I had one ride in the Pro-Nov division and Tillie was awful - rearing, spinning, fighting me, she even fell down onto her knees, and yet somehow we were still able to help out our team mates, sweep the cows into the pen and pen three in 53 seconds!! It was amazing and my team mates couldn't understand why I left the arena in tears. I was so scared!! Those that were focused on the cows during our run didn't see her almost fall in the mud, but those that did couldn't believe that we were okay. My dad hollered "Where the heck is Kitch when you need him?!" He was upset to see Tillie acting like that, understandably so. One of my friends offered the use of her extra horse and I actually decided to take her up on it. I thought it over and figured I was less nervous about riding a strange horse, than I was about riding Tillie back into that slippery, muddy arena, fighting with her some more and actually getting hurt.
After all this time, I guess I'm done being stubborn....Tillie is not a penning horse. At least not right now. She's doing so well with everything else - trails, arena work, (Soooo improved since I've really been working with her! People actually complimented me on how well she was going during the warm-up yesterday!) not much spooks her, she's much more relaxed around the cows than she was when I first started with her and she's so sweet and gentle with the boys. There's no reason to keep forcing her to do something that she obviously hates. Well, other than the fact that it's what I want to do...
I had a great time riding Opal, my friend's flea-bitten gray horse. Dad wasn't around to see my nightmare ride on Tillie, or to participate in my decision to ride Opal. I was sitting on her chatting with her owner when he returned from a walk about the fair with the boys. I told her to watch his face when he realized that I was on a different horse. I knew what was going to happen - he was going to see me up on a flea-bitten gray and just think it was Kitch. And that's exactly what happened, so he did a big double-take and we had a good laugh at his expense! Sorry, Honey...
She had brought Opal to this event for another girl to ride because her horse came up lame. So, she rode Opal in the first 3 events and then Opal was available for me during the Novice class. She was a pooped pony though. She was a penning horse up until 2 years ago when she became a little girl's horse, so she wasn't used to that much running! What a good girl though!! It was so nice to ride a well-trained horse. She had a bit of attitude, (I couldn't blame her!) sort of like "Make me!" But, once you cued her, she would do exactly what you wanted. Wonderful collection - I would bump the reins and she would tuck her head right into her chest. It was awesome!!
She ran her little heart and legs out for me...'course the other girl won money with her earlier in the day...but I had a blast penning on a horse that didn't hesitate or fight me...well, not too much anyway...she was awfully tired. ;-) Several people complimented me on competing so well on a strange horse and that I must have been having fun 'cause I was grinning from ear to ear!
'Course the poor horse was probably very confused - as if switching riders wasn't enough, but we have the same name! (Although very different builds, as you will see in the photos!) It's been a long time since I knew someone with 'my' name, and it's been hilarious. 2 quick stories:
My youngest son was in the porta-potty at Leeds and while I was waiting for him, I chatted with this other woman. When he came out, he asked who I was talking to. I said 'my' name and he got this really confused look on his face! He thought I meant that I had been talking to myself, but with different voices!! My sanity was very much in question, as far as he was concerned...
Again, the 2 of us were standing at the rail chatting, this time at the Windsor Fair. Another girl comes walking by and says 'my' name. We both turned together and said "What?" (It couldn't have been more perfect if we'd practiced it!) She lost it!! She threw her hands up in the air and then placed them on her head like it hurt her. Totally blew her mind!! She couldn't even remember which one of us she had wanted, or why, for a few seconds. We were rolling on the ground laughing!!
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