hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
What a fun weekend! I overslept drastically on Friday morning so I ended up leaving the house about an hour after the show had started. Partway down Liz (nootka) called my cell to see where I was and updated me on Mouse's Championship and Alladdin's antics in the color class and promised to keep an eye on the classes for me. I figured I was going to miss my driving obstacle class and probably the Disciplined Rail class as well but decided I'd try to make it and hope for the best. For once the horse was completely clipped and my harness was all polished but he was a little dustball and badly in need of a bath. Thanks in major part to the volunteer efforts of Kim and Hillary of the Crabby Chicken Ranch (okay, I drafted them!), Kody was bathed, hoof blacked, Show Sheened, spit-shined, harnessed, warmed up and ready to go when our first class arrived. Thanks guys!! :aktion033: I couldn't have done it without you.
Our driving obstacle class wasn't pretty with a lot of pivoting, putting your wheels through poles, and backing through things (the three tasks we are the worst at right now) but Kody tried hard and really didn't do that badly. There were only two of us and I was told the other horse had done even worse so everyone said I was a shoe-in for the blue. Unfortunately the judges didn't agree with each other so to the surprise of both drivers we split the class with each horse getting a 1st and a 2nd. Oh well! Hey, at least I got a 1st without being the only horse in the class for once. :lol: Sadly the Disciplined Rail class didn't go as well as I'd hoped and while I did place it wasn't very high (4th and 5th out of 6). Still, I'd made my classes and Kody showed improvement since Pacific Crown and certainly since the year before. I was happy.
I was especially happy since this show was sandwiched between an arena driving trial in Duvall the previous Sunday and the Beavercreek CDE this next weekend so in order to maintain our stretchy dressage frame I hadn't been able to practice with a check at all. You really can't blame a working horse for being annoyed over suddenly having a check put on, wearing a less comfortable harness, and having straight shafts poking into his shoulders without breeching on every maneuver when he's used to nicely curved ones. He was really quite patient except for tossing his head all the time the first day! I finally surrendered and loosened the check for the last two days and his headset was, ironically, much steadier.
We had Stallion/Gelding Country Pleasure on Saturday morning and got unanimous 5th's out of 7, then of course did not place in Ladies Country Pleasure which I had gone in just to pass the time. I was very proud of him in that class though, he gave me the best drive he's ever offered in the breed ring. His head was steady, he stopped trying to rush the pleasure trot, he bent softly on each corner, and on the lengthened trot there were whole sections of rail where I felt him drop his croup, elevate his forehand and really lengthen stride to a rhythmic, suspended gait that was lovely to feel from the driver's seat. I was grinning like an idiot when I came out despite getting the gate. Here's one of the professional pictures that really shows it:
Kody showing suspension
I know his head and hip look awful there and his neck muscles were inverted, but look at his feet! For him that's a big deal and the correct headset with check will come with time. Here are some of the other professional driving pictures I liked. The photographer at this show was great.
Picture 1- overbent but pretty!
Picture 2
Picture 3- I could easily lower his head a bit further and do very well in the Western Country Pleasure class I think...if only they'd offer it!
:
I think part of the reason he was so cooperative in that Ladies class was that I took him outside and warmed him up in the field and under the trees instead of in the arena so he was in a good mood when we started. Liz was an absolute ANGEL and agreed to come outside and try and get some still pictures of me and Kody in our new show cart for my album. Boy, did she succeed! :new_shocked: :aktion033:
: Thank you Liz, I think these shots of Kody are just great.
Trotting out up a hill- look at the reach on those legs!
Strong trot, kinda cool photo
Isn't this a cool effect on that same photo?
Can we say, "Big Horse?"
And finally, completing a spin around a tree at speed
That night was Liberty and we were the last horse to go out of 24 competitors. I don't think we even hit the ring until after 10:30PM but somewhere in there I forgot to look at my watch.
