Horses

 

Reading Seabiscuit brought back a lot of horse memories. I started riding hunt seat with Pegasus/Meadowbrook stables in suburban Maryland, summer horsemanship camps for a week or two every summer when I was 8.. Then when I was about 12 I started taking lessons during the school year. The Spring semester ended with a school show. 

In the top two photos, I am shown with a blue ribbon riding equitation on "Tuffy".

The bottom right photo, now quite faded, I am proudly wearing another blue ribbon on "Patches" the Pinto.

The bottom left I am shown on "Sundaddy", who just won Reserve Champion Pleasure with me at the reins. That was a WBTA show, or Washington Bridle trails association. I was sad to learn that it was recently disbanded after many years, with the last online post in 2020. 

I blew the Champion for him, placing us second in the "Command Break and Out" class. The rules are simple-the judge stands in the center of the ring and issues commands, such as "halt" walk, trot, canter, reverse direction, etc, and those who do not transistion immediately and smoothly are eliminated. I was busted out from a "halt" to a "walk". I was sure it was going to be "trot" and a half stride was enough to cost the blue in that class.

We won first in Handy Pleasure, and Sundaddy owed my errors to that win. One thing we had to do in that class was dismount and mount from the right. Near or off side, I can't remember which is which. A horse is traditionally mounted on their left, and being a student on school horses, we ALWAYS used a mounting block. So not only had I never mounted from the ground, I had never mounted from the right. 

I jabbed him repeatedly with my toe trying to get my foot in the stirrup, and then lengthened it so much to reach it that when I hauled myself upright I had quite a challenge to get the leg over from that low. Absolutely embarassing. Sun daddy didn't move an inch through out the whole ordeal. Boy, did I make him look great!

Then the judges had us line up against the rail, me first. Oh boy, good sign in show business!. They had two maybe 18" cavelliti jumps set up angled into the corner of the ring. It was a really awkward angle, especially with me in the front, I had  room for only a couple of strides, then had to cut like a 45 degree angle with only another stride or two to the first jump. Hmmmmm. Ok, judge says go, I go, make the corner, take the jumps nicely, go to the end of the line. 

Then I watched EVERYONE else make an opening circle to give them a much better approach to the jump. I sat there with my head in my hands. I totally screwed the pooch on that one!

Then we were handed the blue ribbon for the class! Haha! That brought our total points for the pleasure division to second highest overall, winning the reserve Champion.

The Champion went to my best friend on her own Flea bitten grey warmblood, "Dixie". Susie and Dixie were pony clubbers and stabled out in Wheaton. Susie had a friend, Lisa, who had a little bay gelding named "Little John". Since I used to go to the stables to hang out with Susie, Lisa and her family gave me permission to ride little John. His name should have been little Bastard.

One time Susie and I rode into the woods and came to a small clearing. Susie said, "this is where we do our own thing" and rode off. I suppose I thought LIttleJohn and I were going to trot around, but he had other ideas. He got the bit in his teeth and took off. Straight into some very thick pine trees. I saw them coming and knew exactly what he had in mind. He was going to scrape me off!

I threw myself forward and wrapped my arms around his neck He put his head down and went for it. We emerged on the other side, my hard hat long gone, my arms and legs wrapped around his neck-completely out of the saddle, but still on! LOL. 

It wasn't the only time he ran off with me. Susie and I were grazing them with halter and leadline, and she climbed up on Dixie. I thought that looked much more fun than standing, so for the first time in my life I hauled myself up bareback. (He was "little" John for a reason)

Well, I thought the grass looked much nicer a little farther on, and pulled his head up and gave him a nudge and he saw his chance! Yee haw! no stopping him now! Away we went, him at a flat out gallop, me clinging to mane and hauling on the lead, sure if I went off at that speed I was a goner. He galloped back to the barn and came to a screeching stop. I had stayed on!

I asked Susie, in my vanity, "how did I look?"

She replied, "Like you were getting run away with..."