susanne
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[Photos added at http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=115551 ]
Mingus and I didn't make any shows last year, but we're determined that this year will be different, and we're off to a great start, thanks to the Northwest Miniature Horse Club.
The NWMHC has for years put on a great schooling show, but this year the venue was snatched out from under them, so they chose a different approach.
Former Oregonian and renowned judge/trainer/clinician Portia Kalinka donated her time for this two-day show/clinic -- essentially a schooling show in which the judge would give critiques and immediate feedback to all participants. Casino Gold Miniatures of Dallas, Oregon, graciously volunteered their beautiful facility, and the combination of both indoor and outdoor arenas and heated conference area worked perfectly for the predictably unpredictable northwest spring weather.
As soon as we heard that this clinic was open to AMHR horses as well as AMHA, Keith and I were determined to go. We are incredibly fortunate to have had Portia help me start Mingus when we were first training him to drive, so I wanted her to see how far he had come.
This was labelled as a clipping-optional show, but I decided to head-and-neck clip Mingus. Being vision-impaired, this gave me a new challenge: braille clipping. Actually, with my glasses, good clippers, and great light, I can do just fine. Unfortunately, I used clippers not truly up to a thick, dirty coat, and my work schedule cost me most of what daylight we had on our gray days. After a ridiculous amount of time and repeated passes I had a corduroy pony (due to track marks); fortunately even more time and additional passes smoothed him to nearly acceptable appearance.
Here, I have to confess that we proved the old axiom of pride cometh before the fall. Mingus' current harness is a safe, comfortable, yet butt-ugly synthetic harness, and he drives in a French Link Butterfly bit -- illegal in AMHR. I fretted and fussed and finally decided I had to use something more flattering (and legal). Daryl (BigDogsLittle Horses) as always was incredibly generous and lent us Dancer's Prime Design betathane harness.
The only problem was that I waited until the last moment to make the switch. Somehow, I thought I'd have time the night before the clinic to at least introduce Mingus to this harness, but the weather was miserable -- too wet, cark and blustery to even go outside, let alone try on harness. I measured everything and compared it to his work harness, then cleaned and polished Daryl's harness and Mingus' ugly work harness, packing both just to be safe.
The 2 hour trip from Scappoose to Dallas went smoothly in Mingus' stretch limo (our Chevy Xpress extended cargo van/horse hauler), and for once we were only one hour behind schedule -- early for us! We found a parking spot amongst the plethora of large and small trailers and dodged enormous mud puddles on our way to sign in. Our first greeting was a bear hug from Mark Bullington, the best way to start any show!
We chose to attend on Friday, expecting a smaller turnout and safer driving for my impaired vision (no peripheral vision); it meant missing Erin, LindaL, and other friends, but we saw many that we knew and met still more -- if this was the less-attended day, it was an extremely successful clinic.
This event was designed specifically for the attendees, and the actual focus and schedule for the day was planned as we ate lunch. Of course, green driving was designated as the first class, which meant we had to race out to outfit Mingus in an as yet untried harness and bit -- have I ever mentioned what a great sport Mingus is?
It's nearly St. Patrick's Day; the luck of the Irish was with us, and Mingus has the patience of a saint. The harness fit just fine, but he wasn't happy with the bit, going from a relaxed French Link to a mild yet unyielding mullein mouth half cheek snaffle. He showed his displeasure by tossing his head and forgetting his new-found natural headset, reverting to his high-headed, more hollowed-out carriage. Leia has described this as his "invisible overcheck." Speaking of checks, I had actually planned to put a makeshift, very loose sidecheck on him, since this show was to follow AMHA/AMHR rules, but in our hurried harnessing, I completely forgot.
Mingus was anxious to stretch his legs after the long drive and excited to strut his stuff in front of other horses -- he was set on go from the minute he stepped off the van. He stood politely waiting to enter the small arena, but once we moved from walk into a country pleasure trot, he became frustrated with being behind the much smaller A-sized horses. After a couple of rounds, Portia suggested we come to the front and Mingus was much happier until he lapped everyone and found himself once again at the back of the bunch. At the end of the class, Portia gave a brief critique of each horse. Mingus' head-tossing and impatience were graded down, but she praised his movement and natural talent. (Is that a polite way of saying the horse is great...the driver is a doofus?)
We exited the arena as the youth class began and headed for the outdoor arena to blow off some steam. Mingus nearly exploded with pent-up energy and some as of yet unexplained irritation; my normally bomb-proof pony shocked me by giving a buck and kicking the cart basket -- definitely not Minguslike behavior. We went to check on what was bothering him, but we had no sooner left the arena than we were called back for the classic pleasure/Western country class being held in the outdoor arena. No time to check -- yet another big mistake. In this vast arena, Mingus REALLY moved, still tossing his head, interpreting my request to trot-on as trot like a bat out of h----. At the speed he was going, the corners were sharp and frequent, even in a huge arena. I braced my slippery boots (mistake #?) against the frame of the cart and gritted my teeth just to stay onboard. Then, once again, he kicked the basket, this time just as Portia was watching... After lineup, she said that Mingus and one other horse would have been competing for first with better behavior. Oh well...it was a schooling show after all!
