The Year Without Horse Shows

Training Journal

If you’re riding a horse, you’ve already won.

 
Awareness of the outside world. The avalanche begins. 2021 is gonna look a lot like 2020. Live Oak International.

~~~
It’s been quite an insert-adjective-here year, hasn’t it?

Among so many, many other things, 2020 was a year without horse shows. For me. There were shows. I did not go. I’d like to blame coronavirus. In truth, Rodney probably would not have shown much in a normal year. He’d make progress, then have a fit. Progress. Fit. Progress.

What I was doing while other folks were showing.

Our last chance for a show was last weekend. Same place as last time. Same discussion as last time. The outing would have been as Covid-compliant as one can get, short of staying home. Plus, we still we need the exposure at shows. [Show Or Not To Show]

This time around, I was aiming for a crossrail “jump” class instead of dressage. Hence the schooling trips to Falcon Hill Farm. Milton and I did this class twice last year. [Schooling, Course, Photos, Course Again]

Stunt ribbon for illustration purposes. [On Course Again]

Sensible Me: Do I really need to go through this entire song and dance in order to walk over crossrails?

Internal Benny: Horse show! Horse show!

Sensible Me: Its just a participation ribbon. Every clear round gets one.

Internal Benny: It’s so pretty. Just like a championship ribbon.

Sensible Me: You know it’s not really a championship, right?

Internal Benny: Horse show! Horse show!

In the end, Rodney was still adjusting to his new diet and saddle configuration. Not enough time to prepare. Again. Hopefully we have come up with a set-up that will work for more than a few weeks. [Variables]

I’m not as distraught as you might expect, given an entire year without horse shows. Oh, there were moments. Some weekends, there were *two* shows I wasn’t going to. Those are always fun. We get half-credit for a warm-up round at a barrel race. At the time, I said, “We will probably return a few more times for schooling purposes.” How innocent we were back then. But I digress. Overall, I have not once been under starter’s orders since October of last year. [Barrel, Hunter]

Meh.

Maybe it’s the year. Walking quietly around the pasture feels like a good plan right now.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott