Springfield Show 2011 (long post!)

Alas, I will put pictures up later in the week. So sit tight for those!

Friday

Harry went into the trailer really well today, so I was happy. By the time we packed everything up at home and got to the barn and packed there, we were about 2 hours behind. So we left around 6pm and made it to Springfield at 8pm. We settled them all in and went to grab some dinner, hit the hotel, and then went back at around 11pm to work. This ended up being a mistake, but we worked until 1230. Everyone worked pretty nicely and everything and we hit the sack at about 2.

Saturday

Woke up early today! I was sooo tired. We fed at around 8pm and got Harry and Nina all groomed up and washed really well after we worked them a bit in the morning. We ended up rushing at the last minute because we got stuck in lines for lunch and I missed my mom's class with Nina (3rd place) because I was changing to get ready for my own class. I hopped on Harry with barely time to go around the warm-up once before my class was called, in which I got 3rd from one judge and 4th from another! So I'd say that was pretty good for being pretty disoriented at the time! They were both a little groggy, and my brother took a 2nd and a 3rd (he was really disappointed, since Nina usually gets 1sts). We both qualified for the championship class (my first one ever!!!) but we didn't place. My mom took Nina in for the championship class and got an honorable mention. We finished out the day early, hung around and chatted before we hit up Walmart for a dog crate -- we brought Bella with and she was driving all of us nuts! We had this little tent for her but she figured out how to roll around in it and was moving the tent around. So we got a solid crate that turned out to be amazing.

Sunday

Last day of showing! We were prepared today, but the horses looked significantly more tired than yesterday. My mom took Harry in the professional's class today and she took a 3rd, beating out one of the better known trainers. Then I hopped on to cool Harry before my class while my brother went in with Nina and came out with a 4th (again, really disappointed). I ended up with a 4th because Harry was not getting pumped up at all. I could tell he was trying, but he just couldn't get enough oomph to get an amazing gait. My brother ended up with another 4th and that was it for showing today!

In the end we ended up with: two 2nds, four 3rds and four 4ths.

I felt really bad trying to get Harry into the trailer. It started storming and we backed up the trailer into the barn to load him because we figured it would be better. I tried a couple of times and he refused and then he ended up rearing and slipping on the concrete and falling with his legs all splayed out. I was so scared that he was going to break a leg or something but I kept up for a couple more times until my mom said that she would do it. We ended up pulling the trailer back out while it was raining and when my mom was about to bring him in, Colin came running down the aisle out of apparently no where, running from the arena with someone from his barn to help us. The worker must've seen Harry fall and called Colin to help us, so he went over to my mom and asking if he could help really quick before he had to run back to help his client in the class, and he and the worker got Harry into the trailer with some yanks and whacks on the behind. He had both Harry and Nina in the trailer in about 30 seconds, said he'd see us later in the week, and ran back to his class.

Boy, did I feel stupid. Just as I thought that Harry had it down pat, he goes and does this. Looks like it's back to square one.