Finally Keith and I had a chance to check his harness. Much to my dismay, I found that I had the breeching too tight AND that the singletree limit straps were caught, keeping it from moving at all. Talk about operator error! Between these factors and the strange bit, he was not a happy camper and had tried to tell me with the kicks.
We had one last driving class, in which he was much improved. He still wanted to move like that proverbial bat, but he was catching on to the game. In line-up, I was talking to the driver next to me when Portia came. Before I could react and ask him, Mingus knew what was expected and backed up on his own accord. Portia again praised him and noted that he had improved with every class. I just wished I had given him the chance to show what he can really do. I mentioned my mistakes that had led to his misbehavior, and she answered that this was a true measure of his character, that he would express his displeasure but not blow up or freak out.
Halter class was next, so we hurriedly unharnessed, switched to the show halter and gave him a cursory grooming. Keith was the handler for this class and showed Mingus beautifully. As much as I love showing in halter, I also love watching Keith and Mingus interact. Perhaps it's Keith's height or his role as supreme protector of all of our animals, but Mingus REALLY loves showing for Keith. He stood tall, preened and stretched his neck beautifully, to the point that you could almost forget that most of his body was covered with thick, long hair (Mingus that is, not Keith...). In typical Mingus fashion, he stood beautifully right up until Portia came up to him and then danced about, but out of a fairly large gelding class, he placed second.
There was a small roadster class, but we were cold, tired and lacked a roadster cart, and since rain had forced everyone back into the indoor, we regretfully chose not to reharness for the driving class for which Mingus was born. We didn't have liberty class offered on Friday, but I'm sure he would have loved to kick up his heels and dance to Keith's music in front of his smaller comrades.
Thoroughly frozen by now, we cooled Mingus out and let him relax in his private suite with open bar -- okay, his van stall with free choice hay -- as we went to join in the post-show debriefing. I had a nice visit with Bill of Shalamar Minis from LB, and the group discussion was both fascinating and educational. Ironically, someone asked Portia how much importance she placed on the quality and style of harness, and she replied that she judged the horse, not the harness or rig. My foolishness in not using his ugly yet trustworthy harness was now official.
Everyone yakked and ate and yakked some more before heading off, tired yet very happy, into what was now an archetypal Oregon downpour.
I hope NWMHC will continue this format in the future. I've always loved their schooling shows, but this one truly lived up to the name. Great job!
Mingus and I didn't make any shows last year, but we're determined that this year will be different, and we're off to a great start, thanks to the Northwest Miniature Horse Club.
The NWMHC has for years put on a great schooling show, but this year the venue was snatched out from under them, so they chose a different approach.
Former Oregonian and renowned judge/trainer/clinician Portia Kalinka donated her time for this two-day show/clinic -- essentially a schooling show in which the judge would give critiques and immediate feedback to all participants. Casino Gold Miniatures of Dallas, Oregon, graciously volunteered their beautiful facility, and the combination of both indoor and outdoor arenas and heated conference area worked perfectly for the predictably unpredictable northwest spring weather.
As soon as we heard that this clinic was open to AMHR horses as well as AMHA, Keith and I were determined to go. We are incredibly fortunate to have had Portia help me start Mingus when we were first training him to drive, so I wanted her to see how far he had come.
This was labelled as a clipping-optional show, but I decided to head-and-neck clip Mingus. Being vision-impaired, this gave me a new challenge: braille clipping. Actually, with my glasses, good clippers, and great light, I can do just fine. Unfortunately, I used clippers not truly up to a thick, dirty coat, and my work schedule cost me most of what daylight we had on our gray days. After a ridiculous amount of time and repeated passes I had a corduroy pony (due to track marks); fortunately even more time and additional passes smoothed him to nearly acceptable appearance.
Here, I have to confess that we proved the old axiom of pride cometh before the fall. Mingus' current harness is a safe, comfortable, yet butt-ugly synthetic harness, and he drives in a French Link Butterfly bit -- illegal in AMHR. I fretted and fussed and finally decided I had to use something more flattering (and legal). Daryl (BigDogsLittle Horses) as always was incredibly generous and lent us Dancer's Prime Design betathane harness.
The only problem was that I waited until the last moment to make the switch. Somehow, I thought I'd have time the night before the clinic to at least introduce Mingus to this harness, but the weather was miserable -- too wet, cark and blustery to even go outside, let alone try on harness. I measured everything and compared it to his work harness, then cleaned and polished Daryl's harness and Mingus' ugly work harness, packing both just to be safe.
The 2 hour trip from Scappoose to Dallas went smoothly in Mingus' stretch limo (our Chevy Xpress extended cargo van/horse hauler), and for once we were only one hour behind schedule -- early for us! We found a parking spot amongst the plethora of large and small trailers and dodged enormous mud puddles on our way to sign in. Our first greeting was a bear hug from Mark Bullington, the best way to start any show!
