November began with #oldladieshorseshowing – Susan and I were riding, and Jane was in support. It was the Queenie Productions Harvest Horse Show and Zone 7 North Finals. Quite a title for a horse show! There was also a qualifier for the InIt2WinIt Speed class to be held in Omaha next April.
Susan and Galatea (Teah) have come a long way since September and showed that progress in the ring with nothing but clean rounds.
There was an occasional lapse of memory and a circle to correct, but they were great together.
Melissa has improved Teah along with Susan and they are a joy to watch.
They traveled from Kirksville with Mia, Melissa’s talented mare, but she did not show because her teeth needed some attention. With Melissa, it is never about showing, it’s always about the horse. A policy most of us adhere to, I hope! So Mia had a relatively low key week, apart from a dental visit on Wednesday.
We made a new friend, too, in Louise, who is not really an old lady, but she did take a 40 year break from riding and is just recently back in the game. She rides with Kris, does the hunters, and has a lovely horse named Milo. We ventured to the hunter ring for some inspiration…
Bart tied for Champion in the Low Training (1.05 meter) by winning the Thursday class. They flipped for it, and our friend Lisa Roskens (Friday’s winner) won for Champion, with Bart as Reserve. Nice to get a Tricolor!
And then came the High Children’s / Adult division. With eight competitive horses, I was only hoping to get a ribbon, but thanks to Kris’ great preparation, and some luck, Bart WON on Friday AND Saturday!! Our luck was not as high in the Classic on Sunday, with a light rub causing a rail down in the jump off, for sixth, but Bart was Champion of the show and of the Zone, winning a nice red backpack and an insulated tumbler. Jane heard Bart suggest we give the cup to one of his young fans at the show, Addi Meyer, so we did. It was a good show for old ladies and young ones, too! Susan and Teah were Reserve Champions in the Novice Jumpers, and Lisa and Lacy were Champions in Low Adult Jumpers as well as Low Training. Over in Hunter World, Louise and Milo, too, were champions. For me, this became the least financially painful show I have had this century. And Bart was a blast, jumping well, and participating in the rides, always looking for the next jump. What fun! Jane was a huge help, too, and worked tirelessly behind the video camera, which improved our rides.
It was an extremely hectic week, though, with horses to care for at home, and Bart at the show. The worst part was that the schedule was very unpredictable, so I was unable to work in anything else around showing, as I had hoped to do. The new footing at the National Equestrian Center had been moved out for a rodeo in September, and was replaced only a week before this show, so it took a lot of work. That really slowed down the days.
The big class, the InIt2WinIt qualifier, was a faults converted to seconds format. A rail down added 4 seconds to the time, and the fastest time won. Only one horse jumped clean – Doug Boyd on Berkley III – and he finished in 6th! Speed always increases the likelihood of mistakes, but excites the crowd. Local favorite, Shannon Hicks, won the class on Helen Gilbert’s Clearwater. Lisa Goldman, a famously fast rider from Chicago was 2nd and 3rd with Sovereign and Hindsight, respectively.
Which brings me back to the schedule. Lisa had driven down from Chicago Saturday morning with 4 horses. The class was scheduled for 6 PM and she planned to drive back to Chicago after the class. It didn’t start until after 9 PM! I did hear that she was on the road before midnight, but that sort of plan exhausts me just imagining it. Luckily, she is young, and has another driver to help. And luckily, she was returning to Chicago with some good placings.
Canadian Eric Martin on Cameleon was 4th, with Shannon Hicks and Emir D in 5th. The top 5 riders will qualify for the Finals in Omaha, which will be a very competitive class for lots of prize money. Jane and I have one goal ahead, and that is to show in Omaha (not the InIt2WinIt Speed Class, though, just the 1.10 meter Children’s / Adult Jumpers). Stay tuned, as the old ladies struggle through the winter toward that goal!
As in so much I do, I started this, and got distracted. Very late, I am going to publish anyway…