Bucket List

     I have a big bucket list.  Actually, I should really call it an in ground swimming pool list with all the stuff I have on it.  A few dreams to check off of it is to go to the Eiffel tower and smooch my main squeeze in front of it, gallop Autumn on the beach without a saddle and bridle, meet Prince William and Princess Kate and give them a box of tea, get a new car, get a house with closets, pet and hug a baby elephant.... There's a ton more but one of the simpler ones was to show Autumn in a horse show and win a ribbon to hang on my wall.  When my friend, Gwen, mentioned that there was a local show coming up and that I should enter I wimped out with a  bunch of excuses.  Autumn was still green, I didn’t have my show outfit together, I didn’t know if I could ask Cindy for a ride and make her stand around all day to wait for us.  I didn’t go to that first show.  

       When the second show rolled around Gwen called to remind me that my entry fees were due and that I needed to get them in pronto.  This time, no excuses.  I entered all five of the English walk/trot events which I felt we were ready for. 

       With the entries flying through the mail I realized I had some work to do.  I tried on my old show clothes that had mysteriously shrunk over the past few years.  I had to order some new duds.  Apparently, the sizes now a day run real small so I had to order the next size up.  Not only did I have to get myself put together but my giant wild mountain horse needed to have her long mane tamed.  I watched You tube videos on how to braid a long mane and tail into a “wow” maker for show ring. 

Thank you YouTube!

That's no weave.

       Besides pulling major dress rehearsals, we practiced in the arena every morning at 5:30 before work.  Riding around an arena at that time in the morning seems to glitch into some kind of time warp.  I would trot around in circles until I was sure I was late for work, check my watch only to discover that we had trotted around for about six minutes….ugh  arena work!

       The afternoon before the show I cleaned my saddle and bridle, did a dress rehearsal in my new clothes and decided that my breeches had shrunk some more.  I got Autumn from the pasture to get her primped for her big day.  I guess she suspected we had a big to-do coming up so she decided to smear some lovely pine sap perfume all over her neck.  I tried to bath out the sap but it won and it was coming with us to the show. 

       The sun was just lighting up the barn the morning of the show when I arrived.  The first rays of light caught sight of a four alarm “Code Brown”.  Overnight, Autumn had rested her head right in a pile of poop with its evidence smeared across her white blaze. 

Code Brown...It happens.

     After frantic scrubbing with a wash rag I got it almost white again while Autumn tried to fling me out of her stall.  I then began to braid her mane.  I was using some waxed hemp twine to tie up her braids and had a four foot piece ready to add to the braid I was working on.  Autumn pushed me around and I dropped the piece of  twine.  As I was nearing the end of the braid I bent down to pick it up.  It wasn’t there.  I couldn’t find the twine that looked like hay, that fell in the hay that Autumn was eating.  My stomach filled with a load of iron anxiety.  Twine in a horse’s gut could mean the end.   It can strangulate their intestines as the body forces itself to try and digest it.  I began freaking out.  I called my veterinarian boss at home.  It was 6:30am on Sunday.  I woke him up.  “Autumn ate twine!  Is she going to colic and die?  Should I not show?  How long until it could come out?  Can she digest it?  Should I…”

     He cut me off “She’ll probably digest it.  Go show.” Click.

     I continued braiding Autumn who wasn’t thrilled with me tugging on her mane.  She tried shoving me off the step ladder.  When that didn’t work she proceeded to try and kick the ladder out from under me and then got it caught through her leg.  It turned into a mixed martial arts match.  The result ended in a tie.  I got her braided and lived and she looked  pretty darn gorgeous.  All braided and de-pooped, I loaded Autumn up in Cindy’s trailer and the three of us were on our way. 

     The horse show was alive with the excitement of both horses and riders.  I had 45 minutes until our first event, just enough time to get both of us dressed.  Friends of ours arrived to cheer us on…Elizabeth & Stephen from the ranch, Marci from the veterinary office and her husband Mike, and my husband Casey who was able to make it by working overtime the night before. 

My groom the groom.
Thanks for working overtime for me!

All dressed up, Autumn turned a lot of heads… well she turned them upward…as we walked to the arena with our entourage.  She swept the title of being the biggest horse at the show that day.

      We warmed up in the practice arena while Autumn screamed her head off hoping to have a friend answer.  Before we knew it our number was called to enter the show arena.  We blasted into the arena at a trot. 



Trotting to a blue ribbon!

      The judges proceeded to ask us to sit the trot, walk, post at the trot and change directions,  halt, back up and line up for the ribbon announcement.  The first name called was mine and Autumn’s!  We had won the class!  There it was, another dream crossed off the list! Not only did we win a ribbon to hang on the wall but it was a first place blue! Our groupies went wild on the sidelines.

Our groupies waiting to hear the ribbons announced on the side lines!

       The next class it was basically a repeat of the first, except for the fact that Autumn decided to stop dead at the trot to take a dump.  Despite her giving a crap, we still managed to place second out of the five people in the event.  I’m sure the folks that placed behind us thought it was a load of horse sh*t that we beat them.  What are you going to do?

     A few of the events we were in, we were the only ones in the class.  I asked the judges if I really needed to trot around for them.  They replied that I wouldn’t win the blue if I fell off, so I went for it.  I felt like we were figure skaters with the rink to ourselves minus the ice, the skates and leotards with the nude stockings.  We went through the motions and when it was time to line up for the ribbons, I asked the judge "How did we do?"  Since I was able to keep Autumn in between myself and the ground we won the blues.

   We won a fifth place in the biggest class of eight riders, coming in behind all of the major horse show pros.  I was real proud of Autumn for that one.  

       Our last class, which we were all alone in again began like the others…walk, trot, “Canter” they announced.

“Wait, wait.”  I stopped Autumn.  “I didn’t enter any cantering classes”

“Well you are in it.” Said the announcer.

The judge said “Might as well give it a try.”  At this point most of the people at the horse show stopped what they were doing and came over to watch us.

I asked Autumn to trot and the announcer said “You’re still trotting I said canter.”

“I’m building up momentum.”  I yelled back.  When we got to the corner I asked her to go and boy did Autumn go!  She thundered around the arena like a champ in both directions.  She did it!  I was so proud of her.  The judge thanked us for providing the intermission performance as she handed us the blue.  I told her that even though we were the only ones in there that I felt like we really earned that blue. 

Autumn looks embarrassed showing off all her ribbons. She's so modest.

I don’t know how we got entered into that cantering class (Gwen any ideas???) but I’m glad we did it!  Now we know we can do it!

Gwen and her champion horse It's All The Rage

      It was a great day.  I can tell that Autumn loved showing off that day, with her ears forward and doing everything I asked with ease.  Winning the ribbons were fun but the greatest part of the show was when I realized what great friends I have that came out to support us, cheer us on, drive us there, take video and photos of us and perhaps secretly signed us up for a cantering class. 

    After seeing friends and making new ones,

Autumn fell in love with little Biscuit!

Autumn was ready to go back to the ranch.  I untied her braids and took her out to the pasture.  When I let her loose she found the nearest spa and slipped in for a soak which she absolutely deserved.

Autumn soaking in a mud bath at the Jackson Hill Spa.

Thanks for reading!  I have changed my email address for the blog.  I give up on gmail.  You can now get added to my email list or drop me a comment at Jacksonhillhorseygirl@aol.com.

Copyright © 2012  Jacksonhillhorseygirl.com
June 20, 2012