Week after week our Brown Eyed Girl has grown stronger as a rider. Lessons have taught her more than just how to ride. She's learned to successfully catch, groom, wrap legs, bridle and lunge her horse. We are still working on saddling... she's a wimp.
She has learned a barn full of horses by name and knows where each one is stalled. Our Brown Eyed Girl has learned powerful character traits from working with horses this last year. She voluntarily helps feed and groom our own horses at home and has taken on the shared responsibility of owning our horses. Taking the initiative and her grown sense of responsibility has trickled over into every day life - at home, school and with others.
Our Brown Eyed girl has learned patience. When riding horses, new skills take a lot of repetition to master - for both the horse and the rider. That repetition builds teamwork. You don't really know patience and teamwork until your partner is a 1100 pound animal with a mind of it's own. Doll has been a saint, but sometimes she just doesn't want to stand still or side-pass that log.
Our Brown Eyed girl has learned to be coachable. She listens to criticism and critique from her trainer. She has learned to regulate her emotions with patience because she knows that her body language effects the way her horse responds to her aids. She has learned when to pick her battles and when to quit. How not to make a big deal out of something small and to always end on a good note.
Our Brown Eyed girl has learned confidence and self esteem. It can be intimidating to work with an 1100 pound animal with a mind of its own. She has been pushed to try new things that were beyond her comfort level. Like riding bareback, jumping over fences or pushing your horse up into that faster gear in your large, fast circles.
A year of riding lessons and our Brown Eyed Girl was finally ready to strut her stuff and head to a horse show this year! The amazing Doll as her mount.
Her entries submitted, I realized that our Brown Eyed Girl and I were truly not prepared! Hats, chaps, show clothes... we had nothing but a pair of boots, spurs and lesson jeans.
I think I have always known that I have spent my entire life surrounded by amazing horse people. Some of my most cherished friends are because of our common bond shared in the saddle. I truly never realized just how valuable those friendships were until in a moment of panic those dear horse friends never blinked an eye to rally behind my Brown Eyed Girl and graciously dig through their closets of old horse show items to dress my daughter for her first show.
We had garment bags, hat cans and accessories lovingly shared. Filling in a few missing pieces, we put our outfits together and headed to our first Show! And I lovingly use "our" because it was my first Horse Show Mom debut!
We arrived at the show and Doll was all settled into her stall for the long weekend.
We had a little corner in one of the dressing rooms for all of our belongings.
Day one was Trail. We got situated and then headed out to walk the trail course and memorize her patterns.
Pretty soon is was go time. Nerves building, we headed back to the stalls to get Doll tacked up and dressed for the show.
First look - Purple for Trail
Last minute pep talks.
And a Good Luck squeeze from Grandma.
She was ready!
Their first pattern was just average. A lot of nerves and a few little mistakes. On her second pattern, she quickly improved and bettered her score significantly. She was happy that she scored better and that's really all you can ask for. At the end of the day, we compete the most with our selves.
All my Brown Eyed Girl ever wanted was to win a ribbon showing a horse.
About two weeks before the show, we learned that this show did not give out ribbons... The "No Frills Show" gave out plastic cups for awards, sponsored by the Colorado Arabian Horse Club. My Brown Eyed Girl was definitely deflated with the news. We had a heart-to-heart and I told her that the important thing was she was getting to show a horse. Not to mention, my very first horse show was certainly NOT at the Event Center - it was a back yard, Podunk show in the middle of no where. The ribbon, or cup, wasn't the most important thing. She was getting to live her dream of showing.
We went into this show knowing there were no ribbons.
Her trainer Jim is such a kind hearted man. He pulled me aside at the start of the show and said, "Sometimes us seasoned show guys forget what that first ribbon means to a kid just starting out. It's everything. I just wanted to let you know that I want this to be a perfect experience for her and I have a surprise for her. I got her some ribbons!"
He refused to let her down. He made sure she received a ribbon in each class that she placed in! I cannot tell you how much that little gesture made everything come together like a cherry on top of an ice cream Sunday!
Day two we were back to the show early in the morning for a day of Ranch Riding and Reining. We got Doll out of the stall so she could stretch her legs.
Churchill was right when he said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."
Fist up, Ranch Riding and her back and white look.
My Brown Eyed Girl did excellent in her Ranch Riding Pattern. We had a little break before the afternoon session started. We let Doll take a little break and then found her like this after lunch!
We had our work cut out for us to get her cleaned up again. We couldn't do anything but laugh at her!
The afternoon was Reining and her favorite outfit with a bold, blue shirt. The pair looked sharp!