: It was pleasantly cool by that point and all the horses were full of beans, many of them refusing to be caught and getting themselves disqualified. Kody was in a good mood and hot to trot as we finally hit the ring so I knew we were going to have a decent run. I turned him loose and he took off galloping, constantly switching directions in big figure eights and buzzing Liz (levitating and shaking his crest each time she swished the bag at him) and just generally having fun. I figured out partway into the run that he really was paying attention to me and I could direct him from the far end of the ring to dodge one way or another so I started controlling his movements and getting him to do more of those wild thundering "Which way's he gonna go?" kind of changes of direction which he always enjoys. He broke to this big floaty power trot along one wall and the audience whooped for him, sending him galloping off the other way in a big arc. Of course this is when the music finally stopped and I crossed my mental fingers that he'd do something spectacular like he did in our first Liberty class. I hollered something classy like "Kody, here boy!"
: and he swung his head my way and changed course to gallop by the judge's booth gaining speed all the way. I thought he was going to buzz right by me and scoot another round so I dropped to a crouch and snapped my fingers in a "come in" posture as he blew by, then watched in pleasure and amazement as he pulled himself up into a beautiful collected canter and spiraled directly in to me like I had turned on some sort of gravitational field. The canter became that airy showoff trot and he stopped dead right in front of me to wait for the halter with perfect manners. I think it took me all of 10 seconds to lay hands on him from the time the music stopped with him on the opposite end of the ring.
I could not have been more thrilled and was perfectly content with the assumption that we'd get the gate in that kind of elite competition. All I cared about was that he'd done what I'd asked him to and also showed some of our friends who haven't seen him go before that he really can turn it on when he wants to. The first judge's card was read and we hadn't placed; I didn't care. The second judge's card was read and when we weren't in fifth or fourth I almost tuned out except I wanted to see how Amy had done. But then in third place I heard "#434, Arrowstar's Dakota shown by Leia Gibson!" Holy Moly!! :new_shocked: :cheeky-smiley-006: I got third right behind Alladin in a class of 24 fabulous horses. :risa8: Kody looked as startled to be pulled out of line as I was to be called, but it was awesome to hear our friends whooping for us and cheering us on.
I truly think our achievements in liberty so far can be attributed more to the relationship that Kody and I have than to any other factor. He isn't fancy, he doesn't have a breathtaking trot or the testosterone to make him really leap and buck and show off. But what he does do is play with me with such openness and love that it is obvious to everyone. He's independently confident but always looking to me for clues as to what our next dance move is and responds to every minute signal I send with enthusiasm. He's my partner in every way and it shows. I want to burst with love and pride and an odd sort of humbled delight when he just runs to me that way, swooping in like a hawk to the glove of his own free will. That's really something and apparently the judges see it that way too. Wow.
: Cool night!
After everyone had gone back to the barn I took him back in the arena and did some clicker training to reprogram him from "in-hand means get wildly excited for Liberty" to "lead nicely for Jumper," and I had a long talk with him as I put him to bed about what I expected from him the next day in Jumper as well as what he'd done right that night. (I love our little "debriefing sessions." :bgrin ) Once again he must have listened because the next morning when we hit the ring for jumper without so much as a single warmup jump he gave me the best round he ever has. There was a case of operator error on the third jump that caused us to run out but it sure wasn't Kody's fault and other than that we were clean and smooth. That little horse jumps with good form but leads like a nightmare because he gets tired of waiting for me and wants to run ahead at speed. This time he made such an obvious effort to please me and do what I'd asked him to the night before that I couldn't be anything but thrilled with him. He held himself back to a jog, tried to figure out which way I wanted him to turn and then did it as soon as he understood what I wanted, and the way his little ears were asking "Did I do it right Mom?" was just adorable. Such a sweet pony!
: I was actually glad we didn't make the jump-off as we were able to end on a good note and sure enough he got chargy when we headed towards the first jump on our way back into the arena for ribbons. It was a good lesson for him about relaxing and we got two 3rds out of four.
