04/27/2025
We had our 2nd HorseSense class Friday evening, our topic was how to get ready for a show. The kids got to learn how to clip, pull mane, clean tack, give the horses a bath, along with all the work that goes into preparing for a show. It worked out perfectly because we had the 4-H benefit show the next day.
Saturday was the 4-H benefit show we had a nice group of kids attend, I’m so proud of how everyone did. There were some pretty big classes and some students even brought home some ribbons! I honestly can’t remember what everyone got in each class but I’ll share some highlights of each one. We had:
* Aspen and Maverick
This was Aspen’s first show riding Maverick and he took good care of her out there. They got 3rd in showmanship which had around 15 people in it. They also showed in 2’ courses, hunter hack, hunter under saddle, egg & spoon, and the gaming classes. It was fun to watch the gaming classes, Aspen was smiling ear to ear as Maverick raced home. (That horse definitely has some speed and can cover some ground!)
*Grace and Georgia
This pair is like an old married couple😂 and been showing together for a while now. They showed in the same classes as Aspen plus they did hunter pairs with them as well. Georgia always does well in the jumping classes but struggles in the flat classes. We accept the fact she will never be a blue winner pleasure pony but we still love her anyway.💕 They had a blast doing the gaming classes which was Georgia’s old career.
*Eva and Tator
These two have grown significantly this past year and it’s exiting to see Eva move past the beginner classes. She did showmanship, cross-rails, hunter hack 2’, Youth W/T/C and egg & spoon. Tator took good care of her out there especially with all those big bay thoroughbreds racing around the ring in the flat classes. She even beat Ryder and I in the crossrail class!
*Cooper and Libertee
This team is full of personality and never fails to make people laugh. They did showmanship, egg & spoon, and the gaming classes. Libertee is definitely not the fastest but he did try and was more willing than last time Cooper gamed him. Cooper said he had a lot of fun and that’s all that matters to him.
*Lily and Tommy
This was Lily’s first show ever with Tommy and they did showmanship and 2 W/T classes. I am so proud of this girl, she has come so far within the last 6 months. She has been working so hard riding independently at the walk and trot on Tommy. This pony is not an easy ride and can be a little stubborn sometimes. Lily was super nervous and Tommy feeds off his rider so I’m so proud of him stepping up and being decent to make it a positive experience for Lily. I’m also proud of Lily for not giving up and trying her best even though she was nervous and scared.
*Noah and Ginger
I figured I’d give Noah the easy going horse this year since last year the horse he rode was a nervous wreck.😂 He was up against some pretty good riders who been riding most of their lives. He did end up getting 3rd in pole bending. He doesn’t ride too often so the kids were making fun of his riding skills and “coaching” him. Thankfully he can take a joke and gives it right back but he did ask me to teach him lessons when we got home lol.
*Catherine and Juliet
This was there first show together and Juliet’s first show ever! They just did showmanship, Juliet is 2 yrs old so she is not saddle broke and just getting exposed to the show world. She handled it like a champ, I’m excited to see how they do in the future.
And *Me and Ryder
Lastly, I rode the baby of the group which was only his 2nd show. We did showmanship, crossrails, open W/T/C pleasure and eq and egg & spoon. We did pin in every class so I’m so happy with him. I messed up my showmanship pattern but he was amazing for it. Our crossrail schooling was a little rough but he stepped up and did well during our class. Our flat classes went well, we still have some work to do with our walk to canter transitions. And egg and spoon we got 2nd out of 25 people! My students said I wasn’t going to last long bc I was on Ryder but I proved them wrong😂.
(I’m so bad at remembering to take pictures so we only got some group photo’s. If any parents got some pictures they like to share, send them my way, thanks)