Reining was my Brown Eyed Girl's first tough lesson with horse showing. As she rode into the first Roll Back maneuver, Doll started backing before she rolled back over her heels and thus disqualified them with an included maneuver (backing) and a resulting zero score was given... no ribbon, no placing.
She was quite confused and very disappointed when she came out of the gate and heard the announcer. There are just so many rules and procedures to showing horses. Too much to learn overnight. There are so many things I remembered to prep her for and so much more that I forgot about, until they actually happened. It was a great lesson to learn before the championship round on Sunday and we talked about how she would ride Doll a little more precise.
Day three was Horsemanship.
We had the outfit... but we found out we needed a bun! No ponytails in Horsemanship. Panic set in but I was quickly rescued by another Horse Mom. She swooped in and whipped out a nifty little bun and topped it off with some bling.
Next piece of information we lacked, the show number has to go on your back in Horsemanship - not on the saddle pad. Fellow barn-mate to the rescue! We were able to borrow some show-number magnets for our class.
Today was a good day! She earned her first blue ribbon and a bonus first place prize!
Last day of the show were all of the Championship classes, she was not as happy with her Trail outcomes. She had great patterns in Ranch Riding and I was very proud of how well she did against some seasoned horses and riders.
By far, our most memorable class was her last of the show, the Amateur Half Arabian Reining Championship class. My Brown Eyed Girls was up against some really nice horses and riders from our barn. She and I had our little pep talk before the class started. We agreed that while she might not beat the other two entries, the important goal for her was to stay on pattern and not let Doll disqualify her, like Friday. Just run a clean pattern and get a score.
In reining, the scoring system starts at 70 points and a rider gets plus and minus scores for each maneuver as they ride the pattern. But 70 is a great average, clean score. The first horse went in and scored above 70 with a 72.
My Brown Eyed Girl was second to go. She and Doll rode their little hearts out and they had a fantastic pattern! As she walked out the gate it was announced she scored a 70! We were so excited! That was a very admirable score.
Giddy with her success, we stayed to watch the last and third rider ride. She was having a fantastic ride when all of a sudden as her horse approached it's first roll back, the horse kicked out it's hind leg. That is a no-no and a penalty score of 5 points for disobedience! As the rider finished her pattern and the score was announced, that penalty had moved her from winning the class to taking third!
My Brown Eyed Girl and I looked at each other and squealed! Just like that, she had won a Reserve Championship in Reining!
What a thrill this new Horse Show Mom has in her heart! I was so very proud of my Brown Eyed Girl and her trusty mount, Doll. We could not have asked for a better first horse show. We are so grateful for the experience and opportunity gifted to us, the tangible memories in the ribbons and the values our Brown Eyed Girl received from this experience.
Our Brown Eyed Girl is learning to deal with nerves, the pressure of a crowd and her peers watching, from hearing her trainer coaching her through a pattern to being totally alone in a vast empty arena. She has learned to plan ahead, quickly memorize an intricate pattern and within minutes of completion - pick up a new pattern to memorize instead.
She has learned how to set goals and reach them. She has also learned that you can set goals and fail miserably. She has learned what it means to be humbled by an animal with a mind of its own, no matter how much she practiced and though she was ready.
Our Brown Eyed Girl has learned about sportsmanship and comradery. She is a competitive person by nature. She quickly learned that sometimes you win, but many times you must appreciate the efforts and accomplishments of those who were still better than you. The importance and value in having a support system within you barn, or the equine community. Those who will cheer for you while you ride, congratulate your successes, offer support and sage words of wisdom when you don't, step up to offer assistance with a tack change, style a last-minute bun, or literally give you the hat off their head.
Overall, what an amazing labor of love!
First and
foremost, a heartfelt thank you to Jim & Linda Hitt for allowing my brown
eyed girl the opportunity to show Miss Doll. You made a horse girl’s dreams
come true, down to the ribbons! We are so grateful to you for teaching Hailey
how to be the rider she has become!
Thank you
to my childhood horse friends, Julie, Shauna & Holy, for rallying behind us
and graciously dressing us for the show! Hats, chaps, shirts, bedazzled
jewelry, show blankets, glam kits... these ladies warm my very heart.
Thank you
to everyone at Gamble Oaks for their encouraging words, guidance and support to
this rookie horse mom and newbie! A very special thanks to Tara for all her
hard work keeping the wheels turning and to Delaney for taking a little girl
under her wing and making her first show even more special!
Thank you
to the Colorado Arabian Horse Club for putting on such a well-run show!
And of
course, our number one cheerleader, Grandma Rhonda!