I connected with a lot of forum members both known (CountryRose, Flying G, nootka, Crabby Chicken, Click Mini, R Whiteman, HHP Miniatures, and others) and new (Valerie, PrestigeMinis, LindaL, Stacy Score of Mountain Meadows) and had a great time introducing "the infamous Kody" and putting names to faces. Friends are what make it all worthwhile, and Lil' Beginnings has sure given me a lot of friends! We did miss Susanne, Kari, Equuisize, and some of our other LB crew though.
Thanks to the Crabby Chickens for their help with Kody, Liz for her constant generous offers to video and take pictures and help with Liberty (you are appreciated!!), Click Mini for her demonstration of obstacle in hand training (someone always inspires me by example each year and this time it's you
: ), and to the wonderful show staff for all their work. The judges were both great and I especially appreciated the male judge taking the time to come talk to me after the last country pleasure class and explain why he placed me as he did. I KNEW why, but it was fantastic to be able to ask him questions and I was gratified that he did not simply say "tighten your check." He said something self-deprecating at the end of our conversation about "...it's only my opinion," and I laughed and said "Hey, I paid for that opinion! Thank you." He replied "Want your money back?" :new_rofl:
Kody is coming along, slowly but surely. I think that the next year will see him finally being truly competitive in jumping, liberty, obstacle, and driven performance classes like Precision Driving and Disciplined Rail. We may even start attempting obstacle in hand as he settles down a bit and realizes that that too can be a partnership thing. I'm in this for the long haul so I'm just pleased to see him making progress and coming into himself as a mature gelding and a performance horse. Thank you all for taking the ride with me!
Leia
Our driving obstacle class wasn't pretty with a lot of pivoting, putting your wheels through poles, and backing through things (the three tasks we are the worst at right now) but Kody tried hard and really didn't do that badly. There were only two of us and I was told the other horse had done even worse so everyone said I was a shoe-in for the blue. Unfortunately the judges didn't agree with each other so to the surprise of both drivers we split the class with each horse getting a 1st and a 2nd. Oh well! Hey, at least I got a 1st without being the only horse in the class for once. :lol: Sadly the Disciplined Rail class didn't go as well as I'd hoped and while I did place it wasn't very high (4th and 5th out of 6). Still, I'd made my classes and Kody showed improvement since Pacific Crown and certainly since the year before. I was happy.
I was especially happy since this show was sandwiched between an arena driving trial in Duvall the previous Sunday and the Beavercreek CDE this next weekend so in order to maintain our stretchy dressage frame I hadn't been able to practice with a check at all. You really can't blame a working horse for being annoyed over suddenly having a check put on, wearing a less comfortable harness, and having straight shafts poking into his shoulders without breeching on every maneuver when he's used to nicely curved ones. He was really quite patient except for tossing his head all the time the first day! I finally surrendered and loosened the check for the last two days and his headset was, ironically, much steadier.
We had Stallion/Gelding Country Pleasure on Saturday morning and got unanimous 5th's out of 7, then of course did not place in Ladies Country Pleasure which I had gone in just to pass the time. I was very proud of him in that class though, he gave me the best drive he's ever offered in the breed ring. His head was steady, he stopped trying to rush the pleasure trot, he bent softly on each corner, and on the lengthened trot there were whole sections of rail where I felt him drop his croup, elevate his forehand and really lengthen stride to a rhythmic, suspended gait that was lovely to feel from the driver's seat. I was grinning like an idiot when I came out despite getting the gate. Here's one of the professional pictures that really shows it:
Kody showing suspension
I know his head and hip look awful there and his neck muscles were inverted, but look at his feet! For him that's a big deal and the correct headset with check will come with time. Here are some of the other professional driving pictures I liked. The photographer at this show was great.
Picture 1- overbent but pretty!
Picture 2
Picture 3- I could easily lower his head a bit further and do very well in the Western Country Pleasure class I think...if only they'd offer it!
I think part of the reason he was so cooperative in that Ladies class was that I took him outside and warmed him up in the field and under the trees instead of in the arena so he was in a good mood when we started. Liz was an absolute ANGEL and agreed to come outside and try and get some still pictures of me and Kody in our new show cart for my album. Boy, did she succeed! :new_shocked: :aktion033:
Trotting out up a hill- look at the reach on those legs!
