First Horse Show... tomorrow!!!

Long time, no blog! For a quick catch up- Since I've been out of college for the summer, Pixie has had much more consistent work than ever before. She came into the barn to stay inside in June, and has been progressing extremely well. Pixie now wears a full bridle easily (although I'm still experimenting with the best curb bit for her), canters like a pleasure eq. horse (most days!), and is marching past "boogers" like strobing lights and umbrellas. I think we're ready to head for our first horse show! So, tomorrow we will be leaving for the ETSA Midsummer Classic in White Pine, TN. Pixie will show Thursday and Saturday in the ASB Natural Country Pleasure classes (like regular CP but for horses wearing only keg shoes and with unset tails)...
In preperation, I've been *trying* to teach her to load. Now, I'll be completely honest... I am a rider at heart. I will fess up that sometimes I neglect doing as much in-hand as I could and do under saddle work instead. Which is all well and good until it comes loading time. I spent 5+ hours outside with Pixie on Saturday trying to get her to load into the 2 horse straight load Sundowner that she will be traveling in tomorrow. Needless to say, it was Regena vs. Pixie with Pixie coming out on top much of the time. So... I tried a different tactic and backed her in. She backs into the trailer like it's no problem. There's not enough room to turn her around (I tried), so I'm going to haul her facing backwards. It works, and we'll get to the show. I'll spend more time (not the weekend before a show next time!) working with her on loading when we return home. Yesterday I clipped her bridlepath, ears, nose, and feet... and am happy to report that, with assistance, we were able to do it successfully without any problems (and NO drugs! haha).
I really think that if Pixie remains confident at the horse show, she will do just fine. I completely expect "baby" mistakes and reactions to "scary boogers", but I want her to recover the way she has been taught here at home. If we enter the arena, do our gaits, and look halfway decent for our class- I will consider the show a success!

Video

Here is a quick, blackberry-captured video of Pixie from yesterday... On the fence row to try to work on canter leads close to a fence but not back in the arena yet (too slick yesterday, everything had thawed out and it was waaaaay slippery). We had a few words yesterday (my first riding instructor would've referred to it as a Come to Jesus meeting), but I guess that's to be expected now and again. An hour and a half of riding later, I feel like we gained some ground. Storm was rolling in - neighbors were hammering something incessantly for nearly three hours - neighbor kids on the other side hollering while playing hide and seek - other horses were intermittently running/snorting... it was not a day condusive to the learning atmosphere I had hoped for. Oh well. Here's a canter video too... She got really worked up at the beginning of this pass (but it was the only canter that my mother got on video), but if you look close you can see that I slipped my left arm down to pet her on the shoulder... she settled down.

There's more motor to her than I had originally thought. Wonder what she'll do when she goes back into the stall in the summer. Could get interesting! AOT Country Pleasure classes late this summer?!? I sure hope so... still need to 1) Try out some shoes, as Miss Priss is still barefoot ; 2) Get this cantering down better ; and 3) Learn to wear a curb bit...

Another quick update... canter lead breakthrough!

Pixie and I on a cold winter day

(no, I was not wearing makeup, lovely I know)

Unfortunately, with the wet weather and then the icy, bitter-cold weather that has been plaguing the Tennessee valley, my plan to work with Pixie alot over Christmas break didn't really happen. However, we made the best use of the time that we had. I am back up at school in Knoxville now, but I rode Pixie on Tuesday morning and had a real breakthrough!! I had started cantering Pixie during the fall-- but she never really seemed to "get" the idea of leads. She was super willing to pick up a canter in the arena-- that has never been a problem, but I don't think she ever understood the idea of my positioning to signal a lead to her. She would get the correct lead once but the lead wrong the next. So I backed off and decided to head back to bending and yielding shoulders and hindquarters at the walk and trot. That is what we worked on for the majority of my Christmas break. Tuesday I decided it was time to go back to cantering but I decided to take a different approach. After doing our normal arena work, I thought it was time to try canter leads again...But, instead of trying it in the arena, I rode Pixie down to a bottom field that is very open and flat. I made sure she was supple in her shoulder yields and her mouth felt great, so I walked her straight to a fence row, pivoted, and asked for her canter out into the open field. After a couple of false-starts on the wrong lead from what I asked, away we went. She had favored picking up her right lead before this ride, but that day I think she finally understood what I was asking her to do. When she picked up her left lead and we cantered about half the length of the field, I stopped and praised her ALOT. I mean, A-L-O-T. And honestly, I think Pixie understood. She pricked her ears and completely changed her demeanor from one of unassuredness to one of acceptance and understanding. I can't really explain it... but if she had been a human, I think she would've taken a huge sigh, smiled, and said "I've got it now!". She picked up each lead three times correctly after that with no false starts. And she has such a lovely canter... WOOHOO for breakthroughs! :)

I adore this mare! I think what I like most is the fact that, althought she might not understand things the first time, she doesn't quit or get frustrated. She is always very willing to try things. Hopefully I will get to go home to the farm tomorrow and (weather permitting) ride again.