Multi-Tasking

A show horse one weekend and an endurance horse the next weekend!  Mr. Multi-Tasker!


Octopelle and I got our "spit and polish" on for the MacMurdo show this year.  We went under USEF judges Walter De La Brosse of California and Margo Hepner-Hart of Oregon.

I entered him in some of the open English pleasure, hunter under saddle, and hunter  in-hand classes.  It was a very crowded arena this year.  Seems like everybody came to the show!

There were 20+ riders in almost all of the classes that we were in, and some of the cantering classes got pretty entertaining.  It was very hard to maneuver around on the rail without getting cut off and bunched up against other people, and some of the exhibitors horses were having some real problems with the heavy fast moving traffic, (like bucking!)  There were two people that blew up beside of us at the canter and I was praying to god that Ox would behave himself  long enough to make it to the line-up.  Luckily he was pretty good about the situations and kept a level head.  We made it through the tense moments alright, much to my relief.

Open hunter in-hand halter class.

Hunter under saddle class.

Open English pleasure.  My hands were a little high but I had a reason for keeping them that way.  Ox would pop his head up and crane every once in awhile, so it helped to lift a little bit to keep him in frame.  It made my equitation look kind-of crappy, but it helped the horse to look totally fabulous!

We placed under judge De La Brosse!  Yay!  Considering there were a very large number of entrants this year, I was thrilled!

And the following weekend after the show, we drove to Brothers, OR. for the NorthPac/Oregon 100 endurance ride.   He switched gears to an endurance horse in rapid fashion.

Coming in from the second loop on the 50 miler.  A really fun ride, and Ox did great!

The photos are courtesy of: Craig Mayfield, Entirely Equine Marketing, and Out of Steam Photography.