The weekend show was a sucess!
Not only did me and Stretch improve in our Western Pleasure class placing squarely in the middle of the pack as opposed to at the back of the pack, but we also won our Hunt Under Saddle Class! Not having shown Hunt Seat for almost ten years I wasn't expecting much, just wanted to get in there and get him used to working a little further off the rail and maybe see how he moved compared to everyone else's horse.
And he was wonderful! Cute and bright, with a great stride I couldn't have asked for much more. We had one hang-up on a lope to trot down transistion but with a bit of practice that will go much smoother I just know it. I was trying to be so careful because I knew I hadn't tried that transistion english before, just trying ever so gentlely to bring him out of that canter into a trot that I confust the poor boy. He is used to a lope to wall transistion so that's what he offered me first - then feeling the pressure I tried to rush him into trot, feeling my urgency and picking up on my distress Stretch thought he did it all wrong and flew back into the canter, so I brought him back down again and he offered me a slow western jog, which I accepted knowing that he had no idea I wanted that BIG trot so I pushed him back up into it, the whole thing was over in seconds and only one Judge spotted it. Completely understandable - Stretch tried his heart out for me, how could I ask for any more? Standing in the line up when went to call first place out there was a pause - and I knew I had it. I had entered that class at the gate so they had to look up my number info on the fly. When they called out my number and Stretch's name I caught my breath and a fine mist came to my eyes.
I had been so worried for so long about showing - it was my first placing above a 4th ( with 4 horses in the class ) since 2005. I have been so worried over whether I should sell my horses or just quit showing all together (because its ALOT of money to spend on a hobby that you're not good at). I was just so relieved that ONE I was in the showring being competitive again and that TWO I had found something that Stretch really likes to do and is good at - because he is such an angel of a horse and I didn't want to have to sell him to find something that I could compete on.
Now I know one 1st Place doesn't fix all my problems but I have proved to myself that I can be competitive and I am pretty sure I have found a class that Stretch can be good at.
Many other things took place this weekend (including riding Patrick) and I will get to them i just needed to write about the good stuff first.