A Radiance of Ribbons, Show Recap 2018

After a show season, an end-of-the-year activity is to hang all of one’s ribbons on one’s horse, for example Contact: 2018 You Been Good. I couldn’t face sorting out all the horses and their ribbons – and isn’t that a wonderful problem to have – so I have done it digitally. Commentary below.

The Horses

The Shows
[I am not back. This is not a post: Milton The Driving Horse] Milton. The infamous, to us anyway, Tennessee Combined Driving schooling show. I suppose I have to include this in a list of shows. Sigh.
[The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, Show Report & Photos, Mid-South Spring Premiere 2018, Riding] Sam, Snippy (driving), Milton (non-compete ride & drive)
[Notes from North Georgia, Milton] Milton (non-compete ride & drive)
[The Canadian Horse & The Red Queen Take Second, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #1 2018, ERA Stables] Milton
[Our First Blue, But … Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #2 2018, Stepping Stone Farm, Hunt Seat] Milton, Sam, Whiskey (driving)
[Maintaining Our Firm Grip On Last Place And That’s Okay, Show Report, Dressage at Full Circle Horse Park, Summer 2018] Milton
[Victory Is Ours! Show Report, Alabama Fun Show #3 2018, Heathermoor Farm, Hunt Seat] Milton, Sam
[First Dance, Show Report, Southeastern Charity 2018, Riding] Joanie, Whiskey (driving & riding)
[For This I Cleaned My Tack? Show Report, Dressage at Full Circle Horse Park, October 2018] Milton
[Not In My Backyard, Show Report, SSF Home Show, 2018] Joanie, Milton (non-compete, costume)
[That Elusive Sunday Blue, Show Report, National Academy Championship Horse Show, 2018] Joanie, Tigger
[Once More Into the Fray, Show Report, Winter Tournament 2018-19 #1, Riding] Sam, Whiskey (driving)

The Numbers, Looking Back
Shows: 12
Saddle Seat: 7 total, 3 big, 4 small
Pleasure Driving: 4
Hunt Seat: 3
Dressage: 2
Combined Driving: 1
Non-compete: 3

Tigger: 1 show, but what a show.
Sam: 4 shows, 10 ribbons, 8 of them blue. I love this horse. Not because we win, which is nice, but because we get along well enough that we win.
Joanie: 3 shows. She got me into the ring at Nationals. I give her an assist on our Sunday win.
Whiskey: 3 shows, 2 drive, 1 ride & drive. Whatever is needful. What a good boy.
Snippy: 1 show, 1 class. My best driving of the year, our best class together. The only driving class where I had competition.
Milton: 9 shows total, 1 CDE, 3 non-compete, 3 hunt seat, 2 dressage.

Me: 11 shows. Pretty good for not starting until the end of May.
Greg: 3 shows total, 1 showing, 2 non-compete.

Months: 8, one each March, May, June, July, two each August, September, October & November

Ribbons: 39, 23 saddle seat, 6 hunt seat, 4 driving, 4 dressage, 1 costume, 1 CDE (pity ribbon)
Blues: 18
Yes, there’s a lot of blue up there. I will be the first to cop to the fact some are from solo classes (5/18, driving & hunt seat). I figure, I was there, I did what was asked, I’ll take the ribbon, thank you very much. Since many of the classes were small, much of the color (*cough*Milton’s dressage*cough*) comes from last place. Again, management chooses to divide the show into small classes? I do my thing, I take my ribbon.

The Plan, Looking Forward
I have no idea. Even less than usual.

Milton. Your guess is as good as mine. Low-level dressage? Small hunter or jumper shows? Little events? Driving? Will he be ready? Will he keep his brain together when we get there? We shall see.

Rodney: Ha. It could happen. Pigs could fly. The horse could learn to sing. If Rodney sets a hoof in a show ring, any ring, I will commission an artwork of flying pigs wearing iceskates while singing.

Saddle Seat. I wallow in my eternal, self-imposed Academy limbo. In the past few years, it hasn’t been too bad. The same group of us adults appears at the shows. They beat me. I beat them. At some point, new riders will join our party. If they are up from the juniors, or new to riding, I will feel bad beating them. Or they will beat me and I will feel worse.

We’ll wing it. After all, 2018 turned out well for a year wherein we made up the schedule as it went along.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott