Schooling Show

Yesterday was the second schooling show at the Umatilla Sage Riders arena.  I didn't go to the first show, because it was held the same day as Home On The Range.  But I went to this one and it was a lot of fun.  I think that they are planning on having one or two more of these schooling shows as the year progresses along.  And what a nice day!  Sunny and in the high 70's.  I even got a sunburn.

Tommy experienced a few more new "firsts" for him at this show, and that was good.  Since my photographer husband had to work and I was there by myself, I took photos of everybody else. =:)

A pretty light isabella palomino and white paint mare doing the showmanship pattern.

There were a lot of halter classes at this show, and Tommy and I spent more time doing halter than we ever have before.  We got a lot of practice in setting up and standing square!  Most of my ticket stubs got used doing halter - And oh, speaking of which.....

This show has the most unique way of entering classes.  Instead of circling which classes that you want to do on a classlist sheet, you just count up how many classes that you would like to do that day.  Then you can buy that number tickets.  When your class comes along, you deposit your ticket into a bucket at the arena gate.  If for some reason, you decide not to do that certain class and you choose to do another, your ticket can be used for a different class that you'd like to do instead.  A good example is that Tommy and I decided to skip most of the equitation classes, (the western pattern was too complicated for my green horse, and my brain couldn't handle it either....) so we used our extra tickets to enter more english classes.  This show has a nice ticket system that is uncomplicated and works for everybody, (for competitors and office staff alike).

The open western pleasure.  Notice how they are moving at a decent rate at the jog and their heads aren't buried in the sand like peanut rollers? Very cool.  The judge appreciated it too.  He thanked them for moving, instead of being stuck in low gear.  (If you've ever seen video's of the QH Congress western pleasure classes...you'll know what low gear looks like.)  So far, Tommy and I have been very fortunate to show under judges that want to see faster traveling horses. 

Colette Carson hard at work.  She was the ticket taker and score keeper at the gate.  She's a very nice lady from Pendleton.

Our judge Tony Jackson.  He was a good judge and gave me a lot of help in the english classes.  I rode in  my endurance tack once again, and he made a joke that I was a "faux english" rider.  It was a hoot.  (My aussie endurance saddle looks like a cross between a dressage/western saddle.)  But this what schooling shows are all about.  You show up to work on your horse, and it doesn't matter what the rider and the tack looks like.  There was a very nice older gentleman in the western classes that had his team roping tack on and he looked like he was about to go to a rodeo somewhere.  But, he did very well because he spent time collecting his roping horse up and practicing his riding.  It was awesome to see that.  It doesn't matter what you look like, just how hard you want to work to improve your horse.

  

Tommy getting ready for the western classes.  The only photo that I got of him all day.  He had his first experience with the loud speaker system at this show.  It was good for him to get used to it. 

The judge asked a few questions about Tommy, like what I did with him, if he had been imported, and what part of the middle east his breed was from.  After answering some questions, I handed him a Breeders Co-Op pamphlet before I left the show. He appreciated the info.  The judge had recently been in Bahrain and recognized some of the middle eastern breeds, but not all of them. 

Being a model horse artist, there were a couple of really pretty horses at the show that were some great inspiration.  I couldn't help myself - I had to take pictures of them.  This weanling frame overo paint filly was lovely, and she competed in halter and longe line.  She had black pigment mascara markings around her blue eyes.  I think that she'll be a really stunning horse when she's mature.

This mare was awesome.  She's a painters dream and nightmare, all in one.  She was a maximum sabino paint that competed in the western classes.  I joked with Colette that it would probably take me a whole year just to paint a pattern like this.  She was such a stunning colored mare, and what a difficult and intricate pattern to attempt!

Our next show will be really local - in Pendleton, next weekend!  Tommy and I will try and squeeze in some more practice before next Saturday.