MiLo Minis
Well-Known Member
WE HAD A SPECTACULAR DAY!!!!!!!
Results:
Single Pony Preliminary Dressage - FIRST!
Single Pony Preliminary Cones - FIRST!
Single Pony Preliminary Marathon - FIRST!
Overall Preliminary Pony - FIRST!!!!
Overall for the DAY Marathon - THIRD!!!!!
Okay you have to excuse all the exclamation marks :bgrin but I am just on CLOUD 9!!!!! Willie was AWESOME!!!! We had the whole place just buzzing and a small entourage that followed us around the Marathon course to see us do the hazards. There were 5 of us in the Preliminary Single Pony division which we had to do because there was no VSE division.
He started out the day with the most lovely, relaxed, forward, soft, round dressage test EVER!!! (for us :bgrin) that got us comments like "v. good lengthening", "nice transition", "v. good walk" (I am assuming the "v" stands for very as in VBG :bgrin ) The only mistake was NOT Willie's - I took a tiny deviation in my serpentine when I almost turned up at C instead of the 1/4 line. Of course this was right in front of the judges and I said out loud "oh shoot!" before I wiggled back out to the 1/4 line so, if they hadn't noticed, they heard it! LOL Many thanks to fellow forum member, Liz, who let his throatlatch out a notch the night before - that tiny change made him a different horse! Liz was a godsend without whom I wouldn't have been there - she put in a good word for me with the TD and also lent me some equipment to help make me look like I knew what I was doing! :bgrin
Here we are just arriving at X (the sawdust on the ground) for our halt and salute.
We continued on to a cones course which we did mostly in a very strong trot and went clean with the best time in Preliminary Pony!!! That put us in first position going into the Marathon!!! Sorry no pictures yet!
The Marathon was where he really SHONE though! He had me in tears!!! There were 5 hazards with 5 gates each and they were doozies!!! He just zipped through them and had everyone buzzing and following us around to watch! There were so many spots that we could take advantage of holes that no one else could. After the first hazard you had to, quick, put on the brakes to get down a very steep but short hill into a little valley. Apparently there have been more than a few rollovers on that hill. Willie stayed on his feet and made it easily to the bottom with Mack and I hanging on tight! Coming out of the valley was a HUGE hill that was REALLY steep. We were allowed any pace in the hazards AND on that hill so, though we stuck to his strong trot for the hazards for the most part, Willie hit that hill at a gallop and made it right to the top with me in tears so I couldn't see - he was so brave and bold and just gave me everything!!! There were a couple horses and a pony that had trouble on it and had to turn back for another try. There were all kinds of people waiting at the top to see if we would make it up it. There were 2 other hazards on the hills that twisted around through the trees and up and down the sand hills. I had one turn where I almost whacked his head on a tree!!!! I broke into tears <G> and said "oh Willie I am sooo sorry!" which had everyone watching laughing! I think I must be getting hormonal or something.
We did the whole thing at a good working trot and were pretty much bang on the 11 kms an hour at every mile mark. The entire course was 5.27 km and they allowed us 27.25. We ended up at 27.49 so we gathered a few time faults BUT we came in on the heels of the pony that had left TWO before us, or 8 minutes ahead, and she was on the heels of the pony that left just in front of us 4 minutes ahead!!!!! I saw the horse in front of us and thought "oh no, did we miss something???" but it was too late by then to fix it if we did! :bgrin WE didn't! We also picked up a few faults on one of the hazards but that was my fault, not Willie's, as I put him through a gate backwards that we hadn't used yet - I turned one pole sooner than I had intended to! We did all our gates in that hazard in order but stuck the backwards one in the middle
Here we are heading out
This is the 3rd hazard, the water hazard, where I screwed up. We had to go up and down through the posts to the right of the water and out and around through the water and then back up and down through the posts. In the second picture you can see me heading around back to the posts into D backwards
:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon3.jpg
We got mobbed when we came out of the finish gate and everyone was saying "WOW, wonderful, fantastic, can't believe it!," and other comments like that :bgrin It was a big change from the rolled eyes and rather derogatory comments we got when we arrived. There were full size horses that were covered in lather when they came off and Willie was wet pretty much only under his harness, on his chest and between his back legs but no lather!!! He got a cool refreshing bath anyway.
Here we are coming down the home stretch and then turning in our time card at the finish
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon4.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon5.jpg
The photos are by Bob (Cityslicker) and he took video of the Marathon for me too!!! Thank you Bob!
When it came time for the ribbon presentations the man who we had to convince to allow us to enter, which he BEGRUDGINGLY did, said "And, no surprise to anyone, first place in Preliminary Single Pony goes to Lori Rafter and MiLo's Willie Be Good!!!"
