Horse Show Dilemmas: To Show or Not to Show?

So I mentioned that we are going to a horse show this weekend, right?

It will be Knight’s first ever and my first in a long, long time. What’s a horse show without a little stress? It’s all a character building experience. I think.

Nothing is going as planned. Here’s the lowdown.

The Problems: I got an email from the horse show organizer yesterday (Tuesday) that she had received my check but was sorry to inform me that there were no more stalls. (This after an email I received ten days earlier which said, “I have you confirmed for a stall.”)

UPDATE 1:38 p.m. May 28th: Houston, we have a stall! The show is a go! Butterflies in my stomach, go away.

I was disappointed but thought, “Hey, more time to practice for the next show.” My riding has not been stellar of late due to the other problem: Knight is getting fitter, therefore is more difficult to tire out.

He starts out our rides mellow and quiet, then we canter and do a little jumping and he gets amped. Not crazy amped, but race-track forward. As in, “Why bother jumping from my hindquarters and approaching from a reasonable distance? I can just take the long spot and FLY over. And then I can land and go even faster!”

This is a solvable problem, but challenging for me as. . .

this is the point during our ride where I’ve been riding and riding and so I’m more tired and riding weaker. Instead of being more commanding, I’m thinking, “Walk break! I really need a sip of water. Why is my heart pumping so fast? I work out at the gym. It’s not like I’m a couch potato except for riding. Is it too wimpy to ask to go use the restroom?”

I literally got off and went to use the ladies room in the middle of a lesson a few weeks back. I am a coffee drinker, but that wasn’t the cause. Which leads me to yet another problem. When Knight gets pumped about his job he will occasionally start jumping our 2 foot fences as though they’re a Puissance wall. It’s all just a little too exhilarating for me.

But I digress from the original problem of the lack of a stall.

Upon further investigation (i.e., a friendly phone call from my trainer), the show organizer is working on trying to get me and the other girl (a junior) stalls. We will have our answer by 9:30 a.m. (Pacific) on Thursday.

The Clothes: I purchased a new riding helmet which cost more than my total monthly board bill for my first horse, boots, and had my old jacket’s sleeves/cuffs lengthened. When I wore the hunt coat at my final show with DC ten years ago (which I didn’t know would be our last show) it wasn’t tailored because it was a last-minute-ish purchase.

The jacket is navy and has a very, very slight, lighter-than-a-pinstripe grayish line that is running through the navy in a large checked pattern. It is NOT a checked pattern and if you saw it from eight feet away you’d think it’s just a navy jacket. (I know this because I hung it up and backed away from it–it looks navy). I’ll probably be very early 21st Century and out of style, but it’s just a schooling show.

I had this realization that I don’t have any nice riding gloves. The ones I use for schooling Knight literally had a piece of either partially eaten hay that was spit out or a wad of manure in the velcro. Very classy.

I am hoping that there is a small mobile tack shop on the grounds because due to having a job and the realities of LA/OC traffic, I will be unable to buy gloves between now and Saturday (note to self: check Amazon Prime).

The Horse Gear: I have a new saddle (and it’s not a CWD), more on that later. It is super comfy and once flocked a bit more will fit Knight superbly. It is making very funny noises when I post.

I don’t have a girth that fits. I have a nice leather one that is waaay too big, and two smaller ones that kind of work, but not awesomely. I actually purchased a new girth (to go with the saddle) but it’s on back order.

Saddle pad. Where is my show pad?

It has been a long week already, but I did have a nice ride this evening. My horse seemed relaxed and responsive. He did trip behind at one point during the ride. I diligently rode over to the area to see if he lost a shoe. No shoe. I rode out of the arena to get on dirt to see the shoes and the back two were still intact.

But when I picked Knight’s back hooves, this is what I found.

Will we be showing this weekend? Not sure. If we do go to the horse show, it should be fun. If we don’t I might just throw on my fancy new helmet, my circa 2005 show jacket and ride with the manure gloves around the arena at home and pretend we’re in the Olympics.

Cantering our Xs and two foot verticals.

Your Turn to Talk: What are your weekend plans? What do you do to cope when your best laid plans run amok?

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