We chose to attend on Friday, expecting a smaller turnout and safer driving for my impaired vision (no peripheral vision); it meant missing Erin, LindaL, and other friends, but we saw many that we knew and met still more -- if this was the less-attended day, it was an extremely successful clinic.
This event was designed specifically for the attendees, and the actual focus and schedule for the day was planned as we ate lunch. Of course, green driving was designated as the first class, which meant we had to race out to outfit Mingus in an as yet untried harness and bit -- have I ever mentioned what a great sport Mingus is?
It's nearly St. Patrick's Day; the luck of the Irish was with us, and Mingus has the patience of a saint. The harness fit just fine, but he wasn't happy with the bit, going from a relaxed French Link to a mild yet unyielding mullein mouth half cheek snaffle. He showed his displeasure by tossing his head and forgetting his new-found natural headset, reverting to his high-headed, more hollowed-out carriage. Leia has described this as his "invisible overcheck." Speaking of checks, I had actually planned to put a makeshift, very loose sidecheck on him, since this show was to follow AMHA/AMHR rules, but in our hurried harnessing, I completely forgot.
Mingus was anxious to stretch his legs after the long drive and excited to strut his stuff in front of other horses -- he was set on go from the minute he stepped off the van. He stood politely waiting to enter the small arena, but once we moved from walk into a country pleasure trot, he became frustrated with being behind the much smaller A-sized horses. After a couple of rounds, Portia suggested we come to the front and Mingus was much happier until he lapped everyone and found himself once again at the back of the bunch. At the end of the class, Portia gave a brief critique of each horse. Mingus' head-tossing and impatience were graded down, but she praised his movement and natural talent. (Is that a polite way of saying the horse is great...the driver is a doofus?)
We exited the arena as the youth class began and headed for the outdoor arena to blow off some steam. Mingus nearly exploded with pent-up energy and some as of yet unexplained irritation; my normally bomb-proof pony shocked me by giving a buck and kicking the cart basket -- definitely not Minguslike behavior. We went to check on what was bothering him, but we had no sooner left the arena than we were called back for the classic pleasure/Western country class being held in the outdoor arena. No time to check -- yet another big mistake. In this vast arena, Mingus REALLY moved, still tossing his head, interpreting my request to trot-on as trot like a bat out of h----. At the speed he was going, the corners were sharp and frequent, even in a huge arena. I braced my slippery boots (mistake #?) against the frame of the cart and gritted my teeth just to stay onboard. Then, once again, he kicked the basket, this time just as Portia was watching... After lineup, she said that Mingus and one other horse would have been competing for first with better behavior. Oh well...it was a schooling show after all!
Finally Keith and I had a chance to check his harness. Much to my dismay, I found that I had the breeching too tight AND that the singletree limit straps were caught, keeping it from moving at all. Talk about operator error! Between these factors and the strange bit, he was not a happy camper and had tried to tell me with the kicks.
We had one last driving class, in which he was much improved. He still wanted to move like that proverbial bat, but he was catching on to the game. In line-up, I was talking to the driver next to me when Portia came. Before I could react and ask him, Mingus knew what was expected and backed up on his own accord. Portia again praised him and noted that he had improved with every class. I just wished I had given him the chance to show what he can really do. I mentioned my mistakes that had led to his misbehavior, and she answered that this was a true measure of his character, that he would express his displeasure but not blow up or freak out.
Halter class was next, so we hurriedly unharnessed, switched to the show halter and gave him a cursory grooming. Keith was the handler for this class and showed Mingus beautifully. As much as I love showing in halter, I also love watching Keith and Mingus interact. Perhaps it's Keith's height or his role as supreme protector of all of our animals, but Mingus REALLY loves showing for Keith. He stood tall, preened and stretched his neck beautifully, to the point that you could almost forget that most of his body was covered with thick, long hair (Mingus that is, not Keith...). In typical Mingus fashion, he stood beautifully right up until Portia came up to him and then danced about, but out of a fairly large gelding class, he placed second.
There was a small roadster class, but we were cold, tired and lacked a roadster cart, and since rain had forced everyone back into the indoor, we regretfully chose not to reharness for the driving class for which Mingus was born. We didn't have liberty class offered on Friday, but I'm sure he would have loved to kick up his heels and dance to Keith's music in front of his smaller comrades.
Thoroughly frozen by now, we cooled Mingus out and let him relax in his private suite with open bar -- okay, his van stall with free choice hay -- as we went to join in the post-show debriefing. I had a nice visit with Bill of Shalamar Minis from LB, and the group discussion was both fascinating and educational. Ironically, someone asked Portia how much importance she placed on the quality and style of harness, and she replied that she judged the horse, not the harness or rig. My foolishness in not using his ugly yet trustworthy harness was now official.
Everyone yakked and ate and yakked some more before heading off, tired yet very happy, into what was now an archetypal Oregon downpour.
I hope NWMHC will continue this format in the future. I've always loved their schooling shows, but this one truly lived up to the name. Great job!
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