The Show Ring

I've been riding for about a year and a half now and i'm starting to begin some serious showing. I became a "show pony" last March when i entered my first show and proved real potential. I rode a tall, dark brown beauty named Cisco and he took me to my first compettition. we placed 4th, 5th and 4th, which is considered second honors for my consistancy. However, I felt I could do better. My trainer and I had big plans for me in the horse show world, but one problem sood in our way, a horse was needed. That's when the search began.

I took a large break after my show last March so i could focus on finding my perfect horse. I already knew what i wanted, sweet, talented, dedicated and focused, now I just had to find him/her. It was definately challenging and tiring. I tried many horses before the most amazing thing happened and his name is Comet. The little Missouri fox trotter found his way into my heart by accident, but it turned out to be more of a miracle. Our first ride together will always be remembered by me and everyone present. He is a very clutsy confused jumper, considering he's built for western pleasure, but he trusted and respected me. He tried his best and that's all I needed from him. By the end of the day, we were jmping two-foot courses and doing perfect lead changes. He fit all of my requirements but one, talent. However, I didn't care, I was hooked. I adored this horse more and more with each lesson. It didn't bother me that he didn't know what he was doing, I didn't care. His loving and hardworking personality paid off for that.

He gave me a chance, so I did the same for him. I began to half lease him. I must say, those several weeks were some of the best in my life. there wasn't one second in which I wasn't wearing a smile. From bareback galloping to bubble baths to bran mash dinner, I was in absolute adoration of him. My trainer decided we should try to show him, but shortly after the descision was made, something terrible happened. It was during a what seemed ordinary lesson, but something was wrong. I knew my horse so well I knew he wasn't okay when he didn't even try to jump for me. We had the vet come and it turned out to be laminitis. His rear joints weren't healthy enough to bend freely over jumps anymore. I can't tell you how much I cried, how much sleep I lost worrying about him. I continued leasing him, not jumping, but I always had shows in the back of my mind. It was the most upsetting thing that ever happened to me. I never did get to show him. However, that didn't affect my love for Comet and still hasn't to this day.

My trainer decided it was time to move on. She found me a tall english equitation horse that I thought for sure I'd hate. God was I wrong. Jasper, my champion quarter horse mix was an absolute blessing to have. He was my friend's old horse and whenever I saw her on him, he was a brat! I began training on him in August. Our first ride was incredible jumping two foot three inch courses with oxers and rollbacks and other challenging combinations. From there things just snowballed. With every ride came inprovement, and I was sure he was the one. Of course we had our ups and downs, but now we jump two foot six inch equitation courses and are the one's to beat in compettitions. Jasper can sometimes be too smart for his own good. If you don't give him precise leg and hand instructions, he'll start to play with you. he'll refuse jumps and make up his own courses. nevertheless, I love him. e decide i needed to show him.