I love that little horse with all my heart and I have never been so proud of him!!!
Results:
Single Pony Preliminary Dressage - FIRST!
Single Pony Preliminary Cones - FIRST!
Single Pony Preliminary Marathon - FIRST!
Overall Preliminary Pony - FIRST!!!!
Overall for the DAY Marathon - THIRD!!!!!
Okay you have to excuse all the exclamation marks :bgrin but I am just on CLOUD 9!!!!! Willie was AWESOME!!!! We had the whole place just buzzing and a small entourage that followed us around the Marathon course to see us do the hazards. There were 5 of us in the Preliminary Single Pony division which we had to do because there was no VSE division.
He started out the day with the most lovely, relaxed, forward, soft, round dressage test EVER!!! (for us :bgrin) that got us comments like "v. good lengthening", "nice transition", "v. good walk" (I am assuming the "v" stands for very as in VBG :bgrin ) The only mistake was NOT Willie's - I took a tiny deviation in my serpentine when I almost turned up at C instead of the 1/4 line. Of course this was right in front of the judges and I said out loud "oh shoot!" before I wiggled back out to the 1/4 line so, if they hadn't noticed, they heard it! LOL Many thanks to fellow forum member, Liz, who let his throatlatch out a notch the night before - that tiny change made him a different horse! Liz was a godsend without whom I wouldn't have been there - she put in a good word for me with the TD and also lent me some equipment to help make me look like I knew what I was doing! :bgrin
Here we are just arriving at X (the sawdust on the ground) for our halt and salute.
We continued on to a cones course which we did mostly in a very strong trot and went clean with the best time in Preliminary Pony!!! That put us in first position going into the Marathon!!! Sorry no pictures yet!
The Marathon was where he really SHONE though! He had me in tears!!! There were 5 hazards with 5 gates each and they were doozies!!! He just zipped through them and had everyone buzzing and following us around to watch! There were so many spots that we could take advantage of holes that no one else could. After the first hazard you had to, quick, put on the brakes to get down a very steep but short hill into a little valley. Apparently there have been more than a few rollovers on that hill. Willie stayed on his feet and made it easily to the bottom with Mack and I hanging on tight! Coming out of the valley was a HUGE hill that was REALLY steep. We were allowed any pace in the hazards AND on that hill so, though we stuck to his strong trot for the hazards for the most part, Willie hit that hill at a gallop and made it right to the top with me in tears so I couldn't see - he was so brave and bold and just gave me everything!!! There were a couple horses and a pony that had trouble on it and had to turn back for another try. There were all kinds of people waiting at the top to see if we would make it up it. There were 2 other hazards on the hills that twisted around through the trees and up and down the sand hills. I had one turn where I almost whacked his head on a tree!!!! I broke into tears <G> and said "oh Willie I am sooo sorry!" which had everyone watching laughing! I think I must be getting hormonal or something.
We did the whole thing at a good working trot and were pretty much bang on the 11 kms an hour at every mile mark. The entire course was 5.27 km and they allowed us 27.25. We ended up at 27.49 so we gathered a few time faults BUT we came in on the heels of the pony that had left TWO before us, or 8 minutes ahead, and she was on the heels of the pony that left just in front of us 4 minutes ahead!!!!! I saw the horse in front of us and thought "oh no, did we miss something???" but it was too late by then to fix it if we did! :bgrin WE didn't! We also picked up a few faults on one of the hazards but that was my fault, not Willie's, as I put him through a gate backwards that we hadn't used yet - I turned one pole sooner than I had intended to! We did all our gates in that hazard in order but stuck the backwards one in the middle Here we are heading out
This is the 3rd hazard, the water hazard, where I screwed up. We had to go up and down through the posts to the right of the water and out and around through the water and then back up and down through the posts. In the second picture you can see me heading around back to the posts into D backwards
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon3.jpg
We got mobbed when we came out of the finish gate and everyone was saying "WOW, wonderful, fantastic, can't believe it!," and other comments like that :bgrin It was a big change from the rolled eyes and rather derogatory comments we got when we arrived. There were full size horses that were covered in lather when they came off and Willie was wet pretty much only under his harness, on his chest and between his back legs but no lather!!! He got a cool refreshing bath anyway.
Here we are coming down the home stretch and then turning in our time card at the finish
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon4.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/MiL...s/Marathon5.jpg
The photos are by Bob (Cityslicker) and he took video of the Marathon for me too!!! Thank you Bob!
When it came time for the ribbon presentations the man who we had to convince to allow us to enter, which he BEGRUDGINGLY did, said "And, no surprise to anyone, first place in Preliminary Single Pony goes to Lori Rafter and MiLo's Willie Be Good!!!"
I love that little horse with all my heart and I have never been so proud of him!!!
