Barrel racing!
You have all seen those horses going 100 mph run around the barrels. Yep, Powder and I are signed up for a race!
Back in the 60’s and my life with horses was as a young thin girl…. ahem. Back in the 60’s it was time for me to graduate from large pony to horse. Unknown benown to me, my mother did not want me to become a barrel racer. She thought it was too dangerous. My mother told me this in the last decade of her life. Good Lordy! Two breeds of horses existed in my world in that small town Midwest time-warp. We had quarter horses and Saddlebreds in my life. I had no choice in getting a horse. One day my mother announced that we were going to see a horse that was for sale. My mother bought an American Saddlebred horse for me. I grew up with a Saddlebred horse to avoid becoming a barrel racer!
I’m in the 70+ age group. I never considered explaining my lack of 100 mph “barrel racing” experience to Powder. I had no idea Powder is a 100 mph barrel racing horse (in her heart).
Let’s take an experienced barrel horse and put Susan on her. Ha! (Fall out of your chair!). Of course, I have run a thousand barrel patterns myself long ago on my large pony and for horsemanship in my second childhood. I am a casual barrel person. I love to canter between barrels and make those turns with amazing horsemanship.
I failed to mention the casual canter part to Powder.
Usually the contestant canters a few circles before starting the barrel pattern. I thought, “nah, we don’t need that. We’ll just canter to the first barrel when we get into the arena.” I asked Powder to canter to the barrel, but she understands the concept of real barrel-racing, called gallop! We argued and compromised on some sort of stick-legged gait where every leg was out of rhythm. We made the first turn and found the canter gait. Smoothly we slid into barrel #2 and floated to barrel #3. When the barrel horse goes around barrel #3, they are supposed to gallop to the finish line. Powder and I had another slightly heated discussion. She wanted to go at warp speed and I wanted a fast canter. Finally she agreed and off we went. We won the coveted least fast-barrel (slowest) time! Yee Haw!
Pole Bending
I love pole bending!
I was thinking, only the poles are left. Soon this long wonderful hot day will be over. I told my body that news. The body was so happy. The body had been riding Powder about 30-60 minutes a day for the month. There was no riding in the winter as I lacked a horse. My “core muscles” were rediscovered the day after our Kansas City Spring horse show when Powder had just arrived from Florida. Those muscles were a surprise! I had no idea where my core muscles were located. My core muscles were not the problem today! It was another part of the body that was suffering. I’m much too modest explain where.
Someone asked about the stake race class. I told them that there was no stake race class. Oh, I was wrong. Powder and I were then up for pole bending. There was little change in my pathetic warm-up plan. Sad. Powder and I stick-leg cantered again down the pole path. It was jarring. We sliced our way through the poles. It wasn’t pretty. We arrived at the end of the pole path and Powder told me we should gallop home. I explained again that I did not want to gallop home and after a few trotting strides, we cantered. We cantered speedily. Done! Whew