Hi all,

Due to an email from Lyndy (and thank you-your horses
look great, btw) and the subsequent realization that I
haven't really posted anything in about a month, LOL,
I thought I would let everyone know how Katy and Jodi
did at the horseshow at Fair earlier this month.

I apologize for not being on much of late; with fair
prep and then the week-long fair itself, plus starting
a new job (total career change in late July--now Chez
isn't just about the only groomer in the group-lol), I
have not had alot of time to read or write emails. I
think I have been averaging about once a week on the
computer, and that is usually for very short periods.
:)

Ok, for those that are still reading and are
interested, here we go, an "encapsulated" (you know
me!) version of The Fair......(cue the serious, yet
uplifting music)....


Out of, oh I don't know, 80 horses or so, there were
THREE Arabians including Jodilee, yes, that's
right......3. Sigh....need I say that Katy felt an all
encompassing need to "prove" that Arabians are just as
good at things as the ever popular and ever abounding
QH's?? Onward and upward...

Katy and Jodi showed in the second year beginner w-t
classes; english pleasure, showmanship and EQ, as well
as trail, western showmanship, good grooming and 4-H
horse skillathon (horse knowledge--she did well,
earned a fourth place). She also earned a first place
ribbon for her project. :) We had planned on her
showing in western classes under saddle for the
experience and fun, but Jodi wasn't really responding
to the simple snaffle (we usually use a
Kimberwicke)nor does she know how to neckrein and with
not enough time to teach her properly, we scratched
it). Oh, and Katy has ridden western a total of 3
times, lol!

I thought they did very well together, confidence
growing with every experience, what more could I ask
for? Jodi was an ANGEL. She took it all in like she
had been doing this for years; I can't tell you how
many times we heard "crazy arabs", from both
participants and spectators alike upon meeting Jodi,
all week. Not once did she act like a crazy anything.
:) She gave little arabs a good name. :)

They took a fifth in english EQ out of 9 (yay, Katy!)
and a fifth in good grooming, out of 25 teams. They
did not place in any of her other classes, but hey,
they DID it, and that was the most important thing...
:) It amazes me how quickly Katy learns new
concepts--from her english showmanship class to the
western showmanship class a few days later, her
pattern technique had improved greatly.

I was, and am, very proud of Katy (and Jodi); I think
the best moment of the week was also the hardest for
both horse and rider--trail class. A bridge to cross,
ground poles to trot, through 2 cones placed a horse
width apart, a SCARY rain slicker hanging on a tall
pole to pull off, wave around, "slap" the horse with
front and back then hang back up, an L of logs to back
through, a pivot at the end, and 3 cones to trot an
"S" through to the end.

Alone and for the first time.

The first time Jodi has ever crossed a bridge to my
knowledge was 20 minutes before the class, when it was
dragged out to get the arena ready--we walked her over
it and stood her on it. She was fine with it. I borrow
a slicker and we just went to town on her with it,
never batted an eyelash, good girl.

Enter the big scary arena, Katy, Jodi and the judge.
Jodi wanted to cross the bridge, touched it, thought
about it, but I am pretty sure she didn't because of
Katy's hesitation and nerves. "If she isn't sure, then
no way am I sure OR going forward." Oh well-skip it
and stay with her, next obstacle--ground poles. Uh, no
way, scarier than the bridge. Balk, balk, balk. No
freaking out, just sidestepping. At this point, Katy's
head is down, Jodi's is up, and I am a woman on the
edge. Katy and the Judge have a few words that I can't
hear (the judge told her to stay with Jodi and keep
going, that she needed to finish the course, bless
her), at which point they skip the poles and trot
through the 2 cones, stopping at the rain slicker. Ok,
now here, she could have won an Olympic medal in rain
slicker picker upper, because they NAILED it. Did I
mention a storm was brewing and the wind was whipping
that thing on that pole like nobody's business? Much
to her credit, Jodi stayed calm and still throughout.
To the L, backed the long side, but stepped out of the
short, pivoted, and trotted nicely through the "S"
cones, and finished, which is about the time I drew
breath for the first time since she entered the arena.

Exit one very cute, very small and very upset rider
and sweaty horse.

Tears, tears, self-abuse and more tears. Oh, to be 11
again and have the guts to stay out there and finish,
I said. To do it at all the first time took bravery,
and to finish when it felt like 8 million people were
watching all of your mistakes and obvious lack of
practice, took real courage, and THAT is what makes
one a true horsewoman. We take our knocks, we learn,
and we ride on.
Mommy was proud, and the tears went away after her
(all older and more experienced) team mates talked to
her, told her how brave she was, that they were
impressed that she stayed out there until the bitter
end. Good girls, all of them. :)

So we learned alot, saw excellent examples of how to,
and how not to behave with horses, know what we need
to work on for next show season, won a couple of
goldfish, ate lots of acne-causing, terribly delicious
and yet expensive fattening fair food (should call it
"unfair" food), caught 9 catfish at the natural
resources pond--the wildlife officers knew Katy by
name by the end of the week, LOL, and YES, she was the
ONLY horse-girl fishing all week that they saw--(have
you ever fished in breeches and tall boots? try it,
its fun to get worm guts out of leather, because she
baits her own hook and then wipes it on herself), hung
out with horse people all week, met new friends, and
tried things on horseback heretofore never before
attempted. Jodi was the belle of the ball, and
everyone loved our little mare--we had fairgoers
petting her every five minutes, giving her carrots and
peppies, sitting little kids on her back for pictures
with grandma, mom, dad, and all and sundry. Sadly
amazing, was the number of 4-H kids (and their
parents) who would not allow anyone to so much as
touch their horses. Sigh....hey, maybe its just me, I
dunno.
She and Katy even had their pictures taken by the
local newspaper cameraman. We made sure he put that
Jodi was an ARABIAN, LMAO.

Jodi's favorite part, I think, was the wee kiddos--she
would bend her head all the way down to their
strollers and nuzzle them (tried to eat one bottle),
and they would grab her forelock and laugh, put their
little hands on her face, and she would just snuffle
the heck out of them. One small girl tried to eat her
mane, another grabbed her ear and hung on, she just
sighed and stood still.

That was the best part.

Take care,

Melissa
Katy
Jodi
and the lately much neglected but ever faithful Chaser












"The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of
faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace."
Bl. Mother Teresa




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