The events as I understand them are barrels, poles, keyhole, apple bobbing, musical stalls and possibly an egg and spoon race. I have known about this event for at least a month. Fast forward to yesterday evening. Panic attack. I. Don't. Know. This. Stuff. I'm no barrel racer but I'm guessing it'll take a bit longer than 5 days to train a horse to run a correct pattern.
Amanda, besides looking aghast at my lack of knowledge of the other half of our sport, volunteered to watch my pathetic attempt at western training and perhaps yell a few things here and there as she laughs under her breath. Panda is going to be the horse I ride in this play day as Marvel has been picked by a friend of mine to ride. Marvel has also been displaying some frisky acrobatics when asked to go quickly so he may not be my best bet anyway.
Panda is a 2 year old horse trapped in a 9 year old's body. I squeeze, he rolls his eyes and acts like he never felt anything. I pull left and his nose goes left (as the rest of his body travels in the straight line we were going in when I pulled left). I half-halt, he, wait, SO CONFUSED! These events are apparently based solely on turning and gaining speed in an efficient, if not fast, manner. Since he doesn't seem to know my leg from a fly on his butt I anticipated trouble with obtaining and then maintaining any legitimate speed. Being a Thoroughbred, I was reminded that they weren't built to gather speed quickly which is why they aren't the number one option for western sports (WHAT?! OTTBs can't do everything?!) Also, our arena is probably 30-40 yards wide and that seems to be a tight turn for him. Amanda was speaking Hungarian or something; "Rollback turns," "hand gallop," and "point him at that barrel and make him hug it as he turns around it" were all things she was saying. I must've been speaking a different dialect as I enthusiastically told her how my pony that can barely be coaxed into a trot or turned from his course can't do those things.
As most of you horse poor people know, you don't say no to a free "lesson" of any kind. And if you don't know that mantra you aren't really horse poor. So with a nervous giggle, off I went doing the things I was told. Our first exercise was hand gallop to canter transitions. Picking up the canter was a chore in itself as we had already trotted around quite briskly and Panda is a skinny fat kid with few muscles. After long last (and a really bruised behind) we were cantering. Now time for the gallop. I don't know why this makes me nervous. Perhaps because I've never really done it, perhaps because I'm on the back of an ex-racehorse who knows how to kick it in to high gear, or perhaps I was worried about what could possibly happen (my imagination is boundless in a mainly negative way). I never figured it out because next thing I know I was in a galloping seat and we were moving out! Well, I thought we were moving out. Apparently it was just a good paced canter because I heard yelling out of the corner of my ear about pushing him and letting him have his head. Exercise failed.
Next, barrels. That was actually fun. Walking up to a barrel and making Panda turn around it by kicking him with my outside leg and pulling his nose around seemed easy. Yet every time I approached the barrels I had to figure out which way we were turning and what rein and leg that corresponded with. I can't brush a horse and have a conversation at the same time so this was like rocket science to me. If my arm and leg on the same side of my body can't do something at the same time they get separation anxiety. It's totally not my fault you see! After mastering this at the walk we moved to the trot... and then abruptly got laughed at. We quickly decided that strategy, rather than skill, would be the only way we might be able to pull out a win. He turns right worse than left so if we take the first barrel on the right side we will have two left turns. Exercise not so much failed as deemed unhelpful for the time available.
Last was Panda's favorite, breaking out of the "start box." This was a faint line drawn by Amanda in an arena full of other lines. The ready, set, go she gave us was very nonstressful which contributed to our feeling of meager success. The first time poor Panda was scared straight (and fast!) by me cowboying up with kicks, kisses, and a crop and Amanda clapping, kissing and arm waving. Apparently the point was not lost on him because the second time around, as I reached back to tap him on the bottom with the crop, he lurched forward and sideways and we got up to speed a lot faster. The last time my ADD got the better of both of us. It went a little like, "Ready, set, go!" Kisses, kicks, "WOAH! He's doing it! He took off, what a good boy. Oh crap, there's the barrel, we were supposed to be going faster by now..." Nonetheless, as mentioned, the exercise was at least a slight success.
Panda was soaked in sweat and I wasn't looking too fancy myself but we learned things! And we went fast! It was a blast and I haven't even done the playday yet!! Now to make the competition even more fierce by adding prizes to the winner of the events. I've already threatened to tranquilize every horse on the property but mine if there's a dandy brush up for grabs. I have a feeling that this ecstasy will be short lived. Especially seeing as I take competition much too seriously and am a tack trunk full of nerves before events of any kind.
Just need to remember that playday = fun and being beat by a 7 year old is not something to be ashamed of.
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| Maybe he'll make it as a dressage pony?! |
Two comments (in list form ;))
ReplyDelete1. You did just fine for first time. Now time number six or seven... ehhh
2. I like the picture you chose because it has you working at a walk and me galloping in the background.
I chose it just for you. ;)
ReplyDelete