Versatility Vision – What a Show Day
Nova and I are one for three. She messed up one pattern and I messed up two. Already I forgot what happened in the fourth class. Read on…
Showmanship…We were doing an outstanding job looking sexy. We were to the back-thru-cones, a piece of cake for us in our real life, but this is showlife with a show halter. We did good till I misjudged the cone path and things went out of control. Nova even screamed and reared up, right in front of all the judges. Good Gad. I’ll do showmanship again and look good. I am even going to practice!
Western Pleasure is where Nova messed up. I tell you that we were looking good. We had great fox trot, great flat foot walk and our canter is supreme. The Kansas City crowd were there cheering and clapping for me and Paula Crump. We were sailing along with cheer and joy. Then we came to the middle of the arena (on the rail) and Nova stopped! Stock still stop and didn’t go forward for a few moments. The next time we came to that spot, she stopped again. This time she was even more reluctant to move on out. Good GAD!
Then I went down to the trailer and got my spurs for the remaining classes. I’ve not rode Nova with spurs since early this year.
We had Horsemanhip class. I remember now. We picked up a wrong lead for a few short strides. Other than that we did really good. It’s a short pattern and the judges really notice when you mess up.
I can go on and on about how well we did in Western Riding. That event has 9-10 lead changes. You weave thru cones, changing leads all down the side of the arena. Then you zip out and canter all over the arena doing lead changes here and there. Well, we were nailing it! Our lead change were fabulous! We looked SEXY! Right at the end of the pattern, I woke up and was out in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I got lost! All of a sudden I was circling around a cone when I should hae been cantering to the other side of the arena! I broke the pattern. That’s death in the Versatility Pattern world. I was really really proud of Nova!
Now the ugly parts that make knowing me fun. I forgot my bridle this morning. Nova a n I were done with our ground work and I was ready to ride! Scream! Nichole was kind enough to go fetch it for me. A good friend came up and whispered to me that I had my spurs on upside down and backwards. The buckle goes on the outside. I ran to the restroom to change them. I switched spurs around. Later my friend told me I still had them on backwards. Somehow, the buckle never made it to the inside.
I was sitting on Nova waiting to go into our first event and we started talking about my beautiful Don Covey stirrups. Turns out I had them on backwards. Luckily my saddle is really flexible and twists really nice and free of pain to my knees. When I leaped off my horse after the last class, someone pointed out my zipper wasn’t anywhere near the top of my jeans. It’s good I had a top that covered me!
I thought I lost my purse a while ago, but I discovered it hanging in my trailer.
Showing is tough. It’s not for weaklings.
I’m showing tomorrow morning in the performance arena in the class for old people! Yee HAW!!!