Milton attended his first practice show.
Full Circle Horse Park, in Cropwell, AL, had a dressage, combined test, and lower-level three-phase schooling show last Sunday. We took Milton over to look around. He was fabulous.
As soon as he got off the trailer, he greeted his 15 new best friends. Although he stared at everything, he failed to dance and fuss. He was a bit distraught when Greg walked him down to the XC, away from the new friends. Note to self, Milton doesn’t like to be alone. I wonder how this will play out in competition.
Milton behaved so well that Greg harnessed up and did groundwork off in a corner. The original plan had been to go to SSF to hitch. We decided this was equally valuable experience.
The only misbehavior was going home. He stared at the step-up into the trailer as if he couldn’t figure it out. ‘It’s too hiiiiiiigh.’ and ‘I can’t lift my feeeeeeet.’ Being stymied by height is not good news in a jumping horse. Not such a big deal in a driving horse. We gave him a few tries and one ‘Seriously, Horse?’ He got right on.
Full Circle Horse Park is a new facility that plans to be both a boarding barn and a full-service competition venue. Right now they have a ring, a jumping area, and Amoeba & Tadpole cross-country. Bigger courses and more facilities are in the works. Gonna be a nice resource to have close to home.
And me? How did I survive surrounded by tall boots, jumping horses, and cross-country fences? Shrug. I’ve given up so hard it doesn’t even hurt. Much.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 