First Dance, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Southeastern Charity Horse Show
Georgia International Horse Park
Conyers GA USA
Saturday, September 22, 2018

Bel Cheval’s I’m Joanie
110 Academy Equitation – Walk, Trot & Canter – Adult. 3rd of 5
111 Academy Showmanship – Walk, Trot & Canter – Adult. 1st of 5
Thank you to the Cofield family for the jaunty Joanie.

Whiskey Throttle
126 Academy Walk, Tot & Canter Championship. 5th of 11
Thank you to Courtney Huguley for the wonderful Whiskey

Show Photographer Doug Shiflet

Hi! My Name Is Joanie, First Class
Joanie looks to be my new dance partner. At the eleventh hour, we decided to enter this show to see how our partnership did in the show ring. At Heathermoor [Show Report], I had watched her canter about with one of the wee walk-trot riders. It didn’t look disobedient as much as being in different classes. The kid was riding in a schooling class. Joanie was doing Park Pleasure.

How would I deal with all that extra energy? As soon as I trotted down my entry line, I knew all would be well. She. Was. Awesome. Totally down with her job and ready to party.

She is not the most comfortable ride. Her trot is choppy and her canter is not the gallop on a cloud that Sam’s is. OTOH, she looks better than she rides. I was amazed when I saw her with one of the kids later. Show ring sparkle oozes from every pore.

In NASCAR, there are two approaches for tuning a car. In the first, the driver communicates to the engineers how he wants the car to feel. In the second, the engineers tell the driver which set-up is fastest and the driver learns to cope. Guess which one wins.

Go Big, Second Class
Since the goal of the show was to test the parameters, Coach Courtney told me to go for it in the second class. Make a mess. If I made a mistake, make it by overreaching. She paused, then qualified, ‘But don’t go crazy.” I laughed out loud. She knew her audience.

I put the pedal down and Joanie was just as willing and adjustable as in the first class. Fortunately, the judge was rewarding the “show” in showmanship. Now, I have to sit down, sit back, and remember where I left my inner equitation diva.

I did absolutely zero to set up for the victory pass. We turned down the straightaway, aimed for Coach Courtney, and Joanie was all, ‘I got this.’

Alas, she was spoken for in the Championship.

What’s In A Name, Third Class
According to the MotoSport.com, a “Whiskey Throttle” is when a driver zealously guns the engine and is thrown back to comic effect [Whiskey Throttle Vs. Panic Rev].

A week or so ago, one of our portable chairs unfolded underneath me, thumping me to the ground from backside to shoulders. No damage. Stiff for a few days. All better. Or so I thought.

Whiskey and I have improved dramatically from our last time out [Show Report], when I utterly failed to downshift from the canter. However, he still finds me alarming. In the class, I gave a directive in a way that startled him. We whiskey throttled. As he shot forward, my injured tailpipe impacted the cantle of the saddle. Ow. Ow. Ow.

We walked, trotted, and cantered as required. OTOH, my atrocious canter transitions caused Coach Courtney to froth at the mouth. Magnanimously, I waive that point. I do not press it. I look over it.

I was the highest placed adult, I think. Waiting for online results to be updated.

Show Posts
[First Dance, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding]
[Whisked About, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Driving]
[Putting the SHOW in horse show, Show Photo, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding]
[Ready For Our Close-Up, Show Photo, Southeastern Charity 2018, Driving]
[Lights-Camera-Classes, Show Videos, Southeastern Charity 2018]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott