When you show a horse, it’s easy to get caught up in the world of competition. And when your show horse is winning, you can lose all perspective.
As I reported last month, my 3-year-old, Snoopy, is currently going to shows and competing in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association (PCQHA) futurity trail classes. He’s been in four of the shows so far, and we plan to attend the last one in September.
Introducing Snoopy to showing has been a learning experience for him, me and even our trainer, Tina Duree. Tina’s training at her ranch has taught him how to listen to his rider, and she has taken his original interest in going over poles and turned him into a very good trail horse. But at the shows, we’re finding out what he understands and what he still needs to be taught, just in terms of being in a new environment.
Our objective for the first show was to keep up his stamina. Apparently, a lunge in the morning, followed by a three minute ride, was exhausting. But without the lunge, he couldn’t keep his mind in the arena. By the third show, he had learned to pace himself.
Next, we learned that after competing in the morning for three shows, suddenly competing in the afternoon for the fourth made Snoopy a grump. So he had to learn that shows can be a “hurry up and wait” process, and that he can just relax until it’s time to go out on the course.
Finally, we learned that none of the other 3-year-olds are in any better shape than we are. The shows where Snoopy has excelled, the other horses have bombed, and where he has bombed, they have excelled. Out of the four shows, he’s been circuit champion twice, but when working with young horses, every day is a new adventure.
So far, Snoopy’s leading in the overall score, but not by enough points to make the last show easy. It’s still a toss-up, which will make the Fall Classic, held Sept. 18-23 in Santa Barbara, an exciting show to watch. If you’re in the area, look me up. I’ll be the one in the stands chewing her fingernails.
In the middle of this show madness, it’s easy to lose sight of why I ride. Tina is currently riding Snoopy in the competitions, but she is training me to get into the show arena too. Every lesson is consumed with riding him correctly. He is being shown in a hackamore, so I’m learning to use it. It’s fun, since he is a sweet, good horse to ride, but it is intense, knowing that there’s a goal to be met.
Next week I am taking some time off to go on vacation with my family to the Gray Eagle Lodge, a couple of hours northwest of Truckee. My trip will include a trail ride in the Plumas National Forest, courtesy of the Gold Lake Stables and the Reid Horse and Cattle Company. I will walk one of their quiet, sturdy horses through the bright meadows and into the dappled world of the tall evergreens, and I will remember why I ride. The squeak of the leather, the feel of the horse’s muscles rolling under my body and the smell of the herd in the warm sun, make me feel relaxed, contented and liberated.
And I can bring this back with me to my training, to remind me to enjoy the process instead of racing toward the next show. After all, showing is fun and winning is great, but any day spent on a horse is a good day.