Monday, June 29, 2009

Open Horse Show

This time around the weather was beautiful for the Valentine Horse Show.

Megan and I love going to this show. The people are wonderful to show with, the arena is nice and pretty much everyone rides big, nice, working-type horses. That is big ranch country down there.

I guarantee the Aged Halter Gelding Class is one of the toughest you will ever run across. At least in terms of working type geldings. You want to see what a good hind leg looks like on a real using horse? Want to see what good bone looks like? You will see it in spades in that class. No big, fat halter dinks standing on toothpick legs and dinky feet there! Megan showed Strawberry and I showed Moon in that class and got cut immediately. I told Megan, lesson learned...when we go to Valentine, she needs to show Rip in halter and I need to save my entry fee-LOL.

Megan had a good day with Strawberry. She took 3rd in Western Pleasure. She picked up a wrong lead and loped around a while before she realized it. I don't think she would have won the class anyway. There was a really nice bay gelding that won it and he deserved it.

She also took 3rd in the trail class...


The Senior Division(14-18y/o) is always the toughest at these shows. So I guess I think she did pretty well.

She used Rip in the Horsemanship, Reining, Barrels and Poles. I have video of the Horsemanship and Reining...blogger was fighting with me this morning...so I'll try to upload those again later.

Moon did okay too. We got second in the English Pleasure...


We got a third in the Ranch Horse Pleasure.

And 5th in the Horsemanship...
Moon blew the horsemanship pattern to hell and gone. My fault! He had been so decent before the lunch break, I didn't take him over and lope a few circles on him before this class! He was flipping in and out of his leads through the pattern and that head of his was getting higher and higher. He was really starting to think about the barrels. I don't expect him to do great in these classes, but they are good for trying to keep him from thinking the arena is only for blasting through a barrel pattern. He used to be a lot better, but as we have picked up speed in the barrel pattern, he has become less and less of a show-type horse.

I have a rather embarrassing video of our reining run, but I'll post it anyway.:) After I watched the video, I scratched him from the Pole Bending-he's NOT ever going to be a Pole horse anyway, because he just wasn't "right" in his reining run. He made mistakes that he just doesn't make and I was concerned he was hurting in his hind-end. I ran cold water over his legs and stifles and let him graze for a while.

Just before the barrels, I re tacked him and decided to see if he was "off". He seemed to be back to normal and I could not detect soreness anywhere, so I went ahead and ran him. I think he was just getting tired and stressed and just needed a little down time to regroup. But if he had not seemed fine, I would not have run him. There was no money involved and I would NEVER take a chance hurting or soring him just to make a run at a horse show.

He did win the barrel racing class. He was just tired enough that he did not give me trouble lining out for 1st. He picked up his lead and was in the correct frame, so I just let him fly to 1st. His pattern was pretty near perfect. Unfortunately, the camera batteries had died by then, so I don't have any video of that. He had a 17.9 second run. The next fastest run was 18.1. I do think Moon's time was slower than it could have been. He was tired from all the classes before. But that is not a bad thing. Being a little tired made him think twice about squirreling around coming in the gate.

That is the run I have been trying to get. Now I think he is ready to enter some association rodeos. He is running at the top of the pack and still has room for improvement. It's time to take him to the next level. I have checked the schedule for the Northwest Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeos and lined out 6 rodeos that I want to take him too. I know these arenas. They have good ground and I know Moon is running in the times that can place at them.

Hopefully Blogger will let me load videos tonight.:O

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

ooh.. you're getting me psyched for my open show coming up here in a coupla weeks

well done
happy trails
gp

Carroll Farm said...

That sounds like a lot of fun. Can't wait for the videos!

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Good to hear from you! Looks like a fun time....who cares about how you place anyway....the horses look like they enjoyed it too!

Yes, it's amazing how much horses get from their parents....I have to think much of it is picked up just through observing each other too?!
Hope you have a good summer show season! Luanne

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

It appears to be a no go on the videos. I have had trouble before getting anything over a minute long to load on Blogger. I really prefer not to put them on YouTube. Maybe Megan's...definitely not mine-LOL. I can only stand having my friends laugh at me. Having total strangers laugh at that attrocity of a reining run would be a little hard to take.;)

Sorry about that.:(

Paint Girl said...

Sounds like your day was pretty good! I am really missing showing, seeing everyone's show posts!
Thanks for the comment on my trailer post, I didn't know that the heaviest horse only needed to go in first if your trailer doesn't sit level. I just have always been told, that the heaviest one goes first. My trailer does sit level. So now I don't have to worry about it! :) The funny thing is, I am always yelling at my other half for the way he drives the trailer, he takes corners a little too fast for my liking, and doesn't slow down soon enough, this is one of the biggest things we argue about! I always tell him I am locking him in the back of the trailer, than I am going to drive like him and he can tell me how easy it is to balance! I haven't been able to lock him in yet, I'll let you know when I do! Should make for a very funny story!

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Kate gave me an Honest Scrap Award on my blog if you wish to participate? You've probably already done them before! Luanne

City girl turned Country Girl said...

You guys did great!! Glad to hear about Moon's graduating up out of the shows!! Can't wait to see how he does!!

Stinks about the video's I wanted to see them!!! Sometimes it takes up to an hour for my video's to load!! Ridiculous I tell ya!!

Anonymous said...

That roan horse is cute.

How old is your barrel horse? And how long have you been running barrels on him?

Melanie said...

So....if you ever decide to sell Moon, just let me know, okay????
He is one handsome boy! :)

Godd job momma and good job Megan!

Andrea said...

I can't believe there are horses up there that are BIGGER than your stocky work horses!! I would love to see them!! Holy Cow!!! Sounds like it was a good day. I would have loved to have seen your videos!! Dumb blogger....ugh.......I am glad you guys had fun at the show. Our open show season starts in March, so I have a ways to go. I want to show my weanlings in halter!!!! They will be yearlings by then....but still....

Pony Girl said...

What a fun show! The pictures you did turned out great, you both look good on your ponies. I love that you can dress casual. Paint Girl and I did a schooling show a year or so ago, and are hoping to do another one this summer, just for fun. I love being able to wear jeans, a hat, and a nice western shirt. The one thing about showing is that it is SO expensive and you have to have all the "right" clothes and trends!