On Friday of last week a group of us from the yard traveled to Arena UK in Grantham for a full weekend of showing and all things equine (there may have been a bit of alcohol thrown in the mix too!). We also met some friends there and spent the weekend laughing lots and talking about our plans for the winter. Mark was in Estonia on a stag weekend so it was a great opportunity for me to have some much needed girly and one-to-one time with Ceaser, but did also mean I didn't have someone to carry my belongings around the showground!
Ceaser had been rather full of it the previous week and a few times I had had some near misses where I found myself thinking "this is it, I'm coming off!". He has been on some immune system boosting products and although I was warned they would make him feel 'very sprightly', I didn't expect him to turn in to a youngster again!So, after allowing him a few hours to settle in to his home for the weekend I tacked up and decided to pop on for a quick ride around. Surprisingly he worked lovely and was listening to my every move - which was a far cry away from a few days before! However, he usually does this and always pulls out all the stops for me once we're at a show. Its one of his traits that makes him the type of pony he is. Forever the cheeky boy at home, but a true showman once we're out competing.
Saturday saw a 5am start (I know, there ARE two 5 o clocks in one day after all), a grumpy me and a confused Ceaser as to why the sudden early rise. I don't know where the time flew but suddenly it was 9am and I was walking into my Competition Pony class. I had barely warmed up and I knew I needed more time. The ring was very tight due to the amount of competitors in the class and I felt like I didn't have chance to show Ceaser off properly in the go-round.
Needless to say we weren't placed in the Top 10 but it was a huge learning curve for me. Next up was the ridden veteran class. There was roughly 20 entries in the class and in all honestly I had let my mistake in the morning bother me so I was dithering and panicking. The go round though did feel much more positive and I ensured I spread myself out a lot more than the previous class so the judge had a good chance to look at him. I also ensured I got quite high up in the line-up to enable me to do my individual show piece early on. This reflected Ceasers performance and he went on to perform a foot perfect show with both correct canter leads.
I was thrilled to be pulled in to a respectable 6th place and as I looked further up the line-up I felt our place was fair and there was some fantastic horses.
Saturday evening saw the consumption of alcohol, girly chats and lots of giggling. Although I didn't drink much, I think the girly influence got the better of me and I found myself giggling like a young school girl all evening. However I did get much more sleep that night and felt a lot better the following morning.
I don't know whether it was the fact I had, had more sleep or what but when I woke up on Sunday morning I instantly felt a lot more positive and better than I had the previous morning - Phew!My classes didn't start until 10am so I was able to spend a lot more time on Ceaser's turn out and warming up. However, when I found out the judge was the one and only Mr Nigel Hollings I instantly panicked again. Nigel is one of the top producers in the country and very widely known. No pressure then...
First up was my Riding Pony class in which Ceaser usually did well in as he is just a true stamp of a riding pony. The go round felt much more put together in this class and I felt like Ceaser and I were working together again rather than against one another. This reflected and he then produced a lovely individual show.
The wait was nerve-wracking and I didn't expect to be placed too high as there was some top class show ponies within the class too. So, when Nigel pointed to Ceaser and I to come forward and take 1st place I was absolutely thrilled. I didn't at all expect that and am still smiling from ear-to-ear at the lovely comments Nigel gave me about Ceaser. It is so rewarding getting compliments from people like Nigel who know a good, decent pony when they see one.
What made it even better is that my friend, Jo and her horse Jasmine took 1st place in the riding horse class. Next was the Ridden Veteran class. I have found that this season more than others, there has been some tough competition in this class. Veterans are becoming increasingly popular to compete and are looking better than ever before with all the types of vitamins and supplements now out there on the market.
Ceaser produced another lovely individual show but was a little reluctant to show an extension in the trot across the diagonal. However, we were pulled in a fantastic 4th, above some more amazing horses and upon Nigel giving us our rosette he said he definitely would have been higher had he shown that extension. Oh well, it is all about learning and as we all know, horses have their own minds!
Overall I had yet another fantastic weekend that I was pleased to be able to share with my friends. Our show results were just the icing on the cake and I am thrilled to have been able to finish the season off with such good results.
That is it now I think for showing for this season but I have already got the dressage saddle out, wiped away the cobwebs and am practicing for the winter dressage competitions now.
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