JAK
Well-Known Member
Went to a local show yesterday & MD decided she would enter 'Novice Junior Rider' (for complete beginners to showing etc.) - no idea why but she spent weeks practising to get him to behave etc! (Refused to wear jodphur boots, presumably feeling 'safer' in her long riding boots in case he decided to play up! LOL)
Spent two days washing & preening him (he was good as gold!), chalked him through etc. on show morning (despite the foul weather!) & was at least rewarded by neighbouring peoples' comments of "Wow, lovely, how on earth did you get him so clean?" as he came off the lorry! *beams proudly*
Unfortunately, he became very stroppy when SJ friend decided to take her horse 'for a walk round' & he started shrieking like a banshee & getting dangerously over-excited!
Went to get a coffee when MD came running for OH on the instructions of YO, who'd told her "Go & get your dad NOW...I can't hold onto him much longer!"
Apparently a horse had slipped as someone had put their ramp down & the almighty bangs that ensued had initially spooked him but as he'd gone to run, YO had grabbed him & hung on for dear life!
After much cantering & plunging on the spot, he then threw a violent tantrum at being restrained & started striking out with his front legs & then rearing, at which point YO told MD to GET OFF, as in "Get your feet out of the stirrups & JUMP for it!"
(It was then she sent poor child to fetch hefty 17 stone OH to anchor him down, as CB's favourite MO is to spin round a few times, pick a direction & just GO, whether you're holding on or not & YO could see he was about to disappear at any moment, so was understandably panicking somewhat!)
Attached to OH, he calmed down almost instantly, poor terrified witless child bravely clambered back into the saddle & the horrid creature was LED round the warm-up area on a ruddy leadrope would you believe, OH only unclipping it as they were calling their class in!
(Knowing him so well, we made a judgement call that as he'd now had his 'mega strop' for the day, he would probably be perfectly fine & safe to inflict on the rest of the class/judge etc. if MD kept her wits about her, so she went in!)
He behaved very, very well indeed (for CB!), restricting himself to flinging his head around, although he was clearly angered by the other much slower ponies in front of him, as he likes to power on in trot & MD had to turn a lot of circles etc. to keep him back from the others!
She only came 6th out of 10 but we were all immensely proud of both of them, as the weather turned into torrential rain & conditions couldn't have been any worse really & he had been sooooo naughty outside the ring just minutes before.........!
Anyway, here's a few piccies! Any comments gratefully received! (We already know he's not very pretty, refuses to go on the bit, is stroppy, bolshy & that the child is wearing the wrong kind of boots, so don't be tooooo cruel! LOL)
At least he stayed in the ring, didn't stamp on anybody & didn't mow the judge down, which for him, is a MAJOR improvement! BTW, we met another couple of people that 'remembered' him......more 'git' comments etc. Poor CB, he seems to be somewhat infamous!
And they're off, no going back now! LOL
So far, so good on the warm-up circuits!
Lined up, ready to do their bit!
Doing their individual show!
Bit of trotting individually! Her hands are beginning to wobble at this point, I think probably with terror, as she was about to canter but he did it fine, being one of the few to strike off on the right leg on both reins (practised for weeks!) AND he was trying to nap back to the rest of the line-up but she bravely kicked on & kept him going! LOL
Part of the final line-up! And the rain was bucketing down at this point!
Torrential conditions in the prize-giving, poor kids all had bowed heads & were like drowned rats at this point! Ponies had either given up, refusing to stand the right way round or were trying to leave the ring! LOL
Finishing off their lap of honour & the rain now stops! Grrr!
Spent two days washing & preening him (he was good as gold!), chalked him through etc. on show morning (despite the foul weather!) & was at least rewarded by neighbouring peoples' comments of "Wow, lovely, how on earth did you get him so clean?" as he came off the lorry! *beams proudly*
Unfortunately, he became very stroppy when SJ friend decided to take her horse 'for a walk round' & he started shrieking like a banshee & getting dangerously over-excited!
Went to get a coffee when MD came running for OH on the instructions of YO, who'd told her "Go & get your dad NOW...I can't hold onto him much longer!"
Apparently a horse had slipped as someone had put their ramp down & the almighty bangs that ensued had initially spooked him but as he'd gone to run, YO had grabbed him & hung on for dear life!
After much cantering & plunging on the spot, he then threw a violent tantrum at being restrained & started striking out with his front legs & then rearing, at which point YO told MD to GET OFF, as in "Get your feet out of the stirrups & JUMP for it!"
(It was then she sent poor child to fetch hefty 17 stone OH to anchor him down, as CB's favourite MO is to spin round a few times, pick a direction & just GO, whether you're holding on or not & YO could see he was about to disappear at any moment, so was understandably panicking somewhat!)
Attached to OH, he calmed down almost instantly, poor terrified witless child bravely clambered back into the saddle & the horrid creature was LED round the warm-up area on a ruddy leadrope would you believe, OH only unclipping it as they were calling their class in!
(Knowing him so well, we made a judgement call that as he'd now had his 'mega strop' for the day, he would probably be perfectly fine & safe to inflict on the rest of the class/judge etc. if MD kept her wits about her, so she went in!)
He behaved very, very well indeed (for CB!), restricting himself to flinging his head around, although he was clearly angered by the other much slower ponies in front of him, as he likes to power on in trot & MD had to turn a lot of circles etc. to keep him back from the others!
She only came 6th out of 10 but we were all immensely proud of both of them, as the weather turned into torrential rain & conditions couldn't have been any worse really & he had been sooooo naughty outside the ring just minutes before.........!
Anyway, here's a few piccies! Any comments gratefully received! (We already know he's not very pretty, refuses to go on the bit, is stroppy, bolshy & that the child is wearing the wrong kind of boots, so don't be tooooo cruel! LOL)
At least he stayed in the ring, didn't stamp on anybody & didn't mow the judge down, which for him, is a MAJOR improvement! BTW, we met another couple of people that 'remembered' him......more 'git' comments etc. Poor CB, he seems to be somewhat infamous!
And they're off, no going back now! LOL
So far, so good on the warm-up circuits!
Lined up, ready to do their bit!
Doing their individual show!
Bit of trotting individually! Her hands are beginning to wobble at this point, I think probably with terror, as she was about to canter but he did it fine, being one of the few to strike off on the right leg on both reins (practised for weeks!) AND he was trying to nap back to the rest of the line-up but she bravely kicked on & kept him going! LOL
Part of the final line-up! And the rain was bucketing down at this point!
Torrential conditions in the prize-giving, poor kids all had bowed heads & were like drowned rats at this point! Ponies had either given up, refusing to stand the right way round or were trying to leave the ring! LOL
Finishing off their lap of honour & the rain now stops! Grrr!
