Tuesday at the Show

Tuesday was an early day.  Little E, the cute little Half Arabian/Quarter Horse Mare was showing in the first class of the morning.  7:30am.  So the alarm was set for 5:30am and I got to the barn at 6:30 in time to help with the  final primping of Little E.  Always fun glamming up the horses.                                                   

Little E with her owner

Once the class was done we were done with showing for the day.  It was really nice to be finished so early because it gave us all time to get all the chores done and such.  Cleaning tack was high on the list of chores so I was sitting down cleaning Blu’s headstall when I looked up to see my friend Mike walking down the barn isle.  It was so good to see him and visit for a while.  We hadn’t seen each other in a few years so there was definitely catching up to do! 

Mid afternoon I saddled up Blu and rode around the show grounds, just checking stuff out.  Not any kind of arena work, just touring.  I even got to visit with Blu’s old owner, Nicole.  And Blu saw his first baby stroller.  He wasn’t sure what it was as it was being carried down the staircase.  A few sideways steps with arched neck as he watched it, and I remembered my lesson "forward is good" and squeezed my legs to push him forward and he was fine.  We followed the stroller for a hundred yards to make sure and he couldn’t care less about it once it was on the ground and rolling.  His first stroller lesson!

After that I washed Blu and then headed down to Carson City to meet some other friends for dinner.  Ate at the café in the Fandango Casino.  I had Beef Stroganoff.  It was on the drive down to dinner that I realized that I hadn’t eaten since 2pm Monday when we’d gone to Carrows (I had a yummy burger with Avocado and Bacon).  Um, me going more than 24 hours with out eating?!?  (I guess I sort of ate Monday around midnight when crackers and cheese and salami were put on the table, but I think I only ate a few crackers, if memory serves, so I don’t know how much that counts).  Anyway, I was a bit shaky, but felt much better once I’d eaten. 

This is an early morning view of our gazebo

It was straight back to the barn after dinner to get my second (night) ride in the main arena.

I rode in the warm up arena (the Livestock Pavilion) which is connected to the main arena by a tunnel and is where we will be riding before I enter my class.  And it was going nicely.  Blu’s lope was a bit fast, but nothing bad.  He rode into the tunnel (I’ll have to get a picture of this tunnel [oops forgot to do this].  It’s a downhill, hard floored, 50 foot tunnel that opens into the main arena) like a champ and we jogged into the arena like we would for a class.  He was great!  We jogged around the arena for a bit but when I asked him for the lope he wouldn't pick it up.  We worked some more, but it just wasn’t happening.  Todd got on and same thing.  So we aren’t sure if there’s something physically wrong, or if he had just reached his limit on stimuli.  Because any time we’re warming up in the big arena it’s kinda crazy.  Horses going every which way at all different speeds and you wind your way through it all.  Kinda like trial by fire.  Makes the classes nice because everyone goes the same direction in a class.

We ended the night at about 10:30 figuring we’ll see how Blu does in the morning.

And now it is Wednesday morning and I’m all caught up.  But I have to have breakfast first!