Strong trot, kinda cool photo
Isn't this a cool effect on that same photo?
Can we say, "Big Horse?"
And finally, completing a spin around a tree at speed
That night was Liberty and we were the last horse to go out of 24 competitors. I don't think we even hit the ring until after 10:30PM but somewhere in there I forgot to look at my watch.
I could not have been more thrilled and was perfectly content with the assumption that we'd get the gate in that kind of elite competition. All I cared about was that he'd done what I'd asked him to and also showed some of our friends who haven't seen him go before that he really can turn it on when he wants to. The first judge's card was read and we hadn't placed; I didn't care. The second judge's card was read and when we weren't in fifth or fourth I almost tuned out except I wanted to see how Amy had done. But then in third place I heard "#434, Arrowstar's Dakota shown by Leia Gibson!" Holy Moly!! :new_shocked: :cheeky-smiley-006: I got third right behind Alladin in a class of 24 fabulous horses. :risa8: Kody looked as startled to be pulled out of line as I was to be called, but it was awesome to hear our friends whooping for us and cheering us on.
I truly think our achievements in liberty so far can be attributed more to the relationship that Kody and I have than to any other factor. He isn't fancy, he doesn't have a breathtaking trot or the testosterone to make him really leap and buck and show off. But what he does do is play with me with such openness and love that it is obvious to everyone. He's independently confident but always looking to me for clues as to what our next dance move is and responds to every minute signal I send with enthusiasm. He's my partner in every way and it shows. I want to burst with love and pride and an odd sort of humbled delight when he just runs to me that way, swooping in like a hawk to the glove of his own free will. That's really something and apparently the judges see it that way too. Wow.
After everyone had gone back to the barn I took him back in the arena and did some clicker training to reprogram him from "in-hand means get wildly excited for Liberty" to "lead nicely for Jumper," and I had a long talk with him as I put him to bed about what I expected from him the next day in Jumper as well as what he'd done right that night. (I love our little "debriefing sessions." :bgrin ) Once again he must have listened because the next morning when we hit the ring for jumper without so much as a single warmup jump he gave me the best round he ever has. There was a case of operator error on the third jump that caused us to run out but it sure wasn't Kody's fault and other than that we were clean and smooth. That little horse jumps with good form but leads like a nightmare because he gets tired of waiting for me and wants to run ahead at speed. This time he made such an obvious effort to please me and do what I'd asked him to the night before that I couldn't be anything but thrilled with him. He held himself back to a jog, tried to figure out which way I wanted him to turn and then did it as soon as he understood what I wanted, and the way his little ears were asking "Did I do it right Mom?" was just adorable. Such a sweet pony!
I connected with a lot of forum members both known (CountryRose, Flying G, nootka, Crabby Chicken, Click Mini, R Whiteman, HHP Miniatures, and others) and new (Valerie, PrestigeMinis, LindaL, Stacy Score of Mountain Meadows) and had a great time introducing "the infamous Kody" and putting names to faces. Friends are what make it all worthwhile, and Lil' Beginnings has sure given me a lot of friends! We did miss Susanne, Kari, Equuisize, and some of our other LB crew though.
Thanks to the Crabby Chickens for their help with Kody, Liz for her constant generous offers to video and take pictures and help with Liberty (you are appreciated!!), Click Mini for her demonstration of obstacle in hand training (someone always inspires me by example each year and this time it's you
Kody is coming along, slowly but surely. I think that the next year will see him finally being truly competitive in jumping, liberty, obstacle, and driven performance classes like Precision Driving and Disciplined Rail. We may even start attempting obstacle in hand as he settles down a bit and realizes that that too can be a partnership thing. I'm in this for the long haul so I'm just pleased to see him making progress and coming into himself as a mature gelding and a performance horse. Thank you all for taking the ride with me!
Leia
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