Home at last!

Oh. My. Goodness. I am exhausted. It was a long weekend. I have to say, though, that my baby was INCREDIBLE!!!!! Here's how the weekend went:

Saturday I shipped Tiki to Patchwork to get a bath, get clipped up some more, and hang out until time to leave. I taught my usual lessons until 1:00, then the other 3 horses going got bathed and clipped up as well. Loaded Tiki and Bob together in Becca's trailer, and shipped them over to Wills Park (the local showgrounds). Unloaded the boys from the trailer, and took them for a little walk to take in the sights and do some grazing. This was our first show with Bob, but he has done a few little schooling shows at his old farm. Tiki was pretty sweaty and white eyed. I had the stud chain over his nose as a bit of a "pacifier" so he didn't forget his ground manners. He didn't try to bulldoze or anything, but he did walk nice and forward:) Walked him all the way down by the rings, and he started to shake. Eyeballed the golf carts with some trepidation, but did not show even a hint of a spook. Stood with his neck like a giraffe at the sound of the loudspeakers, but didn't throw it around. Watched all the horses and ponies, then tried to longe himself, lol. I took him to the hill overlooking the grounds, and hand grazed him for about 20 minutes. He would stop, stare, shake, eat a few bits of grass, then longe in a circle around me. Let him do that until he quit longeing himself, then took him back to the barn where I put him in his stall with some hay. The first time I led him to the stall, he tried to back up and didn't want to go in because he was so suspicious. I encouraged him to step in, and he did. I went off and did some trainer things, then Becca tacked him up to take him down to the ring to school. I stuffed his ears with ear poms to help muffle all the noise. They walked in the ring, and he flatted just fine. Becca got the right lead on the 2nd try, and he didn't try to swap out. I sent the little girl out because she was only doing w/t, then began schooling all the kids over the jumps. The jumps were already set at crossrails, and we were the only ones in the ring. I gave them a course to do, and Becca did a magnificent job with Tiki. He did EXACTLY as she asked. Trotted in, cantered in, no matter what he was SOOOO good. There was ONE jump he was impressed with, as you will see in the above pics. He didn't bat an eye at any of them.

Today he looked happy and relaxed in his stall. Pulled him out to go hand walk down by the rings, and he was so good Becca put him back. Worked with one of my students and her pony because the pony was HIGHLY unhappy with the blowing bushes. Got her schooled out of that, then began the day with the littlest girl and the biggest horse.:) She earned herself 2 5ths and a 4th, then it was a little break until Tiki's division. I gave him another bath to wash off yesterday's sweat and last night's poop off his shoulder. He schooled well, and Becca got his right lead on 2 separate occasions, yay! Still unimpressed with the schooling jump, it was then time to make the debut. He was STRAIGHT, he jumped the jumps JUST right, and he performed beautifully, alternating trotting in and cantering in. Got a 5th in that class (out of 9); 2nd one was even better. He actually landed all of his leads, and cantered in everything but the first jump. 4th in that one. No ribbon in u/s because he had a tough time with the right leaad. Finished that, then waited around until the day was over. Moral? it's a long day when you're at the horse show!:)