Field-of-Dreams
Well-Known Member
Whew, finally caught up! SO, here's my Nationals report!!
Jane had left Thursday with four of the horses and our Youth, Katie, and her Mom. Once they got to Tulsa, they found out that we were NOT stabled with our buddies (and we HAD sent all our stuff in together so that we would be) but the staff managed to rearrange some things and we were put right behind them. Whew! They set up all our stuff and settled in.
I left Sat AM with my crowd of three, and arrived midafternoon. We got ours settled in and got Katie ready for her driving class, Western Country Pleasure. She went in, and Jane and I thought she did WONDERFUL!! She was collected and on the bit with a low headset and looked awesome! But when the placing came back, she was 5th out of 6. We just shrugged it off, thinking we had misread the new rules. So we headed back to the barn. Out of nowhere a lady came up to us and said "you should have won that class..." OK...... Then as we were walking across the parking lot, ANOTHER woman came RUNNING over and told us the same thing, and she was LIVID! Here, she is the Area 4 director, and she WROTE the rules! She said Sunny was EXACTLY what she had invisioned. She was SO mad. She even came over a few times later that weekend to talk to Katie. Ah, well, some judges interpret things in their own way. Maybe next time!
Sunday AM we had the Amateur stallion, gelding and mare classes. Got the gate in all.
Sunday night I had my Amateur Ladies WCP class. There were 14 in the class. Sunny was his wonderful self. We placed THIRD. I was estatic!! Plus, I had a cheering section up in the stands who let loose when I was placed, and I have NO IDEA who they were- whoever you are, THANK YOU!!!
Monday was the Futurity classes for Myiah and Storm- gated again both times. Ah, well.
Tues AM was Stormy's halter and color class- he did well, 7th in halter and 4th in color! We were happy! Our own homebred gelding!
Tues night was Sunny's draft harness class, but he was fussy in his collar harness, so I decided not to risk messing him up for the WCP class and didn't enter, and ended up doing myself a favor- I would have been disqualified, as my harness doesn't have full hames! Ooops..... live and learn!
Weds was Myiah's classes, we decided not to put her in halter, as she doesn't really have a pretty head, so we just put her in color- she is a stunning grullo pinto with barring down her back. We don't think the judges even saw her, the class was SO big. This mare has never been less than third all year. Ah, well. I would love to see them line up, like in AMHA, and have the judges go up and down the rows. REALLY get a good look!
Sunny was in the 34-36" WCP class that night- we got SECOND! Our first Reserve Championship! WHEE!!! There were about 15 in the class, too! There was dancing in our aisle that night! Champagne, too... heeheehee
Thursday we scratched Repeat from his halter class- he wasn't really ready for it. He's only a weanling, there will be other shows.
Thursday night I had a friend show Sunny in the Gentleman to drive WCP class- he'd never driven Sunny before, and got third out of eight!!
Friday afternoon was the Ladies WCP class- another Reserve!! Now, we HAD to stay for the Stakes class.
Sat was the Stakes class- I was SO nervous. Sunny was a bit tetchy, too, but I think he was feeding off me. Finally we both relaxed and went in. He wasn't quite on his game, but we were Reserve Grand Champion! There were only four in the class, many had gone home by then, it was getting rather late.
So, all over and we packed up to go. We were two hours into our trip when Jane calls- she has NO steering and NO brakes!!! She manages to get the big trailer into a gas station in Norman, OK. I go back looking for her. The gas station guy is sweet, here we are blocking part of his lot and he just shrugs. Triple A tows the trailer to HIS lot, truck, trailer and horsies. Looks like a belt is broken (ends up being the water pump). It's now midnight, I'm toast and wanna go home. Jane can't go anywhere. So, I go home, taking my load. Fortunately, I have a cassette tape and sing most of the way home. Forrest probably wasn't pleased.... 3 hours of my bad singing. Plus, it was John Denver and the Muppets- Christmas album. Yup, 2AM and I'm tootling down the highway singing Christmas carols.... *sigh*
:
I go to bed, and after getting up the next day and drive BACK to Norman. The truck I'm driving is not as big as the dually. It has pulled the big trailer, but not happily. We unhitch the big truck and drift it out of the way. Go to hitch the little one- the ball is rusted down and we fight to get it up. Then, we drop the trailer onto the ball, and realized we had adjusted the neck for the taller truck. Can't get the foot up. Out come the towing guys (Jane's been living in their parking lot....) and they jack the trailer up, we get the foot up. Little truck groans all the way home. I start braking about 500' before any stop- truck doesn't wanna stop with the monster attached.... *sigh*. My shoulders and neck are screaming with the tension. I get home, finally. Safe and sound.
Then I can't get Peaches off the trailer. You'd THINK she'd wanna get off this ride! Finally, between pushing from behind and a dressage whip, she leaves. Whew. All are tucked away. Jane is still in Norman- shops aren't open on Sunday!
Monday AM they fix big truck, and Jane gets to come home. What a trip!!!
AND we brought home a NEW horse! Jane bought a ASPC/AMHR colt, Graham's Candy Man! He's gonna be a youth gelding for Katie in the near future.
