Home Team
… we were alone.
ASHAA Fun Show
Stepping Stone Farm
Chelsea AL, USA
Sunday, August 12, 2018
30a Academy Open Hunter Pleasure Walk and Trot, 1 of 1
31a Academy Open Hunter Equitation Walk and Trot, 1 of 1
Milton’s attitude was a huge improvement from last time [The Canadian Horse & The Red Queen Take Second, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #1 2018, ERA Stables]. I wish I could credit our brilliant horse training. The truth is better living through chemistry. Milton is now on cimetidine to slow down the progress of his bumps. It has the side effect of taking away a low-grade irritation that was making him jumpy and nervous. Apparently.
He still has his moments. Last weekend, Milton ran back to barn twice when we introduced cantering on the long lines. While dramatic to watch, it was within the parameters of a green, excitable horse making his feelings known. He’s lost the element of psycho horse.
Except.
Since we were unsure what the new model would do at a show, we stuck with our original plan of going early to school in the SSF ring, the way we did to settle him for camp [The Canadian Horse]. I’m hacking about. Husband Greg says, ‘Trailer coming. Why don’t you get off.’ I did, but I wasn’t sure why. At which point, Milton threw a technicolor, hissy fit: whirling, staring, gnashing the bit, trotting in place, the works. I had forgotten that Milton has a thing about other trailers [NEGA Milton, NEGA US].
What can you do? Everyone has that one thing that presses their buttons. The important point was this his objection was limited to the single issue of moving trailers. The hysteria didn’t leak out to slosh around the rest of his brain. Once the trailers stopped moving, he was fine with them, to the extent of trying to steal a bite of hay from one. Well, he was fine with them until they pulled out to go home.
The rest of the day he was great. He stood. He ate hay. He grazed. I got on. We walked. He looked at this or that. He thought the cars parked near the ring were weird, but that’s normal for a horse at a home show [Sam 2015, Natalie 2014, Trump-the-Horse 2013].
Although, Milton wasn’t quite as chill as he was letting on. He was walking so well, that wanted to see if he was overtracking. When I leaned over his shoulder to look, he gave a little hop to the side that said, What? What are you doing up there? So we went back to calm walking.
Since the classes were solo trips, they were short. Trot this way. Trot that way. Line up. In the second one, I asked him to move out a bit and practiced with different contacts. The rein adjustments didn’t make any difference, but at least I felt able to try.
So much difference.
Update, show report posts
Our First Blue, But … Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Hunt Seat
Getting The Band Back Together, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Saddle Seat
The Nice Way To Be Taken For a Ride, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Driving
It Takes a Barn, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Acknowledgements Page
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
Hey, a blue’s a blue.
What she said. And a loooong way from the first years with him!
“blue’s a blue” & “a loooong way from the first years with him”
Absolutely. I’m tickled with Milton and with my ribbons. I see them as completion awards. However, I didn’t want to say that I had “won” a blue, as that has a different meaning.