Boy, we missed you! Sorry you didn't make it...Leia filled me in a little and I hope you all are doing okay.
The show was really good, KUDOS to Tracy and her support team for stepping in and pulling it off in a most wonderful way! There were some really excellent quality animals at the show. I thought the judging was very fair and consistent with all three judges. I think it is one of a handful of shows I have ever been to that I heard basically no complaints!
A super fun addition to the show was a Gambler's Choice halter obstacle jackpot class. It was judged by Tracy and someone else who I can't remember at this moment (yes I am still fuzzy around the edges). There was a series of obstacles which were assigned point values. You create your own course. It was well-attended; entry fees were a dollar per go, put into a pot on the way in. Winner take all! People were really rushing through the course, generating a fair amount of hilarity along the way. OK, we laughed until we cried! Syndi Kanzler and Sharon Bullington entered their big dogs! It was way fun, I wish every show we had something fun like that. Like Oregon Gold, where we had the cones course. Just some great good times for all of us "Flamingos!" By the way, Ally and I did run the course, but we didn't have a good enough point strategy to get into contention.
OH!
As for my little show string...
Esprit showed in a LOT of classes on Friday morning. He started off well and it got even better. He was unanimous Sr. Stallion Champion, under division.
He was a very good boy at the show. Just like last year, the first show he was kind of a brat, but by the second one he knows his business. We were beaten in the Grand class by some just beautiful jr. stallions. All you can do is shrug and say congrats to the winners, because their horses are every bit as beautiful as your own! I really do think the quality in the classes was very deep. Here is a pic of Esprit from Oregon Gold just a few weeks ago:
Colors is as gorgeous a mare as I could ever want, but she is just not into showing yet. She lacks the mental maturity to show well. She gets so nervous and fidgets alot. Then when she is calm enough to stand, she just doesn't have any "show," if you know what I mean. She is just a soft little girl. There were six horses in her open class, where she placed 5th under one judge. We did a bit better in Amateur, where we received a 3rd out of 7 under the same judge. I did put her in Liberty also. She totally didn't get the point of it right away. When I removed the halter, she just stood there for a second, until I waved the whip at her. Then she wanted to be down at the gate (so typical). Then she FINALLY figured out there was a big arena, and she started using it. Sadly, she really didn't show her gorgeous trot, I was bummed because when she does it at home her hoofbeats go exactly in time to the music. She really floats, I can hardly wait to drive this girl as a 3yo. Our catch was terrific, and I believe based on that we did obtain one fifth place out of 13 in the class. Not too shabby for our first attempt! She will get it, eventually. Here is a pic of Colors from the Oregon Gold show, I think she is just beautiful and would not trade her for any other mare!
Finally, Ally and I have really been trying to find our niche in the AMHR shows, still to no avail. I dropped the check way down and drove her in Western CP at this show. Well, she was NOT all about that, I can assure you! She is too "hot" to be that type, that is for sure. I believe I will move her back into the standard CP for the Cavalcade of Ponies show in a couple of weeks. Regardless of our driving style, Ally LOVES and does fabulous in Halter Obstacle. Out of three in our open class, she obtained unanimous 1st places. In Ammy there were 4, and Ally received two firsts and a second. She does so well in "thinking" style classes, I think I will keep her in that realm especially after we finish the Cavalcade show. If I do bring her to a show, it will be for Obstacle stuff or something like it. Otherwise it is CDEs for us! That is where we excel...you know we feel "the need for speed!"
Here she is in a little more competitive show frame at the Oregon Gold show:
Anyway, so much for the book I wrote about the show! It was so fun as always to hang out with my friends and enjoy our mini friends together. Thanks so much to Tracy, the show crew, and the judges, you guys are all awesome!
I'll be seeing many again in just a few short weeks.