Lucy
Jane had left Thursday with four of the horses and our Youth, Katie, and her Mom. Once they got to Tulsa, they found out that we were NOT stabled with our buddies (and we HAD sent all our stuff in together so that we would be) but the staff managed to rearrange some things and we were put right behind them. Whew! They set up all our stuff and settled in.
I left Sat AM with my crowd of three, and arrived midafternoon. We got ours settled in and got Katie ready for her driving class, Western Country Pleasure. She went in, and Jane and I thought she did WONDERFUL!! She was collected and on the bit with a low headset and looked awesome! But when the placing came back, she was 5th out of 6. We just shrugged it off, thinking we had misread the new rules. So we headed back to the barn. Out of nowhere a lady came up to us and said "you should have won that class..." OK...... Then as we were walking across the parking lot, ANOTHER woman came RUNNING over and told us the same thing, and she was LIVID! Here, she is the Area 4 director, and she WROTE the rules! She said Sunny was EXACTLY what she had invisioned. She was SO mad. She even came over a few times later that weekend to talk to Katie. Ah, well, some judges interpret things in their own way. Maybe next time!
Sunday AM we had the Amateur stallion, gelding and mare classes. Got the gate in all.
Sunday night I had my Amateur Ladies WCP class. There were 14 in the class. Sunny was his wonderful self. We placed THIRD. I was estatic!! Plus, I had a cheering section up in the stands who let loose when I was placed, and I have NO IDEA who they were- whoever you are, THANK YOU!!!
Monday was the Futurity classes for Myiah and Storm- gated again both times. Ah, well.
Tues AM was Stormy's halter and color class- he did well, 7th in halter and 4th in color! We were happy! Our own homebred gelding!
Tues night was Sunny's draft harness class, but he was fussy in his collar harness, so I decided not to risk messing him up for the WCP class and didn't enter, and ended up doing myself a favor- I would have been disqualified, as my harness doesn't have full hames! Ooops..... live and learn!
Weds was Myiah's classes, we decided not to put her in halter, as she doesn't really have a pretty head, so we just put her in color- she is a stunning grullo pinto with barring down her back. We don't think the judges even saw her, the class was SO big. This mare has never been less than third all year. Ah, well. I would love to see them line up, like in AMHA, and have the judges go up and down the rows. REALLY get a good look!
Sunny was in the 34-36" WCP class that night- we got SECOND! Our first Reserve Championship! WHEE!!! There were about 15 in the class, too! There was dancing in our aisle that night! Champagne, too... heeheehee
Thursday we scratched Repeat from his halter class- he wasn't really ready for it. He's only a weanling, there will be other shows.
Thursday night I had a friend show Sunny in the Gentleman to drive WCP class- he'd never driven Sunny before, and got third out of eight!!
Friday afternoon was the Ladies WCP class- another Reserve!! Now, we HAD to stay for the Stakes class.
Sat was the Stakes class- I was SO nervous. Sunny was a bit tetchy, too, but I think he was feeding off me. Finally we both relaxed and went in. He wasn't quite on his game, but we were Reserve Grand Champion! There were only four in the class, many had gone home by then, it was getting rather late.
So, all over and we packed up to go. We were two hours into our trip when Jane calls- she has NO steering and NO brakes!!! She manages to get the big trailer into a gas station in Norman, OK. I go back looking for her. The gas station guy is sweet, here we are blocking part of his lot and he just shrugs. Triple A tows the trailer to HIS lot, truck, trailer and horsies. Looks like a belt is broken (ends up being the water pump). It's now midnight, I'm toast and wanna go home. Jane can't go anywhere. So, I go home, taking my load. Fortunately, I have a cassette tape and sing most of the way home. Forrest probably wasn't pleased.... 3 hours of my bad singing. Plus, it was John Denver and the Muppets- Christmas album. Yup, 2AM and I'm tootling down the highway singing Christmas carols.... *sigh*
I go to bed, and after getting up the next day and drive BACK to Norman. The truck I'm driving is not as big as the dually. It has pulled the big trailer, but not happily. We unhitch the big truck and drift it out of the way. Go to hitch the little one- the ball is rusted down and we fight to get it up. Then, we drop the trailer onto the ball, and realized we had adjusted the neck for the taller truck. Can't get the foot up. Out come the towing guys (Jane's been living in their parking lot....) and they jack the trailer up, we get the foot up. Little truck groans all the way home. I start braking about 500' before any stop- truck doesn't wanna stop with the monster attached.... *sigh*. My shoulders and neck are screaming with the tension. I get home, finally. Safe and sound.
Then I can't get Peaches off the trailer. You'd THINK she'd wanna get off this ride! Finally, between pushing from behind and a dressage whip, she leaves. Whew. All are tucked away. Jane is still in Norman- shops aren't open on Sunday!
Monday AM they fix big truck, and Jane gets to come home. What a trip!!!
AND we brought home a NEW horse! Jane bought a ASPC/AMHR colt, Graham's Candy Man! He's gonna be a youth gelding for Katie in the near future.
Lucy
