up perfectly for the stop and at the last second rather than let him stick it, she sort of pushed him through his stop, so it was a little "errchy". But he immediately rolled back and away they went for the next run-down. You could see that Rip was really wanting to stop good for Megan, but she doesn't have much experience stopping a horse at those speeds and again pushed him through his stop a little.

But he rolled right back for her and they loped to the center. Stopped good from that speed and did their little 90 degree turn to the right and then their 180 to the left.

Yep, they purpled! Yay Megan and Yay Rip!

Megan didn't have time to celebrate that run though, she had to trot to the trailer and change bridles, because Barrels was next...
In her haste, Megan forgot to grab her bat and Rip boogered at first barrel, but ran really nice the rest of the pattern and she won her class and purpled in barrels too.

Whew...Are you guys tired yet?

Well, the only thing left was Pole Bending and I told Megan, just take Rip out there and long trot through the pattern. You have done enough on him today and he needs the last class to be something he can just relax in. She did and good old Rip long-trotted the pattern fast enough for her to earn a blue.

Whew...We were done!!

I was just as tired at the end of the day as Megan and her horses. Cause, after all, it's momma that has to do all the running back and forth. But I tell ya...I am so darn proud of my girl that my buttons are about to pop.

She didn't have the greatest day ever on Strawberry, but she held it together and kept her happy little smile on her face. Her and Rip surprised a lot of people with how well he did in the Reining. People asked who had been working with him and I pointed at Megan. She is the only one who has been riding him and she is the one who has turned him into such a nice horse.

And just for fun, after the show was over, she jumped on him bareback and with only a rope around his neck and showed everyone that she can do reining on him that way too. The judge said he would have purpled her no matter what if she had come in there like that-LOL. Yeaaaa...not quite ready for that though. Rip is still not really consistent in his stops reining "naked" like that...but maybe she'll have everything put together for the open show in August.

So now the hard part is going to be for her to pick which three classes she is going to show in at State. Trail for sure. Probably Reining and she can't decide whether to do English or Western Showmanship. I told her to pick which ever one she wants, either way, she will win a Top Showman buckle at the end of the year. Go Megan!!