The ponies are thrilled with the grass height, carefully getting long stalks into the grazing muzzle holes to slurp down like spaghetti noodles while the big boys are too busy playing in the cooler air to even notice.
While my farm skills might have scored well, my horsemanship was strained. Bandon and I had a week-long falling out that hit my heart the hardest. It's hard to say exactly what went wrong, the symptoms though were clear. He began to bolt.
It was mixed in with acceleration at all gaits in general. Leaning. Bracing. All the things you don't want. Once he bolted the first time, it became alarmingly regular about 20 minutes in on our rides.
We're on the right track to work through it now and I'm thankful for two good trainer horse friends that I can contact anytime and say, "I give up, I'm never riding again" who talk me back into sense. I made the mistake once of contacting my husband with this first and his enthusiasm to sell the farm and have a normal life was slightly unsettling. Trainer friends rock.
Horses are great at taking you to amazing levels then sometimes bringing you right back down. This can be a bitter pill to swallow when you find yourself sitting at the start. Again.
Through the turmoil of Bandon's fighting nature, the kids were getting excited about their show coming up.
Pegasus has not been off site with us before, his history on showing is not really known. Spotlight has been off site and is decent but can be a little bit of a handful. I decided to put her on Pegasus.
The show was a lot of fun and Tristan earned a ribbon in leadline on Spotlight...
while Brianna had her turn on Pegasus. It was a different leadline than we had done before, the kids being asked to post at the walk and the judge asking them a few questions. I was proud of the kids and proud of my hubby who was attached to the notoriously bitey, Spotlight.
Sage was in next and I couldn't believe the emotions coming up in me. I wanted so much for her! I also wanted her to earn it and make her own path. I try not to talk too much about the kids and their riding because really those are their stories and not mine, but Sage ended up teaching me something that's worth sharing.
Sage went in behind another horse and Pegasus was okay but not great. He was not interested in stopping though his rider kept at it.
In the next class, Sage and Pegasus were the only entry. He was not having any of that. He would not move off onto the rail from the gate. She fought him as he turned left, right, backed, sideways, Sage kept at it. She spoke to him so quietly I couldn't hear what she was saying and I was pretty close by.
I thought any minute she's going to start to cry or give up. He yanked the reins out of her hands. She picked them back up and kept working.
The judge flagged me and said it was okay if I went in and didn't help her, but just was another body in the ring so Pegasus wasn't alone. I walked a good distance away from the team as Sage worked out her pony and rode as the judge called commands.
At the end the judge congratulated her on a nice ride, a cute pony, and a great leg. Sage didn't say a word, sweat pouring down her little face, her hands shaking from her show nerves.
Out we went and I thought of all the things I should say. I wanted to congratulate her on her tenacity. I wanted to apologize that at her first solo ridden show she had such a challenging pony. I wanted to build her confidence up but not take away anything from her own sense of accomplishment. I wanted to tell her that I hope she never ever gives up and I'm sorry it didn't go quite as planned.
Before I had a chance to decide which words to form, she asked me if she could hang her ribbons over her bed and she was beaming.
That. That is what I learned from my little girl and what I'll take back to my next ride.
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