Just Jenny
New User
Well, the Big Day had arrived. The alarm went off at 5:00am as I dragged myself out of bed regretting the couple of glasses of red wine the night before whilst I was tack cleaning. Anyway half an hour later I was all dressed in my show gear and with the car crammed with a saddle, bridle and associated nonsense set off for the yard.
"Morning Jenny" I shouted as I flicked on her stable light. "It's the Big Day at last". She didn't seem at all surprised to see me at 6:00 am and just went back to chewing her hay. "Let's have a look at your plaits and
see if you've managed to keep them all in". The plaits looked lovely, not bad for a first attempt. Unknown to me the plait fairy had visited in the middle of the night. A good grooming later followed by a pedicure and she looked lovely. All tacked up with her travel rug, boots and tail guard on we were ready to go except the front boots were on upside down and the back boots were on the wrong legs. Well it was dark anyone could make that mistake.
"Ready to load" and Jenny went onto the wagon first, perfectly, even if she was picking her feet up very high because she wasn't used to travel boots.
"Passports please" said the wagon driver. Well I thought Aintree was in England but what do I know.
Aintree at last and with only 10 mins to spare before the first of us is due in. We cut it a bit fine. As Jenny was the first one on she is the last one off.
Open the partition and there she is - front travel boots wrinkled round the ankles and hanging off her feet looking like Nora Batty and the tail guard on the floor.
And we are in the collecting ring. Jenny is looking all around wondering where she is and not listening to me at all. The marshall asks my name and when I say
"Jenny" she says "Jenny who?" "Just Jenny" says I. "No, not the horse's name, your name". "Oh", I say. "Sorry I've not done this before".
"Well you'll be fine, just keep warming up and I'll call you when we are ready."
In we go! Abi says "Do you want me to read?" The Marshall says "I think you better had."
"Great! thinks Abi. She can't hear me in the school half the time."
So I am trotting round the outside of the arena in perfect shoulder-in so Jenny can read the brightly coloured advertisement boards. "Have you seen this one" she says scooting sideways - "that was scary and look at that one and that one!" "OH MY GOD - LOOK AT THAT ONE!!!" I just want to die. All I need is for them to blow a
whistle now and she'll be looking for the show jumps.
There is a quiet ding! ding! like at a hotel reception and Abi in a big loud voice says "ENTER AT 'A' IN WORKING TROT".
So we did!
Well what an entrance! I must be the ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD TO ENTER A PRE-LIM DRESSAGE TEST IN AN AIR JACKET OR ANY
DRESSAGE TEST IN AN AIR JACKET for that matter.
With Abi shouting loudly we managed to get round ok. Trotting, walking and cantering generally where we were supposed to. The circles
left a lot to be desired as Jenny was still trying to read the advertisement boards!
And finally, "TROT DOWN THE CENTRE LINE AND HALT AT X"
I made my bow and simultaneously Jenny did a loud "Whinny which vibrated off the walls. She was obviously very pleased with her performance and wanted everyone to know.
It was only after loading her later that I noticed the big poo stain on her backside!
I turned her out afterwards and she had a good roll in the mud.
Would I do it again?
Comment from Abi on way home "I expected Jenny to be a bit of a handful when we got there" Thanks Abi!
"Morning Jenny" I shouted as I flicked on her stable light. "It's the Big Day at last". She didn't seem at all surprised to see me at 6:00 am and just went back to chewing her hay. "Let's have a look at your plaits and
see if you've managed to keep them all in". The plaits looked lovely, not bad for a first attempt. Unknown to me the plait fairy had visited in the middle of the night. A good grooming later followed by a pedicure and she looked lovely. All tacked up with her travel rug, boots and tail guard on we were ready to go except the front boots were on upside down and the back boots were on the wrong legs. Well it was dark anyone could make that mistake.
"Ready to load" and Jenny went onto the wagon first, perfectly, even if she was picking her feet up very high because she wasn't used to travel boots.
"Passports please" said the wagon driver. Well I thought Aintree was in England but what do I know.
Aintree at last and with only 10 mins to spare before the first of us is due in. We cut it a bit fine. As Jenny was the first one on she is the last one off.
Open the partition and there she is - front travel boots wrinkled round the ankles and hanging off her feet looking like Nora Batty and the tail guard on the floor.
And we are in the collecting ring. Jenny is looking all around wondering where she is and not listening to me at all. The marshall asks my name and when I say
"Jenny" she says "Jenny who?" "Just Jenny" says I. "No, not the horse's name, your name". "Oh", I say. "Sorry I've not done this before".
"Well you'll be fine, just keep warming up and I'll call you when we are ready."
In we go! Abi says "Do you want me to read?" The Marshall says "I think you better had."
"Great! thinks Abi. She can't hear me in the school half the time."
So I am trotting round the outside of the arena in perfect shoulder-in so Jenny can read the brightly coloured advertisement boards. "Have you seen this one" she says scooting sideways - "that was scary and look at that one and that one!" "OH MY GOD - LOOK AT THAT ONE!!!" I just want to die. All I need is for them to blow a
whistle now and she'll be looking for the show jumps.
There is a quiet ding! ding! like at a hotel reception and Abi in a big loud voice says "ENTER AT 'A' IN WORKING TROT".
So we did!
Well what an entrance! I must be the ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD TO ENTER A PRE-LIM DRESSAGE TEST IN AN AIR JACKET OR ANY
DRESSAGE TEST IN AN AIR JACKET for that matter.
With Abi shouting loudly we managed to get round ok. Trotting, walking and cantering generally where we were supposed to. The circles
left a lot to be desired as Jenny was still trying to read the advertisement boards!
And finally, "TROT DOWN THE CENTRE LINE AND HALT AT X"
I made my bow and simultaneously Jenny did a loud "Whinny which vibrated off the walls. She was obviously very pleased with her performance and wanted everyone to know.
It was only after loading her later that I noticed the big poo stain on her backside!
I turned her out afterwards and she had a good roll in the mud.
Would I do it again?
Comment from Abi on way home "I expected Jenny to be a bit of a handful when we got there" Thanks Abi!
- Think we enjoyed it - Jenny certainly did!!
